Kisses + Caffeine

Sharing my journey as a mother, wife, homemaker, Jesus girl, entrepreneur and all things in between!

A Birthday “Glamping” Set!

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My sweet friend Brandy reached out to me a few weeks back and asked if I could do a custom set as a 21st birthday gift for her daughter. They had plans to go camping to celebrate, so we decided that a “glamping” set would be so fun! 

What is camping without toasty marshmallows??

I’ve been itching to do a camper, so I Primed this little cutie (get it here) for the occasion!

This set may have been small, but it is definitely one of my favorites! Happy Birthday, sweet Claudia! 

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas

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Okay you guys. Uh, yum! This recipe was inspired by a post I saw on Pinterest, and then tweaked to make it FANTASTIC! If you are looking at my other healthy recipes and hoping this one is too…I’m sorry to burst your bubble but it isn’t. It is, however, one of the most delicious meals I think I have ever eaten! If you want an easy weeknight meal that your whole fam will love, go ahead and save this one and then come back and thank me!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1lb chicken breasts (Or you could use rotisserie chicken to make them even easier!)
  • Colby Jack Cheese
  • Bacon (I used the pre-cooked kind! Any will work).
  • Ranch Dressing
  • 8 flour tortillas
  • Butter
  • Garlic Powder and Salt to taste (If you aren’t using rotisserie chicken)

Directions:

  1. Prep your chicken. I seasoned my chicken breast strips with salt and a little garlic powder and threw them in my Instant Pot on high pressure for 15 minutes. (I added water and a little olive oil to prevent the burn warning). The chicken came out perfect and was very easily shredded. If you meal prep you could totally cut up a few grilled chicken breasts, or pull apart your rotisserie chicken now!
  2. While your chicken is cooking, go ahead and cook your bacon. I did about 8-9 strips total.
  3. Lightly butter 8 tortillas and put 4 of them on cookie sheets, butter side down.
  4. Drizzle as much or as little ranch dressing as you like on your tortillas and add a sprinkle of cheese to each.
  5. Crumble up your bacon and then go ahead and add that. 
  6. When your chicken is done, divide it evenly between your 4 tortillas and then top with more cheese! (you can keep it lighter, or go full on cheese-fest here).
  7. Drizzle a bit more ranch if you like and then place the rest of your tortillas on top, butter side UP this time.
  8. Place them one pan at a time under a high broiler. When the tortilla starts to look slightly browned, take it out and carefully flip it over so that the bottom side can cook. They may get all puffy looking, but don’t worry! They will relax a bit when you take them out.
  9. Repeat this until all quesadillas are cooked. 
  10. Cut into triangles and enjoy your new favorite meal! You’re welcome!
 

When the Darkness Swallows You

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If you have ever battled with anxiety or depression, you know the darkness that I am talking about. Sometimes it sneaks in slowly, over time, and you don’t even realize it. Sometimes you are just going about your happy day and then one little thing- a broken glass, a harsh word from someone you love, a bad phone call, or literally nothing at all- and there it is. Sliding over your heart and mind.

To be honest, there are days that it scares me. That I have feared it will swallow me up. There are times where I feel like I am literally on the edge, and it makes no sense. You can have a good life and still be depressed. You can have a beautiful home and loving family, and still be depressed. You can love Jesus and still be depressed. In fact, I would say that this is one of the number one ways that the enemy attacks believers, especially those in ministry. 

But Jesus. The two most beautiful words. But Jesus gave me something yesterday and I feel this overwhelming need to share it with the world, in case it helps someone else to just hold on. Psalm 139: 10-12 says:

“Even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”.

 

Jesus will not let the darkness swallow you up. He is light, and even the darkest darkness is not dark to Him. He is holding you, though there may be days that you can’t feel Him. Sometimes all that you can do is cling to Him and His promise and trust that He cares for you. You don’t have to create your own light. Jesus is enough.

Kept

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“He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”

-Psalm 121:3-

I came across this verse in my quiet time this morning. I have read this psalm many times over the years, but typically my mind is drawn to the verse before, one we hear all the time in Christian circles. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

But God made this one jump off of the page this morning. See, I have been going through a bit of spiritual warfare lately. Trying to take on a new calling and path for my life has brought doubt and uncertainty from the Enemy. There are days that I wonder “Did I hear God right? Is this really what He wants for me? Is He going to show up and follow through? Does He care about the struggles that I am facing??”

I felt this way a lot during the time after my miscarriage and struggle to get pregnant, too. I would venture to say that we have all had seasons like this, even those of us who are the most grounded in our faith. Some of us, these seasons are brief. For others of us, we walk these hard seasons for years, and just when we feel like we are about to break and give up, He comes through. 

This simple, short verse was exactly what I needed this morning, and it will be added to my life verses. Other translations say “He will not let you fall,” or “He will not let your foot slip.” This is a beautiful picture to me. 

There are times in life when our path is hard and steep. We try to climb it on our own, but sometimes it is too much to handle. We may not see God in these moments, because we are focused on the struggle. But if you have accepted Christ, you have a promise. Your Heavenly Daddy is there, holding you. Keeping your feet from slipping and helping you climb out. He does not sleep. There is never a moment in this life where you are not being watched over and protected, even for a second. And that is a powerful and comforting truth.

Much like my precious baby girl. Her daddy and I are keeping her at all times. We guide her wobbly steps and protect her from dangers that she isn’t even aware exist. When she sleeps peacefully in her crib, we watch over and listen for her to keep her safe. There is never a time when her Mommy and Daddy are not protecting her. Parenthood is a mirror of our relationship to God; He designed it that way.

If you do not know Jesus, please know that THIS is the God of the Bible…not the angry tyrant that Hollywood portrays. God is not waiting to flick you off the cliff like an ant the minute that you mess up. Your sins, struggles, issues and failures are not sitting between He and you like an unmovable mountain. You don’t have to be perfect. Jesus came, lived, died and rose again to take the wrath that we deserve for our sins. It has already been paid and He is waiting for you to watch over you and keep you, like a new father lovingly watches over his baby. If you would like to talk more about this, please email me or leave a comment. I would love to chat! 

Whatever you are facing today, sweet friends, embrace the reminder that your Father is ever-watching over you. He will not let you slip. He will not let you be moved. Rest in that truth! 

Delicious (and Easy) Chicken Fajitas!

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Mexican food is my absolute favorite thing to eat. (Okay, other than cake.) But really, I am a sucker for Mexican and could eat it 3-4 times a week with no problems. Lately, I’ve been on a fajita kick. I’ve been craving them for days and decided last night that I was going to just whip some up! I had pretty much everything on hand, so this came together really easily and I wanted to share it with my favorite peeps! 

Easy Chicken Fajitas

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1-1.5 lbs chicken breast
  • 2 TBSP oil of your choice
  • 2 TBSP vinegar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1 tsp Oregano flakes
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 2 tsp Cumin
  • Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste…I hardly use any!)
  • A dash of salt and pepper
  • 2-3 large Red Bell Peppers
  • 2-3 Large Green Bell Peppers
  • 2 Yellow Onions
  • Tortillas and toppings of your choice! Had I pre-planned this, I would have had Pico and Guac to go along with it! 

Instructions:

  1. Combine the oil, vinegar, water and spices in a medium sized bowl.
  2. Cut your chicken into long, thin strips and place in the bowl with the marinade. Place in the fridge and let it rest for at least 30 mins (the longer the better if you are planning ahead!). 
  3. While your chicken is resting, remove the seeds from your peppers. Cut those as well as your onions into long, thin strips and set aside.
  4. When the chicken is almost done marinating, bust out your Cast Iron Skillet (this makes a HUGE difference in getting that delicious, slightly charred taste! Don’t have one? Get my fav here!). Put a drizzle of oil in that bad boy and pre-heat in on medium high. 
  5. Once the pan is hot, add your chicken and cook it through, stirring frequently so that it doesn’t stick. I dumped the whole thing, marinade and all, into the pan so that the veggies could get some of that spice, too! 
  6. When your chicken is done, remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add your veggies to the pan and add a little oil if needed to prevent sticking. Cook until your veggies are soft.
  7. This is a good time to set out your tortillas and toppings. We love a good home made tortilla, but I had some store-bought on hand so thats what I used! Just make sure you remember to stir your veg every few mins so that they don’t burn!
  8. Add the chicken back to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Cook everything a little more, stirring very frequently. You should start to see it get that yummy charred look! Be careful not to burn it! 
  9. Remove the pan and place on the table on a trivet. Be careful, the pan will be HOT and the food will still be sizzling! 
  10. Enjoy your authentic fajitas! 

 

 

 

A Kate Spade Inspired Graduation Cake!

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I was visiting my in-laws at their farm house in Indiana when my sweet friend Sara reached out to me about a last minute surprise cake for her sister-in-law that they needed the day after we got home. Once she sent me details of what they were thinking, I just couldn’t say no! I love when my customers give me a bit of “free reign” on the design of things, and decided to go a bit “Kate Spade” on this one! 

The stripes on the top tier are edible sugar sheets (they come in all kinds of colors! Shop them here) cut to size for a nice, clean line.

They wanted her name to be on the cake to personalize it a bit. I wanted to add some sparkle! So I used my Cricut to make a custom topper with glitter cardstock. 

The little plaque on the front is one of my custom sugar cookies to incorporate the quote that they wanted but keep it edible. The topper is the only non-edible part to this whole cake! 

For the cap base, I molded rice Krispy treats and covered them in black modeling chocolate (I will have to share that recipe with you guys sometime!). The mortar board is just a square of white chocolate covered in modeling chocolate and topped with a piece of sugar sheet. 

The one request Sara did make was that she wanted flowers on the cake! I perfected my buttercream frosting (Praise hands! I’ve been at it for years!) and piped a mixture of sizes and colors cascading down the side of the cake. (Pastry bags are your friend for these types of things!)

My initial vision was for the “confetti” to be a metallic gold, but Amazon lost my package, so black it was! I am actually really happy with the way that it turned out though. If I have learned one thing in my baking adventures, it is that sometimes things are out of our control and we just have to roll with the punches and work with what we have!

At the end of the day, the cake turned out to be one of my personal favorites! My customer loved it and it was the perfect addition to celebrate a beautiful lady as she accomplishes a huge milestone in her life! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of celebrating life’s special moments, and I hope that I can continue to do so for years to come!