Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sliders

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #VivaLaMorena #CollectiveBias

As you may have noticed, it's been pretty quiet around here because... I am moving to Wordpress!  Behind the scenes, I have been doing the usual cooking, crafting, traveling, and eating, plus lots of updating, rewriting, photo editing, and everything else to get the blog over there ASAP.

What that means is that I am super short on time when it comes to just about everything.  So when my mom asked me to whip up a recipe that my dad could use for his game day crowd, I had to think of something that was quick, easy, and still delicious.  Introducing my Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sliders!

First of all, let me tell you have easy these are to make.  There are seven ingredients total, most of which you can keep on hand in case of a last minute shindig.  There is no measuring whatsoever, so you basically can't "mess up" the recipe, and there's less clean-up with zero dirty spoons and cups!

Not to mention that this takes all of maybe 10 minutes to make, 30 if you do it "from scratch."  Like I said, easy peasy!

You might be thinking that if there are only a few ingredients, it is lacking flavor.  Not at all!  I use one of my favorite secret ingredients, La Morena's Chipotle Sauce, to pump up the volume, and it tastes as if I have been slow cooking the chicken for forever.  Add a few other ingredients and the sliders are ready for the partay!

P.S. - If you want to make these with beef or pork, it would be just as delicious.  Also, if you prefer to make these full sized sandwiches, that would be great too!

By the way, how did the crowd like it?  Well, we were practically feeding an army... my dad's soccer team!  Yes, he still plays on a team with a bunch of other "men of a certain age" who are sports fanatics.  When they got to my parent's house, they were hungry and ready for the football games on TV, so we had an antsy crowd on our hands.

I made sure to make my recipe extra spicy with the addition of some La Morena Sliced Jalapeños for my Latino tíos (uncles) on the team.  Otherwise, I know they would be asking for more sabor (flavor)!

But everyone loved the sliders so it was mission accomplished!  I'm sure your football party guests will be happy to eat these too.  :)

Before we get to the recipe, here are a couple of tips to make this super quick.  You can keep most of the ingredients on hand in the pantry, so I always make sure to buy double when I'm at Northgate Market.

To make it even simpler, you can buy a precooked chicken for super easy shredding which will shave off even more time.  Smart!

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sliders
A Vintage Zest original recipe

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Hostess Survival Kit for Party Disasters!

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Albertsons. All opinions are mine alone. #AwardWithSavings #Albertsons #CollectiveBias

Now that the holidays are over, it's time for a new season... awards season!  Being in Southern California, I personally know a ton of people who work in "the biz" and that means we are REALLY into our viewing parties.  Since I'm known as the girl who is always prepared, I decided to put together a quick tutorial for my Hostess Survival Kit!  Put one together for yourself or for your favorite hostess to keep those party disasters from ruining your swanky soiree.

Let's get to it!

Personally, I headed to Albertsons since it's a one-stop shop for all my party supplies, plus all of the food that I'll be whipping up as well!  Here's a peek into my shopping down each aisle.  :)

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Minions Whoopie Pies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MinionsAtTarget #CollectiveBias

Recently, we had a good old-fashioned movie night at home with Minions, and I baked up some adorable whoopie pies to go along with it!  This recipe is kid-friendly, so everyone can enjoy baking and decorating them.  :)

The cookies in the whoopie pie are a luscious lemon flavor, with bits of lemon zest throughout.  The filling is a light and airy blueberry and lemon zest whipped cream cheese frosting.  You know that cream cheese frosting is my favorite kind, so I had to include it!  I used blue food coloring in the filling because I thought it would look like their little pants.  Right?  :)

Lastly, I think the Minions Whoopie Pies look adorable!  It's so much fun decorating them by choosing one or two eyeballs, deciding on if they'll smile or look shocked, and designing their goggle straps as well.  :)

Are you ready to take a bite now?

But first, back to the inspiration for this sweet dessert...

I must admit that I'm one of those adults who loves cartoons and sometimes borrows nieces and nephews just to have a reason to see the movie in theaters.  Actually, I was bummed that after seeing both Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 with the little ones, I missed out on Minions in theaters.  That's why when the movie came out on 12/8/15 on DVD, I rushed to Target to buy it!  I bought the Target-Exclusive Deluxe Minions Metalpak Blu-ray/DVD, which has 40 minutes of extra content.  The DVD case was just too cute not to buy!  There was also an exclusive $5 Target gift card deal upon purchase, so it was a total no-brainer.  :)  Besides, I was able to pick up all of the ingredients from my shopping list.  Easy peasy!

Now, let's get to the recipe!

Minions Whoopie Pies
Adapted from this recipe

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5 Useful Tips for Off-Season Storage

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ZiplocSavesSpace #CollectiveBias 

Recently, I was at my parent's house when I noticed a sneaky pile of cushions and blankets in the corner of the living room.  Being a neat freak, I immediately noticed it, even though my mom had scooted a bookshelf over to try and hide it.  :)  You have to understand that I am such an organization aficionado, that as a kid I would organize the kitchen, garage, closets, and every other room in the house for fun.  Basically, she's used to me poking around in her closets!

So when I asked my mom about what was going on, she told me that the storage closet was already full!  When the holidays come around, my family loooves hanging out here because there are three couches, plus lots of comfy pillows and blankets.  That means she has a stash of guest blankets that only need to come out for the big holiday parties.  Also, this summer she bought new cushions for her patio chairs.  Now that winter is rolling around, she decided to store them inside to avoid weathering

Well that explains it!

I suggested that we maximize the space in her closet by using Ziploc® Space Bags®, which create three times the storage space.  Get this... my mom has never used them before!  Immediately, I decided that I needed to share a few useful tips on how to use Ziploc® Space Bags® with both her and all of you.  After I show you how well they worked for my mom, then I'll share those helpful hints.  First stop, Lowe's!  You can find the Ziploc® Space Bags® in the Home Organization section, in the Storage aisle.  Easy peasy!

So here are the items that I started off with in the Ziploc® Space Bags®.  I stuffed them in there a bit, so I thought they were already compressed.

Nuh uh!  I always feel like it's magic when I see HOW MUCH space is saved!  I mean, on the box it says it compresses up to 3 times the space compared to uncompressed storage volume.  I believe it!!!

Now, are you ready for the tips?  Let's get started!

Tip #1: Utilize Your Sizes

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Gift Guide: for Home Chefs

Welcome to my tenth gift guide of the season, for all of the home chefs and kitchen dabblers out there!  (Psst...  Check out these links if you missed my other nine gift guides for Travel Bugs, Men, Kids, Dogs, Everyone, the Home, Tech Geeks, Crafty Gals, and The Edible Gift Guide!)

The room where most probably spend the most time in could arguably be the kitchen, because who doesn't love eating and making delicious treats?  Then, why not outfit your favorite room with some awesome appliances, pretty serving pieces, and a complete library of cookbooks!  Hopefully you can find something new to add to your shopping list.  :)

Let's get to the guide!

Cooking Appliances & Tools

• 8 inch Chef Knife Crimson Series High Carbon German Steel With G10 Ergonomic Handle, $65.95 :  I personally use this knife for all kinds of chopping.  The ergonomic handle is both functional and pretty!
• Tagine, $99.96 :  I bought this tagine a few years ago, and it serves as an elegant serving dish as well!
• Automatic Stirrer, $59.95 :  You mean you don't have to spend all your time by the stove stirring and stirring?  It's SUCH a lifesaver for people like me who sometimes forget to keep an eye on all the burners.  :)
• Adjustable Pastry wheel, $21.95 :  Not only is this pastry wheel a useful tool, it's adjustable with interchangeable discs!
• Kitchen scale, $12.14 :  Every home cook needs a kitchen scale.  :)
• Kitchen Torch, $27.99 :  Use this to make my easy S'mores Mini Donuts!
• Draining sieve, $29.95 :  This tool is so useful for draining quickly, without having to take out (and wash) a colander.
• Salt & Pepper shakers, $27.97 :  You can adjust the coarseness of your salt and pepper with these grinders.
• Butter warmer, $9.99 :  Need that butter warmed through?  These may help.  :)
• Measuring cups, $24.90 :  I love the cheekiness of these measuring cups from 1/4 cup of kisses to 1 cup of love!  :)
• Food Mill, $49.95 :  Food mills are such a helpful kitchen tool, streamlining so many of my kitchen jobs!
• 5-in-1 Grill, $74.99 :  This grill also functions as a waffle maker, griddler, and panini press.  It's definitely on my wishlist!  :)

Ingredients & Serving Pieces

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Felt Flanerie feature + GIVEAWAY and promo!

Welcome to another Shop Small Saturday Showcase!  This week, I am featuring one of my favorite new shops: Felt Flanerie!  I met Amanda at a recent craft show and I was totally enamored with her pretty items, and I'm so happy she's being featured today.  In fact, I have already featured her in my Gift Guide for Kids!

There are so many items different items in her shop, from pretty floral arrangements to scary and cute zombies and even groovy ornaments... and they're all made out of felt!  The creations are ridiculously cute, and you even have the chance to win one.  :)

Amanda will be giving away a set of peat pot flower arrangements, which are great for gifts, displaying on a bookshelf, or adding a pop of color on your desk, without having to worry about watering it every day.  So make sure to stay tuned until the end of the post for that, as well as a promo code that will save you 10% off her entire shop.

Now, let's find out more about Felt Flanerie!

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Tell me a little bit about yourself!

My grandma taught me to sew when I was ten, maybe even younger, but I remember ten, haha!  After that it was a whirlwind of bobbins, needles and threads.  Any chance I had to use the skills, I did, always trying to make my own halloween costumes or set pieces for school plays and projects. I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season and then I was hooked. I haven’t really looked back since. I love it too much to stop.


Where did the name of your store come from?

“Flanerie” is one of my favorite words in the vocabulary that I know and my favorite material to work with is felt. I guess it just felt right when they came together and it stuck. Ultimately it made me smile when I said it and I think that how I knew it’d work. Can’t argue with a smile. :)

Why did you start making goods for Felt Flanerie?

I got into sewing plushies when I needed some gifts for my four siblings one very broke holiday season. When I saw my two year old sister open the gift, it was hard to ignore just how much it made her smile, whether she really knew what it was or not.


What is your favorite item?

Favorite item right now is Mr. Mint.  He's a one of a kind XL plushie and he’s made with different shades of minty green hues, mint being one of my favorite colors. His shape is a cuddle conductor, his size is conducive to those seeking unscripted play and imaginative fun, and his minty shades are minty fresh. ;) He can work as a decorative throw in your living room or even as a child’s plush play toy.

What is your most popular item?

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