Tunesday - Joshua Radin

First, I'd just like to apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've had a lot of stuff going on with school and social events. Please forgive me! Here's an adorable song to brighten your day. Honestly, it's one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard. One word: duet.I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

love,
Laina

Tunesday -- mewithoutYou

I had heard snipets from mewithoutYou when I was younger, but one of my friends absolutely adores them. Through his love for them, I was given the opportunity to really appreciate them. I finally got to check them out in Richmond, VA back in August. I feel like they'd probably be really stellar, but the combination of an inexperienced sound tech and our location made it somewhat lackluster. The day I had was fantastic, and I do appreciate them a lot, so I can't complain too much. It's incentive to see them again!

Here's a song from their newest album Ten Stories (which is, you guessed it, stories!).

Here's a picture from the show we went to. You can see that we had an awesome view, but we were catching the bouncing sides of the sound and a lot of sound from the on-stage monitor speakers.

love,
Laina

Tunesday - The Lumineers

"The opposite of love is indifference."

I've been falling in love with this band for a while now. My life has been super hectic and a little stressful. This particular song is one that I can listen to and instantly feel calm. Not only does this folky band have a great sound (um, hello... violin!), but they're also lyrically gifted. Man, I would love to see them live.

Take a break from your day, stop whatever you're doing, and just listen to this. Really take it in.

Until next time.

love,
Laina

Tunesday - Kate Nash

Sorry for the lack of posts. I've been super busy with school lately. I underestimated working full time and going to school too. Oh well. The good news is that my moodiness has lead me into the arms of some pretty fantastic music.

I really dig Kate Nash. I love that she has this angry and torn vibe going on. The first song is super relevant to my life.

I hope your week is fantastic! I'm going to try to post a new recipe by the end of the week.

love,
Laina

Crockpot Lemon Italian Chicken

This is one of my most coveted Pinterest finds for two reasons: 1. It's wicked good and 2. It's astonishingly easy. I can be a pretty lazy person, so I love a recipe that requires little effort. Not only that, but the main dish only requires 4 (yes, 4) ingredients. So here's the thing, this recipe varies around the web since the original post isn't available. The amounts are somewhat dubious, but here's what I did tonight. I liked this over pasta, but I'm thinking it'd be really good with rice too.

Note: I doubled the recipe that I originally found.

Ingredients:

About 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (I used 2 super big breasts that I halved.)
1 stick margarine/butter (I used about 1 1/4 stick of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter)
2 packets of ranch dressing mix
Lemon juice to taste (I used about 3 tbs)

Directions:

1. Let the butter melt in the crock pot. I do this on the High setting.
2. Add lemon juice and ranch packets. Stir until well blended.
3. Add chicken and make sure it's coated with the liquid.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. I check on it every couple of hours and ladle the liquid over the chicken.

Tunesday - Lost In The Trees

Sorry I missed Tunesday yesterday! Tonight is not a night for costumes, candy, or scary things. No, sir. It's a night for music. I've been waiting a while to talk about this band mostly because I didn't know quite what to say about them. There are a lot of words I'd like to write, but instead I'll keep it brief:

I love this folky-orchestra group because it has this really fantastic combination of meaningful lyrics and beautiful orchestral instruments. I've heard that the number of band members on stage can range with each show, rendering the sound of each show unique. Their music contains instruments like guitar, violin, cello, French horn, tuba, and I'm pretty sure there was a glockenspiel at the show I attended last winter.

Here's my poorly recorded video of favorite song (sounds good though!):

Here's a great song from their newest album A Church That Fits Our Needs to illustrate their current sound:

Oven Baked Fajitas

Here's a pretty ballin' recipe I found on Pinterest. I made it for the first time a few months ago and to be honest, I kind of forgot about it (which is surprising because it's super delicious. I thought of it again the other day and decided to make it again tonight. This recipe is pretty large. I'd say it would make enough for 4 adults. My favorite thing about this is that it's ridiculously easy to make. The first time I made it I used precut onions and peppers. You could even get the fajita chicken pieces that are already cut into neat little pieces. Try it, you'll like it.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken strips in a greased 13×9 baking dish.
In a small bowl combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, and salt.
Drizzle the spice mixture over the chicken and stir to coat.
Next add the tomatoes, peppers, and onions to the dish and stir to combine.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

Original recipe credit: Real Mom Kitchen