October 2019 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

Top 5 | Kitchen Products From Amazon

We all love Amazon, right? It’s just so easy, so fast, and so cheap! I love to use Amazon for things that either I can’t find in store, or for things that are cheaper than in-store. Today I am sharing my 5 favorite kitchen products.

So first off, microfiber cloths. These are perfect for cleaning all kitchen surfaces.

Drawer goals.

I am trying to cut way down on the amount of paper towels I use, so I try to use these microfiber cloths for everything. These are the perfect size to clean with, and they are pink! Love them.

Next, a life changing contraption – this little clip-on strainer.

Now, if you cook a lot, you know that every-time you cook pasta, you have to lug out a big ol strainer to separate out the water after the pasta is done. And then you have to wash said strainer. Not anymore with this little strainer that attaches to ANY size pan. You clip it on and you can dump all of the water out. LIFE CHANGING.

Ok, next thing are reusable straws.

Buying plastic straws is extremely wasteful and bad for the environment, so I buy the metal reusable ones. They come in lots of fun colors, and you can just pop them in the dishwasher.

Also, using parchment paper for baking used to be a must for me until I discovered these oven safe baking mats.

Use them just like parchment paper, and throw them in the dishwasher to clean. Nothing sticks to these!

Lastly is this adorable little strawberry gadget.

You just pop this into a strawberry, give it a little twist, and it takes out all of the stem, no knife required! My girls love this.

Ok, so that’s it for my 5 fave kitchen gadgets from Amazon!

Do you use any of these or have any product recommendations for me? Leave them in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

EAT | Chicken and Dumplings

Hello! Today I am sharing a recipe for the ULTIMATE comfort food. What is it about cold weather and eating? It is really all there is to do! Haha. Anyway, here is my recipe for chicken and dumplings. They are delicious and savory, and will warm you up on a cold day. Maybe we will get there soon, it’s 87 degrees as I type this here in Texas!

What you need:

5 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
2 tbsp poultry seasoning
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour

First off, add chicken broth and water to a big stock pot. Add in your seasonings and bring to a boil.

Add in your chicken, and continue boiling.

In a mixing bowl, beat up the eggs.

Slowly add in your flour and combine until soft dough forms.

Roll dough out onto a mat at about 1/4 in. thick. Cut into strips.

Add them into your pot, and continue to boil for about an hour.

As they cook, the dumplings will all start to float to the top.

Enjoy!!!

xx amy

The BEST Metallic Nail Colors

Sparkly nails are always pretty, always in style, and add some extra glam to any outfit. Here are my favorite ones.

My number one favorite is this silver metallic color by Julep called Missy.

This is ONE COAT of this polish, and you can see that it has perfect coverage. This is the third bottle of this polish I have purchased, and it goes on so smooth, not streaky, and dries fast. The glitter in this polish is gorgeous!

Next, since we have silver, we have to have gold! This is Essie Gel Couture in Daring Damsel.

This is more of a soft champagne gold color, not as sparkly as the Julep, but more metallic. This one takes two coats and is a little bit streaky when applied, but it’s a beautiful gold color that goes with everything!

I LOVE this one; OPI in Cozu-melted in the Sun.

This is like a deep rose gold color with golden shimmer. This takes only one coat and is just a beautiful pink metallic. This color is very unusual and I don’t have anything else like this.

I really love Essie because I feel like they always have the best colors. This one is called Sil Vous Play.

This is a deeper purple-pink color with silver shimmer. I get so many compliments when I wear this one! Two coats and you’re good.

Lastly, an Essie color called A Touch of Sugar.

This color is a light rose gold. This is fairly sheer, so I usually have to do three coats, but it’s worth it! This color is so pretty for the summer.

What are your favorite sparkly nail colors?

Thanks for reading!

September Reading Wrap Up!

Today I am sharing a few of the books I read this month – I’ll be honest, I am obsessed with reading and read way more than three books a month, but these three were my favorites.

First up, a Colleen Hoover book. I really have been loving her books lately, they are usually love stories with a mystery or a bit of a twist. Sometimes a big twist!

This one is called It Ends With Us.

This is a powerful read about a girl who falls in love with a homeless boy while in high school. Their relationship ends and years later she runs into him whilst engaged to another man. This isn’t the typical love triangle and has some surprises and twists along the way.

Next up is a historical fiction novel called The Alice Network by Kate Quinn.

This book is set in the 1940’s, and uses the perspectives of two different characters, Eve, a woman who worked as a spy during the war, and Charlie, a young, pregnant girl who is searching to find her lost cousin who vanished during the war. Eve’s story as a spy is fascinating and Charlie’s story is interesting as she is pregnant and will stop at nothing to find her lost cousin. The shocking ending pulls both of their stories together. It’s really good.

Last, a book by Chevy Stevens, called Never Let You Go.

This book is a suspenseful mystery about a girl named Lindsey who escapes from her abusive husband and now lives a new life with her daughter. Years later, her ex-husband is released from prison and she fears will come looking for her. When he moves to the same town, she blames him for her home being broken into, and she feels as though she is being watched. She doesn’t know if it is someone else, or if it is him, even though he tells her he has changed.

That’s it for my reading wrap up!

Do you have any books that you would recommend?

Thanks for reading!

xx amy

Top 5 | Shimmer Shadows

Hello! Do you like shimmery eye shadows? I LOVE them!!! It is rare that I do an all matte eye. I like to use matte colors to blend, but always need some shimmer or glitter on the lid!

Here are my favorites!

So first, we have the star of the show. The Stila Glitter and Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Smoky Storm. This is a liquid shadow that is chock full of sparkly glitter. One swipe of this, and it is opaque sparkle. I did one swipe on the swatch below. It is a taupe-y bronzey color and it so gorgeous. You can use it as eyeliner or just on the lid.

Next is a cream pencil shadow that I featured in my recent September Faves post. This NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha is a bronze colored pencil that is so so pretty on the lid by itself or as eyeliner. It is smooth and glides onto the eye for such an easy look. Unlike the Stila, this pencil doesn’t have glitter, it just gives a metallic sheen.

Next is an eyeshadow that I have repurchased because I love it so much. This may be my favorite eyeshadow of all time. It is the Burberry Eye Colour Glow in Nude 002. This color is a silver metallic taupe color that gives the most beautiful sheen. The texture is so smooth and luxurious.

I had to include one of my favorite MAC shadows, Sable. This is a warm toned medium brown shimmery color. MAC makes some of the best eyeshadows in my opinion, and this one has been a favorite for years.

Lastly, a lighter toned shade, this is the Urban Decay Moondust shadow in Starlight. This is a peachy toned metallic shade with silver shimmer. This color is so pretty on the lid and even as an inner corner highlight. It gives a fresh glow to the eyes and is really pretty. Urban Decay’s Moondust shadows are all really nice quality.

Now for the swatches!