Craft: Welcome to Our Home

     As promised, today brings a craft post! FINALLY.

     When someone goes to their happy place they may picture their feet in the sand, with the crashing of waves on the beach. Or perhaps you go to a forest with sunlight streaming through the leaves and the sounds of birds chirping around you.
     I go to Michael's. That's right. Don't judge. The smell of craft supplies and endless varieties of options makes me excited and relaxed all at once. For a few brief shining moments, Michael's had a Membership Rewards program. In the few months that it existed, I made it to Gold member status.

I SAID DON'T JUDGE. haha.

Let's face it. I LOVE crafts and would empty my bank account on crafts if I could.

     With that being said, I have been eager to create things for decor in our new house. I lucked out on a recent trip to Michael's and knew just what I wanted to do. As I browsed Michael's to refresh some calligraphy materials for a wedding order, I happened upon these simple dudes.

     For $0.99 I got myself two wooden frames that fit a 5x7 image. Our front door has had an empty hook for the last 4 months and this was going to fix that! While these are adorable, they are also slightly blah.
     My first step was to change their coloring. I knew I wanted to keep the integrity of the wood, and I also had no official stain. I had read various posts on using tea to stain things. So I got myself a mug of very concentrated tea.

     To apply the tea, I used one of those $1 foam wedge "brushes." WARNING. After about 4-5 coats of tea you could barely tell the difference and my patience was slowly slipping away from me. Understatement, my patience was gone. I thought through my options and refused the option of going to buy stain or paint. I could solve this. And solve it I did.

     What got me this beautiful walnut coloring you ask?!? Instant Espresso. No joke. It was one shelf below the tea and I knew it would be much stronger. :) So I forged ahead with my sponge brush and a cup of espresso. Ok, two cups of espresso. One to drink, one to craft with.
      In my many hours of Pinterest browsing, I came upon this cute little graphic. I originally was not sure what I wanted to do with it, but as soon as I found the frames, it was set.

     I printed this out on regular printer paper with my home printer. In order to cut it to the correct size, I laid the image underneath of the frame exactly how I wanted it. From here, I used a pencil to mark the lines of the little semi-circles that lined the OUTSIDE of the inner frame. (If that's confusing, refer back to the first picture...) I basically wanted to make sure I would have enough paper to glue it to the back of the frame. Cutting it down was as simple as pulling out my paper cutter and lining up the marks.
     The final step was to apply some Mod Podge to the back of the frame and line up my picture correctly. After this dried, I added an extra coat of Mod Podge to the paper that was touching the frame as an additional safety measure. The awesome thing about this craft is, it only cost me 99 CENTS! And I still have another frame to be crafty with. I was even very resourceful and used the twine that held the two frames together originally to hang this new art on the front door.

     Here is the final product! I am very pleased with how it turned out. Especially the color (and scent!) of the wood. My brain is already buzzing with ideas for the second frame- so keep your eyes peeled for another craft!
     Have a wonderful sunny Saturday and be well friends. I am enjoying these last few days of summer before school starts up. Then you will get some posts about my organized classroom! Can't wait to show you the theme for this year!
     
                 <3

Chips: You Can Eat Every Single One

     Nope. No typo. You can make all of these chips and then eat every single one. 

   As I've been thinking about this post, one thing has been in my mind. This post may be dancing on that line between "Yes, I'm healthy," and "I'm HEALTHY." I could be wrong, but sometimes I think KALE is on that dividing line. You may love this post, or look at it and think, "I'm out." That's really ok with me. 

     I WILL say this. I was what you might call "behind" that line originally. Until I tried these. Now I'm a huge fan. I challenge you to try them at least once. Then make your decision. Honestly, I was never really a huge fan of kale. It's a tough and very strong tasting green. As a child, I only saw it when I fed it to a pet rabbit. (rabbit obsession alert) Lately, I have been experiencing it in a variety of dishes and actually liking it. 

     The great thing about Kale Chips is the transformation they undertake in the oven. No lie. Sometimes it baffles me how something so tough and chewy can become fragile and crumbling. Nevertheless, here we go. The recipe is simple, but will take some monitoring if you buy a large amount of kale. 

Ingredients: 

*Kale (try your local Produce Junction!)

*Pam Olive Oil Spray

*Seasonings

*You will also need cookie sheets, parchment paper, and to preheat your oven to 350. 

     You are going to begin by rinsing all of your kale and placing it on a paper towel or dish towel to dry. It is important that you give it time to really dry- or press it between towels to get the excess water off. 

   The next step is to trim the kale. Believe it or not, the easiest way to do this is with your kitchen scissors. What you want to do is cut the leafiness away from the thickest part of the stem. No one really eats or likes to taste this very fibrous part of the leaf. You can basically just cut the whole leaf in half making one cut down each side of the stem. 

     From here, you can cut (or rip) the leaves into smaller bite size pieces. Let's be honest, I rip the kale. This is not an exact science. Just rip the dang leaves. While the pieces are sitting on a towel, you'll want to cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

     Arrange your kale pieces on the parchment paper with a bit of space between each one. If the pieces are overlapped you may run across some pieces not being completely baked. 

     Next, spray each piece lightly with your spray Olive oil. This brand works really well for me. Now, I've seen different theories on this next part. Some recipes will tell you to season the chips after they are baked. I like to put my seasonings on before. I am of this opinion: why not bake your seasonings into the chip for more enhanced flavor? 

    So far, each time, I have used my "go-to" spice. A great garlic sea salt grinder I found at a discount store. In the future, I may branch out and go more bold with spices. (e.g. why not go with chili powder?!) 

     After seasoning your kale pieces, put them in the oven (at 350) for 10 minutes. If, at the ten minute mark, you notice they are not all looking crispy- keep going. With this important warning: Add on time in ONE TO TWO MINUTE INCREMENTS. It is very easy to burn these chips. Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything...Ok. Fine. I am. So there. And burnt kale chips- not tasty. 

    You'll see in this picture that the chips still have a good green coloring to them. If yours are brown...uh oh. Notice how much smaller they are! These leaves will now be delicate and crunchy. It will probably take you several rounds of this to finish all of your kale. (Depending on how much you buy!) 

     They definitely took on the salty, garlicy taste. Again, I'll say it, it's amazing how these just disintegrate in your mouth! When I'm craving something like crunchy, salty chips these are great. I can eat a ton and not feel bad later. 

     Give them a try and let me know how they turn out! OR pass on the healthy, healthy kale and come back here tomorrow. Why you ask? Because tomorrow I'm posting a CRAFT! Finally! I've been trying to get some more crafts for you to try out and it's finally here! See you here tomorrow! 

                  <3 

The Dying Tomato Fix: Sweet Balsamic Stewed Tomatoes

Hi All,
      I apologize for the temporary silence here on the blog! However- in the silence- we have reached 700 VIEWS!!! Holy Moly guys! Thank you so much. I love that some of you are sharing and using what I have here.

     Now, if I haven't mentioned it before, my mother and I have a standing date. We have a great little Produce Junction near us. So every Monday we go and buy mounds of produce. There are several fantastic things about this. 1: You have someone to split the huge quantities with. 2: MONEY SAVINGS. Quite honestly, reason number 2 should have sold you on its own.

     A bit ago, we split a bag of about 15 tomatoes. Here is where my mistake played into the equation. I put them in a beautiful bowl and promptly forgot about them for just a little too long. Well hello Problem, I have a Solution for you. In past meals, Hubby has finished off entire cans of stewed tomatoes. That got my lil head thinking. How hard can it really be? The answer- not too difficult! I've even got a fun trick for you to make it even easier.

What You'll Need:
*8 Tomatoes
*Half of a Red Onion diced
*2 cloves of Garlic minced
*1 tsp. Thyme
*1 tsp. Oregano
*1 tsp. Basil
*1 tsp. Garlic Powder
*1 tsp. Onion Powder
*2-3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar (you can skip this if you don't have it on hand)
*1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil

   If you can picture the stewed tomatoes you've had in the past, you'll (hopefully) remember that they do not have skin. I'm sure this can seem to be quite the dilemma. However- it really truly is not. Let me introduce you to a simple method thanks to my Momma (of course)!

   Place all of your tomatoes in a pot that has enough water to keep the tomatoes floating. Bring this pot to a boil. What you will notice as it boils, is that the skin of the tomatoes will split. As each tomato splits you can pull it out of the boiling water and drop it into a bowl of very cold water to the side. Continue this until all of your tomatoes have split their skin and are in the cold water bath.

      Here is the awesome part about this trick! When you pick up a tomato and start to pull the skin: the whole skin peels off easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. Thank you to my Momma for the memory of watching that trick as a child.

     Once you have completed peeling each tomato, you are going to want to chop the tomatoes into slices and then quarter each slice. (Or however you'd like to.) Another note at this point, some other recipes will instruct you to take out the "core" of the tomato. If that is your preference, go for it. From my point of view after trying both ways, I couldn't tell the difference.

     At this point, you're going to want to get a pot on the stove with your Olive Oil, diced red onion, and minced (or pressed) garlic browning. The goal is to get your onions to a point of translucence.

    As you can see in this picture, I put my onions in first for a bit. Adding the garlic later kept it from burning. Once this is done, you can add in your chopped tomatoes and their juice. From here on out, this is ridiculously easy. Add in the rest of your spices. (Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, basil)

      Lastly, add in the Balsamic Vinegar. I sometimes will also add about 1/2 a cup of water if the tomatoes were not very juicy.

     You're going to now put a lid on this pot and let it cook for about 15 minutes on medium-low heat. After the 15 minutes with the lid on, take it off. Cook the tomatoes for another 15 minutes with the lid off to cook off some of the liquid. (Not all of it!!) Voila! You're done!

      These were a huge hit here for dinner and disappeared quickly. My recipe is a bit of some research as well as some experimentation. So we're calling them Sweet Balsamic Stewed Tomatoes. I love the sweetness that the Red Onion and the Balsamic create. They would be great on chicken, or even tossed in pasta! However you're craving it at the minute.

     That's it for today. I'm currently typing and cooking my next blog post! So keep your eyes peeled. And a big THANK YOU again for 700 views! You all are awesome.

      <3

Introducing: The Hubby Cake

   Better late than never. That's the motto I'm going with for this post. 

Background: For the last few years, Hubby and I have been working on keeping to a healthier diet. 

   Partially for Hubby's health and partially just to treat our bodies better. 

   With that in mind, most of my Pinterest hours are spent on healthy alternatives for things we usually would splurge on. About a year ago, I found just a picture on Pinterest and it got me thinking. We don't usually do birthday cakes for the hubby, but this one seemed perfect. 

    Now, don't get me wrong. Part of the fun was watching the Hubby's face go curious and concerned every time I mentioned his "birthday cake." The fear of having to eat something unhealthy, or pretend to like it was evident. 

   Let's get down to the details. You'll need to go to the grocery store or your local produce market and have a hay day in the fruit section. The great thing about this idea is that it can be different every time you make it. No matter what, however, you'll need a watermelon. 

Begin by cutting your watermelon to the size and shape of the cake you'd like to create. Use your creativity! I started out with a circular cake, but it could be square, a hexagon, etc. 

   Now is when the fun begins. I found this cute little set of fruit/cookie/etc cutters at TJ Maxx and figured they'd work well. I cut up some cantaloupe in nice flat slices in order to use the cut outs best.

   From here, I cut out some fun shapes and began to figure out a pattern to create on my "cake."

      The other fruits that I chose had some great colors and went with my beautiful reds and oranges.

You've gotta love blues and greens



From here on out it's just a fun exploration in patterns and shapes that you can arrange on your "cake."
For my first try, I went relatively simple. But after this success, I have all kinds of new ideas floating around my head. In the mean time, here are the final images of my Healthiest Birthday Cake Ever!

   Needless to say, the hubby was delighted and there was NONE left by the time the two of us finished with it!

   <3

Dinner: Quick and Easy

   Well, ladies and gentlemen, today has been productive to say the least. I am proud to say that, during this lovely, rainy, Harry Potter Marathon day, I got plenty done! I am about to show you a DELICIOUS dinner that is simple and easy. (And as usual, Pinterest finds...)

Today's meal: Crock Pot Pesto Ranch Chicken and Crash Hot Potatoes

   Now, I will start with the chicken. The original recipe for the Pesto Ranch Chicken is made with chicken thighs. However, I had a whole chicken to cook, and that is what I did! Let me tell you, this chicken is stupidly easy and tastes fantastic.

You Will Need:
*1 whole chicken
*1 packet of dry Ranch Mix
*1-2 tablespoons Pesto
*1 cup Chicken Broth (again- I make mine with bullion cubes)

   In your crock pot, put the chicken broth and whole chicken. Take your Pesto and spread it all over the chicken. Follow by sprinkling the Ranch mix on top of this. Guess what??? You're done. Seriously, done. Doesn't it feel wonderful??? I left mine in the Crock Pot on high for about 3 hours.

  Now, while the hubby may have commented on this lil dude's color. (I believe the words Swamp Chicken were used...haha) We both found it moist and flavorful!

   Next up are the potatoes, and let me tell you. They are WORTH IT. Again, a Pinterest find, however, my recipe is slightly altered. In the future (because this will happen frequently now) I will use smaller potatoes, probably new potatoes.

You Will Need:
*Potatoes (enough for each person to have 2 or 3)
*Olive Oil
*Salt (I used a my favorite go-to spice, a sea salt and garlic grinder)
*Freshly Ground Pepper

  Begin by boiling your potatoes in salted water until they can be punctured easily by a fork. (Also pre heat your oven to 450)

    Once the potatoes are done, place them on an oiled cookie sheet. I used Olive oil and a brush to make sure the whole sheet was coated. I also had to cut my larger potatoes in half due to their size. You may not need to.

   The next step is to take your potato masher and mash each potato so that it is relatively even and flat. After each potato is mashed, brush it with Olive Oil and season it with salt and pepper.

   Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake your potatoes for about 25-30 minutes at 450 degrees. They will be gloriously golden and crispy when they are done.

   Again, this recipe comes with a warning. They were dangerously fantastic. To the point, that both hubby and I are afraid, that no matter how many I make in the future- we will eat them ALL. So, fair warning, eat at your own risk!

   The beauty of this meal is that I was able to accomplish even more while my crock pot chicken was cooking! While dinner was cooking, I enjoyed way too much Harry Potter and did my nails. I had seen the idea of a "gradual" french manicure look using glittery nail polish. I experimented with this using what I had in my polish collection.    

   I am pretty pleased with how it turned out. I may try different methods of applying the glitter in the future. However, if you'd like to try this exact look, I used two coats OPI "Passion" and then topped that with gradual layers of OPI "Happy Anniversary."

   Now, while you may be impressed by some of this. I feel as though you need to be even more impressed. And here is why. During this entire day of productivity, there have been 2 very adorable BABY BUNNIES hanging out in my backyard. That's right. I got ALL of this done, while spending far too much time gazing out my kitchen window. These two little dudes have been hanging around and munching in our backyard for days. I am very hopeful that these adorable ones will be residents for the near future. They are too sweet and cute, and I spend altogether waaaay too much time marveling in their adorableness.

   Well, that's it from me for now! As always, if you ever try any recipes, please let me know how they turn out! I'd love to hear what works or doesn't work for you. Good night and enjoy!

<3

BBQ Dinner

     Well folks, after a wonderful week at the beach I am back and ready with recipes! 

     With summer heat coming on strong, here are some perfect recipes for a BBQ. They are part of the smorgasbord of foods that were served yesterday to about ten hungry friends! Both of these recipes have been recent repeats for me and the family. 

     The first recipe I'd like to introduce you to is a fantastic marinade that cost me less than $3. This is NO JOKE! As long as you have oil and water in your kitchen, you need only purchase 2 items. So, run to the grocery store and pick up one packet of Old El Paso Original Taco Seasoning and a lemon. I found this recipe thanks to my niece, who was only eating taco meat. I was looking to fix the sister-in-law a meal and thought this might be a nice change that my sweet pea would enjoy too! 

Now, to save on clean up, I prepare everything in the plastic bag that I marinade my chicken in.          

Step 1: Put the packet of seasoning in the bag. 

Step 2: Add to this 1/4 cup of olive oil and 1/4 cup of water. 

Step 3: Add in two tablespoons of lemon juice from your lemon. 

Step 4: Before adding in chicken breast, make sure the ingredients are mixed together.

Step 5: Add in approximately 4 chicken breasts to marinade. 

You can leave them in the fridge overnight, but I've had success with only a few hours in the fridge too. 

Step 6: Now, I've cooked my chicken two ways after this step. Both in a frying pan and on the grill. 

I am partial to grilling because I think it gives the marinade the chance to caramelize and form a nice crispy outside.

Recipe #2 was the perfect pairing for grilled chicken on a hot day! I give you, Summer Pasta Salad! 

This delicious dish is something I stumbled on when I was looking to use up some random foods left in the fridge! 

You will need the following ingredients:

* 1 Box uncooked pasta

*3 cups grape tomatoes cut in half

*2 cups zucchini sliced and quartered (I have also used cucumber to substitute and it's just as good!) 

*1/2 red onion, finely chopped

*7 tbsp light mayo

* 2 and 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar

*2 tbsp fat free Greek yogurt

*2 tsp mustard (yellow or Dijon) 

*1/4 tsp oregano

*1/4 tsp garlic powder

*salt and pepper to taste 

Directions: First cook your pasta according to the side of the box. Rinse with cold water and put to the side. In a large bowl, combine the onion, mayo, vinegar, Greek yogurt, mustard, and spices and mix well. Add tomatoes, zucchini (or cucumber) and pasta and toss well. 

Lucky for me, there was some left over after last night's BBQ!! Let me tell you, it might be even better a day later! Pasta salad is one of those foods that tastes fantastic a day later because it gives the flavors added time to develop and meld together. 

Alright ladies and gents, that's it for today! Look forward to some crafting posts later thanks to a lovely trip to bead mecca! As always- I hope you enjoy and please let me know if you try any recipes out! I'd love to know how it goes for you! Stay cool! 

                <3 

Breakfast is Served!

Hi all!
       It's been a week or so, and let me tell you, it was busy and fantastic. The last few days have included my golden birthday, giving the blog a facelift, and a brand new camera. (Which was used for today's post!) Speaking of which- it's time to get down to business! I've promised you breakfast, and I'll deliver. Not to mention, that breakfast is healthy, delicious and lasts me about a month!!! WHAT?!?! I bring you Baked Oatmeal Muffins-individual sized baked oatmeal:

     This recipe makes about 30 muffins.

Ingredients:
*2 eggs
*1 t. vanilla
*2 c. apple sauce
*1 banana (mashed)
*1/2 c. honey
*5 c. rolled oats
*1/4 c. flaxseed meal
*1 T. ground cinnamon
*3 t. baking powder
*1 t. salt
*2 3/4 c. milk
optional toppings: chocolate chips, raisins, walnuts, etc.

     Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. After this, you're going to combine the eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and honey. Sometimes when I'm having trouble mashing my banana I'll microwave it for about 30 seconds. Seems to help the process quite well. Also- have you ever tried this trick?? When putting something sticky in a measuring cup, you'll have less trouble getting it out if you do this first. Fill your measuring cup with really hot water and dump it out. (no need to dry it) Immediately fill with your sticky substance (honey in this case). The honey will come out much more easily! 

This is what the initial mixture looks like! (eggs, vanilla, applesauce, etc.)

     Next you are going to add in the oats, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix this well. Your mixture at the end of this will almost look like wet granola. Observe: 

     After this, you are going to add your 2 and 3/4 cups of milk. It will seem like a lot- but once you mix it in you will have a more liquid-y texture. This is ready to be put in the muffin tin. You can fill the tins almost to the top. They don't rise much. 

     The last step is to add your toppings! Now- here is an additional note. You can also mix in fresh fruit with this. I have previously mixed in fresh blueberries and loved it! With the fresh fruit, you'll mix it in before separating into the tins. This time I did half chocolate chips (for me to indulge :) ) and half raisins. (Hubby loves raisins!) Bake for 30-35 minutes until tops are golden brown. Last additional note! I have successfully frozen these and thawed them out for later. During the school year I bake a whole batch and only thaw enough for each week of school. They stay well and taste delicious even weeks later! 

I hope this is something you find useful and helpful. Don't forget to comment below with ideas of projects for me to try over the summer! 

Enjoy the newest addition as well (thanks to the hubby!)- the ability to pin my blog to Pinterest! Hovering over any picture will lead you right to pinning a recipe to your boards! Use the function well!