Claverie Cruising

Favorite Veggie Sandwich EVER

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0000

I LOVE comfort foods! They're warm, flavorful, and comfort way down deep. Ahhhhhh. Well, eating healthy and comfort foods are rarely in the same sentence, let alone the same recipe, until today! I stole most of this recipe from two of my pre-vegan era favorite sandwiches I would buy down at the Safeway deli where they make fresh sandwiches.

Recipe
2 slices bread
2 slices tomatoes
1/2 Cup Artichoke Hearts in Oil (enough to cover one side of bread) They carry this at Costco!
2 tsp Pesto Sauce (Vegan recipe here)
1/4 to 1/2 Avocado, sliced and mashed
Stack of napkins

Lay out bread on foil-covered baking sheet. Spread avocado on one slice and pesto sauce on the other. Layer one slice with tomato slices, the other with the artichoke hearts. Broil @ 500 degrees on top oven rack for 2-4 minutes (don't let it burn!).

Stack the bread into a sandwich, cut in half and enjoy! This sandwich is SO JUICY you'll definitely need napkins!

Sometimes I add vegan rice cheese, a veggie patty or some BBQ sauce. Add chicken or a hamburger patty for a meat option meal. This is SO GOOD my mouth is watering...Mmmmmm.

Make Juice, Not War

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:21:00 +0000

I'm no hippie, but I do love the name of this Green Goddess Juice: Make Juice, Not War. It's from Kris Carr's Crazy, Sexy Diet book (see post here). I've told you before that I'm not too hip on eating plain veggies and I didn't used to be too adventurous with food in general, but I do love this juice!

We found this UH-MAZING juicer on Craigslist a few weeks ago (in brand-new condition!) for 1/2 the retail price. Score! It's a Green Star Gold 3000 and not only does it juice the heck out of any fruit or veggie, but it also makes pasta, nut butters (love me some almond butter!) and can even make breadsticks or bagels! If it did the laundry it might be a better wife than I am! :)

Being an amateur wanna-be science geek, I wanted to see just how much juice one could really get out of say...an apple, a pear or veggies like broccoli, spinach and cucumbers (all ingredients in the Goddess Juice!)...

So, here are my juicing ingredients before...

And here are their respective juices after

(all the veggies are mixed together)...

One byproduct of juicing is the pulp.

Yes, it looks delightful, but I generously donate this to

my friend's rabbits, ducks and chickens. They love it!

And we love the juice!

You can see the basic recipe for Make Juice, Not War from the photos above. The pears get a little pulp-y so I've eliminated them and added another apple. I also add a tiny amount of ginger root for a little kick. Any veggies will do, but I haven't experimented too much with those just yet. But I will soon!

This recipe makes about 32 oz. of juice and the enzymes stay alive and active for up to 24 hours. I make this at night, let it chill overnight, then drink it in the morning and throughout the day. It feels like drinking pure energy or life!

Mixed Veggie + Rice Quick Meal

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:46:00 +0000

I'm still getting the hang of preparing Vegan meals, especially since I also need to make something that JP will like and find satisfying (he's not Vegan), and by the time dinner rolls around I'm exhausted from taking care of babies all day so I want some yummy and fast!

A couple of times I've turned to boxed solutions, like Rice-A-Roni or Pasta-Roni for a quick meal, then just throw in some veggies. I swap out the 2 tbsp of butter the mix calls for and replace it with 1 tbsp (or less) of Olive Oil. This makes the meal vegan and much healthier for you anyway! (Note: I don't know what is in the "seasoning mix" that comes in the box so it may not be vegan...? but I'm doing my best here.)

Recipe
1 box Rice-A-Roni or Pasta-Roni
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 Cup of mixed veggies (In the photo, I used a frozen mixed veggie blend + 1 cup of soybeans for my protein. Sometimes I'll add fresh broccoli or bell peppers instead of frozen veggies.)

Prepare the Rice-A-Roni or Pasta-Roni according to the box instructions, but swap out butter for the Olive Oil. Add the veggies towards the end. If they are frozen veggies, mix them in about 5 minutes before the rice or pasta will be done. If fresh veggies, mix in during the last 2 or 3 minutes or just at the very end, then cover the pan with a lid and let them warm up with the rice or pasta for a few minutes. It really depends on how al-dente you like your veggies. (I like them crisp!) Enjoy!

Walnut Apple Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:34:00 +0000

I must admit, I usually don't care for salads. Every time I hear the words "diet" I immediately conjure up images of me starving while staring at a bowl of bland vegetables. Whenever I'm eating dinner in a restaurant and someone orders a salad I think, What a waste! Why waste your taste buds and calories on plain old salad?! Ok, maybe that's why I'm having a health crisis....hmmm, nah!

Well, I whipped up a little number last week that I just love. And guess what - no lettuce! I definitely don't feel like a rabbit while eating this yummy and simple apple salad:

Recipe
1/4 to 1/2 Cup Walnuts, roughly chopped
1 Apple, any variety
1 tbsp Italian Dressing, light, fat-free or regular

Microwave walnuts for 30-45 seconds (or warm in oven or over stove) just until you can start to smell their flavor. Thinly slice the apple, then chop slices. Toss walnuts and apple bits with Italian dressing in a large bowl. Enjoy!

Adventures in Couponing

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 14:49:00 +0000

Some of you might not know my dirty, little secret: I seriously LOVE couponing! I was hooked after two of my sisters kept telling me all about their amazing deals and finally showed me how to create them myself. My first couponing trip took over 6 hours of prep work + driving around; I bought over $300 in products and paid less than $30 after coupons!! I was blown away!

Yesterday's trip wasn't as flashy. It took about 4 hours and I spent $60, but I saved over 70% off store prices. Whoo-hoo! A lot of this is going to be donated to some needy families in the area (and who isn't needy these days?) which makes me feel like I'm getting my shopping fix AND doing charity work at the same time! And I owe it all to Steph, Heidi and Hip2Save. :)

Here's my haul from yesterday:

Here's the price breakdown of each item (so you'll believe me!):

Product	Orig Price	Coupons	Paid	Saved	Store
John Frieda Full Repair Mousse	$ 5.00	$ 5.00	$ -	100%	Rite Aid
John Frieda Full Repair Mousse	$ 5.00	$ 5.00	$ -	100%	Rite Aid
John Frieda Full Repair Mousse	$ 5.00	$ 5.00	$ -	100%	Rite Aid
John Frieda Full Repair Shampoo	$ 5.00	$ 4.00	$ 1.00	80%	Rite Aid
L'Oreal Vive Pro Shampoo	$ 2.50	$ 2.00	$ 0.50	80%	Rite Aid
L'Oreal Vive Pro Shampoo	$ 2.50	$ 2.00	$ 0.50	80%	Rite Aid
L'Oreal Vive Pro Conditioner	$ 2.50	$ 2.00	$ 0.50	80%	Rite Aid
L'Oreal Vive Pro Conditioner	$ 2.50	$ 2.00	$ 0.50	80%	Rite Aid
Duracell AA Batteries 8 pack	$ 5.77	$ 1.50	$ 4.27	26%	Rite Aid
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Betty Crocker Cornbread Mix	$ 0.69	$ 0.40	$ 0.29	58%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Cinnamon Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.49	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Bilberry Vitamins	$ 9.79	$ 6.90	$ 2.90	70%	Walgreens
Bilberry Vitamins	$ 8.99	$ 6.50	$ 2.50	72%	Walgreens
Biotin Vitamins	$ 12.99	$ 8.50	$ 4.50	65%	Walgreens
Biotin Vitamins	$ 12.99	$ 8.50	$ 4.50	65%	Walgreens
Alpha Lipoic Acid Vitamins	$ 10.99	$ 7.50	$ 3.50	68%	Walgreens
Alpha Lipoic Acid Vitamins	$ 10.99	$ 7.50	$ 3.50	68%	Walgreens
Similac Infant Formula 1 qt.	$ 5.47	$ 5.00	$ 0.47	91%	Walmart
Similac Infant Formula 1 qt.	$ 5.47	$ 5.00	$ 0.47	91%	Walmart
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 2.00	$ 0.99	67%	Target
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 2.00	$ 0.99	67%	Target
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 2.00	$ 0.99	67%	Target
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 2.00	$ 0.99	67%	Target
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 1.00	$ 1.99	33%	Target
Silk Almond Milk	$ 2.99	$ 1.00	$ 1.99	33%	Target
Aveeno Lotion 2.5 oz	$ 2.99	$ 3.00	$ (0.01)	100%	Target
Wishbone Salad Spritzer 7 oz	$ 1.43	$ 0.95	$ 0.48	66%	Target
Wishbone Salad Spritzer 7 oz	$ 1.43	$ 0.95	$ 0.48	66%	Target
Wishbone Salad Spritzer 7 oz	$ 1.43	$ 0.95	$ 0.48	66%	Target
Wishbone Salad Spritzer 7 oz	$ 1.43	$ 0.95	$ 0.48	66%	Target
	$ 209.91	$ 148.81	$ 61.10	71%

Favorite Fruit Smoothie Indulgence

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 14:21:00 +0000

Since making my decision to go Vegan (see post here) I've been rediscovering some delicious foods and would like to share my new favorite recipes with you over the next few months and years.

Here is my quick & easy, LACTOSE-FREE and smoothie recipe:

What you'll need:

Blender
1 to 2 Cups Almond Vanilla Milk (can also use Soy or Rice milk)
4 Strawberries, frozen
1/2 Cup Blueberries, frozen + a handful to sprinkle on top

Blend together and, Voila! The Vanilla Almond milk is already sweet enough that, when blended with the fruit, this smoothie doesn't need a drop of sugar added. And, of course, feel free to try different fruit combos!

Vegetarians Are Sexy!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 03:36:00 +0000

At least that's what I hear! I have made the very serious decision to become a vegetarian and work my way to becoming a Vegan. I can hear your eyes rolling all the way from here, but hear me out! This decision was not entered into lightly! And after all I've read and all I've seen, I can't stomach the idea of eating meat again. This is coming from a girl whose favorite food a week ago was BBQ ribs! I'll list all the links to the books, movies and articles that changed my mind at the end of this post because I first want to explain my journey...

I recently came across a cookbook/diet book/spiritual guide/nutritional resource/fun-weekend-read type of book that a friend recommended (Thanks, Jamie!!). I know that's a lot to ask of a book, but it delivered all that and so much more! It's called Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr.

This book has literally been a life-changer. I checked it out initially to get some healthy recipe ideas. What I found was a whole new way of looking at my food, my health and my life. And it has healthy recipes, too! Bonus! The author, Kris Carr, was diagnosed with an inoperable, untreatable type of cancer several years ago and was basically told she was just waiting to die. She decided to take her life back into her hands and hunt for an alternative. She's tried everything from heavy meds to acupuncture to all kinds of funky alternative treatments. Along the way she learned a lot about foods and how they affect our bodies. She ended up changing what she ate and that made a huge difference in how her body felt and helped with the cancer.

Basically, she became a gluten-free, sugar-free Vegan. No meat, dairy, wheat or sugar. Of course she advocates for others to follow in her footsteps and provides chapters of compelling evidence and research. But, she also offers just great advice for those that still choose to eat all of those things, but a better way to go about it that still makes healthier choices for your body and health. She doesn't look down her nose at those that choose to eat meat or still sneak cookies from the cookie jar. She writes like she's just a close friend that's laying the facts out on the table, but is there to support you no matter what you choose. Very compassionate and fun! You can learn more about Kris Carr at her website Crazy Sexy Life.

About halfway through her book, I decided I'd read enough to start doing some research of my own. JP had told me about a 12-min documentary he'd watched in one of classes about how the animals we eat are raised and treated from birth to slaughtering house. It's called Meet Your Meat.

WARNING! THIS VIDEO IS GRAPHIC!

I don't mean rated "R" or anything, but animals are severely abused and you do see them being butchered. Now, I grew up in the sticks of rural Oregon forests and farms. I know about the food chain and have actually butchered chickens myself. Even still, JP wouldn't let me watch this film at first. But I just had to know. I had to know if all the rumors about how all the cows and chickens and pigs we eat are tortured their entire lives before we eat them were really true. JP finally gave me the link and we watched it together. I thought I was going to vomit about four times during this short film and I had to close my eyes for most of the other parts. But I'm glad I watched it. It changed something inside of me. I don't think I can ever eat meat again, and not just because I know now how much fecal matter (poop!) is allowed in all the meats at the grocery store! If I do eat meat again, it will have to be from a local farmer that raises and butchers animals humanely. Here is the link if you choose to watch this film (which I highly recommend!!) from freedocumentaries.org.

FOOD, INC.

The next film I watched was Food, Inc. It can be rented from any major video place or found online at Netflix.com. This documentary continued to confirm all I had read and seen regarding the foods we eat, without all the graphic video footage. It is also HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for you to watch. It shows how like 80-90% of the food brands we see at the store are basically from 5-10 major corporations, but under subsidiary names with different packaging. These top corporations pretty much have the government hostage with our foods and can control all legislature regarding the USDA. Pretty scary stuff.

New Chapter of Life

After reading Crazy Sexy Diet, watching Meet Your Meat and Food, Inc. I was pretty upset (and so was my stomach)! I'm setting out on a new journey to change my food and my life. The first step is no more meat or dairy products. This includes milk, yogurt and cheese. I hope you'll be supportive and not be offended if I don't eat your yummy chicken enchiladas or turn down the dessert you slaved over (no more dairy or sugar!). And who knows, maybe you'll join me and we can make these changes together! I hope so.

Resources:
Crazy Sexy Diet
Meet Your Meat
Food, Inc.
Alkalize or Die - amazing book on your body's PH and how to keep it in balance
The China Study - milk and if it really does the body good

Let me know if you have any more recommended resources, ideas or thoughts!

whimsical necklaces

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 08:52:00 +0000

Some jewelry that I just fell in love with last week from Mixko's Etsy shop...

I LOVE rainy days. Who could be glum on a rainy day with this necklace? Seriously!

What a great way to always carry them with me.

This necklace would make a great Young Women's Values necklace: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice & Accountability, Good Works, Integrity and Virtue.

This one just makes me smile...

Halloween Costumes for Grown-Ups

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 17:54:00 +0000

Pregnant Mommy costume from Make It and Love It blog - too cute and too funny!

And here's what she made for her husband so you can see what's in his belly...

I don't know what self-respecting grown man would wear this - but I'd love to see it! haha! From CostumePop.com http://costumepop.com/adult-costumes/how-to-make-a-sheep-costume/...

This one is not only creepy, but so realistic that they had to label what was fake and what was real in the photo. Definitely points for creativity and hard work. From CurtisTucker.com http://www.curtistucker.com/labels/Photo.html...

Another creative costume from Instructables.com http://www.instructables.com/image/FKA1YH7G1QW9W1Y/How-to-make-a-Mount-Rushmore-Costume.jpg!

We can't leave little Fifi out of the fun! From DoggieStylish.com http://www.doggiestylish.com/store/2009/10/how-to-make-a-dog-fish-costume-for-halloween/...

If you're dog goes missing by the end of the night, check this guy's house. haha

I don't know of a cat on this planet that would let you do this to them. But if you can find one that would, definitely go with this costume!

I'm still working on what I'm going to wear, but I hope these pics got your creative juices flowing! Happy Halloween!

Wookiee Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 02:40:00 +0000

There are three brothers that stay the evenings with us for night care while their mom works the swing shift and I often take them to the library to do homework and read books.

This is what one of the boys checked out from the library tonight:

It's my new favorite cookbook, Wookiee Cookies!
Tonight we made R2D2 Treats. It's a banana covered in melted white chocolate chips, then rolled in crushed nuts and Kit Kat bars for the side legs. SO YUMMY!

summer love

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:36:00 +0000

I am in love. I mean, other than with JP, of course. :) I have fallen in L-O-V-E with this song. I know it's the happy-go-lucky-bubblegum-summertime-love type of song. But it's so....just wonderful. *dreamy look and deep sigh* Summertime is the best and summer romances are wonderful. JP and I fell in love in the summer (of course, So Cal is like a perpetual summer) but it was so creamy-dreamy!

Plus, this music video reminds me SO MUCH of the beach fires we would have with our church singles ward - 100+ single, young, beautiful people just having fun at the beach with fireworks and good music. :)

Baby Yoga!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 02:06:00 +0000

So, I did yoga with the babies this week! For those who don't know, I am a licensed co-provider in a child care and I also started a preschool for the older toddlers and children. Anyway, Claudia picked up this book at a conference we went to a few weekends ago about doing yoga with children. It's called, "My Daddy is a Pretzel" and it goes through a cute little story and shows you how to show the children to get into some yoga poses.

I was so caught up in doing the yoga with them that I forgot to take pictures - but trust me when I tell you it was ADORABLE! They LOVED it!

They were pretty good at the poses, too! I was seriously impressed with some of the 2-year-olds being able to balance and hold poses so well. Downward Dog and Lion's Pose were the favorites, followed by Bridge and Airplane. You should check out this book and let me know of any other great ones for children!

Guitar Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:52:00 +0000

I am LOVING my guitar class!! Learning to play the guitar is one of my dreams and it fits so nicely into the degree I'm working towards (Early Childhood Education) since I can play songs for the children that I enrolled in a guitar class this semester. We're several weeks into the class and I've learned so much! I'm actually starting to sound a little bit like I know what I'm doing! I'm learning the classical guitar style so it's mostly all finger-picking (as opposed to using a pick) and we play both the melody and the bass parts with our right hand simultaneously - fingers play melody + thumb strumming bass. It's really cool!

My guitar looks like this one and sounds so rich and full. I love it!

So one of the first songs I learned was a blues piece called the Blues 4-Beat Lick. I've played it for the children in our child care and preschool and they just love to dance around to it. I've also played a few of the classical pieces at the end of lunch and beginning of nap time. It's so peaceful and beautiful that it really helps calm them down and lull them to sleep.

Anyway, there's an update on working towards my dreams. :)

Dreams

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 02:43:00 +0000

I lived in LA once. I was single then. There was a group of other young, single adults that got together on a regular basis. Some of them formed a group to help each other reach their dreams. I forget the name of the group - Dream Team or the Dreamers or something like that. But they figured that with the 50+ members in the group there was bound to be someone else there that could help you reach at least one of your goals.

There's this great Jack Johnson song that goes...

A dreams a dream
And all this livings so much harder than it seems
But girl don't let your dreams be dreams
You know this livings not so hard as it seems
Don't let your dreams be dreams

here are my dreams, in no particular order...

get barrelled surfing
make the short surf film Watermark that I wrote
get my children's books published
play the guitar well
play the piano well

go sailing for my first time
sail down the coast to Mexico
go on an open-ocean sailing voyage
sail around the world
have children

become fluent in another language
be able to do a pull-up
run a marathon
create a frame-worthy painting
sew an article of clothing at least once a month

become good at cross-stepping on a longboard
hang 10 longboarding
bust the fins out shortboarding
windsurf on a regular basis
do yoga every day

I'm currently working on several of these dreams. But any help and inspiration from others is welcome and greatly appreciated. I think I'll post them in the sidebar and ceremoniously cross them off as I achieve each one.

What are your dreams? What can I do for you? What can we help achieve together?

Hello, again

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 09:04:00 +0000

jour·ney/ˈdʒɜrni/ Show Spelled

–noun

1. a traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time; trip

2. a distance, course, or area traveled or suitable for traveling

3. a period of travel

4. passage or progress from one stage to another

I've been away for a while. I was physically away, in another country; then I was mentally away, lost somewhere inside my mind. But I'm slowly coming back to myself. I feel as though I've traveled a long road only to find myself back where I started. As T.S. Elliot said,

"and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

Well, I'm not done exploring but I am rediscovering who I am and what I want from life. I'm ready for a fresh start. I have no expectations, only hope. Hope of reaching each new day just happy to be alive and sharing it with those I love. I hope to share each new discovery with you along the way...

(a little inspiration from this etsy shop...)

On Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:58:00 +0000

I haven't posted on this blog in MANY MONTHS and I'm sorry about that. We've just been super busy with lots of things changing in our lives. So, this blog is "on vacation" until further notice. :)

Chocolate Candy Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 03:28:00 +0000

Love is in the air...and in your chocolate! Making these little chocolate hearts is sooooo easy and will look impressive when personalized for that special someone (or yourself!) :)

Skill Level: beginner

Supplies:

candy heart mold ($1.99 from Michael's)
1 bag pink chocolate melts
1 bag red chocolate melts (or buy white chocolate and separate into 2 bowls and die them with food coloring)
Ziploc bag, sandwich size
1 toothpick
paper printed with letters to trace

Put a handful of 1 color of chocolate melts into the sandwich ziploc bag (leave bag open and unzipped) and place on a plate in the microwave for 30 second intervals until melted. Squeeze all the chocolate into one corner of the bag, then zip the bag shut. Cut off a tiny bit of the corner of the bag and - voila! You have a decorator bag! Best to cut off just a teeny-tiny part of the bag, then cut of a little more and a little more until you reach the size you want for decorating.

Draw any design you wish with the chocolate into the little molds. I used a toothpick to perfect my hearts. The stripes were painted with chocolate by using a small art paintbrush (use a new one!). To make the letters, print out a piece of paper with letters in the font and size you want. Then place the paper BACKWARDS under your mold and trace the letters with chocolate. When the candy heart is done, the letters will be facing the correct way. :)

Let your designs set and dry in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Then start filling in the rest of the heart mold with a contrasting color, as seen below. *Notice my "C" is backwards*

**IMPORTANT NOTE**

If the chocolate in your decorator bag is getting to firm, pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds. BUT, if the chocolate is really hot when you fill in the rest of your mold, the hot chocolate will melt your design and it won't set up the way you want. The chocolate in the bag should be just warm enough to flow smoothly.

Once all the molds are filled in, tap the tray on the counter several times (I would drop it onto the counter from about 4 inches up) to bring any air bubbles to the surface. Otherwise these bubbles can ruin the look of your design.

Place the tray in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes while the chocolate sets.

Here's my mold straight out of the fridge! :)

Tutorial: Cake Pops!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:32:00 +0000

Cakes pops are simply a fantastically delicious treat! So chocolatey-crisp on the outside and warmly rich and soft and yummy on the inside. Mmmmm!

Bakerella, a wonderously fabulous site for all things yummy done with taste and style, made these little pops famous. Thank you, Bakerella! Dipped in pink or red chocolate make these an excellent Valentine's Day treat for family, friends or schoolmates!

Skill Level: moderate beginner

Supplies:

1 cake mix (I used triple chocolate)

1 container cream cheese frosting, 16 oz.

1 package chocolate melts

wax paper

candy sticks

Bake the cake, as directed on the box, in a 9x13 pan. Let cool on wire rack or wax paper.

After cake has cooled, crumbled by hand into a large mixing bowl.

Spoon several large dollups of cream cheese frosting into the bowl and mix by hand. You probably won't use the entire can. I used almost all of the frosting and the mixture was a little too soft.

Roll the mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Refridgerate for a few hours or place in freezer for 15 to 60 minutes to firm up.

When the cake balls have cooled, it's time to melt the chocolate coating. This is where experience could be helpful. I've never melted chocolate for coating or dipping before, but it worked out okay. Chocolate can be tricky and won't coat smoothly or shiny if overheated. But no matter how the chocolate coating turns out, it'll be delicious!

A double boiler is recommended for melting the chocolate, but microwaving in in a dish at 15 to 30 second intervals will work as well.

Any leftover chocolate can be stored for future use. I stored mine in these convenient little Gerber plastic food containers.

Take the cake balls out of the freezer and let them sit for a few minutes. Stick a candy stick into a ball, only going about halfway into the ball. If one side of the ball is flat from sitting on the sheet, insert the stick on that side.

Again, I don't know the "professional" way to coat with chocolate, so I employed the "dip and twist" method. :) Rotate the stick so the cake ball in evenly coated and continue to twist as you pull the ball straight up and out from the chocolate. Hopefully this will leave a cute little swirl on top.

Place the sticks in styrofoam to let the chocolate dry.

I didn't have any styrofoam on hand, so I rigged up this beautiful drying rack using a wire rack held up by four small dishes and slit small holes in cardboard to hold the sticks securely. :)

Pretty cool swirls, eh? :)

Yummy!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Dana from MADE makes the cutest felt hair clips I've seen! If you haven't yet, go check out her site and her new shop. She has lots of great photo tutorials and makes just the cutest clothes for her little girl and boy!

The accent stitching is what makes them so gosh darn cute! What a great way to dress up for Valentine's Day.

Valentine Paper Hearts Decorations

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:08:00 +0000

I love Target's dollar bins! They had packs of all these patterned paper which I turned into paper heart decorations for Valentine's Day!

I made LARGE hearts for the fireplace mantle.

and little hearts from the leftover paper.

When I was done I had all these little heart "windows" in the paper so I cut a border around them and made these to go on the wall along the stairs.

Tutorial: Easy Heart Garland

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Using the hearts I made from Post-it Notes, here is my first Valentine's decoration!

It hangs in the front window, swaying happily in the air conditioning draft, greeting friends that stop by.

Skill Level: easy beginner

Supplies:

paper hearts (great using felt hearts, too!)

thread in white or contrasting color

sewing machine or needle

To begin, gather up all your hearts. I used about 80 to make my garland.

Plan out the color order of your hearts, then lay out each color group of hearts in order. This will make the sewing go faster. Leaving about 6-8" of a thread tail insert the needle in the top center of your first heart. Stitch down the center of the heart.

Stitch an additional 2 stitches after you've reached the end of the first heart, then line up the 2nd heart and continue down.

Continue stitching each heart in your color order until you've used up all your hearts. Leave a thread tail of 6-8 inches at the end of the garland. Using the thread tails on each end, tie a knot close to the heart to secure each end.

Hang your garland in the window, over a doorway or draped along a mantle. You're done!

Adorable Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:13:00 +0000

I love getting ideas from magazines about things to make, as I'm sure many of you do, too! Here are some that I just had to share from Land of Nod:

This circle crib bedding looks like it would be really easy to make and super cute! Even just making the circles in different sizes and framing them would be adorable.

Coolest quilt in the universe! Looks a little advance to make, but if anyone does make one PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know cuz I wanna see pics!

I know, I know, you've probably seen stuff like these patterned letters everywhere. But these ones are made from wallpaper! Thought that was clever. But you could still Mod Podge scrapbook paper onto wood letters or make them from fabric.

I saved my FAVORITE for last!! I think these ruffle-y applique roses are just the sweetest little things!! Could you imagine these on your little girl's skirt or dress? Or small ones on a shirt? So, so, way, way adorable!

Cinnamon Churros: a Tasty Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 19:01:00 +0000

I've never made churros before but I was pleasantly surprised with how easy they are to make! This can be a great activity with kids - except for the frying part. That's a little too hot to handle, but they'll love putting on the cinnamon. And eating them, of course!

Ingredients: (makes about one plateful)

Vegetable or Olive Oil (we used Olive Oil)

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pan (should be approx. 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep) to 360 degrees.

In a separate sauce pan, mix the water, butter and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute, then remove from heat. In a small dish, beat eggs until smooth then stir into the mixture.

The dough will look like this:

I filled this cookie press in order to easily squeeze the dough into the hot oil. You can also use a cake decorator's tube or bag, or simply fill a small sandwich bag and cut the tip off one of the corners.

Fry 3 to 4 strips at a time for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Use a fork or tongs to turn the strips.

I tried making some fun shapes as well. The hearts and stars didn't really work out, but these spirals turned out great!

I was able to make JP's name, though! He was pretty stoked about that. Hahaha!

Let the churros drain (and cool) for a minute or two on some paper towels. Ooooh, they're looking so delicious!!

While you're waiting for your churros to cool, mix the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish or plate. We used a spoon to cover our churros in cinnamon/sugar, but the method doesn't matter as long as they taste great!

Darrien, here, used the sprinkle method and lightly dusted his churro with flavor:

His brother, Jacob, decided that burying his churro would seal in the flavors:

Whatever your method, you simply can't go wrong with some fried dough, sugar and cinnamon.

Mmmmmmmm!!!!!

Sewing Project Idea: Cloth Napkins

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 21:26:00 +0000

Thanks, Susan, for emailing me this great idea to make from my pile of unused fabric! Susan made a set of these fun and fresh cloth napkins. They turned out so cute!

"I made these everyday napkins for a friend, and liked them so much, I made a set for me! The idea was "reusable", but they are also cute and fun to use! I made them regular paper napkin-size, not dinner, so they could be used for breakfast, lunch, snacks and desserts. Also, at this size, they fit in my napkin-holder basket. Just toss them in the wash, and reuse! And I don't iron them, Heaven forbid. :) Hope that helps! At least with these, you get to see your fun fabrics, if only at mealtime! Good enough for me--I sure enjoy mine." - Susan

Keep the great ideas coming! You know I have TONS of fabric to use up! :)

Acorn Necklace Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Kristi) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:55:00 +0000

As promised, here is the first tutorial in the homemade presents series: Christmas, Naturally. All gifts given this year were homemade and made from things found in Nature.

Supplies:
1 acorn cap
1 pearl glass bead, make sure it fits in the acorn cap (I used an oval/teardrop shape)
1 metal headpin
1 metal bail
1 pre-assembled leather necklace (or you can make your own with a leather cord+clasp)

Tools:
power drill

round-tip pliers

Step 1: bake the acorn cap in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. This will kill any bacteria and bugs.

Step 2: using a power drill, drill a hole through the center of the acorn cap. Place the cap on a towel to help stabilize it and drill slowly as to not crack or break the cap.

Step 3: string the pearl bead onto the headpin. I put the point of the tear-shaped pearl on the bottom to more closely resemble an actual acorn.

Step 4: string the acorn cap onto the headpin, over the top part of the glass pearl bead.

Step 5: using the round-tip pliers, curve a loop with the excess wire as close to the top of the acorn cap as you can. Cut extra wire. Slip the bail's jump ring into the loop, then squeeze the headpin loop closed with the pliers.

Step 6: string your newly-made acorn pendant onto the leather necklace and wear! You're done!