The Internet Made Me Do It!

This cookie is amazing - crispy, chewy, mouthwatering - and will only last as long as it takes to make them - and that is not long at all!

No one would ever be able to tell it's low carb or gluten free - and no one would care after just one bite. And the best thing about these cookies is how incredibly easy it is to make!

After scouring the internet for a simple easy peanut butter cookie recipe I could play with, I settled for a Kraft recipe, which I discovered was already on my peanut butter jar! *Duh!*

Now, I did know that because the cookie is flour-less, it still would need some 'bulk'. You could very easily just use Splenda for Baking in place of the sugar altogether (as it has the 'bulk' that is missing from just traditional sweetener). I used half sugar and half stevia.

Ingredients:
1 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Stevia
1 Egg

I literally combined all the ingredients and mixed until well combined. It does feel a little oily, but that just the peanut butter trying to scare you! :)

On an ungreased cookie sheet I rolled the dough into 1" balls, and using a fork, made traditional criss cross patterns on top slightly flattening them as I went. Because there isn't any flour, these little bad boys will s-p-r-e-a-d right out, so don't flatten them too much, and leave at least an inch (if not two) of space around each ball.

Bake at 325' for 15 minutes. Do not over bake!! It's better to slightly under bake than over bake.

Let cool on before removing from the cookie sheet - these are very delicate until they cool, unless you only eat the broken ones (like me) and can't wait to try them.

The original recipe says it makes 24 cookies - I got 15 into the oven, and probably ate 3 or 4 'cookies' in dough equivalent. I'm assuming my cookies are a little larger overall... and maybe a ate a little more cookie dough than I thought... Officially only 15 cookies made it into the oven.

And if anyone by this point is still with me, and not off whipping up a batch of these - here's the nutritional information:

Per Cookie: 74 Calories; 6g Fat; 3g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber;

How To Make Jam From Juice

2012-11-18T09:40:00.000-05:00

While making a batch of fruit baby food, I was struck with the most delicious idea.

Why not make jam (or jelly) from the left over juices from the strawberry, peach and pear puree I was making. It smelled heavenly, and it did not disappoint!

I literally ran out and bought a package of Bernardin No Sugar Needed Pectin. You need something to thicken up the juice. It was already sweet enough, so I didn't want to add any sugar.

Now the Bernardin recipe (in the box) calls for 4 cups of crushed fruit and one cup of liquid. The crushed fruit was pureed for baby food, so I just used 5 cups of juice.

The recipe also gives directions for adding sweetener (sugar or splenda). I skipped these altogether Its literally just juice and NSN Pectin.

I did follow the directions - bring to a boil, whisk NSN Pectin and ladle into sterilized jars and processed in a hot water bath. (My largest pasta pot with a small rack on bottom)

The jam is heavenly. Absolutely delicious - as good as I imagined.

Now, it is a little thinner than traditional jams - and I'm assuming this is because it is pure juice and without any bulk from actual fruit. Both myself and my family do not mind, but I think that if you do, using only 4 cups of juice would thicken it up nicely.

This has opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me... Apple Jam, Grape Jam, Fruit Punch Jam, Spiced Green Tea Jelly... I can hardly wait!

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Chocolate Chocolate and More

Making Your Own Moisturizer

2012-11-12T08:47:00.002-05:00

Both baby and I suffer from dry skin and eczema. This is a 'recipe' I've been using for a few years now, and it hasn't let me down.

It rivals the more expensive moisturizers out there, but costs next to nothing to make. It makes enough to last us a year, even with daily use and giving a few away.

It's easy to assume that the petroleum jelly in it will give it a greasy feel, but it's actually not. It gives it just enough for a silky feel, and you don't 'feel' the jelly in it. It feels creamy and whipped.

Here's what you need:
1 bottle of Moisturizer - I like the Vitamin E creams
I bottle of Baby Lotion
I tub of Petroleum Jelly

If you're like me, you probably have an assortment of moisturizers and lotions around the house, and you certainly can just use what you have and combine them - the only concern would be the scents. I'm not sure what it would smell like combined, but if they would compliment each other - go for it.

Literally combine them in your stand mixer (or in a bowl using your hand mixer) and let it whip!

It easily combines AND easily washes off your mixer!

Portion out into containers and you're done! This makes 9 small jars (250ml) AND I refilled the pump bottle.

Easy Broccoli & Beef Stir Fry - from Scratch

2012-10-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

This broccoli and beef recipe is actually my standard go-to for any stir fry sauce. I will change up the spices or flavourings depending on my mood as its very versatile but here is my basic recipe of broccoli and beef stir fry

Ingredients:
Steak - thinly sliced (can use leftovers, roasts, etc...)
Broccoli - I prefer fresh, but frozen can be used
2 Large Carrots
2 Onions
Noodles or Rice

Sauce:

1 Tbsp Cornstarch
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Ginger
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Cold Water
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce

1. Roughly chop the Broccoli, onion, carrots - cut up the steak (I use my kitchen shears and literally 'cut' it up) directly into the pan.

2. Slap a lid on that puppy and over medium heat, let her steam-fry. I find that there is enough moisture left from washing the broccoli, as well as in the onions and steak and it doesn't need oil. If you feel like it does, feel free to add some. Now would also be a good time to cook the noodles or rice.

3. While that's cooking its time to whip up the sauce. Combine all the dry sauce ingredients in a bowl. Add the liquids (soy & water). Whisk really well so there are no lumps. If you are not familiar with cornstarch based sauces - as soon as this heats up - it's thick, and as it cools, it thickens, so please note that the veggies & meat need to be cooked - as it won't cook much more once the sauce is on without burning.

4. Once the veggies are cooked to your liking (I like tender-crisp carrots and bright green broccoli), it's time to combine.

5. Add sauce to pan and stir fry until the sauce comes to a boil. Once it's bubbling, remove from heat and serve over noodles (or rice).

Now that you know how to make Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry Sauce from scratch using a few basic things from your pantry - I better not catch any of you buying those horrible little chemical packets from the grocery store any more!

Linky Love:
Keeping Up with the Johnsons

Making Meaty Baby Food

2012-10-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

Making your own baby food is so easy! And when Baby is ready to be introduced to meat, it certainly is not any different.

If you missed my post on making your own baby food WITHOUT a Baby Bullet, it's linked HERE.

I started off with a pound of stewing beef, and a bag of mixed beans and carrots. I tossed it (obviously still frozen) into a pot, with a little water. What you don't see is a alos added a little garlic and onion powder - my bundle of joy loves his garlic!

I let it simmer until cooked thoroughly and tender. In this case it was about an hour and a half (if I remember correctly) on a lower simmer. This is also a great way to use up leftovers!

I tossed it into my blender and began to puree. In this batch specifically, he was just beginning meats, so I pureed it quite fine. As he got older and a more confident eater, I would puree less and less, giving the food more texture.

Extra fine pureed.

I then spooned the puree into sterilized baby food jars (I recycled the store bought jars - I always used store bought when introducing a new food or to bring along when traveling, as they are room temperature stable).

I would leave space at the top of each jar for expansion, and freeze open. Once frozen, add the lids. Of course you can also freeze them in ice cube trays, and store frozen cubes in freezer bags.

To defrost from a jar, I just put in the fridge the day before. When I take one from the fridge, I immediately replace it from one from the freezer.

He's definitely a well fed baby!

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Home Stories A to Z

Where I've Been...

2012-09-25T22:14:00.001-04:00

I unofficially decided to take the summer off ~ as life as I had known it had undergone some huge changes....

First, we moved from a tiny 2 bedroom, 2 story condo into a huge 3 bedroom bungalow on a double lot.

My maternity leave ended (the days may have been long, but the year was too short!) and I returned to work 4 weeks after moving.

I blinked, and my brand new little bundle of joy turned one.

We're busy, very busy - at the end of the day hubby and I are ready for bed when the babe is. Our weekends are spent sneaking away for some R&R at the lake, assuming one or the other isn't working.

But now that our new routines are settling in, and with fall in the air, closing up our weekend get away, we'll have time to start unpacking and reorganizing the new house, and making it our own.

I'm looking forward to sharing all my DYI projects I do - and most excited as we have a fire place!! And we all know what that means!! I HAVE A MANTEL! Hubby does not understand how excited I am, and I guess that makes it obvious that he has not ever seen a seasonally decorated mantle blog post from some of those fine ladies I admire!

So hang tight, please forgive me for my absence, and fine something sturdy to hang on to - as I've been biting at the bit to get this new house going!!!!

Organizing on the Inside of the Cupboard

2012-05-23T08:53:00.000-04:00

For two houses now (moving), I've always had two of my most favourite go-to recipes taped to the inside of my cupboard door. These recipes I barely have to refer to I've used them so often, but during a brain-fart (aka distracted moment), if I needed it, I knew I didn't have to haul out my cook books to find them - they were always right inside the door - scribbled in marker, not even titled, in very short point form - but always there.

On Pinterest, I recently came across some amazing organizing boards, and specifically one that uses a cork tile on the inside of the cupboard, to pin up measuring cups and spoons. This gave me a 'Ah-Ha' moment, and this is what I came up with:

For Cupboard #1 - Bathroom:
I started with a cork tile, some cute push pins and double sided tape, all from the Dollar store (Dollarama).

Hubby and I have been watching what we eat, and trying to reduce our refined carb intake. We both need to loose a few pounds. Hubby wanted to tack a piece of lined paper to the wall above the scale in the bathroom, so we could track our weight. Riiiight..... I liked the idea, but that would mean a few things:
1) Everyone entering our bathroom would see my weight - No Thank You!
2) There would be an ugly piece of lined paper on the wall of our bathroom - No Thank You!
3) Did I mention everyone entering the bathroom would see my weight? No Thank You!

So this is what I did:

On the inside of the bathroom cabinet, I attached a cork tile using the double sided tape. The cupboard was a little smaller than the tile, so I had to cut it down (scissors worked beautifully).

Now I was going to just use push pins to hang paper for us to write our *gulp* weight on, but the cork tile was too thin, and the pins didn't sink enough. instead, I used them decoratively across the top. I ended up printing off a really cute to-do list, cutting the top off, and using more of the double sided tape, taped it up. I then hauled out some scrapbooking paper pieces, and jazzed it up a bit. I made sure to leave a pen on the cupboard shelf inside, for easy record keeping.

For Cupboard #2 - Kitchen

I used the same idea as Cupboard #1, except I used the whole tile. I pulled out some scrapbooking bits to decorate, and decided to mod podge a whole sheet right over the tile, knowing I couldn't use push pins.

Using a paint brush, I applied a thin layer of podge onto the cork, placed the paper and let dry. I then applied a second coat of mod podge over the paper. I'm thinking kitchen right? So with cooking and what-not happening, I wanted something to protect the paper.

Now I guess with all that mod podge and some humidity, the cork curled. Time to bring out the big guns... Hot Glue!

Using a little hot glue, I placed a little blob in the corners, and pressed flat. It worked perfectly!

Using the glue gun, I then attached some suction cup hooks. Three across the top, and two more about half of the way down.

I found really cute customizable vintage recipe cards and a quick reference chart of measuring conversions (I like to double and triple batches when cooking). I laminated the recipe cards with clear adhesive mac-tac and I mod podged the conversion chart right onto the tile.

I originally decided to hang my easy-to-loose-in-the-drawer measuring spoons, but they jangled every time we swung open the cupboard, making me jump or duck, so they did come down. And yes, I realize now that it's crooked (although I didn't notice until writing this post - I actually just went to check... lol)

For Cupboard #3 - Kitchen
We have a 'Mail-In' basket, where when bills or what-not come, it gets opened, tossing the junk, and whatever needs attention is placed in a basket. This basket gets very cluttered, very quickly, and I will confess that sometimes a bill *ahem* gets paid late because out of sight, out of mind. This cupboard was a little something-something I whipped up on the spot.

Using the scrap of tile from the bathroom cupboard and double sided tape, I attached it to the inside of another kitchen cupboard. I painted 5 clothes pins hot glued them up, eye balling the spacing. I then decorated with scrapbooking bits.

Now our important paper bits have a new home, and they hang here until dealt with. Out of sight often enough, but never forgotten - especially if you're getting a drink at my house. Anyone who would like to pay my hydro bill that is hanging there is more than welcome to!

Inspiration: Infarrantly Creative

Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-05-19T08:38:00.000-04:00

Me and Betty - we're BFFs. And she has kept my dirty little secret for quite some time.

While cruising on Pinterest looking for a reason to use all those cake mixes I bought on sale, without actually making a cake - I came across a recipe for cake mix cookies.

This recipe has 5 ingredients, takes 5 minutes to make, and makes 3 dozen cookies. Start to finish - including clean up - was less than half an hour, and hubby thought I slaved away all afternoon whipping up these little bad boys from scratch!

It reminded me of that Rice Krispies commercial where the mom lounges away in the kitchen, then last minute whips up the rice krispie treats, and tosses a little flour on the face before presenting them to the family. Anyone remember that one, or am I dating myself? lol

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix (I used butter pecan)
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350'.
Mix together the cake mix and baking powder.
Add in eggs and oil. Mix until well blended. The batter will appear oil and will be very stiff.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes, allow to cool a few minutes before transferring to cool completely.

That's it! They are soft, moist and a little chewy. Not 'cakey' at all. And the buttery, nutty chocolatey goodness is amazing! I'm looking forward trying carrot cake with raisins, or french vanilla with toffee bits... or devil's food with white chocolate... or....

UPDATE** I just made these using Angel Food Cake mix - and it's quite an interesting cookie. It's flakey AND chewy, but I should have added some spice - maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon or ginger... Still devouring them though!

Inspiration: Tried & Tasty

Peanut Butter No Bake Krispie Clusters

2012-05-16T14:48:00.002-04:00

Originally this recipe used Special K, but seeing as I didn't have any, but had an abundance of Rice Krispies, the switch was made. I've been making these weekly since November, and I've experimented liberally with them, as every attempt have been delicious!

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup syrup (I used the cheap pancake kind)
1 splashing Tablespoon of vanilla
1 pinch of salt
1 1/3 cups crunchy peanut butter
7 cups Rice Krispies

The original recipe called for corn syrup, but I don't generally keep that in the house, so I substituted it with plain pancake syrup. The batch pictured here, I made a simple syrup and used that instead. It worked well, except that they remained a little sticky. I'm thinking my next batch I'll try it with a heavy syrup.

Combine sugar, syrup, vanilla and salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for 2 minutes.
Carefully add peanut butter, stirring to melt, and return to a simmer.
As soon as it is simmering, remove from heat, and stir in cereal.
While still warm, spoon onto parchment / foil and let cool.

Do not skimp on the simmer times - it's essential to 'setting' up the coating of deliciousness!

Start to finish - less than 30 minutes, and that includes doing the dishes!

I'm also thinking of expanding my cereal repertoire... Would Chocolate Cheerios make these taste peanut butter cup-ish? Golden Grahams... Apple Jacks... what about sneaking in a few All-Bran Buds? See where I'm going here?

This recipe is quick, simple and very versatile. I've added chocolate chips, m&ms, and toffee bits. I have yet to go wrong! Just note, chocolate chips completely melt when added - even after the cereal. It's not a bad thing, but it gets completely incorporated and a little lost in the peanut butter. Just so you know!

Linked Up:
Homestories A to Z

Simple DIY Candle Face Lift

2012-05-12T13:59:00.001-04:00

I have these chunky pale green candles that are sitting, forgotten, on our hutch, hidden away from general view by the fish tank... And I've had them for quite some time. They been beaten up over the few years, dropped, chipped, scratched, used when the power went out for 2 days... and generally they have seen better days.

I've been meaning to buy new ones for the stands, but I just can't seem to bring myself to spend $8 - $15 each for new ones.

So one day, while cruising through a Micheals, a came across beeswax sheets - 2/$1. And I thought, why not?

Materials:
3 badly beat up pillar candles
3 sheets beeswax
heat gun or hair dryer

Place candle against the wax sheet, making sure you have enough length & height to cover the candle. You could easily 'melt' two sheets together if you were covering a large candle. Using the heat gun, carefully warm the wax sheet and set the pillar into it.

The heat gun is VERY hot, so it does not take much to heat the wax. Carefully heat the wax sheet and begin rolling the candle up. It will stick very easily.

Once completely covered, use a butter knife to run a quick cut through the wax sheet.

Using the heat gun, carefully 'melt' the cut end of the sheet into the roll. Don't get distracted... Like me....

I used scissors to trim the top slightly - this will only depend on the height of your candle, or you could do it before you roll it - just be sure to leave yourself enough to be able to fold in to cover the top. It will depend on the diameter of your candle.

After folding the top excess in towards the wick, I decided to light them - for two reasons. One, they had already been lit, and you can't hide a lit wick, and two, it melts it slightly to give it a more natural look on top. This is the quick and easy route. You could always cut a scrap of beeswax slightly larger than your candle, lay it flat on top and poke a small hole pull the wick through. Then roll the wax sheet around it. It would look much cleaner, but I think I would have only gone to that trouble if the wicks weren't burnt.

In total, it cost $1.50 and about 10 minutes of time. Quick Cheap and Easy! I actually enjoyed working with the beeswax sheets, and I'm on the lookout for more beeswax projects!

Spaghetti Squash Instead of Pasta - a Low Carb / Gluten Free Alternative

2012-05-01T09:26:00.002-04:00

There are quite a few different schools of thought as to how to cook Spaghetti Squash ~ so instead, I just went with my instinct ~ and the results were fabulous!

I bought a big-honking squash. (Yes, that is the technical term). I wasn't sure how much it would make, so I gambled. If there was too much, well, leftovers would have become pureed baby food. If it was too little, hubby and I love my mom's recipe for spaghetti sauce so much, eating a bowl of just sauce rocks! But basically, the squash's strands are the same size and shape of spaghetti, so I tried to visualize it filled with noodles (minus the seed pulp). It ended up being just the right size for 6 servings.

I started by hacking this baby in half. It was not an easy feat - but not impossible. - exactly like carving a pumpkin You just need a sharp knife and a little elbow leverage - and a lot of caution!

I scooped out the seed pulp (think pumpkin carving again) and place a very generous scoop of butter in the centers and placed them on a baking sheet. I'm thinking next time I'm going to try drizzling with some oil or even a little water.

I baked them for about 45 minutes at 375'. It filled the house with a delicious smell! Way better than any stinking pot of boiling pasta! Your baking times will vary, depending on the size of your squash.

Using a fork, I pulled out the 'meat' of the squash, and it pulled out beautifully. Did I mention it smelled heavenly?

I added it directly into the pot of sauce, tossed it and served!

It was a little heavy on the sauce - but just to our liking. Topped with Parmesan Cheese it was amazingly delicious! The roasted squash added a depth to the flavour I didn't expect, and it just made the entire dish that much more appetizing!

Pinterest Inspired Menu Plan - April 29

2012-04-29T20:25:00.000-04:00

Look at what Pinterest has me cooking up this week:

Sunday ~ Breakfast: Eggs in Toast

Source: vkreesphotography.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Sunday Dinner: I have no shame....

Monday: Broccoli & Chicken Casserole

Source: bhg.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Tuesday: High Liner Pan Sears & Roasted Vegetables

Wednesday: Irish Steaks & Caesar Salad

Source: allrecipes.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Thursday: Cheesey Ham & Broccoli Casserole

Source: cbsop.com via Carrie on Pinterest

Friday: Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza

Source: lifemadedelicious.ca via Carrie on Pinterest

Saturday ~ Breakfast:

Source: tasteofhome.com via Carrie on Pinterest

And for Dinner, we're having a BBQ for Hubby's Birthday...
So dinner will be too much food with a Birthday Cake chaser!

What are you cooking up this week? Feel free to link your menu plans in the comments section!

Green Onions Forever - My 60 Day Experiment

2012-04-28T18:55:00.000-04:00

So somewhere on the internet, in all the Pinners I follow and blogs I subscribe to, I read somewhere about keeping onions growing in a glass of water, and have green onions forever...

Really? Well, I happen to use a lot of green onions, daily in fact, and they rarely last long - if I didn't use them up, they go soggy and slimy. So when I bought another few bunches, I thought, why not?

So, vaguely following what I remembered, I simply placed the onions I had just bought into a glass.

Please disregard the rotten banana in the background...

Within a few days though, I realized that the onions were too tall / heavy for the glass, so they were upgraded to a peanut butter jar. To use them, I just used my kitchen sheers and snipped a length off, and then snipped them directly into whatever it was I was making.

Within 2 days, the ones I had snipped, had started to re-sprout.

Please disregard the bottle of Skinny Girl Margarita in the background....

Thirty days - impressive. By this time we had used all of the original onion, and what you see are pure sprouts of re-growth. It was suggested to occasionally change the water every few days... and at first I did, but then I got a little relaxed in doing it, maybe it was the Margaritas....

By day 60, it was smelling funky, and quite a few of them slimed out on me. But it was my fault. I wasn't changing the water ~~frequently enough~~. These are the few that were left after I cleaned them up. I ended up throwing them out.

But based on what we had used and watching them regrow - I'm so doing this again. This time though, I'm in the habit of changing the water daily - and created the habit of doing to, as I know do it when I do the dinner dishes. If we go out for dinner, skipping 1 day won't hurt them. Skipping 2 weeks does.

Now I know.

So Onions forever? I don't know. But spending $0.99 on onions for 2 months? Ohhh yea!

Inspiration: Homemade Serenity

Pinterest Inspired Menu Plan - April 22

2012-04-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

Look at what Pinterest is making me cook up this week:

Sunday: Sweet & Sour Chicken in the slow cooker

Monday: BBQ Steak & Sweet Potatoes

Tuesday: Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Wednesday: Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Thursday: Slow Cooker Parmesan Chicken

Friday: Thai Chicken Pizzeria Pizza

Saturday: Breakfast - Fried Apple Pancake Rings

Saturday: Dinner - Cashew Pork Chow Mein

Make Your Own Tissue Cover

2012-04-19T16:19:00.000-04:00

I have been known as the one crazy lady who DOES care what her tissue box looks like, and I will buy the one with the nicest/most coordinating box - irregardless of how much it costs.

Then came baby, and we go through so much tissue, I finally broke down and started buying it based on cost - not colour of box. And looking at the ugliness of the box littering my house, I knew I had to do something.

At first I was thinking of covering a box with contact paper and just refilling it. Then I came across these birch tissue covers at the dollar store. Then I thought I'd Mod Podge / paint them.

On the same trip to the Dollarama, I found these place mats that I loved! The colours were perfect for our house, and I really liked the geometric pattern.

That night, I was telling Hubby about my Dollar Store Scores, and he actually came up with a brilliant idea - cover the tissue box with the place mat! I knew I fell in love with a genius!

Supplies:

Mod Podge

Thick Paint Brush

Birch Tissue Box

Place mat (or fabric of your choice)

Binder Clips or Clothes Pins

Cover the box with a layer of Podge. Center the box in the fabric, and using the clips, line the fabric up to the edge of the box and hold in place. Wrap the fabric around and trim the excess. Use the clips on the other side to secure.

For the short sides I folded the fabric flat with a solid front, tailing out the corner. Think 'gift-wrapping.

I trimmed the excess corner, leaving enough to fold 1/4 inch under, creating a clean seam. Wrap the edge from the long side around the corner and Podge into place.

I then folded the short side in 1/4" (or the extra so it's a clean seam the width of the side). Fold up, trim excess length and clip to hold. Do this for both sides and let the base coat of Podge dry.

Once dry, I used a steak knife and punctured the center of the opening so I could insert the scissors to cut the length. I then snipped a few extra cut width-wise.

View from the inside.

I then wrapped the sections into the inside and Podged into place.

Now, these boxes have a slide-in bottom, so be sure you do not block the grooves.

Cover the entire project with a nice thick coat (or two) of Podge and let dry.

I'm in love with these, and I completed it in one night. As you can tell by some of my poor quality photos, it was pretty dark out!

Update: I found that the opening was a bit wide and the tissue would sometimes fall back inside or tear from the rough texture in the inside. All I did was cut off the top of a disposable tissue box (that plastic flap window part) and lay it on top of the stack of tissues. It holds the tissues up in place, peeking out, and protects it from ripping from the inside.

Now bring on the great store sales of ugly tissue boxes!

Linky Love:

Finding Fabulous

Ground Beef and Mushroom Carbonara

2012-04-16T11:08:00.001-04:00

I love love love Carbonara dishes! It's what I order almost every time I'm at any Italian Restaurant. And when I stumbled across this recipe using ground beef, I had never heard of such a thing and at first I wrinkled my nose. Then as I thought about it, and decided to give it a whirl.

Inspiration: Betty Crocker

Ingredients:
1 box Whole Wheat Spaghetti (I recommend 3/4 of the box, or more sauce)
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 package Sliced Mushrooms
1 Onion, chopped
1 heaping Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Cup Whipping Cream
3 Eggs
1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4+ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped (I just grabbed some & chopped)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. When cooked, drain & let sit in pot.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt and pepper over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain off fat.

2. Add whipping cream to spaghetti and reheat to med-high heat, stirring constantly. (2ish minutes) Depending on what's larger, combine the beef mixture & spaghetti mixture into the larger pot or skillet, pour in beaten eggs and heat over medium heat, cooking 2-3 minutes, tossing constantly.

3. Add in Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve hot.

This recipe was incredibly easy, took less than 30 minutes start to finish, very tasty and cheap! And to think it does NOT include a can of soup! It was a hit with the whole family, but I used the whole box of pasta, so the sauce was wicked up by the pasta, making it a little dry. In the future, I'll either double the sauce, or decrease the amount of pasta - but I will make it again for sure!

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Chipolte Sloppy Joes with Crunchy Coleslaw

2012-04-07T09:18:00.000-04:00

Holly from June Cleaver Nirvana touted these as "Best. Thing. Ever" I agree. Her recipe was the inspiration for this dish!

Now I've already done the tutorial for the Coleslaw - you can find it here. The ingredients for this are included in the picture. This post is about the Chipolte Sloppy Joes and putting it all together.

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1 small Onion, Chopped
3/4 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup Frozen Corn
1 can Kidney Beans
1/2 cup Pasta Sauce
1 small can chopped Chipolte Peppers
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper
4 Hamburger Buns

1. Prepare the Crunchy Coleslaw and set aside in the refrigerator to mellow.

2. Over med-high heat in a deep skillet (or pot) brown ground beef and onion until no longer pink. Drain off any fat.

3. Reduce temperature to medium and stir in ketchup, corn, beans, pasta sauce, peppers and cumin. Mix well to incorporate and bring to a boil.

4. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5-ish minutes. Add salt, pepper & cilantro and mix to combine.

5. To assemble, spoon a good helping of Sloppy onto an open faced bun. Top with coleslaw and dig in!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Ravioli

2012-03-26T09:07:00.000-04:00

Maybe it was me.
Maybe it was the cheap tomato sauce.
Maybe it was the extra veggies.
But this recipe was my first bomb (of all the internet recipes I've done).

It's not that it was bad. We did eat it. Tomato sauce and frozen ravioli - certainly not rocket science, but after 5 hours in my slow cooker, it came out a one big sticky mess. But here we go:

Inspiration: Slow Cooker Cheesy Ravioli

We never did use the mozzarella in this pic

Ingredients:

Non-Stick Spray

1 Onion, chopped

2 Ribs Celery, chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

A few leftover Basil Leaves that needed to be used up

1 Tbsp minced Garlic

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

2 bags frozen Ravioli

1. Spray crock with non-stick spray. (You'll be thankful you did after dinner).

2. Add 1 can tomato sauce, basil and 1 bag of ravioli to the crock in that order.

3. Add remaining veggies, garlic and Italian seasoning, in that order.

4. Add remaining bag of ravioli and top with remaining can of sauce.
5. Cook over low heat for 5 - 6 hours and serve.

It was very thick, and the ravioli stuck to itself in large lumps. Now, we had left the house, and came home starving, and anticipating this recipe. Maybe if I had been home, I could have added boiling water to thin it slightly as it cooked, or even shortening the cook time. It tasted fine, but I don't think I'd make it again.

Free EBooks to Get Your Craft On

2012-03-25T17:06:00.000-04:00

I've been MIA around these parts for the last *gulp* ten days.

Life has just gotten in the way - I've had too many projects on the go - lots of great things started, but struggling with focusing on getting things done, the Spring cleaning itch had peaked, we've had a summer heat wave in the middle of March, and my little man has had the flu / ear infection / teething hard core, so finding the time to sit and write has been difficult.

So now that I've gotten all these loose ends tied up, completed numerous projects, the baby is feeling much better, and the temperature outside has returned to a cool seasonal norm, I'm back and ripping to go! Now it's going to be hard to space out the posts instead of flooding you with all I've been doing.

First things first though, I've recent come across some great e-book freebies from amazon, hoping to help inspire and create some great projects. These are Kindle downloads, but if you don't have a Kindle, Amazon does have a free download so you can read the books from your computer.

The prices of these books at the time of this posting is $0 (FREE) but it can change at any time, so just double check the price before you hit the 'purchase' button - unless you do want to purchase it!

Let's get this show on the road (It feels good to be back!)

Duct Tape Bags

Funky & Waterproof - Perfect for Spring!

Christmas Projects - 12 festive projects from 82 Modern Style Ideas

How to Sew: Basics

Decorate! 52 Brilliant Ideas

I haven't personally had a chance to read these yet, but I'm looking forward to it. I have a 12 year old niece with very funky taste, and I'm looking forward to surprising her with some crazy duct tape bag!

And here's something - I have no clue what 'Everything' means, but I thought I'd include it as I love 'For Dummies' books and I downloaded it!

A Little Bit of Everything for Dummies

Peg Hook Organizing - A Quickie Before and After Project

2012-03-14T13:46:00.000-04:00

Maybe we're weird... I'm not sure, but we have a lot - and I mean A LOT - of sunglasses!

We love them - I love them as they not only protect my eyes, but they make great headbands. Yes, I'll wear mine on my head as I'm heading out the door - and THEN realize its raining! Not to mention Hubby gets to wear safety sunglasses for work (he's a Garbage Man), so depending on my outfit, and where he's going for the day - we have a large collection.

When we found out we were expecting, we registered at Babies R Us, and hubby insisted on adding a infant sized pair of Hot Wheels Sunglasses to the registry... And friends of ours actually gifted them to us - knowing us that well.

Anyways, someone in the house has a hard time hanging up his jackets when he gets home, and they will end up flung over a chair, dumped on the stairs, or even balled up and left on the dining room table. I won't mention who it is, but did I mention Hubby was a Garbage Man? Yea.... EWW!

So on a trip to the Dollarama, I found a cheap plastic white set of peg hooks and I screwed them to the wall by the front door before I even took my shoes off. And it has been there for months now. I was hoping the white would blend into the wall, and hide, but nooooo. And to add insult to injury, he still doesn't hang his coats off of it, but instead its become the catch-all for the over flow of our sunglasses.

So I got this great idea that I'd like to hang a towel bar of sorts so we could flip the arm of our glasses over it, and then maybe investing in a nicer peg hook for the coats. I search for weeks, but I couldn't find anything that didn't really look like a towel bar - or a safety handle for that matter. Then, while strolling through a local Value Village, I came across a peg hook rack that has a bar across it. Maybe it's a towel bar, with peg to dry bath towels... I think. Anyways, for $1.99 and 50% off, I wasn't go to argue, so I snatched it up.

It was pretty worn and there looks like some water discolouration in the wood on one end. Seeing as I have a lot of black accents in my house - including the chair at the front door - it was obvious it would be black.

A quick coat of black acrylic paint and normally I would have just given it a quick spray of clear glossy spray paint (yes, I like stuff glossy - I like glitter too, but I haven't figured out how to add it to my decor), but being winter, and we don't have a garage, Mod Podge would have to do.

Once dry, I tore down the white plastic one, and hung this new super-glossy-I'm-a-genius peg hook. When I go to replace the sunglasses along the bar, I discover that the bar is too thick and the arms of the sunglasses won't close and they don't hang right. I'm sure you can imagine the language when I discovered this. I am not a Genius!

Then I had an idea.

I dug out leftover metal shower curtain rings from another project and slipped them on! Whola! I kept the favorite glasses, herded the rest back to the bed room, and now we have an organized front entrance for both sunglasses and coats!

The hooks probably work even better as now we can slide them to save space!

Now to figure out how to get ~~Hubby~~ someone to hang up his coats....

DIY Photos on Canvas and Advice for First Timers!

2012-03-12T14:40:00.002-04:00

I've had this project completed for just over a month - and I've been wanting to share it so badly, but I've also completed so many recipe posts (as we eat daily) and I made myself wait until I reached it in calendar order.... Don't ask, I'm just weird like that!

I came across this idea from Jennifer over at Blissfully Ever After. And I was so excited, I jumped into Picnic, edited my then newest favourite pic of my wee man (there are soooo many to choose from). In my excitement, I decided to get all creative and make it a black and white photo, and leave his eyes blue. But then I decided that the b&w paled his eyes, so I lightly touched them up with a little more blue and placed my pic order online at Walmart. This all happened after midnight. This information might not seem important now, but it helps when explaining my advice later on.....

The next day I was at the dollar store, and came across some 12x16 canvases for $2! Sweet! I purchased 3.

The day after, my order is ready - I go and pick up the pic. I didn't look at it until I got home. Guess what. Not only did I order the pic as a 16x20 (not 12x16), but what looks like a "light blue touch up" on MY computer actually is more of a purple to Walmart. So now I have a GIANT picture (albeit adorable) picture of my son - with purple eyes! Yea......

So then I head to Micheals and bought a 16x20 canvas for $14.99 - used a 50% off coupon, and decided to give this a whack.

Materials:
Mod Podge $2 (what I used - I bought the big jar I assumed it would take a lot - it didn't)
16x20 Print $15.00
16x20 Canvas $7.49
Sponge Brushes $1 (I used all 4 - as I tossed them in between coats)
Black Acrylic Paint $0.25 (what I used)

Total Cost: $25.74 Same Sized Canvas Photo Ordered from Costco $69.99 Saved $44.24

1. Thinly spread Mod Podge on the back of the photo and the canvas face.

2. Place the photo onto the canvas, and very gently smooth out the photo with a soft cloth, working out air pockets. You have a little wiggle room, if it's not perfectly trimmed, you can do trim it quickly and smooth back down. Leave to dry.

3. Once dry, using a dry brush technique, very carefully (that's code for slowly) dry brush the black acrylic paint around the canvas edges.

I purposely made it a little 'sloppy' and let a little paint rub onto the edges of the photo. It's up to you. You could also paint the canvas edges before placing the photo if you want a clean edge.

4. Once the paint is dry, apply a thin coat of Mod Podge in one direction. I liked the texture the foam brush gave the Mod Podge, so I applied a second thin coat in the opposite direction to give it a 'canvas' texture (fibers in different directions). A second coat is not necessary though. Let dry and enjoy!

Now here is my advice for first time attempt-ers....

Tip #1. Choose your photo carefully. You may not have noticed, but in this picture, once blown up, I noticed he has a booger. Yup! Here's a close up:

Ok, this close up is kinda creepy, and hard to see - but believe me, there's a booger!

Tip #2. If you're going to 'mess' with the colour - make it the colour of things that don't really matter - like a red hat, yellow boots, or whatever. You don't want to memorialize your infant son with purple eyes.....

Tip #3. Check to make sure you're purchasing the correct size of photo (or canvas for that matter). You can order the wrong size and make your project a little more expensive than you're expecting.

But it was waaay easier to do than I thought, and I was 99% sure that Jennifer was crazy, and that the Mod Podge would ruin the picture - but she was right - it did not. This has opened a whole world of possibilities for me - look out fun free subway art pins I saved on Pinterest - you're next!

Linked In Love:

Mushroom Penne with Sausage and Peppers

2012-03-10T18:04:00.001-05:00

Hearty and delicious, a great meal to pull together using the forgotten sausages from the back of the freezer (or was that just at my house?)

Inspiration: Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian pork sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 large green pepper, cut into 2-inch-long strips (about 2 cups)
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 box penne pasta, cooked and drained

1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned, stirring occasionally. Remove the sausage from the skillet. Drain off any fat.

2. Add the pepper and onion to the skillet and cook until they tender. Add the garlic, stir to combine. Stir in the soup and milk and heat to a boil. Return the sausage to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

3. Place the pasta into a large bowl. Add the sausage and soup mixture, and toss to coat evenly.