Happy Thanksgiving! Crafts and Recipe Critique

This year I had people over for Thanksgiving since we are away from family.  Since I was entertaining, I wanted to add just a little more fall/autumn decor to spice it up a bit.
How I made the sign: *If you had a cricut or something like it, this would be a lot faster to make.
-I bought some textured scrapbooking paper that had these raised polkadots ( in mustard, a camouflage brown, and a nice autumn red).
- I traced a cd onto the paper to make the circles, then hand cut them.
-I also hand cut the lettering like my other sign (from computer generated lettering) and printed it on an off white cardstock.  The off white went a lot better with the colors I chose.
-Then, I found leaf templates online, printed on cardstock, then traced them onto the fall colored paper, then cut those out.
-Then I glued everything together (using elmer's glue)
-I bought a burlap ribbon from Ben Franklin and decided to use that to hang the letters on.  I hot glued the circles onto the burlap ribbon.  That worked great.

 Below: My daughter and I made these adorable and yummy acorns!  Pinterest inspired.  I saw a pic of these on pinterest, but no instructions.  I assumed they used frosting or melted chocolate to stick the Hershey kisses to the MINI nilla wafers (don't use the bigger ones, it won't look good), but I thought Nutella would be delicious, so that's what we did.  We used Nutella as the glue and used a toothpick to make the "stem" of the acorn.  These were a hit.  Thanks Pinterest and whoever came up with these!

 Below: I used the burlap ribbon I used for my "Give Thanks" sign to decorate vases I had around the house.  I filled the 1st vase pictured below with tangerines because I couldn't find little pumpkins but it still added that pop of color I was going for.  If I could find small lemons, I could have used those also. I filled the 2nd vase below with pomegranate seeds as an appetizer.  The 3rd vase is just for decoration purposes and I filled that with macadamia nuts that I had laying around the house that I didn't get around to roasting.  They looked fall-ish, so I filled a vase with them! 

I also tried this pumpkin pie cupcake recipe (this is not my picture, mine didn't look this nice) that I made for dessert at my Thanksgiving dinner.  I found the recipe on Pinterest.  I made the mistake of filling cupcake liners 1/3 way full instead of 1/3 cup like the recipe said.  Which made my cupcakes pretty shallow, but it still tasted great.
*Critique: 4 Stars
 Here is the link :
http://bakingbites.com/2009/10/impossible-pumpkin-pie-cupcakes/

Congrats Sign tutorial

Supplies Needed:
-Scissors
-Elmers Glue
-Tape
-Ribbon
-Old cd
-Black Cardstock
-Gold Spray paint (or print letters onto gold paper)
-Letters : C O N G R A T S ( I made mine on the computer, cut them out, then spray painted them
-White cardstock for the letters
-Gold Paint Pen

*You can always substitute different colors to match your theme.

First, use your old cd to draw circles with your gold paint pen, then cut them out around the gold line.

Second, Print out letters on cardstock and cut them out.

Third, spray paint letters to desired color.

Fourth, glue letters to circles.

Line the letters up in the correct order before you start stringing the ribbon through.

Punch 2 holes on each circle.  One on each side (not right in the middle so it doesn't flip around)

 

 

Secure with tape in back.

1st Birthday Party -Zebra Print Themed

This was the invitation (to set the tone of the party)

Birthday cupcakes with zebra print wrapper

Picture display of her 1st year

Lesson Learned: Do not blow up balloons too early, they will lose their buoyancy.  I would say an hour before party would be ok. 

Pink and Black Tulle and Hershey Kisses, so easy!

The centerpieces had a tower of oreos inside

Retirement Party: Black and Gold Theme

Here are pics from the retirement party.  I was so busy that I didn't even get a chance to take a good picture of the centerpieces on the tables, I apologize.

Centerpiece: Plastic Gold Bowl lined with tissue paper, a bag of coffee, two packages of cookies, coffee candy and chocolates, sprinkled in, all wrapped in clear cellophane and tied with gold curling ribbon

Favors: Make your own bag of candy from dessert/candy buffet

Dessert/Candy Buffet: Candy-Coffee Candy, Werther's Hard Candy and Chewy Candy, Hershey's Assorted Chocolates (Gold and Silver Wrapping), Rolos, and Peanut Butter Cups

Please look for another post on how I made the CONGRATS sign.

Desserts: Mini Oreo Cheesecakes on cupcake stand, Donut Tower (small white powdered donuts)

Sorry so blurry, but these were the mini oreo cheesecakes

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 Lesson Learned: Make sure you are buying the correct size of cupcake liner

Let's Get Organized - Mission 3

Mission 3 : GARAGE SALE

So of course when you start cleaning and organizing, you will come across items that you just don't use anymore, need or something you may use 3 years from now, but you just don't have a place for it.  GET RID OF IT!  I usually just give items away, but a lot of things I didn't need were brand new, a lot of clothes that don't fit me are still very cute and in good shape.  I decided to have a garage sale.  In my neighborhood, garage sales are HUGE.  I love going to them myself. 

I put together boxes of books, a tub of clothes, unused kitchen items : food processor (which was replaced by my magic bullet), small rice cooker (which was replaced by a larger rice cooker), measuring cups and spoons that had also been replaced by better ones (why do I need two sets of measuring spoons/cups?), craft items, my daughter's old toys, picture frames and beads from the jewelry business I'm now closing. 

I sold books for $.25 to $.50 each, clothes for $.50 each, small cooking appliances for $2 each.  The key is to keep prices low because the main idea is to get rid of it.  I didn't think that selling these items for so low would amount to me making $200! 

We made about $200 from selling these items that we don't use and are taking up space in our house.  We made money from selling our clutter!  Yes, we do have the leftover items that we didn't sell.  Am I having another garage sale?  No, but these items are not coming back into my house.  I am looking for a women's shelter and other great organizations to donate them to.  The key is to make sure I actually follow through and donate these items that are sitting outside my door.  *If you are interested, these places that take donations will give you a tax form that may qualify you for a tax write off. 
*I just can't understand why some people throw away valuable items that someone else may be able to use...especially more unfortunate people. 

Sesame-Oyster Sauce Chicken (Pinterest inspired)

Here is another recipe I tweaked a bit and made my own.  Not trynna brag, but I think my version is so much better!  I found this recipe on Pinterest and it was called Thai Cilantro Chicken, but there's nothing Thai about it and you can hardly taste the cilantro, so I made up my own name. 
**This recipe is baked, but my mom suggested stir fry and I thought that was an excellent idea for a different type of meal (chop the chicken, and add veggies such as snap peas, water chestnuts, mushrooms, broccoli maybe, sliced carrots, etc, be creative)  Will update when I try it as a stir fry.  Great idea Mom!

Sesame-Oyster Sauce Chicken
Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
 Fresh Ginger Root - I used about a heaping tablespoon or more of chopped ginger to give it a more oriental taste
*You may also use 2 cloves chopped garlic, but this time I skipped it.
4 Tbsp shoyu (soy sauce)
3 Tbsp sesame oil
3 Tbsp oyster sauce (recipe called for fish sauce, but I had oyster sauce)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)

Instructions:
1.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, and a light sprinkle of sesame seeds (both sides) I always do this right in baking pan using tongs to flip.
2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
3. Combine sauce by food processor, but I've just mixed it before pouring over chicken. 

*The recipe says to let marinate for 15 minutes, but I just let it sit in the sauce until oven is pre-heated.  Takes about that long anyways.
4.  Using a spoon be sure to cover all parts of chicken. 
5. Bake in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes covered with tin foil. 
*Always check chicken in middle to see if cooked!

I serve with rice and green salad (with Sesame Soy dressing).

Let's Get Organized : Mission 2

Mission 2: Kitchen Counter-No space to prepare meals or cook!

Problem: #1One part of my kitchen counter is the first ledge when you walk in the door, so it serves as a place where mail, keys, waterbottles, candywrappers, and all kinds of junk accumulates. 
Besides that, when I cook, I always seem to leave something out, some spice, flour, sesame seeds, whatever.  So I vowed to myself to try to put things back in the cupboards immediately.

#2 On the other part of my kitchen counter is the toaster, and my coffee maker, creamer and sugar.  In the mornings my husband likes to make toast and I NEED to make my coffee.  Since they are right next to each other it's very irritating (mostly for me).  The most irritating thing was that the bread would always be placed on top of my cream and sugar containers to get it off of the counter space so that the counterspace can be used for toast.  Well, I never knew where to put the bread and it was always just floating around and moved in all different places.  Petty, yes, but irritating!

#3 To the left of my sink is where we keep the microwave, rice cooker, crockpot, spice rack, magic bullet (food processor), and dirty dishes that can't fit in the sink ( I know I'm so horrible!)  This corner just always looks so cluttered cuz it is!

Solution: #1 I moved the mail organizer to my desk in our bedroom and plan to pay bills, sort mail, etc.  This way mail and paper junk isn't the first thing you see when you walk in the door.
I have been pretty good about not piling junk on this counter as soon as I walk in.  (Don't ask me how the dining table looks, one step at a time, haha)  I have also been pretty diligent about putting my cooking supplies away as soon as I'm done with them to clear up my counter space.

*I have also added "Wipe counters" to my daily cleaning routine, right after washing dishes. =)
#2 I bought 3 nesting baskets a while ago because I knew I would use them and the smallest one fits the bread PERFECTLY!!!!  The bread now has a home and it's not on top of my creamer and sugar!
It seems silly, but makes me so happy in the morning.

#3  Why didn't I think of this earlier?  Do I need the crockpot on the counter at all times? NO.  Do I need the Magic Bullet on the counter at all times?  NO.   So, I found a place for them in a cabinet, almost directly underneath the place they used to be, so they are still easily accessible.  I thought this part would have been a pain when I did need them, but it really wasn't!  Yes, I have kept up with putting them back when I'm done with them.  The rice cooker stayed out because I use it every few days, and the spice rack looks so pretty in the corner, so that stayed also.  As for dirty dishes, still working on that part...

So all in all Tips of the Day:

•  Change your bad habits into good ones.  Practice makes perfect.  As soon as I forced myself to put things away, it became a good habit.  

• Find a permanent home for items that seem to "float" like my bread.  Baskets are great!  They look great and can hold a lot of items.

• To clear up counters, put away (or hide as I like to put it) items that you don't use on a daily or almost daily basis.  Store them close to where you will use them so it's not such a hassle. 

Introduction : Let's Get Organized -Mission 1

I have been messy my whole life.  Messy NOT dirty.  I have had friends compliment me on my house being dust-free, but never neat and organized.   Well lately I've been having this desire and need to be more organized and neat.  (Perhaps it is my 11 month old's mess taking over my house that has converted me.) I've seen many blogs/posts and pins on pinterest about how to be more organized and decided to check them out.  I came up with my own system.  It was inspired by another blogger organizing one space per day.  I've also seen cleaning routines where certain things are cleaned everyday and others once a week and others once a month.  I also read that if done right, organizing a small space a day takes only 10-15 minutes.  I loved these three ideas and got started.

This is how I started a transformation of my very self...

Mission 1: Under the kitchen sink cabinet - grocery bags: paper and plastic
Before: Paper bags and Plastic bags literally tossed under the sink in an unorganized attempt to re-use them.  They are great for making paper flowers (see earlier post), giving away items, and re-using at grocery stores.   It was so bad that you would open the cabinet door and a few bags would tumble out.  That had to stop!
Solution:
1. Paper Grocery Bag Container:  I found a Kirkland wipes cardboard box, cut off all the top tabs, then cut out some paper bag labels and glued them to the box.  Then I neatly (semi-neatly) placed folded paper grocery bags in the box, small lunchbag size in the front, grocery size in the middle and large with handles in the back of box.  SO much easier to find bags now!

*This project took a little longer because I decided to decorate the container

2.  Plastic Bag Dispensers: I found two different plastic containers and stuffed all my plastic bags with handles in one and the smaller produce plastic bags into another.  The larger plastic bags I stuffed into a large Costco bread bag.

Here are my new organized containers in their home.  These containers were perfect for their space.

Special Guest Feature: Grandma's Fried Rice

So, since I emailed my mom a link to my blog, she has been inspired to cook more often (she used to cook a lot when I was growing up but has seemed to retire from it)  Well, these days she has been cooking up a storm!  She prides herself in using what's in the fridge or the pantry. 

 Here's one of my favorites: Fried Rice

Grandma's Fried Rice

Cold Rice (Left-Overs)
Charsiu*
Roast Pork*
Round Onion
Green Onions
1 T. Mirin Sweet Cooking Seasoning
1 T. Oyster Sauce
2 T. Shoyu
Garlic Salt
Black Pepper

Chop charsiu and roast pork into small pieces keeping the fat which will replace oil.

Using a wok, brown meats and add cold rice breaking up rice and mixing it evenly with meats.

Add chopped round onions and chopped green onions (white stalk section)

Add mirin, oyster sauce, and shoyu.

Sprinkle in garlic salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with finely chopped green onions.
*May substitute with left-over meats. (ie. ham, spam, roast meat, etc.)

Be sure to coat wok with oil if meats are fat free.  I like using chopped bacon instead of oil.

Baked and Breaded Moist Chicken

I wanted to make a baked chicken and decided to experiment.  I came up with this recipe and thought it came out pretty good.



*Please keep in mind that all measurements are an estimation

Ingredients:
6 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Thighs

Breading Paste:
-3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I made my own breadcrumbs by grinding up (in the magic bullet food processor) croutons since i didn't have breadcrumbs
-4 Tbsp Mayonnaise
-1-2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard or Dijon Mustard (Amt depending on your like/dislike of mustard)
 *I'm not a fan of mustard, but baked with chicken I think it goes great!
-1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
-A Sprinkle of Fresh Rosemary Needles

Directions:
1. Grease 9 x 13 in pan
2.  Pat chicken dry and lay in pan
3.  Salt and pepper chicken (both sides)
4.  Mix breading paste: breadcrumbs, mayo, mustard, parmesan cheese and rosemary
5.  Spread paste on both sides of thighs

Bake at 400 degree for 20-25 minutes (Check to make sure cooked all the way through thickest piece of chicken)

Teacher's "Survival Kit" (1st Day of School Bribe, I mean Gift)

Inspired by Pinterest, I decided to make a "Survival Kit" for my 2nd Grade daughter's new teacher for the first day of school. 

I found stickers, girls/boys hall passes, teacher notes, colorful pens, glue stick, snacks (cookies baked by her new student and mom, popcorn, chocolate, granola bars, and powdered iced tea) and can't forget a small bottle of acetaminophen (Tylenol) for all the headaches I'm sure she'll have.

 

I found a cd basket and decided to stuff it with all these goodies.

BAD BAD BAD review of Nutella Cookie Recipe!

I found this recipe on Pinterest.    Recipe called for 1 cup Nutella, 1/2 c sugar, 1 c flour and 1 egg 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes.  I thought it  was so simple and too good to be true.  In my opinion WAY too good to be true.  I love Nutella, but I did not like it in this cookie.  There was no mention of greasing the pan, so it stuck to my pan like glue and never really seemed to bake.  It looked awful and tasted awful.  BAD BAD BAD!  Total waste of my ingredients.  I really don't know what happened. How can some people rave about it and I thought it was awful?  Please don't try it.  Thanks for letting me vent.

Salmon Italiana Recipe

My dad first introduced this recipe to me.  He makes it for potlucks and family parties, but I cook it once a month if I can.  It's such a flavorful and hearty dish that I just had to share.  I serve it with rice (as with most everything) and a green salad.

Ingredients: 
1. Salmon -enough steaks to line the bottom of a 9x13 in pan (Sorry don't pay attention to weight) I usually buy the individually packaged salmon steaks from Costco
*Season with lemon pepper or salt and pepper.  Stab the salmon with a fork all over so the fish soaks up all the flavors.  
2.  Italian Salad Dressing (not the creamy) 1/2-3/4 bottle *You want the salmon to be saturated in the dressing, not just a drizzle on top.
3.  Chopped Tomatoes (Roma is great) and Cilantro - enough to cover the fish
*I am not a huge fan of cilantro, but it really tastes great in this dish.  Not the same without it.
4. Shoyu or Soy sauce ( I just drizzle it in circles a few times over the fish)  Feel free to be generous, cuz it's such a complimentary flavor.  *I always drizzle it over when the fish is cooked and on my plate.

Let marinate for as long as you like.  Longer the better.  I have cooked it almost immediately and it's still good, but so much better when you let it marinate.  


Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.  Check at 20 minutes.

Lilikoi Bars (Self critique)

Here is a recipe for lilikoi bars that I came up with while combining a few others.  I think they're delicious!  (so does my husband and 7 year old)

First you need to make the crust, bake it, then add the lilikoi mixture, then bake again.

Crust
One package Betty crocker sugar cookie mix (follow back of bag instructions for baking time and degrees)
Smooth over bottom of GREASED 9X13 in pan 



Lilikoi Mixture:
4 eggs
1/3 c flour
1 1/2 c sugar
1 Tbsp butter
*Whisk together
3/4 c lilikoi juice (no seeds)
*Whisk together, then pour lilikoi mixture onto baked cookie crust.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.   (It's hard to tell when they are ready.  Still haven't figured out a good way yet, maybe tooth pick?)
Sprinkle powdered sugar over top ( I used a strainer to get it real fine)

Mermaid Nails

I came up with these just playing around with my new grey nailpolish (looks blue but it's actually grey) and a silver nail art pen.  You can barely see the silver dots until the light hits my nail in just the right spot. 

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Critique

Two Thumbs up for this recipe!  I used this frosting to practice my icing skills, using a freezer ziploc bag (the thickness of the freezer bag is better for "drawing").  Pictures are of my attempts.

From All Recipes.com

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

This is my daughter's name (Tiare).  Of course this is the one she chose to eat.  This was done first with a tiny snip of the corner of the ziploc.  I barely cut off the tip.

I snipped a little more off the corner of the bag to make these flowers.  Definitely need to practice my flowers. 

Sprinkles!

Creamy Hamburger (with Pasta) Recipe

This is a really easy weekday meal.  I served it with Caesar salad. 
Ingredients: Small Pasta (not noodles) I used costco whole grain pasta
Ground Beef
Milk
Butter
Cream of Mushroom soup
Parmesan Cheese 
Chopped Onions
Chopped Garlic
Chopped Fresh Oregano
Chopped Fresh Parsley
Salt/Pepper to taste
*Oregano and Parsley really add to the flavor, do not omit.

1.  Boil Pasta in Salted Water then strain and toss in vegetable/olive oil so it doesn't stick.

2.   As pasta is boiling, begin chopping onion and herbs.
3.  Toss onion and garlic in pan with a little oil, then brown ground beef, breaking it into pieces.  Season ground beef with salt/pepper to taste.
4.  When browned, add oregano and parsley, then butter, milk, parmesan cheese to taste and cream of mushroom soup.  Add salt/pepper to taste if needed.
5. Stir constantly since milk products burn quickly.  Let simmer for a while, still stirring.

DO NOT COMBINE pasta and sauce.  I made this mistake and the pasta just soaks up the sauce, and it becomes very bland.  Keep leftovers seperate. 

Critique on Cookie Dough Frosting (on brownie)

Brownies with Cookie Dough Frosting (Pinterest recipe)
I just used the boxed brownie mix, and followed a recipe that is pretty much Nestle's choc chip cookie dough recipe, but no eggs, so that it is perfectly safe to eat.  I thought it was WAY too rich, but if you like super sweet, then by all means!  The cookie dough by itself wasn't too bad.  I'm thinking of making small chunks out of the dough and then freezing it and adding it to vanilla icecream or just keeping it by itself for a little frozen delight snack!  I would give it a thumbs down on brownies though.  Will not put it on brownies again.  Even my seven year old daughter gave it a thumbs down.

Pinterest inspired nailpolish organizer

Just bought a hurricane vase from Ross' ($4.99) to organize my nailpolish in a very cute way.

(Pinterest version)  I liked this jar, but couldn't find one

My Version (Looks like I should have bought a couple of these vases)

  This is great because if I need a hurricane vase to decorate I can just dump the nailpolish in a basket (hide it in a cabinet) and have a pretty vase to hold a candle or flower arrangement. 

A Retirement Party I'm working on

To be Continued... Don't mind the generic pics in the frame and books on table. This was just a sample set up to get ready for the day of.  Theme is black and gold.  Added to this dessert/candy buffet will be a donut tower and mini cupcakes on a cupcake stand.

 The clear/printed cello bags to take candy home and twist ties in a mini wine glass.

Add caption

Baby shower (boy)

This was a boy baby shower for someone at our church.  It was an awesome team effort to cut costs and increase creativity!  It was a nature them, so we had flowers as centerpieces, leaves, and trees as decor.  I am not an artist at all, but we had two really great artists that did the drawings on the wall, the clouds and the table covers: Leila and Lorelei.  The table covers were butcher paper taped to the tables. 

I made the centerpieces by spraypainting recycled cans (Costco canned veggies).  I found blue hued hydrangea at the local farmers market for $1 a bunch!  Such cheap centerpieces.

Another woman made lime green punch.

Love the raindrops.  Not sure how Leila made these...maybe she'll comment on it and share. =) The drawing was painted with watercolor to match the other decor. 

This was an activity that we did at the shower instead of a game.  Decorating onesies for mom to take home and keep.  We broke the guests into teams and mom was able to pick her favorite.  The winning team won prizes.  Leila made these trees to match the other drawing and strung chords across so that we could pin the onesies up.  *I bought fabric markers for this activity, but probably should have stuck to puff paint.  Participants mentioned that it was difficult to use the markers because the material bunched.  Something to think about.  We could have also used fabric remnants and cut and glued to onesies, but we went with the markers to cut costs.

 

This was a delightful dessert buffet created by Kelli and Kathy.  Gourmet cupcakes made by Janella.  Shower guests loved this!