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.