Non-Edible Creation

So I've been cooking up something lately... It just isn't something to eat. Shocker, I know. We are in the process of moving into our first home and I am looking for ways to cut corners, save some money, do it myself, and still have my house look great.

I saw a pin on Pinterest where she made her clear plastic drawers look more classy and was able to match it to her bathroom decor (it was a small drawer)... So the wheels in my head started turning. I have 4 sets of those drawers split between my kids rooms. Lets face it, they hold a lot and are cheaper than a dresser. But they are clear and show everything that is in the drawers... So I took a little trip to good ol' Walmart.

I bought some craft paint ($.57 each):

And a pack of foam paint brushes:

And then I got to work. The trick to this project was painting the inside of the drawer. When I first started painting it looked streaky and I was thinking, great, these are going to look terrible. But the trick is to move from one side to the other, using the same stroke pattern (long horizontal strokes were what I did) and to use a lot of paint (and keep your brush coated with paint). I let the first coat dry and then added another coat. Once dry and placed back into the proper drawer cubby you would never be able to tell that it didn't come that way. Yes, if you hold the drawer up toward the light you will see some streaks, but that wasn't my plan for the drawers. 

 
The drawers in their drying process.


Eventually, I may add a top coat so the paint doesn't scratch off. But most of my drawers are being used for clothing, so the scratching should be minimal. The picture below is the first set of drawers I did. I will add more once they are dry.

Good luck with your project.

More pictures:

The drawers while they were still drying ^

Finished product for my sons room.

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with a "Hot Chocolate" Frosting

So I got a craving yesterday evening... (No, I'm not pregnant) I just NEED something sometimes. Yesterday, it was chocolate cupcakes... I thought about taking a drive to Gigi's Cupcakes or Just Baked... But I didn't see exactly what I wanted, and they were going to charge me $3 a cupcake.. Sorry, but that is outrageous, especially when I can make lots of cupcakes and a small round cake for under $5.

This is what I came up with. (I should mention I like things to be easy, especially at 7:45pm, so this recipe is from a box, the best kind in my opinion).

Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 Box Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
1 Box of Chocolate Fudge Pudding (4 1/2 servings size) (I didn't realize I had grabbed the Cook N Serve, it                                
                                                                                                                                          worked though)
1 Stick of Butter, melted
4 Eggs
1 Cup of Sour Cream
3/4 Cup Milk (I had used 1 cup, but I think it needs to be reduced)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or Spray a muffin tin (I lined). If you want cupcakes and a cake, spray a small round spring form pan as well as the muffin tin.

There isn't really an order for the mixing of ingredients. So put it all in a large bowl and mix it up. I used my stand mixer, but you could use an electric mixer too. I let it mix for a couple minutes until it was voluminous (lol, odd use of wording there, but I am keeping it).

I like to use a an ice cream scoop or a measuring cup when distributing the batter into the cupcake liners  so all of my cupcakes will be the same size. Do whatever suits you best :) Once batter was in it's liners and cake pan I popped them into the oven. 

Cupcakes baked for about 15 minutes (give or take), insert a toothpick to check their doneness. The cake was in for about 30 minutes. 

Cool before frosting.

"Hot Chocolate" Frosting

Ingredients:

2 Packets of Hot Chocolate Mix (No Marshmallows)
2-3 Tablespoons Half & Half (Milk could work too)
Small handful of chopped chocolate or chocolate chips (I used Semi Sweet)
1 Stick of Butter (Softened)
6-8 Ounces Cream Cheese (Yeah... I don't know exactly how much I used)
About 3 cups of Powdered Sugar
Splash of Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Place Half & Half, Hot Chocolate Mix, and Chocolate Chips into a small saucepan and heat over low heat  until the hot chocolate mix is dissolved and the chips are melting (they don't have to be melted all of the way).  Don't boil this mixture. Turn off the heat and let it sit ( it will cool a bit, and that's good).

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat butter and cream cheese until it's smooth and looks like it's getting fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add powdered sugar, about a cup at a time, beating in between. (Once the sugar is mixed in enough, I turn the speed to high so the frosting can get a good beating/whipping).

Slowly add in the melted chocolate (again, mixing in between additions).

At this point I tasted the frosting to see if I needed to add anything, and decided to add a little more sugar, but that is up to your taste.

Frost away and enjoy.

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Bacon

YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!

I adapted this recipe from the beautiful Pinterest, but more specifically from this website:

http://www.flourishingfoodie.com/2012/03/creamy-avocado-pasta.html

THANK YOU for the idea!! I was so excited to try out this pasta because I'm not always a fan of super creamy thick sauced pastas. This recipe had no butter (which doesn't happen often when you enter my kitchen) and it was supposed to be vegetarian, but I couldn't help myself, bacon and avacado together sounded like the perfect pairing.

So HERE is what you need:

• 1 box of fettucine pasta (12-16 ounces, mine was 12oz)
• 1/2 pint of Grape tomatoes (any tomato would basically work here, I just liked the way these looked when I went to the store)
• 2 ripe avocados, skinned and seeded
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (I didn't have an EXACT measurement here, I was using a regular spoon)
• 5 slices of bacon (or more, or less lol)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts
• Grated Parmeasan or Romano cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

LET'S MAKE IT!

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out bacon on 1 tray (I line a cookie sheet with foil to make for easy clean up). Cut the tomatoes in half and lay out (flesh side up) on another tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and a little pepper.

2) I love baking my bacon, I feel like there is less hassle, less shrinkage, and I don't find myself getting burned by bacon grease. I stick my tray of bacon in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, I then flip the bacon and bake for another 4-6 minutes (At this point you could flip it again and bake for another minute or two depending on how crispy you like your bacon). The tomatoes can be in the oven during this process, I think I roasted them for about 30 minutes, you want them to burst and get soft (mine even charred a little bit).

3) Boil a big pot of water, salt it, and add Fettucine, I also added a tablespoon of olive oil. Cook as directed on package.

4) While the pasta is cooking, add avocados, lemon juice, garlic, a sprinkle of salt, and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a food processor. Blend to creamy consistency. If your mixture is looking a bit stiff, add some more olive oil (I had to).

5) Drain pasta and rinse, add pasta to avocado mixture in a large bowl. Add pepper (and more salt if you desire). Crumble bacon and mix into pasta, stir in some or all of roasted tomatoes as well.

6) Serve pasta topped with pine nuts and cheese (if desired).

ENJOY! My family and I surely did :)

Scrumptious Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

These AMAZING cupcakes are my new favorite treat! The cupcakes on their own were simply delicious and then you add on the frosting and it becomes difficult to eat just one. I hope you can enjoy these as much as I did.

What you will need:

• 1 box Pillsbury White Cake Mix
• 1  pkg. (4-serving size) Jell-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding
• 1 cup water
• 1 whole egg
• 3 egg whites
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 pkg. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice (fresh or concentrate)

How to Make them:


1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, water, egg whites, whole egg, and melted butter in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed until combined (batter will be on the thicker side). Beat on medium speed for another minute or two. Use an ice cream scoop or measuring cup to equally distribute the batter amongst 12 muffin cups (paper lined OR a muffin tin sprayed well with bakers spray).

 2) Bake 22-27 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire rack and cool completely.

3) While the cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese, butter, sugar, and lemon juice until well blended. Frost cupcakes. Enjoy!

Sirloin and Barley Soup

I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! I am a person that LOVES cooked carrots, so I was heavy handed with them, but whenever you see an ingredient that you want more or less of, by all means, do so.

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound of sirloin steak, trimmed and cut into small chunks
6 carrots, peeled and medium sliced
2 ribs of celery, trimmed and sliced
3 parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 box (32 oz.) beef broth/stock
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence
1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups quick cook barley
1/2 teaspoon celery salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic salt, divided
1/2-1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2-1 teaspoon pepper, divided

This is how to make it:

1. Sprinkle meat with some salt, pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt. Heat some olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in pan with high sides and that has a lid over medium high heat. Add steak and brown for a minute on each side. Add 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup beef broth to pan cover with lid and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

2. Heat remaining oil and butter in a pot over medium high heat. Add carrot, onion, celery, parsnips, and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add remaining broth, 2 cups of water, and seasonings (herbs de provence, italian seasoning, garlic salt, celery salt, salt, and pepper). Bring to a boil, if the pot looks like it could use more water, add some.

3. Add barley and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10-12 minutes or as package instructions suggest. Add the steak with the liquid contents from its pan to the soup. Cook about 2 minutes more, let soup rest for a couple of minutes and serve. ENJOY!

BBQ Turkey Chili

I tried this one out just last night. I REALLY liked it, it was different from any chili that I have had or made before. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper
2 packages (20.8 ounce each) ground turkey
6 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons molasses
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite cut diced tomatoes, slightly drained
2 (15 ounce) cans small white beans/navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno chile, finely diced OR 1/2 of an anaheim chile plus 1/2 serrano chile (both finely diced)
(REMOVE SOME RIBS AND SEEDS FOR LESS HEAT ^)
White or brown rice (cooked)

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, sprinkle with a dash of salt, and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Pour the slightly cooked items into a bowl while browning meat.

2. Increase heat to medium high and add turkey, breaking apart as it cooks. Cook for 5 minutes or until meat is cooked almost all the way through. Sprinkle with chili powder and salt; cook 1 minute.

3. Stir in ketchup, vinegar, molasses, sugar, and cayenne. Add tomatoes, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and jalapeno/other chile peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Serve with rice.

Orzo, Ham, and Green Bean Salad

I tried this out tonight. It's tasty and can be eaten warm or cold. It's also considered to be diet friendly, so yay!

What you will Need:

• 10 teaspoons of Rice wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 4 teaspoons of olive oil
• 3 teaspoons of honey
• 4 1/2 teaspoons of spicy brown mustard
• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 shallot finely chopped
• 1 can of green beans drained
• 1 roasted red bell pepper diced
• 5-8 grape tomatoes chopped
• 1/3 cup diced ham

How to Make it:

1. Whisk first 5 ingredients together. Set aside.
2. Cook orzo and shallots about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and green beans, cook for about a minute or 2.
3. Drain orzo mixture and rinse well. Add to a medium bowl. salt and pepper to taste. Add bell pepper and ham to orzo mixture.
4. Whisk small bowl of dressing and add to orzo mixture, toss to coat.
5. Enjoy!