DIY: Fabric Flowers

Jake and I bought our first house about 7 months ago out in the burbs. Prior to moving out here, I had lived in Baltimore city for 6 years. 6 YEARS. What's not to love about living in a city? There's almost every type of ethnic food within a 10 minute walk, you can find sweet happy hour deals EVERYWHERE (and any day of the week, for that matter), and you don't have to drive anywhere. The number of bars in a one block radius alone makes city-living an ideal way of life for a twenty-something young professional and/or graduate student.

There are certain things that make city-living awful as well. Parking is an absolute nightmare - especially when you just get back from the grocery store, Baltimore rats are so huge I mistook them for cats when I first moved here (true story), and the garbage smell on Tuesday mornings in Fells Point alone was enough to make me get a gym membership (have you ever tried going for a run at a garbage dump? Because that's what Bmore smells like around 6am the morning of trash pick-up). My love affair with my seemingly perfect city life waned over time, and Jake and I decided it was time to 'settle down' and buy a house together. You know, the whole big back yard, white picket fence sort of place where we could begin married life together. So that's what we did.

We've been here 7 months, and we're still unpacking and getting settled. We haven't hung curtains in every room, and we're still painting. The inside of our place is in disarray; however, from the outside, our place looks pretty sharp! Jake takes care of our lawn, and our house has been recently painted. I decided one thing our house really needed was a big old wreath on our front door. Isn't that, like, a rule? All front doors should have a wreath on them? 

I stopped by my local craft store the other day and bought an 18 inch grapevine wreath and some fake flowers. Then I had the brilliant idea to MAKE my own fabric flowers. It would certainly be less expensive than buying all fake flowers. So I did some research and found this tutorial. Her step-by-step instructions are great, and I posted pictures right from her website, rather than ones from my own attempt.

Materials:

• a T-shirt in any color you want
• some felt in a complementing color
• scissors
• paper (to make a template)
• pins
• hot glue gun (or tacky glue)

How to:

• Draw a flower on your paper to make a template. The flower should have 5-6 petals and doesn't have to be precise. I made two templates - one that had 5 petals and one that had 6 petals. Each flower was 3-3.5 inches across.
• Cut out the flower and pin it to your T-shirt (see picture below from the website I used as a reference). Using this as a template, cut 9 fabric flowers.

• Take your felt and cut a circle approx. 2.5 inches across.
• Take 1 fabric flower and fold it in half. Then, fold it in half again so you form a right angle. Do this with 4 of your fabric flowers. 
• Arrange your fabric flowers in a circular pattern on your felt circle as demonstrated in the photo below. Glue each folded fabric flower to the felt.

• Then, glue each folded flap to itself (see picture for clarification). Do this with each adjacent flap.

• Now, you're going to repeat this process with four more of your fabric flowers. Fold four more fabric flowers in the same fashion as above. But, instead of layering them directly on top of the ones you've already glued to the felt, you're going to lay them in a perpendicular fashion so your final flower will have lots of volume. The picture below should clarify things:

• Glue four of your folded fabric flowers in this fashion, and glue the flaps to each other as you did previously. Fluff up your glued flaps, and to add more volume, glue more flaps to one another. Your flower should look something like this:

• Take your remaining fabric flower and fold it in half only once. Then, sort of roll it up into a cone so it creates a rosebud looking piece of fabric (see below).

• Cut off the bottom 1/2 inch of fabric (the bottom of the cone), and hot glue the bottom of the cone to the center of the layered fabric flower you've created. Glue the fabric flaps to the center cone to give your flower more volume. 

Here is my finished product. I used an old white T-shirt that I pulled out of my 'clothes to donate' bag. Holler for up-cycling! I made three of these, which I then decided to use on my wreath.

This little project came together very quickly, and now our house has a beautiful wreath on the front door. Here's a close up of the wreath detail. You can purchase the fake flowers and grapevine wreath at any craft store. To assemble, just hot glue the flowers (fabric or purchased fake ones) to the wreath.

I'd love to hear how your fabric flowers turn out, and what you decided to do with the ones you made. You can use these flowers for anything from wreaths to headbands to hair clips to pins. Leave some comments and let me know how you used yours!

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes

Potatoes are a versatile food; they're delicious fried, mashed, baked, plain, covered in cheese, covered in bacon, covered in sour cream, covered in butter (although to be fair, what ISN'T delicious when covered in cheese, bacon, and/or butter). Basically, they're delicious in any way, shape, or form. Potatoes are a staple food in this household.

I found this recipe for a Crockpot version of scalloped potatoes and immediately had to try it. The original recipe can be found here. This recipe (as do most Crockpot dishes) serves 10-12 people. It's a great dish to prepare when you're having a party!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs red potatoes (I peeled half of them, and left the skins on the other half)
• 1 cup sour cream (I used light)
• 1 can cream of potato soup
• 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• paprika (optional)
• 3 Tbs chopped chives (optional)

How to:

• Thinly slice potatoes and place in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream, soup, and Worcestershire sauce.
• Combine potatoes and mixture and mix until potatoes are evenly coated.
• Spray Crockpot with cooking spray.
• Add 1/2 of the potatoes to the Crockpot. Top with 3/4 cup cheddar.
• Repeat layers. 
• Cover and cook on high (3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours) or on low (7 to 8 hours).
• Serve topped with paprika and chives, if desired.

I seriously can't stop eating these. They're so good! The next time I make these, I think I'll leave the skin on all the potatoes. They give this side dish a really nice texture. Enjoy :)

Beef and Broccoli

Every Thursday, the large brick pathway adjacent to the building I work in fills with various vendors and food trucks, where everything from roasted peanuts to paninis are sold. I walked by all of this at exactly the wrong time today - right before I had planned on eating my lunch. The stand that caught my eye was one that was selling delicious smelling Chinese food. I forced myself to keep walking - I knew I'd regret spending close to $10 on lunch when I had a perfectly good Lean Cuisine microwave meal waiting for me in the freezer. And as soon as I took a bite of my reheated microwave lunch, I regretted passing up that Chinese food.

I decided to make my version of Chinese-style Beef and Broccoli. This dish comes together pretty quickly, so it's perfect for that work night where the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen putting together a meal.

The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb stir fry beef strips, cut into bite size pieces
• 3 Tbs cornstarch, divided
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs water, divided
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• olive oil
• 1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 4 cups broccoli
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• cooked rice (if desired)

How to:

• Combine 2 Tbs cornstarch, 2 Tbs water, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix until smooth.
• Add beef to this mixture and toss (I transferred the cornstarch mixture and beef to a large Ziploc bag and mixed this way).
• In a separate bowl, combine remaining water and cornstarch, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger, and mix until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat some oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and cook beef until desired done-ness.
• Transfer beef to another container and keep warm.
• In remaining oil, stir-fry broccoli and onion for about 4-5 minutes.
• Add beef to broccoli and onion, and pour soy sauce mixture into pan.
• Cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until warmed throughout.
• Serve Beef and Broccoli over warm rice.

Take care not to overcook your beef. If you overcook it, you'll end up with chewy meat! I think the sauce to beef/broccoli ratio is just right. The crispness of the stir-fried broccoli and onion, coupled with the sweet and tangy soy sauce mixture results in a winning combination. And when served over rice - the overall texture of the dish is perfect.

Let me know what you think!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Jake is my toughest critic when it comes to the food I make. I used to think he was a picky eater, but now I realize he just likes food that tastes good. Simple as that. The first time I made this recipe, Jake had nothing but praise for me. I knew it was a keeper.

I probably make this dish at least once every 2 months. The ingredients are simple, and the end product has all of the classic Chicken Noodle Soup components. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I initially came across this recipe, but I promise if you follow my steps, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• garlic salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

How to:

• Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken to pan and season with garlic salt (season to your liking - I generally use ~1 tsp).
• Cook chicken 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
• Add onion and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
• In pot, combine chicken broth, water, chicken, onions, and carrots. Heat to boiling, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Stir in broccoli, egg noodles, basil, garlic powder, and black pepper. Heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.

I love my Chicken Noodle Soup with lots of noodles. Even though you might be tempted to add more, I assure you - you don't need to! I'm interested to know what you readers love in your soup. Leave me some comments, and I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Lasagna Cupcakes

Ask and you shall receive. An overwhelming 82% of you wanted to see this recipe, according to my first poll! I love this recipe. My favorite thing about it is how each 'cupcake' is perfectly portioned, and because the recipe uses wonton wrappers instead of actual lasagna noodles, the end product isn't super heavy, like traditional lasagna.

I found this recipe on Betty Crocker's website. The original recipe uses soy protein crumbles, but I opted to use italian sausage instead.

Ingredients:

• 36 wonton wrappers (I used Nasoya brand)
• 1/2 pound italian sausage
• 1 jar (24 oz.) of your favorite pasta sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

How to:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned and crumbled, and combine with pasta sauce. Set aside.
• Combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and egg in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups with cooking spray.
• Place one wrapper in the bottom of each muffin cup. Top with a heaping spoonful of the sausage/pasta sauce mix. Add a heaping spoonful of the ricotta cheese mixture on top.
• Repeat layers again (wonton wrapper, sauce, ricotta).
• Cover with another wonton wrapper, and top with some more of the sausage/pasta sauce mix.
• Top with some mozzarella cheese.
• Spray some aluminum foil with cooking spray, and cover muffin tin with aluminum foil, sprayed side down.
• Cook for 15 minutes.
• Uncover and cook for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
• Let stand for about 15 minutes before serving.

I like to serve my lasagna cupcakes with some extra marinara sauce on the side. I find this recipe is perfect when you're having a lot of people over (it's easy to double or even triple this recipe), and it's much less messy than traditional lasagna.

I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions!

Spooky Halloween Brownies

Halloween is almost upon us! Which hopefully means you'll be attending at least one Halloween party this year. There's nothing better than dressing up, hanging out with great friends, and eating delicious Halloween treats (have I mentioned that I love fall?).

Last year, Jake's sister hosted their incredibly large family at her house for a Halloween party. Because this was a kid friendly party, I decided I'd bring some food that would appeal to them. This recipe for Spooky Brownies appealed to me - I knew the kids would love them.

I found this recipe in one of those Betty Crocker seasonal recipe books they have in the supermarket check out lanes (which I of course had to buy). Here's a link to the electronic version of that same recipe. I'd like to pretend that I made the brownies from scratch - but I didn't. Can't go wrong with brownies from a box, am I right?

Jake (Hulk Hogan) and I last year on Halloween!

Ingredients:

• your favorite brownie recipe and corresponding ingredients
• white frosting
• large marshmallows
• fruit roll-ups or fruit-by-the-foot
• mini M&Ms or cinnamon candies
• black decorating gel

How to:

• Prepare you favorite brownie recipe. Cool completely (~1.5 hours) and cut into squares.
• Split icing between two bowls.
• For ghosts:
  
• Melt one portion of the icing in the microwave for approx. 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
• Spoon melted icing over half of the marshmellows.
• Once the icing sets, decorate the ghost faces with black decorating gel.
• For monsters:
• Add some green food coloring to the remaining portion of icing and melt in the microwave for approx. 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
• Spoon melted icing over remaining half of the marshmallows as above and allow to set.
• For the eyes and ears, decorate with mini M&Ms or cinnamon candies.
• For the hair, cut fruit roll-ups or fruit-by-the-foot (I used a pizza cutter) and lay across tops of marshmallows.
• Decorate center of eyes and mouth with black decorating gel.

If you take a look at the original recipe, you can see good old Betty Crocker also made some spooky spider brownies. I didn't attempt the spiders, but they would also be a fun addition! 

The kids went crazy as soon as they set their eyes on these at the party. This recipe is certainly a kid crowd pleaser!

Enjoy!

Spicy Mexican Skillet

You know when you have one of those days, where the last thing you want to do is cook? And you wish you could just go to your pantry, throw a bunch of ingredients in a pan and end up with a healthy, tasty meal? Look no further, my friends. This meal is for you!

 

I came had to run a quick errand after I left work today, so I stopped in at Target. An hour later (damn you, Target - you get me every time), I finally left - hands full of random items I obviously can't live without. It was 7:45pm, and the last thing I wanted to do was cook. I remembered this super fast, super easy, super tasty meal that I prepared a few months ago. Lucky for me, I had everything on hand to whip this up in no time.

This recipe for Spicy Mexican Skillet takes less than 30 minutes to make, and it's full of healthy ingredients. It's also full of flavor, so it's a win/win. The original recipe can be found here. As usual, I've changed minor things here & there to my taste. But the beauty of this dish is it's hard to go wrong!

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 1 15 oz. canned corn, drained (or use some frozen corn if you have that)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup instant rice
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese or mexican cheese blend (plus some extra)

How to:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender, stirring occaisionally.
• Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and water. Bring to a boil.
• Add rice and mix well. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand about 7 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
• Add cheese and mix well.
• Serve and top with more cheese (b/c let's be honest, you can never have too much cheese)

This recipe makes a LOT of food, so be prepared to have many lunches and dinners taken care of for the few days!

Creamy Tomato and Parmesan Soup

This weekend was exceptionally fall-like - there was a chill in the air, the leaves started to turn all kinds of awesome colors, and I watched more football than the average person. Jake and I were outside for most of the day on Saturday, watching my niece and nephew cheerleading and playing football. It was just chilly enough that I found myself craving something savory and hot to warm myself up with. I decided then that I'd devote my Sunday to making some soup. I also decided it needed to be a Crockpot recipe, keeping with my promise to post a Crockpot recipe once a week.

I found this recipe for Tomato Basil Parmesan soup through Pinterest. It seemed to have all ingredients I love (tomatoes, cheese, butter - how can you go wrong?), so I figured I'd try it out. This soup turned out AMAZING. But I'm warning you now, it is not short on calories. Or fat. You've been warned.

The original recipe can be found here. I've made a few modifications to mine - mostly in just substituting the 2 cups of half and half for 1 cup of light cream.

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz. can diced italian tomatoes with juice
• 1 cup finely diced celery (~4 stalks)
• 1 cup finely diced carrots (~3 medium carrots)
• 1 cup finely diced onion (~1 medium onion)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 4 cups chicken broth (I prepared mine from bouillon)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup light cream, warmed
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil (optional)

 How to:

• Combine tomatoes, celery, carrots, onion, oregano, basil, chicken broth, and bay leaf in Crockpot. 
• Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours.
• Approximately 30 minutes before soup is served, prepare a roux. 
• Melt butter over low heat in a saucepan.
• Slowly add in flour, whisking constantly for about 5 minutes.
• Slowly add in 1 cup of hot soup, whisking constantly until smooth.
• Continue adding 3 more cups of hot soup slowly, whisking constantly until smooth.
•  Add back to the Crockpot and mix well.
•  Add warmed cream, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes on low.
• Serve in warmed bowls, garnished with fresh basil, if desired (although I recommend it!).

This recipe is incredibly flavorful. If I'm being honest, I think the next time I make this, I might omit the cream altogether - I don't think it needs it! I'd love to hear what you readers think of this recipe, so please post your comments below!

Enjoy!

First Giveaway Poll!

Hey Readers - vote in the poll located at the top right side of the page for the dish you'd most like to see me prepare next. Once you've voted, leave a comment on this post saying "I voted" and you'll be automatically entered into a free giveaway contest!

Thanks, everyone!

Pumpkin Mousse

It's no secret that, like any native New Englander, I love fall. It's that time of year, where pumpkin-flavored everything pops up in grocery stores and coffee shops. I'm not complaining - I LOVE all things pumpkin. Which is probably the main reason I love Thanksgiving so much. Aside from all the other amazing food I eat on Turkey Day. But I digress. 

I've been wanting to make pumpkin butter since I recently saw it at one of the stands at my local farmers market. I searched various blogs for it, and came across this recipe (I told you I loved SkinnyTaste). The author of SkinnyTaste mentioned she puts pumpkin butter on toast, adds it to her lattes - everything. I decided it would probably be delicious mixed with cool whip - and alas, my recipe for pumpkin mousse was born.

Ingredients:
For making pumpkin butter:

• 1 29oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup apple juice or cider (I used apple juice)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 tsps pumpkin pie spice

For making pumpkin mousse:

• 1 Tbsp pumpkin butter
• 1/2 cup reduced fat cool whip
• chopped walnuts, if desired

How to:
Recipe for pumpkin butter:

• Combine pumpkin, vanilla, juice, sugar, and spices in a large saucepan and mix well.
• Bring mixture to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes with frequent stirring, until thickened. 
• Cool pumpkin butter overnight in the refrigerator. This recipe yields enough pumpkin butter to fill a large mason jar  (approx. 3 3/4 cups).

Recipe for pumpkin mousse:

• Add approx. 1 Tbsp chilled pumpkin butter to reduced fat cool whip. Adjust amount of pumpkin butter to your taste.
• Top with chopped walnuts, if desired.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of me preparing the pumpkin butter. I boiled my mason jar to sanitize it and stored my pumpkin butter in that, once it was cooled. Per the suggestion of SkinnyTaste, I've also used my pumpkin butter as a spread on toast, have added a Tbsp to my morning coffee, have put some in my oatmeal (see picture below), and have also just eaten it right off the spoon. But I think mixing it with cool whip & eating is as a dessert is my favorite way to consume pumpkin butter. This low calorie dessert is a great addition to any fall meal, in my opinion! I wasn't kidding when I told you I have a pumpkin-problem.

Enjoy! Leave your comments & suggestions below.

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

My mom bought me a Crockpot for Christmas a few years ago. In my opinion, I haven't used it nearly enough. I've pinned a ton of Crockpot recipes over the past few months, and have only tried a handful of them. What's not to love about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot, turning it on, and letting the house fill with delicious smells as said ingredients cook, all the while you tend to other things? From this point forward, it's my vow to all of you that I will try as hard as I can to use my Crockpot once a week.

I found this recipe for Crockpot Cashew Chicken via Pinterest (shocking!). At first glance, this recipe seemed to have a Chinese food-like flair to it - which I was excited about. I love any food that involves ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and/or soy sauce, so this seemed like the perfect dish for me.

 The original recipe can be found here. I've made a few changes to my version, including adding some veggies and slightly changing the amount of chicken used.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (the original recipe calls for rice vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic (the original recipe calls for 1, but I love garlic)
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup cashews (mine were lightly salted)

How to:

• Combine flour and pepper in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag, and toss to coat the chicken with the flour mixture.
• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan. Brown chicken by cooking on each side, ~2 min each. Add chicken to Crockpot.
• Chop carrots and celery and add to Crockpot.
• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and veggies.
• Cover and heat on low for 3-4 hours. Add the cashews, stir, and serve. 

I decided to serve this dish over white rice. The sauce is so flavorful, and this dish pairs really well with rice, in my opinion. The crushed red pepper gives this dish just enough of a kick, so don't overdo it on the red pepper unless you like things REALLY spicy. I hope you all enjoy this! I'd love to hear your comments.

Skinny Cream of Zucchini Soup

Why is it that whenever I'm sick, all I want is soup? Actually, that's not entirely true. I would eat soup for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could. And I anticipate many future posts that fully demonstrate my love for soup. Anyway, the point is, I currently AM sick, and I WANT soup, so I'm going to share this recipe with you.

I stumbled upon SkinnyTaste when I first joined Pinterest, and that's where I found this recipe for Cream of Zucchini Soup. If you're wondering the same thing I was the first time I tried this recipe - "How can something with so few ingredients have any taste?" - STOP. This is one of my favorite recipes! It's flavorful, super easy to make, and best of all - pretty healthy!

 

The original recipe can be found here. My recipe has a few minor adjustments, but I assure you, it tastes great!


Ingredients:

• 6 cups prepared chicken broth (I prepared mine from Bouillon)
• 3 medium zucchinis, skins on, quartered and diced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup light sour cream
• salt & pepper to taste

 How to:

• Combine broth, zucchini, onion, and garlic in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 min, until vegetables are tender.
• Remove from heat.
• Add sour cream.
• Either transfer soup to a blender* and puree ingredients, or puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
• Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Serve warm & enjoy!

*When transferring ingredients to a blender, be careful! Only fill the blender ~1/3 of a way full at a time. I've found that it's best to only transfer the solid contents of the soup and a little bit of broth, to minimize spillage when you turn the blender on. An immersion blender really works best.

I make this recipe every few weeks, and I'm always amazed at how flavorful it is, considering how few ingredients there are. It's great that you can get the taste of a creamy soup, without all the added calories. I've even gotten Jake to eat it, and he doesn't eat any creamy soups. Not even Cream of Crab - and he's a native Marylander! So enjoy!

Stay tuned

Hey, readers. Stay tuned - I'll be bringing you two new recipes this weekend!