Boredom Busters

Crafting as Entertainment

A really bad upper respiratory virus visited our house last week. Three doctor visits, three antibiotics, three really sick kids. 

My teenage daughter was the first to come down with this nasty bug and the first one to return to school today. The last couple of days, however, she was super whiney! "I'm so bored!" was all I heard. Time to get crafty, was what I thought.

 Check out our cute, crafty creations!  

A Pop Top Bracelet and Inspirational Spool Necklaces.

Pop Top Bracelets

This idea has been a long time coming. My husband has been collecting bottle caps for years. Needless to say, we have an impressive collection!
I cleaned out a bag of caps, finding the ones without major dents. I chose 6 complimentary caps for a bracelet tutorial I had seen on Crissy's Crafts. After selecting my caps and giving them a good soapy wash, I gathered my materials and my whiney daughter for some stress relief.

NOTE:

• When hammering the holes in the caps, mark your spot on the inside with a sharpie. 
• You might also want to take a metal file to the holes as they are a bit sharp. 
• After seeing the creation, my husband suggested gluing another cap to the backside to avoid scratching yourself. Might try that with some of our other caps.

Inspirational Spool Necklaces

I had seen this idea on My So Called Crafty Life a few weeks ago and knew I had finally found something to do with my grandmother's wooden spools. If you don't have any antique wooden spools, a Google search revealed a plethora of online shopping choices.

This craft turned out to be my daughter's favorite. So much so that she wanted to make lots more. 

We gathered our materials and chose the quotes we wanted to use. I used scripture from an old bible that I've been saving for various book art projects, while my daughter printed an Albert Einstein quote on printer paper and we got busy.

 In addition to some vintage wooden spools, I also have a ton of buttons that my grandmother saved. These and some beads from a broken bracelet came in handy.

NOTE: 

• The wire we used was a little thin for this project. 24 gauge is probably a good bet. 

Happy Crafting!

I Heart "Healthier" Donuts!

Using Coconut Oil to Make Donuts A Little Heart Healthier

Happy Valentine's Day!
I treated my kids to some donuts this morning via Paula Deen on Food Network. After a little research into which fats are the healthiest, or least detrimental, in which to fry foods, I altered Miss Paula's recipe by switching out the peanut oil for healthier coconut oil. The verdict: DELICIOSO! Plus, the great thing about biscuit donuts: you make only 8 and it's SUPER easy!

Ingredients:

• Coconut Oil that is refined for Medium High Heat
• Pillsbury Grands Homestyle Biscuits
• Cinnamon Sugar (about 1/2 cup sugar and 2 T cinnamon)

Directions:

1. Heat coconut oil to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Drop in biscuits (I cut the center of mine out with a small heart-shaped cookie cutter) and cook until golden brown, flip once with tongs and continue until the bottom is also golden.
3. Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels.
4. Dredge both sides in cinnamon sugar.
5. YUMMY!

1

2

3

4

5

DELICIOSO!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

DIY Lenten Journal

A place to record your journey to the Cross and Easter

My church is participating in Rick Warren's updated The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? As part of that study, readers are encouraged to keep a journal of their prayers, progress, and thoughts. Additionally, there is scripture memorization that is meant to enhance each day's reading. Therefore, I need a journal. Now some folks might just go out and buy one, but dear readers, you know that is B-O-R-I-N-G, otherwise you wouldn't give this post your time of day.

Browsing Pinterest recently, I was inspired by this Valentine Paper Bag Book tutorial at Rosy-Posy. A lightbulb moment occurred and viola! A Lenten journal was born. I hope you enjoy making one of your own. Let me know if you have any questions.

Jannine

DIY Lenten Journal

Gather your materials

• 3 lunch-sized paper bags 
• 8 sheets of paper (lined or unlined)
• scrapbook/decorative paper
• notecards or lined cardstock
• vellum (optional)
• tape
• embroidery floss or string
• glue or double-sided adhesive tape

Gather your tools

• paper cutter and/or scissors
• pencil/pen
• awl (I actually used an old ice pick)
• large tapestry needle
• ruler
• cutting board

Directions

Begin by cutting the bottoms off the paper bags. Mine measured 10 1/4" after doing this.

Cut your paper the same size as your bag. Mine came out to be 10 1/4" x 6 1/8".

Lay out one bag and place 2 sheets of paper on top. Fold it in half like a hamburger (this is teacher lingo. If you don't understand, ask a school-aged child). Do the same with the other bags and paper.

Open up one bag and paper booklet. On the center crease, mark a dot at every inch. 

Place your booklet on a cutting board. Using your awl or ice pick, push through at each dot. You may want to use binder clips to hold the booklet together to prevent it from slipping while you are using the awl. Repeat with the other booklets.

Using about 20"of embroidery floss or string and needle, insert the needle from the back at the top of the booklet. Leave a loose piece a few inches long where you began. Then stitch your paper down the crease to the bottom and back up to the top. Turn the booklet over and tie off the loose threads. Repeat with the other booklets.

Place the booklets one on top of the other, lining up the stitches. Thread a piece of floss or string through each outside stitch and tie them together. This will help hold your journal together.

Next, add tape every 1/2" or so to reinforce the binding. It's kinda cute like this! You could stop here or cut a piece of decorative paper to 10 1/4" x 6 1/8" and adhere it to the outside of your journal with glue or double-sided adhesive tape.

Your journal is complete! You have pockets to hold any notes or notecards AND you have paper for journaling. 

You can decorate the outside of your journal with your favorite scripture or leave it blank. 

I printed my favorite scripture onto vellum and glued that to the front. 

It's your journal, do whatever you like!

Enjoy!

HOT PIZZA!

Before tackling my New Year's resolution to make bread, I had vowed last summer in 2012, to make my own pizza dough. I was inspired by a friend who would whip up a batch and make pizza, calzones, and stromboli like it was nothing. The dough I make is easy, has no added sugar, and takes about one and a half hours to make. The kids and husband rave that my pizza is as good or better than our local pizzaria.

Basic Pizza Dough

In a bowl or your stand mixer, combine 

1 1/3 cups WARM (not hot) water and 1 package dry, active yeast. 

Let stand 5-10 minutes or until kind of bubbly.

Add 3 1/2 - 3 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 2 T olive oil, and 1 T kosher salt. Mix until moistened. 

Kneed dough for 5-10 minutes 

(5 min. on medium speed in your stand mixer with a dough hook is sufficient).

Place dough ball in an oil-lined bowl, turning once to coat. Cover and keep in a warm place for about an hour. I like making pizza and bread in the winter because it gives me an excuse to turn up the heat to about 75 degrees for an hour! 

*If you have dough proofing as an option on your oven, you can put it there for about 40 min.

This is also a good time to gather your pizza making materials and shred your mozzarella, romano, and parmesan cheeses (hand shredded cheese melts quicker and is gooier, but if that's not your thing, buy a bag of pizza cheese that's already shredded-no worries).

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down to remove the excess gas. Cover the dough again and let it rest for about 10-15 min. This is a good time to preheat your oven to 475 degrees. For a nicely textured crust, preheat your pizza stone as well. If you don't have a pizza stone, refer to the manufacturer's instructions for preheating your metal pan. 

Time to make the pizza! 

Divide the dough in half, and kneed on a well floured surface, pushing the dough out into a circle or rectangle depending on your pan. You can use a floured rolling pin to continue stretching the dough out or try your hand at tossing. My husband is a tosser! It's a lot of fun to watch!

My M-I-L watches in awe of her pizza-tossing son!

When your dough is formed to your liking, remove your hot stones from the oven and very CAREFULLY lay your pizza on it. 

It will actually begin to cook right there! 

Lightly spray or brush the top with olive oil and spread on your favorite sauce.

 In our house, the only sauce for us is Don Pepino's. It's Don's or nothin'! 

Don Pepino's is not very sweet (only 2g sugar/quarter cup) and is very tomatoey. 

After your sauce is on, top with a blend of cheese. We use mostly mozzarella, and sprinkle on romano and parmesan for added flavor. Sprinkle a little oregano on top and bake until the crust begins to turn golden and the cheese is melted thoroughly. 

Slice and enjoy!

Garland, Garland Everywhere!

I am obsessed with garlands! Pom-pom garlands, penant garlands, washi tape garlands, handmade paper garlands. It's everywhere!
This week, I decided to make some Valentine garland. I have been experimenting with sewn paper lately and decided on some punched paper hearts garland.
NOTE:
Sewn paper garland should definitely be done on a sewing machine.
If you haven't sewn paper, check out this informative tutorial at Belle Papier.
NOTE: sewing paper ruins your needles. Always keep your paper-sewing needles separate from your fabric-sewing needles.

Here's how I made mine:

First, get some cute paper and a punch...

or use your Cricut

Second, stitch the shapes, leaving an inch or two between each shape. 

Be sure to pull the garland from behind the machine as you're sewing.

Third, find a place that NEEDS some garland.

ENJOY!

The Superbowl Spread That Wasn't

It is a tradition in our family that we have "snack dinner" for Superbowl Sunday. This began as a way for the kids to have a Superbowl party without actually having a party. They were young, so they were happy with just being allowed to have dinner AND watch TV at the same time. Now they are teens and the spread has become something to brag about. "My mom made...."
This year's spread was going to beat them all! Homemade Italian Subs, Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips, Buffalo Wings, Armadillo Eggs, and Crab Cakes! Yummy, right?
Then the kids announced that they wanted to go to a Superbowl Party at the church. Well, okay. We paired down. The hubby, baby, and I would just do crab cakes, Buffalo wings, and Armadillo eggs. Then, the baby got sick. REALLY sick, GROSS sick. The kind that makes you lose your appetite.
Well, we still had our meal, but wolfed it down so fast since we were starving by the time we got "wee-britches" cleaned up (Let's not talk about the fact that we had to TiVo most of the game to watch later).

Super Bowl "Snack Dinner" Round 2! Monday night, post Super Bowl Sunday:

Homemade Italian Subs

Fresh French Baguette or Italian Sub Rolls

Sliced Deli Ham (we prefer Hormel Natural Choice-no nitrites or nitrates)

Sliced Salami (ditto the Hormel Natural Choice)

Sliced Provolone Cheese

Shredded Lettuce

Sliced Tomato and Red Onion (you can also add cherry peppers or pepperoncinis)

1-2 T Italian Dressing

Oregano

Salt & Pepper

Slice bread for sandwiches. Layer with 2-3 slices each of deli meat on the bottom half.

Lay provolone on the top half. Toast 2-3 min. until cheese has melted

Top with meat side with shredded lettuce, 2-3 slices of tomato, and some sliced red onion.

Drizzle 1-2 T italian dressing over this and top with some oregano (about 1/4 t) and salt and pepper. Place cheesy top on the bottom, slice, and eat. Yummy!

Crab Cakes

Melt 2 T butter in saute pan. 

Add 1/4 cup chopped scallions and 4 minced garlic cloves. Saute 5 min. until scallions are tender, but not browned. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix, 

1 lb. backfin crab meat 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 beaten egg

1 T dijon mustard

1/8 t ground red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup minced parsley

2 T plain bread crumbs

 Add the sauteed vegetables and mix well. Place on a plate:

1-2 cups plain bread crumbs

Shape the crab mixture into 16 small, or 8 large crab cakes. One at a time, coat each crab cake in bread crumbs, pressing lightly to make sure the crumbs adhere. Place cakes on wax paper and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Heat in a large skillet over medium heat:

1/4 cup butter or olive oil

When the fat is hot, add the cakes, without crowding--cook them in batches if necessary. Cook until both sides are nicely browned, about 2 min. each side for smaller cakes and 4-5 min. per side for larger cakes. Serve HOT! 

Armadillo Eggs via Grocery Budget 101

• 1 dozen fresh jalapeno peppers
• 1 package cream cheese (8 oz)
• 1 T chopped scallions
• 2 t chives (dehydrated)
• 1 package bacon (we prefer Hormel Natural Choice-no nitrites or nitrates)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Halve and seed the jalapenos. Be sure to wash your hands vigorously with soap and water afterwards!
Mix Cream Cheese, chives, and chopped green onion until smooth. Fill each jalapeno half with cream cheese mixture. 
Wrap each filled Jalapeno with 1/2 slice of bacon. 
Bake 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Delicious grilled, too!

Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips with Chipotle Ranch Sauce via Vittles and Bits

• 2 large, uniformly-shaped russet potatoes, scrubbed well and sliced into 1/8" rounds*
• Olive Oil cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Colby Jack or cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup crumbled bacon (about 4 slices)
• chopped parsley or chives, for garnish 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bring sliced potatoes to a boil in cold, salted water to cover for 5 minutes.  Carefully drain, and transfer slices to a paper-towel lined countertop or cutting board.  Pat to dry.Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray, and lay out potato slices so they are overlapping on it.  Spray lightly with additional cooking spray, then sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese & bacon.  Bake 12-14 minutes in preheated oven until cheese is melted & bubbly.  Serve with Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce (recipe below).  Serves 4.

*I like to leave the skin on but you can peel the potatoes if you prefer.

Chipotle Ranch Dipping Sauce

• 1 T. ranch dressing
• 3 T. sour cream
• 1/4 t. chipotle chili powder
• 1/8 t. cayenne (adjust more or less depending on how spicy you want).
• 1/8 t. salt
• 1/8 t. garlic powder

Place all ingredients in a small bowl, and stir to combine.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

Enjoy your feast, my friends!