Sunday

Sunday

creative OUTput - not everything can make the cookbook challenge!

Cookbook Challenge

Not every recipe for the cookbook challenge comes from my over flowing old cookbook recipe collection

in the gorgeous what was I thinking binder - did that ever look good?

My Pinterest boards are pretty well stocked as well  I need to de-clutter my pinned recipes as well.  

It being the start of the new school year - that calls for a crock pot recipe!

 From my "Crock Pot Love" board is Asian Teriyaki Chicken from Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen - but it didn't really come out!  We liked it "OK" but not a big hit - and I think I am to blame The recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken thighs - but they were not on sale!  So I used the bone in, skin on thighs that were!

At 99 cents a pound - can't beat that!  I try my hardest to buy grocery's on sale not be too brand loyal.  Everything (except milk) goes on sale at some point.

My favorite pomegranate is regularly $4.00 a bottle, but I bought it when is was on sale and I had a coupon which the store doubled so I brought it home for only $1.00!

Any way, I thought the chicken came out too mushy - but the sauce was very tasty!  I recommend buying a fat separator which is very helpful - especially with skin on, bone in, dark meat thighs!

I am going keep the sauce part of the recipe and try it with some baked chicken another time.  

Asian Teriyaki Chicken 

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs - about 3 pounds

3/4 cup sugar (I was out so I used light brown sugar)

6 Tbsp cider vinegar

3/4 tsp minced garlic

3/4 tsp ground ginger 

1/4 tsp pepper

4 1/2 tsp cornstarch 

4 1/2 tsp cold water

Place chicken in 4 quart crock pot.  Combine sauce ingredients (through pepper) and pour over chicken.  Cook on low for 4-5 hours.

After cook time, remove chicken to a platter - keep warm.  Skim fat from cooking liquid and place liquid in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Combine water and cornstarch until smooth.  Gradually stir into sauce until thickened.  Serve chicken with rice (I also added some sauteed Asian vegetables)

 My other recipe from Pinterest is just too silly to keep! 

Cookie Cake

Mix up a box of chocolate cake, pour into a bundt pan and add chocolate covered graham crackers to the cake 

and bake as directed by the cake mix.  Yup - I did it!  It was good in an interesting way.  It's like the cookies caramelized - strange but in a good way.

 I gave a piece to my neighbor's 11 year old who likes to check in with us once in a while - she thinks I am the best baker ever!  

I think I can remember this one and I might make it again if I thought I had some cookies that were going stale-but that doesn't really happen around here!

Tip:

If you don't own a cooling rack as suggested in most baking projects - turn a cupcake pan upside down and voila!  A cooling rack!

We are currently slow roasting a pork roast for a Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich 

 My son's Carolina college football team is playing tonight - so my husband is making this for dinner to eat with the game!  He roasts the pork in a 250 degree oven for 6 hours!  To add flavor and keep the pork moist, he puts a cast iron pan filled with water and added rosemary on the bottom shelf in the oven.  It does make the house smell good!  He will use a bottled sauce (can't complain when's he's doing the cooking!) but will serve it on the side - I am not as big on the sauce as he is and the kids vary.  He will make a coleslaw salad - again on the side.  I like to heap it all together on a large bun!

Just call me when we're ready for game time!

Pam

Updating a Teen Boy's Bedroom

Creative Output

Updating a Teen Boy's Bedroom

My teenager's room had gotten over looked for too long - he needed an update.  I don't have a before picture as I am kind of new to this blogging business, but it resembled this

 After choosing his paint - wow!  That's a lot of blue in a small space!  I decided on white accents.  I found two white book cases at Home Depot
and put these on either side of the bed for storage

I had painted a board white and attached it along the top to create a headboard!

 I enlisted the help of my husband to screw the board safely on top

These book cases were slightly on the cheaper end, so if my son were still jumping on the bed, I would have chosen sturdier ones - I believe he's well passed that stage!

The flower vase was only there when a guest had come to stay with us and my son needed to surrender his room!

After our friend left I found a vintage travel poster to add some color - but not in a girly way!

Got to love Etsy! 

The other cool thing about this set up is I put three "push on" lights to the top of his "headboard" so when he - like all teenagers - has his laptop open while in bed he has adequate lighting without taking up anymore room in the already small room.

 Again - this picture was when my friend needed my son's room - it's  just a good picture of the lighting - an inexpensive purchase from the hardware store!

 His treasured football trophy lives 

on the shelf now.

I think a well earned jersey makes a good decoration for a boy or girl!

The pillows I made he prefers on the accent shelves

That's fine!  We finished off with a little throw back to childhood - you've got to keep one piece of Lego!

 I am really pleased with the way this room turned out - that's a creative out put for sure!

But where's the quilt?  It's coming, it's coming.  I love to sew quilts but they do take time!  It will look like the pillow I made 

 in reverse - blue stars on a white background.  That might be too dangerous - he is still a man child!  Back to the sewing room!

Sew on, and sew on!

Pam

Up-cycle those Cheese boxes and another Crack at the Cookbook Challenge

Creative Input and Output

Turn Your Cheese boxes into Craft Boxes

Brie is a wonderful cheese - and it comes in this light wooden box!  With a little fabric, you can have some cute storage boxes for all sorts of little things!

Measure out your fabric 

and cut it out

This particular cheese box needed a coat of paint

The paint I used was from my nursery school so I needed a couple of coats! 

 On one box I left the sides plain because it didn't have any writing on it, and it looked fine.  On the huge (Christmas!) brie box - I used a coordinating fabric on the band. 

and another 

in the center of the box.  Glue or use a sealer to keep the fabric in place - and you've got some cute crafty boxes!

Sew on and Sew on!

Creative Output - cookbook clean up challenge!

This one is even a summer crock pot recipe!  It's from Martha's Stewart's former magazine Every Day Food  It's Greek Stuffed Peppers and it's a keeper!

Four colorful peppers, hollowed out and stuffed with couscous, white beans and feta cheese.  The feta cheese is what made it super tasty

after I mixed the simple ingredients, stuff the peppers 

plug in the crock pot - and walk away!

They came out flavorful and pretty too!  Even the football boys didn't complain about a meatless meal!  I paired it with a plate of cucumbers in a yogurt dressing.  Yum!

Greek Stuffed Peppers from Martha Stewart;s Every Day Foods

Serves 4    Level: Easy   Prep: 10 mins   Cook time:  4 hours

4 large bell peppers

1 can cannellini beans

1 cup feta cheese (4 oz)

1/2 cup couscous 

4 scallions 

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

Slice a very thin slice off the bottom of each pepper to help it stand up in the crock pot after spraying with non stick cooking spray.  Save these slices and the tops of the peppers and cut them into bite sized pieces.  Mix with remaining ingredients and stuff the peppers.  Pop the crock pot top on and cook on high for 4 hours.

Now you've got 4 hours to go do something besides cooking!

Pam