Krafty K

Some of my recent arts and craft projects:

(Invitations for my "#1 college roommate's" wedding shower)

(Flower lapel pins)

(Preppy pirate tee from my nephew)

(Shooting J tee for my bestie's baby)

Backwards Hanger Test

I was home early tonight and flipping through the channels when I stumbled across a little gem on Oprah:

Turn all the hangers in your closet backwards. When you wear an article of clothing, place it back in the closet with the hanger facing the correct way. In 6 months, take stock of what is happening in the closet. And then make a donation to Goodwill.



Brilliant.

Fruity Goodness with a "Splash" of Alcohol

The hit of the going-away party was most certainly the sangria.

Using the plethora of recipes I found at allrecipes, I mixed and matched to come up with, what I think, was the perfect recipe for sangria.

Ingredients:

Fruit (I used 2 kinds of apples and peaches. Thin slices of oranges/lemons/limes were also suggested)

1 cup rum

1/2 cup sugar

1 bottle red wine

1 cup orange juice

Directions:

01. Chop up fruit.

02. Soak fruit in rum and sugar for several hours (as the night wore on there was less soaking with each new batch)

03. Add wine and orange juice.

04. Stir.

05. ENJOY!

9:53

While a bit hard to see... yes, I made dinner at 9:53 one night last week! A combination of the sun setting after 9 therefore it not getting completely dark until after 10, and crazy hours at school has shifted my daily schedule a bit. To the point where I haven't eaten dinner before 9pm in the past 2 weeks (save for my camping trip this weekend where all I did was relax and was tucked into my sleeping bag not much past 9). The after 9pm meals have typically consisted of frozen meals or cereal or protein shakes or english muffins (it all sound much more like breakfast...).

My sleep schedule, and my body, is all out of whack. Add to this the fact that I am already stressed out to the max, and I'm one not so happy camper.

























My goal for this evening... not only to eat before 9, but to actually cook dinner.

Huge, I know.

Wish me luck.

Update: SUCCESS! And there are leftovers...

Everyone is Mexican Today

In honor of the day that we Americans can put aside our differences of opinion on illegal immigration, all raise a Tecate, and exclaim "salud", Boston and I are making tacos, just like our moms used to make them. Nothing fancy, just meat, seasoning, cheese, lettuce and tomato, on a crunchy corn shell. Yum!

To be honest, I don't really get Cinco de Mayo. I've never really needed an excuse to drink a margarita, just a bottle of tequila lying around will do to trick. But I guess some people need a widely ignored (in Mexico) holiday as an excuse to let loose. And if that is the case, let me introduce the world to my (in)famous margarita recipe (although I'd actually suggest saving it for a Friday or Saturday night, instead of one where you have to go to work the next morning - because it can hit you hard!).

K's Knock the Socks Off Ya Margarita:

1 small bottle tequila (I don't know how much this actually is, but it is enough to fill up the juice can)
1 can cheap beer
1 can frozen limeade

Mix all in the blender for a few seconds and you've got a damn good (and strong) margarita!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

What's Cooking

Boston is one of those guys that can (and does) eat anything and everything, and not gain a pound. I'm trying very hard not to start picking up his eating habits because if I ate what he ate... um yeah, I'd be packing on the pounds. He also can't make a thing in the kitchen, which means if I am attempting to eat healthy (and also convince him that "vegetable" isn't an evil word) I have to pull out my apron and start cooking.

The problem? I really don't know how to cook all that well. Unless it involves a microwave of course.

Last Monday I hit the grocery store for, I swear, the first time in weeks. I spent over $100. Shocking for a girl who typically shops in $15 to $20 increments. But I did knock out 4 attempts in the kitchen, all of which I'd classify as successful in one form or another.

#1 I made a salmon bisque from a recipe I found in Women's Health. It was... okay. Good, but not certainly the amazing I was picturing in my head. I didn't puree it in a food processor, but I think it was the taste, not that texture, that was a little off. Looking at other bisque recipes, I think it was because there was no butter in it (I'm sure to keep it healthier). Overall, I little disappointing because I was hoping to love it.

#2 I made dinner for Boston - for the first time. It was simple, just breaded chicken, rice and salad. Nothing world class, but nothing involving a microwave either.

#3 Our Saturday morning ski trip was thwarted by a power outage (gosh, there seems to be a pattern there) so after turning off the alarm and sleeping in, I decided that I HAD to have pancakes for breakfast. Initially, things looked pretty bleak - the supposed pancakes in the pan were a mess, but we decided that my pancake mix was old and took a walk to the market up the street for another box, and some fresh blueberries. Yum! It was delish!

#4 I brought chili to yesterday's superbowl celebration and, as always, it was a hit. There weren't even any leftovers to bring home (which I was disappointed about – now I am going to have to make another batch!). Chili is one of the few things I can make consistently well (and not feel like I might freak out in the kitchen). And I lucked out, making amazing corn bread from a random mix I grabbed at the store.

Of course, tonight - I'm thinking about dinner. And thinking it is going to be a frozen meal. And tomorrow I'm taking Boston out to dinner - for fried chicken (his favorite). That screams healthy doesn't it!?!? So I probably won't spend as much time in the kitchen this week, but I really do need to try and make more of an effort. And make sure I get a good run or two in to counter-act that fried chicken!

From My Kitchen to Yours

OK, so I am certainly no Betty Crocker and most of my dinners are prepared in the microwave, but I can whip up a few concoctions in the kitchen. My latest creation made its debut at my holiday party last weekend. It certainly isn't healthy, but you can't eat carrots sticks all the time.

Courtesy of Rachael Ray (and the back of a wheat thins box), I give you...

Red Pepper Pesto Dip:

1 tub (8 oz) cream cheese spread
1 large red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp. pesto sauce

Mix all together* and spread into an ovenproof dish. Bake in a preheated 350 deg oven for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes and serve with crackers.

Very simple, but very delish!

*The cream cheese was a bit hard to mix so I just through all the ingredients together and let bake for 5 minutes before stirring it all up real well.