Mossy Monogram - Pottery Barn Inspired

Over the holiday break I was in a gorgeous store in Mississippi called The Potting Shed and saw these lovely moss covered letters. Simple and elegant, don't you think?

Yeah, that simple thing was $79. Same for Pottery Barn. I walked away...but not without a picture. ;) My momma taught me a lot of things and one of them was "I can do that." So here we go. Keep in mind it's not an exact science and you may or may not need this level of instruction, but just in case, I'll try to be thorough.

I've found a handful of other tutorials for these online, but every one I have seen did a small letter - something you can get at Hobby Lobby or JoAnn's. If that's what you want, great, go for it. But for my front door, we were going BIG. The letters at Pottery Barn are between 18"-20", so that's what I went for. I found letters online at WoodenLetters.net for $10. You can even pick your font. The crux was the shipping was $10 for just about any size order, big or small, so I talked my small group gals into joining me and share the cost. It would still be a lot cheaper than PB without splitting the cost, but it's a fun activity, so why not?

Next up, moss. Found sheets of it at JoAnn's with webbed backing. Perfect. Used a coupon (40% or 50% off). I bought the largest sheet they have and it would make 3, maybe 4 letters, depending on the shape and size.

The other items are pretty self explanatory. Burlap, brown paint, staple gun, glue gun, scissors.

The letters come unfinished, and even though I got the outdoor letters, I decided to go ahead and prime and paint the edge. Having done it, I highly recommend it. It doesn't take long and the finished product looks more finished. So prime and paint the edges dark brown or black. I mixed the two since all I had was light brown. Don't worry if you get it all over the face of the letter. One side will be covered, the other side facing the door. Please note, in the picture you may notice I painted one entire side. I had some extra paint and thought it would look nice. Then I realized that was a mistake, as the paint would likely transfer to the front door. Tsk tsk. So that side got the moss. ::shrug::

Once the letter is dry, lay it on the mesh side of your moss and trace with a marker. If your letter has a correct direction, make sure you lay it down the right direction! Cut along the line (you can trim excess later if needed).

Now just glue the two pieces together. I laid mine out first and then pulled it down to just above the middle, applying glue 2-3 inches at a time, stretching the entire sheet back down to line it up again, then pressing it down. Once I got the top half of the letter done, I did the middle and then continued down the letter. Do it however you want, but check your alignment often.

Last, the burlap. I cut two strips 6" wide and a yard long, but I think I'd go with 4" strips the next time. Fold in half and attach to the top of you letter at the appropriate places. Then tie a bow. It took me a few tries to get it to look how I wanted and to get it in the right position, so make sure you have plenty of length to work with. The length will also depend on where you are hanging it, so you'll just have to play with it. I also ended up adding a twist tie threaded through the burlap in back to hang it on a nail.

And voila, the finished product! I'm pleased - and the total cost is right at $13. Take that PB! Let me know if you make one or if you have other questions.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup - Great for Company!

Been meaning to post this for a while. (sorry!) This potato soup recipe was recommended by my dear friend Tammi who found it on this blog. It's really easy, although if you're trying to eat healthy, probably not the best for every day. But when company is coming over, it's perfect -- what isn't with cream cheese, right? Of course, as life would haven't, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, so here's my take on it.

Easy Slow Cooker Potato Soup

2.5-3 lbs potatoes, chopped (peeled if you prefer) - whatever variety you have on hand should do

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese (don’t use fat free, but reduced fat is fine)

Toppings

shredded cheese

bacon

green onions

Directions

Prep the potatoes. Spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray. Thank me later. Toss everything except cream cheese in slow cooker, stir, and turn it on low. I let mine cook 6-8 hours, but you could modify this as needed - even cook it on the stovetop to speed things along. When the potatoes have softened (let's say after 6 hours), scoop out 2 cups of the potatoes. Mash with a fork and return to the slow cooker. This helps thicken the soup. If you don't like chunks of potatoes in yours soup, mash all of it, but I prefer some chunks. 

An hour before dinner, toss in the cream cheese. I have found it best to chop it into pieces, as it melts quicker, but you do it however you like. 

Pour into bowls and add toppings of your choice. Yum!

Homemade Beef and Broccoli

Found this recipe for Beef and Broccoli on Pinterest and thought it would be fun to try. It was pretty simple to make and really good. Much of the prep can be done the night before, making for a quick evening meal. Just don't forget to prep the rice like I did., especially if you are using brown. Thanks to Rainy Day Gal for the recipe and photo!

Beef with Broccoli
This easy version of the Chinese takeout classic requires only a short marinade to make the beef fork-tender. Serve over white or brown rice. Serves 4.
Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour for marinade Cook Time: 8 minutes


First, marinate the meat:

• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs flank steak, sliced into thin strips (I used sirloin steak and it was excellent)

1. Whisk together the baking soda, sugar, cornstarch, soy sauce, water, and vegetable oil in a large bowl. Toss the steak with the marinade to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, then proceed below. (I marinated it all afternoon.)

• 1/2 c low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tbsp sherry (I left this out)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 heads broccoli, crowns only

1. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, flour and sherry until smooth. Set aside.


2. In a large wok or saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over high heat until shimmering. Add broccoli and saute 3 minutes, stirring often. Transfer broccoli to a plate.


3. Carefully add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot pan. Add the marinated meat and half of the sauce mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Stir in the broccoli and remaining sauce. Saute 1 minute more. Serve.

Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things at Christmas is fudge and this year I have been in the mood to try new flavors. First up - Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge. I found this recipe through Pinterest and discovered the original is in Italian...at least I think it's Italian...but thanks to Google translate, I was able to get the idea. It was worth the trouble. Very complex with the salty-sweet combination. Give it a try this holiday season. 

NOTE: The original recipe is in grams. If you have a digital scale, switch it to grams mode and weigh each ingredient, taring (zeroing out) the scale after each addition. If you don't have a digital scale, buy one! It will change your life. 

Photo from original post

Salted Butter Vanilla Fudge

450 g of white sugar

125 g of fresh cream

150 g salted butter

25 g of golden syrup (light corn syrup is fine)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (the flavor will depend heavily on this ingredient)

1 teaspoon fleur de sel or sea salt

In a large saucepan combine the sugar, cream, salted butter and syrup and bring it to 244° F (118 ° C) (a candy thermometer is essential). As soon as it reaches the desired temperature, remove pan from heat and let cool for ten minutes without stirring. Add the vanilla extract and salt and pour into electric mixer with paddle attachment. Beat until it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Pour the mixture into a square pan (8x8) lined with parchment paper and level quickly. Sprinkle with a little extra salt, if desired. Let cool completely. Turn out the fudge and cut into cubes as desired.

DC Trip: Food Trucks

One thing I was really looking forward to in DC was the food trucks. I'm not really sure how the idea got into my head -- perhaps someone mentioning I needed to get a cupcake from Curbside Cupcakes -- but whatever it was, I was in. Weeks before we went I started following a handful of the trucks (there are a lot!) on Twitter to get a feel of how it all works. Basically they tweet their location mid-morning each day and it become a game to try to find them. In principle, that's easy enough. There's even an app for that - more than one. But it's not exact.

For instance, the first day we were near the Sauca truck...well...sort of near. We were in a hurry and walking as fast as we could, but couldn't seem to find the truck. I kept checking Google Maps on my phone and saying "it should be right here." We walked past many overpriced pretzel and hot dog stands and really were getting pressed for time but I realized that we had actually walked underneath an overpass and that was (probably) where Sauca was. Whoops! Sure enough, there it was. All that to say thank you to my sweet husband for humoring me and walking...and walking...and walking.

Ok, so Sauca. They describe themselves as "globally inspired" cuisine. They have four trucks and just opened a brick and mortar location as well. Their menu had a lot of different ethnic foods that all came in a flatbread wrap. A Mexican style fish taco, Indian style Butter Chicken, even Italian style meatballs. We went for the Mumbai Butter Chicken, Polpette Marinara, and a Signature "Limunad." Sorry that we failed to get pics of the food, but for me, it wasn't that great - especially the "limunad." Ick. So yeah....maybe I we just didn't get the best thing, but I would chase it down again.

The one I most wanted to try was Red Hook Lobster Pound aka "the Lobster Truck." They put a second truck on the road shortly after our trip, so now their trucks go by Lobby 1 and Lobby 2. As you can guess, they serve lobster, plus shrimp, clam chowder, and whoopie pies. Lobster, even out of a truck, isn't exactly cheap, but the people in line testified that it was totally worth it. We decided to play it safe and went with one lobster roll and one shrimp and wow, it was a lot of lobster and shrimp! Very tasty. I don't know if I'd eat it weekly, but definitely worth trying if it's in your area. Oh, and these guys also had a great setup with iPad and Square. Very nice.

Next up - CapMacDC. That's right - a truck devoted to macaroni and cheese! They have a great classic Mac 'n cheese, but they also try more unique versions like the Reuben or Goat Cheese Mac. We decided we had to get a classic (which I ordered "balls to the wall" -- with chicken meatballs) and the Chicken Parm Meatballs. While I know this is about the mac 'n cheese, can I say the chicken meatballs were awesome!? But the mac 'n cheese - right. The classic was really good. Very cheesy and topped off with crushed Cheez-its. Yum! The Chicken Parm was good, but not necessarily special...except for those meatballs. :)

Last but not least, Curbside Cupcakes! Their trucks are aptly named Pinky 1 and Pinky 2. So cute! And their cupcakes were awesome. Moist and lots of frosting - that's what I'm talking about! While most trucks make just one stop a day for lunch, each of the Curbside Cupcake trucks hit four spots a day, plus a wildcard with whatever is left. They post their full schedule on Facebook each week and take votes via Twitter for the wildcard spots each day. The first time we saw the truck was right after eating a late pancake breakfast at Eastern Market, so we had to pass them up and we just barely caught them on their last stop of the day on our last day! (Again I had Barron trucking it across the National Mall chasing a food truck. He is too good to me.)

If you are heading to DC soon and want to check out some food trucks, check out Food Truck Fiesta, which keeps track of all the trucks and often has the first news on any new ones.

DC Trip: Nate's Big Day

One of my best friends from my college days got married at the end of April, so we headed out to Washington, DC for his big day. Although we hadn't met his bride-to-be, Alex, from everything he had said we were certain the Lord had brought the two of them together. It has been fun to see how the Lord brought him to this day. Here's his face as he sees her for the first time - I think that says it all. (Way to go Barron getting the pic!)

The wedding was so beautiful and worshipful. Nate and Alex attend Capital Hill Baptist Church on Capital Hill. It's an incredible church - more on that in another post. Diego, our dear friend from Mexico, also few in for the wedding. It was like a big reunion...except you know how it goes at weddings...the bride and groom don't get to spend as much time with everyone as they would like. No worries, though. We had a great time catching up with Diego and getting to know some of Nate and Alex's friends. Here's a pic of all of us at the reception (held at the restaurant at Mt. Vernon).

No time with Nate would be complete without our signature photo op. We have tons of these from our many adventures, mainly on mission trips with the college ministry. Good times.

Me and my sweet husband. :)

15-Layer Cake

A few weeks ago I got together with one of my best buds Marshmallow Sarah to take on a baking challenge. Before I go on, let me note that I do not call her "marshmallow" because she reminds me of one -- well, she is sweet -- but rather because she makes the most amazing homemade marshmallows. You can check out her sweet treats at Stay Sweet Bakery.

Ok, back to the cake. I've seen the cakes in magazines before and have always been curious. Then I saw one on Bakerella's site and told Sarah I had found our next challenge. She was, of course, up for it, so off we went.

It took us about 5 hours and we went ahead and added the chocolate cream cheese frosting at Bakerella's suggestion. I'll walk you through the stages, but don't miss my closing thoughts at the end. Here it is as we began to assemble it:

This is the cake at the end of the original recipe, with just the boiled chocolate icing. (Think no-bake cookie.)

Here it is after we added the extra icing. Look at those beautiful layers!

Another show....thanks to Sarah's husband for the nice photos.

Looks amazing, right? Well, call us picky, but neither of us were big fans. The cake was pretty much flavorless and was the consistency of some combination between a eggy pancake or a thick crepe. I was expecting yellow cake flavor and consistency, albeit thinner layers, and this was nothing close to it. As for the icing (the original, boiled chocolate one), it didn't do anything for me, either...but no-bake cookies aren't my favorite either, so take it for what it's worth. The best part of the cake was the extra chocolate cream cheese frosting that Bakerella recommended. Oh boy, it was good! In fact, on the pieces of cake I brought home, I just scraped the icing off the outside and ate that. Shhh, don't tell ;) 

Final verdict: save yourself some time and don't bother with this cake. It's not worth it...unless you just want a good excuse to hang out with a dear friend for hours. :)

I'm Alfredo So

We wanted shrimp tonight, but I wasn't sure how I was going to cook them. Then I went to Aldi today and got some adorable tagliatelle pasta nests and thought Shrimp Alfredo sounded yummy. Headed over to Cooking Light and found this recipe for Seafood Alfredo.

I didn't have everything listed, so here is exactly how I made it:

• 3/4  tablespoon  butter
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  pound  medium shrimp, peeled (mine were already cooked, so I tossed them in the finished sauce)
• 1  cup milk (1/4 cup cream, the rest skim milk)
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt (I just threw some in)
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper (ditto)
• 1/3  cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 4  cups  hot cooked fettuccine (about 1/2 pound uncooked pasta)

 

Preparation

Melt butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute or until tender. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until done. Reduce heat to medium-low.
Add milk, salt, pepper; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly (do not boil). Gradually sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over seafood mixture, stirring constantly; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Combine pasta and seafood mixture in a large bowl. Top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cheese and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley.

It was really good! As the recipe warns, the sauce is a thin sauce - not thickened with flour - but it does cover the noodles well. I preferred it to other sauces - didn't feel heavy, but had lots of flavor. I also threw in some roasted red peppers, too - just tossed them into the sauce while it was heating up. Since I didn't have the onions it called for, I thought it needed something else. So anyway, there you go.

In other news, my little trip to Aldi today was awesome. Got the fun pasta nests, the roasted red peppers, plus a $0.99 pineapple, a bag of oranges for $1.49, and strawberries for $1.60. No complaints there! Thinking I may need to go back and get some more...unless you beat me there!

*Photo courtesy of Ulrik.

Better Late Than Never

Well hey there. Yeah. It's me. We are still alive. Just been busy. Really busy, apparently. But rather than try to catch up, let's just gloss over all that act like it never happened, eh? Great!

So for Christmas I got Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Yeast baking in its most simple form. I know - you quit reading at the word "yeast." But come back! This is seriously easy. Dump all the ingredients into a large container, let it rise, then throw it in the fridge. It will keep for 14 days until you are ready to bake. One recipe makes four loaves, which you can bake all at once or one at a time - whatever works for you. On baking day, pull out a chunk, shape it according to the directions, and let it rise again. Bake! Did you notice I didn't mention kneading? Nope - no kneading. So yes, it still takes some time, but no where near the usual. Try it yourself - here's the "master recipe."

Oh, and I got another sweet tool for Christmas that has aided the baking - a dough whisk. It makes mixing up the dough quick and painless right in the storage container - so no cleanup. And tonight I discovered it's perfect for mashed potatoes. (I get frustrated trying to clean out the holes in the potato masher...it may never make it out of the drawer again!) Anyway, it may just look like a crazy utensil, but it has proved very useful.

In other news, did you know I'm a bag girl? Not so much purses, but bags. I am drawn to them. Well right now I am in love with this tote from Gussy Sews. Have you seen her stuff before? She has the most adorable signature ruffle on everything she makes and SHE is adorable, too (we're Twitter pals). Go check out all of her things - you won't be disappointed. I will continue to covet this bag. If you would like to make a donation to the "Betsy really wants this bag" fund, we accept any and all forms of payment. :) Otherwise, you can sign up to win one for yourself over at CupcakeMag's blog!

That's all I got tonight. Hopefully more to come. Thanks for stopping by again.

Cornhusker Crazy

Last weekend we headed north to see my dear friend Amy and the Mizzou-Nebraska game. Let's just say it was a good thing I had other reason to be there than the game, because that was a "fast action fanny kickin'" as my dad likes to say. Here's some pics from the trip. Those folks truly do live and breathe Nebraska football!

Baked Oatmeal - Perfect Fall Breakfast

An old friend from high school posted a recipe for baked oatmeal on her blog Polly Learn and Go last week, so I made it for Saturday morning brunch. You all know my love for oats, so I was happy to have another recipe to try. I'm going to post it here with  my changes, but be sure to visit Polly's blog and Etsy shop - she has all sorts of fun before and afters of garage sale finds and sewing projects. See a couple of here Etsy items below.

 Ingredients

3 cups oatmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup nuts (I used pecans)

1/2 cup oil (I used canned pumpkin)

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 chopped apple

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together, pour into greased 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Polly's Tips:
Serve warm.
Pour a little milk over it.
Add some fresh fruit to it.
It saves really well in the fridge so it's a great meal to give to someone or to save and munch on throughout the week.  


Enjoy!

All-Name Team

My brother was named on ESPN's Big 12 blog recently. And you'll never guess what for. He made the "All-Name Team." What is that, you ask? Names the writer likes for being weird, cool, funny, or just a great football name. Way to go Mom and Dad. You picked a good one. I must admit I had to look up the "Agent Orange" thing, though. I get it now. :)

However, this is not his first All-Name team. He made AOL Sports All-Name team last year (featuring pic from his days as a Camdenton Laker).

Anyway, Forrest is a 5th-year senior this year at Mizzou. Hard to believe it has gone by so quickly. While listed as a wide receiver, he most important duty is holding the ball for all the extra points and field goals. It may sound simple, but it is high-stress and highly specialized. He does a great job and even was credited with a touchdown pass last year on a fake field goal! Not many college football players can say that! See for yourself:

First game is next Saturday and we'll be there! Looking forward to another fun season. Love you and so proud of you, Forrest!

Asian Dressing

 How's that for a creative title? Oh yeah. I know you're jealous.

Anyway, made some Asian dressing tonight to go with my salad for lunch tomorrow. I haven't eaten it on the leaves yet, but the little taste I had on my finger was pretty scrumptious. I made some of the changes suggested in the comments, so here's a new version. (See original here.)

Photo credit http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1150594

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used powdered - in a hurry)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root (ditto)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup sesame oil
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup water

Directions 

In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. Remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave for 1 minute just to dissolve the honey. Let cool, and shake well before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

 In other news, the protein powder I ordered came in and I made my first recipe of breakfast bars (heavy on the protein). Not sure I love them, but they were easy. You can find the recipe under the Discussions tab on @ThriveFit's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ThrivePersonalFitness.

One Wicked Weekend

http://www.wickedthemusical.com/A while back Barron and I took a little belated anniversary trip to St. Louis. Yes, it was a little delayed, but who cares! We were going to Wicked! We decided to make a weekend of it hit up an awesome Italian place - Candicci's - Penzey's Spices, and the City Museum. If you have never been, it is definitely worth checking out - even more so if you have kids. 

It is filled with tunnels, slides, and all sorts of other crazy things made of re-purposed materials.  Whoever designed this joint is a wacky genius. There's even a Ferris wheel on the roof! It was fun, but it is best for kids - adventurous kids. There are lots of nooks and crannies to crawl through, and they are not made for adults. I honestly thought we might get stuck in a couple places, but we lived to tell the tale.

Whee!

After the City Museum we headed to Belleville to stay with my grandmother "Granna" in her new home. She has lived in the same place almost my entire life, but up and moved this summer. It was fun to see her new place and spend time with her. 

And finally it was off to the main event (no offense, Granna), WICKED!!

Now I know you're probably thinking that Barron was just being nice to go with me (well, that's not totally untrue), but he had never been to a Broadway show, so he was looking forward to it. And it did not disappoint! He was most impressed by the production itself - sound, lighting, effects, etc - and I was...well, I loved it all. If you aren't familiar with it, Wicked is a prequel of sorts to The Wizard of Oz and tells the story of all that had happened before Dorothy arrived. Go check it out - you won't be disappointed! (and if nothing else, buy the soundtrack!)

Welcome Blog Hop '10

Well hello blog hoppers! Welcome to my corner of the world. Here you'll find a lot of recipes, some personal stories and news, projects I find time to tackle, and other random things as they happen. Honestly, I'm a shameful member - I've been so busy working on other people's blogs and websites lately that my own is not very current...but I still want to "dance." Thanks for stopping by and take a look around - what recipes and things I do have can be found easily with the labels to the right.