Tasty Homemade Granola...(not plain like the rest)

Thank you to my husband for the title to this post....he IS the life of any party...

Anyway, made some granola today. This was after an unbelievable hike around Hawk Mountain. Too bad we didn't have this granola with us! It would have been even more delicious than the Snickers granola bar I had...not that there was anything wrong with it, but homemade is always better in my mind!

Super Simple Recipe Steps TOO!!!! (recipe inspired by: Shape Magazine Recipe)

Here are the ingredients I used:
2 T. creamy peanut butter
2 T. honey
1/4 t. cinnamon (I was generous)
1/4 t. vanilla (again, I was more generous)
1 c. oats
1/2 c. chopped hazelnuts
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
(but, you can use whatever "nuts" strike your fancy!)

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 325 degrees...PAM spray a cookie sheet
-In a glass bowl, microwave the peanut butter and honey. (approximately 30 seconds or less)
-After the microwave, stir in the cinnamon and vanilla

-In another bowl (bigger than the glass bowl), pour in your oats and nuts

-Stir the peanut butter mixture in with your oats and nuts

-Spread evenly on cookie sheet

-Bake for 7-8 minutes
-Allow time for cooling and either eat or store....I stored it in a Ziploc bag

Super yummy and easy!!! And, it made the house smell AMAZING!  I love granola, but I hate the "premade" granola in the grocery store...I want to know what goes into my food if I can help it...and I LOVE peanut butter...I would eat the entire jar if that were ever possible in one sitting...

That was a bit of TMI...but you get the point...this is the best granola (minus my grandmothers recipe) I have had...by the way, I thought about storing it in the refrigerator rather than the counter, but right now, it is on the counter...so we will see!

UPDATE! I put the granola in the refrigerator overnight...it is a MUST! :)

By the way, I said I was going to share a picture from our Bushkill Falls trip...if you're ever near the Poconos Mountains in PA...I HIGHLY suggest this trip! Beautiful day, loved every second of it!

Regrow your scallions?

Yes, that Pinterest post was true!

I don't know about you, but whenever I had to buy scallions (or green onions) I would cringe because you never use the entire bunch! So, it was buy the giant clump and end up throwing out half.

So, when I came across that "pin," I knew I had nothing to lose, so I tried it....

Here's How:

Cut what you need of the scallions (green onions) and then put the root part in a cup of water. In a week or two, you will have regrowth to use!

That's it!

Some things to remember though, those onions are thirsty! So, make sure you add water when they need it.

From time to time, rinse the cup and the roots. Give them new water.

One thing I have noticed, by the third or fourth time you reuse them...they begin to get a bit skinny. So, I assume I will need to buy a new bunch to start over. But, this bunch I have had for over a month! And, in this picture (sorry about the quality), you can see they have gotten skinnier...oh well they still work! So, save some cash....walk on the wild side....reuse your scallions!

Vacation Next Week!

Well, we're not going anywhere exotic...just some days trips...but I am already looking ahead to being prepared for the days we will be doing some hiking...

I looked up some healthy travel snack ideas and got a few good ideas and saw a few that just didn't measure up...

One that stuck out were kale chips...I have made kale chips before and they are delicious...but I have found they need to be consumed pretty quickly...and they don't keep well...the crispy aspect disappears once they are put into a Ziploc bag...if anyone has a tip so this doesn't happen, please feel free to share!!!

If you haven't made kale chips before, they are super easy! And, kale is typically pretty cheap.
Preheat your oven to 350...wash the kale....spread on a greased cookie sheet and drizzle with EVOO...and then season with your favorite seasonings...I typically go for garlic, salt and pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes. I, of course, eat them immediately. Now, they don't appeal to everyone...just ask my husband...

photo from: healthymamainfo.com


Another healthy snack option I found, cold soup. Are you kidding me??? First off, who eats soup on a travel trip in the car? Secondly, I don't understand cold soup. Soup should be hot. Enough said.

What about roasted chickpeas? Anyone try them? What do they taste like? I am not a big bean nor pea fan....the texture is too weird for me. So, 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes...I might try it...not sure...I will let you know.

I don't know if I am going to get very creative with these snacks, but I know I will need to pack some things. Probably stick with apples, granola bars, almonds...we will also have something for lunch.

But, again, if you have any suggestions, I am definitely open to them!

If you're wondering where we are hiking, Bushkill Falls and Hawk Mountain...I am excited...just something about being in the great outdoors....found a pic of Bushkill Falls on google images to share...I hope to share some of my own next week!

courtesy of betterphoto.com

(Relatively) Easy Stuffed Peppers

My grandmother had a bag of green peppers given to her and needed something to be done with them...she kept saying stuffed peppers...not quite my style...in fact I made stuffed peppers once and I hated every second of it....so I was less than thrilled that she kept saying stuffed peppers when I said I was going to make dinner...off to scour some pins...

Found quite a few recipes and most of them looked delicious, but I didn't want to go to the grocery store, so I kept looking until I found a recipe I could at least work with...

Came across a recipe, Southwestern Stuffed Peppers, from Simply Love Food and was set.

Ingredients (my changes are bold and underlined):

EVOO and PAM spray

1/2 lb lean ground beef

medium chopped onions

use cilantro!!! (I didn't have any)

 chili seasoning mix and 1 T. chili powder

2 cups of cooked rice

6 small green bell peppers, halved and seeds removed

1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed (omited)

½ cup of frozen corn

1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa (I don't believe I used this much salsa)

Shredded (sharp) Cheddar Cheese

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat the baking pan with PAM spray. Half (length wise) and seed peppers....drizzle with EVOO and salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes (I went with 22 minutes)

drizzled with EVOO and salt and pepper

Meanwhile, season and cook the meat. Add in the onion and cilantro. While the meat was cooking, I also added in some of the salsa. If I would have had a tomato, I would have also put that in the pan. (diced, of course)

Also, cook the rice if it isn't quick rice. (and the black beans...I hate beans, so I am not up on my bean cooking times...)

Once the meat was done, I took the meat out of the pan and left the juices in the pan. Then, I added the frozen corn to the pan to soak up the seasonings and juices. I left the corn in long enough to cook and get a little bit brown.

corn cooking in the seasonings from the meat

Then, I added the corn and rice to the meat. If you had the black beans, you would add those here too. I mixed all of that in the bowl and let it sit. I also added in about 3/4 c. of cheese and mixed that in, too.

If you haven't gotten the peppers out of the oven, don't forget to get them out!

I let my peppers cool for a bit before I stuffed them. After they cooled, I spooned the mixture into each pepper. Then, I drizzled the rest of the salsa over the peppers.

Then, topped with cheese.

Peppers went back into the oven for approximately 15 more minutes. (long enough to melt the cheese throughout)

all done!

Now, I know that was a lot of directions, but really, none of the directions were hard. I know this recipe didn't include a lot of measurements...I eyeballed a lot! So, go with your gut. This recipe is versatile in the fact that you can add different things to the meat. I did end up with a lot of dirty dishes...so next time I would want to find a way to cut down on the amount of clean up work. Since I had white rice, I had to cook that in a separate container...usually I deal with 10 minute brown rice...but I can't complain...I didn't have to go to the grocery store...

You could also play around with the type of toppings you use...we didn't have any toppings, so they were essentially "naked" stuffed peppers.

But, the family was happy and my grandmother said they were good...not that that is saying too much since she is usually dining on Lean Cuisines...not that there is anything wrong with that, its just....she didn't have to make it nor did she have to clean up...so, of course, she was going to say it was good :)

I hope you take the time to try this recipe. It's a keeper in my book!

Back in the hometown....

Back in Hollidaysburg for a few days...came to see the parentals...which means, I wasn't on my computer all day!

Don't worry, before I left home, I was able to get a craft in!

This one was inspired by the plastic drawer overhauls I had seen on the Pin. It showed you can take your set of clear plastic drawers and put scrapbook paper in the front and whatnot and they bright and shiny and new (well sort of)

Now, there is only so much you can do for a set of plastic drawers that has been around for 13 years!!!! As I was cleaning them out today with Clorox wipes, I couldn't believe how long the drawers had survived, nonetheless, all of the different thing that had been put in them! They started out as a purchase for my new dorm room in 1999!!! From there they traveled back and forth for 4 years...moved to Dover, DE and I can't remember what I used them for there...back up to PA and were used in the kitchen...down to FL and stored food....back up to PA to now be used for extra clothes storage...I can't believe the drawers are still in one piece!

So, I rambled on there for a good reason...a few of the "pins" tell you to do them over with Modge Podge...I understand why...they will last...and it will probably look nicer...but that also means it is permanent. And, clearly, I can't make anything permanent in this set of drawers...so I went with packing tape!

What you will need:
*scrapbook paper
*ruler
*scissors
*stickers
*drawers
*wipes to clean the drawers out...I mean why not, they probably need it!

So, after cleaning...I measured the front of the drawer. Since this will be in my closet, there was no need to do the sides. If you are using it in your classroom and it will be "out" you might want to do the sides. That way it looks MUCH nicer.

Then, I cut the paper.

And then, labeled the drawers (again, organized, I like the black and white tank tops to be together... and all of the other colors in their own drawer)

I taped the paper to the drawers (I put the top piece of tape over the lip of the drawer)

And then, put the drawers back.

All in all, it took less than 30 minutes to complete and I feel even more organized than before!

I should have taken a before picture and an after picture for that matter...once I get home, I will take an after pic and upload it.

Should I ever have a classroom again, I am definitely going to do this! I like splashes of color and this is a relatively easy way to do it!  Happy scrapping!

Beef Marinade...mighty tasty!

I had 2 steaks that I needed to do something with...

So, to Pinterest I went...and typed beef marinade and I got this recipe: Plain Chicken Southwestern Skirt Steak (good site...when you get a chance)

The best part about it???

I had all of the ingredients in my kitchen....I didn't have to go to the dreaded grocery store!!!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 pounds skirt steak (I did not have 2 lbs...but used the same amount of marinade)

Whisked all of the ingredients (minus the steak) in a bowl:

So, put all of that in a Ziploc bag, sealed it and put it back in the refrigerator. Then, I definitely forgot the beef was in there and didn't make it until today. So, it sat in the fridge for 3 days.

marinade and steak in a ziploc

And, we didn't eat dinner at home tonight, so I had to make it quickly....

I previously wanted to grill the steaks, but had no time...so I pulled out the grill pan for the stove top...coated the bottom with some PAM...turned it on high heat (dumb idea)...sliced the beef and put it in the pan..

The beef was only in the pan for (literally) a minute or so...and done! Back into the fridge for lunch tomorrow, but the few pieces I tried....they were delicious! So easy, and so flavorful!!!

Definitely recommend!

More DIY Wreaths

Well, I feel like I have been wrapping yarn and twine all weekend...

These types of wreaths are extremely simple! (if you have the time to devote to them)

First tip, if you are going to do either of these wreaths is to rewind the yarn or twine you are going to use into a ball! Otherwise, it is going to take EVEN longer!

Second tip, tie the yarn/twine to start and hot glue the ends to the foam.

Third tip, make sure as you are winding the yarn/twine, you take the time to squish the yarn/twine together every so often. Otherwise, you are going to be able to see the Styrofoam through the yarn.

If you look closely at the twine wreath, you can see I have a section of brown yarn...that's because I didn't bunch the twine, so I had a "blank" spot, so I had left over brown yarn and used that to fill in the empty space.

The felt flowers are made using the following techniques...(don't worry, SUPER easy)

The first one I am going to show you makes petals on the flowers.
Use something in your house that is round you can trace. Then, draw petals around the traced circle.

Cut out the pattern. (if you think you can free hand it, don't worry about drawing on the petals..this was the only flower I drew the petals...honestly I think I would have been better off without drawing them)

Next, you are going to start cutting in a spiral. You will be left with a small circle of felt that can be thrown away.

Now, you are going to roll your spiral. It doesn't matter which end you start rolling. One way makes the flower short and fat. The other, makes them tall and skinnier.

Done!

An easier felt flower, just do the same as above, but without the petals.

For the pointed part of the spiral...I do round the edge. I didn't want pointy flowers.

So, there it is! Easy, right?

If you don't want to be bothered, I don't mind making one for you!

Head on over to my Etsy shop: Barkley's Bazaar

Completely customized to your liking!!!

Now that I'm on etsy...

What a whirlwind of 24 hours...after being asked by more than a couple of people if I sold any of the crafts I made (and me continuing to say no)...I finally broke down and did it. I opened an etsy shop.

(shameless plug, here's the link to my etsy shop: My Etsy Shop: Barkley's Bazaar)

As much as I love that I did it, I am still going to put the how-to's on here. And, I am going to continue to write the reviews because (honestly) that seems easier...less pressure.

So, without further to do...I made a new craft today. I was loving those little felt flowers I was seeing on different wreaths. And, I found a pin that actually showed how to make them...and they are SO EASY!!! (FYI...felt is only $.23 at Walmart...but does anyone know where it is cheaper?)

So, for the flowers the blog "Little Things, Bring Smiles" has the instructions. You can find them here: Little Things Brings Smiles

The only thing that really takes the time is finding the circles around the house to trace. I used a CD, the middle of the blue tape roll, and the top of a cup.

The "petal style" flower seemed harder with the petals, and next time I doubt I am going to even draw the petals, I will just free hand it...

(sorry I forgot to take a picture of just the little flowers...)

So, I realized I had to make something to put the cute little flowers on...so I combined it with the single letter "wreath" hanging...

At the Hobby Lobby, I got a custom sized "P" (for $1.99) and bought some twine at Wal-Mart (less than $3 for 525ft.)

I started to wrap the letter and THAT was tedious! I did have the glue gun handy and I swiped a strip of glue here and there to keep the twine in place. 

It was very messy (as you can see) and I did have trouble trying to figure out how to wrap the twine the right way in some places. I did cheat a little bit and glued single pieces of twine to the letter instead of wrapping it, but I don't think you can tell.

So, once I was finished I glued the flowers on it. The only thing now...to pick some ribbon to make it into a wreath!

Finished Product:

What do you think?

Not bad for a first attempt...(I think)

Cheesy Quinoa...DOES NOT compare to Mac N Cheese

This may be the first time I have ever had to go out and purchase dinner because of a flop.
The pin I used compared their recipe to Macaroni and Cheese...just better for you. So, I thought, why not? Especially if it is healthier...

So, I headed to Wegman's scouring the aisles for the elusive Quinoa...of course it wasn't in a "regular" aisle...I had to go to the organic aisle...and it wasn't cheap either...

Cheesy Quinoa if you're interested...here is the recipe:
http://aroundthetableri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cheesy-quinoa-mac-cheese.html

I wish I had a better outcome...but, for this girl...I just didn't like it...I will not and can not give up my Kraft Mac-n-cheese

Here are some pics though...

close up

another close up...they look like pellets

Crayon Art...this isn't for toddlers

I hopped on board the crayon art craze partly because I have a challenging room to decorate in our new home...check it out:

Yes, this is our dining room. Yes, we bought the house this way. Yes, it is bold, but I love it! It isn't for everyone, but for me, it's the perfect dining room. (although, Christmas decorating will be a challenge!)

With the exception of the orange wall, the other walls are bare...

Crayon Art

You will need:
-blank canvas
-paint (if you want to paint the canvas first)
-glue gun and sticks
-multiple boxes of crayons (depending on the size of the canvas..you will need at least 2)
-hairdryer
-newspaper (for the splatter zone)
-tape for your newspaper

How To:
-Paint your canvas (if you want a background other than white)...I painted mine black because I wanted to tie in the black frames I used on the orange wall...
-Categorize your crayons the way you will want them on your canvas (match up the colors)

-Glue each crayon onto your canvas (I made sure the word CRAYON was facing the same way for each)

sorry the image is a little bit fuzzy, I wanted to zoom in and see they were all facing the same way

**make sure clean the glue webs off of the canvas**
-Prepare your "splatter zone" (the crayons WILL splatter)

I overdid the splatter zone, but it's better to be safe than sorry

HAIRDRYER steps...if I were to do this again, I would have better technique

-I wasn't quite sure the best angle to hold my hairdryer and it didn't take long to realize that the HIGH setting and the angle I was at was very wrong....the green went everywhere and it went everywhere FAST

see the diagonal colors? the setting was WAY too high

-So, MEDIUM is the way to go (hottest setting though!) and I angled the hairdryer down. I was getting frustrated when the other colors were dripping before the colors I was heating were...but I am a control freak in that regard....

Angle your hairdryer down on MEDIUM

-Eventually, I was pretty happy with how the top was going...then, I looked further down the canvas and I saw a glob of wax...I positioned the hairdryer angled down and on HIGH heat...heated it really quick to break up the glob...

Finished product

-Overall, it is personal preference of how long you want your drips to go...some of my drips went diagonally, which I'm okay with now...but I would try really hard for that not to happen next time...

-Now, I just have to figure out which green wall I want it on...

A fanatical twist on the state string craft

This craft was inspired by a Pinterest pin and that used white string and nails. It was also inspired by my friend, Julianna, when she made one for her hometown state of West Virginia. She said it was really easy and when I saw it, it was super cute. She used white string and nails, but (I think) she painted the background.

Now, if you read about the DIY football wreath, you are aware of the football division in this household...again, when I make a craft, I do feel I need to incorporate both of our loves (because we are both quite fanatical about our teams)

Anyway, I made this for our 5th wedding anniversary because for the 5th year the present is wood. (I don't know about you, but I think those things are kind of silly...but this was a good excuse to make a craft)

So, I used the Steelers colors for the western side of PA (where I'm from) and Eagles colors for the eastern side of the state (where he is from). Now, the heart was suppose to be over Elizabethtown, PA (where we met in college), but it ended up closer to King of Prussia (where we lived after we got married). Either way, it signifies our coming together even if we root for different teams.

For this project, you need...
*piece of wood (mine was from Michaels)
*nails
*hammer
*string (colors are up to you...all white is easier!)
*print out of the state
*scissors
*pencil
*optional: paint for the background

How To:
Traced the state of PA on the wood.
Hammered in the nails on the pencil outline. (Barkley, my dog, was not too keen on this step)
Then, I alternated the nails with the colors of the team (gold, black, gold, etc)
I didn't cut the string until I decided I was done with the color. Then, I just simply knotted the string (it wasn't easy...you really need to have tiny fingers)
The worst part of this entire project was the HEART.
Trying to nail the heart in was hard to get the nails in such a small space. (if I did this again, I would make the heart a little bit bigger)
And, the red thread was also very hard, again because it was such a tight space.

If I had to do it again, I would paint the background. Also, I would Modge Podge some sort of saying on it.

FYI....this project does not move well. When I took it out of the moving box, some of the strings had broken and some nails were missing. I was able to fix it and now I need to figure out where I want to put it. It was way too much work to throw out!

If you don't want to bother with making your own, you can buy one from me! Completely customized to you! Order Here: My Etsy Shop: Barkley's Bazaar

DIY Wine Cork Board

I made this prior to my quest to be a blogger...

Over the years, we have kept a container of wine corks...not sure if that shows how I was preparing for cork crafts...or...how much we like wine...you decide....

Anyway, I saw a DIY cork board on Pinterest and figured I might as well tackle my container of corks and try it out...

First, took a trip to the Hobby Lobby and purchased a 12x12 scrapbook display frame and some black paint....

Then, I pulled all of the corks out and looked for the "pretty" ones, some from our favorite wineries we had visited, and ones that I actually wrote what the cork was from...

(Prior to gluing the corks onto the frame, I painted it black)

I grabbed a glue gun and a sharp kitchen knife (probably not the smartest thing, but it was all I had)

I just started to glue the wine corks in...at the end of each row I had to cut some corks to get them to fit...it was hard to cut them, but it worked. The bottom row, as you can see, I had to cut the corks length wise...that wasn't easy, but I didn't want to leave a space...

In the end, I had some burnt fingers, but a pretty nice cork board for the kitchen.

Relatively cheap project...I only paid for the scrapbook frame and paint (total: under $5.00)

But, that doesn't factor in all of the wine tours and wines,

but those memories will forever be priceless!

Our first real date!
Chaddsford Wine Festival in 2005