In the Kitchen…With Paisley

There are so many recipes and ideas I have tried  from the Internet and wonder why I didn’t think it first. On the other hand I’m really glad someone did. Here are some things I have done recently that are worth passing on:

Cooking bacon in the oven…Yep,I said it, and I’m here to tell you its the only way to cook bacon. I thought it worked so well I told Jenelle about it and she does it this way now (she kept splattering grease on her arms) and I even got my traditional 79-year-old mother to try it and now  you need to try it too. It is cleaner, safer, it tastes delicious and your house smells absolutely divine for the rest of the day. It is easy peasy and a lot less greasy (I couldn’t help myself), If you follow these directions you will have real bacon bits on your salad tonight:

http://puresimpledelicious.tumblr.com/post/24703995096/baked-bacon-yep-you-heard-that-right-bacon-baked

This low carb vegetable lasagna recipe was one I saw on Rachel Ray. I immediately went to her website and got it to store on my “Low Carb Is How I Live” pinboard on Pinterest. It is fabulous. When we have it, it’s all we have because it is loaded with veggies (no pasta, but keep an open mind). This never makes my blood sugar spike and it is really, really good. You must, must. must try this.

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/roasted-vegetable-lasagna/

I made these oatmeal muffins every week and ate them for two months. I love them! Not only are they tasty but they pack well making them convenient  to take to the office for a quick breakfast. I added Craisins and almonds to mine Loaded with fiber and gluten-free.  In the fall  I plan to try to replace the apple sauce with pumpkin, but that is a whole other adventure

http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/personal-sized-baked-oatmeal-with-individual-toppings-gluten-free-diabetic-friendly/

Finally, I have some very thin friends that feed me the line , “I eat to live not live to eat.”  Oh bologna! Even they indulge. And while they show great restraint at the table, it is only so that they can fit into the closet full of clothing they have over indulged in. Once in a while I want desert consequently I’m  I’m always in search of something to satisfy my craving,  I tried this recipe  for a low-fat alternative and they are delish!!! You simply add 12 ounces of soda (I used diet orange) to cake mix, bake  and VIOLA…cupcakes (if you are a weight watcher I guess this is like a 1.5 points).

http://couponscribbles.com/skinny-funfetti-cupcakes/

If you don’t have a Pinterest account, get one, it is a great place to store everything you find on the Internet. If you email us we will send you an invite.

Until next time,

Ginny

Book Storage For My Bookworm

As a working wife and mother I am always looking for a way to organize. I have a 6 year old who loves his books but my six year old has a mom who doesn’t care much for clutter. I needed to find a solution and one that can grow with my little bookworm. By the way, I’m most happy that my 6 year old loves books and it’s something I wish to foster through his childhood.

Pinterest offers many pin boards about organization but one in particular caught my eye: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.ca/2012/05/playroom-progress-great-crate-book.html.

 I have been on a DIY kick lately and a lot of my conversations are starting with “On Pinterest I saw…” which is code to my husband “Let’s go to Michael’s and Home Depot.” He’s is awesome, he gets behind the projects I attempt which makes it fun. The look I was after was “Pottery Barn Kids” as it fits well into my son’s room.  When I am writing about these projects I like to give you an idea about how much it will cost.

A crate purchased from Michaels $12

Picture hanging brackets 2 @ 1.99/set

Spray paint 2 cans @ 3.79/can

 I used my father in laws table saw which made it possible to complete the project. I followed the directions from the website and in no time I had a really great looking set of wall mount book racks. I would recommend this project for ease, cost and functionality.

Searching for my next project.

 Jenelle

 

From Pinboard to Front Door

Just before Christmas 2011 the three of us were introduced to Pinterest (www.pinterest.com). Pinterest is a sharing website where users create pin boards with images they collect from the internet or upload themselves. Kind of like virtual hording, with less mess than real hording and a lot greener. Don’t have a Pinterest account? Email us at paisleychopsticks@gmail.com . We love the company.

Ginny

A few weeks ago it occurred to me that it was time to make something come to life from Pinterest. With Easter around the corner I had pinned a plastic egg wreath and decided to give it a whirl. I read through the instruction of the original blog http://cindis.blogspot.com/2009/03/moms-do-some-grass-this-month.html. I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

As with any craft project I gave it my own twist. The original instructions started by cutting out cardboard in a circle and using it for a wreath form. I’m lazy, so I headed to the garage and found a straw wreath I had used for something else a few years ago (I love to repurpose as much as possible which is evident by my brimming craft closet) Hot glue on plastic will stick very well to a straw wreath. The picture I saw was in pastel but I did it in bold colors and since I’m not a bow person I chose a striped ribbon looped through my wreath to hang on the door. The one thing I would have done different is glue the eggs shut but I covered the ones that are slightly popped open with another egg. No matter what you use, bold, pastel, metallic or those cute printed eggs it was fun and adds just the right amount of festive color to our front door. The blog I read was about ladies that do a craft night. I can imagine this would be a fun project for friends to do together, it’s simple, leaving room for conversation. I rate this project Easy and not expensive at all. It cost me$8, I bought the eggs at WalMart, the ribbon at Michaels with a coupon and I didn’t have to purchase a wreath form.

Jenelle

I have seen pictures of a wreath such as this and I wanted one, but I would never see them for sale at Easter and I wondered where I could buy one. It’s adorable and I have the perfect front door for it. One night, while perusing Pinterest, feeding my pinning addiction, I stumbled upon a pin on one of Ginny’s boards. It was an Easter wreath…MY EASTER WREATH and she had already made one (of course). I couldn’t find an affordable one to buy…but I could make it. How can this be? Why hadn’t I thought of this?

I quizzed my pinning pal on technique and obtained a few hints. I went to the local craft store and purchased a 18″ straw wreath and 4 bags of brightly colored plastics Easter eggs. After warming up the hot glue gun and determining which direction I wanted to lay the eggs I applied the glue to the eggs and then to the wreath. It took a couple hours but the final result cost less than if I would have purchased it and was custom made to the way I envisioned it. I skipped the Easter grass and bow. My wreath cost me about $13.00. I used a large wreath and it is loaded with eggs. When people ask where I got I smile and say, “Oh that? I made it.” I’m definitely smiling on the inside.

Sarah

Once I saw my mom’s wreath I was down. I went to Michaels and bought a glue gun, glue sticks and a wreath form. Walmart had such a great selection of eggs I just couldn’t go with plain and after much consideration I got the animal prints and a small package of plain ones. I spent the better part of a Sunday afternoon gluing and adding and adding and gluing more and more Easter eggs to the cardboard wreath form. It looked beautiful sitting on the table which is where I should have left it. I lifted it up for the final picture and the whole thing fell apart. It was determined that the cardboard wasn’t holding very well. So I made sure the glue gun was nice and hot this time and after another round of adding and gluing and gluing and adding and a fight with the bow to get the “bow-ish-ness” I desired I was ready to hang it on my door for the final picture. However I am the proud owner of a “Sour Patch” dog (you know first she is sour then she is sweet) who decided to make a snack out of my beautiful eggs. This has left me with a pile of egg pieces and the wreath form has not been seen since. Roxy (the boxador wreath chewer) while cute, is no wreath for my front door…occasionally I find her running around with a plastic egg in her mouth… that keeps it festive!

Even though I didn’t get to hang my wreath on the door, I did enjoy the process and I really liked my animal print eggs. Since I had to start with no supplies at all, this cost me about $20.00, but I will use the glue gun again and again.