DIY chalkboard wine glasses

We've all been there; we're at a huge party with all of our closest friends, grab a glass we set on the counter only to take a swig and realize it's not ours. Gross! Solution:  DIY chalkboard wine glasses I found on Pinterest. These glasses are the classy, grown up & reusable version of the Sharpie red Solo Cup. What a great gift idea for all my wino friends. (BTW, on a side side side note, if you haven't seen the Red Solo cup video by Toby Keith you should. Its awesome!) 

Using painters tape, tape off the area to be painted. I found these glasses at IKEA for only $1.99 each.

Pounce glass etch onto the glass. I have read a ton of posts where people painted the chalkboard paint directly onto the glass. You can skip this step if you want, but I thought the chalkboard paint would adhere better to the etched surface. Let the etch sit for 15-20 minutes and then rinse off with warm water.

Paint a thin layer of chalkboard paint onto the glass using a foam brush. Let dry for 20 minutes and then paint on another layer. This process will need to repeated a couple of times.

Let glasses dry overnight before first use. Handwash ONLY.

Dark Chocolate & Salted Caramel Cookies

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with something cute and witty to say about these cookies... Yep, still nothing. What I can say about them is they're incredibly easy to make, only require 5 ingredients and are DELICIOUS!!

Dark Chocolate - Check

Ooey gooey caramel - Check

Crunchy sea salt - Check

1

Just look at them.... DROOL! 

Okay, stop licking the computer screen and get in the kitchen!

1 Box Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix

2 Eggs (Yes, I know the pic only shows one. OOPS!)

1/3 cup Veg. Oil

Caramels (you can use Rolos if you can't find caramels)

Course sea salt

Mix together the cake mix, eggs and oil until a thick dough forms. You may need to knead with your hands.

Flatten a little bit of dough in the palm of your hand and wrap around a caramel. Only use enough dough to cover the caramel completely.

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt.

Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes or until done.

These cookie are best eaten warm, so don't feel guilty for eating them right out of the oven. Store in an airtight container and heat in the microwave for 5 seconds before eating.  BTW, if 2 cookies get stuck together, technically it's only 1 cookie   :0)

Sud or Dud?

It's no secret I love to save money..... Just not in the bank. lol  Maybe I should rephrase that; I love to stretch my money. In one of my grandiose money saving moments, I pinned a recipe for Homemade Laundry Detergent. As I read through the instructions, images of Little House on the Prairie flashed through my mind. I pictured myself in the middle of a field on a sunny day, scrubbing  my clothes on a washboard using my homemade laundry detergent. I'm sure it wasn't as glamorous as Laura made it seem.

I forgot all about that pin and the wonderful daydream until my friend mentioned she had made the detergent and was pleased with the results. (I was probably distracted by something chocolaty, or fried, or fried AND chocolaty... oh yeah. Geez, there I go getting all distracted again!) Anywho, It was a LOT easier than I could have imagined and literally took 5 minutes. 

Still not convinced?

What if I told you that you can make a years worth of detergent for under $15!!

I have your attention now, don't I?!?

What to buy:

    

      1 - 4lb box of Borax

      1 - 3lb box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - found in the laundry isle

      2 - 14.1oz bars of ZOTE laundry soap - (I found mine at BigLots. At only $.90 is was half the price and three times bigger than the Fels-Naptha bar found at the grocery store. If you are unable to find ZOTE, you will need 6 bars of Fels-Naptha or anyother bar soap. Some have commented Ivory Soap works well too.)

      1 - 1.5lb tub of Oxy Clean. I also found this at BigLots. (The original recipe doesn't call for this, but I love Oxy Clean. You can omit if you'd like, but I highly suggest using it.)

All together, I spent $13.43

Grate both bars of soap using the small side on a box grater.

Grab a large tub or bucket. Add the entire container of Oxy Clean, 6 cups of Borax, 6 cups of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and the grated soap. Stir, and stir, and stir....

Transfer into a tub with a tight fitting lid and get washing! 

To use:

As your washer is filling, add 1TBS to the water. 2TBS for extra large loads. Add clothing. 

From what I read, this soap is low sud and can be used in HE washers. It should be added directly to the washer and not in the detergent compartment. It can also be used in cold water washes.

 

Sugar-free Cookie Dough Dip - Well, almost!

Being on a diet SUCKS! As soon as I say that nasty, dirty, dreadful word "diet" my mind is immediately filled with all the tasty treats, decadent deserts and salty snacks I am forbidden to devour. To give you an idea of the filth my brain is chock-full of; the other night, I had the most vivid dream of being in heaven. I know everyone pictures their heaven differently. In my heaven, I lived in a gingerbread mansion built atop a marshmallow mountain with a Nutella stream running through my backyard full of Swedish Fish. Jesus and I were making  grilled cheese sandwiches in my gourmet kitchen. (true story) I knew something drastic had to be done to flush these pornographic thoughts from my head.

The next day, I searched Pinterest high-and-low for a healthy dessert to satisfy my cravings and insure me a good nights sleep. What I found was a recipe for Sugar-free Cookie Dough Dip. I was skeptical that a can of chickpeas, dates and a handful of other ingredients could possibly taste like cookie dough but it surprisingly does! AND it's good for you!

Cookie Dough Dip

can of chickpeas drained and rinsed

heaping 1/8 tsp salt

tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda

1 T plus 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

      1/4 cup peanut butter

      1 and 1/4 cup pitted dates

      1/3 cup mini chocolate chips – the recipe calls for sugar-free but I couldn’t find any

      2 T oatmeal

Soak dates in 3/4 cup water overnight or at least 8 hours. Pour the dates and liquid into food processor and add all the other ingredients with the exception on the chocolate chips. Blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple of teaspoons of water if mixture is too thick. Remove blade and stir in chocolate chips.

I piled this yummy dip on a graham cracker. And then I ate some in a bowl with a spoon. And then... ;) 

Lets just say I slept well that night!

Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza

All the yummy treats I have been making lately has really taken a toll... on my butt! Every woman does the "jean wiggle" when putting on jeans from the dryer. I do the "jean hokie-pokie." I put my right leg in, put my left leg in, I pull them up and I shake all about. I lay on the bed and I roll myself around. That's what its all about! ..... Because I'm too broke to buy new jeans, I have decided to go on a diet. For today at least! 

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll notice 99% of the pins on my Food Porn board are desserts. Trying to find something healthy to make for lunch was definitely a challenge. After scrolling through pages and pages of chocolaty goodness, I realized I somehow pinned a recipe for Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza. I'm sure it was one of those nights that I couldn't sleep and stayed up pinning until the wee hours of the morning delirious from exhaustion. That, or God did it... Hmmm.. Now that I'm thinking about it, I'm sure it was God. It was probably His way of suggesting I eat something other than Nutella. However it got there, I'm glad it did because it was delicious.

 Low Carb Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Grate 2 cups of cauliflower with a large box grater.

When you're finished, it should look something like this:

Pour into a microwaveable container, cover and heat for 6 minutes. The amount of cauliflower will shrink down to about 1 cup. Add one clove finely chopped garlic, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, one 1/2 cup romano cheese, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Make two circles of "dough" on a parchment lined baking sheet like so:

Brush with olive oil and bake at 450* for 15 minutes. 

Top with sauce, pre-cooked toppings and cheese. Place under the broiler just until cheese is melted and dig in!

Look! I even added a salad to up the health factor!

Let them eat cake

My love for cake stands runs almost as deep as my love for cake... I said "ALMOST!" Let's not get crazy!

Everyday food just seems a little more decadent when served on a cake stand: pancakes piled high, stacks of sandwiches, mountains of muffins. Shoot! I would even serve a Thanksgiving turkey on a cake stand if I wasn't worried about it toppling over and forever being know as the girl who ruined Thanksgiving.

If only they weren't so darn expensive....

GOOD NEWS!! They're NOT!!

After finding DIY Cake Stands on Pinterest, I was inspired! I immediately jumped into my car and headed to the thrift store. Using what I purchased, and some random items I found laying around my house, I was able to make all of these adorable cake stands for under $35!!

Here's How 

Hit up thrift stores, garage sales, dollar stores, craigslist or your parent's dusty attic and gather a bunch of sturdy candle holders, vases and goblets. The bigger the base the better. Don't overlook the smaller ones though, you can use those to make single cupcake stands. After all, from what I'm told, size doesn't matter... wink wink...

Moving on, You are going to need plates, platters, pie pans basically anything that looks pretty when set atop your base. The pink cake stand on the right is actually made from an inverted tart pan.

Glue the base and the top together using a strong epoxy or cement and let sit upside-down over night.

I actually found this one at the 99cent Only Store. Even the glue was a bargain!

If you want, you can stop there. I didn't do anything to these cutie pies cakes except for glue them together.

Total cost - $4.50!!

Because these were not painted, these cake stands are food safe.

Others will need to be painted. Put down a layer of newspapers and spray the entire piece with glass frost. I did as suggested and sprayed the bottom first. After dry, I flipped it over and sprayed the top. This primes the glass for the colored spray paint. Do NOT skip this step!

Once the entire piece is dry, you're ready for color! Again, I sprayed with the bottom and then the top.

Let dry completely (about 24 hrs) and they're ready to use!

These two are my favorite!

I need to mention that because of the spray paint, these are NOT FOOD SAFE.
Food should not come in direct contact with the painted surface. Put a doily, parchment paper or a clear plate on top of the stand before displaying food. ENJOY!!

May I have my dish back?

This year I vowed to only give home-made gifts. Yes, It would be much easier to run into the nearest CVS and grab a gift card, but if you're like me, you'll agree the act of gift-giving has become too impersonal. Giving a great gift is truly an art. It's taking the time to think about what the recipient would really appreciate, what they desire but wouldn't buy for themselves or something to show you really know them. Which leads me to ask myself, "What H-E-double toothpicks were you thinking?!!"

February is a crazy birthday month for our family. First up is my mom. She's single and therefore, doesn't cook for herself very often. I'm thinking a couple of freezable home-cooked meals are in order. Next is my niece, brother-in-law, sister-in-law AND if that's not enough, my mother-in-law. Whew!

I have been thinking really hard about what to make for my mother-in-law and then it hit me while having dinner at their house a few nights ago. Last year, I gave her a set of Pyrex ovenware. Of the five, she has two left. Why?, you ask. Because she does what I'm sure most of us are guilty of; she fills them up with delicious goodies, takes them over to other peoples' homes and there they stay. I remembered seeing this idea on Pinterest and thought it would be PERFECT for her! So off to Michael's I went to gather supplies.

I bought the etching cream and a foam pouncing brush.

On my way home I picked up a set of Pyrex dishes.

I should have read the bottle first and I would have known the etching cream doesn't work too well on Pyrex. I didn't realize that until it was already on the glassware. If you can, try and buy a different brand.

Oh well, too late now, continue on....

I already had a TON of stickers at home. If you don't, grab some while you're at Michael's. Pick the side of the dish you want to etch and sticker away.

Pounce on a thick layer of the etching cream and wait at least 10 minutes. 

 Rinse off with soap and water and WAHLAH!... A personalized baking dish!

With any luck, she'll be able to hold onto these a little longer this time =)

This entire project cost around $25. At $12, the etch cream was a little pricey but I have plenty left over for other projects. I could have saved money but I always forget to bring my 40% off coupon to Michael's....DARN!