Chalkboards!

I saw a super tutorial on DIYfunideas.com last week that inspired me to make a couple of chalkboards for my house. I followed the tutorial completely (so check it out!), and added a couple of extras that I will share.

First I started with a couple of old unattractive framed prints I got at Goodwill for half-off. Notice that the top one has a white mat. That is important to facilitate my decorative addition.

I put masking tape (carefully, straightly) right up next to the frame on top of the glass, covering most of the white mat. It is hard to see in this picture, but it is there.

I disassembled the other frame per the instructions on DIYfunideas.com. However, I would not recommend that course of action unless you are SURE you can get it all put back together safely. Those little staples used in cheap commercial framing are beastly.

Ok--a couple of steps are shown here: Paint the frame gold. Paint the first of 4 coats of chalkboard paint on the glass. I roughed the glass up with sandpaper before I painted it. 

Here are two other frames I did as well. The larger one was the one I took apart that I shouldn't have. The smaller one was an old picture frame that was easily taken apart. My little 3 year old helper wanted to make a chalkboard, too, so the small one is hers.

Once the gold paint is dry, rub petroleum jelly (Vaseline), on any areas you want the gold to come through after the final coat of paint. 

Paint the frame with the top coat color, and use a paper towel to wipe away the areas that had Vaseline. (This is all pretty redundant if you looked at the tutorial I learned this from).

Here's where I added a little extra fun. Carefully remove the masking tape. I ran an Exacto knife along the edges of it to make sure I didn't peel up any paint while removing it.

(Ignore my feet and legs.:)) Here is the chalkboard with the white mat showing through the uncovered glass.

I found this fun vinyl on the clearance rack this week at the grocery store. It is the kind that clings to glass. The white lines are transparent when you remove the vinyl from the paper backing.  I have used it to decorate a few large vases and jars around my house. I thought it would be PERFECT for this.  All you crafters with vinyl cutting machines could use other vinyl and play around with the possibilites on this, I'm sure.

One package gives you 3 sheets of fun. 

Cut the vinyl to frame the chalkboard.  Ta-da!

So, the tall skinny board was a lesson for me. I love how it turned out, but the vinyl was a total cover-up, because while oh-so-carefully reassembling the frame (putting the chalkboard covered glass back into the staple-ridden frame back), I broke the glass. Just a tad, but enough that it would show. So I stuck a sheet of vinyl onto the bottom.  It will be a menu/ list board in my kitchen!

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Pesto Chicken Dinner

Warmer weather means two things in my kitchen: Popsicles in the freezer and a slow cooker on the counter.  Summer days are hot enough without adding the heat of a baking oven, am I right?  

And if you are like me, Summer days are busy. I like a dinner that is ready when we are worn out from a day of play in the sunny weather.  

This meal will become a go-to solution in your house. I have served it SO many times--to my family and to guests--and it is ALWAYS a hit.  

This is quite possibly the easiest slow-cooker meal EVER! 

*TWO* Ingredients for the chicken: Frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs (strips or whole thighs) and pesto! I love the Classico Traditional Basil Pesto. I've used other pestos, and they work well, too. 

 

I don't do any actual measuring for this meal. I put a layer of frozen chicken on the bottom of the slow-cooker and spread some pesto on top. For a family of 6, I use about 1/3 of a jar on this first layer...

...And add another layer of chicken with about 1/3 more of the jar on top of that. If you are feeding a crowd, use the entire jar and really pack the chicken into the pot. It cooks down quite a bit.

Now to multi-task. Put a layer of aluminum foil on top of the chicken. I use the heavy stuff--you may want two sheets if yours is regular foil. Wash some potatoes and set them right on top of the foil. Give them a good sprinkling with sea salt. Cover your cooker and leave it on low for 6-8 hours.

Six hours later... I have some cooked 'taters and chicken. See how much it cooks down?

Remove potatoes (we're going to have fun with them in a sec) and the foil.  This is what your chicken will look like pre-shredding.

Use two forks to shred the chicken. It will fall apart with beautiful ease. You will be using a straining spoon to serve it up on to plates. All that leftover broth can be saved to make a mean chicken noodle soup or Italian wedding soup. It is a delicious base.

Now, on to the potatoes. This is your seasoning line-up. I really like this McCormick Italian seasoning. I also  really like Tone's Rosemary Garlic seasoning (which has the salt in it).  I have made these potatoes with both of these seasonings to much applause. 

 

Coat a large frying pan with olive oil (canola or avocado oil work, too).  Chop your potatoes into bite-size chunks and throw them in on top of the oil. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt, Italian seasoning, and ground black pepper over the potatoes and toss to coat.  Turn your burner on high and fry those babies up! I usually do a few more sprinkles of salt and seasoning along the way.

Mmm, mmm. This is the #1 way my family likes potatoes. Even beats french fries.

Toss together a green salad and plate it all up. 

PRESTO!  You've made a delicious Pesto Chicken meal!!

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Strawberry Cream Pie

What did you bring to Easter dinner?  I made ham, my favorite rolls, deviled eggs, 

and Strawberry Cream Pie. 

I developed this recipe several years ago thanks to my dad. He LOVES strawberries. And he has a summer birthday, so he always asks for strawberry shortcake for his birthday cake.  One summer he tasted a blueberry cream pie I had made using a recipe from a Eugene, OR, Junior League cookbook as my base. My dad suggested that he would like it even more with strawberries.  So, a couple of weeks later I made him a Strawberry Cream Pie for his birthday. 

I love this recipe because it uses such basic ingredients. I will post a recipe for 1 pie. I doubled it to make 2 for Easter Dinner, so my pictures will show larger amounts. (Full recipe is at the end of the post, after the tutorial).

First you need to prepare your pie crusts. Store-bought pie crust works fine for this recipe, but I decided to homemake mine. I used a new recipe from Yesterfood.blogspot.com that uses half butter and half coconut oil. It was GREAT. You can find it here.

Here are the ingredients for the filling. It is truly "as easy as pie," since you just beat everything but the strawberries together, then fold them in.

Here are the topping ingredients. The blueberry cream pie that inspired this one called for chopped nuts on top. I like nuts, but I didn't really like the idea of a nut topping from the start for this pie.  I did the cereal topping the first time I made the pie, and we loved it!

 

First step: mix together all filling ingredients except strawberries.

Second step: fold in sliced strawberries.

Pour carefully into the pie shell and bake in 400° oven 25 minutes.

While pie is baking, prepare topping by crushing 1 heaping cup of cereal into one heaping half cup. I like to do this using the bottom of a glass in a bowl or measuring cup.

Mix crushed cereal with 2 tablespoons of softened butter and 3 tablespoons of flour.

Spread topping on the pie and return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

It won't look a lot different after baking, but the topping will be crisped up and a bit darker. (My photos didn't capture this well, so you'll have to trust me).

Strawberry Cream Pie

Filling:

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

Topping: 

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons softened butter

1/2 cup (heaping) crushed Honey Bunches of Oats cereal (1 heaping cup before crushing)

Instructions: 

1. Preaheat oven to 400°.  Set aside pie crust

2. Beat well with electric mixer: sour cream, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, and egg.

3. Fold in strawberry slices.

4. Pour into pie crust and bake for 25 minutes.

5. Prepare topping while pie is baking: Mix all ingredients using a fork.

6. After pie has baked, spread topping on pie. Return to oven to bake for 10 more minutes.

7. Cool pie on counter at least 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered until ready to eat. May be made 1 day in advance.

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3 Cuts + 2 Seams = 1 Skirt

I have claimed other skirts I've made to be easy. But they pale in comparison to the ease of this one. I whipped it out, with a little help from my 3 year old, in less than an hour. 

And it is comfy...and cute....and wrinkle-resistant.

I found the tutorial on Crafster.org. It was super-easy to follow. The only changes I made were to some of the measurements: 

1. I made the waistband wider--so I cut a 12" wide piece, instead of a 10" wide piece.

2. The tutorial also assumes a waist size of 28-30. You can adjust to fit any waist by making the waist piece the length you need. Just remember it is stretchy fabric, so snug is okay. 

3. I made the skirt longer by cutting a 43" square, instead of 42."  I wanted to make sure it fell below my knee, and I'm glad I made that change. 

Click HERE for the tutorial.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the source of the fabric I used. I found this wonderful fabric shop in Seattle last week--District Fabric.  Talk about eye candy! I had to practice major self-restraint.  The owner travels to Los Angeles, New York, and India to choose the fabrics. And they are reasonably priced. This is a NICE, soft, jersey knit, and it cost about $6/yard. SWEET!

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The Timeless Classic Skirt

Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall,  Katherine Hepburn, Lucille Ball---

What do these women have in common aside from being among the most classic actresses of all time?

They all wore skirts with the timeless, classic cut of this one. 

Seriously, this look will ALWAYS be in style. It's modest yet flattering, flowy yet feminine. Once it's in your closet, it won't ever leave. 

For this skirt, I used an excellent tutorial by Altered Cloth, which can be found here.

The directions for measuring, cutting, pinning and sewing are all there with clear illustrations.

I used a synthetic knit fabric for this one. It was actually with the athletic/swim fabric at the store. It feels so light and soft. Jersey knit would also work well. It MUST be a fabric that stretches quite a bit, since you don't use any elastic in the waist--just the fabric. 

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