My Awesome Iron Man Shoes April 24, 2012

So I know it’s been a while since I last posted but I finally feel like I finally have something to blog about!

I made shoes! Well…not made shoes I guess…I enhanced a pair from Target and thought they were cool enough to share with everyone. I also thought it was appropriate to post about them now in case anyone else wants some great shoes to wear to the Avengers movie coming out on the 4th.

Originally I wanted to make some Star Wars heels but first, I couldn’t find any cheap heels then, I couldn’t find any Star Wars comics. I was so disappointed about the comics that I had to call my mother for moral support while I riffled through hundreds of cheap books at a local store. That’s when I decided I’d make some Wonder Woman shoes, until I found they didn’t even have any good Wonder Woman comics! So I spent the next hour and a half trying to figure out what comic series I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen walking around in. Although, I came to the realization that there isn’t anything that I would be particularly embarrassed about, but it was more the fact that I wanted them to be recognized. I wanted people to look at my shoes and say “OMG! Those are the best___________ shoes I’ve ever seen! Where did you get those?” and I would reply, “I made them and no, they’re not for sale” and crush their dreams under my awesome shoes.

Sorry about getting off topic. Anyway, I finally found a great classic Iron Man comic and a decent newer one and bought those for a total of $3. With the shoes my grand total came to $15. Yep, $15, that’s all for a custom pair of superhero shoes.

So, to make the shoes I cut out the comic pieces and painted the back of the comic with the decoupage glue, glossy Mod Podge. I did leave some excess paper around the edges of the shoe and when the Mod Podge dried I just trimmed it up with the edge of my kitchen shears (since they come apart and I can use them as an exacto knife, I did). Once all the comic pieces were on and trimmed, I went over the shoe with three coats of Mod Podge, drying between coats. The next day I added about another three coats of Mod Podge to repair any tears from wearing.

The process was time consuming and sticky (in fact I think I still have some Mod Podge under my fingernails) but totally worth it. The shoes I used were man-made leather with puckering at the heel and seemed to work just fine. If I were to make another pair I would absolutely use heels (mainly because that’s all I really wear).

Without further ado, here are the shoes:

I hope you are inspired to make your own!

–Aly

Tropical Tiki Cupcakes February 3, 2012

Alright, so this recipe wasn’t exactly inspired by anything tiki but I thought a clever name for this recipe was in order. These cupcakes are light, moist, delicious and only three ingredients!

I know, another three ingredient cake, how do I come up with these things? Well I would have to say that Pinterest is my main inspiration now. I found that these cupcakes can be made with only two ingredients and I thought I would add another just to punch up the flavor.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Box Lemon Cake Mix

1 18 oz Can No Added Sugar Crushed Pineapple, undrained

3/4 C. Shredded Coconut

Directions:

Mix cake mix and pineapple on medium for about a minute. Add coconut and mix for another minute.

Scoop into cupcake liner filled muffin tin and bake per package directions.

Remove from tin and let cool before frosting. I used a little more than half a can of lemon frosting for 24 cupcakes.

After all of this the cupcakes came out to be about 140 calories each (100 calories without frosting). Of course you could omit the pre-made frosting and opt for some homemade lemon glaze (powdered sugar and lemon juice) instead to cut down on the calories.

I hope you like them!
–Aly

Quick Biscuit Doughnuts with Chocolate Kahlua Glaze January 11, 2012

Last month I found a recipe for doughnuts that can be made whenever you feel like it. No waiting to proof or having to let them rest before frying them up. These are the kind of recipes that I adore. So simple I couldn’t believe that I had not thought of it before. There is only one ingredient for the doughnuts themselves and the chocolate glaze is at least three ingredients. That’s all. So easy my husband could make them without help. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

Doughnuts:
1 10 count can of Biscuits (anything except flaky biscuits, I like the Texas Style Biscuits myself)
Oil for Frying (I like Vegetable Oil)

Glaze:
1/4-1/2 c. Powdered Sugar
2-3 tbsp. Chocolate Powder
3-5 tbsp. Kahlua/Milk

Directions:
Separate biscuits and punch a hole out of the middle. I used the large end of a piping tip to get the holes in the doughnuts.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. You can test the oil with a doughnut hole. Oil is at a good temperature when bubbles form around the dough.

When oil is hot enough, add doughnuts (make sure not to crowd the pan) and fry to a golden brown. Fry up the doughnut holes as well.

The ingredients for the glaze should be mixed to your taste. If you don’t want to use Kahlua just use milk.

Dip the doughnuts in the glaze once cooled a bit and then enjoy!

These doughnuts are so easy and delicious I plan to make them again and again.

–Aly

Slow Cooker Steak Chili December 19, 2011

So, I’m a terrible blogger. I can’t seem to make updates…ever. Then I don’t know how to jump back into blogging because I’ve been away for a while. Anyway, I am going to try to be better but with the holidays I’m not sure how many posts I’ll really be able to do between now and the first of the year.
This post is for a recipe that my husband loves, steak chili. Now, this chili is not your normal chili with ground beef, but a thick chili with chunks of tender steak throughout.
Without further ado, here is my steak chili recipe:

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs. Chuck/Skirt Steak
1 Large Onion, diced
2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Bottle of Beer (I like Shiner Bock)
1 Package of Chili Mix (I like either the hot or the low sodium)
If using more than one pound of steak, add several dashes of Cumin, Chili Powder,  Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Cayenne,  and Dried Cilantro
1 Can of Habanero Ro-Tel
1 Can of Pinto Beans, undrained
1 Can of Tomato Paste

Directions:
Slice the steak into strips against the grain then turn to dice into cubes. If you don’t cut the steak against the grain then your steak will be tough instead of tender (trust me, this is the most important step).
Add the steak, onion, beer, garlic, chili mix, powders and Ro-Tel to a slow cooker, or cast iron pot.
In the slow cooker, cook on low for six hours or high for four. In the cast iron pot cook on medium heat for one and a half hours with the lid on.*
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and let simmer for 30-45 more minutes or until thickened.
Serve over low sodium Fritos and top with cheese for a great Frito Pie.
* I recommend making this in the slow cooker because your chili will be much more tender the longer you can let this cook.

The best thing about this chili is that it gets better the longer it sits. I also wanted to say that if you are a true Texan you can always omit the beans but your chili might not be as thick as mine.

So, I hope you enjoy this recipe while it is still cold out!

–Aly

Happy Ada Lovelace Day! October 7, 2011

Today is Ada Lovelace Day and I guess this is a good a time as any to post again. This day is to honor women in the sciences since Ada was the first computer programmer.

I posted some time ago about a few of my favorite comics, and one, called Lovelace & Babbage, is about Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage and their adventures in computer programming. I adore this web comic. It is ridiculous but that’s what makes it so enjoyable. Lovelace & Babbage’s adventures are almost always revolving around Babbage’s Difference Engine (computer) and their need to save Victorian England.

If you are interested to find out more about Ada Lovelace Day please follow this link, http://findingada.com/.

I hope you have a happy Ada Lovelace Day!
–Aly

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff September 9, 2011

So yesterday I felt a bit lazy but still wanted a home cooked meal so I brought out the Crock Pot again. I’m sure you can tell that I use it as often as possible. It’s convenient and gives meals a slow-cooked flavor without me having to do much work at all. That, and dinner is ready after I get home from work.

Well, enough about my Crock Pot. I only made a few alterations to the original below. First, I didn’t have any onion so I used dried minced onion instead. Also, I’m not a fan of using flour as a thickener, unless that’s all I have available, instead I like to use corn starch. The only difference is that for the cornstarch to work properly (and not gum up at the bottom of the pan) you just need to make a slurry with a bit of cold water. Lastly, I used twice the amount of mushrooms because I love mushrooms and, I use egg noodles because that is the way my mom always made it.

This recipe comes courtesy of Five Little Peaches.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

1-2 lbs. Stew Meat
1 tsp. Salt
Pepper, to taste
1 Onion, sliced
Garlic Powder, to taste
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1 T. Ketchup
1 1/2 C. Low Sodium Beef Broth
1/3 C. Flour or 2-3 T. Corn Starch
1/2 C. Water or 1-2 T. Water (if using Corn Starch)
8-16 oz. Fresh Sliced Mushrooms
1/2 C. Fat-Free Sour Cream

Put stew meat into your crock pot and sprinkle chopped onion, salt, pepper and garlic powder over top.  In a small bowl combine the broth, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.  Pour over top of meat.  Cook on high 4-5 hours. (You can also cook it on low heat for 7-8 hours but I feel like the meat becomes overly tender and falls apart when small pieces of meat are cooked for that long.)  After about 3 1/2 hours add mushrooms and cook 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, whisk together the flour and water (or cornstarch and water) and pour into the crock pot. Stir into the meat mixture to thicken.  Cover and cook 30 minutes longer.  Stir in sour cream just before serving and ladle over top of cooked rice or pasta.

I hope you like this recipe!

–Aly

Two Ingredient Cake! August 17, 2011

So I found a cake recipe that only calls for two ingredients! That’s right…two. I cannot believe that there is a cake that only takes two ingredients. It’s so easy my husband could make it without my help.

Now, I’m not taking the “two ingredients” too literally. The two magic ingredients are a box cake mix and a 15 oz can of pumpkin puree. This not only makes the cake low in fat but dense and moist like a brownie as well.

If you don’t like pumpkin then you’re in luck, you can’t even taste the pumpkin in the cake. I made it with a devils food cake mix but I suppose you could make it with any cake mix in your pantry. This is by far the easiest cake recipe I have found and I can make it quickly if I’m really craving something sweet.

Without further ado, here is the amazing recipe:

1 box cake mix
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix on medium for 2 minutes. Spoon into a greased  7 x 11 cake pan and bake for about 28 minutes or untila toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

You can frost the cake with a buttercream frosting  (shortening, a little butter, milk, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder for chocolate frosting) or you can make a glaze with some milk, powdered sugar and perhaps pumpkin pie spice if you are looking for something easier. Just be sure to let the cake cool completely before pouring glaze over the cake.

Well, I hope you make this easy cake because it really does taste delicious and is too simple for words.

–Aly

Banh Mi August 10, 2011

I know it’s been a couple of weeks since my last post and I apologize. Time has been flying here and I really have not been doing anything aside from work and sleep.

Anyway, I hope that this recipe makes up for my neglect, at least a little bit.

Last week we had bahn mis for dinner. If you have never had a banh mi, a vietnamese sandwich, I recommend trying one. If you like asian flavors and sandwiches then you can’t really go wrong with this easy recipe.

I know out seems like a lot of ingredients but they all work well together. If you feel like making it spicier you can always add sliced jalapeños.

Bahn Mi:
1 pork loin
1-2 tbsp sweet chili sauce with garlic
2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
1/2 tbsp sriracha
Shredded carrots
Cucumber, thinly sliced
Rice wine vinegar
Cilantro
Finely sliced red onion
Mayonnaise
Sriracha
Sweet chili sauce
French baguette or any crusty bread

Place pork loin in dish and coat with next three ingredients.
Cook at 350° for about 25 minutes or until thermometer reaches 156°.
When it’s finished cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile let the carrots and cucumbers soak in the rice vinegar to get a quick pickle.

When pork is finished (and rested) slice in 1/4 in. slices.
Spread mayonnaise, chili sauce and sriracha in baguette (all to taste). Add pork, cucumbers, carrots, cilantro and onion. Top with a squeeze of lime if desired and enjoy!

–Aly

Beer Marshmallows July 13, 2011

I apologize for being remiss in my postings. Things have been a bit crazy lately and when I had the opportunity to leave town for a couple of days, my blog was the last thing on my mind.

That being said, I found an interesting recipe for beer marshmallows. That’s right, I said beer marshmallows.

I’ll just let that one sink in for a minute…

So, your reaction is probably close to mine when I first read the title of the recipe. Mine went a little something like this: “What! Really? Can that actually taste good? Oh, my gosh, I can make beer s’mores!”

Well, I did finally find the time to make them and they tasted just the way I thought they would. Sweet with a hint of beer. Now I used Bud Light in mine since I didn’t know just how much flavor the beer would impart to the recipe. In actuallity there was not much beer flavor in them. I think would like to try Shock Top’s Raspberry Wheat beer next time though. Also, these might be good with a soda instead of beer. Hmm…Dr. Pepper marshmallows might be pretty tasty.

Anyway, here is the recipe, and picture, courtsey of howsweeteats.com. The only difference between her recipe and mine is that I didn’t cover my marshmallows in chocolate.

Beer Marshmallows
makes one 9 x 13 pan of marshmallows, cut however you desire

3 1/2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (I used Knox)
1 cup cold, flat beer, divided in two
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg whites or reconstituted powdered egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

To flatten the beer, take the cap off the bottle and leave open overnight, or pour beer into a bowl and whisk vigorously to remove some carbonation. Just make sure it is cold.

Oil a 9 x 13 baking pan (I actually just used Pam) and sprinkle on powdered sugar to cover and coat. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (a whisk attachment is best), pour 1/2 cup cold beer and 3 1/2 packs of gelatin. Let sit while you make the sugar mixture.

In a large pot combine sugar, remaining beer, syrup and salt (you could probably use a medium pot but my mixtures always boil over the top). Heat over low heat and whisk until sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Turn heat up to medium and let sugar come to a boil. It will bubble up so keep your eye on it so it does not overflow. Let it boil for 8-12 minutes, until it reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. The mixture will appear to be a lightish brown color depending on the beer you use – don’t worry, the marshmallows will still be white.

Once mixture is at 240 degrees F, turn off heat and gently pour it in the mixer over the gelatin with the mixer on low-speed. Once all of the sugar has been added, turn the mixer to high and beat for 6-8 minutes. It should grow in size and be white and fluffy. About 3-4 minutes in, add the egg whites to a separate bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Once stiff peaks are formed, add egg whites and vanilla extract to the sugar/gelatin mixture and beat until just combined.

Pour marshmallow mix into the 9 x 13 pan. It will impossibly sticky, and you will probably not be able to get it all out of the bowl. Get as much as you can, then spray a spatula with non-stick spray and smooth. Dust powdered sugar on top and let sit to firm up for 3-5 hours.

Once firm, turn the pan upside down on a cutting board to release marshmallow rectangle. Cut them into pieces of whatever size you like. Marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks!

 

I hope you like this recipe and if you decide to make it with a different liquid let me know!

–Aly

Ice Cream Bread June 29, 2011

So I stumbled across this recipe about a month ago and I could not believe that this bread is only two ingredients. I had to read it over twice just to be sure I didn’t miss anything!

When I made this I used Bunny Tracks ice cream but I’m sure any kind would be just as fantastic. I do think that using an ice cream with chunks is great because you get those little nuggets of sweetness throughout the bread. Other than finding these bits of sugar, the bread is not sweet. It has the sweetness of a scone and is not overly dense.

I have to admit that after making this bread I began to think about the different recipes I can create with self-rise flour. I believe the creations might be endless.

Ice Cream Bread

2 Cups (or 1 pint) Ice Cream, any flavor, softened
1 1/2 cups Self-Rising Flour

Preheat your oven to 350. Spray and flour a 8 x 4 loaf pan.
In a medium bowl mix the ice cream and flour together until just combined.
Scoop into the loaf and and smooth out.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the loaf comes out with a few crumbs stuck to it. The bread will not brown so the toothpick test is really best.
Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

I hope you make this easy bread! Let me know what ice cream you use!

–Aly