"Comfort Foods" - Cheesy Garlic Fries

So for those of you who aren't following my facebook page, I made an announcement there this afternoon that I will be forced to take a hiatus until around March 11th.  This is due to needing to travel to Florida to be with my family as we say goodbye to my aunt, who has fought a 10+ year battle with cancer.  She has 5 children, 4 of whom are still under 18.  No one thought she would last this long, but as it comes to an end for her, we are gathering to say goodbye and celebrate her life.  I have a tribute project coming in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for it.

When we have "one of those days", sometimes, all we need is a bit of comfort food.  One of my favorite comfort foods is french fries.  I am positively addicted to Red Robin's Garlic Fries.  SO SO yummy!  So tonight, I decided to make my own take of them, and, in my opinion, they were just as good!  I didn't get to take pictures through the process, as I'm in quite a hurry to get packed and out the door, but here it is!

Cheesy Garlic Fries
15oz french fries (1/2 bag)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Small handful shredded mozzarella cheese

First, follow instructions for oven pre-heating according to the back of the package of french fries.  Mine said 425 degrees.
Lay the french fries on a baking sheet in a single layer
Put in the oven and bake for 15-19 minutes
While the fries are cooking, take the butter and melt it down
After the butter is melted, add it to a large mixing bowl
Add the minced garlic and whisk together
Add the small handful of cheese and whisk together
Allow to sit for the remainder of the cooking time, whisking once or twice
Once the fries are baked, add them to the mixing bowl
Mix the fries in with the garlic mixture until well covered
Serve with your favorite dip or enjoy on their own!

"Tutu-torial Tuesday" - How To Make a Tutu!

So yesterday, I gave y'all a sneak peek at today's tutu-torial.  With Kaelyn's 2nd birthday party coming up, I wanted to try and get her something special to wear, and with the increasing popularity of tutus (along with the high prices), I decided to try and make her one myself.  I googled multiple tutorials for tutu-making, and found one I really liked.  Taking this tutorial, I attempted to add my own spin into things.  In going with her birthday theme, there were two colors I wanted to use. I went to Wal-Mart in Richmond on Saturday to purchase the tulle I needed, and came to find they didn't carry one of the colors I needed.  Thankfully, I was going to be visiting my parents the following day, so I figured I would wait and check at the stores in their area.  The first store (another WalMart), they didn't even carry fabric, so that was a bust.  The second store (Michael's) also didn't carry fabric, but as it was the first time I'd ever been in a Michael's I was completely awestruck and just flooded with ideas to use for future Tutorial Tuesdays!  But once again, a bust.  The final store I went to was a third WalMart about a half hour north of where my parents live and in the same shopping center as the Michael's.  Not only did they carry fabric, but they had the shade I needed (lavender).  Unfortunately, they only had 5 yards of it, meaning I was going to need to either purchase a third color or make my secondary color (pink) my primary, which would have been disappointing.  After brainstorming a bit, I decided to go ahead and add a third color (which ended up being the better choice in my opinion).  Overall, I ended up purchasing 12 yards of tulle and when I was done making the tutu, I still had a good 2 yards left, and its approximately a 2T-3T sized tutu.  That evening, I got to work!

Supplies
Tape measure
1 package/yard 3/4"-1" wide elastic
Needle and thread to match elastic
10-12 yards of tulle, depending on the size and colors you need, this can vary
Ribbon or embellishments

Step 1
Purchase and gather your supplies.

Step 2
Using a tape measure, measure the waist at the smallest point of the person you are making the tutu for.  You can also just use the elastic to measure, but the tape measure will be more exact and there is less likelihood of you accidentally stretching the elastic with a tape measure!

Step 3
Measure out and cut the elastic the appropriate length needed.  Take 1 end of the elastic and bring it approximately 2-3 inches past the other end and sew them together (it will look like a rectangle once you are done).  This is because while you are working, the elastic will be stretching and you don't want it falling off!

Step 4
If you aren't comfortable continuing by hand, find something wide enough to slip the elastic around.  Personally, I preferred holding it than putting it around something to work with it.

Step 5
Measure and cut your tulle into strips.  Whatever length you want your tulle, double that.  For example, I wanted the tutu to be 12" long, so I cut my strips at 24" long (about 12" wide on each as well).  Some people recommend cutting all the strips ahead of time, some prefer to cut as they go along.  I prefer to cut as I go along so I don't end up cutting too much and I can use what I have left for another activity!  But its mostly based on your personal preference!

Step 6
Take a strip and fold it in half so it's the length you want.  Then, perform a slipknot around the elastic. (Step By Step photos for the slipknot instructions are coming soon!)

Step 7
Continue with all the strips, performing slipknots around the elastic and keep them slid close together while you continue around.

Step 8
Once you get back to the portion of the elastic you sewed, the tulle will be looser to fit around the larger part of the elastic.  At this point, you can place a bow, flower, or embellishment of your choice, to hide anything that may be out of place.  At this point, if any of your length seems to be off, you can trim it evenly!

And there you have it! A homemade tutu!  I'll be making another in the next 48 hours, so I'll be sure to have step-by-step photos for you guys soon!  And hopefully, my little model will be in a better mood and more cooperative so I can get better photos than these!  Hope you guys have a tutu-lly awesome time trying these out for yourself!

"Tutorial Tuesdays" - A Weekly Crafting Series!

Tomorrow will be the first introduction into "Tutorial Tuesdays"!  Each Tuesday, I'll be dedicating to designing or crafting an item and providing a tutorial to create your own!  If you have any items you are interested in trying to make, or find a way to make it differently (or cheaper!), feel free to let me know!

Here's a sneak peek at tomorrow's tutu-torial :)

See y'all tutu-morrow!

"Good Combinations" - Apple & Brie Roll

As I stated in yesterday's blog, my family is a cheese-loving family.  I remember visiting with my dad and watching "Roar" (excellent show, look it up), when we decided that we wanted to enjoy some apples and cheese for a snack.  One of the cheeses we had available was brie.  So we would cut up a few apples and enjoy them with some brie.  It was an interesting, but tasty combination in my opinion.  Since then, it has been our favorite snack whenever I go to visit my parents.  From there, I introduced it to my husband and daughter, and of course, both of them love it as well.  So tonight while I was at the store, I just happened to brainstorm the Apple and Brie Roll.  While on Pinterest a few weeks ago, I had seen a Cheese and Pepperoni Roll recipe that sounded like a good base for this (that recipe can be found here).  So here we go.

Apple & Brie Roll
1 apple (I used Granny Smith)
1 8oz round of Brie
1 pre-packaged Pillsbury French or Italian bread (or you can use your own unbaked bread)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  You first take your dough and unroll it flat onto your baking sheet.  I recommend you unroll it directly on the baking sheet because otherwise, once the roll is finished, it could be difficult to lift onto the baking sheet without falling apart.

Afterwards, take the brie and remove all the rind.  From there, cut the brie into strips and line them up in rows around the dough.  This will help the cheese melt and spread evenly.

Then it's time to add the apples.  You can use a different type of apple if it appeals to you, I just personally enjoy the Granny Smith with the brie.  You can choose to keep or remove the rind.  You cut the apple into small chunks and spread them around on the bread.  Because of my mild OCD, I personally layered each cheese strip with 2-3 apple chunks and then spread additional apple in between the rows.

Next step is rolling the dough and ingredients.  If you go slow and evenly, it shouldn't be a problem.  Once rolled, it should look something like this.

Now is when you place that beautiful dough into the oven.  The pre-made bread loaves say to bake them for 25 minutes.  However, based on your oven, it can be shorter or longer than that.  This is how my dough looked after 17 minutes.

Cut it into slices and enjoy!  I sure know I did!  Though I think I may want to add some cinnamon on the next attempt :)

"Food is Fun" - English Muffin Pizzas

I guess I'll start my first blog post with a simple, easy, and FUN recipe.  Today was a warm 75 degree February day here in Virginia, and my daughter and I had been having a great time playing outside.  And then, of course, a nasty storm rolled in and ruined our fun.  My 2 year old was quite disappointed, so I decided that tonight for dinner, we were going to make it together!  I figured a good recipe to start with would be one I've been making since I was a child, and probably a number of you have as well!

English Muffin Pizzas
English Muffins
Jar of pizza sauce or tomato sauce (we use Prego)
1 8oz bag of mozzerella cheese
Any additional pizza toppings you may want to add

Three simple ingredients can mean a boatload of fun!  Since my husband has to work til 9pm tonight, we were just making them for the two of us.  However, because a little girl got hungry as we started, we actually used 3 English muffins.

First, we take our English muffins, cut or break them in half, and lay them out on a plate.

Then, using a spoon, scoop the sauce from the jar and onto the English muffins.  You can use the back of the spoon to spread the sauce.  The amount of sauce you use will vary by personal preference.

After the sauce has been added, take the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle (or dump in the case of my toddler) the cheese onto the English muffins.  The amount of cheese will also be personal preference (as will any additional toppings you decide to use).  We are a cheese-loving family, so we easily go through a half bag of cheese for two muffins!

After adding the cheese you, place them in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until the cheese is melted.  They may be pretty hot after you pull them out, so let them cool for a minute, especially if giving them to your kids!

Then all you have to do is enjoy!  A simple, easy meal that you can get your kids into, and that the entire family will love!  I know I had a blast with Kaelyn making these! She's going to be 2 in March, and she already enjoys making and eating these!  I see many more kid-friendly recipes coming to the blog in the future!  Enjoy!