Kitchen Curtains Complete!

Our kitchen has been my weak point for a year now. The window desperately need some color! The whole kitchen is white; white walls, white cabinets, white counter tops. I just really do not like to sew and kept putting this project off...and off. 

Earlier this week there was a Google Offer for 40% off one item at JoAnn's. This was my light under my butt; curtains must be done. With my crazy work schedule I wasn't able to use my coupon in time. The husband and I went to Ikea on Sunday and they had fabric there (who knew?!). They had exactly what I was looking for, grey & white checkered! And it was printed on both sides. Score!

I am not crafty enough to sew curtains with holes in the them or the little loops to put around the rod. Thankfully the rod my parents had given us came with rings, but no clips. I picked some up at Wal-Mart for about $7 a package. They had rings on them, so all I had to do was unhook the clips and put them on the rings.

The first step, of course, is to measure your window. I measured to see how wide and long my window was. I wanted to have enough fabric on each side to make it look like we had a lot of curtain, so I cut each panel the full size of my window. We would never actually close the curtains, so this was fine. 

I then pinned a one inch hem on all four sides of each panel. As I folded the corners, I cut a diagonal off so there wouldn't be a bunch of fabric in the corners and would lay flatter. Afterwards I ironed the sheets to get the fold marks out (if you have a lot, I recommend doing this before pinning) and the hems to help me sew straight. 

Then time to sew! Thankfully my machine worked smoothly with me. We usually are not the best of friends. At the corners I back stitched to make sure it was secure, turned the fabric then back stitched on the other side. So the whole panel was one continuous stitch.

After the panels were together, we hung them up on the rod and in the window. I decided then they would look cuter pulled to the side. My husband drill a small hole on each side of the window and twisted a hook into the wall. Then I grabbed some ribbon we had around the house and tied them back. I might switch the ribbon out, so don't judge me on it!

I am so proud of them! They add a lot to the room and finish the theme we have going. I still don't know if I love the accessories at the base of the window, but they look good for now!

I also framed one of Rob's grandmother's recipes in a frame by the window. It looks so good there! Such a nice memento! I am so proud that I finally did the curtains and they turned out well!

Changes in Attitude, Changes in...

Hey guys!

May has been an amazing month for us in the Snyder household. We kicked it off with our first Ranger's game (which we won!), a double date with my sister and her boyfriend, Ironman 3 with my girlfriend and her boy (another double date), and then I got a promotion! WOW! It happened so fast. It took 3 days for me to apply & get hired! I am so excited! I am now only three steps away from my dream job. This weekend we were able to attend a wedding shower for my sorority sister, Katie. It was so good to finally meet her finance!

Me, Katie (the bride), and Rae

Now I want to announce a huge change that will definitely affect this blog. Rob and I have decided to go on the Paleo diet. Have you heard of it? It is basically where you eat like they did in the 'caveman' days. So no breads, refined sugars, soda, dairy, legumes, etc. Its a lot of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and meat. I am extremely nervous, since I am a picky eater and don't like a lot of veggies. But Rob and I want to do this to change our eating habits. And maybe lose a couple of pounds here and there for its not a diet for dropping pounds like crazy. We are looking to gain a few things out of this diet incuding better eating habits, healthier lifestyle, and toner bodies.

We are not going to be very strict on this diet. You are only suppose to drink water, but if you know my husband we will keep our wine and beer as part of it. And we are doing it with 3 flex meals. So we can still go out and eat and enjoy some bread & cheese occasionally.  Along with the diet we are going to become better yogis. Rob is very dedicated about going to yoga every night. My work schedule is so back and forth, that I want to commit to at least 4 yoga classes a week. I will probably start going before work. 

We had our first Paleo-friendly shopping trips this weekend. We could not believe all the veggies we needed! It is crazy. 

I will use this blog to track our progress and also share any great recipes we try! I will also start posting more on our DIY projects and daily life, rather than all just recipes. Wish us luck on our journey! 

Pioneer Woman Blueberry Cobbler

Here is the easiest dessert you will ever make! You will have the ingredients on hand except for the fresh berries I bet. Use any berry/fruit you want to. We made it with blueberries, but the Pioneer Woman suggests peaches and strawberries as well.

 Berry Cobbler

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, melted

1 1/4 cups blus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup milk

2 cup fresh (or frozen) berries; blackberries, blueberries, raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup of the sugar with the flour and milk. Whisk in the melted buter. Rinse the berries and pat them dry. Pour the batter into the baking dish. Sprinkle the berries evenly over the top of the batter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup sugar over the blackberries. 

Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and bubbly. When 10 minutes to cooking time remain, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over the top.

Enjoy hot out of the oven with some ice cream! Even have some leftovers for breakfast the next day!

Week 19- Fried Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits

This week I wanted to make a truly southern meal. We have this cute cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, that is all southern food. It is a neat book because it follows this big city turned cowboy farm girl. She writes it more like a diary than a cookbook. Out of her book I decided to cook Fried Chicken, Buttermilk Biscuits, and Patsy's Blueberry Cobbler for our big ole meal. It was all so much easier to make than I thought. Just make sure you cook your chicken all the way through!

Fried Chicken

2 cut-up fryer chickens (I used only one chicken)

1 quart plus 1/4 cup buttermilk

5 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons seasoned salt, such as Lawry's

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup milk

canola or vegetable oil for frying (I used half a bottle)

Thoroughly rinse the chicken, then cover all the pieces with the quart of buttermilk and soak in the fridge overnight. When ready to fry, remove the bowl from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes, just to take of the chill.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 F and mix up the breading. Place the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, and cayenne in a very large bowl. Stir together well.

In the small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup buttermilk and the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the flour and, with a pastry cutter or fork, gradually mix until there are little lumps throughout. This will adhere to the chicken and make for a crispier breading. If necessary, add a little more flour or milk to the bowl in order to make it slightly lumpy.

Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until a thermometer reaches 365 F. Lower the heat slightly to keep the oil from getting any hotter.

Working in batches, thoroughly coat each buttermilk-soaked chicken piece with breading, pressing extra breading onto the chicken if necessary. Place the breaded pieces on a plate.

Add the chicken to the oil 3 or 4 pieces at a time. Make sure they aren't sticking together, then cover the pan and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the chicken isn't getting too brown. Turn the pieces over, cover again, and cook 3 to 5 minutes more. All the whole, monitor the temperature of the oil to make sure the chicken doesn't burn. Keep in mind that we'll finish cooking the chicken in the oven, and it will continue to brown.

Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue frying the rest of the chicken. When all the chicken has been fried, bake the chicken for 15 minutes, to finish the cooking process. Sometimes I'll cut into the thicker part of one of the larger pieces, just to make sure the chicken is cooked through. If any pink is visible, the chicken needs to continue cooking in the oven.

Buttermilk Biscuits

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cups buttermilk (If you don't have any, add 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar to just under 1 cup low-fat milk and stir together)

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together. Add the shortening and cold butter pieces. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined. The biscuit dough will be sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.

Lightly flour a clean surface. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/3 to 3/4 thickness, depending on how thick you'd like your biscuits to be.

Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them in a baking dish or on a cookie sheet. Bake for 11 to 14 minutes, until golden brown. Do not underbake or the biscuits will be doughy.

It was a delicious southern meal! We didn't have a biscuit round, so I used a flower cooke cutter. Made the biscuits festive! Check out my next post for the blueberry cobbler!

Week 18- Skillet Sausage Pasta

Last week I wasn't able to cook because of my crazy work schedule and our little trip. We were able to go back to Arkansas and see my lovely friend, Jamie, get married! She has an awesome blog too, read it here. 

This week I wanted something easy to whip up before the premiere of Ironman 3. If you haven't seen it, you must! I found a one skillet pasta with sausage recipe online and decided to play with it. This is what I came up with! Rob says it was a 10 and very delicious! Plus is all is cooked in one dish, so easy clean up!

Skillet Sausage Pasta

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 14-ounce package smoked turkey sausage, sliced into rounds

1 diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel Tomatoes and Green Chiles, Original Style

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 ounces uncooked penne pasta

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Salt, to taste

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) until smoking.  Add the sausage and onion, and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add in the garlic, and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broth, Ro-Tel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper, and give the mixture a good stir.

 Bring to a boil, cover the skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until the pasta is tender, about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. 

Preheat the oven to 400 F while the pasta is cooking. Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. 

Top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

Week 16- Beer Mac & Cheese

This weekend we were not able to make it to the grocery store, so it was 'clean out your pantry week'. Pasta seems to be the one thing we always buy and not use. And I have had some major craving for some mac & cheese. How to make it Rob-eatable? Add BEER! This is a super easy recipe for Beer Mac & Cheese; it could be whipped up last minute. Try to use a darker beer because they provide more flavor. I used Anchor Steam Anchor Bock and it was so good! Also, your pasta doesn't matter too much. Usually mac & cheese is elbow macaroni, but I used farfalle because that's what we had.

Beer Mac & Cheese

 1 lb. pasta

2 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoon flour

2/3 cup beer of your choice, darker preferably

1 1/3 cups milk

2 2/3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Cook pasta in very salty water until al dente.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. 

Whisk flour into the butter to form a roux and cook for 1 minute.

Whisk beer into roux a little at a time until you’ve worked out all the lumps.

Whisk milk into sauce. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture has thickened, about 6-8 minutes.

 Remove sauce from heat. Stir in sharp cheddar cheese and pepper. Mix until cheese has melted. Add pasta to sauce and toss until pasta is evenly coated.

My husband is going to start home brewing. I have been wondering for the longest time why he doesn't do this already! I can't wait to make this dish over with one of his beers!

Blueberry Tea Cake

I have discovered that making a breakfast dish for Saturday mornings usually lasts us about halfway through the week. It is nice waking up knowing there is some homemade delicious-ness waiting for you. So far all I have done are bread dishes, but I want to branch out with some casseroles. Do you have any good ones? This week I made a Blueberry Tea Cake. It was simple and enjoyable!

Blueberry Tea Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 cup plain yogurt

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Postion a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking dish.

In a bowl, stir together the 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom. Set aside. (Side note: the cardamom was too powerful for me, so next time I will use half of the amount)

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and brown sugar. Beat on low speed until thick and fluffy. Add the 1/2 cup melted butter, rum, lemon zest and beat just until blended. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the yogurt in 2 batches, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed just until smooth. Fold the blueberries with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. 

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.