Jan 27, 2013

Baked Mac & Cheese

Edit: Please read the updated version of this post here.



I don't have any pictures right now, but I've just decided that I'm going to make my homemade mac and cheese for valentine's dinner. I kind of mashed together several recipes in order to make it, so, I figured I should write the recipe down, and perhaps share it... You know, because... The last time I made it everyone LOVED it. It's delicious!

Anyways, I'll be sure to add pictures of it when I make it for valentines. We don't want to go out ON Valentin's for dinner because... It's going to be packed everywhere! So, we'll go out a week before or a week early at one of our favorite Teriyaki/Sushi places (one of those awesome high quality, low price places!).

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of shell pasta
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cups milk
12 oz shredded Velveeta cheese
Hot Dogs of choice
Bread crumbs
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (F).

Cook the noodles to al dente, drain then pour into a large casserole dish. Chop up hot dogs into small pieces and mix in with the noodles.

Heat the milk in a large sauce pan. Melt butter in the milk, then stir in flour a little at a time. Now add the cheese a little at a time. Constantly stir so the milk doesn't boil until the cheese is melted. Pour this mixture over the noodles. It should almost cover them completely. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper on top to taste, then sprinkle bread crumbs on top.

Slide this into the oven, if you're worried about it bubbling oven, slide a cookie pan on the rack below the one the casserole dish is on.

Bake for a half hour. Let cool slightly. Nom. Enjoy.

The recipe above is approximate... I didn't write down the recipe I actually used, so this is what I THINK it was, haha... I will correct it if necessary after I bake it again. The last time I made it, I didn't use hot dogs, I used these little bite sized pieces of meat... Can't remember what they were called but it was delicious.

Jan 21, 2013

Valentines and a Hiatus

Judging by my banner choice, you can tell valentine's is on the way! My boyfriend and I don't necessarily do much for V-day, but that's because our first valentine's together I got really upset earlier in the day and couldn't shake my mood when I was hanging out with him. 

This year, though, I am determined to at least do something nicer than usual. I have recently found (and immediately followed) a blog called Love, Actually, and it's really given me the motivation in these cold months to do something special. For xmas, I made my boyfriend homemade Reese's cups. Well, now he want's heart shaped ones for valentine's. I also want to try my hand at making bacon roses, but I don't want to buy fake flowers just to take them apart for the stems. He wants the stems to be edible, but I'm not even going to try that unless someone helpfully points me in the direction of an easy to follow tutorial for edible stems that are sturdy enough to hold bacon roses! 

I also would like to give him some kind of a spa treatment, but I'm not sure if he will be in the mood for one. He hasn't been wanting a foot rub even though the muscles are visibly knotted! 

In December, he got me this awesome plush hedgehog at Shopko and since then we have learned that it's the perfect stuffed animal. It's round, and is the perfect size to use as a pillow, or wrap your arm around it and hug it. He sleeps hugging a pillow half the time, so I would like to get him one of these animals, but I'm not sure if they are going to be there anymore or if he will like any of the other animals. I don't want to end up with 2 of the same plush just because he also wanted a hedgehog too! 

Anyways, on to the Hiatus part of my post. I don't have the room or supplies where I am staying to craft. So I'm not crafting. I plan on cooking more, so I can do some posts on that, but for now, I won't be posting very often, sadly. I REALLY hope to get back to crafting soon, as I am getting very stressed without it. Until then! 


Jan 13, 2013

Inspiration Post - Sweater Coat

I have been collecting pictures of things that I want to make. One of them is a nice long thick sweater coat! I really would like to make this soon, if only I had ANY money left from the holidays. I did go through some garbage bags full of clothes out in the garage and found 3 "sweaters"... That aren't really sweaters but thick shirts. Only one has sleeves, but 3 should be enough to frankenstein together into a sweater with a short skirt. Hopefully!

I want this to be a practice run, but a successful one so I can wear the result, with the experience to make a bigger and fuller one like these below:

By Smarmyclothes on Craftster.org

Also by Smarmyclothes on Craftster.org
I personally like the idea of one that reaches my knees, not all the way to the ground. These ones by Smarmy are both inspired by Alice in Wonderland... The first one is based on the Queen of Hearts, the second the Chesire Cat. I would like mine to go with more outfits... but it IS going to be covering most of what I am wearing anyways... 

The "sweaters" I have are white, black, and grey. So, at least this one will be more monochromatic. I used to like black, and wear only mostly black, but I am going more towards brown now. I think I would like a brown and maybe pale-ish pink, coat? Not sure on the pink. Terracotta would be good too, matching my bed set. I guess it just should be what I find at the thrift store! 

I will post updates on how my trial run will go with the "sweaters" that I found. Maybe I will be able to scrounge just enough fabric from them to make a hood! 

Jan 6, 2013

I break promises, so here are my goals instead.

A while back, I wrote a post on what I was making people for xmas and that I would post pictures of all of the goodies after I had given them to the receivers. Well, I didn't take any pictures. I'm sorry. They were all pretty cool. But. I'm not big on taking pictures. Which is sad.

However, I did make up a crappy light box/tent and took some pictures of things I've made to sell, so here are some of those:


Ninja Star Jewelry Set

Key Rosary w/freshwater pearls

Wrapped Leather Bracelets


Well, I guess I lied. One of my friends took a picture of the cup cozy I made him. Here it is (above). He's already accidentally thrown it away and had to rescue it; I'm waiting to hear about someone forgetting to rescue it before it's too late. I won't be surprised or upset, because, that's just what's going to happen to these. Anyways, on to the second reason for posting: Goals. 

These are only goals that are blogger related, because I haven't exactly made any others except to get a damn job. Well, also to possibly go to my hometown to see friends and family. Anyways. 

  • Comment on more blogs that I'm following. In order to show them support and encourage them to continue blogging for my own selfish need to have blogs to read. 
  • Do better posts that are better related to things I have already crafted instead of talking about what I want to craft and such things. 
  • Post more pictures of crafts that I have made. Also talk about them. 
  • Force people to start following my blog by being interesting enough to continue reading.
  • Also talk more about my 1 other passion besides crafting: Animals. Yep. I'd like to be a vet someday. I've already watched dogs get their genitals mutilated and large, wild birds be euthanized without any kind of emotional breakdown, so I think I would be good at it. 
One of my problems is that I ramble a lot. I can't help it. In life, I am too quiet for anyone to hear me, much less listen to me, so I sort of do all of my bitching online. I could write a goal about stopping that, but I know it's not going to happen unless my voice suddenly decides it's going to start projecting itself.

Anyways. I've already several bloggers' goals but hey, what could it hurt to read a few more? What are YOUR goals for 2013? Honestly, I think it was good enough to live through the apocalypse. 

Jan 5, 2013

Crafting Withdrawal!

So, my boyfriend got a job a while ago, and he works night shifts mostly. So because of this, I've slowly shifted over to his schedule in order to spend time with him while he's AWAKE. The problem with this is the fact that we don't live on our own. We are staying at his mothers.Who sleeps most of the time that I am awake.

So because of this, I haven't been crafting very much. I just got a brand new sewing machine, and I want to SEW, however it's loud and I don't have anything over there to cut up and do anything with anyways. Plus, her two dogs are probably going to start barking whenever I touch that foot pedal.

The HUGE downside to this schedule is that I don't do anything while I'm awake. Our gym is closed, it's dark so I'm too afraid to go walking around at night, (this whole 12/21/12 end of the world thing is gotten slightly out of control with all of these shootings, am I right?) and no one has seen fit to hire me on as an employed, civilized and not lazy person. Not for lack of trying on my part, of course, but I am getting more and more annoyed with jobs saying they're entry level and then say that they require 6 mo-1 yr of experience. Another thing that keeps me from getting a job is a bilingual requirement.

We got the dogs new harnesses, so when it gets light enough in the morning, I'll take them on a short walk. One of them is VERY obese, and can't handle a longer walk yet, but the plan is to get him to lose weight. My BFs mother is one of those people who have no energy whatsoever and cannot do the physical tasks required for owning dogs, so as a result neither of them are used to exercise. Or having a clean yard to poop in. My personal plan is also to lose some weight, but I'm happy with having a physical thing to do before I pass out at 8-12 in the morning. I'd rather go back to the gym, though.

AWESOME harness. Ours aren't so pretty though.

For xmas, his father got me a very large bag full of mostly craft feathers, but there are beads, (mostly turquoise and silver colored) sinew, leather lacing, and other natural beading cords, and more feathers. I HAVE been wanting to do stuff with feathers, not that anyone knew that, but I'm a bit overwhelmed. They are slightly Native American, but what's with all this stuff? Do you want me to make you dream catchers? Talking Feathers? Other things I don't know about because I myself am not Native American?

Talking Feather, found on Google

I am excited about making dream catchers though. I did make a talking feather (above, not my picture), which is kind of just a pretty dowel with a feather attached, because there was a kit for it and I was bored. It was a quiet activity, let me assure you. I like it. I don't know why, but I feel like it would be a great activity for elementary students. Plus it's cool looking. Kids would be all like, I got the feather, now shut up dammit. Except they would all make one.

Jan 1, 2013

A new year and guitar hero

Happy New Years!

I used to spend New Years with an old family friend, Nancy. Nancy would make stained glass stars throughout the year and she would hang them all in the very large window in her house on New Years. People would get to choose a star when they came to her New Years party, putting a label with their name on the string on whichever star they want...

It was the best. Tradition. Ever. Free, one of a kind glass stars??

Then we moved away and it's annoying to drive all the way there, drink, then drive all the way back from about 2 1/2 hours away.

This year I spent with a drink and some Guitar Hero with some friends. It was more fun anyways.