Master Bedroom Makeover

So I am making over my house and doing a room at a time.  Right now it is the kitchen, but I can't pass up the opportunity to create something for another room if the chance comes up.  I found these cool wall decals and decided to use them in my master bedroom.  They are supposed to be moveable but I don't want to chance them falling off the wall so I used pine boards, paint and modgepodge to create this collage.

9 ad heres
1 can spray paint
9 pieces pine board, I bought one long board and had the home improvement guy cut them at the store in 12 x 12 x 1 inch pieces
modge podge
sponge brush
small chain
small eye screws
ribbon
hooks
velcro strips

I spray painted the boards.  Once dry I used a layer of modge podge, stuck the ad here on then modge podged over top.  I then predrilled tiny holes on the edge and inserted eye screws.  You will need to use eye screws on both ends of 6 boards and one end of the last three.  Then I connected the boards together using a small link chain.  I used ribbon at the top to hang from the hooks.  I used velcro on the back or each board to give extra support while hanging and also so it does not bang or swing around on the wall.  End result a great piece of art!

Salmon with Citrus-Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe

I am really wanting to try some Salmon recipes.  I was just browsing the net and came across this one.  Can't wait!  This recipe comes from  The Union Square Cafe Cookbook by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano.  I have not tried it yet but wanted to post here so I don't lose it.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon grainy or Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely minced shallot
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled and forced through a press
• 2 teaspoons each finely chopped parsley, basil and mint
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1-1/4 pounds salmon fillet

Preparation:

Place the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, shallot, garlic, parsley, basil, mint, salt, and pepper in a jar. Close lid and shake well to blend.

Place salmon in a foil-lined pan and spoon a little of the vinaigrette over the fish. Bake in a preheated 450-degree F. oven 12 minutes per inch of thickness, or until cooked through.

Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over each serving of fish.

Yield: 4 servings

Per serving: Calories 276; Protein 26g; Fat 17g; Carbohydrates 4g; Sodium 140mg; Saturated fat 4g; Monounsaturated fat 8g; Polyunsaturated fat 3g; Cholesterol 84mg

Recipe Source: The Union Square Cafe Cookbook by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano (HarperCollins)

Old but new!!!

My kitchen was really getting outdated. So I decided to do something about it. I have new countertops thanks to granite paint from Lowes,

 

new blue walls, new blinds and new curtains

a beautiful glass backsplash,

A new kitchen sink that could be a swimming pool for a toddler!

I even saw this idea for wine glasses at an antique store!

I still have quite a bit of work to do but all in good time!!!

Banana Cream Pie

Well last week was a bad week; I got sick.  I still made the pie last weekend but I did not post about it so this week I will do two pies. 

The first is a cream cheese pineapple pie from my taste of home Best Loved Pies.  This pie was very easy to make.  I was hoping for more of a cheesecake type pie but it turned out to be more of a custard/flan type texture.  I was not really impressed with the pie but my co-workers liked it.  Here is a picture of the finished pie.  By the way Jason would not even taste it because of the pecans!

Now on to this weeks pie!  This is a take on a banana cream pie.  I am still not feeling 100% but I wanted to be sure to make the pie this week.  I decided to use an oreo crust I already had in the cupboard.  I sliced bananas and lined the bottom of the crust.  I made up a package of instant vanilla pudding and mixed about 1 cup of cool whip into it.  I poured half the pudding mixture into the crust then a layer of banana slices.  I topped it off with the rest of the pudding and added a layer of coolwhip on top.  I will let you know the results of the pie later.

Here is a pic of the finished pie.

Not the prettiest pie but I bet it will taste great.

Next week I will be making a lemon tart!

Sweet Cherry Pie

This weeks pie is a Cherry pie.  I made it special for my friends dad who is helping Lucas with his basketball skills. 

Now I have never been a fan of cherry pie but this one is fantastic.  I used a recipe I found from Allrecipes.com. 

I did use a different cherry because the only ones I could find at my store were frozen sweet dark cherries.  I decided since they were sweet I would lighten the sugar.  I only used 3/4 cup of sugar instead of 1 cup.

I love using tapioca in my fruit pies because it gives them a jellied consistency.  We had a piece after dinner and it was the perfect end for Sunday dinner.  Jason said he has never been a fan of cherry pie either but he also really liked it.

The first one is for Rich.  I hope he likes it.  The second is the one I kept for me and my friends.  

On a side note I also purchased some new toys.  First I decided the marble rolling pin was way too heavy and I think it was making me mess up on my crust so I got a new wood one.

I also decided I was getting tired of having the flour all over my counters so I got a mat to use.  It has measurements and sizes too so now my pie crust is not too small for the pan!

Next week I will be making a Cream Cheese-Pineapple Pie!  Can't wait!

Peanut Butter Apple Crumb Pie

Wow that is a mouthful to say!  This weeks pie is the Peanut Butter Apple Crumb Pie from my Taste of Home Book. 

This was a very easy pie to make.  The hardest part was the crust.  I used my regular recipe to make the crust.  I think this pie would also be great in a graham cracker crust.

I believe I may have used too much peanut butter when making the crumb for the top because when I made it the topping really did not crumble it was more like a cookie texture.  The first picture is before baking and the second is after.

As you can see from the before picture there was no crumbles and in the after it looks kinda like cookie peices on top.  But the most important thing is does it taste good?  Yes it was wonderful, especially since I ate a piece warm and the peanut butter was all warm and melty.

Next week I will be making a Cherry Pie.  I am actually going to make two; one for me and my friends and one for a wonderful person who is helping Lucas with his basketball, thanks Rich!

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

This week I made a Peanut Butter Pie which combines two of my favorite flavors, chocolate and peanut butter!  And I must say it is decadent just like the title says.  I got the recipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/decadent-peanut-butter-pie/detail.aspx.  Just click the link to get a copy for yourself!

I am most definately not the best at piping but it really does not matter because the taste outshines the look of the pie.  This pie has peanut butter, hot fudge and cool whip all combined in a chocolate cookie crust.  The crust I got is the oreo crust, but regular chocolate would be just as good. 

I must confess when I made the pie I totally forgot to put the sugar in.  I decided to take a chance and try it anyway and it tastes good even without the sugar.  I think the sugar would make it much sweeter.  The hot fudge gives the pie just the right sweetness.  Next time I will have to try it with the sugar!

Next week I will be using one of my favorite snacks to make a Peanut Butter Crumb Apple Pie!

Star Studded Blueberry Pie - with Snowflakes!

So this weeks pie is again from my Taste of Home Best-Loved Pies, page 31.  This is the Star Studded Blueberry Pie, but I do not have a star cookie cutter so I used my snowflake cookie cutter.  I am hoping the snowflakes will entice Mother Nature to bring us some snow!  I wan't a snow day!!!

Again if you would like the full recipe please email me.

This pie was pretty simple to make, I did use frozen blueberries because I did not find any in the produce isle that looked good to me.  This is my pie crust recipe from before.  The only thing I am unsure of is why the tapioca shows in mine but not in the picture in the book.  Well I will let the pie cool, have a sample and then let you all know how it tastes.

By the way the tart from last week was a huge success.  Everyone loved it!  Next weeks pie is

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie - from Allrepipes.com

Caramel Peanut Fantasy

Let me start by saying this is a dentist worst nightmare!  This "tart" is so full of sugar and caramel it could pull out a crown!  But on the other hand it is a wonderful endulgence!

Probably the hargest part of the tart was the crust becuase I had to crush all those vanilla wafers.  I also did not really enjoy unwrapping the caramels and snickers, but I must admit the end result is definately worth it.












The recipe is from my Taste of Home Best-Loved Pies page 89.  If you would like the full recipe please email me.  I did follow this recipe except instead of using a springform pan I used a tart pan.  I think the springform pan would have worked better for getting the pie out but the tart pan did the job. 

Here is a side view after I got it out of the pan.  You can see all the caramel goodness just waiting to be devoured.  I will take this tart to work tomorrow to see how my friends like it.  I am having a sample of it right now and it is very good, but very filling.  Small slivers are just right!

Next weeks pie is "Star Studded Blueberry Pie" 

Strawberry Custard Pie

Todays pie is a Strawberry Custard Pie from my Taste of Home Best-Loved Pies page 44, with slight modifications :)   On the right you see the full ingredient list if you want the entire recipe please email me.  I will also be listing the modified recipe.  I decided 6 pies would be way to many for me (even though my friends said they could take a whole one each).  Here is the modified ingredient list which makes two pies.

1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 cup water
1 box strawberry jello
2 box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 pounds strawberries cut in half
1/3 tbsp lemon juice
2 keebler shortbread pie crust

With this recipe it says to use a regular pie crust but I thought it would be really good with the shortbread crust so I am going to use it.

Here is what I did!

mix sugar and cornstarch then add water slowly.  Bring to boil and boil until it is thick.  Then add strawberry jello and lemon juice.  Stir and let cool to room temperature.  I am pretty sure if you wanted to use the strawberry glaze from the produce isle in your grocery store it would taste the same.

Next mix the pudding according to the package directions.  Pour the pudding into the crusts, set strawberries on top of pudding then laddle glaze over top.  This made two pies but I think I could have stretched it out to make three since the crusts were smaller than my homemade crust.  I am going to top it with whipped topping before I eat it!

Next week I am going to try my hand at making a Tart type pie instead of a regular pie.  So I will be making the Caramel Peanut Fantasy Tart.  It has all my favorites, caramel, chocolate and snickers!

Coconut Pistachio Pie

I am a day later than normal because I realized there was no school today.  I decided to wait an extra day so my pie would still be good for my friends at work.  This weeks pie was my choice.  Coconut Pistachio Pie!  This pie is from my Taste of HOme Best Loved Pies, page 40.  After seeing what the crust was made out of Jason has decided not to give this pie a try,  he does not like coconut.  I on the other hand love coconut!

This was by far the easiest pie I have made to date.  The crust is made from lightly toasted coconut.  The toasting was probably the hardest part because I really had to watch it under the broiler.  I am sure there is an easier way of toasting coconut and if anyone has suggestions please let me know.

After the crust cooled I put in the top layer of pudding, mixed the rest with the cool whip and topped it off with that.  I can't wait to see the colors when I cut into it.  I will let you know the results tomorrow.

The weather here is very strange for this time of year - 65 degrees today!  So I am in the mood for something a little more spring like.  I know just because it is spring weather does not mean it is spring, but still!  Next weeks pie is a Strawberry Custard Pie.  Can't wait!  This recipe makes 6 so I am going to try to cut it down.  We'll see what happens!

Cherry Apple Lattice Pie

Please email me if you would like the full recipe.  This recipe is from my Taste of Home Best-Loved Pies, page 17.

What a beautiful morning to bake a pie!  This pie was Jason's pick.  He just loves apple pie but I told him I already made that one so he picked one with apples in it.  I am excited to give this pie a try too.  I peeled, cored and sliced my apples the same way I did for the apple pie for this recipe, again I just think they bake up nicely when done this way.

I mixed all the ingredients together then went about making the crust.  This is a double crust pie which I think is so much harder to make than a single crust.  I never feel I can get the top crust to come out just right.  Today after I rolled out the bottom crust and put the filling in I started to roll out the top crust and it just would not roll out.  So instead of fighting with it I threw it out and started over.  The second time worked much better.  I love doing the lattice top because I think it is so pretty.  I am not very good at making it look like the pictures but it tastes the same anyway!

After putting the strips on, which I cut with my pizza cutter, I sprinkled the topping on (in the recipe). 

The recipe says to cover edges with foil for 15 minutes.  I don't know if you have ever tried this before, but I hate doing it.  It never fails when I open the oven door the heat causes the foil to fly off, so I found a silicone cover at a kitchen store and decided to give it a try.  I love it!  It fit right over the top and even has cut outs for the pie plates handles.  After 15 minutes I turned the heat down and removed the cover and it was perfect.


I am not sure how this pie will taste but it smells just heavenly!  I will post results tomorrow!

Next week I am going to make - Coconut Pistachio Pie!  I remember my grandpa always made something with pistachio pudding and I am hoping this will remind me of him.  I know Jason and Lucas won't try it so we will have to see what my friends say about it.

Coconut Cream Pie - the Results

First I must apologize, I did not get a picture of a slice of the coconut cream pie.  We were so busy talking, playing cards and having a good time I completely forgot.  But I will tell you everyone who tried it said it was great.  My mom and I actually had two pieces of the pie.  My step-dad also loved it which says a lot because he usually does not eat my desserts.  He liked it so much I had to wrap up the leftovers for him to take home.

I am very glad I went with the regular pie crust over the graham cracker crust.  I also need to note my step-dad usually does not like my homemade crust but he said this one was perfect.

Over all this was a huge success.  I think it was my favorite so far.  I will definately make this pie again!