I'm Still Here

Hey friends!  I know it's been a while since I've posted and I apologize.  I've been busy- moving again, working, and spending time with my big sis.  And visiting family and friends.

Let me clarify on the "moving again."  I moved into a new apartment about ten minutes from the first one.  I also transferred to a new Starbucks- the other was not what I had hoped.  My new apartment is much nicer than the previous.  I love the area and the apartment is great.  I have a small balcony, however a couple hundred feet from a railroad track.  But interestingly enough, you do get used to it.

I have been crafting a little.  Here are some things I've been doing:

The bird pillow was quite time-consuming but so worth it!

I also have some photos I took with my phone:

I visited my good friend, Sunnie, in Ohio and she and I went antique shopping in Amish Country.  These are my treasures.  I also found a cool metal coat tree.

My craft corner in my living room.  It actually looks a little different right now.  I moved my dining room table over there for my sewing (it's a small table).  Then that silly shelf kept falling so it was replaced by a smaller one.

Cookie Dough Truffles.  Yum!

 

I found this table in my sister's basement.  I believe it came from my dad.  It was broken.  I fixed it and now I have a small coffee table... for free.  Score!

I made a couple of pillows the other day.  There will be more of these soon.  I love beds covered in pillows.

So, anyway.  I've got a lot going on.  I need to start taking more photos of my projects so I can share them with you guys.  I'm going to start some posts about how to decorate an apartment, since I've been looking for months for some helpful tips and haven't been able to find much.  I think more and more people are moving into apartments and need some tips.

Oh, and I just signed up for Craftaholics Anonymous Summer 2013 Handmade Gift Exchange!  So, that craft will be posted soon as well.

Until next time,
Sarah

Ham and Cheese Mac 'n' Cheese

So, I know I'm just about the worst blogger in the world since I never post on my blog, but hey, I'm a busy girl.  And Pinterest is my one Internet weakness that keeps me from just about everything else.

Anyway, I have something delicious to share.  However, I don't have a recipe- I made it up as I went along.  I have ingredients for you, though.  And I'll give you an estimate of how much I used.

Ham and Cheese Mac 'n' Cheese

1/4 c butter
4 tbsp. flour
5 or 6 slices of mild cheddar cheese
5 slices of ham, cubed
1/2 c milk
1- 1 1/2 c elbow macaroni pasta
1/2 c Panko bread crumbs

First start your water to boil for the pasta then once it's bubbling, add your pasta.

While that's cooking, start your sauce by melting your butter in a saucepan.

Then your going to make a roux by adding the flour to your melted butter.

It's going to thicken and darken quickly, so add the milk next and whisk well so it's not lumpy.

Now add the cheese.  I like cheddar and I use the real stuff not the processed cheese like Velveeta.

Salt and pepper to taste.

In this time your pasta has cooked, so drain it **I cook mine a little al dente**  Next, add the pasta to the sauce.

Now, add the cubed ham.  You can use the ham steak as well, I just happened to have the slices in the fridge, so I decided to use them.

Grab a baking dish, mine was a glass 8 x 8 dish, and spray it with a little cooking spray.

Pour in the mac 'n' cheese and spread it out.

Now, sprinkle the top with the Panko bread crumbs.  I love the Panko because they're light and just add a little crunch without any extra flavor.

Warm up the broiler and broil the mac 'n' cheese for about 5 minutes.  Yes, only 5 minutes!

Then enjoy!  And maybe have seconds... and thirds ;)

And I had a little of this with mine:

 

Delish!

Easy Peasy Pizza

Last week I made homemade pizza for my family and me.  We had BBQ Chicken and Pepperoni.  It was so good.  And I had some pizza sauce and pepperoni left over, so the other day for lunch I made myself some "pizzas."  I came up with this...

Easy Peasy Pizza

2 tbsp. pizza sauce
10 slices pepperoni
2 slices of cheese (I used colby jack, but you can use whatever)
2 slices of bread
olive oil

 Turn on your broiler.  Ours has a high and low setting and I did this on high.

 Lay your bread in a pan and drizzle with a little olive oil just to help it crisp and give it some flavor.

 Toast for about 2 mins.

Spread sauce on each piece of bread.

 Layer on the pepperoni.

 Then add on the cheese.

 Then broil for another 2 mins or just until cheese is melted.

Deliciously paired with a Clementine Izze.  Mmm-mmm!

Buckeyes II

A couple years ago, Jessica and I made some buckeyes and we made a video.

With the other post about buckeyes it made me think of this.

G-Pa's Buckeyes

Like I said in a different post, I grew up in Ohio.  We have buckeyes trees.  Buckeye trees are the state tree.  The state is called the Buckeye State.  But what exactly is a buckeye?

It's a worthless nut.

Yeah, worthless.

You can't eat it- it's poisonous.  You can make necklaces with it and wear them to the OSU Buckeyes' games.

However, in my family we make them as candy.

Not the nuts themselves.  It's a ball of peanut butter dipped in chocolate.

The man who makes these in my family is my grandpa.  Wayland Reid.  He's the cutest little old man ever.  He calls me "Shorty" despite the fact that I am a good 6 inches taller than him.

There he is in the midst of his five favorite girls- well, at least we say we're the favorites.

Despite the happiness of the picture, this was taken at my grandma's funeral this past February.  She and my grandpa were married for 62 years.

Love her.

Miss her.

I miss him too.  It's been since August and I already miss him.

Anyway, this is about candy Buckeyes.

The Peter Pan peanut butter is the most important part.  It's the peanut butter my grandpa uses and we have to use it.  I tried to use Jif one time and it didn't turn out the same.

Mix the peanut butter (remember it's Peter Pan), butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

It should be about the consistency of clay.

Grab about 2 tbsp of the peanut butter mix and roll into a ball.  You can either put them onto a non-stick pan or on a cookie sheet on wax paper.

Put a toothpick into each ball.  That way they will freeze with the toothpick and make it easier to dip in chocolate.

While the peanut butter balls are in the freezer melt the chocolate.

I used semi-sweet, but usually my grandpa uses the milk chocolate medallions and uses a double-boiler.  I couldn't find the chocolate and I don't have a double-boiler.  Did I fail?  No.  I don't think so.  However, my sister does not agree that the semi-sweet chocolate is as good.

I set up an assembly line- the peanut butter balls, chocolate, then a piece of parchment paper or wax paper to put them on to cool and dry.

Dip the peanut butter ball in the chocolate to coat with a small amount of the peanut butter showing at the top.

You can take the toothpicks out as you go.

Looking tasty.

It's taking me back to making these in the kitchen of my grandparents' small apartment in North Canton, Ohio.  Sweating because the heat is cranked up and the heat coming from the stove is immense.  But it being about 20 degrees outside.  My grandma in the next room, yelling at us about something (I'm not being mean, that's just what she did, how she was and we all loved her for it).

Put the Buckeyes in the freezer and let them cool enough to enjoy them.

And keep enjoying them for days.

Or just a couple of hours.

I dedicate this post to my grandpa (oh by the way, we call him G-Pa):

 

Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups Peter Pan peanut butter

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups confectioner's sugar

12 oz semi-sweet or milk chocolate

Mix the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a large bowl.  Take about 2 tbsp worth of the peanut butter mix in your hand and roll into a ball.  Place the peanut butter balls on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet or on a non-stick pan.  Push a toothpick halfway down into the peanut butter balls.  Place them in the freezer.  While the peanut butter balls are freezing, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in the microwave.  If you melt it in the microwave, be sure to cook it only 30 seconds or 1 minute at a time, so the chocolate doesn't burn.  If in a double-boiler, be sure to mix it constantly so it doesn't burn.  When the chocolate it melted, get the peanut butter balls from the freezer-dip into the chocolate so a small amount of the peanut butter is showing at the top.  Place them on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet.  Remove the toothpicks.  Place them back in the freezer.  Then enjoy!