In the Kitchen: Copycat Rice A Roni Recipe

I try to keep things home decor/DIY related around here but there are times that I stumble upon or come up with a recipe that I can't help but share.  I had a hankering for some rice-a-roni (you know, that san francisco treat) which was pretty much a staple back in college, but in my old age I've become a bit anti-processed foods plus the grocery store was just sooo far away.

I've never been one to curb a craving, so I set out to make my own.  Here's how I made a copycat recipe that tasted exactly like the store bought brand without all those crazy preservatives.

What you'll need:

Holiday Traditions and The Best Caramels EVER

With the holiday season fully upon us and the smell of evergreen and hot toddies in the air, it has me waxing nostalgic.  There are so many wonderful memories that remind me of this special time of year with my family.

Our little Christmas went a little something like this:

As soon as the last drumstick was eaten our Christmas traditions would begin, we'd all gather around and watch the greatest of all holiday movies - National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas we'd make my Nana's secret recipe (Betty Crocker) caramels, which we'd give out to friends and family in hopes that they'd follow in our 10 pound holiday gain.  We'd spend nights sledding down our black diamond hill and sharing hot buttered rum with Meme (our other grandma).  My mom would purchase 100s of holiday cards only to forget to send them and in true procrastinator spirit - we'd decorate the tree a week before.

And finally, Christmas Eve would arrive - we'd snuggle up and listen to Mom read "The Night Before Christmas" with holiday music in the background, play some cards and then around 6 pm we'd all run to one of our rooms (because on Christmas Eve we all slept together) so Christmas morning would come early.  We'd lay there too excited to sleep dreaming about all the surprises we'd find under the tree the next day - and usually, I'd try to get the secrets out of my younger siblings.  We'd wake up to my Dad's blueberry muffins baking in the oven and drag ourselves sleepily to the sofa and sit sheepishly waiting for our gifts because even on the greatest of holidays and in the comfort of our own home - we're all incredibly shy.

In The Kitchen: Cranberry Season

It's cranberry season in Washington!  Our little neck of the woods is one of the top producing regions of the tart little berry and it's no surprise that we love them around these parts.  Whether we're making cranberry sauce, tossing some into baked goods or using them in our decor - everyone has their own way of showcasing these crimson berries.  And here are two of mine.

First up is one of my all-time favorites.  I'm not much of a breakfast eater, but a good cup of coffee and a pastry?  Now that'll get my engine purring in the morning.  These Cranberry Almond scones are quick and delicious.  'Nuff said.

Cranberry Almond Scones

Ingredients:

Astoria Craft Party August 24th 4-8pm

We are well underway with plans for the first ever Astoria Craft Party on August 24th from 4-8 pm at the Fort George Lovell Building.

We have an amazing lineup of activities:

• Blacksmith Crafts
• "Broken Glass" frames 
• Glass Ornament Blowing
• License Plate Art
• Nautical Fancy Work
• Paper crafts made from vintage maps and charts
• Photo Walk
• Pinback buttons
• Rag Dolls
• Salvaged Door Knob Hanger
• Scrabble tile art
• Spindle Bird Feeder
• Stenciled Subway Style Pallet Art
• Stenciled Scandinavian Flag Tote Bags
• Vintage Cabinet Door Chalkboards
• Vintage Drawer & Window Planters

For more details, check out AstoriaCraftParty.blogspot.com.  Hope to see you all there!

14 Days of Valentines: Day 14 Homemade Valentine Cookies

It's day 14 of 14 Days of Valentines!  I made it!!

It's not a Valentine's Day without sugar cookies.  I have a tradition and it stems from years of attending school in the LSD (not THAT LSD.)  We did our Valentine's Day right.  With Cookies!  And not just your normal cookies, special request cookies that had your very own name or message on them.  Your parents or special admirers would pre-order them and on V-Day you'd be surprised with your very own delicious cookie.  Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

Then, in college my friend and I would spend the weekend before finals at her Grandma's friend's house where we'd study until our eyes bled and ate until our bellies burst.  Among plates of mashed potatoes and gravy, we'd also munch down some deliciously fattening sugar cookies.

Knockoff: DIY Land of Nod Kid's Activity Art Table

Are you all familiar with Land of Nod?  They have the most radical stuff and I want all of it.  Not awesome?  The damn prices.

Land of Nod Kid's Play Table

Have you seen this activity table? Pretty sweet, huh?  Well, that sweet little piece of playtime fun will run you $450.  But in their defense, the two rolling storage bins and leg extensions are included.  Still, there's no way I could drop 450 clams on a play table. I mean, let's be real, I'm a stay at home mom with a budget to keep. So, what is a girl to do?  Copy it, of course, and I had the perfect table just waiting to be converted.

Supplies:

DIY // A Budget-Friendly Fireplace Update

We recently bought a fixer-upper and with most fixer-uppers there are both things you love and things you hate about it.  The fireplace is one thing I feel that way about.  I love it's potential, but am having a hard time living with the way it is right at this moment.  It is all brick, has copper trim and copper vent plates, a cast iron insert and then a tile hearth.  The top half is painted the same color as the walls (a cream color) and the bottom half is high-gloss white.  Absolutely nothing matches.

 Here is the photo that was included in the listing.  Not really my idea of a focal point.

Our plan is something similar to this:

We love the built in bookcase, the wood mantel and the two windows flanking the fireplace.  The addition of the windows would add so much natural light to our space, especially since this is a southern facing wall.  I just can't wait until it looks like this!  But there's just many other more pressing issues that we have to deal with first, so our dream fireplace has to wait.

Yesterday, while I was redoing another chalkboard (this time with white paint around the trim) I had a brilliant idea to paint the fireplace and I am so glad I did!  I used my Behr Polar Bear White in a satin lustre to paint the metal trim and vent cover and then did the rest of the brick.  I went in knowing that it is just a temporary fix, so wasn't too concerned with priming the metal beforehand.  There's still work to be done with the tiled/metal-trimmed hearth, but with the addition of a quick coat of a greige (with more emphasis on the beige) coat of paint on the walls, this quick little update has made all the difference.

So, what about you guys?  What areas of your home were eyesores before, but with a simple change has them looking a whole lot better?

DIY // A Simple Chalkboard Update

Here's a quick re-do project that took all of 5 mins (not including drying time.)

I snagged this small chalkboard at goodwill a few weeks back and gave it a quick update with some green paint around the frame.

It was still looking a little beat up, so I taped off the sides and gave it three coats of spray-on chalkboard paint to freshen up the surface.  Doesn't it look so much better?

What quick, little changes have you done that made all the difference?

Knockoff // DIY West Elm Scalloped Trees

You may have first seen this project at my guest post over at Type A Decorating!  I thought I'd share the tutorial here, as well.

Have you seen these West Elm Scalloped Trees?  Pretty awesome, if you ask me. They're constructed out of seagrass and styrofoam.  So, I thought popsicle sticks would be a great substitute and I picked up a couple styrofoam cones @ Joann Fabrics, which were surprisingly expensive for what they are.  And by expensive I mean $6 for the 15" cone.  Still less expensive than the West Elm version, but c'mon $6?

West Elm Scalloped Trees - $39-$79

Supplies:

Knockoff: DIY West Elm Style Scalloped Trees

Like what you see below? Well, check out my guest post over at Type A Decorating on Friday to see my tutorial for a copycat version at a fraction of the cost of the originals.  I'm super stoked about this project as it was my first totally original project.

I've been sitting on this since the beginning of December, so I could share something fresh and new at Type A.  You can understand how quickly my excitement turned to what I like to call, "Bitch You Stole My Idea" when I spotted this very project on Pinterest.  {Shakes fist at sky}  {And I say "bitch" in the friendliest blogger to blogger way.  Your pointy trees totally beat mine, Susan Phillips.}

West Elm Scalloped Trees - $39-$79

Thanks for stopping by and jumping on over to Type A Decorating on Friday to check it out!

DIY // Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly

Everybody's doing it.  Except me.  That was, until this past week when I crossed over into the popular crowd and became a home canner.  And with that I've hit full-fledged domesticity and I'm loving it.

Hot Pepper Jelly is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures.  I love to plop down on the couch, watch some trashy reality tv and munch out on wheat thins, cream cheese and Apple Valley Country Store hot pepper jelly.  The best in all the land!  It's sweet, perfectly spicy and pretty darn beautiful with its champagne-colored jelly and red bell peppers.  I've been wanting to try my hand at making my own, so that I can avoid a mad (3-hour) dash to Hood River to pick up some more whenever I get the craving and so I can share my love with those around me.  So, with Christmas lurking around the corner, I finally pushed up my sleeves and got to business.

DIY // The Best Starbucks Banana Bread Copycat Recipe Ever

It's a food post!  I know I'm swaying a bit away from "homegoods", but this is home related right?  Plus, I just had to share this recipe.

With an abundance of overripe bananas, I set out to find a banana bread recipe using bread flour (what I had on-hand).  And in my search, I found the best banana bread recipe EVER!  It's dense, yet moist, with a slight crunch to the crust.  I. Can't. Stop. Eating. It.

The original recipe came from Copykat Recipes and I made just a few adjustments (butter instead of margarine & added vanilla. I also left out the walnuts.)

Copycat:  Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread

DIY // Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

I stumbled upon the 2011 Pinterest Challenge:  Fall Edition while checking out some plans for a kitchen island over at Ana-white.com and I was all over it.  If you're asking, "What in the Sam Hill is Pinterest?"  Then, please allow me to ask, "Where in the Sam Hill have you been?!"  If you're asking yourself, "What's the Pinterest Challenge?" Then, I'll just keep my smart comments to myself.

You know all those Pinterest pins you've been addictively pinning like they're going out of style?  The ones that you say "I can totally make that" and then they just sit there collecting internet dust?  Well, now's the time to roll up those sleeves, step away from the computer and get to work.

DIY // Van Gogh's The Starry Night Mosaic Art

This is a piece that I created a few years back.  Back before the creation of Revamp Homegoods, even before the creation of blogging.

Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night has had me mesmerized for as long as I can remember.  The deep colors and the night's energy are awe-inspiring.  Did you know that this was his view from his room in the sanatorium in Saint Remy and was painted just 13 months before his death.  He would stare at the view at night and then paint from memory in the morning.  I, too, could stare at it for hours. (Que sappy music.)

"The Starry Night" Vincent Van Gogh 1889

An extremely long time later...

Being one of the most replicated paintings of all time, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and create "The Starry Night" in glass mosaic form.  I made a trip out to Bullseye Glass, in Portland, Oregon, to pick up the supplies, which were:

• Glass cutter
• Sheets of colored glass