Tortilla Chips: Easy and Quick Tutorial

A few nights ago I made burritos for dinner.  Personally, I think burritos can be healthy if made in house and using the right ingredients.  I always use beef and beans as main ingredients, tomatoes and lettuce as fillers and guacamole as a spread.  Of course there are a lot more ingredients you could add to make it taste even better (cream cheese, rice, sour cream, cheddar cheese, etc) but I try to stay away from those unless there is a special occassion.   In any case, as we are a family of 4 and 2 under the age of 3, we never finish a tortilla package (there are usually 6 to 8 tortillas in a package) and the leftover is usually left in the fridge with the good intention of eating it next day as a wrap of some sorts, but it never really happens and I always end up throwing the leftover tortillas away.  However, this week, I was really set in the "do not throw away leftover tortilla" mood and so I decided to make tortilla chips (tostito style). 

It is really simple, basically cut the tortillas with a knife or with cookie cutters (I thought this would make it more fun for the kids), brush olive oil on both sides of the chips, add salt and other spices if you like ( I added pasta & pizza spicy spices to some of the chips, but chili or oregano or italian herbs would also probably taste delicious).  Put in the oven 150C (300F) and bake until golden and crisp.  Around 30 minutes (it could be less so check often).

I served the tortilla chips with the leftover guacamole and hummus.  We all loved it and the best of all is that there were no leftovers.

Before baking

After 30 minute baking

Mustard Sauce Recipe

Making dinner that is tasty, easy and fast is a daily struggle when 5:00pm hits (except for weekends when my husband cooks).  Friday evening was not that much different.  I looked into my fridge and decided on making chicken nuggets with honey mustard sauce.  I was set on the idea,

I had cut the chicken, covered it with bread crumbs and italian herbs, put the tray with the nuggets in the oven and when I was about to start with the sauce, I realized I was out of honey.  My head started coming up with all sort of different "solutions" like adding brown sugar, cane sugar, or even soya sauce instead but I wasn't sold on any of the alternatives.  I then searched my pantry and found sugar molasses, (which are quite common in Belgium and used as a syrup for pancakes) and used that to make a sweet mustard sauce instead.  I am sure you can find the molasses in the same isle were maple syrup is found. 

Getting back to the sweet mustard sauce...all my family loved it (see the simple and quick recipe below).  We used it not only for the nuggets but also for the boiled potatoes and the fresh cucumber.  Its tanginess worked great with all of Friday's dinner different elements.  I really like the versatility of this sauce,  I am certain it can be used with baked chicken, BBQ chicken, salmon fillets, fresh tomatoes and surely celery fans will appreciate it as a delicious alternative to Ranch dressing.  Just be careful not to eat it too much of it as the mayonnaise in it makes the sauce high in calories.  (You can always replace it with plain yogurt or low fat mayo though.)  Enjoy!

 Ingredients:                                                                                                                                                  -1/2 cup Mayonaisse

-1 tbsp Mustard

-1/2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

-2 1/2 tbsp Sugar Molasses

 Preparation:  Just mix all ingredients together (serves 4)

Voila! 

Organizing re-usable Plastic Bags

In Europe (at least most of Western Europe) free bags are not available for grocery shopping.  About 6 or 7 years ago,  grocery stores stopped providing free plastic bags for packing groceries and started offering either large strong plastic bags for a fee or encouraging totes in an effort to cut the amount of plastic bags ending in landfills and boosting the re-use of purchased plastic bags. 

Before plastic bags had to be purchased, I used  to use the free bags on the bathroom trashcans, which was my own way of re-using so I never had many bags laying around.  After the grocery chains changed their approach to free bags I adapted myself by purchasing the sturdy plastic bags about once per year.  The negative side is that I have too many bags now laying around and taking space.   So I decided it was time to learn to fold them and keep them organized to take back some much needed space.

To fold the large bags, I used a simple method I found on Origami Spirit blog (http://www.origamispirit.com/2012/01/how-to-fold-plastic-bags-for-easy-storage-and-travel/#respond), and I put all the small bags in an empty Kleenex box.  I had seen this idea before but I can't really remember were.

Check out my before and after pictures.  What a difference!  and it took less than 30 minutes. 

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

Granola: The most original Hostess Gift

A couple of weeks ago we had some friends over for a visit.  It was nothing special just a weekend with friends we hadn't seen in a few months.   We were not expecting our guest to bring anything, but both couples actually did.  One of them brought a swing for the two kids, and the other a very interesting homemade granola. 

That morning when we called one of them to ask at what time they expected to arrive (they had a 2 hour journey), they told us that they were about to leave but they hadn't yet because they were waiting for our gift to "cool down".  We didn't think much of it except that maybe they were bringing some sort of cake or dessert.

Well, you can imagine our surprise when our hostess gift was giftwrapped and still a little warm.  It was also heavy and obviously inside some sort of jar.  I was so curious, and when I opened it, to my surprise, I saw granola on a simple but beautifully looking airtight canister that had a decorative tulip napkin on top.  Wow! that was a totally different, original, unexpected, and as we later realized, delicious hostess gift. 

So my homemade granola is about to be finished off as we have it for breakfast all the time but I can't go back to store bought granola anymore.  The homemade version was just too good, besides I really want to give it a go in trying to make my own.  I still have to search a few recipes, give it a few trials and adapted it to suit me and my family, but once I have it all figured out I'll post the recipe here.  I can't wait!

PS:  It will definetely be oatmeal based

Paint Car Tracks on Paper Roads

Keeping my little boys entertained and motivated to try different things is one of my top priorities these days.  I have made a commitment to myself to expose them to creative play by introducing different materials and ideas that encourage them to imagine, dream, and play together.  I know they are still a little young to do all the above but my idea is to slowly build it up.

On Monday after searching for toddler play ideas I came across some different ways to play with paint....with cars!  Well I don't how that never occurred to me but once I saw it I thought to take it a step further and make a road out scrap paper to let the cars drive around.  This was really easy to do and it kept my boys entertained for about 30 minutes (which is a long time for a soon to be 3 year old and a 15 month old).

To make the road I took about 20 sheets of scrap paper.  I put them together with tape on the back. and then took it outside and, on the blank side, I drew lines with a black marker to make two lanes.  I then took 3 or 4 different paint colors in paper plates and placed them (with tape underneath) on different spots along the road.  I told the kids that the paint was gas and that the cars could stop at any of the gas stations to fill up while continuing on their way.  They loved it.

The best  part for me was that cleanup was so easy.  For the road and gas stations it was just a matter of picking it up and throwing it into the recycle bin.  For the cars cleanup I decided that the best was to take them to the car wash...basically I fill out my sink with soap and water and the kids and I gave the cars a good scrub.  Which preschooler doesn't enjoy playing with soap, bubbles and water? My oldest really enjoyed it, the little one felt like  doing something else.

Children's Cool Cardboard Car Wash

My son loves to go through the car wash and thinks this is something everyone does every weekend.  He likes it so much that sometimes when we ask him what he wants to do for the day he will say:  "wash car".  For him the car wash is as good as going to the park.  That is why a few months ago we decided to build him an outside car wash for his toy cars.  Searching different options I found a really cool one on the Disney Family Fun website, but we never got around getting all the materials...and as it is already September we decided to wait until next spring and then give it another try.

Then last week Monday I set myself to let Nicholas enjoy the last week of school vacation as much as possible.  I had a few activities planned but still had some free space in the calendar so I thought probably the best ways to fill those gaps was to give him a new toy, but instead of buying one I would make him one.  I found this website, http://www.filthwizardry.com/2009/01/home-made-toy-carwash.html and use it as inspiration to make a cardboard car wash.  I used only things I had around the house and it took me about two hours to complete.

I started making it on the spot so there wasn't much planning ahead, the only thing I knew was that I wanted it to be interactive and only with materials I had in the house.    I decided to have 3 interactive stations to make it easy, manageable and playable (my son is not yet 3).  First station had two top spin wheels, the second station had two side spin wheels and the third station was the dryer.   For materials I was lucky enough to find a box on my recycling bin that had transparent sides and top which were perfect for the visibility of  the different stations and for the entrance and exit doors.  For the top spin wheels I used red cardboard and rolled it onto wood skewers, for the side spin wheels I used felt scraps and also rolled it onto wood skewers.  For the dryer I used colored serpentine and punched a few wholes on the box to blow air through and create serpentine movement.  I also decided to cover the box with serpentine to create a car wash feel on the box.  This last step was the longest. 

Needless to say, as soon as my son woke up from his nap, he started playing with the car wash giving his cars a good scrub ;0).  He loved it! and I was also really happy with the results.

Materials:
-rectangular box
-4 wood skewers
-serpentine
-colored cardboard paper
-felt scraps
-white glue

How to:
1. Start by cutting out the sides of the box to make entrance and exit areas for the cars

2. Cut 8 small 1x2 inch rectangles of cardboard paper
3. Cut fringes in each piece of cardboard paper and then roll 4 pieces onto one skewer one behind the other starting on the center and moving out.  Do the same with another skewer and fill it up with the remaining pieces of paper

4.  Wrap the felt scrap pieces onto the remaining two skewers.







5.  Cut serpentine in the size of the internal length and width of the box (taking into consideration that part of the serpentine will be pasted onto the top of the box).  The serpentine is supposed to be the hanging loose clothes used for drying the cars .  Paste this section onto the top end side of the box close to the exit side.




6.  Close to the Entrance side of the box, make two parallel holes going from top to bottom to fit the felt skewers.
7.  On the center of the box make two set of holes crossing the upper side of the box going from one side to the other.  This will be where the upper spin wheels will be located.





8.  Install all wheels in place.
9.  Cover the box with pretty paper, serpentine(in my case) or just add the words car wash to it. 

Family Crossword Puzzle Wall Art

The house we currently live in has a large Master bedroom with so many walls to fill.  I have managed to hang up quite a few things but there was one  large empty wall and one small space that I had been trying to decorate forever (almost 2 years).  My main goal was to make the walls look good but without breaking the bank.  Well in my search I came up with quite a few different ideas but I decided to settle on two.  In this post I will show you what I came up with for the large empty wall on my room.  Like the title says I settled on a family crossword puzzle.  

I came up with this idea after stumbling upon a Scrabble like crossword puzzles Posh Tots with the words "Imagine, Dream, Believe" on it.  The crossword puzzle looked beautiful, made in wood but to me the cost was just way to high at $500.  Based on that idea I started looking at a few other examples on Pinterest and I found one I liked using white canvas and painted black letters.  With these two inspiring ideas in mind I put myself to work in designing something of my own.  The basic idea was clear:  Crossword puzzle.  The additional requirements were to make it personal, make it colorful, and not spend more that 50  Euro (about $60) on it. 

When thinking about personalizing something the quickest thing that comes to mind is names.  So I decided to use our names instead of other words.  I thought it was also a clever way to show the family link we share.  To make the wall art colorful, I decided on choosing different matching colors for each member to keep some consistency.   With these ideas I went to Ikea to see what I could come up with.  I was really lucky to find picture frames for 1 Euro each.  I selected white frames for me and my husband and green and blue frames for each of the kids.  For the letters I used old magazines cutouts and for the background I used different color cardboard paper. 

I think the outcome really worked and it could not been any cheaper.  I spent less than 40 Euro ($50) in total and my wall is filled up with a personalized wall art.

Materials:

-colored picture frames. (I used Ikea's but an alternative is to get plain frames and paint them)
-old magazines/children's book, etc
-scissors
-color cardboard paper
-photo adhesive squares or double sided tape
-ruler

How to:

-First try a few different crossword name options on paper. 
Make sure you match the best crossword option to the size of the wall you want to use.  In my case, both my kids have long names (13 letters each) while me and my hubby have short names (4 letters each).  So for us it worked best to have my pre-schooler's name going down and my toddler's name going across, that guaranteed that the full wall was used. 

-Based on the crossword option selected, count how many frames you need (1 for each letter) and select the color theme for each name.

-Go through different magazines or children's book and cut out the biggest letters you can find making sure they fit in the frame.   I you can't find the right letters just print some and cut them out.

-Measure the inside of the frame to make cardboard cutouts that will serve as backgrounds to the letters. 

-Try matching the cardboard and the frame colors for more appealing results.

-Arrange all frames, cardboard paper cutouts and letters on a large table to make sure you like what you see (color coordination, letter arrangement, not missing any letters, etc)

-Once you are happy with what you see start pasting the letters on the cardboard paper with the use of the photo adhesive squares.

-Add any additional decoration onto the cardboard (polka dots, framing lines, etc.) and fit the cardboard paper (with the letter) into the picture frame

-Hang onto wall

Lovely Thistles?

Last weekend, my mother in law came to visit and she brought with her a beautiful bouquet made out of white roses, cresentias and thistles!  Yep, I never expected to see thistles in a bouquet and believe me, it has been one of the most beautiful flower arrangements I've ever received.  Not only do the white and lila color combination look lovely, but the bouquet has a great sense of space.  What I mean by this is that every thistle, every rose, every cresentia has its owns space, it is not crowded, and I think it is all thanks to the very different dimensions and sizes of these three flowers.   It just feels as this combination was always meant to be together, yet it is the first time I see it.

It has been one of those simple  little things that has brought a smile to my face everyday when I see it.  Hope the picture sort of does the same thing to you too!

Easiest cupcake glaze ever!

 

Over the weekend we celebrated my son's birthday with family, friends and red velvet cupcakes.  My hubby and I made them after founding a delicious recipe from browneyedbaker.com and we had our first attempt at decorating cupcakes.   We did not use the cream cheese frosting as the recipe suggests because my husband doesn't like anything with cheese on (even if its only in name).  Instead we used a Martha Stewart recipe for a super easy glaze.  I adjusted the suggested quantities a little, added red and yellow coloring (our theme was Mickey Mouse) and the cupcakes looked and tasted great. 

Ingredients:

-1/2 medium orange (squeeze juice)

-1 cup Confectioners sugar

-powder food coloring 

Mix the orange juice with the confectioners sugar until a paste is form.  If you want the glaze to be runny add more orange juice, if you prefer it to be thicker then add more sugar.  Once you are happy with the consistency, add the food coloring of your choice and apply onto cupcakes immediately.  (Cupcakes should be cold).

 

Son's Finger paint + Mom's Decoupage = Bathroom Art

My 2.5 year old son loves to paint.  He usually doesn't spend a lot of time on it, maybe 10 minutes or so, but once he is done with painting he always wants to show it off.  So when my fridge could not handle all the drawings he was making I decided to designate a small corner wall in my dinning room as his art wall.

There have been three paintings hanging there for about 5 months now and they keep "calling" me.   I really like the color coordination and the "style", if you can say that of preschooler art.  So I thought those three pieces of paper deserve a better place and my bathroom downstairs has been a little empty lately. 

A few ideas pop to mind (mainly framing them) but I thought that did not make them special enough so I decided on the next best thing...decoupage them.  I don't know why but there is something very relaxing about adding glue onto something and smoothing it out with a sponge or brush.   

Check out the instructions below on how I turn my son's drawing into modern art for my bathroom wall. 
You will need:
-canvas (size in EU=24 x 18cm, US=8"x10")
-decoupage brush/sponge
-mod podge or the equivalent white glue for decoupage
-temporary spray adhesive/glue for thin paper



-tape
-child's art
-printer/copier
-tissue paper
-standard white paper  (EU=A4, US=8.5"x11")                                                                  


How to:
1.  First cut the tissue paper about 2cm (1 inch) longer and wider than the standard white paper.  The idea is that you can wrap the tissue paper around the white paper.  Use only enough tape to hold the tissue paper in place (1 small piece of tape per side)

2.  Add the white paper covered in tissue paper (step 1) to the printer making sure the tissue side will be the one printed.



3.  Make a color copy of your child's art and let the ink dry for a few minutes.

4.  Take  the tissue paper off the white paper.  Once you've separated both paper take the white sheet and add very little spray adhesive onto the surface. Let the spray adhesive dry for a couple of minutes (to avoid ruining the print) and then paste the tissue paper (printed side) onto the white sheet (the side having the adhesive). Make sure that the tissue paper is straight and has no folds.  

5.  Apply one thin coat of mod podge onto the canvas making sure it covers the whole surface.  As soon as you are done applying the mod podge, position the tissue paper (adhered to the white sheet) on the canvas upside down to a hard surface.

6.  With a straight object (I used a piece of wood) "comb" the canvas to make sure that the tissue paper (underneath the canvas)and the canvas are being pasted without any air/glue pockets.  Work fast because the glue will dry quickly. 

7.  When you have combed the entire surface of the canvas, turn it around and remove the white sheet of paper being careful not to tear the tissue paper underneath.  Then smooth out any left over air pockets.  Work slowly and preferably only with finger tips.

8.  Once the front part is glued work on the sides by covering the edges with mod podge and folding the remainder tissue paper over them.

9. Let the canvas dry and then pull out or cut the leftover tissue paper.

                                                                                                          

10.  Let it  dry for 30 min.  and then cover the canvas with one thin and quick coat of mod podge to protect the art.

Vintage Combs to Enhance Hairstyles

I love hair combs but don't find many out there that I really like, so decided to make my own.  I wanted to go with a vintage look, so I chose ribbon and feathers.
Follow the instructions below to create your own combs... which could accomodate to different occasions and styles including romantic or modern wedding hair styles

First, fold the ribbon (approximately on a 45 degree angle) so the back of the folded piece is against the back of the rest of the ribbon.

Then start folding the front, so the front of the ribbon touches the front of the rest of the ribbon. The angle should be tighter in the center and looser on the edges to create a circumference with the ribbon (In some cases it's easier to use pins to hold the fabric in place).

Continue to do this until you overlap the starting point by at least 1/4 of the way (you can continue for 2 or 3 rounds if you wish).

Once you are happy with the flower shape, cut the ribbon from the roll and fold it in, so you can't see the unfinished edge.

Stitch at the center of the flower in such a way that you hold ALL folds in place.

Add beads in the center to cover the stitching from before.

You can layer flowers with different fabrics to create texture. Just make sure the bottom flower is made with a wider ribbon. Add feathers and other embellishments, and make sure you stitch them in place.

 

Stitch the comb on the back of the flower and your vintage comb is done!

Hortencias (Hydrangeas) and the Watering Can

I came back to Brussels last week with mom who travelled back with me to help with the kids and the 11 hour flight. 

My first impression is how much work the house needed after 5 weeks of me being away, specially the garden.  However, the good part was that my Hortencias (or Hydrangeas as they are more commonly known in other parts of the world) were in full bloom and in all colors ranging from pink to turquoise, and purple to blue.  I love the look they give to the garden and they are the easiest to care for! 

Anyways back to my mom, you know how it is always nice to have a new perspective on an area of the house you are not quite happy about?  Well I have been stuck on this watering can which I bought sometime ago in a second hand market here in Brussels.   When I boughted I love the feel of it and I thought it would give a nice look to the kitchen, but I have been struggling in finding a way to make a statement with it.  So I took advantage of the "new perspective" situation and ask mom to have a look and see if she could think of something.  And she did. 

 

Here is what you need to create something similar:

-Hortencias,

-Dried willow branches

-Ribbon

-Statement vase, or any sort of container that has a nice rustic/old feel to it.

To put it together:

Cut all the leafs out of the hortencias so that the flowers are just above the edge of the container. Cut the willow branches about 15 cm (6 inches) higher than the top of the hortencias.  Arrange 3 or 4 Hortencias stems aternating with the willow branches.  Add some ribbon onto the vase to give it a finished look.

I loved it, what do you think?