Spontaneous Moment #52: Butternut Squash round deux

On cold chilly nights such as these, I just want to bundle up on the couch and eat a nice bowl of warm soup. Most soup is full of salt and I feel I need a large glass of water to go with it... when I would much rather a warm glass of hot chocolate on the side.

I looked up a handful of butternut squad recipes, but they all called for heavy whipping cream or an overwhelming amount of salt. So I attempted to make my own stab at it. My husband didn't notice the difference and ate three bowls full. So this recipe is a clear winner that's here to stay.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

•  1 Whole Butternut Squash
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ⅛ tsp. ground nutmeg (plus more for garnish)
• ½ cup almond milk
• 4 slices of turkey bacon
• green onions for garnish
• Optional: greek yogurt for garnish

Instructions: 

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. 

Line a baking sheet with tin foil or a silpat sheet and place the squash, cut-side up, on the sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 1 to 1½ hours or until you can easily insert a fork or knife. Once it's done, remove from the oven and drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil on top. Allow it to cool.

Next, scoop out the inside of the squash using a spoon into a medium sized pot (I use my dutch oven) and discard the skin. Turn the oven to 400 degrees.

Add the remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil, the onion, carrots, salt, pepper and nutmeg over medium-high heat and saute until the onions are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

While it's cooking, add bacon to the oven so that it will be crispy. I usually cook it 8-10 minutes, but keep an eye out for it's crispiness.

Add the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a low-medium and simmer for 5 minutes. Check on your bacon. It should be ready to take out of the oven by now.

Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until completely smooth. Then turn up to medium-high heat and add the almond milk. Heat mixture until hot, but not to a boil.

Add salt and/or pepper to taste as needed. Place your butternut squash in a bowl.

For garnish, crumble your bacon over the butternut squash. Add a few diced green onions and a dollop of greek yogurt if you desire. Also feel free to add a pinch of nutmeg. Bon appetit!

Spontaneous Moment #51: Kiss My Wrap

Happy Holidays everyone! I've been decorating our apartment in preparation for Christmas and wrapping presents along the way. 

My Texas stocking, John's stocking, and stockings for our two little nuggets (the cats).

Every Christmas/Hannukah, I always try to wrap my presents in some new or different way. My in-laws always expect a uniquely decorated gift each season. So I try to make sure not to disappoint. This season I've decided to decorate my presents with the holiday themes. More ideas to come, but below you'll find my holly wrapped gifts.

HOLLY THEMED CHRISTMAS PRESENT:

 

Materials:

• Sparkly green sheet paper
• Red 10mm pom poms
• Some type of glue (I used Mod Podge because of the wrapping paper used)
• Ribbon (I prefer gold & sparkly)

I drew holly leaves on the back of the green paper, but if you don't feel like drawing by hand, you can trace these.  Cut out the holly leaves.

Take out three red pom poms and add a dab of glue to the side of one and then tightly squeeze all three of them together.

Wrap your gift and then tie your ribbon around it.

Glue down your holly leaves. Once the red pom poms are dry, add more glue to the bottom and position them over the leaves.

Easy peasy!! You have a great looking Christmas present!

Spontaneous Moment #50: Cookie Swap

It's that time of year again. My friend, Alex, was throwing a cookie swap party at her place and I was seriously lacking in time. Thankfully, I have a few tricks of my sleeve. In my back pocket, I keep two simple cookie recipes: crinkle cookies and bacon chocolate chip cookies. You're in luck! I'm in the mood to share my secrets. If you're going to be like me and make both, use the same bowl for both cookies. While the first set of cookies are baking, prepare the second set of cookies.

I started with the crinkle cookies:

CRINKLE COOKIES

Ingredients:

• 1 packet Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
• 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, eggs, butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Stir until their are no longer any chunks.

Mixing this all together is the hardest part of the recipe

Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Drop a tablespoon sized cookie dough into the powdered sugar. I like to use my hand to slowly roll the cookie around in the powdered sugar, but you can also use a spoon.

The bowl of powdered sugar ready for cookie dough

Roll your teaspoon sized cookie dough in the powdered sugar

Drop onto a greased cookie sheet. You can also use parchment paper or a baking silpat.

Bake for 12 minutes for chewy cookies. You'll notice a lot of the powdered sugar baked off in the oven. Let the cookies cool for two minutes and then sprinkle some more powdered sugar on top of the cookies. Transfer the cookies over to cooling racks. Once you let them cool completely, enjoy them with a big glass of milk.

If you're making both cookies... before the crinkle cookies are in the oven, start preparing the bacon chocolate chip cookies by making the bacon. Once you take out the bacon, pop the crinkle cookies in and prep the chocolate chip mix.

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Mix
• 1/2 (1 stick) softened butter (leave out for 45-60 minutes for it to soften)
• 1 egg
• thick cut bacon
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar

Directions:

Keep the oven at 350. Line the bacon on a parchment paper covered baking sheet.  Sprinkle brown sugar on top of each slice of bacon. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

Line up the bacon.

Pat down the cooked bacon with paper towels. Crumble up the bacon into little bits.

Pour cookie mix into a bowl. Sprinkle in the bacon bits and mix together. Then add in the butter and egg. Mix until there are no chunks and soft dough forms.

Yes, no need to change the temperature of the oven. Keep it at 350. Drop teaspoon sized cookie dough onto the same cookie sheets you used for the other cookies. Bake 8-10 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown. Let them stand for one minute before removing and placing onto the cooling rack.

I promise these cookies won't disappoint. They were the first ones gone at the party. I'm sure I'll make them again for work. 

Spontaneous Moment #49: Bag It Up

If you can't tell from my recent posts, I'M GETTING MARRIED. Instead of spending a fortune on gifts for 8 bridesmaids, 8 groomsmen, and family members, it's easier to do it all for less.

I'm giving my bridesmaid a little something to wear on the wedding day while we get ready and a thank you gift for being a part of my wedding. I figured instead of wrapping it, a cute way to give them the gift would be in a personalized tote.

HOW TO MAKE A MONOGRAMMED TOTE BAG:

Materials:

•  Tote Bag
• Sponge brush
• Fabric paint
• Doilies
• Contact Paper
• Scissors
• Protractor Compass or a plate
• Something to put in between the bag when painting

All the materials you'll need

Instructions:

First I found something to protect my floor. I used my large painting cover for the floor. Flatten your tote bag on the floor and measure out how much contact paper you'll need to cover the tote. Cut it out and place it on top of the tote, but do NOT peal it yet.

Measure and cut your contact paper

Now it's time to create the circle in the middle of your contact paper. You can use a protractor compass to create the circle, but I couldn't find mine. I took the next best option and traced a salad plate. I made sure to put the plate over the tote handles and then slowly move it down so that I made sure it was centered.

Cut out the middle circle. I usually fold it in half, cut in the center and then slowly cut around the edges of the circle.

Cut out the circle of the contact paper

Slowly pull off the back of the contact paper starting from the top. This way you can keep everything centered and slowly press down on the contact paper as you go.

Pull off the contact paper starting from the top

Grab your scissors and doily. Fold the doily in half and cut around the circle.

Cut out the center of the doily

It should look like this once you're done. 

The doily once you've cut out the center

 Grab your cut out monogram and your doily. Carefully center and position them in the middle of the tote bag.

Place everything how you want it to look

I traced my monogram on contact paper and then cut it out so that I could peal off the back and press it onto the tote.

Peal and press the monogram onto the tote

 Put a piece of paper or something in between the tote bag so that if the fabric paint goes through, it doesn't get to the other side of the tote. I use magazines or shipping envelopes. Put your paint in a small bowl and start slowly pressing down with the sponge brush onto the bag.

Start painting your tote bag

Add a second layer of paint onto your totes so that it gives it a rich color. 

 Let it dry for an hour and then slowly peal off your contact paper and doily. Then you have a great gift to give to your friends and family! Easy peasy!

My first attempt

The final product

 

Spontaneous Moment #48: Homemade Cards & Groomsmen Gifts

My fiance was trying to come up with a way to ask his groomsmen to be in our wedding. I went online to look for a cute card, but they were all $6 or $7 PER CARD... and when you're asking eight men to be in your wedding, that quickly adds up.

I decided instead of buying a card, why don't I just make them for him. So I came up with the idea of making a tuxedo jacket. I also decided that we should give them a small gift with the card as well. Cue the booze!

How to Make a Tuxedo Card:

Tools:

• Black card stock
• White shiny card stock
• Puffy paint (use your wedding colors)
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Bone Paper folder
• X-acto Knife
• Paper Trimmer (makes all the difference in the world)
• glue

Instructions:

Take your black cardstock and slice the paper in half.

Measure your cardstock into thirds. Make sure the sides are half the size of the middle.

Use the folding slicer on your paper trimmer. Create your two folds.

Grab your bone folder to make a clean fold on the paper.

Now it's time to make the flap (aka the lapel). Take your ruler and measure the sides. This way you'll have even sides. I made mine 3x6.

Once you figure out the measurements, use the folding slicer with your paper trimmer again.

Fold your papers together to make sure it all looks right. If your two flaps fold completely. To give it more of a 3D look, you can add an extra  fold on the side (as seen below on the left portion of the card).

Now it's time to make your pocket. Take your xacto knife and lay your right fold out flat. Slowly make the shape of a pocket. I don't cut out the top of the pocket because it's going to be covered by the "pocket square."

Get your scissors. Make two cuts into the lapel.

Use your ruler to make it even on both sides.

Take your card and put it under something heavy for an hour. I usually place it under a stack of magazines or a laptop. This will set your card.

Now it's time for some puffy paint action! First squirt your puffy paint on a piece of scrap paper so that that any excess doesn't mess up the card. Now take it and make a square design on your card just above your pocket you cut out. Let it dry.

While the puffy paint sets, take your white card stock and cut it in half. Now measure the dimensions of your card and make sure the white is same size as the inside of your card. Use the paper trimmer to cut out the size. Grab some strong glue (I use Elmer's extra strength glue stick) and glue around the edges of the white cardstock. Press down the white card stock.

Time for the finishing touches! Last but not least, take the puffy paint and draw a bow tie and buttons.

 

My job is done! Now it's up to the fiance to do the hard part-- asking his men. 

 

Now on to the fun part, the gift!

I love a good wordplay. Since we decided to give them booze as a present, I thought why not ask them to "take a shot" at being a groomsman. The only request was that I don't girly up the gift too much. As much as I wanted to make a pretty, colorful design, I made it as simple and manly as possible.

Tools needed:

Hole punch

Large circle punch

String

mini alcohol bottle

This is how they all turned out:

They were either mailed or hand delivered in small bags to the men and they all said YES!