Buffalo Chicken Dip

I know I’ve posted this before, but seriously, this recipe is worth repeating. And re-eating. Repeatedly.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cans Chicken Breast (13 oz ea?)
1-2 Cups Shreaded Cheese
1 Cup Ranch (or Blue Cheese) Dressing
1 Cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
2 Blocks Cream Cheese

(This is a pretty decent sized recipe. You can divide it in half if you want but
I promise once you try it you’ll think making less is silly.)

DIRECTIONS:

Dump everything into a crockpot. Turn on whatever – low or high. Stir occasionally. Eat. Eat some more. Share with friends. If by some crazy chance you have leftovers this is also GREAT cold and can be reheated if you like it warm. Eat with tortilla chips, in a quesadilla or if you’re like me – by the spoonful.

You’re welcome.

Giant DIY Cupcake Stand

Here’s a great project for all you crafty brides with crafty husbands-to-be!! Design your own cupcake stand – I promise it will be a big hit!

 

 

 Don’t have the time or resources to make your own? Now you can order your very own custom made stand! (We also have other sizes available.) This tutorial has become so popular we are currently working on multiple versions for other sizes with much more detail and LOTS more photos, tips & tricks. If you would like to be contacted when these instructions are available, please e-mail me and let me know.

Tracey, a reader who used our tutorial, was nice enough to provide me with a metric version! You can obtain those instructions here. Thanks Tracy! And have a look at her beautiful stand…didn’t they do a fabulous job?!

 

Materials List

49″ x 97″ x 3/4″ MDF Board (1 sheet)

Cut to size:

32″ x 32″ (2 pieces)

24″ x 24″ (2 pieces)

17″ x 17″ (2 pieces)

12″ x 12″ (2 pieces)

4″ x 2′ PVC (2 pices)

4″ PVC Coupling (4 each)

1/2″ 6′ All Thread Rod (1 piece)

1/2″ Hex Nuts (2 each)

Paint

1/2″ Flat Washer (2 pieces)

6-8 Knobs (to put on the bottom for feet)

2 yards of 44″ or wider fabric

32″ x 40″ Foam Board (1 piece)

Cut to size:

23 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

16 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

11 1/8″ x 4 1/8″ (2 pieces)

*NOTE: You will need to cut 2 pieces of foam core slightly smaller than the dimensions above so they all fit snug. I re-measure and update when I get a chance.

 Have Lowes cut the MDF board, then cut a small circle in the center of each piece. Put the threaded rod through layers of the MDF board and PVC. (Notice that you don’t have to paint the top and bottom of everything, only parts that will show.

Countersink a hole in the top so the threaded rod does not stick out. You can add a nice piece of acrylic, or another board or something on top if you wish but it’s not necessary.

We routered the undersides of the layers so we could slip the panels in and out. You can skip the routering if you don’t intend to change the fabric panels.

Lay out the foam board and cut the fabric a couple inches larger. Wrap the fabric around the panels and adhere with a strong glue. Let dry, then slide into the routered grooves.

Add the knobs at the bottom for feet and you’re ready to go! Keep in mind this thing is somewhat heavy, and large:

You will definitely need a truck to transport it fully assembled. But, it’s easy enough to tear apart and reassemble if necessary.

Please send me photos if you make one and we’ll feature it on our site!!

How to Hem Pants – No Sew Method!

Need to hem your pants but don’t have the resources to sew them? No problem!

Standing at about 5′4″  I’m kind of a short girl. Okay, a bit less than that, I’m probably lucky to clear 5′4″ in shoes but it makes me feel better to round up. And unfortunately, I’m not proportionately short in that cute little “petite” way. In fact, someone once told me that it was like I was once tall but someone stepped on my head and squished the rest of my body down. Um, okay…does that make me “stout”? I don’t know, I don’t care, I just know that I can’t change it. So as you might imagine this makes clothes shopping difficult. Nothing ever fits quite right. If it fits in the waist the length isn’t right or vice versa. “Petite” is too short, “Regular” is okay, but usually just a tiny bit too long, and “Long” is never gonna happen.

That being said, I usually have pretty good luck with the Editor pants from Express; so when they go on sale I try to snag a pair or two. They fit pretty well in the waist but not all styles are the right length. I have lucked out and bought some that fit absolutely perfect, but the ones I got the other day were a bit too sloppy long, even in heels. For example:

But I’m a sucker for a sale and I have in the past taken them to my seamstress to have them hemmed. Since I leave for Hong Kong Wednesday I don’t have time to take them to be fixed. So, being the frugal, crafty gal I am I decided to try hemming them myself. The thing is, I can sew, but I have no idea how to hem them with an invisible seam. Maybe I need a Serger for that? Anyway, I’m going to show you how do hem your pants without sewing!

First, you’ll need some no-sew fusible fabric tape. You can find it at your favorite craft or fabric store. I think it’s only a couple dollars. Then you need a hot iron, a wet washcloth, and of course your pants.

Turn your pants inside out, flip the bottom up and press the edges making a suitable hemline. Unwind the fabric tape and cut a piece long enough for one side. Put it inside the cuff of the hemline.

Make sure no tape is poking out of the top, then place your wet towel over the area to be hemmed. Lay your iron on the wet towel and steam press for several seconds. I usually count to ten, then move, count to ten again and go over multiple times making sure to get it good and steamed but not so much that it dries and burns anything. It will depend on the fabric. Plus, I noticed since the pants are already hemmed there are multiple layers before the heat can get to the fabric tape. You’ll have to keep checking and adjust as necessary.

Once you think it’s had enough steaming, remove the iron, let it cool a bit and check. When it works properly it should have a nice solid seam like this:

Then do the other side the same way and obviously do the other pant leg. You may or may not be able to see where the fabric tape is. But, sometimes it doesn’t always take so well and you’ll have loose parts like this:

Some parts adhered very well while others didn’t take at all. I tried getting the pants wet, using a towel, not using a towel, but I couldn’t get it all to work. Not to worry…I simply grabbed my fabric glue and touched up the areas that didn’t take to the iron. Fabric glue is also available at craft or fabric stores but it’s a bit pricey in my opnion; I paid over $8.00 for this bottle. But, I will say it has come in handy on multiple projects so it’s worth it.

We’ll see how they hold up with wearing and washing, but I think it worked well enough. Remember before:

and

and here is after:

 

If you haven’t played around with fabric tape & glue I highly recommend it. Andy’s favorite pair of jeans are patched to the point they’re almost entirely a handkerchief held together with fabric glue, fabric tape, a bit of blue jeans!

Baked Chicken Parmesan Stuffed with Spinach & Mozzarella

I thought I’d let Andy take a break while I made dinner for my family today. I poked around the Internet for baked chicken parmesan recipes and I sort of came up with my own recipe. (I don’t always measure so I apologize if you want to try to make this! I’m sure you can follow along and experiment a bit. It will be fine. Just be sure to THAW your chicken….is that a hint of foreshadowing there? Oh yeah…keep reading.)

First, I thawed four chicken breasts (well, I thawed them most of the way…) and also thawed and drained one 10oz package of chopped spinach.  I mixed the spinach with a handfull of shredded mozzarella cheese. Then I sliced the chicken breasts through one side like Andy did when he made his feta and spinach stuffed chicken dinner and stuffed the spinach/cheese mix into the chicken breasts.

 

Next, I chopped some fat free seasoned breadcrumbs with my handy dandy Pampered Chef Chopper. I sprinkled some italian seasoning and parmesan cheese over the breadcrumbs and mixed it all up.

I took one egg and added a little bit of my Pampered Chef Garlic Infused Oil, and beat it with a fork. Then I dipped each breast in the egg mixture (both sides), rolled it around in the breadcrumb mix, then put them in the glass pan that I spritzed with a bit of oil and put it all in the oven at 400 degrees.

I let it bake for about twenty minutes, then took it out.

I added marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and put it back in the oven with some garlic breadsticks.

After another ten minutes or so I took it out and put it on a plate of angel hair pasta and served it with broccoli and cottage cheese.

Looks pretty good, right? (Sorry about the poor photography…I think my camera is on its last leg.) Check out the inside of the chicken:

Yeah, it looked really good so I took a bite. And chewed this bit of rubbery half cooked chicken…blech!!!! GROSS!!! Remember I said I thawed the chicken? Well, I didn’t thaw it completely so it didn’t get done in the amount of time it should have. I felt so bad, my family had to sit around and wait while I kept baking and checking, microwaving, baking, and checking. My picture perfect meal wasn’t as spectacular as I had hoped, but I do think I’ll try this recipe again and I will be sure to cook it long enough next time.

Product Review: PediPaws vs. Peticure

One of the joys of being a responsible pet owner is making sure your pets are properly groomed, either professionally or at home. Luckily all three of our dogs are short haired and do not require periodic haircuts…unless we feel like it. It’s not so terrible in the warmer months when we can give the dogs a bath outside but Andy has forbidden me to wash the dogs in the bathtub or shower for fear their ridiculous amount shedding fur will clog the drains. Fair enough. We agreed that it’s worth adding to our budget for the $16-$18 PetSmart charges to groom them (includes a bath, blow dry, brush, clean ears and trimmed nails).

 

That being said, the dogs’ nails grow at an alarming rate which means we have to do some upkeep in the interim. And they hate getting their nails trimmed with a capital H-A-T-E. I have tried many things in the past – treats, trying to get one or two while they’re sleeping, being nice, being mean, and I always pay to have the vet trim them while we’re at a visit. I once was charged $18 and all they did was get a tiny bit from a couple nails on Putter b/c he struggled and screamed so much. Oh yeah, Putter screams. Like a little kid being tortured. I should record it sometime; it’s hilarious…only because he’s not really in physical pain, just freaking out. When we have the dogs’ teeth cleaned I always make sure they trim them really short. (P.S. – That’s not cheap either.)

 

So, we finally decided to check out some of the latest gadgets to try to properly care for their nails. Here are our findings/review on these tools:

First, we tried the Pedi Paws. I had a 20% off coupon for Bed Bath & Beyond (and a gift card from the wedding come to think of it…) so it was around $18.

 

Pros: lightweight, inexpensive, not too noisy, has a guard to put the dog’s nail in and maintain a level of safety.

 

Cons: Not a lot of power; not sure how long the sanding wheels last (it comes with two).

Verdict: Had moderate success on my 8 lb Chihuahua but the pugs’ nails caused the sanding thing to stop. If it had more power it would be better, but it’s probably suitable for really small dogs. I gave it to a co-worker to try with her Jack Russell Terrier.

 

Next, we decided to up the ante and go for the Peticure Safeguard that attaches to standard dremel tools. This. Thing. Is. Awesome!!

 

Pros: plenty of power, has multiple openings on the guard to adjust to the size of the dog, fast,

 

Cons: a little more expensive (we got it on eBay for around $38), 4-6 to ship if ordered directly from the company, a little noisy (but surprisingly not as bad as I expected), can get carried away if you’re not careful, and you must be careful and try to actually shape the nail or it will just sand down at whatever angle.

 

Verdict: I repeat – this thing is AWESOME! We had all three dogs done in probably 10-15 minutes. Of course they didn’t enjoy it, but they all behaved surprisingly well. Even Putter, who unfortunately did get nicked enough to bleed. L In the future we will just do a little at a time to maintain their nails and be extra careful not to do too much. I felt absolutely awful when I noticed the blood, but I chased him around the yard trying to get a better look and he just wanted to play so it didn’t appear that he was it very much pain.