Chalk it Up to Pinterest

I wish I could take credit for this idea. I really do. It seems like an idea I'd come up with and I'm a little astounded that I didn't. Anyway here's the scoop. Back when we started Yes, Chef! Catering, we went to a restaurant supply auction and we bought a couple of odd lots of stuff. One of the lots we won was a mixed lot of crock pots, a "flotilla" as Big Daddy would say. I think there was maybe one good crock pot and several more homely ones, and from time to time we have used them all but we definitely use the best looking ones the most. So I'm perusing Pinterest yesterday and what did I see but the most brilliant idea ever! Spray paint the crock pots! Spray paint the crock pots (drum roll please) with  chalkboard paint!!! Oh yes boys and girls, this had to happen.

When choosing a craft I usually have three factors to consider:

1. Does it cost less than $10 to begin? (Now many of my crafts spiral way beyond the $10 mark, but in order to get sucked in, I prefer that the craft seems affordable at the onset.)

2. Can it be done start to finish in less than one hour? (I have done things that take longer but I usually screw them up because I can't wait to let paint dry.)

3. Will Big Daddy think I'm crazy when he sees what I've done? (I don't know why this is such a motivator for me, but it is.)

So here's a picture of two of the three pots I painted. I'm rather fond of the harvest gold one. It's especially groovy.

I just taped up the parts I didn't want to get paint on. Took off the nobs and sprayed away. Then I let them dry and POOF! Chalkboard crock pots. The reason I think this is so cool is that you can label them with the food that's inside or with your name (or any other cute message you like). I am just tickled. I think they are super fun and I think they'll be great for catering. You'd be surprised how many times people ask you what something is. I guess folks are afraid I disguise lima beans to look like queso.

Have a wild and crazy Thursday!

Orange Chicken, Leprechaun Green & Out of the Red!

Tonight I made another yummy crockpot dinner that was pretty easy. I made Orange Chicken, fried rice and asian slaw. To make fried rice you just cook some regular old white rice and let it cool. (I use the boil in bag stuff.) Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Take one egg and whip it, whip it good and throw that on the oil cooking it quickly and breaking it up as it cooks. Then throw in the cooled rice, a handfull of frozen peas and carrots and quick fry it until it's all heated, then douse in soy sauce. Keep the rice moving until everything is hot and well mixed. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste. My asain slaw is even easier. I take bagged slaw mix and throw it in a bowl. Then I take a handful of slivered almonds and throw those on a cookie sheet to toast. While the almonds are toasting I douse (apparently douse is the word of the day) the cabbage mix with asain vinegrette (mine is that salad spray stuff, only I didn't spray it, I dumped it.) Then top with toasted almonds. Done. Here's the recipe for the Orange Chicken:
CROCKPOT ORANGE CHICKEN

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 1-inch chunks


1/2 cup flour

olive oil, for browning the chicken

1 teaspoon salt

6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat (optional)


The Directions
Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over rice.

Review: this actually tastes like the orange chicken I get from the local chinese place after it's been in the fridge overnight. Of course cooking something in the crockpot doesn't leave it crispy, but the flavor of the sauce is very true to take-out.
 
Last weekend Big Daddy and I went to the North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park and it was really neat. We rode the DART rail and did some primo people watching. There's definately a sub-culture of people who go to fairs, festivals and other outdoorsy event things and the vibe at the Irish Festival was definately a new one for me. I'd really not experienced large numbers of men in kilts, and we're not just talking about people who were dancing or vending or playing the bag pipes, oh no my friend, we're talking about dudes just hanging out in their Ooops I Did it Again skirts. I have always been pro-kilt (no really, I think it's seriously sexy in an edgy nerdy classy kinda casserole) and when Big Daddy started looking at them, I was on it! We didn't buy, but I'm going to be shopping for one because if the man was just playing around, he pulled the wrong chain. Besides, Big Daddy has great legs!
 
I have paid off three nagging debts in the last week and I am feeling super good about my credit situation. I have never had an excess of credit so the negative things on my credit report are things that I have either decided to be a jerk about or things I've had trouble chasing down. The coolest part is that everything I paid out will be coming back to me over the next month or so, which is a really cool thing! I have been working on a better outlook and attitude about trusting God and doing what's right just because it's right and I have been very blessed by the changes that I thought would be far more uncomfortable than they proved to be.

Whazzup!

It's a rainy Thursday and I have plenty to do and very little inspiation to do it. I feel like I need a GPS to navigate my daily life. Most days I feel like I wander from room to room trying to figure out what I went in there for. It's probably the insomnia. I'm not one of those people who doesn't sleep at all. My body gives out eventually but I'm not getting a full night of sleep right now and I'm a bit loopy. I've got half a headache most of the time, I start a thought and get lost, I copy my algebra problems down wrong and then argue with the math program because I just know my answer is right and I bounce from one idea to the other without really getting anything done. I've done this pretty much all my life and it seems to be on some schedule. It's also self-perpetuating because I don't sleep enough so I caffeinate so I don't sleep enough so I caffeinate...I should probably see a doctor about it, but to tell the truth I've got friends who take sleep meds and I think that solution is worse than my problem. Those things have some funky side-effects!

I've been working on my game plan for Valentines Day weekend. I've picked a country as my theme and everything I've chosen to do can be tied back to that country (loosely). I started with a food choice which dictated the country and with a little wikipedia and a little google I found places to go, things to see, films to watch, things to read, a traditional game we can play and and even arts and crafts! I'm excited about it because I definately thought out of the box on this one and I hope that Big Daddy will enjoy it enough that this might turn into something we do from time to time. One of the neat things about living in a big city is that we have access to lots of resources and cultures and I don't take advantage of that nearly as much as I'd like to.

I got two more crockpot cookbooks and last night I made a chicken and green chili enchilada casserole (btw I used pepper jack cheese and halved the recipe) and it was KILLER. It didn't even turn out the way it was supposed to (which was my fault, not the recipe) and it was still tight. Word. (I just had a flashback of my dad trying to use the 80's lingo and making me cringe. Ah live and learn I tell ya.) So the new plug is for NOT YOUR MOTHER'S SLOW COOKER COOKBOOK.

And finally, my mom called and is planning a little program for her sorority based on the uses of vinegar. She wasn't sure where to start to find things on the internet (bless her heart, google baffles her) so I googled for her and man oh man there's a ton of info out there! Who knew!

Eat, Play & Love

Tonight I'm making three-cheese broccoli soup from my new favorite cookbook, MAKE IT FAST, COOK IT SLOW. The only problem with it is that I could smell the broccoli cooking from the garage so our house smells a little like dirty socks. Good thing I've got my LA-TEE-DA! I've just been raving about how easy this crockpot cooking is although there are several dishes that I will alter a little when I make them again. Stephanie warns that every crockpot is a little different and you have to get to know how yours works. I also tend to try to make smaller versions of the recipes since I'm cooking for two (and we have a tendency to eat for six if we're not careful) and I'm sure that makes a difference in cooking times. I'm looking forward to the soup. I got a couple of round bread loaves on clearance at Kroger today so I'm going to try to make bread bowls (does anyone else see a giant mess in my future?) to make it look a bit more like dinner. That being said, you should really try out some of the recipes on the blog or buy the cookbook. It really is a super easy way to make a dinner that tastes like it took more effort than it does!

I meant to get into my craft room and start working on my mantle today. I am a crafty girl and I change out the display on my mantle every six weeks or so in celebration of various holidays and seasons. I have three 12X12" frames that I put scrapbook pages or scrappy type decorations in. I change out the nick-nacks and I hang a banner beneath the mantle. The only problem is that I didn't get my New Years stuff made in time and I think I'm a little early for Valentines Day, so I'm thinking maybe just a Warm Winter Wishes kinda thing...I'll post a pic when I decide. Since I didn't get to make any crafty stuff today, I'll share my new favorite videos--I just love these, they completely crack me up. These are definately my homies. Word.

Big Daddy was smoov trippin when I was checking these out Saturday morning. I pulled a little knitta pleeeease on him and he be all up in my bead box, yo. ;) If this made you laugh, go here and watch the third video on the page, I'm sorry but Old Dirty Crafta is just too funny.

Speaking of videos, we're watching THE WIRE on Netflicks and while it took me awhile to get sucked in, I'm totally hooked and really wish I'd gotten the DVD in the mailbox before the mailman came today instead of after. I'm reading OLIVE KITTERIDGE right now (it won the Pulitzer this year) and it's really a good read. It's a series of connected short stories (which is cooincidentally what I always said I'd have to do to trick myself into writing a novel) and the writing is delicious. It's the kind of book that makes me ache to be a serious writer and makes me sad because I'm just not that good. Sigh. Other than that I'm just doing the housewifey thang which I never thought I'd love, and getting ready for my fifty-seventh first day of school. I really must be setting a record for the longest stint in community college without actually completing even an Associates. Time to talk back to the voices in my head: I love to learn and I'm excited to have an opportunity to do things differently. I love to learn and I'm excited to have an opportunity to do things differently. I love to learn and I'm excited to have an opportunity to do things differently...