QOTD

This is a short post today, folks!  

In an attempt to continue to decorate the empty space above my kitchen cabinets I had purchased a BOGO 50% off frame. 

(I used the first three here... which was really the original intent of the purchase anyway!)

And had one remaining and mismatched frame. 

In lieu of having a nice 8x10 photo readily available to frame, I instead made my own chalkboard art!

Since it was for the kitchen this quote was more than appropriate!

"People who love to eat are always the best people." - Julia Child

Here's the whole of the 'above the kitchen cabinet' area:

...Always a work in progress! 

I found my chalkboard background and fonts here.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Getting your chalkboard to POP!

I finished a project a few months ago where I turned an old mirror we had laying around into a chalkboard- with the intent of increasing my signage in the kitchen.

I thought it would be so great to change out the sign seasonally or for a birthday- you know, or any special occasion. The only problem was when I couldn't SEE what I had creatively drawn on the sign from 6 feet below it....wah wah.....

In a matter of trying to come up with solutions I was close to purchasing some Expo bright sticks, erase able chalk markers when I came up with a last ditch effort before I spent the money on the new markers.

I had some old chalk pastels hidden away in a drawer from my high school art class, likely used only once!  And to my surprise, they worked perfectly!! 

I'm so happy with it and plan to change mine each season!  Good Luck with your project!


Follow Me on Pinterest

Stale Bread? Don't throw it out!

I went to make a sandwich the other day and (of course) the loaf of bread was stale.  The bread was hard enough I didn't want to eat a sandwich from it, but it wasn't growing anything...yet.

Since i hate throwing food away (so wasteful!); it was time to make some croutons.

How hard is it to make croutons? I've already got them in the oven cooking while i blog... in other words-- it's not. 

Croutons are one of those things that I would never buy at the store, partly for all the added chemical preservatives, and partly because well, they're just not a salad staple for me.  But when it comes to throwing away food... it's time to figure out how to use whatever you've got.

Here's how to start: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   Total cooking time is 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven. (Mine turn out best at ~8 minutes per side)

Ingredients: 

• Stale Bread (I used about 4 slices)
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Italian Seasonings (or other seasonings of your choice)
• 1-2 tbsp. Olive oil or Butter  

*Note: I usually choose plant based oils vs. butter due to the lower saturated fat content of these oils.  In other words, they're more heart healthy!

Instructions: 

1. Chop bread into about cubes about 1" x 1".
2. Place chopped bread into a bowl and drizzle with oil.
3. Mix well, until each bread is lightly coated with oil.
4. Add in salt, pepper, and seasonings and mix well-- each piece should be evenly coated.
5. Place on a baking sheet and bake for ~10 minutes on each side.
   (Mine turn out best at ~8 minutes per side)
6.  Allow to cool.  

Storage: 

I have stored these for a maximum of 3 weeks in a ziploc baggie at room temperature, and had fresh, crunchy croutons! A word of caution to anyone eating things they have stored longer....

for Spicy Croutons: 

•  swap Italian seasonings for cayenne pepper- pairs well with Chili and garnishing soups

Follow Me on Pinterest

Ipsy vs Birchbox: Monthly Beauty Box Subscriptions

If you haven't heard of Ipsy or Birchbox, you're missing out.

About 6 months a friend of mine told me about Birchbox.  Here's the scoop: $10 for a sampling of high end beauty products that are supposed to be tailored to your preferences.  How great?! 

I signed up for Birchbox almost immediately, and was thrilled with my first monthly subscription.  Getting makeup in the mail sounded like a sweet deal! (Since I'd never go buy a designer/high end product without sampling it first)

Within the next month, someone challenged this with a competing service called Ipsy, so I figured why not subscribe to both?, and then choose which was best.  

First off, the packaging: 

I don't know about you...but I'm thrilled every month when a hot pink bubble mailer arrives with makeup inside!

When you subscribe, you fill out a profile online as to your preferences.  Birchbox is a one time 'form' that can be edited on your profile.  Ipsy allows you to review the products you received individually each month and rate each one.  

For me, Ipsy provided more primarily makeup and nail polish and skincare products (not to mention that you get a cute little makeup bag each month), and Birchbox provided mostly skincare, fragrance, and haircare products.

Seriously, I don't want to try a different shampoo every month.... And a 1 oz sample of lotion just doesn't cut it.

It started out great, getting all these beauty surprises in the mail, but after a while, there was one that shone brighter.  (The last 3 months I have gotten shampoo in my Birchbox, and I'm not much of a fan of washing my hair anyway... and so, Birchbox got the boot.)

Not to mention many of these ipsy products I have received have actually been full-sized!

My Winner is IPSY! 

Why not give it a try? Indulge yourself.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Blackberry Walnut Pancakes

I no longer make 'plain Jane' pancakes.  After a successful improv with some pancakes last fall, all my adventures in pancake cooking are now slightly more detailed.

On a lazy Saturday Morning, 'fancy' pancakes, as they're known around my house, are our usual breakfast.

Today's pancakes were
Whole Grain Blackberry Walnut Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Blackberry Pomegranate sauce. (Need I say, YUM!?)

Here's the recipe I used: 

I started with a basic Better Home & Garden's Buttermilk Pancake Recipe and edited it to my specifications.

Ingredients:
for the pancakes

•  1-2 pints blackberries
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 cup  Oat Flour
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups milk (buttermilk for a richer flavor, or whatever you've got around)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• Powdered sugar (as desired, for garnish)

 for the sauce

• 1/2 cup muddled blackberries
• about 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1-2 tsp agave nectar
• Splenda to taste 

Steps: 
1.  Whisk the flours, oil, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, milk & sugar together
2. Stir in the walnuts & blackberries (Muddled distributes the flavor better)
3. Once your pan is the appropriate temperature, Pour in the batter ( I usually fit 3 pancakes into a 9" skillet, but you can make them as large as you like!)
4. Once the pancakes begin to cook around the edges and begin bubbling on the top side, it's time to flip them. 
*This is when I made the garnish.  Only steps here involve muddling the blackberries and stirring all ingredients together. You could use pancake syrup, but I always prefer a fruit alternative, that way you get the added nutrients & fiber and not just plain sugar*
5. Remove from heat, and serve with sauce. 
6. If desired garnish with powdered sugar.

- Follow Me on Pinterest

Whining and Dining gets a Makeover!

This blog started as another way for me to share my adventures in food and cooking, and as I was blogging, I realized I was more interested in sharing some of my other projects.... so: 

Whining and Dining got a 

Consider this an all-inclusive girly blog, from everything to lessons on using power tools for the first time, to which brand of makeup lasts longer! 

My boyfriend tells me that my ideas are firing about a million miles per minute… The new direction of this blog is about the ups and downs, and my creative journey through it.  I’m a crafter, amateur chef, foodie, and so enjoy spending time with friends and family.  This is an all-inclusive blog of the events of my ascension into adulthood.  Hope you are able to find some ideas, maybe a little inspiration, and some humor in my journey.

(Bed)Skirt-ing the Challenge of Cording

With the new headboard, and having our bed elevated on risers, there was no question that we needed a bed skirt. The idea of a traditional 'frilly' bed skirt disgusted me....Think baby girl pink, and with the smell of grandmas house. Ew.

Finding the best fabric actually took the longest! I think I spent weeks hunting around town at many of the local fabric stores and could not come up with anything! 

I purchased this gem at fabric.com. This was my first online fabric purchase and as I always do, I measured, measured again, and remeasured before buying the fabric. (If you sew you know that's one thing you can't mess up!-- I purchased 4 yards for my queen size bed, with a 20" height)

My mother has been sewing for many years and played the role of my assistant and teacher. First, we did a little online research on making a custom skirt sans pattern. This tutorial was really helpful!

After we decided that the geometric pattern looked better when the lines were vertical, we had to piece the fabric evenly so that the pattern matched up. I left the master seamstress take over on this one...

I had a little navy linen left over from the headboard project, and thought it might be nice to incorporate that into the bedskirt. Hence, the pleats were born!

(I thought this really raised the 'fancy factor' on my homemade bedskirt!)

After the skirt was finished, I had enough fabric leftover to make pillows. (See what leftover fabric will get you?-more projects.)

I had made many a pillow in the past, but wanted to try something different. I found some cording that I like – navy, matching the headboard color - and made my first attempt at finishing a pillow with cording. This tutorial was greatly beneficial.

You can see how much my technique improved from my first to the third and final pillow – you can hardly see the connection!

Here is a final view of my bedroom oasis completely made, all prim and proper! 

I think you can successfully say my sewing machine (last year's Christmas) has been put to good use.

Follow Me on Pinterest

Keep Calm and Sip On

I wanted to share with you all what a hit this Christmas gift was!  This was one of those gifts that made his jaw drop.

My boyfriend is a big fan of the website "theCHIVE".

If You are, like him, a fan of scotch, I have the perfect gift for you.

I purchased these in a set of 4 from One King's Lane, but I'm sure you could find them elsewhere.  He was, like I said, completetly ecstatic to receive these! 

Whether you're a fan of the site or just an enthusiast of British Culture, these are some pretty cool glasses that would be a great addition to your bar!

Follow Me on Pinterest

Chickpea Tortellini Soup

(Is this really my first food post?! On a Blog called 'Whining and Dining' this is an issue.... I always have good intentions to do food blogs, but get so distracted by my own hunger that I forget to take pictures!! I'll try to be better! Scout's honor.)

Anywho!... a warm bowl of soup is just what I love on those 'chill you to the bone' cold wintry days.

I had a version of this soup once during a hospital rotation and it was unforgettable.  Chickpea Tortellini. And it was delicious. Those were 2 ingredients I had never had together! 

After surfing the internet for a few days I found a couple of interesting recipes that I used for inspiration for my own version. 

Chickpea Tortellini Soup
(Vegetarian Friendly!)

Serves: 10 to 12, 1 cup servings
Garnish (optional): Sprinkle Cheese, Green Onion or complimentary herbs

Ingredients:

- 1 box dry cheese tortellini

- 4 cups vegetable broth

- 2 cups water

- about 1 tbsp olive oil

- 3 carrots, chopped

- 3 celery stalks, chopped

- 1 small onion

- 1 med zucchini

- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained (used about 1/3 of a bag dried that I keep ready to go in the freezer) 

- salt & pepper to taste

1. Chop all vegetables and sautéed until nearly soft in the soup pot. 

2. Add vegetable broth & water and bring to a boil

3. Add tortellini and cook for about 10 minutes or about 2/3 of the cooking time (the cooking time on mine was 15 min)

4. Add chickpeas

5. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min until tortellini is cooked through. 

* I chose to garnish with green onion, which I had readily available in my fridge. :) 

Possible add-ons, add-ins & Afterthoughts ...

- Next time I may add some more seasonings, I'm thinking basil or oregano for a little extra flavor

- Use low sodium products to make this soup more heart healthy. Although, I like to use the regular broth and do not add any extra salty seasonings. 

- Throw in any veggies you like. The more the merrier! 

- add in any "delicate" vegetables closer to the end of the cooking time (with the chickpeas) to prevent any color distortion or nutrient breakdown from over cooking (My zucchini looked like pickles when I was done...whoops!)

Follow Me on Pinterest 

The Headboard Project

I'm not much of a writer, but my passion for sharing my DIY Projects has inspired me.  We just moved downtown, very urban, contemporary, young, and I decided that our headboard needed an update.

This was my 'pin-spiration' and I followed her instructions almost step by step!

(Thanks, Sarah!) You can find her detailed instructions here.  I did use her plans when I was doing my project, frankly, because she made it easy, and luckily for me, my bed is almost exactly the same size.

And here is how mine turned out: 

My Project breakdown in photography:

I first made 28 buttons with  the matching Navy Linen fabric (that I got on a Labor Day sale-50% off).  I followed the instructions on the box, since I had never made my own buttons before, and it turned out to be a really easy first step.  

This took me about an hour in front of the TV, and I did finish each with a dab of Gorilla Glue to keep them from popping off...pretty simple, but monotonous!

Step one in the actual 'wood-working' involved lots of measuring and re-measuring where to drill the button holes.  After this, I drilled the holes in the plywood that I would later thread the buttons through.

After the holes were drilled for the buttons, I screwed together the 1x4s into the edges of the plywood for extra support and stability. (This turned out to be pretty important because that large of a piece of plywood turned out to be pretty floppy.)

Next step was adding the foam, that you can see sticking out from underneath the edges. I used a queen size mattress pad that turned out to be about the same cost as buying it elsewhere.  I cut mine by hand with a pair of scissors, it turned out to be no problem that it wasn't exact, because you'll pull the edges taut next.

Following this came the batting- and then the fabric! It was finally starting to come together!

To prevent any slipping, I safety pinned the fabric to the foam while I was stapling it to the wood frame.

This step I did by myself in my apartment, but it would be helpful with a buddy! And ta-da! I was thrilled once the buttons were in! The project was coming together!  We were moving during this project, and I decided- fearing risk of a wood fracture or split- that we would wait to attach the legs until we had moved.  

A Tip on threading the buttons: It would be much easier with two people, and I finished the tufting by stapling the thread down and knotting it to prevent it slipping.  Once I had a few staples in place, I hot glued over each end to really make sure none of those come loose!

My handyman helped me to drill pilot holes for the 4" screws that secured each of the 3" arms to the plywood tufted piece.  I didn't cut holes for these screws in the fabric, and there was some pulling, but I was able to straighten these out with some more stapling and tugging on the back of the tufted piece.

I'm all about being frugal with these DIY projects--since I wouldn't splurge for the $400 headboard!   Here's the cost breakdown:

5 yards of Linen Fabric - $24.95 - purchased at Hancock Fabrics, 50% off
Button Covers (2 packs, 14 each)- $10.98 - purchased at Hancock Fabrics, 50% off
Upholstery Needles - $3.29 - purchased from Hobby Lobby using 40% off coupon
Queen Size Mattress Pad, 1.5 inch thickness- $34.98- Purchased from Wal-Mart & cut to size
Quilt Batting - $9.97 - purchased from Wal-Mart - 84.17
500 Upholstery Tacks- $18.90 (including shipping) Purchased on Ebay

Hardware- Purchased at Lowe's Hardware
- 1/2 inch Plywood
- One 2 x 6 (12 ft)
- Two 1 x 6s (6 ft ea)
- 16, 1.25 inch screws
- 8, 4 inch screws      - $53.91
                                                                                                                                   

Total Cost: $ 156.98

(60% cheaper than buying one!)

TIP!: Have all your boards cut at the hardware store, especially if you're in a tight space or don't own all the tools. The nice people at Lowe's were very helpful, and then they're already cut to size when you get them home!
- To save a little extra money, I ordered a  $50 Lowe's gift card with my credit card reward points! and used coupons wherever I could.

It took me about three weeks to nail in all the upholstery tacks....because I would get so bored just hammering, and hammering. It was never ending.  I was so antsy to use the headboard I did this after we had it placed behind the bed.  

This piece was so heavy I didn't need to attach it to the wall, or the bed frame the arms helped to hold it steady. --this was a perk for me, since apartments don't like large anchors in the wall...

Voila! The finished product! 

Yes, the bedroom's still coming together, but now that all the upholstery tacks are neatly in place, I am one step closer. :)

 Next I'm due for a bed skirt and coordinating pillow shams. Lots of projects in the works at our place!

Follow Me on Pinterest

Kickstarter and Food Huggers

These are Food Huggers.  The day these arrived in the mail, I was one happy girl!  I have to say, this is, perhaps one of the best products available for eco-friendly, environmentally conscious, amateur chefs that hate using plastic wrap and ziplock baggies to store the half of an onion you didn't need for tonight's dinner recipe!

 

 Set of 4 ($19.00), available in 4 colors

  

 They even have Avocado Huggers, if you're so inclined! ($14.00 for the set)

 

As you can see, these are pretty amazing kitchen gadgets. I was thrilled to find them on kickstarter.com!

Kickstarter helps up-and-coming entrepreneurs raise money to reach their business goals...which is just an awesome concept, so I donated to this project and received my Food Huggers in the mail  after production about 4 months later! 

Check out Kickstarter, it's a cool way to help out a new creative, project come to fruition!  So excited to use my new kitchen toys! 

Follow Me on Pinterest