Jill Can Cook: Mini Pizza Muffins!

Since Joe and Mitchell got to take a luxurious nap today, while Quinn and I were wide awake and bored, I figured we could keep busy by making some food. I decided we would make these little mini pizza muffins I'd pinned a few weeks back that not only sounded easy to make, but they also wouldn't necessitate a trip to the store, since I had all the ingredients on hand. I started with Rachel Rays recipe and made a couple tweaks.

Rachel Rays Pepperoni Pizza Puffs

 

My version: Mini Pizza Muffins

Made sure I had everything I needed!!

• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• pinch of salt
• pinch of pepper
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 1/4 shredded cheese (I used what I had on hand, mozzarella, pizza cheese mix, & Cheddar jack)
• 1 cup cubed pepperoni
• 1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper ; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the cheeses you're using and cubed pepperoni; let stand for 10-15 minutes. Will thicken slightly.
2. Stir the batter and divide among the mini-muffin cups. Bake until puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Before serving, microwave pizza sauce to desired temperature. Use for dipping. Enjoy!


These were as easy to make as I thought. I'm sure it helped that Quinn did all the stirring and kept my spirits up with her cute little commentary. She told me about every 2.5 minutes "You're doing a great job, Mommy!"

Gotta show some love for the vintage 1970's bowl my mom gave me from her collection for moments like this!



Little Miss Cutie Pie couldn't wait to add in the pepperoni that I lovingly cut up. She even stole a couple while waiting!

Quinn stirring while I add in the last of the cheese. She's such a good helper!

This is what the mixture looked like in the bowl. Not too appetizing at this point.

I probably overfilled the cups a tad, but whatevs, it won't change the flavor (I hope!)



Wondering if squatting next to the oven will make them cook faster!

The finished product!! I'm trying to be artsy and probably failing.

Everyone loved 'em, even me!! I think Quinn was the most excited about them though!!

I originally bought a couple of mini muffin pans so that I could make little and easy take-away snacks for the kids. I am getting pretty sick of always bringing cookies and goldfish crackers with us when we're out and about. It gets expensive and they're not the most healthy option. I'm hoping I can find a few more (healthier) recipes to try out soon! In the meantime, we will definitely be enjoying these!

Mmm.. I think I'm finally getting the hang of snapping food pictures..



Family Story: We Went To A Fair!

This time of year, there are several fairs in our area. We try to go to at least one, as Joe and I really look forward to the food and Quinn really enjoys seeing the animals.

 

We didn't actually purchase Cotton Candy, but Quinn's so sweet, the photo op was too goo to pass up!

We went withour family of 4 as well as Joe's mom and her longtime boyfriend. The 6 of us had a great time sampling all the food the fair had to offer as well as seeing the farm animals and checking out the little shops.

The sign reads: "Taste of Jasmine!" Joe's huge head is blocking it.

Joe decided to be adventurous and try a little Asian food place. He ordered two egg rolls, which he says were good, but mostly dough. They were only $1.00 a piece, so we didn't feel swindled.

Drinking syrupy Rootbeer!

The first time we ever went to a fair together, we got one of those cups that cost $6.00 but as long as you have it, you get $1 refills. We have not forgotten to bring the cup back, ever! In fact, it was probably one of our more worth while purchases since we met!!

Nom, nom, nom, Mitchell!!

In the interest of trying to eat some actual food, instead of only snack stuff while we were there, we ordered a sausage sub. I ate about half of it before I handed it off to Joe. He then made the mistake of trying to give some to Mitchell, who, in turn, ate the other half leaving Joe with an empty stomach. Joe, at least, wasn't too bummed since he got to order some delicious chicken tenders!

The sun went down, temps dropped, and the ice cream really cooled Quinn off!!

From the moment we arrived, Quinn begged to have ice cream. She must've seen a sign for it at some point. I tried to put it off as long as possible, hoping she'd partake of actual food (which she did, a little), but finally had to give in. Since it was closing in on 9pm, on a cool fall evening, it cooled her off too much for her to really enjoy it. I probably should've let her have it earlier, when it wasn't so chilly.

That little cow looks thrilled to make it into our scrap book!

We took a small break from eating to check out some livestock. Quinn was very impressed with the baby cows she saw, especially this cutie!

Could she be any happier to pose in a stinky barn?

If she grows up to be a veterinarian, I won't be one bit surprised. She had a blast talking to all the animals, saying hello and waving goodbye.

Little Mitchell was having a great time in his hand-me-down pink stroller!!

This poor kid, who really hates being cooped up, was a trooper being stuck in that stroller for a few hours.

Oops, spoke too soon!!

Ok, ok, he was good overall, but he did have a meltdown or two. It's to be expected.

Yumm!!! Fried Oreos all for me!!!

The whole time we were there, we were on the look out for a place that sold fried Oreos. I got them the year before and absolutely fell in love with them!! I promised myself that I would not make the same mistake I did last year and share them with our group. This year, I got my own order, everyone else shared a second order.

It was the highlight of my night, for sure..
The highlight for Mitch: Getting to run around the fair grounds for a bit to expend some energy.
The highlight for Quinn: Getting a couple of light up rings from the lady that sold me a bracelet.
The highlight for Joe: Not sure. If I had to wager a guess, I'd say, getting to spend the evening with his family and having good weather at a fair, for once. Usually it rains when we're there!

The Weekly Recap!

I've decided to add a weekly (or bi-weekly, or monthly, or a "whenever I freakin' feel like it) recurring blog post titled, "The Weekly Recap!" The point of this post is to gather up all the really trivial things that happen that aren't important enough for their own blog entry and stick them all together to make one meaningless post. This is the first post of it's kind. I hope it doesn't suck.

The Car Seat Situation-
Over the weekend, Joe installed a new car seat for our daughter, Quinn, in my car. It's the kind that will last her until she can sit in the car like a normal person without car seat assistance. I let her pick between a pink one and a blue one. She picked pink, like I didn't see that coming. This one is also special in that she sits facing forward. Her old car seat was relocated to Mitchell's spot in my car for his use and his old car seat, which is an infant carrier with base, will probably be sold for a few bucks on Craigslist (if I can get out all the sweat stains his extremely sweaty head left in it).



She even crosses her legs like a little adult!

Our first ride with Quinn in the new car seat was, well, let's just say it was educational! Since she now faces forward and can more easily see out of the windshield, she enjoys commenting on everything that happens while I'm driving. When we go up a hill, down a hill, take a turn, see stop lights, houses, mailmen, other cars, squirrels, rain, etc., I hear about it. She  knows a lot of words and isn't afraid to keep a running commentary. It's only mildly annoying and I wish on every shooting star that I see that she'll get over it and grow out of it really quickly!!

Movies & TV-
"Pompeii" - It wasn't all that great. The story line was pretty thin, the acting wasn't all that great. The only good thing about the movie was some of the effects. 
"I, Frankenstein" - Gave up about 25 minutes in because it was so terrible.
"Utopia" - Only a few episodes in. It leaves a lot to be desired. I was hoping it would be more about the ins and outs of farming, construction, setting up government, schools, etc., but it mostly seems to be about naked people and fighting.
"Forever" - Love it! Only 2 episodes in and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's really interesting. I hope it doesn't get canceled.

Life-
We finally let the kids ride in the huge kid car grocery cart. Normally, we just take 2 carts and put one kid per cart. It's helpful because we both shop at different paces. But Quinn begged. It actually wasn't too bad and neither tried to escape.

My two little fire fighters driving in their shopping carts.

I also bought a new pair of shoes. I own a lot of shoes, so I really didn't *need* another pair of shoes, but I really love animal prints. I have a pair of faux snakeskin wedges that I love, but they're open toed, so I can only wear them in the summer. It'll be nice to have an animal print to get me through the winter! Plus, they were only $12.74. I could not say no!

40% off in store, plus another 15% for being awesome?! Yes, please!

Finished Project: By My Dad!

I am not the only crafty person in my family. I grew up with a pretty crafty mom and a pretty crafty dad.  My mom crocheted, quilted, painted ceramics, and cooked up a storm. My dad refinished furniture, built furniture, and has made all kinds of wood trinkets. He also spends a lot of time putting together puzzles and making delicate origami.

I've grown up seeing them create useful or artistic things. I've seen them turn crap into treasures. It's pretty inspiring. The last few years, my dad has really gotten into making furniture. Here is some of his latest work:

A kids table and chair set. My dad made this for use at my parents house, for their grandkids to enjoy.

My mom and I buy lots of clothing at the thrift stores, so she commissioned this piece (and a few others like it!!) to hold some of her clothes!

These two pictures are of an end table that I had my dad make me when I couldn't find one big enough to fill the corner between my loveseat and sofa. There's even a flip top for remotes.

This started out as a cat house with a hidey-hole, but I decided I'd use it as an end table in my living room.

He didn't make the big picnic table, but he did make the small one, again, for the grandchildren.

My parents bought a new living room set, so obviously, they needed a new coffee and end table.

Two more kids chairs, this time for my house.

The HUGE toy box I asked him to make so I could hide all the kids toys when I don't want to look at them.


And that's not all! My siblings and other family members have other pieces made by my dad. I just don't have any pictures of that stuff. We all like to keep him really busy, but he likes it.

DIY: An Upcycled Dress For Quinn

If you don't know already, I love fashion and I love crafts. I also love thrifting and saving money. So, it's no surprise that many, many months ago I thought I might want to start upcycling clothes to fulfill the interests I listed above.

Joe, my husband, sick of listening to me dreaming about becoming the next "Project Runway" winner, bought me a sewing machine for my birthday back in June. It took me a few weeks just to find the time to get the thing out of the box. Then it took me several weeks to figure out how to thread the bobbin. It was not a good start by any means. In fact, I nearly gave up and threw the thing out the window (I really DON'T have anger issues!! Lol).

Back to the point, this blog is supposed to keep me in check, give me a reason to do all the crap that I've said I've wanted to do but haven't, etc., so I figured I should get the sewing machine out of the closet and try to make something. I am sad to admit, I haven't sewn anything on a sewing machine since junior high school, so like 15 years ago or so (Bleh, I'm so old!!). And even then, it was only for one semester, not even an entire year! I have no idea how to read a pattern and I hate following tutorials, so I decided to just wing it.

I looked around on Pinterest for *extremely* easy ways to refashion clothes. I saw a few pictures (I didn't save them, I just needed ideas) and decided to take a stab at turning one of my cheap shirts into a dress for my daughter. Here goes nothing!

Don't mind how terrible I look. I expected this to turn out like crap and I didn't think anyone would have to know about it!

So, this is the shirt I chose. It was $0.50! I didn't really like the sleeve length or overall fit, and really, I have about 38,000 black and white striped t-shirts, so I knew I wouldn't miss this one if it had to go in the trash.

Even the dress I used as a guideline cost $0.50 at the thrift store!

So, I took off my shirt (and put another on, of course!), and grabbed a dress of Quinn's that fit her nicely. I used her dress as a guideline of the fit I wanted for the dress I was going to make.

I am a super pinner!

I pinned the neckline and edges. I forgot to take pictures of the other stuff I did, but hopefully a little explanation will be good enough.

I cut the sleeves off, then sewed the new neckline and armholes. The armholes ended up being pretty tight, so, I had to re-do them. Then I re-attached the sleeves. I want to add, again, that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Re-attaching sleeves wasn't a breeze like I thought it would be. Next time, I might just forget about sleeves and go sleeveless!

Cutting the bottom off really wasn't worth it at all.

I tried the dress on Quinn. It was a little nightgown-ish, so I decided to take up the hemline a bit. I didn't want it too short in case she hits a growth spurt so I only cut off a tiny, little amount. I should've either cut more or none,  as it still looks a little nightgown-ish and I don't feel like re-doing it.

Every sewing blog post needs a little action shot, right? Here's mine.

So, I sewed up the hem. That was the last step, thank goodness! I was ready for results. I worked on this 40 minutes one evening and another 15 minutes the next morning. I am so impatient. A little over an hour felt like an eternity! For all my complaining, I am really excited about the results!

Thumbs up, Mom! I love it!

It actually fits Quinn pretty well. She was really excited to finally be able to wear it after trying it on and taking it off a million times while I made sure everything fit properly.

I love you THIS MUCH!!

I asked her, "Where did you get this dress?" And she said, "It was my Mama's!" I tried to drill it in the night before that it started out as my shirt. I want her to tell strangers when she wears it, that I made it so they think I'm awesome!

Mom, I'm running out of good poses! Are we almost done?

I didn't want to over do it on the styling, so I kept it pretty simple, but when I have her wear it, I think I'll pick brighter leggings and bows to really jazz it up!

Ok, Ok, Last one, I swear!!!

 

 

I am so happy with how easy this was and can't wait to do it again. Quinn is always in need of cute dresses, especially long sleeved ones (as much as I don't care to deal with armholes).

 

 



Finished Project: Quinn's Dresser/TV Stand

A few months back, I was thrift shopping with my mom and came across this entertainment center/TV stand/possible dresser for my daughter Quinn's room.

 

The beat up before shot!

During our thrifting outings, we come across lots of furniture, for fair prices, but something about this piece said to me, "You must buy me, refinish me, and put me in Quinn's room." I loved how there were drawers (for clothes), a cupboard (for games/toys), and shelves (for books). Plus, it's kind of tall, so if we ever put a TV in her room, we could put it on top. It was perfect for just about anything. I checked the price tag and the price was also pretty perfect at a mere $5.00!

So, I purchased it and had my dad go back with his truck later that day to scoop it up for me. I had all these hopes and dreams of repainting it or modge-podging it in some fantastic way, but after it sat in my garage for a few months while I tried to find some time in our busy schedules to refinish it, I decided I'd just sand it down, slap some white paint on it, get some new drawer pulls, and call it a day.

The finished product in Quinn's bedroom.

I love the way it turned out, even though it's super plain. I'm thinking that some day, when Quinn is old enough, it might be fun to refinish it to her taste together. I love that it's a piece that will grow with her as it's not "nursery-ish." And if the thing falls apart and we need to chuck it, no biggie, it only cost $5.00 and only took me a couple of hours worth of work!

A close up of the $6.00 drawer pulls.

I threw some stuff on it to see what it would look like all decorated. Not too shabby!

I can't wait to find another project! Although, it might be a while as I still have trouble finding the time to devote to one big thing. Plus winter weather is coming upon us, so I don't see myself painting or sanding anything in my cold, unheated basement/garage any time soon.

I Had A Bit Of A Makeover!

I've been dyeing my hair for as long as I can remember. I get bored easily when it comes to my hair. I am always cutting it, dyeing it, trying new hair styles (although I usually revert back to the same thing), etc.

Over the summer, I was really getting used to being a blonde. There's something about having blonde hair that made me feel pretty glamorous. The only problem, it was absolutely killing my hair. Like I've said, I've always dyed my hair and have always fussed around with it, but it has never gotten as yucky as it did this past summer. I don't know if it's the water at my house, or maybe my hormones changed after I had my last kid, but whatever the cause, I could no longer stay blonde unless I wanted to chop all my hair off, Sharon Stone style (great look on her, but I'm not courageous enough to try it!).

My last time as a blonde (this year, at least!)

I really don't want to cut my hair off. I'm kind of liking the length. So, I had to choose another color. I was a brunette this time last year and usually stick to a dark color in the winter, but I wanted to change it up. My real hair color, from what I can remember, is brownish with auburn highlights. I wondered if I could artificially get my natural color back, for cheap, with boxed color.

Not terrible, but not exactly what I was going for.

I think I might've really done it this time. My hair is cooked. It will probably take a few tries before I can get the red to stick. I might even have to cut some off, but whatever. It'll grow back and I will do more random stuff to it and ruin it some more.  Such is life.