Dollar Store Art

So, I'm a fan of the dollar store for certain things.  You can usually get a pretty good deal  on stuff verses buying them elsewhere.  I will usually get certain spices (pepper, oregano, paprika), flower pots (terracotta pots), candles and art supplies.  I mean, sure they aren't the name brand stuff (usually) but for a buck, you can't beat it!

My most recent dollar store trip lead me down the path of art work. It is a bit of a combination of this neat-o idea from Peace, Love, Yoga, Cupcakes (check out her blog: it's truly inspirational!) Pinterest Board (check that out here).  The glue I had on hand was a bit too runny to do this, but I liked the idea.  Then I saw this idea from Domestic Imperfection (another great blog) and really liked THAT idea too.  So I merged the two! Paisley print on canvas!

The dollar store near us sells canvas, paint, brushes and stencils! WOOP! So all in all...the project cost me $7 (two canvases, 2 paints, stencils and brushes), which is not too bad!

So I painted each canvas (green and grey).  They were a little streaky (a downfall to dollar store products), so I painted the back of the canvas and that fixed the problem! Let them dry completely!

Then just lay out your stencil and dab the paint on.  Don't use a lot of pain, or else it will bleed! I alternated the colour (so green on the grey background and viceversa). 

I used two different stencils...and this is how they turned out! I like the silver one better! I think I'll put them in the washroom!

Quick Chocolate Fix

Okay, so I love chocolate. I'd like to say that I could live without it, but I know that would be a lie.  I like darker chocolate (around 70%) and the mister loves the hard stuff (90%-99%), he's hard core.

So I stumbled across Chocolate Covered Katie's blog and couldn't WAIT to try some of her recipes. The mister is a huge fan of Reese's Pieces (and peanut butter in general), so when I saw her Reese's Pieces Fudge Frosting, I knew I had to make it. You can find the recipe here.  It is delicious! Like, lick off the batter, the spatula, the bowl, your fingers good.

I did tweak it a little bit...I used chocolate milk and added a touch of powdered sugar.  I also used my little hand blender to mix it all together as I don't have a magic bullet and didn't feel like lugging out my blender!

So just measure out all the ingredients (start with 4tsp of maple syrup and add it one tsp at a time so it isn't too sweet).  Then whip it up!

 Within a few minutes you have a lovely frosting...make sure you taste it before you put away the blender and add more milk or syrup depending on the texture and sweetness you are going for!

So now that I had this lovely frosting, I needed something to put it on! I didn't want to make a whole cake so I decided to give her One-Minute Chocolate Cake a bash (check it out here) Oh heavens! for 45 seconds...THIS IS AMAZING. I put it on a pretty little plate (do make sure you let it cool before taking it out of the dish), put some of that delicious frosting on it and dug in! A perfect and simple chocolate dessert!

Crusty Bread

I have a love of bread, any kind of bread, that might surpass my love of sweets.  I actually blame it on where I grew up because there was a bread factory on a major road we often drove down and the aroma wafting from the building was intoxicating.

I always look for bakery's and check to see what kind of breads they have to offer.  However, I usually (I have my moments of weakness though!) don't bring myself to pay $6 or more for a loaf of beautiful artisan bread. I've always had this idea that those delicious breads were so difficult to make until I found this recipe. My word, hold onto your hats because this is SO EASY! I found this recipe on Pinterest and followed it to Simply So Good.  You can find it here.

She gives fantastic step by step instructions, so I didn't bother to take too many photos as hers are great! I decided to try an olive and oregano loaf (ahhh-mazing!). This little guy is straight out of the oven: Hellloooo Dolly!

So, I didn't have sliced olives on hand, but I do have a handy dandy egg slicer (Thanks Mom!).  I use my egg slicer for anything that is soft (like an egg): mushrooms, olives, pickles, strawberries...you get the idea. It saves a lot of time and usually a bit of money, as pre-sliced things cost more. I put the olives through twice so the pieces would be a bit smaller.

I had to add a little bit (about 1/4 cup) more water (she calls for 1 1/2 cups).  I'm pretty sure it was because of the olives, but you want the dough to look like a sloppy mess. Cover that guy with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, this way you have a special treat for you when you wake up!

 I didn't take an after photo because I was too excited! It was HUGE! Oh the magic of fermentation!!!

Anyway, throw your pot in the oven: make sure to use an enamel covered cast iron pot.  Mine is one by Kitchenaid that I picked up last year when it was 50% off! But I'm sure you can find a great deal on them second hand because they can get pretty pricey. Just follow Simply So Good's directions and wait another hour your bread comes out and be prepared to be amazed.

I think tonight I'll make a chocolate chip and some sort of nut (toasted almond?)! Let me know if you try this bread and what you make!!

Homemade Gnocchi

Gnocchi is one of my favourite pasta dishes...ever.  I mean, come on, potatoes AND pasta all in one?! They are just a little bit of heaven. However, I never actually eat them because I don't like to buy them and we rarely go out for Italian.  So I decided to make them and they aren't as hard as I thought!!

I was taking a gander at recipes and found Gastronical Sovereignty's recipe for gnocchi.  After reading her post, I really felt connected (especially her bit about being a grown-up...there are few things I can do, but gnocchi is now on the list!).  Check her out here. She has a great blog!

Back to the pasta at hand!! Her recipe calls for floury potatoes (russet), I used Yukon gold potatoes because I love the way they taste and that's what I had on hand.  It ended up being about 7 decent sized potatoes. I also cooked mine in the microwave because it is easier (and faster) than the oven.  You can also throw them in your crock pot if your at work all day!
 

Slice open your potatoes and scoop out the meat of the potato.  Be careful because the insides will be pretty warm (don't want to burn your little fingers!) Lightly fluff your potatoes and add in the egg yolk (remember, save those egg whites! Waste not-want not).  Then you mix in your flour and spice mixture in gradually.  Make sure you season with salt and pepper heavily.  You don't want to have bland gnocchi!

You're going to have to get a little messy here and use your hands (hence no pictures).  Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto the floured work surface and knead away!  Here is a great video on how to knead (It's for bread, but it gives you a good idea on how to properly knead!)

Once you've kneaded your dough, take a piece off and roll it out into a long strip. Then cut off pieces into smaller pieces. Put them on a baking sheet and let them hang out until you're ready to cook!

Boil your water to cook the little guys in.  Add salt to the water because it will give it that extra little flavour! Once the water it at a boil, add your pillow-ey pasta by the handful and wait until they start to float. Pull them out and let them wait for the rest of the pasta is done.

Once all of your guys are done, I put them in a frying pan and added a little bit of sauce and some of the pasta water and gave it a quick toss to coat the gnocchi evenly. Add your sauce (I did a tomato and hot sausage sauce last night) to the top and enjoy!

Lemon and Strawberry Tart

So these past couple of weeks have been crazy busy!!  I've been finishing up exam papers and trying to re-organise our life *phew it's been tiring*! So sadly Lemony Love has been neglected, but I've been doing lovely treats and crafts the whole while! :)

Okay, so onto the fantastic Lemon and Strawberry tart I made last night! I've been in the mood for something that isn't chocolate (I think  I might be sick) and decided to give this little treat a try!

I found the recipe on Pillsbury's site.  It was pretty simple, but make sure you have everything ready to go because you can't leave the sugar/flour/cornstarch slurry alone (or else it will burn!)

So first, mix your sugar/flour/cornstarch in the sauce pan and have your water on hand.  Use cold water, adding it slowly, as it ensures your mixture won't clump.  Cornstarch is a little bugger for that! Bring the mix to a boil, stirring the entire time.

 

Then you beat your egg yolks (save the whites because you can make an angel food cake with them!!) Temper your egg yolks by adding a little bit of the slurry to the yolks slowly to bring everything up to the same temperature.  The recipe says to add about half of the mixture to the eggs, I didn't do that.  Just add enough to make sure your eggs aren't going to scramble. The mixture will turn a lovely shade of yellow!

After you've added the eggs, you can add your lemon zest and juice.  Whisk away! Then once it has boiled, bring it off the heat, add your butter, mix it in so it melts and let stand for ten minutes. After it has cooled, add your mixture to your pre-cooked pie shell.  I was feeling adventurous yesterday so I made my own! Simply Recipes offers some great advice on making crusts, check it out!

Then you stick the lemony goodness in the fridge for two hours, pull it out and put strawberries on top.  The recipe calls for three cups, but I didn't have that many so I just lined the outside! :)

Put it back in the fridge for another two hours (Oh the waiting game!!!).  Then slice it up and enjoy the little tart! :)