Pampered Chef

Alrighty it's been awhile, and I'm sure everyone has been waiting with bated breath....ha or not...anyways long story very short, i got really sick and I'm still tired all the time and my legs get a little shaky if i walk for too long.
now that that's over. i haven't made or done anything exciting for quite some time so I'll use this post to let you all know about my Pampered Chef Partay! it will be on Friday April 24th at 7pm. I'm actually having it at my neighbors house so we can have a better kitchen layout. every party has a theme and my party's theme is.... dun dun dun

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE!

now we're not really planning any deaths but just in case we will have an ambulance on site. and by ambulance on site i mean, nobody will really die. even if you don't want to buy anything you are welcome to come and eat because it's not called death by chocolate for nothing :). this is what i want PS:

the bowl...and i guess i'll take whatever's inside too if you twist my arm.
so anyways if you would like to come you are welcome if you need any more details you can ask. i do have regular invitations to hand out too but i thought i'd post a link if anyone would like to buy anything online click, here for the link. every purchase made through that link will be counted for my party FYI. woohoo. i love pampered chef.
what brought this whole thing on was my aunt had one a few months ago so i set up a party. at my aunts i bought (among other things) this smokey bbq rub. it smells kinda gross but seriously the tacos that thing cranks out are AMAZING. i usually don't like tacos but these are good. next time i make it i'll post the recipe.

well i'm done. i just wanted to put it out there. it will be one hoppin' night. well as hoppin' as cooking parties can be.

Uugggg being sick sucks

last week i had a bit of a cold, no big deal right? i got over it in a couple days. well that weekend it came back, a little worse. still not that big of a deal. well tuesday i was doing good, no more cold for me :). then wednesday i woke up with the chills to end all chills. every bone in my body ached, when i stood up, i just fell right back into bed. i was supposed to visit teach, get my haircut, take baby pictures, wash my car and go to YW, needless to say, none of that happened, or has yet to happen. i thought i was feeling better yesterday, but i guess my body was just playing a trick on me. after taking NyQuil last night, i fell asleep around 11pm, and woke up promptly at 2am and have yet to go back to sleep, it's now 10:12. i think i have strep i can't swallow, my head has it's own heartbeat and those darn bones are still killing me. i'm going to the walk-in here in the next hour or so, i hate doctors, HATE going to the doctor but i guess i need antibiotics if i want to get over this in the next 14 days. ok i'm done complaining i just don't know what to do with myself, i feel terrible.

Chicken Pizza 2 Ways

we love pizza in this house. it's the one thing that everyone will eat but we were sick of the same old pepperoni and it's not the best for us, so one day many months ago i came up with my own version of pizza, this is my story: (sorry i couldn't resist..too much intervention i guess)
maybe i should tell you what kind of pizza we're making, BBQ Chicken and White sauce, spinach, feta, & chicken 'za. it's goooood i tell you

First: Dough
i don't like bread machines for making bread, i like them for making dough, the pizza dough recipe i use is just one that came with the recipe book for our machine. usually i make whole wheat dough but we didn't have any fresh ground and i couldn't find the wheat grinder so i used white flour. i get 3 thinner crusts out of one recipe. i make dough about an hour and a half before i want to have dinner done. but it could be done earlier or buy already made dough.

Second: Chicken

I don't have a picture but i think everyone has cooked chicken before. i make a dry rub using garlic and onion powder, a little salt and a little chili powder just to add some taste to the chicken. make enough to cover 3 pizzas. i make this in advance like hours before just to have it out of the way. just store it in a ziplock in the fridge.

Third: White Sauce

very simple: 1 Tbl. dry ranch mix, 1/2 scant C mayonnaise (i used 1/2 C the first time and found it was too much so i cut it down a bit the 2nd time), 1 Tbl. minced garlic---mix all ingredients together, i usually have to thin it out a little bit with some ranch dressing from the bottle. i make this beforehand too and stick it in the fridge for the flavors to become friends.--don't be turned off by the little bit of mayo, i was a first but it turns out ok.

Fourth: Ingredients

here are the ingredients, spinach, chicken, white sauce, olive oil, bbq sauce, cheese mix & feta optional but not pictured: caramelized onions---gag me i avoid this at all cost.

Assembling:

BBQ:

after rolling out the dough, spread enough bbq sauce on to cover the whole thing, don't go overboard but put enough. i use an offset spatula, best invention ever.

layer the chicken on top of the sauce then top with cheese. you don't need too much cheese. sometimes we put pineapple on it just for fun.

the finished product! mmm. it holds up pretty nice after it's sliced (i sound so weird).

Spinach, Feta, Chicken & White pizza:

again roll out the dough, then i pour a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and spread it around. don't put too much just a little bit. next spread the white sauce over the EVOO, i don't put too much of this either b/c i don't like it too saucy but i thinly cover it.

put the spinach all over the sauce, it cooks down a bit so use a little more than you think. put the chicken on top of that.

then put a little bit of the regular cheese mix on i accidentally put a little too much. then put the feta all over the top of that...mmmm put lots please.

and the finished product again! i always bake this kind on the stone, if anyone cares. they are both baked at 425 for about 15 minutes, until the crust is light brown.

if you are over the same old same old pizza, this is a nice change and even the boys will eat it which is a miracle in and of itself.

i'm not the best food photographer when i'm covered in flour and sauce so don't judge the pizza by my poor pictures. if anyone would like the dough recipe i can email it or just use one you already have.

alright i'm not feeling very good so i'm going to finish drinking my mint herbal tea with honey and lay down for a bit and watch amazing race. woohoo. go short guys! and guy who wrote school of rock! and the hillbillies (oh wait they are gone).

Oatmeal. Attempt #1--and Final Attempt.

i can't remember the last time i had oatmeal, the only thing i remember is how disgusting it was. so last night as i was laying in bed watching TV- john and kate plus 8 thankyouverymuch- i started craving oatmeal....weird to crave something you hate....so i decided oats were healthy so i would make up a batch in the morning for breakfast. i don't do breakfast usually but my thought was if i eat breakfast, it would help me not be so ravenous by lunch.
after i woke up this morning after taking 2 sleeping pills at 11pm (bad idea if you want to wake up at a decent hour) i started boiling some water and i measured out my oats and i put the two together. about this point i'm deciding this was a bad idea b/c it looks a lot like baby food. to make it taste good i added a few of my favorite breakfast-y type items, blueberries and bananas and a little (cough) brown sugar.
the first bite i took had everything on it, it was all i could do to not spit that stuff up everywhere. DISGUSTING. it's like gross mushy mush that tastes like elemers glue and toilet paper. i didn't want to waste the fruit though so i ate around the oats but it still made me gag just smelling the stuff.
overall, i'm not impressed and i don't care if it's good for me, i don't want it ever again. unless someone has some secret to masking the mushy gross taste. if you do by all means please let me know. i guess i'm not a breakfast person after all. (last week the same type of thing, late at night i was watching alton brown and he was making pancakes the next morning i decided to try his recipe since i'm not a fan of bisquick or really any kind of pancake usually, and it failed miserably, it was gross.) oh well. sorry this was so long and random i'm just waiting for the call so i can go get my new LG VU touch screen phone. booya.

New Blog

soooo i have a new blog, it's a photography blog for sure. ummmm just so i don't crowd this blog with all my pictures like i've been doing. so i just posted a new entry there but i don't have anything new for this blog so here's one of the pictures from the photoshoot featured on my other blog.

i love new blogs and cameras.

It worked finally!

blogger wasn't working a little bit ago but i got it to work finally. but it'll be quick i have lots to do: first here are some cards i made. we went to my moms work and a couple of her co-workers and us each brough enough stuff for each person to make a couple cards

here's the one i came up with:

i always need birthday cards so this was good.
here is an apron i made. i started it last week but only cut the shape out, i finished it yesterday.

this is my new favorite book:

seriously AMAZING. if you want to look at it i'll let you borrow it (if i know you of course)

and last but certinaly not least, my new Canon 50D, i'm just a tad excited:

ok now i have to be off to get stuff done. i have lots to do but here i am wasting time again!

Knit Baby Cocoon

I have been looking everywhere for a knitted baby cocoon pattern. The only ones i can seem to find either cost $35 from etsy, or are a crochet pattern (which i can hardly do). so i made up my own. first i tried making it in the round but didn't have big enough circular needles or DPN's. then i decided to knit it flat, then slip the end stitches onto a large eye needle and pull it closed like a drawstring bag. so that's what i did here are pictures and at the end i'll post the "pattern" if you want to call it that.

it's very stretchy, width wise and length wise. (sorry for the bad pics, the sun was coming in weird)

this is the seam on the back, which you will not see. i made this for my photography so i'll just lay that side down. and in real life it doesn't look that defined.

this is a really bad pic of the bottom. i wanted to show you that it's like a little circle.

i made it so you can roll the top to adjust the length or leave it flat for longer babies.

and i still have this much yarn left. it only took one skein.
ok now how i made it:

what you need:

1 ball of Lion Brand Homespun Yarn (this was the deco or cream color i think)

1 pair 13in US size 11 8.0mm needles

large-eyed blunt needle

measuring tape/ruler

Cast On (CO) 60 stitches (this was a complete guess it has to be wide enough to fold in half)

Knit until it measures between 18-20 inches (mine is about 18in streched)

Knit 2 tog. until the end of the row (30 stitches remain)

Knit 2 rows

Knit 2 tog. until the end of the row (15 stitches remain)

Knit 1 row

Cut the yarn, leaving a long tail. thread tail into the large-eyed blunt needle, then, one at a time, thread the needle through the 15 stitches. Pull the yarn tight to make the bottom. Knot the yarn to secure.

Next make sure you have a long piece of yarn and thread into the blunt needle. making sure the piece is folded in half, sew up the side until you get to the top. Tie it off. You're done!!

i don't know if that is helpful or clear but you can ask me if you have any questions.

this isn't meant to hold a baby for a long time or leave unattended. i made it for photography purposes.

i want to make another one with chunky-er yarn and larger needles to get more of a net like look to it. and i want a green one. i went with a more neutral color b/c i want it for boys and girls.

i don't have any baby models right now. (update: so i just tried this cocoon out on a 2 week old and it was a little big but it worked. next time i might CO less stiches and make it an inch shorter- it streches a lot!) 2 friends are due in may/june and all the other babies around are too big now. this is meant for newborns. sad. oh well you get the general idea with the pictures. i hope someone finds this and can use it i was so frusturated i couldn't find any patterns so here's one that might work for you.

What I'm Doing Today

oh you know, the same old same old. just buying a FREAKING 50D CANON!!!! breath, breath...he he hooo. i don't know what part of my brain is not functioning to make me do this all the time. oh well now i can have an AMAZING camera/flash and take some really good pictures and maybe get paid for them. i'll be selling my current XT rebel on ebay or another place like that. it will be hard, but i can do it.

since i'll have this camera my lens (that beautiful 28-135mm lens) needs to be protected, so i'll have to buy the UV filter:

and since the pop up flash on cameras is usually good for nothing except harsh light, i'll be buying one of these:



that's right, a speedlight. this day is turing out to be FAR more expensive than i would have thought. (mainly i have to get this b/c i'm always asked to take pictures at church things, like receptions in the gym, talent shows, other random activities and my flash is not cutting it. so i'll be saving countless hours in photoshop fixing the terrible light that my current flash provides.)
if anyone would like some pictures of their family, friends, baby, horses or moped, just give me a call in about a week and i'll be glad to take some pictures for you.
maybe i can convince someone (ahem mom...dad?!) to get me the gary fong difussers now to go with my flash. i can't spend anymore money today...or for the next 2 years for that matter.
anyways Anita tagged me to go to my photo folder, pick the 6th folder and the 6th picture in that folder and post it so here it is:

it's from chrey and craigs wedding in september. our bridesmaid flowers and her boquet. processed with...well let's see, i think with the boutwells totally rad actions but maybe PW set1?! oh well nobody cares but me. so wish me luck. i have to go to my bank account to make sure i have enough in checking and transfer some if i don't.
IT'S AN ILLNESS!!!!!!!

The Green Monster

I made up my own version of green smoothies yesterday after church. i was really tried and hungry...so i made a smoothie...my mind is a strange place.

here's what i put in them, spinach (lots of it) frozen blueberries, banana, apple, yogurt, peaches, & milk

then i put it in the blender in the following order, spinach, yogurt, blueberries....

...banana, apple....

....a little juice from the peach jar, just a little to sweeten up the drink (there is no added sugar)...

....peaches, and last but not least, milk, soy or otherwise. just a little bit to thin the smoothie out.

please don't turn away now, you'll get a nice green color when you start blending, but keep going.

after i get most of the chunks blended out, i add a little bit of crushed ice to make it a little slurpee like. then blend it again until everything is crushed/mixed/no longer green.

it looks like...well something you wouldn't necessarily want to drink, but trust me, it's good. you can't taste the garden of spinach we put in there, but it's there. it's a good way to get your vegetables in.

my dad is a comedian.....not really. everyone liked it except for ty who doesn't like bananas. when i told sam it had spinach in it, he didn't believe me until i made it again and saw me. but he loved it too. anyways on to something that's not so healthy, and really didn't work out, one bit...

homemade salt water taffy. now, seriously taffy is supposed to be soft and chewy, and well, good. this was NOT. it burned my hands, really bad, then hardened almost instantly. it really did hurt when i hit him in the head with it...i didn't even do it hard.

another thing i fail at:

well more accurately, my cat fails at. neko likes to sneak into my room and get a jiggy with my yarn. this is what i came home to one day. seriously. i spent 2 hours just untangling all this yarn. i was not too happy.

however i was happy with these:

the slippers i made for camree. i thought i made them too big but i guess they turned out just right. now i just need to make a matching hat for erin :). i have to finish my baby pixi hat first though.

and here's a tie i made for ty, but he doesn't want it...he has 14 ties and thinks that's enough for 2 years, i guess it IS but still i would want a different one for each day of the month. to each his own i guess. so my dad got a 2nd knit tie.

and FINALLY the fabric i bought for my apron:

i'm excited. i just won't make it for a month or two now. i'm too lazy i guess.
well this was long but oh well.

Today

i'm trying to get myself organized today i have lots to do. but for now i'm eating some pomegranates and obviously writing a blog. today i'll be working in photoshop for most of the day trying to finish editing pics. from a friends wedding and a friends family. here are some i've done so far:




i'm disappointed in some of these pictures to be completely honest. i'm trying to edit them so you can't tell but when i was taking these family pics. my camera stopped working (i ended up having to buy another 50$ battery it was corroded or something). luckily i brought my dads camera as a backup and i wasn't happy with how the pics taken w/ his camera turned out. they are washed out and really not good color wise. that, Chapin family is why it's taking me 142 years to get these pics to you. i'm editing them so hopefully you won't be able to tell :).
it's also taking so long b/c photoshop stopped working on my laptop so i'm at the mercy of the main computer being open to finish editing. ANYways...
after i'm done with that (hopefully today) i have to make a slideshow for the YW New Beginnings. i had it almost all done then my computer froze and deleted everything....seriously i'm over technology.
then i have to sign up for classes at the Academy of Art University. i'm taking the quater off from skagit to take some photography classes. I'm hoping i can take a few classes and really learn about my camera. then i think i might put an ad out on craigslist or something and start charging to take senior/family/whatever pictures for people. that way i can sock some money away for a new camera and for school. my goal is to have a new camera by august when i go to hawaii for my aunts wedding!


then these 2 books...i shouldn't have gotten them b/c now all i want to do it knit. a lot. i wish i was a fast knitter so i could make all of these toys. i'm working on a second tie for my brother ty for his mission. i just made one for my dad. i'm also working on a hat or two. and i started some socks but quickly dismissed that idea. and i'm halfway done with a poncho that i'm stuck on now.

then there's this pattern i just got to make myself an apron. i bought that cute apple fabric i talked about a couple posts ago. so i have to break out the sewing machine at some point.

this post is pointless. oh well. i also have to make appts. for dentist/eye/hair for the next week or two. and get my room reorganized. at least i have almost a complete day to myself as soon as ty leaves and can get hopefully a chuck of all that stuff done.

pomegranate hint:

to get the seeds out, cut it in half. hold it upside down over a bowl and smack that thing with a big metal spoon or an ice cream scoop....all those lovely seeds will just fall out. no need to pick at it. also, never get the packaged seeds from costco or anywhere, they taste like fingernail polish..seriously. fresh is best.