Pinned it... Paracord Keychain

So for the next installment of Pinned it... I decided to do something other than a recipe.  I know, it's shocking.  What really happened is that I needed a new keychain.  Did you know that it is darn near impossible to find a simple keychain anymore?!  Google doesn't even recognize it as a word!  KEYCHAIN!  Take that, little red squiggly line!  [wow, that was really random.]

Anyway....

So I was looking everywhere for a keychain.  I had one of those cute bling-y ones that was a purple ombre, but the gems started falling off and with as much as Ellie loves to steal my keys, I just didn't think it was cute enough to be worth the risk of choking/bowel perforation/sparkly poop.  But I couldn't find any others.  I guess that's not totally true - I did find some.  But they all had sports teams on them.  And I'm just not that big of a sports fan.  So I'm walking around AC Moore looking for a keychain and found paracord instead.  Everyone's seen those bracelets that were SO popular despite being ridiculously ugly and (let's be honest here) not terribly functional.  But for some reason I thought it might make a nice keychain.  So I bought some  in purple and a coordinating pattern and off I went to find a tutorial to save me the trouble of figuring out on my own.  And I came across this...

Paracord Keychain!  I like a loop in my keychains so that I can stick a finger or two through it, so that's why I picked this one instead of the millions of others that are just long straight braids.

First of all, the pin itself is terrible.  It takes you to a site with a 'gallery' of different paracord projects.  You have to page all the way to the end before you find the keychain one and then it directs you to a different website altogether for the actual instructions!  Pins like that drive me nuts.  The website with the instructions has a majority of the text in another language, but luckily that doesn't affect the actual tutorial instructions.

I modified this one quite a bit, so let me outline for you what I did.  First, I didn't use the third string of 'micro cord.'  I hadn't bought it and I wasn't going to run out and find some, so I just left it out.  It's just for added decoration anyway.  Second, I made it one giant loop rather than just a little tiny loop at the end.  Aside from that, I followed the instructions.  And I didn't have a lighter on hand, so I used a match (or 6) to melt the ends of the cord.

I thought it was really clever how they formed the loop with the two tail ends and joined them together so that there were no actual knots around the keyring.  Maybe that's how they make the bracelets, I don't know, but I wouldn't have thought of it on my own so I was glad to have the tutorial there to help me.  To make my modification, I just braided down one strand of the loop all the way around until I got back up to the top.  

Now here's where the tutorial made me frustrated.  It had no pictures, no instructions, no suggestions, nothing on how to finish the project.  So that part I had to make up on my own.  When I got back up to the top, I just tied a single over-hand knot (like the kind you start your shoelaces with) on the inside of the loop.  Then I clipped the ends really short and melted them to the inside of the loop.

I really like how this turned out.  We'll see how it holds up over time, but so far it has survived being 'toy of the night' for a 14 month old, so that's pretty good.  Ellie really likes it - so much so that I think I'm going to have to make another one just for her.  Don't worry, I'll make it a small enough loop that it won't be a strangulation hazard :-)

Final Verdict: The finished product is great!  The pin itself is only so-so.  But I couldn't have figured out how to get started properly without it, so that's why it made my loved it list.

Pinned it... Cowboy Casserole

So, for my next pin review, I decided to pick another recipe simply because that's what I do most with pinterest.  I'd love to do more of the crafts/DIY projects that I find, but that costs money.  Cooking does too, but we've gotta eat so it's a little more justified.  Anyway, I present to you.....

Heather McD's pin on Pinterest.

Cowboy Casserole!  This is one that I've had and have been using for over a year now.  When we were moving into our house, Mom made this for us one night and I loved it so much I immediately pinned it.

One thing that bothers me is that the pin goes back to a page with more than one article/post on it.  At least it's not the home page of the blog, but you do have to scroll a while before you find the actual recipe.  

The recipe itself is very clear and easy to understand and/or adapt if you feel the need.  For example... Usually I just use one package (a little more than a pound) of beef and bake it in one of my smaller-sized rectangular pans.  I think it's 7x11 or something like that.  This ensures that I have enough Crispy Crowns to cover both the bottom and the top of the casserole.  It's also cheaper because I save the extra 1/2 lb. of beef, but it's still plenty for 2.5 of us to eat and we still get a small amount of leftovers.  This time, I used 2 packages (a little more than a pound each) of ground beef because I wanted lots of leftovers.  We didn't even eat half of it.  If you use both, make sure you do use the 9x13 pan (I use my Pyrex dishes for almost all of my cooking) otherwise you will run out of room.  It does bubble a bit in the oven, so you don't want it piled too high in the dish or you could get some spill-over into your oven.  In the 9x13, use the Crispy Crowns on the bottom sparingly.  You want the top coverage to be a higher priority than the bottom.  

When browning the beef, I leave out the onion and garlic.  I just don't like having the extra bits of things in there.  I know, I'm weird.  I just brown it with a healthy dose of onion powder and garlic powder.  It still provides a good, rich taste, but without the extra bits and it saves all the peeling/chopping.  I also don't use Cream of Mushroom soup.  Actually, I don't use Cream of Anything soups!  I found a recipe for something called Soup or Sauce Mix (I'll review it for you sometime!) that is a healthier substitute for "Cream-Of" soups.  So my version of this recipe includes one batch of that.  And I leave out the corn.  Because we prefer our veggies on the side, rather than mixed into the casserole.

Ok, so having said all that, I do actually follow the recipe pretty closely.  Another thing I don't like (because I'm nitpicky) is the fact that she's unclear on the amount of cheese you will need.  The ingredients list calls for 2 cups, but the recipe only indicates using 1 1/2.  It's really not that big of a deal.  I mix a full cup in with the beef and all the other ingredients and then sprinkle a good amount on top.  So who knows how much I actually use.  I also use sharp cheddar to give it a little more kick, but I've used mild and it is still yummy.

Definitely use the Crispy Crowns.  I have investigated all sorts of other options and they just aren't as good.  I've used the regular tater-tots (or Potato Puffs if you shop at Aldi) and loose hash-browns and neither was terribly good.  They just didn't get crispy at all.  The crispy crowns are the way to go.  It's worth the extra dollar, in this case.

Make sure you do bake it for the full half hour so that the Crispy Crowns get thoroughly cooked.  This time I was rushing and didn't leave it in there long enough and the potatoes were still a bit raw.  It doesn't hurt anything but the texture.  Also, after it is "done", I like to broil it for a minute or two to get the cheese good and melty.  Again, I skipped that this time because I had to leave for choir practice and wanted to have time to eat it, too.  It's good either way. 

This one doesn't look very pretty, so think twice before serving it to fancy guests.  But what it lacks in looks it makes up for in flavor.  It is good.  I've never fed it to someone who didn't like it.  [Well, my vegetarian friend Sarah probably wouldn't enjoy it, but that's beside the point...]  It's in the regular rotation on our menu and nobody ever complains.  Ellie even likes it, and she's not a huge fan of meat either.

Final Verdict: It's a keeper for sure!  Modify it the way you like it - delete ingredients like I did or add some more veggies of your choice - and it's probably still going to be good.  A solid, comfort-food standby that's difficult to mess up.  AND it microwaves pretty well for leftovers.  We love it!

Pinned it...

So, I recently said something on facebook about trying a recipe for homemade graham crackers for Ellie to eat and a friend asked me to share the recipe.  I've had enough trouble with internet recipes that I always try them before sharing them.  I don't want to be that friend that goes around giving out bad recipes!  So I told her that after I tried it, if it was good, I would share it on the blog.  And then I had a marvelous idea.  Why not make it a thing?!  I mean, as I'm going through stuff on pinterest, I always wonder if anybody has ever actually done that thing and had it turn out right.  So that's what I'm doing.  Everything that I pin and try and actually like how it turned out, I will share with you.  Well, maybe not everything, but you get the idea.  I'm calling it...

I'll share the original pin with you, my process in trying it, any changes or adjustments that I made, and the results!  And then I will feel a lot better about sharing pins with you, because you'll have all the honest details.  Like how that roast beef didn't turn out quite so tender, but that's probably because I forgot to turn the crock pot on.  Or how the homemade graham crackers were great, but I need to buy smaller cookie cutters.  You get the idea.  So, without further ado adieu [ah forget it] delay, here's my first Pinterest review...

This is the pin I referenced above that I tried just the other night for Ellie.  The pin linked to the proper page (which is always so helpful) and the recipe was easy to understand and follow.  There was even an easy-print recipe on the site!  I didn't actually print it, but I like to have the option.

I followed the recipe just as written, omitting the wheat germ that's listed as optional.  I used my stand mixer since I don't have a food processor.  The dough came together just like it was supposed to.  I did have to switch to my dough hook after adding the wet ingredients because it is a very thick, sticky dough and using the paddle was putting too much strain on the motor.  I would not recommend mixing this by hand.  

I liked that I didn't have to flour my surface to roll out the dough.  That always makes such a mess!  I recently invested in a silicone rolling mat to lay on the counter and roll out dough on.  This was the first time I got to use it and it worked GREAT!  The dough did stick to my (marble) rolling pin sometimes, but it peeled off and still worked fine.  I rolled my dough to a little thinner than the 1/4 inch that the recipe suggests.  I wish I had done them thinner still, as they do puff up a bit in the oven.  They came out a little more like cookies than the super-thin graham crackers that you buy at the store.  I did have to be very careful when transferring the dough to the baking sheet, since it was so sticky.  But a little patience and re-shaping once on the sheet and it was fine.

I used my air-bake cookie sheets, so I did not line them with the parchment paper or silpat.  The crackers came off just fine.  I baked them for 15 minutes, and that was perfect.  The last pan was rolled thinner and they got a little extra-crispy, so I could have put them in for less time and still been fine.  My favorite part of this recipe is that all of the ingredients are safe to be consumed raw.  Which means that if they are slightly under-done (or someone wants to lick the beater...), I don't have to worry about giving them to my toddler.  Wonderful!

These are a HUGE hit at our house.  And the babysitter's house!  They smelled great coming out of the oven and they taste great, too!  After taking one bite, Ellie took a whole second cracker to have one for each hand.  And she ate them both.  Our babysitter and her daughter loved them too.  And I ate one as a snack after getting home from work.  The honey and the cinnamon are in just the right proportions.  I want to get up and eat another one right now.  They're that good.  

This recipe made about 2 dozen graham crackers for us, but of course that will depend on the size of your cookie cutters and how thin you roll your dough.  I think the only thing I would change about these for next time is to use smaller cookie cutters.  I used bunnies, carrots, and peeps this time (I was in a spring-y mood!), but they're big to store and, more importantly, big to pack in Ellie's snack containers.  I don't have any of the tiny cutters, but I'll have to be on the lookout for some clearance ones here sometime soon.  You could also just use a pizza wheel and cut the dough into squares and bake, but that just doesn't seem like as 

Final Verdict: Love it!  I highly recommend it!  It's easy, not too time consuming, moderately healthy (I can pronounce all the ingredients!), and cheap (I didn't have to buy any specialty ingredients!).

We give it two toddler (and two mommy!) thumbs up!