Slaughter House 5 lamp shade

Hi, my name is Kara & I'm addicted to Pinterest. I know many of you have the same confession to make. Let's be honest, it's a lot more fun then Facebook & if I didn't spend so much time looking up delicious recipes & colorful hair, I would be a crafting machine! I'm an artist at heart. I love to paint, decorate, pretend I can knit & Pinterest feeds the artist beast within. Before, I would just toss the ruined stuff around my house away or recycle the spaghetti sauce jars, but now I'm finding ways to re purpose so many items.
Yesterday, as Adalyn went Godzilla on the bookcase while I was going to the bathroom (note to self: if the kids aren't sharing the privacy of the bathroom with you, they are destroying something) I came across a way to re purpose one of Paul's favorite books that met it's literary end by the hands of a 15 month old. So here is what I did:

Find an old lamp shade or buy an ugly one from Walmart like I did. Grab a book that you normally would throw in the trash cause it's so damaged. All you need is some Mod Podge & a brush.I ripped the pages and overlapped them cause it looks better that way, in my opinion. This book was a great pick because, not only does it have one of my favorite quotes, it has it displayed in the book in a unique way so it's a nice focal point of the shade. I still think it would look good with just normal pages too! After I finished Mod Podging, I peeled off the ugly trim from the top & the bottom. I wanted to reuse it by painting it black, but if you don't like the trim just pull it off before you Mod Podge and make sure the pages overlap to the edge of the lamp.

I painted my trim black & waited for it to dry. It was easy to replace because it was still sticky on the trim & on the lamp shade. If yours doesn't want to stick, just pull out your good ole hot glue gun. I left a little white showing because our living room accent colors are white, beige & black.
Here's the close up of the quote and how I overlapped the pages. I also need to touch up the black paint but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I personally think it looks best without the light on because you can read the pages more clear, but if you got a soft bulb that is daylight rather than white, I think it would help.

Look for more Slaughter House 5 projects coming soon since I have the rest of the book to work with!

I Falafel for Love

I love Arabic food, plain & simple. I've been lucky enough to be raised in a city where you will find the most authentic Arabic food outside the Middle East. I ain't lying! I searched for a good falafel recipe and after some tweaking here is what I got. Prepare yourself for the magic of amazing falafel!

Falafel Me Crazy:
adapted from Food People Want

• 1 lb dried garbanzo beans, soaked in water overnight
• 1/2 an onion
  
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
  
• 1/2 large bunch of parsley
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• Red pepper flakes
  
• Kosher salt & cayenne pepper to taste
  
• Peanut oil for frying

1. Drain the chick peas from their soaking liquid and put them, along with the onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro into a food processor. The rest will be somewhat dry almost meat consistency.
   
2. Add the cumin, coriander, red pepper flakes, cayenne and salt to the ground mixture. Stir to distribute the spice and allow the mixture to rest for at least a 1/2 hour at room temperature. Taste a small amount for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
3. With slightly moistened hands, take walnut-sized lumps (about 2 tablespoons) of the rested falafel mixture from the bowl and gently roll into flat, round shapes, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Allow rolled falafel balls to rest at least another 15 minutes at room temperature before frying. I made mine into patties.
   
4. Pour oil into a 4-qt. Dutch oven to a depth of 2″ and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350˚. Working in batches, fry the falafel until they are a dark, rich brown color, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining falafel.
5. Serve the falafel warm or at room temperature.
   

I served mine with rice, garlic dressing & homemade pita bread which you can find the recipe for HERE. Enjoy the delicious-ness!

The Tale of the Bread Penis

For Christmas this year I bought myself a beautiful, apple green, Kitchenaid stand mixer. Not only did I get an amazing deal on it, but it's my favorite color! So my goal is to use it as much as possible, buy some attachments for it & become a master of Lola (she's a feisty temptress). I'm starting a new weekly post in my blog entitled "Let's cook while listening to music that annoys our children" My first go at this didn't turn out as planned but it had a hilarious outcome.

The menu plan was to make homemade, veggie lasagna & french bread while listening to Journey's greatest hits. Jordyn was not pleased with my music selection and even less pleased with my singing abilities. The recipe for the bread is as follows.

Adapted from Katie Kinser's French Bread

1 1/2 Tbsp. or 2 packets (1/4 oz./7 g each) dry active yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
2 cups hot water
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
5 – 6 cups all-purpose flour

1. Dissolve yeast, warm water, and 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl.

2. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine hot water, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, salt, and oil. Add 3 cups of flour to the mixture in the large bowl/mixer and mix well. Stir in yeast mixture.

3. Add 2 – 3 cups more flour and mix until well blended. (At this point your dough will still be quite sticky). Leave in bowl and let rise for 1 hour, mixing a few strokes a couple of times during the hour.

4. Divide dough into 2 (or 3 if you want smaller loaves) pieces. Roll out each piece on a floured surface into the length desired then roll up length wise like a jelly roll.

5. Put on a greased cookie sheet, sealed side down, and tuck the ends under. Slash the top diagonally across the top every couple of inches with a sharp knife. Brush with egg white. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Let loaves rise 30 more minutes.

6. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.

So I followed the instructions, step by step.... OOoo baby! But I ran into a snag while rolling the dough. Did I mention rolling pins & I do not get along? Yeah we hate each other. I suck at rolling dough, pie crusts or pizza dough. So I pathetically roll out these loaves and transfer to a greased cookie sheet. When I go to lift the first one it droops a bit making it even longer then it already was. It's too long to fit on the cookie sheet straight so I tuck the extra underneath & pop it in the oven. This is also where I made mistake #2 because I forgot the egg whites on top. Opps! I check on the bread in the oven & it's starting to take an odd shape, similar to a penis. 30 minutes later I have a huge loaf of French bread that looks like a giant penis. What a perfect side for any meal!

You live, you learn, you make penis bread.

Hello Again Friends!

Well it's 2012, Happy New Year! I'm gonna try to get this old girl up & running again! I don't know how many times I've said that, on multiple blogs, but THIS TIME I'm serious! In this post I'm gonna recap my year of 2011 with pictures & captions *a stolen idea from my dear friend "Eleanor Eats" *Here we go!

DISCLAIMER: Most of these pictures are unedited with dull lighting. Pardon me.


January 2011: This face pretty much sums up the year of being 3! Sassy little girl seems to have a toned down her bratty attitude since turning 4 but is channeling her 16 year old future self.


February 2011: The month of love! Look at this face! I'm not a religious person, but thank you God for bringing this sweet cherub into my life. She is such a joy!


March 2011: Our first trip to downtown Baltimore. Free aquarium night! It's a pretty cool city but it reminds me of Detroit, in terms of ghetto.


April 2011: Meet Ryan! This is Jordyn's twin in male form! Of course we meet an amazing family in Delaware right before we move to New York :( April started our long journey to finding a home, living in a hotel & losing my last thread of sanity during it all.


May 2011: My birthday fell on Mother's day this year. Although I had to spend both in a hotel room, at least my dear husband found the time to get me breakfast & beautiful sunflowers!

June 2011: This month is a big one for our family because... we bought our FIRST house! We had the best realtor, mortgage lender & lawyer in town. They put up with so much from me & I appreciate all the hard work they did to get us out of that hotel & into our home as fast as possible! I'm as happy as a tree without eyes!

July 2011: We had our first visitors, the inlaws! And they brought us a lovely housewarming present; a giant swing set for our kiddos!


August 2011: This picture just cracks me up. I didn't take a lot of pictures this month due to the massive amount of work this house needs. Let's face it, when you buy a house from old people it takes awhile to get it up to date & smelling like something other then mothballs.


September 2011: Future crazy couple perhaps? We got a nice visit from our friends this month! Activities included making a movie theater in the basement, a bubble/mud slide, numerous baths & Hill Billy Handfishing marathons.


October 2011: My favorite month of the year! We celebrated Jordyn's 4th birthday & Adalyn's 1st birthday back at home in Michigan. We had a blast & the party was awesome! We had our first Halloween in our new house too! Jordyn was Olivia the pig & Adalyn was an owl.


November 2011: Just another prime example that my children are crazy! This was another month of home improvement so not many pictures were taken. But I got ever closer to finishing the 5 month project of remodeling Jordyn's bedroom!


December 2011: Christmas was a mix of emotions this year. Paul had to stay home due to his new job, so the girls & I traveled by train back to Michigan. We spent 10 days there & got to see a lot of very special people. Never again will I do it alone! The girls got tons of gifts, like always and I got to spend time with my best friends which is rare! All in all it was a good time but we were happy to head home.

Goodbye 2011! To say you were the year of "New" would be an understatement, but for a gypsy family like us, every year is a year of new. After 4 moves from 5 different states in 2 years, I'm happy to no longer be a wandering gypsy... at least for now!

Dear Naive, 16 Year Old Me

My friend Chelsea (nashifeet) posted a letter her boyfriend wrote to his 16 year old self and it really inspired me to write my own. What would you say to your 16 year old self if you could reach them? I think it would be a very reflective experience so here is mine.

Dear Kara,
Don't let life get you down. You're in a transitional period right now and it will end. Although you think it's hard to find yourself at this moment, the journey will forever be changing throughout your life. Be confident in who you are and what you want. You are creative and should embrace your creativity. Don't let people stifle your gifts or make you feel unworthy of attention. Own your body & be happy with what you have since that will be forever changing too. You're a good person and although your maturity is lacking, enjoy all the fun times you are having because it will be these memories that last a lifetime. Cherish your friendships because time & distance will test them. Stick up for what you believe in now because time, society and apathy will leave you jaded as you grow older. That might sound depressing but it's true.


You will meet a special person who will become your best friend and although your feelings might not be romantic at first, take a step back and realize the best relationships start from friendships first. Love will make you laugh & cry, rip you to shreds & build you back up again. Work on your lack of compassion for others that seem unimportant to you and even a few that are important to you, because you never know who will be there for you to lean on. You will make mistakes, some of them being major, but each mistake has led you to where you are at this moment. It hasn't been an easy journey but the road ahead is promising.

Sincerely,
You 9 years later

Public Service Announcement

Hey you... yes YOU! Get over yourself. Stop trying to be someone you're not. Live your life as yourself. Be happy with yourself! There's no reason to starve yourself to fit a standard in society that shouldn't even exist. No one is perfect. Curves are sexy, bones are not. Don't eat your feelings. Obesity isn't a joke. Being healthy doesn't mean being 100lbs. Don't do drugs to fit in. Real friends like you for who you are, if they don't, they aren't your friends. You look like an idiot. Mothers, be a role model. Your kids are watching you. Let's not fake motherhood by making others feel inferior because they don't choose all the same things that you do. Get over yourself. Don't let someone else raise your kids because you are too lazy & immature to handle actual responsibility. Don't blame your problems on other people or past experiences. Fathers, get involved. Your kids want you around, they want your attention & they want your love. Hugs aren't stupid! Grow the fuck up! If your life is a constant hangover you should really take a look in the mirror and try to find yourself. Do you want to remember this ride or blur it out? It's ok to have fun no matter who you are, but there is such a thing called moderation. If you are feeling sorry for yourself just remember, there is ALWAYS someone who has it worse. Get over yourself. FML (or for those who don't know "Fuck My Life") is the stupidest thing I've ever read. If you want to fuck your life doesn't that mean something good? I mean techniquely we're talking about having sex with your life? Right? Your life is so hot you want to have sex with it. That's my new definition for FML. Don't use FML to describe minimal annoyances. Your hair is messy... FML? REALLY? How bout you love your life even if you hair is messy, even if your car is being a piece of shit and even if you tripped on the sidewalk & everyone saw your butt (they probably enjoyed it). I'm sure there are people all around the world who would trade places with you right now. So SHUT UP! I don't think your problems aren't important. I do! Just take a step back and be happy for what you have rather than what you think you deserve. Tough times make us stronger and more appreciative of the good times. The End.

Note: This was NOT written with anyone in mind. All of these examples are generalizations.

Indian Food

I'm obsessed. I never liked Indian food when I was younger, perhaps my taste buds were not yet developed enough to enjoy it or when given the choice I always picked Arabic food, but I have been missing out. I know I won't like everything I try but making it myself helps a lot. The only problem I've been facing so far is the lack of spices available at the local Walmart (puke). But I do have to say McCormick brand spices came up with a helpful little packet for Chicken Tika Marsala that is a life saver. So here is my run down of Chicken Tika Marsala, Basmati rice & Naan bread. Let's start with the Naan cause it takes the longest.

Recipe adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

.25 ounce package of Active Dry yeast
1/4c sugar plus 1tb
3tb warm milk
1 egg beaten
2tsp salt
3.5c bread flour
Olive oil for brushing

1. 1.In the bowl of a stand mixer or food processor combine the water, yeast, and 1 tablespoon of sugar; let rest 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Add remaining sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Mix with the dough hook on medium-low until thoroughly combined and smooth, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down dough. Pinch off small handfuls of dough, about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat grill to high heat. If you don't have a grill or grill pan handy try using a George Forman! It works great! Set it to around 400 degrees. Roll each ball out to a small circle. Brush with oil on both sides. Cook 2-4 minutes on each side, until brown. Serve warm.

Now go to your local store. Go to the spice isle. If they have garam marsala spice, more power to ya! If they don't look for McCormick spice packets. You'll find one called Chicken Tika Marsala. On the back it will tell you everything you need. My only tip is do not buy diced tomatoes, substitute the diced tomatoes for a small 6-8oz can of tomato sauce. Now go cook all this up with a big pot of Basmati rice and you are all set. Here are some pictures to seduce you.