Soft T-shirts without fabric softener a.k.a. some things are too good to be true...

Hello Pretty People!

So, I debated whether I would post this entry or not but I think the information is still kinda useful (?) Basically, I ran across something a while ago called "brining" a t-shirt to make it feel really soft. I kind of passed the idea by but recently I've come across it again, so I says to myself, I says "Why not?" So I gathered my ingredients which were:

• Water
• a T-shirt (I used 2 T-shirts)
• Salt
• a bucket

So what I did is mix a solution of 1 quart water to 1/2 cup salt. It took me a little while for the salt to dissolve but when it finally did, I took my two t-shirts and put it into the mixture in a bucket. The directions were to leave the t-shirts to soak for three or more days. I left mine to soak for about 3.5 days and then put it in the washing machine with a bit of detergent. Here's where the experiment/DIY got disappointing. After they were done washing, I excitedly put them in the dryer (last step! Woot Woot!) but when I pulled them out of the dryer approx. 1 hour later........they didn't feel ANY different! I think I would have felt better about this whole experiment if the shirts had felt at least a little bit softer but no, there was absolutely no difference!

*Sigh* back to the drawing board I guess. Hopefully the next DIY I try works out better than this one :P

Till then,

Cheers,

Danielle

Avocados

Hey Guys!

So today, I have a confession to make.... I'm addicted.....to avocados! There, I said it! It's good to finally get that off my chest :P

But seriously, I am addicted to this tasty little food. I recently went to the store and picked myself up a few avocados and it feels like since then, that's all I've been eating. So, I decided to really quickly post a few of the things I made with them. These are all really simple things that don't take very long to make but are just super super tasty!

Let's get to it!

First up is the tried and true (at least for me) Avocado on Toast.

This is literally the simplest thing to make ever. Just butter 2 slices of toast and top with sliced avocado. Sprinkle with a bit of salt to bring out the flavor. This is my go to snack when avocado is in the house. The combination of warm toast and fresh avocado is just so freakin' good!

Ok, Next up is basically just the fancier version of avocado toast, which is avocado and brie on toast!

When we have brie in the fridge, I love to melt it on toast instead of adding butter so one day I decided to add my 2 fave snacks together and Boom! Magic! The warm melted brie was basically made to be eaten with avocado (at least in my opinion).

Next! I made a caprese salad inspired open-faced sandwich.

Basically, just slice up tomatoes, avocado and mozzarella and layer them on a piece of bread. The tomato is a nice contrast to the creamy avocado and mozzarella.

Another, thing I made was an open-faced sandwich with avocado and red hot chili pepper jack cheese.

I found the spiciness of the cheese a really nice change to my usual avocado choices!

Last but not least, I made chicken salad stuffed avocado!

This was so freaking good! The one thing I would do next time is use half as much mayo. It almost over powered the avocado which for me is a big no no. The chicken salad was comprised of left over chicken, red peppers, peperoncini peppers and a bit of romaine tossed in a dressing of mayo and mustard. I don't think I can properly describe how good this was. I'm almost tempted to go out and buy more avocados to try the recipe out again!

For now though, I've used up all the avocados and must resign myself to eat other things in my kitchen.

If you try any of these out, let me know what you think! Maybe we can be fellow avocado fanatics!!

Until next time,

Cheers,

Danielle

Cocoa-Black Bean Soup

Hey guys!

So a few years ago, I had a really bad day. It was full of first world problems and an awful boss but my friend Stefan, being the awesome guy he is, decided to cheer me up by taking me out for supper. We tried one place....and it was closed so we decided to go to this cool little restaurant attached to a bookstore in our town. I will never forget the soup that they served that day. It was a cocoa-black bean soup.....I'll just let you imagine for a second how good that would taste. Now take what you imagined and multiply it by 10. That's how great it was. So, a few years later and this soup pops back into my head, so what do I do? Start surfing the net for an awesome recipe is what I do!

So! This is what you'll need for an amazing Cocoa-Black bean soup!:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup no-salt-added tomato purée
2 low-sodium vegetable bouillon cubes
4 cups water
1 (25-ounce) can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (or hot paprika)
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

 This soup is pretty simple to make.

First, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onion, bay leaves, and salt. Stir occasionally until onions are softened (4–5 minutes).

Next, add celery, carrots, and green pepper and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all vegetables are softened (7–8 minutes).

Then, add tomato purée, bouillon cubes, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

Next, stir in beans, cocoa, pepper, and paprika and return to a simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

This is what I ended up with!

This soup was full of lovely flavors. You can't really taste the cocoa but it adds a creaminess to the broth as well as helping the other flavors taste even stronger. My mom couldn't stop raving and asking for the recipe!

Well, that's all for now.

Cheers,

Danielle

DIY Cake/Dessert Stand

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a good week. I spent mine mainly working and I went to an audition for an animated kids movie about the solar system! It was a blast to try out some different voices. But getting to the point of this blog post. You know how on Pinerest there's always these posts about how to make your own cake/dessert stand? Well, I kept seeing them and thinking to myself, "Why don't I make one of those?"

So I did!

Before I decided to make these cool dessert stands, I looked at a few different DIY's to see what other people were using to create them. The main thing in common from each separate DIY was that they seemed incredibly easy! So yeah, let's get on with the show :)

Here's what you'll need:

• Plates (ceramic, plastic or glass)
• Candle sticks or cups
• hot glue or super glue

I decided to make two different stands and these are the items I used for each.

Constructing these are really quite simple. Buy plates and cups/candle sticks that you like the look of. Wash them to remove any glue or dust or stickers and then decide the placement of each piece. Make marks with a pencil and then glue the pieces together! This is what mine looked like!

Right now, I'm using them as jewelry displays in my room but the next time I do some baking, you better believe I'm going to be using these guys :P

Another thing you can do is paint them. I decided I wanted very simple white dessert stands but you could easily make them a nice bright color.

Comment below if there's a DIY you've been dying to try. I'd love to try it out too!

Cheers,

Danielle

Wicked Thai Soup

Hey there Friends!

So I'm super excited to share this recipe with you! When I was taking a summer class a few years ago, I got into the habit of buying lunch or a snack from one of the nearby cafeterias. I noticed that they kept serving this amazing smelling soup called Wicked Thai. I decided one day to take a chance and try it out. Ever since that day, Wicked Thai has been my absolute favorite soup. EVER! Once I was finished my summer class I started searching the web for a recipe and I stumbled upon once that looked kind of complicated but ended up being super super simple. The key for me was to not get intimidated by the long ingredient list.

Doesn't it look amazing!?!?!

Here's what you'll need:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, diced
• 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (a standard size tray package)
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into small dice
• 2 Tbsp. Gourmet Garden™ Lemon Grass herb paste (the stuff in the tube or the real thing, if you can find it)
• 1 tsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup half and half (10%) cream
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2 tsp. red curry paste
• 1 1/2 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili paste (or Sriracha, as an alternative but you may need less)
• 2-3 Tbsp. tomato paste (to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 cups cooked rice (long grain white or brown rice or try a mix of long grain with wild rice for some added texture)
• Fresh cilantro, parsley or basil leaves shredded for garnish

 First, cook rice and set aside (or use left-over cooked rice). 

 

Next, Heat large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp. oil. When hot, add mushrooms and cook until golden and tender. Remove to a plate. In same pot, add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and heat. Add onion, red pepper, and saute just until softened. Return mushrooms to pot. Add broth and chicken and heat through. Add lemon grass paste, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer 5 minutes. Add cream and coconut milk, turn heat to low, then cover and simmer 2 minutes. 

 

In a small bowl, add curry paste, Sambal Oelek, tomato paste, 2 Tbsp. water and cornstarch and mix until incorporated. Stir into soup until combined and heat until soup simmers, thickens very slightly and has a velvety appearance. Add cooked rice, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. (You can also add more curry paste, tomato paste and/or Sambal Oelek to taste at this point, as well). 

 

Pour soup into bowls and garnish with cilantro, parsley or basil leaves and serve with additional Sambal Oelek for those who prefer a hotter soup.

Here's what mine turned out like!

I think I used a bit too much tomato paste this time around and I bought a different curry paste than the last time I made this soup to see what it was like. The soup was still incredibly tasty but next time I think I'll go back to the old curry paste.

Hope you guys try this out! It may look like a lot of ingredients but they can pretty much all be found at any grocery store and the cooking directions are super easy! Until next time,

Cheers,

Danielle

Chocolate Fondant

Hello again Friends!

So, as I mentioned in my last blog post, I've been working a lot lately, but on top of that, I've been getting pretty run down with an almost cold that has been keeping me from sleeping :( . For this reason, I decided to use my Friday off as a restful, treat myself kind of day!

Days like this usually mean, that I sleep in (which I did), take the time to soak in a bubble bath (you bet I did!) and do some  gentle yoga (just the most relaxing!). On top of that I decided to make myself a special dessert: Chocolate Fondant :)

Chocolate Fondant is a partially cooked chocolate cake, leaving the center as liquid goodness (most people know them as Lava Cakes). This recipe looks quite simple and but it's the baking time that will make or break the cake. Bake it too long and it's a normal cake, not enough and its a soupy mess :(

Here's what you'll need:

• 65g chocolate (approx 3 wrapped pieces of bakers chocolate)
• 65g butter 
• 2 eggs
• 37g sugar
• 25g flour
• 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder

First, melt butter and chocolate. I like to melt it in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water so that the butter and chocolate for sure won't burn. Once they are melted, let the mixture cool.

While the butter/chocolate is melting, whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and doubled in volume. This make take a little while and a bit of bicep endurance (lol).

Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture and then add the flour and cocoa. (Folding is essentially a way to gently mix in a folding motion. Still confused? Here's a video!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCR7t0n6GF8)

Spoon into buttered ramekin or bowl and cook for 7 minutes (depending on your oven, may need to bake for longer). I also like to like to sprinkle cocoa into the ramekin so that the cake comes out of the ramekin easier and has a nice cocoa coating (Yum!)

NOTE: I set my oven to 350 Fahrenheit but I'm still playing around with temp and time for this dessert. So far for my oven, I'll bake for 5 EXTRA minutes at 350. It's a work in progress!

Here was my end result :)

As you can see I topped the cake with some caramel sauce and fresh blackberries and strawberries. The fondant had an awesome bittersweet dark chocolate taste which contrasted nicely with the fruit :) I hope you guys try this recipe out. It can be a little hit and miss but eventually you'll get a knack for it!


Cheers,

Danielle

Spaghetti Carbonara

Hello lovely people!

These past few weeks have been crazy busy for me with working, trying to get together with friends and, you know, the Holidays and all that jazz. I decided to use my day off to run some errands and then make myself one of my favorite dishes: Spaghetti Carbonara!

Traditionally, carbonara is an egg, cheese and butter/oil mixture poured over pasta. The mixture coats the pasta, helping the pancetta and romano cheese really shine. I also like this recipe because of the aromatic garlic and spicy red pepper flakes (not to mention that I usually have some wine left over to have a glass with the Carbonara lol). This is what you'll need: 

I substituted the Pancetta with Proscuitto because it wasn't in the store this time :(

    •    Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
    •    1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
    •    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
    •    1/4 pound pancetta (Italian bacon), chopped
    •    1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    •    5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
    •    1/2 cup dry white wine
    •    2 large egg yolks
    •    Freshly grated Romano cheese
    •    Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

First, put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and pancetta. Brown pancetta 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.

In a separate bowl, beat yolks, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta.

Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and extra grated Romano.

and viola!

This dish is delicious and I could probably eat it year round (although I would become quite round as well teehee!) but I prefer eating it on a cold wintery night. It just might be my ultimate comfort food! What's your favorite comfort food? Wanna send me the recipe?! Comment below :)

Cheers,

Danielle

DIY Bird Lightswitch

 What's up friends!

You know what I like about Pinterest? I mean, other that it's awesome? (:P) I love that it gives you ideas that you never would have thought of before! I mean, there is some really useful stuff on there. And even if it's not necessarily useful, it's a super cool/cute idea. Take this light switch for instance.

It's literally just a bird painted to look like its perched on the switch cover but I'm a bird fanatic so you can bet that I was doing this in my room!

To get the picture on the wall, I first drew it on paper. When I was happy with how it looked, I took a pencil and scribbled on the back where the picture was to get graphite thick enough to transfer onto the wall and cut the excess paper away. Then I taped the picture into position and traced over the picture outline with a pencil. What you get when you remove the paper is a pencil outline of the picture you drew (in my case a bird!). This will obviously be your template for when you start painting.

Next, I chose the colour of paint I wanted to use (cream, to compliment my green walls), I also chose to use acrylic because it's fast drying and I already had it in my house! Once you've chosen your paint, you quite simply fill it in!

And this was my final product.

 

I think this project went pretty well, but I think if I were to do something similar to this in the future I would try cutting out the picture and then sponging the paint on. Anyways, that's all for now folks! 

Cheers,

Danielle