DIY Cooking at Home

Hey there! Last weekend we went to a picnic potluck at our friends' house for Memorial Day, and I made one of my favorite summer salads: Greek Macaroni Salad. I love it because it comes together quickly, doesn't spoil as easily as traditional macaroni salad or potato salad, and of course, tastes great! It's better for you, too, because it doesn't contain mayo. Greek Macaroni Salad 1 c. uncooked macaroni 1 small can chick peas, drained 1 small can sliced black olives, drained 4 oz. crumbled feta cheese 4 roma tomatoes, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1/4 c. fresh lemon juice 1/2 c. olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper Cook the macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine the chick peas, olives, feta, tomatoes, and onion in a medium-sized bowl. When the macaroni is finished cooking, drain it well, and add it to the other ingredients. For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you get to enjoy a parade somewhere today to honor those who've fought for our freedom. I just want to spend time with my family today, so I'm keeping this short but sweet, with an emphasis on the sweet. Here is a reprint of two s'more recipes we've tried and loved. If you make either of these today, make sure you get the camera out...pictures of the kids eating s'mores are always keepers. Cinnamon Toast S'mores Cinnamon graham crackers Marshmallows (I burnt mine a little which just added to the toast-y flavor, I think) White chocolate chips Butterscotch chips ...and these... Peanut Butter Cup S'mores Graham crackers Marshmallows Mini Reeces' Peanut Butter Cups

Hey there! Way back when, I showed you how we turned a closet into a home office . Little did I know how much time I would be spending in there in the days to come. Life happened , and as it turns out, I'm now a librarian-turned-freelancer-slash-business-owner. The freelancing part is my dream job. LOVE it. The business owner thing goes against everything in my personality (I'm more of the type who enjoys a steady paycheck); but, running this thing alongside my husband has its definite plus-side, and most days, underneath the weariness, we understand that we're on some sort of adventure that we wouldn't change for anything. Anyway, since I now spend lots of hours in my office, I was finding that it had some shortcomings. I still have quite a few things to tweak to make it function just perfectly, but here are a couple of things I've done recently to make it work harder and look better: I spray painted some cardboard file boxes navy blue and added some metal

Quick, pin this recipe! Vanilla Butternut Pound Cake is an amazing coffee cake my family's been making for years and I had a craving for it the other day. The best thing about this cake is how well it keeps. You can have it out on the counter (covered, of course) for days, and it just tastes better and better. You can also freeze it. It's buttery, slightly nutty, and really, really moist. You'll love this pound cake recipe! Vanilla Butternut Pound Cake 1 c. butter, softened 1/2 c. vegetable shortening 3 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 5 eggs 3 c. flour 2/3 c. evaporated milk 2 T. vanilla butternut flavoring 3/4 c. chopped maraschino cherries 3/4 c. chopped walnuts Cream butter and shortening with sugar and salt until smooth. Crack eggs into a small bowl and add them into the creamed mixture one at a time. Pour evaporated milk into a liquid measuring cup and add enough water to make one cup. Alternately add flour and evaporated milk mixture to the batter, starting and ending wi

Happy Monday everyone! Can you believe Memorial Day is next week? I don't know where the year is going. I do love Memorial Day, though. We have a huge bash every Fourth of July, so this patriotic holiday is much more laid back and, of course, it kicks off summer. We always watch our town's parade with friends, Bloody Mary's in hand, then do something as a family--whether it's canoeing or hiking. I try to sneak in some ice cream somewhere, too. So, in the spirit of all things patriotic, I've gathered a ton of ideas for you today. Kind of a one-stop-shop for red, white, and blue decorating ideas! First off, check out all of these 15 great DIY projects for Memorial Day and Fourth of July: Patriotic Accessories Patriotic Table Decor Patriotic Wreaths Now, check out how to decorate for the Fourth of July and Memorial Day with accessories that can serve double-duty throughout the year. Sure, it's fun to pull out some stuff that has stars and stripes on i

Hi! Just hopping on today to share a super-quick way to create some kitchen art. Guys, this one isn't rocket-science. All of you smarty-pants out there don't need a tutorial, so I'll cut to the chase. I used Mod-Podge to decoupage paper that looks like wood onto a plaque I had that I didn't like, then glued on a wooden spoon. Voila! Point is, I used stuff I already had to make something new and you can too! Look around your house (I found the wooden spoon in my girls' play kitchen stuff, by the way) to see what everyday objects you can use and DIY kitchen art of your own! You May Also Like: Kitchen Island with Bookcase DIY Galvanized Letters Kitchen Art

Hey, hey, did you have a great Mother's Day?  Low-key here, but nice.  Church, followed by planting zinnia seeds (an Ott girl tradition), followed by a vanilla latte at Barnes & Noble with a stack of magazines, finished off with pizza and a movie with my man.  I'll take it.  Anyhoo, I had a brainstorm while looking at aforementioned magazines, and I'm not sure I'm gonna execute the idea or not--but you'll be the first to know if I do, of course.  It has to do with wall decals, though, which caused me to ogle all of the DIY wall decals in the blogosphere.  Here are my favorite ways to decorate a wall with DIY decals made from vinyl or washi tape. Upcycled Treasures Girl Inspired Over the Big Moon In the Fun Lane Everything Emily Washi Tape Crafts via Apartment Therapy Nicest Things via

Hi guys! I'm jumping right in today to show you my latest makeover because I'm really anxious to see what you think of it. I made a bottle lamp, but not the kind you might be imagining. I actually used an empty POM Wonderful juice bottle to make a stick lamp into a gourd lamp. I've been eyeing these gourd lamps on Lamps Plus for awhile, and although they're pretty affordable as far as trendy lamps go, I never pulled the trigger. So, here's my knockoff: And here's a little backstory: My friend, Cara, gave these lamps to me because she'd outgrown them. They were high-quality--from Restoration Hardware--lamps, so I took 'em. I had wanted a matching pair for this console table for awhile, so there they sat. Here's what they looked like originally. I wanted to modernize them, so first I just painted the shades a deep teal with fabric paint. That helped, but as you can see from the picture below, the candlestick lamp base just faded into the backg

Oh my gosh, the weather was so nice where we live this weekend. I got almost nothing done, but it felt really good to lay on the deck and listen to the kids play with a cold drink in my hand. We also rode our bikes downtown for ice cream. I did clean out the flower beds, though, and that got me in the mood to get the outside spruced up. Like the inside of our house, the outside is a constant work in progress. We add things each year to improve the space, and this year I'm thinking about more planters. Here are 6 unique garden planters you can make: Ruffles and Truffles Elizabeth Joan Designs Remodelista Spruce Your Nest DIY Homegirl Classy Clutter I love that each of these can be made for way less than it would cost to buy one large glazed pot at a garden store. Those things are crazy-expensive! You May Also Like: 10 Hanging Planters 10 Cheap Ways to Boost a Builder Grade's Curb Appeal Spruced Up Terra Cotta Pretty Outdoor Planters