DIY Gift Hand Stamped Kitchen Tools

Here is a great idea I found on the lovely pinterest! I, in fact, had pinned it twice on different days so clearly it was a must do. HAHA! I actually already had stamps so it was a no brainer for me. You can pick up the stamp set at Harbor Freight for fairly inexpensive. 

Here are the things we used.

1 set of 5 new bamboo kitchen tools

1 ultra fine sharpie 

(BTW the one in the picture is not the sharpie we actually used, This one wasn't quite fine enough)

1 small nylon cutting board

1/4 inch steel stamping set

A short handled ball peen hammer

Place the wooden tool on the cutting board. This is to protect your table etc from the hefty blows. :) 

Note: Be sure to wipe the stamp with a paper towel before using it. There is oil in the bottom of the box used to prevent the rusting of the stamps. 

Place the stamp where you want it and give one big blow. If a second blow is needed align the stamp in the  already stamped letter and go for it. 

See the J?

Once the word is a stamped take your ultra fine sharpie and fill in the letter. 

PS these tools will need to be hand washed only but hey! they already were hand wash only because they are bamboo so no biggy!!

Tada!

 All done! 

Notice that we changed the theme after the first spoon? 

Yep I like the kitchen words better but you could do all kinds of word ideas. 

Christmas themed words or thanksgiving words, Names etc. 

I am so excited to make more! 

You could give them as a set or just one. Imagine inside a hot pad mitt with a brownie or cookie mix!? 

YES! 

I am excited and very happy with how these turned out! 

Give it a try!

weight loss

That picture literally has nothing to do with this post. But I love a good selfie as much as the next person. This post is an update about my weight loss journey so far. DUN DUN DUN!!!

The first week I rocked it. I was an animal! I was so disciplined. That discipline payed off in a big way. I lost 11 pounds and 9 total inches. What?! The second week not so much. I gained 2 pounds. Wah wah! You know what was weird though? I still lost another 2.75 inches. Explain that science.

So what changed from the first week to the second? In short I got lazy. I went from being strict and on my diet to lax. I went back to work and didn't prepare my food before hand. Before heading out the door I would try and scramble to get something together but it never really happened. Which then forced me to get take-out. Yeah I was forced. I stopped drinking the water like I should. I could go on but really I cheated. I am a cheater! UGH! The sad thing is that I just cheated myself. I traded in my long term goal and happiness for a tiny moment of fake happiness.  

You would think that after the success of the first week I would be so pumped and rock my second week. What was the difference? What can I say? Old habits die hard. Real hard. I have learned already that weight loss is an extremely emotional thing for me. There have already been many feelings that have come up. Anger at myself and at others! Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Joy! Happiness! But mostly anger. HA! There are things that I clearly need to work out. I am not sure how to work through them but I will figure it out. My hope is that the sweat and tears will be cathartic and help me to wrap my head around the emotions. The funny thing is that I think I deserve better than the body that I have created for myself. I deserve to be able to chase my kids around the yard. I deserve to go on hikes, walks and runs. I deserve to be strong and healthy! That has to be a step in the right direction! The next step is knowing that I deserve more. I need to know it deep down in my heart.

Any helpful and kind tips and advice are so welcome! 

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes-Healthier than most

These delicious pancakes are a find of my sweet daughter Lindsay. She is such a joy to live with and makes my life better in so many ways! She happened to have some bananas that needed to be used and is very much more health conscious that I am.  These are the results and are SO tasty! Give them a try! I think you will love them as much as we did!

CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA PANCAKES

2 ripe bananas

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs canola oil

6 tbs milk

1 C rolled oats

1/2 C flour

6 tbs chocolate chips

Preheat your skillet, Mash your banana with the baking powder, Add the egg, oil, salt, vanilla and milk and stir, Stir in oats and flour, Fold in chocolate chips. Using a 1/4 C measure scoop batter into a lightly greased skillet, Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Can be eaten plain or with maple syrup and butter or powdered sugar. 

Easy DIY Pom-Pom Maker

Pom-poms are such a great thing for Holiday decorating, don't you think? They are relatively cheap and crazy easy to make. You can use Pom-pom makers which are pretty great. OR you can make a cheap one out of some cardboard. I made mine out of the top of a pizza box. HA! All you need to do is cut a rectangle as wide as you want your finished poms-poms. Then cut a notch out of one end right down the middle. Instant pom-pom maker.

Voila! Perfect pom-pom maker.

Next cut a long piece of yarn.

Then fold it in half over your notch.

Then start wrapping! Make sure you wrap loosely or you will start bending the two tines.

Remember that the more you wrap the bigger and thicker your finished pom-pom will be. I wrap 60 to 80 times myself. Another tip is to try and wrap evenly. If you wrap it really big in the middle you will have more to trim at the end. Next take the piece of yarn that is fold over the notch and wrap it around the middle of your pom. Tie and knot the yarn super tight twice! Which is hard! You want the middle nice and tight so your pom doesn't lose strings.

Carefully slide off your pom-pom maker. And you have a cute little yarn bow. 

Now cut all the strings.

Next I roll the pom-pom gently between my hands to fluff it up. Then start trimming that bad boy! All I do is take tufts of yarn and hold it between my fingers. Whatever yarn is really poking up I cut off. 

Now you have a great pom-pom! You can leave the yarn the is used to tie the middle long and use them to tie to something. A cute package maybe? Or you can use a big plastic needle and thread them together through the middle and make a pom-pom garland. I made one for Halloween and it is super cute! They are a great little project to work on while watching a movie. Which is exactly what I did. Plus the kids love making them! Anytime I pull my stuff out to start making some they jump right in!

Mock Abalone-A family traditional Recipe

Do you know what Abalone is?? Let me tell you...:) it is the meat inside the shell that mother of pearl comes from. 

It looks like this...

after meat is removed

the meat 

the whole complete abalone

My husband Jason's grandparents (who lived near the ocean) would eat abalone occasionally but the price was and is still daunting! $70 to $105 a pound approx. A delicacy worth the price from what I understand although I have

 never had the privilege of eating it myself. 

(it may as well cost a million dollars at that price. I could afford it as easily LOL!)

Enter the invention of Mock Abalone...

Thank you Grandma Hill!

It is delish!

Do give it a try! 

You will love it and it tastes a lot like abalone with the price of good ol' chicken! YAY!

MOCK ABALONE

2 jars of clam juice

3lbs boneless skinless chicken (cut into strips or nuggets)

1 Cup masa herina

Oil for deep frying

Seasonings to your tastes and desires...We like to use seasoned salt, creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, old bay, black pepper, etc etc. Whatever suits your fancy.

Instructions

Soak the chicken pieces in the clam juice for as long as you can preferably over night. When you are ready to cook, put the masa herina and the seasonings in a gallon size zip lock bag. Drain the juice away from the chicken and add the chicken to the masa mix.  Shake to coat. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes. Meanwhile heat your oil to 375. Place a few pieces in the oil and cook for about 3.5 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Placed the cooked chicken on a plate or tray lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat the cooking until all the chicken is cooked. 

Enjoy!

Loves 

Emily