DIY - Craft Storage Jars

DIY Craft Storage Jars

As a family of five we eat a lot of pickles, so I buy them by the bulk.  These are great jars, I always hate to throw them away.  I saved our last two along with a small Classico pizza sauce jar, which is also great looking.  I thought these would make excellent office & craft supply storage.  And, they were going in the trash, so it's green, right!?  Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle people. 

 

 

I recently bought two cans of gold spray paint & have been trying to figure out what in my house I can paint gold (I've painted a credenza & some iron candle sticks too).  I painted the lids to these guys & stuck them on my desk.  Voile, cute & efficient storage! 

 

 I cleaned the labels off the jars with hot water, Dawn dish soap, & a magic eraser. I sat the lids on an empty food container, so I could spray the under edge of the lid.

 

 

I have been slowly, I mean really slowly, trying to make myself an inspiring & uplifting home office space.  At this point it consists of a little white desk & an awesome Natuzzi sofa (& a bunch of kids toys, including a stage).  I have some floating shelves I want to hang, & a file cabinet I want to paint or cover in contact paper, & of course I want to clear out the kids stuff.  But, for now, it's what I have & I'm trying to make do. 

I thought these turned out super cute.  I think I will collect a few more & line a shelf with them! 

 

In the Kitchen - BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe

Every time I make pizza, my husband always requests barbecue chicken.  I don't always do it, but when I do, I'm glad I did!

I recently ate BBQ chicken pizza at Marley's Pizzeria in Tulsa, & they added pepperoncini's & cilantro, & it was just what mine was missing. I love a little pizza inspiration!

For this particular pizza, I used my Herbed Pizza Dough Recipe & went with 2 cups of bread flour & 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Adding a little wheat always makes me feel like I'm eating healthier.

BBQ Chicken Pizza Recipe-

Use the Herbed Pizza Dough recipe link above.

Servings: Makes 2, 15" pizzas

How to top them (This is enough for 2 pizzas):

1 Cup BBQ sauce (I prefer Head Country)

2 Chicken breasts, chopped- cooked with a little BBQ sauce on them for flavor

2-3 Cups shredded mozzarella (when you shred it yourself it tastes better)

1/2 Cup sliced pepperoncini's

1 Bunch green onions, chopped

1 Handful cilantro, stemmed

Optional- Fresh jalapenos, sliced, if you like it spicy

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees while you assemble pizzas. Add 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce to each pizza & spread it with the back of a serving spoon. Evenly spread mozzarella on top of sauce. Top with chicken, green onions, pepperoncini's, & jalapenos (optional). Bake for 15 minutes. Top with cilantro when you pull it out of the oven.

Cheers!



In the Kitchen - Sangria

Light and Tangy Summer Sangria

First of all, I am not a huge fan of Sangria, it's too heavy & too sweet. But... I went to a Kentucky Derby party a couple months ago & my friend Kari made this delectable adult beverage, & I am now a fan of Sangria (this one anyways)!

It's made with gin instead of brandy & it has ginger ale in it, it makes for a light, bubbly, tart & tangy drink! (I mean light as far as red wines are concerned.)

 

See recipe blow.

 This recipe was adapted from: About.com, Best Party Sangria Recipe, From Stacy Slinkard, Your Guide to Wine

Recipe:
(If you triple the recipe, it will fill one of your fancy party beverage dispensers.)

1 Bottle of red wine
4 Cups ginger ale
1 Cup sliced strawberries (fresh or thawed)
1 Small can of diced pineapples with juice
2 Shots of gin1 Lemon cut into wedges
1 Orange cut into wedges
1 Lime cut into wedges
2 Tablespoons sugar
Splash of orange juice

Instructions:
Pour wine into pitcher or large bowl, add squeezed juice of the citrus fruits & throw in the peels (no seeds), add the pineapple, sugar, orange juice, & gin. Chill overnight. Add ginger ale & strawberries before serving. You can serve it over ice, or add a couple small bags of frozen fruit to your serving dispenser to keep it cold. I used a bag of frozen peaches & a bag of frozen strawberries.

Cheers!