Friday, June 10, 2011

I think I got Board

You heard me right and I didn't spell it wrong either. I decided to make another headboard. For me, I get on random kicks where I will spend a little time working in a room. I know you are technically suppose to move onto one room after finishing another, but I like small projects here and there.

Remember the guest room before?
I rearranged some items and decided I needed something over the bed...
I had some extra fabric that matched the creamy gold hues that are shown through out the room. I decided it would work perfectly as a faux headboard.
Additionallly, I had an extra picture frame that was sitting in a corner of the basement. This worked great as a base frame to my fabric. A few staples and making sure I didn't put a million nails in the wall and voila!
Something on the wall and helps pull this little guest room together. Not a Pottery Barn headboard, but this quick little fix was free! (Thank you PB and I'll take free any day of the week!)

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Holy Oats!

What am I talking about? With the "new Katie" on board I have been itching to try some new things. Let me rephrase, new healthy things, to make in the kitchen. It's hard to find a good recipe that will still taste delicious when you make substitutions. In this case I have altered an amazing granola recipe. This bad boy is awesome in yogurt, trail mix, or perfect on it's own. I say that, because I catch Hubby Dearest sneaking some all the time. Who said healthy food can't be good?

You will need:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt (I use light salt)
3 tbs light vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey (sugar free is perfect)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar (splenda brown sugar works beautifully)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecan (or almonds)
Optional add your favorite dried fruit at the end
Preheat oven to 325 and line jelly roll pan with parchment paper. In one bowl mix your oats, cinnamon, and salt then move to the side. In a second bowl mix oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix as best as you can until it's fairly consistent. Drizzle mixture over oats. I use my hands to "smush" together. To me smush means covering all the dried oats with mixture and also making big pieces so you can have fat granola later. Add pecans.
Pour into lined pan and spread out... it does not have to be even. Bake in oven for five minutes then remove. Turn the granola over and place back in oven for another 5 minutes. Repeat this three times (total of four times). Once done, place out for 15 minutes to cool. Then add your dried fruit and break up granola to place in an airtight container. Sooooo good and lasts a week... if you don't eat it all first!
Until next time!