Finger painting isn't just for kids

Behold my newest artwork! Ok, so maybe it's a terrible picture taken with my phone but trust me, it looks pretty awesome. Once again I got the idea from Pinterest. Surprise, Surprise. But there was no way I could pass up a finger painting project! Also, thanks to my parents for letting me take over the kitchen as my work space for a few days.

I bought canvas at Hobby Lobby and 5 different shades of acrylic paint. Then I mixed the yellow and white to get a shade just a little lighter than the mustard yellow I had chosen and painted the entire canvas. After that dried I basically just started putting random thumb prints all over the place. I took quite a few breaks to let paint dry and also my thumb started to get tired. Ha. The example I found on Pinterest was completely covered with thumb prints, but I was lazy and decided I like the background showing through a little. These colors match my dishes so I figure I can put it in my kitchen when I move.

Chicken with Tomato Herb Pan Sauce

From Annie's Eats

I made this when I was at home for break and it was delicious! My parents, brother, and I were all in the kitchen cooking together, and despite some arguments we ended up having a fun time and an even better meal. It came together fast, which makes it a good meal for a night when you want a meal that tastes like fine-dining but don't have a lot of time...aka basically every night in the life of a college student.

Crayon Art

First, I arranged my colors and used a hot glue gun to glue them to the canvas.


Then, I used a hair dryer to melt the wax. Be careful because the wax did splatter a little. Luckily I did this in the garage...

Pasta Alla Vodka

From Annie's Eats

I was really excited to come home for break and eat a ton of home cooked meals made by my mom, but she does work a lot so I decided to help out some. The other night I made pasta alla vodka using a recipe that I've been wanting to try for awhile. I had a great sous chef (Dad) and we were able to whip this up before Mom had to leave for work. It turned out great and I was really looking forward to having leftovers for lunch...but apparently someone else had the same thought. So far no one will confess.

I'm Back...

After my roommate, Linda, getting after me about my lack of updates I decided I should probably start working on this blog again. But it will be a little bit different. Still a lot of food, but since it's the start of a new year I decided to base posts on my new year's resolutions.

1. Eat healthier. Pretty self explanatory. Also included is eating out less and finding creative uses for my leftovers. I'll admit, I love a late night Taco Bell run and KFC is so tempting after a long day of class, but I'm trying this thing called SAVING MONEY!

2. Work out! I say this every year, but now I have a really good reason to follow through. I have this thing called "Miserable Malalignment Syndrome", which basically means that my knees constantly ache. Ellipticals and leg weights...here I come.

3. Crafts. Recently I've become a Pinterest addict and have already started making some decorations for my future apartment since I'll be living by myself after this summer (scary). It's great to see how much cheaper things can be when you make them yourself.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

I have to admit that I'm a little hesitant to share this recipe...It's probably one of my favorite things to bake and the pan never lasts more than 2 days in this house. I usually get compliments over these, so that's probably why I don't want people stealing the recipe. But go ahead, enjoy! They really are amazing...especially just out of the oven with a glass of milk. Yum!

3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups mini choc. chips

Filling
2 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside 1/3 of the dough for topping. Press remaining dough into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Spoon over crust. Drop teaspoonfuls of reserved dough over filling. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cover and store in refrigerator.

Shrimp Scampi

Annie's Eats

Another win from the kitchen! I'm actually really proud of myself for trying to cook different things rather than just food I've had at home before. Next time I'll probably use some more lemon (once again I didn't measure anything out). Also, I'll add more basil. Unfortunately none is showing in the picture so it looks a little bland. For the asparagus, I just used olive oil, salt, pepper, and some lemon juice.