Budget Makeover: Radiant Red Accents

Hello radiant red!

In an effort to add budget-friendly accents to our new apartment, I have been experimenting with colour. More specifically, I have been experimenting with spray paint. 

I love, love spray paint. It's such an easy, economical way to transform boring or outdated fixtures! For the budget-minded student, or for S and I who are being budget-minded because I'm a student and we're trying to save for a wedding, spray paint is making it really easy to add cute accents to our new apartment. 

For this transformation, I assembled a collection of old and outdated picture frames. I also found a fabulous black and white poster in a pile of items to be recycled at home - score! Whoever bought it - it's mine now! 

Easy Frame Collage

Equipment:

Can of Spray Paint

Assorted Picture Frames

Poster or Large Photo

Art Knife

Steel Ruler

Cutting Mat

I found picture frames at yard sales, thrift stores, and in the pile of things my parents were going to throw out after doing some de-cluttering. Remove the glass and backing to the frame before beginning. 

I purchased this fabulous bright red at a local arts & crafts store. I recommend Krylon Indoor/Outdoor MultiPurpose Paint. It is recommended for use on most surfaces. Always use spray paint outside or in a really well ventilated area. I can't stress this enough. You have no idea how irate my housemates have gotten in the past when their breakfast tastes like paint because I spent the night spray painting in the basement. 

Do your spray painting outside!

I found one coat of paint was more than enough. Applying only one coat allowed some of the original colour of the frame to show through, which made for great variations in colour! Once the paint has dried, spend some time arranging your frames in a way that makes you happy. If you are dissecting a poster rather than using a collection of photos, check out the size and shape and arrange your frames to suit the poster.

Funky painted frames!

Lay your poster out on the cutting mat, and carefully cut blocks of the poster in sizes to suit the picture frames. Measure often.

Before cutting too many blocks of poster, make sure you fit it in the frame to see how it looks with the rest of the frames. How much do you love how the molded frame looks in the candy red colour? And how about that black and white traffic photo? 

I love the molding on the frame!

Almost done!

One more to go!

Are you loving the final product as much as I am? The best part of this transformation is that, if S and I decide this candy-red colour just isn't our thing, it will take a can of paint and about half an hour of my time to change our decor.

Total cost of this makeover? $4.99 + tax - and it left me with half a can of spray paint which I then used to paint other things in the apartment! (S is just so thrilled when I get all artsy on him...)

Butternut Squash Gnocchi Recipe

October is my salute to squash! Salute to seasonal vegetables in general! Possibly November as well, that's how excited I am about this salute!

Oh So Delicious Butternut Squash Gnocchi!

I love everything about Autumn, with frosty nights and nippy mornings and root vegetables all around. I find myself inspired by squash, and parsnips, and sweet potatoes, and possibly even pumpkin (though I haven't given pumpkin much of a chance in the past).

First on the roster: Butternut Squash Gnocchi.

My mother makes the most delicious butternut squash gnocchi, in a brown butter sage sauce, served usually as a primi piatto to a delicious turkey dinner - which means we had to wait all year to have these gnocchi. Not anymore mom! Today I learn to make gnocchi!

One thing that excites me about this gnocchi is that it's a totally vegetarian dish. It could even be vegan too, if you swapped out the butter for some extra virgin olive oil in the last step.

Take one butternut squash.

For starters, find a sexy butternut squash. Perfect specimens should weigh about 2lbs, and be nice and firm. Don't mind the jealous stares of the people at the grocery store - they probably know you are on your way home to create delicious things with that fabulous vegetable.

Butternut Squash Recipe

Ingredients:

One Butternut Squash

1/4 cup olive oil, plus extra for cooking

2 1/2 cups flour, plus lots of extra

Salt

Pepper

Fresh Sage, finely chopped

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Butter

Grated Parmesan (optional)

Take the butternut squash and chop it in half. I wish S was around for this part, because these squash are extremely firm and fairly tough to cut through. Scoop out the seeds and fibers and discard. Coat that gorgeous orange vegetable lightly with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake face down on a baking sheet, in a 375F oven, for one hour. Squash should be knife-tender when you remove it.

Let cool slightly, then scoop out the innards into a bowl, leaving behind the tough outer skin. Mash with a potato masher (or some forks) until no lumps remain. 

Let squash cool for another 20 minutes or so, until room temperature (or nearly). Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil into squash, with approximately 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/2 tsp oregano, and a dash of garlic powder. Adjust spices to suit your particular tastes - I certainly tasted the mixture a few times as I was stirring!

Slowly add flour, mixing constantly until you achieve a soft dough ball. The consistency should be much like Play Dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel for at least 45 minutes to let the gluten in the flour become nice and sticky.

When my dough's time was up, I found the mixture had become insanely sticky again. To counter this, I poured a small mountain of flour on the cutting board so I could work it into the dough as needed. Roll small pieces of the dough into skinny sausages, approximately 3/4 inch in diameter. Notice how the beautiful orange colour goes away because of all that flour? Not to worry - it comes back in the cooking process. Chop the gnocchi into small bite-size pieces. For added gorgeousness, roll the tines of a fork over each individual gnocchi. I didn't do that step - I had much better things to do than spend all evening rolling hundreds of gnocchi over a fork just so they are a bit prettier.

                              

I taste tested the first dozen gnocchi I cut to see if the consistency was right. To do this, drop the gnocchi carefully into a pot of boiling water. Stir gently. Cook for several minutes, until they float to the surface. 

To store the gnocchi I wasn't going to eat immediately (anything you aren't going to eat that day) I spaced them evenly on a cookie sheet that was well dusted with flour, and I froze them all. It made servings enough for 8-10 people (depending on their level of hungry).

Cooking the gnocchi right away? Yum, I approve. 

Prepare a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Drop gnocchi individually into pot, stir gently to make sure none are stuck to the bottom. Cook for several minutes or until gnocchi float to the surface. Melt some butter in a pan, add some chopped fresh sage, oregano, pepper and garlic (or any combination that suits you). Remove floating gnocchi from water with a slotted spoon, deposit into pan. Stir to coat with butter. I like to cook them for several minutes in the pan, or until just firm on the outside. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve hot. 

Your lucky guests will beg for this recipe. It is great on it's own, or as a starter to a wonderful meal. Unfortunately it was midnight when I finished, so I didn't really bother making side dishes.

Cheers!

Delicious butternut squash gnocchi.

Raspberry Ice Cream Recipe

Outrageous or Outrageously Delicious?

It was Sunday, and I was thinking of ice cream (I seem to think about ice cream a lot). I had the urge to experiment with frozen yogurt (maybe next week) but also felt like making something strawberry. After the fabulous success of the Chocolate Fudge Ripple Ice Cream last week, I was feeling empowered enough to try my hand at making a perfect strawberry ice cream. However, we didn't have strawberries: we had raspberries, and I felt like improvising.

After some research, I decided to combine a few different recipes and experiment with Ben & Jerry's style ice cream - made with raw eggs. It turns out there's a lot of controversy regarding raw eggs in ice cream! I checked out these links for their views on raw eggs: The Garden Web, Chow, and Serious Eats. Ultimately I decided to go for it, because what's the worst that could happen? A horrible bout of food poisoning? I figured I would test-try a bowl before poisoning anyone.

Raspberry Ice Cream Recipe

2 cups frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 large eggs

3/4 + 1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup milk

1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Mix together raspberries, lemon juice and 1/4 cup sugar in a bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. Slowly add 3/4 cup sugar and beat for several minutes, add vanilla and milk. Pour mixture into ice cream maker (mine uses a pre-frozen mixing container). Turn on the ice cream maker, let partially freeze for a few minutes, pour in cream. Keep the ice cream maker running for another ten minutes or so - mixture should be half frozen. Slowly add raspberry mixture to ice cream maker - the rotating action of the bowl should mix them in evenly and leave some raspberries whole. 

Pour into plastic storage container and leave in freezer for twelve hours or overnight until fully frozen. 

Verdict: creamy, delicious raspberry ice cream. Very fun, tart flavour. While I never got around to having the family test-taste it, S and I didn't get food poisoning from the raw eggs. Would I do it again? Definitely. I may have to try lemon ice cream next....

Easy Five Minute Ciabatta Recipe

This morning, when I began thinking about my evening plans (a lovely little dinner with my lovely fiancé) and then started thinking about our evening dinner (homemade bread?) I didn't pause to remember that I had agreed to babysit my friend's gorgeous four-month-old daughter Penelope. Luckily, Five Minute Ciabatta Bread can be made with a baby tucked under one arm. And yes, it takes a little longer than five minutes (but not much!)

Exceedingly Yummy Ciabatta Bread

My night went fabulously, and Penelope was a great help in the kitchen.

"Penelope, how much garlic should I put on this bread?" "Gurgle gurgle gurgle" "Really Penelope? That much?" And then there was "Penelope, do you think I should put butter on this?" "Gurgle gurgle" [drooling and bubbles] "You're right! It does need to have butter on it!"

This recipe is so easy, you can do it with one of these tucked under one arm! Also, yes I did make this hat. I will definitely have to blog about it soon!

 After much research, I adapted a recipe found on Lifehacker.

Five Minute Ciabatta Bread

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Rising Time: 4 Hours
Baking Time: 25 Minutes
Yield: Enough for two, or three if they feel like sharing. 

Ingredients:

1/8 tsp Traditional Yeast
1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Hot Water
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
Herbs and Spices
Cornmeal, for dusting

Mix together sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Slowly add hot water - it should be hot, but not hot enough to burn your fingers. Mix together thoroughly and let the yeasty water sit for a few minutes, until the yeast starts bubbling up to the surface.

Mix two cups of flour directly into yeasty water. Add the salt, stir together. It should not be thick enough to feel like 'real' dough - instead it will be the consistency of thick cake batter. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in a warm area for about 3-4 hours, or until mixture is doubled in size. You should be able to see bubbles in the dough.

While your dough is rising, use this time to chop up some herbs, or have a snack, or change the diaper of the baby you have under one arm. Oh wait, that's just me!

I used a combination of fresh rosemary (from my mother's garden) fresh basil (from my grandmother's garden) and fresh oregano (from a cutting I had on the windowsill). Dried herbs work great too, but I find fresh tastes better. Wash herbs and chop very finely with a sharp knife. 

Yummy Fresh Herbs!

Once the dough has risen, prepare a baking dish by coating it lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal and pour dough into the bottom of the dish. Don't handle it too much - the less you handle it, the more fabulous bubbles will be in your ciabatta. Sprinkle herbs on top of the dough, and shake some ground pepper and liberal amounts of garlic powder on top as well. Let dough sit in baking dish for an additional half an hour. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 F. Because this dough is so small, I cooked it in a toaster oven.

Raw dough, sprinkled with herbs.

Pop into the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown and risen. Let sit in baking dish for at least ten minutes undisturbed, or else bread will collapse. I'm serious, no matter how delicious it looks, don't touch!

Fresh baked ciabatta bread!

Slices of fresh ciabatta bread

Once the ten minutes are up, remove bread from dish and either let cool for later, or (preferably) slice and eat. I buttered a couple slices for S and I to enjoy. Penelope looked like she wanted some too, but I didn't feel like sharing (also she doesn't have any teeth).

Cheers!

Edit: Also, I've submitted this post to Yeastspotting.

Crab Apple Pie Recipe

Things have been exciting lately in my little life. After a wildly successful interview, I've been accepted into the qualifying program for a master's of architecture program (yay!) To add to the excitement, S and I are moving all of our things across the province so I don't have to commute nine hours to school every day. Of course this means I'm surrounded by cardboard boxes, and sometime soon I have to figure out how to take apart my desk, and somehow I don't think S would find it funny if I decided to build a fort out of boxes rather than pack away all of my pretty shoes?

In the midst of all this chaos and upheaval (and guiltily admitting to my fiancé the three boxes of shoes I wound up packing) (in my defense, knee-high boots take up a surprising amount of space) anyway, in the middle of all this packing, I have been baking, painting, organizing, refinishing furniture, attempting to apply for jobs, and ... reading the newest book in the Game of Thrones series. I know, as if I didn't have enough guilty habits. 

I love fall apples - so here follows my fabulous adaptation of apple pie: Crab Apple Pie, courtesy of S's grandmother Lucille, who was lovely enough to provide us with a large bag full of crab apples.

I have to admit, I cheated on the crust. With all of my baking implements safely stashed away in boxes, and a dozen other things to do with my time, I really didn't want to take the time to make my own pie crust. Next time, I promise.

Crab Apples

Deep Dish Crab Apple Pie Recipe

5 cups Crab Apples, peeled and finely sliced
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Cinnamon
Dash of Salt
2 Tbsp Flour
Lemon Juice, to taste

Peel and slice the crab apples - depending on the size of the apples, this may take a while. I enlisted some kitchen help in the form of a willing fiancé who really just wanted to eat apple pie. Throw them into a large bowl, proceed to add remaining ingredients. This recipe created a pie that was a bit tart - add more sugar if you aren't a fan (or serve with vanilla ice cream).

Stir well until apples are well coated with remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared pie crust. I used Pillsbury Roll-Out Pie Crust. I know, I should have made it myself, but there just wasn't time. Still, I was impressed with this crust. It was flaky, delicious, and baked to a beautiful golden brown.

Cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil to keep from over browning. Bake in a 450 F oven for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Remove foil about ten minutes prior to taking out pie.

Crab Apple Pie! Yummy!

Excuse me for not taking photos of it all cut up and covered with ice cream, I was far too busy enjoying some fabulous crab apple pie.

Last-Minute Orange Cake

Running late for a dinner? Really craving a freshly baked cake but too lazy to do all the work? Strangely addicted to buying stuff on sale and now you have a cupboard full of instant cake mix even though you think using a mix is cheating? Never fear, Last-Minute Orange Cake is here!

Orange Bundt Cake

I discovered this recipe months ago, and over time (and use) have tweaked it from awesome to absolutely mind-bogglingly delicious (it's never too late to start inventing your own words). The best part of this cake is passing it off as homemade.

I know, you're wondering what I do with my time besides bake. I wish I had a good answer for that.

Last-Minute Orange Cake

1 box of cake mix (either yellow, white or french vanilla)
1 box of instant vanilla pudding mix (lemon pudding mix works too)
1 cup of puréed oranges (about 2 medium oranges, puréed in a blender or food processor)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pour cake mix and instant pudding mix together in a bowl. Mix in puréed oranges, vegetable oil, eggs and lemon juice. Stir well to dissolve any lumps. Pour into greased cake pan. I used a bundt cake pan; it was perfectly cooked in 40 minutes. This recipe also makes great cupcakes!

Cream Cheese Drizzle

To top it all off, I drizzled the warm bundt cake with a mixture of cream cheese, milk, icing sugar and vanilla. Coarsely chopped toasted almonds added the final touch and a bit of elegance to this otherwise simple cake.

Serve warm, or serve cool, or serve with ice cream.

Yummy Orange Cake