Monday, July 16, 2012

How to make Zots (AKA Zuchini Tots)



Is your garden being overrun with zucchini? I know mine is! This is my first year in the community garden and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to have 14 zucchini plants (to my credit I was originally going to have 7 but then someone gave me 7 more. Can't let a good plant go homeless!). But let's talk about my over zealous nature and inability to tell when too much is too much later.

Right now, we have very important things to discuss, like : What in the world to do with all that zucchini? And how to get your kids to eat it (and like it)?


I have one word for you: Zots.
AKA Zucchini Tots.

There is a very popular post floating around on Pinterest right now from Curious Country Cook which I used as my starting point and this is where I landed.

So grab a zucchini and come with me and I will teach you the ways of the zot making ninjas.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small zucchini (about 2 cups grated)
1/3 white or yellow onion (about 1/2 cup diced)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (could sub in cheddar)
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 eggs
Salt and Pepper (or other herbs) to taste


Directions
1) Shred your zucchini
Cut your zucchini lengthwise if needed to fit in the chute of your food processor. Or grate by hand. (also preheat your oven to 400 degrees)


2) Squeeze
Lay out a clean kitchen towel on the counter. Place a layer of paper towels on top. Spread the zucchini shreds on the paper towel. Place another layer of paper towel on top. Pat down to initially absorb moisture. If the paper towel soaks through, trade out for another one. Now, start at one end and roll the zucchini up in the kitchen towel. Press down the length of the roll to absorb as much water as possible. Unroll and place the zucchini shreds in a medium size bowl.


3) Mix
Add the rest of the ingredients into the zucchini shreds. Mix it up.


4) Set up
Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin. Spoon or scoop zucchini mix into the wells and press down to fill the well all the way up.


5) Bake
Bake the zot mix in your 400 degree over for 18-20 minutes until set and brown and very tasty looking.


6) Serve
Serve warm with ketchup or ranch dip and watch your kids and hubby gobble up the zucchini filled goodness.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Ink Effects Printed Chiffon Scarf Tutorial

This post is brought to you by DecoArt Ink Effects. I received product and payment for this post. My project is original and all opinions expressed are 100% mine.



Ink Effects Chiffon Scarf
One of my friends had been eyeing a scarf online that had printing across it like large calligraphy. I loved the idea of putting words meaningful to you on a scarf so when I was given the opportunity to try DecoArt's new paintline called Ink Effects, I thought it would be perfect since the ink sinks into the fabric when you iron it on and leaves it soft instead of crunchy like a traditional iron on transfer. 



Supplies Needed

  • Iron
  • Scarf (I got mine on clearance at Target)
    • If your scarf is more than 30% cotton, you will also need Ink Effects Base Coat
  • Words to trace, printed in "flip mirror image" mode
  • Ink Effects Paint (I used black and violet)
  • Paint Brush
  • Pressing cloth if you're using delicate fabric like I did

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Make sure when you print out your text that you go into the options and tell your printer to print it in "flip mirror image" mode. My text printed out black but you may want to print yours in light grey so that you can really easily see where you painted. I also printed two copies of the words so I could paint one black and one violet. Mine says:
act justly
love mercy
walk humbly

Step 2: Paint Your Paper
Keep in mind that only what you paint is going to transfer so you want to make sure you hit everything. Let the paint dry for 30 minutes and then add another coat if you'd like. Let everything dry for 30-45 minutes or until it's completely dry.

Step 3: Iron It On
Heat up your iron as warm as it goes and turn off the steam. Since my scarf is made from 100% polyester chiffon, I wanted to protect it from the high heat with a thin cotton cloth. I laid one piece of scrap fabric on top of the ironing board, laid out the scarf and placed the words (note that I cut apart the words so I could space the parts of the phrase out better). Then I topped it with another thin piece of cotton.

Iron over the words and keep the iron moving at all times. Do this for about 40 seconds (I know the paint bottle says 30. I got better results with 40). Remove the pressing cloth and the paper.

You can re-use the painted design several times all over your garment. When you go back to iron for time number two (or three or four or five), use the iron for 60-70 seconds instead to get a good transfer image. Keep placing and ironing and placing and ironing and placing and ironing (you get the picture) until you have enough text in enough places to make you happy.


That's It!

I really love how the texture of the fabric isn't changed so it's not crunchy or stiff like it would be with paint or regular iron transfers. Everything is still super soft and silky. Plus the paint looks way classier than if I had drawn on the scarf with sharpies (which is what I thought about doing before I heard about this great product!)

One of the other super cool things about this paint is that you can paint and transfer anything you want...not just text text. You can paint and transfer from any type of paper, too. Coloring book pages anyone? Next, I'm thinking about designing my own soft book for my son. 

DecoArt's Ink Effects line is coming to Jo-Ann Fabrics soon. In the meantime, you can check them out online here:
Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ The DecoArt YouTube Channel


Other bloggers are talking about Ink Effects, too! Check out these other awesome projects:

Monday, July 2, 2012

A Natural Mom's Guide to the Fourth of July

Forget fireworks, bugs and sun burns, this natural mama's biggest fear on the fourth of July is all the crazy artificially colored foods packed with sugar that are going to be at family festivities. Don't get me wrong: I love a cute Pinterest project, but can we do it without tons of Blue 2 and Red 3? (and you know, the risk of thyroid disease, cancer, food allergies and hyperactivity associated with them? If food coloring issues are new to you, check out this short article from the Food Network).

Now, there are natural food coloring alternatives out there. Check out this great looking kit from India Tree (which I have not used myself but it looks pretty awesome) made from concentrated vegetable color. But when nature makes so many beautiful and tasty foods come in patriotic colors all ready, why go to the extra time and expense?

Check out some of my favorite natural Fourth of July recipes!

(remember many of these recipes contain berries which absorb pesticides that can't wash off. Go organic when you can)

Drinks
Left: Strawberries, blueberries and pineapple are the star of the show in this patriotic sangria from PunchBowl.com.

Center: Make a pretty, red, watermelon strawberry lemonade following the recipe from Frosted Bake Shop (is it just me, or does this look like the best thing ever?).

Right: If you're looking for something a little deeper red and less sweet, Good Housekeeping has a great recipe for Red Strawberry Tea that features red tea, strawberries and pomegranate cranberry juice. Make a pitcher for everyone and then make a seperate pitcher for the grown ups with a little something-something added in.


Naturally Red, White and Blue
Left: There is no summer side more classic than a potato salad. Use a mix of red, white a blue potatoes to make yours pop with this recipe from Proud Italian Cook.

Center: Berries are a natural choice for a sweet side. Serve them simply as they come in paper cones to make it easy to mingle and snack on a small handful. Photo from Better Homes and Gardens.

Right: Both potato chips and corn chips come in natural red and blue varieties (though the red corn chips are usually a result of adding tomato) that are easy to find at local supermarkets. Serve up red and blue chips with a creamy white dip. Like the fancy cones? Follow Martha Stewart's post here to make your own.


Printables
Left: Your food doesn't need to be red, white, or blue to be festive! Download the free printables from Le Partie Sugar to dress up your otherwise plain foods. I also love her addition of colorful paper straws to add flair.

Center: Make patriotic little snack cups for pretzels, nuts or trail mix using these printable snack cups from the Mardi Gras Outlet blog.

Right: Magnolia Creative Co. has a variety of patriotic printables available for free as well. I particularly love the hot dog wrappers.


Dessert
Left: Make a heaping cherry and blueberry pie following this recipe from Women's Day that focuses on using pre-made ingredients so you can spend more of your day enjoying your day.

Center: Top your favorite cupcakes with blueberries, raspberries and coconut and arrange like a flag or follow this recipe from Good Housekeeping to make a tasty lemon cake from scratch.

Right: Follow Betty Crocker's recipe for shortcake stars to make a showstopping dessert from your latest trip to the you-pick berry fields.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
I hope whether you're a natural mama or you're just starting your journey of avoiding artificial junk in your food that you found at least one idea that will make your Fourth of July holiday a little more festive and worry free.

A special thanks to all the bloggers and women's websites that featured such great content. I was delighted to feature you.  If you like showing off your "as seen on" swag, please feel free to grab a button if you'd like one.

Carissa's Creativity Space


<a href="http://creativecarissa.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yAdyxQgGNck/TsfgKuluvcI/AAAAAAAABeI/sweZPJUKVyE/s150/featured%252520button%252520150%252520px%252520copy.jpg" alt="Carissa's Creativity Space" width="125" height="125" /></a>


Monday, July 16, 2012

How to make Zots (AKA Zuchini Tots)



Is your garden being overrun with zucchini? I know mine is! This is my first year in the community garden and for some reason I thought it would be a great idea to have 14 zucchini plants (to my credit I was originally going to have 7 but then someone gave me 7 more. Can't let a good plant go homeless!). But let's talk about my over zealous nature and inability to tell when too much is too much later.

Right now, we have very important things to discuss, like : What in the world to do with all that zucchini? And how to get your kids to eat it (and like it)?


I have one word for you: Zots.
AKA Zucchini Tots.

There is a very popular post floating around on Pinterest right now from Curious Country Cook which I used as my starting point and this is where I landed.

So grab a zucchini and come with me and I will teach you the ways of the zot making ninjas.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 small zucchini (about 2 cups grated)
1/3 white or yellow onion (about 1/2 cup diced)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella (could sub in cheddar)
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
3 eggs
Salt and Pepper (or other herbs) to taste


Directions
1) Shred your zucchini
Cut your zucchini lengthwise if needed to fit in the chute of your food processor. Or grate by hand. (also preheat your oven to 400 degrees)


2) Squeeze
Lay out a clean kitchen towel on the counter. Place a layer of paper towels on top. Spread the zucchini shreds on the paper towel. Place another layer of paper towel on top. Pat down to initially absorb moisture. If the paper towel soaks through, trade out for another one. Now, start at one end and roll the zucchini up in the kitchen towel. Press down the length of the roll to absorb as much water as possible. Unroll and place the zucchini shreds in a medium size bowl.


3) Mix
Add the rest of the ingredients into the zucchini shreds. Mix it up.


4) Set up
Grease a 24 cup mini muffin tin. Spoon or scoop zucchini mix into the wells and press down to fill the well all the way up.


5) Bake
Bake the zot mix in your 400 degree over for 18-20 minutes until set and brown and very tasty looking.


6) Serve
Serve warm with ketchup or ranch dip and watch your kids and hubby gobble up the zucchini filled goodness.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Ink Effects Printed Chiffon Scarf Tutorial

This post is brought to you by DecoArt Ink Effects. I received product and payment for this post. My project is original and all opinions expressed are 100% mine.



Ink Effects Chiffon Scarf
One of my friends had been eyeing a scarf online that had printing across it like large calligraphy. I loved the idea of putting words meaningful to you on a scarf so when I was given the opportunity to try DecoArt's new paintline called Ink Effects, I thought it would be perfect since the ink sinks into the fabric when you iron it on and leaves it soft instead of crunchy like a traditional iron on transfer. 



Supplies Needed

  • Iron
  • Scarf (I got mine on clearance at Target)
    • If your scarf is more than 30% cotton, you will also need Ink Effects Base Coat
  • Words to trace, printed in "flip mirror image" mode
  • Ink Effects Paint (I used black and violet)
  • Paint Brush
  • Pressing cloth if you're using delicate fabric like I did

Step 1: Gather Your Supplies
Make sure when you print out your text that you go into the options and tell your printer to print it in "flip mirror image" mode. My text printed out black but you may want to print yours in light grey so that you can really easily see where you painted. I also printed two copies of the words so I could paint one black and one violet. Mine says:
act justly
love mercy
walk humbly

Step 2: Paint Your Paper
Keep in mind that only what you paint is going to transfer so you want to make sure you hit everything. Let the paint dry for 30 minutes and then add another coat if you'd like. Let everything dry for 30-45 minutes or until it's completely dry.

Step 3: Iron It On
Heat up your iron as warm as it goes and turn off the steam. Since my scarf is made from 100% polyester chiffon, I wanted to protect it from the high heat with a thin cotton cloth. I laid one piece of scrap fabric on top of the ironing board, laid out the scarf and placed the words (note that I cut apart the words so I could space the parts of the phrase out better). Then I topped it with another thin piece of cotton.

Iron over the words and keep the iron moving at all times. Do this for about 40 seconds (I know the paint bottle says 30. I got better results with 40). Remove the pressing cloth and the paper.

You can re-use the painted design several times all over your garment. When you go back to iron for time number two (or three or four or five), use the iron for 60-70 seconds instead to get a good transfer image. Keep placing and ironing and placing and ironing and placing and ironing (you get the picture) until you have enough text in enough places to make you happy.


That's It!

I really love how the texture of the fabric isn't changed so it's not crunchy or stiff like it would be with paint or regular iron transfers. Everything is still super soft and silky. Plus the paint looks way classier than if I had drawn on the scarf with sharpies (which is what I thought about doing before I heard about this great product!)

One of the other super cool things about this paint is that you can paint and transfer anything you want...not just text text. You can paint and transfer from any type of paper, too. Coloring book pages anyone? Next, I'm thinking about designing my own soft book for my son. 

DecoArt's Ink Effects line is coming to Jo-Ann Fabrics soon. In the meantime, you can check them out online here:
Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ The DecoArt YouTube Channel


Other bloggers are talking about Ink Effects, too! Check out these other awesome projects:

Monday, July 2, 2012

A Natural Mom's Guide to the Fourth of July

Forget fireworks, bugs and sun burns, this natural mama's biggest fear on the fourth of July is all the crazy artificially colored foods packed with sugar that are going to be at family festivities. Don't get me wrong: I love a cute Pinterest project, but can we do it without tons of Blue 2 and Red 3? (and you know, the risk of thyroid disease, cancer, food allergies and hyperactivity associated with them? If food coloring issues are new to you, check out this short article from the Food Network).

Now, there are natural food coloring alternatives out there. Check out this great looking kit from India Tree (which I have not used myself but it looks pretty awesome) made from concentrated vegetable color. But when nature makes so many beautiful and tasty foods come in patriotic colors all ready, why go to the extra time and expense?

Check out some of my favorite natural Fourth of July recipes!

(remember many of these recipes contain berries which absorb pesticides that can't wash off. Go organic when you can)

Drinks
Left: Strawberries, blueberries and pineapple are the star of the show in this patriotic sangria from PunchBowl.com.

Center: Make a pretty, red, watermelon strawberry lemonade following the recipe from Frosted Bake Shop (is it just me, or does this look like the best thing ever?).

Right: If you're looking for something a little deeper red and less sweet, Good Housekeeping has a great recipe for Red Strawberry Tea that features red tea, strawberries and pomegranate cranberry juice. Make a pitcher for everyone and then make a seperate pitcher for the grown ups with a little something-something added in.


Naturally Red, White and Blue
Left: There is no summer side more classic than a potato salad. Use a mix of red, white a blue potatoes to make yours pop with this recipe from Proud Italian Cook.

Center: Berries are a natural choice for a sweet side. Serve them simply as they come in paper cones to make it easy to mingle and snack on a small handful. Photo from Better Homes and Gardens.

Right: Both potato chips and corn chips come in natural red and blue varieties (though the red corn chips are usually a result of adding tomato) that are easy to find at local supermarkets. Serve up red and blue chips with a creamy white dip. Like the fancy cones? Follow Martha Stewart's post here to make your own.


Printables
Left: Your food doesn't need to be red, white, or blue to be festive! Download the free printables from Le Partie Sugar to dress up your otherwise plain foods. I also love her addition of colorful paper straws to add flair.

Center: Make patriotic little snack cups for pretzels, nuts or trail mix using these printable snack cups from the Mardi Gras Outlet blog.

Right: Magnolia Creative Co. has a variety of patriotic printables available for free as well. I particularly love the hot dog wrappers.


Dessert
Left: Make a heaping cherry and blueberry pie following this recipe from Women's Day that focuses on using pre-made ingredients so you can spend more of your day enjoying your day.

Center: Top your favorite cupcakes with blueberries, raspberries and coconut and arrange like a flag or follow this recipe from Good Housekeeping to make a tasty lemon cake from scratch.

Right: Follow Betty Crocker's recipe for shortcake stars to make a showstopping dessert from your latest trip to the you-pick berry fields.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
I hope whether you're a natural mama or you're just starting your journey of avoiding artificial junk in your food that you found at least one idea that will make your Fourth of July holiday a little more festive and worry free.

A special thanks to all the bloggers and women's websites that featured such great content. I was delighted to feature you.  If you like showing off your "as seen on" swag, please feel free to grab a button if you'd like one.

Carissa's Creativity Space


<a href="http://creativecarissa.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yAdyxQgGNck/TsfgKuluvcI/AAAAAAAABeI/sweZPJUKVyE/s150/featured%252520button%252520150%252520px%252520copy.jpg" alt="Carissa's Creativity Space" width="125" height="125" /></a>


 
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