Sunday, Sunday

March started off cold and icky.  I just cannot take much more of this crap.  It's gonna go from this to hot and humid with no spring at all, I just know it.  

I'd had the hubster home for a week, so my first day without him was really blah & lonely.  It was cloudy and grey.  I came home from dropping him off to find the bread bag on the floor.  It only had a couple slices in it, but I was careless and Sagan got it off the counter, but didn't get to eat anything because I got home so quickly. See how pleased he is with himself?  He tried to convince me that he had no idea how the bag got on the floor!  There's Pepper's little nose.  I'm sure she was in cahoots but of course played innocent too.

Then I was cornered against the counter by them till I bought my freedom with biscuits.  

This was a project I saw on Pinterest and I'd saved the picture quite awhile ago but never got around to making it.  Here is the Pinterest picture.  Whoever made this was able to draw their own TARDIS.  I, however, am not that talented.  Their canvas is also a bit bigger than mine was.  They used 32 crayons but I could only fit 23.

I first painted the canvas black, then hot glued blue, white & silver crayons to it for melting.  I'd printed a TARDIS picture off the internet and used thick foam double stick tape to attach it to the canvas, to give it a little 3D depth.  Not sure what I'll do with it....I wouldn't really call myself a Whovian, but I am enough 'in the know' of their fandom.  If Christopher Eccleston had remained on for a few seasons, I would definitely have gotten into it more, but he only did one season and I was gutted when he decided not to return.  His one season really left an impact on me, to the point where I will never be able to see a gas mask again without hearing that little boy's voice saying, 'Are you my mummy?'  *shudder*

Anyways, here's my version of it.  As they say in Pinterest-Land, "Nailed it."

I made the all important discovery that self adhesive rhinestones do not stick to metal at all well.  That meant removing nearly every single rhinestone in all the keys I already made, and re-adhere them with E6000.  It was time consuming and tedious, and so I only had time to make 3 new ones.  

I am wicked sick of eating cereal, cheese & crackers, sandwiches and canned soup.  So I made a couple quiches (one for freezing).  Spinach, onion, mushroom & feta.  

I'd also pinned a recipe for 'the perfect mac & cheese' from Picky Palate.  I'd never made a roux before and it came out pretty good.  I'll definitely make it again.  The recipe stopped after mixing the cheese sauce with the pasta, but I added panko and baked it for a bit, then turned on the broiler to brown it.

Overall, not a bad way to spend the day.

Cooking N Crafting

Note: This post was prepared on approx 10/14, but was scheduled to publish after the predicted storm

Spinach & Feta Cheese Quiche

Preheat oven to 375*

Bag of fresh spinach
Onion, chopped
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups whole milk
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 lb feta cheese
Salt & Pepper
Pie shell

Saute' the spinach and onions in butter till spinach is wilted.

Mix the eggs and milk together.  Add the lemon juice and mix.  Stir in the spinach & onions, feta cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.

Pour into pie shell and bake for an hour or till knife comes out of the center clean.

Glitter:  A way of life.  Just tried this new technique from The Ornament Girl of swirling around Pledge floor cleaner inside the ornament then pouring the glitter in.  I also used a straw that I cut into a little scoop shape so that I could get the glitter at the top.  I also added some red crystals to the top silver part and around the center.

Then I did one in blue glitter

And purple.

Did a little bit more leaf stamping.  Better results this time.

I thought I was pretty much done for the day, cooking-wise, till my friend Averie posted a link for Baked Cheddar Broccoli Rice Cups, at Fountain Avenue Kitchen.  I'd just cooked up some fresh broccoli and was surprised to find I had the rest of the ingredients in the house!  Just had to try them!

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease a muffin tin.  This recipe will fill 8 of the 12 cups.

1 cup quick cooking rice
1 cup chicken broth/stock (can also use vegetable broth or just plain water)
Cooked broccoli crowns (or a 10 oz. package of frozen, thawed & then drained)
1 cup cheddar cheese, divided in half
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.

Prep the rice according to the directions, substituting broth for water.  Place cooked rice in a bowl to cool off.  Add remaining ingredients but using only 1/2 cup of the cheese.  Stir until combined.  Scoop into the muffin tin cups and then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake 25 minutes until tops brown a little and edges get crispy.  

Quiche and Kitsch

Marsha and I went to Cafe' Chew for lunch several weeks ago. It was my first time there and their menu is amazing.  I was having a hard time choosing, then Marsha pointed out the specials board and I spied asparagus & swiss cheese quiche with a salad and that decided it for me.  I love quiche. It was very tasty, as was the salad, which I believe used pico de gallo and shelled pumpkin seeds in it.  I assume the flower was edible but it was way too pretty to eat!  

She got the crock of chili with corn muffin.  We both scarfed down every last bit of food!!!

When I got home, the mail arrived with the kitschy Victoria BC mug that I got off ebay, shortly after the holidays.  In all the times I went up there, which was 5 in 9 years (plus once to Vancouver), I never bought a souvenir mug.  I started looking online for one, and found this listed on ebay.  I don't know how old it is.  There is a reference to a Fable Estate Cottage, which I never heard of.  Further research shows it was dismantled and moved to one of the islands years ago.  My fave part of this mug is Queen Victoria's "We are not amuzed" quote.  That really tipped the scales when it came to purchasing this.

I think it's too cool to use, and risk breaking, so it'll become part of my kitsch collection.

Sealand is also advertised and research reveals that it closed around 1991, so this mug must be from the 1980s.