Pin #6 - Sock Bun

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I hope you're not seeing visions of hamburger buns and socks. That's what I thought when I first read it, but then quickly realized that a sock bun is a genius idea!

Source: threepinkdots.com via Stephani on Pinterest

The bun on the back of her head is all of her hair wrapped around a sock. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it works! The original pin source has a great tutorial plus there are dozens of videos on YouTube.

It took a few tries to get it to look okay, but once I did it was great. This bun created no big heavy weight on the back of my head and felt comfortable all day. I did have to add a couple bobby pins to make it feel stable.

I am so glad that I finally found an easy and quick way to put up my hair. I love my long hair, but sometimes it can get in the way. Now it won't! :)

Pin #5 ~ Weekend Hats

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This week I was able to check one of the books to read off my Pin board.

 

Source: amazon.com via Stephani on Pinterest

I have a real problem with buying books. I love books, but I've been trying to behave myself and only buy books that I will use over and over again.

I was able to check this book out at the local library this past week and look through it at home. The book is well laid out with beautiful pictures and a nice size to tuck in a bag or tote. The patterns seem to be written in a way that they can be understood and the charts included for some of the patterns are easy to read. The only problem is there were very few hats I liked.

I wanted to like the hats. I really did, but most weren't practical at all, merely decorative. I prefer a hat that will keep me warm and look good at the same time. I did like this Pebbled Beanie though and may make it sometime in the future.

All in all, the book was very nice, but I'm glad I didn't buy it.

Pin #4 ~ Mini Corn Dogs

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Today I tried making some mini corn dogs from a recipe I found. It looks like it was originally a Rachel Ray recipe from her magazine.

Source: rachaelraymag.com via Stephani on Pinterest

I really wanted to like these. They're so cute and corn dogs are awesome, but these just weren't all that great. The kids had a lot of fun sticking toothpicks into the dogs and frying them up wasn't that difficult. The flavor fell flat though. Maybe it was the dogs I used or it could have been the oil, but I wasn't impressed.

It did give me some ideas on how to improve on them and hopefully next time they'll taste better. They weren't a total flop, but they won't be made again from the original recipe. Next time I'll do them my way. :)

Favorite Pin Friday ~ Pink Shoes!

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Pink Ruffly shoes! How awesome are these?

                                     Source: victoriantradingco.com via Stephani on Pinterest

  
I found these by accident while looking at another pin I had come across. I want!! So totally girly.

What's you favorite pin this week?

Pin #3~ Grilled Cheese Croutons

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Tomato soup with grilled cheese croutons. Awesome!!

Source: luxefinds.com via Stephani on Pinterest

We're big grilled cheese fans around here and tomato soup is great on a chilly winter day, but who would have thought to actually put them together? Besides just dunking I mean. There's no real recipe involved, just a bowl of your favorite tomato soup and whatever basic grilled cheese you prefer.

I made the grilled cheese on the stove top before I ever started the soup. I wanted it to cool down before I cut it so the cheese would stay in the bread, not ooze out. When the soup was ready to serve, I cut the sandwich into small bite size pieces and placed them on top of the soup.

I wish I had taken a picture of the youngest kiddo trying to eat the soup and give me 2 thumbs up at the same time. It was so cute! We all agreed that the grilled cheese croutons were a hit and we'll definitely be making them again.

 

Pin #2 ~ Organizing Cupcake Wrappers

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Cupcake/muffin wrappers.......what do you do with them? They are fine in the package most of the time, but as soon as they come out, they're flat and smooshed. I end up throwing away more than I ever use because you can't un-flatten a smashed wrapper. The answer came in the form of pin #2.

Source: lifeiscrazybeautiful.com via Stephani on Pinterest

This is pure genius! Definitely one of those "why didn't I think of that??" moments. The cupcake wrappers fit perfectly in a quart size canning jar. I used the wide mouth jars. My hand fits inside these ones easily.

It took 2 jars for all of my wrappers. I had no clue that I had so many!! I stopped counting after 500 wrappers. They were all in packages that had 40 some odd wrappers in each and I had several brand new packages. Most were Christmas themed (clearance sale!), but there were a few Easter and Halloween wrappers too.

The jars fit great in the pantry and I can easily see how many I have and they keep their shape. Such a wonderful idea!

Pin #1 ~ Hoppin' John Recipe

My very first pin project of the year! Of course it had to be a recipe because I love food!

Source: allrecipes.com via Stephani on Pinterest

I choose a Hoppin' John recipe that I found because it's a traditional New Year's dish. Hoppin John is supposed to bring good luck to your year so maybe we can hope it'll bring good things for this blog.

This recipe is good, but I changed it up a bit when I cooked it today. Bacon is more traditional than ham so I used some thick cut bacon I had in the freezer. Bacon goes with everything. I also cooked it in the crock pot for the day on low so we could spend the day playing games and watching the Once Upon a Time marathon on ABC. I cooked the rice on the stove and mixed it in just before serving.

While I really enjoyed it, the rest of the family was not so impressed. I doubt I'll be able to make it too often, but I would definitely make it again.

Hoppin' John (the way I made it)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. thick cut bacon, diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small carrot, diced
• 3 (15 ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups cups chicken broth, or more as needed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups uncooked white rice
• 4 cups water

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the bacon. Reduce heat to medium. Then stir in the onion, celery, carrot and garlic, and cook until the onion is translucent, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 5 quart slow cooker. Add the black-eyed peas, 2 cups of chicken broth, wine, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Add more chicken stock if the mixture is too thick.
2. About 30 minutes before serving, bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the rice stand covered for about 10 minutes to absorb steam.
3. Stir the cooked rice into the black-eyed pea mixture until well combined and serve.