A new look for an old bookcase

Hello everyone! I feel like it has been a while since I have posted. Life has gotten pretty busy. I am packing up my house because I am moving in like 2 weeks! But I made some time for some crafting! I have this bookcase that my oldest sister Jennifer and brother-in-law Todd gave me for a high school graduation present. When I got the bookcase it was unfinished so I painted it light purple and lime green. Those were my colors for everything when I was in college. Well I decided it was time for a face lift and I wanted it to look a little more grown up. So I painted it black. It looks so much better and way more grown up :)

Before

After

If you may remember I said I wanted to do a couch to 5 K. Well so far so good! I have finished the first two weeks. It is at the third week that the workouts really pick up so we will see how it goes. But I am enjoying it so far and it is nice to just be able to put shoes and workout clothes on and go and not have to get my bike to the greenway to get some exercise. 

Race for the Cure and Ham Hawaiian

Hello everyone! This past weekend I was part of the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. It was so awesome to see all of those people out there supporting Breast Cancer research. Now if only we could give that kind of support to all cancer research that would be awesome! But that is another rant :) It was so cool to see all of those people running and walking. It was pretty inspiring and almost made me wish I could run. I walked with my Mom and my oldest sister Jennifer. We saw tons of people who were part of teams and whole families out there. We decided that next year we wanted to get my whole family out there. Thats my other sister Erin, both brother in laws and my Dad. We promised we wouldn't make them wear pink shirts or tutus. Granted I did see some cute little boys who were about 4 who had tutus sewed to the front of their shirts. They were so stinking cute. Now before you start thinking wow I didn't know Meredith was a runner. Well I'm not haha! Most people walk the path and those who run just weave around the walkers. I was thinking about how cool it would be to be able to run the race next year. I have always wanted to be a runner so I am going to take this new inspiration to start running. I kept seeing those couch to 5K workouts on Pinterest so I thought I would look into. I also found out that I can get a free app for my phone that tells me when to start and stop running. I did my first workout yesterday and it really wasn't bad! You have to run 3 days a week for about 2 months. Wish me luck on my new adventure! I will keep you all post on how it goes and if I don't tell you about it NAG ME to go run!!! No I'm serious make me do this!

Pre-Race Picture!

Now on to the yummy food part of the blog :) I made this dish called Ham Hawaiian that my Mom made all the time for us when we were younger. This dish is super yummy and of course pretty easy. 

Ingredients: 

- 1/4 cup margarine, divided

- 1/2 green pepper chopped

- 2 cups cooked ham, chopped

- 1 9oz can pineapple tidbits

- 1/8 tsp cloves 

Mix these ingredients with pineapple juice:

- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

- 1 1/2 Tablespoons vinegar

- 1 1/2 teaspoons prep. mustard

- 1/8 teaspoons pepper

- 3/4 cold water

Directions: 

1. Melt 2 Tablespoons margarine. Add green pepper and ham. Cook for 5 minutes. 

2. Drain pineapple reserving juice for sauce mixture. 

3. Mix juice with sauce mixture. Stir into ham and green peppers. Cook until thickened. 

4. Add pineapple and heat. Add cloves.

5. Serve over rice :)

Recipes not from Pinterest!!!

Holy Moly I have two new recipe that is not from Pinterest! My friend Rebecca a Mexican Casserole for me a week or so ago so I made it for myself this weekend! It was so good and very filling. The other recipe is not really new to me. My Mom gave me this recipe a while ago and it is one that I make on a somewhat regular basis because its easy and super yummy!

Mexican Casserole

I took a picture with a piece out so you could kind of see the layers.

Ingredients:
- 6 flour tortillas
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 1/2 cups salsa
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups Mexican cheese
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 packet taco seasoning.

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a microwave safe bowl mix together refried beans and salsa. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until spreadable. Set aside.

3. Cook ground beef and drain fat. Add taco seasoning and water as said on package. Let simmer for 10 minutes

4. Spray pan 9x13 dish with Pam. Rip up 3 flour tortillas and place in bottom of dish. Layer half of the meat then half  the bean mixture then half the frozen corn and cheese. Then repeat another layer.

5. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. 

I usually make it with rice and broccoli :)

Chicken- Wine, Honey, Soy

Ingredients:

- 4-6 pieces chicken

- 1 cup white wine

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions: 

1. Sprinkle garlic on chicken. Brown chicken in skillet just until lightly brown.

2. In a bowl mix wine, honey and soy sauce. Pour on chicken. 

3. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour until chicken is cooked through. 

This week I also grilled some salmon that my Mom had given me. I think I drive my parents crazy when I try something new for the first time because I feel like I call them every couple of minutes. The salmon I had was already marinated in something. Sorry I don't know what it was already in. I made it with a baked potato. The salmon was a little dry. I think I over cooked it but I was more worried about it being under cooked. 

Memorial Day Fun!

I think I have discovered a new tradition for Memorial Day. The past two years I have gone hiking for Memorial Day. I think it is going to be something I try and do every year. I know that is not the true meaning behind the day but it is a good reason to be out in nature :) This year my friends and I went hiking at the Hebron Rock Colony and then had a cookout at our house. We also took pictures in front of the American Flag kind of as a way to honor the day some. Here are some pictures from the day!

More Crafts!

So I have really gotten into crafting since I don't have to think about classes for a little while. I have seen all of these ideas on Pinterest about how to turn old t-shirts into tank tops. So last Sunday I decided to try a few of them out. Since I don't have a sewing machine I couldn't try any of the harder fancy ones but I guess its good to start easy sometimes. 

The first one I tried is like a workout tank and didn't require any sewing. Because I wasn't thinking I forgot to take a before of what the shirt looked like before I cut it up. But the shirt I used was a graduation present from a friend when I graduated from ECU and I was just never crazy about the way it fit. And now I think it fits really well and is really cute! The blog that its came from is the Dollars, Sense & More which I found through Pinterest :)

The second one I made involved a little bit of sewing which I was able to do by hand. I'm sure it would have been way faster if I had done it with a sewing machine. The blog that this one came from is Crafters Hours. I also made this one out of an old t-shirt but some of the design got cut off so I decided to try it with a plain t-shirt.

Yummy Shrimp!

So with my new free time I have also tried to keep up with cooking. My Mom had given me a bag of frozen shrimp so I had been looking for a recipe to try using shrimp. And yes I got the recipe from Pinterest! Where else would it come from haha! The name of the recipe is actually called Penne a la Betsy from the Pioneer Woman.

Ingredients:
- 3/4 Pound penne pasta
- 1 Pound shrimp
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 whole small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 oz)
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- Fresh Parsley to taste
- Fresh Basil to taste
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste

Instructions: 
1. Cook the penne pastas until al dente.
2. Peel, devein and rinse 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. (If your shrimp still have the tails on them put the cooked shrimp on a cutting board and take off the tails. Cut the shrimp into bite size pieces.)
3. Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
4. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Now add an 8 oz can of tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue storing. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.
6. Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same about of basil.
7. Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined.
8. Finally add your cooked pane pasta and give it a good stir.

* I used the whole box (whole pound) of pasta. The shrimp I had were also smaller so I didn't chop them up.

Strawberry Pizza

Happy Mother's Day a week late!!! haha I have really been slacking on blog posts now that school is done. I would have thought I would have posted more but nope! For Mother's Day my family all gathered at my oldest sister's house. She had to work until 6 so the rest of the family made dinner and played with her kids. We tried to keep my Mom out of the kitchen but it never works haha. My job for dinner was desert. I know my Mom loves fruit and my sister love chocolate. So I found a recipe for Strawberry Pizza! It was super yummy and really not that hard to make. The recipe is from the Cooking Bride who I of course found on Pinterest!

Pizza crust

Ingredients For The Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Directions for Crust: 
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spray 10" x 2" tart pan or cookie sheet with cooking spray.
3. Whisk together flour, pecans, chocolate chips, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
4. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until mixture is fluffy, about five minutes. If using a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to cream butter and brown sugar, then switch to the paddle attachment.
5. Add half of the flour and beat on low until flour is combined. Mix in remaining flour and continue to stir until incorporated.
6. Spread dough evenly on the bottom and up the sides if using a tart pan or pat into an 11-inch wide circle on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the edges begin to turn brown and the center starts to feel firm. Allow to cool completely before applying the toppings.

Finished Product

Ingredients For Topping:
- 1/2 cup strawberry preserves
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 pound sliced fresh strawberries
- 8 oz marscapone cheese
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions For Topping:
1. Whisk together preserves and orange juice. Bring to a boil in a small pot over medium high heat. Boil one minute until glaze begins to thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Mix together marscapone, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy, about 1 minute. Do not over mix or the spread will separate.
3. Spread marscapone mixture over the cooled cookie crust.
4. Add sliced strawberries to the glaze and stir to combine. Spread glazed strawberries over marscapone.
5. Allow to refrigerate for 1 hour.

*The website I found this from said you could use a store bought cookie dough. If the marscapone is too expensive or hard to find you can find a replacement. Just google it there are tons of suggestions :)