Kiss the cook!

I've been cooking lately! Yay!

By that I mean I've been trying new recipes.

Don't worry, I feed my hubby most days. ;)

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've probably seen these recipes already... but these ones are SO GOOD that I wanted to share them here so you know which ones have been tried and hubby approved!

Ok so first up we have "Better than Olive Garden Fettucine Alfredo"
Calorie counters - run for the hills. This stuff is delicious and pretty un-processed as dinner dishes go, but it's not lean by any means.
*I did add grilled chicken and some extra garlic powder the second time I made it. As is, its delicious, but a teeny bit on the bland side. (At least for us it was.) Of course, I recommend following the recipe exactly the first time and adjusting as you see fit once you know what you're dealing with. :)

Source: realmomkitchen.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Next up is a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken!
Probably the easiest sweet and sour chicken recipe around, and super tasty! Cory LOVED it. It was very yummy and simple to put together.

Source: madeitateitlovedit.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

And finally, a very quick and easy recipe for Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken. We love chicken, in case you couldn't tell by now ;)
I think next time I make this I may serve it with a side of pasta... kinda like chicken parm style. Nom nom. :)

Source: momswhothink.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Flares into Skinnies!

Hooray for cute pants!!
I snagged these great pink corduroy Abercrombie pants from a Savers near by for $5.00 the other day. I especially liked the way they fit my waist, hips and thighs, but I decided they needed to be skinny. So I finally took a stab at the whole refashioning-flared-pants-into-skinny-pants thing.
I hesitated at first because I don't have a serger. (Add that to my list of "tools" to acquire. Its right up there with getting a fricken DSLR camera.) Then I just decided to go for it anyway.

SO. Easiest project ever. Even if you are NOT a seamstress. Here's my steps in a tiny bit more detail in case anyone reading this is doubting the ease of this project. ;)

First thing I did was toss them in the wash. (Always wash thrifted clothing... just in case!)
Ok all clean. Next I checked out the seams on both sides of the pant leg to determine which side would be easier to disguise my alterations.

Then I turned them inside out, laid them out, and used a pair of skinny jeans I like as a "pattern". When the project and the pattern are lined up, pin where you will be sewing your straight line. (Here you can use chalk or a light marker to draw a line along the pins for accuracy, or you can be a rebel like me and just go for it.)

I sewed two seams for reinforcement purposes. That's what you do when you don't have a fancy-pants serger! (Going over your seam with a zig zag stitch is also a good option here.) Then I tried them on to make sure the fit was right, and I took a pic because the attractiveness just had to be documented.

Only when I was sure that the fit was right did I snip off the excess.

Turn them right side out and wear your creation with pride!

I think one of these days I may go over the seams with my mother-in-law's serger, and I might even go to the trouble of re-doing the bottom hem to make it feel a bit more pro-fesh. (shrug) Or not. They're pretty great just like this!
If anyone else does try this project, please share your results with me! I'd love to see the transformations.
Happy crafting my friends :)

DIY Skirt

I made a skirt!
I've never made one before, so this is HUGE.
Then, I actually wore the thing... twice. Thats funny because when I first finished it I was like, okayyy... not sure about this thing. I mean, I used this free tutorial I found on Pinterest, so I wasn't expecting it to be like profesh-quality or anything, but even then the whole process was a bit throw-caution-to-the-wind-ish. I even found myself just ignoring the tutorial for the second half and sewing away.
So it turned out well under the circumstances :) At least it's unique and wearable.
My mom even asked me to make her one for her birthday. I think for that one I'll get a real pattern ;) So we'll see how that goes!