Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to greasy fried snacks, give this recipe a try! These Spicy Roasted Chickpeas are healthy and irresistible! This recipe has only 4 ingredients and was easy to make. I found the recipe on SnackGirl.com and decided that one can of beans wasn’t enough so I doubled the recipe. Although the cayenne pepper gives the roasted beans a good kick, I would like to experiment with chili power and other spices in the future.

Ingredients:                                                                    

2 – 15.5 oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Mix the chickpeas in a bowl with oil, salt, and cayenne pepper. Spread the chickpeas in an even layer on the baking sheet.

3. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for 15 minutes. Shake or stir the chickpeas in the pan and return the pan to the oven for another 15 minutes until brown and crunchy. Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach Pastry Cups

I made these Creamed Spinach Pastry Cups this Christmas and they turned out to be a tasty little appetizer. I found the recipe on MyRecipes. The frozen pastry cups were easy to make, and I love the low-fat cream cheese! For my variation, I used Pepperidge Farm Pastry Cups instead of Athens, which might be smaller than what’s called for. Although I used more of the pastry cups, there was no spinach mixture left over. To save on cost I used shredded Parmesan cheese instead of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Ingredients:                                                                             

2 Pkgs. Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Cups (24 ct.)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp. minced garlic

12 oz. baby spinach (coarsely chopped)

1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

3 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese

1 oz. shredded Parmesan cheese (for topping)

Directions:

1. Prepare the puff pastry cups according to package directions.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and garlic. Cook garlic 1 minute or until fragrant.

3. Coarsely chop spinach. Add half of chopped spinach to pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Add remaining spinach and cook for an additional 2 minutes or until wilted, stirring frequently. Sprinkle mixture with salt and toss.                                                       

4. Stir in heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. Cook for one minute or until cheese is melted. Remove pan from heat.

5. Spoon about 1 tsp. spinach mixture into each pastry shell. Sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and serve!

DIY Key Fob Wristlet

This Christmas, I wanted to make a small gift for everyone that was not only handmade but useful. These key fob wristlets were the perfect solution. Who isn’t always looking for their keys or a way to keep track of them?

I found the cotton webbing and key fob hardware sold together on Ebay.  I bought each roll of ribbon for $1 and Stitch Witchery at Michael’s. Putting it all together required dusting off the sewing machine and brushing up on some simple sewing, but, it was fairly easy!

The cotton webbing I used was 1.25″ wide so I chose ribbon that was 1″ wide, so there would be a border on both sides of the ribbon. My key fob hardware was also 1.25″ wide. The key fob hardware should be the same width as the cotton webbing.

Materials:                                                                                    

scissors

pliers

sewing machine

thread

ribbon

cotton webbing

Stitch Witchery

key fob hardware

Instructions:

1. Measure and cut the cotton webbing. I measured mine to be 12″, but feel free to make yours as long or short as you would like.

2. Measure the Stitch Witchery and ribbon to be as long as long as the cotton webbing.

3. Follow the directions on the Stitch Witchery to bond the ribbon to the cotton webbing. After ironing the ribbon on to the cotton webbing, allow time for it to cool or dry.

4. With a sewing machine, sew a straight line down both sides of the ribbon for the entire length of the cotton webbing.

5. Trim any stray threads from the ends of the cotton webbing. Fold the cotton webbing in half so the ends are even. Using the sewing machine, sew the two ends together.

6. Evenly place the sewn ends of the cotton webbing into the key fob hardware. Use pliers to firmly clamp the hardware onto the cotton webbing. You may choose to use a cloth to cover the hardware when you are using the pliers. This keeps the hardware from being scratched by the pliers.

7. Attach a key ring.

DIY Crate Pet Bed

My cat had been sleeping in a cardboard box for years and was due for an update. I came across this DIY crate pet bed on Pinterest from a blog called Meet the B’s. This blog was about The Great Crate Challenge, where several bloggers purchased the same crate from Michael’s and came up with different ideas for repurposing the crate. I decided to give this one a try myself.

Materials:

wooden crate

wooden pegs (for the legs)

paint brush

wood glue

gray wood stain

Americana Decor chalky finish

permanent marker

Using a hammer, remove the top two pieces of wood to create the “front” of your pet’s bed. Next, paint the crate with wood stain, let the stain sit for about 10 minutes, and wipe away excess stain with paper towel.

 I also followed the “white wash” technique from this blog. Just mix 1/3 paint with 2/3 water.

Paint the crate with the “white wash” and wipe away excess with paper towel. Don’t forget to use the same techniques on the legs.

Once the paint is dry, glue the legs to the bottom of the crate. Allow time for the glue to dry.

To get the design on the front of the crate, I chose a font from Microsoft Word and typed the word Kitty (choose anything you would like for your pet) in large letters onto a blank document and printed the document. To get the scroll design, I searched “scroll typography” online, and chose a design I liked from “images”. Print out your image also.

I learned this wonderful transfer technique from the blog as well. First, cut out your words and designs to fit your crate.

1. Using a pencil, scribble on the back of the word and design, covering the entire area the you want on the crate.

2. Place the scribbled side down on the crate, positioning the design where you would like it to be.

3. With a pencil, trace the outside edges of your words and design. This will press the scribbled pencil onto the crate and give you an outline of your design.

4. Lastly, fill in your words and design. I used a black Sharpie, but feel free to use paint as well.

For the finishing touch, place a blanket or pillow in the crate and you’re done!