Finding My Stress Reliever

Hello my hopefully cool, calm, and collected dearies.

I came home from work after sharing the day with someone who has opposite work views and ethics than I have and I wanted to pout.  I wish I could tell you that I let it go and learned the key to letting things roll off your back... but, alas, I locked myself in my home office, turned on a few (ok, several) episodes of a good mellow drama and started sketching.

As you can see from the sketch, its been awhile!  But I have to say it was therapeutic.  I was drawing with charcoal pencil and it does not erase well.  When you draw with charcoal, you can't be perfect - misplaced lines cannot be removed, only worked with or around.  I can now see the irony! However, I honestly felt better. (and I didn't even have to eat a block of cheese!)

I do not have a good lesson here; no how-to or instant remedy.  All I can say is find something you love and do it.  Try to focus on the good things in life instead of the things you cannot fix.  I hope you are blessed and you find the strength to make it through your next rough day.

xo
Pam

Dirty Pan Cleaning Quick Tip

Hello Dearies!!

If you are anything like me, the thought of cleaning up your gigantic mess, after cooking your ridiculously delicious meal, is almost enough to deter you from cooking in the first place. Almost... Ok I admit it. There may have been one or more times this year (but Chris, it's only February!) that I have given my children PB and J's or cold turkey for dinner because I just REALLY didn't want to clean up after myself!!! 

Anyway! I do live to cook and for the times that I do, anything to help make cleaning up simpler is something is like to know about! This little trick comes courtesy of the one and only Mommy Dear! Oh the wisdom of my mother!

On this occasion I just finished frying up some Apple Organics turkey bacon. Apple Organics turkey bacon, to me, is the only turkey bacon worthy of actually being called bacon.

Yuck! What a mess in this "non-stick" pan!! Not to fear! Here is how to get rid of this mess with literally NO elbow grease! Even if you left the pan in your oven for 3 weeks! 😉

First you want to fill the pan with water and add a little dish soap.

Put it on the stove and turn the heat on high. Let it come to a boil, just keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. 

Let it boil for a few minutes and then VERY CAREFULLY dump it out in the sink. 

Then just take your dish rag and wipe it out! 

Wash and rinse and ta dah!!!

As my 5 year old son says "easy peasy lemon squeezy!" 

That's it! No more burnt in, dried on nasty stuff to scrub out! 

Well there is my little quick tip for today! I hope it helps you and encourages you to make more tasty food, because clean up isn't AS bad as it was before!

If you have any tips that make clean up easier, please comment below! I need all the help I can get!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Christi

Cuppy Cakes

I will have to apologize for the severe lack of photos in this post.  I could supplement with selfies, but I don't know that those would contribute the subject matter here...

Anyway...

Last night, I was in the mood for chocolate cupcakes.  I didn't want just any, from a box, tasteless cupcakes, so I knew I had to make these from scratch.  I googled "homemade chocolate cupcakes" and the third link was a Martha Stewart recipe from 2003.  See here.  When I saw sour cream in the list of ingredients, I knew this was the one.

The rabbit trail begins here: I believe most recipes can be made better simply by adding sour cream.

I'm not very good at following directions or measuring, but I did my best...and then I saw the part where it says alternate adding the flour mixture and the sour cream.  Oops.  All the sour cream went in at the end. :)

The batter was somewhat thicker than what you'd get from a box recipe, but I saw that as a good sign.  I was just hoping these wouldn't turn out to be heavy and dense.

I used my ice cream scoop to divvy my batter and tossed them in the oven.  I ended up baking them for the whole 25 minutes.

While they baked, I whipped up some Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.  Here is how I made it:  I threw a softened packaged of cream cheese in my kitchen aid along with a couple table spoons of peanut butter.  Once I had that mixing, I poured in probably 2 teaspoons of vanilla.  Last but not least, I dumped in about a cup and a half of powdered sugar (I literally dumped, so I don't know for sure).  After that got creamy and to a frosting like texture, it was done.

I could hardly wait for the cupcakes to cool.  But eventually they did.  I tore off the corner of a ziploc bag and moved my frosting from the bowl to the bag.  I put it in the fridge until the cupcakes were cool enough to frost.  I started piping from the center, went out, and then up aka swirled on top.  I think they look pretty stinkin' good...and they taste even better.

Seriously, you need to make these.  They are ridiculously good.  I can't wait to get home to eat them!

xoxo,

Linda

Waffledillas!

Waffle Irons are pretty much the single most amazing kitchen appliance ever invented.  No matter what batter, sand which, or food you put in it, it comes out looking like something you want to eat.

While my husband has been in Oklahoma during the week, I haven't really felt like cooking for one.  Now that I'm completed tired of Ramen Noodles, I thought that it was about time to make something more interesting to eat.

Enter: Waffle Iron. :)

For this incredibly easy meal, I pre-heated the oven to 450.  I sprayed my cookie sheet with non-stick spray.  I then diced some potatoes, opened a can of black beans and corn, and tossed them with some oil, salt, and pepper.  I laid the ingredients on the cookie sheet and baked for about 20 minutes or so.

During that time, I sauteed some onions.

Once all my ingredients were made and my Waffle Iron was hot, I put a tortilla on the waffle iron, sprinkled some shredded cheddar, added my roasted medley and onions, sprinkled some more cheese, and then a tortilla on top.  I closed the Waffle Iron and waited for about 4 minutes.

Done!

I topped this divine creation with some cilantro and Nom Nom Nom!

The possibilities of what to do with a waffle iron are endless!  So, have some fun and figure out what yours can do!

xoxo,

Linda

Yummy Spicy Tater Wedges!

I. love. food.


I just do.

I got an email from my husband this afternoon letting me know his day was going horribly.  I know that when I have a horrible day I want to come home and eat a bowl of cheese.  However, since we are trying to be healthier, I knew cheese was not an option.  I thought how can i make a decently healthy meal with what we have that would make him feel better?

Potato Wedges.

I wedged a few potatoes and put them in a bowl.  I added some dried rosemary, garlic powder, ground pepper, pepper flakes, salt and olive oil then tossed it all together.  I baked them on wire racks on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  They are delish!!

Hope you try them and like them!

About Us

Four Little Dears. This is how we like to think of ourselves.  Like a meme of four adorable puppies that says, "How we think we are" and then the true picture of four mangy cats that says, "How we really are."  We grow on you. (I hope!)  Until then, here are a few little bios to get to know us better.

Little Dear 1 is Jane Shutske. She is mama. She was the original "Master Chef Mystery Box Winner"...everyday. She would go in the kitchen and make fantastic meals out of nearly anything we had in the kitchen. (She also made use of the critters that ran around the back yard. YUM! Pepperoncini and venison on hard rolls!) These days Jane focuses her cooking on healthier options as she has beaten breast cancer in her mid 50s and is determined to make the most of every day. She taught us to use what we have and be creative! We are definitely lucky little dears.

Little Dear 2 is Christi Blackmon. She is big sis, first born, and mommy to five little dearies. Christi has the ability to take champagne taste and create it on a very beer budget. (Seafood, anyone?! Best. Shrimp. Ever.) She's cute, a great cook, and a great mom. A big piece to her emphasis is organic, healthy ways to do anything! You'll love her posts!

Little Dear 3 is Linda Jordan. She is newlywed, little sis, twinny, DIY queen, and photographer extraordinaire. Needless to say, she does it all! Linda is a new homeowner and loves sprucing up her cute abode with the latest DIY fashions. Linda is currently trying to make little dearies with her hubby... her biggest DIY project yet!

Little Dear 4 is Pam Montanez.  Pam may be the youngest among us, but she is all kinds of creative. From sketching to  graphic design to videography, she loves to do it! Pam took a giant leap and moved all the way to Portland, OR with her hubby Joe. They have a perfect puppy named Daisy and won't be adding any little dearies any time soon. Pam is a wonder in the kitchen and sometimes cooks (hee hee).  Pam is also super annoying about how much she loves Portland... you'll see.

Photo Tips: Fog and The Subtle Vignette

Hello dearies!

I bring to you today, one of my favorite little tips.  A subtle vignette is the perfect way to ever so slightly let your subject pop out of the picture.  The key is SUBTLE!  Do not over due it.  You want someone to see the subject, not the dark or light circle you drew around them.  There are few things I hate more than cheesy editing.  Most times it will be a beautiful portrait, but it is destroyed due to creative malpractice. (harsh, I know!)  That is not to say there is not a time or a place for such editing, I am just saying that a portrait is not that such place.

In most cases, I do a lot of up front editing right in Camera Raw.  Many times, a few tweaks here or there is all a photo needs.  In this case, I will be doing some contrast enhancement, color correcting, and digitally "burning" my photo.

Today, I will use this photo of Amber and Cameron.  I love this photo.  On this particular day, fog was everywhere!  If I stood too far back, I could barely see them.  In the end, I loved the setting.  Here is what I did:

1. Open the photo in Camera Raw.

2. Enhancing the blacks really makes some of that fog disappear around them. Boost contrast, sharpen,  use clarity and vibrance, bring down the shadows (again, helping that fog fade)
    Here's a look at my Camera Raw settings:

5. Now time for that vignette!
    a. Go to the fx tab in Raw and just ever so slightly move the slider

Here is a before and after.  They just pop out of the photo! 

I hope this helps you even in the most basic way!!

Up and Running!

Hello Dearies!

We are four gals forcibly united by familial bond.  But we don't mind, we've learned to love it.

We come to you from Indiana, Missouri, and Oregon.  Learning through living is in our blood and we'd love to share it with you. (the learning of coarse, not the blood... unless you need some, cause we've donated, so you can have our blood too.  ...I now see I went too far on that one.)  Being that we live so far from each other, we haven't taken a proper picture together in a while.  So, please enjoy this hodge podge of a photo for now.  New photo coming Thanksgiving 2014.

Aren't we cute??

Because Dear # 4 is OBSESSED with branding (and the idea of blogging) we've started this little gem of a blog.  Please enjoy our cooking tips, diy projects, and other items.  We are happy to share!