The Art of Upcycling (1)

The Art Of Upcycling

~(1)~

I have recently come to realize the beauty in everyday waste.

What wonderful things we can make from items we would normally toss out or send to the recycling bin!

I knew I should start saving all of these things, these wonderfully upcycle-able pieces of art!

Let's start with baby formula containers! I already have a TON of these saved, and many more on the way. 

Coffee containers may work as well!

For Crayons- Why buy a crayon box??

A mail center? This is something I NEED!

Chalk!

Storage! So pretty, so simple. 

(I'm obsessed with storage ideas! :-)

A medicine box too!

(Keep out of reach from children, though...)

Now, Tic Tacs. This is pretty neat!

Cute baby food jars turned into craft storage! LOVE!

UM...I go through a ton of these a week! 

I'm going to save them now!

(I'm going to turn into a hoarder...OH boy...)

COFFEEEEE!!!!

I love coffee, and I love organization/storage ideas!

Woop!

You can't have coffee without creamer! Right? 

So smart. So darn smart!

(Fill them with easy "get yourself" cereal for kids!)

I might have to drink more wine...

I mean, this is a valid reason right?

I'll go tell my husband. 

(Bahahaha!)

We go through Pace like its going out of style!

I think I can do this.

Oh the possibilities! 

And last but not least, 

TEAPOTS. 

Who doesn't love teapots?

OMG I need to go to garage sales and get more!

I have a lot more where that came from! Stay tuned!!

(Like me on facebook for instant updates!)

Have fun!

:-)

New York Style Cheesecake Recipe

It's not always easy to make a really good cheesecake. Each recipe is different in many ways. I have experimented with the best of the best on the internet and finally found the perfect recipe for a basic New York style cheesecake. This is a MUST TRY!!

What you will need:

1 9in. Springform Pan

1 Large baking pan.

INGREDIENTS:

4 (8oz) Packages Cream Cheese- Room Temp.

4 Eggs

1 1/2 C. White Sugar

3/4 C. Milk

1 C. Sour Cream

1 TBSP Vanilla Extract

1/4 C Flour

Pinch or two of Salt

CRUST:

2 C. Graham Cracker Crumbs

4 TBSP Butter

1/2 TBSP Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

Grease 9in. Springform pan.

Cover bottom and sides on the outside of your springform pan with aluminum foil to make it "waterproof".  Cooking a cheesecake in a water bath is an easy way to prevent cracking and browning of the cheesecake. 

In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, 4 tbsp butter, salt and vanilla. Spread evenly on the bottom of your springform pan. Press firmly.

Bake crust for ten minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, vanilla, sour cream and flour. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. 

Pour filling over the top of the crust and let sit five minutes.

Place your cheesecake into a large enough pan or cake pan. Pour in one inch of water, careful not to get any inside the springform pan.

Bake in the oven at 350 for exactly 1 hour. 

DO NOT PEEK!

Once the hour is over, shut the oven off and walk away.

Let the cheesecake sit in the oven to cool to room temperature- about 5-6 hours.

Refrigerate after the 5-6 hours is done, and it should look perfect! (And TASTE perfect too!!)

Top with whatever your little heart desires. I love strawberries myself! :-)

Enjoy! There really is nothing as good as a great cheesecake. Ahhh heaven on a plate!

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

My husband is OBSESSED with banana pudding. This was a genius idea for a birthday cake! 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Box White Cake Mix

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Package Vanilla Wafers

4 Bananas

2 packages Banana Pudding

1 Container Cool Whip

**Ingredients to make cake

PREHEAT OVEN AS DIRECTED ON CAKE MIX BOX

Set out Cool Whip Container to Soften.

I used three round cake pans to make a layered cake for this one. Simply mix up your cake mix by the directions on the box. Add the extra tsp vanilla. Separate evenly into 3 greased and floured round cake pans. Bake as directed. 

When done, let sit about 5 minutes. Tap pan on counter and flip cakes onto a lightly floured surface. Begin to poke cakes with a plastic "one use" straw all the way around, about an inch apart, throughout the whole cake, until all cakes are done.

Slice bananas, and mix up pudding packages. After mixing, I put the pudding mixture in a pourable measuring cup to make it easier to use.

Place one cake round on a serving plate or pan. Pour pudding mixture over the cake to fill the holes (carefully). Line with a layer of wafers and a layer of bananas. Do the same with the second layer. If it gets to thick to pour, add a bit of milk. 

Once the second layer is finished, place the last cake round on top. Pour pudding mixture into the holes carefully, and let sit five minutes. 

Stick cake in the refrigerator to cool for ten minutes.

Take the cake out, and frost with the cool whip. Crumble some wafers and sprinkle them on top of the cake and line the sides with whole wafers. 

Keep Refrigerated until you are ready to eat it.

Genius Life Hacks You Don't Want To Miss

HONESTLY...

Why haven't I thought of half of this stuff before?! 

I usually don't make too big of a pancake mess, but it isn't always pretty.

And I HATE this packaging!

For those of you who travel! Genius. Plain Genius!

I'm probably not the only one who has been tossing these in the trash AND buying fancy bag clips! :-)

"Who'da thunk?!"  ;-)

Maybe not two shelves, but one for sure! WANT

See, I need to start hoarding. It saves money. :-D

No one likes cold pizza...

I mean, I do, but not everyone. Definitely not everyone.

Paying too much for pool? You didn't hear this from me... ;-)

I paint a LOT! Unreal...

Sassy Kitties? Muahaha...!

Little Rollers? That'll do it! 

AND JUST FOR FUN....

We just bought a swing set, this might come in handy! :-D

And just in case you get tired of sweeping/mopping....

I mean, they are down there anyway right? LOL.

Awesome.

I Pledge Allegiance...

They may not allow this in school anymore, 

But that doesn't mean they can't learn it at home. 

Hope you enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

It doesn't get much more comfort-foodie than this! 

This is what happens in my house when I have odds and ends that I need to use up. The brainstorming begins and ends with a big ol' dish of deliciousness. Well, most of the time anyway. Not all creations are created equal. But this casserole was a winner, hands down!

INGREDIENTS:

3 Large Baking Potatoes

8 Slices Bacon

2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Jalapeño (optional)

2 C. Shredded Chicken (also optional)

1/2-1 C. Sliced Green Onions

2 C. Milk

1 tsp flour

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1/2 tbsp onion powder

Salt-Pepper to taste.

Sour Cream for topping-optional.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425

First off, cook your bacon. I baked mine while I was preparing everything else for about 15 minutes. Chop potatoes into one inch cubes and toss with 2 tbsp oil in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Crumble bacon, slice green onions, and dice jalapeño (after removing ribs and seeds). Once potatoes are done, heat 2 C milk on stove until hot. Add 1 C cheddar cheese and mix well until almost dissolved. Now add 1 tsp flour and whisk. 

Combine potatoes, 1/2 of your crumbled bacon, chicken, jalapeño, and 1/2 of your green onions in a large bowl. Pour in milk mixture and stir softly.

Reduce oven temperature to 400

Pour into a greased 9x13in. pan and bake for 20 minutes

Take out and top with cheese, remaining bacon and remaining green onions.

Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted to your liking.

Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Top with sour cream. 

**We had this as a dinner, you can also make this as a side dish.