Sunday Fun Day: Removing Wax from Glass Jars/Candle Holders

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395913375/ - "Cold"
http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603396166653/ - "Hot"

I had 3 candle holders that had been used and reused and reused with various tea lights and votives, but they never quite burned completely. Usually enough so I could get the metal piece out, but there was always wax left. I've seen several different tips, but when I finally searched my Pinterest for ways to do it, I basically came up with 2 different ways that looked easy.

For these, I poured boiling water in them. I left them in the sink to cool a bit.

Once they were cool enough to handle, I stuck them in the refrigerator to cool more.

This is what came out. So easy!

This one I put in the freeze for a couple hours.

However, when it came out, I realized that because of the lip at the bottom, the wax wouldn't easily come out. It was loose, but not loose enough.

 So I poured boiling water in it. Let it cool a bit.

Then stuck it in the fridge.

Clean enough... At least the wax is out. There is a film of wax on the outside of the bigger one. And there was some wax on the bottom of my sink (a very thin layer... more of a film of wax like on the candle). I don't have a dishwasher, so I do dishes by hand every day (sometimes multiple times) and within a few days, most of the wax in the sink was gone.

I saved the wax for a future project. I don't know yet, but I'll figure something out.

So... moral of the story. If your candle holder is narrower at the bottom or has straight sides, I think the freezer method would work fine. Otherwise, definitely use the boiling water method. However, I think for anything, the boiling water works best.

Saturday Morning Breakfast: Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603397863099/

Assemble your ingredients: milk, mashed banana, salt, old fashioned oats, peanut butter, brown sugar. I halved the recipe (which makes 2 servings) and only made 1 serving.

In a large saucepan, whisk together the milk, mashed banana, and salt.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Add the oats, turn down the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Top with brown sugar and extra slices of banana.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal (modified)

5/8 c milk of choice (I used coconut milk)
1/2 large banana, mashed 
Pinch of salt 
1/2 c old fashioned oats 
1 T peanut butter 
1 t brown sugar, packed (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, whisk together the milk, mashed banana, and salt.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
3. Add the oats, turn down the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. The oats are done when soft and the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the peanut butter.
5. Top with brown sugar and extra slices of banana. Serve hot.

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Review:

Yum! Perfect balance of peanut butter and banana. You could probably even top it with some chocolate chips if you want.

Dessert Friday: Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398519455/

And so begins my unintentional series of "single serving desserts". I just can't stop because they're so easy and are exactly what I'm craving.

I also may or may not have bought 4 ramekins with the purpose of making individual dessert servings. Don't judge me. They were only $1 each at Tuesday Morning.

Assemble your ingredients - butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, salt, egg yolk, all purpose flour, semi sweet chocolate chips

My egg is light blue... not weird or old or rotten. :-)

Melt butter in the microwave. Butter should just be melted, not boiling. Add sugars, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine.

Add the egg yolk. Stir. Add flour. Stir.

Add chocolate chips and stir again.

Cook in microwave (on high) 40-60 seconds.

Eat. I liked mine with milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup

1 T butter
1 T granulated white sugar
1 T firmly packed dark brown sugar
3 drops vanilla extract
Small pinch of kosher salt (I used sea salt)
1 egg yolk
Scant ¼ c of all-purpose flour
2 heaping T of semi sweet chocolate chips (or as many as you want!)

1. Spray ramekin with cooking spray (I didn't do this because it wasn't in the original instructions and the ramekin was difficult to wash).
2. Melt butter in the microwave. Butter should just be melted, not boiling.
3. Add sugars, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine.
4. Separate your egg and add the yolk only to your cup. Stir to combine.
5. Add flour, then stir again.
6. Add the chocolate chips, and give a final stir. Now your mixture will look like cookie dough.
7. Cook in microwave 40-60 seconds, start checking at 40 seconds. Do not cook past one minute, just like a regular cookie, this will continue cooking as it cools. If the cookie is dry or cake like, try less time.
8. Serve warm, especially with a large glass of milk.

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Review:

I think, so far, this is my favorite of all of the single serving desserts.

If you don't know what to do with the egg white and you don't want to waste it, I suggest making these:
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins

Slow Cooker Thursday: BBQ Chicken

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603395737054/

Happy 4th of July, fellow Americans!

I wish I had a fancy red, white, and blue recipe to share, but I haven't actually made one. Later I'm just going to do a pudding pie (just Jell-O in a pie crust, like on the Jell-O pudding package) and decorate it with strawberries and blueberries. My sister, however, apparently went crazy with the red, white and blue. Today is also her birthday. I'll try to take a picture of the craziness to share.

BBQ and 4th of July do go together, but on the 4th, you have to do it on a grill.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and garlic powder. I wanted to make sure none of the BBQ sauce went to waste, so I was scraping it out with a knife. Hence, the drips down the side of the bowl.

Place chicken in slow cooker. I used six tenderloins.

Pour sauce over the chicken.

Cook on low. Instructions say 4-6 hours. I cooked on low for 2 and then switched to warm for 2 and a half. The first time I made this, the chicken was dry (I kept it on low for the full 4 hours). As usual, know your slow cooker. And yes, that looks pretty gross.

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins (can be frozen)
1 bottle BBQ sauce (I used Jack Daniel's Honey Smokehouse - 19 oz bottle)
1/4 c vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar just because)
1 t red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar (I used dark brown)
1/2 - 1 t garlic powder (I did about 3/4 t)

1. Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and garlic powder.
2. Place chicken in slow cooker.
3. Pour sauce over it.
4. Cook on LOW for 2 hours and WARM for 2.5. Or until breasts are tender.

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Review:

I did figure out the calorie content for this (approximately), based on the ingredients I used. 179 calories for 2 tenders!

The cook time I used definitely kept the chicken moist (and fully cooked it). It was perfect this way.

I'm Not Very Crafty Wednesday: Headband Holder

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603397651629/

Well, right off the bat, I knew I had a problem. The Quaker oatmeal canisters seem to be bigger than the Meijer brand cans.

So, I had an idea to use padding to make it thicker and make the headbands stay.

I bought this padding ages and ages ago because I was going to try to make a pillow..... LOL! Right. So it's been sitting in a plastic bin, waiting for another craft. The fabric is from JoAnn Fabrics. It was on sale for 99 cents. I wiped the inside of the canister out with a barely damp paper towel, then let it sit for a few days to make absolutely sure it was dry.

I used my "brand new" glue gun (got it for Christmas... finally used it) for the first time to glue the padding on. I just put a line of glue down the length of the canister every few inches. 

 And used the glue gun to horribly attach the fabric to the padding and canister.

I have a lot of hangers. And bra straps...

So I'm going to make another one... hopefully it'll look better. With the headbands around it, it doesn't look too bad. I put all of my bra straps in the canister so they're finally out of sight (I never use them anyway).

How I Organize My: Cookie Cutters

I actually put my cookie cutters in Ziploc baggies several months ago. Like... maybe even before I moved.

But here it is on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398451122/

My mom keeps hers in a plastic drawstring bag. All of them. She has some weird ones too. I think some came from her mom and grandma. She only ever uses the Christmas ones (and even then... the same 4 or 5 cutters). Will she ever give me her collection? Probably not until she is so old she can't make Christmas cookies anymore.

Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's Day... and then a shamrock, and the "tea party" Wilton set (tea cup, tea kettle, and a cupcake). I'm in a wedding and the bridal shower theme is a tea party... but I believe my idea of using the cutters to cut the sandwiches has been shut down.

The strays don't fit. :-\

Peanut Butter Milkshakes

Pinspiration: http://pinterest.com/pin/185210603398286783/

So weird that I'm writing about making milkshakes on a day that's cold and rainy.

I suppose this could be a dessert. But "healthy" means you can eat it whenever you want, right? It doesn't have to be a dessert. In fact, throw in some protein and you can make it a pre- or post-workout protein shake (which is what I did). I halved the original recipe.

Bananas (I actually used frozen, but used non-frozen for the picture), natural creamy peanut butter, honey, coconut milk, pure vanilla extract

Combine everything in the blender.

As you can see, I needed a lot more liquid.

I added a scoop of vanilla protein shake mix. I considered the chocolate, and regret not using it (next time!).

Protein mix in the blender.

 With a lot more coconut milk.

It was less frozen, more liquid, because I didn't use frozen bananas and I used a lot more coconut milk than the recipe called for.

Still delicious.

And too thick to eat with a straw.

Peanut Butter Milkshakes (vegan & gluten free) (modified)

1 banana (if you want to use a frozen banana, slice it before you freeze it)
1 1/2 T natural creamy peanut butter
1 T honey (I'm not vegan, but I know there is debate over whether or not honey is considered vegan. You can substitute another sweetener.)
1/4 c almond or coconut milk (regular milk can be used if you want - I didn't measure this, so this is approximate. Use more or less if you want.)
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
Optional: 1 scoop of protein mix (depending on the mix, you may lose the "vegan" and/or the "gluten free")

Combine everything in a blender. Add more almond or coconut milk if needed.

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Review:

As I mentioned already... delicious!