Allrecipes.com Reviews

I don't know if this is a rant so much as a "this is hilarious to me", but here we go.

I discovered AllRecipes.com when I married Caleb.  It's something he used a lot, so I started to use it a little bit, too.  I've found some really good recipes on there.  But when I check out a recipe, I always read several of the reviews, to see what other people say about it.  Of course there are the people who just love it.  But so many people (most of them, actually) say they loved the recipe, but then they describe the 47 things they changed about it that made them love it so much.

I laugh at every single one of these.

This recipe is perfect, if you change everything about what the original person did.

Now, of course we all have our individual tastes, and I'm not suggesting that a teaspoon of salt really changes the quintessence of the dish, but when one substitutes potatoes for celery, omits the bouillon cubes in favor of a different route, doubles the spices, changes the main meat, and switches from rice to noodles, it's not really chicken rice soup anymore, is it?

Truthfully, many of the reviews are helpful.  I tried a White Chili from All Recipes last week, and the reviews gave me lots of good ideas.  For example, most people were saying it was too thin to technically be a chili, but that was good news to me, because I prefer soup.  And others said to double the spices, which I did, and I'm glad I did.  And I'd make my own changes, too, like half the onion, but at this point, I think it's time I write a new recipe, and just say that it's adapted from the original, instead of writing a new recipe as a review.

Love and Cayenne Pepper,
Leah Joy

Our Living Room

Today's late post is brought to you by our living room.  It's nowhere near where we'd like it to be, but I'm saving the kitchen for last because it's awesome, so you're stuck with our living room.  We didn't change the color yet, although we're eventually planning on Benjamin Moore's Medieval Times.

In this corner, we'd eventually like to put my piano.  Right now it lives at my parents's house, but both of my siblings have stopped taking lessons, so we'd like to move it here.  For now, it holds the Rock Band drum set, our CDs, a lamp, my guitar, a chair, and a computer Caleb is fixing.  Classy, I know.

On top of our fireplace is nearly every framed photo/artwork we own.  We haven't figured out yet where we  want to put them, so for now, they sit there.  And while the fireplace has been wiped off, it's still pretty gross looking.  I'd like to try stripping the paint from the stone, but if that doesn't work (or is way too difficult) we'll paint it the same off-white as the trim.

Next we have our TV atop our 6-cube shelf.  I believe we're getting a filing cabinet thing about the same size from Caleb's parents; that will replace the 6-cube shelf.  Next to it are our very stylish and organized cardboard boxes of cords, DVDs, and games.

Against the wall, you can see the 25-photo frame our friends gave us.  We're planning on hanging it above the couch, but it's pretty heavy so we need to use my dad's stud finder to hang it.  The couch and recliner were given to us by my wonderful uncle and aunt, and the coffee table used to be my parents.

The cool red afghan was made my Caleb's sister, Becca, and the blanket on the couch is the one my mom made for me for Christmas.

Here's a closer-up shot of the picture frame in case you were wondering what pictures we used.  You should know that frames like this intimidate me and overwhelm me, but I'd rather just get it up, even if it's not the pictures I really want, than have it sitting unused.  We had several 4x6 photos from a few of those deals where you can get 24 free.  The only problem is that we didn't have the right amount in the correct orientations, and we had nothing bigger or smaller.  So I improvised, created my own matting (by tearing up an old Atlas!), and doubled up in a few spots.  Plus, one of the pictures is actually part of the original frame.  :)  We liked it.

So that's our living room.  The office should be up next week.  It's really messy and bad, so we'll see if we can fix it up this week for you to see.

Love and Teleportation,

Leah Joy

101 Things Update - Feb 27

Sorry I'm late today; I haven't been pre-writing these like I usually do, and and that means late posts!

Here's what I finished this week:

3. Pizza braid.  

The Original:

My version:

I had to cut it open to see if it was done inside.

This was really yummy and beautiful, but also felt a bit wasteful.  I could get a lot more pizza if I just rolled it out and left it, instead of folding it up and braiding it.  However, we both really liked it, especially Caleb. :)

4. Make biscotti.  

The Original:

My Version:

I used this recipe, which has a picture of chocolate chip biscotti, but it's actually double chocolate chip biscotti.  And no, I didn't use all Fair Trade or Organic ingredients because I'm poor.  I had made this for an event we were having at our house over a two-day period.  This was going to be the treat for the 2nd day, but then no one could come that day, so instead, I brought it to my mom's birthday party, where it was well loved!

26. Lampshade!  

The Original:

My Version:

Many moons ago, I bought a ton of t-shirts at Salvation Army for a scarf project.  I still have some scraps, plus my sister has scraps from the rag rug she made for me, and that's what I used.  It took a long time, but I think it's worth it.  It's not really the right size for my lamp, but it'll work until I find a lamp it does fit.  And it's much cuter when the lamp isn't on. :)

45. Homemade soft pretzels.  

The Original:

My Version:

These are amazing, but eat them fresh.  The next day they weren't quite as good.  It's a rather involved process, but very very worth it.  Instead of making 8 giant ones as the recipe suggested, I split the dough further and made tiny and medium ones.  I think I got about 24 pretzels of varying sizes.  There was a little learning curve to shaping the pretzels (can you guess which pan I started with?) but even funny shaped ones taste delicious!  Here are the pretzels before I baked them:

Love and Salt,

Leah Joy

Earring Update - Feb 26

Feb 17 - These are some of the pop tab earrings I've made.  These are the oversized tabs that come on certain drinks.

Feb 18 - My friend Cara made me these.  I got to pick from a few options of words for the charm, and I chose "Inspire".

Feb 19 - These always get a laugh when I wear them.  One is a little tube of toothpaste; the other is the head of a toothbrush.  These came in as a donation while I was working at Salvation Army.  My boss thought they were too weird to sell, but she said I could have them if I wanted.  Duh.  :)

Feb 23 - My parents picked these out for me.  It's hard to tell in this picture, but there's a peace sign in every color of the rainbow (including indigo).

Feb 24 - I picked these out at Claire's during a 10 for $10 clearance event.  That's about it. :)

I'm really loving my new jewelry organization - and so far I have actually used it to stay tidy!  How about that?!

Love and Peace,
Leah Joy

The Monday Rant: Curtain Length

I have never been swayed by trends.  If I don't like what is "in", I don't wear it, buy it, use it, whatever.  If I do, well, the good news is I'll more likely be able to find exactly what I want.

Like stretch pants.  Why did we all wear those in elementary school?  I don't know, but I liked them, so I wore them.  And scrunchies.  And windbreakers.  And windbreaker pants.  And bandanna scarves.

But I never really got into the poofy vest phase.  Or the low rise jeans phase (pretty sure that one is still in).  Or ripped/distressed jeans.  Or belly shirts or belly button piercing.  Or those plastic/rubbery bracelets (Livestrong, etc.).  Or sweatpants with words on the butt.  Or Uggs.  Or tube tops.  Or peasant shirts.

Lately, my trend-radar has switched from fashion (haha, just kidding, I never really pay attention to that, except in hindsight or to make fun of it) to home fashion.  Now that we've been living here for about two months, I'm to the point where I'm starting to figure out how I want to decorate my home.  One of my big inner debates is window treatments.  I've already decided that I want curtains, at least in most rooms.  But then there are a thousand options just in that category!

I've never had to buy/make curtains before, so I've never thought about what styles I like or don't like, but suddenly I have a dozen windows begging for curtains!  And I have half as many very reasonable questions:

Long or short curtains?
Or even cafe style?
Curtain rod on outside of window, or tension rod inside window frame?
Tab curtains, rod-pocket curtains, grommet curtains, clip-and-ring curtains?
Sheer fabric or regular?
Thermal lining or affordable?

And the way my brain works, I need to see pictures to know what I want.  I got on Google images and Pinterest and did some searching for short curtains.  Try that and see how well it works for you.  There are very few images!  I even found a few websites ranting against the usage of short curtains in any situation.  Like the use of short curtains will mark you as a safe house for the Antichrist or something.

But let me tell you, under every single window in my house, there is either a heating vent, a cold air return, a sink, a couch, a table, a desk, or a towel rack.  I very quickly realized that long curtains are not an option for any window in my house.  They're simply not practical.  Besides, many of our windows have crown molding underneath them and I want that to show because it's so beautiful!

And so I want to know why people hate on short curtains so much!  I think they can look really great.  Even in that article, all the example pictures the author was bashing - I thought they looked great!  I mean, look at this:

You're telling me that's not cute or fashionable?

The bottom line is this: I don't give a flying fart in space about what is or is not fashionable.  I like what I like, and there's no sense in having something in my house that I don't like just because "they" tell me it's trendy.  Trends and fashion come and go.  And sure, my style can and will change, too, but I'd rather change my curtains because I want to, not because I feel pressured by the Pinterest gods.

Now I just have to learn how to sew, because I'm pretty sure I won't find the curtains I want anywhere.

Love and Paisley,
Leah Joy

Orange Slippers!

When making these slippers, I combined these two patterns to make my own.  So while the combination below is technically from my head, I can't take credit for it.  Also, the strap is my sister's creation.  She thinks it's no big deal, but I refuse to take credit for her adorable addition.

As I mentioned before, I made my slippers this way and thought they were perfect:

My sister loved them, too, and asked for the pattern.  She made her own pair, but added a strap.  After seeing that, I had to add a strap to my pair, too!

So cute!

Here's the pattern:

US Terminology

Worsted Weight Yarn

I used an H-8 hook.

Chain 2

Rd 1: 6sc in 1st chain.  Slip stitch to join

Rd 2: Increase in each stitch (2sc in each sc)

Rd 3: *Sc, 2sc (repeat from * around)

Rd 4: *Sc, Sc, 2sc (repeat from * around)

Rd 5: Sc around

Rd 6: Sc around

Rd 7: *Sc, Sc, Sc, 2sc (repeat from * around)

Rd 8-22: sc around 

Row 23: Sc 2tog, sc 21, sc 2 tog

Row 24: Turn, ch1, sc 22

Row 25-32: Turn, ch 1, sc across

Row 33: turn, chain 1, 2sc in first stitch, sc 20, 2sc in last stitch

Row 34: Turn, ch 1, sc acroos

Row 35: turn, chain 1, 2sc in first stitch, sc 22, 2 sc in last stitch

Row 36: Turn, ch 1, sc across

Row 37: Turn, ch 1, 2 sc in first stitch, sc 24, 2 sc in last stitch

Rows 38-40: Turn, chain 1, sc across

Finish off, leaving a tail. 

Turn the "heel" inside out and stitch up with tail.  (This way, the seam will be on the inside.)

Tie off and weave in ends.

Notes: I made this to fit my size 9 foot.  I made it a little tight on my foot to help it stay on.  My sister has a size 7 foot and hardly decreased the size of hers at all.  Rounds 8-22 are from your toe to where the top part of the slipper stops.  Rows 25-32 are the length from where the top part stops to where the heel starts to get taller.  Both of these sections are good places to decrease or increase rounds/rows.

These are my sisters instructions for a strap.  Depending on your foot you might want to make this bigger or smaller:

Ch 23

Row 1: Turn, Sc across (22)

Row 2: Turn, ch 1, sc across until 5 from end, ch 4, sc in last stitch of row

Row 3: Turn, ch 1, sc across (including the 4 chains)

Finish off and leave a tail.  Use the tail to attach strap to slipper.  Sew a button on the other side.

These are the hooks I use:

I like that they're color-coded, because that's the way my brain works.

I love my slippers and wear them around the house a lot.  I love that I can just toss them in the wash if they can get dirty.  And once I make my legwarmers, I won't need to wear socks on days I stay home.  (And I don't like to wear socks.)

Love and Bells,

Leah Joy

Valentine's Day

This year was our second Valentine's Day as a married couple.  We're not the kind of people who buy cards, flowers, and chocolates and make fancy reservations.  But we're not Valentine's Day haters, either.  We think it's as good an excuse as any to celebrate how much we love each other.  So, before I share what we did this year, I'd like to tell you about last year's fiasco.

About a week or so before Valentine's Day, I asked Caleb if he had made any plans.  He told me that he hadn't, and I said that was okay.  I don't expect anything big or grand.  So, a few days later at church, I had a fantastic idea.  Dick and Ruth, an older couple we love to spend time with, were free on Valentine's Day and I thought it would be so much fun to bring dinner over to their house and spend the evening together.  We can learn so much from them - and I know they love company!  I asked Ruth about it and she said she'd consult with her husband, but she was pretty sure he'd like the idea.  I ran over to Caleb announcing, "I have Valentine's Day plans for us!"  To which he replied, "Oh... I guess I can cancel mine."  

I was so confused!  I thought he hadn't made plans, but apparently I had just reminded him to do so.  He decided we could still do dinner with Dick and Ruth and he cancelled his plans.  Amusingly enough, they had to call and cancel the day before because of a doctor's visit, but we were unable to uncancel Caleb's original plan.  I ended up making Caleb blueberry waffles for dinner in an attempt to make it up and we eventually had our dinner with Dick and Ruth, but it was certainly a lesson in communication.

This year, I asked Caleb if he wanted to make plans, and, as he's looking for a second job and working hard at his other job, he said I could make plans.  I decided on something very simple: homemade pizza and smoothies for dinner over a movie at home.  I planned it all out for Thursday night.  On Tuesday, Caleb had a meeting about a potential new job and came home to tell me that he had another meeting on Thursday night!  I had to reschedule for Saturday (since we had some plans for Friday early afternoon and I didn't know how long they'd take).  Then we had a phone call on Wednesday telling us about something going on for Saturday - so I'd have to make it work Friday evening or not until next week!

Well, in the end I made it work on Friday.  We had strawberry-blueberry-pomegranate smoothies and this pizza:

(Half regular pepperoni for me and half turkey pepperoni for Caleb [regular gives him heartburn].)

And Caleb picked out the movie "Love Actually" which we enjoyed but might not recommend.

All in all, though it wasn't what I originally planned, it was a lovely evening.

What did you do for Valentine's Day?  Do you have any plans-gone-awry stories to share?

Love and Pizza,

Leah Joy