Makeover Stand Mixer

A few years ago when my grandmother passed I was handed down her 70's era Sunbeam stand mixer.  I've had it in a box in storage forever because we haven't had the counter space and, quite frankly, the color is just so un-appealing.  So what does that mean?  I decided to do a bit of research on painting an appliance, and wa-lah a much prettier (and PINK) mixer.  See pictures below.

Creamy BEFORE Picture

My original inspiration was the BRIGHT pink (aka Raspberry Ice) KitchenAid Mixer.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this mixer and wouldn't mind owning one some day, but right now this has to do, since I can't justify spending the money on it, especially when I have one that works perfectly fine.

The Process

DURING

Before I started painted, I taped up the silver knobs and pieces, and also stuck tape in the vent holes to be sure it didn't damage the fan or power parts.  Then, I did a light sanding on the mixer to help the primer and paint stick, then followed it by a coat of spray primer.  Once that dried, I did two layers of the pink paint, then finally covered with a clear coat to help it withstand everyday messes in the kitchen.  Since I was busy, I let it go a day or 5 in between coats, so it had PLENTY of time to dry.  Though the paint can said it only needed 30 minutes to dry between coats.  

Finished Product
As you can see it's not quite the same color, but I didn't have many colors to choose from.  Also, since I did only pink and a little bit of white, I may add a decal to it to give it a little "something," ya know?

Pretty in Pink!

Up close and personal.  Isn't it pretty?

Products used: 

Homemade Mushroom Risotto

When I found this recipe, I knew I'd have to try it. If its one thing I LOVE is mushrooms. I will put them on anything and everything. Love. Love. Love.

Mushroom Risotto
Serves 6-8 as a side dish, or 4 as main dish

Ingredients
6 cup chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
1 clove garlic, minced
12-16 oz fresh mushrooms
3 tablespoon chopped chives
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.  Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 6-8 minutes Remove mushrooms and set aside.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the large saucepan, and stir in the garlic -if you're like me, you will add tons extra 'cuz it's amazing. Cook 1-2 minutes.  Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 35-40 minutes. If this is not done slowly the creamy texture of the risotto will not be right.  Once all of the broth is absorbed, remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, chives, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.

Side Note
The original recipe also called for 3 tablespoons butter, however I haven't added it to my version and love the taste. Anything I can do to make it healthier I do. I also added quite a bit more garlic than the recipe called for and nearly doubled the mushrooms to make it with fewer carbs per serving.

Source: Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Guess Where We Went....

Guess where we went for the day............

"The Biggest Free Party in the World"

 MARDI GRAS in New Orleans!!!  

Okay, so it was a month ago, but I keep forgetting to post pictures.

We went for just one day and night, since it's about an 8 hour drive from Nashville.  We left our house about 4 am on Saturday morning, and spent all day and night in New Orleans.  We went to a couple different parades, and got MASSIVE amounts of beads during them.  We actually weighed them when we got home and between my husband and I, we ended up with almost 20 lbs of beads.  TWENTY!  That is crazy!!

Halfway through the first parade....we more than doubled the beads after this.

Other than the parades, we walked throughout the French Quarter to see and taste part of the city.  We were told we had to try a beignet, a po boy sandwich, a muffuletta sandwich and a king cake.  Well, we tried all but the king cake.

We went to Cafe du Monde for one (or two) of the BEST beignet's.  Ever.  No need to go anywhere else for one.  Those were sooo yummy, gooey, delicious and powdery!  I don't have a picture since our hands were tied up with all the powdered sugar.

Josh got a Muffeletta at Central Bakery Co, the home of the original muffeletta.  Now, I'm not a fan of olives, but it tasted pretty good, and looked even better!!

I can't remember the name of the place I got the po boy sandwich, but unfortunately it wasn't that impressive.  I guess that's my fault though since I got turkey/cheese instead of something meaty/hearty.

Homemade Wheat Tortillas

My husband and I have tried to cut out purchasing pre-made groceries as much as possible.  Two reasons -- so we know what's in our food, and its much much cheaper to make/bake than to purchase things at the grocery store.

So this has lead to another homemade product: Wheat Tortillas.

Now, we've tried NUMEROUS recipes and most of the whole wheat ones came out really tough, but this recipe is PERFECT, in my opinion --- few ingredients, only 67 calories per tortilla, and pretty easy to make. This also goes great with my homemade taco seasoning.

Beef with taco seasoning, sharp cheddar, spinach, salsa and little bit of sour cream.  Perfecto!

Whole Wheat Tortillas
Ingredients:
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Directions:
Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in large bowl.  Pour boiling water over mixture and mix thoroughly.  Knead with a dough hook for 2 minutes.  This will help the gluten in the flour to develop properly and absorb the water.  Shape into 24 balls and let rest for 20 minutes.  Heat a cast-iron or non-stick pan on medium-high heat.  Roll out balls on an unfloured, ungreased countertop.  Roll as thin as you can and streth the dough when you pit it up to place on your pan.  Cook on both sides.

Storage:
Store hot tortillas in storage container.  I use a paper towel on the bottom of the container so the tortilla at the bottom doesn't get soggy.  The trapped steam will keep the tortillas soft.  You can also freeze them once the container is cool, however ours never last long enough to need to freeze them.