From old to new

Posted on June 24, 2012 by ElloMinnowPea

For those that have seen me about a year ago and nowadays I’ve [hopefully] visually have lost weight. Well, I have. I’ve lost enough to drop down a few dress sizes. Yippee, right? Right… but it also means I’ve had to spend more than wanted on new clothes multiple times to keep up with the loss.

I still have quite a few shirts I totally love, but engulf me, and after perusing Pinterest, got a few ideas to make what was old new again.

First up I made some shirts into workout tanks. Living in the Lone Star state, it is insanely hot a majority of the year [the high tomorrow is triple digits]. Now with my newly redone shirts I can shout to them in neon animal print that I’ve been to South Padre. They’ll be elated I’m sure. Especially since I have awesome matching neon Snoopy socks because who better to be on your run with you than Snoopy? No one, that’s who.

Another shirt I had I still wanted to be able to wear casually throughout the day without looking like I perpetually workout in running shorts, a tank, and an awesome messy ponytail complete with headband. I followed this tutorial and ended up with this. Not completely perfect, but I was afraid of making it tighter that it wouldn’t fit [previous bigger girl problem]. I still love it though, and plan to wear it with pride.

So follow those links and make some shirts new again. I promise if I am able to succeed and not completely maim my shirts, couches and animals, you won’t either!

I’ve broken in to the pickle making business

Posted on June 23, 2012 by ElloMinnowPea

Okay, maybe not.Maybethis is my first batch of pickles ever, but I count that as a success for the plain and simple fact that I’ve kept these plants growing and alive, and they’ve grown what and how they are supposed to. Poor Mrs. Angie, she’s been having to put up with my countless nonsensical questions about cucumbers, growing, picking and pickling since day one. She’s answered every question in stride, even if they sounded completely inappropriate. She gave me her recipe for her pickles, and I know they’re going to be tasty, because well, she made like eleventy billion jars just this past month of her own pickles. She also made them last year too, so this ain’t her first time around a pickle.

I filled the jars without a problem, because well, filling jars isn’t that bog of a deal. Next was the hard part.

I had to seal my jars. I had NEVER done such a thing, and honestly, had no idea what I was doing. Problem number one: I didn’t have a pot big enough that would, when filled, cover over the jars. Solution? Buy a bigger pot. It wasn’t just any pot, it was a crawfish/turkey frying pot. It’ll be used for other things, no worries. Problem number two: I didn’t really know how the whole sealing process was going to work. I had my jars in the pot of water, that never actually came to a rolling boil because there was too much water. I also didn’t really have it figured out how I was going to put these jars in and take them out of the boiling hot water. I had tongs, but they ended up not working out. Solution: Silicone oven gloves. They’re waterproof and can handle the heat. Checkmate.

I wasn’t sure about the whole “popping” thing a jar does when it seals. Was it going to be obvious? Was it going to be quick? Was it going to sound like a pistol just went off in my house? I had no idea. I also had no idea [and not all the faith in myself] that I would successfully get the jars to seal. Then what? I had pulled the jars out of the pot, and only NONE had sealed. That’s right none. I thought I had completely ruined my first ever batch of pickles. Travesty.

Mrs. Ang told me to be patient though [me, patient? HA] So I put them in a dark place as directed, and hoped for the best. I checked and rechecked them. One had sealed. The other two still hadn’t by the time I went to bed. But like a kid on Christmas day I bounded from my bed the next morning and the other two had FINALLY SEALED!!! All three are now sealed and pickling. When I realized it was going to take a minimum of a month to pickle though, I thought I would die. So here I wait, the next pickle genius, and I don’t even get to taste my awesomeness for another 4 weeks. Sad times.

I’d only picked what I thought would be considered a few. A few. Turns out, I picked enough for three, and have at least another 2-3 coming up in the next few weeks. Pickle season… here I come 🙂

Bacon

Posted on June 8, 2012 by ElloMinnowPea

I may lose some of you over this, but I feel like it has to be said. People have taken bacon too far. That’s right, TOO FAR. Bacon has become the “popular kid” that people have rallied around. They mention it in the hopes of becoming cool themselves. The same goes for the moustache, but that’s on another day.

Bacon has gotten ridiculous. There’s bacon candles, bacon perfume, and bacon roses. Let’s be honest, if you’re trying to be sweet and romantic, and what that special someone really wants bacon, wasting time to roll it in a rose or heart is just unnecessary. They’ll die of a heart attack mid-bouqet anyways. Not to mention the constant push to outdo another with a bacon recipe. First it was the meat ship

Now there’s bacon turtles

Bacon cinnamon rolls

And bacon corn

Bacon toothpaste? Really, society?

Are we still curious as to why we’re the world’s fattest country? It reminds me of the craze that is the annual Texas State Fair. With the fair though it isn’t all about bacon, but instead, all about fried EVERYTHING. There’s a contest every year, really, about the best and most unusual fried things. We’ve had fried coke, fried snickers and twinkies, fried butter, fried beer, well here’s a good list of things:

2005 Most Creative Viva Las Vegas Fried Ice Cream

2005 Best Taste Fried PB, Jelly and Banana Sandwich

2006 Most Creative Fried Coke

2006 Best Taste Fried Praline Perfection

2007 Most Creative Deep Fried Latte 2007 Best Taste Texas Fried Cookie Dough

2008 Most Creative Fried Banana Split

2008 Best Taste Chicken Fried Bacon <—– Again with the bacon?

2009 Most Creative Deep Fried Butter

2009 Best Taste Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches & Cream

2010 Most Creative Fried Beer™

2010 Best Taste Texas Fried FRITOS® Pie

2011 Most Creative Fried Bubblegum

2011 Best Taste Buffalo Chicken in a Flapjack

Fried things and bacon things MUST.STOP.NOW. The oversaturation of fried things and bacon’s rise in popularity has actually negatively affected my love for them, so for that I thank you. I would really *really* love to stop seeing bacon everywhere though. There’s no need for it to be in the periodic table [I must say though, for the most part I’m just jealous I can’t spell my name, but my point is still valid] and there is especially no reason for it in suit form. Please, let go of the bacon, you’ll still be part of the cool kids club, and we’ll allow you to sit at our table during lunch.