Turkey Slammers

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but we all know that they turkey and other remaining leftovers have not. Currently I am still working on a chocolate pie, which is being consumed for every meal, including breakfast. (I'm in college, I feel like it is more than appropriate to eat pie for breakfast.) My family decided to part ways after the big meal, leaving me to baby horse-sit for the rest of the break all alone, with an intimidating load of leftovers pouring from the refrigerator.  I'm not very big on leftovers though, so I came up with a solution, which I call "Turkey Slammers."

I do have to say, they turned out rather delicious, and my favorite part: They were simple!

Ingredients:

Large biscuits (packaged, not cooked)

Leftover turkey (or ham)

Leftover dressing/stuffing

Ranch dressing

Step 1: Preheat the oven to the specifications on the biscuit package, which is probably around 375°

Step 2: Perhaps the trickiest part, cut the raw biscuits in half, laying them out flat. they should somewhat resemble a butterfly... Or something. (I apologize for the dim lighting in my parents' kitchen.)

Step 3: Tear up some of that turkey! I shredded mine into fairly thin pieces, stacking them alongside each other. 

Step 4: Add some dressing or stuffing, whatever you call it. I found it was best to reach in the bowl with your hand, roll some up in a small ball, and push it on top of the turkey. With the other hand, fold the biscuit back into normal shape, pressing the dough to itself on some of the edges, making a kind-of pocket. (You can see below the mess the dressing will make if you do not ball it up.)

Step 5: Pop them in the oven! Follow the specification on the biscuit package, but know that you will need to add time so that the dough on the inside cooks thoroughly. I cooked mine for about 20 minutes.

I know it seems like the turkey would be dry after baking it again, but it really allows the flavors to blend, and the smell is unbelievable. If your turkey is already dry to begin with, soak some strips in water for thirty minutes to an hour before, to give them some more moisture. When your Turkey Slammers are done cooking, just add ranch! And don't burn your fingers on the baking sheet like I did, it was rather painful. 

Enjoy your leftover masterpiece!

Tot Toss Up

I am so excited that the holidays are coming fast.... In case you were unaware though, for a college student, this spells O-V-E-R-L-O-A-D. Final papers and presentations, not to mention exams. As much as I love food, sometimes I get so caught up in homework, that I forget to eat. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I have busted out my series of quick (and warm!) study time creations.

I know the picture isn't the best, but I snapped it in a frenzy before I ate all of them! I just had to share this with the world. K turned his nose up to the idea, but after seeing it, he cannot wait to try! I simply call it a "Tot Toss Up." 

The process is easy:

1. Cook tater tots according to the package. (I bake mine, since I don't have a fryer.)

2. Once the tots are cooked, pile them up on a piece of tin foil, placing it on a baking sheet.

3. Tear up a few slices of American cheese, covering all of the tots. I like to stick a few pieces in between layers of tots, for an even cheesier effect.

4. Add some shreds of ham to the pile, as much as you want.

5. Bake the toss up for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese is melted enough. (There should be tiny bubbles in it.)

6. Carefully pick up the tin foil, and dump the tot mess into a bowl.

7. For a final touch, I like to dash some seasoning on top. My all time favorite is the little packets of "Serendipity" from Chicken Express. I know they sell larger bottles of it, but the little packets are great for measuring single use seasoning! 

Enjoy! 

Creation Station Organization

If I haven't told you yet, I love jewelry. Actually, that is probably an understatement. I make and buy jewelry on what seems to be a weekly basis. If I had more money to spend, I have no doubt my jewelry collection would cover every wall I have. Seeing as I don't have a job though, it only takes up one portion of a wall. This is what I call my "Creation Station." Often I start my day off by choosing jewelry, then clothes to match.

 These pictures only represent a small portion of the Creation Station, and half of my jewelry is in another drawer. You can see how the hooks are overloaded, and the pockets overflowing. So I have decided to start organizing things, despite my limited space.

Being a country girl, I love big, rustic, and Western jewelry. Naturally, my collection includes many bangles. However, these do not fit well in pre-made jewelry organizers such as the one above. So that they are easier to access,  I decided that one of those bracelet stands that you always see at the stores would be the perfect solution. It turns out that they are kind of pricey though, so of course this became a DIY project.

I guess I could have gone to the hardware store, bought some PVC pipe, and actually spent money on this project. That would be nonsense though, when I had these materials laying around already.

Materials:
Paper towel tube (1)
Toilet paper tube (1)
Paper of choice
Scissors
Tape

Step 1: Cut the toilet paper tube to fit the paper towel tube. I just guesstimated the size of the semi-circles to cut out from each side, then took off more until it fit properly. I also took about an inch and a half off the bottom of the toilet paper tube, so that my stand more closely resembled those you see in stores.

Step 2: Cut paper to fit both pieces, taping it into place. (You could glue it, but tape is faster!) I like double-sided tape, because it is more attractive.

Step 3: Center the long tube on the short one, taping it into place.

Step 4: I thought my stand looked a little dull, so I made a quick little paper bow to add to the center for embellishment. Feel free to get creative!

Step 5: Add your bracelets! Wasn't that easy?

Now you have a cute way to display your bangles, and it cost nothing! Of course, this didn't hold even a fraction of my bracelets, but nonetheless at least I can navigate through my most popular bangles now. I hope this was helpful!

Pizza Burrito

Who doesn't love pizza? I love it at all times of the year, which I guess is pretty typical for a college student. I also love it in all forms though, not just out of the box. I will make pizza on virtually anything: bread, bagels, tortillas, crackers... My most recent addiction though is what I like to call a "Pizza Burrito." Now I'm sure I'm not the first person to create this, but I just love how simple it is, and how I feel less guilty than I would if I went and ordered an entire pizza. Here's a picture of what it looks like out of the microwave:

It looks simple, because it is. I made this one on a particular day that I was running low on groceries.

Ingredients:
Large Wrap (I like Jalapeno Cheddar or Sundried Tomato & Basil)
Pizza Sauce
Cheese (shredded or sliced)
Pepperoni
Other toppings as desired

First, heat the wrap up for ten seconds. This ensures that your wrap is pliable, and won't break when you roll it up. Then, spread pizza sauce down the center of the wrap. I'm not big on sauce, but you can put as much or as little as you'd like. I then break a piece of American cheese in half, placing it over the sauce. (K prefers shredded cheese.) I then add pepperoni. Lots of it, because it is my favorite part. If I had bell peppers and onions, I would have diced those up and sprinkled them on top too. Finally, I placed my wrap in the microwave for forty-five seconds, adding time if the ingredients still feel cold. Once it's warm, simply roll it up like a burrito!

Enjoy!

Bobby Pins & Hairspray...

It's cold. It's windy. But nonetheless, I venture forth to class, to wood and metal shop, and to run errands and try to find a job. With the wind whipping incessantly, and the first freeze warning for this weekend, there is no way I'm leaving my hair down. Talk about a tangled mess! So instead, I go for the out of the face, glued to my head updo that can withstand any weather. However, I try to avoid the plain-Jane ponytail, and use some creativity to make new updos weekly. Here is this week's creation:

I realize the picture isn't the greatest, but I am not practiced in the art of taking pictures of myself, like everyone else. You can still get the gist of it though. I LOVE big hair, so I teased the top up, bobby pinning it into place, but allowing my bangs and some long strands on each side to hang free. I then took the back section of my hair and ponytailed it, since it is still not quiet long enough for a clip to hold securely. I then took the ponytail, twisted it a few times, and used a medium clip to clip it in place. I then took the remainder of the sides, teased them for some volume, and bobby pinned them into the clip section. The final step is always the most important... Hairspray, baby, hairspray! I know I am probably contributing to global warming with my O-Zone harming aerosol, but my saying is "You are only as strong as the hold of your hairspray, so go big, or go home."

Bobby pins ans hair spray are undoubtedly some of my best friends!

Get Well Soon!

Well, November is upon us, which means the cold weather is as well. So I dug out my cozy layers of clothing, extra fleece blankets for my bed, and I am about to go buy some hot chocolate. Apart from these few things, I really would just prefer for it to stay sumer year round, with the blazing heat and all. I would rather be melting on the average 102° day, rather than have to trudge through the torrential winds I saw earlier today while walking to class. Enough about me though. Poor K has been sick, probably because of the back and forth weather changes that come with November. So to cheer him up, not only did I bake him cookies, but I also made him a little card.

Yes, it was corny. But K has come to love my cheesy gestures, so it made him smile. Maybe not as much as the cookies, but he did keep it to put in "The Box." The Box is a large shoe box that he stashes all of our memories in... Mind you, that is A LOT, considering I write him notes all the time, in addition to making him something every month we are together, and all of the little tid-bits like this. I just love making homemade cards, and this has no representation of what I am capable of. I look forward to showing you more cards in the near future, as the holiday season is also upon us. 

Happy Halloween!

Being the festive person I am, I try to celebrate every holiday with baking and crafts. So in lieu of Halloween, I spent time between my classes celebrating!

I began by turning a toilet paper tubes into pumpkins. It is very simple, and only takes a few minutes.

Materials:

• Toilet paper tube
• Orange and green construction paper
• Brown packing paper
• Scissors
• Tape 

First, measure your toilet paper tube, cutting a piece of orange paper to the appropriate size. Wrap it around the tube, taping on both ends. Then, cut eight strips of orange construction paper, each about eight inches long and one inch wide. Simply tape these to the inside of the tube on each end. 

Continue doing this, until you have a sphere like object. 

 Then take some brown packing paper (or any brown paper,) and roll a small section of it. This will serve as the stem. Cut two leaves from the green paper, and tape them to the stem. Just tape the bottom of the stem to the inside of the tube, and poof! Instant pumpkin. My roommate told me I should teach Kindergarten rather than high school, since I come up with little crafts on a weekly basis.

Since K has not been feeling well, I decided to bake him some cookies. I intended to make half a batch of my Double Chocolate chip cookies, but accidentally made too much batter. So with five dozen cookies lining my kitchen counter... I decided to get creative and do my neighbors a favor.

I simply took the leftover materials from the pumpkin project, and made a bunch of little greeting pumpkins

When they were completed, I bagged individual cookies, twisted the top, and stapled a pumpkin to each one. 

They were an instant success. Needless to say, everyone was begging for more. This is why I am a firm believer that Halloween should be about all types of treats, not just pre-packaged candy, but homemade gifts and crafts like these. 

Happy trick-or-treating everyone! 

Welcome!

Howdy everyone! I am so excited about having finally created this blog. (I can cross it off my bucket list!) I am new at this, but I love a good, fun challenge. It's Homecoming Week here at school, in addition to mid-terms, so it looks like my first real posts may not come until next week.

Just a little background on the name of my blog...
"JK" does not stand for "Just Kidding." My best friend and love of my life (whom I'll refer to as "K") actually created a brand for our future horse and livestock ranch with our initials. It was a very sweet gift. Nonetheless, I incessantly doodle the JK brand on everything in sight. I appreciate that JK usually stands for something so lighthearted and fun; it fits mine and K's relationship well.

Anyways, enough of the mushy gushy for now. I look forward to posting something useful soon. (My sweet tooth is begging for an excuse to bake something delicious!) Have a great week everyone!