Heart Picture Frame

I decorated a picture frame for one of my friends for a Christmas gift this year. I thought I would take pictures as I went to show you how I did it.

Enjoy

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First I started out with a wooden frame and some colors I thought I might use.

Then I gave the frame two coats of white front and back.

Then I got a mustard yellow and put random blotches on the frame and let it dry.

Then I took a light blue and painted the outsides.

I got some sandpaper and sanded some of the paint off.

Then I took some grey paint and randomly added that on. Then sanded it some more to give it a weathered look.

I wanted to add something to the frame and decided on beads. I ended up not using these blue ones but just a clear circular bead.

The problem was attaching the beads, so I had Matty help me out by cutting to deep notches in the wood, one per side of the corner to keep the wire in place.

I held it really tightly, while he took two crimp beads and finished it off.

I thought it still needed something, so I cut out cardboard squares and painted the tops white. Then took the blue and grey paint and mixed them until I got the color I liked and then painted letters on them.

Then I glued them on.

And there it is...

Chicken Scaloppine~Kale Chips~Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Cooking is fun. Especially with friends and certainly if it turns out and tastes good(: Last week, Emily and I were able to get together and cook a recipe foreign to both of us; chicken scaloppine. It took up a good chunk of time, but now we know how to do it, I think it will be easier and faster next time around. Here are some pictures of our kitchen adventure. You can see a few more here too! I had to leave before the meal was actually done. However, the next night I made this meal again and took pictures starting were I had left off so you can see the whole process. We also made kale chips, which were very easy and yummy. I loved this meal and will be making it again!

Enjoy

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preparing kale 

Fresh out of the oven and ready to eat!

Kale Chips

Recipe type: snack, chip

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  20 mins

Total time:  30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of kale (I used the curly kind)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Wash kale, remove the inner rib or stem, and tear into chip-size pieces. Make the pieces a little larger than you want the chips because they will shrink.
3. The kale must be thoroughly dried. I ran it through a salad spinner, laid it out on paper towels for 5 minutes, and then ran it through the spinner once more.
4. Put the kale pieces in a gallon plastic baggie and add the olive oil. “Massage” the kale to ensure that each piece has a coating of oil.
5. Arrange the kale in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or you can place them right on the sheet). You may need a to use more than one sheet or bake in batches.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt. Use a bit less than you think you need because the kale shrinks and the salt intensifies.
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the kale is crisp and slightly browned.
8. Enjoy!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Total Time:

50 min

Prep

10 min

Cook

40 min

Yield:

6 servings

Level:

Easy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Chicken Scaloppine

olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 cup dry white wine
4 thin lemon slices
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Wondra flour ( you can just use normal flour)
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 chicken breasts (tenderloins removed), pounded 1/2-inch thin
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
(I added angel hair pasta to this meal, which I think made it complete)

Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan set over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until fragrant but not brown, about 3 minutes. Pour in wine. Add lemon slices. Raise heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour in stock and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Off from heat, stir in butter until emulsified.

Meanwhile, season flour with salt and pepper. Dust chicken with flour.

Warm a thin layer of oil in a nonstick skillet set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through and no longer pink. Plate chicken and spoon over with sauce and lemon slices. Garnish with parsley.

*I multiplied this recipe five times and only used two cups of wine, making up the difference with more chicken broth.