Checkerboard of days

Rain and sunshine, and rain again—

Calendar page of checkerboard days…

This timeless pattern have had inspired many creative minds. I'm one of the them and this time I'm using it to re-design an old pair of jean pants that are neither full length nor capri any longer for my daughter.

As my previous clothing re-desing post, this technique does not require a sewing machine. Tools you will need are scissors and needle. And measuring tape, of course.

1. Cut the bell bottoms off

2. Fold the edges measuring 2˝ heigh

3. Cut half way up—1˝—every 3/4˝

4. Unfold the edges.

5. Cut the bottoms into strips measuring 3/4˝ in width

6. String the strips through in a checkerboard pattern

7. Stitch every other 'checker' to secure the stripes in place. I did it by hand using back stitch

8. Wear as capris

…or shorts

The Bleach Experiment

A while ago I wrote about a newly discovered technique to renew clothes using bleach. I transformed a simple monotone jersey shirt into a vibrant tie-dye (in that case tie-bleach) garment.

This time I decided to repeat the experiment and I'll tell you why. I took my girls shopping for clothes the other day. I have to admit we rarely do that, but I really had a good time connecting with my daughters through chatting about their school and other silly subjects.

But purchase-wise, the trip was stressful. Despite the array of colorful outfits out there, I couldn't help but notice how overpriced kids clothes are while cheaply made. They even sell shorts that look like cut offs! Come on!

And it seems like distressed clothes trend is in now. So don't stress, distress the clothes at home.

This time I'm sharing this easy yet creative technique to turn an old black dress—this was my older daughter dress before, now she can wear as a top—into antiqued striped top. You don't have to use same diagonal direction that I have, it is totally up to your imagination.

Be careful using bleach though. Use gloves, protective goggles and cover the surface with painter's plastic or tarp. And make sure the room is WELL VENTILATED, i.e. open the windows if you're working indoors. Luckily the weather permits to do so now :)

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You will need:

1 cup bleach

2 cups warm water

Spray bottle

Masking tape

Tarp (painter's plastic)

Cotton jersey dress/top

Fabric flower (I used the decorative daisy)—optional

Mix 2 parts water (2 cups)+1 part bleach (1 cup) in a spray bottle.

Line the surface with protective plastic (tarp). Tape a pattern of your choice on a dress with masking tape.

Spray the bleach solution on the dress. Let sit for 10 minutes or until changed to desired color.

Repeat with the back.

Air dry the dress. I ended up cutting off the bottom to make it more suitable as a top and because I didn't like the way the bleached pattern turned out on that part of the dress, but it's all up to you.

Wash in regular cycle, attach the flower (if using) and strike a pose!

I have more clothes I'm currently distressing—stress free!—so stay tuned…

Haliva—Circassian Pierogies

Strolling through the frozen isle in my supermarket, looking for ideas for my last Meltdown for March, hoping that the weather will melt down soon, too I came across pierogies. Right next to Polish pockets full of yummy I saw Chinese dim sum and egg rolls, Italian ravioli and even Turkish borek. Then I spotted Mexican empanadas, looking so sad with a frown next to frozen empanada dough disks. It dawned on me that there is variant unleavened dough wrapped around stuffing creations, fried or boiled, in almost any cuisine. I remembered our own—haliva. Whether fried or boiled—psi haliva, or with different stuffing—cheese, potatoes, meat—they are always a special treat!
I have heard that nowadays many cooks use frozen dough to make these hot pockets (oh, boy! now the jingle from the commercial ad for “Hot Pockets” is stuck in my head) and I agree that it is quite convenient. So why not make your own and freeze them?

Unleavened dough is very easy to make. All you need is water, egg, pinch of salt and flour. To be exact:

1 cup of warm water (102° F)

1 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

3 ½ + cups all purpose flour (you can use white or whole wheat)

1. Put salt in the water, add egg and mix it all until well combined;
2. On a clean dry surface pile up the flour, make a well and slowly pour water+egg mixture with one hand, starting the dough with the other;
3. Knead the dough until semi-soft and smooth, cover and let rest for about half an hour for gluten to set.

Roll the dough in batches to 1/8˝ thick and cut out circles 5 ½˝ in diameter—I used a top of a small sauce pan.

This recipe yields about 50 disks 5 ½˝ in diameter. You can make these shapes smaller or bigger, depending on how you are going to use them. We like bigger size for fried halivas. Layer parchment paper in-between the disks or flour them generously and freeze them up to one month in a zip lock bag, 10 per each package. When needed, thaw the disks at room temperature for about one hour in the bag.

Unleavened dough is very versatile. You can stuff it and fry, boil or bake. You can make ravioli, tortellini, pierories, pelmenis, empanadas, dim sum, egg rolls, manti, borek, haliva and you can even layer it to make a lasagne dish! Not to mention it makes yummy unleavened bread.

Since this time of the year for unleavened breads and vegetarian diet, I decided to make cheese haliva this time. I made my own milk cheese.

I might sound intimidating to make home made cheese, but I can assure you it is not scary at all! All you need is a gallon of milk, a cup of white distilled vinegar, and some seasoning, if you desire.

This is what you do: bring a gallon of milk to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir constantly to prevent scorching. When milk starts to foam, turn off heat and add vinegar. Let it curd for 8 to 10 minutes, add seasoning—I used 1 teaspoon of ground savory and 1 teaspoon of salt. Line a colander with cheesecloth and pour the cheese through. You can collect the whey to use it in other dough recipes or to drink—it is quite thirst quenching—by putting a large bowl under the colander. Let the whey cool and then transfer it to a jar with lid and refrigerate. What is left in colander is your homemade cheese for haliva. Set it aside as you prepare your dough.

To assemble halivas, put one tablespoon of cheese on the disk, brush the edges with water using your finger or pastry brush, turn it and pinch sides with fork. I make large pinches because I like the crunchy edge. You can also use the dough wheel but I do not have one so fork works for me.

In a large skillet, heat ½ cup of vegetable oil—any light frying oil that does not burn, I used corn oil—and fry 3-4 haliva at a time. 2 minutes on each side. Do not let it brown; the color should be gold or orange.
Transfer the pockets onto a platter lined with paper towel to soak up the excess oil. Serve with hot tea, yogurt drink, or that whey that you have collected while making cheese.

Enjoy!

{Note} If you don't like cheese you can substitute it with mashed potatoes. I know I will have to make potato version, too, just for Maya—my meat and potatoes girl!

Spring Cleaning or Cleaning Out Your Wallet?

When I first bought my swiffer mop, it was a love at first application! What is not to love—it is always ready when you are. This sort of a commitment any mother can appreciate. What else is there standing by ready to be used as soon as need arrives? No fuss, no mess, nothing but squeaky-clean floors!

Few years later, when I had my last child I thought of reconsidering this magic wand. You see, being the youngest out of three siblings my baby son literary grew up on the floor. While I was tending my choirs around the house he would keep himself busy with toys on the floor and thus secure from any falls—you can’t fall lower then the floor. It was the safest place. Or was it?

Ever mobile crawling baby would venture far beyond his place mat and explore the housescape around him. Sometimes he would come across little flecks of food that he would vacuum adamantly, other times he would encounter even smaller specks that he wouldn’t even aware of—the chemicals, which he’d slobber up with an ever curious mouth of his.

Yes, the chemicals that were left by my wonderful loyal helper. I had to stop using the solution at once. I still had some pads left that I was trying to use dry or with a home made all purpose cleaning solution, a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and water and few drops of essential oils. It seemed I had a perfect solution!

However, being a mom I learned to be conscious about my budget. Moping floors with disposable pads seemed as ludicrous as cleaning with dollar bills. Another lesson taught by motherhood is a respect for environment. The three RRR—reuse, reduce, recycle—and my own interpretation—regard, respect, responsibility—had been my mantra for the past 5 years. I could not buy these pads any longer. Plus, for the same reasons I stopped using paper towels, replacing them with cloth rags and microfiber clothe, both machine washable, for dusting and cleaning surfaces.

And there I was with a useless carcass of a swiffer mop in a utility closet and messy floors around. There is no substitute for getting down on your knees to clean the floors, not even other mops out there, which scared me tremendously because of anti propaganda of bacteria that it carries, but who's got time to mop this way every day? I had to find something that would be easy to use, ready any time and reusable.

One day, I was shopping on etsy.com and came across these wonderful replacement covers and it clicked!

Now I am going to make my own by cutting up old jersey t-shirts into strips and using it as yarn to crochet the cover. You can also use machine washable microfiber cloths; just sew the edges so it can easily slip onto your mop.

As I mentioned earlier, you can make your own all-purpose cleaning solution. Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar, say 1 cup to 1 cup and add 20 drops of your favorite essential oil. I like eucalyptus for its smell but sometimes use lavender. A small bottle lasts pretty long, too.

Easy to make, easy to use, easy for your wallet and easy on the environment!

Give your pillow a second chance!

I have a confession to make—I'm a worst consumer ever! I just don't like spending money. Not because I'm cheap, but because it peeves me that I have to spend money on something I can make myself. Something like decorative throw pillows for example.

Every now and again, I am faced a dilemma: to buy or not to buy. When in comes to bed pillows, however, I do buy. Although I know that technically I would be able to make it myself, but for some reason I would splurge on a new cloud soft cushion for my head to rest upon comfortably in a nightly dream cinema. Recently, I bough two new queen size pillows since mine had flattened down and leveled with mattress.

After relatively long term servitude these faithful servants were now free from my oppression, but alas useless sitting around in my closet. I chose to give them another chance—after all what's good of a servant that's not serving? I decided to recycle them into throw pillows for my newly remodeled living room.

All I needed is a pair of fancy pillowcases that would match my living room colors. Just so happened I bought an embroidered brown curtain panel on a clearance sale to adorn my living room windows. I only found one at that time and was hoping to find its pair but never succeeded.

This curtain, too, was just laying in the closet awaiting for its destiny to unfold. Now was the time. I used this panel to make zippered removable pillow cases.

Here's what I used:

2 used flattened queen size standard pillows

1 55˝x 84˝ window panel

2 16˝ zippers of matching color

Cut the pillow open on one short side, remove the stuffing

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Cut the pillowcase into square shape: fold diagonally and cut off the excess fabric

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Re-stuff the pillow: use all the stuffing to make your new square pillow fluffier its old rectangular incarnation

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Baste and stitch together the open end of the pillow and it's ready. Repeat with the second one.

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Fold and cut the curtain fabric to the size of the pillow with one folded side and stitch together two sides leaving the third one open for the zipper. Attach the zipper. Repeat with the second pillow case.

Don't throw your old pillow away, throw them on the couch!

{Note: I had leftover material from the curtain that I will use to create two more throw pillows once I have a new retiree from the bedroom :) }

DIY Chicken Nuggets—for real!

Slowly but surely the snow continues to melt around here, revealing last year's mush of fallen leaves and un-trimmed grass. With the cheerful accompaniment of birds' chirping I'm happy to see my backyard covered with mud rather than snow and ice. The meltdown continues.

This time I'm melting down the all time, all kids' (as far as I know) favorite—chicken nuggets. Many of us, parents, already know how unhealthy pre-cooked frozen version could be so I won't go into details. First time I cooked home made nuggets was a while ago. I repeated the attempt few more times but it digressed. Because of one problem—my home made nuggets would never come out good enough for kids to make a switch. Why, oh why?!

One day, I was watching Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, the very fist episode of his reality show in US and I realized what I was doing wrong. And it was revolutionary, indeed! However, very simple.

Fist of all, I was making them from the whole piece of chicken breast thus creating an unfamiliar texture. Kids could be very sensitive to the texture issue, you know! Second, I was baking them in the oven, thus making the outside not so crispy—another criteria that has not passed my chicken nuggets experts' judgement.

I saw Jamie pulverized chicken carcass in a food processor and then shape the nuggets/patties and then frying them in a little bit of oil—how easy is that! Plus this technique reminded me of the familiar one we use to make "Kotlets" (meat patties) out of minced/ground beef back in Russia.

So I tried the new way to make real nuggets. But instead of chicken carcass that was used in Jamie's experiment as a repellent, I used the expensive cut—chicken breast. And it worked! Passed kids approval on the spot with "so crispy", "so juicy" and "tasted just like the real ones" feedback. Clearly, the term 'real' is used very loosely here!

Here's what I did…

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DIY Real Chicken Nuggets

{Note 1: This recipe yields 16 pieces and I fried them in a small(er) non-stick skillet, 8 at a time. For this reason I needed to add fresh oil to the pan for the second batch. But if you have bigger frying pan, you can fry them all at once and don't need to add more oil. I used olive oil (not the extra virgin) but any vegetable light oil of your choice will do}

1 1/4 lb boneless chicken breast (about 2 breasts) extra fat trimmed

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground savory

(or any other dry herb of your choice)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

(if you can't find it, make it yourself—see note below)

1/2 teaspoon dry savory

(or any other dry herb of your choice)

1/2 teaspoon paprika—optional, but gives a nice color

1/4 cup olive oil (+a little more if you're frying in batches)

1. Prep chicken: Wash and pat it dry. Cut into chunks and put it in the food processor (blender) with spices: salt, pepper, savory, onion and garlic powder. Pulse two times, set aside.
2. Prep crumbs: add savory and paprika to the bread crumbs and mix well with fork.
   {Note 2: If you can't buy Panko bread crumbs, make it by drying 2-3 white bread slices with crust cut off in 325°F oven for 10-15 minutes until the bread is dry but not toasted. Cool a little and crumb with your hands or in a food processor}
3. Shape the balls: measure the chicken with the cookie scoop (or tablespoon) then roll in flour and shape balls; set aside.
4. Assemble the nuggets: make a breading "station": eggs in one bowl, crumbs mix in the other. Dip a nugget ball into eggs then roll it in the crumbs, one at a time. Press with thumb to flatten the ball. After all nuggets are shaped, pop them in the fridge while you heat oil in the pan.
5. Fry nuggets on medium-hight to high (on my electric cook top's dial it is set to 8, so it's not all the way high but close to it), 5 minutes on one side. Flip and fry 5 more minutes. Place them on a dish towel as you take them from the pan so the excess oil is absorbed.
6. Serve with your favorite condiment—my kids gobbled them up with ketchup—and some vegetables on the side. Plain 'ol me likes it with plain 'ol sour cream :)

My little critics happily reported that I will never have to by the 'real' chicken nuggets again. For real?!

Pulp or No Pulp

Does it matter?

Yes, it does. As I mentioned earlier, everyone in my family had their own taste. Some like it hot, others—not. Some like it with pulp, others—no pulp. But it all comes together perfectly for this DIY checkers game!

All you need here is a piece of heavy cardboard, orange and green acrylic art paint and orange juice caps: orange and green (pulp/no pulp).

Paint the board in checkerboard pattern. Let it dry. Arrange the bottle caps and viola—new game.

And now let's see who wins—pulp or no pulp!

"And a peel for the wolf!"//"А для волка--кожура!"

Here's a Russian cartoon about animals sharing an orange. Everyone got a piece of it. Everyone, except the Wolf. Animals believed they tricked wolf leaving him only an orange peel. Little did the animals know--orange peel is a treasure itself!

As much as I love to eat oranges, I really don't mind ending up with orange peel. Like everything else natural, this fruit has far more uses then just being squeezed into a glass for breakfast and could be used in its entirety. So, if life gives you nothing but an orange peel, here what you can do with it:

• Orange peel has high content of essential oil, which is highly flammable. So dried orange peel can be used for starting a fire or kindling for your fireplace;
• I found out on the web, cats don't like orange smell. If you put orange peel next to your house plants, your feline won't chew on it;
• My friend, who is lucky to have a blender inside her kitchen sink, purposely throws and pulverizes the orange peel in it to get rid of bad odors;
• I don't have the pulverizer so I just scrub sink with orange peel;
• For the same purpose--freshness--you can use orange peel to deodorize trash cans by placing the peel on the bottom of the can before lining it with bag. It can also ward off the insects during summer months;
• If you rub oil on your skin, you can prevent mosquito bites during summer as well;
• You can add the orange peel to home made potpourri--it's white pith is super absorbent and will absorb bad odors and humidity from the air;
• Because of it's absorbent qualities, you can also use the peel in closets to soak up musty smell--put it in a cloth bag first; same bag can be used in a car as a air freshener;
• It could be used in cooking, of course. With a microplane zester, peel the top layer of the orange peel--the one that does not have white pith--and use this zest in dessert or savory dishes alike to add a distinct orange flavor;
• You can also use the whole peel to make "succades"--candied orange peel (recipe will follow, start collecting the peel);
• If you're a drinker, you can infuse vodka and other hard liquor with orange peel, too;
• If you're not a drinker--make some tea with dried orange peel by steeping a tablespoon of it in a cup of hot water for 5 minutes.

One thing to remember: the oranges are sprayed treated with special wax for import. Use a vegetable brush to scrub oranges even if you buy organic varieties.

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Помните этот мультик? Животные думали, что надурили волка, оставив ему только апельсиновую кожуру. Глупые животные не знали, что кожура сама является сокровищем!

Я люблю кушать апельсины, но не возражу, елси мне только кожура достанется. Как всё созданное природой, апельсин не только хорош для сока к завтраку а тоже может быть использовать целиком, включая его кожуру. Так что, если жизнь вам посылает только апельсиновую кожуру, то не огорчайтесь, а используйте её:

• Из за высокого содержания в ней эфирного масла, которое легко воспламеняемо, кожуру апельсина можно использовать в качестве разжигателя или в качестве щепок для камина;
• Я узнала из интернета, что кошки не любят запах апельсина. Если положить шкорки около домашних цветков, которые объедает ваша мурка, она к ним больше не подойдёт;
• Моя подруга, которой посчастливилось иметь раковину с блендером, использует апельсиновую кожуру для того, чтобы избавиться от плохого запаха;
• У меня, к сожалению такого приспособления нет, поэтому я натираю кухонную раковину шкорками для запаха;
• Так же для запаха и свежести шкорки можно положить на дно мусорного ведра перед тем как застелить его целофаном. Запах апельсина поможет отогнать мелких насекомых, так как они не любят цитрусовые ароматы;
• Есил потереть масляной стороной шкорки о кожу, можно даже избежать комаринных укусов летом;
• Можно добавить апельсиновую кожуру к вашему пот пурри домашнего приготовления--белая мякоть шкорки обладает "всасывающими" свойствами и поглатит пдлохой запах и влажность из воздуха;
• По этой же причине можно набить шкорками мешочек их грубой материи--холста, например--и поместить его в шкаф, чтобы избавиться от затхлого запаха, или же держать в салоне автомобиля в качестве освежителя.
• Конечно же кожуру можно использовать в кулинарии. Специальной тёркой снимите цедру (это верхний слой)--не задев белую мякоть--и используйте цедру в приготовлении сладких или пикантных блюд для придания специфичного апельсинового запаха и вкуса;
• Можно также использовать всю кожуру полностью для изготовления цукатов (рецепт будет по позже, а пока собирайте шкорку);
• Если вы пьёте алкоголь, то можете сделать настой из шкорок с водкой или другим крепким алкогольным напитком;
• А если вы трезвенник, сделайте чай из сухих апельсиновых корок заварив столовую ложку на стакан кипятка в течении 5 минут.

Главный момент: аппельсины опрыскивают и натирают специальным воском для перевозки. Даже если вы покупаете экологически чистые апельсины, всё равно хорошо промойте их с помошью овощной щёточки.

Put yourself together, I meant put it together yourself

Let us say, your 4-year-old boy is obsessed with cars and you are obsessed with periodicals. Periodicals are obsessed with advertisement. Advertisement obsessed with cars. Here comes the Logic: rip off the car adds and make something new and useful for your son to obsess. How about puzzles?? Most four year olds love puzzles until they figure out life is a big puzzle itself. Great! New useful obsession for your little braniac! Moreover, new obsession for you: cutting things with Exacto knife! (Quite stress relieving)

What can be used:

-Magazine ads (with any pretty picture)—someone paid for this, so might as well use it up before trashing it!

-Cardboard to paste the pretty picture on

-School glue

-Wide sticky tape to "laminate" the picture (if real lamination is available—even better)

-Exacto knife

Kids can help by cutting the picture out of the magazine and pasting on the board. Exacto works better in skilled adult hands. If not so skilled, better use scissors.

Here, I cut the board in four using simple patters for easier assembly. For older kids, try more intricate puzzle pattern of your choice.

Cut+glue+laminate+slice=new puzzle (Tah-dah!)

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Скажем, ваш 4-х летний малыш обожает машины. Вы обожаете глянцы. Глянцы в свою очередь обожают рекламу, а реклама обожает автомобили. Отсюда вывод: реклама авто для нового и полезного предмета обожания для вашего малыша. Как насчёт пазл?? Большинство четверо леток любят собирать паззл пока не поймут, что жизнь сама как большая головоломка. Отлично! Новый, полезный предмет обожания для вашего маленького умника! А к тому же, новая страсть для мамочки: резьба ножиком (хорошо снимает стресс)

Я использовала:

-Журнальную рекламу (с красивой картинкой)—ведь кто-то платил за эту красоту, так не выкидывать же не потрепав!

-Картонку, на которую клеится красивая картинка

-Широкий прозрачный скотч—чтобы «заламинировать»; если есть ламинирующая машинка—ещё лучше

-Школьный клей

-Ножик Экзакто

Дети могут вам помочь вырезая картинки из журнала и клея их на картонку. Наклеив картинку, заламинируйте её широким скотчем, а затем нарежьте на «кусочки» с помощью ножика экзакто (или ножницами). Это лучше сделать вам самой. Я нарезала свой паззл на 4 простые фрагмента, но если угодно усложнить задачку, можно нарезать на больше и более сложными линиями—вам решать!

Вырезать+приклеить+заламинировать+порезать на части=новая головоломка пазл