CRAFT: Chinese Dragon Puppet

Welcome kids to "Make it Monday" where today we are learning how to make a Chinese dragon puppet.

My mom's church celebrated Mardi Gras with a talent show. I help teach dance to two different age groups within the church and the older team performed a comedy dance to "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Disney's Mulan. 

The girls dressed up super girly; parasols, gloves, skirts, shawls, and then magically transformed (switched places) with a bunch of guys at the end of the song.

The lovelies.

The guys and girls at the final bow. And me *facepalm*?

We needed a Mushu character/prop for one line of the dance, so I ended up making a dragon puppet. I spent about two days working on him and am very pleased with the end result, even if he only had ten seconds of glory on stage.

Here's what you need:

• A dragon face template (the one I used isn't actually Mushu's face).
• An empty soda can carton
• A plastic table cloth
• Tissue paper
• Mod podge/glue
• Markers
• Scissors
• Ribbons/glitter/sequins to decorate

Begin by coloring in your dragon face. You could also draw a design if preferred. I just happened to find this picture sitting around in our library of craft stuff.

If I had a computer template for this I would share.

Cut out the face.  You may want to glue it to a piece of cardboard to help keep it sturdy, but I wasn't thinking and his horns and whiskers got a bit bend in the end.

All colored.

Take your table cloth and measure around the soda carton. This will become his body, so choose how long you'd prefer it to be. I left it the length of the box, but draped it down longer on the sides. Place the table cloth off to the side.

Measuring.

Take your box and cut off the end. This will be the dragon's head. His face will get glued to the closed end, so measure how long you want the side of his head to be. Mine was about 6 inches long.

Cut out three 3x3 squares (or more if your dragon's body is longer). These will become the "spine" of the dragon, giving the tablecloth support while still allowing space to move and flow.

Head and body brought to you by Coca Cola. ;)

Lay out the cardboard onto the cloth and glue the three panels into place. Make sure you space them a few inches apart. Don't glue on the head yet.

Spacing.

Now for the superfunexcitingtimeconsumingrepetitive part. Ask a friend to help cut out tissue paper fringes. I forgot to count exactly how many sheets of paper we ended up using, but it didn't seem to be many. Cut each section to be about 5 or 6 inches long, four inches tall and each fringe about half and inch wide. Cut from the bottom, up until about a half inch from the top (you don't want to cut the fringes off!)

**Make sure each section of fringe is the same size. I ran into trouble with pieces that were longer than others.

Fringy stuff.

Glue the dragon's face to the front of the box. Glue on the fringe overlapping to create a textured look. I started by gluing the sides bottom to top and then glued the top of his head. Any excess on the top of the head was rounded over the sides and glued down.

A wrinkly mess is what I get for using leftover paper.

Begin gluing the fringes to the table cloth. Start at the bottom and work your way up. Leave about half an inch showing underneath each new fringe. This takes time. And patience. So turn on the TV or something to keep you entertained.

I glued the sides of the body first, pointing the fringes downward. After I let it dry, I propped it up onto another soda carton and glued on the back fringes pointing to the tail.

Using different colored paper helps to distinguish 

top from bottom as well as adds an illusion of scales.

This was probably my hardest part; figuring out how to attach the head. I ended up cutting an extra piece of cardboard (2x4in) and gluing one end inside his head and the other onto the bottom of the tablecloth.

If you can figure out something better, let me know.

Flip your dragon onto his belly, decorate with ribbons, etc. and you are done! Well, sort of... see, mine is still not perfected. There is no great way to hold it except gripping the inside of the head and another hand underneath his body, but even then it's not good support. I thought about adding a handle or even a glove to put your hand inside. He needs something in his belly to help make him sturdy so he can be more mobile. I don't know yet. Maybe some day I'll come back with a fix, but probably not.

Finished Mushu/dragon puppet.

FOOD: Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie. I love turkey pot pies also. One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is when you have leftover turkey and turn it into turkey sandwiches and potpies...
BUT those days are behind me and I no longer eat poultry. I've been missing some of the great recipes I used to love and I've been desperately looking for a vegetarian friendly alternative.
So here it is! Vegetarian Chicken Pot Pie.

Vegetarian?!

No! WAIT!
Don't walk away because it says "vegetarian"!!!
This pot pie is so good, even my meat-eating friends went back for seconds. You can't even tell the difference!

See, the trick is to find the right vegetarian alternative.

--I realize now I have started to get a teensy bit sidetracked after this break.--

Over the years I have found that I despise anything by Lightlife (which I refer to as "Smart Food" because all their foods say "smart" in front of them.) I've tried really hard to like Smart foods but they always disappoint me. Their bacon doesn't peel off in strips (it flakes), their chicken tastes like really bad sausage, and their hot dogs go bad super quickly. But I am not here to bash Lightlife, so I will end this rant with a note that their Smart Ground beef crumbles are okay.

Smart Tenders: Savory Chik'n.

It even looks gross and fake.

If ever I am looking for a veggie alternative I usually turn to MorningStar Farms. I mean, their Buffalo chicken wings are to DIE for! (Seriously. Ask anyone. Ever.) Even my meat loving friends don't mind munching on them with me, although I'm sure they don't compare to the real thing, but they are still delicious! And I have not found a better veg alternative to bacon than MorningStar's.

These and ranch dressing? Hells yes.

ANYWHO... Now that I've gotten almost completely sidetracked, I will conclude with why I started talking about this stuff in the first place. The "Chicken" I used in the pot pie.

The greatest chicken-free chicken strips in the world.

My favorite part about Quorn cutlets is the "naked" part. There is no seasoning so you can cook them however you'd like and they cook up rather quickly too. They actually taste and feel like chicken and don't taste like sausage! Yummm...

Unfortunately if I am going to rave over them, I should tell you about the potential negatives.

Most vegetarian substitutes are made from soy protein, rice, beans, potatoes, etc. What are Quorn products made from? Mycoprotein. Which essentially is a fungus grown in some sort of fermentation process. 

Gross right?! Mushrooms are a fungus and I hate mushrooms! 

So why do I love Quorn so much? It doesn't taste like mushrooms. It tastes like skinless, not deep fried chicken. Healthy chicken. It's yummy, so don't let the Myco scare you away!

My other problem with the cutlets is cooking them, but now that I've learned the best way to do so, no worries! When you pull them out of the box they appear very dry. You can cook them in an oven, microwave, stove top, or grill. My favorite way of cooking them is on the stove. To help counteract the dryness, add a bit of olive oil in the pan or steam them first before putting them in the over or grill.

--So that should be the end of my veggie alternative rant.--

Let's get back to pot pie, shall we?

Here's what you need:

• 5 Tbsp butter
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 cups mixed veggies
• 2-3 cups Quorn chik'n cut into pieces (about 5 cutlets)
• Salt, pepper, onion powder

Pie crust:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup Lard (I recommend Crisco)
• 3 Tbsp cold water

So let's start with the pie crust. You have to make it twice, but I don't recommend doubling it, because I've had trouble multiple times for some reason when I double it. So take that extra time and make it twice. Just trust me on this one.

1. Cut the shortening into the butter using a fork or two knives.
2. Once evenly combined, add the water and mix. You may have to get your hands dirty and knead it a bit. If it feels too dry, add more water, too wet add more flour.
3. Roll it out on a floured surface about 1/8 inch thick. 
4. Loosely roll the crust around your rolling pin and carefully transfer it into a 9" pie pan. Let the excess hang over the edge, you'll use it later.

Here you can make your second crust, but don't roll it out yet.
Let's make the insides of the pie.

PIE GUTS!

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a large saucepan melt butter.
3. Add garlic and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add flour and stir until blended
5. Slowly add veggie broth and cook over low heat until thick and smooth.
6. Season to taste. I usually only add a tiny bit of both salt, pepper, and onion powder here. I allow most of the seasoning to be done by whoever is eating it. (Otherwise all my foods would be spicy and not everyone would enjoy it.)
7. Cook veggies according to direction on package. Add to sauce pan.
8. Cook Quorn according to directions and cut into bite sized pieces. Add to pan.
9. Slowly pour contents of pan into prepared pie pan.
10. Roll out your other crust and lay on top of all the pie guts.
11. Fold the edges of the bottom and top crusts and pinch together.
12. Stab the top crust with a knife. Yep stab that mofo. But gently, we don't want to completely mutilate it. Just poke it a few times so that the steam from cooking can escape. I like to draw pictures like hearts or monogram the pie.
13. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the pie so that you don't burn the crust.
14. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Serve warm. Nom nom nom.

I apologize, this has got to be my longest post so far. But it's totally worth it, really. Ask the meat eaters!

FOOD: A Pina Colada Breakfast

We made pancakes recently and Rachael thought it would be fun to make a pina colada syrup. I was on board immediately. I'm not much of a maple syrup fan, but pina colada? That sounds delicious!!!

While we were making the syrup, we decided to make a pina colada shake as well (I'm giving you the virgin recipe, but add coconut or spiced rum if you would prefer an adult version).

Elephant pancake, syrup, pina colada shake

Here's what you need:

For the pancake syrup

• 1/4 cup corn syrup
• 4 tsp alcohol free pina colada drink mix
• 1 tsp sweetened condensed milk
• Food coloring (optional)

Mix the corn syrup, pina colada flavoring, and sweetened condensed milk together. Stir well, these ingredients are thick and can be stubborn combining them. It's easiest to mix them in a liquid measuring cup because it makes it easier to pour.

At this point the syrup should be a clear/milky color. I like adding color to everything because it makes things more fun to eat. The coconut white is boring, so I added a bit of yellow food coloring to emphasize the pineapple part of a pina colada. 

Best served over pancakes with butter in my opinion. You could also heat the syrup in the microwave for about 30 seconds if preferred.

For the drink:

• 3-4 ounces alcohol free pina colada mix
• 7-8 ice cubes
• 2 ounces vanilla flavored milk (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. I only say that the milk optional because the drink is pretty good on its own, but if you want a creamier smoothie, I suggest adding it.

Both these recipes are super easy! So to make up for that, I will be doing a double post today.
Up soon:
Vegetarian Chicken Pot Pie

FOOD: Chocolate Soup

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! I know I'm late, but I wanted to share what I made for dessert on Thursday. I don't have many pictures, as I wasn't expecting to post it originally. But it turned out so well I had to share.
Chocolate Soup for two.
I know, I know, "CHOCOLATE SOUP!?!?!?!?!? The Eff are you thinking? That sounds nasty..."
I promise it's delicious!!!
It tastes just like real chocolate pudding (not the instant stuff), and it's a little heavy, but we ate it with strawberries dipped into it like a fondue, which definitely helped to lighten it up a bit.

Nom nom nom...

Here's what you need:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup cream
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces chocolate (I used chili infused chocolate for an extra spicy bite)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 tablespoons water

The recipe I followed called for everything fat free, but I used what ingredients I had, and they were not fat free, however it was still super delicious. It also recommended adding a cream cheese/marshmallow garnish, but since we were eating it like a fondue, we did not need a garnish.

1. So begin by bringing the milk, cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla to a low boil in a medium sauce pan.
2. Put the pan on low heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until it starts to melt.
3. In a separate container combine the cornstarch and water until all solids are dissolved.
4. Add cornstarch mixture to saucepan and whisk about 5 to 7 minutes until chocolate is thick and bubbles have disappeared (I did not have any bubbles?)
5. Remove from heat and pour into two bowls.
6. Have fun dipping in strawberries, pretzels, pound cake, bananas, marshmallows, etc.

It turned out really well and was surprisingly simple. The boyfriend liked it, and he's not much of a sweets eater, so I felt very accomplished.

My only problem was that if it sat still long enough, the top would get that famous pudding skin, which I am not much of a fan. I have some leftovers so I will try to see what happens if I reheat it a bit, if the skin goes away? We'll have to wait.

Enjoy your chocolate soup!

WEAR: T-Shirt Dress

No cut no sew T-shirt dress!

So I recently acquired a very large band T-shirt that is super comfy but fits me like a dress. It would be good as a sleeping shirt, but I really wanted to wear it outside too!
I suck at sewing, so cutting it and tucking it in to fit me just was not an option. Here is a simple no sew/no cutting tutorial to turn a too large shirt into a dress.

Almost down to my knees!

First begin by putting both your arms and head through the neck hole, and pulling the shirt down so it is just above your boobs.

Unroll the sleeves if they are bunched up.

Take the sleeves and tie them behind you. This makes a cute bow in the back of the dress and gives it a waist. You may also tie it in the front if you'd prefer, but I don't like messing up the decal on the front.

Tie it as tight as you can, 

without losing your ability to breathe. ;)

It may take a couple tries to get it to lay flat 

and not bunch above the bow. 

Remain patient, you'll get it.

You only need to tie the sleeves once, but if they are long enough you can tie them in a knot. I use a hair tie to keep them secure.

Finished!

Ta-da! You are done! Easy right? And very versatile; cover it with a cardigan, wear leggings, or wear a tank underneath for straps.

Sideview.

Have fun ladies!

FOOD (review): Eight O'Clock Coffee & S'mores creamer

Whenever I listen to the radio, I usually listen to 93.3 WMMR. I love their morning show. That is where I first heard about Eight O'clock coffee.

My first thought? "Oh wow, another brand of coffee saying they are so much better than everyone else... they are probably nothing new or exciting."

Well was I wrong!

Two of the flavors offered.

K-Cups can get pricey, so when I found these on sale ($6 each (that's on sale, right?)) I thought I'd give them a try.

Oh my gosh the aroma! The whole house smelled like coffee! I love the smell of coffee, but sometimes I think it can be too overpowering, but this was just so fragrant and delicious!

I tried the Colombian first and being a medium roast, this was very full of flavor but not too strong. 

I am very excited to try the Hazelnut. Eight O'clock is definitely worth buying again.

--

So along with new coffee, why not try a new creamer?

International Delight has a Hershey's S'mores flavor. DELICIOUS!

Smells like graham crackers, looks like chocolate milk, tastes like chocolate marshmallows. A little goes a long way and leaves your sweet tooth screaming for more.

Liquid s'mores. Pure bliss.

FOOD: Lemonade for "grown-ups"

I am a typical girl when it comes to alcohol. I don't much prefer beer although I will enjoy a nice Lager every once in awhile, and I do love a rum and coke, but I usually stick to the fruity stuff.
My friends and I are always trying to find new and excitingly delicious drinks and the other day Rachael came up to me with a sparkling lemon flavored liqueur.
I love lemony flavored stuff especially if it's sour, so when Rachael brought me lemon sorbet flavored Nuvo, I was ecstatic to try it!
Nuvo comes in many flavors, including passion fruit, red velvet, and peach cobbler. It is a combination of sparkling white wine, "premium French vodka", and infused with yummy fruity flavors.
We both got out the shot glasses and took our first taste and it was awful! I can't stand vodka. It tastes like water on fire; completely flavourless. Lemon Nuvo was not much different. The beginning flavor was a bit lemony, and the carbonation was definitely a new experience in a liqueur, but the aftertaste of vodka fire was just too much to handle and really took away from the lemon flavor.
So we set out to make it into a mixed drink.

 Here's what you need:

• Sparkling lemon liqueur
• Pina colada drink (we used ICE)
• Sweet and sour mix
• Half of a lemon 

Begin with two ounces Nuvo.

Add two ounces ICE drink. ICE comes in many flavors, but for this drink we preferred the pina colada. 

Experimenting with pink grapefruit flavored ICE. 

Please pardon the horrible mess in the sink...

Add 1.5 ounces sweet and sour mix. You may add more or less depending on how sour you'd prefer it. 

Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and add to your glass.
Stir and garnish with a lemon twist or wedge.
Unfortunately I don't have a good "Final" picture. I will have to make another drink, put it into a fancy glass and show you all a beautiful lemony drink.