Cookie Plates

I think we all have seen these things floating around the internet and Pinterest. Draw a design on a plate and put it in the oven and then it is permanent. It's makes a cool personalized gift.

I wanted to make a customized plate for some Christmas cookies and milkbones. I got some simple white square plates that we pretty cheap at Kohl's. I originally wanted color but I couldn't find anything that I loved, so I went with white.

The process to "make" these plates are pretty easy.

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Make sure plates are clean and dry.
3. Make design on plates using a Sharpie.
4. Place plates in oven for 20 minutes.
5. Shut off oven, allowing plates to cool in the oven.
6. Remove from oven once cool.

Now off to make some cookies for Santa.

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Fun Gift Tags

I love adding that special little touch to Christmas presents, whether it is something simple like ribbon or bow or something a little more elaborate like customized gift tags or wrapping paper.

I pinned or liked (I tend to like more things then I pin) on Pinterest where someone used a word-search to label a present but wasn't able to find the pin (grrr). I really liked the idea but I am very practical we have big families and that would have taken just to much time to do. So I thought it was would be cool to do word-search gift tags. They didn't cost that much to do since I already had paper, and card stock at home, I used shipping tape to "laminate" them. I didn't want to do anything to expensive since I knew 97% of them would end up right in the trash.

There were pretty simple to make.

1. Used a online word-search generator and typed in the names. (Sometimes it was rather hard to find the name that was needed.)
2. Cut around the edge, taped to card stock.
3. Used shipping tape to "laminate" the gift tag.
4. Attached to present.

I really liked the way they turned out, however, some are like twice the size at the gift. Maybe next time I will make the font a little smaller in word.

Anyone else like to add special touches to gifts? Are you like Big-D, if it has a bow on it, its good enough?

Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Christmas Barware

I decided to play along with the NewlyWoodwards and the Dare to DIY gang. This week the project was to decorate your table. Okay that is pretty easy, I had some ideas of things I wanted to do. I just have one problem...this is the state of my dining room.

Movies, book, magazines and mail piled up. I don't even know what is in that blue bag or the Barnes & Noble bag. Fabric from a project. Washer and dryer. Under the table there is part of the refrigerator and the light fixture for the kitchen that I keep meaning to put up but haven't gotten to it. Let's not forget that handsome pup (and all of this toys shattered throughout my whole house). And under all that mess is a dining room table.

Okay so the guy is suppose to come in next weekend to start putting up the ceiling drywall. This means that we have nothing (except a couple garbage bags that are going out this week) in the living room and probably won't be able to have anything in there for a while. I am slowly becoming use to the fact that this is what my dining room looks like (along with the spare bedroom and office). I look at my dining room and I think I need to be on the hoarders show....ugh!!! 

Then I thought maybe I can do something nice to the island that we eat at. Then thought not the world's best idea, with Hank everything and I mean everything needs to be out of his reach and those cute little Christmas bulbs look like balls and he is a ball addict so yeah that wasn't going to happen.

I was depressed and didn't know what to do. Then it came to me in a dream (or when I was doing dishes) that I should totally decorate up those cute shelves next to my sink. (I think I might go to the store and get a couple strings of lights for around the window). Sorry for the horribly dark picture, that light above the sink is the only light in our kitchen, please see above for why that light is the only light in the kitchen. Also the Kongs aren't part of my decorations, just life living with a dog that is the same height as your counters and can open cupboards.

Close up of the left side.

I have a lot of bar ware, that I never use. And when I saw never use I mean it, my family loves to get me beer, wine, martini glasses. First off I drink beer from a bottle/can no need to make more dirty dishes that I don't want to clean anyways. Second off I don't drink wine or martinis. I do, however, have a massive shot glass collection. I bought a couple of different colored bulbs and filled the martini glasses and a couple of shot glasses for each shelf. 

Great Lake Loons, local baseball team. Ironically their team colors are green and red so I thought it worked with the color scheme quite well.

German Shorthaired Pointer ornament and a plain shot glass.

I got these polar bears from the pharmacy that I worked at a couple years ago. Penguin shot glass was given to me from Big-D's cousin when he went to the zoo in Chicago.

Close up of the right side.

We are Michigan State fans, therefore it only seemed right to have a green and white color scheme with a Michigan State shot glass.

I know Texas's colors aren't blue and white, however, I love my Texas Longhorns shot glasses. My mom has friends that live in Texas so I have quite a few shot glasses from Texas.  (I sometimes wish I was from Texas.)

Feel like something else needs to go on this self with the polar bears but all of the other shot glasses I have don't really go with the polar bears. Any suggestion?

I ended up having some leftover bulbs so I put them in this cute little bucket thing.

So I hope this counts...I decorated to entertain. However, no one comes over to my house because it's a mess and no one loves us that much. Just kidding, I just don't like people seeing my house in complete hoarder style. 

Next up figuring out how to keep a 9 month old GSP from attacking a Christmas tree.

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

DIY Drain Cleaner

We have kind of crappy water, I mean it's safe to drink but it kind of smells and our drains start to really smell bad after a while. Our bathroom sink seems to be the worse, it probably doesn't help that we allow Hank to drink out of the drink but oh well.

I like to use "green" products, actually all of my house cleaning products are "green" products. However, I've yet to see a drain cleaner that is "green" so I decided to do a little googling and make my own.

This is what I do:

1. Clean sink and drain of all visual debris.
2. Boil three (3) cups of water and carefully pour down the drain. 
3. Use 1/2 cup of baking soda and one (1) cup of vinegar. Let foam for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Turn on the hot water and allow hot water to run through drain for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Optional step: Pour one (1) cup of lemon juice down the drain to help cover up the vinegar smell.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4 as needed.  

Enjoy a nice smelling drain,
Over and out,
A Engineer in the Kitchen

Wedding/Honeymoon Fund

I have for a while been saving our change in little mason jars in the cabinet and my friend Mike keeps telling me about these things called banks...has anyone else every heard of these so called banks?

Now no one come break into my house there really isn't that much money in the jars and I do use a bank.

There are three jars in the cabinet. One is the roof fund, the second is the wedding fund and the third (which contains all pennies) is the honeymoon jar.

Then for Christmas, Future Sister-in-Law, go me a really cute piggy bank. Now I should explain that I love pigs and in turn I love piggy banks. Now this really cute piggy banks sits above the mason jars but has no money in it. So one day I thought I should turn that into the wedding fund piggy bank but then changed my mind because it was to pretty to "wreck" by writing "Wedding Fund" on it.

Now I am back to thinking about this because let's be honest here it sounds like a much funner topic to think about then the Thermodynamics test I have to take in a half hour. I know I know such a good college student over here (Mom please don't yell at me, I did a lot of studying last night).

I know I want to be able to write "Wedding Fund" on it, but I can't decide if I should chalkboard paint so that way I can change the title of the piggy bank after the wedding or if I should use stencils or stickers. I also thought it would be fun to do something fun like attaching rings to the top (see below) or even a cake topper.

Picture from : dexknows Weddings

My plan is to pay for most of our honeymoon, we'd love to go on a cruise to Alaska, with pennies. I know it sounds crazy, I have been saving our pennies for a while now and I have one of those electronic counting banks and we are at $20...I think we have a long ways to go.  

So I would like to make a piggy bank for the "Honeymoon Fund" as well. I have no idea what do for that one though. I think it would be cool to include something that has to do with Alaska, maybe a Grizzly Bear or a Polar Bear. Do Polar Bears live in Alaska?

Anyways, I best be getting back to studying for a few more minutes before my test. 

Over and out,

A Engineer in the Kitchen

What do you think about my piggy bank idea? Any ideas? Tips? Suggestions?