Craft Life

is really similar to thug life, in case you were curious. 

This week is Spring Break, and I decided to exercise my crafting muscles. I completed three projects; two are already hanging on my walls. One is hanging out in the trash bin. Not bad for two days work, right? 

1. Kitty clock, check it! This clock screams crafter 4 daiz, which, by the way, is a new phrase the kids are saying. Aren't you glad to have a high school teacher in your life? Pattiwagon 4 daizzzzzz, yo! I found clock making to be very pain-free. The kit cost $7.99, which I also found relatively pain-free.

 2. Next artwork is blank canvas, purple paint streaks, and gold leaf. I loves it. 

 3. And finally, this is the one salvaged part of my failed craft. I bought six boards boards and painted them shabby chic style. (This technique is super easy - paint one coat white, then rub candle wax all over the edges or anywhere else you want to look rustic, paint gray, and then sand.) I had six signs like this printed at Staples, and I was going to decorate my kitchen entry way with them. Well, this is the only one that turned out, so be it. It reminds me of the subway art I did last year. 

Informal poll, which one is your favorite? And, could you envision something like this on etsy? Asking for a friend. 

Beans, Bears, and Bulletin Boards

Beans:

Being a 31-year-old woman, it seems like every other day someone is popping out another kid. And being the aspiring chef that I am, I always look to take advantage of opportunities to cook for people. So, it actually works out quite nicely for all involved.

I have recently found the best recipe for enchiladas, and it's the perfect thing to take to a growing family. I've made it three times, and each time, I've had to make two pans, lest I eat the one earmarked for Mama before I can give it to her.

I start out by roasting a chicken. (You could also just buy a rotisserie chicken. I don't judge......a lot.)

Shred the meat and combine with a can of green chilies and a block of cream cheese in a pan. Stir so that the cream cheese melts and everything gets nice and combined.

You know the drill: enchilada it all together. Prepare your assembly line. Pour a layer of canned green enchilada sauce onto your baking dish and onto a plate. Dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce and fill with the meat mixture. Roll up and place into the baking dish. Repeat until you're out of something. Cover the top of the tortillas with enchilada sauce and cheese (I like quesadilla cheese.) Bake it in the oven covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes, until the cheese is toasty brown and bubbly. I serve it with tomatillo salsa and sour cream mixture. And then I melt.

VARIATION that is >>>>>

In life, I always choose meat. But I think I actually like the black bean version better. Instead of chicken, use two cans of black beans. (I drained the black beans first, then heated them with a little bit of water and red pepper flakes. After that, keep everything the same.) I did not realize this, but black beans + cream cheese = heaven.

Bears:

What's the best bear? The black bear, obviously. Who else is ready for March? While (I guess) I've (kind of) become an Ole Miss fan in recent years, I'll be bleeding blue for the next three weeks, Tiger blue that is. (Blasphemous, yes, but I foresee an early exit for my dear Cats.)

(If you don't get these references, you need more Dwight K. Schrute in your life.)

Bulletin Boards:

Speaking of March...

Treat Yo self

Are there people out there who don't love breakfast? I would put them in the same category as those who don't like rainbows and internet cat videos and baby pandas and Otis Redding. What's wrong with you weirdos? On the weekends, I plan my days around breakfast, thinking about breakfast, planning for breakfast, making breakfast, eating breakfast, thinking about my next breakfast, you get the idea. A Patti Wagon breakfast is the sine qua non of a good weekend. (Take that, SAT vocab section!)

My birthday fell on a Saturday this year, and celebrations commenced on Friday with a long-awaited trip to the grocery. As I walked the aisles, contemplating how I could treat myself, my mind wandered to a much beloved but long absent breakfast from my life: the smoked salmon bagel.

A life with accouterments is a life worth living. Chisel that on my gravestone. 

I had successful Patti Wagon birthday, finally completing my art wall and making a batch of cheese. You can read all about my exploits in cheese making here. 

The ricotta did not disappoint; in fact, it produced such a surfeit of deliciously creamy cheesiness, I have been slipping it into everything I eat, including these Sunday morning pancakes. I used my sourdough pancake recipe but stirred in about 1/2 of the ricotta before cooking them. 

(You know how some people are against gay marriage because they conjecture that men would start marrying dogs? Umm, how would they feel about me marrying these pancakes? 'Cause I'd like to.)