To Die For Whole Chicken In A Crock Pot

I adapted this recipe from a few different recipes.  It's not an exact recipe; I use what I have on hand, and I don't measure when I cook.  Feel free to add more or less depending on what you have or your family's taste.  Since the prep work is done the night before, it takes almost no time to prepare this the day you cook it.  I like to make this whole chicken in the Crock Pot, but you could make bake it in the oven for a crispy outside.

Ingredients

• One whole chicken (innards removed)
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon thyme
• Onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Water

Directions

1. Fill a large sauce pan about 3/4 full of water.  Add salt, peppercorns, onion and spices.  Add whatever vegetables you have to make a broth.  I like to use carrots and celery, but it tastes great without them, too.
2. Bring to a boil on high heat.  Reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer for an hour. 
3. Turn off heat and let cool or add ice to speed up the process.  
4. Wash and pat dry the chicken.  Place in large bowl.  Cover with cooled brine and add water as needed to cover the chicken.  
5. Let soak all night.
6. The next morning, transfer the chicken to the Crock Pot.  
7. Sprinkle the top of the chicken with paprika, salt, pepper and garlic.  
8. Cook on high for an hour and turn to low.  Let cook for 3-4 hours or until juices are clear.  

The chicken will release natural juices, so you do not need to add any water or broth when cooking chicken in a Crock Pot.  If you want to bake the chicken, follow the directions on the package for the time and temperature.  Rub olive oil on the chicken before adding spices and baking for a crispy outside.

Soaking the chicken gives it a wonderful taste throughout the chicken rather than just on the surface.  The best part is the prep work is done the night before, so you can have a delicious meal during the week!

I serve this with flavored rice or mashed potatoes and a veggie.  It's very versatile, so you can serve just about anything with it.

Photo credit: jfelias from morguefile.com

Vinyl POW MIA Flask

I made this flask for my husband for Christmas.  I found the image online and converted it to a SVG.  Unfortunately, I can't find the image right now, and the link is on my old laptop.  If I do find it, I will update this post with a link.

I used Wall Pops from Home Depot for the vinyl.  It cuts in the Cricut perfectly and transfers great!  This was a very easy project and my 9-year-old completed it in about 10 minutes.  Shhhh...don't tell hubby that!

Upcycled Tin Can Organizer

I'm almost sure I saw this on Pinterest, but now I can't find it among my boards.  I know I've seen it other places on the Internet, too.

Supplies

• Lazy susan
• Cans in different sizes and shapes
• Paint or scrapbook paper
• Mod Podge
• Hot glue
• Ribbon or stickers to decorate as needed

Direction

1. Paint lazy susan with plastic paint.  I found mine in my Mom's pile of things to donate, and it was pretty stained.  A fresh coat of paint, and it looks new again.
2. Remove labels from clean cans.  I had hubby remove the sharp edge from the can opener.  
3. Apply scrapbook paper with mod podge or paint cans.  Decorate with stickers and ribbons.  I used Tacky Glue to attach the ribbon.
4. Arrange cans on lazy susan and hot glue in place.  Be generous with the hot glue.  Even though the cans won't have a lot of stress on them, mine had a small gap on the bottom, so I needed a big pile of glue.  

Tips

• You can still see the ridges on the cans through the paper.  This doesn't bother me, but if it will bother you, you may want to look for smooth cans.
• I wanted a bigger can for the center, so I used a cardboard container from peanuts.  
• I saved about 20 cans and picked the ones that work best.  
• You can paint the inside of the cans and use paper on the outside.  Totally up to you.

Upcycled Bird Cage

I can post again!  Got a new laptop, so I'm back.  Yay!  

Here's just one project I worked on while I was gone.  I picked up this wood bird cage at a thrift store for $4! Squeeee!  I'm sure no one saw the potential in this baby!

Cell phone pic -- I was too excited to get a good pic!

This thing had been painted multiple times, and quite a few coats stuck together on the wires.  I sanded it and used a wire brush to remove the big chunks.  Then I primed and painted.  That took forever to get both sides of the wires and the inside.  Just when I thought I was done, I'd pick it up and find more white.  

After I got it all black, I realized it needed something.  I used fishing line to attach my Amy Butler chickadees  die cuts inside and lined the bottom with coordinating Amy Butler paper.  

This is it now!  I am absolutely in love.  I hung it in my foyer, so it's the first thing you see when you walk in.  Oddly, no one seems to be as in love with it as I am.  They just aren't as cool as me, I guess.  

Building Brick Name Sign

My almost 9 year old (No, I'm really not old enough to have a 9 year old!) wants a LEGO room.  LEGO themed items are: 1. hard to find and 2. insanely expensive.  Enter mom, a Cricut, and mod podge.

I picked up some generic paintings at a fill a bag sale at the craft store.  I primed it and painted it to cover the ugly pictures.  Then, I used my Cricut to cut out the name from scrapbook paper.  This isn't the official LEGO paper, but I got 25 sheets for $2, so I have plenty to do everything.

I used mod podge to attach the letters and let dry.  Then I used regular Mod Podge to start to seal it.  I find that I get a thicker layer of sealer with regular mod podge under the hard coat and there's no stickiness from the mod podge regular formula.

Total cost?  50-ish cents.  It's hard to calculate with the fill a bag sale because I got waaaaay more than these pieces of wood.

Next up are vinyl wall decals and some custom photography.