Author Archives: clearlycorinna

Book Fair Re-Mix

26 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Outfits

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There have been so many outfits in the last 2 weeks that I’ve wanted to post but didn’t have time to photograph.  So I took a quick snapshot of this one as I was on my way to the school Book Fair.  Apparently too quick.  Argh! So blurry…but I have to start posting some of these outfits!

Anyway, a classic Corinna re-mix.  I love these jeans (seen here) and oversized shirt this season (seen here and here), so why not put them together?  Paired with an old Fossil belt (I love this belt because it adds a little bit of color while still being neutral.  I can wear it with all my staple colors, red, orange, navy plus the neutrals of black brown, grey and beige) and flats from Target (also old) and out the door I go!

Grandma’s Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

25 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Recipes

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Best Pumpkin Pie Ever! It is light and perfect after a heavy Thanksgiving meal. If you don’t like the texture of a tradition pumpkin pie but love the flavor, try this.. it is truly my Grandma’s recipe.

  • 1 9″ baked pie shell (cooled)

I tried to make the crust this year from scratch, but it was a bust and I had to use the premade ones from the refrigerator section.  My crust is always a mess.  Even when I use the premade kind.  If you want to attempt a crust, this is her crust recipe:

  • 1c flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2/3 c shortening
  • about 3 tbsp cold water
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Sift dry mixtures. add shortening. mix with hand until crumbly. add cold water. mix.  roll out to fit pie plate.  Chill.  Prick pie shell with fork before baking then bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 18 min.

  • 1 envelope. plain unflavored gelatin (1tbsp)
  • 4 tbsp. cold water
  • 1 c. brown sugar , firmly packed
  • 3 eggs, seperated
  • 1/2 c milk (recipe says bottled, it’s so old.  I love that.)
  • 1 1/2 c canned pumpkin (1 15 oz can)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp granulated sugar (for egg whites)

Soak gelatin in water.

In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, egg yolks, milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened (about 10 min on med-low heat).  It will splatter as it begins to heat up so the stirring constantly in important plus you don’t want the egg yolks to cook before they are properly mixed in.

Remove from heat, add gelatin, stirring until thoroughly dissolved.  Chill until mixture begins to set.  I usually set it out on the back patio steps so it doesn’t heat up my whole fridge. Of course this only works if you live somewhere where it’s cold in November. 🙂

While the pumpkin mixture is chilling, beat egg white until stiff, add granulated sugar, continuing to beat until stiff.

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Fold egg whites into the cooled pumpkin mixture.  It will look like this:

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 Pour into baked pie shell and chill until set.

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Serve with whipped cream.  Yum!!  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Thanksgiving Mani

24 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by in Nails

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DSC02601So much to do for Thanksgiving.  I started with my nails.  🙂  It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve removed that last color and my nails are suffering.  So I cannot wait another day!

Covergirl Outlast in Non-Stop Stone (3 coats), OPI sparkle in Pop the Cork (just at the base of the nail, 2 light coats), and always Top coat with Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy (2 coats).  It has amazing shine and extends any at home mani no matter what polish you use for color.

Light Bulb! Lite Brite Peg Sorting

23 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by in DIY, Light Bulb!

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Use an old white ice cube tray to sort Lite Brite pegs.  Orange, pink and red look almost the same when they are in the tray underneath the screen.  We also use this one for painting.

We bought this Lite Brite for G last Christmas, she hasn’t used it much but every once in a while it come out.  We decided yesterday that we were going to do a turkey for Thanksgiving.  So I searched online and found this image:

Thanksgiving Lite Brite

The screen is 6 3/4″ by 6 3/4 inch, so I printed the image (which was smaller than that) then made a color copy and enlarged it to “fit page”.  trimmed it down so it would slide in perfectly and off we go.  The pegs don’t go exactly where the dot is.. and we ran out of white pegs.. but we are improvising and I’m sure it will look great!

 

Hooded Towel DIY

18 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in DIY

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SNOW DAY!!!!

What to do?  T got a call from a friend to play so G and I tackled a long delayed project, hooded towels.  We loved these when the kids were little but then they grew and I could not find a decent sized hooded towel for them.  They are perfect for post tubby/shower wrap ups!  These bath sheets are from Ikea.  They are huge, 39″ x 59″ and they have a great little loop for hanging.

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So you’ll need a bath towel/sheet and a hand towel.  I chose matching patterns but a contrast would be cute too.

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Step 1: Fold the hand towel in half, Like a hamburger roll not a hot dog roll, and cut it (in half).

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Step 2: Then fold it in half again, so the raw edges meet, good side in.  Pin the raw edges together (this will be the top of the hood).

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Step 3: Then sew along that edge.. first a straight line, then zigzag over that line twice and finish with another straight line.  Just to make extra sure it won’t come apart when washing.  This will give the hood a point.  If you’re ok with that move to Step 6.

DSC02560Step 4: Once sewn, lay the hood out like this and measure and inch or 2 from the tip and sew a straight line across.  This will flatten out the tip.

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Step 5: Cut the tip of the hood above the sew line.

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Step 6: Attach the hood to the bath towel/sheet.  Match up the center of the hood with the center of the sheet before pinning it.  You want the seam to be on the inside of the towel so be sure to pin that way.  I laid it on top of the towel and did a straight stich from one end of the hood to the other.  Time will tell if that will be enough to hold it.

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And that’s it! Each towel took me less than an hour.  The kids love them!

Birthday or Anniversary Cut-Outs

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by in Light Bulb!, Recipes

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My Mother in law is 75!  I was put in charge of dessert for the party, so in addition to the cake, I made cookies.  Everyone loves cut-outs so I tried to think of which cookie cutter shape to use.  75 is big so I wanted them to be special.  I scoured Pinterest and came up empty.  Then I came up the idea to use the number cutters I have and just put the 7 and the 5 together.  You could obviously do this for any birthday or anniversary.  I am sure I’ll be doing it again!

Book Club Bean Salsa

14 Friday Nov 2014

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You have to try this recipe!  You will love it!  Every time I bring it to a party, at least one person asks me for the recipe.  In fact, I am posting this because I was asked for the recipe at a party 2 weeks ago and I said to myself, why aren’t I posting recipes too?  So here it is.

You will be eating this with a spoon right out of the container.  The original came from my sister in law who got it from one of her book club friends. I altered the original recipe to suit my tastes– more vinegar, less oil. This salsa is delish on day 2, so it’s a great make ahead appetizer.  And if you are bringing it somewhere, I suggest making a double batch because you will definitely want to have some at home.  As long as you are doing all that chopping, why not have it for the week ahead. It’s a great after school snack for the kids too.  I think because of the sugar, they love it.

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  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can black eyed peas
  • 1 can black beans

Drain, rinse and put in a large bowl (remember to make it big enough so when you add all the ingredients there is room for mixing)

In a small saucepan, heat on low until sugar dissolves:

  • 1/2 c cider vinegar (original 1/4 c)
  • 1/2 cup sugar (same as original)
  • 1/4 c olive oil (original 1/2c)

pour over corn/pea/bean mixture.

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This next part changes for me every time.  The basic ingredients are the same, but the measurements change based on what I’ve got in the fridge. I want to note that I always feel like I’ve added too much onion when I taste it immediately after making it, but the pungent onion flavor melts away by day 2.

Chop and add:

  • 1 rib celery (I chop this separately. The chopper I use doesn’t chop the celery consistently, so I get better results manually)
  • approx 1/2 c red onion (this flavor mellows by day 2)
  • approx 1 c red/orange/green pepper (add all three, or use just 2 but the total is about a 1 c)
  • cilantro (to taste, I use about 2 tbsp.)

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The original recipe also calls for diced grape tomatoes and jalapenos, but my kids are not fans so I eliminated them.

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This is a hearty salsa so I serve it with those tortilla chips that are shaped like little bowls (scoops).  It can be a messy eating experience with flat chips.

I hope you love it as much as we do!  pass it on! 🙂

 

Am I Wrong?

12 Wednesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Outfits

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Is it wrong to be excited for colder weather?  I am so ready for it, because I can finally wear my new coat!  I got it at Marshall’s, $99, Vince Camuto.  So much to love. The quilted faux leather sleeves, the zipper detail, the boxiness of it, raglan sleeves… LOVE.  And let’s face it, when you live in a climate with many months of cold weather, your coat is as important as any outfit.  Sometimes that’s all anyone sees! Today, I’m wearing it with a black wool beret.  I totally forgot I had it until I went digging last week.  Fall hat problem solved.  I also found an ivory one and a little black cloche hat.  So cute.

These Camo Skinnys are another one of my favorite pairs of pants.  They are neutral without being ho-hum.  These are no longer available but a quick search and I found plenty of options!  I bought them last year from Gap because one of my fav bloggers (and the first blogger I ever started following) inspired me to buy them. If you are looking to add to your blogger list, I highly recommend What I Wore.  The shirt is an old one I bought at TJ Maxx, probably 4 years ago, but a striped shirt isn’t too hard to find these days.  Black riding boots are Anne Klein.

Can you tell I am desperate for a new place to take my pictures?  I am on the hunt!

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Nothing Fancy

04 Tuesday Nov 2014

Posted by in Outfits, Thrift Store Finds

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Nothing fancy doesn’t have to mean boring.  You can still look cute with the same effort it takes to throw on a pair of sweats.  For me, layers make an outfit interesting.  Today I am just headed to the ice rink for T’s first hockey game…Go Sharks!.  The rink is always cold, so layers is the answer anyway you look at it.  Destructed jeans is a great start.  It’s just the rink after all, but you don’t have to look like a slob.  So jeans, but in a light wash and distressed gives a laid back, easy feeling.  Mine are Gap Always Skinny.  Simple black and grey on top.  Silver Grey Cami from Express (my Favs), a hi-lo sweatshirt that I just bought from Danskin Now (Walmart), faux fur vest (BJ’s, on clearance this past summer).  All topped off with a little color, J.Crew wool burgundy with silver embroidery cap (no longer available, but  am lovin’ this one at UO) and my Arturo Chiang boots (also seen here, similar here) and my find of the season, Land’s End Kids quilted coat (thrift store find).

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Easiest Costume Ever!

02 Sunday Nov 2014

Posted by in Outfits

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This was the easiest costume I’ve ever done.  I was inspired by this post I found on Pinterest. Going to add her to my blog watch list for sure. Isn’t that cape cool?  I could totally do that.  Maybe next year.  Back to the costume…I had everything but the hat ($3 from The Dollar Store). Everyone has a black dress of some kind, don’t they?  I had two to choose from.  I chose this sweater dress with leather detail (Chaps, Kohl’s, no longer available), black patent skinny belt (Target), black ruffle wrap (old), green tights (Merona, Target), black suede shoes (I got mine at DSW last year, but these are very similar).  Done. So simple.

The only notes I’d make to this is that the wrap was long, so I tucked the ends into the back of my belt to make it look more cape-like and the hat brim is so flat it looked silly when you put it on.  By bending the brim in half, it looked MUCH better.  I bent it front to back so the curves in the wire were on the sides.