Glue and Glitter » cooking

Eat! Drink! Make!

Becky Striepe — Mon, 16 May 2011 11:00:42 +0000

Hopefully it hasn’t been obvious to you guys, but I’ve been sort of playing around with what this blog is all about. Other than sharing news about upcoming shows and events, I wasn’t sure if I should focus on crafting, cooking, crafty business or something else entirely, and after months of deliberating, I think I’ve finally settled on a theme:

Eat! Drink! Make!

Oddly enough, inspiration struck in the middle of writing a tutorial for Green Upgrader. I was whipping up a craft market display using vintage suitcases and decided to make little signs to go on top of each of my suitcases to sort of delineate what my different lines are about. One suitcase says, “MAKE!” on top (for Lunch Bags! the book and my Cup Glove Kits) and the other has a sign that says, “EAT! DRINK!” (for my Lunch Kits, Snack Sleeves, and Cup Gloves).

As I was assembling the signs, I suddenly had one of those “aha” moments.

For whatever reason, it hadn’t clicked for me that crafting and cooking are such similar activities. Whether you’re putting a meal together or sitting at the sewing machine, you’re taking components and turning them into exactly what you want. What was feeling sort of stretched thin suddenly felt completely right, and I’m super excited about having a clear direction for this site! Don’t you just love it when things fall into place?

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Easy Dinner Idea: Vegan Hobo Dinner

Becky Striepe — Mon, 02 May 2011 11:00:33 +0000

My pal Christy first introduced the idea of the hobo dinner to me. Traditionally, you toss ground beef, potatoes, onions, and Worstershire sauce into foil and toss it on the grill. While a fake meat version of this is definitely tasty, I decided to do a little experimental veganizing when we got a CSA basket that was particularly suited to making hobo dinners.

You might notice some odd-looking things in my uncooked hobo dinner above, so I’ll explain. This basket included a bunch of golden beets and purple carrots. Awesome, right? All of the veggies in this dish came from our CSA basket, which is the beauty of the hobo dinner. It makes for an easy dinner idea, and you can substitute whatever you have on hand.

Vegan Hobo Dinner

Ingredients

1/2c chickpeas
1/2c beets, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1t mushroom soy sauce
1t Sriracha sauce
1 sweet potato, diced
1T olive oil
1T fresh oregano, minced

Cooking Directions

Toss the veggies and sauces together, then wrap in tin foil.
Cook your hobo dinner on the grill or in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Had you guys heard of hobo dinners before? They’re such a great, easy dinner idea, and apparently they’re popular summer camp fare. I’ve definitely had fun experimenting with different hobo dinner ideas!

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | Comment
Post tags: cooking, CSA recipe, dinner recipe, easy dinner idea, hobo dinner, vegan, vegan recipe

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Leftover Rice Salad

Becky Striepe — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:00:29 +0000

Whether you ordered Chinese delivery or just overestimated how much rice you needed with your meal, that leftover rice is a great base for a simple lunchtime salad. This dish is super duper flexible. Feel free to leave out or add pretty much anything that strikes your fancy!

Leftover Rice Salad

Ingredients

1c cooked rice
handful chopped mushrooms
handful chopped scallions
handful nuts, your choice (May I recommend cashews?)
handful chopped baby bok choy, spinach, or other greens that you like raw
1 carrot, chopped
2T sesame oil
1T rice wine vinegar
hot sauce, to taste
2T nutritional yeast
1t tamari or soy sauce
1/2t grated ginger

Cooking Directions

Combine all of the ingredients, mixing well. You can eat this right away or stash it away for lunch the next day. The rice will get hard if it’s in the fridge for too long, so don’t let it sit for more than one day.

Want more ideas for leftover rice? Check out these leftover rice ideas at Eat Drink Better.

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by ginnerobot

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | One comment
Post tags: cooking, leftovers, lunch recipe, rice, vegan recipe, vegan recipes

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Inspiration Friday: Kitchen Organization

Becky Striepe — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 11:00:34 +0000

Earlier this week, I asked you guys what scares folks about cooking, so I thought it would be fun to follow up with a little bit of kitchen organization eye candy!

One of the things that makes me dig cooking is having my space set up nicely and the right tools at hand. I’d be lost without my Dutch oven, for example. I make at least 1-2 dishes in there every week and more in the winter. The same goes for my rice cooker with the steamer basket. The kitchens below aren’t necessarily everyone’s giganto dream kitchens, but I like how they’ve organized the space to showcase tools and ingredients to make the most of their spaces.

What I love about this yellow kitchen from Ramsey Everydaypants (also pictured above) isn’t just that he chose my new favorite color for the walls. It’s clearly a small space, and every inch is planned and organized, so you can find what you need when you need it.
Jm3 is clearly a cookbook lover and everything’s so nicely organized in open storage. I think storing things out like this really forces you to stay organized, because you can see when it’s getting out of control.
Charles and Hudson really make this narrow kitchen work with a pop of color on the far wall and by keeping clutter off of the food prep area.
Kari Marie makes great use of vertical space to keep important supplies handy in what looks like another small space. I love the magnetic knife holder! What a great way to get that big knife block off the counter to free up more prep space.
I just love how Terrium has spices and dry goods organized. It’s hard to see in this photo, but many spices and dried beans and grains are in mason jars with printed labels so it’s simple to find just what you need.
Talk about using vertical space! Paul Schadler‘s using every inch of wall to store important cooking supplies like his colander and various spoons, ladels, and spatulas.

I know there are some seasoned cooks out there! What are your kitchen organization tricks for keeping your supplies at hand and ready to cook without getting too cluttered?

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments
Post tags: cooking, Inspiration Friday, kitchen organization, kitchens, organized kitchens

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Are You Scared of the Kitchen?

Becky Striepe — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:00:56 +0000

Chances are, if you’re a regular reader here you’re probably into cooking your meals at home, but I wanted to see if that assumption was correct! How often do you cook vs. order dinner or eat out?

I meet a lot of folks who tell me they can’t cook or that they hate cooking, and I think that’s just crazytalk! When I was a kiddo, my mom used to like to say that “If you can read, you can cook,” and I think that’s great advice for someone who’s a bit gunshy about the kitchen. You don’t have to whip up fancy pants gourmet meals. You should pat yourself on the back any time you get in the kitchen and feed yourself or your family.

Just like packing lunches, cooking at home can save you money and help the planet! When you use fresh ingredients, you avoid all of the wasteful disposables that come with take out and other meals on the go. Not only that, you can control what’s going into your pot, so you can make sure that what you’re cooking up is healthy to boot.

Get in the Kitchen!

Getting into cooking is just like any new habit: starting can be the hardest part. I think the key is to just get in there and make something. It can be as simple as a pasta dish with oil and garlic or even a simple sandwich. The point is to just get in there.

The more you cook, the more you’ll get a feel for how ingredients and spices interact. I think that starting out with simple recipes and trying trickier dishes as your confidence grows is probably a good way to get comfortable in the kitchen. It’s also important to not beat yourself up if a dish goes horribly wrong. It happens to everyone, and I bet you learned something from it!

So, spill it guys! If you’re not into cooking, what’s your hesitation? Could I help with simple tips and recipes? I’d love to discuss in the comments!

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | Comment
Post tags: cooking, cooking tips, how to cook, kitchen, scared to cook

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Etsy Find: Ethiopian Spices from Cooking Outside the Box

Becky Striepe — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:00:31 +0000

I love Ethiopian food. In fact, eating at one of the many Ethiopian joints in Adams Morgan is my favorite post-Crafty Bastards activity every year! The trick with Ethiopian food is that it often calls for at least a few sorts of spices that are harder to find, like fenugreek and green cardamom pods. That’s where Cooking Outside the Box comes in. This awesome Etsian has compiled a beautiful set of 20 spices and a stack of Ethiopian recipes into a cooking kit,and you know how I love a kit!

You can find Cooking Outside The Box’s Ethiopian Spice Kit in her Etsy shop, along with lots of other hard to find spices and fun Make a Meal spice kits.

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Announcing: The Glue and Glitter Community!

Becky Striepe — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 11:00:43 +0000

The folks at Lunch.com approached me about launching a community site, and I’m so glad that they did! I’m still getting things finalized over there, but I wanted to invite you guys to jump right in!

Think of it as an eco-friendly water cooler. You can talk about and review things from vegan cookbooks to Cupcaprons and share quick tips on green crafting and vegan eats. There’s a bit of a conversation happening on the community now, and I’d love to see it grow! When you have a minute, I encourage you to click around and see what you think.

I’ve added some of my favorite craft supplies and vegan cookbooks, and I’d love to hear what you think of those! You’re also welcome to recommend things of your own or share quickie tips for crafting and cooking. I can’t wait to see what you guys recommend, review, and suggest!

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | Comment
Post tags: community, cooking, crafting, crafting community, reviews

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Lunch-Packing Inspiration: Lunch It, Punch It

Becky Striepe — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:36:37 +0000

How cool is this, you guys? A trio of friends made a pact that they’d pack their lunches 10 times before allowing themselves to eat lunch out.

I’m sure you guys know how I feel about packing your lunch. A packed lunch is healthier for you and for the planet. Rather than blow $7 on lunch at the cafeteria made from questionable ingredients, you can pack something tasty and nutritious for much less money, and reduce waste to boot!

Lunch It, Punch It

The ladies at Lunch It, Punch It had such a great time with this challenge that they launched a whole website so that other folks could get in on the lunch-packing goodness!

They’ve got free, printable lunch punch cards that you and your friends can use to track your progress. Their site features recipes and other bits of inspiration to keep you packing your lunch, even on those days that you might not want to pull it together.

So, what do you guys think? I know the idea of packing lunch every single day is a bit daunting, but what if you were committing to just 10 days in a row, with a lunch out as the reward? I bet that, on top of that lunch out feeling extra special, you could splurge on something delicious and a bit more healthy than the usual fast food lunch.

Shameless self-promotion: If you need a little bit more lunch-packing inspiration, you can also check out my handmade Lunch Kits on Etsy!

Via: CRAFT

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | 4 comments
Post tags: cooking, Food, food challenge, healthy lunch, lunch, pack lunch

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A Brand New Shop!

Becky Striepe — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:30:55 +0000

You guys may have noticed the brand new link at the top of the site to a Kitchen and Sewing Essentials page. I get a lot of questions from folks about stocking the kitchen and the sewing room and thought it might be cool to have a place to share supplies that I either can’t live without or covet for my own cooking and sewing adventures!

There are only a few products up now, but if there are things you’d like to see, hit me up through the contact page! I’d be happy to add recommendations if there are other things you’re looking for.

Don’t worry…I’m still hard at work sewing up goodies for your handmade kitchen, but I wanted to be able to help folks find items like a rice cooker and steamer that I can’t make myself, too!

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | Comment
Post tags: cooking, estore, kitchen supplies, sewing, sewing supplies, shop

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Our Vegan New Year’s Party Spread

Becky Striepe — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 09:30:33 +0000

Picture from the photo booth at our New Year's Eve party, courtesy of Bonnie Heath

I think this was our best New Year’s party yet! One of my best and oldest friends flew up for the occasion, and we spent all day on the 31st whipping up snacks and treats and making the house pretty.

Our friends Bonnie and Rob set up a photo booth, because they are the best! If there’s one thing our friends are good at, it’s taking photo booth pictures. We had a ton of props that people put to good use, like paper and sharpies, hats, noisemakers, a stuffed octopus (thanks, Leuwam!), and a chalkboard talk bubble, courtesy of our pal Marilyn.

Right. But you’re not here to read about photobooths, even if they DO include plush octopods. You want to hear about the eats! Here’s a photo of the spread before the party started:

Since our cat Molly’s favorite pastime is stealing chips and crackers from the table, those are still in bags, which is why there are a bunch of empty bowls. Here’s what you’re looking at:

Squash and Pecan Pate, a variation on this Pumpkin and Walnut Pate recipe from Eat Drink Better.

Vegan Pigs in a Blanket (still in the oven) and a Vegan Cheeseball

Becky LeBeans

Cornichon Pickles

Peppermint Bark (this was not vegan, but we got a tin for Christmas, so I set it out)

Mulled Wine, a variation on another recipe at Eat Drink Better. I’ll post that recipe soooon!

The food was a hit, but man oh man the pate was above and beyond delicious! Pretty much every single guest asked me for the recipe. If you’re planning a party or just like things that are yummy, I suggest you whip up some of that dip ASAP!

And this is a picture of Sam, my out of town friend who should really move to Atlanta so that we can hang out more often!

© Becky for Glue and Glitter, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments
Post tags: cooking, New Year's Eve, New Year's Party, vegan, vegan appetizers, vegan snacks

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Glue and Glitter » cooking

Eat! Drink! Make!

Eat! Drink! Make!

Related Posts:

Easy Dinner Idea: Vegan Hobo Dinner

Vegan Hobo Dinner

Related Posts:

Leftover Rice Salad

Leftover Rice Salad

Related Posts:

Inspiration Friday: Kitchen Organization

Related Posts:

Are You Scared of the Kitchen?

Get in the Kitchen!

Related Posts:

Etsy Find: Ethiopian Spices from Cooking Outside the Box

Related Posts:

Announcing: The Glue and Glitter Community!

Related Posts:

Lunch-Packing Inspiration: Lunch It, Punch It

How cool is this, you guys? A trio of friends made a pact that they’d pack their lunches 10 times before allowing themselves to eat lunch out.

Lunch It, Punch It

Related Posts:

A Brand New Shop!

Related Posts:

Our Vegan New Year’s Party Spread

Related Posts: