Orzo Salad with Spicy Ranch

I found this recipe on Pinterest (where else???) and added it to this week's menu.  We ALL love orzo pasta at our house, along with black beans and corn, so I thought this would be fun to try.

I made the pasta first, planning on letting it cool in the fridge while I made the dressing.  As soon as it was drained, Emily wanted to eat it.  So I gave her some of the plain pasta.  She kept coming back for more!  I was afraid I wouldn't have enough for the actual salad.

I didn't make the spicy dressing in the recipe.  I made my own by making some ranch dressing and then adding several dashes (as in, I didn't measure) of ground cayenne pepper and some more dashes of chili powder.  YUM-O!

Then I added the dressing to the pasta and tried putting it in the fridge to cool and set, but Emily wanted MORE.  I was curious to see how she'd like the dressing, so I gave her some.  Avery wanted to try it, too.  And they both LOVED it!  I went ahead and put in the drained beans and corn and gave them each a bowl, and they chowed down.

Unsure if they would want more, I put the other ingredients (which the girls do not like) in separate bowls so Rob and I could add what we wanted to our own salads.  I didn't add the cilantro (I'm not a huge fan) and I didn't have cherry tomatoes, but regular ones worked fine.  I think grape tomatoes could have worked great.  

So, in the words of Emily:  "This is the stuff!"  

Orzo Salad with Spicy Buttermilk Dressing (recipe from Little Birdie Secrets)

• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained
• 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons light sour cream
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 peeled avocado, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

• 1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain and rinse; drain well. Place orzo, corn, and next 3 ingredients (through beans) in a large bowl; toss.
• 2. Combine buttermilk, 2 tablespoons cilantro, and next 8 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over orzo mixture; toss. Top with avocado; garnish with remaining cilantro and parsley.

Some things I've made...

I haven't been able to share things I've been making because they were a secret!  I was busy working on presents for my mom and dad's birthdays. 

I made this sign for my dad's office.  This was my original idea.  Pinterest had no influence on this craft!  It has signs for any mood the doctor might be in:

I made these stars for my mom.  She likes stars.  I did get the star idea from Pinterest, but it was my idea to include music that had the word "star" in it. 

 And this fall banner was another idea from Pinterest.  I had fun making it.

Look at me craftin'!!!

Spooky!

I saw the idea for this frame on Pinterest and I've been wanting to try it for a week or so.  I still have string left over from the previous project and I had the frame in my closet.

I was going to put scrapbook paper in the background, but I didn't have any that would work.  I came across a sheet of black construction paper and I sprinkled it with water and rubbed soot from the fireplace on it.  I like how it turned out!

Gettin' Kinda Crafty!

I made a craft from Pinterest yesterday!  And I love how it turned out. 

We had the wood in our garage, but I had to actually saw myself a piece.  Yes, I sawed.  It was hard, but fun!  And that explains the board's crookedness.  But don't look at that.

I printed off the letter h (for our last name) and taped it to the board.  At first I thought about drawing the shape I wanted, but then wondered how I was going to erase the lines after the nails were pounded in.  Printing the shape is the way to go.  

After taping the paper to the board, trying to get it as centered and straight as possible, I penciled some dots for where I was going to place the nails.  Some dots were measured with a ruler, like on the straight part of the letter, and then I just placed dots along the curves. 

I didn't string the string in any particular pattern, I just wanted to make sure each nail got some string wrapped around it.  I also wanted to make sure there was string on the outer part of the shape, just to give it a finished look. 

I think this took me an hour (minus the sawing part.  I won't say how long that took).  I would recommend tearing the paper off after the nails are in.  I left the paper on until after I strung it and it was difficult getting the paper out from under the string. 

This is exciting for me!  The corner where this is displayed is pretty much the most decorated part of the whole house.  It's sad, I know, but I'm working on it!  My Pinterest challenge is going to help me with that!
My little project was literally made with blood, sweat, and tears.  And crayon. 

• the blood:  After I was all finished, I had propped up against the oven door, on the floor (because that's where we were working), and Avery fell on top of it, with her head.  She's okay, very little-to-no blood.  Several of the nails were bent, but I was able to bend them back easily.
• the sweat:  from the sawing, of course.  It's a good workout!  Too bad I can't saw with my left hand.  I could totally be buff.
• the tears:  from when Avery fell on it. 
• and the crayon:  Emily traced around the whole letter with a blue crayon and then stated, "Mom!  I connected the nails!"  I guess she thought they needed connecting.  I was able to get the crayon off with a Magic Eraser (LOVE those things!  They really ARE magic!).