June 21, 2012

Acute How-To: Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

I used to love making rice krispie treats when I was a kid.  They are quick, easy, and such a delicious treat.

I decided to make an adult version of these treats by adding all natural peanut butter, swapping out some of the marshmallows for honey, and drizzling dark chocolate all over the top.

The result has the same chewy sweetness I remember from childhood and the added perfect combo of peanut butter and chocolate.

Also, if you’re gluten free , this is a great treat for you {just make sure the cereal you buy is a gluten free variety because all rice cereals are not gluten free}.

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats

Ingredients

  • 6 cups of rice krispies
  • 2 cups of mini marshmallows
  • ½ cup of all natural peanut butter {no sugar added} – smooth or crunchy
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
  • 3 tablespoons butter or margarine

Spray a 9×13” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the butter, marshmallows, honey, and peanut butter over low to medium heat.  Make sure you stir often as the sugar will burn if left unattended.

Once all the ingredients have melted and are thoroughly stirred together, turn off the heat and mix in the rice cereal.  Stir until all is well combined.

Pour the mixture into the sprayed baking dish and distribute throughout the dish with your hands.

Melt the dark chocolate chips.  You can do this on the stovetop using a double boiler or in the microwave.  I use the microwave. I set it on two minutes and then stop every 25 seconds and stir.  It’s the easiest way to melt chocolate.

Drizzle the chocolate all over the top of the rice krispie treats and set the pan in the refrigerator to harden.

Cut and enjoy!  And try not to eat six in the first hour….yeah, it happens!

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April 12, 2012

Acute How-To: DIY Glass-Tinting

All the thrift stores I go to {and I am sure all the thrift stores all over the country} are filled with inexpensive glass bottles, jars, and vases.  The sheer abundance of all this glassware makes it cheap – and a little boring.

In order to “dress up” some basic cheap-o vases, I decided to do a little glass-tinting project. This project is super easy and inexpensive.  And the end result is pretty vintage looking tinted glass.

Supplies:

  • food coloring
  • water
  • Mod Podge – the gloss kind {can be found at any craft store}
  • Small bowls or cups for mixing the food coloring/water
  • newspaper or old paper bags to cover your work surface
  • wax paper
  • metal sheet pan
  • clear glass jars, vases, etc
  • plastic spoon or bamboo skewers for stirring
  • old plastic container or bucket

Step One:

Mix a few tablespoons  of food coloring with a splash of water {no more than a teaspoon of water}.  The more food coloring you use, the darker the tint.  I made the mistake of using just a little food coloring on some of my bottles and the tinting didn’t work very well.

Step Two:

Pour a tablespoon of mod podge + a bowl of food coloring/water mixture into a bottle and stir together with the plastic spoon or bamboo skewers {most of my vases were long and thin and these skewers worked the best}.

Next, turn the bottle around so that the insides are all coated.  It helps to flip the bottle on its side and turn it over and over in your hands.

Note: when you turn the bottle over, some of the mod podge/food coloring will drip out, so this is where your bucket or plastic container will come in handy.  Hold the bottle over it and spin it in your hands.  The mixture will all get caught in one place, which will make cleanup easy.  Also, since mod podge is glue, I wouldn’t do this over your sink.

Step Three:

Set your oven on warm {about 250 degrees} and line a sheet tray with waxed paper.  Place the tray in the oven and set your glasses on it {upside down}.  Bake the glasses upside down for about 15 minutes, then carefully flip them right side up and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes.

During the baking process the glue will dry and you will be left with a pretty tinted glass.

These glasses are not food safe, however they do make pretty flower vases or jars to hold miscellaneous bits and pieces.

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November 3, 2011

Acute How-To: Lace Lampshade

Lace has been one of my favorite trends all year – I just cannot seem to get enough of it.

I  saw a similar lace lampshade on Pinterest a few weeks ago and decided to make my own.  It is a simple and low cost tutorial that will dress up a tired old lampshade and add a pop of interest and texture to any room in your house

What you will need:

  • large piece of lace trim {can be found at any fabric store}
  • spray paint
  • lampshade
  • tape

Step One:

Decide where you want the lace to go and tape it to your lampshade.  I chose to do a border around the bottom of the shade and taped one side down at a time.

Step Two:

Go outside {or into the garage} and spray paint your lampshade.  My shade had four straight edges, so I taped down one piece at a time, sprayed it, and then taped the lace to the second side…and so on.

Step Three:

Allow the shade to dry and display on your favorite lamp.  That’s it – so easy and it makes a dramatic difference!

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