Drink Local Beer Bottle Opener

I'm really excited about this fun DIY project! It came out looking great and was REALLY EASY to make! I also love how inexpensive it was to finish. This project cost me less than $15!

I made this beer bottle opener to hang in our kitchen/dining area while stuck in the house during the Raleigh Snowpocalypse today. I am so glad that I had obtained all my materials earlier in the week - there was no venturing outside for us the past day and a half! 

I also learned that North Carolina is really hard to paint!! I'm used to Vermont which is basically just a wonky rectangle. I can't imagine being a kindergartner and trying to draw North Carolina... that's just not fair, and those kids in Colorado have it SO easy!

Materials

• Piece of wood - I used an 18" piece of a 2 x 8 Pine Board  from Lowe's for $6. I stained it with some leftover stain from my "No Tools" Headboard project. I thought about using pallet boards but I didn't have any that were wide enough.
• Paint & Brushes - this is Behr's "Caribe" PPU13-1.  A sample jar costs $4 at Home Depot
• Beer bottle opener. I obtained mine for $7 from my favorite local home-brew supply shop - Atlantic Brew Supply.
• Computer/Printer
• Drill or Screwdriver
• Pen
• Tape

Directions

Cut and stain your wood if necessary. Stain at least 24 hours before painting so that it soaks in and dries completely. 

Print out your text and/or state outline with a computer. Tape the printed out text to the board and trace over with a pen - pressing hard. Pine is soft so this will leave an indent in the board that you can use as a guide to paint. Do the same with the state outline. 

Remove computer paper and paint. Allow to dry. I needed to do two coats of the teal paint in order to make it pop! the way I wanted.

Once paint has dried, screw your bottle opener into the wood and that's it! You've got yourself a fantastic looking bottle opener!

Wasabi Sriracha Deviled Eggs

Say What?!?

That's right, Wasabi Sriracha Deviled Eggs ... And they're fantastic!  I've made these a couple of times now, making some tweaks to the recipe here and there and I think I've got it perfected. Now if only I can learn how to perfectly peel hard-boiled eggs, then we'll be in business. No seriously, is there a magic trick? Because I can't peel eggs nicely to save my life.

Although they sound really spicy they're really not too bad, even our spice challenged friends enjoyed them. They creaminess of the yolk and mayonnaise really soften the heat from the wasabi and Sriracha while still capturing their distinctive flavors.

Ingredients

12 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled & cooled

2 cups Soy Sauce

1/2 cup Scallions, chopped
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Fresh Grated Ginger

1/4 cup plus 1 tbs Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha

2 1/4 teaspoons Wasabi Paste
1/4 cup Snipped Chives
A few dashes of Chinese Five-Spice Powder

Directions

In a medium saucepan, combine the soy sauce, chopped scallions, sugar and grated ginger. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Transfer the mixture to a heatproof bowl and let cool completely.

Once cool, add the eggs to the soy sauce mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the eggs for 1 to 2 hours.

Drain the eggs from the soy sauce mixture. Using a slightly moistened thin, sharp knife, cut the eggs in half lengthwise. Gently pry the egg yolks into a medium bowl.

Mash yolks with a fork. Stir the mayonnaise, Sriracha, wasabi and 3 tablespoons of the snipped chives into the mashed yolks. Transfer the mixture to a ziplock or pastry bag. Set the egg whites on a serving platter and pipe in the filling. Sprinkle the deviled eggs with the remaining chives and the Chinese five-spice powder.

Serve and Enjoy! This recipe is sure to be a party pleasing appetizer and a fun twist on a classic.

Samoa Cupcakes

Yum. Yum. Yum.

I made these tasty treats for our little Super Bowl get-together on Sunday and they are absolutely scrumptious! They are based off a recipe from my newest blog obsession - Cooking Classy. I sort of simplified the recipe by using a store-bought cake mix and caramel sauce rather than making them from scratch. This way I saved some time and still mastered a beautiful and delicious cupcake.

I know I've said it before... but my friends are all amazing! We had such an awesome spread of food for the Super Bowl - I wish I had taken some photos. Yummy dips and spreads, Mariachi Mac & Cheese cups, homemade infused vodka, and so much more. I don't even watch football so for me the Super Bowl is all about the food and the commercials.

They are just DRIPPING with chocolate and caramel!

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake Mix (and required ingredients to make them according to package directions)

1 cup Chocolate Chips - I used 1/2 cup Milk Chocolate and 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet)

1/4 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Butter, softened to room temperature

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs Caramel Sauce

2 cups Powdered Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Toasted Coconut

Directions

Mix and bake cake mix according to package directions into 24 cupcakes. Allow to cool completely.

In a small, microwave safe bowl heat chocolate chips and heavy cream on half power in 20 second increments until well combined and smooth. Dip tops of cooled cupcakes into chocolate, twisting to cover entire surface of cake equally. Set on a wire rack to cool.

To make Caramel Butter Cream frosting combine softened butter and powdered sugar and mix with a hand or stand mixer until well combined. Add in caramel sauce and vanilla and mix on medium-high until light and fluffy. 

Pipe Butter Cream Frosting onto chocolate-dipped cupcakes. Dip frosted cupcakes into toasted coconut. Drizzle with leftover caramel sauce and melted chocolate.