I came, I saw, I conquered... The Pinterest

We've all been there.  You are strolling along on the interwebs and get to Pinterest.  Then you find something that is so amazing that you absolutely must have it.  And then... You fail so miserably at whatever it was, that you wish Pinterest was never invented.

But... every once in a while, you nail it.  That was me, tonight, with my magnetic make-up/bathroom stuff board.

What you need:

1.  Picture Frame in the size of your choice.  I used the super cheap flimsy plastic frames from Ikea, believe it or not.  I thought it might be too flimsy, but it worked really well and was inexpensive.  If you want something extremely sturdy, you might want to go with something wooden.

2.  Piece of steel large enough to fit snugly inside your picture frame.  It doesn't matter what you use, it just needs to be somewhat lightweight and magnetic.  I used a large piece of lightweight galvanized steel from Home Depot.  It was only $4.99 and was large enough to make 2 large poster sized boards.

3.  Fabric of your choice, large enough that you can wrap it around your steel with about an inch on each side when pulled taut. 

4.  Glue gun and glue or other fast drying adhesive.   I liked the glue gun, because it dries so fast, which is necessary when you are pulling fabric taut and gluing it down.

5.   Scissors or box cutter.  I used very sharp scissors, but please be extremely careful, as the exposed metal after you cut it has a raw edge and is VERY sharp.  You are less likely to cut yourself with a box cutter or similar instrument.

6.  Assorted magnets and lightweight containers and whatever you want to put on your board.  I got an assortment at Home Depot, but I think I will go find some industrial magnets to hang some heavier jars that I think are adorable for things like cotton balls/swaps and makeup brushes.  I tried out a few lightweight plastic baskets, and they all help up with the Home Depot magnets.  I also got a magnetic towel rack at Home Depot on clearance a while back.  I added it to the bottom and think it's perfect!  :)

7.  Picture hanging materials if you plan to hang it on the wall.  I just used a single screw right into a stud - which was very sturdy. 

How to make it:

Step 1:  Take the hard cardboard that comes in your picture frame out to use it as a template for your steel.  If you are using a frame without the cardboard parts, you will need to measure the frame and cut your steel to size.  You will also need to cut a cardboard like surface to use as a stabilizer for your metal, depending on the thickness of your metal.  Mine was thin enough it needed a backing more to stabilize it.

Step 2:  Measure your steel based off the cardboard piece.  Cut either the exact size of the cardboard or a little bit smaller.  Do not cut bigger, as it won't fit back into the frame.  I cut mine a tiny bit smaller.

Step 3:  Cut out your steel.  Be careful with it.  Those raw steel edges are really sharp, and I take no responsibility for you cutting yourself and bleeding to death.

Step 4:  Take your glue gun and glue your steel piece to your cardboard template.  Make sure you are gluing with the steel side up so that it works with the magnets you got.  Depending on the type of steel, sometimes only one side is magnetic.  This doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be sturdy enough that the metal won't move around.

Step 4:  On a hard, flat surface, lay out your fabric right side facing down. (make sure it is ironed out and has no creases.) 

Step 5:  Lay your sheet metal on top of the fabric, sheet metal side down, so that your cardboard backing is facing you.  So it should go fabric (you see the wrong side), piece of steel, cardboard.

Step 6:  Start with the long sides of the board and wrap your fabric around the steel and cardboard backing.  Glue the wrong side of the fabric to the cardboard.  I didn't bother to fold over to create a nice edge, since it was on the back and nobody will see it, but if you need something neat, you can fold and folder over again.  This will make it harder to keep it taut, though.  Glue your first side down, and then on the opposite side, you will want to pull the fabric taut without pulling it so hard it will tear on the metal.  I do it in sections, pulling it a little, adding the glue, squishing it down until it holds strong, and then move the next section.

Step 7:  Fold the corners in a triangle shape to give you a nice square edge.  I didn't take a picture of this when I did it, but I have taken 2 pictures with a blanket to try to demonstrate.  See below.  Fold the corners into triangles and then fold up and over the cardboard.  Glue down well.

 Step 8:  Turn over your board and make sure everything is taut and you don't have any creases.  If you do, now is the time to fix them.  If you discover you have a crease in your material, you can iron it at this point as well.  With the hot metal of the steel and your iron, you should be able to get a super flat, crease free fabric.

Step 9:  Remove and plastic or glass from your picture frame.

Step 10:  Slip your board into the frame and secure it with the materials provided with the frame.  Your board will be thick and fit in there snugly, but you should have plenty of room to secure it given you've removed the plastic or glass that came with the frame.

Step 11:  Secure to wall.

Step 12:  Glue magnets to the items you will be hanging on your board (such as containers) or just put magnets up that will grab any metal object.

That's it.  You're done!

Best Oven Fried Zucchini

I have been trying to perfect the art of the oven-baked zucchini for a few weeks now, and I finally nailed it.  I wish I had taken better pictures to show.  I just took the one I have to brag to my husband who was at work and didn't get any.  hehehe.

So here is the thing... I am a LAZY cook.  All the recipes I have tell me to dredge in flour and then dip and then coat again.  UGH.  I don't like to dredge things in flour and then dip them in egg and then coat them in something and then put them on a pan.  That is far too much work - and who has time?  And why do they have to say dredge in flour?  Why can't they just say, coat it?

Anyhoo, back to my Zucchini - it was perfectly cooked on the inside, delightfully crunchy on the outside, with the perfect flavor and after taste.  Unfortunately, I didn't write down exact measurements, because that is just how I roll.  However, I can give you a basic recipe, and you can change it up how you want.

Ingredients include:

2 zucchini's, peeled and cut in round shapes a little thicker than a quarter coin.
3 zip lock or similar bags for shaking the coating on
2 eggs
2 or so tablespoons of flour

Panko Breadcrumbs
Parmesan Cheese (the fake Kraft stuff is what I used, though I imagine real would be tastier)
Salt
Pepper

So - remember how lazy I said I was?  Hence the zip lock bags!  And it was so much faster!

Okay, so preheat your oven to 375.  Get a baking sheet and cover it with tin foil.  Spray the tin foil with a good amount of cooking spray, and sprinkle sea salt on top of the cooking spray.

Take 2 zucchini and peel them with a vegetable peeler.  You could leave the skins on, but I think the flour sticks better when there is no skin?  I dunno - try it and let me know.

Then, I cut them up a little thicker than quarter coins.  You can probably do as thick as you like, but you will need to adjust the cooking time slightly so they aren't hard in the middle.  You could also cut them in sticks, but I am all about the crunchy breading, so this worked for me.

Take about 1/2 cup of Panko breadcrumbs and pour them into 1 of your ziplock baggies.  Add 1/4 cup of Parmesan.  Add about 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper.  I also added seasoning salt and a shake of garlic powder.  Go hog wild - if you want some spice, add some chili pepper or something.  Close the top of your bag and shake it up until mixed.  2-3 good shakes will do it.  Set aside your breadcrumb mixture for a minute.

Take another ziplock and pour your flour into it.  Take your cut zucchini and throw it in the flour bag.  Seal it up and shake, shake, shake.  Shake, shake, shake.  Shake your boot... uh, your zucchini, until coated.  So most recipes say 'dredge in flour' or 'lightly coat' or something.  My method coats them pretty thick-like.  And I like that - it makes them crispier I think.  Regardless - it's easier than dredging them in flour one at a time or something.  Make sure you don't have any sticking to each other, too.

Crack 2 eggs and whisk them in a bowl, and then pour them into your third ziplock.  Take your zucchini from the flour bag into the egg bag a few at a time, and shake until coated.  If you do too many at a time, they will stick together, but you can just separate them and shake again until coated.  Then transfer them with a slotted spoon into your Panko breadcrumb bag.  Shake again until coated.  Separate anything that is sticking together, and once coated, place on the pre-prepared tin foil in a single layer.

Do that again and again until everything is coated.  Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes to start.  I take mine out at 15 minutes and then turn each one over and put them back in for another 5-10 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and crispy.

Serve with ranch or other dip.  I made a Greek yogurt based dip with a ranch packet, leftover mashed avocado from the previous evening's dinner, and a sprinkle of sun dried tomato and basil feta cheese I had leftover.  It was delightful.