Monday, September 12, 2016

How to Create a Vintage Ice Cream Cart Out of Your Home Freezer!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PledgeReflectionOfYou #CollectiveBias


Having an extra freezer at home has brought a series of controversies for my husband and me. We purchased one several years ago when I was expecting Benny. We bought it in anticipation of sleepless nights and the resulting lack of energy to spend time cooking in the kitchen. The freezer, we agreed, would store microwaveable meal options and other goodies to make our lives a little easier with a newborn at home…

Well, nearly four years later, when Paul was transforming our garage into a gym, he wanted to get rid of the freezer, which had become a dusty, old, empty appliance. He actually took it outside and left it there! My initial thought was: “Oh no you didn’t! We can’t get rid of it.”



So I bought some Pledge® Multisurface Everyday Cleaner with Glade® Rainshower® at Ralphs and started cleaning the dirt off the top of my freezer, which had collected a lot of dust. Good thing the product can be used on wood, laminate, stainless steel, leather, marble, granite, plastic, porcelain, glass and electronics! It removes up to 90% of the allergens found in dust.

Pledge® products can be found in the cleaning supply aisle at Ralphs or any other Kroger family of stores.

All of a sudden my freezer was beginning to shine, which showed me Pledge® takes care of the things I love (yes, my heart still beats for my dear freezer). I cleaned the outside with the Pledge® Lemon Wipes, which are surprisingly versatile. They quickly clean, condition and protect while leaving behind the fresh lemony Pledge® scent.




So with a seemingly brand new outdoor freezer, I couldn’t help but imagine stocking it with ice cream for the kids and their buddies and turning it into a good ol’ ice cream cart…ha!




Here’s how I made it happen:


Tools:
*large piece of cardboard
*ruler
*tape
*scissors
*pen
*paint and paintbrush
*black construction paper
*measuring tape
*level
*portable coat rack





Instructions:


Start by measuring the space of the appliance that you want to “transform” and cut it accordingly. In my case, I got extremely lucky that the piece of cardboard I had measured nearly exactly as the width of the freezer. Next, measure the cardboard and use a ruler to draw long vertical lines. This is usually done by dividing the width of the space by an even number to determine how thick your stripes will be. Once the lines are drawn, cut the cardboard in two sections and paint thick white stripes along the lines (I wanted to use a second color but ultimately decided that the white against the brown cardboard looked good).


Get a separate piece of black construction paper, cut out a large circle (to serve as the cart’s wheel). Use 1” tape to serve as a guide for cutting out the wheel spokes.




Take one of the white striped cardboard pieces and use the scissors to round off the edges of each stripe. This will give it an awning effect. Next, draw two lines across the center. Make sure you apply pressure with the pen as you draw the line. This is done in order to make it fold easily and create a space in between that will allow the cardboard to hang over.

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Finally, tape all pieces onto the large appliance and stick the wheel to the bottom right as well as an “Ice Cream” sign.




As far as the awning, I used a portable clothing rack to hold it up, but you can also attach it to a wall and get the same effect or build a frame out of wood or PVC pipe.


And this is how you turn an old, undesirable freezer into a cutesy ice cream cart (if I do say so myself)…



Do you have any appliances or old furniture pieces at home that need a transformation? Take it from me, start by cleaning things off with the right Pledge® products and let your creativity soar!

Friday, September 2, 2016

Burbank's Bob's Big Boy Burgers!

A special shout out to my use of alliteration on this post's title, dont cha think?
I see my use of words beginning with the letter "B" and I Become Borderline Boastful. Ok. Done.


The Bob's Big Boy Burgers joint in Burbank is the real deal. It received the "State Point of Historical Interest" designation in 1993 by the state of California and the owners have made sure it lives up to its designation with careful preservation of its design, look and props.
Recently, Benny was apparently craving a cheeseburger and asked that we take him to "FLAT MURGERS". 
He meant Fatburger.
And since we were in the Burbank area, my husband Paul convinced Benny to give Bob's Big Boy a shot. What a good idea it was!
We enjoyed an early lunch outdoors and Benny pretty much loved his cheeseburger, one that was fairly accompanied by his first-ever root beer float.
I had a salad with frequent sips of my husband's incredible, INCREDIBLE chocolate milk shake, that arrives in a silver tin goblet (and a cherry on top).
It's a great place to dine with the family and enjoy the "1940's transitional design of streamline modern style while anticipating the free-form 50's coffee shop architecture."


 







Bob's Big Boy Burgers
4211 W Riverside Drive
Burbank CA 91505
(818) 843-9334

Saturday, August 20, 2016

White Grape Seed Flour Mini Donuts to Celebrate the 2016 Olympics!




In my August DegustaBox, I once again found a series of goodies that made me get excited!
Particularly, the White Grape Seed Wheat Flour from White Lily seemed interesting because I never knew there was such a thing as Chardonnay Grape Seed Flour.



If you're not familiar with the monthly DegustaBox food subcription service, you can read all about it here.
In August, the box arrived with one of my favorite Honey Bunches of Oats cereal varieties (the one with dried strawberries). There were also Loacker Italian chocolates,  Oregon Chai Tea and a yummy Chipotle flavored Sir Kensignton's Mayonnaise, among other stuff.



But given my intrigue for the White Grape Seed flour and taking into consideration that it's the 2016 Olympics' closing weekend, I decided to make some mini sour cream donuts using the White Lily flour. 
They turned out delicious! And I was able to get Benny's attention as I explained what each Olympic Ring represented.
Again, we probably wouldn't have had these post-dinner donut treats had it not been for my DegustaBox.




To make similar mini donuts you'll need:
  • 1⅓ cups White Lily White Grape Seed All Purpose Flour
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
  1. Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
  1. In separate bowl whisk together remaining ingredients.  Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Use a fork blend until smooth.
  1. Use a mini donut maker and fill each cavity with 1 TBSP batter.
  1. Bake about 4 to 5 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
  1. Glaze or coat with colored frosting and sprinkles







And remember, the Degustabox subscription averages $20/month! More details here.