Star Trek Science Dress

Okay, so I am a huge Trekkie.  Every series holds a special place in my heart.  However, no series tops my love for the original.  I love the costumes, the cheesy animations, the sound effects, the crew, the banter, I love everything about it.

That being said, for the first science fiction and comic book convention that I was able to actually make in years I had to dress up in a TOS science dress.

However, I quickly realized that for a high quality dress it would cost me about $500, which was over half my budget for the convention.  Add in a TOS command wrap for my boyfriend, and we simply would not have been able to go after we got our costumes and props.  

Then I thought to myself, I know how to sew!  I will make the costumes!  They will be glorious!  I ordered the necessary props online and went out to hunt for fabric.

I decided to go a little cheaper on the rank bands and used something I found in the fabric store.  That way I could totally justify getting phasors to go with the costumes.  

I was originally going to design and sew the dress free hand, but that dress is a lot more intricate than it looks.  Fortunately I found a pattern online on this fourm.  Amazingly, the specifications were for my size!  Until I realized after I made it that I had been dieting for the last few months, so it did end up being pretty loose on me...

So to blow up the pattern in a way that it stayed accurate,  I used this huge ream of thin paper I had and painstakingly drew a grid with 16X16cm squares.  This took me and my boyfriend three days.

I got to watch a lot of Star Trek and Hercules during that three days (and yes, that is a Cardassian sunrise in that cup).

Once that was done, I used my dormant drawing skills to draw the pattern onto the graph.  Everything was going great.

Then booze got involved.  Because everything is a lot more fun when your drinking amirite?  Still, the next step of pinning and cutting out came out okay.  

Trying to piece the pieces together was much more difficult than it should have been, and I ended up going with a "as long as it f***ing stays together" approach.

I realized half way through that the seams were wrong, but I was already behind and there was no way in hell I was going to take a seam ripper and redo it.  I added a zipper that went along one of the decorative back seams to make it less intrusive. 

I completely freehanded the command wrap using a shirt as a size base, since I was fairly overconfident from sewing three successful shirt wraps when I was a freshmen in high school.  Did I also mention I was sober back then too?

Sorry about the butt shot, my boyfriend was the photographer for this one.  Oh, and the reason this fabric was not ironed was because my iron actually broke on the dress.  Go me.  

Since the drinks kept on getting stronger, his did not come out all that good.  I felt really bad about that. However, we still were better than some of the super cheap store bought halloween costumes that were walking around that the convention.  The man walking around as Scotty put everyone to shame though.

Here are the finished outfits.

He was such an amazing Scotty.  I felt inadequate standing next to him.

Killing an undead redshirt and an adorable undead tribble.

My captain with Scotty.

Even if our outfits are less than perfect, we still had just as much fun making them together as we had at the convention itself.  I am actually going to remake them, when I have a longer amount of time (one week was not enough) and I am not drinking.

The best part?  Most of the Next Generation cast was at the convention, and all of us trolls that dressed up in TOS outfits got such dirty looks the whole time.  Come one guys, why would you hate on other Trek lovers?  Even if they have a different favorite series, it is irrelevant.  Trekkies have to stick together.

Cardassian Sunrise

So, one night I was deep into Star Trek and decided to recreate one of the coolest drinks: the Cardassian Sunrise.

Not to be confused with a Kardassian Sunrise (if that is even a thing, I hope not).

A Cardassian Sunrise is a drink that starts off clear, but with a slight tap it undergoes a reaction.  With a burst of color the drink changes from clear to a red-orange.  While that part of the drink is currently impossible to recreate, my recipe captures all the essence and still manages to taste great.  So, even if you are not a Trekkie you can enjoy it.

Since I created my version, I have found a few recipes online.  I haven't found one that I am as fond of yet.  Perhaps I am biased because this is my Star Trek love child, or maybe mine is superior.  You can be the judge. 

The ingredients are relatively simple.  You can use a double shot of either Sailor Jerry's or Bacardi 151 (no synthehol here), depending on how drunk you want to get.  I prefer to use this particular 16 ounce goblet because it shows off the drink well and gives some sort of tribute to the green color that appears in the reaction.  

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 double shot Sailor Jerry's rum or Bacardi 151

1 quarter shot grenadine 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Orange-mango juice (I prefer "Simply" brand for this recipe.  The store was out when I went so I had to go with Sunny D).

Directions:

1. Pour grenadine, lemon juice and rum into a 16 ounce glass

2. Quickly fill the rest of the glass with the orange-mango juice (this will get the swirling reaction from the show and looks pretty neat)

3. Stir and enjoy! 

Crock-Pot Sweet Chicken Teriyaki

A few weeks ago my stepfather came down to visit and help install a new garage door track thing.  I really wanted to cook him dinner, but I didn't have a day off of work.  He had offered to make shish kebabs with the chicken I had in the freezer, but I had too many horrific memories of being fed black pieces of meat and vegetables from his less than desirable grilling skills (even though he has gotten much better at the art of grilling, according to my mother at least).  Besides, I would have felt terrible making him cook after helping me out with repairs.  Being the somewhat crafty person that I am, I came up with a plan to make something in the crock-pot that I could start before work and finish when I got home.

I hadn't had chicken teriyaki in a long time, and I found a pretty good base recipe on Six Sisters' Stuff (the recipe has been taken down).  Of course, I modified the hell out of it because a meal with that much sugar and no vegetables didn't sit right with me.

I started off by following the original recipe, replacing the granulated sugar with brown sugar, regular soy sauce with low sodium, and garlic salt with fresh garlic and salt.  Okay, so I already deviated from the recipe quite a bit.  

By the time I actually left for work it was already starting to look and smell great.  I gave my mother strict instructions to keep an eye on it and left them to be tortured by the smell all day.

When I got home the chicken was falling apart nicely.  To make the dish seem a little healthy, I added a  large bag of stir fry vegetables and let them cook for a bit. 

It actually came out really good.  It was the first time I made a teriyaki sauce from scratch.  I had no idea it was so simple.  I served it over brown rice.  I have to warn you though, it makes a lot.  If you are not making this for a large group, you will be eating the leftovers all week.

Here is a link to the original recipe using the Way Back Machine.

Here is my modified recipe:

Ingredients:

6 chicken breasts (frozen)

1 onion 

1 cup brown sugar 

2 large cloves of garlic

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large bag asian stir fry vegetables

Directions:

1. Mince garlic and slice onion

2. Add all the ingredients except the stir fry vegetables to the crock-pot

3. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours

4. Add stir fry vegetables during the last hour of cooking

5. Serve over rice of your choice

Honey Glazed Chicken

On my days off of work I always get super excited because I actually have time to cook.  Don't get me wrong, I love sandwiches and soup (and even the taquitos I get peer pressured into eating at work all the time), but nothing beats a home cooked meal. When I woke up I took some chicken out of the freezer to enjoy that night, with absolutely no plan on how I wanted to cook it.  Then I got a craving for something smothered in honey, and this was born.

The ingredients are pretty simple: chicken, honey, a fresh lemon, salt, and pepper.  I heated up the honey, to make it easier to work with.  Then I mixed in the juice and zest from half a lemon, added a pinch of salt and pepper, and poured half of it over the chicken and popped it in the oven.

It made the whole house smell wonderful, and came out looking pretty nice as well.  I am a bad judge on how long to cook meat (I was a vegetarian for years), so I always have to cut one or five to make sure they are done.  After I pulled them out I poured the rest of the honey glaze on them, for that extra flavor without that extra burnt honey on the bottom of the dish.

They tasted pretty good too.  They had a nice light flavor.  I served them with some mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli.  Not bad for not having a dinner plan at all.  Next time I am going to add some red pepper flakes, to give it a little kick.

Here is the recipe for the chicken.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken tenders

1/2 cup honey

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

Salt and pepper to taste

(optional red pepper flakes)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Lay chicken out on a greased pan

3. Heat honey in a microwave safe dish for 30 seconds

4. Zest half a lemon into the honey and squeeze in the juice

5. Add spices to taste and stir

6. Pour half of the honey mixture over the chicken and place into the oven

7. Cook for about twenty minutes, or until the chicken is done

8. Pour the rest of the honey mixture over the chicken

9. Enjoy with the sides of your choice

The Pintester Movement - Sea Glass

I am so excited to be a part of Sonja Foust's Pintester Movement!  Her blog is hilarious and makes me feel a lot better about all of my craft/cooking fails.  It always feels better knowing that you are not alone in something.  She has also been such an inspiration to me.  She bravely takes on Pinterest pins, knowing that failure may be the final result, but pushes on anyways.  I would never try as many things that I have found on the internet if it wasn't for her.

To celebrate this moment, I decide to finally do the first craft of this blog!  In true Pintester fashion, I decided to go with something that I have been wanting to do, but the outcome seemed bleak.  I went with turning regular glass into something that looks like sea glass.

The original source for the pin is a photo album with no instructions; only a before and after photo.  There were instructions on the pin itself, but that is like trying to receive instructions through a round of telephone (I used to LOVE that game in elementary school).

According to the pin, you just take plain glass, mix food coloring and Elmer's glue, and paint it on.  There were no specifications on what type of Elmer's glue, so I went with "Elmer's Glue All" (only because the container of cheaper school glue was so old it broke apart in my hands) and there were also no specifications for what type of food coloring to use.  Liquid seemed like it would mix better, so I went with liquid.  

Then, naturally, I couldn't find my liquid food coloring.  I KNOW I have some somewhere, after all I bake a lot.  I ended up giving up the hunt though and running out to the store to buy more.  Earlier in the week I had bought some cheap candle holders.  I was planning on using one I already had, but I didn't want to end up all moody if I ruined it.

As for the proportion of glue to food dye, I just glooped some glue onto a paper plate and mixed drops of food dye until it looked green enough.

I had some difficulty painting the first one.  I was using my super cheap dollar store brushes, because there was no way I was going to use one of my good (or even decent) ones with glue.  However, because the glue was so thick and sticky (giggity), bristles kept on pulling out of the brush and I would have to pull it off of the candle stick and quickly touch up that spot.  There were visible brush strokes, and I did not have high hopes for this project.  Here is the freshly painted product.

I trekked on with the other two pieces, since it felt like a waste to give up and throw out a mound of dyed glue.

After they dried, I was actually quite impressed with the result.  For not having any real instructions they still looked okayish and vintage.  

There were some problems, like drips from putting the glue on a little too thick...

And bubbles from using a cheap brush while trying to work fast.

However, all the brush strokes faded away.  Overall, I call this a win.  I can't display it on my kitchen table where people can inspect it, like I originally planned, but I can put it at a slight distance and it will still look nice.  They will probably end up on the top of a book shelf or up on the catwalk.

Pintrest and Movie Night Finale - Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate

It has been a little while, but I assure you I am still alive and somewhat healthy.  Before I get to the finale of my pintrest and movie night, I have some exciting news; later today I will be participating in the Pintester Movement with my first craft on this blog!  I also have a new recipe waiting to be posted and a Star Trek craft that I pulled off while entirely inebriated.  More crafts are going to be coming, my friend from the Pintrest night is going to have a craft night with me too!

Time to get back on topic.  Our final treat of the night was Pumpkin Pie White Hot Chocolate, to keep off the chills from scary ghost movies of course.  Truthfully, I have always had a weak spot for pumpkin, it is my favorite flavor in the world.

The recipe for this one was pretty simple and didn't require much time.  We just heated milk, pumpkin, and spices in a saucepan until it simmered and then melted in some chocolate.  See?  Super simple stuff, just like train etiquette.

 When it was finished my friend even had awesome clear mugs to show it off in!  

It definitely makes for a much better picture than my clear batman mugs would have.

We actually added more white chocolate than the recipe called for, because four ounces didn't seem like enough.  We pretty much added double.  It still didn't seem sweet enough for me.  Everyone else enjoyed it, and it had a good pumpkin flavor.  I think a little whipped cream on top would have made these much better.  I think I will try it again next fall with the whipped cream and some almond milk.

Here is the recipe, if you would like to try it out for yourself.

Ingredients:

3 cups whole milk

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla

8 ounces white chocolate chips (this is the amount we put in)

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Heat all the ingredients, except the chocolate, in a medium sized sauce pan until it start to simmer, mixing occasionally so the milk doesn't scald on the bottom.

2. Remove from heat and add the chocolate

3. Stir until mixture is smooth and all the chocolate has melted

4. Pour into mugs and enjoy!

Pintrest and Movie Night - Candy Corn Drink

What is a movie and snacks without a good drink to wash it all down?  For our drink we chose this candy corn drink featured on Better Homes and Gardens.

When we were reading the directions, we figured out that you were supposed to stir it all up before serving it.  We both thought that was pretty lame, since it will only look like candy corn until it is stirred.  Instead, we decided to pour it into separate glasses while we were making it, so each person could experience the candy corn look and mix it up themselves.

The recipe itself is pretty easy and straight forward.  Just to make sure to start it a few hours ahead of time, because the gelatin mixture needs time to thicken.  For this one we just mixed the gelatin mixture together, poured it in our glasses, and let it set in the fridge while we did other things.

Later, we started to hand whip the cream (you could easily use a denser store bought whipped cream for this one, such as cool whip), and then we remembered that she had a mixer.  It is a lifesaver, I do not miss the days in culinary school where they forced us to hand whip our cream all the time.

It was then time for the moment of truth: would the layers stay separated, or was it doomed to mix together?  





(break for suspense)





Amazingly, it actually worked.  We poured it over the back of a spoon and the layers didn't mix together at all!  By that point, I was already impressed.

They tasted pretty good too.  A little sweet for my tastes, I would have preferred it with a little less whipped cream.  Everyone else enjoyed them too.  It had a nice citric flavor, which is a little odd for a fall drink, but the cuteness more than makes up for that.  Another cool thing about it; after you mix it all up, if you let it sit for a while it almost sort of separated into layers again!

Here is the recipe, if you decide to try it.

Ingredients:
1 four serving size packet of lemon gelation
1 cup of boiling water
2 cups of mango nectar
3 1/2 cups orange soda (chilled)
1 cup whipped cream (or make your own with 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of honey)
1/2 cup candy corn for decoration (optional)

Directions:
1. Mix gelatin and boiling water in a large bowl until it is all dissolved
2. Stir in mango nectar
3. Pour mixture into a 2 quart pitcher, or divide evenly into separate glasses.
4. Chill about two hours (you want it to be thick, but not a solid like gello)
5. Pour orange soda over the gelatin layer, try pouring it over the back of a large spoon to keep the layers separated a bit better.
6. Top with piped whipped cream and candy corn

Directions for whipped cream:
1. Combine whipping cream and honey in a large bowl.
2. Beat by hand or with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (when you dip a spoon in and pull it out a peak like a mountain should be seen and not flop over too easy)  Be careful not to over mix.