DIY Magazine Holder or Kitchen Wraps Organizer

I needed a container for my kitchen wraps (aluminum foil, plastic wrap) because on the shelf they kept getting knocked over every time I reached for the olive oil.  Or the sugar.  Or a coffee cup.  In other words, a lot.

So I decided to make an organizer, which as it turns out could also double as a magazine holder, only WAY cheaper than buying one.  And I got to choose paper that coordinated with my kitchen and is just cute.

All you need is an empty cereal box, paper of your choice (scrapbooking or wrapping paper,) and Mod Podge.

Cheap-o cereal box

I cut out a section on one side in case I want to use it as a magazine holder later.
 
Mod Podge not only acts as a glue to adhere the paper to the box, it strengthens the thin cardboard into a sturdier container.  Paint the Mod Podge on top of the paper also, to make it even stronger and as a protective layer if you're using it in the kitchen.

I linked to

http://fullofgreatideas.blogspot.com/2011/03/full-of-great-ideas-0-budget-party.html#comments

Potluck Beans

This dish is the perfect thing for me to take to potlucks or when I need a side dish to take to someone's house.  It's the epitome of my kind of cooking:  easy and quick and everybody likes it.  I only had to open cans and sprinkle ingredients from my kitchen.  And use my scissors a bit... but I digress.

I found the recipe here.  It calls for cooking bacon and using onion and garlic, but I used dried minced onions and garlic powder, and just put it all in my crockpot, so it was even easier! 

I realized too late that I was out of bacon, so I dropped in a package of little smokies... hence the scissors.  Once I dumped it all together it was obvious the little smokies weren't so little compared to the beans, so I grabbed my kitchen scissors and cut the meat down to a more bite-able size.

It still tasted GREAT and actually looked pretty tasty too. 

Here's my version.  I doubled it to make enough for a potluck, and since the original was a bit too sweet I decreased the sugar quite a bit.  The original recipe is really good, though, and she has a lot of good pictures of the process.

Potluck Beans

1 lb. bacon or little smokies
2 Tbsp. dried minced onion (or 2 tsp. onion powder)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. mustard powder (or regular mustard is fine too)
3/4 cup vinegar
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 cans butterbeans, drained
2 cans green beans, drained
2 cans kidney beans, drained
2 cans pork and beans, UNdrained

If you use bacon, cook it first, drain grease and crumble.  Dump all ingredients into crockpot, and mix together.  That's it!  Allow it to cook until heated through; a couple of hours should be plenty since the meat is already cooked.