how to

How To Make Mesmerizing And Delicious Galaxy Bark

The pun may be a little ridiculous, but this Galaxy Bark is super fun! It’s not only beautiful, but fun to make and most importantly—delicious! Galaxy Bark is really easy to create and is perfect to get the kids help. Just think of how great this would be at a kids birthday party.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag black candy melts
  • • 1 cup purple candy melts
  • • 1 cup blue candy melts
  • Star sprinkles
  • Pearl dust, silver

Directions:

  1. Put your different color candy melts into different bowls and melt them individually by microwaving them 30 seconds at a time and stirring.
  2. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper or parchment paper.
  3. Pour the back chocolate over the area, and spread it out.
  4. Drizzle on the purple and blue over the black chocolate, swirling it around.
  5. Sprinkle some star sprinkles across your galaxy and then refrigerate for 15-20 minutes so it will set.
  6. Use a paintbrush to brush on the edible pearl glitter dust to make your galaxy come to life.
  7. Break the bark or cut it into pieces and enjoy!

Written by Tijani Jackson and originally published on Shared.

How To Make Easy And Delicious Lemony Chicken Stir Fry With Asparagus

Stir fries are the best busy weeknight dinner option – you just can’t beat getting your daily serving of veggies and protein in one convenient bowl. Lemony Chicken Stir Fry with Asparagus is a new addition to my roster, and it’s just as delicious as it is easy to make.

This recipe is packed with flavor, and you won’t be able to get enough of the sauce that’s great for covering a bed of rice. We used the Ballarini Firenze Wok which is just perfect for ensuring your food doesn’t stick, and browns up in all the right places. For those no- or low-carb diets, this stir fry tastes just as good on its own as well. Don’t forget to top with lemon zest for a zing you just can’t beat!

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Lemon zest
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Cook asparagus and oil in a skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
  2. When 1 minute remains, add garlic. Set asparagus and garlic aside.
  3. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
  4. Increase heat to high and cook chicken until browned.
  5. Set chicken aside and add soy sauce and chicken broth to skillet.
  6. Bring to boil for about 1 minute.
  7. Add lemon juice, water, and cornstarch and stir for about 1 minute.
  8. Return chicken and asparagus to pan and coat with sauce.
  9. Top with lemon zest.

Written by Tijani Jackson and originally published on Shared.

Here’s How To Make Delicious Nutella-Stuffed Pancakes (Video)

Ah, there’s nothing like freshly made pancakes in the morning. Actually—there is something better. Here come Nutella-stuffed pancakes, the most epic breakfast food (or dessert for anytime, really). All you need to do is freeze some Nutella discs, and make some regular pancakes with—you guessed it—Nutella stuffed in the middle. These pancakes are absolutely scrumptious! Don’t forget a glass of milk to wash it all down.

Ingredients:

For the dry ingredients

  • 10 – 14 tablespoons Nutella
  • 1½ cups plain flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 4 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt

For the wet ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp milk (I used low fat)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
  • 1 tsp butter, separated (2 x ½ tsp)
  • Sliced strawberries (optional)

Directions:

  1. For the frozen Nutella discs, line a baking tray with baking paper (parchment paper).
  2. Dollop 1½ to 2 tablespoon of Nutella onto the baking tray and spread into a disc around 2 ½” in diameter. Repeat to make 7 discs.
  3. Place the tray in the freezer until firm. Peel off the parchment paper. Keep the Nutella discs in the freezer until required (they soften quickly).
  4. For the pancakes, place the dryiIngredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  5. Make a well in the center and place the wet ingredients in the well.
  6. Whisk until combined and lump-free (stop whisking as soon as it is smooth, don’t over-whisk).
  7. Melt a ½ teaspoon butter in a non-stick fry pan over medium heat.
  8. Once melted, wipe most of the butter off with a paper towel.
  9. Take a frozen Nutella discs out of the freezer just before you start cooking.
  10. Dollop ¼ cup of batter into the fry pan.
  11. Working quickly, place 1 frozen Nutella disc in the middle of the batter, then top with batter to cover the Nutella disc.
  12. When bubbles start appearing around the edges (around 2 minutes), lift up the edge and make sure the underside is golden. Then flip and cook until the other side is golden. Repeat with remaining batter.
  13. Melt more butter in the pan after the 3rd or 4th pancake. You should be able to make 7 in total, but sometimes it makes 6 – depends on how much batter you use on top of the Nutella.
  14. Serve warm with sliced strawberries, if using.

Enjoy!

Written by Tijani Jackson and originally published on Shared.

This Incredible Mom Built A House For Her Family Using YouTube Videos As Her Guide

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Cara Brookins didn’t know where to turn. A divorced mom of four, she had just left an abusive marriage and had no place to live.

https://www.instagram.com/p/7PDRxokfkj/?taken-by=carabrookins

Then, she had a crazy idea. What if she built a house. . .by herself? Literally with her own two hands? With no construction experience, it seemed impossible, but Brookins then realized she had a fount of information at her fingertips. Enter YouTube! Yes, YouTube.

With a plethora of how-to videos just an Internet connection away, Brookins threw herself into action.

She bought a small plot of land (one acre in Little Rock, Arkansas), and drew up a blueprint.

Once the city approved it, she started the massive project. She may as well have told her neighbors that she was about to build an ark—indeed, there were many who thought her idea was absolutely absurd.

https://www.instagram.com/p/-AW5cIkfqX/?taken-by=carabrookins

However, with the support of her family, her children and helpful friends, Brookins actually did the unthinkable: She built a house with nothing other than YouTube videos as a guide. She completed the project in under nine months for about $130,000.

The house is 3,500 square-feet, and is two stories with a brick facade. Brookins dubbed the home “Inkwell Manor” because she was an aspiring writer, and she wanted her home to be a place where she could write to her heart’s content.

And that is exactly what she did. Brookins went on to write a book about her amazing experience building her own dream home.

The book is called Rise: How a House Built a Family, and it details how Brookins escaped an abusive marriage and built her own house from the foundation up with a work crew made up of her four children.

The must-read memoir takes readers through Brookins’ inspiring journey, and shows how she and her kids poured concrete, framed the walls and laid bricks for their five-bedroom house.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLjWzPLB8uY/?taken-by=carabrookins

Brookins has also penned several other books, including “Little Boy Blu,” “Timeshifters” and “Doris Free.” You can listen to her podcast here.

[h/t: Shareably]

Here’s The Best Way To Reheat A Slice Of Cold Pizza

Pizza is one of those foods that most people can never get quite enough of, which means if you’ve got some leftover pizza from last night, you’re definitely going to want to eat it. Cold pizza isn’t the worst thing in the world—some people actually love it—but it’s definitely not as delicious as when it’s bubbling and hot.

So we’ve established that leftover pizza is better warm, but what’s the best way to reheat it? Sticking it in the microwave turns your slice into a soggy shell of its former self, so that method’s out. Some people opt to reheat their pizza in the oven, but even then it still doesn’t taste quite right, and you’ve spent 20 minutes trying to reheat a slice that will never be as good as the real deal. So what’s a pizza lover to do?

The trick is actually to reheat the pizza on the stove. It’s almost as fast as cooking it in the microwave, but the crust retains its crispiness while the cheese melts perfectly above it. All you need is a frying pan or skillet and a lid or some foil to cover your pizza once it’s in the pan. Here’s what you do:

1. Put a large frying pan or skillet on the stovetop on medium heat. Nonstick works best so the cheese won’t get stuck.

2. Pour a small splash of oil onto the pan and let it heat up.

3. Add the pizza and fry until the bottom of the crust turns golden brown.

4. Once the crust has cooked, cover the pizza and continue to cook until cheese is warm and melted, about 1 minute.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Check out the step-by-step directions in this video from Slate. See how easy it is to reheat your pizza, recreating that perfect crisp crust and hot melty cheese. You’ll never eat cold pizza again!

Related video: how to make a delicious taco pizza!