The Nash Up

Guys, I made this video for work!  Turns out, it's also relevant over here at the Nash Up! P.S. My hat rules!  - Nat

Hey All!~

Everyone is getting into the Fall spirit and a lot of fun recipes are popping up on social media for festive drinks! During this time of the year I always think of cider or heck, apple pie shots, which when done properly taste great, but takes a lot of time...who has that?!

Here is a quick and easy cocktail to get into the spirit!:

4 mugs (yes, mugs) worth of apple cider 1 mug of caramel flavored vodka (talk about making life easy) 1 tbs. of cinnamon 1/4 cup of brown sugar

Mix the ingredients together in a large pot. Heat over warm to low heat, stir occasionally, heat until you see steam. Do not boil! While your tasty concoction is heating up, take your drinking glasses and rim them in brown sugar! Pour cider into rimmed glasses and enjoy!

If you're looking for something a little more complex and made with brandy, then check out this tasty drink!

Or, if you would like to rip off a similar tasty drink from your favorite coffee shop, then try this recipe out!

Guys, I have had one pin on Pinterest that has been getting some serious action these days.  It seems that everyone has started to get just as excited about Fall as I have been!  So excited that they want everyone to know it when they come to their front door!  So they're going to put up this super easy Fall wreath:

This is a super easy DIY! I am confident that really anyone can do it! - Nat

You have to start with a wreath base.

There are rounded, extruded bases.

And there are flat, squared bases.

You can find these at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Joann's, or whatever your favorite craft supply store is.  I have to go with a square wreath base, because the space between my screen door and my front door is too shallow for a rounded wreath.  Otherwise, pick whichever you like best.  They cost about $4.50 - $5 respectively.  Also, if you go to Hobby Lobby, you can use one of their handy 40% off weekly coupons!  Then it's SUPER cheap.

Anyway, literally, all you have to do is attach the end of a ball of yarn to the wreath base.  You can use a pin if you would like it to be more temporary, or you can use hot glue or your another glue if you don't plan on taking it apart.

THEN, you wrap! And wrap! And wrap!  Until you run out of yarn!

I have seen some other wreaths that have used multiple colors of yarn:

From DecorChick.

From Our Three Peas. 

Really, you can do whatever you want! Add ribbon, felt flowers, fake flowers, animals, miniature pumpkins. Do your thang!

Alright Dudes, Fall is here!  And with it comes all sorts of amazing things!  I have to admit that although I love scarves, cardigans, boots, falling leaves, hiking, carving pumpkins, cool breezes, and all of the rest of Fall's Splendor, the food is my ultimate favorite!  Pies! Soup! Using my oven again! All of these things are great!  I love the fact that eating hot food no longer makes me feel like I will be engulfed in flames, as sometimes would happen in the Summer.  So here is one of my favorite Fall recipes that I have doctored up from the original by Whole Foods.  Some things that are cool about this recipe: it uses fall ingredients like apples and apple cider, it cooks while I'm at work, and it tastes like you are eating fall in your spoon. - Nat

Pork and Cider Stew

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pounds pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced

3 apples, peeled and sliced

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup apple cider

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1 package medium Amish noodles

1 can chicken broth (optional)

Heat oil over medium/high heat in a deep frying pan on the stove.  Brown pork cubes in batches.  Layer leeks, pork, apples and garlic in the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour in cider and vinegar. Cover and cook on low until pork is very tender, about 8 hours. Uncover cooker, stir in noodles, and cook on high until noodles are cooked.

Note: You may need to add more liquid to cook your noodles, I just added a small can of chicken broth.  The noodles will sit on top for a while, but continue to mix them in as the lower ones cook.

Hey All!  To go with our fun theme of bikes this week, here are some cocktails and other fun things! Check it out! 

Yellow Bicycle

Ice 1/2 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur 1/2 ounce Yellow Chartreuse 4 ounces Prosecco or cava Lemon zest, for garnish (optional)

Directions:  Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice, then add St-Germain and Chartreuse and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with Prosecco or cava.  Garnish with lemon zest.

Stormy Bicycle

2 parts orange juice 1 part dark rum 1 part light rum splash of pineapple juice splash of grenadine lime squeezed in strawberry and key lime slices for garnish

Can't forget beer... This is a must: Fat Tire by New Belgium

Fun stuff...

Because this is necessary...

For that growler of beer:

  For those wine drinkers:

and finally did you know that you could do this in the Chicago area?:

Actually, you can find one of these guys throughout the US. Its a Pedal Pub!

Hey guys! Ash and I teamed up today to bring you some super cool projects we found that we can't wait to try! AND THEY ALL HAVE TO DO WITH BIKES!! Check em out! - Nat

How about putting together a Bike Ride Adventure with your friends?!

Check out the fun maps! And the invites are adorable! 

Or use leftover or found bike wheels to make this sweet hanging lamp!

How to Turn Abandoned Bicycles Into Hanging Lamps - NYTimes.com (clipped to polyvore.com)

Here's a step by step slideshow! 

Or put out a little more work and make a Bike Wheel Trellis/Fort for your yard!

Or how about this SUPER CUTE Bike Satchel!

We are celebrating bikes this week on The Nash Up!  I thought as an inspiration post (whether you guys try it or not) I would do a little digging on Bike Touring and Camping!  Checked into bike touring on REI:

Bicycle touring can be as simple as a couple of days on a local trail, or as monumental as an around-the-world adventure. Whichever approach you choose, be assured it will be an exciting and healthy way to explore. Best of all, bicycle touring can be enjoyed by practically anyone, no matter how much or little riding you've done in the past.

So pretty much ride your bike for site-seeing and recreation purposes.  Day trip, Weekend Trip, Overnight Trip.  Some folks bring very little gear and just plan on paying for hotels/food/supplies as needed along the way.  But other folks, like the cool cats over at Pedal Inn, go the whole hog!  They not only camp and cook on the road, but they do it in STYLE!  All of the pictures I found came from their site, as well as all the recipes.  Pretty much, these guys kick butt! CHECK IT OUT! - Nat

Pedal Inn has come up with cool ways to not only eat while on the road, but eat well! They focus on carrying a few supplies with them, but stopping at markets along the way, as well.  Here is one of their recipes that I thought just sounded AMAZING! (you would obviously want to hit up a market for the Burrata...unless you had a really good cooler bag)

YUM!

First Bite: Dunked Caprese

preparation time: 5 minutes

olive bread or other fresh, crusty loaf, thickly sliced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

2 heirloom or early girl tomatoes, sliced

handful of fresh basil leaves

8 oz burrata, sliced  (sub mozzarella or even a firm sharp cheese like dry jack or pecorino romano)

coarse sea salt

pepper

1 large orange, halved and thinly sliced

If a stove is easily set up, toast bread in frying pan over medium heat. Otherwise, serve fresh and untoasted. In a bowl prepare a simple vinaigrette: stir together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a little squirt of orange. Dunk tomato slices in vinaigrette before placing on bread. Top with cheese and torn basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve with orange slices.

Here is their list of things you will definitely want to bring with you when Bike Camping!

Pedal Inn Basics

bike, reliable and well-maintained

bike rack and panniers or trailer

bungees/straps or cargo net

tent w/ rainfly & footprint

sleeping bag (Nick's; Lindy's)

sleeping pad

pillow 

warm clothes (we're obsessed with merino layers)

wooly socks (we love compression for long rides)

headlamp

extra tube

patch kit and pump

multi-tool

pocket knife

lighter

snacks and water

map/directions

first-aid essentials

basic toiletries

small towel

Pedal Inn Kitchen

2 light-weight camp stoves (we take one larger, one smaller)

2 pots (with at least 1-qt capacity)

frying pan (preferably non-stick)

plenty of stove fuel

2 bowl-plates

2 eating utensils

2 mug-cups 

portable cutting board

a good kitchen knife (in addition to your pocket knife)

mini grater

cooking utensils (this kit includes the styles very similar to the ones we used--and then some--along with several other items on our list)

mini can opener/corkscrew

spice containers & small leak-proof bottles for cooking liquids 

2 pint-sized, leak-proof containers for leftovers

coffee dripper

sponge 

biodegradable dish soap

 Handy Extras & Occasional Necessities

wool hat & gloves

pan-scraper

resealable baggies

handy wipes

Pantry Staples

coffee

salt & pepper

oil/butter

whiskey

Hey guys, so it's not secret that Ash and I like a good beer.  And by good beer, I should also admit that we both also frequent the PBR tap (don't call us hipsters, just call us cheap).  So I thought I would put together a list of the kinds of beer you can get at Wrigley Field.  Just warning you, you will probably be disappointed.

A lot of my info came from this article in the Chicago Tribune and the Wrigley Field website.

Pretty much, light beer reigns supreme at Wrigley.  It's actually kind of sad.  There is only one place to get a craft beer at Wrigley, and that's the Captain Morgan club, located near Gate D on the First Base side.

The two craft brews you can find there are:

Goose Island's Green Line Pale Ale, Chicago!!! (.....via Wisconsin)

and Goose Island's 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Chicago!!! (.....via Wisconsin)

Other than that, you can find the stray Beck's Sapphire, Guinness, Red Stripe, or Modelo Especial scattered throughout the ballpark, but you'll probably have to hunt.  Otherwise your choices are going to be: Miller Products, Bud Products, PBR, Heineken Light, and maybe a Corona.  It basically sounds like the worst party I've ever been to (thank ZEUS for PBR)!

In other news.

US Cellular Field (Home the Chicago White Sox) is slightly less disappointing, but you will find a lot of Pales out there.

Bell's Oberon, Michigan

Summit Summer Ale, Minnesota

and Two Brother's Ebel's Weiss, ILLINOIS!!!

Goose Island's Green Line Pale Ale, Chicago!!! (.....via Wisconsin)

There are, however two IPAs available at "The Cell":

New Holland's Mad Hatter, Michigan

and Barley Island Brewing Company's Barfly IPA, Indiana

There's a couple other's, too, like Crispin's dry cider and Lakefront Brewery's New Grist which is Gluten Free.  Way to go White Sox!

According to Josh Noel at the Trib, Wrigley is on it's way to getting more craft beers on tap, but it all comes down to sponsorship (aka money).

Hi folks! Here are some crafty ideas involving America's past time. 

Baseball Bracelet

First you will need a baseball and an exacto:

Take the exacto and cut about a 1/4 of an inch on either side of the red stitching until you have this:

Then, cut the loop of red stitching in the middle of where it curves in, so you have on long piece.  After that you will want to pull at the stitching like so:

Stop when you to have shortened the stitched together material enough so that it can meet from end to end around your wrist neatly and cut away the access leather, so it looks something like this:

Place this piece around your wrist and tie the red strings together. Viola! You have a baseball bracelet!

Source: I Can Find the Time blog

Cubs T-shirt Printing

For the screen print, all you need is some sheer fabric ( cheap-O curtain fabric from craft store will do), NON-water soluble craft decoupage, an embroidery hoop, and a bold image.

Place your fabric in the embroidery hoop, trace your image onto the fabric, and then completely paint in the negative space with the craft decoupage.  Let dry and you have an awesome, completely reusable screen print template.

To get a watermark effect, look for shirts that are “heathered”. 

Use Fun Foam sheets under projects when screen printing; foam is flexible, reusable, and doesn’t get soggy or let anything get through. Use a bleach pen.  You can find them in the laundry section at the store.  The bleach in the pens is suspended in gel, so unlike straight bleach from the jug, it stays in place and doesn’t run as much, or evaporate as quickly.

Fill your sink with warm water and about a cup of vinegar.  The vinegar neutralizes the bleach, stopping the reaction. So after you’ve bleached the image, remove the screen and let the bleach sit for a couple of minutes. Then just submerge your project in the water/vinegar and watch your graphic appear.

 Now just wash as normal and you’re ready to go!

Look at this cute family:

Source: Whatever Dee Dee Wants blog

  One last craft idea: Etched Glass = Baseball

To find out how to do this one, please go to this link! Psst...it uses some good ol' Mah-tha craft supplies! Neat-o!

Whether you have tickets to the game, are going to watch it on t.v., or just want an excuse to throw a themed summer party, we support you no matter what!  Since we are Chicago Cubs fans, we thought a Cubbie Blue party might be a fun twist!  Here's a guide to get all your details right! - Nat

Get your snacks correct!

Caramel Corn!!! Nothing says baseball like Cracker Jack!  

Whole Peanuts Would Also Be Fun! Just make sure you give guests a place to discard shells!

Nothing says summer like a Lemon Shake-Up!

And here's how to make one!

Ingredients

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 lemon

16 ounces water

ice

Directions

Pour sugar into glass or jar.

Pour enough water to cover the top of the sugar.

Let sugar disintegrate for at least 5 minutes.

Squeeze juice from 1/2 lemon into sugar water.

Fill glass with water and ice.

Shake.

Top with 1/2 lemon.

What about a Hot Dog Bar?!

There is nothing that screams baseball more than a hot dog!  And there is nothing that screams Chicago more than a Chicago Style Hot Dog!  Give folks the option of trying their hand at a Windy City dog with a craftily planned Hot Dog Bar!  Put out jars and bowls with toppings, and make sure that people know how to craft the perfect Chicago Dog!   Then if they choose not to go whole hog, that's cool too and they can just pick their fave toppings!  Just make sure that if they are making a Chicago Style Hot Dog, they don't put ketchup on it, because they will probably go straight to H-E-L-L.....or so I've heard!

And just in case you forgot how to make a Chicago Style Hot Dog (BLASPHEMY)....here is a guide to which toppings to put on!

Recipe courtesy of Fluky’s Chicago Style Hot Dogs

Ingredients:

Boiled Hot Dogs

Poppy Seed Buns (S. Rosens are a Chicago favorite)

Yellow mustard

Bright green (Neon) sweet relish

Chopped Onions

Kosher Dill Pickle Spears

Tomato Slices

2 Serrano Sport Peppers (they are HOT)

Dash of celery salt

Instructions:

Heat hot dogs in boiling water to 170 degrees.  Put the hot dog in a steamed poppy seed bun.  Pile on toppings in this order: Mustard, Relish, Onions, Pickle, Tomatoes, peppers and celery salt.

Parting Gifts

How about sending folks home with their own cotton candy and Big League Chew? Sounds great to me! 

As for as watching the game (is that even important anymore)

Hey, the Chicago Taste is this weekend! Are you going? Well, here are some cocktails to get you thinking Chicago! Whether Chicago will ever shake off the association or they just plain ol' embrace it, when people think Chicago one thing that definitely comes to mind is mobsters; Al Capone being the most well-known.  

Mafia's Kiss 1oz  Amaretto Almond Liqueur 1oz. Southern Comfort Peach Liqueur 2oz. Sweet and Sour Mix 

Add ingredients to a glass filled with ice, stir, serve. (Take out the Sweet and Sour and you have a Sicilian Kiss.)

Ambush 

1oz. Irish Whiskey 1oz. Amaretto Hot Coffee Whipped Cream

Begin with a mug of hot coffee, add the Irish whiskey and amaretto, then garnish with whipped cream. 

^Yum!!

The Godfather

.5oz. Amaretto 1.5oz Scotch

Pour over a ice filled glass, stir, and enjoy.

One more, this time with Chicago in the name: Chicago Fizz

1oz. Dark Rum 1oz. Ruby Port .5oz. lemon juice .5tsp. sugar 1 egg white club soda

Pour all ingredients except the club soda into cocktail shaker. Shake well and strain into a iced collins glass. Top with club soda.

Moral of the story, after doing some cocktail research...mobsters love amaretto!  Also, enjoy the link attached to Al Capone's name at the top! Its a clip from one of my fav shows! 

Guys, I love Chicago! I grew up visiting on weekends and days off school with my family and friends and I just really love being a part of the city (for a short period of time).  I have serious Chicago nostalgia, and Ash and I thought we would come up with some cool stuff you can make to celebrate your love for Chicago as well!  Check them out, yo! - Nat

Using this kit from Haptic Lab, you can make your own customized 4'x3' DIY Chicago Quilt!  You can even add your own landmarks, color code the L tracks, whatever you want!  The only limits are your amount of thread colors!

Haptic Labs also makes a monotone Chicago City Quilt, which is pretty cool, too!

You can't make these yourself, but The Alley (primo Chicago punk/metal bar) makes these kick-A t-shirts in house! {and they're only $10}

Feeling ambitious? Maybe you could make a 3-D silhouette of the Chicago skyline? Why NOT, right??!

Here is an easier twist on it: what about using paint chips to make a frame-able skyline....Neat!

Another one you could use paint chips for, or scrap book paper: Chicago Flag Hearts!

What about using your favorite section of a Chicago map to make an awesome serving tray?!

Hey, so, as we are wrapping up the week all about Independence Day I thought I would spend Friday talking about some great American Brews Nat  & I recommend! So in no particular order here are 5 awesome breweries all from the Midwest!:

#1. Two Brothers Brewing Co. - Warrenville, IL

This is an awesome brewery and for Nat & I very local! The make some delicious beer with clever names.

My favorite is "The Bitter End" - its a hoppy beer, which for me, the more hops  the better! But, honestly, you can't go wrong here!

#2. Bent River Brewing Co.  - Moline/Rock Island, IL

This is some really good stuff from the opposite side of Illinois from Two Brothers Brew along the Mississippi. 

I recommend the following two beers:

De-lish! 

#2.5 (Yes, that's right, #2.5! This Company deserves a mention and they are neighbors to #2) Front Street Brewery  - Davenport, IA

This place has some ridiculously good beer and I would say its a smaller operation. I went to their tasting room located in a old freight house in downtown Davenport along the river front as part of my bachlorette party:

As you can see, we each tried a different beer and they were tasty! They have a variety of beers for each individual preference - dark heavy stout, blonde wheat, hop-tastic, shandy, cherry (like dessert), apricot! Try them out!

#3. Schlafly Beer - St. Louis, MO

This is a fav stop when Nat goes down to St. Louis! Look at all of the beers they have!:

Oooh!

#4. New Glarus Brewing - New Glarus, WI

Can't go wrong here! 

Their assortment:

Definitely some creative names!

Last, but not least! #5. Great Lakes Brewing Co. - Cleveland, OH

This brewery does not disappoint! They have an excellent variety of year round and seasonal beers!

Yipee, its the 4th of July! That means its time for some colorful pyrotechnics, which are always followed by oohs and aahs! Can't wait! Well, there are always situations that occur with big bangs and night time summer fun, so today I thought I would share some suggestions on how to prepare! 

Poor Ol' Dogs Some pooches are frightened by the sound of fireworks and start barking or duck into the safest spot they can find. This isn't fun when you're trying to enjoy the show, instead you're trying to sooth or hush up the panicked canine. So here are some helpful suggestions on how to prepare:

Put your dog in a "thunder shirt"

Use "Rescue Remedy" - a dog appeasing pheromone

Put some "mutt muffs" on the guy to mute the noises a bit

^Look at these happy pups!

Poor Baby! Toddlers don't always handle the loud noises well either, poor babies!  So, here are some suggestions to help prepare them:

Talk about how fun they are; how bright and beautiful

Draw pictures (there are tons of cute crafts out there)

Tell them them that they can be loud

Let them know that there is nothing to be afraid of

Show them photographs

Show them videos

Make sure you choose a location that is comfortable, so you can cuddle up with your toddler if need be.

Bring ear muffs

Shoo!

Mosquitoes and fireworks just go together! Its inevitable, but hey let's try to avoid getting bit! Here is a natural remedy that you can do at home:

Essential Oil Bug Spray

Ingredients:

Essential oils: choose from Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint

Natural Witch Hazel

Distilled or boiled Water

Vegetable glycerin (optional)

How to Make Homemade Bug Spray:

1.    Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water

2.    Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top

3.    Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin if using

4.    Add 30-50 drops of essential oils to desired scent. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be.

Example:

Rosemary, Clove, Cajeput, Lavender, Cinnamon and Eucalyptus… it works great and smells good too!

  Ooh! Aah!

  Have fun!

We will be 'Merica themed this week!!  To celebrate, here's a dog shooting off FIREWORKS!

To go along with the theme of gardening this week I thought I would make a cocktail that contains ingredients from my garden ~ basil. This is a cocktail that I really enjoy in the summer time! Cheers! ~Ash

Gin Basil Smash

2-3 leaves of basil .5 oz of simple syrup 1 oz of lemon juice 1 oz of gin

Guys. I do this.  I use a homemade pesticide to keep buggies off of my plants, so I thought for Mah-tha/garden week, I would find out what kinds of homemade stuffs she makes! Check it out! - Nat

Martha's homemade garden fungicides are simple to make and an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical products.

Baking Soda Solution for Leaves and Soil

Mix the following ingredients in a spray bottle:

2 tablespoons baking soda

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pint water

Shake the mixture listed above and then add 1 tablespoon castile soap. Spray this mixture on your plant's leaves and soil. Repeat every five to seven days.

Milk Fungicide

Fill a spray bottle half with milk and half with water.

Shake and then spray on your plants.

Repeat this as needed every three or four days.

Beer As a Slug Killer

Place beer (any kind) in a shallow plate in your garden. The beer will attract the slugs, and drown them.

Apple Cider Vinegar As an Anti-Mildew Treatment

Spray raw apple cider vinegar on the leaves or soil of your plants. This changes the pH balance and prohibits or kills any mold or mildew that may be growing on your plants leaves or in the soil.