LET'S EAT! (DIY)

When we travel, we always like to look around antique and home stores, and see what we can find.  Around different places, we kept seeing these signs for your kitchen that simply say "eat."  The problem is they ranged from $60-$200, depending on where we were, so we decided to recreate the sign ourselves.

So, we went to Hobby Lobby, bought these letters for $2.99 each, and a can of spray paint.  The best part is the 50% off coupon we had for the purchase.  The entire purchase was around $10.00.  That definitely beats the $60-$200 we could've spent on a sign in a shop.  We've learned that being frugal doesn't always mean sacrifice!  And on top of that, the project took us maybe 30 minutes max!  

"Lighter" Homemade Biscuits

I'm just going to say it. Life is too short to not eat biscuits. I think one of the biggest obstacles that overweight American's have is the fact that they believe they have to sacrifice the foods they love in order to be healthy, and to an extent, their is definitely some truth to that statement. You can't eat fried butter, and expect to see great results on the scale, but you can take the foods you love, and modify them slightly, and they still are packed with all the flavor, more nutrient-dense, and less calories. I used to think that dieting or eating healthy meant you can't cook either, but what I've learned is that actually eating healthier allows for more experimentation than ever before. It's true. Sometimes, things turn out amazing. Other times, it's a bust, like the creamy tomato soup I made with almond milk the other day. It was a COMPLETE bust. But that's the fun of it. Finding foods that taste amazing, but that are still good for you.

Let's talk about yogurt for a minute. Yogurt replaces half of the butter in this recipe. Let me get something off my chest... I'm not a fan of greek yogurt.. AT ALL. I really don't like it, but I've learned that in most situations, when you use yogurt in baking, or cooking in general, you have no idea it's even in the food your preparing! I was so reluctant to cook with yogurt because I was afraid I would hate it, but I was completely wrong. The first thing I used yogurt for was substituting it for mayonnaise in pimento and cheese sandwiches. Like I said before, I had no idea it wasn't mayonnaise. So, I'd really like to encourage others that are trying to lead a healthier lifestyle to just try it, and see what you think.

Back to the biscuits! I'm not going to lie... my traditional biscuits are smothered in butter. SMOTHERED. There's melted butter in the skillet I place them in. There's a stick of butter in the biscuits themselves, and then there's butter on top of the biscuit dough as it cooks. I don't know whether to stop my mouth from watering, or run to the stairmaster. In this recipe, there are only four tablespoons, instead of two sticks, but all of you southerners out there will be pleasantly surprised. This recipe is very simple, not intimidating. If you've ever made biscuits before, it's a piece of cake. If you've never made biscuits before, then good! This is a great place to start. We start with flour. I used self-rising. You can easily substitute half of the flour for whole wheat pastry flour for a more nutrient-dense biscuit. Then we have the four infamous tablespoons of butter, along with four tablespoons of non-fat greek yogurt. The yogurt lends to the moistness of the biscuit, and also makes the biscuit taste almost like a buttermilk biscuit. You can't go wrong there. Then, I add almond milk. You can definitely use non-fat milk, or whatever your liking may be. I used almond milk because of the calorie intake. Unsweetened almond milk has 30 calories per cup, while skim milk has 90 calories. Big difference. Try these biscuits. They're quick, light, and don't weigh you down. They contain about 160 calories each. 

Lighter Homemade Biscuits
yields 8 biscuits

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups self-rising flour
4 packets truvia, or sweetener of choice
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
4 tablespoons non-fat greek yogurt
3/4 cup almond milk

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, combine flour and sweetener together. With your fingers, mash the butter into the flour mixture until it begins to resemble a coarse sandy mixture. Then, add the yogurt, and stir with a fork to combine. Add the milk to the flour mixture slowly, a little at a time, stirring until the dough just comes together. Pour dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut the dough with a small biscuit cutter. Spray a skillet or pan with non-stick spray, place biscuits in the pan or skillet, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SURVIVAL GUIDE

Anyone that has followed our other blog, Dudes Cook Too, knows that we love the Smoky Mountains. We even had the privilege of living there over the past year. It's always been a place to get away, and forget about your worries, relax, and renew yourself. We have family that lives there, and we always have the best time with them whether it be hiking, picnicking, or just spending time with each other.

Last April, we hiked to Mt. Leconte, one of the most popular hikes in the National Park. The trail we took was around 12 miles. These are our fearless family/hiking buddies. We had a great time, although I'm not sure any of us are ready for it again. It was definitely the most strenuous hike I've ever done, but I'm so glad we went.

When one goes to the Smoky's, there are certain rules that apply. Most importantly, calories don't count. That's a rule, right? It's my rule... that's for sure. With that being said, it's very important to pack the appropriate snacks.

These PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES will do fine. This my favorite cookie recipe, originally posted on Eat Live Run. Y'all, these are moist, chewy... life changing cookies. You should try them right now.

I don't know this dude... but that's not the point. The point is to always bring your Eno Hammock. Photo creds go to austinkayak.com, by the way. Don't have an Eno? Get one! My in-laws got me one for Christmas last year, and I love it!! You won't regret it. That's also a really cool cover for it also, that honestly, I didn't know existed until just now.

Next, you need a good book, and I recommend this one. I've actually read this before, but am about to read it again. It's touches on so many aspects of Christianity, and has had a powerful impact on so many lives.

Not so much as a way to survive, but definitely a place you don't want to miss is Pancake Pantry. Seriously... GO. It's in Gatlinburg, and if you go during peak season, I'd suggest going around 7:00 am because the line will be a mile long by 9:00 am. This is my favorite place to eat in the Smoky's... other than Nany's Kitchen... but we'll get to that in a minute. I recommend trying the Peanut Butter Syrup, if you're a PB fan like myself.

I don't have a picture or a link for the last two survival tips, but they come from this cabin right here. This is Nany's cabin, one of my favorite places on earth. Every time we go see her, she always fixes a Smoky Mountain Breakfast, which consists of Biscuits, Bacon, Eggs, Grits... and usually syrup with peanut butter for the biscuits. Remember... calories don't count. It's a rule. This is a staple that I request all the time. I've always loved breakfast, but it just seems so much better there. Last, but not least, you need a peanut butter cake! Nany has her own recipe, but if you're going to make one, I suggest picking up the Joy the Baker Cookbook, and trying her Peanut Butter Birthday Cake. I just realized I talk a lot about peanut butter in this post. Maybe I should just put a picture of a jar of PB, and call it a day. Here's the deal on the Smokies. All the attractions are great... Dollywood, Ripley's Aquarium, but take some time to see what the Smokies are really all about, and that's nature. Take a drive through Cades Cove...it's a must.

DIY MIRROR.

One of our favorite hobbies is crafting and repurposing items for our home. This mirror came from Trey's great grandmother, and has sat in his parent's garage for about ten years now. We decided it was time to do something about that. We just recently moved into our new place, and are completely changing our color scheme to bright colors in the master bedroom, and thought the idea of repurposing this mirror would be a great addition to the room.

We used Rust-oleum American Accents Ultra Cover Gloss Spray Paint. We chose Sun Yellow because we really wanted a bright color that would kind of "pop" when you walk into the room.

We started by using masking tape (We were out of painters tape, and decided it's pretty much the same thing right? Can't you tell we're professionals?), and bordered the edge of the mirror. I've been told that if you don't line up the tape 100% correctly, that paint is relatively easy to remove from glass. I don't know this from personal experience, but I wanted to let you guys know to kind of take the pressure off.

After that, we lined newspaper, and taped it along the edge of the masking tape we just bordered the trim with. We did this because it's a lot easier to line up tape rather than a whole newspaper.

Next, we got busy painting. This was honestly the easiest part of the process. We started out by spraying an even (as possible) coat on the frame. After that, we let it dry for about an hour, although you don't have to wait that long, and applied one more coat.

We allowed it to dry overnight, and removed the tape and newspaper the next morning.

And here is the finished product! If you're wondering what the reflection is in the mirror?... that's Trey's grandmother's living room. This was a fast, and fun project that we did in about one hour if you don't count the drying time. Like we said, we love doing little DIY projects, and there will be much more to come on this blog!

Ryman Schruff

If you guys follow us on twitter.... Facebook.... Instagram.... or know us in general, you already know that we got a puppy last week. Let us introduce you to Ryman. He is a six-week old Labmaraner. He is half labrador, half weimaraner, and 100% full baby.

We found out about these pups on Facebook. We've been wanting a rescue dog, and have always had a love for weimaraners, and everything progressed from there, and we ended up with this little dude on his six week birthday.

He's definitely a baby, but he's a fast learner. This picture is of him learning to go up and down stairs. The first couple of days we had him, we had to carry him, but after that he learned to go up and down on his own. He's a very sweet pup, and we're excited to have him join our family.

FIRST POST!

Welcome to Schruff Shenanigans!! You guys might know us from Dudes Cook Too... well, we've decided to turn our attention to sharing more of what we do on a daily basis with the people we love the most! This blog will be full of DIY's, recipes, life updates, our workout regimen, and more! Anyone who knows us knows we're always on the run doing something, or headed out on our next adventure, and that's what this blog is all about! We want to invite you in, and welcome you! We're glad you're here, and hope you come back to see what shenanigans we get ourselves into!