Wantable v. Stitch Fix - Installment 2: The Clothes

Last blog I introduced you to clothing services for those that hate to shop and have no fashion sense: Stitch Fix & Wantable. Both services send clothing directly to your house, no traffic, no people, no endless hours of going from store to store. We discussed setting up your style profiles, styling and referral fees. Now I'll share with you what each service sent, cost of each piece, whether I kept anything, the check out and return processes. Without further ado, let's get to it.

I received my Stitch Fix box first. One thing I like about this service is the flexibility around how frequently you want to receive "Fixes" which range from every 2 - 3 weeks to every three months. This helps with budgeting. If you don't usually or can't afford buying things frequently, select every three months (once a quarter) so you aren't breaking the bank. My Wantable order arrived a couple weeks later. As you can see, both are packaged nicely. 

The Stitch Fix package which comes with return bag (free returns), cards for each item that show you possible outfits, including shoes and accessories and the purchase order with prices including application of your $20 styling fee and a 25% discount off your entire order if you keep all five pieces. The Wantable package which comes with return bag (free returns) and your order with a quick note from your stylist. Below are pictures of the actual pieces in each shipment. No, I'm not modeling any of them. Just like being stylish, I'm horrible at selfies.

Up first Stitch Fix:

SF Piece 1

SF Piece 2

SF Piece 5

SF Piece 4

                       

SF Piece 3

SF Piece 1 is a light, greenish-blueish top with pretty cut-outs on the arms and bottom of the shirt. It's made by Skies are Blue. It was a softer cotton-like material, loose fitting. The cost is $54. I didn't purchase the top, it made me feel frumpy and boring. SF Piece 2 is a navy, blue lace fitted skirt by Brixon Ivy. The cost for it is $74. I was torn regarding this skirt but ended up not purchasing it. For me $74 is a lot of money for just a skirt that had limited options for tops. SF Piece 5 is a black dress with floral pattern by London Times. This dress fit well, was an appropriate length for work and would look good with either a sweater or blazer. The cost for it is $68 and due to it's versatility I ended up purchasing this. SF Piece 4 is a silk-like red flowing shirt by Papermoon. I like the color and the potential of it being used for work or play. The cost for it is $44. The only thing wrong with this top was it was to wide and very flowy at the bottom. I felt like a maternity top and not flattering on me so I didn't purchase it. In this Fix they sent a necklace (Piece 3). Usually, they send five articles of clothing. The cost for the necklace is $32. I didn't purchase the necklace because I have similar items in my jewelry box and I could go to Kohl's and pick up something similar for half the price. Out of the five items, I purchased one. Stitch Fix applies your $20 styling fee you already paid against what you purchase. $48 was applied to my credit card. If I had purchased all five items, a "buy five" discount which would have saved $68 off the entire order. It's a great deal IF you like everything they send.

Let's take a look at my Wantable order now. As you can see above, very similar packaging.

Wantable Piece 5

Wantable Piece 4 

Wantable Piece 1

Wantable Piece 2

Wantable Piece 3

W Piece 1 is a black and white sweater from JOA with a cost of $48 (reduced from $64). It is cute to look at, but on it was short. If I lifted my arms it pulled up exposing areas that haven't been seen in public since before my son was born. No wonder it was reduced. Definitely and no. W Piece 2 is a casual, cotton shirt the kind you see in family pictures at the beach. Designed by Beach Lunch Lounge at a cost of $58, was also a no. It was too short to be a dress, too long and casual to tuck in and wear at work, it would serve no practical purpose in my wardrobe. W Piece 4 is a long top by Mod Ref for $48. It was cute, but see through. My philosophy is if I have to spend additional money to wear clothes from these services, it doesn't make sense to buy them in the first place. A no-go. W Piece 4 is the best of the lot, a layered salmon/pink top by Olive & Oak for $55 that would have looked great by itself, under a blazer or sweater. Unfortunately it had a stain right in the middle of it. Another rule of thumb, if there's a stain or tears, etc...I don't purchase the item. Give me something great that's not stained and we can talk. And finally W Piece 3, a printed romper by Kut for $48 (reduced from $78). I'm not a fan of one-piece outfits, the thought of having to go to the bathroom and taking off all my clothes just doesn't do it for me. What if it's an emergency or freezing? But, as I always do, I tried it on, I've been surprised by things before. It was a no, the shorts were way too short and the top just hung there. Every time I raised my arms the shorts rode up even farther...I have no desire to share my booty with the world. Overall, disappointed with this style edit plus, they offer a 20% discount if you wanted to purchase all five items. In this case it would have been $51.40 is savings.

The check out process varies slightly between the two services. Both ask you to select if you want to keep or return each item and asks you to click on reasons why you like or dislike the item. However Stitch Fix allows you to type in a review of each item during your check out process and leave a note for your stylist. Wantable doesn't allow you to leave notes on each piece during checkout, you have to go to a separate review section to leave written information about each piece,why it may or may not work for you. That's an extra step I'll probably never get back to, just being honest. Both companies provide a postage paid return bag, simply place the items in you're not keeping in, seal it up and drop it in your mailbox or your local USPS. Both send you an electronic receipt of what you purchased or email that you checked out. Overall the return process is simple and my mail person has never grumped about my return packages yet.

Both services allowed me to write a note to my stylist letting them know what I was looking for. In this case, I'm looking for mostly business casual items that I can wear to work and maybe a piece or two for casual. I've shared with them My Style board on Pinterest to give the a lot of ideas of colors, patterns, styles and fit that I like. As mentioned above Stitch Fix sends you cards for each piece, giving you ideas on how to wear that item, which I'm ALWAYS in need of. Included with those cards is a note from the stylist that put together my Fix. Regardless of who put the box together, they always mention having reviewed My Style board on Pinterest and also mention how to put together items in the box if possible. Wantable doesn't provide this, they simply give you a one-liner about what other items might be able to pair with the piece. They do have a Stream feature that shows other pieces which I say I like them and they'll try and include it in my next shipment. I'll be looking into this feature to see if it will allow the stylist to put together an edit that's more suited to my style.

Overview of these orders:

Stitch Fix	Wantable
- Five piece cost: $272	- Five piece cost: $257
- 25% discount: $68	- 20% discount: $51.40
- Total: $184	- Total: $185.60
- Kept 1 items	- Kept 0 items

At this time I'm favoring Stitch Fix, it feels like they offer a bit more service and ease of use. However, I haven't had an issues or had to work with customer service on anything. I'm going to give both a second order, see if either can get closer to my style. Fingers crossed.

I'll follow up with your regarding what they send in the next month or so. Until then, if anyone has used either service or a similar service not mentioned here, I'd love to hear from you and try the service giving you credit. If you want to try either service for yourself, click on the links above and sign up. Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Wantable v. Stitch Fix - Installment 1

There's a couple things that I've learned about myself in my 40+ years, first - I have horrible fashion sense, second - I hate to shop for clothes. I can put outfits together that match, but are they stylish and trendy, probably not. To understand what's "in" right now, I'd have to flip through magazines, read articles and watch what "the stars" are wearing. Honestly, I don't have the time or desire. That doesn't mean I don't want to look good at work or elsewhere. Next, I hate shopping, probably because I don't know how to put outfits together and because trying to find pieces that fit and are comfortable is painful. I know what you're thinking, I'm a female that doesn't like to shop, what's wrong with me? Nothing! I simply haven't prioritized it high in my I've Gotta Get Stuff Accomplished pile. I'd rather pull on a pair of jeans and shirt then go watch my son play whatever sport is current for the season.

The dilemma I've run into is work. Rule of thumb is dress for the position you want. Ugh...which means that I need to step it up a bit. I'm in IT middle management currently and would like to go a couple steps more on the proverbial corporate ladder. Which means I need to dress a bit nicer. Don't get me wrong, I don't go to work looking like a slob, but I tend to be a bit more business casual than I should. But I really don't want to be in boring suits and blouses all the time, I've gotta have color and pattern mixed in with the straight business look, again, I'm horrible at putting it all together. Which has lead me to check out two services: Stitch Fix & Wantable. Both will put together a shipment of five items for you to review in the privacy of your own home for a $20 charge that can be applied to your purchases for that shipment. Once you get your package, you have five days to try on the items and decide if you want to keep or return them. The items you don't want can be returned free of charge.

The stylist fee, amount of time to try on the items and free returns is the same for both companies. Wantable also offers this service for cosmetics, intimates, accessories and fitness, they took my shoe size but it wasn't clear if shoes could be included. Stitch Fix only offers clothing and shoes at this time; however Stitch Fix has a referral bonus of $25 for each friend that signs up under you once they place their first order, Wantable has $10 for referrals. In addition, Stitch Fix allows you to pick different frequencies for your deliveries from every two to three weeks to every other month; Wantable only has monthly at this time.

"How will the stylist know what I like and don't like?" you may ask. Each service takes you through a survey where you list your sizes, how you like things to fit, what styles and colors you like and don't like, both are similar in what they ask which gets you the end result of providing some information to the person putting your box together. 

Screen from Stitch Fix style profile

Screen from Wantable style profile

Screen from Wantable style profile

As you can see from the screen shots, the questions are similar just the mechanism to select what you like and dislike are slightly different. I suppose some folks have their preferences, personally I found both sites easy to use and easy to complete the questionnaires. 

In the next installment, I will show you pictures of the items each sends, prices and how closely it matches my style profile. I'll share with you the return process and my overall feelings about each service once they deliver.

If you have experience, good or bad, with either service, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to share pictures of the items you receive, prices, issues, etc. 

Until then, have a great day!

Review: Hot & Sour Soup Recipe

Hot & Sour Soup along with General Tso's Chicken are the two recipes that I judge all Chinese restaurants by. Yes, I understand that the General's chicken is not true Chinese food, but when I want deep-fried chicken pieces in a savory sauce over rice, all of which I try not to eat, this is my go-to dish. Hot & Sour Soup on the other hand, isn't that bad, just don't look at the milligrams of salt. Luckily at this point in my life, the only reason I watch my salt intake is so I don't feel puffy the next day.

I ran across this recipe from Wegman's for Hot & Sour Soup, and thought I'd give it a whirl. If it's easy AND good, I could skip the restaurant version and simply whip it up at home. I cooked it yesterday and it is YUMMY, but took a bit more prep time and dirty dishes than I had hoped. I'll share some time cutting tips below, keep in mind I'm just too cheap sometimes to buy pre-minced, diced and cut products. In this case, it worked out well, my son wanted to help, so I put him to work. My counters and stove top were messier than usual, I really need to work with him on his stirring and measuring skills, but it was quality time spent with him. He even said it smelled great, but wouldn't try it because of the mushrooms. I told him that someday, he'll like them, lol.

Ingredients:

1 tbs Vegetable Oil (I actually used flavorless coconut oil) 
1 lb Ground Pork 
2 tbs minced Garlic (time saver = purchase a jar of pre-minced garlic)
2 tbs peeled, minced fresh ginger (time saver = purchase pre-minced ginger)
2 pkgs (5 oz each) Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms (I used baby 'Bellas)
64 oz Chicken Broth (time saver = purchase pre-made)
3 tbs Cornstarch 
4 tbs water 
1/2 cup  Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce 
2 tsp ground white pepper 
1 tsp salt 
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar 
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
1 Large Egg, beaten 
3-4  green onions, thinly sliced on bias, for garnish

Directions:

Prep first - got out everything needed ingredients, knife, mincer, grater, cutting board, large spoon, stockpot, 2 small bowls, measuring cups and spoons.

Cleaned and minced the garlic. Cleaning is the most time consuming part. First I smash the clove a bit to crack the outside, then I peel, then mince. Peeled the ginger (BIG pain), then minced. If you've ever minced ginger, it's a stringy root that takes a bit of muscle. Plus it gets juicy, making it hard to hold. I managed to snag my fingertips a couple times. In the famous words of Monty Python's the Black Knight, "It's just a flesh wound." 

Beating the egg (easiest part of the whole prep).

1. Heat oil in stockpot on MED-HIGH. Add pork; cook, stirring to break up large pieces, 2-3 min, until browned. Add garlic, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, 3-4 min.

2. Add broth; bring to simmer. Cook 10 min. Add cornstarch and water to small bowl; stir to combine. Set aside.

3. Add soy sauce, pepper, salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil to pot; stir to combine. Add cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Drizzle egg into soup, stirring constantly. Garnish soup with green onions before serving.

I ended up letting it simmer for about 15 min while I cleaned up. Once the prep is done, the cooking is really easy. Ladled the soup into the bowl then sat down to watch some Hawaii 5-0. The soup has great flavor, I'm going to add a bit more pepper next time to increase the heat a tad and the baby 'Bellas didn't change the flavor. I would have liked a bit more pork, so I'll probably bump the quantity up to 1.5 lbs. Also, if you don't want pork, tofu could be added, bits of chicken or other protein, just as easily. As you can tell from the recipe, it makes a lot of soup. I'm planning on freezing part for future eating.

Bottom line, I'll be making this again. Nothing beats a good cup of soup, especially on a cold winter's day. Enjoy!

Snap, Crackle & Pop in the Morning

Old TV Commercial

For those of you in your 40s and older, I'm sure you remember these guys from Saturday morning cartoons and the commercials companies played aimed directly at us. Yes, at one point cartoons were only on Saturdays and right after school. Now I enjoy these sounds every morning walking down the stairs for the first time and throughout the day, as I traverse the many stairwells at work. Many of you know what I'm talking about and if you don't yet, it's coming. It's the sounds your various joints make when being used the first time that day. For me, it's my knees that ring out in alarm saying, "Lady, what the heck are you thinking moving us like that? Are you an idiot? We're not warmed up yet!" And as the years pass, my knees become more and more vocal AND they like to get their friends, my hips, ankles and elbows, to sing along. While it may be music to them, anyone that has the pleasure of walking along side me when they start their chorus always asks, "What was that?! Are you ok?" I just chuckle and keep moving, they pipe down shortly anyway.

So anyone who has joints that Snap, Crackle & Pop...welcome to the Backside of Forty!

Is Cam Newton an A$$ or Just Young?

Folks, I'm not a sports enthusiast, although I do like a good game regardless of the sport, nor am I a football aficionado, but I'm a mother raising a son and know good and bad behavior when I see it. And no I don't consider farting and fart noises bad behavior, annoying...yes, in church...embarrassing. Cam Newton's recent behavior after the Super Bowl and all the hype from the harpies that call themselves reporters, has me thinking about this topic. It's actually not just Cam we should be talking about, it's all childish behavior displayed by purported adults, especially those who are public figures and role models. But that topic would go on endlessly.

My immediate reaction to Cam's behavior was, "What a childish a-hole he is, how embarrassing for the Panthers." It was a knee-jerk reaction that many of us felt. The reaction he had to losing the Super Bowl is along the same lines as my son losing at a game of Life or Monopoly. And no, I don't let my son win anymore just to let him, if he beats me it's fair and square. Then I stopped to think about things. Cam Newton is 26 years old and a QB for an NFL team, that's the top of the heap, the elite, the best football has to offer (we won't get into the college versus pro debate). At 26, I was working and going out drinking and partying every night. He's only been in the NFL since 2011 (I believe, don't quote me), five teeny, tiny years. I've been working in the IT industry for over 15 years and I'm still learning to be a leader and a manager, plus I'm in my late 40's, I've had more life experience than he has. As much as I try, I still get passionate from time to time, my humanness gets the best of me. With all that said, is Cam really the a$$hole he's made out to be?

Honestly after looking at my life, where I was at that age and the fact he just lost the Super Bowl, the BIGGEST game of the year for football, I think I'd be upset too and I sure as heck wouldn't want to talk about the details of how I lost ad nauseum to news vultures, asking the same question a different way, over and over. I did see that he went over to Peyton Manning and congratulated him I also saw a grown man cry from the Panthers. Winning or losing is a big deal to these guys, it's their job to be passionate about their work. With that being said though...when my son pouts and acts like a sore loser after a game, I work on correcting his behavior, because no one likes being around someone who can't lose gracefully and for that matter, I don't let him be a gloating jerk when he wins. For some it takes years to master the art of winning and losing with grace. Cam Newton isn't there yet. I'm not sure if he's close to his mom, but I would hope she would tell him not to display that kind of behavior, he's better than that. Explain to him how to be a leader to his team, and leading by example when losing, will be something that he'll have to learn.

Cam is definitely a talented ball player, he couldn't have gotten where he is at age 26 if he wasn't. And in professional sports, there's nothing wrong with confidence in yourself and your team, you have to have that. If I was part of the Panther's organization, I'd hire a coach to help teach Cam leadership, how to put on a "game face" even after you lost the big game, how to answer the myriad of questions being fired at you to elicit a reaction, to teach him to be a graceful winner and loser. If the Panther's won't do it for him, he should consider doing it for himself. He's a public figure and role model to many aspiring athletes. They will be looking to him at critical points in his career and want to emulate his behavior on and off the field. Do the right thing Cam and let this be an exception and not a rule. We are human and make mistakes, let it be a one-time thing and move on. Be everything you can be...and more.

First Paleo Recipe Review - Lemon & Artichoke Chicken

I've gotta tell ya, my parents are great! Why? Because they have been and always will be my guinea pigs when it comes to trying new recipes. It could be they enjoy supporting my hobbies, it could be they have no desire to cook this stuff at home or it could be they simply love to eat. I don't care what reason is, they are there at the dinner table enjoying good food (most of the time) with lots of laughs, who could ask for more?

I invited them to dinner this past week, it was going to be a quiet Sunday, no sports practice, no plans, I would get to whip something up and why not try something from the Paleo cookbook they got me for Christmas? However, I didn't clue them in until they arrived at my door, didn't want them to chicken out (pun intended). Now, the decision on what was going to be cooked is another thing entirely. I had my son leaf through the cookbook and pick out 5 recipes (always good to get buy-in from the kiddo). From there we picked out Lemon & Artichoke Chicken & Brussels Sprouts with Fennel as a side. Both appeared to be easy to make. My folks came along as I was chopping up the veggies for the side. They had never tried fennel before, so I gave them each a piece to nibble on. For those that don't know, fennel is a bulb shaped veggie that has stalks and texture similar to celery and fronds that look like fresh dill. The taste is a super mild black licorice or anise flavor, not enough to overwhelm, more of a hint with lots of crunch.

I had already put the chicken in by this time and cleaned up the dishes so my mom wouldn't see the mess. Both dishes were easy to cook and I have some suggestions for you as we go through each recipe, hopefully you can make it even easier by learning what went right and what went wrong. Bottom line, both dishes turned out great and were gobbled down.

Lemon & Artichoke Chicken

Ingredients

4 tbs butter, ghee or coconut oil divided into 2 tbs each

2 shallots, 1/4 c onion, sliced or a 1/4 c of chopped green onion

2 c artichoke hearts, thawed and/or drained and rinsed

1/4 c capers, drained

Juice or 2 lemons

2 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Prep - 15 min / Dishes Count - 2 plates, 2 knives, 1 place mats (cut veggies first then chicken, not the other way around), 1 strainer, 1 measuring cup, 1 oven-proof skillet, 1 fork, 1 spatula, 1 spoon

Began preheating my oven to 375 degrees. Measured my butter out and put on a small plate, one of the 2 tbs cut into small pats. Rinsed and chopped the onions, putting them on the plate with the butter. Dumped 2 - 14 oz can of quartered artichoke hearts in a strainer, rinsed and let them sit. Drained a 3.5 oz jar of capers into the sink and put them in a measuring cup, it was about 1/4 c. Next time, I'll drain and keep them in the jar to save dirtying the measuring cup. Rolled the lemons until they were soft (makes juicing them a whole heck of a lot easier), cut both in half and juiced, making sure no seeds sneak in. I have a cheap juicer that strains the seeds out, one of the best Dollar Store purchases ever. And now the fun part...I purchased a whole chicken that I knew I'd have to cut apart. Well, it turned into a battle, "Sid Versus the Dead Chicken." There was chicken juice on my counter and mangled pieces of meat on the plate and luckily my fingers still intact. It was an ugly battle, but I won. Personally I'm just thankful I remembered to take the innards out prior to the butchering. That would have been just dandy, gizzards and what not cooked in.

Directions

In the large, oven-proof skillet melt 2 tbs of the butter and add the shallots or onion and saute until translucent. Add the artichoke hearts, capers and lemon juice. Stir to combine and heat up, but not to boiling. Turn off heat, place the chicken pieces on top, put the remaining butter, cut into pats, on top of the chicken and salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the oven and begin baking for 45-50 min.

Brussels Sprouts with Fennel

While the chicken is cooking, get started on your side. It cooks at the same temp as the chicken and takes 20 min to cook, so you'll have approximately 25 min to prepare and pop it in the oven so both are ready at the same time.

Ingredients

4 c Brussels sprouts, quartered (1 - 16 oz bag did the trick)

1/2 c fennel (about 1 bulb), thinly sliced, cut the stalks off first

2 tbs melted bacon fat, butter or coconut oil (I used butter, the bacon fat was tempting)

2 tbs chopped fennel fronds (the stuff at the top that looks like fresh dill)

Sea salt & black pepper

Prep time - 15 min / Dishes count - 1 baking sheet (no cleaning if you cover with tin foil), 1 knife, 1 spatula

Put tin foil on the baking sheet to save cleanup. Melted the butter. Washed and cut the bottoms off the Brussels sprouts, then quartered placing them evenly on the baking sheet. Sliced the fennel bulb (round objects are tricky to slice, I always cut a flat area and put that side down, then cut, it adds stability to the veggie, also keep your fingers pulled back from the knife when cutting to prevent mishap and ruining the food) and place slices over the Brussels sprouts. Top with chopped fennel fronds and drizzle butter over the top. Salt and pepper to taste. Pop them in the oven when there is 20 min left for the chicken to cook. Reminder - don't touch the skillet handle without a mitt, lol. Yes, I bumped the skillet handle when putting in the veggies and profanity came out. I said, "F...F...F..." and realized everyone was looking at me. My son pipes in and goes, "Mom, you sounded like a chicken, cluck, cluck, cluck. Better get some cold water on that." We all just started laughing as I put my finger under the cold water. Only my son could make me smile when I'm in pain, gotta love him.

While I'm waiting, I clean up the dishes, counters and set the table. My mom is just itching to help, but I just have her relax and enjoy her coffee. My dad is off having a Nerf gun war with my son, they are competing to see who has better aim. Of course mom and I have to join in. It comes down to my dad and I in the battle for the championship, who can hit the ball off the ladder...winner...tie. Those darn Nerf gun bullets certainly don't shoot straight. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Oven timer goes off, I open the oven and and pull out the dishes. Veggies are tender and chicken juice is running clear, we're good to go. I dish up everyone not forgetting to spoon sauce from the pan over the chicken. We sit down to enjoy our first Paleo meal and each other's company. I love family dinners.

Left is Brussels Sprouts with Fennel. Right is Lemon & Artichoke Chicken. Bottom are the two dished up. Voila! My first Paleo meal.

Recipes used found in:

Practical Paleo, Diane Sanfilippo, Victory Belt Publishing, Inc. 2012

Oven Dried Strawberries - Not So Dried

I decided to try and make oven dried strawberries the other day, my son had the store-bought kind and loved them, but it's hard to find ones not covered in sugar and other crap. So I went online and found a recipe to make them at home in the oven. Looked simple enough so I gave it a whirl.

Preheated my oven to 210 degrees, found my largest cookie sheet, covered it in parchment paper so the berries wouldn't stick and proceeded to wash and quarter the larger berries and halve the smaller berries placing them on the cookie sheet. I spaced them apart to provide air flow as the recipe recommended. This all took approximately 15 minutes.

Put them in the oven for two hours. Checked on them at the two hour mark, they clearly weren't done. Put them back in for another hour. Oven timer goes off, check on my berries and still disappointed, most of them were still mushy/moist. I pulled them out and checked different recipes and decided to let them sit and cool down. Knowing the cats had zero interest in berries, I left them sit for about an hour. 

Unfortunately most were still mushy/moist, not anything I could put in a bag in the pantry with out the fear of mold taking over the inside of the bag. I put them in a container in the fridge instead. They ended up being "super strawberry-ie" as my son put it. I thought they were super tart. I ate a couple fresh ones to "sample the goods" prior to cooking and they tasted great. They will be ok for adding to oatmeal or yogurt.

Will I try it again? Actually, I'm going to try a mango next with different temp and cooking time...will let you know the results. In the meantime, if any of you have been successful with oven dried strawberries, I'd love to hear from you.

Dirty Dishes: 1 cookie tray (strawberry juice leaked through parchment paper, but the paper did keep them from sticking), 1 knife, 1 cutting mat

Time Spent: 30 min total, 15 on prep, 15 on cleanup/put away

Recipe Ease: Super easy