A filling and tasty dip. Good with crackers, with veggies or on a sandwich.
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 can tuna
1 (15oz) can white northern beans (or other white creamy bean)
Garlic powder or minced garlic cloves
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Cut carrot and celery into chunks and toss in the food processor and pulse until chopped finely, but not pureed. Scoop out and place in a bowl with drained tuna. Puree up the beans and garlic cloves until smooth and add in a thin stream of olive oil while the machine is running to help emulsify the bean puree (like making hummus). Add the pureed beans to the tuna and veggie mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Spread on crackers, make a sandwich or just dip some veggies.
Refrigerate for a few hours for a firmer spread.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Chili Success!
Decided on a nice big pot of chili tonight. Wasn't sure what I had to put in it, but it turned out great. Here's what I did:
1lb ground beef, browned
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 28oz can of water (from the tomatoes)
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
2 cans of kidney beans, 14 oz each (1 dark red, 1 light red)
1 bunch red chard, chopped fine in food processor
~1 Tbsp cumin
~1 Tbsp oregano
~1 Tbsp dried minced onion
~1 tsp granulated garlic
Fresh ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
I browned the beef with some pepper, garlic and a bit of dried minced onion. Once browned, I added in the can of tomatoes and water and brought it up to a boil. Added in all the seasonings and beans. Once it was simmering I added in the bulgur wheat and the chard.
The chard cooked down (it was pretty small to begin with) the bulgur swelled a bit. So yummy and every one liked it.
1lb ground beef, browned
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 28oz can of water (from the tomatoes)
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
2 cans of kidney beans, 14 oz each (1 dark red, 1 light red)
1 bunch red chard, chopped fine in food processor
~1 Tbsp cumin
~1 Tbsp oregano
~1 Tbsp dried minced onion
~1 tsp granulated garlic
Fresh ground Pepper and Sea Salt to taste
I browned the beef with some pepper, garlic and a bit of dried minced onion. Once browned, I added in the can of tomatoes and water and brought it up to a boil. Added in all the seasonings and beans. Once it was simmering I added in the bulgur wheat and the chard.
The chard cooked down (it was pretty small to begin with) the bulgur swelled a bit. So yummy and every one liked it.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Quick Jam
Decided I needed some fresh jam the other day to go with some fresh baked bread. So I quick attempted a batch. Had to tweak it a bit, but it worked pretty well after all was said and done.
Used about 2 cups of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
3 packets of gelatin
1/4-1/3 cup of sugar
little extra water
Brought the frozen mixed berries to a boil and disolved the gelatin in it. Stirred in the sugar. Poured it into a pint jar and topped it with a plastic cap. Refrigerate until set.
It was a bit too thick, but I didn't really measure anything much, so I reheated it in the microwave (just for 15 seconds until soft) and put in a bit more water, stirred and it was perfect. Not too sweet with lots of nice pieces of fruit.
This jam was great with the fresh English Muffins and the home made soynut butter.
Used about 2 cups of frozen mixed berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries)
3 packets of gelatin
1/4-1/3 cup of sugar
little extra water
Brought the frozen mixed berries to a boil and disolved the gelatin in it. Stirred in the sugar. Poured it into a pint jar and topped it with a plastic cap. Refrigerate until set.
It was a bit too thick, but I didn't really measure anything much, so I reheated it in the microwave (just for 15 seconds until soft) and put in a bit more water, stirred and it was perfect. Not too sweet with lots of nice pieces of fruit.
This jam was great with the fresh English Muffins and the home made soynut butter.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Soy Nut Butter
I made soy nut butter the other day in an attempt to not give myself any mouth sores from the peanut butter. So far my girls don't seem to have the issue, but if I eat too much peanut butter, well, ouch...
So I had some dried soy beans that I had originally purchased for attempting to make soy milk (which I did, but I still don't like the taste very well). I took some and put them in a pan with some water and salt and boiled them a bit to soften them. Once the water had all boiled off I put in a few more dried soy beans and some oil and toasted them all up to a nice golden brown. They popped a bit like popcorn as their skins split in the heat.
Once they were all brown I dumped them into my food processor and pulsed them until they were a nice fine crumb. I added a couple Tbsp of sugar and about at tsp of salt and pulsed that in, too. Once I was happy with the crumbliness I set the food processor to run and added some vegetable oil (not much, just a bit to help with creaminess) then continued to run the machine and added some cool water until the soy beans pureed into a slightly smooth yet chunky "butter".
I scooped the warm soy nut butter out of the processor and put it in containers to chill in the fridge. For lunch I took it out and made great "peanut butter" and jelly sandwiches. Then took it a step further and melted some chocolate and made "peanut butter" cups. Those were a huge hit with the girls (and daddy, too, I think).
So I had some dried soy beans that I had originally purchased for attempting to make soy milk (which I did, but I still don't like the taste very well). I took some and put them in a pan with some water and salt and boiled them a bit to soften them. Once the water had all boiled off I put in a few more dried soy beans and some oil and toasted them all up to a nice golden brown. They popped a bit like popcorn as their skins split in the heat.
Once they were all brown I dumped them into my food processor and pulsed them until they were a nice fine crumb. I added a couple Tbsp of sugar and about at tsp of salt and pulsed that in, too. Once I was happy with the crumbliness I set the food processor to run and added some vegetable oil (not much, just a bit to help with creaminess) then continued to run the machine and added some cool water until the soy beans pureed into a slightly smooth yet chunky "butter".
I scooped the warm soy nut butter out of the processor and put it in containers to chill in the fridge. For lunch I took it out and made great "peanut butter" and jelly sandwiches. Then took it a step further and melted some chocolate and made "peanut butter" cups. Those were a huge hit with the girls (and daddy, too, I think).
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
CSA Farm Share #2
Got our 2nd farm share last week. Tasty greens - spinach and another green (forget what it is, but it's tasty!) Also got eggs - fresh from the farm! and 2 types of dried beans. Light red kidney beans and some tuxedo beans (they look like cows to me - black and white spots).
The girls and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the farm on Tuesday sorting beans (4 kinds), playing with the new goat, Allie, and Fin the very big dog. Allie is living in the house due to some complications, so she's a lot of fun. When we were there she was only 6 days old - it'll be interesting to see her this week when she's over 2 weeks old and to compare how she's grown. I should have snapped some pictures of the girls and the goat last week but I forgot :-/ I'll attempt to remember for next time.
The girls and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the farm on Tuesday sorting beans (4 kinds), playing with the new goat, Allie, and Fin the very big dog. Allie is living in the house due to some complications, so she's a lot of fun. When we were there she was only 6 days old - it'll be interesting to see her this week when she's over 2 weeks old and to compare how she's grown. I should have snapped some pictures of the girls and the goat last week but I forgot :-/ I'll attempt to remember for next time.
Monday, March 7, 2011
English Muffins
Got busy this morning and made some fresh English Muffins. They're surprisingly easy to make. Just take a batch of bread dough (I used my go-to everyday bread dough recipe from "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day") and took small balls (about golf ball-sized) of dough and placed them on a corn meal covered surface. Sprinkled more corn meal on top and let them rise for 45 mins or so.
Once they're risen, heat up the oven and a cookie sheet or stone to 450 and heat up a skillet on medium (whatever's good for pancakes I've found works well for these too). Cook English muffins for 4-5 minutes per side in the skillet until lightly browned. Then put in the oven on your stone or cookie sheet and bake for 5 mins until cooked through. Cool a bit and stick around the perimeter with a fork. Pull apart, and enjoy - toasted or not!
These we enjoyed with home made soy nut butter and home made quick jam. I'll post those recipes later on ;-)
Once they're risen, heat up the oven and a cookie sheet or stone to 450 and heat up a skillet on medium (whatever's good for pancakes I've found works well for these too). Cook English muffins for 4-5 minutes per side in the skillet until lightly browned. Then put in the oven on your stone or cookie sheet and bake for 5 mins until cooked through. Cool a bit and stick around the perimeter with a fork. Pull apart, and enjoy - toasted or not!
These we enjoyed with home made soy nut butter and home made quick jam. I'll post those recipes later on ;-)
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Crackers!!
So, I've jumped into the realm of making crackers. They're easier than I thought and I've already started making my own flavors. Glad I took the plunge. My kids love them too.
Here are the 2 recipes I've created:
"Battey Crackers"
(named by my daughter)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour (plus more for dusting)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
8-10 grinds of black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil combined with
~3/4 cup water
sea salt for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
In your food processor, mince up the garlic. Change to a dough blade if you have it and combine garlic, flours, baking powder, black pepper and salt. Pulse until combined.
Pour in 1-2 Tbsp of the water/oil combination and pulse until all combined, continue in this manner until the dough forms a rough ball.
Dump the dough out on a floured board and kneed a bit until all a cohesive ball of dough. Cut dough ball into 8 pieces. Roll out each ball of dough, fold over in 3rds and roll again, then once more to help kneed a bit more. After final folding, roll out to 1/8-1/16 of an inch (I use a pasta roller down to setting 4). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pat it into the dough. Cut with a pizza cutter into cracker shapes.
Bake at 425 for 6 minutes, remove from oven, turn crackers over and cook for another 4-6 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cool completely and store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container (although mine have never lasted more than a week!)
Recipe #2
"Daddy Crackers"
(daddy needed some crackers for work - he hasn't had any yet - hope they last until he gets home!)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil combined with
~3/4 cup water
Grind the oatmeal in your food processor until it makes a nice oat flour with some bits of oats left for texture. Then, follow the directions above to make these crackers. Maybe rolling them a BIT thicker as these crackers are pretty thin when baked.
Yummy!
Here are the 2 recipes I've created:
"Battey Crackers"
(named by my daughter)
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour (plus more for dusting)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
8-10 grinds of black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil combined with
~3/4 cup water
sea salt for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
In your food processor, mince up the garlic. Change to a dough blade if you have it and combine garlic, flours, baking powder, black pepper and salt. Pulse until combined.
Pour in 1-2 Tbsp of the water/oil combination and pulse until all combined, continue in this manner until the dough forms a rough ball.
Dump the dough out on a floured board and kneed a bit until all a cohesive ball of dough. Cut dough ball into 8 pieces. Roll out each ball of dough, fold over in 3rds and roll again, then once more to help kneed a bit more. After final folding, roll out to 1/8-1/16 of an inch (I use a pasta roller down to setting 4). Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with sea salt and pat it into the dough. Cut with a pizza cutter into cracker shapes.
Bake at 425 for 6 minutes, remove from oven, turn crackers over and cook for another 4-6 minutes until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining dough.
Cool completely and store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container (although mine have never lasted more than a week!)
Recipe #2
"Daddy Crackers"
(daddy needed some crackers for work - he hasn't had any yet - hope they last until he gets home!)
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil combined with
~3/4 cup water
Grind the oatmeal in your food processor until it makes a nice oat flour with some bits of oats left for texture. Then, follow the directions above to make these crackers. Maybe rolling them a BIT thicker as these crackers are pretty thin when baked.
Yummy!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Glove Elephants
Found this idea at this blog and thought I could make something similar for my girls. We made a couple of them last week - only took about 15-20 mins with kid help. Probably wouldn't take as long with out
;-)
Here's what we did:
Materials List
1 cheap stretch glove per elephant
Small ish piece of fleece (or felt) cut into heart shape with the bottom tip cut off
bunch of dried beans to "stuff"
Crochet cotton or thread of similar color to glove for stitching closed
Embroidery thread or Crochet cotton of contrasting color for eyes/mouth
Take 1 cheap stretch glove (we got ours at JoAnns for $1 a pair) and turn the cuff inside. Fill to the top with dried beans being sure to stuff beans well down into the fingers and thumb. The thumb will become the trunk; the fingers, the legs.
Once you have the elephant all stuffed to your liking, stitch the opening closed using the blanket stitch and a doubled thread. I started at the trunk end and went toward the back so that the extra thread at the end (I used crochet cotton) could be poked out the back, tripled back on itself and knotted at both ends to form the tail.
Take some more crochet cotton and stitch on the ears at the top edge where you sewed the body closed. I just used a regular "in and out" running stitch.
Next use some contrasting embroidery thread or crochet cotton to make some French knot eyes. I used about 4 French knots per eye just going back and forth between each eye inside to make them.
Lastly, I took the 4 legs and stitched two to one side and two to the other side of the elephant on the bottom. Took index and ring finger to one side and middle and pinky to the other. Makes them sit better.
That's it, you're done - now go play with your bean-y elephant.
;-)
Here's what we did:
Materials List
1 cheap stretch glove per elephant
Small ish piece of fleece (or felt) cut into heart shape with the bottom tip cut off
bunch of dried beans to "stuff"
Crochet cotton or thread of similar color to glove for stitching closed
Embroidery thread or Crochet cotton of contrasting color for eyes/mouth
Take 1 cheap stretch glove (we got ours at JoAnns for $1 a pair) and turn the cuff inside. Fill to the top with dried beans being sure to stuff beans well down into the fingers and thumb. The thumb will become the trunk; the fingers, the legs.
Once you have the elephant all stuffed to your liking, stitch the opening closed using the blanket stitch and a doubled thread. I started at the trunk end and went toward the back so that the extra thread at the end (I used crochet cotton) could be poked out the back, tripled back on itself and knotted at both ends to form the tail.
Take some more crochet cotton and stitch on the ears at the top edge where you sewed the body closed. I just used a regular "in and out" running stitch.
Next use some contrasting embroidery thread or crochet cotton to make some French knot eyes. I used about 4 French knots per eye just going back and forth between each eye inside to make them.
Lastly, I took the 4 legs and stitched two to one side and two to the other side of the elephant on the bottom. Took index and ring finger to one side and middle and pinky to the other. Makes them sit better.
That's it, you're done - now go play with your bean-y elephant.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
New Craft - Temari Balls
Between Christmas and New Years I attended a dance camp down in Berea, Kentucky. While I didn't dance much, I did take a craft class that intrigued me. I learned how to make Temari Balls. This little embroidered ball from Japan is beautiful and the patterns seem pretty endless. I made two at camp and have made 3 more since coming home - I've now started my 6th.
Here are some pictures of what I've made so far.
 |
| In Progress |
Monday, January 17, 2011
CSA Farm Share
So, we just joined a CSA the first of the year. We just picked up our first share at Portage River Farms on Saturday. Lots of greens this time of year. We're hoping it's a great fit for us.
This week we got:
Spinach
Mizspoona
Broccoli Rabe
Romaine
Looking forward to a great salad or two as we were told that greens this time of year (because of the cold) are better raw than cooked. Sweeter once the cold hits them :-)
So far we've had one huge lovely salad and looking forward to a few more this week. Kids are learning to eat salad - other than the "good bits" out of the lettuce ;-)
I know they're looking for more people to join their CSA family, if anyone in my area is interested... More posts as we get further into this whole thing.
This week we got:
Spinach
Mizspoona
Broccoli Rabe
Romaine
Looking forward to a great salad or two as we were told that greens this time of year (because of the cold) are better raw than cooked. Sweeter once the cold hits them :-)
So far we've had one huge lovely salad and looking forward to a few more this week. Kids are learning to eat salad - other than the "good bits" out of the lettuce ;-)
I know they're looking for more people to join their CSA family, if anyone in my area is interested... More posts as we get further into this whole thing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Dinner Tonight - Creamy Pesto Pasta
Ok, again with the no pictures - we ate it all! But here it goes - quick easy fast dinner.
Boil 1/2 lb noodles (the 3 girls here ate 1/2 lb no problem, if there were more of us we'd have to up the recipe). Drain noodles and melt in 4 oz (half a brick) of cream cheese. 1/2 cup of spinach pesto (I just pureed up some baby spinach and olive oil, S&P in my new food processor - thanks mom!) and grate in some fresh parmesan cheese.
Yummy!! And pretty green!
Boil 1/2 lb noodles (the 3 girls here ate 1/2 lb no problem, if there were more of us we'd have to up the recipe). Drain noodles and melt in 4 oz (half a brick) of cream cheese. 1/2 cup of spinach pesto (I just pureed up some baby spinach and olive oil, S&P in my new food processor - thanks mom!) and grate in some fresh parmesan cheese.
Yummy!! And pretty green!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Salt Dough Ornaments
Snowy day here - schools were actually closed yesterday and 223 more today! Decided we needed to make a little Christmas. Broke out a recipe for salt dough and went to town.
The kids found the dough quite hard to work with - it's a very stiff dough especially when cold. Once we kneaded it well, it rolled well and was decently easy to work with. I got out the 100 piece cookie cutter set and we made a nice big mess. (I think we still have some dough to pick up off the floor.)
The one thing we had trouble with is the dough drying out enough. The recipe we used said to bake for 20-25 mins at 300. That was not nearly enough. Even after 35 mins some of the ornaments were not yet "cooked". So they're back in the oven for another 5-10 to continue the drying process.
Here's the salt dough recipe we used. Found in several places on the internet...
4 cups AP flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
Kneed until smooth and easy to work with (takes a while!!!!).
Roll out and cut into shapes, use cookie cutters, make hand prints, etc.
Bake 300 for 20+ minutes
Cool and paint with acrylic paints. Spray with varnish to water protect and make them shiny.
The kids found the dough quite hard to work with - it's a very stiff dough especially when cold. Once we kneaded it well, it rolled well and was decently easy to work with. I got out the 100 piece cookie cutter set and we made a nice big mess. (I think we still have some dough to pick up off the floor.)
The one thing we had trouble with is the dough drying out enough. The recipe we used said to bake for 20-25 mins at 300. That was not nearly enough. Even after 35 mins some of the ornaments were not yet "cooked". So they're back in the oven for another 5-10 to continue the drying process.
Here's the salt dough recipe we used. Found in several places on the internet...
4 cups AP flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
Kneed until smooth and easy to work with (takes a while!!!!).
Roll out and cut into shapes, use cookie cutters, make hand prints, etc.
Bake 300 for 20+ minutes
Cool and paint with acrylic paints. Spray with varnish to water protect and make them shiny.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Dinner Tonight: Quick Stir Fry
I don't usually like stir fry, but I've finally happened upon a recipe that I enjoy making, and eating. It's quick, it's easy and adaptable.
Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breast sliced thin (or beef, or pork, or whatever protein you choose)
2-3 small zucchini sliced in moons
2-3 carrots sliced in circles/moons
2-3 ribs of celery
pepper
garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2-3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Optional ingredients:
chopped garlic
mushrooms
onions
spinach, chard, collards or other greens
Slice and chop all ingredients so they're ready to go. Brown chicken until nearly cooked through. Add in chopped garlic, onions, (if using) and cook until soft. Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables and the cornstarch, soy sauce and water (mixed into a slurry). Cook until vegetables are soft, or leave them a bit crunchy. Season with pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Serve over rice or rice noodles. Or just eat alone - it's all good.
Ingredients:
1-2 chicken breast sliced thin (or beef, or pork, or whatever protein you choose)
2-3 small zucchini sliced in moons
2-3 carrots sliced in circles/moons
2-3 ribs of celery
pepper
garlic powder
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2-3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
Optional ingredients:
chopped garlic
mushrooms
onions
spinach, chard, collards or other greens
Slice and chop all ingredients so they're ready to go. Brown chicken until nearly cooked through. Add in chopped garlic, onions, (if using) and cook until soft. Add in the rest of the chopped vegetables and the cornstarch, soy sauce and water (mixed into a slurry). Cook until vegetables are soft, or leave them a bit crunchy. Season with pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Serve over rice or rice noodles. Or just eat alone - it's all good.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Bandana Pants Tutorial
My girls were in need of some new pants and shorts for summer - so I started in making Bandana Pants. They're cool, they're comfortable and definitely fashionable! My girls love them - and enjoy choosing their colors of bandana for their new duds.
Pants and shorts are both easy - I'll include a quick tutorial for each.
For Pants:
2 bandanas
elastic
sewing machine
scissors
Line the bandanas up so that they are square with each other. My bandanas are 22 inches square - ish. Sometimes they're not quite square, depending on what brand/how expensive, etc. I tend toward the cheaper ones if possible. But for bottoms you want thicker bandanas.
Fold the lined up bandanas in half lengthwise (hot dog style for you school teachers). Measure 1 inch in from the side edge (NOT THE FOLD) and about 10-12 inches down depending on your child's crotch measurement. For a 1-3 yo I'd use 10"-11", 11"-12" for 4 and up. I make a small cut with my scissors at each spot then connect the two with a J shaped cut.
Unfold the pants and sew up both Js using your machine. Zig zag or surge over the edge if desired to finish it off inside.
Fold the pants now so that the bottoms of each leg of the pants line up (each bandana is 1 leg). Sew from the bottom of 1 leg to the bottom of the other all the way around the crotch of the pants. Now they're starting to look like pants!
Roll down the top of the pants approximately 3/4 of an inch and stitch leaving a 1-2" space unstitched to tread in the elastic for the waistband. Thread the 1/2 inch elastic through the casing and stitch ends together. Stitch opening closed.
For Shorts:
1 Bandana needed
elastic
sewing machine
scissors
Start by cutting the bandana in half so that you have two identical rectangles, cut edges will form the waist band of the shorts.
Follow directions for pants above. The crotch/inside leg seam will only be 1-2 inches long as to leave enough room for the bottom in the shorts.
No need to hem the bottom of the pants, they've already got that great rolled edge from the edge of the bandana.
Now go try these on your little one and let them get their groove on!
Pants and shorts are both easy - I'll include a quick tutorial for each.
2 bandanas
elastic
sewing machine
scissors
Line the bandanas up so that they are square with each other. My bandanas are 22 inches square - ish. Sometimes they're not quite square, depending on what brand/how expensive, etc. I tend toward the cheaper ones if possible. But for bottoms you want thicker bandanas.
Fold the lined up bandanas in half lengthwise (hot dog style for you school teachers). Measure 1 inch in from the side edge (NOT THE FOLD) and about 10-12 inches down depending on your child's crotch measurement. For a 1-3 yo I'd use 10"-11", 11"-12" for 4 and up. I make a small cut with my scissors at each spot then connect the two with a J shaped cut.
Unfold the pants and sew up both Js using your machine. Zig zag or surge over the edge if desired to finish it off inside.
Fold the pants now so that the bottoms of each leg of the pants line up (each bandana is 1 leg). Sew from the bottom of 1 leg to the bottom of the other all the way around the crotch of the pants. Now they're starting to look like pants!
Roll down the top of the pants approximately 3/4 of an inch and stitch leaving a 1-2" space unstitched to tread in the elastic for the waistband. Thread the 1/2 inch elastic through the casing and stitch ends together. Stitch opening closed.
For Shorts:
1 Bandana needed
elastic
sewing machine
scissors
Start by cutting the bandana in half so that you have two identical rectangles, cut edges will form the waist band of the shorts.
Follow directions for pants above. The crotch/inside leg seam will only be 1-2 inches long as to leave enough room for the bottom in the shorts.
No need to hem the bottom of the pants, they've already got that great rolled edge from the edge of the bandana.
Now go try these on your little one and let them get their groove on!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Idea of the Day: Design Notebook
I've started my own design notebook to keep my design ideas in one place. I just grabbed a simple 50 cent notebook from the "back to school" sale and got to work. Some of them are original ideas, several are ideas I've made or plan to make that are from others sites around the interwebs.
I've drawn little graphics of the finished object (trust me, these are very rough drawings!) Also illustrations on how to draw the pattern pieces, and how to cut out the bits and assemble. Scribbled some directions and tips and tricks on what to do once you get all the pieces cut out...
Might as well keep these ideas for later, and best I not forget what I did!
Happy designing!
I've drawn little graphics of the finished object (trust me, these are very rough drawings!) Also illustrations on how to draw the pattern pieces, and how to cut out the bits and assemble. Scribbled some directions and tips and tricks on what to do once you get all the pieces cut out...
Might as well keep these ideas for later, and best I not forget what I did!
Happy designing!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Dinner Tonight
Ok, so it was dinner LAST night, but still... It was yummy - had to post!
Ingredients:
3 strips bacon, chopped (already cooked is fine)
2 chicken breasts, sliced into chunks
1/2 onion, chopped (or dried minced works too)
1 good sized bunch rainbow chard, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can mushrooms
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or cream
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup or so of Parmesan cheese
8oz of spaghetti or linguine - hot/freshly cooked
Boil the water for the pasta - and plunk the pasta in!
In a large skillet - fry chopped bacon until crispy - add in the chicken bits and brown up until cooked through. Add in the onions and garlic, sprinkle with S&P.
Once the chicken and bacon are cooked through, add in the chard, tomatoes and mushrooms. Toss, mix, stir until chard is wilted and everything is hot - I had a hard time getting everything to stay in the pan - this makes a lot of food!
While the pasta is finishing cooking and the chard and chicken are getting all hot and happy, whisk together 2 eggs and the milk/cream with some S&P. Drain the pasta and place back in the hot pot. Toss quickly with the egg mixture until the noodles are well coated and the eggs have cooked on the hot pasta. Add the pasta/egg mixture to the chicken and veggies, add in the Parmesan cheese and toss together well.
Ingredients:
3 strips bacon, chopped (already cooked is fine)
2 chicken breasts, sliced into chunks
1/2 onion, chopped (or dried minced works too)
1 good sized bunch rainbow chard, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 can mushrooms
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk or cream
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup or so of Parmesan cheese
8oz of spaghetti or linguine - hot/freshly cooked
Boil the water for the pasta - and plunk the pasta in!
In a large skillet - fry chopped bacon until crispy - add in the chicken bits and brown up until cooked through. Add in the onions and garlic, sprinkle with S&P.
Once the chicken and bacon are cooked through, add in the chard, tomatoes and mushrooms. Toss, mix, stir until chard is wilted and everything is hot - I had a hard time getting everything to stay in the pan - this makes a lot of food!
While the pasta is finishing cooking and the chard and chicken are getting all hot and happy, whisk together 2 eggs and the milk/cream with some S&P. Drain the pasta and place back in the hot pot. Toss quickly with the egg mixture until the noodles are well coated and the eggs have cooked on the hot pasta. Add the pasta/egg mixture to the chicken and veggies, add in the Parmesan cheese and toss together well.
Fleece Pants - TUTORIAL!
My first tutorial on here - yay!!!
Broke out the Ikea fleece blankets that had been used for another project (fleece jackets for the family a few years ago) and decided to make some fleece pants for the kids. I figured the ruffle/design on the bottom was great instead of a hem. Cute, quick and easy. 3 pairs cut and 2 finished in the space of 45 minutes (wanted to get to the blog tutorial, so I didn't finish the 3rd pair).
Materials:
1 fleece Ikea blanket - your choice of color!
3/4 inch elastic - approximately 22 inches per pair of pants depending on the waist size
scissors, thread, sewing machine, tape measure
Fold the blanket in half so that both "fancy" edges are lined up with one another and the side edge is straight. Cut a large rectangle out of both thicknesses of fleece approximately 20-30 inches wide and 20-30 inches tall. You should measure how long and wide you need the pants to be on the child that you are making these for. If you are making them for a 18 month old to 3yo, 22-24 inches square should be more than enough. I made mine 24 wide x 20 tall and they're a bit too big.
Once you have your square of fabric, fold the fabric in half lengthwise so that the "fancy" edge is on the bottom. You will cut a J out of the side of the fabric approximately 10 inches long by 1 inch deep.
Once you've cut your "J", unfold the rectangle of fabric, keeping the "Js" lined up on each side. Stitch the two "Js" but not the side seams.
Once the "Js" are stitched, reach in the top of the pants and align the two seams to one another. Line up the bottom of each leg and stitch one long seam from the end of one leg, to the end of the other leg - this forms the pant legs.
Stitch the waist band casing approximately 1 inch in from the top leaving a space to thread elastic through the casing.
Thread elastic and stitch securely together. Finish off and stitch closed the elastic casing. Turn right side in and try 'em on!
They're a bit long, but she'll grow this winter, I'm sure. Didn't want them to not fit in a month when it's just starting to get cold. These will also be great when she's much bigger for some nice fleecy shorts :-/
As I mentioned, I got 3 pairs out of one fleece Ikea blanket - one very long pair, this pair and a wider pair. Two have the fancy edge, the 3rd pair (long pair) is the "middle" of the blanket folded width wise on top of itself and cut to make 2 rectangles before proceeding with cutting as above.
Tutorial needs some work, I think, but for now, I hope you get the gist of it. Ask in comments if you have questions. I'll be posting more soon, I hope!
Broke out the Ikea fleece blankets that had been used for another project (fleece jackets for the family a few years ago) and decided to make some fleece pants for the kids. I figured the ruffle/design on the bottom was great instead of a hem. Cute, quick and easy. 3 pairs cut and 2 finished in the space of 45 minutes (wanted to get to the blog tutorial, so I didn't finish the 3rd pair).
Materials:
1 fleece Ikea blanket - your choice of color!
3/4 inch elastic - approximately 22 inches per pair of pants depending on the waist size
scissors, thread, sewing machine, tape measure
Fold the blanket in half so that both "fancy" edges are lined up with one another and the side edge is straight. Cut a large rectangle out of both thicknesses of fleece approximately 20-30 inches wide and 20-30 inches tall. You should measure how long and wide you need the pants to be on the child that you are making these for. If you are making them for a 18 month old to 3yo, 22-24 inches square should be more than enough. I made mine 24 wide x 20 tall and they're a bit too big.
Once you have your square of fabric, fold the fabric in half lengthwise so that the "fancy" edge is on the bottom. You will cut a J out of the side of the fabric approximately 10 inches long by 1 inch deep.
Once you've cut your "J", unfold the rectangle of fabric, keeping the "Js" lined up on each side. Stitch the two "Js" but not the side seams.
Once the "Js" are stitched, reach in the top of the pants and align the two seams to one another. Line up the bottom of each leg and stitch one long seam from the end of one leg, to the end of the other leg - this forms the pant legs.
Stitch the waist band casing approximately 1 inch in from the top leaving a space to thread elastic through the casing.
They're a bit long, but she'll grow this winter, I'm sure. Didn't want them to not fit in a month when it's just starting to get cold. These will also be great when she's much bigger for some nice fleecy shorts :-/
As I mentioned, I got 3 pairs out of one fleece Ikea blanket - one very long pair, this pair and a wider pair. Two have the fancy edge, the 3rd pair (long pair) is the "middle" of the blanket folded width wise on top of itself and cut to make 2 rectangles before proceeding with cutting as above.
Tutorial needs some work, I think, but for now, I hope you get the gist of it. Ask in comments if you have questions. I'll be posting more soon, I hope!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New Dresses
Made 3 dresses in the same style for the girls and I. The patterns are all basically the same, just in different sizes. I have yet to get pictures of mine and the 3yos dress, but here's the little one. Looks good if I do say so myself. Bonnets to go with them too... More on those later!
Finally another recipe! Yummy Chicken and Veggies
It's been waaaay too long since I've written any blog posts. Life has been happening. The cooking goes on.
Made a great recipe last week - had to share, especially after my MIL requested the recipe from me TWICE!
Ingredients:
Chicken Pieces (enough to feed the fam)
1/2 large onion chopped
3-5 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
flour
butter
2 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups water and 1 bouillon cube)
Oil for the pan
Heat oil in a large dutch oven - brown chicken pieces until nicely browned. Remove from pan. Saute vegetables in a little more oil until onion is a bit browned and the other veggies are softened a bit. Either remove the veggies or just continue on. Add in ~3Tbsp flour and mix in well to the veggies until all the oil is soaked into the flour and the pot is rather dry. Then add in the 2 cups of chicken stock (or bouillon and water) whisking as you go to break up lumps until it's a nice smooth sauce. Add in salt & pepper and any other seasonings now and mix well. Add the vegetables and chicken back in and simmer on the stove - or in a 350 degree oven - until the chicken is done.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes would be tasty too.
Feeds 4-6 depending on how much chicken was cooked.
Made a great recipe last week - had to share, especially after my MIL requested the recipe from me TWICE!
Ingredients:
Chicken Pieces (enough to feed the fam)
1/2 large onion chopped
3-5 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
flour
butter
2 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups water and 1 bouillon cube)
Oil for the pan
Heat oil in a large dutch oven - brown chicken pieces until nicely browned. Remove from pan. Saute vegetables in a little more oil until onion is a bit browned and the other veggies are softened a bit. Either remove the veggies or just continue on. Add in ~3Tbsp flour and mix in well to the veggies until all the oil is soaked into the flour and the pot is rather dry. Then add in the 2 cups of chicken stock (or bouillon and water) whisking as you go to break up lumps until it's a nice smooth sauce. Add in salt & pepper and any other seasonings now and mix well. Add the vegetables and chicken back in and simmer on the stove - or in a 350 degree oven - until the chicken is done.
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes would be tasty too.
Feeds 4-6 depending on how much chicken was cooked.
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