Ola Mae's

Hearts Of A Feather

2012-01-27T18:35:00.002-06:00

Valentine's Day is coming up and I like Valentines crafts with all the red, pink and heart shapes. Never big that big on the holiday itself but I always appreciate an opportunity to get crafty.

I started by cutting out a bunch of cardboard hearts out of old box. I used heart cookie cutters as my templates.

Using a glue gun to attach I covered each of the hearts with feathers. One at a time glue then trim off excess feather parts till heart is covered.

Glue ribbon to back for hanging.

I also made some using natural colored feathers. These would look nice all times of the year.

Bleached Out Sweater DIY

2012-01-25T21:10:00.001-06:00

This is my red sweater before. It has a couple of light rose spots on it caused by bleach splashes. While not that noticeable unless you really look I just don't think Clinton Kelly would approve.

After all bleached out and bohemian. How easy was this DIY? Super easy, I laid the sweater on my kitchen counter then carefully poured bleach somewhat strategically on sweater. More bleach on the bottom of sweater than the top. I let it sit for a few minutes, soon as the red started to fade I threw it in the wash before the bleach started eating holes in it.

As a bonus my kitchen counter is now sanitized.

A little Backside.

Everyday Brownies

2012-01-24T21:51:00.001-06:00

The only diet rule I have in my house is eat whatever you want but you have to make it yourself. Also not a rule but I don't deep fry anything. Example: I want a cheeseburger and fries I start with ground beef and potatoes. This works simply because there is no instant gratification. You have to really want it. Plus the way I cook everything is healthier than store bought with no weird ingredients. My only exception, ice cream, it's my rule so I can decide when it needs to be broken.

Tonight I wanted brownies, this is my go to recipe.

I started with the recipe on the back of my store brand cocoa powder can and made a few changes. Enough to call this recipe mine.

Everyday Brownies

As in I could eat these everyday

1/4 butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup baking cocoa

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP instant coffee

2 eggs

3/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350˚

In a medium sauce pan melt butter.

Stir in canola oil, baking cocoa, sugar, salt and instant coffee.

Beat in eggs.

Add flour, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir till mixed.

Pour into a greased 8X8 pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.

Bake 20 minutes or in till cooked through.

I use the butter to stabilize the brownie but the oil makes it chewy. The coffee brings out the chocolate flavor.

The husband is out of town so the entire pan is mine. Might be a problem.

Six Things

2012-01-23T21:14:00.001-06:00

1. I was really sick this week, Puke sick, I think it was food poisoning.

2. I only ran 3 days this week

3. I didn't drink coffee 3 days in a row, that's how much my stomach hurt.

4. My husband is out of town this week(work training). He claims he is doing me a favor since I won't have to clean up after him or cook real diners.

5. Tonight's dinner stovetop popped corn with olive oil, garlic powder, sea salt and parmesan cheese. YUM!

6. Since last week was the week of puking, dehydration and doing nothing I decided this is the week of not puking, hydration and doing lots. This includes upping the number of blog posts from last week. We will see how that goes.

3 Things

2012-01-16T21:35:00.000-06:00

1. Me in my awesome running safety vest so that only the cars that really want to hit me do. This first picture is with the flash off the second picture is with the flash on. It was dusk when Rob took this picture of me, a little darker out than it appears in the first picture. My neighbors still had their Christmas lights up and if you look close in the first picture there is a dog on my hip. This vest would also come in handy if I ever decide to help out a road work crew.

3. Seriously though I can tell I'm a lot more visible to on coming traffic, possibly more so than in daylight hours. Cars slow down and/or move over a little. I really appreciate every car that does this or any car that is driving the speed limit in the first place. Seriously share the road people, it won't kill you but it might kill me.

3. Sunday I made these awesome nachos to eat while watching some football. They're healthy because I covered them in spinach. I like to cover or stuff spinach or kale into almost every dinner at this house. I've found there is almost no meal that spinach or kale won't work with. Kale is kinda like a heartier spinach.

Nacho layers in case you are wondering: tortilla chips, chopped onions, shredded colby jack cheese, refried beans, spinach, avocado, and greek yogurt.

I'll Invert Your Pleat

2012-01-12T16:16:00.001-06:00

I found this denim skirt the other day that I had made about 3 years ago. I used a pattern and as usual didn't make any kind of test patten first to check for fit. Well it didn't fit, but now it does so yeah! It is a mid weight denim with a faded flower pattern. The skirt is A-line with an inverted pleat in the front. I feel very 70's in this outfit. The era not the age, though I think i'll still be able to pull this look off at 70.

My infinity scarf is a Christmas present crocheted by my sister Beth. It fancies up my Forever 21 t-shirt.

Re-Use Those Bags

2012-01-10T18:31:00.000-06:00

I am adding another goal for myself this year. To do a better job of remembering to bring my reusable shopping bags with me when heading to a store. I have gotten pretty lazy about it this past year. To take the reusable bags a bit further I have made specific bags for meat and produce.

Future crazy bag lady?

The cashiers always freak out about putting meat in the reusable bags. I don't know why I wash them(sometimes). I thought if I designated bags specifically for meat they might not be so fast to shove my chicken into a plastic bag. I used a fabric transfer sheet to print off "meat" in a meaty font. Then ironed them on to two bags. Now nothing but meat in these bags.

My other bag issue is in the produce isle. Those little plastic bags to hold my fruit, and veggies. I decided to sew some bags using tulle fabric. It is super thin, lightweight and see-through. I used an old plastic produce bag as a rough template. I folded the tulle in half, fold on bottom edge of bag. Cut straight up both sides and across top of bag, approximately 11'' X 17".

I used a serger to stitch the sides together but a couple of zig zag rows on a regular sewing machine would work just as well. I just left the top open. The tulle bags are so light I don't think they will add any more weight to your produce than the plastic bag would.

4 Things

2012-01-06T16:18:00.000-06:00

1. Loving the warm winter weather this past week. I took advantage and did two long runs. 12 miles on Sunday the 1st and 15 miles Wednesday. My body was seriously questioning those runs on Thursday but I'm feeling recovered now.

2. One day I could not figure out why my new watch wasn't working. Ten minutes later I realized I hadn't turned the GPS on. I still don't have the tracking software working all figured out but love checking my pace as I run. I think just knowing my pace makes me run a little faster.

3. I didn't go anywhere new this past week but I did take a trip to a thrift store. Gretchen and I needed to get out of the house for a bit and Gwen was needing some alone time. By alone time I mean some not being attacked by the baby time. It was the end of 50% off day so I didn't expect to find anything but we did find a few items. I bought an Esprit cropped style sweater. I thought it would look good with a shirt underneath but maybe not. I'm to old to have my belly showing so I either need some higher waisted jeans or it would make a nice pillow. I also picked up a brown braided leather belt and pretty coffee mug. Gretchen got a tiny plastic juice glass for her kitchen.

4. I baked delicious pretzel bread. Recipe found here. It is really good and easy to make plus you get to pour baking soda into boiling water, fun!

The pretzel bread was a side to this equally delicious black bean, kale and sweet potato soup I cooked. Recipe found here. My husband loved it and he usually steers clean of my veggie soups. This soup was chunky which I think is why he liked it better, no pureeing of the veggies.

The spread on the bread is low fat cream cheese with chopped green onions and chopped sun dried tomatoes that were soaked in olive oil mixed together.

Homemade Energy Bars

2012-01-03T16:41:00.000-06:00

I really like having energy bars on hand for when I don't feel like eating breakfast or I need to eat before a run. I only like to run on a mostly empty stomach but I don't want to be hungry. Perfect fix for when I don't want to eat a meal. This homemade mix and match version I found is even better than store bought. I found this mix and match chart here (page 69) for making your own bars. The link is to the online version of Hy-vee grocery stores magazine. Sure they make the magazine so you will go to their store and buy all the ingredients to make the recipes but it totally works on me. The recipes are great! I picked my ingredients based on what I already had in my cabinets. They turned out great so I'm planning on trying out different versions.

Energy Bars

2 cups oats

3/4 cup honey

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup ground flaxseed

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 cup almond slivers

1 cup chopped dates

2012 Goals

2012-01-02T12:03:00.000-06:00

Yesterday while thinking about my new years goals I spent way to much time reading other bloggers goals and resolutions. So I just made my list by stealing others goals. Just kidding though it helped me think about what I wanted mine to be. I prefer to call them goals over resolutions. Resolutions are monumental things with no wiggle room. To much room for failure. Plus I'm pretty perfect, nothing monumental I need to work on.

2012 Goals

Run a sub 3:30 marathon

We will see, I'll have to shave 17 minutes off of my time but with a little more training and a flatter course I think I can make it happen. I bought a couple of friends yesterday to help me out with my goal. Those friends being a Timex run trainer GPS watch and an orange reflective safety vest. I haven't totally figured out my watch yet but I love checking my pace and distance while i'm running. The vest is for when I have to run at dusk. I felt a little silly leaving the house in it but could tell I was a lot more visible to the cars driving past.

Make macaroons
I saw this on a few other bloggers goal lists and I've been wanting to make them for a while. Now it's on the list. Pretty colored cookies coming soon.

Have a regular blogging schedule
I bought a calendar just for blogging to help achieve this goal.

Make a video blog
So I can pretend I'm on TV.

Take more family videos
To look back on when Gretchen is older.

Visit a new spot once a week or most weeks
Can be a restaurant, a shop, a park, small or big doesn't matter. Can also be places I've been pre Gretchen but not since.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T11:36:00.001-06:00

Gretchen pulling in our Christmas tree with her tractor in her Christmas dress and elf hat I made her. Looking forward to fun family weekend hope yours is good too.

Fun With Crafting Felt Ornament

2011-12-21T22:40:00.000-06:00

Many times when my family gets together for a holiday we like to get crafty. A fun little project usually for after everyone is stuffed with food. Most times either my mom or I have put the project together. Something simple that is fun for all ages and craft levels. It's always fun to see everyones different take on the project.

These felt ornaments are what I'm putting together for crafty fun at my sisters Christmas party Friday night. I thought I'd go ahead and post it up here incase anyone wanted a simple project to pump up the family fun this weekend or if this project really excites you come on over to my sister's house and make one.

Felt Ornament

Stiffened felt sheet

found at craft store

make ornament template by tracing around a coffee cup onto a piece of paperboard

cut out and use this to trace around on felt

one felt sheet will make 6 ornaments

use glue(I used hot glue and fabric glue) and whatever you can find to decorate your ornament

some ideas

glitter

felt scraps

ric rac

ribbon

Jingle All the Way

2011-12-20T19:06:00.001-06:00

I put together a jingle bracelet for Gretchen to wear while jamming to Christmas music.

To one short strip of white faux fur use needle and thread to attach 3 jingle bells. Stitch a piece of elastic to each end of the fur strip. Slip on like a bracelet and you have a fashionable instrument.

Admiring her bad self in her hand printed mirror.

Toilet Paper to Christmas Tag

2011-12-16T23:43:00.002-06:00

The past few weeks I'd forgotten to make the move on the toilet paper tubes to the recycle bin. I seem to of acquired a little collection. My goals last night were to clean the house and wrap presents. This worked out really well.

Cut the tube open and flatten as best you can. Draw on a tree with marker no need to be neat, add your to and from. Cut out and hole punch at top and bottom of tree. Take one pipe cleaner and weave through holes. Turn a little circle at top to keep in place and it looks like a star atop the tree. Attach to present using long stem of tree.

They turned out so cute. I hope none of my gift recipients is grossed out that I used toilet paper rolls for gift tags. They would never know unless they read this blog. I think a few of them do.

Gifts in front of our cedar Christmas tree that was growing randomly in our yard. It needed cut down but I figured we should probably make use of it before we let it go.

Anthropologie Inspired Christmas Ornaments

2011-12-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

I was in Anthropologie this weekend and they were selling Christmas ornaments that were just balls covered in pretty lingerie elastics. I have a box of pretty elastics and I made a stop at the craft store for some styrofoam balls.

For each ornament I cut about 18 pieces of elastic all about 12" long. I tied a knot in each one to make rubber bands leaving about a 1'' tail on the knots. After I had all of my rubber bands made up I wrapped them around the 3" ball till covered, placing all the knots at the top and bottom of ball. I cut the tails off the top knots and left the bottom ones long. Using a straight pin I attached one elastic band to the top

for hanging.

Ready to hang on the Christmas tree that we haven't gotten around to buying.

Christmas Garland Pom Pom Time

2011-12-12T21:32:00.000-06:00

Continuing on my quest to fest up my living room I decided to make up some pom pom garland. I had pink, turquoise and yellow yarn that I wound into pom poms. I made up ten of each color.

After winding up a bunch of yarn around a piece of cardboard I carefully pulled the yarn off the cardboard and tied a string around the middle. Then cut the loops in half to pom it out.

Using a needle I threaded all the poms together.

Adding to my window of garland. Ideally my garlands would hang all the way down the sides of the curtains but my one year old would be all over pulling it down.

Favorite Holiday Cookie

2011-12-08T14:24:00.001-06:00

These are either magic cookie bars or 7 layer bar cookies yummy no matter what you call them. My favorite Christmas cookie they taste like a candy bar to me. You could swap out layers for different flavors. I'm thinking swapping out the butterscotch chips for carmel and the graham crackers for pretzels would be good.

Preheat oven to 350˚(325˚ for glass dish)

In 13 X 9 X 2 baking pan melt 1/2 cup butter in oven

Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs over butter

mix together and press into pan

on top sprinkle

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup flake coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

pour 1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk evenly over all

bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned

cool thoroughly before cutting

Unfortunately I made these way to early before Christmas only about half the batch made it to the freezer. I will probably have to make them again or there will not be enough to go around.

Christmas Banner

2011-12-07T14:17:00.001-06:00

I did a little more Christmas decorating last night decking out the mantel. I hung the stockings and put out the holiday music albums. On the blank canvas I strung mini bulb ornaments I bought in the Target $1 section a couple of years ago. Then I whipped up a crafty banner with my favorite holiday song Baby it's Cold Outside. I think my favorite holiday music is the slightly sexy kind. My other favorite song is All I Want For Christmas is You, Mariah Carey version. What's your favorite Holiday song?

To make the banner I cut up enough brown paperboard rectangles to accommodate my message. Drew out the letter with an iccie blue sharpie marker, hole punched each top corner to string letters together then made glitter icicles with school glue and silver glitter.

Chilling Out, Maxing, Relaxing all Cool

2011-12-02T18:23:00.001-06:00

I known I'm making ridiculous faces in these pictures, I think I'm going to start wearing sunglasses in my pictures so I look less annoyed. I'm trying to show off my newest sewing project. This awesome T-shirt and leggings. The leggings turned out perfect in my opinion. To make the pattern I used a pair of leggings that I had bought but didn't like I think they were junior sized so the fit was a little off. I raised the waist and gave them a wide waist band, much more flattering. The t-shirt I made with fabric I found in my stash. The knit fabric has very little stretch so I cut the shirt loose and swingy. I think I like the shirt because it reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air though I'm not sure if that's a good thing.

Salad featuring Cranberry Dressing

2011-11-30T13:50:00.001-06:00

I originally made this salad last week for the Thanksgiving dinner I attended. I still have almost a full bag of cranberries so I thought i'd mix it up again this week for a light lunch. I used to really only like ranch dressing but i've found that if I make the dressing myself rather than store bought I love the olive oil and vinegar based dressings much better.

Salad

1/2 lb. baby romaine

2 pears chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 cup pecans

Cranberry dressing

1 1/2 TBSP red wine vinegar

3 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP fresh cranberries

1 TBSP dijon mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP water

combine all ingredients in food processor

toss with salad

Felt Garland for Christmas

2011-11-29T17:54:00.001-06:00

December is just 2 days away so it's time to start decorating. I'm starting off with some garland made of felt. I am going to add layers and layers of garland to my living room window each week till it is in garland overload at Christmas.

For the gold garland I cut 3" wide strips and stitched them together to create 2 strips each 240" in length. Laying the 2 strips together and stitched down the middle all the way across to create 1 long double layered strip. Starting on one end start sniping just short of the stitched line to create fringe continue on other side. This really doesn't take very long but I spaced out my cutting over the course of a day so my hand wouldn't hurt to much from all the cutting. Run your hand down the fringed layers to separate the layers and fluff.

The pink garland started with about 52 strips cut 2"X 8". Finished this garland measured 120" long.

Using a hot glue gun put one drop of glue in center of 2" edge, fold over and press on top of other edge to create first loop. For second loop and every loop after stick new strip through previous loop before glueing and pressing together.

I added my new felt garland to the cranberry strand from last year. I may not of gotten around to taking it down from last year but whatever.

Very Fancy Aprons

2011-11-22T15:05:00.001-06:00

My aunt Betty brought over a vintage apron pattern for some very fancy aprons. I had this vintage fabric I bought a couple of months ago that I thought would be perfect for this pattern. I made myself the one picture on the model and then mini sized it for gretchen. I left off the bows while mine has the hanging buttoned on pockets I gave Gretchen patch pockets because she likes to eat buttons.

These are some pretty fancy aprons that looked best when worn with a full skirt and heels. Heels for me Gretchen didn't need them to pull off the look.

She did however need the apron for cooking in her kitchen.

Birthday Party Finger Food

2011-11-16T22:14:00.001-06:00

For Gretchen's party food we wanted to do a buffet with mostly finger foods. Rob and I really like bite size foods, and didn't want to do a sit down meal. I didn't know how many guests we would have and a sit down meal takes up too much space in our house.

The Menu

Rob smoked a ham and I made biscuits for mini sandwiches

Romaine lettuce salad dressed in olive oil, white wine vinegar and Dijon mustard

Macaroni cups

Stuffed mushrooms

and guests brought

little smokies wrapped in bacon

hummus with pita chips

brownies

Macaroni Cups

amounts are approximate

Filling:

16 oz whole wheat macaroni cooked

12 oz cream cheese

4 cups cheddar cheese

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp pepper

1 1/2 cups skim milk

mix together

For cups:

4 sheets phyllo dough layered together with melted butter

cut layered dough into six squares

place each square into individual muffin tin

fill cup with macaroni mixture

repeat till macaroni is used

will make about 40 cups

bake at 350˚ for about 20 minutes till hot and cups lightly browned

I topped with sun dried tomatoes for color

Stuffed Mushrooms

1/2 box stuffing mix cooked

8 oz turkey sausage cooked and crumbled

1 1/2 cups mozzarella shredded

mix together

clean and pull out stems from fresh button mushrooms

stuff mushroom caps with filling

bake at 350˚ for about 20 minutes

Gretchen's 1st Birthday

2011-11-15T11:09:00.001-06:00

Gretchen's birthday isn't until tomorrow but Saturday night we threw her a party. I was kinda busy with the party so I didn't get a lot of great pictures. We did the usual party routine food, cake and opening of presents. For decorations I had some extra t-shirt transfer paper and printed her out a sign ironing it onto a piece of fabric and dressed it up with some paint. The stars I cut of cereal box cardboard, painted and doused in glitter.

I had music playing so Gretchen could get her groove on, she loves to dance and clap to music.

I made a strawberry flavored cake with pink icing. This is as close as I let her get to it as we were pretending she was blowing out her candle.

She really didn't get the opening of presents but has been enjoying playing with all her new toys the past few days.

Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate

2011-11-07T21:15:00.004-06:00

The weather is turning colder here and I started my Christmas shopping today, time for a holiday hot chocolate. This is Thanksgiving inspired. A way to gear up for some pumpkin pie.

The pumpkin makes this hot chocolate so thick and rich, like chocolate pumpkin soup.

2 cups skim milk

3 TBSP unsweetened baking chocolate

3 TBSP canned pumpkin

2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Whisk together in sauce pan on medium high heat till blended together and steaming.

pour into mug and add whipped cream

makes 2 servings

Crochet Faux Dicky

2011-11-05T12:23:00.000-05:00

I few weeks ago I bought a collection of vintage crocheted collars at a garage sale. I loved the delicate crochet work but didn't like the look on me as is plus they were not my size. Courtney suggested I make a dicky out of my collars. This one in particular may have been a shawl not a collar but it was perfect to cut up for a dicky.

I cut out one of the triangles and using a mixture of half white glue and half water painted the cut edges so that the crochet work would not come undone. Then I stitched a piece of ribbon to both top corners

Tie in bow around neck, stick bottom inside shirt neck and done.

New Chair Covers

2011-11-02T21:53:00.001-05:00

These chairs I originally covered the seats of here but was never totally happy with them or at least not with the look they were creating in my living room.

I found these full size bed sheet sets on sale for $12 a set, much cheaper than buying actual chair covers and in a nice print. I don't know how much longer I'm going try and make these chairs last so I didn't really want to cut and sew the sheets for a better fit. Instead I draped and tucked the flat sheet over each chair with the seat cushion removed. I wrapped the fitted sheets around the cushion folding the excess fabric underneath. To finish off I pulled the bottom sheet corners and tied on each side. Covering the chairs this way is also much faster and easier than cutting and sewing for a proper fit.

I'm really happy with this temporary fix to unify my living room furniture.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T10:55:00.001-05:00

Gretchen the Garden Gnome

I made her this costume just for the pictures. I used felt to make the skirt, hat, collar and shoes worn with a white t-shirt and tights.

On Saturday we carved pumpkins but tonight Gretchen will be hanging out at home with my mom while Rob and I go to the Chiefs Football game. We haven't told Gretchen about trick or treating. I don't think she'll mind as far as she knows sweet potatoes are the sweetest food out there.

DIY Stocking Cap

2011-10-28T08:28:00.004-05:00

I like to have an array of stocking caps through the winter months to match my different outfits and moods. Plus I run in them so they need washed frequently. I had a few old sweaters waiting for new life.

You could take a trip to a thrift store and have your pick of sweaters to make into stocking caps.

Pattern

1 rectangle 8 X 17

1 oval 6 X 5 at widest points

These are the measurements for my 23" around head. You may want to adjust to fit.

Lay the pattern pieces out one of the long edges of the rectangle lines up with edge of sweater. This way you use the ribbed edging as the fold over of the cap.

Cut out

Stitch the two shorter edges of the rectangle together.

I used the zig zag stitch on my sewing machine.

Evenly pin oval piece to top of cap, right sides together.

Stitch into place.

My stocking cap on the right with ribbing folded up and Gretchen's on the left pictured inside out with ribbing unfolded.

Another sweater cap in turquoise.

Glossy Lamp

2011-10-25T21:33:00.000-05:00

In my continuing effort to make my house looked pulled together I had to do something about this lamp. I thought it just looked old and ugly but looking at the picture I think it might work in a safari themed room. However there is nothing safari themed about my living room or any room in my house. I didn't really want to have to trash it and spend money on a new lamp so I went to my favorite paint. Spray paint in glossy white. Two quick coats of paint and a new $14.00 shade, it is a new lamp.

Round Like a Record Baby

2011-10-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I made a few garage sale stops and found Gretchen this sweet fisher price record player. Came with the complete plastic record set. Right now she just tries to take the records off then put them back on but can't quite get them back in place.

I also found a couple more vintage aprons to add to my collection. These two are unstained and have very little wear. I also found these crocheted collars. I'm thinking I have a fashion project for them.

Pumpkin Brownies 2

2011-10-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

This brownie is really what I was thinking about last week when I endend up making a healthier brownie. This pumpkin cheese cake brownie is not so healthly but really yummy. It is like pumpkin cheesecake with a super thick brownie crust and it does still have pumpkin in it which is really healthly.

Pumpkin Brownies 2

Bottom browine layer:

in sauce pan melt 1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup unsweetened baking chocolate

take off heat and stir in

1/2 cup baking cocoa, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp salt

beat in 2 eggs

add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla

pour into a greased 8X8 pan

Top pumpkin layer:

8 oz low fat cream cheese softened

1 egg

3 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 can of pumpkin

2 tsp cinamon

beat all together with mixer and pour over brownie layer

bake in 350˚ oven for 45 minutes and let cool

Kansas City Marathon

2011-10-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

It was a goal of mine to finish a marathon this year after having a baby last year and Saturday I did just that. I ran the Kansas City Marathon and finished in 3:47:27. I picked this marathon because I live in the area so no travel involved. It is a very hilly race but if you run up the hill you get to run down. The race has a fun party atmosphere until mile 7.5 when the half marathoners and marathoners separated, it got quite and serious after that. I felt pretty good till about mile 18 and thought my legs might fall off but by the time I made it to mile 21 I was able to pull out the mind over matter card and finish it out. There were tons of great volunteers at the aid stations, great bands playing along the run and great police controlling traffic. Maybe I shouldn't admit this but one of the things I really like about large races is getting to inconvenience drivers and run through lights green, yellow and red.

Powering down my beer before the race. Kidding. Drinking my free beer with race afterwards wearing my medal and technical shirt.

Medals look cuter on babies.

Rob said Gretchen really enjoyed watching the runners and dancing to the band that was playing in their Westport watching area.

Hanging out at the festival afterwards.

Old Belt New Belt

2011-10-12T22:47:00.001-05:00

I had this old leather belt, it was my waitressing belt when I worked at the Cracker Barrel for eight years. Then last year I cut some new holes in it to keep my pregnant pants up. You would think it would have hit the trash can after that but no, good thing cause I'm really happy with my new belt.

I found the woven scarf at a thrift store and the double sided fusible ultra firm stabilizer at the craft store. I cut the stabilizer to match the belt width and length minus about 5" to make up for the part of the old belt I was keeping. Then cut the scarf the same length and doubled the width plus 1/4". Wrapped the stabilizer in the scarf following the stabilizer directions to bond together. I cut the belt ends off then stitched to the ends of my new belt.

Pumpkin Brownies I

2011-10-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

I was originally going for some kind of decadent pumpkin brownie, like a brownie and pumpkin pie mixed together. I might try that next week, instead I used a normal brownie recipe and made it healthier. I cut the amount of butter and eggs in half also I took out 1/4 a cup of sugar. Adding in the can of pumpkin to make up for everything I took out.

I was happy with how they turned out. Not as dense as your average brownie but very moist and you can't really taste the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Brownies

melt 1/4 cup butter is sauce pan

mix in 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

beat in 1 egg

mix in 1 can pumpkin

1/8 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup flour

1 tsp vanilla

broke up a dark chocolate bar and sprinkled on top

after baking spread out dark chocolate a little using a knife

bake in a greased 8" square pan for about 30 min at 350˚

Pumpkin Patch?

2011-10-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

I thought we were going to a pumpkin patch yesterday, that is what they called it. I was expecting an actual pumpkin patch not a bunch of pumpkins dumped into a harvested corn field. Maybe all those years I spent growing up on a farm made me a little wiser than your average city folk but seriously how many people were they fooling. Apparently quite a few judging from the size of their operation. I saw corn fields, soybean fields but no pumpkin patches.

I will give them points for all of the picture boards.

Some of them sponsered.

Gretchen laughing at the thought of pumpkins being placed in a corn field.

The next day Rob brought us pumpkins home from his grocery store. 1/3 of the price and may have come from the same place. I would have been happy to pay more if there would have been an actual patch to pick from.

Mint Hot Cocoa

2011-10-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite fall and winter beverages is hot chocolate. It is fall but it is still 80˚ out. I'm not complaining at all but it does take a little something away from the hot cocoa enjoyment. I do however have a healthy amount of mint growing in my backyard. Mint Hot Chocolate, ya it's a good idea.

Mint Hot Chocolate

10 mint leaves ground up in a mort & pestle with 1 TBSP sugar

or in a small bowl with the back side of a spoon

you will want to grind the mint up till it disappears into the now green sugar

mix in with 2 TBSP cocoa powder & pinch of salt

dissolve this into 1/8 cup cold milk

Heat up 1 1/4 cup milk

stir in cocoa mixture

add whipped topping

Enjoy!

Game Day Outfit

2011-10-03T21:55:00.000-05:00

Chiefs game yesterday. The gates usually open at 8:30 and Rob likes to be close to the front of the line but when we pulled up at 8:12 the gates were open and no lines. I hope he doesn't want to start leaving earlier now.

I wore the same top I wore at the first game but with the nice weather I wanted to ditch the jeans and wear my new golden yellow tights. I didn't have an appropriate skirt but I did have these ill fitting "mom" style jeans that I bought at a thrift store because of their awesome acid wash style. I chopped off the legs and took out what was left of the crotch seam with a seam ripper. I then pinned the leg fabric together to make a skirt. Stitched together on the sewing machine and I was done.

Standing in front of the Chiefs practice field.

Pepper, Pepper

2011-09-28T21:28:00.000-05:00

I didn't have great success with my garden this year. It was mostly my fault for not taking care of it and the weeds took over. However my pepper plants had a late season growth spurt and I had a large pile of jalapeños and anaheim peppers. In previous years I didn't think the anaheims were much hotter than a bell pepper but this year they are much closer to a jalapeño.

I decided to dehydrate them all. It's the quickest and most versatile way to preserve them. If frozen, they can be used in soups and stews, but if dehydrated they can also be used to spice up your seasonings. I like to put a few in the coffee grinder to turn the dehydrated peppers into a fine powder.

We use the peppers in chili, soups, stew, spaghetti sauce. Ground up, I use them to make my own taco seasoning and to spice up dips and dressings.

Fashion Baby

2011-09-26T21:25:00.000-05:00

I picked up a yard of this indian inspired print fabric a couple of days ago for $9.00. It was enough for a short sleeve dress for me and a t-shirt for Gretchen. I used my basic t-shirt pattern and just extended the length for my dress. I grabbed one of Gretchen's t-shirts and used it as a pattern for her shirt.

I scooped out the back neckline for added interest on the dress.

Zoo Day and Fried Apple Cheesecake

2011-09-23T22:31:00.000-05:00

Today was Rob's 35th birthday so for a little celebration we took Gretchen to the zoo. The Kansas City Zoo is pretty close to where we live and this was the first time I'd been in my adult life. Even though I went as I kid I don't really remember it but I think it has had a big overhaul since then. It was a perfect sunny 70˚ day with no crowds. Everyone there was a mom with a stroller it took me a minute to get over that I was one of them. The zoo is huge we spent 4 hours there and only made it through Africa, next year we'll do Australia.

Gretchen wanted in to get the orangutan! She liked the monkeys and their cousins the best because they ran around the most. She didn't even notice the sleeping lions.

Then we went back to the house to enjoy Rob's birthday Fried Apple Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Usually every year Rob has had an apple pie but he said I could mix things up this year with cheesecake that he also loves. I found the recipe in my mom's Rachel Ray magazine. This Cheesecake is so rich and yummy. Perfect for this time of year.

I few changed I made.

Recipe calls for 11oz cream cheese I had 8oz fat free cream cheese and 3oz low fat cream cheese so that is what I used not sure if it would work. It completely held up maybe because they are small and it's not one big cheesecake.

I didn't have a jumbo muffin pan so I just used regular and made 9 instead of 6.

I added more walnuts than called for in recipe.

I didn't add any sour cream to top.

DIY Vintage Tablecloths Transformed

2011-09-16T21:37:00.002-05:00

Last week I stopped at an estate sale on its last day. I don't know what I missed but because it was the last day everything was half price. I found these 3 tablecloths and 16 matching napkins for $3.00.

The tablecloths are really pretty with lots of stitching detail but also had several stains. I don't really mind stains on a tablecloth because once it has a few stains I don't mind my family adding a few more. Still my dining room is pretty neutral in color so I like adding pops of color with the tablecloth. I had a couple of boxes of Rit Dye handy so I mixed them up in the washing machine following the directions on the box and soon I had brought new life to these vintage pieces in plum and aquamarine.

Oat Cakes for Everyone

2011-09-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

I'm really liking this breakfast recipe. It is a tasty and healthier substitute for pancakes but the reason I tried it in the first place, I was looking to make something Gretchen Gwen and I would all enjoy.

I needed breakfast, Gretchen needed breakfast and before we made a trip to the store for more dog food Gwen needed breakfast.

I modified this recipe I found in Self Magazine. It is what Kelly Kapowski, I mean Tiffani Thiessen enjoys eating for breakfast. In mine I added the water and halved the egg amount I think this makes them a little softer and less caloric.

Oat Cakes

1 cup oats

1 cup water

mixed and microwaved for 1 minuted

beat in 2 eggs

cook on skillet till each side is lightly browed

This made 9 small cakes

Mine with mango chunks. I think if I poured a little maple syrup on this my husband would eat them.

Gwen likes to eat them plain.

Gretchen mixed her oat cakes up with some veggies.

Around the Campfire

2011-09-13T09:50:00.000-05:00

Kam from Campfire Chic Blog is hosting a blog party today related to all things camping. There is advice , recipes, and DIY's all related to all things camping. There is a new post every hour to check out. I contributed a post on making your own campsite placemat out of old t-shirts. It will be up later today.

Check out all the fun posts here Around the Campfire.

Football Fringe T

2011-09-12T20:46:00.000-05:00

I had big plans to make myself I full outfit for the first Chiefs game of the season but I really ran out of time. So at 11:00 Saturday night I was walking around the house thinking what am going to wear? I had bought a bunch of red and gold fringe a while ago not knowing what I was going to with it.

White t-shirt + red & gold fringe = Team cheer t-shirt

This was super quick. I stitched down 3 rows of the fringe just eyeing the measurements but you could use a ruler and mark it.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

2011-09-09T16:23:00.000-05:00

I had seen some black bean and sweet potato burritos a few months ago and thought they would be delicious. This week I decided to make some up and they were amazing. It's a good thing because for some reason I made enough filling for about 40 burritos. I have no idea why I thought I would need that much. I think it will freeze really well so today I bought some more tortillas to use up the rest of the filling. I am going to freeze them ready to go for a burrito anytime.

Also we were using low fat sour cream but recently switched to plain greek yogurt. It is a great alternative to sour cream, healthy and even Rob thinks it tastes better.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

all measurements are approximate

this makes a lot you may want to cut recipe in half

about 4 cups black beans

4 sweet potatoes cooked in oven till soft

remove skins

In skillet heat 1TBSP oil

add 1 lg. chopped onion

2 chopped jalapeño peppers

2 chopped green peppers

4 cloves chopped garlic

2 TBSP cumin powder

2 TBSP paprica

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cayenne pepper

Once cooked down add to bowl with black beans and sweet potatoes

mix and smash together till well blended

To each 6" whole wheat flour tortilla I added about 1/4 cup of mixture sprinkled with cheese, for Rob's a added a sprinkle of cooked chopped bacon. He didn't think he'd like it meatless. I think sausage would of been a better choice but we didn't have any in the house.

cooked in 375˚ oven for about 20 minutes

Lace Cutout T-Shirts

2011-09-07T21:19:00.001-05:00

For a while after having Gretchen I had a problem with getting tiny holes in my t-shirts right around the waist line. I couldn't figure out what I was doing to cause the tiny holes. Maybe I wasn't trimming tiny toenails often enough anyway the problem has gone away. Before the problem went away I managed to ruin a few new t-shirts. The green one pictured below I only wore once.

This DIY is a super simple save for any shirt you thought was ruined by a hole or stain. I turned my shirts inside out and placed my lace overtop the hole but creating a pleasant shape. Then pinned into place. Using my sewing machine I stitched lace into place, turned shirt right side out and carefully cut out the t-shirt fabric on inside of stitched line.

Depending on where your lace is on shirt and how modest you are could be worn with or without a tank underneath.

Need a Superhero?

2011-08-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

I think all these costumes look funny all hung up together, like a group of superhero's are roommate's and your looking in their closet. Being a superhero doesn't pay that well so you got to have roommate's to pay the rent.

I've been super busy this past couple of weeks sewing up costumes for some Dragon Con attendees.

I am down to finishing the seams on the leather hawk girl costume pictured above left. Look here if you would like to check out some of my previous costume work in action.

Sewing Break

2011-08-25T21:19:00.000-05:00

After a couple of hours with Gretchen "helping" me in the sewing room I decided it was time for a break. There was an estate sale a block away so I thought we should go take a look. We would of walked over but I didn't want to upset our dog Gwen, Gretchen and I going on a walk without her, so we drove over. To make myself seem less crazy we also went to the grocery store on our trip.

It was a small sale but I did pick up a few items. A sewing ham, a tailor clapper (to flatten bulky seams and such) and 4 yards of fruit fabric. I think it is vintage and I love the pretty colored fruit. I have no idea what I'll use it for though, the colors don't match my kitchen. Any ideas?

Football T-shirt Pillows

2011-08-23T20:34:00.001-05:00

Last year when I was pregnant I bought a couple of XL Chiefs shirts so I'd have something to wear while at the games. I don't intend to ever fit into those shirts again so instead of just using the shirts for rags I decided to turn them into pillows.

This was super simple. I just laid my pillow forms on top of the shirts and cut around. For the back side of the pillows I cut a second piece half the length of the pillow using the hem for one edge. When stitching the pillow together on the back side I used 2 pieces so that the fabric can just be folded around the pillow form and easily removed for washing. I used the shirt hem for the pillow hem, less sewing.

I decided they would be pillows for Gretchen instead of Rob so I girled them up with with some t-shirt strip ruffles.

Allure of Trader Joe's

2011-08-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

We have heard how amazing Trader Joe's is for years. How people travel for hours just to go grocery shopping because it is so great. Recently one opened our area sort of, it's a 20-25 minute drive. That's to far for regular shopping when there are 6 different grocery stores within 10 minutes of our house, but we decided to make a special trip to check it out. My husband is a grocery store manager so he likes to look at other grocery stores. We made this a family event.

What we bought: $2.99 wine, Simple Times beer, Maple Syrup, Honey,

Chicken Sausages, Frozen Butternut Squash Risotto, Whole Wheat Buns

Dog Treats

The chicken sausages, buns, risotto and simple times beer were our dinner. Everything was good and healthy minus the beer. It was not healthy and tasted like you think it would, PBR. I don't usually buy pre-made frozen food like the risotto but from what I've read Trader Joe's frozen items is part of why people like the place so much. I also heard people like their cheap wine. I haven't tried it but i'm not a fine wine kind of gal so it will probably be fine. We do love maple syrup for cheap and the honey came in a lined cardboard container. That was reason enough to buy. Gwen loved her jerky sticks.

The store was a lot smaller than I expected and packed on an early Tuesday afternoon. I like shopping in empty stores. The store brand packaging was great there were some good deals like the maple syrup. If the store was closer I might shop there occasionally.

Milk Glass/White Glass

2011-08-17T21:50:00.000-05:00

I've slowly been working on giving my home a more clean, pulled together and cohesive look. When we first moved in I didn't have enough stuff to fill the shelfs and walls. I have been randomly filling in spaces as I collected items with no real vision. Last week I decided to fix up one corner of the dinning room.

I forgot to take a before picture, this is an older picture I found. Right before I cleaned up the space there was a lot more items and randomness going on. I hit up 3 thrift stores and spent $9.50 on 11 white glass vases. Some of the pieces are milk glass and the rest are just white glass but it works. I will probably be on the lookout for different piece of milk glass and move out the white glass to get the exact look I want but I was able to come up with this display in one afternoon. The trick in creating a quick display like this is to stick to one color. The different shapes and designs on the vases are what make the display interesting.

Enchilada Planter

2011-08-15T20:53:00.001-05:00

Love these enchilada sauce cans from the grocery store. The label is printed right on the metal can and is so colorful. I decided to turn them into planters. I hammered some nail holes into the bottom of the cans and poured about a 1" layer of gravel in cans for drainage. Then added soil, plant and seeds.

On the right is a rosemary plant I bought last week. I bought two rosemary plants, this one is staying inside the other I planted outside. I'm going to see which one I can keep alive longer. The outside one will have to come in eventually unless we have a really mild winter but it will have to make it to winter first. On the left I planted basil seeds that came with a box of triscuits I bought last week. I'll be pretty excited if the cracker box seeds grow.

Herb-Tastic

2011-08-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I hosted my mom's extension club and it was a herb-tastic event. I decorated using basil and mint herbs as foliage to add to my arrangement of zinnias. I gave a short talk on using herbs in cooking, had a name that herb game with rosemary plants as prizes. Then served herb infused snacks and forgot to take any pictures during the meeting. I took these later that evening.

I served rosemary pear butter served with triscuit crackers, tarragon cookies and punch. I made the punch by mixing a 2 liter of diet ginger ale, 1 pint of frozen, slightly thawed strawberries and a bunch of fresh basil that a smashed up to release the flavor before mixing all together. The drink recipe I made up from a similar but alcoholic version I saw in a magazine. Below is a copy of the handout I passed out for the meeting it includes the snack recipes.

The rosemary pear butter and tarragon cookie recipes are both from Extension Master food volunteer Phyllis Brock.

Substituting Fresh Herbs for Dried Herbs

A general guideline when using fresh herbs in a recipe is to use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb.

When substituting you’ll often be more successful substituting fresh herbs for dried herbs, rather than the other way around.

Rosemary and Pear Butter

4 cups pear or pineapple juice

2-3 TBSP fresh rosemary or 1-1 1/2 tsp dried leaves placed in a piece of cheesecloth and tied

4 lb. s firm but ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1” pieces

pinch of salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Place juice in a large, heavy pot and bring to boil. Add rosemary leaves.

Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the juice is reduced to approximately one cup. Stir often

Add pears and salt to the reduced juice, stir and cover pot.

Cook until pears are very soft, stir occasionally to immerse the pears in the juice.

About 30 minutes

When pears are soft, remove rosemary leaves and continue to cook pears, uncovered, until mixture has thickened

Remove pot from heat and mash pears.

Stir in vanilla and vinegar.

Cool and refrigerate.

Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead

Uses: dessert topping, pancakes, crackers, muffins

Tarragon Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, unsalted

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1 1/2 tsp dried, crushed tarragon

3/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Cream butter until fluffy, add sugar vanilla and egg. Cream well

Stir in seeds, nuts and tarragon.

Fold in dry ingredients.

Drop batter by tsp onto a greased cookie sheet. ( These cookies spread so do not place dough too close together.)

Bake at 375˚ for approximately 8-10 minutes.

Let stand for just a few minutes to cool and then remove carefully from the baking sheet. Cookies need to become firm, but not brittle, in order to remove them from the baking sheet without breakage.

Herb Cubes

1 1/2 cups leftover fresh herbs

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Puree all ingredients and freeze in an ice cube tray. Throw cubes in hot pasta, soup or defrost and drizzle over grilled chicken.

“An herb is the friend of physicians and the praise of cooks.”

--Charlemagne

Bundt Pan Planter

2011-08-10T21:31:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago I baked an angel food cake in this bundt pan and I burnt the cake to the pan. After 3 or 4 attempts at soaking and scrubbing the pan clean I gave up. It just wasn't worth it. Sometimes you just have to let a pan go, but the pan has such a pretty shape and the outside is a pretty cream color. I decided it would make a pretty planter, it doesn't need to be clean to be a planter.

This weekend I bought a variety of chicks and hens and succulents at The Farmer's Market. Then made a stop at a home improvement store for pea gravel and soil. At first I was going to stuff the bundt pan with all the plants I bought but then I decided all that variety might be too much and if I just give the plants a little time they will reproduce and stuff the planter themselves. Assuming I don't let them die first.

I divided the plants between the bundt pan and an old small baking pan. First pouring in a layer of pea gravel to the bottom of each pan to help with irrigation then added the plants and filled in with soil. Now I am patiently waiting for the plants to grow and fill the pans.

Kansas City City Market

2011-08-08T09:35:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning Gretchen and I made our way over the The City Market located in the River Market area of Kansas City. It is really big at least when compared to the Independence market (closest to me) or the Blue Springs market where I did the food demonstration. The City market also has a great collection of ethnic shops and restaurants to explore. There are street performers that are always fun, where I live you don't see them everyday. Unfortunately someone forgot to pack Gretchen's lunch so we only had an hour to spend before needing to head back home.

This is what I ended up with rosemary plants since I let my plant die in the heat with no water. I bought two to increase my chances of keeping a live one. A variety of hens and chicks, and succulents for a little project I have planed. Red onions and sweet blueberries, my garden is ridiculous with okra and tomatoes right now so I didn't need much else.

Baby Friendship Bracelets

2011-08-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

The best thing about making friendship bracelets for babies is their tiny wrists. You can make a baby bracelet a lot faster than an adult one. The thing about the bracelet though is once you put tie one on your wrist you have to wear it till your done and cut it off. I wanted Gretchen's cute little bracelets to last longer than one afternoon(a good afternoon.) After I made them I stitched a piece of elastic to each end then cut the tails off.

She of course thinks they are a chew toy. She wore them for a good 5 minutes before I had to put them up but with the elastic she can wear them again maybe on a day her teeth are not bothering her as much.

Pudding Pops

2011-08-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

I was watching an episode of The Cosby Show the other day and I suddenly had a craving. It wasn't for a large submarine sandwich and it wasn't a sudden urge to put on an ugly sweater. No. I wanted a pudding pop. My Grandparents stocked these in their freezer when I was young so I enjoyed them frequently. My favorite was the chocolate and vanilla swirled together. I recently bought 2 sets of popsicle molds on sale and was ready to try them out.

I mixed up a package of sugar free vanilla and a package of sugar free chocolate using mostly skim milk but I happened to have a cup of heavy whipping cream so for each flavor I used 1 1/2 cups skim milk and 1/2 cup cream. Poured into molds vanilla first them chocolate, froze overnight, ran mold under hot water to loosen pop, then enjoyed. They taste even better if eaten while watching an episode of The Cosby Show. Denise was always my favorite. Who was your favorite?

Three Recipes: Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

2011-07-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook was a gift. It was origanlly pubished in 1957 my copy is from 1958. The book has quite a few recipes I'd like to try that are different but not gross. Gross like gelatin being involved.

These are the three recipes I chose to try out first.

Cold Fruit Soup

Helen Corbitt

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

6 whole cloves

3 cups orange juice

2 cups pineapple juice

1/3 cup sugar

3 TBSP cornstarch

3/4 cup lemon juice

Heat cloves, orange, and pineapple juice to boiling. Mix sugar and cornstarch, add to the juice and cook until thick and clear. Cool and add the lemon juice. Chill and serve in very cold cups with french rolls, sliced very thin the round way, spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon and dried out in a 200˚ oven until crisp and brown.

When I made this I used less than 1/4 cup sugar and it still turned out rediculously sweet. I mean adding sugar to a bowl of fruit juice is kinda crazy. I didn't make the cinnamon sugar rounds but I don't think even with them I could eat a bowl of this, it is so sweet. However it makes a great syurp on waffles, plain yogart, vanilla ice cream.

Peanut Butter Bacon Bread

Helen Corbitt

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

(1 loaf)

1 cup sugar

1TBSP melted shortening

1 cup milk

1 egg, well beaten

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

1 cup bacon chips, crisp

Mix sugar, shortening and milk with beaten egg. Add peanut butter. Mix in salt, flour, and baking powder. Add nuts and bacon chips and let stand in greased, floured pan for 20 minutes. Bake a 350˚ for 1 hour or until done.

I tried this recipe cause it sounds kinda crazy. I cooked it for 1 hour and 10 minutes and it maybe could of cooked a touch longer but I don't like when I toast the outside of the loaf to complete cooking the inside. If I were to make this again I would divide into 2 smaller loafs to get more even cooking. The bread while it kinda wanted to fall apart tasted super yummy. How could it not? Bacon and peanut butter are a great combination.

Rice Waffles

Helen Corbitt

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

1 cup sifted flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 TBSP sugar

3 eggs, separated

1/3 cup melted shortening

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup cooked rice

Sift dry ingredients ogether. Beat egg whites and egg yolks separaely. Combine shortening, egg yolks, and buttermilk and add to dry ingredients mixing well. Fold in rice and stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in hot waffle iron until browned. Serve with maple butter.

This was my favorite recipe of the three. I think it is my new waffle go to. I used whole wheat flour, brown rice, melted butter for the shortening and skim milk with a tsp of lemon juice for the buttermilk.

The problem with my old waffle recipe is that I used whole wheat flour in it. I liked the taste but sometimes whole wheat flour can weigh down a bread especially if it is a quick non yeast bread. In this recipe I think the rice really lightens up the flour and you don't notice you are eating rice in your waffle. The waffle is a little soft less crisp than my regualar waffle. I'm thinking a little less milk and/or do a better job of stiffly beating the egg whites. I didn't make maple butter but did eat with butter and maple syurp, same thing. This recipe is also the perfect solution when you make to much rice with your stir fry the night before. I always make to much rice.

Broccoli and Beet Deviled Eggs

2011-07-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

I have been making all of Gretchen food via the food processor and taste testing along the way. Some things are not so great but most of the purees are pretty tasty. I decided to get a little crazy the other night and make fancy deviled eggs. I used a broccoli puree for one and beet puree for the other. The broccoli one was much more normal and Rob really liked them but the beet ones I made sweet and I liked them but Rob not so much. I thought adding the brown sugar and cinnamon to the beet puree made it taste just like applesauce but that's just me.

In case it wasn't clear the eggs were for the adults, I didn't feed them to my 8 month old.

Broccoli Eggs

To yokes of 3 eggs I added

1/2 cup pureed broccoli

2 TBSP reduced calorie mayo

garlic powder

cayenne pepper

black pepper

salt

smooched together with fork

filled eggs

sprinkled with bacon bits

Beet Eggs

To yokes of 3 eggs I added

1/2 cup pureed beets

1/4 cup brown sugar

salt cinnamon

smooched together with fork

filled eggs

I didn't have any but think a candied orange peel on top would of been lovely.

A Work of Art

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

For the longest time, over two and a half years, my mantel looked like this. Then 6 months ago I added this branch decor which I liked but it didn't really fit with the theme of my house. At least I had something up there but the branch decor belongs in a room with a more of a nature theme. Saturday I decided it was time to move on to something more fitting. I went to the craft store and bought a large stretched canvas to fill the space.

Now I am waiting for inspiration to strike. It will be at least somewhat abstract, and most likely amazing.

Game Day Suit

2011-07-22T09:50:00.000-05:00

Last year I made Rob a suit so he would be properly dressed for the Chiefs football games and this year I am making myself a suit as well. I have been putting it off since the football season still is not certain. I was secretly planning what I was going to do with our season ticket money but Rob insists the season is happening so when I found this great suit weight red fabric the other day I figured I should get started. My suit won't scream Chiefs like my husband's does and I could wear it else where not that I really have anywhere to go in a suit.

I picked out this vogue patten that I'm sure will be time consuming but have great results. I have never owned or wore a suit in my life so I'm a little excited about this one. I'm still looking for a great fabric to make the blouse. I'm thinking a yellow and white satin fabric would be great.

Three Recipes: The Friel Family Cookbook

2011-07-16T16:16:00.000-05:00

I have quite a few cookbooks and I am always looking for more to add to my collection. I decided that every week or so I would pick a cookbook out of my collection and try out 3 recipes from the book. The recipes I pick will vary depending on what I'm feeling at the time or how they work with what else I have planned for the week.

First up is a recent acquisition. It was just published in June. I picked it up at the Friel family reunion, it might be hard to come by if you were not there.

We are having an extreme heat wave right now so the 3 recipes I picked are all very summery to me. I don't want to be in trouble for giving away any secret family recipes so I just listed the ingredients.

Holy Mole Guacamole John Friel

ripe Haas avocados, lime, kosher salt, jalapeno, clove garlic, red onion, roma tomatoes, cumin, cayenne, fresh cilantro

This is the best Guacamole. I eat a lot of guacamole and this is really good. We also made our own chips by frying up flour tortillas. Even better, though homemade chips have more calories than the bagged version.

Crunchy Raw Beetroot Salad with Pear, in Lemon Oil Dressing

Dan Beck

Salad: beetroots, ripe pears, feta cheese, bunch fresh mint

Dressing: lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt & pepper to taste

I like eating beets but eating them raw is something I hadn't really thought to do but they are great sliced up. This salad is really fancy. I did half the amount of olive oil to save on calories and felt there was still plenty of dressing to cover.

Broccoli Salad Dave Beck

Salad: head of broccoli, cooked bacon, red onion, raisins (optional), sharp cheddar, cherry tomatoes

Dressing: mayonnaise, white vinegar, sugar, salt & freshly ground black pepper

I think this would make a good alternative to potato salad, it had the same feel. I left out the raisins so my husband would eat it and used a low fat mayo to save on calories and fat.

We served this salad with snap peas from the garden and baked chicken that my husband thought needed to be wrapped in bacon.

If you were not lucky enough to get your hands on this cookbook and really want one of these recipes email me and I'll send it to you.

Swim Baby Swim

2011-07-14T21:48:00.000-05:00

Grechen started her 2 week swim class on Monday, at just 8 months old she is not really swimming just getting used to the water. She is the youngest in the class by 11 months. The class is for 6 months to 3 years but she really enjoys bouncing in the water and watching the more advanced students. I like hanging out in the pool with her and after the half hour class she is totally worn out. I usually get in the water with her but since Rob had yesterday off work he jumped in with her so I could take some pictures.

Scarf Swap

2011-07-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I participated in a scarf swap hosted by Jessie of The Concrete Catwalk. My swap partner was Ann of Magical Grammar. She sent me this red and white number. The idea of the swap was to use the scarf in your wardrobe. I have a number of scarfs and I really like to look at them but I usually don't accessorize with them because I'm never sure what to do with them or if they look quite right but today I went for it. It was a pretty casual day, the big event of the day was a trip to Target. I decided using it as a headband was my best bet. It did help pull together my t-shirt and jean shorts ensemble.

What am I looking at?

Bias Tape Tank Top

2011-07-07T21:07:00.000-05:00

I bought this pretty fabric at the Bon Bon Atelier a couple of months ago not sure what I was going to make.

I decided on this tank top. I made the pattern giving it a side dart, a slightly gathered neckline and some length. The hem hits just below the hip. I made my own bias tape to finish the edges and make straps with. I used a continuous bias tape strip method I found on Colette Patterns Blog. It is a much faster way of making bias tape than cutting each individual strip then sewing together.

There is a button closure in the back.

Happy 4th

2011-07-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've had this flag fabric sitting in my fabric pile for years. I have no idea why I bought it but I finally found a use for it. I made Gretchen a quick dress for a little celebration.

Happy 4th of July!

Getting Back in the Creative Swing

2011-07-01T20:58:00.000-05:00

I have taken a bit of a break from any crafty or sewing projects and now that I'm back I have a stack of spandex fabric needing to be transformed into superhero attire. After taking any kind of break from creative affairs it seems I need a bit of a warm up to get things going again. A small warm up makes the big project so much easier to tackle.

Today was warm up day. I picked flowers from my garden, arranging them in a pretty carafe, I created a new centerpiece for the dinning room table.

Then I did a little needlepoint. I won this cute little notebook in a drawing from Bon Bon Atelier. The cover had punched out holes and came with needle and thread to stitch my K on it.

These were the kind of simple projects I needed to get me pumped for the larger projects I'll have to tackle tomorrow.

Friel Family Reunion Weekend Extravaganza

2011-06-30T22:12:00.001-05:00

Last weekend the Friel's, my mothers family, all got together down on the farm for a reunion. I did a bad job of taking any pictures, others did a much better job of documenting the event. There was lots of fishing, eating, baby shower for my expectant cousin, a barn party with a great band, and digging for buried treasure.

This is the picture taking board that I painted. I was really happy with how i turned out and I think it was a hit. Gretchen loved it, I think because she thought it was like a game of peak a boo.

Sunday we all wore our matching well designed t-shirts and went digging for gold. Legend has it that gold from union pay roll was hidden on some of my dads land during the Civil War.

Using a metal detector, shovels and a backhoe the archaeologist's went to work.

No gold was found but they did dig up a pot and broken pot pieces, some random metal scraps, old barbed wire and what appeared to be a branding iron of sorts with the letters M P. My husband intends to do more research and continue the search.

The whole gang.

Everyone contributed their favorite recipes that were made into a cookbook for every family to take home.

Bacon Ice Cream for Fathers Day

2011-06-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was fathers day which meant that the dinner menu was Robs choice. We had hot n' spicy bratwurst, deviled eggs and bacon ice cream. It might sound like this meal had nothing healthy to offer but we did eat the brats on 100% whole wheat buns.

Bacon is in everything these days it's like a go to gourmet ingredient. I know that Rob thinks everything is better with bacon so I thought I'd try making him some ice cream. It may not be for everyone but we enjoyed it. It has that salty/ sweet thing going on.

I made the basic vanilla ice cream recipe that came with the countertop 2 quart ice cream maker, cooked 1/2 a pound of bacon till crisp and let it cool. Then crumpled it up and mixed into the ice cream. Served on a sugar cone.

Breakfast

2011-06-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

Mornings when my husband is at work I like to do a full on breakfast/brunch just for myself. Partly because it's delicious partly because I don't get around to eating till after Gretchen lays down for her first nap so I'm extra hungry. The husband doesn't think he is missing out since this breakfast includes no bacon and is covered in feta the only cheese he hates.

Last month I was having this with spinach and radishes from my garden. This month I'm having steel cut oatmeal w/dab of smart balance, sautéed beets from garden w/feta cheese, cantaloupe, and a hard cooked egg with rosemary from garden. Next month I'm be having tomatoes and okra if the garden goes as planned.

I Put Some New Shoes On and Suddenly Everything is Right

2011-06-14T19:47:00.000-05:00

Gretchen has some new shoes on that my mom made her. They are really cute, made out of felt and embroirded with little flowers and crochet laces.

I just woke her up before these pictures so she is still a little out of it.

I'm thinking of trying and making something similar out of leather. If that works out you'll see them here later.

Blue Springs Farmers Market

2011-06-13T10:24:00.000-05:00

Saturday I participated in the Blue Springs Farmers Market serving up a fresh summer salad. I was promoting University of Missouri Extension services, they offer free information on healthy eating, cooking, growing and preserving your food.

Summer Salad

2 tomatos

1 cucumber

1 avocado

1 can black olives

all chopped to bite size pieces

add 1 cup blueberries

mix in bowl

Dressing

3 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

4 fresh basil leaves finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

mix dressing and pour over salad and mix

After completing my duties I visited the vendors at the market. One farmer was selling kale and I've been wanting to try kale chips for a while so I bought some. I cooked the kale up that afternoon. Wash and de-ribbed kale, pile into bowl and mix to lightly cover with olive oil. Spread into single layer on cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Into oven at 400˚ for about 10 minutes but keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Really good and healthy.

Getting Reuion Ready

2011-06-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

My family has been planing a big Friel Family Reunion set to take place in two weeks down on the farm. It will be a lot of fun with lots of food, a live band at the barn party, and a dig for confederate gold. My husband is sure buried treasure will be found.

I thought we needed some picture taking panels( if there is a better name for these let me know) for some picture taking fun. Going with the farm theme I decided on a farmer and his cow. I need to finish up the panel details this weekend, you know so it will be super realistic, then the picture taking can begin.

My mom cutting out the face holes.

My sister and I painting it up. It will look like a farmer and cow when finished, at least that is what I'm going for.

Prom Night

2011-06-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago my niece Kylie attended her senior prom with her boyfriend. I think she was a lot more excited about her prom than I remember being about mine. I made her dress, it is a strapless fitted bodice straight skirt to the knee then it flared out to the floor. You can't tell from this picture but the bright blue satin fabric has tiny silver sparkles all over. I was really happy with how it turned out and she said it was what she wanted, so yea!

Baby Proof Necklace

2011-05-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

Last week after cutting a pair of jeans down to shorts I had the leftover leg fabric to use up. It was suggested that I make something for Gretchen out of the fabric and that is kinda what I did. I made a baby friendly necklace. With her grabby little hands most jewelry is out of the question for now unless I'm interested in losing an ear or having all the beads from a necklace fall to the floor, but this soft and slightly stretchy necklace totally works.

First I cut the denim into 1" strips then stitched the strips together to create 3 long strips. I forgot to measure the length of the strips but I think they were about 60'' each.

I braided the strips together then wove a strip of leather through the necklace, last stitched the two ends together so I'd have one continuous circle. I like it best double or triple wrapped around my neck.

I had enough for a bracelet as well but I wouldn't wear the necklace and bracelet together, to matchy. On the bracelet I braided the leather with the denim instead of weaving it in after like on the necklace. I think it has a better look when woven in after braiding.

Now Gretchen is free to chew and pull on this jewelry.

Leopard Print Duck Tape

2011-05-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

I saw this in a baby magazine you take a container and toys inside for the baby to find but of course I had to jazz Gretchen's oatmeal container up. I cut some stripes of felt glued them to the container then added some fancy leopard print duck tape stripes.

You can hid toys in it like peek a boo with toys, it could be a drum or you can just roll it around.

In other news Gretchen started sitting up on her own today. I suggested to her that today might be a good day to start sitting on her own and apparently she agreed with me.

Old Jeans to Bleached Shorts

2011-05-23T22:45:00.000-05:00

These were my favorite jeans but last year after I got pregnant I guess I thought I'd never be able to wear them again. I don't know why I thought that but anyway because of this I wore them one day to paint my new sewing room. Fast forward to this year and they fit again but are splattered with turquoise paint.

I decided in order to save them I would cut them down to shorts then give em a bleaching to sort of hid the paint. I poured some bleach and a little water into a cleaned out squirt bottle and sprayed down my shorts.

I let the shorts sit for a little more than 20 minutes then threw them in the wash.

I like how they turned out. The paint is still there but hidden or blends into the jeans now.

Fashion Baby

2011-05-21T18:53:00.000-05:00

The fabric was in a dollar box of fabric that I bought at a garage sale a few weeks ago. It is a lightweight knit and striped colors have a late 70's early 80's vibe.

My dress is just a simple sleeveless, knee length t-shirt dress. I gave it a scooped neck with a ruffle. I prefer to wear it with a belt to give the dress and myself some shape.

I'm really happy how Gretchen's skirt turned out but I kinda think she needs some baby roller skates to wear with but since she can't walk yet roller skates might be a bit ridiculous.

I added shorts to the inside of Gretchen's skirt, I'll be making a few more skirts like this, I just think they are so cute.

Radish, Radish, Radish

2011-05-18T09:37:00.000-05:00

I've been harvesting a small crop of radishes from my garden the past couple of weeks. Normally radishes are just for eating in salads but one can only eat so many salads in a week. I decided to add them to some dishes that we normally eat around here, sort of an onion replacement.

Scrambled eggs with sautéed radishes and spinach. My husband doesn't care for this one but it is due to the amount of spinach I try and hide in the eggs.

Tacos with chopped radishes. Rob was skeptical but after trying he jumped on the radish train.

After taco night I thought the radishes should be tried on pizza night. I made sausage and radish pizza.

Above pic is before the cheese was added below is pizza straight out of the oven. So good!

Half Year Old

2011-05-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Gretchen turned six months old today, she is so excited about her half birthday. She is wearing a purple flannel dress that my mom made her, I think it was a Christmas present and it is still a little on the big side so she'll be wearing it for a while.

I made some quick pink felt bunting for for picture. I cut out six felt triangles, poked tiny holes in the top corners of each triangle to thread some teal ribbon through, hung and done.

No cake but she loves her sweet potato puree.

She gets really excited everyday when she realizes I'm preparing her food. Thus far she has had all the baby grain cereals, avocados and now sweet potatoes. I hope she continues to like all her food this much. She chows down so it takes no time at all to feed her each day.

Lunch from the Garden

2011-05-10T16:05:00.000-05:00

I did get a bit of a later start on my garden this year but this week it started giving me a few foods to harvest. A yummy leaf lettuce mix, spinich and radishes, so my lunches will be salad, salad, salad for a while now.

Gretchen is eating avocado this week lucky for me she eats half an avocado. Guess who gets the other half, into my salad it went.

A little dressing and lunch is ready.

Garage Sailing

2011-05-04T10:38:00.000-05:00

Garage sale season is starting up around here but so far I've only made one garage sale stop. Gretchen makes quick stops not so quick so I'll probably be doing more drive bys at sales this year. Drive by meaning I'll just slow down the car to see if a sale is worth stopping and checking out or not. I will not be shooting anyone.

The one stop I did make was at the Catholic Church annual sale just a street down from my house. I really don't like this sale they have a lot of junk clothes and toys every year if you do find a hidden gem the old ladies that run the sale turn from nice to evil on the prices. However I did find this globe. I've been wanting some globes to educationally decorate for Gretchen.

This one is a nice size and has vibrant colors. It sits in a metal stand on a felt ring for easy turning of the globe. We figured out that is from the countries that it is from 1975 so we are looking for an encyclopedia collection from 1975 for Gretchen getting rid of the internet and calling it good.

I also picked up this pile of fabric for a $1.00 for future projects.

Fashion Baby

2011-04-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

This week for our matching outfit I brought out the t-shirt markers. On Gretchen's onesie and my Hanes v-neck I used a ruler to draw out evenly spaced lines vertically on the shirts. Then I free handed a geometric pattern in each column all with a black marker, adding little pops of purple color throughout the designs. After drawing everything out I took an iron to heat set the markers and I was done.

Up close of shirts.

This is me trying to take the picture myself. I need a little more practice but Rob is not always around when I want to take pictures so I think I should start at least attempting to take them myself and see what happens.

Powell Gardens Quilt Show

2011-04-26T22:19:00.001-05:00

Powell Gardens located about 30 miles east of Kansas City is hosting a quilt show this week and my mom, an avid quilter, is spearheading the event. In addition to the many quilts to see there are quilt demonstrations, related craft ideas and children's activities. This is in addition to they gardens and walking trails. The show runs through Sunday May 1st if you are in the area.

Pretty flowers made out of pattern tissue paper.

Outside in the gorgeous gardens there are barn wood panels painted with different quilt block patterns. It was cool and rainy on Monday when Gretchen and I arrived right after all the workers got the show set up, but we brought them pizza.

I wish my garden was this neat, and attractive but I'm fairly sure they spend a bit more time working on their garden.

Hoppy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:08:00.001-05:00

Gretchen is 5 months old for her first easter and she is loving it! She is wearing her pastel colored sweater knitted by her great aunt Betty and she grew bunny ears.

We did the traditional egg coloring using crayons and an egg dyeing kit.

Then I wanted to try dyeing eggs using red onion skins and tea leaves. It was super easy just cooking the eggs with the skins or tea in the pot. Both turned out really pretty though a bit more understated than the dye kit method.

The greenish brown ones in center are dyed from the onion skins and the brown ones are dyed with four black tea bags.

Easter Egg Shop Hop

2011-04-23T22:32:00.000-05:00

Today my sister Beth, Gretchen and I went to Westport in Kansas City to do a little shopping. Ten shops were having a shop hop so participated and hope to win fabulous prizes.

Taking a break at the Broadway Coffee Shop. Gretchen loves coffee.

We found some cute shops that I wouldn't have seen otherwise and I did make a purchase.

This super cute fabric that I plan on turning into a summer tank.

Each stop on the hop handed out plastic easter eggs with candy or coupons inside. Then at one stop in addition to the plastic egg they were handing out free incense holder/burner. I don't use incense but I didn't want to be rude and not accept a freebie. Carrying Gretchen around I handed it to her and said "look Gretchen your first incense holder." Then my sister pointed out there was a pot leaf on it. Ha Ha!

Fashion Baby

2011-04-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

I planned on making Gretchen and I matching clothes that were actual wearable clothes not just goofy outfits. I had a couple of yards of black knit that I wanted to make a fashionable t-shirt for both of us. The knit is super soft and stretchy, super comfortable. I used my basic t-shirt pattern lengthening the hem so it hits low on the hip, cutting out the tops of the shoulders and went with a low rounded neck line. Gretchen's is more of a dress.

This is the first time Gretchen has been in all black. I'm not sure if she looks more fashion plate or like she just shaved her head and joined a commune. Either way she seems pretty happy about it.

Side view of shoulder cut-out.

Trolly Run

2011-04-18T12:38:00.000-05:00

Sunday my sister Beth and I participated in the Trolly Run in Kansas City. The Trolly Run is the largest timed 4 mile run in the United States with 8418 people finishing the race this year. I was finisher 1512 with a time of 33 minutes. I was mostly pleased with my time but I intend to finish faster next year. It is a nice course mostly flat and downhill, in Kansas City not having uphills is pretty hard to do.

We went by ourselves so I didn't get any pictures of the event which is pretty spectacular but here we are wearing our shirts after the race ready for some showers.

Felt Curtains Part II

2011-04-15T18:46:00.001-05:00

Back when I bought the felt to make room darkening curtains for Gretchen's room I bought twice as much fabric as I needed. I had my measurements wrong. I was needing some decorative curtains for the side windows in the sewing room so I decided to use up the extra felt. Felt cutouts is what I came up with and I'm liking the results.

These windows are up high on the side of the house so really no one but the neighbor could see in and thats only if she really wanted to. The last owner of this house did put up glazed contact paper so no one could peep in his garage but contact paper is a little tacky. I wanted to still let in a lot of light just give the window a little something so they wouldn't feel so naked.

I cut the felt to the right width and length folded each piece in half and started cutting. I lined up the hearts as close as I could just by eyeballing it but you could use a ruler.

To hang I nailed the felt up using upholstery tacks. It went up super quick.

Spring is Here

2011-04-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

Spring popped up a couple of weeks ago and I managed to get some veggie seeds planted but mostly just thinking about what I'd like to do with the yard this year.

The radish's are starting to come up as are the beets, onions, carrots, lettuce, and spinach.

The raspberry bush is looking promising.

I have three of these sad looking bushes. I planted them two years ago and they still don't look like the picture on the buckets I bought them in. I can't decide if I should try digging them out and plant something else or give them another year to get their act together.

Woven Felt Baskets

2011-04-08T21:32:00.000-05:00

I made these little woven felt boxes to sit on the shelfs and hide random things from view in the living room. I cut up my felt scraps to fill the baskets in the picture and think they would look cute as easter baskets, you could just glue on a felt handle. It only took about 10 minutes to make a basket start to finish and you could make them any size you like.

Cut a 9" square of felt

use ruler and chalk to divide square into 9 equal 3" squares like a tic tac toe board

cut out the four corner squares

slice each outside square into 3 even strips stopping at center square

cut a bunch of felt strips for weaving the basket together

I cut mine at about 1/2" wide

using glue gun start at bottom of basket and weave strips around basket glueing at start and end of each strip

continue weaving till you reach the top

I made 4 rows

on top row glue every woven strip to top strip as you work your way around box

trim top ends as needed to even out

Sit on shelf and hide your stuff.

Snack Tray Photo Frames

2011-04-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

I didn't come up with this idea, I found it over on the blog Smile and Wave, but I love it. I had these six metal snack trays I bought at a garage sale last year because they are pretty. I had them stacked up sitting in the kitchen since then but I still need more wall decoration and a place to display my photos. This solved both problems. I just stick the pictures up with magnets and can change around easily.

Zucchini Appetizers

2011-04-05T08:53:00.000-05:00

I have been going through my freezer using up the last of the frozen produce from last year before the garden started things over again this year. I found a bag of frozen zucchini so along with some wonton wrappers left over from chinese food night I came up with these appetizers. They are so good I'll be making them again and again.

wonton wrappers

about 2 cups shredded zucchini drained as much as possible*

1 cup mozzarella

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

olive oil

mix shredded zucchini, mozzarella, garlic powder, pepper, and salt

take one wonton wrapper and place one spoonful of zucchini mixture on center of wrapper

dip finger into bowl of water and lightly wet edges of wonton wrapper

fold wrapper in half to make a triangle

use fork to press edges of wrapper together

place on greased cookie sheet and brush tops with olive oil

bake at 350˚ for 15-20 minutes or until edges are browned

will make about 16

We like dipping them in marinara sauce as an appetizer on pizza night. I'm pretty sure they are healthier than the cheesy bread I usually want.

*My shredded zucchini was frozen so I let it defrost in a colander to drain, but if you shred fresh I would do it a couple of hours in advance and let it sit in a colander to drain a little. You can also smash water out with a clean towel and sprinkling with a little salt can help draw water out.

Thrift Store Stop

2011-03-31T16:14:00.000-05:00

I have not been out for any thrift store fun in quite a while but I had a little extra time the other day on my way to pick up some grocery's so I made a stop. I found a super cute vintage children's book set. Published in 1959 it includes some classic tales and historical stories along with cute pictures.

A sewing book, I always find different tips or ideas in old sewing books.

Last a weaving loom with loops for Gretchen to weave awesome potholders on when she gets a little older.