beck-a-boo

The Darcy

2012-02-16T15:15:00.000-08:00

Another pair of boots to add to the gang! Meet Darcy:

Come see them and more at my Etsy shop here.

The Ultimate Sugar Cookie

2012-02-14T13:43:00.000-08:00

These are the softest and yummiest sugar cookies ever. Valentine's Day will never be the same.

Sugar Cookies
2 sticks of softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
5 cups flour (add until not sticky - may be a whole cup)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Roll out 1/4" thick. Use a cute heart-shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes depending on size of cookie. If they get golden brown they'll get crunchy.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. powdered sugar
Red Food Coloring

Use a hand mixer until well combined. Don't mix too long or it'll get too thick.

Grape Chicken Salad

2012-02-14T13:34:00.000-08:00

This has been a lunchtime favorite for my husband and I. We used to make it with mayo and with croissants, but it's just as good with Greek Yogurt and on wheat bread, in a pita or just in a leaf of Romaine lettuce. Yummers.

Grape Chicken Salad

1/2 lb. red grapes, rinsed and drained

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed or shredded

1 small cucumber, cubed

1 small apple, cubed

3/4 cup Plain Chobani Greek Yogurt

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice and spices in a small bowl. Combine the grapes, cubed chicken, cucumber and apple in a larger bowl. Carefully stir in the yogurt mixture. Put in fridge, and let it chill for an hour or more. Serve chilled with croissants, wheat bread, pita bread, or a lettuce leaf.

We like it best a day after it's been prepared because all of the flavors marinate together and it's completely chilled through. Enjoy!

Heart Garland

2012-02-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling like my home needed a bit of love in lieu of the holiday this week. So I took some old red felt, and made a fun little heart garland. Felt, string, scissors and a glue gun.

Double up the felt so that you have 2 hearts exactly the same size. Cut out the hearts, any size that you wish. They could all be the same size, or alternate sizes, or make it random.

Take one heart and place it under the string. Tack on some glue, and put the other heart on top with the string in between.

Spread them out as you wish, far apart or touching. Hang it up and enjoy! Quick, easy, cut and festive.

Bruschetta Chicken

2012-02-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

I was in need of something fresh for dinner. Something not fattening, or heavy, but delicious and delightful. So I decided to go with a bruschetta chicken. It turned out so delish. It's a definite do-again.

Bruschetta Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. honey

(Bruschetta)

4 small tomatoes, diced

6 oz. of Mozzarella, cubed

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Chop, dice, cube and combine all of the ingredients for the bruschetta. I made it in the morning so the flavors could all marinate together all day long.

Combine the honey and balsamic vinegar and put in a bag with the chicken to let it marinate. Let it marinate for at least an hour. Grill the chicken for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked all the way through. My hubby is the perfect grill-master, so we had perfect juicy chicken.

Serve chicken with a sliced baguette. Enjoy!

Samzi's Boutique Bow Giveaway

2012-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

Samzi's Boutique is a new and adorable little shop selling some darling little hair bows for your little girls (daughters, nieces, granddaughters, neighbors...)! There are so many to choose from, and at a great price. I love 'The Tabitha' bow, so cute.

Check out her blog here: samziboutique.blogspot.com

Check out her etsy shop here: www.etsy.com/shop/SamziBoutique.com

To help get the word out I'm hosting a giveaway for 2 free bows!! Enter below by answering a question, liking them on facebook, following their blog and/or my blog. The giveaway goes through Sunday, so enter while you can!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

2012-02-08T12:53:00.000-08:00

My husband has been wanting me to make Mozzarella Sticks forever. And thanks to Skinny Taste I found this delicious, low-fat recipe for baked mozzarella sticks. They were a huge hit, so simple, and so tasty. Can't wait to make them again!

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

Ingredients:

12 sticks part-skim, reduced sodium mozzarella string cheese (Sargento)
1 large egg, beaten
2 tbsp flour
5 tbsp Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
5 tbsp panko crumbs
2 tsp parmesan cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
olive oil cooking spray

Directions:

Cut cheese in half both length-wise and width-wise. This makes it so each bite isn't too cheesy. Place cheese in the freezer until cheese is frozen.

In small bowl, whisk the egg. Place the flour on another small dish. In separate bow- combine the bread crumbs, the Panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and dried parsley.

Dip the frozen sticks in flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then coat with the crumbs.

Repeat this process with the remaining cheese placing them on a tray with wax paper. Place cheese back into the freezer until ready to bake (this is a must or they will melt before the crumbs get golden).

When ready to bake preheat oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with oil.

Place frozen cheese sticks on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the mozzarella sticks with a little more oil and bake in the bottom third of your oven until crisp, about 4 to 5 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 4 - 5 minutes watching them closely so they don't melt.

Make sure to eat them straight out of the oven while they're nice and hot. Dip in marinara sauce.

Hair Clippies

2012-02-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

My daughters hair is getting long enough in front that it keeps falling into her eyes. I don't want to cut her hair and make her keep the bangs, so I'm trying to let it all grow out with the rest of her hair. But in the meantime, we'll be needing lots of good clippies to keep that hair back. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Take your average little metal clip. Cut out two pieces of felt just big enough to cover the top-bigger part of the clip. Put hot glue on one side of the felt, put it in the clip, with the glue facing up (towards the bigger side of the clip), put the other piece of felt over it and press them together.

I cut out 4 pieces of felt for my flower. They gradually decrease in size. I gave one piece a few more petals for some added dimension.

Stack one on top of the other, while gluing them together inbetween with a hot glue gun.

I then glued on your clip with the felt on it. For a bit of added security I added another piece of felt that is glued onto the clip and to the flower to help keep it in place.

As you can see in this picture, I also took a sewing needle and hand-stitched around the edge to secure the pieces of felt a little bit better.

Tacked on a few little pearly beads, and "Ta-da!"

My little girl is obsessed with goldfish (well she loves to eat the goldfish crackers). So I decided to make her a little goldfish clippie! The trick will be to put it in her hair before she sees it so she won't eat it!!

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

2012-02-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

*Photo courtesy of Natalie DeMill

* Recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook

You need to make these. So much flavor - sweet, but a little spicy. Seriously the best homemade Mexican food I've had in quite some time. I can't wait to make them again! I got this recipe from my husbands cousins' blog Boy Cheese Sandwich. They have some of the yummiest recipes. The only thing I would do different next time to this recipe is cook the enchiladas for about 15 minutes, and then pour the sauce over them, that way the tortillas will crunch up a bit and not be as soggy. Regardless, the were delicious! I also made them with this Cowboy Caviar.

1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. lime juice (I used 2 fresh limes)
1 Tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded

Stir together honey, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder until combined. Add chicken and marinate at least 30 minutes (I usually do longer).

2 (10 oz,) cans green enchilada sauce
1 c. half & half (I found some half & half that was fat-free!)
flour tortillas
shredded colby jack cheese (or monterey/colby mix)

Mix enchilada sauce with half & half. Spread roughly 3/4 c. of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture and shredded cheese, roll-up, then place side by side in dish. Pour remaining sauce on and top with more cheese. Bake at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes.

Valentines

2012-02-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is coming!! During the Super Bowl my mother-in-law and I made some fun little Valentine Cards for our friends and family. You have not lived until you've seen all of her card making supplies - stickers, brads, ribbons, paper, stamps, cricket and cartridges, etc. It was so fun to let the creative juices flow and make some fun cards.

Polo T Refashion

2012-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

The day my husband decides to get ride of some of his shirts, is the happiest day ever! I just had to trim up the sides, cut off the sleeve, and sew it all back together. I took an XL Men's Polo to a cute feminine top.

My favorite thing about refashioning a men's shirt is that it gives it so much more length. I love me a long shirt.

What gives this Polo its femininity is the poofy sleeve. It's not too much, but just enough. Before I sewed on the sleeve, I basted the top of the sleeve and scrunched it to help get the little poof look. I think it turned out pretty cute. So comfy too!!!

My Blankie

2012-02-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

I find myself always having some kind of project going on. So when I have those moments of...'hm, what should I do?', I always have something to work on! This was one of those projects. I had a bunch of little scraps of fabric, and I was tired of these little fat quarters all over the place.

So I cut up a bunch of 4"x4" squares, sewed an entire row together, then the rows together. Put a little border around it to make it a bit bigger. And I found the softest, cutest, most cozy zebra fleece. When I finally finished, my husband said, "wow, that is definitely your kind of blanket!"

I'm lovin' it.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2012-02-01T13:03:00.001-08:00

I was in need of some yummy comfort food. So thanks to Alton Brown I found this recipe for Baked Macaroni and Cheese and it truly was perfect. I didn't alter it one bit, and I'm glad I didn't, everyone loved it!!

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:

3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf.

Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

Rolo Cookies

2012-01-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

These cookies don't need a fancy-catchy name. They also need no introduction. There is just one rule to making these cookies: 1. After you take the first batch out of the oven, you have to take a glass of milk, and a cookie, sit down and enjoy every single bite. This is a cookie that is made to be thoroughly enjoyed.

Rolo Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups baking cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

48 Rolos (chocolate covered caramels)

4 oz. white chocolate

1. Soften butter (I put a stick in the microwave for 11 seconds and it's usually the perfect amount of softness)

2. Add the sugar and brown sugar to the butter. Cream the sugars and butter until smooth (about 2 minute)

3. Add the eggs, beat well.

4. Add the vanilla.

5. In a separate mixing bowl combine the flour, baking cocoa, and baking soda.

6. Slowly add in the flour mixture to the other mixture.

7. Chill the dough for about 20 minutes so it's easier to roll.

8. Take a spoonful of dough, place an unwrapped Rolo in the middle and gently surround the Rolo with dough. Roll so the Rolo is completely covered with cookie dough.

9. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes (I did 9 minutes).

10. When cooled drizzle white chocolate over cookies. They look as delicious as they taste!

Mommy Bag

2012-01-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

For Christmas my wonderful husband got me this awesome book. My sister, my mom and I all found a bag we liked out of the book and a few fun sewing sessions. This was the bag I came up with. I absolutely love it. I love all of the pockets. The more I sew and do fun projects, the more I realize, it's ALL about the fabric. Cute fabric is key. Don't just settle when it comes to finding fabric for your project, make sure you love it first!

It is a bit large, but I like it. I love the big button too. I'm excited to make another bag! Maybe I'll make my little girl a purse, she's been carrying around a paper bag with all of her toys in it...

Giveaways

2012-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm currently doing 2 giveaways! Go check them out! They're both giving away a whole bunch of other stuff, so go enter to win!!

and here's to you, Mrs. Robinson :
http://megancamille.blogspot.com/

Jewelry by Sebastian Design:
http://www.facebook.com/jewelrybysebastiandesign

Good luck!!!

New and Improved

2012-01-25T10:05:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to come up with a new and improved design for the baby boots for quite some time. And finally one day it just came to me!! These boots don't have a flap, but a strap in the back so it makes it a whole lot easier to adjust the size and help them stay on easier. Plus I think it helps them look a bit more masculine (but still cut and feminine at the same time).

I can still make this style in any of the other fabrics. Same price, better functionality.

I am in love with the Herringbone pattern.

Use the Velcro strap to make as tight as you'd like.

Come see them at my shop!

Orange-Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

2012-01-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

I took an old favorite and added some orange zest, craisins, white chocolate chips and nutmeg for a delicioso cookies! You'll have to try these. I wish you could smell through the computer, because the orange zest in these make the whole kitchen smell so amazing.

Orange-Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 c. water

1 tsp. vanilla

Zest of one medium sized orange (about 1 tsp.)

1 c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3 c. oats

1 c. white chocolate chips
1 c. dried cranberries

Cream the shortening and sugars. Add the egg, water, vanilla and orange zest. In a separate bowl sift the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together. Add the flour mix. Add the oats, and mix just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Yummers!!

Stripe Quilt

2012-01-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

One of my good friends just had a baby boy, and I had a crafty craving - I had to make her something. So luckily the fabric store had 25% off minky fabric (with an additional 10% off coupon), and 20% off baby flannel. So I saved almost $20.

I bought:

1 3/4 yards of the brown minky fabric

1/3 of a yard for 4 different flannels (I have pictured 5 different fabrics, but I decided to use a bit of the minky on front instead).

I then cut each fabric into two pieces, some 6", some 8", some 4", I wanted all the strips different sizes. The blanket is then 45" wide. I like to always lay out the strips before I sew them so that you don't have polka dots and stripes next to each other, or two of the same color right next to each other.

Then sew the strips together, pretty sides together, so the seams are hidden.

Then press the seams with an iron.

Lay the sewn strips down over the minky, and trim so that there are about 2-3" on each side.

Fold the sides over, so that you're hiding the raw edge. Pin one side in place, sew, then pin a different side and sew.

I then did a stay stitch at about every square foot to help keep the two sides together. I did this rather than professionally quilting the blanket, and also rather than tie the quilt. By doing a small backstitch, you can't even see it, and it helps the blanket not separate.

All finished!!! Cute, cuddly and ready for a cute and cuddly baby!

Calzones

2012-01-12T18:01:00.001-08:00

These were so quick, so easy, and so delicious.

4 servings:

8 Frozen Rhodes Rolls
2 cups pizza sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella
1 cup cubed ham
1 cup diced pepperoni
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the frozen rolls put evenly. Let them thaw and raise a bit for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Flatten and spread out the dough like you were tossing a big ole' pizza crust. Lay the flattened roll on the same cookie sheet, spread a spoonfull of pizza sauce and spread on the roll - leaving about 1/2" around the edge. Layer cheese, ham, pepperoni, and a bit more sauce. Take another flattened roll, and with your finger poor some water around the edge of each flattened roll. lay the roll on top of the stuffed one and press around the edges to seal it.

Make a few slits with a knife so your canzone can breathe.

Beat your egg in a small bowl. Using a brush, apply a thin layer of the egg over each canzone. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dip in excess pizza sauce.

Enjoy!

Delish Crepes

2012-01-07T14:09:00.001-08:00

I discovered the best crepe recipe over Christmas break thanks to The Neville family cook book.

1 cup flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup melted butter
3 eggs

Beat eggs. Add sugar, salt, and milk while whisking. Then slowly add floor while whisking, avoid the lumps! Few lumps are fine. Then stir in the melted butter.

Heat pan to medium heat, melt butter on pan, pour out a thin layer of batter, cook until the eggs peel away and the bottom is becoming golden brown. Flip, cook for a few more seconds to brown.

We like to eat them with a spoonful of fat free sour cream and some brown sugar, add blueberries and strawberries.

Enjoy!

T-Shirt Refashioning

2011-11-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

My husband had a shirt that was now too small for him. I had always loved this shirt. I couldn't bring myself to giving it away. So I decided to do a little refashioning. This was the XL button up:

These were the cuts I made to make the shirt work for me. I made sure to leave about 1/2" for seam allowance. I also removed the pocket.

I sewed in the sides, re-hemmed the bottom, took in the sleeves, and sewed the sleeves back on. I used the strip of fabric I cut off the bottom of the shirt as my ruffle.

Viola! Good as new.

Black Friday

2011-11-23T11:35:00.000-08:00

Selected styles will be on sale for Black Friday!! If you're not out with the crazy shoppers, you can stay home and be on you computer and still be a crazy shopper.

Sale will be on selected styles and until supplies last.

The Reward

2011-11-23T10:42:00.000-08:00

I had one of my customers email me this cute photo of her little girl sporting my Millie boots. I just think she is the cutest thing ever.

(Photo used with permission)

Even though some days I feel like all I do is boots boots boots - I have absolutely loved having this little business. I have an amazingly supportive husband - who probably wouldn't want me posting about how he even helps cut out fabric for me!! And I definitely wouldn't be able to do this all without my mother - who would take pride in me posting about the many boots she's cut out, and buttons she's sewn on. A big thanks to all of my customers - I couldn't do this without you! Bring on Christmas rush!!

White Bean Chicken Chili

2011-11-18T14:16:00.000-08:00

This is one of my new favorite dishes. It does have a little heat - but I like to think the spicier the better! It's great for the winter months. Enjoy!

White Bean Chicken Chili

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cans (15-1/2 oz.) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Chicken Broth

2 cans (4 oz. each) Chopped Green Chilies

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup skim milk (recipe calls for whipping cream, but who needs the extra calories!?)

In a large skillet, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder in the olive oil until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sour cream and milk. Serve immediately.

Come One, Come All

2011-11-17T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Bijou Market starts tomorrow morning at 10 and goes until 8. Then Saturday from 10-5. Come check out all of the cute and fun handmade goods. Just in time for Christmas gift shopping!

Make sure to find my little baby boots!

100th Sale Discount

2011-11-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I just made my 100th sale! And I want to celebrate by giving all of my friends and family a big ole' discount. For 100 hours (starting tonight at Midnight...and going through Wednesday morning at 4:00 am), I am selling these boots for only $14!!! That's a savings of $8!

If you live in Utah and would like to pick them up and save on shipping cost, then email me and I'll give you a coupon code so shipping won't be included.

Promotion will end on Wednesday morning, or while supplies last. Promotion will end when the boots have been sold out.

The Bijou Market

2011-10-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have the privilege to sell my cute little boots at the Bijou Market this November! I'll be at the Provo location, and I can't wait. It's so fun to see everything that the vendors sell. You wont' be disappointed, you'll have to come to check it out. It's also perfect time to buy all of your Christmas gifts. I'm so excited to be a part of it.

Cowboy Caviar

2011-10-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

I didn't name it, but somehow the name sticks.

Cowboy Caviar

1 can of black beans

1 can of Green Giant White Shoepeg Corn

1 avocado

1/2 cup salsa

2 diced Roma tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Dice the tomatoes and avocado. Mix it all together, let it chill for a few hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips, YUM!

Crunchy French Toast

2011-10-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

Crunchy French Toast

For 6 slices:

6 Texas Toast Bread Slices

3 Eggs

1/3 Cup Buttermilk (or regular milk if it's all you have)

2 cups Corn Flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray non-stick cooking spray on your cookie sheet.

2. Whisk eggs and add milk. Smash corn flakes.

3. Take a slice of Texas toast and dip both sides in the egg and milk mixture. Then dip in smashed corn flakes, you may need to pat the bread down into the flakes to make sure some stick to each side. Place on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Take the cookie sheet out and flip the bread over and cook for another 9-10 minutes on the other side. The corn flakes should brown slightly.
5. Serve with this caramel syrup.

Enjoy!!

The Q

2011-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

My husband works for Qualtrics. His boss just had twins... I couldn't resist.

Boots Boots Boots

2011-10-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

My Etsy Shop has caught on like wildfire!! It's a great thing, but I'm so busy I don't have time to do other cutesy things! But there's always time to eat and try new recipes - I'll see what I can come up with!

Quiet Book: Reveal

2011-09-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

It was my goal to finish this book by my daughters first birthday, and I finished with 2 weeks to spare! I spent under $25 for all of the supplies, and more than 25 hours making it. I am excited to have this for all of my children (it better last that long!). I decided to name it 'Our' Quiet Book, so when there are multiple children trying to play with it, the word 'My' won't be part of it.

Everything is cut out by hand, then glued or sewn together. It's all made out of a heavy felt (cheap and soft).

Red: You have to collect all of the apples and place them in the basket.

The pages are made from a durable apparel cotton-weight fabric. Then there is a layer of interfacing to make the pages a bit more durable. Then there is also a layer of quilt batting to make the pages a big more cushy. They ended up being thicker than I wanted, but it works!

Orange: The fishes snap on and off.

To do all of the words, I used Microsoft Word, found fonts I liked, then printed it out. Cut the words out by hand, then slowly traced them onto to felt and cut them out from there. It was tedious, but so worth it!

Yellow: The flowers button on and off.

To finished the edges of the pages I just used store-bought bias tape.

Green: The tent zips open and shut. The fire also Velcros on and off.

The biggest help in making this book was actual Felt Glue. It doesn't seep through the felt, it doesn't make the felt super hard after it dries, you can't see the glue through it, and it works like a charm!

Blue: Learn to lace up a shoe, and practicing tying a bow/knot.

The thing that took the longest while making this book, was finishing every single piece that wasn't glued to the page (ie., all of these grapes, the fishes, the cupcakes, etc.). The felt would pull and fray if you don't finish the edge.

Purple: The grapes Velcro on and off.

One thing that helps make this book more neat, is doing two layers for the pieces that have Velcro or a snap on the back. It looks tacky if you can see the stitching for something like that.

Pink: The cupcake tops snap on and off.

A project like this may take a long time, but by breaking the tasks up into pages you still feel like you're accomplishing something. I always tried to work on one little thing while we were watching a TV show or a movie so that I felt like I was taking advantage of the time I had just sitting there. With something like this that you're going to have for your family for a long time, it's OK to take a long time making it!

Black: Play tic-tac-toe! The X's and O'x Velcro on and off.

To attach the pages, I decided just to do button holes, then slip in a 3 inch metal ring to keep them all in place. That way if one of the books gets damaged I can simply take it off and fix it or replace it. I can also add pages this way! I'm excited to actually put this to use!

White: The snowman's hat Velcro's on and off, and his body buttons on and off.

Fresh Summer Tortellini

2011-09-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Fresh Summer Tortellini
1 Refrigerated Cheese Tortellini package (9 oz.)
2 cups of chopped tomatoes
3 ears of corn (or an 8 oz. frozen corn bag - thawed)
1/4 cups fresh minced basil (you need it fresh, it makes such a yummy difference!)
12 Spears of asparagus
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
2 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

Cook you tortellini according to the package directions. When there is 5 minutes left, add the corn. Once it's finished cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put tin foil on a cookie sheet and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread out asparagus, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 12-14 minutes. Chop up spears in 1 inch pieces.

Chop the tomatoes. Mince basil, and mix with the tomatoes. Add the asparagus and Parmesan. Add the olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix and combine with the corn and tortellini.

Enjoy!

The Winner is...

2011-09-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

Marie Green!*

Congrats Marie, and thank you to everyone who entered into the contest! For those of you who entered, I'll send you an email with a coupon code to get a pair of boots of your choice for 30% off!

They come in sizes:

0-3 months

3-6 months

6-9 months

9-12 months

and a bigger size with a "Non-slip" bottom upon request.

Here are a few new styles:

Check out my etsy shop here.

*For those of you wondering how I chose the winner...I took all of the entries and put them in an excel spreadsheet, so that each entry was given a number. Then I went to www.random.org, and used the random generator. Marie was #26 and that's the number that the generator popped out! Try again next time!

Giveaway: beck-a-boo Baby Boots

2011-08-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

I've had so much fun making these little boots, so I decided to sell them! To get the word out, I'm going to give away this pair for free. Free. No delivery fee. No nothing. All you have to do is enter to win! Even if you don't have a baby of your own, enter for the give away and you can give them to your friend, adorable niece, granddaughter, neighbor or whoever as a gift.

Here's how to enter:

Comment. Leave a comment with your email address. Easy as that, you've entered into the giveaway!

For 2 bonus entries:

Follow this blog. Leave an additional comment telling me your a follower and you have another entry into the giveaway!

Blog/and or Facebook about this giveaway. Leave another additional comment with a link to your blog.

Good luck!

The contest ends a week from today, Wednesday, September 7th at midnight MST. e

Quiet Book: Sneak Peek

2011-08-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

I started making this Quiet Book a few months ago, and I'm almost done! I only have two more pages to go, then I have to figure out how to put it all together. In the mean time, here's a little sneak peek of a few of the pages I've completed:

Stay Tuned!

Two-Handed Hot Pad

2011-08-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Two-Handed Hot Pad

Heat-resistant fabric (or Insul-Brite batting)

Fabric (I actually used an outdoor canvas type of fabric to make it a little less resistant to kitchen messes).

Bias Tape

1. Cut.

(1) 6-1/2" x 50" piece of Fabric

(1) 6-1/2" x 50" piece of a different Fabric

(1) 6-1/2" x 50" piece of Insul-brite (if you have a heat-resistant fabric then you won't need one of the other pieces listed above).

(2) 6-1/2" x 8" piece of Insul-brite

(2) 30" pieces of bias tape

(2) 6-1/2" piece of bias tape

(1) 5" piece of bias tape

2. Sew Fabric to Heat-resistant batting

To keep you heat-resistant batting place and to prevent from bunching you need to sew a checkerboard pattern to connect (1) piece of cotton and (1) piece of heat-resistant batting. The right side of the heat-resistant fabric goes to the wrong side of the cotton. Sew diagonal all in one direction about 2" apart. Then turn it around and go the other way.

3. Extra Protection.

Take your small piece of heat-resistant fabric, measure 8 inches in from the end of the large piece of heat-resistant/other fabric and pin on the top and bottom edges. Sew in place only on the top and bottom edges. Complete on both sides.

4. Attach other cotton fabric.

Sew the two long pieces of fabric together, wrong sides together. I sewed them together with a 1/4" seam allowance, and then zig-zagged the edges (or you could hem them with a serger if you have one).

5. Sew bias.

Take the 6-1/2" piece of the bias tape and sew it on the end of the hot pad. Do this for both sides. Then fold in 8" and pin in place.

6. Loop.

Take the 5" piece of bias and fold and pin in the middle of your hot pad.

7. Finish.

Sew on the long pieces of bias on each of the long sides of the hot pad.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream

2011-08-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on The Crafty Penguin, and the color of the frosting was what inspired me to make these delicious cupcakes. There's no added food coloring, just the blackberries! There are a few added steps in the cupcakes, but it's worth it, they're so fluffy and moist.

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, chopped up

1/2 cup boiling water

2-1/2 cup cake flour (I used all-purpose flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter (salted)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs (separated)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

Prep: Line mini muffin pan with mini cupcake wrappers. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Sift the flour and backing soda in a separate bowl and set aside.

2. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites and set aside.

3. Pour the boiling water into a bowl with the chopped up chocolate chips. Continue to stir until all of the chocolate is melted. Put the bowl in the fridge to cool the chocolate until you are ready to add it to the batter.

4. Cream the butter and sugar in your stand mixer for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, just until combined.

6. Slowly mix in the chocolate.

7. With a spatula fold in a 1/3 of the flour mixture. Fold just until combined. Fold in 1/2 of the buttermilk. Fold in another 1/3 of the flour. Fold in the other half of the buttermilk. And then the rest of the flour mixture.

8. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a whisk until medium peaks form. (This may take about 10 minutes). Then fold the egg whites into the batter. Do not over-mix.

9. Scoop the batter into the mini cupcake tins with a small ice cream scoop. Fill up about 2/3 high.

10. Bake for 12 minutes. Check with a toothpick, it should come out clean.

Blackberry Buttercream

1/3 cup butter

2 cups blackberries (1 cup for the buttercream, and 1 cup for decoration)

4 cups powdered sugar

Cream the butter and mix in 2 cups of powdered sugar. Add the blackberries. Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar until it has your desired thickness. Frost your cupcakes, and add a blackberry on top! Delicious and beautiful!

Baby Gift

2011-08-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

My new favorite baby gift.

Fresh Peach Pie

2011-08-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Fresh Peach Pie
6 fresh peaches
Peel. Slice. Set aside.

Crust:
1-1/2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

I used 12 graham crackers. I put them in a blender and they turned out perfect. Combine the crushed graham crackers and sugar. Stir in the melted sugar until mixed well and moist. Press into pie dish and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling:
1 cup peach nectar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 small package Jell-o vanilla pudding (cook and serve)
2 Tbsp. butter

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan. (I couldn't find peach nectar, the closest thing I found was Orange Peach Mango Juice, and it worked great). Turn on medium heat, and stir. Do not bring to a boil. Heat until the mixture is thick and clear. Cool. (I put mine in the fridge for about 20 minutes).

Place your sliced peaches in your crust. Pour your filling over top. Chill in the fridge until you serve. There are few things as delicious as fresh peaches and a yummy graham cracker crust.

"Not So Snappy" Gingersnaps

2011-07-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

Another yummy recipe from my mother-in-law's wonderful collection of recipes. I love these cookies, because they have so much flavor. They're not hard and crunchy, but soft and yummy. That's why they're not "snappy".

"Not So Snappy" Gingersnaps

6 Tbsp margarine

1 cup sugar

Extra sugar for rolling

1 egg - beaten

1/4 cup Molasses

2 tsp. vinegar

2 cup flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Cream the margarine and sugar. Add the egg, molasses, and vinegar - mix well.

In a separate bowl sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Roll dough in balls, roll in sugar (if you'd like). Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 8-12 minutes. (I cooked mine for about 9 minutes).

Enjoy!

Baby Booties

2011-07-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to attempt making my baby little booties. There are the cutest booties all over, but I finally found a great tutorial and pattern here on Tao of Craft. My baby is 9 months old so I made the 6-12 month size, but they were huge, so I made the 3-6 month size and they were perfect. The great thing about making your own shoes is you can adjust the width or length or height as much as you want! This was the pattern I followed:

Step 1: Cut the pieces

These were all of the necessary pieces:

Cut out each of the pieces to the pattern. The 'top of the shoe', the 'sole', and the 'strap'. There are 16 total pieces.

Top of shoe: 2 Main fabric, 2 liner fabric, 2 interfacing

Sole: 2 Outer sole fabric, 2 liner sole, 2 interfacing

Strap: 2 Main fabric, 2 interfacing

Step 2: Top of shoe

Iron on the interfacing to the top of the shoe fabric. Trim off the excess interfacing, if any.

Step 3: Sole

Iron on the interfacing to one of your sole pieces. Iron on the lining piece of fabric to the outer sole fabric. Trim so they are even.

Step 4: Strap

The interfacing should only cover half of the strap. Iron on the interfacing.

Sew on a 3/4 inch piece of Velcro to the outside of the strap.

Fold in half, with "pretty" sides together. Sew along the edge, leaving one of the shorter ends open.

Turn inside out. Iron each strap.

Step 5: Top of Shoe

Put the top of the shoe fabric facing up, lay the strap with the Velcro also facing up. Place the lining fabric face down. Only sew the inside "U". Do NOT sew the outer edge.

Press the seams.

Sew the heel of the shoe together. Sew the "pretty" sides together.

Turn inside out. Iron the entire top of the shoe.

Trim to make the pieces the same size.

Step 6: Attach the Sole

This is a tricky and tedious step. You have to pin very carefully to match the sole to the top of the shoe. Lay the top of the shoe with the lining side facing down. Place the sole on top of the shoe with the lining side facing up.

(This is a flipped image of the one above). Once sewn, turn inside out.

Step 7: Velcro

Sew on the other piece of Velcro where the strap falls.

Step 8: Enjoy!

I'm excited to bedazzle them with little flower and cutesy things. Also, once my baby starts walking I'll probably use a lat heavy duty fabric like faux suede and a heavy canvas or heavy home decor fabric. But for now, this cute cotton works!

Scrap Quilt

2011-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

If you're like me you probably have a bunch of little scraps of fabric that you used for different sewing projects along the way. You held on to those scraps thinking, "someday I'll use this little piece for something". Well this is your something!! These are actually all of my mom's leftovers, but I made the cutest little quilt with them.

I made a quilt for my baby last summer, and while I was purchasing the fabric that lady at the fabric store told me, "the best quilts have all coordinating fabrics with the same colors all through out all of the fabrics." Well quilt lady, I say to you, the more random the better! The less the colors go together the better. Random and non-matching is a beautiful thing.

I pieced each square. Then sewed the rows. Then the rows together. Sewed the back, the batting and front with the "pretty" sides together. Flipped it inside out. Tied it. Then sewed a nice little 1/2 seam around the edge for a nice finished look.

The back:

Old Fashioned Snickerdoodles

2011-07-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Snickerdoodles

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream the shortening and sugar. Add in the eggs.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cream of tartar. Mix in with the shortening, sugar and eggs.

Chill the dough for 30-45 minutes. Then roll in:

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes with Caramel Syrup

2011-07-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. canola oil

In a small mixing bowl - sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon.
In a separate mixing bowl - whisk the buttermilk, egg, honey and oil until well combined. Mix in the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Cook on a medium-low heat on a skillet or griddle. Should be light, fluffy and golden-brown.

Caramel Syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda

On medium-high heat melt the butter in a saucepan. Mix in the sugar until it's almost dissolved and then add the milk. Stir in the vanilla and corn syrup.
Let it come to a boil and keep at a boil for 4-5 minutes or until it thickens.
Then add the baking soda to give the syrup a nice frothy texture.

Enjoy!!

Pants to Dress

2011-07-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

My husband had some pants that were now too short, so I cut them off to make them into shorts. So with some well hemmed pieces of fabric I decided to make something for my baby girl.

I started out with one picture ... but then I got way too excited and just kept going and no more pictures were taken until this cute little dress was all finished! I had some extra piping from some pillows I had done, and extra buttons from a headboard I made....who knew that scraps from a pair of pants, a pillow and a headboard could make a cute little dress!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-07-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Another yummy family recipe! The applesauce accounts for a lot of the fat, so they won't leave you with that guilty regret. They're light, fluffy, and so yummy!

Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup applesauce

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips

Cream the shortening and sugar. Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat in the applesauce and eggs with the shortening and sugar. Mix in the dry ingredients until well combined. Add the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. This is a very cake-like cookie, you don't want them to be under-cooked and gooey. Take them out of the oven when the edges are a nice golden-brown. Enjoy!

Oreo Bon-Bons

2011-06-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Oreo Bon-Bons

1 bag of Oreos

1 block of cream cheese (8 oz.)

1 lb. vanilla-flavored candy coating (see note)

Crush Oreos in a gallon-size Ziploc bag with a rolling pin (or in a bowl with a potato masher). Mix the crushed Oreos and cream cheese in a large bowl until very well blended. (This takes 5-6 minutes.) Cover the mixture and let sit in the refrigerator for one hour.

Roll into small ball shapes. (To aid in the dipping process, return rolled balls to refrigerator and let sit several minutes until firm. Remove half of the batch at a time when dipping.) Dip the balls into melted candy coating and set on wax paper to harden. This should be done fairly quickly to prevent candy coating from hardening before all rolled balls have been dipped. Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cook’s note: Vanilla-flavored candy coating, such as Candiquik, or Almond bark, is usually available in the same grocery aisle as the chocolate morsels. It is usually sold in 1-lb. packages. It is sometimes called white chocolate candy coating. Follow package directions to melt.

Homemade Twix Bars

2011-06-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

It never crossed my mind to make my own candy bar. But I saw this recipe here, it looked delicious, and I had to try them.

Homemade Twix Bars

Cookie:

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Caramel:

1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar

Chocolate:

1-1/2 cups Cadbury milk chocolate (I used Ghirardelli milk chocolate)

1. Mix the cookie ingredients until it is all combined and crumbly, do not over-mix. Pat down in a greased 9x9 glass pan. Bake for 325 degrees for 20 minutes. You don't want the cookie to be under-cooked, it's supposed to be a little crunchy.

2. While the cooking is baking - combine the caramel ingredients in a saucepan, turn to medium-high heat, and constantly stir until it boils. Once the caramel comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and continue to constantly stir for 5 minutes.

3. Pour the caramel over the hot cookie. Place in the fridge and let it cool for at least an hour.

4. Melt the chocolate and pour over filling. Let it cool again for up to an hour before cutting.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

2011-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

I have my mother-in-law to thank for this wonderful recipe. I didn't change a thing to it. It is one of the best cakes a person could possibly make! So delicious.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake
1 package of yellow cake mix
3.5 oz. instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 cup soft margarine
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, margarine, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
2. Beat for 10 minutes. This may seem like a long time, but it's necessary to get a nice fluffy cake.
3. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.
4. Turn half of the batter in a greased bundt pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the sugar mix on top of the batter. Add the remaining batter and top with the remaining sugar mix.
5. Swirl with a knife to create a swirl of the sugar and cinnamon into your cake.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Allow the cake to completely cool before slicing and serving.

Waist Apron Tutorial

2011-06-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is almost exactly like the apron here and there was a request for a quick tutorial, so here it is. There are a lot of similarities to this apron. So first off, grab your supplies:

I then took a square piece of fabric, held it up to my waist and measured the width and length I wanted it - your dimensions might be different than mine :). But make sure to make it 3-4 inches longer than your desired length. Then I finished the edges of that entire piece.

Next, make your yellow ruffle. Increase the length of your stitch on your machine to 4.5. Do not do a back stitch.

Pull on the bottom thread and pull the fabric in the opposite direction. Watch your little ruffle come to life!

Pin and sew the ruffle directly on the back.

Next, cut some straps. sew with pretty sides together, creating a long tube. Turn inside out and iron flat. Sew next to your ruffle on the back of your apron.

Fold the extra few inches of fabric down over the strap to reinforce it.

I added a little pocket, I always have my phone on me, so this little guy does the trick perfectly!

There you are! A quick little waist apron. Let me know if you need more details or have any questions!

Flower Onesie

2011-06-21T13:59:00.000-07:00

Another little onesie. I did the same thing as the onesie I made here. I cut out all of the pieces, made sure they fit, then cut out a matching piece of bonding paper. Ironed on the pieces, and with this onesie I decided to make this one a little extra durable. It took a lot more time, but I think it's worth it. I just found a stitch on my sewing machine that goes in a UUUU shape. I went very slowly to make sure that I was carefully following the edges. Like I said, it took a little longer, but definitely worth it.

Chicken Parmigiana

2011-06-19T19:38:00.000-07:00

Chicken Parmigiana

4 Chicken breasts

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 cup of fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups tomato pasta sauce

4 slices of Mozzarella

12 oz. of uncooked pasta

1. Pour the oil in a saute pan and turn to medium heat. While the oil is heating through prepare the chicken breasts. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Dip each chicken breast in the flour, pat off excess. Dip in the beaten eggs. Cover in fresh bread crumbs (take a slice of whole wheat bread and use a cheese grater to get your fresh crumbs).

3. Softly lay the chicken breast in the hot oil. It shouldn't be hot enough to "spit" back at you. Let your bread crumbs brown and your chicken begin to cook. Turn after 3-4 minutes, and let the other side brown for another 3-4 minutes. Once your chicken has browned let it rest for a minute on a paper towel to soak up some of the oil.

4. Pour the pasta sauce into a greased baking dish. Lay your browned breaded chicken breasts in your baking dish.

5. Bake for 20-23 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, cook your pasta.

6. Pull out the dish and place a slice of Mozzarella on each piece of chicken. Place back in oven and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes.

7. Serve your chicken on top of your pasta with any excess pasta sauce.

It's a delicious meal, and one of my husbands favorite!

Waist Apron

2011-06-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's all about the cute fabric.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2011-06-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Pizza Dough
1 - 1 1/2 breasts of chicken
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup Mozzarella
1/3 cup Sharp Cheddar
3 or 4 strips of turkey bacon
1 Tbsp. of chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook chicken. Bake in an oven at 350 for 25 minutes. Shred and combine with about 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce. Cover and store in your fridge until the rest of your pizza is prepared.
2. Cook the bacon, but not all the way. Chop and set aside.
3. Prepare the pizza dough. You can either do a refrigerated pizza dough, or you can use this recipe:
1 1/2 cups of warm water
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 1/2 cups of flour
Place the sugar, warm water and yeast in a mixing bowl. Let it rest for about 10 minutes until the yeast gets bubbly. Add the salt. Mix in 1 1/2 cups of flour. Once well combined mix in another 1 1/2 cups of flour. Add more flour until the dough comes away from the edges of your bowl (a little sticky, but not too sticky). Put the dough in a greased bowl and let it rise for 30-45 minutes. Roll out in a circle and place on your greased pan.
4. When putting the pizza dough on the pan, roll up the edges to create a crust. Spread out the BBQ sauce. Spread the chicken. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon.
5. Bake in a preheated oven set to 425 degrees. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on the cooked pizza. And enjoy!!!

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder

2011-06-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder
2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup diced onion
1 sweet red pepper
2 cloves or garlic
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can (12 oz.) 2% evaporated milk
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (4.5 oz.) green chiles
1 can (14.75 oz.) cream-style corn
1 can (14.75 oz.) whole kernel corn
1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
Bacon
Cilantro

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place in greased cooking dish. Cook 2 chicken breasts in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. The chicken should shred easily.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the soup. In a large pan saute the onion in a tablespoon of butter. After a few minutes add the red pepper and garlic. Once the onions, and peppers are tender, add the thyme and flour.

Stir in the chicken broth and evaporate milk. Keep on medium-high heat until it thickens. Add the tomatoes, chiles, cream-style corn, corn, barbecue sauce, salt and pepper. Add in the shredded chicken. Turn down the heat, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Top it off with some crispy bacon and fresh cilantro. It's sweet and savory, one of my favorite dishes!

Side-note: This is "low-fat", because if you've ever made corn chowder, then you know that it usually has a whole bunch of butter, bacon grease, half-and-half, and anything else that is wanting to clog your arteries. So with the chicken stock base, and a bit of the low-fat evaporated milk, you'll be able to enjoy your soup without regret!

DIY Ribbon Board

2011-06-01T21:48:00.000-07:00

I have made several of these for other people, and I decided my own baby girl deserves one! So I took some coupons I had that were expiring, and I was able to buy all of my materials for under $10! (excluding the staple gun).

Lay your fabric face down. Place some quilt batting on top of that (the thickness is totally up to you). Then lay your cork board face down in the center of the fabric and batting. You want to make sure you have at least a 2 inch allowance on each of the four sides of the board.

Start in the middle of any side and staple the material and batting to the back of the cork board.

After completing one side, do the opposite side. Pull the fabric and batting slightly when stapling so that there is no slack in the fabric.

Take the ribbon (you can do one kind of ribbon, but I used 5 different ribbons to add a little more character) and lay it down diagonally across your board with about a 2 inch allowance on each end. You can pin the ribbons in place, or you can set them aside, and staple each ribbon one at a time. Before I staple the ribbon I always hold it in place, look at the front to make sure it's straight and parallel to the other ribbons, then staple.

Once you have completed all of the ribons facing one direction, to the others facing the opposite direction.

This time, you will want to weave the new ribbons with the ribbons that have already been stapled onto the board. The ribbons that are weaved should stay in place while you flip over the board to staple - once again, I usually make sure it's exactly where I want it before I staple it.

After stapling the fabric, batting, and ribbons, I like to trim all of the excess just to clean it up a bit. But it's the back, who cares what it looks like, no one will ever see it!

And there you have it!! I don't think it took me more than 20 minutes! It's darling, and I love it. You can place pictures under the ribbons or reminder notes or whatever you please - I'll be using it for all of my baby girls little hair bows!

Addictive Chocolate Cake

2011-05-31T19:40:00.000-07:00

After baking this cake you will NEVER want to make a cake from a cake mix ever again! It is so moist, so delicious, and with the surprising kick of cinnamon it will definitely leave you wanting more!

Addictive Chocolate Cake
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter (1 cube)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or applesauce for a healthier version)
1 cup water
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk (substitute by 1/2 cup milk & 1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon - set aside. Melt the butter, oil, water, cocoa. Combine the dry mixed ingredients and the melted ingredients. Beat in the buttermilk and baking soda. Then beat in the eggs, and add the vanilla. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes (test it by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake and it should come out clean).

Chocolate Frosting
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/4 cup softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
small amount of milk

Mix the cocoa, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until well combined and then add a splash of milk. If it's still too thick then add another small splash of milk. If your frosting is too runny then try to add a bit more powdered sugar.

Creamy Chicken Pasta

2011-05-27T19:58:00.000-07:00

Creamy Chicken Pasta

16 oz. Penne pasta

8 oz. sour cream

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup onion

3 gloves of garlic

3 Tbsp. flour

2 breasts of chicken, cubed

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. dried basil or 1 Tbsp. of fresh chopped basil

Saute the chicken in a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken from the pan. Saute the onion for about 2 minutes and add the garlic for another 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan.

Cook the penne until al dente (cooked, but still a little firm).

While the pasta is cooking, begin making the sauce. In another sauce pan mix the sour cream and chicken broth on medium heat. Whisk in the flour, continue to whisk until the sauce thickens.

Mix in the penne and sauce in with the chicken. Add the cheese and basil. (If using dried basil I usually mix it in directly to the sauce - if using fresh I would mix it in at the end).

Asparagus

Several spears of asparagus. Place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes (depending on the size of your spears and how firm you like it).

I just check on it every few minutes by stabbing your fork into the asparagus, your fork should go into the asparagus with ease, but take a little effort to get out. They shouldn't be soggy, but they also shouldn't be too crunchy.

If you have some left over shredded Parm, I would sprinkle some of that on in the last minute of cooking. Delish!

Enjoy!

DIY Baby Headband

2011-05-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is growing out of all of her little tights she wore as a new baby. They're all still in really good condition, so I decided to repurpose them.

I cut the legging portion of the tights off. Then I cut each of those two pieces in half - so you'll have four peices - enough for two headbands!

I then sew two of the pieces together - you will have two seams. Make sure the seams are facing the same way, so when you turn it inside out the edges are both facing inward. Then I take one of the seams, scrunch it up, and sew it in place.

Take a piece of ribbon (preferrably the same color as your leggins), wrap it around once and sew it in place. Then wrap it around again so you create a loop which you can attach bows to.

There you have it! You're own little make-shift headband.

Shrimp Paella

2011-05-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

This is a Spanish (as in from Spain) delicacy, and one of the few dishes from Spain that actually appeal to my taste buds!

Shrimp Paella

Prep: 25 min. Cook: 20 min.
Yield: 8 servings

1 medium sweet red pepper; chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. canola oil
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) vegetable broth
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley (or cilantro)

In a large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, sauté red pepper and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Add onions; cook 2 minutes longer or until red pepper is tender.

Stir in broth and seasonings; bring to a boil. Add shrimp; cook for 2-3 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink. Return to a boil. Stir in the couscous and peas.

Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Sprinkle with parsley (or cilantro).

*Recipe Note: You can substitute chicken for the shrimp, but if you're a seafood eater I strongly recommend the shrimp.

You can also use cooked shrimp which might be a little easier, just throw them in when you pour in your vegetable broth.

You also are supposed to garnish the dish with fresh parsley, but I do fresh cilantro to give it an extra little kick!

This time I actually used Authentic Israeli Whole Wheat Couscous - it was delicious but just took longer to cook.

Man-Catchin' Brownies

2011-05-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Yep, you heard me - Man-Catchin'. If you're single and looking, make these brownies and you won't be single for long! They won my husbands' heart.

Man-Catchin' Brownies

2 cups flour
2 cups oats
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1-1/2 cups cold butter
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 12 oz. jar Caramel ice cream topping

1. Whisk the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.
2. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture is crumbly - use a pastry cutter, or if you don't have one use two kitchen knives. The better the butter is cut in the mixture, the more moist your brownies with be.
3. Set half of the mixture aside. Press other half into a greased 13x9 inch glass baking dish.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips, and then drizzle the caramel until evenly spread out. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top.
6. Bake again at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
7. Cool for 2 hours before cutting for best results.

Pillow with Piping

2011-05-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

I was at the fabric store the other day, saw this fabric in the red tag section and fell in love with it. It was regularly $20 a yard, and I snatched it for $6 a yard! Yahoo! I decided I'd recover an old pillow. So I took out the stuffing from an old pillow, and cut out that piping so I could reuse it all. To make an 18" pillow you will need:

2: 19"x19" pieces of fabric

At least 73" of piping

At least 73" of your piping fabric

A form pillow, or a bunch of stuffing

First, prepare your piping:

Sew as close to the piping as possible without sewing on top of it. You want the piping to be nice and tight.

Take one piece of material with the 'pretty' side facing up. Take your piping and pin it so the piping and facing toward the center of your pillow and the rough edge is facing out. I snipped the corners of the piping to help them bend around the corners of the pillow.

After your piping is sewn to one piece of the pillow, pin your other piece of fabric, 'pretty' sides facing each other, and the piping is in between them.

When sewing the two pieces together, try to sew on the same seam you made when sewing the piping to the fabric. If you follow this same seam then you should be able to avoid sewing on top of your piping. Once again try to sew as close to your piping as possible, so that it pops out between the two sides of the pillow nicely.

Also, make sure to leave a 6" space on one side of your pillow to turn it inside-out. Do not sew your pillow shut!

Turn your pillow inside-out. Stuff your pillow. You don't have to stuff it 100% full if you're looking for more of a relaxed and casual look, or you can stuff it pretty tight for a bolder statement. Pin the hole in your pillow shut. Depending on your sewing machine, you can either hand-sew the hole shut, or use your machine. It make take a little more effort with the machine, but it will be a tighter stitch - just make sure to use a thread color that will blend in easily, and get as close to the piping as possible.

And there you have it! An inexpensive way to make a little pop to your couch, and add a little more color into your house.

Zucchini Pasta

2011-05-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Pasta

3 medium zucchinis

2-3 oz. linguine

1-2 chicken breasts

2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil or 2 tsp. Dried Basil

1/4 cup. Shredded Parmesan

1/4 Mozzarella

When determining how much linguine to cook - do about 1/3 of what you would normally cook for a pasta dish. This meal replaces a large portion of your carbs with zucchini, and it's even more delicious! Boil the linguine for about 7-8 minutes so it's still a little firm.

Cube your chicken in small bite size pieces. Cook on medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Once chicken is fully cooked, remove from pan.

Chop up your zucchini in very fine strips (as shown above). Put them in the same pan used to cook the chicken, and drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil on zucchini. Cook on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes until they're starting to bend - but not too soggy and flimsy, you still want a little bit of a crunch.

Add the chicken back into the pan. Add the basil. Then add the linguine and cheese. Combine the ingredients, heat through, and serve!

Blankie

2011-05-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

I found myself hours before a baby shower - with no gift! So I made do with what I had and came up with this fun little blanket. I had 1/2 yard of some super soft yellow fleece, and 1-1/2 yards of this little monkey baby fleece. So I cut 1 yard of the monkey for the back, then 6 inch strips of the other 1/2 yard of monkey and of the yellow.

Sew all of the strips together with the seams hiding underneath.

Sew the strips to the monkey fabric with the 'pretty' sides facing each other.

Do not sew the entire blanket shut. Keep a 10 inch opening to turn the blanket inside out.

After turning it inside out, sew it shut by turning down the edges - continue to sew a 1/4 inch seam around the edge. I also randomly did a few stitches throughout the body of the blanket to keep it from separating. A cute little warm blanket. It was a hit at the baby shower and the mama loved it!

Chicken Stromboli

2011-05-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

Chicken Stromboli

Refrigerated Pizza Dough (homemade or store bought - up to you!)

1 -1/2 cups fresh spinach

2 Roma tomatoes

2 chicken breasts

1-1/2 cups mozzarella

2 Tbsp Shredded Parmesan

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1. Cook the chicken the way that works best for you - in the oven, crock pot, frying pan, whatever!

2. Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle about 12x15 inches. Drizzle olive oil on the dough, sprinkle the Italian seasoning and the Parmesan on the dough as well.

3. Coarsely chop the spinach, and dice the tomatoes. Shred or chop the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken, spinach and tomatoes over the dough leaving a 1 inch margin all the way around.

4. Once all of your ingredients are spread on the dough, roll it up like a cinnamon roll. Pinch the sides shut. drizzle some more olive oil on top. Sprinkle a bit more shredded Parmesan cheese on top. Cut 3 slits on the top.

5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

6. Let your Stromboli cool for 10 minutes. Then slice in 1 inch pieces. Dip in your favorite marinara sauce.

7. Enjoy!!

Easy Onesie

2011-05-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

My baby girl goes through several onesies a day. This is a fun way to save some money, but still have a cute little stylish baby. Take some scraps of fabric left over from other projects. Buy a 5 pack of the plain white onesies for $8-$10 depending on where you buy them, and what brand you go with. Brainstorm a few ideas of what you could make with the fabric you have, draw up a little design, and go for it! Owls are all over the place, so I decided to go with a cute little colorful owl. Cut out your pieces:

Then cut out matching bond paper to each piece. Depending on the directions on the package - you should iron each piece of fabric to it's matching bond paper piece for about 2-3 seconds.

Pull off the fabric from the paper and place it on your onesie. Start with the bottom piece and work your way up. So I did the brown, then green, pink, eyes, beak and nose. Iron each piece for about 6-7 seconds until it is secure. If you use felt you should sew it on because the bond paper doesn't adhere very well to the felt.

If you really want to make it last sew the edge of each piece to enforce it. Within just a few minutes you've got a cute new little onesie! Anywhere from ties to butterflies the possibilities are endless!

Turkey Sliders

2011-05-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Turkey Sliders

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg

1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 avocado

2 Roma tomatoes

Romaine Lettuce

Steak Sauce

Dinner Rolls

1. Beat the egg in a large mixing bowl. Add the ground turkey, bread crumbs, onion and garlic powder, and pepper. Mix all of the ingredients until well combined.

2. Take a small handful of the ground turkey mixture, flatten, and place on grill.

3. Slice the avocado, the tomatoes and prepare the lettuce.

I usually use some fresh dinner rolls from the bakery - they're the perfect size for these little turkey sliders. We like to put a little splash of steak sauce on the burger, then add the avocado, tomato and lettuce. These turkey sliders are perfect for dinner to feed several people, or fun to serve at a party. These are so delicious, and since they're so small you don't feel guilty eating more than one...or more than two.

Guilt-free Banana Bread

2011-05-11T12:28:00.000-07:00

We always have bananas in our house. They're so yummy on cereal, in pancakes, and a great snack. But when it's really warm and humid, those bananas sure ripen quickly! So if I have a few bananas going bad I either throw them in the freezer to use later on, or I go ahead and make this delicious bread. We love it!!

Guilt-free Banana Bread
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1-1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
1 cup bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas)
1/4 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan. (I use a glass pan - it tends to cook the bread a little more evenly - but whatever you have will work!).
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the egg whites, applesauce and mashed bananas. Stir all of the ingredients just until it's combined, do not stir it too much or for too long. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.
3. Bake for 42-47 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Turn onto a wire rack and allow to cool before slicing.

Charles

2011-05-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

Another little toy for my baby girl. This little chicken is so cute to look at, to play with, to toss, and to poke. I love his little wings. Someday I might just make his little piggie and lamb friends.

Stuffed-Apple Cinnamon Rolls

2011-05-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

I just got a new cookbook with lots of delicious recipes, and I'm so excited to try them all out! This one I tried this morning, and it was fabulous.

1 package refrigerated pizza dough
Filling
2 cups shredded green apples (about 3 large apples)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon flour

Topping
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Glaze
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
1/2 teaspoon milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray a pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough into a rectangle approximately 12 x 18 inches. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 3-inch squares.
4. In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Divide evenly by putting a spoonful on each square of pizza dough. Pinch to seal shut forming a round ball. Place balls seam-side down in pie plate.
5. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of the dough. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes.
6. While the rolls are cooling, whisk the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle on top of the rolls and serve.

Bunny

2011-05-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

For my birthday my sister-in-law got me the best book! It's one of Martha's best books! I've decided to make my baby girl a little stuffed animal. This cute little bunny caught my eye. It was really quick and easy, and I might make a few more! She played with him all day today, so especially loves his ears.

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

2011-05-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup

Prep: 20 min. Cook: 20 min.
Yield: 6 servings

3 Italian turkey sausage links (4 oz. each), casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1-3/4 cups water1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (9 oz.) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1 pkg. (6 oz.) fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
2-1/4 tsp. minced fresh basil or ¾ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. pepper
Dash crushed red pepper flakes
Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Crumble sausage into a Dutch oven; add onion. Cook and stir over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.

Stir in tortellini; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-8 minutes or until tortellini are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach, basil, pepper and pepper flakes; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve with cheese if desired.

More Aprons

2011-05-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

While making aprons I decided to mix it up a little bit. I came up with 2 different styles other than the DIY apron below. Which one is your favorite?

DIY Apron

2011-05-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

Aprons have been the craze lately. Anywhere from ruffles and gathers, to straps and bow, it's more than just to protect your clothes when you're cooking - it's feeling cute while you're cooking! Here's a simple and easy way to make a quick and cute apron!

Step 1: These measurements are enough to make 2 aprons.

- 1 yard of the main fabric

- 1/2 yard for the straps

- 1/2 yard for the ruffle

Step 2: Cut the fabric

- Bottom: 22" x 22"

- Top: 14" H x 15" W

- Waist Strap: 2 pieces - 44" x 4"

- Neck Strap: 2 pieces - 22" x 3"

- Ruffle: 3 pieces - 44" x 4"

Step 3: Edges

This is the most tedious part - but worth it. I fold over the edges, twice, and sew it - so that when you wash the apron it won't fray.

Step 4: Sew Top & Bottom Together

Take your top piece and bottom piece (if your fabric has a pattern make sure the pattern is facing the same way), put the "pretty" sides together. Put the top piece right in the middle of the bottom piece. Pin together and sew.

Step 5: The Ruffle

Take the 3 pieces of fabric for your ruffle and sew them together. I make sure that at least one side is finished off. Then I change the width of my stitch on my sewing machine to about 4.5 instead of the usual 2.5. I stitch down the opposite side of the finished side. Do not do a backstitch. Grab the thread on the back of this stitch and pull. Hold the top thread still and pull the bottom thread. You'll notice your fabric will start to scrunch up. Continue to push down the gathers and pull the thread until your ruffle is all scrunched and ready to go!

Step 6: Sew on the Ruffle

Because of the gathers in a ruffle it will tend to spiral, so make sure to pin it to your apron to make the process of sewing it together a lot easier. The "pretty" sides are together, with the finished side of the ruffle towards the apron and the gathered side facing away from the apron.

Step 7: Neck Binding

Next, fold down the top 2 inches of the top piece of your apron. Sew it so there is a hole for your neck strap.

Step 8: Straps

Take the 2 pieces for your waist strap and sew them together, to make one long piece. Put the two sides together with the "pretty" side of the material on the inside. Once that is all sewn, sew one end of the strip - not both sides, only one. Then you have to turn this inside out.

The easiest way I've found to do this is to put a kitchen cooking spoon and pushing the finished end through, until you can pull the end all the was through.

Then finish the other open end. Then iron the strap for a nicer finished look.

Step 9: Neck Strap
Slide the neck strap you just made through the hole on the top of your apron. Sew a small stitch right in the middle of the top of your apron to make the strap stay in place.
Then scrunch up the top to lengthen the strap and give your apron a little character.

Step 10: Waist Strap
Follow the directions in step 8. Once complete pin your strap around the waist of your apron, in between the top and bottom pieces of your apron. Sew in place, and you're all finished!

This is just one way to make a fun apron. You can add pockets, no ruffle, a straight neck rather than a gathered neck, and many more alterations. The truth is, it's all about the fabric. The same design with different fabric can completely change your look. Have fun! I'd love to see what you can come up with!

Dedicated DIY'er

2011-05-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

I find that when I go shopping I have such a hard time buying anything I "could" make. So I always have some kind of project going on. Whether I'm sewing something for my baby girl, making a new decoration for my home, or just craftin' it up, I love creating! I also love finding new recipes, especially yummy desserts. If you have an tips or tricks for me, please share - I'd love to link your creations to my blog. Enjoy!