Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Toddler Cowl Scarf

I've been wanting to make a scarf for my daughter for awhile, and since I'm finished making Christmas presents, I was able to finally make one!


I happened to have some lavender bulky yarn sitting in my yarn stash to use.
 I used a 9mm hook and chained 40. Make a loop by slip stiching to the first stitch being careful not to twist it. Chain 2 (counts as double crochet). Then double crochet in each stitch around. Join with slip stitch. Repeat for a total of 9 rounds.


You will end up with a rectangular block. This is super simple to make and works up very quickly.






Thursday, November 21, 2013

Cheesy ham and potatoes

Here is a recipe I use when I buy a big smoked ham and have leftovers to use up.

The original recipe doesn't have the extra veggies in it, but I love veggies with cheese sauce so I figured they'd taste great added in. I had a frozen mix with brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts are extra yummy with cheese sauce! But you can use any frozen veggie mix you have on hand.


I steam the frozen veggies and add them in at the end.

 

6 cups potatoes (peeled and diced)
2 cups cooked ham (cubed)
1 small onion (chopped)
2 Tbsp butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
1 cup water
1 cup milk
 
Boil potatoes until fork tender. In a large dutch oven or heavy pan sauté onion in butter and oil until translucent. Add flour and seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze slowly with water while whisking. Then slowly add the milk while stirring. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Add ham and cook for a minute to warm ham. Remove from heat and add cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted. Add the potatoes after draining them. Add veggie mixture if desired.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

DIY Pumpkin Purée

Last time I made my own pumpkin purée, I peeled the pumpkin, chopped it up and boiled it, then purred it. It was so tedius that I never wanted to do it again! 

But I found a new method, that makes it so much easier! It's so much cheaper to make your own pumpkin purée then buying canned pumpkin. If you know a farmer that has a big garden and plants pumpkins, I can almost garantee you that you can ask for a free pumpkin. My step-mother plants pumpkins every year and so many grow that she has a hard time giving them all away!

To make your own pumpkin purée, follow these easy steps.

First, wash your pumpkin to remove any dirt/mud.

Then cut the pumpkin in half.



Then remove the seeds and scrape out all the stringy bits with a metal spoon. Place pumpkin cut side down in a roasting pan. Fill pan with a couple cups of water. 



My pumpkin was so big I could not fit both halves in the same roasting pan.

Bake pumpkin in a 350 degree oven for 90 minutes until pumpkin is tender. 
Scrape out pumpkin flesh and purée in a food processor or blender.


Freeze purée in the amounts of your choosing. Keep in freezer for up to 12 months. Thaw and use in your favorite pumpkin recipes as needed!





Friday, October 25, 2013

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

I had bought some zucchini for a new recipe I wanted to try, but didn't end up getting around to it. I didn't want the zucchini to go to waste, so decided to try a zucchini cookie recipe.


The batter seemed a little crumbly to me, I was worried they wouldn't work out, but they ended up being delicious! 

The cinnamon adds a bit of a warm taste, making these cookies perfect for this fall weather!

Ingredients:
1 cup, butter
2 cup, granulated sugar
2 eggs, beaten
4 cup, all purpose flour
2 tsp, baking soda
2 tsp, ground cinnamon
1 tsp, salt
2 small zucchini, grated (about 2 cups)
2 cup, semi-sweet choc chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
Cream butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt gradually, mix well. Stir in zucchini. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon unto cookie sheet with 2 inches between each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Let stand 2-3 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Cheddar Ham Soup

In an attemp to save money, I bought a 2kg smoked ham and tried to make as many meals out of it as possible.
Here was one of them...

Cheddar Ham Soup

2 cups diced peeled potatoes
2 cups water
1/2 cup slices carrots
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

In large saucepan, combine potatoes, water, carrots, and onion. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 10-15 mins or until tender.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Slowly add milk, salt and pepper. Bring to boil, cook and stir for 2 mins or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir into undrained potatoe mixture. Add ham and peas, heat through.

Really easy and quick to make. 

With that ham I was able to make a total of 6 suppers and enough leftovers from each meal for my husband to take to work for lunch the next day. I made 2 soups, each of which had enough leftovers for lunch for my daughter and myself as well as my husband! The other soup was the crockpot corn chowder I blogged about early.

One of the recipes I used was for ham and cheddar pockets and that gave me enough leftovers to freeze for 4 lunches for my husband. You can find that recipe here. I also added chopped green onions to this. Serve with salad or side of veggies!

  So in total, one 2kg ham made 6 suppers, and 13 lunches. For around $17 for the ham, I'd say that was pretty good bang for my buck!


Saturday, October 5, 2013

To Glorify God

I go to a woman's bible study at my church, and right now we are doing a study by Beth Moore called Breaking Free. The themes are based on the book of Isaiah, and the study is about discovering any areas of bondage in your life that may be keeping you from living the abundant and spirit-filled life that God intended for you.



I've done a few Beth Moore bible studies and have loved all of them because she digs into the word and the history of the specific book the study is on and I always find I learn so much. If you've never done a Beth Moore study, I strongly suggest it. They are seriously so good! And this one is no exception! It is only the second week of the study and I'm totally encouraged by her teaching. Today's homework really spoke to me. It was about glorifying God.

Beth listed a number of scriptures that talked about God's glory and what it was. Through studying the versus we learn that His glory is the way he makes Himself recognizable and shows who He is. In Isaiah 43:7 it says "Everyone who is called by name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Being created for God's glory means He wants to make Himself recognizable to us, and to make Himself recognizable through us. We were created to represent God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

Wow! Big shoes to fill! How are we as sinners supposed to represent God?! Jesus of course! John 1:14 talks of the Word becoming flesh (Jesus) the glory of the One and Only. Jesus came from the Father and became His glory. Colossians 1:27 reveals that Christ is in us, the hope of glory! "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." When we receive Christ as our saviour, the Holy Spirit then resides in us. I love the way Beth words it in the study, 'we glorify God to the degree that we externalize the internal presence of the living Christ.' Sobering words! Are we living in a way that reveals Christ through our actions and words? Are we living up to our purpose of glorifying God? Can others recognize Christ through us? This isn't an over night process by far! It won't come easy and we are sinners who will fall short, but there is hope.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 " Now The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of The Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from The Lord, who is the Spirit." God is changing us into Christ's likeness. As we grow in spiritual maturity, the Spirit of Christ becomes increasingly recognizable in us.

The lesson today has really inspired me and encouraged me to keep pursuing spiritual maturity so that I can glorify God. I want people to see God in me. I have fallen short so many times, and missed so many opportunities to glorify God, but I can take comfort in knowing The Holy Spirit is in me and each day is an opportunity to grow "into his likeness with ever-increasing glory." 

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

A new way to coupon!

It's been awhile since I posted a frugal tip. I am really excited about this one! This is a different angle on coupons.

I do look at coupons and I will use them, but ONLY if it's on a product that I would normally buy. I won't buy something just because there is a coupon for it. I actually think you end up spending more money doing that. Lots of coupons are for higher priced products, so even if you use a coupon for it, it may be more expensive then buying the regular priced version of a different brand.

The one downfall that I find with collecting coupons, is that I usually forget to take them to the store with me, and miss out on saving the money. So frustrating! Well, my post today solves this problem!


Recently my friend told me about a coupon app called Checkout 51. Each week the app uploads new coupon deals, each with a monetary value. After paying for your groceries, you take a picture of your receipt (if you have any of the items that have the deals) and the app accumulates the dollar value of the coupon until you reach $20. When you reach $20 you can request a cheque mailed to you!

I just signed up to this, and my first receipt upload gave me $4. So I haven't requested a cheque yet. Once I do, I will update this post with information on how long the cheque took to get to my mailbox. It depends on what deals the app offers as to how long it will take me to accumulate $20. Like I said, I won't be buying things just because they are the deals of the week. So hopefully there will be lots of products I buy on a regular basis!

Has anyone used this app and received a cheque? If so, I'd love to hear if you enjoy the app and how long the cheque took to appear in your mailbox.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

Lately my daughter hasn't been much of a breakfast eater. She will drink her milk but only takes a couple bites of her cereal and doesn't want any more. I am a firm believer that breakfast is super important so was not too pleased with her sudden disinterest. I decide maybe she just needed a change up from cereal, perhaps she was getting bored of it.

I tried out these banana oatmeal breakfast muffins. They are very healthy, (no sugar, just honey) and are also quite filling! I do have a major sweet tooth though, so I added a small handful of chocolate chips to the batter. These muffins are made with oats, flax and greek yogurt. I used my magic bullet to grind up the oats into an oat flour. 

It seems to have done the trick, because little monkey eats one right away and then wants more!





I had bought these silicone cupcake liners because I thought they would be cute for cupcakes for future birthdays for my daughter. I like to use them whenever I bake muffins because it gives me a dozen muffins where I don't need to use paper liners. Saves money, and garbage! Win win!




Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Crockpot Corn Chowder Soup

There was a little break in the summer heat this past weekend, Saturday was a bit drizzly and cool, so I made a soup for supper. I love homemade soups but don't enjoy eating them when it's super hot outside. So it was a perfect opportunity to try out this corn chowder recipe I found on Pinterest. 


It was pretty yummy, fairly cheap to make, fed us supper and had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. If a recipe makes enough to feed my family two meals, I call that a win in the frugal department! 


Ingredients:
6-8 potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kennel corn
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz diced ham
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup butter
2 cups half and half

Place potatoes, corn, broth, ham and onions in the crockpot. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Mash the mixture to desired consistency. Add butter and half and half. Turn crockpot to high and cook 30 minutes longer.



Saturday, September 7, 2013

Galatians 6:10

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

This was the verse of the day on my bible app. I found it quite fitting, as last night I had a friend offer to come over after my daughter went to bed so that my husband and I could have a date away from the house. As a godly woman and mom to young kids herself, she knows the importance of time alone with your spouse, and her generous offer was gratefully accepted! 

Hubby and I grabbed a yummy French Vanilla coffee from Tim Hortons and went for a walk around a local park. It was a very simple date but since it doesn't happen often, it was nice to do.

Sometimes we get lost in our own worlds and busy schedules, and we forget about blessing others. This verse and my friends actions are an encouraging reminder to "do good" for other people. I'm excited to "pay it forward" and make the same offer to another couple!

If you'd like to know more about this friend of mine, check out her blog, monicaswitzer.com. She always has encouraging and uplifting posts about marriage/parenting/spiritual topics. 

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Another cardboard box house

Today I made my daughter another cardboard box house. You can see the first house I made here.

 We had a bunch of cardboard boxes stacking up in our basement from past purchases and needed to clear out the space, so instead of tossing them I decided to make another house that will hopefully provide hours of playtime. This house is bigger with a tunnel entrance. No roof this time but Little Monkey doesn't seem to mind.

It's nothing fancy or extravagant, but should allow for her to use her imagination while she plays.






We will likely take some crayons in at some point and decorate the walls with some original artwork! I think the bottom flap at the front of the tunnel would make a perfect "Welcome" mat! 



Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

I pinned this recipe a little while back on Pinterest, and finally tried it out. I have to say, I'm very happy with it!



My husband is extremely picky when it comes to vegetables. He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy! He really only likes onions and peppers. He will eat a garden salad, but only with lots of dressing on it. As for broccoli, cauliflower, corn, carrots, peas, beans and all that good stuff... Forget it!  Sometimes I can get away with mixing them in with other things, but if the pieces are big enough, he'll pick them out. So when I found this recipe for a cauliflower sauce that supposedly tasted very similar to real Alfredo sauce I thought I had to give it a try. Guess what?! Hubby ate it!!! 

The recipe calls for vegetable stock or water, and unfortunately I didn't have veggie stock so had to use just water. I did find that it resulted in a slightly bland sauce and that was my husbands only comment, but I am positive it would taste all the more better if the stock was used instead. The fact that my husbands only comment was that it was on the bland side, and not "Yuk, that tastes like cauliflower!" is a huge win in my books!! So needless to say, I will be making it again and I will be sure to have vegetable stock on hand. 

I made fettuccini noodles and cooked cubed chicken to eat with this sauce. After my 21 month old daughter ate her helping, I asked if she wanted more, she shook her head no but kept scraping her spoon on her plate and licking the sauce off that she collected. So I grabbed a small bowl and put some of the left over sauce in it, and she ate it by the spoonfuls! Double win! Extra vegetable helpings, I'll take it! She won't eat chunks of cooked cauliflower, not that she doesn't like the taste, but I think she just doesn't like the look so refuses to try it. Since I know she'll eat this sauce, I saved the leftovers and plan on mixing it in with macaroni and cheese to make it more healthy. 


I can't wait to try some more recipes out to use with this sauce! There are more meal ideas on this blog. Check it out!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Fried Rice and Chicken

Hello everyone!
I've been sick for a week with a nasty cold, unfortunately, my daughter has been too. So on top of feeling crumby myself, I've had to deal with a cranky toddler too. Not fun! I was having a crappy weekend, I was so grumpy and so OVER being sick but each day was worse than the last. There seems to be no end to this cold. Since I'm pregnant I can't take any medication, so having no quick fixes added to my pity party. Having no immune system from being pregnant doesn't help either!

I've been drinking hot water with lemon to sooth my throat and having some tea. Little Monkey has been getting straight juice to increase her vitamin C intake. I usually water down her juice when she gets any, but this week she gets full strength! 

Anyway, I kept reminding myself that I was in charge of my emotions and could choose to be happy, but it wasn't working! Haha! I'm in better spirits today though.

I have another recipe to share.... Fried rice with chicken. It's very simple to make and the beautiful thing about this recipe is you can change it up so easily by substituting different vegetables, or using beef instead of chicken, or not adding meat at all. Adding more veggies to make it a full meal or keeping it simple for a side dish.

4 cups cold cooked rice
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (optional)
2 cups cooked veggies (optional)
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola 

Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat.
When oil starts to "shimmer", turn the heat to medium-high.
If using garlic and/or green onions add to oil now and stir.
Add chicken and vegetables if using and mix well.
Quickly add rice and continue to stir until rice is separated and coated with oil or mixed evenly with chicken and veggies.
Sprinkle soy sauce over rice and stir until distributed well throughout rice.



Monday, August 12, 2013

Loop Baby Toy

I feel like I should apologize for all my crochet craft posts! I'm just so obsessed with this art form that its been the only crafting I've been doing lately. I'd like to say I'll be trying out some different crafts soon but from now until Christmas, I'll be busy crocheting. Between Christmas gifts and items for the new baby, I have a long list of patterns I want to get done!

Here is a quick baby toy I made up for a friends new baby. She has supported my crocheting by buying a lot of booties and other baby items so I wanted to give her something to open up for baby when I visited her in the hospital. She had kept baby's sex a secret, so when she announced the arrival of her baby boy, I needed something I could make quickly in boy colors so I could take it to the hospital that day. 


If you'd like to make this baby toy, follow the link to the pattern.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Almond Sugar Cookies

One of the lovely blogs a follow posted about these cookies. It's a rainy day here and I'm babysitting, so while the kids played and kept each other busy,  I figured I'd try them out.




They turned out wonderfully. They have a lovely taste with a hint of almond extract.

I had to alter the recipe because I did not have cake flour or shortening. Instead I used all butter when it called for butter and shortening and all-purpose flour in place of the cake flour. I also didn't have raw sugar so I rolled the cookies in regular granulated sugar. Worked perfectly!

Check out the recipe here  if you want to try them out for yourselves. I'm sure you won't be disappointed if you do!
 
Both kids are napping right now so I get some time to myself to blog and indulge on fresh cookies! Ha ha. 

Life is good!




Saturday, August 3, 2013

Monkey Love!

I finally got around to making the monkey from the same pattern as the doll I made recently. If you missed that post, you can check it out here!

I had wanted to make the monkey in a deep pink yarn, but didn't think I had enough of it, and didn't want to run out mid-project. So I looked through my yarn stash and decided to go with this bright deep blue. It seemed to have a bit of a shimmer to it, so I thought it would look very cute.


 
I made a small rosette to add a pop of pink. It ended up being a little too big for my liking, but its not too bad.

 
 
I still want to make an all pink one, so I'll have to do that after I get more of the pink yarn. I am going to give this fun monkey to my daughter for her 2nd birthday. She caught a glimpse of it when I finished it and already wanted to play with it. I'm hoping after its put away in a closet for a few months she'll forget about it and still be surprised on her birthday!
 
 
Have a great long weekend everyone!



Monday, July 29, 2013

Banana Muffins

I'm a little behind on the blog again. I had family visit all last week so I focused on visiting instead of blogging. My little monkey sure had fun playing with her cousins! She was pretty upset after they left and the house fell quiet.

Since I haven't posted anything lately I thought I would just share a quick recipe. This is my go to recipe for banana muffins. You can find it in the Company's Coming book, The Rookie Cook.

I had mentioned to my husband yesterday that I was planning on making banana muffins. I didn't end up getting to it, so when the evening hit and hubby asked where the muffins were, he was a little disappointed that there weren't any! (Ooops!) He has to put in a few long days at work, so I decided today that I would get them made and that way when he gets home he will have a treat, and he can take some to work the next couple days too. I don't normally put chocolate chips in my banana muffins, but figured I'd add them this time to make them more special for hubby. He isn't a fan of bananas but doesn't mind them in muffins, and adding chocolate into the muffins is a definite bonus for him!


This recipe can be made into a Banana Cake, or muffins.

-margarine or butter, softened    1/2 cup
-granulated sugar                        1 1/4 cups
-Large eggs                                  2
-vanilla                                          1 tsp

-all-purpose flour                          2 cups
-baking powder                           2 1/2 tsp
-baking soda                                1/2 tsp
-salt                                              1/4 tsp

-mashed banana                          about 3 medium ( 1 1/2 cups)

Cream margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla together in large bowl until light and fluffy.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.

Add flour mixture to margarine mixture in 3 additions, alternating with banana in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat on low until batter is smooth. 

FOR CAKE- Turn into 2 greased 8 inch round pans. Bake in 350F oven for25 mins until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5 mins before turning out onto wire racks to cool. Makes one 2 layer cake. Cuts into 16 wedges.

FOR MUFFINS- Fill muffin cups 3/4 fulll. Bake in 350F oven for 15 to 17 mins until wooden pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. (I have found it takes about 25 mins for them to be completely cooked) Cool in pan for 5 mins before removing to wire racks to cool. Makes 2 dozen muffins.

Optional- If you want to add chocolate chips, mix in 3/4 package of your favourite chocolate chips before baking.






Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Doll Love!

I have started making some of my Christmas presents early this year. Firstly, because we are expecting our second baby in December (Yay!). I know I'll be super busy as the end of the year draws near so I'd like to get as many done as possible before I start stressing about time limits. Secondly, because I have to send some to Australia and my step sister will be going over there in a few months, so I'd like to send them with her and skip the large postage fees! Lol

I was looking for doll patterns to make for my daughter and found a few that looked good. I was really excited to try one in particular, and once I started it I became OBSESSED with the pattern! Not only does this pattern make an adorable doll but it can also be made into monkeys, bunnies, bears or cats! And it was SO FUN to work up. I seriously want to try all the variations and different colors of each! I'm eager to make the monkey next, I think it would be super cute in hot pink! If you're curious about what I'm talking about then head on over to this amazing blog and check it out.

Here is my finished doll...


There was even a link to a free pattern for the reversible dress. I just whipped it up in about 10 minutes. It's not the best sewing work ever, but I was trying to get it done quickly so I could share this little doll project with you all.
 I am over the moon excited for Little Monkey to open it up at Christmas. She already loves her toy babies so I think she's going to like this too! I'm so happy I have a little girl to make these fun gifts for!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Easy Peasy Taco Salad

Last night we had taco salad for supper! I had ground beef thawing and couldn't decide what to make with it, so stuck with something simple.

I wanted to share with you the home-made version of taco seasoning I use when I don't have any of the pre-packaged stuff in my cupboard.

2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt (or regular table salt)
Dash cayenne

This amount is good for 1 pound of ground beef. Mix with cooked beef along with 1 cup water and simmer.




Thursday, July 4, 2013

A Kitchen Picnic!

This afternoon Little Monkey and I went outside so she could play in her sandbox. Normally my girl stays outside for as long as I let her, but today after about 20 minutes of playing, she asked to go inside.
 So after some time colouring, I came up with another idea to keep us entertained for a little while. A few weeks back I bought a bag of frozen blueberries with the intent of making blueberry muffins or pancakes. Since I hadn't completed that task yet I decided to make a batch of muffins. Luckily we have central air, so baking in this hot weather doesn't affect us at all! 


I set up a little picnic table on our kitchen floor and after the muffins had cooled a little, we enjoyed a snack of blueberry muffins and juicy grapes! 


As soon as I put the plates down Little Monkey was snatching up some muffin!




Our picnic was delicious, and I had the best company to enjoy it with! ;)

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Cheesy chicken and rice crockpot recipe

I tried out another chicken crockpot recipe the other day. I like this one because it cooked the rice in the crockpot with the chicken. If you want to see the original recipe post, check it out here.

Please forgive the picture, it doesn't look very appetizing, but I promise it was very good!

Ingredients:

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 1/2 cups water
1 small onion, diced
1 cup uncooked rice
4 chicken breasts
1/2 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste 
Shredded cheese for topping (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine both soups, water, onion and rice.
Spray slow cocker with cooking spray. Place breasts in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken with lemon & pepper seasoning. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Pour soup mixture over chicken breasts.
Cook on low 6/8 hours.

I used frozen chicken breasts and long grain brown rice. I also didn't have cheddar cheese soup but found a can of cream of broccoli soup in my cupboard so used that instead. I thought it tasted very good. I bought a can of cheddar cheese soup so that I can try the recipe again. I also think this dish would taste good by experimenting with other soups, cream of celery, or cream of asparagus perhaps!







Saturday, June 22, 2013

Crepes!

I LOVE crepes! Especially with raspberries in them! Mmmmmmmm. When I was in high school, whenever my girlfriends and I would go to Edmonton to shop at West Edmonton Mall, we always had to stop at Crepe Works to get crepes.
The thought of making them seemed very tedious, but I decided today to give it a shot. It was SO easy! I ate till I was stuffed, but I still wanted more! Luckily there's a bunch of leftovers, so I can snack on them for the rest of the weekend! Yum!




I used a recipe from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan,  using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan in a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
Cook the crepe for  about 2 mins, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Stack the finished crepes by putting waxed paper between each one. Keep covered with a dry cloth until ready to eat.


So good! I was in heaven eating these :)


Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Crockpot barbecue chicken

Here's a very easy crockpot recipe I made last night for supper. You can use frozen chicken breasts which makes prep time minimal!



4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce ( I used Bull's Eye Chicken and Rib Renegade)
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 -1 tsp garlic powder

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over top of chicken. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

So simple! You can use your favourite BBQ sauce, or try different kinds to change the flavour slightly. The Bull's Eye Chicken and Rib Renegade sauce gave it a sweet and smoky taste. It reminded me of the taste of pulled pork. The red pepper flakes gave it a slight kick.

To finish the meal I made mashed potatoes and steamed mixed vegetables.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Newsboy hat/diaper cover set

One of my friends is expecting a baby at the start of July and requested I make a newsboy hat and diaper cover for baby. She doesn't know the gender so wanted a neutral tan color with wooden buttons. So I went to Walmart and found this yarn and these buttons. I searched the web for the patterns and was able to make the set for her! I'm sure baby will look super cute wearing these for a newborn photo shoot!


Monday, May 27, 2013

Free crochet patterns

I have been a total slacker lately with writing in my blog! I have just found myself to be super busy with an 18 month old, babysitting another 15 month old, and trying to keep up with the mess toddlers make of my house! I will finally get my living room cleaned just to have my daughter destroy it with mounds of toys and diapers thrown about and Cheerios spilled amongst the rest of it! Ah, the life of a SAHM! I'm sure many can relate!

I haven't done any new crochet projects lately, but thought I'd share with you all a few of my favourite websites to find free patterns.
Moogly is a great source for a round up of projects. She will post similar projects together so you can pick your favourite option.
Ravelry is a community website where you have to sign up (for free) to join. There are free patterns and ones you have to pay for. You can search through just free patterns, there's some great ones.
Stitch 11 has some wonderful patterns for kid wear. I have tried out many of her patterns and have loved them all so far!
The Yarn Box is a free crochet pattern directory, so you will find some of the same patterns from the other websites I listed. It is just a huge collection of different designer's free patterns.
Repeat Crafter Me has not only crochet patterns but also other crafting ideas and some crockpot recipes. Take a look through her blog, there are a variety of posts!

If you're looking to try out a new pattern, have a look at these websites, I'm sure you'll find something that you will want to try.

Have a great week everyone!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Baby shower!

Hey everyone! So I feel bad that I haven't written a blog post lately. Since I was so busy with preparing my amazing friends baby shower, I figured I'd share some pictures from the event.

Since the guest of honour was a baby boy, the theme was moustaches and the color green. I made a stencil for moustaches and cut out a bunch, put a hole punch in the middle, and secured them to bendy straws with a small drop of white glue.



I had help putting the shower on from another one of the new mommy's friends. She did an amazing job securing pictures of the baby on water bottles for the guests.




She also took on the responsibility of bringing food. I took pictures of the food tables after the shower, and as you can see, there was so much that the guests hardly made a dent in it!






I had some moustache cookie cutters, so we were able to make some sugar cookies to match the theme!

Here is a picture of the gift table. I made a diaper cake with moustaches on each level, and put some crocheted ribbed booties as the topper. They will fit baby this fall/winter. There are" handlebar" moustaches on either side of the banner above the table. Also on the right side of the table, I put together a door prize for the guests to enter to win. Each entry was $1 and the money went towards babies first bank account.

 
My accomplice also put together a finger print tree instead of the typical guest book. Something that can be hung in babies nursery! 

 
 
The shower went amazingly and of course baby slept through the whole thing! But that's ok, because I got to spend the whole previous week with him! Lucky me!
 


Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Creamy Rice, Chicken & Spinach Dinner

I haven't made a blog post in quite awhile, I've been busy planning a good friends baby shower and making decorations. The shower is still over a week away and I still have some more things to do, so I imagine I will be sparse on the blog for a little longer. In the mean time, here is another new to me recipe I tried out.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper with Parmesan Dressing
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1 can (10 oz/284 ml) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
125 g (1/2 of 250g pkg) Light cream cheese spread, cubed
8 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves
1 large tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp Kraft Parmesan light grated cheese

Heat dressing in large deep skillet or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 min, stirring frequently. Stir in broth; bring to boil. Add rice; stir. Return to boil. Cover; simmer on medium heat 5 min. Add cream cheese spread; cook, uncovered, 5 min or until completely melted, stiffing occasionally. Add spinach (skillet will be full); cover. Cook 2 min or until spinach is wilted; stir gently. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 min. Stir in tomatoes; sprinkle with Parmesan.


I hadn't realized I was out of tomatoes, but decided to make the recipe anyways and just leave them out. I think the tomato would have added a nice touch though. This is a very creamy dish, so if you aren't a fan of cream cheese, this isn't the recipe for you!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Crochet bath pouf

This crochet version of a loofa is so simple to work up. I like the fact that it is washable unlike the mesh kind, and it's also more durable. Every mesh loofa I've ever had fell apart far too soon.

If I go too long with out crocheting something, I get the itch to make something... anything! This is an easy go to pattern that I can work on while watching tv or doing something that doesn't need my full attention. It doesn't take too much yarn, so its also a great pattern to use up all my odd Yarn balls that I'd otherwise have no idea what to use for.

I'd like to make a bunch of these and just have a stock pile to give away in gifts for people. (Don't worry sister, you will be getting one!) lol




If you'd like to try the pattern out, follow this link!