My Daughter's Stocking

Back in October, I made my baby a stocking for St. Nick but I, without thinking to blog about it first, put it with Christmas storage. Well, it's finally back out again and I have pictures!

It was so much fun to make. I pulled out all my red, green, winter, and Christmas themed fabrics. Then, I found a pattern for a stocking I liked (but in reality, it's a really odd shape and I wouldn't use it again). I made all my strips of fabric, sewed them together, and then cut out the stocking pattern. The inside matches the top fold over fabric and the back is just a solid piece. My strips are all about 2 inches (with seam allowances) but some got a little skinnier, depending on the size of the fabric I started out with. This was a great scrap buster!

My mother in law has an embroidery machine so she embroidered my daughter's name on it but for her privacy, I have covered it up with some tracing paper (so it may look a little strange in the picture). The white looking fabric (for the fold over and inside) is actually a creamish-white with gold dots on it. This whole thing turned out wonderful. It wasn't too much work but the end result is huge. I will definitely find a different pattern for my future kids.

Here are the pictures!

This is the front, with the piecing. Sorry it's sideways.

This is the plain back. The white specks are actually stars.

Mush Soup

Last night, I made a really simple, cheap dinner. It ended up being delicious, despite its appearance. It was all cooked in one pot, which is extra convenient.

Ingredients:

• about a pound of green or yellow beans
• half pound of cubed, cooked ham
• 4 cups of water
• half a packet of onion soup mix
• garlic
• 1-2 pounds of potatoes (any kind but we used russet), skin on, cubed
• half an onion

Then you mix it all in a skillet over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, put a lid on for about 20 minutes and turn down the heat to a simmer. After that, take the lid off and continue to cook until it thickens (about 10-15 more minutes). The potatoes and beans get really soft. You can play with the seasonings and vegetables. This is quite a versatile dish and also really cheap. We got the beans for free from David's grandma's garden but even with that, it came out to about $1 for the entire dish. That's only $0.25 a serving!

Hosting Thanksgiving

This year, I hosted my very first Thanksgiving. On actual Thanksgiving, we went to David's family's house and my family drove up. On Friday, we had our meal with my side of the family. I have never hosted before or cooked so many things at once. I also have never made a turkey before.

I bought everything about a week and a half in advance because that was when I found the prices to be the cheapest. I will admit, I bought a few convenience items (like boxed stuffing) to speed up the cooking process.

Our meal consisted of:

• sparkling grape juice (a must have for holidays in this family)
• a 15 pound turkey
• stuffing
• green bean casserole
• mashed potatoes
• cranberries
• rolls
• gravy
• apple pie
• pumpkin pie
• a strawberry jello dessert (family recipe)

That may not sound like that much work and I did manage to find some time (between starting the turkey and having to start everything else) that I could mingle and hang out but it was more exhausting than I anticipated.

I received many compliments on how moist my turkey was--dark and light meat. I also cut the cooking time in almost half according to how long it should've taken on the package.

First, I thawed the turkey 5 days in advance. You have to remember that turkeys take A LONG TIME to thaw in the fridge. Then I put the turkey on the counter for about 45 minutes, letting it come up to room temperature. Then I unwrapped it, checked its insides for the gravy packet and such, and put it in my roasting pan. Then I put it in the (preheated) oven at 475 degrees for a half hour. After that, I turned the oven down to 325 and checked on it about another half hour to hour later. Any spots that were getting too dark, I covered in foil. (Eventually, I covered the whole turkey but I started with things like the wings first). At this time, I also put in my meat thermometer to keep an eye on the temp. About two and a half hours in, I turned the temp up to 350. Then I waited until the thermometer read 165 in more than one place, but especially in the thigh because that's the thickest part. I took out the turkey and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving it.That's it! I know it sounds complicated but it's not as bad as it seems. It took 3 hours total, instead of 5. The only reason I put the oven back up to 350 was because that was the temp the oven needed to be for the green bean casserole so I'm not sure if that's a necessary part of this or not.

The one complaint I received about the turkey was that the white meat was so moist that it was hard to cut into pieces because it just kept falling apart. The turkey was that good!

Imitation McDonald's Cheeseburger Casserole

Last night, we made a casserole that tasted exactly like a McDonald's cheeseburger! You may ask why you don't just make a cheeseburger rather than turning it into a casserole but once you make it, you won't be disappointed. I am not sure it's all that much healthier than the real deal but everyone can splurge once in a while. The ingredients are pretty common and there's a good chance all of them are already in your fridge. The original recipe says it serves six but the blog I got it from says it serves four. In our family, it serves about 3.

This is the link I used. We did leave out the part where you brush milk on top and add sesame seeds. We were assuming that the milk was to help the seeds stick but maybe we missed out on something great. We also used American cheese because that was what we had on hand but you could really use any cheese. I could see varying this to make all sorts of their burgers, like a mushroom swiss for instance.

Like I said, it's not that healthy but it is pretty versatile and a great source of protein. I would definitely make it again but probably only has a treat for dinner. We also forgot to drain our meat so it was extra greasy, just like the real burgers!

I also wonder if using biscuits on top instead of crescent rolls would be better because the crescents get kind of soggy. I definitely wouldn't put a bottom crust with it or it would also be a soggy mess. Some reviewers on the other site did though and seemed to like it that way.

We served this with a side of sauerkraut, which was actually pretty good mixed in the casserole too!

Ruby's Pantry

Our town just had their first Ruby's Pantry last night. For those of you who don't know, it's an organization that gets close to expiration date and surplus food and distributes it to whoever shows up (you need to register the first time you go). The leftovers get donated. If nobody came to this, the food would get thrown away. It seems crazy but it's true. It only costs $20 but you get a LOT of stuff. Last night, I easily got over $100 worth of food. I was shocked!

The food you get is different every time. We got hard boiled eggs, soda, bread, chicken, baby red potatoes, prepackaged mashed potatoes, individual cereals, whole wheat pasta, hot cocoa mix, coffee creamer, toilet paper, pizza lunchables,....the list goes on.

They said to bring two laundry baskets and when I left, I had my two baskets full plus another box. I didn't even take as much food as I could've (because it wouldn't fit)! Isn't that crazy?

I did have to stand in line (in the cold) for about 45 minutes and the whole process took about 2 hours but I think once our town has had a couple of them (it's once a month), we'll get speedier. Plus, since everyone was new, we all had to register and that took some time.

I should also mention that you don't need to be poor or on food stamps or anything to receive this food. It's for anyone who eats. I suppose some people might feel funny taking it but I felt like I was trick or treating. It was actually kind of fun. I'm looking forward to going back!

Here is everything I got. I should've spread it out on the island but I don't think it would've even all fit. The plastic bags are filled with the baby red potatoes and the sodas.

Cheesecake Brownies

Everybody loves brownies. We have tried a couple of homemade recipes but we always think that the boxed ones taste better. Some day I hope to find a good homemade recipe. In the meantime, I have found the BEST brownies I have ever tasted. I might even go so far as to say it's the best thing I have ever tasted, dessert or not. These are definitely a 10/10 but make sure you keep the milk close by because you're going to need it!

Here's the link to the recipe. I cannot recommend these enough! They are actually quite simple to make and can be made with homemade or boxed brownie mix. The cream cheese doesn't have to be softened first (although it wouldn't hurt), making it a recipe you can whip up right away. Nothing frustrates me more than when I go to make a dessert recipe and I need a few ingredients at room temp.

We had to bake ours for 55 minutes and I don't think a couple more minutes would've hurt but we were anxious to eat them! We even put them outside (in winter) so they would cool faster (yes, I am impatient when it comes to desserts..).

I will also mention that I don't know if the two pieces of foil are necessary. One for sure but maybe only use two if it doesn't cover your pan?

If you only make one thing off my blog, let it be this one! You won't regret it.

Weather Problems

Hey everybody. Sorry it's taken me so long to get another blog post out. Things are just getting more hectic here since Baby is starting to take less naps and it's been quite an adjustment. I used to use that time to get stuff done but now, not so much. I hope to keep up to date on this so I apologize if I fall behind again. Hopefully those of you with kids (and even those of you without) understand.

On Monday, we got a snow storm that resulted in about 6 inches of snow. This was the first snow of the year. We hadn't even had flurries before that. Plus, the temps had been in the 50s-60s for a while before that too so this was kind of a shock to our systems.

Because of the sudden change in weather, we remembered how much weather proofing our house needs. We had started to plastic the windows but with our dinky, travel size blow dryer, it's slow going. Plus, Baby hates the noise of it and she wakes up to it too so it's hard to find a good time to get it done. We have noticed the windows we have done help significantly and we can feel the difference.

This weekend, we are hoping to continue the process of more weather proofing. We have to caulk our new glass block window, leading out of the basement. Then we need to get more weather stripping for our front door because it was installed at the wrong height (long story but we're working on getting it fixed). We also plan to do more windows and put in insulation for the last foot of space near the basement ceiling to help keep our floors warmer. If you stand next to the wall versus if you stand in the middle of the room, there is a huge difference in temperature and hopefully the insulation will help that.

There are probably plenty of other things we can do but sealing up our holes, adding insulation, and plasticing the windows seem to be the big ones. We also don't have all our vents set up yet either so that's a problem. And, our furnace is to small to heat a house of this size so really, it's a losing battle. But every little bit helps!

How to Cook a Steak Without a Grill

We were given a rib eye steak but we had no idea how to cook it. Our first choice would've been a grill but it was about 30 degrees outside. So I looked it up and it turns out you can easily cook it in a pan on the stove top.

First, bring the steak up to room temperature. People say this is the secret to a good steak. Simply leave it out on the counter about 30-45 minutes before you plan on cooking it.

Then, while you rub it with spices of your choosing (we just did a garlic and salt to keep it easy), heat your pan on high heat. To help the spices stick better, we rubbed it in melted butter first but I'm not sure that's necessary. On the other hand, some people only put butter on it. It's completely up to you.

For rare, cook it 3 minutes on each side. We wanted ours closer to medium so we did 4 minutes on the first side and 3 minutes on the other side. It did end up a little bit more well but it was still SO good! We split the steak and had made potatoes on the side, so it was filling enough.

With this method, it's quick and delicious without having one of us standing out in the cold to grill. We may cook all our steaks like this from now on!

Runza Casserole

We are always looking for ways to use up cabbage this time of year. It's super cheap at the grocery store and good for you so we buy it just about weekly. But we don't necessarily have a recipe in mind. This recipe used most of a huge head of cabbage so that was pretty exciting. We did make a few changes though.

We only used 1 pound of ground beef and we found it to be plenty. Typically, we do cut the meat in half for recipes to help stretch our meat budget further.

Due to laziness, we left out the onion. I think it would've added something to it but it definitely tasted great without them too.

Instead of crescent rolls, we used biscuits because it was what we had. They weren't the same size so we used as many as were needed to cover the bottom for the crust and then the top was a little more spaced out but that worked fine too.

Finally, we used Colby Jack cheese instead of mozzarella because we didn't have any but it still worked out.

We will definitely make this recipe again but we didn't agree with the comment that it tasted like philly steak. It was very simple to make and quite cheap!

Amped Up Green Bean Casserole

Everybody loves green bean casserole. It's featured at lots of holiday events and in our house, we have it as a side dish to a regular dinner as well. I came across a recipe on pinterest (but I am unable to link it so I'm sorry. It's not my recipe and I'm trying to give credit where credit is due but I can't do it this time) that sounded quite intriguing. It's green bean casserole but as a dinner!

Ingredients:

• 3 diced potatoes (uncooked), we used red
• ham cubes, about 1 cup
• 1 bag frozen green beans, thawed (we used fresh and just cut them smaller--about a pound)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Mix all ingredients together. Bake (covered) at 375 for an hour. Top with breadcrumbs or crushed Ritz crackers.

I was at a doctor appointment for my baby so I had my husband make dinner. This means a few things ended up different.  He didn't cover it when he baked it (but I didn't notice until I was typing this up so if you forget too, it's not a huge deal). And he didn't want to top it with breadcrumbs because he thought it was too much work. I decided that this actually turned out better because I then topped mine with French fried onions. Next time, I will put the onions on everybody's and I may even add onion to the mixture (regular or fried).

This was super good and I would definitely make it again. I don't always like making things with canned ingredients (like the soup) but it helps make it easier. Dinner was ready by the time we got settled back at home after the doctor so everything worked out!

Whipping Cream Pound Cake

Hey everyone! I apologize for getting a little behind in blogging again. This time, my mom was in town and I never blog when she's around so I get to spend more time with her. I'm back though and I'll try to stay back. Our baby is 9 months old (today!) though so we'll see how that goes...

About a week ago, I made a whipping cream pound cake. I'm told Elvis really liked it but I only know about his obsession with peanut butter and bananas. I had some extra cream to use up so I thought this would be a good idea. Definitely not healthy but oh so delicious!

The recipe is quite simple with common ingredients. It does take 7 eggs though so good thing I had a stockpile of those (they were on sale for 99 cents!)! I will mention that I didn't sift the flour. They say to do it twice but I didn't even do it once. I usually skip steps like those. I'm sure it doesn't turn out exactly the same but to me, it's a waste of time. You can decide for yourself.

My husband rated this cake a 10 so you know it has to be good. We ate it plain, no glaze or anything. Next time, I'd be curious to try a different flavored extract but David didn't seem interested. He liked it just the way it was.

It did stick to the pan a little bit so make sure you spray it well. It also took closer to the 70 minutes to bake. So, this recipe takes a while to make but most of it is the baking time.

I also recommend covering it once it's cut so it doesn't dry out. Ours dried out very quickly (but was still edible and yummy, just not quite the same).

Homemade Refried Beans

We primarily use refried beans in two things: taco dip and our homemade frozen burritos. Recently, we were given about a pound of dried pinto beans and instantly we decided to make them refried. Our pound of beans turned into about 8+ cups of refried beans! It was crazy but exciting. We love free food.

To prepare, you soak the beans overnight. I kept forgetting to do this so I just soaked them during the day, for about 10 hours. Make sure they are in plenty of water. Then you drain and rinse. In a big pot, add all the beans and (new) water. Again, make sure you cover them with enough water. Simmer for about 4 hours, or until the skins start to break. Because I had soaked my beans during the day, I was doing this at night and 4 hours was past my bedtime. This happened when we made our black beans too. Maybe that's why people do it overnight?

Then we went to bed so we drained the beans and put them in the fridge. I don't recommend doing this but if you have no choice, you have no choice. When you continue, put them in a big skillet on medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of water. Stir and heat throughout (this takes forever if you refrigerate them first). Then mash with a potato masher until they are a consistency you like. If necessary, add more water (but only 1/4 cup at a time. You'd be amazed how much a little water can do). I think we ended up adding about 1 cup total. Season with salt and whatever seasonings you like. Some suggestions are: cumin, paprika, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne, etc. It all depends on how hot you want your beans and how bland. We only used salt in ours. Be sure to taste as you go so you can adjust accordingly.

Then you're done. We had enough beans to use up 5 burrito shells for our homemade frozen burritos (feel free to look back through my posts for that recipe), and about 5 cups to freeze for either dip or more burritos! This was a lot of beans! The best part of all was that it was all free!

I also feel like I should mention that "refritos" is mistranslated as "refried". It's supposed to be well-fried. That's why this recipe is even more simple. You only have to cook them once (minus the soaking part).

Fettuccine Alfredo

I know I recently made an alfredo recipe (the BLT ravioli) but this one is better. It's also all made in one pot, even the noodles! I love one pot recipes because it sure makes for easy clean up. The recipe is really quick with no prep. I did add peas to have a vegetable in it but it would've been just fine by itself too. I also made the mistake of cooking the noodles for only 15 minutes. My box of noodles said 12 minutes for al dente so I thought the 15 the recipe called for would've been plenty but it wasn't. I realized too late though. It was still good but next time I'll check them before I turn the heat off.

My husband rated this a 10/10. He said it was absolutely amazing. I thought it could've been a little thicker but I had a problem with my cheese clumping up and not melting into the sauce. I was surprised by this because I even used fresh grated Parmesan--no green cans for this family! I think the noodles just got in the way for mixing it all up. So there is a chance that next time, I'll make it in two pans but I'll have to see.

I would make this alfredo sauce without the noodles sometime too. From now on, this will be my go-to recipe for alfredo. Some commenters had said they added a little bit of cream cheese to the sauce to make it thicker, so I would be willing to try that too. Maybe it would help my clumping problem or my thin sauce problem.

Despite all the flaws I have mentioned, this was still a really good recipe! Very quick, very easy and ingredients that are usually on hand.

Reusable Menstrual Cups

I have mostly made the transition to reusable (cloth) menstrual pads but I still have to sew a few more. I was waiting for my Moon Cup to arrive to see how many more I would need to make. I got it a few weeks ago but it wasn't the right time to test it out but now I can!

For those of you who don't know, the Moon Cup is a reusable menstrual cup. It's made of silicone and collects, rather than absorbs, the blood. This is much healthier for the body and because you simply rinse it out and use it again and again, it is better for the environment too. This is a good alternative to tampons, if you were looking for one.

I decided to give it a try (I should probably mention that I am in no way affiliated with this company. I am simply a person who was curious about it and wanted to tell you all my thoughts about it. I am not getting compensated for this review). Basically, it's amazing! When I opened the package, I was surprised at how small it was. I know that sounds odd because most people say how huge it is but I guess I thought they really meant big so when mine came, I was expecting like a...Dixie cup or something. It still takes some maneuvering to get in the right spot and there are several folds to help you do this. I'm not going to go into how to use it because there are so many different ways but basically, it will take a little bit of time so be patient and relaxed. You probably couldn't get tampons right the first time either.

Once properly sealed, there are no leaks! You can wear it for up to 12 hours, but even if it's full before then, you don't have to carry around any extra pads or tampons or try to calculate how many you'll need for the time you are away from home. Like I said before, you simply rinse it out and reinsert it! How great is that?! It's comfortable, once you get the hang of it and it really improves period life. It can be a bit messy, especially at first, but I don't find it any more messy than a pad or tampon once you get used to it all.

I have always been one of those girls who hates her period and tries to plan her life around it because it just seems to take over but no longer! My cup is great and reusable pads, whether as backup or an alternative, also seem to make my period more enjoyable. I really recommend trying either or both and see how your life can improve. I realize this sounds kind of fake and unbelievable but trust me, it's so true! Once I use up all my disposables, I will never go back. I also plan on introducing my daughter to all of this in 10+ years (when she's old enough--she's a baby right now).

Review of a Colonoscopy

For reasons I am not comfortable sharing, I had a colonoscopy yesterday (at 23 years old no less!). It turns out everything is fine but boy, oh boy, is that prep torture! The procedure itself is not that bad. They did barely seem to give me any anesthetic so I felt what they called the "turns of the colon" but even that wasn't awful. Nothing compares to the prep you have to do.

I am one of those people who have seriously never had diarrhea before. I must just have a really good system or something (sorry, too much info?). I didn't even mind that during the prep. (To be honest, I found it kind of fun as long as I was at home).

My procedure was on Thursday so Monday and Tuesday I had to start a low fiber diet (basically no vegetables, only white breads, basically junk food). This wasn't that bad but it did make it a little hard when going to grab a snack or something because I had to think about my choice first. After midnight on Tuesday, I was not allowed any more solids. All of Wednesday, I could only have clear liquids (sodas, water, broth, hard candies, etc). This was quite difficult. I feel so sick if I don't eat food; it doesn't matter if I'm allowed liquid. I was so hungry, I was in tears at points throughout the day.

At noon, I had to take 2 Dulcolax tablets. These didn't seem to have any effect on me until around 8pm. These were fine. Two very small pills, take with water. Not a big deal.

Between 4 and 6pm, I had to drink 64oz of Gatorade (only orange, yellow, or clear varieties--gross!) mixed with Miralax powder. You cannot taste the Miralax, so that wasn't a big deal. The Gatorade wasn't a flavor I liked but that was tolerable. What wasn't tolerable was the speed at which I had to down this liquid. Reading my instructions, I thought I had two hours to do this. Turns out, I had about 5 hours but I gave myself 5 hours anyway because I could not stop puking. It was just too much liquid to consume. My stomach was too full (and the first time all day, I wasn't hungry!). They had told me later I should've called them when I kept throwing it up but I didn't have an after-hours number for them. Oh well. Then I decided to take more Dulcolax to make up for what I had thrown up in Gatorade but I threw that up too.

I decided to go to bed to try to sleep off my nausea. This is when I started getting up about hourly to use the bathroom. In between trips to the bathroom, I had to tend to my baby and breastfeed her. Basically, I didn't get much sleep.

Then at 9am on Thursday, the day of the procedure, I was required to drink 10oz of magnesium citrate followed by an 8oz cup of water. That is the GROSSEST thing I have EVER had to drink in my ENTIRE life. It took a lot of self control to get it down (and to stay down). Also, after that, I was not allowed to consume anything, even water.

By the time I got to my procedure at 1pm, I was feeling light headed and sick to my stomach because I was so hungry and getting dehydrated. After I had my IV hooked up, I felt much better. Then I had the procedure, which is super quick, I got a cookie! Then I could eat whatever I felt up to.

Basically, the prep is a 100 times worse than the procedure itself. I had to fast for my C-section for 14+ hours and this was worse than that. I don't mean to scare anyone because this is a necessary procedure, especially for people over 50, but I just wanted to share my experience.

Joining a Gym

We recently signed up our 8 month old daughter for swim lessons. Obviously, she won't actually be learning how to swim. It's more just to get her used to the water and to give her something to do and get out of the house (or maybe that's just me?). It is at a local fitness center so the price per lesson is cheaper if you are a member. We decided it's not worth it for her to be a member since this is the only activity for her age group. However, after our tour of the place, it got me thinking about joining.

A few years ago, I belonged to a YMCA and I went frequently. I did all sorts of classes, worked out on my own, and played in the pool. I really enjoyed it. The only reason I stopped going was because I moved 300 miles away for college and now marriage. I had briefly thought about joining a gym when I first moved out here but it was a cost I wasn't willing to pay. I ran outside just about daily and did a little weight training on my own at home.

Now that I still have a little pregnancy weight to get rid of and lots of toning to do, I find it hard to get back into it. I really think the classes would help me. They are even at times before and after my husband's job so he can watch the baby while I work out. Our center also offers to watch your child for up to 2 hours (FOR FREE!) while you go work out. That is extremely exciting for me. I'm just still a little unsure about joining. It comes out to about $1/day if I go every day.

Here is my list (that hopefully you will find even slightly helpful for your own dilemma) of why it would be good to join:

• classes give me motivation. Having specific times something is happening makes it that much harder to skip
• between lots of different classes, a pool, a large basketball court, and lots of fitness machines there is a lot of variety that I don't get at home
• time for myself and doing something that is just for me (this seems especially important after having a baby)
• it is close to home so it will be quite convenient to drop by at any time of day (or in any season)
• socialize and meet new people
• being around positive people with similar goals

I am sure there are other reasons and obviously they won't all apply to you but hopefully I have helped you make your decision. After a lot of debating, I think the cost is worth it. Some insurances will even give you a cheaper rate if you join a gym because typically, it makes you healthier. I am going to join! 

Family Cloth

For those of you who don't know, family cloth is reusable toilet paper. I actually don't like the name family cloth because it seems like the family just finds a new corner on the rag you keep in the bathroom. It's not like that at all.

In fact, it's really comfortable and even luxurious feeling. I actually started it from an environmental and frugal standpoint. Toilet paper is expensive and just because you flush it down the toilet, doesn't mean it goes away. Plus, the amount of trees and energy it takes to make toilet paper is unfathomable. You can look up the statistics for yourself. Some people think that the water it takes to launder the family cloth defeats its purpose but that just simply isn't true. It doesn't come close to what it takes to make the toilet paper in the first place.

The best part is, it's really simple to make. You could use whatever you want. Cut up pieces of old clothes, wash cloths, whatever but I wanted to use up some flannel scraps I had. I cut them to about 6 inch squares, two layers. Then I sewed them wrong sides together and just zigzagged the edges to avoid fraying. I read on other people's blogs that about 50 (per person) will last a week before needing to do laundry.

I also made a bucket (using that really awesome tutorial I found a few weeks ago with all those different buckets---the one with the clothes pins) to hold all the clean ones. It sits on the back of the toilet tank. Then I took a plastic bucket with a cover) for the old ones. It's smaller than an ice cream bucket but that could work too, especially if your whole family is participating.

In my family, it's just me so far but I'm working on convincing my husband about it. Either way, we are currently still buying toilet paper but we are going through much less of it, meaning we buy it less frequently thus saving us money. Every little bit helps!

To me, there's no ick factor when laundering them because I am not putting anything worse in the washing machine than what my baby produces. Or if you use cloth diapers, it's the same thing. It's really not a big deal.

BLT Ravioli, Buckeye Brownies, and Homemade Granola Bars

We have been busy trying to cook from scratch more. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes we give in and use prepackaged things. And sometimes we combine the two, like with BLT ravioli. I don't think we will ever make our pasta from scratch (although we did make gnocchi once) but it's just not worth the time to me.

BLT Ravioli is a great recipe. It does require alfredo sauce. They use jarred but I didn't want to do that. So I made this sauce. It recommends doubling it for a whole box of noodles. We did so, but I'm not sure it was necessary. The sauce was really easy to make and the only ingredient we didn't have on hand was the cream. It does cook up really really fast and if you make it too early, you have to constantly whisk it so it doesn't form a film on the top.

The BLT Ravioli is a bit more time consuming. I do believe it was worth it and I will make this recipe again but it took a lot of time management, which has never been my strong suit while cooking. Our bacon took 15 minutes to cook and the rest of the prep took about 5 minutes. We did use frozen spinach rather than fresh though because it was what we had. Also, we left out the cheese because our alfredo sauce had cheese in it and the ravioli was cheese. That seemed like plenty and we didn't regret it. This recipe was a new twist on an old favorite. It was great!

Then over the weekend, we made buckeye brownies. Brownies don't need any sprucing up and are plenty of calories on their own but these looked too good to resist. We love buckeye balls so when I saw these, I knew we had to have them. I will admit we gave some away so we didn't eat the entire pan ourselves. The chocolate topping takes a lot longer than expected to harden but we ate them before it completely hardened anyway.

Lastly, we made our own granola bars. They always seem like such a waste of money to buy and you can't control what goes into them then. These ones can even be made vegan, if you pick the right ingredients (like the chocolate chips). We replaced the corn syrup with honey. We also only needed 1 1/4 cup of cereal instead of 2 cups. I love how quick these came together. You do have to wait to cut them but that isn't a big deal. You can even freeze them!

Homemade, From Scratch Egg Rolls

In town, we have two new Chinese buffets. David and I love Chinese food but apparently, so does the rest of our town. They are always packed, to the point that there are no spots remaining in the parking lot! While we are waiting for the fad to die down, we decided to make our own Chinese at home. A few weeks ago, we made a yakisoba (I believe I blogged about it...) and last night, we made egg rolls.

I had planned on buying the pre-made egg roll wrappers but our local grocery store doesn't carry them. I considered seeing if Walmart had them but after I looked up the recipe, it didn't seem worth it. They are super simple to make with very few, cheap ingredients that you have on hand.

This recipe is what I decided to make. I did follow a comment's suggestion of adding a little sugar to make them crispier. I'm not really sure if that worked or not but they tasted great. I only got 6 wrappers out of it because the link wants you to make wonton sized wrappers. We made ours a little bigger but they definitely weren't square. The final result didn't look like egg rolls but they tasted like them!

For the insides, we shredded half a head of cabbage and three carrots (or you can buy a prepackaged bag, like what you would buy for coleslaw) and threw in some shredded pork we had frozen before Baby was born. We added a few squirts of soy sauce and some ginger. That was all they needed. These were plenty flavorful and not necessarily authentic, but they were what we were looking for (because the Chinese buffets around here probably aren't all that authentic either).

So we combined all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Then we put some in the middle of our dough, rolled them up whatever way made the most sense and put them on a greased baking sheet. They went in the oven for 17 minutes (15-20) at 425.

We will definitely make these again but they do take a bit of time to make the wrappers by hand. My suggestion is to chop up all the vegetables while you are waiting the 30 minutes for your dough to be ready.

Parmesan Baked Fish

I don't have a lot of fish recipes and most of them are rather similar but I was quite impressed with this one. It didn't turn out "crusted" the way a breaded fish would but it was still delicious, easy, and quick!

1. Thaw fish fillets. We use pollock and just put it in the fridge overnight. Since there are only two of us, we only thawed two fillets but you can easily adapt this recipe to use as many fish as you want.

2. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a cookie sheet.

3. Combine an egg and 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl. We had extra of this and would easily do 4-6 fillets.

4. In a ziploc bag or on a large plate, combine Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup for 4 fillets), a couple shakes of paprika, and salt + pepper to taste.

5. Put your fillets on a plate in a single layer (you can do this in batches if your fish don't all fit on one plate). Using a pastry brush, brush on the egg and milk mixture. I had done this to both sides of my fish but the bottom side of the fish just end up stuck to the pan so next time, I would only do the top side.

6. Then either place fish in ziploc bag with the topping or rub the fish around the plate so they get covered with the mixture. You actually need less seasoning on the fish than you would think to get a good flavor.

7. Lay on cookie sheet, seasoned side up.

8. Repeat with all remaining fish. Bake for 25 minutes or until they flake with a fork.

Grocery Tote

I have been wanting to make a bag to take to the grocery store for quite a while now. We have a few of the cheap ones that are practically free at the store but they're rather small and weak. Then, we have a nice one that David's mom made us at Christmas but we use it for taking stuff up to the cabin. I had the perfect fabric for it. I had fabric with a bunch of oranges on it and then a different fabric with pears and apples on it.

I had searched patterns but everything big enough needed more fabric than what I had. I only had 3/8 of a yard of the pears and apples and just under a yard of the oranges. I also wanted the oranges to be a lining, rather than a second bag. I discussed this with David's mom and she helped me figure out a pattern for a big bag that uses both fabrics (with the addition of canvas for the bottom and straps).

We used the entire 3/8 of a yard because I didn't know what I would do with scraps of such a big print. My pears and apples was 42 x 15. My oranges were 42 x 20. And my canvas was 5 1/2 x 42 for the bottom part of the bag and 5 x 32 for the straps.

First do the straps. Take your two strips and fold the long ends into the middle and fold in half again. Top stitch down both sides. (That sounds a little confusing. Lay your strap fabric down, fold up into the middle hot dog style and then fold the other half to the middle. Fold in half again (so everything is contained on the inside. I hope that makes more sense.)

Then sew your canvas to your outside piece along the 42 inch edge. Iron seam to one side. Then top stitch, making this seem like one piece of fabric. Now fold in half (right sides together) and sew along the side (opposite your folded side) and sew along the bottom (the canvas side). Do the same with the lining piece but leave a gap (to turn) in the bottom.

Keep both pieces inside out and then square off the bottoms. I did mine 8 inches wide.

Now attach your straps. Turn your outside piece right side out and let the straps hang off the top about 1 1/2 inches. Sew right across the strap. Then place your outside fabric into your lining, right sides together. Sew around the top. Turn, using the hole in the lining. Close the hole in the lining, either by hand or by machine. Now, top stitch the bag and secure the straps even further by sewing X's across the part you had left hang off.

You're done. I know it sounds complicated but it's really not. Maybe I'm just not the best at explaining it.

(Normally it doesn't hang on the bathroom door but that was the best place for a picture.)

I took it to the store this morning and it can hold more than a basket can! It's a huge bag.

Clothes Pin Holder

We have recently set up a clothes line in our laundry room. I have been waiting for it for basically two years now and we even bought it a long time ago (months? a year?) and now it's installed! I'm not sure what took it so long but I couldn't be happier. This especially comes in handy for drying my new cloth pads.

Anyway, I need something to hold my clothes pins because the packaging they come in is rather annoying. I thought about just buying a bucket but I thought it would be nice if it would hang on the line too. I used this tutorial and found it very easy to follow and very simple!

I had to adjust my fabric size just a little bit because for some reason, most of my fat quarters are 18 x 21 instead of 18 x 22. I don't miss that one inch though. The only problem is I used the plastic embroidery hoops and those don't tighten. I think it'll still work out though. I also had David construct me an S hook out of wire and then we hung it on the line.

The tutorial says you can use interfacing if you want but I think mine is stiff enough without it. Your preference of course.

There is the finished product sitting on my ironing board! I'm not sure how it happened, maybe when everything got folded over around the hoops, but the front of mine is lower than the back. I actually like this because it makes it easy to reach in and grab the pins. I will also mention that the yellow and black (outside fabric) was actually one of the first fat quarters I ever bought and I'm finally using it!

Since yesterday, I have actually made another one of these, although much smaller for a different purpose. These bags are so handy and I can see myself making about 50 more for various things. I also think they would look nice if you did install a rod like in the tutorial and made about 5 or 6 of them to store various supplies above your sewing table. I might just steal my own idea for my own table!

I struggled with the square corners for my wet bag but on this project, it was somehow a lot easier and I didn't have any problem. Maybe that just means I've acquired that skill.

My Official Reusable Pads

I have finally found the perfect combination of layers and absorbency for my reusable pads. I have discussed using them before but I never got it quite right. Then I took a hiatus on it for a while, got pregnant (rendering anything I made untestable), and just recently got back to it. So far, I only have 2 made, 1 one of each size (regular and overnights) but these are just so perfect! As I find more time, I will be sewing more. Although, I also recently ordered a Moon Cup so with that coming, I'm not sure how many more I'll need.

I know this probably grosses out some readers but you would not believe the difference reusable pads make! Even if you ignore the money you'll save, the environmental factors, and the fact you can make them to your specific needs, these are great! They are more comfortable, I have heard they shorten your cycle, you're not putting chemicals anywhere near your body, they are cute, and I just find them a huge improvement! You can google more about it if you are curious about the other factors.

Since I only have one for now (for daytime), I am still using disposables. I can tell there is immediately a huge difference when I switch from my reusable back to my disposable or vice versa. Mine are just about as thin, don't make that awful crinkly noise, don't have the wings stick to my legs (I can't be the only one with that problem), and just feel more comfortable!

I made my daytimes 10in x 4 in but that includes a 1/4 in seam allowance (and some room for trimming since my layers didn't end up exactly even). It is very important to prewash all fabrics you will be using or you will experience some shrinkage in the wash, and all the fabrics will shrink down to the same size.

I have a flannel layer on top, then a layer of t-shirt (literally, I cut up an old t shirt), followed by a microfiber cloth (like the kind you get the automotive aisle), a layer of vinyl-y type stuff, and lastly a layer of pretty polyester (I'm sorry I can't get more specific than polyester but it's thin and reminds me of a linen). I know that sounds like a lot of layers but since most of them are really thin, I promise these pads won't feel bulky. So you cut all of those layers to 10x4. Then layer it all out and sew with your polyester layer and your flannel layer right sides together (so you can sew all the way around, leave a gap, and flip it out with your seams on the inside). Sew closed your gap. Then figure out how long you want the wings (I measured what I would need using my underwear). I used a flannel layer for the top and a polyester layer on the bottom. Right sides together, sew, flip, sew closed. Attach wings to the back of the pad by pinning and sewing the square where they overlap. Add a snap to the wings and boom! You're done! I do take it one step farther because I have a problem where mine like to slip around so I write something (usually my name) in puffy paint on the bottom.

The only difference between my day times and my night times is length. My night times are a couple inches longer and the back flares out just a bit, giving me more coverage. If you are a sewer, these are so simple to make. They are also easy to care for. I wash mine like how I wash everything else but then I hang them up to dry instead of putting them in the dryer. I also know some people soak them in cold water between the time they are done using them and the time they do laundry and the time they do laundry and then use the water as fertilizer for their flowers. It's actually a really healthy thing for the plants.

I can't rave about these enough! I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. Of course if you don't sew, you can always have me sew you some (for a fee of course, but I will try to be as cheap as I can about it) and just let me know in the comments what you're looking for!

Frozen Burritos and Dessert Chimichangas

With a baby in the house, it can be really hard to find time to make lunch. Even something as simple and quick as a sandwich can be a huge undertaking some days. This means, I like really quick, convenient lunches. Something I can pop in the microwave while I tend to my baby and then come back and check on it. Usually this involves TV dinners or pot pies but I try not to use those too often because they aren't the healthiest and they cost money.

Before she was born, we had froze ahead some meals so it would be really easy to have a nutritious meal fairly quickly. We obviously (she was born 7 months ago) ate through all those but I somehow had forgotten about continuing to do this. I decided to make my own frozen burritos. It's really not hard and comes out pretty cheap, about 30 cents a burrito.

You will need:

• tortilla shells. I used the 10inch burrito size ones
• refried beans, either canned or homemade
• shredded cheese

Of course, you can add in meats, spices, salsa, hot sauce, etc but I wanted to keep mine simple. Then you combine the beans and cheese in a bowl, fill your tortilla, roll it up and you're done. You can either wrap them individually in plastic wrap or tin foil then place in a freezer gallon size bag or freeze them all on a cookie sheet and then put in the freezer bag once they are frozen. This prevents them from sticking together.

I got 5 burritos out of one can of beans and about one cup of cheese.

I hear you don't need to thaw them before cooking either. Just throw in the oven or the microwave and you got yourself a meal!

Now since I only got 5 burritos out of that recipe and I was expecting 8, I needed a recipe to use up my last 3 shells. That was when I found dessert chimichangas. The link doesn't include directions, other than the pictures, but it does have the ingredients. I combined all of the filling ingredients and heated them in a skillet over medium-high heat until they looked to be the right consistency. Then I filled and rolled the tortillas and put back in the pan with a little oil until slightly golden brown. Then I rolled in the cinnamon sugar topping.

I will mention I cut the recipe in half since I only needed to use 3 tortillas and my tortillas were pretty big compared to the ones called for. These were really good but I liked the shell and topping just as much as I liked the inside so maybe sometime in the near future, I'll just make the shells. I'm pretty sure that is already a thing but I've never had it before. 

(Vegan) Alternative to Meatballs

Since my pregnancy, I haven't gone back to being a vegetarian and not sure if I will or not. We do try to eat less meat and at least once a week, we have a meatless meal. It's actually already a really healthy practice, as well as good for you and the environment, if you haven't already considered this. There was a big campaign trying to make it more known called Meatless Mondays so I'm sure you will find plenty of information about it's benefits if you look that up. Anyway, last week Friday was our meatless meal. I wanted pasta but I thought it needed a little more protein. That was when I found this recipe. I actually had everything but the lentils on hand (with a few adjustments) and I had also been looking for a way to use up my package of mushrooms. My adjustments were I left out the bay leaf, used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine, and used some seasoning from a ramen packet mixed into water for the broth.

These are very easy to make but a little time consuming. Next time, I'll make a big batch and freeze some of them so I don't have to spend two hours cooking dinner every time. I don't think they are supposed to taste like meat and they don't but they are still great, especially when mixed into your pasta sauce! They were also bigger than I was thinking they were. A person had suggested using a mini muffin tin if you want them smaller but I don't have one of those. I suppose you could use a big muffin tin and just not fill it as much or you could probably get away with using a baking sheet.

We rated these a 4 out of 5 in our house! I will definitely be making them again. They also come out really cheap, in terms of ingredients. Around here, you can get an entire bag of lentils for a dollar (and you only use about 1/6 of it), and mushrooms for $1.50, much cheaper than meat!

Wet/Dry Bag 2

Once again, I am inspired to make my own pads (and maybe actually do it this time!) but first I needed a place to put them. So I made a wet/dry bag because I ended up using my divided one for nursing pads. I used this tutorial with a few minor changes. This was a really simple bag and I could easily make a lot of them (or more in different sizes!). In my previous post, I had mentioned I had learned how to do a boxed bottom by using the seam and cut method and it was with this project!

My outside was part of a cotton fat quarter and my inside is a vinyl-y type of fabric I got at a fabric garage sale a while ago. I figured both of these make the bag washable, which may come in handy if I really do end up storing used reusable pads in it for on the go.

I did make mine a little smaller because I wanted it to fit in my purse, plus the zipper I had was only 9 inches, rather than 10. Then I had intended to leave out the part of the zipper to make a cute little tab for it but for some reason, mine didn't work out that way. I think it had something to do with my sewing over the little metal pieces at the end of the zipper. This also causes not only a broken needle (boy, was that a mess to fix!), but also the end of your zipper doesn't line up so there is a teeny tiny gap when you close the zipper (meaning it doesn't close 100% of the way). That's okay though. It's good enough for me! Plus, it's easy enough I could make another one if I wanted.

As you can tell from my size comparison with a computer mouse, this is a small bag! But I think it'll be perfect.

Book Tote

Over the weekend, I made a really cute book tote. I actually had all the pieces cut out and sitting on my ironing board forever but I finally finished it! I did make a couple changes to the pattern to make it easier. For one, I cut all my pieces to the same size (when you get to the pinning step). So this means when you line up your 7 inch piece with the 7 inch side of a different piece, they are both 7 inches. The pattern calls for one of them to be 7 1/2. Same with the 9 inch pieces. This actually made me really mad that I didn't catch it sooner because I had accidentally cut the pieces at 9 inches, instead of 9 1/2. Then I discarded those pieces and it turns out I could've used them instead of cutting new pieces! Oh well. I'm over it.

The other annoying thing about this tote is actually having a bottom piece rather than making a boxed bottom with seams and cutting the corners (a technique I actually just learned this weekend while working on a different bag!). That would've made this project immensely easier.

I do like the end result though. It perfectly fits about 2 books, depending on how thick they are. I think it's adorable and could have many uses (some that don't even include toting books around!).

I would like to make a whole bunch of these but I should probably find uses for them first. Eventually, when my little girl is older, they'd be cute for her to cart around her stuff in.

 I'm sorry I don't have a size comparison for them but let's just say they would fit a Bible (or a similar sized book) perfectly!

Food! Dinners (part 2)

The first dinner is Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas. I've been meaning to make this one for a few weeks and just never got around to it. I will admit I used canned enchilada sauce but I had half a can leftover from the last time I made enchiladas (it freezes well. It's not quite the same consistency but it tastes the same once it comes back from the oven). I purposely left out the onions and cilantro but I just plum forgot to put the cumin in. It still had plenty of flavor, even with cutting the enchilada sauce to half a can as well. I wasn't a big fan of these but I'm still kind of spinach-ed out because I seemed to eat it by the handfuls for the longest time. My husband and mom really enjoyed this recipe though.

Pork Yakisoba is another recipe I found on pinterest. It's actually chicken but we never have that on hand and we did have pork, so I used that instead. In this, we had to make some alterations. For instance, we left out the sesame oil and hot sauce. We also substituted the worchestershire sauce for liquid smoke and used ginger spice rather than fresh ginger. I was really excited to use our garden carrots though. They weren't very big but we had enough of them to make enough for this. I didn't particularly like this recipe either but it might've been the cabbage. I think it absorbed too much of the liquid smoke, giving it too strong of a flavor.

For a lighter dinner, we made veggie egg bites. These were so quick and easy! Plus so good! I used peas, peppers, and corn for the veggies. I put them in the microwave to thaw a little bit first but the website said that wasn't necessary. I did end up needing 11 eggs and I only got 11 muffins out of it so I would adjust that for next time. I also forgot to salt them so I salted after, and might do that in the future on purpose for people's personal preferences.

Lastly, I needed a side to go with the veggie egg bites and my mom had brought zucchini and summer squash with her so we made fritters to go with them. These were also really good but you need an amazingly non-stick pan to make them. We have an Or-greenic pan and this worked wonders but the first pan we used didn't. They just stuck and when we were able to flip them, they lost the part that kept them together. These did turn out really delicious though. And I thought they accompanied the egg bites well.

And that's all my new recipes! (If you missed it, don't forget to read part 1 with desserts!

Food! Dessert (part 1)

With my mom here last week, I got a little behind in posting (what else is new?) so here are 8 new recipes that I tried.

First on the list, is puppy chow cookies. These cookies didn't quite turn out the way I wanted them to. I accidentally burned the bottoms (they were too close to the heat coils in the oven) and then the chocolate didn't melt to the right consistency so I ended up frosting them. They were still good but definitely not what I expected. I imagine if they hadn't burned, they would've been much better. Maybe next time I'll just make actual puppy chow. This recipe also surprised me that the cookie itself is just a peanut butter cookie. I would've put some chocolate in the cookie too.

The next recipe doesn't have a link. I found it on pinterest but when I clicked to go to the link, the link went to something else (don't you hate when that happens??) so I just followed what the comments said to do.

• 3 bananas
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 cups oats
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350. The title of this is healthy cookies but mine seemed a little too soupy for cookies so I put it in an 8x8 glass pan and baked for closer to 20 minutes. These bars turned out really good and reminded me of banana chocolate chip bread. I did like that they didn't have any added sugar or even flour, making this recipe so simple. I will mention I did not know if the order of the ingredients mixed together mattered, like for cookies, so I tried to do all the wet ingredients first then mix in the dry.

Peanut Butter Banana Bars are delicious! These were relatively healthy too and just as quick as the previous bars. I really recommend these, especially for a lighter breakfast. I know the ingredient list is a little long but it should all be things you have on hand.

My last dessert is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. These were also really good and quick. I found out during making them I only had 13 cupcake liners so I made the full recipe for 24 muffins into only 13. Mine turned out huge but still cooked in the right amount of time, surprisingly!

So can you tell I had some frozen bananas to use up? I made all these in the same day (my mom sure had a job of washing my mixer over and over) and I still have 2 bananas left!
 

Vegetarian Pea Salad

Yesterday, I was looking for a good side dish with sloppy joes. We normally have french fries (or another kind of potato product) but we didn't want to turn the oven on. I looked online and most people suggested a cold salad, something you might find at the grocery store's deli, like a potato salad, pasta salad, or cole slaw. I didn't have the ingredients to make any of those and didn't feel like running out to the store so I decided a pea salad might do the trick!

I made the pea salad almost the exact same way I make tuna salad, but with a few changes. First, I rinsed the (frozen) peas in warm water until they were about room temperature. Then I added a dollop of mayo (I actually added too much because I underestimated how many peas I was using but that's just a rookie mistake), about 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing, a sprinkle of dill weed, a dash of garlic, and a small handful of shredded Colby Jack cheese. Mix it all together and put it in the fridge until the rest of your meal is ready. It comes together really easily and it's probably all things you already have on hand. Some people like to add bacon (but I didn't want to defrost any) and some people use cubed cheese rather than shredded but we had shredded on hand.

This salad would go with most things, especially those with a barbeque theme. It's also easy to customize it to your family's tastes. I know some people also use Greek yogurt instead of mayo to make it a little healthier.


By the way, we got our first little crop of tomatoes from our garden! One hot house and five cherry! Plenty of green ones left on the plants too. Nothing else really thrived in our garden this year but we'll see about next year.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

Our grocery story does this thing where it takes money off of dairy products that are going to expire soon to encourage you to buy them. I'm sure most grocery stores do this but our store seems to do it WEEKS in advance. This means I go crazy and buy all the good things for really cheap and then get home and figure out ways to use them.

One of these things was a tub of lemon yogurt. I realized when I got home that 1. David wasn't going to help me eat it because he was sick and he doesn't do dairy when he's sick. 2. It was low fat, which basically means it's loaded with chemicals and I've been trying to buy the full fat version of things and 3. I don't really like lemon. I opened the yogurt anyway, hoping for the best. It was pretty disgusting. I had to choke down my little bowlful.

I decided to bake with it because I know I have baked using yogurt before. I had a hard time finding a recipe that didn't use Greek yogurt and I wasn't sure if the consistency of this really thin, runny low fat yogurt was going to work out because Greek yogurt is so thick. I decided to try one anyway. It didn't use any expensive ingredients and it would use up my yogurt. I choose this recipe. I did make quite a few changes though so read mine carefully.

These are my ingredients (notice I doubled it so I could use up all my yogurt)

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups lemon yogurt
2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
splash of lemon extract
splash pure vanilla extract
1 cup vegetable oil

I didn't make the glaze and it tastes really great without it. I also realized as I was typing this up that I forgot to double the baking powder and salt. Oops. It was only supposed to take 50 minutes in the oven but it wasn't done then. It ended up taking 59 minutes. Next time, I might set the timer for 55 and see then.

Also, not following the directions, I mixed everything in my electric mixer in the order they told me to (the wet ingredients first, then slowly add in the dry). Then I added the oil (also with the mixer, not a spatula). I'm not sure if this made any difference in taste or texture but it did make it easy to prepare! I should also mention while I was making this, David was husking and blanching 20 pounds of corn we got from his Grandma's garden that we were freezing (we ended up with 7 quarts! Awesome!). So our kitchen was pretty busy and messy by the end of all this!

We both rate this recipe a 9/10 but next time I also might try to remember to double the baking powder and salt if I have to double it again. As much as I liked this, hopefully I won't have any more gross yogurt to use up.

Circular Coasters

My mom had asked me to make her a set of coasters because the fabric ones absorb the condensation and her cork ones just let it run off the sides, onto the table, defeating the purpose of a coaster. I have log cabin square ones (that I have previously blogged about) but I wanted to try something new. I decided to do circle ones.

First, you take 4 coordinating fabrics, each about a 4 inch square. Then sew them together into a block, forming the top of the coaster. Be sure to sew right sides together. Make a circular template from a cup or dish (I used my breast pad one) to trace a circle on the block how big you want the coaster, plus a little bit for seam allowances. Cut out the coaster. Then cut out the same shape from a piece of fleece (what I use for the insides, you can use whatever kind of batting you want), and the fabric you have selected for the backing. Then stack them so the top and the back are right sides together and put your fleece on top of that. Pin and sew around, leaving a gap to turn. Be sure to back stitch at the beginning and end.

Then, turn right side in, iron, and invisible stitch (by hand) the gap closed. Iron again. Then top stitch however you choose. I decided to just do a stitch along the perimeter but you may also choose to top stitch wedges.

Pork Chops and Patty Melts

As a former vegetarian, I have no experience cooking meat. Usually, David cooks it (when we have it. We actually cook meatless more times than not) but I needed a break from Baby so I made dinner. On Monday night, we had amazing pork chops! I had to cut the recipe in half since we only made 2 pork chops but that didn't work out well for the spices so I mostly just guessed instead of measuring. I don't know if it was because of this or if the original recipe was like this too but all we could taste was the carmelizing, not the spices. It was still so good though! It was even easy for an inexperienced chef like myself to make! I would definitely make this again. It is a tad annoying that it uses the stove top and the oven but it actually hasn't been too hot here so we haven't had a problem using the oven in a while.

Last night, I made patty melts. I did this slightly different than they did. For instance, I didn't toast the bread in the pan first. We keep our bread frozen so I just microwaved it and I used our regular wheat bread, instead of rye. Then I melted some butter to cook the patties in (didn't use salt or pepper. I thought the cheese would make it salty enough). I also cooked the onions at the same time as the patties. I used red instead of white.

Then I buttered one side of one slice of bread (for each sandwich) and put the non-buttered bread down in the pan. I figured that the grease leftover would be enough for the plain side. Then I added a slice of american cheese, the patty, the onions, shredded mozzarella and then the other slice of bread (buttered side up). I am a pro at making grilled cheese so this was very similar. Even though I had never cooked ground beef before, my patties came out medium-well and that's just the way we like it! This recipe was a bit more time consuming and it involved keeping track of a lot of things at once but it was actually quick (for the average person) and really really really good (probably all that butter!)!

Cinnamon Cucumber Bread

We were given a lot of cucumbers fresh out of David's grandma's garden. It was just after we had bought some at the store so at the end of it all, we were getting sick of them and running out of ideas. On Pinterest, I came across this recipe! It didn't sound that bad. We liked zucchini bread so why wouldn't we like this?

We baked it and it was SO good!!! The hardest part is grating all the cucumbers. After that, everything is simple. We even happened to have whole wheat and regular flour in our pantry so we followed the recipe to a T. The source had said that it tastes like zucchini bread but we can definitely tell it's cucumber. Also, because of the extra water content, it takes a bit longer to bake it but you can't tell that with the toothpick test. It took us the full 45 minutes.

I will definitely make this again but I'm not sure if I would buy cucumbers specifically for it. I might wait til we have a plethora again. The bread isn't particularly healthy (other than the cucumbers...it does have 2 whole cups of sugar in it) but it's also great smeared with a little butter.

The source also says that it freezes really well. They had made 4 mini loaves but we don't have mini loaf pans so it turned out to be 2 regular size loaves (filled about halfway full before baking). It would be a bit hard to half this recipe since it uses 3 eggs but I don't think 2 loaves is unreasonable. Then you can freeze one or share it with a friend!

Sour Cream and Dill Chicken

Hey everyone! I'm sorry for not blogging the past week (and getting behind before that) but I was at my parent's house. We are back now and I would like to try to get back in the swing of things and blog more often but we'll see how that goes. Today, I am blogging about a recipe I made with my brother for my parent's. Sour cream and dill chicken is quite easy to make. Due to my family's tastes, we left out the mushrooms. Had I been making this at my house, I would've used fresh mushrooms and I would've cut the onion soup mix in half (but my parents liked it with the whole packet).

This was very simple to make. We made it with frozen chicken breast so it took 1 1/2 hours to cook instead of an hour but it turned out great! The sauce was very easy to ladle over egg noodles (to make the prep even easier, we had leftover egg noodles to use up!) or rice. This recipe would be great to make after having mushroom stroganoff and you still have sour cream and noodles left over!

I think we all rated this a 5 out of 5. Obviously, it's not the healthiest of recipes but you can modify it to your family's tastes.

Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

Last week, our baby turned 6 months old! I am part of the less than 1% that exclusively breastfeeds their infant for the first 6 months of their life. Most people either switch to formula (or supplement with it) or they start food earlier than that.

Yesterday, our baby had her first taste of real food. She had homemade applesauce (a little more tart than I would've liked but it was at my mother-in-law's house). She was given a baby spoon and a little applesauce (both on the spoon and on the tray). We didn't expect her to pick up the spoon and feed herself but we knew she was orally curious (as our doctor put it) so something would end up in her mouth. For months 6-12, a baby isn't meant to receive nutrition from food anyway. They are just to explore food and learn how to swallow it.

We decided to forgo the rice cereal because it doesn't provide much nutrition for the baby and gives them a lot of things, like sugar, they don't need. I know some people think this is what causes their baby to sleep through the night (which our baby still doesn't do, but that's okay) but there is no medical reason for this to be true. Doctors don't support that theory.

In baby led weaning, you don't give your baby store bought baby purees or stay up all night making your own. You simply give them real food. Today, Baby had a banana. We cut it into easy to handle pieces but we didn't smush it (although she did). This way she can get used to textures and the feel of food in her mouth.

This also lets your baby eat when they're hungry and not force feed them. It can get rather messy and I have a feeling Baby will need a bath every night after dinner but that's okay.

I am not trying to force this method on people but this is what works for us for this child. I know some people use this for some of their children but others just couldn't do it. It's different for each kid. Sometimes people do a combination of both purees and BLW. It's also important to know the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging is very common but not a bad thing. However, in an emergency, you will want to know what choking looks like. I am told there are YouTube videos out there for this.

You may want to do more research if you are interested in this method but here are some other important things:

• avoid foods that are the wrong size (grapes, nuts, peas, etc)
• avoid unsafe foods (egg yolks, nuts and nut butters, honey, etc)
• wait until they master the pincer grasp (forefinger and thumb) for some foods like Cheerio halves, grape quarters, etc

These are just very loose guidelines. I am in no way a medical physician or anything of the sort. Please consult your doctor and don't take anything I say as hard fact. 

Packing in a Carry On

I'm not sure if I have mentioned it, but last week, we went to the Club Med in Punta Cana (all expenses paid by David's family!). This was an amazing gift but the airline we went with didn't give us a checked bag for free. We aren't frequent flyers and we would be travelling with a baby so this was a big deal to us. To ease our minds, David's parents split a checked bag with us so we could travel with bigger liquids (like sunscreen!). On the way there, we did have everything in 3 carry ons but travelling through the airport with 3  carry ons, a stroller, a diaper bag, a backpack (personal item. My personal item was the diaper bag since Baby didn't get one), and an infant was a bit much. On the way back, we miraculously fit everything in two carry ons (plus all the other stuff) and put one of the carry ons in another one so we were down to two bags. I can't really explain how this happened since we were actually coming back with more stuff (our souvenirs and the amount of diapers used were more than even).

Here is a list of everything we took. The key is rolling your clothes and using all possible space (like inside shoes or even pockets). Some people go the extra step and put outfits in bags so they can easily find stuff and they claim it fits even more stuff this way. I wasn't about to drop 50 dollars on packing cubes (although I did hear good things about them) so we did without the bags. Our carry ons were also slightly smaller than the allowed size. I will leave out the things we put in the checked bag since that doesn't really count. I will also mention we were only gone 8 days but way overpacked, especially the Baby because you just never know how many outfit changes they'll require in a day. When we came home, we actually had a full suitcase of dirty clothes and a full suitcase of clean clothes. That's crazy (but made for easy unpacking when we got home)!

3 sets of pajamas for all 3 of us (so 9 total)
7 swim suits
4 pairs of sandals
1 pair of tennis shoes
1 pair of heels
16 pairs of underwear
60 diapers
4 pairs of socks
6 pairs of shorts
10 outfits for Baby
1 dress
1 pair of pants
18 t shirts
1 long sleeved shirt
14 nursing pads
1 gallon size bag packed to the gills of pads and tampons
3 bras
2 tank tops
2 books (each about 300 pages)
baby sun hat
2 swim diapers
1 pack of wipes (72 per pack)
7 burp cloths
baby sun shirt (with a floaty thing in it so it doesn't bend at all)
beach umbrella

So if you swap out 40 of the diapers and a few of the pads and tampons, but add in a beach towel, a coffee mug, a box with a jar of alcohol and two shot glasses, and a few other souvenirs, it becomes what we brought home. Maybe this isn't that impressive to you and I'm sorry I don't have pictures to show you just how much stuff this really is but I think it's amazing. If anything seems to be missing from the list, it was either in the diaper bag, backpack, or checked bag. I know it seems to sort of be cheating with the checked bag but even that bag was really small).

The only thing we did was roll all our clothes (individually, not in stacks like some people do), utilize ALL space, and squish everything down as we went.

Lots and Lots and Lots....Part 2

As you can see from the title, this is a part 2. Be sure to scroll down to read all about part 1. Part 1 is recipes. Part 2 is projects!

I have been busy making stuff! A while back, I had found a yard of the perfect fabric for my mom. She is obsessed with bikes and my fabric had vintage bikes all over it. I wasn't sure what to do with it for the longest time but I finally settled on a hanging toiletry bag. She loved it of course but I will mention, this was not easy to make. First of all, make sure you have a machine that can handle vinyl. I started this project on my mother-in-law's Bernina machine and that couldn't handle it. I ended up using my old, really heavy sewing machine (remember my Goodwill one?). That thing can handle ANYTHING but obviously most people don't have a 75 year old (seriously) machine  laying around. I suppose you could hand stitch if necessary. Here  is the tutorial. A few things got a little confusing for me but it still turned out okay! (Although I will admit, I am awful with binding.) I apologize for the bad, shadowy pictures but I was in a hurry.

This is the bag all rolled up and velcroed.

This is the inside of the bag. The colored strips are the zippers. There are 4 of them (it's kind of hard to see the top one since the gold blends in so well. I'm so lucky I can get zippers for 10 cents at our flea market!)

This is the back (the side you don't put stuff in).

 I have considered making myself one but like I said, it was really a lot of work and patience. It also didn't turn out perfect, especially because the bikes are a directional print and when I was assembling this, I wasn't sure which way everything was supposed to face (so if you notice in the second picture, the last pocket of bikes is upside down).

Next, I made a chinese waves pouch. The original pattern makes a really small bag so I made it bigger. I casted on 45 stitches and went until I ran out of yarn, sort of. I had used a sugar 'n cream yarn with stripes (notice that the stripes are different than the color variations). This was a VERY simple pattern to follow until the end. I had learned how to crochet in girl scouts but since then, I have completely forgotten how to do it. I assumed I could just make the i cord and add buttons (I needed more than one button since I made my pouch wider). Little did I know, the i cord is easiest when your yarn is still attached to your project. I was able to whip stitch the sides (although I do admit what the pattern calls for with the crocheting is much prettier) but still needed the closures. I finally had David make little twisted pieces to go around my hand-sewn on buttons. It works but next time, I'll come up with a new solution.

This is the perfect project for the amount of yardage that comes in a sugar 'n cream because you knit the pouch until you have one color stripe left in your ball of yarn. Then use that to finish it off with the crocheting and such. It's perfect! That makes these really cheap and the pattern owner even says you can sell them! I'm thinking of selling them at a craft fair next summer. It hardly took me any time at all to make (until my button closure dilemma)!

This is it closed. If you notice, it still doesn't quite work out with two buttons but I think it's the way I spaced them.

This is the pouch open. Please ignore my baby monitor. 

Lastly, I made a swim cover up for our upcoming beach vacation! We are going to a Club Med in the Dominican Republic (treated by David's grandparents. About 30 people are going in all!). I do not have a picture of this yet since I am technically still in the middle of it (and we leave this week! eek!!) but it's actually a very quick project. I was just having a hard time having a baby free minute that I could wrap this up ( no pun intended). This is the tutorial. It actually does not use any machine sewing or hemming, making this super easy! I did mess up a couple times but it was okay because I had two yards of fabric and ended up only needing about a yard and a half. The butt is still a little saggy but that is okay with me. It's very comfy and I can't wait to try it out at the beach! I suggest reading some of the comments below her tutorial if you are confused, especially when cutting the tank top holes. I was glad I had the extra fabric though because she asks for fabric scraps a couple times (for the straps and for wrapping around the straps) and without that extra half yard, I hardly had anything. Cotton scraps do not work for the braiding of the straps. I tried and it was a mess. Definitely use jersey scraps if you have them!

That is the end of all my updates! I hope that didn't get too crazy. So I'm getting ready for vacation now so obviously I won't blog for a while (at least a week and a half) but I hope these two posts (part one and two) will tide you over until you hear from me again!

Lots and Lots and Lots...Part 1

Once again, I got behind in my blogging. It has gotten a little more difficult since I can only use my husband's computer (and he takes it to work with him every day). Literally everything other computer in this house is broken (all 3!) so I have to wait til he gets home and for Baby to give me a break so...it just hasn't happened in a while.

A lot of things have happened in the past two weeks (two weeks, right?) so I'm going to split this up into an post about recipes and a post about things I have created! I'm so excited about all of it. This is my recipe post.

The first recipe I have is a side dish of mushrooms. I am actually not a big fan of mushrooms but I can tolerate them and I know they are good for me so I put them in lots of things. The picture of this recipe alone is what made me want to make them. I found it on pinterest and I just had to make it! Here is the recipe. I did make a couple changes.

• I used garlic powder instead of garlic cloves (we rarely have garlic cloves in the house)
• I used dried thyme rather than fresh thyme (again, we don't usually have fresh herbs in the house)
• We find it a waste to buy bread crumbs so we just toast our bread and then put it in our little food chopper. I used two slices, which gave us a LOT of bread crumbs but I actually liked all the extra. If you were trying to stick closer to the recipe, I'd only use one or maybe even a half.
• No lemon juice
• We also didn't pay attention to which way the stalks were facing when we fried them or baked them.

These were phenomenal! I would highly recommend them, even to people who don't care for mushrooms. I will make this recipe again and again. We had 3 people eating them with no leftovers, after using a whole package of mushrooms. We served them with spinach lasagna roll ups.

The spinach lasagna roll ups were also really good. My mom and husband were especially impressed with them. Another easy recipe. I happened to have ricotta and lasagna noodles on hand (which NEVER happens in this house) and I knew what I had to do. I did think the roll ups were a creative way to serve lasagna without actually serving lasagna. They also help great with portion control.

I left out the parmesan (surprise, surprise, we don't keep parmesan on hand) and just used extra mozzarella. We also used fresh spinach, sauteed til soft, rather than frozen. We used a whole jar of spaghetti sauce but I felt like that was a bit much (I'm not sure how that amount compares to the amount that was called for but I had no use for a little bit of a jar of sauce so I just automatically used the whole thing). I filled mine a little too thick so I did have extra noodles at the end but I just covered them in the extra sauce and it worked out fine. 

Also, my mom and I made 3 loaves of banana bread because we had a LOT of frozen bananas to bake with. A little trick I didn't know is that you can peel frozen bananas (unless you're smart enough to freeze them peeled) with a butter knife. It goes really quick and the frozen bananas still mix well in the dough. This recipe is super simple and the prep time is also really quick. You can easily leave out the chocolate chips. Next time, I might. They were good but I like banana bread without them too. I also have a tendency to butter my banana bread and that turned out a little weird with the chocolate chips. 

With each loaf of bread, I used 4 bananas. I did the first ones as a double batch (and obviously did the 3rd loaf by itself. 3 times the recipe wouldn't fit in my mixer). It had a great banana flavor but I didn't think 4 was overdoing it at all. Depending on the ratio of wet and dry ingredients, I bet you could get away with adding even more banana. 

Lastly, I need to document my recipe for cheesy broccoli rice casserole. I know I have mentioned it before but when I needed it, I couldn't find the recipe. As usual, I made a few changes.

• I always use shredded cheese rather than cheez whiz. That stuff just grosses me out.
• I use brown rice instead of white (since that takes 45 minutes on its own, I usually make a batch of it during the day and then throw it in the fridge until I am ready to use it with dinner. This method also works really well when you want to make fried rice.) 
• Sometimes I leave out the onion if I am trying to cut the prep time in half. When I do this, I occasionally add minced onion (spice) but not always. 

Okay I think I am done with recipes! I hope that didn't get too long. Now onto my post about my projects!