Thursday, July 30, 2009
Belly picture
My first baby project
While we were down in Glendale this past weekend, I took some time to go to Joanns, hoping to get some fabric for this project. Well, not only did they not have a good variety of the gren I wanted, but I wouldn't have been able to bring myself to pay that much for fabric. So, I went to Savers, just a few blocks away.
First I looked through the linens section with no luck & then I got an amazing idea. I went instead to the mens button-up shirts section, which is so nicely organized by size & color. I picked out about 6 different shirts, all with similar hues of green, plus a few black & whites, but in a variety of patterns. I also ended up getting some more black & white prints from Walmart when we got home (like the black & white polka dots, which makes it all so much more girly).
I decided to do the room in mostly greens, black & white, so that if we end up having a boy in the future, I won't have to make a completely new set. I am going to bring the pink in with a quilt & some flowers & wall hangings, which are much more easily replaced later.
I started by cutting strips of fabric, all about 22" long from the backs of all the shirts & from the other material. Then I sewed the strips together to make a piece long enough to fit the front of the crib. The rest of the bumper will be one long piece to cover the other three sides. I used some leftover quilt batting, & also put in a fabric stabilizer that is pretty stiff, to stuff the inside. I added ribbons on the ends and in the middle in order to tie it to the crib, & tada! This is what it turned out like. I am still working on the piece for the other three sides, but it will be done shortly. I am using the extra pieces of the shirts to make a patchwork changing table mattress cover & a quilt. It is going to be so cute! I can't wait to see it all finished!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake
1 package (16 ounces) spiral pasta
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) pizza sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 cups (16 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, garlic salt and Italian seasoning; remove from the heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk and Parmesan cheese. Drain pasta; toss with egg mixture. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 12 servings.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Corn Waffles Recipe
I got this recipe from the Taste of Home magazine, and it is so good! I did pour a bit more than just 1/4 cup into each waffle spot on the iron because the first two were not very big. Instead of using syrup, I heated up a can of cream of chicken soup with a little milk added and we served that on top. It was very tasty. The recipe also suggests applesauce and honey, though we didn't try it that way. It was a very filling meal. I froze the leftovers in a bag, and am planning on just popping them in the toaster tomorrow to heat them up for lunch. Enjoy!
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups milk
1 can (8-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1/2 cup vegetable oil
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the milk, corn, eggs and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls into a preheated waffle iron; bake according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.
Yield: 16 waffles.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A New Background
Boy or Girl?
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fishing Trip
Easy party idea
You could also use this idea for baby showers. Just tie blue or pink ribbon around the jars. And, to make it easier for guests to know which glass is there, you could tie on a number or letter, or even a charm. This would be pretty at weddings, and you could tie the name card onto the ribbon to mark each person's seat.
Another wall phrase
Saltwater Taffy
Recipe: (you need a candy thermometer)
1 cup sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 t. salt
2 T. butter
2 t. vanilla
Grease a 9x9x2 (or an 8x8 if that is all you have) baking pan. In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch. Stir in corn syrup, water, & salt. Add butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and sugar is completely dissolved. Continue cooking, without stirring, until temperature reaches 260 degrees on a candy thermometer, or until a small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a ball that is hard enough to hold its shape, yet pliant. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Butter fingers and pull taffy until it has a satin-like finish and light color. Pull into long strips, 1/2 inch wide. With scissors, cut into 1-inch pieces (best done while the taffy is still warm, otherwise you might break your scissors). Wrap individual candies in wax paper. Makes 1 pound. (I would suggest cutting your wax paper squares while the candy is cooking, since you don't have to stir for awhile. I didn't and so when I went to cut the rest of the taffy, it was a little hard).
Enjoy, it is so good! Be sure to suck on it for a little while before you bite into it, otherwise you might pull a filling out.