Etsy: Cabled Flower Hat

This cabled hat comes with three flowers (your choice of colors and styles) that easily attach to the button on the hat. Visit my Etsy shop today!

Cabled Flower Hat (child)

Cabled Flower Hat (adult)

Etsy: Angry Birds Hat

A favorite among children and adult alike, this Angry Birds hat is available in any color you would like. Just visit my Etsy shop!

Angry Birds Hat

Recipe: Salisbury Bean Steak

This is a great meatless recipe which can also be made entirely from food storage items!

INGREDIENTS:
2 cans beans (I used 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans)
1/8 C water
1/2 C Bisquick
1/8 C dried minced onion
salt and pepper
2T olive oil
2 C brown gravy, prepared from mix

DIRECTIONS:
1. Rinse and drain the beans. Use a food processor or blender to cut up the beans (add the water first). I like to stop while there are still some larger pieces, to give it a bit more texture.
2. Transfer beans to a large bowl and mix in Bisquick and onion. Season to taste. Shape mixture into 6 oval patties. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet pan over medium heat. Coat each chilled bean patty in a thin layer of Bisquick. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Pour brown gravy over patties, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans (we used dehydrated mashed potatoes and canned green beans, which we heated up while the patties were simmering).


We liked the texture of the patties (the first time I tried, they completely fell apart), but thought we should season the beans more. I'll have to update this when we figure out a better spice blend.

Recipe: Nilagang Manok

So, I decided it was time for me to fully embrace my heritage and learn how to cook some Filipino food. Every time I have ever visited my grandparents, I have had this chicken-cabbage soup. I never even knew what it was called until I decided to try to make it! Well, I looked at several different recipes and made some adjustments to get it as close to Grandma's as I could. It turned out to be a huge success, and now I can help pass along some culture to my quarter-Filipino children!



INGREDIENTS
2 T olive oil
1/2 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 C ginger root, minced
8 C water
1 stalk celery, broken in three pieces
1 bay leaf (or 1t chopped bay leaves)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast meat, cut up
3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken leg meat, cut up
3 C cabbage, sliced
1/2 bunch green onion, cut into 2" pieces
salt and pepper, to taste
patis, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook 2-3 minutes or until onion begins to look translucent.
2. Add water, celery, bay leaf, and chicken. Bring to rolling boil; reduce heat to low and cook 30 more minutes.
3. Remove celery. Add cabbage and green onion. Season with salt, pepper, and patis, to taste. Cook an additional 15 minutes, or until cabbage and green onions are soft.
4. Serve on rice with patis.

--------------------
I used sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Growing up, I always had it with white rice, but I made brown rice because I'm trying to be healthier.

Pattern: Ruffled Purse

MATERIALS
worsted weight yarn, any color
I/9 (5.5mm) crochet hook
plastic snap (optional)
material for lining (optional)

SPECIAL STITCHES
pair Xdc = pair of crossed dcs [skip 1 stitch, dc in next stitch, then dc in skipped stitch]

Xdcdec = crossed dc decrease [skip 2 stitches, yarn over, insert in next stitch, yarn over and pull a loop through, yarn over and pull through two loops; yarn over, insert in next stitch, yarn over and pull a loop through, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through all three loops. yarn over, insert in first skipped stitch, yarn over and pull a loop through, yarn over and pull through two loops; yarn over and insert in second skipped stitch, yarn over and pull a loop through, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through all three loops]


PURSE
Rnd 1: Ch 28, sc in 2nd ch from hook, 1sc in each of next 25, 3sc in last ch. Working along bottom of starting chain (do not turn), 1sc in each of next 25, 2sc in last chain, sl st to join. (56sc)

Rnd 2: Ch1, 2sc in same stitch as joining, 1sc in each of next 25, 2sc in each of next 3, 1sc in each of next 25, 2sc in each of next 2, sl st to join. (62sc)

Rnd 3: Ch1, sc in same stitch as joining, 2sc in next stitch, 1sc in each of next 26, [2sc in next, 1sc in next] twice, 2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 26, 2sc in next, 1sc in next, 2sc in next, sl st to join. (68sc)

Rnd 4: Ch1, sc in same stitch as joining, 2sc in next stitch, 1sc in each of next 27, [2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 2] twice, 2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 27, 2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 2, 2sc in next, 1sc in next, sl st to join (76sc)

Rnd 5: Ch1, sc in same stitch as joining, 1sc in next stitch, 2sc in next stitch, 1sc in each of next 28, [2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 3] twice, 2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 28, 2sc in next, 1sc in each of next 3, 2sc in next, 1sc in next, sl st to join. (80)

Rnds 6-10: Ch3 (counts as first dc in Xdc), dc in previous stitch. Work 39 more pairs Xdc. Sl st to top of beginning ch3 to join. (80dc)

Rnd 11: Ch 3 (counts as first dc in Xdc), dc in previous stitch. Work Xdcdec over next 4 stitches, work 18 pairs of Xdc, work Xdcdec over next 4 stitches, work 17 pairs of Xdc. Sl st to top of beginning ch3 to join. (76dc)

Rnds 12-15: Ch3 (counts as first dc in Xdc), dc in previous stitch. Work 37 more pairs Xdc. Sl st to top of beginning ch3 to join. (76dc)

Rnd 16: Ch3 (counts as first dc in Xdc), dc in previous stitch. Work 2 more pairs Xdc, work Xdcdec over next 4 stitches, work 17 pairs of Xdc, work Xdcdec over next 4 stitches, work 14 pairs of Xdc. Sl st to top of beginning ch3 to join. (72dc)

Rnds 17-18: Ch3 (counts as first dc in Xdc), dc in previous stitch. Work 35 more pairs Xdc. Sl st to top of beginning ch3 to join. (72dc)

Row 19: Sl st in each of next 12 stitches. Ch 1, sc in same stitch, 1sc in each of next 33 stitches. (34sc)

Row 20-30: Ch1, turn, 1sc in same stitch and in each stitch across. (34sc)


Row 31: Ch1, turn, beginning with same stitch sc2tog, 1sc in each stitch across to last 2, sc2tog (32sc)

Row 32: Ch1, turn, 1sc in same stitch and in each stitch across (32sc)

Rows 33-34: Repeat rows 31 and 32. (30sc)

Rows 35-37: Ch1, turn, beginning with same stitch sc2tog, 1sc in each stitch across to last 2, sc2tog (28sc, 26sc, 24sc)

Row 38: Ch1, turn, beginning with same stitch sc2tog, sc2tog, 1sc in each stitch across to last 4, sc2tog twice. Fasten off. (20sc)


RUFFLE
Row 1: Attach to side of first sc in Row 19 with sl st. Ch3 (counts as first dc), dc in same stitch, 2dc in each stitch (or side of stitch) around flap. (116dc)

Row 2: Ch3 (counts as first dc), dc in each stitch across. Fasten off. (116dc)

STRAP
Row 1: Ch 6, 1sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of remaining 4 chains. (5sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, 1sc in same stitch and in each of next 4. (5sc)

Repeat Row 2 until strap measures 24 inches. Fasten off. Attach strap to sides of purse next to sc's on either side of Row 19.

FINISHING
I recommend lining this purse if you are going to put any small items in it. I used my KAM pliers to attach plastic snaps. I put the top snap in the center of the flap (near the ruffle), and I put the bottom snap through the lining and yarn where I wanted the flap to attach.

Recipe: Gluten Free Coconut Snickerdoodles

 INGREDIENTS

2 C sweet rice flour
1/2 C cornstarch
1 1/4 t baking powder
1 t salt
3/4 C unsalted butter
1 C granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 T ground cinnamon
1/4 C shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS
1. In small mixing bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and 1 C sugar. Add eggs one at a time; blend thoroughly between each addition. Add vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
3. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and blend until dough forms. Cover dough and chill for two hours (or over night).
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine cinnamon and 1/4 C sugar. Have coconut accessible in another small bowl.
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Flatten each ball into a circle that is 3/8" thick. Dip both sides in cinnamon-sugar then place on cookie sheet. Sprinkle a pinch of coconut and another pinch of cinnamon-sugar over the top side of the cookie; pat coconut and cinnamon-sugar down into cookie.
6. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool.

(This recipe is based off of these Gluten-Free Snickerdoodles, with the changes that I made.)

Recipe: Best Cheesecake Ever

I'm going to be making this on Sunday, and it took me forever to find the recipe so I decided I'd post it on here so it won't be so hard to find it next time. Anyway, I originally got it off the Raskas cream cheese box (so no, I am not claiming any involvement in the creation of this magnificent recipe, though I changed a few things and am giving you my version here). The original recipe calls for double the amounts, which is perfect for a 10" springform pan, or two regular 9" pie pans (like the disposable kind that comes with the graham cracker crust already made for you!). Since I'm going to cheat and buy the crust, and since I don't think we need to be eating so many calories, I'm just going to make one 9" cake using the following recipe.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2/3 C sugar
1 t vanilla
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. sour cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare pan with crust (sometimes I make a graham cracker crust, but I usually cheat and buy one that comes in the tin).
2. Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla; set aside.
3. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in egg mixture and sour cream.
4. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave cake in oven with door ajar for one more hour. Cool 1 hour at room temperature; chill.

Recipe: Eggless Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

So I wanted to make dessert today and needed to figure out what I could make with what I had on hand. I had three bananas* in the freezer (which kept falling out every other time I opened it), so I decided to make banana bread. But everything is better with chocolate, especially bananas (my roommate and I used to make banana-chocolate chip pancakes in college all the time, but I haven't had them in such a long time because of Jeffrey's strange and unfortunate aversion to bananas -- except in banana bread, because he doesn't think it tastes like bananas). Anyway, I found a recipe for chocolate chip banana bread and started making it before I realized I didn't have any eggs. So I used unsweetened applesauce as a substitute. I also used whole wheat flour for a third of the flour called for. Anyway, it came out so moist and delicious! In fact, by the end of the day there were only two slices left (and we would have probably eaten all of it if we hadn't eaten so very much for dinner).

*Note: I let the bananas thaw a bit, peeled them, chopped them up, then let them continue thawing. Some of the liquid separates when you have frozen the bananas, and I know a lot of people drain it, but I just mash it all up with the liquid because I figure it came from the banana and getting rid of it might affect the taste and texture.

Here is the recipe I based it on.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 C butter, softened

1 C white sugar

1/4 C unsweetened applesauce

1 T mayonnaise (I actually used the Kraft mayo with olive oil, because that's what we had on hand)

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 C all purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/4 t salt

1/2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the applesauce, mayonnaise, and bananas. In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture; stir just enough to evenly combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Bake at 350F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 to 75 minutes. Cool loaf in the pan for 20 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe: Ranch Chicken

Forgot to take a picture... but we'll be making it again soon because it was so yummy! The chicken was moist and flavorful, and the breading was the perfect combination of flavor and crispiness. This was a combined effort, with Jeffrey's great idea and my know-how in the kitchen.

INGREDIENTS:
4 chicken breasts (4-6oz each)
1/3 C ranch dressing
1 egg
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1/4 C parmesan
3/4 C bisquick

PREPARATION:
1. Place chicken breast in good-sealing ziplock (or between two pieces of plastic wrap) and pound to 1/2-inch thickness. Repeat for each piece of chicken. Marinate chicken in ranch dressing for a couple hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425F. Line a 9"x13" baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. In a shallow dish, beat egg. In another shallow dish, combine ranch mix, parmesan, and bisquick.
3. Coat chicken in bisquick mix, dip in egg, then coat in biscquick mix again; place in baking dish. Repeat for remaining chicken. Bake 20 minutes; turn and return to oven for 10 minutes.

*Note: This technically serves 4 people (we had mashed potatoes and salad with it), but if you're cooking for someone like my husband, you might want to make extra. He was so disappointed that he only got one piece!

Recipe: Lemon-Apricot Chicken

Not sure why the picture got turned, but here it is. I used this recipe, but just used normal Bisquick and an egg instead of the water/egg white combination. It came out sooo good!

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken:
1 egg
1/2 C Bisquick
1 1/2 t grated lemon peel
1/8 t garlic powder
1/2 lb chicken breast

Sauce:
1/3 C apricot preserves
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t soy sauce
1/8 t ground ginger

PREPARATION:
1. Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In shallow dish, beat egg product and water slightly. In another shallow dish, stir together Bisquick® mix, lemon peel and garlic powder. Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper to 1/2-inch thickness.


2. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with Bisquick mixture. Place in pan. Spray chicken with cooking spray.


3. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Turn; bake 10 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center.


4. In small microwavable bowl, stir together all Lemon-Apricot Sauce ingredients. Microwave on High 1 minute; stir. Cut chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with lemon slices.

Cupcake Bag

I made this for my little sister's 6th birthday. Here's the pattern: Cupcake Bag Crochet Pattern. Instead of the dots and hearts, I just repeated the scalloped pattern with different colors. I stitched down the bottom of each scallop so that it would rest flat.

Recipe: Guilt-Free, Machineless Homemade Icecream

 
Ingredients:
1 C skim milk
1/4 C Splenda (or other 0-calorie sweetener)
1 t vanilla OR 1 t cocoa powder
1 tray of icecubes
salt
fresh fruit or other toppings (optional)

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a sandwich-size ziplock bag (if it doesn't have a great seal, double bag it); make sure to remove as much air as possible. In a larger ziplock bag* (the gallon size is perfect for two little bags of ice cream and two trays of ice), place the ice cubes, about 1/4 C of salt, and the sealed bag of ice cream ingredients. Seal the large bag well, then shake vigorously for 5-10 minutes (you'll want to use a kitchen towel, or something to keep your hands from freezing). Quickly rinse off the outside of the ice cream bag with cold water. Being careful not to allow any of the salty water into your ice cream, open the bag and spoon your ice cream into a bowl. I like to chop up a strawberry or two and add it on top.

And there you have it -- a bowl of ice cream for under 100 calories!

*Note: We were going through plastic bags like crazy, so we discovered that you could also use a large bowl with a good lid in place of the large ziplock bag.

One more thing. If you have someone like my husband, who is offended by the idea of low-calorie, low-fat ice cream, you can make this just as easily with whole milk and granulated sugar. That's how hubby likes it, but it comes out to about 330 calories, pre-toppings.

Recipe: Personal Stuffed Meatloaves

So I combined ideas from several recipes with my own idea to make individual portions (so that we wouldn't overeat, as we tend to do). That being the case, some of the measurements are kind of weird. They don't have to be exact, but you'll see what I mean. You can do any sort of filling you want. I did a spinach-mushroom one for me, and a cheese one for Jeffrey. You can be creative with vegetables and cheeses, but I'll let you know how I made ours. Anyway, this makes two individual-sized loaves. Also, I made this a few hours ahead (while my daughter  was napping) and just kept it in the fridge until I was ready to start cooking it.

INGREDIENTS:

Loaf:
1/2 lb ground beef
1 t soy sauce
dried sage
ground mustard
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 slice bread, torn in pieces

Filling (suggestions):
1/4 C grated cheese
1 C chopped mushrooms
1 C shredded spinach
1/2 t olive oil

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Line small baking pan or loaf pan with foil.
2. Prepare fillings. I just grated up some cheddar (the only kind we had at the time). For the vegetables, I sauteed them in 1/2 t of olive oil with a dash of garlic salt.
3. In small container, combine spices -- Fill 1/4 t measuring spoon a third of the way with dried sage, fill remainder of spoon with ground mustard; add to container. Fill 1/4 t measuring spoon a third of the way with pepper, fill remainder of spoon with salt; add to container. Add a dash of garlic powder and combine spices.
4. In medium bowl, add soy sauce, spice blend, and bread to ground beef. Stir well to combine. Separate meat mixture into two halves.
5. On a square of foil, spoon half of the meat mixture. Spread into a rectangle about 4"x7". Spoon filling onto meat mixture and spread. Roll up meat, starting with narrow end; pinch ends so filling does not spill out. Place seam-side down on prepared baking pan. Repeat for remaining meat.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked thoroughly. Once cooked, allow excess grease to drain off for a few moments before serving.

Crocodile Stitch Purse

Oh my gosh! I love, love, love how this purse turned out! I used this pattern for the Crocodile Stitch Purse. I used an H hook with a soft acrylic worsted weight. I used the explanation for the crocodile stitch from this site because it didn't require me to watch a 30 minute video.

I lined it with some plum-colored satin that I had in my stash, and finished it off with a snap using my new KAM pliers!

 Crochet Instructions (from pattern):


Rnd 1: ch 38, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each of next 35 chs, 5 sc in last ch, working on opposite side of ch, sc in each of next 35 chs, 4 sc in last ch, join (see Pattern Note) in beg sc. (80 sc)

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in each of first 37 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in next st, 3 sc in next st, sc in each of next 37 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in next st, 3 sc in last st, join in beg sc. (88 sc)

Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in each of first 38 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in each of next 3 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in each of next 39 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in each of next 3 sts, 3 sc in next st, sc in last st, join in beg sc. (96 sc)

Rnd 4 start crocodile stitch ch 1, dc in same st, ch 1, sk 2 sts, *2 dc in next st, ch 1, skip 2 sc, dc in next st, ch 1*, repeat to end, ch 1

Rnd 5: Without turning work over turn your work 90 degrees *5 dc around post in second dc, Flip work around and put 5 dc around post of other dc, Sl st around single dc*; repeat * to end

Next round: ch 1, put 2 dc in each single dc and 1 dc in space between 2 dc

Make 9 rows of crocodile st (and 9 rows of dc)

Sc in each crocodile st (6 sc) - you will have 96 sc in this row
Do 2 more rows of sc
Fasten off

Straps (make 2)
Chain 101 sts, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each chain to end (100 sc), ch 1, turn
Row 2: SC in each st, ch 1, turn (100 sc)
Row 3 and 4: Repeat Row 2
Sl stitch down both sides and sew strap to purse
Cut lining to fit inside and sew lining in to the purse.