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.

Recipe: Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies

So I signed up to bring a treat to a church activity tonight. But then I realized that I didn't have any white sugar. Or butter. And Jeffrey took the car to school today. So I was looking through my cupboards and scouring the internet for something I could make with what I had on hand and I found this recipe for Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies. I replaced the white sugar with brown sugar (one of the comments said someone had tried it and it worked great) and added a splash of vanilla. Other than that, I just followed this recipe. These cookies are so good!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, mix shortening, peanut butter and honey. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; add to peanut butter mixture and mix well.
2. Roll into 1- to 1-1/2-in. balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a fork dipped in flour. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

Rippled Baby Afghan

I made this baby afghan for my best friend's son. The pattern is from Leisure Arts' Our Best Baby Afghans. I think I used Loops & Threads Snuggly Wuggly Yarn in Baby Denim Marl. But in any event, it was 100% acrylic, baby sport weight, blue and white variegated yarn. The pattern has you work up the spiraling hexagons, which are then stitched together to form the afghan.

Recipe: Angel Hair with Cauliflower and Parmesan

So I started watching The Chew, and it is definitely my new favorite show. So one day they made Angel Hair with Cauliflower and Parmesan, and I decided it looked so amazing, I wanted to try it out myself. I made a few changes, based on what I had and what sounded good to me. It turned out so good, I think it is one of my new favorite dishes. You can follow the link to the original recipe, but this is what I did. (My recipe is for a single, but quite large, serving.) Also, when I made this for my husband, I added some grilled chicken to the mix. He really liked having the meat in it, but I think it's great without it.

Ingredients:
2 oz. whole wheat spaghetti noodles (1 serving)
salt (optional)
1 T olive oil
1 C chopped cauliflower
1/2 C sliced mushrooms
4 green olives, sliced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 C spinach
1 T Parmesan

Directions:
1)Cook pasta according to package (I add salt to my water).
2)Meanwhile, saute cauliflower and mushrooms in oil. Add olives, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3)One minute before pasta is done cooking, add about 1/4 C water from pasta pot to the saute pan. Drain the rest of the water and add the noodles to the pan. Add spinach and cook until water boils out.
4)Sprinkle with Parmesan and enjoy!