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25 Days, Sewing, and Anxiety
Life Posts · Recipe Roundup

25 Days, Sewing, and Anxiety

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So since most of you know me pretty well, I wanted to share a little bit more about what my life has been like lately. I have some anxiety traits or trends, I guess, which started back in grad school. I’ve since officially been diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder, which went away for a bit. Lately it’s flared again, mostly due to transitions, I think.

I’m struggling with over thinking every decision, from what to wear to what to write about on the blog. Even what cookie to make next is freaking me out. Once I start mixing dough, I do feel a bit zen-like though, it’s just the decision part.

Our fridge has a whiteboard which used to have freezer meals on it, but is currently holding a list of tasks that I want to get done broken down by day. It changes, but never seems to get any littler.

As a counselor, especially one specializing in working with people with anxiety, you’d think I would be better able to manage my own, but it’s not exactly as easy as that.  I can tell people all day how to breathe, how to have self-care, and how to relax, but when it comes to me doing it? Ha.

The pupper is very good at helping me relax, she sits on me when she senses I’m upset and snuggles me in the mornings.  She also forces me out of bed most mornings to take her for a walk or play with her, which helps. She also has begun to tell us when it should be bed time. 🙂

She’s a snuggle bug for sure.

Now, I try very hard not to let the anxiety take over, but lately it’s been making it very hard for me to do things like post on my normal schedule or get household stuff done. I’m determined though and been through worse before, so I will not let it get to the point that it did before, full panic attacks and all. I need to do things like bake and sew and read my stack of library books. Sticking to a schedule helps me feel like I have a purpose and control too, which helps me calm down and stop freaking out. That’s where this blog comes in. Posting helps me plan my days and even when stressful can be a good way for me to actually get out what’s bothering me.

So now that I’ve gotten that long-winded explanation of why my posts have been inconsistent, I’ll get back to recipes and sewing.

I made two pot holders on my sewing day with Kayla. I went to her house, so I didn’t have to worry about Fancy guarding the sewing machines or trying to eat our lunch. 🙂

They are double lined with the cool reflective hot pad material. I lined the back with the brown polka dots that is around the edges. They each have a loop on them for hanging. I’ve been using them a lot and it’s kind of fun to have holiday themed household items to use. They are about 8 inches.

For cookies, I left off at the non Food Network recipes, so here are some more that I’ve made.

1- No-Bake Peanut Butter Bars from Sally’s Baking Addiction. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/07/02/no-bake-reeses-peanut-butter-bars/

These were surprisingly good. I don’t think I got a picture though, they got eaten quick. 🙂 I was nervous about the graham cracker crumbs, but it did taste pretty much exactly like a Reese’s cup. I would make these again.

2- Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies by Spinach for Breakfast. http://www.spinach4breakfast.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-2/

The office manager at work said “Well, I guess if you can’t have gluten or dairy, they would be good.”  🙂 They tasted a bit under baked, even after baking them for over the amount of time. I don’t have a lot of experience making gluten-free baked goods, so I don’t have much to compare them too. Taste-wise, you got both the pumpkin and cinnamon.

3- Chewy Chocolate Cookies from A Quilter’s Christmas. 

These tasted very chocolaty, but they had so much sugar in them that the Husband said that it felt like he was chewing on sugar. I don’t think I’ll make these again. They were not a hit with us, although they did get eaten at both of our workplaces.

4- Flourless Chocolate Orange Cookies from Grandbaby Cakes. http://www.grandbaby-cakes.com/2015/01/flourless-chocolate-orange-cookies/

These are also dairy free, which meant my craft lady friend could eat them. She, in fact, volunteered to save us from the rest of them, which I thought was so nice of her. 😉 These will be going on the party list.

They were utterly delicious, kind of like a meringue base. Not very sweet actually for having a lot of powdered sugar in them. The orange smelled very strong, but was just the right amount.

Fancy has been giving me this face lot lately, as she hasn’t been getting any of the delicious smelling cookies coming out of the kitchen. I should make her  cinnamon spiced one, I think. She would like that.

She’s giving me the bedtime stare at the moment and I should probably listen to my own advice and go to bed. The Husband just started his very exciting Saturn 5 Lego set, so who knows when he will be sleeping.

Thanks for reading about my current emotional state! Sorry if you just came for cookie recipes and dog pictures. 🙂 I promise there will be more to come.

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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Happy Thanksgiving Leftover day! I hope your leftovers are tasty!

I did make two new recipes for Thanksgiving, but the souffle was not made for dessert. I had big plans, but the interweb said that it wouldn’t rise after being transported in batter form and I was having an off cooking day. I thought I shouldn’t risk it.  I didn’t want to ruin Thanksgiving. We brought caramel brownies instead (from a box! The horror!). I burned the brownie edges actually, by mis-remembering the temperature. This was after my squash refused to flambe and my cranberry sauce was more like soup… I shudder to think what the souffle would have done.

I’ve made five new recipes this week. My unexpected day off helped on Monday. Fancy got a batch of seasonally appropriate pumpkin treats. She likes the apple ones better, I think, but these still get the tail wag and sometimes even a head tilt!

These were a Pinterest recipe.

1- Peanut Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Dog Biscuits by Created by Diane.

https://www.createdby-diane.com/2012/10/pumpkin-peanut-butter-oatmeal-dog-biscuits.html

The dough was very wet. I hadn’t ground up the oats, so that could have been why.  They didn’t bake up hard at all. They are nice soft little cookies. They work really well as a trick to get Fancy to eat when one of us isn’t here. We can crumble them up over her food and she seems to realize she’s hungry after picking out all the bits.

2- Triple Chocolate Ice Cream from the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Bowl attachment book.

This was good. I had thrown in a tiny bit more cocoa powder because I was at the end of the box and it showed up as a bitter aftertaste. I forget that the sweetness level goes down after being frozen. This was not the Husband’s favorite. He couldn’t get over the bitterness. I liked it.

3- Glazed Butternut Squash from Cast Iron Cookbook by Joanna Pruess. Section: Vegetables and Other Sides. 

No picture of this, but it looked like mashed squash. 🙂 It was a little mushier than I liked. I started with unexpectedly tiny chunks of squash, which might be why. I was disappointed in this. It had brown sugar, bourbon, butter, and maple syrup and still tasted a bit bland.

4- Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Casserole from Natasha’s Kitchen.

https://natashaskitchen.com/2011/04/17/chicken-and-mushroom-casserole/

This was very good. I needed more mushrooms, but even without them it was delicious. The Husband rated it very highly and requested that I make it again. We had fresh parsley from the garden and fresh parm.

5- Mulled Cranberry Sauce from Food Network Magazine, November 2017, V. 10, N. 9.

This was tasty, despite being a little soupy. I think it needed more fridge time, as it seems to have firmed up a little over night.  My inlaws enjoyed it as well. It had all the flavors of mulled wine in it.

Tonight we had beef fajitas, instead of leftovers. I need a day in between turkey dishes, since I’m not a huge fan of it to begin with. My M-I-L made a delicious turkey though, so I know the leftovers will be good. Now I just have to figure out what to do with the squash. I can’t make anything for Fancy with it, since it has things in it that are bad for dogs. I’ll keep you all updated..

I hope you’re all enjoying time with family!

“What about Second Breakfast?!”- Elevensies Party Post
Party Posts

“What about Second Breakfast?!”- Elevensies Party Post

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Whew! I need a nap. We had our Elevensies party yesterday and it went well. We need a few more comfy chairs though when we do movie parties.

I used a bunch of new recipes and had almost everything made by Saturday. We started at 11 AM and the last movie finished at around 9:30 or so. By that time, it was just the Husband and I, which was fine. Fancy was absolutely exhausted and kept whining at me until I let her have her round chair again. It was in front of the fireplace, which is very hobbit looking. Here is her at the end of the night.

Yes, that is her foot in her mouth. What a doll! She did pretty well, although we still had to leash her to keep her off the table.

I made sure to take a picture of all the different meals. The only one I don’t have a picture of is Supper at 8. No one was hungry! I can’t imagine why! 🙂

Here is Elenvensies.

We had brunch type foods. The chocolate banana muffins were a hit. We also had the Quiche Lorraine again, nissu, jams, and berries with cream.

Luncheon was at 1 pm.

We had sandwiches, salad, pickles, and chocolate chip cookies, and lemonade. Kayla brought the salad and fixings and a peanut butter cheesecake, which I have no pictures of. It was all delicious.

Afternoon tea was at 3:30.

We had tea sandwiches, which Kayla helped me make, cream and berries, cinnamon sugar scones, lemon bread, madeleines, Lembas shortbread, and jams. Tea, of course, was served as well.

This meal was where I used the most new recipes. I would eat afternoon tea all the time, if I could.

I used two of my tea cookbooks and a Pioneer Woman recipe for the scones. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/sweet-cinnamon-scones/

I didn’t add cinnamon chips because I don’t like them, or have them on hand. I also just sprinkled the top with cinnamon and sugar, not the called for topping. They were so yummy!

We had no lemon curd for the tea. I had a momentary panic on Saturday night, but decided it would be okay and it was. 🙂

I used a cookbook called The Charms of Tea by Hearst Books, for the tea sandwiches, madeleines, and lemon bread. The lemon bread is on the left, nissu on the right.

We had ham and watercress and cucumber sandwiches.

Taking Tea by Andrea Israel with recipes by Pamela Mitchell provided the recipes for the shortbread and seed cake.

These two cookbooks are cool because they have information on all sorts of teas and tea ceremonies around the world.  It’s really fun just to read all the information.

Dinner (6 pm) was not a large affair. We had potato chowder with bacon and cheese for toppings. I served from the kitchen, so no elaborate table. This recipe was from Taste of Home: The New Slow Cooker. 

Supper (8 pm) was going to be leftovers and seed cake, but no one was hungry. I have a whole seed cake for craft night tomorrow. 🙂 I have it wrapped up, so no pictures.

We all decided that we couldn’t eat like hobbits all the time! We were all stuffed. It was a ton of fun.

Next year we might have a Harry Potter marathon. There’s a lot of food in those movies too.

Now though, I have to go back to reality and head out to work. Have a wonderfully cozy day!

Recipe Roundup and Party Preview
Party Posts · Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup and Party Preview

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Mom sent me these tiny spoons and forks because they “looked hobbit sized.”  I think they are adorable and of course, we will use them tomorrow. 🙂 She also sent us Halloween candy that was dressed as a Chinese takeout box. I love her! It’s also very clear where I get my sense of whimsy from. 🙂

I made lots of new recipes for the party, but will post them on Monday, after we’ve eaten them all. Luckily, my cold is pretty much all gone, except for some residual congestion and a wicked cough that sets off asthma attacks. We didn’t have to cancel though, which I was concerned about. The Husband made this Ferris wheel for our centerpiece. Also, it won’t fit anywhere else…

I did make three new recipes for this week’s recipe review. One was from the Sweeney freezer book , one was a made up recipe, and one was from Our Best Bites.

The first one, a banana muffin recipe was for my staff meeting today. We were celebrating birthdays and I volunteered to bake. I had four bananas needing to be used up, so it was perfect.

1- Skinny Chocolate Fudge Banana Muffins from Our Best Bites. https://ourbestbites.com/2016/01/skinny-banana-fudge-muffins/

These may be the absolute best chocolate muffins I have ever had. No joke, these are so unbelievably delicious. The recipe calls for applesauce instead of oil and a sugar substitute. I used real sugar and homemade applesauce. They are so soft and moist. The chocolate is a very deep chocolate flavor and they tasted ridiculously decadent. I will be making these whenever I have bananas. The Husband doesn’t like bananas, so I got to eat them myself.  They were a bonus recipe for the party too!

2- Stir Fried Noodles with Ginger Scallion Chicken Sausage ( Adele brand maybe?), recipe by me!

So I glanced at the recipe on the package for sesame noodles, but the sauce was sherry, soy sauce and extra salt and that’s just not right. I used a little bit of hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet chili sauce, sherry, and a tiny bit of sugar to balance it. The sausage was extremely flavorful. We had broccoli, red pepper, carrots, mushrooms, onions, and bok choy for the veggies. The Husband actually suggested bok choy! He likes it in things, but we think not just by itself.

It turned out very good. Sometimes I have trouble with stir fry sauces, but I think I’m getting the hang of it.  I did actually use chopsticks until my hand started cramping. I have to practice for when we see the other side of the Husband’s family. 🙂

3- Carrot Beef Barley Stew from Freezer Meals by Juliana Sweeney. 

This worked out well. I was sick, so I just threw everything in the crockpot and let it go. The beef was so tender and delicious! I halved the amount of barley, as the Husband doesn’t like the texture and it got soft enough that he didn’t mind it at all. I forgot to take a picture of it until I was halfway through my last bowl of it.

We’ll have this again. It was a quick one to prep and froze well.

Fancy is very excited currently, she knows something is up, but not what yet. She saw me put together a frozen Kong toy for during the party and we cleaned everything! With it changing to colder weather, so has been liking walks, but then wanting to cuddle in her blankie when we get home.

Here’s her at the park. There were multiple squirrels!

And here’s a picture of her about 20 minutes after getting home.

She hasn’t figured out how to wrap herself up yet, so she’ll curl up on the blanket in the smallest ball possible and then burrow in if you put the edges over her.

Speaking of curling up, I should go finish up the last of the things before going to bed. If you have a minute between 11 am and 9 pm tomorrow, feel free to join the Husband and I (even just in spirit) in being a hobbit! Tea’s at 3!

Recipe Roundup- Leftover Edition
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup- Leftover Edition

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This week was a week of one recipe and two leftover recipes. I had a few freezer dinners and chili at work. It was “Hell Week” for the Husband’s play and he was gone until late all week. Fancy and I missed him a lot! His group performed “The Laramie Project.” It was so powerful! I’m not sure if I’m ready to blog about it, because it brought a lot of stuff up. Maybe I’ll tackle it all in a future post.

Fancy did get a new toy over last weekend, from the Husband’s uncle to distract her from the Husband being gone for so long. Poor little pig didn’t even know what was coming for him…

She’ll get one of her treat bones today with some homemade treats in it. It’s raining and she won’t go out except to use the bathroom. She’s going stir crazy though, so if anyone has a need for slightly crazy puppy cuddles, let me know. 🙂

I just made a chocolate applesauce cake today, so I’ll start with that recipe and end with the leftover recipes.

1- Chocolate Applesauce Cake from Taste of Home. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-applesauce-cake

I was trying to recreate a chocolate applesauce cake my Mom makes, but this was not the right recipe. It’s delicious and moist, but not dark chocolaty enough. She said another name for it was “Chocolate Tea Bread” maybe, so I might look that up. I used my homemade applesauce for it. I wanted this cake since I made the applesauce, so I am happy with it. 🙂

2-Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken from Pillsbury. https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/slow-cooker-french-onion-chicken/ec69f51d-b79d-4ac0-8619-693a35167a87

First off, I didn’t make this in the crock pot. I baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes, maybe? I also used boneless thighs and drumsticks instead of chicken breasts. I ran out of time for the crockpot.

It was good. I liked the garlic and always like caramelized onions. I had it with green beans and a homemade herbed french bread roll. I forgot to oil the mini cast iron, so the bottom of it got stuck. It still tasted delicious though.

So I made a lot more chicken than I needed by accident and had to come up with a few things to do with it. I have no pictures of these ideas, but can give you the measurements from what I remember.

3- Chicken Salad, recipe by me.

I chopped up a couple of pieces of the chicken, added a few tablespoons of chopped celery, and about a 1/8 cup mayo. Also, salt, pepper, and I accidentally dumped at least a tablespoon of dried tarragon in the container. It was delicious! I was going to eat it with crackers, but they had gone stale in my snack drawer at work. Apparently my face was absolutely hilarious because my client burst out laughing in the middle of her sentence. 🙂 I ate it by itself after that.

4- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup, recipe by me.

I chopped up the rest of the chicken, a small onion, a garden jalapeño, and two cloves of garlic. I added them to a box of chicken broth, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of diced green chilis, and a can of tomato paste. Spices were cumin, garlic powder, a little turmeric, oregano, and salt and pepper. I let it cook overnight and promptly had it for breakfast on Friday. It’s delicious and spicy! It’s helping the Husband’s cold, we think.

I did learn that the massive jalapeños are probably massive in heat level, not necessarily size. I know this because I rubbed my eyes at 4:30 AM and cried for a very long time. I had cut one (only one!) up, washed my hands multiple times and went to bed. Apparently it was extremely potent. I think I might need gloves to make the salsa. Yikes! Not a good way to wake up for sure.

My work schedule is crazy as usual. I decided to move to one counseling center full-time, instead of part-time at two centers, so while this will eventually make it better, right now it’s not the easiest. I’m attempting to tell clients I’m leaving, but both last Friday and Monday, I had three no shows or cancellations each day. It makes it hard to move things along for sure. My plan is to be full-time at only one center by January. Hopefully I can have a couple of earlier nights  during the week to actually cook things again.

Speaking of cooking, I should go make dinner for me. I’m going to make a grilled cheese with the herb bread. I’ve used it before and it was delicious!

Have a great weekend! May it be filled with naps!

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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I had to wait to post for two reasons. The Husband was gone for most of the night yesterday with his play and Fancy was sprawled across my lap, not letting me up. Also, I had only tried one new recipe! I was horrified and decided I needed to try at least one more before I posted.

I had a bunch of late nights this week and the Husband was at practice, so I had frozen chili and microwave soup, while he had pork one night and leftovers or a frozen meal the rest of the nights.

Here’s Fancy, judging me for the lack of meal planning and homemade dinners… (I’m pretty sure it was actually her judging me for stopping the pets to take the picture.)

Here are the couple of recipes I made:

1- Grilled Cuban Flank Steak from Kayln’s Kitchen.
https://kalynskitchen.com/cuban-flank-steak-recipe/

This was pretty good! It marinated while I was at work and we broiled it on Tuesday. It got dark a little too quick to grill. The Husband had a salad, I had buttery garlic green beans. I also had a pear.

2- Banana Carrot Dog Treats.

http://homemadedogtreatsnow.com/banana-carrot/?utm_content=bufferead83&utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I had a banana to use and since we are still keeping Fancy off chicken, she needed more treats. She was less than enthused about the fish biscuits I found at the store, so I decided to go with things I knew she liked. She does not like bananas plain, but loves carrots.

I just got my bone shaped cookie cutters in the mail. This is the smallest cutter. I figured if I was going to be the crazy lady who bakes for her dog, I may as well have the cute shapes. I subbed rye flour for the whole wheat flour. The dough is very wet and looks like it won’t hold together, but it actually did. Fancy seems to enjoy them.

3- Chocolate Chip Bars from The Wooden Spoon Cookbook by Miriam Miller. Section: Cakes and Cookies

This is for my father-in-law. It’s his birthday today, so I thought he could use a giant cookie. 🙂 I added vanilla to the batter and used M&Ms too. We haven’t eaten it yet, but it smells good. We are planning to eat it with ice cream.

I made another batch of yogurt and have found the perfect ratios for me, so I thought I would share my secrets. It’s the recipe from the instruction manual for my yogurt maker, so it’s not a new one, but it works very well. The yogurt maker was a terrific investment.

I’ve been making just plain yogurt and then typically adding jam, mini chocolate chips or coconut flakes, and some type of nut. This bowl has my homemade strawberry marmalade and walnuts. Mmmm….

Here’s what I do. Heat 5 1/4 cups milk to 180 over low to medium heat. (It’s not supposed to boil, but I swear it waits for me to look away and then explodes, so it has typically boiled.) Turn off the heat and let it cool to 95. Then I add 10 T of dried milk powder to the mix along with the starter yogurt and whisk it until smooth. Pour the mix into my little jars and put the machine cap on. 8-10 hours later, I have beautiful, firm yogurt to eat. It almost has the texture of greek yogurt.

One of these times I will try making it with jam, but I like the freedom of having plain yogurt. I got through the mix in about a week and save one jar for a starter. I’ve not seen a difference using homemade yogurt or storebought as a starter. It’s definitely saving us a bunch of money, considering what I was spending on yogurt per week.

I have plans to make dinners in the crockpot over night in the next week. I just made three beef freezer meals and have plans for three chicken ones, plus the omes we had already. The Husband’s play opens this coming week, so he will need lunch and dinner at work. I want to try some more veggie meals for me too. If I make the dinners overnight, we can both have it for lunch and then he can figure out a second meal.

Well, it’s time to head out to deliver the cookie! Hopefully he likes it!

Monthly Review
Monthly Review

Monthly Review

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Sometimes we need a little reminder of the beauty in life, while tragedy surrounds us. I took the featured picture while stopped (yes, Mom, completely stopped) in traffic one day after work. It certainly made my commute a little better.

I briefly lost my notebook with all of my recipes, notes, and craft lists in it, but it was in my work bag.  I’m going to need a new one soon, this one only has a few pages left. Should I make the next one all fancy, with different kind of paper, like graph paper and ruled paper? I should probably just use one of the many half filled ones I have lying around here.

So I have the backing for the Rainbow Snowball Quilt! It’s brown dog themed fleece, since it is going to a home with dogs. I will finally get it finished in the next few weeks.

I completed a quilt for my OT friend and have one more quilt top that is destined for her too. I’m going to send them together.

I made a dress! I took a chance and added lace and it turned out really cute.

Four more hip wraps are done and waiting for Ooky Spooky vending.

I tried some new color pairings with the hip wraps and I love them. Hopefully other people will love them too!

The lyrics are on my second office picture and they are hanging on my wall. A third one is simmering in my head too.

The words say “I’m holding on. Why is everything so heavy? Holding on. To so much more than I can carry. I’ve been dragging around what’s keeping me down. If I just let go, I would be free. Why is everything so heavy?”

I did clean a little nd then got side tracked by fabric and now need to clean again. I have problems cleaning while I’m sewing. Fabric gets put in a pile and it’s much more fun to keep sewing rather than put things away. I was able to sneak some fabric into the laundry though, so now I can get to the projects.

The top two will be dresses or skirts, the Minions are supposed to be matching pj pants or shorts for the Husband and I. Yes, we’re dorks. 🙂

For food goals this month, I didn’t use any new ingredients, I don’t think. I did make spaetzle for my new technique. It was a lot of work. My arms got steamed and tired. It tasted good though.

I also made a new muffin recipe for breakfast and made chili specifically for lunches. I did pretty well meal planning.

I used 7 new cookbooks, five family or my recipes, and made 20 new recipes overall.

Hits were the roast chicken, Fancy’s treats, and the tortellini Stroganoff.

Misses were the stuffing. It was too dry for the Husband.

We had so much chicken this month that the Husband got sick of chicken. He’s typically fine eating the same thing for a while, but this was too much. We’ll try some different proteins this month for sure. We might even try some meatless dishes!

Fancy had a big month and met lots of dogs and people. She had lots of playtime and got a few new toys to chew on.

She also cuddled a lot. She’s definitely a people dog. 

Sewing Goals for next month are to make at least one clothing item, one item from the UFO bins, and finish a wedding quilt. I also want to work on some more bags for Etsy and vending.

Food goals are to try more meatless dishes and get creative with breakfasts. Also, to continue to make the freezer meals for long days.

The Husband has his play pretty much all month, so our dinner schedule might be weird. We’ll both still need lunches though.

My garden is on the verge of dying. I had a hard time keeping up with the watering when it was so hot. I also didn’t realize I should have been plucking blossoms that wouldn’t have a chance to mature first. Next year I will know. My herbs are still growing though, so that’s good.

Fancy is demanding walks by jumping off and on the couch, so I have to go get her out before she takes out the furniture. Have a good week!

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup · Uncategorized

Recipe Roundup

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Fancy was very excited this week, she got two new dog treat recipes made for her! Sadly, the vet thinks she may be allergic to chicken and if that’s the case, she can’t have one of them. We’re keeping her off chicken for a few weeks to see if it helps her ears and feet heal. I’m finding other recipes for her though.

1- Apple Crunch Pupcakes by Lola Bakes. http://blog.candiquik.com/apple-crunch-pupcakes/#more-6534

The pupcakes ended up being a trip. I used coconut flour and had to call a friend in a panic because the mixture wouldn’t stop expanding. I think I will not use coconut flour again. Fancy loves them, she won’t even let me get the paper off of them normally before she starts licking them. This is good because with the expansion of the flour it made 24 big cupcakes and two pans of minis. I froze them, as they started condensing a lot in the containers.

Here’s what the flour looked like in the bowl:

And a mini pupcake:

2- Mushroom Stroganoff Tortellini from Food Network Magazine, Oct. 2017, V. 10, N. 8

I saw this recipe when I got the magazine and the picture made me say “yum!” I used cheese tortellini instead of beef, since it was what we had. We always have the Kirkland/Costco brand tortellini on hand for quick dinner. One set will generally get us four separate meals and it keeps very well.

It was a little rich for me, but it tasted good. The Husband liked it a lot and said we could definitely make it again.

3- Vegetarian Chili, loosely based on this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/72508/the-best-vegetarian-chili-in-the-world/

I read the recipe, sort of, and then threw everything into a pot and cooked it for a few hours before work. Meat has been causing me issues lately. I haven’t wanted to cook or eat it, so this was a good option for lunch. I am the only one eating it too, so I am going to freeze it for lunches later. I used pinto beans instead of garbanzo beans. I also used a home-grown jalepeno. It was lovely and had just the right hint of spice.

4- Chicken Sausage with Spaetzle from Food Network Magazine, Oct. 2016, V.9, N.8. 

First off, this was in the weekday dinners section and I have no idea how they thought making spaetzle was a weekday thing. We didn’t eat until 8:30 the night I made this. Second thing, if I am going to make spaetzle again, I need a different colander with bigger holes. Also, three more arms, so I can rotate when they get tired. I have actually always wanted to try making spaetzle, so I was excited to do it, but man were my arms tired.

It tasted good though and I had a craving for chicken sausage, so was happy with it. It was relatively easy too, just awkward when trying to hold the colander and smoosh it through.

5-Freezer Cafe Rio Chicken from Freezer Meals by Juliana Sweeney. 

I don’t have a picture, as we ate this on different days. This meal saved my behind this week when I forgot to take anything out for dinner. It thaws for an hour before cooking and that’s it. It was surprisingly good. I thought it might be weird as it had Italian dressing and ranch seasoning, but it was actually good. We had it with rice.

My friend, Kayla, got us this book and it has been great! I have had a much easier time prepping dinners and using the crockpot more because of it. Tomorrow, I will be prepping more of them to freeze as I am almost out.

I’m pleased with my meal prep and execution this week. Sometimes it’s hard to feel like cooking after work, but I do get a lot of benefits out of it.

Any suggestions on techniques or recipes I should try? I’m trying to be more adventurous lately. I have to top the duck!

Recipe Roundup and Fancy’s Ears
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup and Fancy’s Ears

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Fancy’s ears… Man oh man. I don’t know if I can handle them. They were a major part of the reason we were interested in her when we saw her. She’s been quite cute all week, so you’ll have to bear with me on this one. I promise to get to the recipes after this.

These three pictures were all taken on the same day. She was extremely interested in my yogurt and was sad she couldn’t eat it. It had walnuts, thimbleberry jam, and chocolate chips in it, none of which are good for dogs.

The next two were taken at the park. She was very interested in sniffing every single blade of grass.

There were kids playing behind her. She couldn’t decide if she should keep walking or try to play with them.

Then a squirrel ran by in front of her and her ears shot all the way forward quite suddenly. It was adorable! I just couldn’t resist. She’s too cute.

Anyway, on to the real reason for blogging today. The recipes!

1- Turkey meatballs, loosely based on a chicken parm meatball recipe from Dinner: A Love Story.

http://www.dinneralovestory.com/chicken-parm-meatballs/

I used turkey instead of chicken, shallots, and no parm. I used a shredded blend of Mozzarella and Provolone instead. Baked for about 20 minutes on 350.  I added a bunch of spices to some tomato sauce and threw that over some noodles. It was pretty tasty. It doesn’t count as a new recipe, as I’ve made it with chicken before.

2- Baked Chicken from The Wooden Spoon Cookbook by Mariam Miller. Section: Main Dishes

I used 4 chicken breasts instead of just three. Some of the rice didn’t cook all the way. I had combined everything and it sat in the fridge for a few hours before being cooked. I don’t know if that affected cook time or not. It was alright, needed a bit more flavor. I might add a little more liquid next time, or cook it with foil on for part of the time. We ate this together, but I forgot to get pictures before we ate up the leftovers. It wasn’t the most picturesque plate either, so that’s fine.

3- Cinnamon Doughnut Muffins from the same cookbook.

These are delicious! They have a sneaky jam center that makes them good. I will be making these again. The Husband hasn’t tried them yet, so I don’t know if he likes them.

4- Taco Nachos. This isn’t really a recipe, more of a thing to throw together when I need dinner quick. I made taco seasoned hamburger with red onions, yellow bell peppers, and store salsa and put it over chips with cheese. It was good. I saved a little of the meat for extra nachos tomorrow. They don’t heat up well.

We are going to Ren Fest tomorrow with some friends, so dinner will probably be soup in a bread bowl. The Husband is very excited. 🙂 My dance troupe is dancing and even though I wasn’t able to join them this year, it will be fun to go see them.

I ran into some costume difficulties, so have decided to be a pirate with my Dita dress, leggings, and boots, as it’s supposed to be colder. It will still be fun and I’ll try to get the costume done anyway. Hopefully next year we can take Fancy with us. She can captivate even more people with her ears!

Monthly Review
Crafty · Monthly Review

Monthly Review

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Since I am having tea with some friends on Sunday, I thought I would go over my monthly review a few days earlier. I had a bit of a hiccup in my crafting and baking time, due to the paperwork problem, but did pretty well at getting things done.

According to the Husband, I just need a few more cooking techniques under my belt to be ready for Masterchef. He thinks I can get them done in a month or so. (I’m hoping his play will start needing him soon and he’ll be distracted.)

Fancy is hoping I stop messing about on the computer and make her some biscuits and give her more snuggles. We’ve all got dreams…

Meanwhile, my dream is to find my serger pedal so I can start learning how to sew knits and can make myself all the tunics I need. This means cleaning the basement completely. Maybe this weekend I can unpack and reorganize a few more boxes.

So in terms of craft goals, I had set some category goals last month, with only two firm projects. My office art is mostly completed. I need to add words to my “Heavy” picture, but the first one is done and at my office.

I washed the backing fabric for the Rainbow Snowball Quilt and plan to tie it on Monday, when my whole day is free. I also plan to work on my Ren Fest costume on Monday, but we’ll see how much I get done.

I made a pretty dress with pockets! I have gotten several compliments on it whenever I wear it. It needs a neckline fix, but is still wearable.

I made many tea wallets for Etsy, just have to take pictures of all of them and get them posted. You are probably all sick of seeing pictures of tea wallets, so I’ll spare you this time. 🙂

I am slowly working on the basement. We are planning on getting new shelves to give the Husband a way to get his Lego boxes off the floor. Fancy likes to lay under his table and gets a little snappy when we try to get her off the boxes. No new updates since the last big organization effort.

I still haven’t figured out how I want to store the fat quarters, so for now they are still in shoeboxes in the trunk. It works, it’s just not the nicest looking way to do things and I think standard sized boxes would be better.

I didn’t finish anything from the UFO pile, but have hip wraps earmarked for Ooky Spooky, so can maybe catch up then. My teen group requested a pj party for our last session, so I am going to try to get my flannel flamingo pants done by end of September.

I did make two new hip wraps! They are pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. It’s an edgier color scheme than I normally use, so I am excited to see how they sell. I really want to keep both of them, but will have to just make myself one to wear there. Perhaps I can even use it for my costume piece for my own dance.

Here’s the first one:

It has a repurposed belt as an accent and has black and white skulls on the other side with 4 tassels. 

The second one has more embellishments and no tassels. It has black fringe along the bottom and a chain piece along the top.

I almost broke my needle while sewing the chain piece on. There’s only about an 1/8 of an inch for the needle to go and one of the links was just a bit too far over. Both machine and needle are okay, but I definitely need to change my needle.

Food wise, I did not do so well. I don’t know what it was this month, but food did not sound interesting at all.

I used 9 new recipes. 3 of them were also new cookbooks, Cooking from the Gourmet’s Garden, Retro Pies, and The Vintage Tea Party Year. I made 9 recipes by my methods and used 4 recipes from Pinterest or elsewhere online.

Hits were Rack of Lamb with Potato Puree (My Italian Kitchen, Luca Manfe), the Rosemary Bundt cake, and the    sweet cream ice cream from Cooking Classy.

I also made a really good apple pie following a recipe from Retro Pies, by Linda Everret. It has sugar and cream brushed on the crust, which the Husband enjoyed a lot.

Misses were my homemade chicken soup. It came out a little weird and watery. The chocolate cake was not moist enough for me either.

Food hasn’t been a priority lately. I haven’t really wanted to eat, which makes it hard to cook. We’ve been eating the freezer meals that I put together a few weeks ago and that has helped. I’m not sure how to motivate myself at the moment beyond the bare minimum. Any ideas for getting out of a food rut?

The Husband did get me a beautiful Boos cutting board for our anniversary, which makes me want to have cheese plates and other things we can display on it. It’s so pretty!

Maybe exploring some options like that might help. Sometimes the thought of doing all the work to cook is what stops me.

Here are my goals for the month, before I get too philosophical on the subject of food.

Craft Goals:

*Finish at least one UFO project

*Rainbow Snowball Quilt

*Finish Ren Fest costume

*Clean/organize basement

*One item of clothing

Food Goals:

*Try one new technique

*Try a new ingredient

*Meal plan

*New breakfast or lunch recipe

 

Speaking of food, I should probably go eat lunch and get the dog out for a walk. She whined until I got up this morning, ran around like a crazy dog, and then went right back to sleep. Silly dog..

Have a great holiday weekend! Hopefully it’s relaxing and fun!