Success!!!

Last Christmas, my gift for people was scarves.  I started knitting away and asked my Sweetie if he would like one for when he went riding on his bike (the kind with the motor).  He got to pick out the pattern, with my help, and the yarn.  The pattern looked a bit challenging, which was perfectly fine, but as I was running late on gifts for friends and family, his project was put on the back burner.  Finally, one chilly February day, I began what has become the most difficult and involved knitting project I have yet attempted.

The scarf is a take off the OBEY Giant sticker campaign that we found on knitty.com.  It entailed two techniques that I had never really tried before and wanted to: intarsia and fair isle knitting.  I had to look up a few tutorials on the 'net and in some of my books to get a feel for what I was supposed to be doing and then I really just winged it from there.  Let me tell you, it was quite the project.  There were times where I wanted so much to just put it away for good, but I stuck through it.

I am happy to announce that as of Sunday morning, November 6, 2011, after nine months of knitting (and letting it rest) I have finished my Sweetie's Andre the Giant OBEY scarf.  Just in time for winter!

I am sure that to a more seasoned knitter, it is not perfect by any means, but to me, it is the coolest thing and  I am so proud of this masterpiece.  I learned a lot while knitting this scarf.  I am so glad I kept with it and finished it.  I can't wait to see him with this baby wrapped lovingly around his neck (for warmth).

Pretzel Party!

The Boy and I recently made a batch of pretzels.  It was a total YUM experience.

The recipe as published on Allrecipes.com:

Golden Brown and Delicious!

Buttery Soft Pretzels

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•  
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.
4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

I have used this recipe as published before.  It was very good, but at the time, it was a bit time consuming and "labor intensive".




This is what we did instead:

Throw all ingredients in bread machine on the dough setting.  (all but the soda, hot water and kosher salt)

Divided dough into 12-16 equal pieces

Twisted and dipped in the soda water, 

Sprinkle with kosher salt

Baked in 450 degree oven for 8 minutes

MUCH EASIER!

These chewy delights were gone in one evening!  Not only were they delicious, but we had so much fun playing with the dough together that the next weekend we hosted a pretzel party with the neighborhood kiddos.  We threw in a double batch of dough and had the Crazy Girls and Jaden come over to help. The Boy insisted on everyone wearing an apron so everyone picked their favorite and we got to work.

The Boy and Jaden

I think that Jaden seemed to work the hardest on his.  He was really fun to watch him try to get the perfect snake and the nicest twist to his.  The Boy did really well too.  Since he had already done them the previous week, he looked like a pro to the other kiddos, which, of course made him feel awesome.

The kids had such a great time.  They were the twisters.  It took a bit for them to get the hang of making the big long snake of dough, but once they did, they were unstoppable.  We ended up with over two dozen delicious twirled up bits of heaven.

The little Crazy Girl Having a blast!

The little Crazy Girl and I decided that we needed to have some sweet ones as well.  We experimented on when to add the cinnamon sugar and how to adhere it to the dough.

*We found that baking the dough after dipping it in the soda water, immediately brushing with butter, and adding the cinnamon sugar was the best route.  (We tried to add the topping prior to baking but the sugar melted all over the pan and didn't stick to the dough.  Not nearly as tasty and it was more difficult to clean up later)

Once all the pretzels were finished and cooled, the kiddos got to take some home and show their folks what they made.


 All in all, it was a complete success!  Happy Faces All Around.  We will definitely be doing that again.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce

A friend of mine made this dish for me a few years ago.  The first time I tasted it, I was in love!  The flavor of this dish is bold in just the right ways and subtle in just the right ways.  It is a Thai peanut pasta with pea pods and broccoli.  Once we tried it, we couldn't get enough of it.  Sometimes in this type of recipe, the peanut butter flavor, though adored in my house on a sandwich or in a milkshake, is too much to take.  The sweetness of the peanut butter is balanced nicely with rice vinegar and lime juice.  The heat of the dish can be controlled simply by adding or subtracting red pepper flakes and ginger.  (Note: as the dish sits, the spiciness will increase)

I have made this for the boys, my sister and BIL and my in-laws, all with raging success.  As with every recipe, I alter it slightly with each time I prepare it.  Yesterday, I think I found a solid version that I will make again.

The RECIPE (as published):
12 ounces Spinach Linguine or Whole Wheat Spaghetti
2c. Broccoli Florets
2c. Snow Peas
2c. Sugar Snap Peas
1/2c. Unsalted peanuts
1/2c. Creamy Peanut Butter
1/4c. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4c. Water
2T. Rice Vinegar
2T. Fresh Lime Juice
1 Scallion
One 3/4 inch piece Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated
2T. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/4 t. Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)

Cook the pasta as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water.
While the pasta is cooking, steam broccoli for three minutes.  Add pea pods and steam an additional 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
Toast the peanuts in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant.  3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Make the sauce by pureeing the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
RIGHT BEFORE SERVING, toss pasta, vegetables and sauce together.  Sprinkle the peanuts on top and serve.

MY CHANGES:
As much as I love spinach linguine, it was very difficult to get everything mixed up well enough with the longer pastas.  I recommend a shorter noodle, such as a penne or ziti.  I did a mixture (as that was what my pantry dictated) of whole wheat penne and mini fusili.  They worked great.

I also only used sugar snap peas.  I tried it using the snow peas a couple of times and the pods broke apart and it looked messy.  I substituted the snow peas with regular frozen petite peas.  It worked out so much better.

I definitely suggest going with the low sodium soy sauce.  Not only is it healthier, but with all the flavors in this dish, the saltiness of the soy sauce would really mess up the balance, I think.


The best part of this recipe is the sauce.  Not only is it incredibly delicious, but it is pretty versatile.  I made it once as a dipping sauce for chicken strips to take over to fight night at a friend's place.  I have also used it for veggies.  Both were an absolute hit.

If you make any changes, I would love to hear about them.  What would you do differently?

Ten Apples Up on Top Part 2

So, as I said in my last post I got a TON of apples this last weekend and looking for some new recipes to try. Well, I made up a porky chop recipe (I know it's nothing new and exciting but I'm not very creative right now). I am calling my creation UNSTUFFED PORKY CHOPS! Yeah, I know real creative.

WHATCHA NEED:

some pork chops (I used 2 boneless)

1 box of pork flavored Stove Top Stuffing (cook it up as directed)

2 small apples, sliced (I used Gala, but I bet it would be awesome with Granny Smiths)

1/3 cup of applesauce

Preheat over to 425 degrees.

Place the sliced apples on the bottom of a small casserole dish. In the prepared stuffing, mix in the applesauce, then place in casserole dish on top of apples. Afterwards place pork chops on, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the pork chops are finished. Serve and ENJOY!!! I served mine with green beans and my hubby gobbled it right up!!!

Next, I did make that wonderfully delicous apple cake. OMG!!! The smell that went through my home was AHHH-mazing!!!

Whatcha need:

1- 16 oz bottle of ice cream carmel topping

1/2 cup of chopped pecans (I got to use the pecans that came off the tree in my front yard!! YUM!), you can use walnuts too

2 large baking apples, sliced thinly

1 box of yellow cake mix (I prefer Betty Crocker SuperMoist)

1 1/4 cup of water

3 eggs

1/3 cup of veg oil (you can use apple sauce instead)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the carmel topping in the bottom of a 13x9 casserole, then put nuts in next, then your sliced apples. Mix the cake mix with the eggs, oil, and water. Pour on top of apples carefully. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan for 1 minute then, like a pineapple upside down cake, remove from pan. Can be served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

This will be eaten quickly because it is delish!!!

Top Apples Up on Top

So, as I began to think what to share from this way, super-duper busy week, everything from family visiting to the University's Homecoming to going to Meridian Mississippi for grocery shopping. Yep, we took Jasper to his first Homecoming Parade which was quite an adventure in its own rite, but i thought since we are trying to share recipe and meal ideas here, why don't I share what happened in Meridian. Let's begin with nothing too exciting happened, but I discovered apple stands. APPLES EVERYWHERE!!! So of course, I got TONS!!!

Now, I have all these apples that I know we won't eat them all before they go bad, so I have been searching for interesting, easy apple recipes. One thing you need to know about me is that I cannot stand pie crust, I will eat the filling but not the crust, blah. Of course I found applesauce cakes, baked apples, apple pies, apple cobbler, apple-stuffed pork chops, and the list goes on and on. But then all of sudden I found the recipe I just had to try.

This cake is from tablespoon.com website (a nifty little website I have discovered through my searches) and yes it is an apple cake but different. It is called Warm Caramel Apple Cake!! YUM YUM!!!! Now I have not made this cake yet so I do not know how it taste but man it looks delightful!!! Just check out their picture!!! I think this cake will be made within the next week!!! I will post on how delicous this cake will taste. I will also post the recipe then, the orignal and any changes that I made while preparing the cake. Every cook should be able to modify a recipe to make it their own.

Besides, a dessert recipe (which is way easier to find than anything else with apples), I wanted to find a recipe for a dinner entree, but no luck. If you have one that you would like to share with me, I would appericate it. I am going to make apple stuffing stuffed porky chops this week. Okay so when I have made the cake and the porky chops I will share my own pictures and recipes with you.

So many projects...do I really need a job?

I love to knit and bake!  I really love being able to take a ball of string or a mess of ingredients, play with it and have something useful, pretty, and delicious come out later.  I would be incredibly happy if I could knit, bake, and read all day, I think.

I don't even have to keep the fruits of my labors.  In fact, it really fulfills me to be able to make something for a friend's birthday or when they are feeling down.  My desire to give gifts, I believe, comes from my mother.  She has always been really good at picking out just the right thing for an occasion.  She loves to shop and scour the earth for that "one thing".  I, on the other hand, really didn't catch the shopping bug, but that doesn't stop me from finding that perfect thing.  I just take a different route.  There is nothing like a hand made gift: something that you put a bit of yourself into.  Please don't take this wrong, I don't make gifts to toot my horn and make it about me, but seeing someone wear or enjoy something that I have worked so hard on just for them gives me the best feeling inside. There aren't enough "thanks" in the world to compare with getting to see my friend being warmed by the hat I knitted for her or smiling after biting into one of my cookies after a rough day.

Because of this desire to make everyone in my life happy and comfy, I have found many, MANY ideas, patterns, and recipes that I am just dying to try.  The problem is, I don't have enough time to make all the things I have on my wishlist!  I am in the beginning stages of Project ADD, I think.  I hope it isn't serious, but I find myself wanting to start all of my wishlist at once.  I have been doing OK, keeping myself to only a couple knitting projects at a time, but it has been a difficult road.


As I have quite a bit of spare surfing time at work, I often find myself on pattern sites and recipe sites.  There are oodles of patterns and recipes that I have set aside for "next time".  I remember my dad saying that if my grandmother had a biography it would be called, "Recipes Clipped, But Never Made".  I can sympathize with that.  There are tons of recipes and patterns out there just waiting for my little hands to attempt.

Previous posts have touched upon John's scarf and PW's Christmas (which, with all the mentions between here and on facebook, is starting to tug at her to know what it is).  I told myself that I couldn't start anything else until I "caught up" on the scarf.  "Caught up" should really have a more concrete meaning to me.  Apparently, at the time, it meant, "Go to the yarn store, even though you are nowhere near finished with your current project. That way you can look at all that beautiful bamboo goodness and torture yourself until you start the project anyway."

And guess what I did. Yep, I started that project for PW four days later.  Hey, I did wait four days.  It is turning out beautifully, though.  The stitch pattern is lovely, simple and it isn't terribly hard, once you get the hang of it, and the yarn is gorgeous and there is a ton of love going into this thing.

BUT I guess, I am just not satisfied with working on those two projects.  I have a scarf in the works (at work, shhh) and a bag of yarn by my bed.  I keep thinking it is time to start hats for winter.  All my little nieces and nephews need to stay warm outside, right?!

The problem doesn't end with knitting though, I also have a cooking and baking problem.  That is something I have always enjoyed and have been pretty good at.  Unfortunately, my baking has suffered badly over the summer (which has made my zeal for recipes even stronger).  I just didn't have time or energy to cook much at all.  As I am rectifying that, John and I decided to get back on the more healthy track.  Meaning: cut back on the sweets!  To my dismay, a batch of cookies or a weekly cake is not quite in our diets.  Not like it used to be.  I am not complaining about the positive change in our lifestyle, but I do miss the act of baking and the excitement I see on the boys' faces when they come home and see what is on the counter waiting for them.  I need to realize that baking doesn't equal dessert.  Homemade breads, rolls, muffins... They are all yummy and BAKED.  It is just a matter of changing my perspective.

I have been looking at a recipe for black bean brownies for months.  Delicious, lower in fat and calories, and full of fiber.  It sits on my counter beckoning me to take the leap and just make them.  I vow to have a report on these within the next couple of weeks.  I have high hopes.  I will not be disappointed.

Making Up Dishes

So, this week has flown by, yet again. I have been pretty busy. I have been helping my husband out at the University (he works at the University of West Alabama), cleaning house (I have family coming this weekend), and finally I had been talking to the grad school at UWA, I am going to go back to school and get the my Master's in Library Sciences!!! But that's not what you are here for, you are here for the food!!! And today I have a doozy!!! Anthony loved it that he licked his plate cleaned.

EEK!!!! MY POWER JUST WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS LOST HALF OF IT... GRRRRR.....

I call it Creamy Chicken and Rice. Super easy, cheap and yummy!!

Stuff you need:

• about a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 small onion diced
• a carton of sliced fresh mushrooms (if desired)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (I prefer Campbell's)
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup of milk ( I put half in the cream of chick can and the other half in the cream of mushroom can)
• 1 1/2 cup of sour cream
• salt and pepper
• Rice (cooked)

How-to:

1. Brown chicken in skillet, add onions and mushrooms when chicken is almost done.
2. Add soups and milk, until warm, then add sour cream.
3. serve over rice, with your favorite veggies!!!

It's even great the next day!!!

Tastiness

So yesterday as I was cleaning out my freezer looking for some bagels, I found a turkey.  So I decided to cook it today.  It is killing me!  As I sit here writing, all I can smell is garlic and turkey goodness.  OH MY! There may not be enough left to give the boys after I carve into this things.  I am not real experienced in cooking turkeys.  In fact, this is my second ever.  It is so much easier than I thought it would be.

I made the mushroom meatballs that Tiff suggested the other day. It was so good!  I did end up cheating, though, I used pre-made meatballs that I had on hand.  They weren't nearly as good as homemade, but they worked on a busy weekday evening.  I will definitely make this dish again, but put more effort into it and make the meatballs myself.

Here is the recipe, for anyone out there needing to make dinner tonight.

Meatballs and Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ounce can beef broth
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Make It1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a rack on a baking sheet and coat with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, egg, bread crumbs, garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon of the Italian seasoning and 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper. Form into 40 meatballs, about 1 level tablespoon each. Place on prepared rack over baking sheet.
3. Bake meatballs at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally or until lightly browned. Sprinkle flour over the mixture, stir and cook 1 minute. Gradually stir in beef broth until the flour is completely incorporated into the liquid. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg.
5. Add meatballs to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with buttered egg noodles.  Enjoy!

Confession of an Addict

Hi! My name is Tiffany and I have a problem. I am addicted to the stupid games on Facebook. This is horrible. I enjoy Facebook for the connection I can keep with my family and friends, but where did these games come from? I started playing one, then a friend asks me to join another, and another, and another. All of sudden I am playing 15 different games. AHHHHHH!!!! What happened? I have downsized the games I play. Now I play Pioneer Trail, Fashion Designer, Mall World, and Gardens of Time. OMG!!! I spend a lot of time playing them, but I am slowly downsizing more and more. Shortly I hope to cut the list in half. I play the games with my mom and aunt mostly.

I starting playing hardcore when I was put on bed rest with Jasper, and continued after he was born because I could not move all that much. Now I almost cannot go a day without thinking or checking on them. I have put a time limit on game playing. So that one day I will overcome this addiction and will continue on with my life.

John's Scarf

So I started this project in January.  It was supposed to be for my husbot's Christmas present, but I "saved the best for last".  I knitted scarves for all my besties and his was the bestiest and the most difficult.  I have never tried intarsia before.  It is possible I bit off more than I could chew, but a little perseverance and a lot of making things up as I go, I eeked it out.  I may have been better starting with a smaller, less complicated project to learn on, but this is the one he picked out.

My goal is to finish the entire project before November.  I hope that I can do it.  I think I can...I think I can...

This is the hardest part. Hopefully *gulp!

The back!  Now I have to weave them all in.  Ugh!

Once I get further on this project, I have my sister's Christmas project all picked out.  I found the pattern on ravelry.com (love that place), and I think it is perfect for her.  I made the mistake of going yarn shopping for it and now I am so antsy to start.  Maybe that will help the progress of the previous.

The yarn.  Bamboo and cotton.  So soft and comfy!

Let's Get This Started!!!

Wow!!! Jess has said it all. She flatters so well, she can always make me blush. It's all true that she said, it's been 6 years and our friendship is stronger and better than ever! She has been there for EVERYTHING!!! She knew about my husband, Anthony proposing to me before I did, she was one of the first who knew about my lil baby before others. She's one of the people I turned to when I need someone.

I grew up in Idaho. When I was 21, I left Idaho for 8 months to work at my dream job, WALT DISNEY WORLD!!! Yep, this lil tater moved to Florida. This entailed me flying for the first time, all by myself (yep I just broke out in song), having roommates I had never met, and living on my own without my family around. It was a good time!!! Met great people (who I am still in contact with), got to go to Disney World EVERYDAY for free!, experienced the South's weather, and discovered the Waffle House and booze!!!! Which my butt did not enjoy!

I returned to Idaho and went back to college. I got my degree in Elementary Education and minors in Theatre Costume Designs, German, History, and English Literature. Yep, a lil bit of everything. The last two years, I worked at a great school as a 1st grade teacher! Then in March 2011, this tater's world changed.

My loving husband, who has been getting his MFA in Theatre Lighting Design as Utah State University, get a call from Alabama. They wanted to interview him for a position they had opened. And poof!!! two weeks later, Anthony got a call and found out we were moving to Alabama. So in August we moved to Alabama, two short months after our first baby, Jasper Tobias was born. (That was a difficult and scary story for some other time).

That's where my story begins for the stake of this. I am now in Livingston, Alabama. I am a stay at home mommy, hausfrau, and assistant to my hubby. I have gone in and volunteer to help with props and costuming.

Alright, I think that's gonna leave it there for the time. There will be more, but my lil man is hungry and it's kinda hard to nurse and type at the same time. So toodles for now.

My first post - Welcome!

I moved to Idaho from Casper, Wyoming in 2005 so that my husband and I could go back to school.  Him, to start his Masters program, me to finish a Bachelors Degree...any Bachelors Degree.

I began working in the costume shop at ISU my first semester in Idaho (2005).  I didn't have much experience with actual sewing.  I dabbled on occasion, but didn't really know much.  One day, at work, I was working on making a hat for the upcoming show, "The Importance of Being Earnest".  I had never made a hat before!  I was told the steps of the process, but who knew if I was doing it well or correctly.  Then this extraordinarily tall gal with amazing hair and a big presence came up to me, "Hey there, little girl" (even though I was four years older than she, I was about at lease foot shorter), "What's up?"  I must have looked incredibly confused and lost because she dropped her task to come over to me.  I should have, I really had no idea what I was doing.  I asked her for some guidance and she obliged.

We worked together for the next two and a half years collaborating on projects, designs, and tea parties.  When I decided to pursue photography, she helped me with shoots and ideas for my assignments.  She calmed me when I got stressed and she took me for drinks to celebrate the close of every semester.

This fabulous woman is Tiffany.

Since that time in the costume shop, she has married and had a bebe, we began our careers, and moved along with life, but we have stayed friends.  I am now part owner of Precision Jiu Jitsu along with my husband and our buddy, Heath.  I also have a little photography business, Photographique.  My husband and son are the lights of my life; I couldn't imagine what I would be without them.

Tiff and I have been there for each other for the good times and the not-so-hots and the absolutely yucky.  She is my dear friend.  When she moved away, I was incredibly sad to see her go, but I vowed to keep in touch and have her continue be an important part of my life.  As Tiff and I were chatting the other day, we had the simultaneous idea to keep up with each other's goings on in this blog.  It is for each other and whoever else decided to read.  This is our place to share stories, recipes and the projects that we are working on.  Essentially, we are writing letters to each other, minus the postage.