Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Halloween Treats

Here's the latest craft I've whipped up. I found this great idea off of the Homemaking Fun blog, follow the link at the bottom of the picture. When Ryan asked if we were sending our nephew a Halloween treat I knew instantly what we could do. We modified the instructions a bit to reflect a Halloween theme. For instance we named the chocolate melts "black bats' blood," nuts "crushed bones & skulls." You get the idea and I'm sure our nephew will have fun with it. Perhaphs even more fun that his uncle had in helping create it.
http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com/2009/10/caramel-apple-kit.html





Sunday, October 25, 2009

This little birdy


Here's a picture of the drawer pulls I painted for Addison's dresser. For those of you who don't quite understand my "creative perspective" it's a birdy. They still need a few coats of laquer to shine them up.

Recipe Repost

Opps! This is the recipe I meant to post, but the gingered chicken is really good too!

Green Curry Chicken (*for those of you with kids, okay who am I kidding you all have kids except us...for the moment, justt use on tablespoon of curry paste and there won't be any heat.)

1 lb Chicken Breasts 1 Can Coconut Milk
Crushed Garlic, to taste 1½ -2 T. Green Curry Paste
Olive Oil 3T. Sugar
4 Carrots, chopped Fresh Cilantro, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped on a diagonal Lime Wedges
1 Medium Onion, chopped 2C. Rice, cooked brown or white

Cut up chicken & fry in garlic & olive oil. Set aside. Stir fry carrots, celery & onion in garlic & olive oil - about 5 minutes or until onions are mostly cooked. (Don't over cook - you want the carrots slightly crispy) Mix together with chicken in a big pot & pour the coconut milk over. Stir in the green curry paste & sugar. When it comes to a boil thicken with a little cornstarch. If you want more sauce, add some chicken broth to the consistency you desire. *be warned...do not add too much broth or it will dilute the coconut flavor too much.* Serve over warm rice & top with fresh chopped cilantro & lime wedges.

Fun Recipes

Here are a few recipes we've tried this last week. I love recipes that have been proven to be good and these are Agre approved good!

Baked Oatmeal with Apples

1C. Rolled Oats 1T. Orange Zest
1t. Cinnamon 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
Pinch of Nutmeg 1 Banana, mashed
1/4 t. Salt 1/4C. Walnuts, finely chopped
3T. Maple Syrup 1 ¼ C. Milk


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Grease a 9-inch pie plate with butter.Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.Pour into the pie plate and place on a baking sheet in case of spills.Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed (but don’t cook it for too long or it will dry out too much).Remove from the oven and let cool. Serve with yogurt or milk and honey. Sprinkle on your favorite nuts.


Sour Cream Banana Pancakes

1½C. Flour 2 Extra-Large Eggs
3 T. Sugar Maple Syrup
1 t. Vanilla 2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Lemon Zest1 1/2 t. Salt
Unsalted butter ½ C. Sour Cream
2 Bananas, diced, plus extra for serving ¾ C. + 1 T. milk

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.Melt 1 T. of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded T. of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Gingered Chicken & Friend Rice

4 Chicken Breasts 14.8oz Cooked Rice
2T. Fresh Ginger, grated 8oz. Sugar Snap Peas
2T. Soy Sauce ½ C. Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Large Carrots, chopped Green Onions, sliced

In a large nonstick skillet heat 1T. oil over medium-high. Add chicken, half the ginger, & soy sauce. Brown chicken on all sides. Add ½ C. water. Cook, covered, 15min. or until no pink remains in chicken.
In a dish cook carrots, ginger, & 2T water in microwave for 4min or until tender. Add peas & pepper, heat through. Add rice.
Remove chicken & juices. Wipe skillet with paper towels; return to heat. Add eggs, cook & stir 30sec. to scramble. Stir in rice mixture; heat through. Serve chicken & juices with friend rice, onion, & soy sauce.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Crafting Fairy has struck...

My friend Mariann gave me her boppy while I was out in Oregon. Which was wonderful as it was on my "still to get" list. After a couple of orders of fabric and a trip to Joann's it looks like this...

Minky fabric on one side and a cotton alphabet fabric on the other. Perfectly coordinated to the baby's room. Thanks Mariann!
And now that I have had this fabric for a year my Euro pillow for our bedroom are FINALLY done!
I've also been up to some other crafting but if I showed you I would ruin some Christmas presents so pictures will have to wait.
I recently stole the links of craft blogs off my friends blog. These blogs are so inspiring! Check out my side bar and look at U Create and Grosgrain in particular...if you want the crafting fairy to visit you too.