A Little Break

Things have been really hectic lately.  I'd love to be able to post all the great projects I've been working on, but they're Christmas presents and their recipients follow my blog. *thanks* :)  I've been experimenting a lot in the kitchen but haven't brought the camera out.  So, realizing that I don't have a post for this week and don't know what to post, I thought I'd take a quick break (about a week or two) to catch my breath and work on some content for LAA.  So be sure to check back in a week or two and I promise I'll have something cool.  Until then, enjoy the many adventures this life has for you in even the smallest of things.  :)

A Weekend in Flagstaff, Arizona

For my birthday, my Handsome Hubby organized a trip to Flagstaff, near the Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona.  We go there sometimes in the summer to escape the heat of the desert and sometimes we visit in the winter to play in the snow.  Yes, it snows in Arizona.  Northern Arizona actually has four seasons and is at a higher elevation than the rest of the state.  So, we rented a tiny cabin for the weekend and went to enjoy the changing colors of the leaves and some great fall weather.

Seared Pork Chops with Wilted Spinach

We recently picked up a half pig from Date Creek Ranch, a local ranch here near Phoenix.  They are a local, family-run ranch that takes a holistic grazing approach; and they're just super-nice people.  We've ordered grass-fed beef from them in the past and LOVED not only the beef, but the prices as well.  Their prices are very comparable to conventional meats in the store.  So when we re-ordered our beef for this year, we ordered a half-pig as well.  It is delicious!  I've not been a big fan of pork because I've always thought it smelled and tasted funny, but I am now a fan of the pastured pork from the ranch.  No funny smell and the taste is nothing short of wonderful.  If you have access to pastured meats, I HIGHLY recommend you give it a try and taste the difference. 

Dino Hoodie Rex

I’ve seen a bunch of cute tutorials on making these adorable dino-hoodies.  I wasn’t able to find one that didn’t use felt or that didn’t cover the raw edges of the fabric.  So I sort of made this up as I went along.  Luckily, it turned out great.

Roasted Okra

It's okra time in the desert and boy am I ready!  I must admit that okra used to be on my list of veggies I tolerated but never really enjoyed.  I just couldn't get over the "slime" factor.  Fried okra is good, but I really try not to eat deep-fried vegetables.  Last year about this time, I was getting tons and tons of okra in my CSA basket and didn't know what to do with it.  Then I found this method.  Hallelujah! **light rays from the sky, angels singing, doves flying**

It's a Journey, Not a Sprint... Right?

I feel that this post is long overdue.  I guess I've been putting it off in hopes of the potential content changing, but alas, my procrastination has not yielded the results I had hoped.  Since my last Weight Loss Journey Post, I've fallen off the Harcombe Diet Wagon, rode the No-Diet Diet Wagon, and took a detour in Too-Much-Dessertville and Pastrytown. 

Athena Creation: Groovy Sausage Veggie Rice Casserole

My most recent Athena Creation was a success!  From time to time, I throw together the ingredients I have and cross my fingers.  I lovingly present these to my family as "Athena Creations" with either a silly name or a random number like 3,296.  Anyhow, sometimes they are great, sometimes they aren't so great.  This dish was great and made fantastic leftovers for lunch the next day.  Boy do I love dinners that turn into an enjoyable lunch the next day!

Adventures in Sewing: Picnic Placemats

Some time sewing recently produced this gem of a project.  Picnic placemats with a cutlery and napkin-holding pouch. They are placemats that you can roll up and put in your picnic basket, sure to add a touch of awesome to your picnic.  I know picnic season is winding down in most of the country, but here in the desert, it's about to start next month and last until next summer.  I made this set for my daughter in Michigan, but I think I'm going to have to make another just for me. 

I can't express how easy this is!  It's a few straight stitches and some top-stitching.  It was also a super-cheap project because I got the fabric on clearance.  You could also recycle old sheets, napkins or tablecloths and skip the fabric store all together.   These took so little time that I forgot to take how-to pictures... sorry.  But here's the gist of it.  Cut 4 rectangles (the size of placemat you want + seam allowance, I did 22"x 16") out of a double-thickness of fabric (making 8 total). Cut 4 smaller rectangles (about 7"x 4") and 4 (about 2"x 4") strips.

Placemats:
 Pin two rectangles (right sides together) and stitch all sides, leaving a 6" gap. Trim corners, turn right-side-out and top-stitch all the way around the edge. Repeat for remaing placemats.

Pockets:
On top edge of 7x4 pieces, make a 1/4" double-fold hem, topstitch.  Press 2x4 strips in half (wrong sides together) lengthwise, open and press edges to the center, fold in half and stitch open edge closed.  Place strip 2"-3" from top hem of pocket, baste.  Press the sides and bottom (and attached strip) 1/2" to the wrong side.  Position onto placemat about an inch from the side and bottom.  Topstitch around bottom and side edges of pocket, leaving the top hemmed edge open.  Repeat for remaining placemats.

And VOILA!  Picnic placemats!  :)    

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Adventures in Crochet: Angry Birds Hat

I don't know about your kids, but my Not-So-Little-Man LOVES the game Angry Birds.  I've been spending a lot of time in my craft room lately (see This Fabulous Project ), but haven't really made him a whole lot.  But what does a mom sew or crochet for her 12-year-old boy?... 

Quick Smoothies for Busy Mornings

I really like green smoothies and I think they are a FANTASTIC way to start the day and a nutritious addition to my diet.  Unfortunately, I have to be at work at 6am and have a 45-minute, one-way, commute.  This means that if I don't want to wake up at 3am, or spend $6 for a smoothie at a store, I have to be very efficient with my time in the mornings. 

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

I love banana bread.  This recipe is my grandma's but with my take on it by using whole wheat flour.  I use freshly-ground whole (hard white) wheat flour, but the recipe works with all-purpose flour or King Arthurs White Whole Wheat Four.  Now, whole wheat flour requires a bit more liquid, so feel free to be very generous with your liquid measurements and maybe add a bit more for good measure.  :) 

Adventures in My Craft Room: Reversible Placemat with Napkins and Rings

On rare occasion, I get the opportunity to spend some quality time in my craft room.  It's really a spare bedroom that doubles as a craft room, but I am completely grateful to have the space.  I'm doubly grateful for the opportunities to use it.  Since my time is so limited, I've found that it's better for me to tackle easy projects that don't take a lot of time.  I'm often interrupted by Baby Boy, so I can only get some time in during naptime (if the house is clean already).  This weekend, the stars aligned and so it was, I spent some quality time with my sewing machine. 

Adventures in Breakfast: One-Eyed Toast

Breakfast is hands down my favorite meal.  I love how versatile it is.  It can be sweet or savory, heavy or light.  And the genius behind brunch?  Props to whoever that was.  One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is a big batch of Grandma Carol's Waffles.  But this morning, I was in a savory mood.  I had some artisan 3-cheese bread leftover from dinner and wanted to do something special with it.  Thanks be to my dad for introducing me to this one-eyed toast recipe when I was 10 years old. 

Grandma's Fruit Cobbler

In case you haven't noticed, or are a new reader (thanks to all of you BTW) of my little blog, I feature many of my Grandma's recipes.  Grandma's recipes represent love and comfort to my soul.  This recipe delivers nothing less than delicious, buttery comfort that feels like grandma's hug. 

Simple Chinese Beef and Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

One evening, I had leftover roast beef and some beautiful broccoli.  So what to make for dinner seemed obvious.  However, I've never seen or heard of anyone making Chinese Beef and Broccoli with cooked roast beef.  I've only seen it done with thinly-sliced steak.  But the baby was fussy and I had to get dinner on the table quickly, so I decided to view it as having one step in the recipe done (cooking the meat).