˚recipe˚ Easy Minestrone Salad

Apparently food is on my mind since the last few posts have been about food. 

Okay. 

That's kind of a lie.

 Although food is usually on my mind, I have actually been very busy working on a few projects (some of which I will share with you shortly, and some of which will have to wait a little longer.) Let me guess...you are on the edge of your seat just dying to know what I have been up to. Well...patience my friend. 

But I will leave you with a completely delicious and oh-so-quick recipe. (Boiling the noodles is seriously the longest part if you are a multitask-er...besides, a watched pot never boils anyway.) 

All you have to do is boil noodles and rinse them in cool water:

Add this stuff in about these amounts:

Pour on some Italian dressing and add parmesan cheese (and a little bit of salt and pepper):

Mix it up...and eat it. 

The pepperoni makes this one a winner!

Read More »

˚kitchen tip˚ Easy way to Grate Fresh Ginger

Do you like fresh ginger? Some of my favorite recipes call for ginger. Like this one from ourbestbites.com. Sometimes grating ginger can be difficult and you might be tempted to use ground ginger. Don't do it! My father-in-law shared this easy tip and it works really well.

All you have to do is freeze your ginger root. I put mine in a ziplock bag and it keeps really well. It doesn't seem to affect the taste at all and when you pull it out to grate its easy as pie. 

So...go make something with fresh ginger and enjoy it!

Read More »

˚recipe˚ Homemade Oreos

Some of you may know that the Mr. has a problem gaining weight. Horrible problem right? Well, we don't make too many sweets around here, and when we do they are usually for someone else (although we usually manage to sneak a taste). So every once in a while, I need some treats (usually to give away to some unsuspecting soul). This particular time, we didn't even have chocolate chips for the standard. (I told you, we don't really do treats around here too often). So, after perusing my cookbooks, and the vast world wide web (including smittenkitchen), I made homemade oreos. This recipe is adapted from all of the above. And let me just say....if you are worried about your waistline, you better give these away ASAP!

Here is what you need:


Chocolate Wafers:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks)softened butter
1 egg


Filling:

1/2 cup softened butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or mint...or peppermint.)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375˚
Step one: put 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour in a bowl

Step two: add 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch cocoa

Step three: add 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt

Step four: add 1 1/4 cups sugar 

Step five: blend together

Step six: add 1 egg

Step seven: 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks)softened butter

Step eight: blend together

Step nine: roll into balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet. 
Step ten: press two fingers into the top of the cookie drops to flatten them out a bit. Bake for 7-9 minutes at 375˚

Step eleven-thriteen: combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or mint...or peppermint) in a bowl. 
Step fourteen: place the frosting in a bag. And if you don't have a frosting bag, it is easiest to use a zip-lock bag. Put it over a cup like this:

Then use a spatula and scrap your frosting into one big bunch:

And spoon it into the bag like this:

That way you can scrap the spatula along the edges of the cup without make a huge mess in the bag.

And seal it up without getting frosting all over :)

Clip a corner of the bag and squeeze the frosting onto the bottom side of 1/2 of the cookies.

Place another cookie on top and squish the frosting down, and then start drooling....

...and grab yourself a big glass of milk.

Read More »

˚giveaway results˚ And the winner is...

Have you ever heard of Matlab? Its a computational program that does all sorts of calculations. The Mr. is into that sort of thing, so he did a random number generation calculation and comment #8 was the winner!

CONGRATS ADESPAIN!

Adespain said...

I would love to make it for my littlest boy!

July 22, 2011 3:31 PM

Send me your email address (for the FREE PDF) and home address (for the materials) to canididlykate (at) gmail (dot) com. 

And if you are just dying to make the Owen Snuggly Bear for someone, use the coupon code OWEN20 here for a 20% discount on the PDF pattern. Deal ends next Friday!

Thanks for playing!

Read More »

˚reminder˚ Last day to enter the giveaway...

Even if you are a secret reader, enter the giveaway here. Everyone loves FREE stuff don't they? Today is the last day. And come back tomorrow to see if you won. Good luck!

Read More »

˚organizational tip˚ Throw Blankets

(Did you see the giveaway here? If not, make sure you enter. You better hurry though. It closes tomorrow at midnight. I hope you win!)


There is nothing like grabbing a cuddly blanket to hang out with on the couch. Read a good book. Talk to your kids or spouse. Watch a movie. Believe me, the possibilities are endless.

But...

If your house is anything like ours, these blankets often get left out and about. 

Instead of worrying about a carefully organized linen closet, we keep a hamper next to the couch where such culprits can be easily stuffed inside, or pulled out in a hurry. (Especially critical for fort building on a whim.)

It makes cleanup simple and stress free (not to mention a linen closet that is still carefully organized...if you even have one).

Did I just say simple and stress free cleaning? I sure did. Go grab yourself a good looking hamper and stuff those fort-building blankets inside.

And check out the giveaway....who doesn't love free stuff?

Read More »

UPDATED ˚giveaway˚ FREE for one of my dear readers...

...The Owen Snuggly Bear Pattern and materials to make it (minky, satin, ribbon, and batting).

You want it?

For FREE?

For one entry...leave a comment telling me who you would make the little bear for.

For another entry...follow my blog and leave a comment telling me that you did/do.

For a final entry...put my button somewhere on your blog and leave another comment telling me you did/do.

Three chances to win the pattern and the materials to make the Owen Snuggly Bear. 

UPDATE: The giveaway will close this Thursday Friday at midnight and the winner will be announced on Friday Saturday. 

I hope you win!

Read More »

˚tutorial˚ Sewing on a Button

The other day when I was taking the laundry out of the washing machine, I noticed that a button from the Mr's favorite shorts was missing. When I told him that the button had fallen off his shorts he was kind of upset. I just looked at him a little funny and said, "Its a button...we can just sew it back on." Come to find out, the Mr. once knew how to sew on a button, but he wasn't sure he could do it again without a little help. 

So, today I am going to show you how to sew on a button. But first...a story about why is the button missing from my blue skirt. One day I was in REI (love this place, do you remember the steal of a deal I got here?) We had a coupon, of course, and I was doing a little birthday shopping for myself (with the Mr. in tow). I fell in love with this skirt, but it was the only one my size, and the button was missing. So I found a store employee and haggled the price down by $5. I figured I would have to buy another button...and sew it on...and I would still be getting the better end of the deal. 

So I used my coupon, and got an additional $5. And after I got it home, I found a little something on the inside tag of my skirt. 

Whoever decided to include an extra button on clothing was a genius. 

Anyway....onto sewing buttons. Thread  about 10-12 inches of thread and knot the end a few times. 

Find out where to place the button by placing the button hole over the back flap of fabric, just like you would have it if there was a button attached. Mark the spot with a fabric pen if that would be helpful.

Starting from the back of the fabric, push your needle through one of the holes in the button.

Pull most of the thread through the fabric, but leave a little tail on the other side. Can you see the tail in the picture?

Now put the needle through the hole that is diagonal to the one your just came through.

Before pulling the thread tight, put the needle through the thread tail you left earlier. You want the needle to go through just under the knot. This will help secure the knot so it doesn't pull through the fabric.

Now put the needle through the button again, this time through a different hole.

And back through the last hole.

Can you see the little cross we made?

Do this about 4 more times alternating between the diagonals to secure the button well. When you have secured it well, push the needle from the back of the fabric to the front, but don't go through one of the button holes. Instead, push the needle up behind the button. Like this:

Now. wrap the needle around the button a few times like this....

And push the needle in the fabric to the back. 

Can you see the needle poking out of the back?

To tie off, grab a small portion of the fabric like this:

Pull the thread almost all the way through, but leave a little circle of thread to put your needle through. Can you see me putting my needle through the circle of thread in the picture below?

Tie another knot just to make sure everything is secure. And enjoy your new $5 off skirt. Oh wait...that was me.

 

By the way, have you seen my new fuzzy friend? Check him out here and purchase the pattern to make him here and come back later this week for a little giveaway. You won't want to miss it.

Read More »

˚PDF Pattern˚ The Owen Snuggly Bear Pattern

My little nephew was born a few weeks ago and I wanted to make him something special. (You have to compete to be the favorite aunt when there are four others wanting the favorite-aunt-ever award). I know most kids have a favorite blanket, but frankly, they seem too big to lug around everywhere. So, I created the Owen Snuggly Bear. The Mr. likes to call him the ghost bear. As long as he admits that it is an adorable, cuddly, fuzzy ghost bear, I am fine with that!

Isn't he adorable?

 I thought so too!

 Makes me want to snuggle up with him and read a good book.

And since my little nephew isn't the only one who deserves a little snuggle buddy, I've created a PDF pattern found here with over 30 pages of instruction full of detailed descriptions and tons of pictures. While some sewing experience is a plus, the instructions are detailed for even the most beginner sewers.

This little bear snuggly measures approximately 18" x 18" when complete and makes the perfect companion for any little one. The small size makes it easy to fit inside a diaper bag or purse. With minky on one side and 100% polyester satin on the other, the Owen Bear Snuggly is as soft as can be. Machine washable. 

Materials needed:

• 1/4 yd.* soft minky fabric (if your fabric is less than 50” wide, you will need 1/2 yd.)

• 1/2 yd.* coordinating fabric (I used 100% polyester satin)

• 1 yd. thin ribbon that matches coordinating fabric

• Batting (I used 100% polyester)

• Black embroidery thread

• Needle and thread

• Scissors

• Pins

• Cutting Mat (optional)

*you may wish to purchase and extra inch or two just to be safe.

So, hop on over to etsy and check him out here! In the meantime, the little Owen Snuggly Bear I made will be on its way to some love....and slobber....the best kind of baby lovin'!

UPDATE: Enter the giveaway for the pattern and materials to make the Owen Snuggly Bear here. Hurry! It ends on Friday night at midnight. Winner will be announced on Saturday.

Read More »