Handmade Gift with a Recipe

Maddie made two homemade gifts for her friend.

She made a canvas using the same method she used for boards in her room here.

And she made stuffed mushrooms.

These are always a hit!

I got the recipe from a good friend years ago!

Sofia tried them and loved them last week at the homecoming festivities.

So Maddie made them for Sofia's birthday as well!

Nothing like a hand made gift!

(we did throw in a little starbucks gift card)

Stuffed Mushrooms

12 large mushrooms

1 cube butter (not margarine)

1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs

1 T finely chopped onion

1 T parsley finely chopped (optional)

1 egg slightly beaten

Salt/Pepper

Wipe mushroom cpas clean. Melt 4 tablespoons butter. Dip mushrooms in butter to coat. Mix breadcrumbs, parsley, onion, egg and a little salt and pepper. Fill mushroom caps, melt the remaining butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and drizzle with the remaining butter.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes!

I didn't say it was healthy...Paula Deen would like it because of the stick of butter!!

This is my old red couch!

We bought it about 10-11 years ago...when I loved red.

It is still in great shape because we really don't sit on it much,

but let me tell you it is comfy.

Once I painted the concrete floor I didn't love the red couch with it.

So I decided it was time to try my hand at slipcovering.

Many people I know I have done slipcover projects.

My friend Shannon at Anythingology slipcovered her couches last year.

My friend Wendy at Simply Brookes slipcovered her old couches years ago.

Her sister-in-law Heather is working on hers she gave me the tip on where to buy the fabric.

Nick of Time -- $3.50 a yard for white denim....this is a good deal.

They sent samples. It was $20 to ship from Pennsylvania to California but still worth it.

I pre-washed it. And it did shrink by about 25%.

Here is the finished product. I need to figure out how to tighten up underneath the curvy arm.

Will probably use a little velcro underneath, and attach it right to the couch.

But, all in all I am happy with the final product.

It was alot of work.

I got some tips from this website.

And opted for no piping to make it a little easier to get the fit right.

Pumpkin Latte....the perfect fall coffee.

This is the Pumpkin Latte recipe I found over at Sand and Sisal.

Sand and Sisal

It is super easy.

And much cheaper than Starbucks!

Hope you try it!

Pumpkin Scones

Shugary Sweets

Who doesn't love a pumpkin scone from Starbucks during the holidays?

It is one of my favorites, and I have tried to develop my own recipe.

I have done O.K.

But, then I found this recipe from Shugary Sweets. Yum.

I halved the recipe today. Which is a bit challenging when there is no measuring cup for 1/6 of a cup of heavy cream, I just eye balled it the best I could and everything came out fine.

My one critique would be ... I don't know if you NEED two glazes.

I might choose to only do the flavored glaze next time, but it does make it look

kind of pretty with the contrasting glazes.

What is next on my fall treat list?

Pumpkin Lattes....

Lasagna - Pioneer Woman Style

I made the Pioneer Woman's "Best Ever Lasagna"

One word Delicious!!

What makes it unique?

Cottage Cheese instead of Ricotta (my kids like this better not so pungent!)

Breakfast Pork Sausage mixed with Ground Beef...we really liked the sauce.

The actual baking time pretty quick....just enough time to get kitchen cleaned up,

garlic bread and salad prepped!!

Try it you'll like it!!

Also, her new Food TV show debuted this weekend

it was pretty good; fun to see a life on a ranch!

Another Pioneer Woman Hit!

Day two of trying a new Pioneer Woman Recipe...another keeper.

Here is the photo from her website.

Here is the link to the recipe.

Beef with Snow Peas.

Critique:

All 3 kids liked it!!

It was very easy! Much faster to make than the barbeque yesterday! Much of this prep could be done ahead and then stir fry right before time to eat.

I ended up letting the meat soak in the marinade/sauce for about 45 minutes to time eating with when the kids would be home from their evening activities.

Additions:

Right at the end I tossed in some leftover steamed sliced carrots, just to heat thru. It provided an additional veggie....and the color contrast was very appealing.

Note:

Flank Steak is not as cheap as it used to be, but still cheaper than dinner out for 4 at a Chinese restaurant...even a cheap Chinese restaurant like Panda Express; and I am sure this is healthier.

Tonight...Leftovers!! :)

Happy Cooking.

A KEEPER FROM PIONEER WOMAN!

Do you get tired of your standard meals?

Do you get stuck in a rut, looking for new ideas?

I know I do.

Next question ....have you heard of the Pioneer Woman?

She has a great blog, covering homeschooling, photography, and cooking among other things!

She is a funny writer.

She has a cookbook, a children's book,

she will have her own Food Network show starting this fall,

and they are making a movie about her and her family based on another book she wrote

Black Heels and Tractor Wheels.

On top of that she has 4 kids!

She is a busy woman!

So this week before grocery shopping a picked out 4 recipes to try from her blog.

The first up was this one just posted on Monday.

Peach-Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

It was fabulous!

A definite keeper!

I am not going to post any pictures because she has done all the work (see recipe link above)!

I am going to provide you with a critique:

1. Allow enough time for browning the chicken this takes a little longer than you would think. Allow 10-15 minutes per batch. After that the dish comes together pretty quick.

2. BE CAREFUL WITH THE WHISKEY! I have had some bad luck with adding alcohol to dishes and it not cooking off. I reduced the whiskey from 1-1/2 cups, to 1/2 cup and than added a cup of chicken broth. (I could still taste it a little bit....so if you don't want to taste it at all just substitute chicken broth where you see whiskey....it would be cheaper too.)

We will definitely be making this again.

The kids said keeper, everyone left the table stuffed!

A sure sign of a good meal right!?

Let me know if you try it!