The most adorable hats

Saw a free tutorial to make these adorable hats here. Don't you love them? Too bad I don't know how to crochet just yet. I borrowed the picture from her blog as well- as you'll see when you click on the click. Some people are so smart at figuring out how to make things.

From Taste of Home

My family has enjoyed a recipe of Southern Cream Pie (sour cream apple) for years, so when I saw this, I wanted to save it- sound like a hit, although I have not tried it yet (it one first place in a pie contest in Branson)

Sour Cream Peach Pecan Pie Recipe

Ingredients

• Pastry for single-crust pie (9 inches)
• 4 cups sliced peeled peaches
• 2 tablespoons peach preserves
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  TOPPING:
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup cold butter

*Photo from taste of home

Homemade Tortillas

I'll admit right now that I got this recipe from homesick Texan and tried it out tonight. I made Fajitas for dinner but realized that I only had 2 tortillas left. I am SOOO glad that I googled this awesome recipe. I have tried homemade tortillas a couple of times in my life and they have always been delicious, but this was my first solo "go" at making tortillas (which I guess are actually more accurately Texas Tortillas. One word for Y'all- "Yum". So I don't make my own bread, but after tonight I am considering never or rarely buying tortillas in the future.


This recipe is originally from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison, "They are perfect for sopping up beans, wrapping around fajitas, grilling with cheese or just eating warm with butter and salsa." We took a couple extra and put a little butter and cinnamon sugar. Delicious.

"Purists may sniff at the recipe and argue that leaven and lack of lard make these inauthentic. Perhaps. But remember, we’re talking Tex-Mex. And in Texas, if you’ve ever had the pleasure of eating flour tortillas hot off the griddle at a restaurant, or bought the fresh ones made by local tortillerias sold at the grocery store, then you will agree: these are the real deal. Oh yes, these are Texas flour tortillas, indeed!"- Homesick Texan

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)
Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Volcano Lovers

Molten Lava Cake

Ingredients:
pecans and coconut
cake mix
eggs and oil (as specified on cake mix)
cream cheese
butter
powdered sugar

Directions:
Sprinkle bottom of a 9x13 cake pan with about 1/4 c. coconut and 1 cup chopped pecans
Prepare any kind of chocolate cake mix according to box directions and pour over pecans and coconut.
Melt 1 cube butter and 1 8oz. package cream cheese together in microwave. Mix in 2 cups powdered sugar.
Pour cream cheese mixture over chocolate layer. bake according to cake directions. (I've found that the cake takes 10-15 minutes past the lowest baking time, but I like to start checking earlier just to be safe). Just keep your eye on the cake and try not to take it out too soon.

* We really like this cake, and it has a little bit of a fancier feel than just a regular cake. Justin likes it best cold, I don't know yet how I like it best.

The real recipe I think I'll make for Easter

Sour cream lemon pie is my husband's favorite pie. This is the recipe that looked the closest to the one we like from a local pie shop. I think I'll use a regular crust instead of Graham cracker crust to give more of a regular pie feel than a cheesecake feel.

Sour cream Lemon Pie

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:
1 1/4 C. graham crackers crumbs
1/4 C. sugar
4 Tbs. butter, melted

Cream Cheese Layer:
12 oz. cream cheese
1/3 C. sugar
1/3 C. sour cream
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. Knox gelatin
1 Tbs. cold water

Lemon Topping:
1 1/2 C. water
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. fresh lemon juice
4 egg yolks beaten
5 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. butter

Directions

To make crust, mix all ingredients together and shape in a 9" greased pie pan. Bake at 375 for 6 - 8 minutes remove from oven and cool.

To make cream cheese layer, combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream and salt in medium sized pan and cook on a very low heat stirring constantly until mixture starts to boil lightly. Mix gelatin with water and dissolve. When dissolved add to mixture along with vanilla and stir well. Cook until mixture reaches a light boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool off. When it's luke-warm layer cream cheese on crust and refrigerate until cooled.

To make lemon topping, place water, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, salt and lemon peel in a sauce pan and whisk until mixture comes to a boil at medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes until thick. Pour 1/2 hot mixture in beaten eggs slowly and stir constantly. When the mixture is completely blended pour egg mixture in to the hot pudding stir and cook until the pudding reaches boiling stage. Stir and let boil slowly for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat add butter and vanilla stir and set aside until cooled off. When lemon mixture reaches room temperature gently smooth it over the cream cheese mixture and chill for several hours before serving. Fresh whipped cream may be added for garnish.

Easter Pie- the recipe I think I'll make

Marie Callender's Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg

Lemon Filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
1 cup water
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar in a small bowl. Press the crust mixture into an 8-inch pie pan.

Prepare the cream cheese filling by mixing cream cheese with 1/4 cup sugar, vanilla and an egg using an electric mixer. Mix well until smooth. Pour cream cheese filling into graham cracker crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is cooked. A knife stuck in the middle of the filling should come out mostly clean.

As the pie cools, make the lemon filling by combining 1/2 cup sugar with cornstarch, salt and water in a small saucepan. Set mixture over low heat and bring to a simmer, stirring often.

Whisk in egg yolks, then add lemon juice and butter. When mixture simmers again remove it immediately from the heat.

Pour the lemon filling over the cream cheese filling, and let the pie cool. When cool, chill pie in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

Slice into 6 pieces to serve restaurant-size portions.

Reuben Swirl Rolls

*I just tried this recipe and LOVED it. I'm usually not a big sauerkraut fan but this really is delicious. If you are too afraid to try the sauerkraut, I've heard it is also great with any kind of cheese and deli meat.

Reuben Swirl Rolls

Ingredients:

• 8 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
• 1 ½ tablespoons Thousand Island dressing
• 6 slices Swiss cheese
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 pound thinly sliced corned beef
• extra Thousand Island dressing for dipping, if desired

Method:

Spray counter with non-stick cooking spray. Combine rolls into a ball and roll into a 9x13-inch rectangle. Spread dressing evenly over dough. Arrange cheese slices evenly over dressing. Sprinkle with sauerkraut, caraway seeds and pepper. Top with corned beef slices. Starting from a long side, roll up jelly-roll style. Using a serrated knife, cut into 8 slices. Place cut side up on a sprayed baking sheet (if they start to unroll, secure with toothpicks). Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let rise 30-45 minutes. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 20-25 minutes. Serve warm with extra dressing for dipping, if desired.

A Spooky Treat

I saw this idea in a magazine and thought I would try it out. We hollowed out oranges (plus a little clementine for my 2 year old) and filled them with chocolate pudding. We let the pudding set up first for awhile so that it wouldn't spill out the holes.

A lot of work for a little something sweet, but I think it might just become a tradition.

Granola and Turtles

I stole these delicious recipes from my cousin, Honey's blog. She is an inspiration to me. She has 5 kids and I think she does a great job.

My mom would make granola when I was growing up and I thought it was such a hard process - until I tried it the other day! Piece of cake. And, it turned out really well. Here's the recipe I used:

Ingredients:

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

I didn't have oat bran, wheatgerm, sunflower seeds or walnuts on hand and I didn't want to go buy them. I also added a pinch of nutmeg. It makes a bunch, but it also goes really quickly as it is so good.

Pretzel Turtles - AWESOME!!

These would make a great Christmas treat for your friends and neighbors or at any gathering.

Ingredients: pretzels, Rolos and pecan halves.

Directions: Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Lay out each pretzel with a rolo on top. Put in a 325 degree oven for 3 - 3.5 minutes, just enough for the chocolate to sweat. Pull them out and gently press a pecan half onto each pretzel. Voila!

Both recipes tried and true - you should try them too. 5 Stars!

Another Cute Nursery

Cute nursery

More adorable shoes

Just when I thought I could not find anything sweeter in the whole world, I found these DARLING shoes. Check out Heather Bailey's free shoe pattern and tutorial

Felt Baby shoes

I found another adorable template for felt baby shoes from Martha Stewart here. Too cute. I'm giving credit to my sister, Flori, for this one because she just made some cute felt shoes for a friend (though, I 'm not quite sure if they were the same).

Washcloth puppets

Washcloth Puppets

Found this free pattern on sewing.org. Pretty cute, huh?

Supplies

Patterns

Cow

• Four Washcloths, two white, one black and one peach
• One 6" x 3" (15 cm) x 7.5 cm) piece of fabric, white
• Two Skeins Embroidery Floss, black and white
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Bunny

• Four Washcloths, three pink, one white
• One 5" x 5" (12.5 cm) x 12.5 cm) Piece of Pink Gingham
• Two Skeins Embroidery Floss, black and white
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Bear

• Two 12 1/2" x 13" (32 cm x 33 cm) washcloths, light brown
• Three Skeins Embroidery Floss, black, white and pink
• Water Soluble Pen
• Paper Backed Fusing Web (opt.)

Instructions

Faces and Appliqués

1. Pin patterns to washcloths placing bottom edges of puppet pattern on finished edge of cloth. Do not cut yet. Transfer MARKINGS for faces.
2. Embroider nose, eyes and paw pads using a SATIN STITCH. Embroider mouth using a CHAIN STITCH. Cut out body pieces.
3. Cut out appliqués for bunny ears and muzzle, cow head patches, body spots and muzzle. Appliqué pieces to puppet bodies.

Bunny Ears

1. Appliqué gingham inset to front of ear.
2. Stitch ear front to back.
3. Trim Seams. Clip curves and turn right side out.
4. Form tuck at the center of the ear.
5. Baste ears to head, having raw edges even

Cow Ears and Horns

1. Stitch ear front to back.
2. Trim seams.
3. Clip Curves and turn right side out. Fold along fold line. Baste to head, having raw edges even.
4. Fold horns in half with right sides together, stitch curved edge. Turn right side out. Press seam to center back. Stuff lightly. Baste to head having raw edges even.

Body

1. Fold up lower edge of puppet front along fold line, forming pocket. Baste along side edges to hold in place.
2. Stitch front to back at side seams. Clip curves. Trim seams to 1/8", turn right side out.
3. Top stitch 1/8" inch all around leaving lower edge open.
   

Homemade baby shoes

I saw these shoes on a blog and think that they are so cute. This link to stardust shoes has directions and a free pattern to make them. It also has a link to directions to make them out of leather if you want. The other blog I liked was here.

Super cute and easy placemat bag

I am going to be an instructor to show people how to make these bags at church, so here are my step by step instructions. This project took 30 min -1 hour. It was really easy and a lot of fun.
Find a cute placemat. I got this at Target and then I cut off the long edges to use later for the handles.Sew the placemat on two sides.
Make a triangle on the side of the bag to create a box seam. (this gives the bag a boxy look and helps it to stand alone).
When you've done both sides it should look like this.
Add the handles (I made mine about 12 inches) and turn the bag right side out. This is a great size bag to carry scriptures in.

Guilty Indulgences

My friend sent me a link to this blog and I must admit that I loved all of the delicious and fantastic creations. It may have been my cookie/ice cream addiction that made this dessert jump out at me. I will definitely be giving this a try.




Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell*
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped pecans
Serve with ice cream (optional)

• Preheat oven 325 degrees F.
• Beat eggs in large mixer bowl on high until foamy.
• Beat in flour, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat in butter.
• Stir in morsels and nuts and spoon into pie shell.
• Bake for 55-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm.

Recipe from Nestle Classic Recipes, 2003
* If using frozen pie shell, use deep dish style and thaw completely. Bake on baking sheet and increase baking time slightly.

A Gluten-free treat

As some may know, or not know, my sister-in-law is on a gluten free diet. Her diet has really opened my eyes to the gluten free world and sometimes it is fun to twist my brain and discover new things that she can eat.

Imagine my delight when I came across a blog with this yummy picture. I thought it was a cute idea. I actually made cocoa krispy treats for our Easter Picnic, but the presentation wasn't as awesome as it is here. Live long and prosper.


Rice krispy treats made with cocoa krispies, spooned into greased muffin tins, pressed and indented with a buttered spoon, allowed to set until not totally gooey and placed in festive cupcake papers, chocolate eggs lovingly divvied and positioned in nests, nests lined up and stacked on the biggest tray we could find, presented with a big grin, consumed with zeal!

Honey Butter

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time, but this recipe will make up for it, I promise.

Honey Butter
2 cubes of butter (softened)
1 Jar of Marshmallow Cream

Mix together. Will keep several weeks in the refrigerator. I love this on scones, cornbread, and even toast. Yum!

What's for Dinner?

My mom made this delicious salad and so I decided to make some for my hubby. It's a great change from your everyday routine and it is so delicious. I didn't have time to go to the store so I was missing the avocado and the lime cilantro dressing but had some cilantro and ranch on hand and just used that. It was nice to have something that was light, yet filling.

Southwestern Cobb Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

Valerie Phillips

Published: Monday, Jan. 28, 2008 12:00 a.m. MST (deseret news)

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1 5-ounce package romaine leaves or chopped iceberg lettuce
2 cups salsa
1 15-ounce can corn, drained
1 large avocado, or 2 small
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar, Colby or Monterey Jack cheese
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Directions

Mix chicken and taco seasoning. To make four composed salads, place a large handful of lettuce on each plate. Top with 1/2 cup salsa in the middle, spreading it slightly. On top of salsa, arrange 1/3 cup chopped chicken, 1/3 cup corn and 1/4 cup each of the avocado, beans, cheese and bell pepper.

Lime Cilantro Dressing:
1 6-ounce container lime-flavored yogurt
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice

Mix dressing ingredients well. Serve with salad. Serves 4.

Options: Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Serve with dressing on the side.