Cute Little Knitted Chick

 This cute little chick is fun and simple to make. Click here and find out how to make it! 

Spring Pasta Salad

This springy pasta salad is very simple to make.

Dressing~

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar 

Salad~ 

16 oz box elbow noodles 

3 cups chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups broccoli

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup salami cut up  

Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile combine dressing ingredients and whisk together. Drain the water from the noodles and rinse with cold water until cool. Combine noodles, carrots, broccoli, cheese, and salami. Add the dressing and combine. You may not need all the dressing so add a little at a time. Refrigerate until ready to serve or serve right a way. Enjoy!!               

Basketball Cookies

Theses basketball cookies are very easy to make. you can make up a bunch for a birthday party too.

Ingredients~

1 recipe butter cookies and glaze with orange food coloring   

1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1/2 cup cocoa 
1 table spoon milk

Make the cookies and glaze according to recipe. Mix powdered sugar, cocoa and milk until well mixed put in a plastic bag with a hole in the corner and pip on lines to make it look like a basketball. Enjoy! 

Flower Branch

What you need~

a branch cut to the size you want

pink tissue paper 

ruler

scissors

glue

How to make it~

cut out 1 inch squares. twist the center a bit and put a dab of glue on it. adhere to the branch and repeat however many times you want. :-)    

    

Peanut Butter & Chips Cookies

(Makes about 24-30)

Ingredients~

1/2 cup butter

1 cup smooth or crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup white sugar 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup chocolate chips 

more white sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 F. In the large bowl of a mixer, combine the butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat until well blended and creamy. Add the egg, mix well and add the vanilla and the milk. Add the flour baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix into peanut butter mixture. Stir in both chips. Dough will be crumbly. Gather together about 2 tablespoons at a time and press into a ball and roll in white sugar. Place about 2" apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and press down lightly with your hand just enough to take away the rounded shape. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just set. Cookies will not spread. Do not over bake. Allow to cool completely and the cookies will finish cooking. Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

These tasty cookies can be made into any shape you want. And the glaze isn't necessary but looks festive. I got the cookie recipe form a wonderful cook book it is called Illustrated Step-By-Step Baking.   

Ingredients~

11 tablespoons butter, softened and diced 

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour 

1 egg yolk 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Glaze~

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1-2 tablespoons milk

1-2 drops green food coloring (optional)  

Preheat the oven to 350 F. put parchment paper on 2 baking sheets. Put the butter, sugar, and flour in a large bowl, or into the bowl of a food processor. Rub together, or pulse-blend the ingredients until they look like fine bread crumbs. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and bring the mixture together into a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly until smooth. Flour the dough and work surface well, and roll it out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a palette knife to move the sheet of dough around, to prevent sticking. If the dough is too sticky to roll well, chill for 15 minutes, then try again. with a shamrock cookie cutter cut out cookies and transfer them to the baking sheets. Re-roll the scraps to 1/4 inch thick, and cut out all the cookies until all the dough is used bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until golden at the edges. leave the cookies to cool until firm enough to handle. Combine the glaze ingredients and brush on cookies, let the glaze set and serve. Enjoy!        

Cocoa Balls

Ingredients~

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup quick oats 
1/2 cup peanut butter 
1/2 cup coconut 
1/4 cup cocoa powder 

Heat honey and peanut butter until melted to together. Remove from heat, add other ingredients and mix well. cool slightly and form into balls. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. 

Peanut butter glaze (optical)~ 

1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar 
1-3 tablespoons milk

combine peanut butter and sugar. stir in 1-3 tablespoons milk until you reach the constancy you want. spread on to balls and refrigerate. I hope you enjoy them!   
         

Black-Eyed Susan Cookies

Ingredients~

1 cup butter, softened 
1-1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon orange extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/4 teaspoon salt 

Glaze~

2 cups powdered sugar 
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1-2 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
chocolate chips

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half shape each into a disk. Wrap; refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle.

On a lightly floured surface, roll larger portion of dough to 1/8 inch thickness. cut with a floured round or scalloped cookie cutter different sizes are fine the cooking time will very though. place 1 inch apart on greased baking sheets. repeat with all the dough. Bake cookies at 350 F for 5-10 minuets depending on the size of the cookies. 
In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the glaze. spread over cooled cookies, then place a chocolate chip in the center of each cookie. Enjoy!  
  

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

Ingredients~

2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled 
2 eggs 
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract  
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel (optional)     
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into cubes and then cut into flour using pastry cutter, until resembles small crumbs. stir in the rest of the ingredients except chocolate chips. knead in chocolate chips. using a two tablespoon scoop, scoop the dough on to a buttered baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown on the top.   

Blueberry Lemon Bread or Muffins

Ingredients~

2 cups flour 

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 eggs 

1 cup half and half 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons lemon extract 

1 tablespoon lemon juice (not real necessary but adds a bit more lemon flavor)

11/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberry's (you can use raspberry's for lemon raspberry bread.)

Directions~

 Preheat oven to 400 F. in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine the eggs, half and half, oil, and lemon extract. stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. fold in blueberry's or raspberry's. 

Muffins~

spoon into 18 greased or paper lined muffin cups bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Bread~ grease 2  71/2" by 4" bread pan. divide the dough evenly between the two pans. bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool for a bit then take out of pans and cool completely.  

       

        

Baby Card

This cute baby card is fairly simple to make and can be changed for a boy too.  

What you need~

1 cream or white colored card (I used 41/4 by 51/2)

sewing thread

colored paper (your choice of colors) 

pen 

scissors 

tape

thin glue dots 

dark brown paper (a paper bag would work)

assorted baby stickers and cut outs 

How to make it~ 

take a some string and put it about an inch and a half down form the top and tape one side of the string to the back of the card and the other side to the inside of the card this is your clothes line. 

draw little onesies and socks on your colored paper. then cut out. take your little onesies and socks cut a little bit off your glue dot and put a peace on each of your little onesies and socks arrange on your clothes line. take your brown paper or paper bag and cut a thin strip cut little rectangles form the strip these are your clothes pins. cut more little bits off your glue dots and put a little peace on each clothes pin and put on your clothes line. wright whatever you want to and the bottom of the card. (I put 'Welcome baby girl')

decorate the inside with stickers and cutouts.

I hope you enjoy making it! 

   

     

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

These tasty cookies are very easy to make and are very yummy.

Makes about 2 dozen 

Ingredients~

1 cup peanut butter (make sure it is gluten free)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions~

combine all ingredients and mix until stiff. scoop tablespoons out on a parchment lined baking sheet put a fork in water and cross hatch on the cookie with the fork and bake at 350 F for 10-14 minutes or until golden around the edges, cool on cookie sheet.            

Glorious Morning Muffins

Ingredients~

2 eggs 

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk 

2 teaspoons vanilla                      

2 cups flour 

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional, tastes great ether way!)

1/2 teaspoon salt                         

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots 

1 cup shredded peeled apple 

1/2 cup coconut 

1/2 cup craisins (raisins would work too)

3/4 cup sliced almonds

                                                                                                       

Heat oven to 350 F. Place paper baking cups in a regular size muffin cups. (makes 18-22) In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla with wire whisk until well blended. Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in carrots, apple, coconut, craisins, and almonds. fill muffin cups about 3/4 full. bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. enjoy!

Recipe came form King Arthur Flour.  

     

Roses

Happy Birthday Tilda!

Happy Birthday Tilda! 5 years old, wow!

Tilda's birthday meal. :)

Kibble with puppy chicken lasagna on the side.

Tilda and Roma even got cake :)

mini vanilla cup cake tennis balls.

Vanilla Cake

This vanilla cake has to be the best white cake I have tried yet. It's light and fluffy. 

Vanilla cake~

21/2 cups flour

21/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs 

11/2 cups sugar 

1 cup oil 

1 cup butter milk (or 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice mixed with milk and set aside for 5 minutes before using.)

Directions~

Preheat oven to 350* F

In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. stir together with whisk, and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add eggs and beat for 10-20 seconds. Add sugar and continue to beat on medium speed about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and oil, beat. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add about a half of the flour mixture. Add half of the milk, then the rest of the flour and the rest of the milk. beat until just combined. scrap down the side of the bowl. ( the batter will be thin) Pour batter into two 8" buttered and floured cake pans bake in the preheated oven for 20-40 minutes until a tooth pick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. let cool on a wire rack for a little bit then take out of pan and frost.          

Banana Bread

Ingredients~

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup mashed bananas 

1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1/2-1 cup mini chocolate chips, blue berry's, craisins or raspberry's.

Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips or blue berry's etc. when well mixed, add chocolate chips etc. and stir with spoon. use to make bread or muffins 350 degrees

9 by 5 by 3 for 30-50 minutes

muffins-18 minutes 

Pretty Sky

I got some cool pictures of the sky a couple a days a go~

 

One Bowl, All Natural, No-Bake Energy Bites

Energy Bites~

Makes approximately 2 dozen

 

1/2 cup nut butter (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.)

1/3 cup honey

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats 

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/2 cup other add ins (roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips etc.)

In a large bowl add nut butter, honey, and vanilla stir to combine. add other ingredients and combine. scoop out with a tablespoon and roll into balls keep the balls in a airtight container in the fridge or freezer for a quick   and healthy snack.

 

     

Reversible Place Mats Sewn

How to make a reversible place mat that is really easy to sew~

1. choose two different colored fabrics 1 yard of each color makes 5  18" by 11 1/2" reversible place mats. Wash and press.

2. Cut a 19" by 13" rectangle of each color fabric.

3. pin right sides together.

4. sew with 1/2" seem allowance and leave an opening.

5. turn right side out and press.

6. top stitch around the place mat to sew the opening closed. you can do it twice leaving a gap between the stitching.

        

7. press and then you are done!

  

Sleepy Puppy

Another great day for sleeping.

Roma was so cute and cozy in her bed I just had to get a picture of her.

  Roma was just being silly!

Roma

These are some pictures of my Australian terrier Roma when she was a puppy.

She was so eager to help! 

                              She loved to play with Tilda are older Australian terrier                                          

    And she loved to snuggle!

Here is a video of Roma with a carrot she had a lot of fun.:-)

  

Gold Finches

Birdies

I got some cute pictures of the birds that come to my feeder.

   Dark eyed juncos you gotta love e'm :-)  

And of course you got to like black caped chickadees:-) 

Valentines Day Pillow Cover

Yesterday I sewed a cute little pillow cover for Valentines day.

Butter Fly Pictures

A couple of years ago in the summer I was able to get really close to this monarch.