The Pantry Challenge - I ACCEPT!!!

Money Saving Mom (my frugal hero) has a challenge she is doing to eat only from the pantry in the month of January 2010 and has encouraged us to join in. Well... I ACCEPT!

This is what I'm going to do -

1. Go to the grocery store no more than 3 times in the month of January.

2. Not spend more than $75 and try to only get the essentials.

3. Pay a little more in our fast offerings.

4. Blog here about what I do, and different things that I create just using the food I already have.

Here are some pictures of some of the food I already have (I have food stashed in other places too but I didn't think we needed to see every little thing) . I'll take some photos at the end of the month just to see how much we ended up using. This is a fun challenge for me as well as a way to get creative, save some money and use what we already have. As you can see my fridge is bursting at the seams and probably couldn't handle anymore anyway.

I did want to point out a truly AMAZING site that I just discovered tonight. This woman built up her food storage and then her family of seven had to live off of it for almost 2 years. She rarely goes shopping. I have never thought eating from food storage could be wonderful, amazing or delicious but she has proved me wrong. She has several beautiful and delicious recipes of food she makes from her storage. Check out HER SITE and be shocked and amazed.

P.S. Money Saving Mom has has a goal to pay for a house with 100% of it in cash. I've been following her this past year as she worked toward her goal and she finally met the 100% mark and will be buying her first home the beginning of this year. I literally shed a proud tear for her.

Easy Grout Cleaner

My bathtub is gross. Or I should say, was. The white grout collects mildew like you wouldn't believe especially in the humid climate we are in. I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed with little results. The other day I discovered a great solution -

Lysol 4-in-1 All Purpose Cleaner with Bleach

I just sprayed it all over the tile and that's it. I let it sit until the morning and all the grout was white again (so was the caulk)! Miracle! The tub itself still needs a good scrub but at least the grout is clean. So if you're at a loss with your grout try this.

Broiled Asparagus

This recipe is so easy and so delicious. It makes asparagus so tasty and the perfect texture.


fresh Asparagus
oilve oil
lemon pepper

1. Place in baking pan and lightly coat the asparagus with oilve oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper.
2. Place in oven under the broiler for 5-15 minutes (time depends on how much you use and how thick the asparagus is). You will want the asparagus to just barely get a tiny hint of gold.

Sweet Baslamic and Basil Dressing

This is a delicious dressing and the sugar sweetens the pungent vinegar for a nice balsamic flavor that is subtle and sweet.

1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic dressing
1-3 Tb. brown sugar (to taste)
1 tsp. dried basil or use fresh if you have it
1 small clove garlic minced or a few dashes of dried
fresh ground pepper to taste

Whisk together, blend in food processor or blender or shake in a sealed container.

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Serving suggestions.

1. Cut up tomatoes, purple onion and cucumbers. Coat in dressing and add fresh mozzarella or feta cheese. Eat with warm french bread or place mixture in a pita pocket.
2. Use french bread to make a sandwich. Add leftover steak or roast, purple onion and cheese (feta is a good one but all kinds work). Broil in the oven until lightly toasted and cheese is melty. Dip sandwich in dressing mixture.
3. A dip for garlic bread.
4. Any salad.

Monogrammed Towels

There were some leftover white towels from hygiene kits our Church put together. The leftovers were given away to the members. I got two of these towels but there were a little too plain so I embellished them to match our kitchen. This was fast and easy to do. It would make a great wedding gift, new home gift or would be great for a kids beach towel.

I just ironed on the fabric C with double sided interfacing and ziz-zag stitched around the edges. A simple and fun way to add some personality to plain towels.

Chicken Enchilada Dip

Well, I had some free tortilla chips from my shopping trip the other day, some enchilada sauce that I had frozen and the desire to have something new for dinner. With that, Chicken Enchilada Dip was born just minutes ago. I'm sampling it as we speak and I must say, "yum".
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1 chicken breast, small dice
1/4 c. onion, small dice
1/2 package cream cheese, softened
1 small can or 1/2 large can of green enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)

1. Saute chicken and onion in frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.
2. In separate bowl mix, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, cheese and sauteed chicken and onions.
3. Heat in microwave until boiling or bake in baking dish at 350 until cheese is melty.
4. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Have You Discovered Bakerella Yet?

You will not be disappointed with this one... Bakerella.blogspot.com has the CUTEST stuff! My friend Mikelle has been really into making Bakerella's cupcake bites and cake pops and they are SO delicious. I had to check out the site for myself. I almost died when I saw how cute her ideas were, the best part is she shares with you how to do it yourself.
These are just a tiny sampling of the creative cake pops. You can see all her cake pops and cupcake bites by clicking here. They are super delicious. The basic recipe is you take cooked cake, mix it with frosting, roll it in a ball and dip it in chocolate. Oh, yeah, they are fantastic!

These are cupcake/cookie/brownie hamburger and fries! SO cute! They look like it would be really hard to make but it turns out they are not. Check out her site and you will be lost in blog world for days!

Coming Soon from Cutts Creations.... Patches!!

I am addicted to applique patches and soon you will be too! I'm currently working on a new line of patches which will soon be on sale in my shop. I love patches!!! They are a great way to make an inexpensive (this little shirt cost me a grand total of $1.67) plain shirt adorable, cover up stains, and accent any thing you can think of. This little butterfly shirt has butterflies that are flying up the front too. Yay patches!

Lemon Berry Trifle

1 box yellow cake mix

2 boxes lemon pudding (plus 4 cups milk)

2 small cool whip containers or 1 large

Frozen berry mix, thawed

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1. Bake cake and let cool. Cut into squares.

2. Make pudding and let it set

3. Layer ingredients in Trifle dish.

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* You can use fresh berries but the frozen add just a little extra juice which spread the berry flavor further. If you are interested in making Chocolate Trifle click here.

** Also, did you see that adorable diaper cake in the background. No, you don't eat it, it is just made with little diapers as a cute decoration and gift for the mom. Again, this was Mary's creation. She might start selling them on etsy here soon so keep an eye out for them!

Tasty Chicken Salad Hors d'oeuvres

1 can shredded chicken
1/2 block of cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/8 c. Craisins
1/8 c. toasted almond slices
1 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. place a small spoonful of salad on top of Ritz crackers.

Honey Dijon Spinach Salad

1 Large bag of spinach
1 can of mandarin oranges
1/4 of purple onion sliced thin
1/4 c. Kraft Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
1/8 c. feta cheese crumbles
1/8 c. Craisins
1/8 c. toasted almond slices

1. Toss dressing with spinach, onions, oranges.
2. Sprinkle feta, Craisins and almonds on top.

Missy's Baby Shower

My friends, Mindi and Mary and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Missy. It was a very nice shower if I can brag a little. Mindi had the idea to have a bunch of delicious soups in mini bread bowls. My favorite was her French Onion, yum. We also had an array of salads, fruit, veggies, petifores, cheesecakes, cupcake bites, trifle etc. I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would have liked but here are a few. I am posting two recipes with pictures and one without of the food that I brought in case anyone would like to make it at home. I did take pictures of Missy opening gifts but she is trying to minimize all pregnancy pics (I don't know why she is so gorgeous) so I deleted them. You're welcome. :)
This is the little snugly blanket I made for Max. It's the same theory as the birds except this is an elephant. This blanket is the perfect size for little ones to carry around or to just lay over a sleeping baby. There is no bulk to put the baby in a sticky situation. It has brown fleece on the back.

We got these wooden letters on sale at Hobby Lobby and we each took turns decorating a letter. B - me, M - Mary, K - Mindi. His name is Bryant Maxwell Kinney in case the initials were confusing. I also wish I would have gotten a better picture but Mary found a cute baby shower plate that everyone signed (you can see it at the bottom of this pic. You bake it and it is permanent so cute!

Just a full pic of the elephant.

Mary's husband got her this beautiful statue for Mother's Day. Isn't it gorgeous? Mary is Martha Stewart reincarnated and had a million cute decorations but this was my favorite, she used floral foam to stick the flowers in and wrapped each tin box with a cute ribbon. Love it!

A Little Birdie Told Me

A little birdie told me to make a million baby shirts with his face on it so here they are. You may recognize this first one from my family blog it was hand stitched for my friend Rachel and her baby Anna Kate. The rest are machine stitched with ribbon for feet. They will go to whomever has a baby next. These are so simple to make and oh so cute! It took less than an hour to make all three of the machine stitched ones.

Butterflies and flowers with striped wings on a onesie.

Purple and green vines with purple floral wings on a newborn button shirt.

Blue vintage floral with red floral wings and beak on a onesie.

Red and white dots with beige and red flower wings on a newborn button shirt.

Apple-Raisin Bran Muffins

A Great Way to Use Up Those Apples and the Last Little Crumbs of your Raisin Bran Cereal!
















1 1/2 c. raisin bran cereal
1 c. milk
1/4 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. finely chopped peeled apples
1/2 c. walnuts (optional)
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
3/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon


1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray muffin tins
3. Combine: cereal, milk, oil, eggs, vanilla. Let stand 10 minutes.
4. Stir in apples, walnuts and extra raisins
5. Add remaining ingredients
6. Pour into tins and bake 16-18 minutes

Two Sites You Should NOT Live Without!

There are two places I go for for all my crafting ideas (besides etsy of course).

Martha Stewart has an excellent site for anything and everything under the sun. I have signed up for her craft of the day e-mail and I love it! The crafts are usually very simple to do and there are is a complete list of materials and step by step instructions on how to make the item. There is often an instructional video. Click here to see her site and sign up for the Craft of the Day. You'll notice that there is a craft photo contest going on. I submitted this photo in hopes of catching their eye with the bright colors. We shall see! You can go there and comment and rate my stuff. Winner gets a copy of one of Martha's books.

My other favorite site is Skip to My Lou she frequently posts the cutest craft ideas and gives you instructions on how to do each of the crafts. She also features other craft blogs from time to time as well as awesome give-a-ways. I haven't won anything yet but I will keep trying! Right now there is a contest to win a huge play ground set. Fingers crossed.... You can also subscribe and get e-mails notifying you of any new posts.

Burning Onion Eyes

No one like when their eyes burn when cutting onions. It doesn't happen every time you cut onions it just kind of sneaks up on you when you least expect it. I have heard tips on burning candles or wearing goggles to keep your eyes happy but here is one that I use all the time and it works perfectly.

If your eyes start to burn put your face in the freezer for a minute or so. The burning will go away quickly every time!

Cleaning Tip

Pledge wood cleaner can also be used to clean stainless steel. I used it the other day to polish up the fridge and am planning on using it on the sink this afternoon.

Just make sure you don't get any spray on the floor though. I did and we were slipping and sliding on the wood floors in front of the fridge for days!

Homemade Hummus

The other night at enrichment we had the most delicious Greek appetizers. Pita bread, Pita Chips, Manzanilla Olives, Hummus, Feta Cheese, Walnuts and Grapes. At the end there was so much left over I got to take a great deal of it home with me. I didn't get to take any hummus home so I decided to make my own for lunch the next day. I have tried to make hummus before but it has never been a good as I wanted it to be. I now think I'm onto something though! Below is my latest recipe for hummus. Also pictured is warm feta. I drizzled olive oil over it, wrapped it in tin foil and baked it. Next time I will try sprinkling a little lemon pepper on it though.
Hummus

1 can Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)
1 T. sesame seeds
1-2 pinches of dried mint
1-2 T olive oil
1-2 T lemon juice
salt, to taste
water

1. In small pot bring beans (with juice), sesame seeds, and about 1/2 can of water to a boil. Boil for about 10 to 15 minutes until beans are soft.

2. Drain water and add beans and sesame seeds to a food processor or blender.

3. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and mint and blend until a smooth paste is created. You may want to add more olive oil, lemon juice or water to create the taste and texture that you desire.

4. Serve warm or cold with pita chips or pita bread.


*note* - Most hummus recipes ask for tahini paste which is a sesame seed paste. The boiled seeds are a substitute for the tahini. I have tried the seeds raw and it does not have the same effect. You can find dried mint at some grocery stores but you will for sure find it at a foreign foods store, or you can just call me and I will send you some. :) This is also a great dish for babies. Mags loves hummus. She gets the protein she needs and it is easy to chew and swallow.

Tips Wanted

I am looking for closet organization ideas. In our apartment we have two huge storage closets. One is in the entry way of our apartment and one is in the hallway and is the whole length of the hall. This is a GREAT storage area, but it is overflowing with stuff and has little organization to it. I hate opening it because it looks terrible. I know I need to reorganize, but I don't have tons of money for storage bins and am looking for any tips you organized ladies may have. What do you do to keep your closets organized?

Oreos

I found a fabulous recipe I have to share! This isn't your typical homemade oreo...this recipe is from a bakery in New York and the cookie is a hard cookie, not soft. The best part of this recipe is that it doesn't have any weird ingredients...they are all ones I always have on hand. Tom isn't a big cookie guy. When I make cookies, he will eat a couple right when they come out of the oven, but that is usually it. Not these cookies! He ate them until they were completely gone. The only downside to this recipe is that they take a while to make, but they are worth it!! I made another batch last night so Tom has them in his lunch today.
FOR THE DOUGH:
1 1/3 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla

FOR THE FILLING:
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. shortening
3 c. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 t. vanilla

1. Prepare the dough: Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, incorporating each ingredient before adding the next. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Divide the dough into 2 pieces; place on piece on parchment paper (wax paper works fine too) and roll into 1/4 in. thick rectangle. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Refrigerate both rectangles, covered with parchment sheets, until firm, at least 1 hour or up to several days. (The second time I made this I used the freezer, not the fridge - the dough is super sticky, so I found it easier to work with when it was harder.)
4. Using a 2 in. round cutter, cut the dough into 64 circles. Place the cookies about 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325.
5. Bake the cookies until they are set and darker around the edges, about 20 minutes. (I found 20 minutes too long. I did 15 this last time and it was perfect for me.) Cool completely on wired racks.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Using a mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy. Bean in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla.
7. Flip half of the cookies upside down and top each with 1 level tablespoon of filling (I did more and using a frosting bag to fill evenly and make them look prettier). Press the remaining cookies on top to make sandwiches.

Fabric Pennant and Mini Hot Chocolate Pin Cushion

Thanks to some etsy sales, I just got myself a new pair of pinking shears so of course I had to use them immediately. Here is a cute fabric pennant banner I made with fabric, felt and double sided interfacing. My true love Cricut helped me cut out the template for the letters. These pennants are mini pennants and will be perfect for Mags' future play kitchen or home based business. It case it is too small to read the banner says "lemonade". This was so easy and so fun to make. I am now going to make them for every occasion. Here's a tip though: when you iron on the letters don't iron the side with the felt. Flip it over and iron the back side. It will melt funky if you do it the other way.

This little guy is a mini hot chocolate (it really looks like espresso but since I don't drink coffee I'm calling it hot chocolate). These pictures do not do this pincushion justice. It is adorable and only about 3 inches tall. It is teeny! This is made using vintage fabric (thanks mom), felt and fleece and was put together using a sewing machine and some hot glue. I think in the future though I will use felted wool instead of fleece because it is a little harder to get the pins to push through the fleece. The whiped cream is held on with a pin.

What Happens When Husbands Play Computer Games...

This is the result of a husband who plays video games with his brothers on a Saturday night instead of taking his wife on a date! To be honest, I loved the extra time to craft.

50 Nifty United States Travel Crayon Roll

Julie inspired me with her travel bag so I had to go out and get the same fabric to make this cute crayon roll.

Fabric Lunch Bag

This cute little Americana lunch sack is for my mum.

Vintage Cowboy Crayon Roll

The fabric isn't vintage but the style is. I just couldn't pass this fabric up.

Hair Clip Holder

This hangs on the wall and holds all of your hair clips. Now, no more searching the house wondering where that hair clip went.

The holder folds up and buttons. The handle allows you to carry the holder and the clips with you to your slumber party or to Grandma's house. A must have for any southern girl.

Hair Bow Happy

This week at craft group they are making hair bows. I didn't go because I was sick but it didn't stop me from going overboard and making a ton of hair bows anyways. I purchased some plastic headbands from a seller on etsy and I covered this one with toile fabric using a glue gun. I added a felt flower and now I have a cute new headband that cost me less than 50 cents to make. I used the Cricut to cut out the template for the felt flowers and attached them with a button, hot glued the whole thing to an alligator clip and ta da! A cute hair clip for less than 15 cents. I also made a few with ribbon. This ribbon I bought on etsy for 25 cents a yard but you probably can find cheaper other places. I just looped it and glued it until I made it look the way I wanted. No fancy bow tying. Next I'm going to conquer making cute felt food clips. Just make mini felt food and glue it to an alligator clip. Simple as that and oh so cute!

New Salad Invention!!! - Asian Spinach Salad

Asian Spinach Salad
(amount is for two LARGE salads)

- 1 Large Chicken Breast
- Lemon Pepper
- 1 bag or bundle of fresh spinach
- 1/2 medium onion sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- crumbled up Ramen noodles or crunchy La Choy Rice Noodles

Dressing
- 1/2 cup salad oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 Tb. White Vinegar
- 1 packet of Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodle Seasoning Packet

1. Slice chicken breast into strips or dices and season with lemon pepper, cook in pan.
2. Mix spinach, onion, cilantro and cranberries in large bowl. Set aside.
3. Put all dressing ingredients in blender or food processor and mix until well blended.
4. Immediately pour dressing over salad mixture and mix.
5. place in individual bowls and top with chicken and crunchy noodles.

This salad is filling and oh so delicious. You will want to drink the dressing it is so good!

Paper Pennant Banner

This simple Birthday banner was made in under 30 minutes! What I did:

Cut out pennants from desired paper with ziz zag scissors. Attach two stickers to each top of the pennant and punch a hole through the sticker and pennant to add security to the paper (you could also use eyelets). I then used my Cricut to cut out the letters and glued them to the pennant. I then strung the pennants together with ribbon. It was as easy as that.

You can also to this with fabric but it is a little more work and a bit more money. You would need fabric, double sided interfacing, pinking shears, a sewing machine, etc.

This is a fun project that you can do with the whole family for just about any occasion!

Last Chance or Baby and Kid Items...

The government (CPSIA) is enacting a law February 10 which enforces very strict rules on items for children 12 and under. Each items component must be tested for lead. This a a nice law because it is helping children however the law is so broad that it is causing some major pain for crafters and other small business who make safe and wonderful children's items. Playskool can afford to test one of their toys and then mass produce a few hundred thousand of them.

As it is now (as I understand it) each component of one of my tag blankets would need to be tested for lead so each different piece of fabric and each piece of ribbon. At $4,000 per test, I simply cannot afford to have my items tested, especially since each item I make is one of a kind. So very soon, if the law does not change or specify, all children's items, including decorations, toys, hair bows blankets, clothes, etc. that are not tested are considered dangerous and illegal, even if there is no way there could be lead on an item it is considered dangerous until tested. If you are wanting to get safe, quality handmade items for your kids, now is the time to do it as thousands of small businesses will be going out of business at the end of the month. I was just talking with a woman the other day who cross stitches adorable bibs and knitted hats (clearly not dangerous) and will soon have to close her shop down, it's really sad. I have a few items in my etsy store but there are thousands of other great items on sale there too so check it out.

I'll let you know when I find out more information about this law but for now, I'm stocking up on dollar store toys, McDonalds toys and handmade goodies!

Latest Projects For Mags' Room

New favorite thing... double sided interfacing! Julie and I were at Pottery Barn Kids and were inspired to create these adorable flower wall hangings. Using double sided interfacing you adhere fabric to felt and then attach it to a ribbon. Ta da!

The plaque was created by taking a piece of wood, painting it brown and attaching a brown ribbon to the back. The "Stand for Truth and Righteousness" was printed on pink and white toile paper and attached and sealed with Mod Podge. We made these at YW at the end of last year. The pink inspired me to go with a pink, green and brown theme in her room.

Another patchwork puppy dog. This one has fleece ears instead of corduroy and flannel.

The room is messy and the lighting wasn't good, but I didn't want to wake up the little one sleeping just feet away. I'm slowly getting her room just the way I want it. I'll be done just in time for her to tell me that she wants something totally different. :)

Call Answered

This was a craft we did for an enrichment back in July. It is a cute idea. They got really cheap clocks from walmart, and painted the edges black incase the paper peeled up a bit along the edges. You could do a lot with it. My clock doesn't actully work though, so it is just for show!

Can you believe this???

Okay so I couldn't help myself but to post here again. My call for my crafty girls to post is still open.
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So, I have a special order from my shop that I am trying to fill and I am trying to find decorator fabric in a specific pattern in a Champagne and Ivory color. It is turning out to be impossible. This morning I decided to check out this specialty store that carries only decorator fabric. There were several beautiful fabrics to choose from. I found the pattern that I wanted but it was in the wrong colors. After trying to get some help for what seemed like forever, a sales person finally helped me. I told her what type of pattern I was looking for and asked her if there was anything in the colors I needed?

She immediately ran (literally, I had to chase after her) over to a section and handed me a sample. It was a similar pattern of what I was looking for but it was brown and ivory.

I politely said, "Oh, okay, thank you. Is this color considered Champagne?" Clearly it was NOT Champagne it was brown, I just didn't want to be a total jerk about it.

She then replied, "You can call it whatever color you want to." W-O-W. Seriously? Aren't you a decorator store and shouldn't you know the difference between Champagne and Brown!?

So I called it "No Sale" and got the heck out of there. Surprisingly, the folks at Walmart were much more helpful.

Call for Posts!

This is a call for someone besides me to post something to this blog! :) Come on you talented women!

Etsy Promotion - Win Free Item

I'm doing a promotion right now where you can win a free item from my store. How to win -

1. Go to www.cuttscreations.etsy.com

2. "Heart" an item that you like. You have to be signed in to do so. Registration is free.

3. On Monday 1/5/09 at noon central time I will draw one person out of a hat and they will recieve that item for FREE! No strings attached.

Good luck! I hope you win!!