We served this at my son’s birthday bbq and it got rave reviews. We are now asked to bring this whenever we do potlucks with our friends. It’s actually my little sister’s recipe that I took and ran with. She’s thinking about going into culinary arts when she starts college next year. I’d say she’s off to a fantastic start! Used with her permission. And then embellished!
Archives for August 2010
Fanciful Friday: Car Seat Strap Covers
So, my little man has recently moved from a rear-facing to a forward-facing car seat. He LOVES it. But, seriously, who wouldn’t?!? Staring at the seat back every time you go anywhere in the car… BORING!!! Well, with his new car seat the straps look like they dig into his poor little chubby neck. So, car seat straps to the rescue. Now, we had one pair that we used on his infant carrier, but we invested in 2 car seats (one for our car and one for my mom’s car). The strap covers we had before came from Wal-Mart and were a whopping $4. Unfortunately, that was at a Wal-Mart in Idaho and I couldn’t find any here. So, I decided to just make them. And it meant I got to cross it off My To-Do List. Yay!
First, I cut two identical sized pieces of fabric. If I were to do this again, I would make them about and inch or two longer. That’s what I get for being too lazy to measure I guess. Then I pinned them to hem, allowing an 1/8″ seam. Hmm, maybe my subconscious knew they were too short from the very beginning…? If you make them longer, you can allow for a bigger seam. Then, I hemmed all the long sides. Iron the seams and short edges of the fabric flat. It makes it a lot easier to put on the Velcro if the fabric will lay smoothly.
Next, fold the short edges of the fabric in 1/4″ to 1/2″. Use a strip of Stitch Witchery to “glue” the fabric in place. I hadn’t used Stitch Witchery in so long I forgot how awesome it is, definitely something I won’t be without in my sewing supplies ever again… but I digress. If you’ve never used it before just follow the package instructions. It’s pretty simple. However, I will reiterate to place a paper towel between you fabric and your iron. You don’t want to get glue on your iron!
Next, take a strip of Velcro, cut to size, and pin it on top of one of the raw edges that you just glued down. I prefer Velcro with an adhesive back, it seems to help it stay in place while I’m sewing better than just pinning it. I stitched around the edges of the Velcro, although you could just use some heat and bond if you want a no-sew solution. And, since your raw edge is underneath the Velcro, it wont fray. For the other side where the Velcro won’t cover the raw edge, I just did a quick seam to help hold it together before I sewed the Velcro down.
And, Ta-Da! You’ve made a pair of cute, simple car seat strap covers! Easy peasy, right? Just a side note… These are not padded. My little boy still has a lot of his baby fat in his face and the padded set we have sometimes seemed to squash his face when it was getting close to needing to readjust his straps. If you want a set of padded covers Serena at Nap Time Crafts has an awesome tutorial on how to do that. She’s got a lot of other cool stuff too, so if you don’t know her blog yet I highly suggest you check it out! Have fun!
Fanciful Friday: Baby Quilt
It’s been a while since I actually made this. Just over a year, actually. But I am so proud of it, I had to share. Mostly I’m so proud due to the fact that I did everything for this project in two days, without quilt frames, while I was 7 1/2 months pregnant! It also has given me the incentive to declare that I want to make a quilt for each of my babies. Notice, I said declare. Whether I will still have the time and ability to do so has yet to be seen.
I fell in love with this quilt panel and was rather adamant that I get to make a blanket for the baby with it. My husband, being the smart man he is, knew not to argue too much with his crazy and hormonal pregnant wife. This was not a fight he chose to take on. Smart man. I’d have done it while he was gone on his three week Army training.
I did triple layer the batting. I believe it was Mountain Mist Brand… but that’s about all I remember, sorry. I got it at Jo-Ann. I wanted to have a super fluffy quilt. And I am so glad I did that many layers, it’s the padding in his crib. Crib mattresses are the most uncomfortable things ever! Yes, I have slept on one within the past year. Definitely prefer my memory foam! Sorry, I digress. The flannel backing was long enough that I just folded the edges over the top, tucked the unfinished edge down so it would get caught in the seam and made that my binding. It’s worked out quite well, no problems to speak of.
I measured out my ties. I did them 4″ apart. There is one set that it really close to the edge… If I had measured it out prior I probably would have tried to adjust my ties a little, due to my OCD. But, by the time I was that far along with my project, I didn’t care enough to bother.
See how puffy? That’s what three layers of batting will do… |
Click to enlarge. You’ll get a visual of what I’m talking about with the binding. |
Keep the ties on the back fairly short… safety first and all. |
Linked to these:
Lucky Star Lane
Today’s Creative Blog
Sugar Bee’s Take a Look Tuesday
Letting the Creative Juices Flow
Anything Related
Garden Party Tuesday
Topsy Turvy Tuesdays
Make It Yours
Show and Tell
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Show Us What You’re Working With
Creative Therapy Session
Penny Pinching Party
Thoughtful Thursday: Candy Gram
What I had originally planned for today’s Thoughtful Thursday didn’t pan out… maybe next week… so instead I decided to feature an idea that works for SOO many occasions: Candy Grams. Who doesn’t love getting a candy gram? My hubby and I did this shortly after we got married for a date night. I purchased about 20 candy bars and poster board beforehand. For our date we took turns picking a candy until they were all gone. We then had to take our candies and write a love note with them. It was a ton of fun and something we still laugh about. You can do it as a date night or on a smaller scale with few candies and just a love note for your spouse. Have Fun! Be Silly! That’s what makes it memorable.
Tasty Tuesday: Mint Chocolate Brownies
Today’s Tasty Tuesday is a recipe that… is a “Krista Original”. Yeah, that’s just a fancy way of saying I made it up. But, it did turn out pretty yummy, if I do say so myself (and I do). Mint and chocolate…??? Are you prepared for some heavenly goodness??
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 tsp vanilla (less to taste if desired)
6 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp peppermint or mint extract
3 Tbsp chocolate syrup
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and soda. Mix. Add butter (I stick my butter in the microwave until it’s soft enough to easily mix with everything else. Sometimes it melts completely… I haven’t noticed any quality issues and it’s a lot easier to mix this way. Maybe there is someone out there that knows better than I do; but until I’m told otherwise, I’ll just keep up my ‘cheating’ ways.) Mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the chocolate syrup. Stir or mix with a mixer until it is smooth. Bake in a 9″x13″ pan at 350degrees for 15-18 mins. I top it with a powdered sugar icing and Andes mint chips (found in the baking aisle). Then I drizzle the chocolate syrup on top.
These brownies are very rich, but they rock a mean treat at a Christmas party. And I’m just a fan of chocolate mint… so they always rock my world. Hope you enjoy. If you do try them, I’d love to know what you think.