Monday, January 27, 2014

Mealplan Monday #95 and a lovely burlap pillow

I have a whole lot of burlap leftover from back in November when I made the shabby chic tree skirt.  My original plan was to make a matching table runner for the dining room, but I just ran out of time.  Instead I covered a pillow in some of it.  Want to see?  Sure you do! (wink)
It took me only an hour or so to make.  I searched around Pinterest for some ideas before I began, and I found these:
  
 
All of which were super cute, too.

Monday -  Rotisserie Chicken, scallopeds, broccoli
Tuesday - (Freezer) Beef and Bean Soup, garlic toast
Wednesday - (Freezer) Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs, couscous, salad
Thursday - Cheesy Smoked Sausage Skillet, green beans, garlic toast
Friday - Mom and Dad OUT for his birthday - Boys get pizza and a movie
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - Sloppy Joes and Fritos
Dessert this week is PB&J Bars to use up some of the jam we are not eating!

Here's the director's chair we've had since Hubby was in college. It's not comfy to sit in, so mostly it stays right here, between the den and kitchen.  
I started out by covering the pillow with some natural color fabric I had in my stash (not shown).  I did that so the green wouldn't show thru the burlap, but I doubled the thickness of burlap for the pillow cover anyway.  Then I sewed a couple of long fat strips and pressed the seam to the inside on each.
I laid the pillow on the fabric, folded where I wanted it to cross over in the back, pressed it.  Then I knotted the two strips of burlap and laid them out on the fabric to criss cross the front of the pillow cover, like so:
I wanted the ends to be sewn in to the bottom seams because I am doing a French enclosure pillow cover.  It will allow me to slip the pillow in like a card in an envelope.  That's my favorite way to make pillow covers!
I carefully pin everything and press.   I really like sewing burlap.  As long as you cut and measure correctly, it's fun to sew it.  Pressing it is easy and I love the smell - is that weird?  It reminds me of hay, and barns, and summer.

I turn it right side out and inspect it before I trim the seams.
I really like how different it is - meant to be decorative, mainly.  And I love that it took me less than an hour and was mostly free from stuff I already had!
 It's a nice little side wall, well-lit by the lamp on the kitchen bar.  And I'm going to just leave it as is, maybe changing the wall art come Spring.
Sewn anything lately?


Gina

Shared with:
http://yesterfood.blogspot.com/2014/01/treasure-box-tuesday-4.html


Friday, January 24, 2014

Freezer meals #5

I've been having all kinds of success with freezer meals lately.  Most of the ones I do are for the crock pot.  I just freeze the ingredients in a gallon zip loc, plop it into the crock pot frozen, and by the time I get home from work the house smells fab.  Clean up is really easy, too, and I don't even buy those fancy schmancy crock pot liners.  Here is my recent 15 minutes of meal prep for the freezer:

Cafe Rio Chicken
2# boneless, skinless thighs
1/2 c. zesty Italian dressing
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 pkt of Ranch dip mix
1/4 water
1/2 t. each chili powder and cumin
Low, 6-8 hours.  Serve in flour tortillas with all the fixings.

Mississippi Pot Roast (from Plain Chicken)
3 lb. roast
1 pkt. Ranch dressing mix
1 pkt. au jus mix
6 pepperoncini peppers
1 stick butter
(I also added a couple of tomatoes diced because they were about to be too soft to use for salads)
Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Maple Dijon Chicken (from Plain Chicken)
2 lb boneless,skinless chicken thighs
2/3 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 t. white vinegar
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. dried rosemary
The directions for this were for the oven - I will either do that, or the crock.  Thawed, it should take about 40 minutes in a 40 degree oven.  Frozen in the crock, I would think 6 hours or so.  I'm going to serve this with couscous.

Cranberry BBQ Chicken (my own creation!)
2 lb boneless skinless thighs (that I happened to have)
a handful or two of fresh cranberries - which I had left from the holidays
a cup or so of BBQ sauce (which used up a jar from Southside Market)
1/4 brown sugar
I'm going to cook this 6-8 hours in the crock and serve with a mashed sweet potatoes on the side.
******

It might look like sloppy chaos in here. but these bags are easy to look through, and the contents are easy to fit into the crock.  And the difference it makes in us getting a hot meal on the days I work are well worth the effort!



Shared with:
http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/2014/01/tutorial-tuesday_28.html



Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Firstborn turns 24

On Sunday I got off a little early so we could cook up a great birthday meal for Firstborn.  His request was for ribs and jalapeno poppers on the grill.  
I fixed baked potatoes with the works, a big salad,  and a chocolate cake to go with the grilled stuff.  I have a neat trick for getting big fat candles to stay on the cake properly.  I didn't make this up, but I forget where I found this tip.  I've been doing it for years.
I simply push a toothpick into the base of the candle.  

This is him on his first birthday...what a cutie!
 

I spiffed up the kitchen table for us to eat dessert after dinner. 
It's hard for me to get that he's 24.  I still see him as my curly haired angel baby.  No matter how big and burly he gets, he will always be my baby.

 
 The after-gift-opening entertainment was throwing tissue paper for the cat to play in..

Happy Birthday, Spencer!


Gina

Monday, January 20, 2014

Mealplan Monday #94 and Chicken with Butternut Squash

I found this yummy recipe from Serious Eats last week - Pan-Cooked Chicken Thighs with Butternut Squash.  I made a few adjustments - mainly in the type of chicken and general directions.  You can go here for the original.  

Monday - Dr. Martin's Mix, leftover salad from Sunday
Tuesday - Freezer Crockpot Meal (haven't chosen it yet)
Wednesday - Chicken Fajita Salads with Creamy Jalapeno Ranch
Thursday - Mediterranean Pork Chops, masheds, veggie or salad
Friiday - Salmon/Tilapia filets, steamed carrots, pasta salad
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - Beef and Bean Soup
Dessert this week is Cherry Sliced Icebox Cookies - I've been wanting to make these since Christmas
!


Brown 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in 1 tablespoon olive oil 'til browned on both sides.  Remove to plate and keep warm.  To the pan drippings add 4 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash and half an onion, minced.  Saute about 6 minutes.  Add sage or rosemary - I used 1 T dried - and cook til fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Lay the chicken thighs on top of the squash, pour over 1 c. chicken broth mixed with the juice from one lemon.  Reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes, covered.  Uncover and continue simmering about 15 minutes or so to reduce the sauce.  This was really good and made the house smell warm and happy. 


Gina

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Meatballs and Penne with Creamy Pesto Marinara

 I needed an easy skillet meal.  So I created one!
Meatballs and Penne with Creamy Pesto Marinara 

It started with a freebie from HEB - buy the pasta, get the sauce.  To that I added a bag of frozen meatballs, with half a block of cream cheese and half a jar of basil pesto that I had in the fridge.  Plus some onion (not pictured).  
I started off by sauteing some chopped onion in olive oil while the water boiled for the pasta.
When the onions were soft, I added the pesto and cream cheese. cooking and stirring until the cream cheese was melted.  Then I added the jar of marinara and the package of thawed meatballs and covered it to stay warm, until the pasta was ready.
When the pasta was done, I drained it and added to the sauce, then topped with parmesan.
Not bad for about 15 minutes of cooking time after a busy day!


Gina

Monday, January 13, 2014

Mealplan Monday #93 and Gus

I went to Brenham last Friday to help my mother by changing out her smoke detector batteries and cleaning her ceiling fans.  It took me a couple of hours, because we kept having to stop and discuss the projects she is currently working on.
My mother's house has quilts and oriental rugs among all kinds of other mayhem.  A strange and wonderfully colorful combo.  Kinda like my mother.
Gus was allowed to go outside, even tho it was raining, so he wouldn't be underfoot.

Monday - Turkey Lazy Daisy Meatballs, rice, salad
Tuesday - Freezer meal - Sausage and Beans, cornbread or garlic bread
Wednesday -Skillet pasta meal, salad or freezer veggie
Thursday - Chicken thighs with butternut squash, green beans
Friday - Pizza and salad
Saturday -YOYO
Sunday - BBQ Rib Dinner for Firstborn's birthday!
Dessert this week is Firstborn's birthday cake on Sunday, but also maybe some sweet treat during the week...we'll see.
*I have about $19 in coupons this week!*


 
My reward for doing maintenance was to get taken to a fried oyster lunch at her favorite restaurant.  But first, the Princess Dog, Gus, must have his muddy paws hand-washed in water heated in a teakettle.  That dog is just pure spoilage but is her only companion and he is faithful and loving.
 I'm glad she has him to keep her company...
who doesn't worry that their elderly parent might be lonely?


Gina

Friday, January 10, 2014

Winter tree trimming

I came home last Saturday night to see this in my front yard:
Our newly naked live oak after some major pruning.  Apparently live oaks need to be trimmed back every couple of years or so and we hadn't. 
Live Oaks require pruning to keep smaller branches from taking up too much water, growing too big of a canopy with too much weight on the tree, and too many low lying branches which invite pest infestations.  Low lying limbs are pretty at the park,  not necessarily in the yard.  
Pruning it before February was a smart move, since we want to avoid the time of year that oak wilt spreads the most.  And Hubby did all of the work himself, saving us $$$.
So, while I'm sad that my once gigantic tree, that shaded my entire yard and half my driveway is a mere shadow of itself, I am thankful to a hubby who will put the sweat equity into our property with an eye toward the future health of the trees, and a City of Austin crew that took all the limbs from the curb!


Gina  

Monday, January 6, 2014

Mealplan Monday #92 and the close of the holidays

The last loose ends to tie up after Christmas and New Year's
Just like that, it seems like the holidays ended and a fresh start begun.  Without the tree, the front room seems bare!

Monday -Crock Pot of red beans with leftover grilled chicken, corn muffins 
Tuesday - Tilapia Tacos
Wednesday - Chicken nuggets, lima beans, Crack Potatoes
Thursday - Omelettes and toast
Friday -Chicken and three cheese tortellini, salad
Saturday - Dad grill
Sunday - Hamburger Helper, green beans, garlic toast
Dessert this week will be Chocolate Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies.  I'm still working on using up some of the food we have and will try to cut waaay back on grocery shopping this week.

I scrounged around the freezer and found the ingredients for delish smoked turkey and veggie soup with big curly noodles. And both of those things made me feel smarter, if not more frugal!


Gina