::no fail...no cook::

...so simple...play-dough!!!

this recipe was graciously shared with me by my kindred friend...and we've been loving it ever since!!

so...give it a try, and just see if you're not hooked...to it's simplicity, to it's smell, and to it's ability to keep a child occupied for an unusually long amount of time:)


for an individual amount (double if you want to share)

1 c flour
1 pkg kool aid (the tiny envelopes that are concentrated)
2 Tbsp cream of tartar (do NOT try making it without this! - but you don't HAVE to have this exact amount)
1/2 c salt
1 c boiling water
1-2 Tbsp oil

1. mix all the dry ingredients
2. add the oil to the boiling water
3. make a well and pour the water into the dry ingredients
4. STIR, STIR, STIR... it is in this stir that you work the flour to a smooth consistency and activate the tartar...
5. gather it all up into a big smelly ball
6. ENJOY!!

...so simple!!

::mmm...pizza::

here's another speedy, scrumptious idea here for ya!!

so...when you feel like pizza, good pizza, but you're pressed for time...don't worry! you can still satiate your hankering without the time-consuming thoughts of dough-prep!!

how?? you ask! Well...simple, I say!

*************

INGREDIENTS
(for one personal sized pizza):

2 flour tortillas (lrg size)
grated cheese of your choice/amount
pizza sauce
toppings of your choice
VOILA!!

okay...so you preheat your oven to...hot! Say, 425 degrees. Grab a cookie sheet and place one tortilla one the sheet, sprinkle some cheese all around it, and place the second tortilla over that. There's your "crust"!

...now, easy-peasy...
spread the sauce over the crust...load up the cheese then neatly place your yummy toppings all over...and into the oven it goes!!

bake for 15 mins, or until golden brown all over - kind of like getting the perfect tan!

so simply...so good!

enjoy....

::'tis the season::

okay, okay...i may be putting myself way out there, admitting my ignorance?! But, on the other hand, my honesty here could quite possibly enlighten any of you who are also living in unaware ignorance!

what could possibly be so enlightening, you ask?!

Hot Cocoa, of COURSE!!!

and what was my "a-ha" moment?? Well, here it goes: I thought that the only way you could make hot chocolate was to buy "Cadbury's" mix (or something of the like) and mix it with boiling water!! Seriously!!! But have you READ the ingredients?!?!?! If I feel like drinking hot chocolate, that's ALL I want...not any/all of the other 12-15 remaining ingredients that are added to the store bought junk...thank.you.very.much!

I, who consider myself quite knowledgeable in the food/drink department, had NO IDEA that it was SO SIMPLE to make hot chocolate...from scratch!!

So...this is for you! If you, like me, just received an "a-ha" moment...

to make ONE CUP of Cocoa: (double, triple or quadruple accordingly!)

1 c whole milk
1 Tbsp cocoa
1-2 Tbsp sugar (gauge depending on how sweet you like it)

** the key thing is to mix the dry ingredients with a few Tbsp of cold milk until it dissolves...and THEN add that syrup to your hot milk ;)

....your welcome!

Pour the warm chocolaty goodness into a festive mug and top with some nummy mini marshmellows (say that 5 times fast!) heehee...you did, didn't you! ;p

SO SIMPLE...SO GOOD!
enjoy...

::creamy potato leek soup::

okay...so if you love going out for lunch, and getting a hearty bowl of simmered, full of flavour, warm you to the core soup...then, we have something in common!!

let me know if we have THIS is common too: good soup takes ALL DAY to make! Or at least that's what I THOUGHT!!!

Until I chopped, sauteed, boiled and blended up this beauty tonight!!


Seriously...THIS was THAT-gotta-go-out-for-lunch-to-get-a-good-bowl-of-soup SOUP! For ALL who enjoyed it tonight!! And...it was ready in less than an hour!!!!

So...wanna know how to make it??? Okaaaay, i guess i'll tell ya!

******************

1/2 large onion
2 small links farmer sausage
(shocker, i know!)
3 leeks, chopped
2 large potatoes, chopped
1 carton chicken broth
sea salt
cracked pepper
celery seed
1/2 c whole milk
1/2 sour cream

********************

okay, so put the onion and sausage in the pot and fry it up until it smells really yummy!

then, pour in the carton of broth and add the leeks and potatoes, salt, pepper, and celery seed - bring it to a boil, pop the lid on your pot, turn it down to medium and let it "brouddle" away (I know that's not a word, but it's something Jim says)

I did that for about 15 mins?? until the potatoes were nice and soft...

it should look something like this...

then, put is in a food precessor and give it a good "jooj" to smooth things up a bit...I did this in two batches.

NOTE: if you are using a processor/blender that has a tightly fitting lid, PLEASE make sure to vent the lid, or...well, just listen to me;)

THEN>>and ONLY then...add the creamy stuff, because you don't want to add it before, for fear of cooking the dairy too long!

Stir in the dairy...bring it back to a boil, and then take it off the heat and keep it covered until your ready to serve it...

But, believe me, it won't be long before it's all.gone.! I didn't even have a bowl of left-overs!


~mmmmmm...so simple!!! enjoy!

(please let me know if I missed explaining a step here, I'm just so excited about this soup!!)

hunker down

and get serious about this crafty, home-made business!!!

that is what i've been telling myself recently!

because, in all honesty, i DO do quite a bit of home-made stuff,

and i could quite simply share my little nuggets of wisdom with you...

like this blog was originally intended to do!!

DUH!!

so, okay...if you promise me you'll keep checking in,

i'll promise you to be more diligent in my posting

maybe even do something crazy....

like the 12 days of Christmas???

if 12 of you are interested in that idea...

(meaning i get 12 comments!!)

then i would commit to doing a stint resembling the twelve days of christmas!!!!




so...whatchya think???

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!


Are you even still there????

Okay, well, I am too!!

But life has an incredible way of "filling up"

And "blogging" just NEVER seems to make it onto my "list"

sorry, but it's true!

i AM very busy enjoying this time that I am blessed to have...AT HOME!!

When life (and friends) are SO busy surviving life and all the back and forth, to and fro

We are here...at home...and L.O.V.I.N.G. I.T.!!!

So, when I find the moment, I WILL post on how to make a little PJ bag,

but for now, I'll leave you with this - the PERFECT addition to ANY Fall dinner:

Homemade Noodles

1 egg per person...1/2 a cup of flour per egg! and then some salt...of course:)

example: if you're expecting 4 people for dinner then you'd use 4 eggs and 2 cups of flour.

So...figure out how many people you're serving...crack the eggs, measure the appropriate amount of flour, sprinkle in some salt and MIX!! (I use my incredible Bosch mixer)

Then, let the dough rest for approx. 10 mins

Roll our fairly thin and cut into strips

Using a generous amount of flour, stack up the strips and cut them width-wise with a pizza cutter!! Seriously, using a pizza cutter makes this WAY easier to manage!

Then...throw them into whatever soup/ boiling water for past sauce you are having until their done and....VOILA!!!

...mmmmm!

Nibble on those until we meet again:)
~C

::hopeful::

hopeful:

that there is still a reader out there

that you'll forgive me for my absence

that i'll get to post something on here soon, in attempts to keep you, my lone reader

that you'll stick around long enough to witness that post;)

that all the posts i have been thinking of in the past weeks/months will be able to be mentally-recalled

oh....oh....ohhhhh....i got one for ya!!!





my girls have just both started dance AND they love sleep-overs...






so, i decided to make them and dance/PJ bag....







wanna know how to make THIS!?!?!?!?!











GOOD! They'll you'll surely stick around until I post about it;P

stay tuned...

::delicious buns::

this post is lovingly dedicated to my wonderful friend B.W....
wish I could bring you some, too bad P.R. is sooo far away!!

So...this recipe has been given to me by my Mother-in-law, who learned it from her Mum. These buns are de-lic-ous! But be forewarned, they are addictive and the recipe makes 7-8 DOZEN!!

*******************

3tsp sugar
2Tbsp yeast
1 c hot water
******
5 c warm milk
2 c potato water
2 c oil
2 eggs
1/4 c salt
******
16-20 c flour
******
bake @ 425 degrees for 15 to 20 mins
until dark golden brown

**************************

Now comes the explanation and disclaimers...because you knew I couldn't just simply follow the recipe!!

So...I get up early in the morning (not that early, but when I'm making buns, it means I skip my 'laze-on-the-sofa-and-sip-a-cup-of-coffee routine), round up all the necessary ingredients, and then haul out my nifty Bosch Machine (we're attempting to get a copyright on this name!:p)

To start things off, I get the yeast rising...putting the sugar in the cup first, dissolving it in hot tap water and then adding the yeast and covering the cup with a tea towel while it "proofs".

Next, I pull out my Pampered Chef mixing bowl to get the milk going... I use skim milk powder mixed with water and warm it in the microwave for a few minutes.

While that's going around I get the potato 'water' made...i put water in quotations because I actually use instant mashed potato powder! Add in the oil, salt and egg and I throw all the wet stuff into my Bosch, giving it a good mix.

By now, the yeast will have done it's 'thing' and I throw that in too...this is where i start to wander away from the path set before me;)

Once all my wet ingredients have been added that are in the recipe, I add a bit (2-4 Tbsp) of molasses just to darken up the dough and give it a deeper flavour.

Once that's all mixed up...it's time to start adding the dry stuff - here's where things get a little less calculated, and more "pantry-depending." You see, I add a 'bunch' of 'stuff' depending on what I have in the panrty on that particular day...usually it looks something like:

• 2 - 4 c rye flour
  
• 3/4 c bran
• 1+ c oats
  
• 1/3-1/2 c ground flax seed

Feel free to play around with these ingredients...even add your own that suit your taste...or be a "rule-follower" and stick to the recipe provided...any option will prove successful!

After you've added (or not) your little bits of goodness, move on to the flour portion of the recipe. Notice in the recipe I provided that I didn't write a specific type of flour - whole wheat or white...that's because it really doesn't matter.

If you want white buns...stick to the recipe (possibly adding some oats??) and white flour.

If you want 100% whole wheat, do 100% - but they do turn out a tad on the dry side.

And...if you want buns like the ones featured here in this little blog, then add the bits of goodness and 10 cups of whole wheat flour...give your dough a good mixing and see how runny it is. If mine is still pretty runny at this point, I'll throw in a couple more cups of WW flour.

Once it's pretty stick, but no longer runny, I start adding the white flour. The trick it to add the white flour until the dough forms a beautiful, not-so-sticky ball that has pulled away all the dough-bits off the walls of the bowl. Does that even make sense??? It should NOT stick to your finger if you poke it!

Dump it out into a huge, oiled, metal mixing bowl...like this:

Place the bowl of dough (covered with some plastic [i use a cut-open bread bag] and a dish cloth) into ancient oven, with the light on - obviously any newer model will do, too!

let it rise until nice and poofy...like this!!
{approx. 1.5 hours}

Now it's time to start making the buns!

Please note: you only make one pan at a time...and space out the 'making' process as far apart as the baking process. If you were to make all the buns at once and then let them all rise the "same amount" of time, there would always be some that got more/less time to rise...timing the 'making' process 16-20 mins apart will ensure that all your pans will be given the same amount of time to rise. Get it??

Okay, well anyways...once you've lined you pan with some parchement paper, start making the buns. This is how I've been taught to make them...

Getting a big ball of dough in my well-oiled hands and squeezing a little ball out between my index finger and thumb.

You them set them all out evenly on a pan - 4 across and 6 down - to get 2 dozen per sheet:

Cover them with some plasic and tea towels too and let them rise (remembering to put the remaining dough back into the oven, covered with it's plastic and tea towel)...set the timer...make another pan...cover (put the remaining dough covered, back in the oven)...set the timer...make another pan...get it?

This is a picture of two different pans at their respective rising points...the left pan has risen lots and is almost ready to bake, and the right pan still needs more time to sit.

Ready to go in the oven!

Bake for 7-10 mins (depending on your oven temp.) and then turn...to ensure all-around bronzing;)
TA-DA!!!

ENJOY!!!!!
Make sure they're completely cooled before placing them in a plastic bag...I use old bread bags...and put in 1 dozen/bag...taking out however many you need and puting them in the microwave to thaw - this keeps them super fresh until you're ready to eat 'em!!

~ maybe not to simple...but SURE worth it!!
::feel free to ask any questions here, should you need any clarification:)

::super speedy goodess::

okay...so it's been a while!! I commend any of you who are still checking back in here and can only offer you the lame excuse that we're livin' life to the fullest these days!!

and that's only lame because there is no sympathy in it toward you and my lack of blogging...i'm too busy having fun;)

so...this super speedy post will leave you with a super speedy go-to meal packed with goodness...

**************************

INGREDIENTS:

1 can black beans
onion
garlic
bell pepper
spinach
corn
cumin
salt
pepper
salsa

*****************************

okay...so get all/any of those ingredients together....chop up the onion and garlic and get that cooking down in some olive oil in a hot pan.

once that's on the go...open your can on black beans and drain it - i do all of this in a matter of 10-15 minutes, so my "draining" is literally dumping the can upside down and giving the lid one good push...whatever liquids remain will help to thicken the meal.

dump the beans into the pan, turn the element down to med. heat and add your seasoning. i sometimes throw in 1/2 c-3/4 c salsa IF i have it on hand...and if not i add a few shakes of cumin. and in either case i always season generously with S&P!!

cover while you chop up the pepper and get the frozen corn (or whatever kind you have) and spinach (i use fresh) ready...this will give your seasoning some time to soak into the beans and onions;)

i haven't put in ANY measurements because this is a dish that is entirely suited to you own tastes - i usually put in one pepper, a couple hands full of frozen corn, and any spinach that i need to use up - remember, fresh spinach cooks down like crazy, so you really can't ever use "too much"!!

once you have all that (peppers, corn and spinach) ready, uncover the pan...throw it all in and give it a good stir...it will look something like this:

cover it back up again...possibly turning the stove down further, if needed....to let the spinach wilt in...

see how much the spinach cooks down!!

let it simmer a tad longer...or NOT if you're running short on time...and then...YOU'RE DONE!!

seriously....it's THAT simple!!!

and if you really have a hankering to kick it up a notch in flavour and protein....


put an egg up on top of it and crumble some feta over the whole thing!!! a little dash of hot sauce goes a long way to make this dish too...if you like that sort of thing!

so...hope you enjoy...and thanks for sticking with me!!

...simple!

{deceptively delicious pasta sauce}

out of necessity to create meals that 1. were simple and 2. healthy and 3. (most importantly) tasted good...i came up with this idea to trick my kids and more importantly my hubby - who likes to keep his diet focused mainly around things which lack colour.

*******************

1 lb organic* ground beef
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of cream based soup
~ie: cream of broccoli
large variety of veggies
1/2-3/4 c organic* chicken stock
spices of your choosing
~ie: ::spicy pepper medley
::seasoning salt
::oregano
::cumin
::basil
*obviously, non-organic ingredients can be used in place of organic if need be

******************

1. in a crock-pot...or large pot on the stove (if you want to watch over it)...combine 1lb of organic ground beef with diced tomatoes and creamed soup

2. in a food processor (this is the deceptive part;)) throw in all your veggies! here we have a whole pepper, a couple mini zucchini, several cloves of garlic, 2 hands full of spinach, and half of a large red onion


3. pour in some chicken stock to ensure smooth processing


4. turn it on and let it go!


5. i 'chop' mine until it is quite fine, but if you like a chunky sauce just blend it for a shorter period of time


6. add veggies to the crock-pot along with all your spices...stir and wait!

unfortunately, i forgot to take a snag a picture of us enjoying this meal, but you'll know when the sauce is done because you'll catch a whiff of it's yummy aroma! pour it over your favourite choice of pasta and enjoy...best eaten with a generous portion of this;)

{simple shoulder bag}

wanna know how to make this??


or this??


or this???

okay then...read on:) this one is simple enough that you will have one in several of your favourite patterns..like me:)
{PLS REMEMBER to click on all the photos to get a closer look!}
********************************************

Once you've drawn and cut out your pattern,

(click the picture to see the pencil lines that i drew to get the measurements right!)

cut two from your chosen bag fabric, and two from your lining fabric.

I usually use a sturdy cotton for the outside and a sheet cotton for the lining, but you could use anything that suits your fancy.

After cutting these out, I also cut a pocket for the inside, I use some of the outer fabric for this, cut into a rectangle about 8" X 6.5". Then I cut a strip of ribbon measuring 5" X 1.5" to make a loop with which to fasten the bag to a button...if you choose to use this method.

{You could also make two ties to fasten, or use velcro or a snap fastener}

1. Start with your outer bag pieces. Place right sides together, and sew the seams at each edge, between the *s on the pattern, like this:

2. Then open out the piece so that the seams are at the front and back of the bag. Sew along the bottom seam...like this:


3. Then square off the corners by pinching each one out, and sew straight across, making the bottom of a triangle, about an inch from the corner's edge...like this:
{Trim excess.}

4. Repeat these steps with the lining pieces, but remember to leave a gap in the bottom seam of the lining, for turning inside-out later on.

{imagine a picture here of the lining...with a 4-5 inch gap in the bottom seam}

5. Overlock or zig-zag the top edge of your pocket. Press the edge down about half an inch, and top-stitch. Then press your pocket half an inch all around. Pin to the outside of the lining where you would like it, and stitch it down...like this:

6. Make your loop of ribbon for the button...pinning it on the right side facing down, like this:

7. Now sew the lining and outer pieces together. Place lining inside the outer layer, right sides together. Match centre seams, and pin. Insert your loop between the two layers on one side of the bag, so the ends of the loop are sticking out, and pin it securely.

8. Sew about 1/4" from the edge, all along both sides of the bag, right up to the top edges.

{DO NOT sew the 4" width of the straps closed}

9. Turn the bag right-way-out through the gap in the lining. Now press all around the edges of the bag where you have sewn, so that both layers 'sit' nicely. Trim the tops of the straps so they're even and of equal length. Sew the top of the strap together- at just the outer pieces. Place right sides together, and sew a 1/4" seam. (This is a bit fiddly under the machine, but it's okay.) Press down.

Then tuck in the lining pieces at this point and hand-stitch it closed...or machine stitch it, but you'll see it on the top-side.

10. Press the strap again and if you are happy with everything, top-stitch a 1/4" seam all around the edges of the bag. Sew the gap in the lining closed by folding the edges in a 1/4" and stitch. Hand-sew a big button on the front of the bag, in such a position so the loop will fit nicely around it.

add some nifty embellishments too...if you so desire!

TA-DA!!!

now fill it up...and enjoy!!

...simple!