Snowman Garland and a Ham Casserole

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!  I am not into football, so I am one of the few human beings in the United States not watching the big game.  I did, however, finally finish my snowman garland.  I have to say, I am not completely sure I am in love with it.  I came up with a pattern for a man and a woman with their accessories.  Then I wrestled with myself as to whether or not to add the facial features.  I was concerned that they would look too "cartoony" with the faces-sometimes faceless is more classic and dignified.  I went with the faces, as you can see, and I added the pom pom fringe detail between each snow person.  It is growing on me and it adds that certain something to my growing snowman collection.

    I wanted to share a comforting ham casserole recipe with you.  The homemade biscuits are a flavorful touch.  Saute one chopped green pepper, and 1/2 a chopped onion in two tablespoons of butter.  After the vegetables are tender, stir in three tablespoons of flour.  Gradually add 1 3/4 cup milk.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir until thickened.  Whisk in one can of cream of chicken soup.  Stir in two cups fully cooked cubed ham.  Heat through and turn into a buttered nine inch square baking pan.  Bake at 375 for ten minutes uncovered.  Meanwhile, make your biscuits.  In a bowl, combine one cup flour, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cut in two tablespoons shortening until the mixture forms crumbs.  Stir in 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, 1/3 cup milk and one teaspoon chopped pimentos.  Turn onto a floured surface and gently knead a few times.  Roll out and cut 6-8 biscuits.  Arrange them over ham mixture and continue to bake 18-22 minutes.  It is delicious. 

I hope you all have a great week.  I have been talking to a friend at work about snowshoeing and it sounds like something I would enjoy.  Unfortunately, we have no snow.  If we ever get snow, I think I will give it a try.  If you snowshoe and would like to drop me a line about how you like it(or not), I would love to hear from you.  Take care.                                           Nancy

Christmas Presents and Yet Another Snowman

Happy Sunday everyone.  I wanted to share another snowman with you.  This came from the same snowman craft themed magazine last week's terracotta pot snowman came from.  This one was designed by Pat Olson, which I spotted immediately when I saw it in the magazine.  I have painted many of her designs.  They are fairly easy and are just adorable.  I had some spindles so I adapted it to the size and shape I had.  I thought the arms were too long at first, but then I kind of liked the awkward look.  I try not to go for cookie cutter perfection but I like to put my own sense of whimsy on the projects I do.  I am still working on a snowman garland.  Hopefully, I will have a breakthrough on that soon! 

I also wanted to tell you about some of my fun and useful Christmas gifts.  I got a new camera which I love.  It is a Nikon Coolpix.  I have found it easy to use right out of the gate.  I took the above picture with my old camera to show you the straps I made for my new camera.  My old camera still works but it is a Vivitar and takes AA batteries.  When I bought it, I had no idea that it would eat through batteries like a house afire and I would soon be battery poor!  Anyhow, my new Nikon has a rechargeable battery and I love it.  I decided to make a couple of straps to make it feel welcome!  I may just make a new case for it because the case it came with is kind of plain and boring. I am thinking of joining a Friday night sew-in sponsored by Crafty Vegas Mom, so that may be a good project for it. 

This is another favorite Christmas gift I received.  It is a Babycakes pie maker.  What a blast!  I have made blueberry pies with a homemade butter crust and raspberry pies with the Pillsbury pie crust from the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  Both were awesome.  I am making apple pies this week.  My husband has even gotten in on the act, helping roll out and cut the dough.  It really is fun. 

The homemade glaze I put on the pies brought them over the top to a-may-zing! 

You know how much I LOVE snowmen right?  Well, the teacher I work with and I have become very good friends and she knows me pretty well.  She gifted me with this beautiful lamp this Christmas.  I love it.  It sits on my front entry table so everyone can see it when they come in.  She took me to a craft shop that she visits several times a year over the summer.  They have so many wonderful things that I would love in my home, I found myself secretly glad it was over an hour away, otherwise, I might spend a small fortune there!  That is where she purchased this lamp on her next trip there after she took me.  It looks wonderful with my ever-growing snowman collection. 

We got a little dusting of snow here, but the weather continues to be baffling and completely unseasonal for this time of year.  I hope you all have a wonderful week and a healthy and crafty end to this January.  Take care.                    Nancy                                                                                 

A Cute Snowman and Breakfast For Dinner

Happy Sunday evening everybody.  I had a busy but enjoyable weekend.  I made this cute snowman for my fireplace hearth out of terra cotta pots.  I found this in a magazine years ago and bought the pots, and as with many things, I didn't complete it.  By keeping this blog, I am spurred on to finish projects I have stuck in limbo.  Anyway, I had my husband spray paint the pots white over at his shop where there is ventilation, unlike my craft room.  Then I painted on a face and used homespun to fashion a scarf and hat.  I sewed cute whimsical snowflake buttons on the hat and glued on black buttons to look like coal lumps.  I really like it.  I can't believe originally, I planned on putting this on my front porch.  Somehow I don't think it would have survived the winter.

 In my continuing joy of having breakfast for dinner, I have to share this yummy recipe for peppers, onions and eggs.  It is rustic and filling and has been very well-received here at my house.  All you need to do is heat some olive oil in a big skillet and add 2 sliced and chopped red bell peppers and one chopped onion.  Cook them until very tender.  Add a 14 1/2 oz. can of diced tomatoes with the juice,  1 teaspoon smoked paprika, salt and pepper.  Cover and simmer until the liquid has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Make 6 indentations with the back of a spoon and crack an egg into each.  Cover and cook over medium heat for about 3 minute until whites are set.  This will give you runny yolks, which was my desire.  However, I was quite leery of uncooked, jiggly whites and ended up overcooking the eggs and the yolks were solid the first time I made this dish.  Believe it or not, it was good anyway!  This last time I made it, I got lucky and the eggs were perfect.  I made homemade berry muffins and toasted up some bakery sourdough bread.  Add some fresh fruit and you have a great dinner. 

 I wanted to include a picture of my sweet pooch who will be 13 years old this summer.  As you can see, she is really gray but she is doing pretty well, all things considered.  Our vet told us at her last check-up that her life expectancy is around 12 but because she is in such great condition, she could live to be 14.  I hope so.  I don't ever want to see her suffer and stick around for us, but we will be devastated when her time comes.  My youngest son is her major caretaker and he is so good and patient with her.  He is graduating this June and we got her as a 6 week old pup right before he started kindergarten. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week.  I am working on knitting a scarf to go with a coat I just got so it gives me something to do when I sit down to watch tv.  I hope you are able to fit in a project that you enjoy.  Take care.  Nancy     

Snow, Snowmen and Taco Soup

You know how I was complaining that I wanted snow?  Well, we got it with a vengeance Friday!  It wasn't so much a blizzard with foot after foot of snow, it was zero visibility, layer of ice under the snow, freezing rain turning to snow weather.  What you see is a picture taken from my front porch.  I know-not so much quantity-just quick as a flash "here it is with all the trimmings" !  My husband and two sons were out snow blowing and shovelling Friday afternoon and cleaning up decks and shovelling a walkway for our poor dog to relieve herself throughout the weekend.  Me-I baked and crafted. 

This is a fun snowman I painted for my collection.  I love the primitive style.  I got the idea from a painting book I have by Karen Lamp.  It is "Simple Gatherings and Glad Tidings".  If you are a tole painter, you should take a look at this book.  There are quite a few ideas for several seasons.  She put a hat and stick arms on her snowman.  I just went with the scarf.  I am thinking it needs a stand, though.  It has to lean against the wall because it is quite heavy and tips easily.  I will probably just glue a little block of wood behind it to steady it.  I am sure hubs has some scraps in his wood shop.  I have several other snowman craft ideas in the works.  This time of year is all about the snowmen for me!  I am looking for a cute snowman garland idea for my mantle.  Let me know if you have one or have seen one.

       

I made a really good taco soup recipe.  The flavor is really unique because of the addition of a second seasoning packet.  Brown 2 lbs. ground beef in a soup pot.  Put the browned beef in a big bowl and drain most of the fat.  Add a little olive oil to the fat and sweat out a large onion, a couple of ribs of celery and a couple of peeled carrots-all chopped.   Return meat to the pot when the veggies are almost tender.  Add a 15oz can of kidney beans, a 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, 1 packet taco seasoning mix, 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix and 3 cups water.  Simmer for about an hour. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.  The ranch really adds a unique tang to it. 

I notified the winner of my scalloped bag giveaway.  Thanks to all of you new followers.   I hope you all are staying warm and cozy wherever you are.  Happy crafting, cooking, and creating!  Take care.   Nancy 

Health-altering Muffin and a Giveaway

Happy New Year!  I have taken a little break from blogging but I missed you guys.  I want to start out by giving you a recipe that has really worked for me.  It is a muffin recipe that lowers cholesterol.  Mine went down 20 points just by having one of these for breakfast most mornings!  I am not a doctor so I can't make any promises but ask your doctor if it is ok to give this a try if you are battling high cholesterol.  I wanted to avoid medicine if possible.  I found this recipe in a magazine and made a few changes based on the research I had done.  This makes a dozen muffins and I freeze them and take them out day to day as I need them.  Combine in one bowl: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup old-fashioned oats, 1/3 cup sliced almonds, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon and salt.  In another bowl beat: 2 eggs, 1 cup light vanilla soy milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup melted Benecol margarine.  Add to dry mixture and fold in 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries.  Mix together and divide among 12 paper-lined cupcake cups.  Sprinkle with some oats and almonds.  Bake 17 minutes at 400 degrees.    I couldn't find the sticks of Benecol where I live so I melt 1/2 cup of the tub kind.  It works well.  The oats, blueberries, soy milk and Benecol are all great weapons in the fight against cholesterol.  Let me know if you try them and how they work for you.

  You aren't going to believe this, but this picture was taken today of one of my gardens.  Yes, everything is sleeping as it should be in January, but do you notice what is missing?  I live close to the Canadian border and I can't believe we have no snow.  We had a green Christmas which was devastating to me.  I lived in Florida for a while when I was a teenager and I hated Christmas without snow.  Also, if you remember, I am huge fan of snow days at the school I work at.  Well-I am waiting!  Many people around me are actually thrilled with the weather, but not me.  I look out my kitchen window and it looks like Easter is right around the corner.  We are still leaving our windows open a crack at night.  I keep thinking we will get hit hard when it does come.  I will keep you posted but in the mean time, I have decorated all over my house as I do every January with my huge snowman collection.  I usually leave them up until Easter decorations go up.  I have some snowmen I want to make.  It helps with the let-down that comes after Christmas decorations are packed away. 

 Last, but definitely not least, I have a giveaway for you.  I was so excited that I hit 100 followers.  When I started this blog, I had no idea I would meet so many great people.  I have enjoyed it so much.  So, I made one of those bags I have enjoyed making so much to give to one of you.  I also made a snowman pin(can you see him with his earmuffs on?) and I found this adorable sock monkey kit in a clearance bin at a local craft store.  I love his bee costume!  In order to win these three things, just be a follower and leave a comment saying so.  I will keep this giveaway open until next Sunday night. 

I hope you all have a great week.  I have made a resolution to try to answer more of your comments to my blog because I want you to know I appreciate each and every one!  Take care.   Nancy

Neck Pillows and Tasty Toasted Cheese

Good morning and happy Monday!  I am scrambling to get finished with handmade gifts, finishing touches, holiday baking and scheduling my last couple of get togethers to exchange gifts.  Also, I have to send a gift to California this year now that a dear friend has moved so I have to get that in the mail(note to self!).  This is such a wonderful time of year but it is easy to feel a little hectic. 

I have pictured above the two neck pillows I made for my co-workers.  I love mine so much, I thought they would make awesome and practical gifts.  I was able to make these with 2 fat quarters a piece and some matching ribbon and fiberfill.  So far I have made four of them, all with quilter's cotton.  I wonder if they would be better with home decorator weight fabric.  I will have to make one and see.  At any rate, they make reading in bed or watching tv on the couch so much more comfortable.  The girls loved them.

  I also had to share a new take on a classic.  I was watching tv and saw a show that featured toasted pimento cheese sandwiches.  I had to try them so I headed to the grocery store, trying to remember what was in them.  I am only able to tell you what I used.  You can play with amounts because I did not follow an exact recipe.  I used shredded pepper jack cheese, shredded mild cheddar, a jar of chopped pimento with the juice, a dash of Green Tabasco, a dash of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and mayo.  I mixed it together and toasted it between sliced bakery Italian bread.  It was awesome.  I served it with tomato soup.  I love how gooey it got and it had a little kick.   You could always substitute plain jack cheese for the pepper jack to tone it down slightly.  It is a keeper for sure.  This would be perfect for a Christmas brunch.  It really takes grilled cheese and makes it ready for prime time!

I hope everyone has a great week.  Today my grade level is throwing a "frost and decorate your own Christmas cookie" party.  I hope my co-workers enjoy themselves and remember the days when that was an important part of Christmas.  It signalled the beginning of the holiday for me when I was a kid.  Take care.  Nancy

Gift Swap and a Crazy Good Pizza

Happy Sunday everyone and can you believe how fast this month of December snuck up on us?!  I can't wait to share my gift swap goodies with you.  I joined up with the Craftaholics Anonymous gift exchange party again this year and really enjoyed it.  I met a great partner named Kim and we chatted back and forth by way of emails and exchanged hand made gifts made with each other specifically in mind.  Pictured above is what I made her.  Green is her favorite color so I made her a scalloped bag in many fun patterns in green.  I also threw in a wooden snowman pin I painted and crafted and two chenille characters, a Santa and a gingerbread man.

In return, I received a beautiful tote bag, made with amazing attention to detail.  She even included my cat in it!  She put so much thought into it.  She said she thought I could use it to take things back and forth to school.  That is a perfect idea!  I love that she has some hidden pockets in it and the handles are bow ties. 

Mickey couldn't wait to see her likeness on the bag!  She had to get in the picture.  Thanks Kim, I love it. 

To finish up tonight, I want to share an amazingly yummy and crazy easy pizza.  It is a Reuben pizza.  Just take a Boboli or Freschetta pizza crust and top it with a small amount of Thousand Island Dressing.  Top with a can of sauerkraut drained and rinsed.  Pile on deli corned beef cut in strips.  Top with shredded swiss cheese.  Bake as the crust package instructs you to and-ta dah-that's it!  I served it with more TI dressing and we all loved it.  It couldn't have been easier(or tastier).

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Take time to smell the roses because this month can overtake you and before you know it, you're burnt out before Christmas.  Take care of yourselves and happy crafting.  Nancy