Tiered Apron

I picked up a pattern book for aprons the other day at the Fabric Mill. It has six mix & match designs. I choose to stick with one and followed it, making a few adjustments along the way. I wasn't sure about the colors but I think it turned out pretty well.

Individual chicken pot pies

Stephen and I made these little lovelies for Sunday dinner. He chopped all of the veggies and chicken. I made the crust and the filling. They turned out really good... and we had plenty of leftovers that were easy to take on the go- thanks to Pyrex/Corningware's snap on lids.

Class project: New Testament quiet book

Ahhh... this was created before I knew/had Photoshop. It was made in iWork's Pages. Bad idea folks. Anyway, I made this for one of my religion classes as a final project (a couple years ago). It's spiral bound and laminated with hard lamination so dry erase markers can be easily wiped away. If you're interested in a PDF version of this, I'd love to share it with you... you can even just laminate it and hole punch it for a 3-ringed binder.

Flannel pillowcase

This little project was incredibly easy to make. It was actually a requirement for one of my GE's. I'd say it took me about 10 minutes to make (and cost about $3.00- fabric from JoAnn's). Just cut a rectangle on the fold and sew. Add a contrast band and finish. It's perfect for the winter time or just as a decoration. The best part is that you can make a case that fits any pillow you have and you get to choose the fabric!

Valentine's Goodies

Rocky road, lemon squares and sugar cookies for my co-workers :)

Heart garland

This garland was so simple and fun to make. I cut out the paper hearts using the Edison machine at Archivers. Then I adjusted my sewing machine to make it easier to sew through multiple layers of paper. I changed the needle & stitch length and that seemed to do the trick. Lastly, I fluffed them up a little to give them more dimension.

Unique Valentine's arrangements

There are a couple people I'm giving flowers to this year- my two visiting teaching sisters and one of my professors who just had back surgery. Earlier in the week I found Kerr canning jars a Michaels for only $1.19. (What a great deal since vases are so expensive. These jars worked perfectly into my budget and what I had in mind design wise). I threw these arrangements together in about half an hour. I bought the flowers in various bunches at Costco for a total of $19.00 (also a great deal since flowers nearly double in cost around Valentine's Day). The colors aren't very traditional, but I just wasn't into red or white. Then it was just a matter of stripping them down and cutting them to size. I tied little pieces of twine around the lid to tie a tag to once I had finished. I think I prefer the arrangements without bows, but it works either way.

DIY pizza

Problem: Stephen loves pizza. There's really no other way to say it. He believes (and I agree), that he could eat pizza every day for the rest of his life. So naturally, we eat a lot of it. But as you probably know, it can get expensive.

Solution: There's a pizza place here in Provo called Nicolitalias. It probably makes the best around (except for the Pie)... only it can be really greasy and the flavor of the pepperoni varies by day. Anyways, they sell their pizza dough for $1.99! It's not only delicious and healthy (its partially wheat), but a big time/money saver. So we bought some the other day and threw a pizza together. It was quick and easy to make and probably was the best tasting pizza I've ever made!

Attention chocolate lovers

This recipe is not for the faint of heart. It's packed full of dark cocoa & chocolate chips & it's oh so good!

Deep-Dark Fudgy Brownies


Ingredients:
2/3 cup (3 ounces) Double-Dutch Dark Cocoa
1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (2 ounces) confectioners’ sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1 cup (4 ounces) toasted pecans or walnuts, diced (optional)
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) vegetable oil
2 tablespoons(1 ounce) water or brewed coffee

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars, salt, flour, espresso powder, nuts, and chips. Add the eggs, oil, and water or coffee, mixing just until smooth. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 8 x 8" or 9 x 9" square pan, smoothing the top.

Bake the brownies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 35 minutes (for the 9" pan), or 45 minutes (for the 8" pan). To see if the brownies are done, remove the pan from the oven, and stick the tip of a sharp knife into the center of the brownies. Wriggle it around just enough to see what’s going on. Is the batter under the crust still shiny, wet, and smooth? Continue to bake the brownies, checking frequently. Is it ultra-moist, but not shiny, and “crumby” looking? Take them out, they’re done.

Place the pan of brownies on a cooling rack, and allow them to cool for 1 hour before slicing.  Yield: 16 rich brownies.

{Recipe courtesy of King Arthur Flour}

Zucchini Fries

The other night we decided to make zucchini fries. We were getting a little bored of regular spuds, so we fried up these beauties. They tasted just as good as the ones at Carrabbas :)