Baby Shower Gift Ideas - Diapies!

So first off sorry for the unintended and unwanted hiatus from posting. But don't worry just because I have not been posting my crafting and cooking definitely does not mean that I have been idle finding and producing new ideas.

I think the first I would like to share is some excellent ideas for a baby shower gifts. (I also have another idea in progress, thanks to my mom, that I will hopefully complete soon.)

The first one I can take no credit for, my friend Jessica made these for her first baby. Probably because she couldn't find any burp clothes that were stylish enough for her little boy. Plus she is an insatiable crafter just like me!

These are what she named "Diapies"! Because they are made from pre-fold cloth diapers.

This whole process could not be simpler and more fun!
(Well picking out the fabric is my personal favorite part.)

I asked the mom to be what her nursery or baby colors or pattern preferences were. She told me "cupcakes, butterflies, pink and ponies". So this is what I came up with...

12 diapies with 3 patterned fabrics. I even remembered to laundry them before I gift wrapped them!

This is a view of them unfolded to show you how huge they are! Big enough to protect any shoulder from the occasional to not so occasional post feeding spit up. Trust me they were very well tested with my friend's baby and they work awesome. And not just for burp clothes but the random spill cleaner upper or make shift bib even. I'm sure there are tons of uses but that is all I can come up with at the moment...

Sure you could just buy the pack of pre-fold diapers and call them diapies, but without that extra cute fabric touch its just not the same.

I promise its an easy sew.

• Just cut the fabric the same with width and shape as the middle of the pre-fold with an added 1/4" sew allowance around all sides. 
• Iron under all the edges.
• Sew a straight or even zig-zag sew all the way around. 

This is so easy that its gets tedious after the first five, then its just like an assembly line production.

This will not be an unwanted gift. Even a first time mother will appreciate the need for a good set of burp clothes. And no one else will have brought any quite like it. Even if you have super crafty friends, the chances of picking the same fabric are almost 0%, really.

But I'm not done yet! I bought an extra pattern of fabric, because it was so darn cute, while getting fabric for the diapies. Then I suddenly realized, "What am I going to do with this?!"

I searched the internet and etsy even pinterest looking for ideas. Then standing in a craft store I remembered seeing a project on Little Miss Momma a while back featuring a fabric memo board. Okay I can do this. Trying to remember what I need from looking at this post about 3 months ago, I bought corkboard and ribbon and found a few cute buttons in my stash. When I actually looked up the post, it was not at all how she made it, so from there is became my own creation.

• I hot glued the fabric onto the corkboard.
• Then I crisscrossed the ribbon also securing with hot glue. 
• Then the buttons, yes I also hot glued them. 

It doesn't quite work for a plush memory board, but it is a corkboard so tacks will work. (Even though I felt silly saying it, I did warn the mom to be not to put this near the baby's crib, between the buttons and tacks I didn't want to harm her first born.)

Also I used a different color of the same patterned fabric to make her name in plush letters. 

• I just chose a font on Word that I liked.
• Printed the letters nice and big and cut them out.
• And used that as a template to trace onto the wrong side of the fabric. 
• Finally I sewed and stuffed like any old plushie.

Another cute idea would have been to make the whole alphabet in plush letters but after these three projects I ran out of time till the baby shower.

So I gave you not 1 not 2 but 3 ideas for do it yourself baby shower gifts. I expect you people to get out there and start sewing for your mom and dad to be friends!

Or at least appreciate these cute ideas and smile when you look at the adorable fabrics.

Jalapeno Chicken

This dish is infamous among our group of friends here in Charleston. There is a restaurant called Madra Rua where they serve as one of their daily specials Jalapeno Chicken.

I had heard about this for weeks when we first moved here last year and finally demanded to be let in on the Jalapeno Chicken secret. It was an experience I will never forget, especially the time one of my friends ordered extra cheese and they brought it to her in a small soup bowl! (Once you read though the recipe you might gather an understanding of why this is so disturbing.)

Anyway I made it one night after having leftover cheese dip I made for a party and it was a big hit. I think I was able to capture the general spirit of the dish with my rendition. I just had to write up the recipe and share it. Hopefully some of you out there will be able to enjoy the awesome that is Jalapeno Chicken for yourselves now!


Jalapeno Chicken

Cheese sauce:
1 block of velveeta
can of rotel, tomatoes and chiles
1/4 lb. ground beef
cumin, to taste
cayenne, to taste
paprika, to taste
salt and pepper
sliced pickled jalapenos

Chicken:
chicken breasts
salt and pepper
olive oil
cooked rice


Add velveeta to crockpot, allow to melt then add the rotel.
While cheese is melting saute ground beef in pan with tablespoon of oil. Allow meat to brown while breaking into small pieces. (A good trick is to add a 1/4 cup of water to the meat. That helps break up the meat really small which is ideal for the dip.) As it browns add seasonings, cumin, cayenne, paprika and salt and pepper. After it browns drain off any oil, then add to cheese mixture. Then add jalapenos. Mix well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Either grill or saute chicken breast with oil olive.

Lay down a bed of the cooked rice, then cooked chicken breast, finally spoon on cheese mixture.

Christmas cookies - Mint cookies

Throughout the year I am not generally into cookies. I figure there are a lot of better ways to waste some calories on sweet treats then a mere cookie. Between that an my hatred for baking, fresh baked cookies don't appear too often in my home.

Thinking back this was the time of year that fresh baked cookies would make an appearance in my family home. So I thought I would continue the tradition.

We would decorate cookies every year and leave some for Santa.

With a note and milk of course. We also left a few carrot sticks for the reindeer. We knew that not everyone remembered to leave the reindeer snacks.

Decorating cookies isn't really what I wanted to post about though. I just wanted to share a few nostalgic photos.

What I really wanted to share is a few recipes that I think of as Christmas cookies. The first is one from my mom's recipe book. I tried to make these myself this year and had a huge fail! They still tasted okay but there was too much butter and the cookies spread out waaaay too much. (maybe next year...) The other recipe I found on foodnetwork.com and had great success with. This recipe is going in my recipe book. They are both excellent recipes. Just like with any other baked good remember to not be lazy like me and measure carefully. Ha.

Melt-Away Peppermint Wreaths

1-1/4 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sifted powdered sugar
2-1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
red and green food coloring

Cream butter, gradually add sugar beating well.
Add flour and mix well. Stir in peppermint extract. Divide dough in half and place in separate bowls. Tint half with the red food coloring and the other half with the green.
Roll dough into balls using 1/2 teaspoon dough per ball. For each wreath-shaped cookie, place 6 balls in a circle on ungreased cookie sheets, alternating colors. Press together securely. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes; remove to cooling racks and cool completely.

I divided the one of the dough balls in half again and left it white to also make candy cane shapes. This picture was taken before they went in the oven. Sadly I wasn't able to take a good shot of them after they came out. Actually looking at the picture I may or may not have made the balls too big as well. Oops.
These cookies are true to their name, they will melt in your mouth. A sweet buttery taste with the sharp tang of peppermint give these cookies a Christmas-y feel. The cute shapes only reinforce the holiday theme. They are a definitely classic in my book.

Delicate Mint Sandwich Cookies
by Melissa d'Arabian

Cookies:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Mint Filling:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 or 2 drops mint extract
1 or 2 drops red or green food coloring

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting, optional

For the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth using a handheld mixer in a medium bowl. Add the flour slowly, mixing on low, until incorporated. Scoop the dough into a ball using your hands and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the dough has firmed slightly, about 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll the dough about 1/8-inch thick. Cut out as many rounds as possible with a small cookie cutter and transfer to ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between each cookie. Re-roll the dough scraps and repeat until all the dough is used. Use a smaller cutter, about 3/4-inch, or cut freehand with a small sharp knife to punch a small window out of half of the cookies. Place the cutouts on the baking sheets.
Bake until golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
For the filling: Place the sugar, butter, mint extract, food coloring and 1/2 teaspoon of water in a medium bowl and beat on medium speed until well combined and fluffy. Spread a thin layer of mint filling on the cookies without the windows and place the wafers with the windows on top. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, if using, and serve the sandwich cookies with the cutout cookies on the side.

 A friend of mine has a picture of the ones I made. I used a star shaped cookie cutter and I did not do the cut out part. I also doubled the recipe for the frosting. When I made it looked like a few tablespoons of frosting. Haha. I knew that wasn't enough.

I, my friends, Paul and my parents loved these cookies. They are as titled delicate cookies. Not too sweet of a cookie which pairs well with the sugary frosting. Even though they are pretty labor intensive, I would like to make these again soon. Because they were really that good. But I am glad I was making them with my friend so that we could chat and cut up while making them.

Even if baking is not your thing, Christmas is a great time to flex those muscles. You can give them as gifts to those hard to buy for coworkers or take them to a church cookie walk or just enjoy them for yourself with a tall cold glass of egg nog.

Oh and Merry Christmas!

Mushroom Ragu

Okay so I LOVE pasta. I am always searching for the next new pasta recipe to get obsessed with. Every week I am browsing foodnetwork.com, recipe books and food blogs, to come up with dinner ideas. Anytime I come across a pasta recipe that even remotely looks good I'm all over it. This recipe popped up on foodnetwork.com's homepage one day and I was instantly interested.
I know that there will be plenty of people that will overlook this recipe because its all about the mushrooms. But come on mushrooms are such an amazing ingredient! They are earthy, meaty, chewy and take on all kinds of flavors that are added to the mix. They are a versatile ingredient that I am always excited to find new and different ways to use them.
When I read through this recipe I knew that I wouldn't be able to find some of the mushrooms that it was calling for. Usually that would cause me to pass up the recipe all together. But it popped into my head that I could use a dried mushrooms and then use the liquid that I reconstituted them in as a replacement for the chicken broth. That would add even more mushroom-y flavor. So I decided to give it a try.

Mushroom Ragu
by Giada De Laurentiis

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mixed mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake) chopped 1 package of dried Monterey mushroom mix, chopped & 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Marsala white wine
2 cups chicken mushroom broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
5 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan

Reconstitute the dried mushrooms according to package instructions. Reserve liquid and chop mushrooms.

In a large skillet heat the oil. When almost smoking, add the onions and garlic over medium-low heat until the onions have wilted, about 8 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Raise heat to high and saute until mushrooms are tender and all the liquid has evaporated. 

Remove pan from heat and pour in Marsala white wine. Return pan to stove and allow wine to evaporate, about 3 minutes. 

Add chicken mushroom broth and simmer for 1/2 hour until the sauce has reduced by half. 

Add heavy cream and mix well. 

Take the pan off the heat and add the fresh herbs and Parmesan and mix thoroughly. 

I can't explain in a just a few words how delicious this pasta is. Other then saying that my original picture was so lame because it was a small second helping that I swiped out of the pan before it was all gone. Well I did save some for lunch the next day, because it reheats so well. I have already made this recipe twice since I found it. I'm sure Paul is already over eating it. But its so easy and so tasty that I can't help putting it on the menu.

So don't tell me how you don't like mushrooms, blah blah blah, if you don't bother to try this recipe. Just do it! You'll be glad you did and if you aren't just ship it to me. Ha!

Choosing a Christmas Tree

Honestly one of my favorite parts of the holiday season is the Christmas tree. Its so iconic, fun and it even smells Christmas-y.
When we moved to North Carolina in 1995, our family started a tradition to drive to the mountains and go to a "choose and cut" Christmas tree farm. My parents would let me and my sister loose and we would run and race to see who could find the best tree first.
It was a difficult process, between my mom and dad there were many rules and specifications to the perfect tree. The height and width were the first, but certainly not the only. Branch density, trunk width, needle type, color, fullness of the branches, and shape of course. I don't mean to make my parents sound strict. There was nothing mean or harsh about the way they evaluated the trees. It was a great game we played. We'd shout to each other across the lot announcing that we had found the perfect tree. Then everyone would gather around and check out the whole 360 degree view. We would all touch, look at, smell and even shake the tree (to see if a lot of needles would fall off, that's bad, means the tree is dried out and probably dieing). It was very exciting if the tree you found was the chosen one.
Then my dad would whip out his saw and cut it down, or the lot workers would do it for us. My  parents would go through the whole trial of dragging it to the car and tying it on top of the car. My mom would hold her breath all the way home just waiting for it to break out of its intense bondage and fly off the roof of the car. Us kids would always be useless with the getting the tree inside and setting it up. That was left to my parents again. There would be needles flying all over the house and we would trot behind waiting to see it put into place.
Some years my dad would even let us choose a tiny tree that we were allowed to put in our room to decorate. It was usually the most Charlie Brown looking tree on the lot or just one he would cut down in our own woods for us.

Dad was in charge of the lights every year. He would struggle to untangle the mess of wires, test every bulb and finally artfully and evenly string them around the tree. This was not something the kids generally helped with either.
It wasn't until the ornaments that we got involved again. Then its all hands on deck. Each person has certain ornaments that are "theirs". My mom always insists that the girls put on all of "our" ornaments. Dad has one or two that he is forced off the sofa to place on the tree. Mom does whichever ones are left and of course her Georgia ornaments. This part is filled with Christmas tunes, hot cocoa, maybe even cookies, and lots of stories of Christmas times past. We talk about all the ornaments as we put them on the tree. They all have meaning and stories. I love this part of the holiday. Even when I pretended that I was too cool for it. This really makes me feel like its Christmas. My mom to this day still likes my sister and I to put a few of "our" ornaments on the tree. Even if the rest is already decorated.

This year Paul and I traveled to several different places to get a tree. We finally found a great tree with our friends. Like I told my friend after looking at two vendors across town for a tree, the tree will stand out to you. Its almost like your wedding dress, you just know. There is nothing you can find that's wrong with it. Its just the right tree.

I put the lights on it. Paul was making chili for dinner.

Oh well not a great picture. But as you can see oooooh lights. After eating dinner and some cookies and buckeyes were made, then we could start the decorating process.

Ah thank you Paul for the picture of my booty. Anyways, we don't have as many great ornaments as my parents. But we do have a few of special ones. Paul has a pickle he loves and mug of beer he just acquired. I have some wreaths my great-grandma crocheted, a few fleur de lis, an owl, and a whale from the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We even have some joint ornaments which is pretty good since this is only our third "married" Christmas. We have a portrait ball of Paul, me and the cat, Paul's parents got us last Christmas, a black sheep (that we put up as a family tradition because we aren't going to our parents' home for Christmas), and two shells from our cruises. All the glittering, twinkling and shinning makes me smile.

Now it feels like Christmas here. Even if there is no snow and its still 50 degrees!

Okay so this wasn't a post about any cute craft or tasty recipe. But more then that how to create the holiday spirit in your home. Just remember that even if everything doesn't go "perfectly" you can still make some lovely memories. I'm sure if my parents were telling this story they would remember some very different things then I do. But in the end its the feeling you get that leaves the biggest impact on your memory.