Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking a moment to check it out! This is a place for me to share my crazy ideas, and how I make my life work.. Here you will find ways to start meal planning, meal plans, and of course RECIPES! Also, the occasional craft tutorial.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Spiced pumpkin tiramisu


Here is a little something to get you in the mood for Thanksgiving! My mother-in-law made this recipe when she visited from Memphis last year, it is AMAZING!! The recipe is from the BHG Ultimate Italian magazine.

Prep time: 30 Minutes    Chill time: 4 to 24 hours

1-10 ¾ ounce loaf frozen pound cake, thawed
 2-Tablespoons Frangelico (Hazelnut liqueur)
2- cups whipping cream
1 8-ounce carton mascarpone cheese (creamy, slightly sweet triple-cream cheese)
½ cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange extract
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground mace or ground nutmeg
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Grated whole nutmeg or ground cinnamon

1.       Cut pound cake into sixteen ½-inch thick slices. Arrange half of the slices in the bottom of a 2-quart square baking dish. Brush slices with 1 tablespoon of the Frangelico. Set aside.
2.       In a large bowl, beat whipping cream with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks from (tips curl). Set aside.
3.       In another large bowl, combine mascarpone cheese, pumpkin, the 1 teaspoon cinnamon, the orange extract, ginger, and mace. Beat on medium speed until combined. Fold in half of the whipped cream.
4.       Spread half of the pumpkin mixture over cake layer in dish. Top with the remaining cake slices; brush cake slices with remaining Frangelico. Spread remaining pumpkin mixture and the remaining whipped cream over layers in dish (dish will be VERY full). Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.
5.       To serve, sprinkle with grated nutmeg. Makes 8 servings.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

No sew fleece blanket

So Christmas is just around the corner, and I decided to make Kennedy, my nieces and nephews gifts this year. I am making no sew fleece blankets. I have two nieces, and three nephews, they range from 3 months to four years old.
I have found that Wal-mart has the cheapest fleece prices out there. Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a fabric department in your Wal-mart, I know we didn’t when we lived in Memphis. Right now at our local Hobby lobby they are having 30% off fleece also.
Materials:
v  Two types of fleece- for toddlers 1-1 ½ yards of each  You can use the same color, two different colors, prints, anything you want!
v  Scissors
v  Tape measurer or ruler
v  Piece of paper or cardboard
For the infant blanket I am making, I purchased 1 Yard of each (2 yards total). For the toddler blankets I am making, I purchased 1 ½ yards of each (3 yards total)

This is the pattern for my niece Chloe’s who is only three months old. 1 yard at Beverly’s fabric $12.99!!

This is the solid contrasting color I am using. 1 yard at Wal-mart $4.94!! Do you see the price difference!!

1.The first thing you do is lay the fleece out on a surface you can work on. I’m using my kitchen table and cut the salvage part off.

2. Now cut the other side, it usually curls up, and is sometimes thicker than the rest of the fleece. You should be able to feel the difference. Now repeat this step with your solid color fleece.

3. Next take both pieces and put them together, lining up the edges so they are even(Make sure you have the right side up on the fleece that has the design. You can tell which side is correct because the right side up is usually darker then the wrong side.)
4. You are going to have to trim off all the excess to make the two pieces even with each other. You can pin them together if you want. (I choose not too)

See how the top is a little lighter then the bottom?

5. Now grab a piece of cardboard or paper, we need to make a square. The size of the square depends on the type of blanket. For the infants I use a 3” x 3” square, for the toddlers I use a 4” x 4” square.
6. Use the square template you made and cut the four corners. (Make sure both fabrics are still together)


All of your corners should look like this.

Now we are ready to cut our fringes!
7. Cut 3” into both fleeces at 1" wide. Your fringes don't need to be 1" exactly, just try to keep them the same size continue to cut 1" intervals on all four sides.

8. Once all your fringes have been cut, start at one end and tie a knot or two (make sure to tie both pieces together) I like to tie two knots, so it doesn’t come undone. 

Tie one fringe and skip the next fringe and move on.

9. Turn the whole blanket over and tie the remaining knots until your blanket is complete.

ALL DONE!

Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog! Thank you for taking a moment to check it out! This is a place for crafters to try new things, have fun, and make mistakes just like me. I am a novice sewer, but I enjoy every minute of it! It is frustrating, relaxing, and rewarding all at the same time! I love to search the web for awesome ideas, and when I find them I will share them with you! Thanks again for stopping by, be sure to follow me!