Apple Cinnamon Muffins

My grandma, Nan, got a cute little package to make Apple Cinnamon Muffins from some little party at Christmas.  She gave the package to me because she says I "like to make things."  Very true!

What a cute little package

Simple, simple

I decided to add some apples to the mix.

These were the easiest muffins and I think I'm going to buy mixes all the time.

Ok...no I'm not.

Num-num

Recipe:

Buy a mix!

Haha!  That's how I did it.

Jewelry

I made this necklace a while ago.  Then I got the jewelry-making bug.

And I happened to have a couple more rolled roses that I made.

This was the first necklace in my "latest series."  The earrings came a little later.

A friend of mine makes jewelry and gets "Bead Style" magazine on a regular basis, and after hearing that I've been making some jewelry of my own she let me borrow some of the issues.  I found a few things I wanted to make myself.  This necklace was the first I made.

I LOVE it!

This a version of another one I found in the magazine.  I got all the jewels together at Michaels.  Then I got the chain to match.  Of course since I had extra jewels I made some earrings.

The focal, I guess you would call it, was a brooch that I cut the pin off of.  Then I had chain leftover and I made this bracelet.

This was probably the simplest but not the easiest I don't think.  I just put the heart on the chain but the crystals hanging from it were kind of a pain the butt because it was pretty tedious.  But it was worth it.

You can buy one of these here.

Button Canvas

My friend, Sunnie, whom I grew up with in Ohio made these same things for her son and daughter with a K and an A.  They were so cute.

She got the idea from this etsy store.

I just decided to go colorful and not use just one color for the buttons.

I used a bunch of different sizes too.

I love this project.  Especially for a kids' room like my friend did.

I think I may make some pillows for my friends.

Pillows

I was going to use a white comforter on my bed here at my parents' and I decided to just make some throw pillows.  I hadn't been able to use my sewing machine in a while, so I was excited.

Then I got a new comforter too.  At TJmaxx, which I now LOVE.

Lots of colors.

An old skirt I made into a mini then I had some leftover fabric and made this.  And the ruffles are leftover from this cork board.

This fabric is from a dress that was mine then I shortened it for my sister.  It's really cute.  I cut some tassels too just to add something.

I think this one is my favorite.  I had these handkerchiefs from the Southern BBQ we did a while back.  I just cut them into strips and sewed them together.  Then I used the lining of an old skirt for the other side.  To do the whole thing with handkerchiefs would have been a little much.

I may tweak the red one a little.  I'm not sure if I like it or not.  But I'm excited to have pillows I made.

Recipe Card Holder

I got this idea from Recycled Lovelies.  I put my own little twist on it, I guess.

My plan is to make one for each would-be section of a cookbook.

Of course, I started with desserts because they are what I cook the most.

What you'll need:

• Index cards- whatever size you want, I used 4x6 blank cards, so I could print the recipes from the computer


• Metal ring- you can find these at a craft store in different sizes, I think they're in the cross-stitch section


• Laminate stickers or contact paper- again at the craft store, probably in the section with sticker-makers


• Hole punch


• Scissors or a paper cutter


• Various stickers and pens to decorate

1. Pick the recipes you want to use.


2. Print the cards.  Either use the computer or write them out yourself.


3. Place the card on the roll of laminate to measure the right size.


4. Cut 2 pieces of laminate and place one on either side of the card.


5. Punch a hole in the corner and place on the metal ring.  Repeat with all the cards.


6. The front card: glue 2 of the index cards on top of one another.  Decorate to your liking then laminate like the other cards.  And punch a hole in the corner and add to the rest on the ring.

Happy Crafting!

Cheese Tortellini with Meat Sauce

Another recipe from my new kitchen.  Well, old kitchen now new again.

It's a long story.  The simple version is that I moved back in with my parents.  Into the same two-bedroom apartment I moved from to the house with my sister and her husband.

I do like cooking in this kitchen, though.

This is my simple dinner, which is not impressive at all but I liked it.

Marinara and pre-made tortellini.  Easy peasy!

Cook up the ground beef in a deep skillet.

Start some water to boil and add olive oil and salt to season the pasta and keep it from sticking together.

Add the whole jar of marinara sauce to the meat.  Make sure you drain any excess fat from the beef.

Boil the pasta while the sauce cooks.

Pour some sauce over the pasta and sprinkle a little cheese on top.

And scarf it down.

I did.

Cheese Tortellini with Meat Sauce

1 lb lean ground beef

1 jar of marinara sauce

1 bag of frozen tortellini, or just store-bought

mozzarella cheese

Brown the ground beef in a large, deep skillet then drain the excess fat.  Boil 3 cups of water.  Drizzle a little olive oil and sprinkle a little salt in the water.  Add the jar of marinara to the meat.  Once the water is boiling, add the pasta.  Boil the pasta as long as directed.  Drain the pasta.  Serve the pasta with sauce on top then sprinkle with some cheese.  And enjoy!

Rice Pudding

My mom and I were grocery shopping the other day and for some reason she said she wanted to make rice pudding.

This is something we eat quite a bit.

And no, no raisins.  I hate raisins.

My step-dad, however, likes raisins, but my mom and I are the majority so there are no raisins in my rice pudding.  I did leave them in the recipe, though.

(My photos are going to look different and not -so-good because I no longer have the camera that I was using.)

Mm-mm.

First, boil some water.

Boil the rice with a little salt and lemon zest.

Transfer the rice to a bowl.

Boil milk, cinnamon, sugar, and butter.

Cook the rice in the milk mixture till the rice is nice and saturated with the yummy-goodness.

Once the mix is pretty thick, pour into a bowl to help it cool down.

Alright, alright, some raisins.

Except, I ate this cup and had to pick the raisins out first :)

A word of caution when boiling the milk mixture:

Yeah, it boiled over and I made a big mess.

There was some in the burner and it smelled a little like burnt sugar.

Be careful.

Rice Pudding

2 cups water

1 cup long grain rice

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

4 cups whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup golden or dark raisins

Bring water to a boil.  Stir in lemon zest, salt and long grain rice and return to boil.  Turn the heat to low and simmer the rice, covered, until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Once rice is cooked, place it in a bowl and rinse out pan.  Add 4 cups of milk, sugar, and cinnamon to the pan.  Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the milk doesn't burn.  Add the cooked rice and raisins to the hot milk.  Stir often, until the milk cooks down and the rice is creamy, about 20 minutes.  Place in a large bowl or serving dishes to cool.  Serve cold or at room temperature.