An Update on Squares

I have completed 27 squares and I want to share my pictures of my completed squares here.

As you can see I have been quite busy on this Afghan and I am nearly half way there. I want to showcase the square above, because its assembly was quite different from any other square I have completed and one of the most difficult. You can find the pattern on Ravelry it is called the Bee Hives and Clover Afghan Block. This square is not worked from the center, but in motifs which are joined as you go. This square took to most time to complete out of all the squares I have done so far, however, the results were quite pretty even though you cannot see all of the detail in the picture above. Look for more squares in the future.

A Review of Homemade Granola Bars

I saw this recipe for homemade granola bars on Pinterest which can be found here. This recipe is no bake so I thought it might cut down on some of the work I had to do. And it did come together really quickly and easily. If you are looking for a granola bar that does not fall to pieces however, this is not the recipe for you. If you don't mine eating this with a fork then enjoy this yummy granola "crumble". Other than not sticking together this recipe is quite delicious, but as I would prefer something less messy for the kids it may not resurface until I find a recipe that can stick together.

Meatloaf Muffins

I ran across the idea of meatloaf muffins on Pinterest and I really liked the idea. The idea came from stockpilingmoms.com. They suggest using whichever meatloaf recipe you liked best. I chose to slightly modify a meatloaf recipe from The Pioneer Woman. You make whichever recipe you like best and preheat your oven to 400 degrees while you make it then you bake your meatloaf muffins for 20 minutes. I left out the bacon on the Pioneer Woman's recipe, but this recipe is so yummy without it. I served it over a bed of rice and my two year old ate two "muffins" and two servings of rice. This recipe will definately be used again in our house and if you want individual servings or are just pressed for time, but want the comfort of meatloaf I definately suggest cooking them in your muffin tins.

Super Easy Bath Paint

Do you need a way to occupy your children quickly? My suggestion is bath paint. If you don't want to use cornstarch recipes which work fantastically well or you don't have cornstarch I recommend this super easy two ingredient recipe. One of my little goobers went in for his well visit yesterday and he got quite a few shots so to distract him (and his brother) I made this paint. When you do this project I suggest letting your little bits paint naked in the tub or you will get paint all over their clothes and naked kids are easier to wash so this is an excellent before bath time activity that kids love. They get to make a mess and not get in trouble for it, because both this recipe and cornstarch recipes wash off your bathtub walls easily.

Bath Paint

Shaving Cream
Food Coloring
Containers

Put the amount of Shaving cream you want to use in your chosen container(s) then mix in a few drops of any color food coloring you want to use and mix it together. That is it! So quick and easy and the kiddos have tons of fun playing with this easy recipe.

Fun with Cotton

I grabbed some cotton yarn that I thought was pretty the other day when I needed a yarn fix and after pondering for a while what to make with it I decided I was going to make a couple of iron skillet handles for our skillets. I have made one of these before for a friend and they are super easy and fast to work up as they are only single crochet stitches until the last row which is a crab stitch or reverse single crochet. I found the pattern on the blog Tasty Crochet. It is best when crocheting for the kitchen (especially when heat will be an element) to use a cotton yarn as it will not melt like an acrylic yarn will.

I had some left over cotton after I finished up the two handles so I decided to make a couple miniature double thick potholders. My grandmother has made these for years and a few years back I attempted to get her to explain how she had made them so I could make a few myself, however, she was unable to explain at all so I was extremely happy when I found this pattern which is easily modifiable for sizes so I could make a few for my own kitchen. The ones above will likely be used as tea cup coasters for my husband and I as they are not really large enough to be used even by small hands like my own for cooking purposes. Below is a picture of a larger version of these potholders to demonstrate how versatile the sizing is for these. The pattern can be found here.

Vertical Zig Zag Cocoon

I designed this baby cocoon, because I had an idea, but could not find a pattern that would fit what I wanted. You can find plenty of patterns with a ripple or chevron that is horizontal and worked in the round for baby cocoons, but not a vertical one. I wanted to use up some of my yarn I have been using for my little bit on the way for this, but you can choose how you want to have your yarn. I wanted this more for practical use than photography as I have several other cutesy cocoons I have made. I want to make this pattern free to every one. You will find it below.



Vertical Zig Zag Cocoon

Tools:

I Hook

Yarn needle

CH 142.

Row 1: SC in second ch from hook. *3 SC in next st. SC in next 5 st, sk 2  st, SC in next 5 st* Repeat across.

Row 2: CH 1 turn. SK first ch SC in next 4 st. *SC in center SC of 3SC, 5 SC sk 2 st 5SC* Repeat to last 6 st. SC in next 3 st. SC2tog 2x

Row 3: CH 2 turn. Sk 1^st st DC in next 5 st. *3 DC, 5 DC sk 2 st, 5 SC* DC in next 3 st DC2tog 2x

Row 4&5: Repeat Row 2

Row 6: Repeat Row 3

Repeat Rows 4,5,and 6 until piece measures 13 inches wide.

Fold lengthwise and whip stitch sides together. Weave in all ends. Turn work inside out.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

What do you make with an after Christmas present of a brand new ceramic pan?

 Sweet and Sour Chicken of course! This was a  hit with both of my children and my husband. The ceramic pan heated up faster than some of my other pans and made quick cooking a snap. I found the Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe at Recipes From My Kitchen. I really did not tweak it to much, however I used a fresh pineapple instead of canned pineapple and replaced the pineapple juice in the sauce with lemon juice. This was a quick and easy meal that will definately be used again in the near future.

The sauce was everything you would have expected not too sweet and not to sour. The chicken cooks quickly, because it is cut up into 1 inch pieces. You can use any color bell pepper that you want, I used yellow and red. I got a great deal on bell peppers at Aldi this past week at $1.69 for a package of three colored bell peppers. Amazingly the colored peppers were actually cheaper than the green ones for once.

Though the pineapples are not in season using the fresh ingredients is definately worth it. Especially since you get more with the whole pineapple (this allows you to snack on the yummy leftover bits). You can cut the pineapple up into sizes that you prefer, and you get a richer flavor from the fresh product.