A Hoodie Dress, DIY moment

I've been shopping for a hoodie dress - as my daughter had when she was a toddler.  It just seemed so perfect in this day and age of leggins, boots and sweater dresses, a hoodie would really be perfect. 

I have this old sweatshirt that makes me feel like a strangling marshmallow - too wide in the middle, gigantic sleeves, but so tight on the neck & hood.  Here's what I did (click on picture to make it larger!)

What would I do differently?

I'd take in the shape of the trunk a little to make the "shoulders" fi the bottom of the trunk better.  As is, this is more of a tunic look than a dress.  I'm going to tweak it with either some taking in or ribbing to connect the two sides.  Actually I'm going to do this with another sweatshirt in a few days that is even bigger, so maybe it won't be a problem with that one. 

The ribbing on the wrists was too small on a 3/4 sleeve so I had to use the ribbing from the waist on the new sleeves.

I cut a v-shape into the neck, just about 2", but when I did my finishing seems I sewed it staight.  Now it lays nice and loose across my neck.

I threaded a decorative ribbon into the hood.

next: make a few rosettes for the pocket to cover the coffee stain. :)

**EDIT after 2nd Sweatshirt**

I made it more curvy and used a sweater dress that I liked as a guideline.  After removing the arms at the seams, I measured out a 3/4 length, cut off the "shoulders" and sewed the shorter sleeves back on.  The shoulders were sewed back onto the bottom in an angular fashion.

Cheesy Potatoes

(taken from Kraft Foods Holiday 2006 Magazine, see kraftfoods.com)

Prep 10 min, Total 1 hr.

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. sour cream
1 pkg frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes, thawed (32 oz)
1 pkg Kraft shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. Ritz Toasted Chips Cheddar, crushed (about 1 c. of crumbs)
2 Tb. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine soup & sour cream in large bowl. Add potatoes and cheese; mix well. Spoon mixture into 13x9 baking dash. Combine crushed chips and butter; sprinkle evenly over potato mixture.

Bake 50 min. or until heated through.

Makes 12 servings, 1/2 cup each.

Options: add a few dashes of hot pepper sauce to potato mixture before spooning into dish. Or sprinkle potatoes lightly with paprika just before baking.

Cheesecake Brownies

Don't pass this one by, it's only 110 calories, 3 grams of fat perserving!

Prep 10 min, Total 40 min.

1 pkg. brownie mix
1/2 c. applesauce
3 egg whites, divided
1/4 c. water
8 oz. Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese (1/3 less fat than Cream Cheese), softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350*F. Mix brownie mix, applesauce, two fo the egg whites and water. Pour into 13x9 baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Mix Neufchatel cheese, sugar, flour and remaining egg white until well blended. Spoon over brownie batter. Cut through batter with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs attached. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into 32 (2x3-inch) pieces.

Layered Cranberry Mousse

(taken from Kraft Foods Holiday 2006 magazine, see kraftfoods.com)

Prep 20 min, Total 5 hours, 5 min including refrigeration

1.5 c. boiling water
1 pkg cranberry flavored Jell-O (or any red color)
1 can whole cranberry sauce (16 oz.)
1 c. cold water
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground cloves
2 c. thawed Cool Whip

Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add cranberry sauce; stir until mixed. Stir in cold water. Pour 2 cups of the gelatin mixture into 6-cup mold (see tip below.) Refrigerate 45 min. or until set but not firm. Gelatin should stick to finger.

Meanwhile, stir cinnamon and cloves into remaining gelatin mixture. Refrigerate 30 min. until slightly thickened (consistency of unbeated egg whites.) Add whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over gelatin mixture in mold.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Store leftover gelatin in refrigerator.
Makes 12 servings, 1/2 c. each.

Tip: Make your holiday meal extra special by using a limited-edition 16 oz. Cool Whip Whipped Topping tub as a mold for this mousse. Find it in your grocer's freezer aisle.

Make-Ahead Broccoli, Cheese & Rice

(from Kraft Foods Holiday 2006 magazine, see kraftfoods.com)
Prep 10 min, Total 20 min.

6 c. fresh broccoli
1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz.)
2 c. Minute white rice, uncooked
1/2 lb. Velveeta, cut up
1.5 Tb. butter
10 Ritz Crackers, crushed
2 Tb. Kraft grated Parmesan cheese

Bring broccoli & broth to boil in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Stir in rice; cover. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 min. Stir in Velveeta; cover. Let stand 5 min. Stir until Velveeta is completely melted. Spoon into microwaveable serving dish; cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Meanwhile, melt butter in smalt skillet on medium heat. Add cracker crumbbs; cook 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Cool completely. Stir in parmesan cheese. Spoon into resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Store at room temperature up to 24 hours.

Vent plastic wrap covering broccoli mixture by poking a few holes in teh top. Microwave on high 5-6 minutes or until heated through; stir. Sprinkle with cracker crumb mixture. Microwave, uncovered, an additional 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 12 servings, 1/2 c. each