cookingandwhatnot

A Hoodie Dress, DIY moment

2011-11-14T10:35:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

(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

2006-11-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2006-11-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

(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

2006-11-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

(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

Cottage Cheese Casserole

2006-08-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

I never tried this one but always wanted to.

Serves 8
350*
40 min.

Saute' in a large skillet:
2 T. margarine
1/2 c. chopped mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 clove garlic, minced

Stir in:
1/4 t. marjoram, crushed
4 1/2 c. water
3/4 c. tomato paste
4 c. elbow macaroni
2 t. salt
1 t. sugar

Simmer until macaroni is tender, about 25 minutes.
Have ready:
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
2 c. cottage cheese
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Put half of the macaroni mixture in a greased 2 qt. casserole dish. Top with 1 c. cottage cheese & 1/2 of Parmesan cheese & parsley. Repeat layers. Bake at 350* for 40 min.

If anyone tries this please leave a comment & let me know how it went. :)

Colorado Pie

2006-08-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

from "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre

Serves 4-6
400*
25 min.

Prepare pastry for 2 crust pie, using 1 t. onion salt in pastry if desired. Line 9" pie pan with half the pastry. Roll out top crust.

Brown in skillet:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 c. chopped onion

Stir in:
1 T. sugar (not kidding)
1/4 t. pepper
2 c. cooked green beans, drained (or canned will do)
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. oregano
1 can (10 oz) tomato soup or equivalent sauce

Pour into pastry-lined pan, add top crust and cut slits in it.
Bake at 400* for 25 minutes.

Tora Pascualina

2006-08-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

(aka Argentine Spinach Pie)
taken from "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre

Serves 4
350*
30-40 minutes

Have ready: 1 pie shell & crust for top, unbaked

Cook, drain and chop finely:
1 1/2 c. frozen or 2 qt. fresh spinach

Saute' until tender:
2 T. oil
1 onion, chopped (1/2 is okay)

Combine:
spinach
sauteed onion
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 c. grated Swiss Cheese

Pour into pie shell. Arrange top crust and seal. Bake at 350* for 30-40 minutes. Serve hot in wedges.

Creamy Egg & Noodle Bake

2006-08-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

taken from "More-With-Less Cookbook" by Doris Janzen Longacre

Serves 6
350*
25 min.

3 c. noodles
Cook & drain according to package directions.
Saute' until tender:
2 T. Margarine
1/2 c. finely chopped onion

Combine:
Sauteed onion
drained noodles
8 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

Combine separately:
2 c. small curd cottage cheese
1 c. plain yogurt
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese
2 t. poppy seed
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t. salt
dash pepper

Fold into noodle mixture. Pour into greased casserole.

Combine & sprinkle over top:
3/4 soft bread crumbs
1 T. melted margarine

Bake uncovered at 350* for 25 minutes

Sonora Chicken

2006-04-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

recipe from Amy Woodworth

2 c. Chicken (cooked & diced)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Nalley's Original Chili
1/2 c. Milk
1/2 c. Salsa
1/2 lb. Cheddar, shredded
1/2 lb. Monterey Jack, shredded
Corn Tortillas
Onions & olives diced, optional

Blend chicken, soups & onions/olives (but not cheese) in large bowl. In a 9x13 pan, place a layer of tortillas, a layer of sauce mixture and a layer of cheese. Repeat until pan is full (probably 3 times), ending with a thick layer of cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly and cheese is melted.

My notes:
Forgot the onions, didn't use nearly that much cheese, used corn blend tortillas instead. Browned 3 diced chicken breasts beforehand. Used 2 8x8 pans instead of one big one. Baked for about 30 minutes uncovered. Fed 3 adults with 1 pan! Got great compliments and we'll have the 2nd dish at the end of the week. Seriously, try it, it's worth the work. Also, please leave me a comment if it works for you!

Gumbo, my new comfort food

2006-03-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest recipes I have ever made (or modified) is definitely Spicy Chicken Gumbo. Recipe is below, follow the link on the right. Let me post my latest modifications here:

From More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
Serves: 8
Plan 1 hour for cooking, maybe more for prep

Saute' in large, heavy kettle:
2 T. oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
Blend in: 2 T. flour
Cook and stir over low heat until vegetables are tender.

Add:
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
3 c. broth or stock
1 1/2 T. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. chili powder
pinch dried basil
1 whole bay leaf
2 T. dried parsley
Simmer 1 hour. Start cooking rice.

Add to gumbo:
2-3 c. cooked chicken, diced
Warm thoroughly.

To serve, dish up rice and pour gumbo on top. To store, add rice to gumbo and then put in containers.

Cooking Quiz

2006-02-25T23:09:00.000-08:00

A fun little questionnaire I got from Connie....
1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family? Does eating Fast Food at home count? We eat 4 or 5 times together... 3 adults, 2 children.... Yeah, pizza & teriyaki totally count!
2. How many cookbooks do you own? I have maybe 6 or 7, people like to give me cookbooks & I like to read them.
3. How often do you refer to cookbooks each week? Maybe once. !!!
4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your favorite sources? I am always on the lookout for something simple so Yes... Allrecipes.com is my favorite online source, there's also the Kraft brand recipe newsletter and there's always friends...
5. How do you store those recipes? Allrecipes has a virtual recipe box so hold your favorites or you can print them out (then they get tossed into another cookbook and easily lost). Recipes from friends go on my shopping list pad and then into another cookbook.
6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas? I will follow it the first time if I have all the ingredients but my mom taught me that recipes are just guidelines. :)
7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it? Definitely European - meat & potatoes basics.
8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? The happy time spent simmering - I know it's all done and now the smell fills the house!
9. What's your least favorite part? Cleaning up....
10. Do you plan menus before you shop? I try....
11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances? Microwave, a good knife, and a good garlic press!
12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object and space not an issue, what would you most like to have? A rotisserie :)
13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next? A stand alone freezer for the garage.
14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage? No but I desperately need one.
15. Grocery shop alone or with others? Do the kids count? Always alone, it is actually stressful for me to shop with others.
16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week? NONE
17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?My kitchen is French Provencal Butcher! Basil green walls, white cabinets and wood-look counter top - completely copied from a "Trading Spaces" episode. :)
18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you? Maybe cookies before this, but definitely Spaghetti - I was 12.
19. How did you learn to cook? My mom ...
20. Tag 2 other people to play: Just do it if you want...

Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells

2006-02-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

(from Very Best Baby booklet)
Prep: 20 min (ha!)
Bake: 40 min
Makes 2 8x8 (2 qt.) pans (ha!)
16 jumbo dried pasta shells, prepared according to package; rinsed and drained
1 lb extra-lean ground beef
1 pkg (3 T) taco seasoning mix
1 c. water
1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (reserve 3/4 c.)
1 jar (16 oz) salsa (reserve 1/2 c.)
1/4 c. sliced green onions
Sour Cream (optional)

Directions:Cook noodles as directed on package (may take 15 min.) Brown & drain beef in lg skillet. Add taco seasoning mix and water, cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add beans and 3/4 c. cheese. OR add beans and split in half, adding cheese to one. Mix well. Spread 1/4 c. salsa over bottom of both 8x8 baking dishes. Note: perhaps up to 1/3 c.
Fill cooled pasta shells with meat mixture; place 8 shells in each dish filled side up.
Note: I used 24 shells to fill my two 2 qt. shells, and still had meat leftover. Perhaps a larger pasta shell is needed. Spoon remaining salsa over shells. >>>Stop here if freezing<<<<

If baking immediately - Preheat oven to 350. Cover baking dish w/ foil. Bake 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining (3 1/4 c.) cheese. Obviously, if you've just stuffed the shells w/ hot meat, this won't take as long.

If freezing - cover baking dish wish plastic wrap, then foil. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.
To bake frozen shells: Thaw dish in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 375. Remove plastic wrap then recover w/ foil. Bake for 45-50 min or until heated through. Sprinkle w/ green onions and cheese.

Nutrition facts per serving: 347 cal, 13 g total fat, 32 g total carb, 5 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 21 g protein.

Some other notes: Supposedly each dish feeds 4 people. That's only 2 shells per person by their calculations which makes me think they must be using much larger shells, although I bought the biggest ones I could find. Since I don't eat dairy but everyone else does, I pointed my non-dairy shells toward the handles and then marked the foil with that note so I would remember. The rest of the shells were filled with the cheese & meat mixture & faced the opposite direction. No one wanted the sour cream topping, so that was easy to avoid. Kind of spicy for me even with mild salsa. But everyone else loved it so it's a keeper!

Chinese Noodle Slaw

2006-02-02T20:26:00.001-08:00

Another cabbage recipe... a lot like the other one....
Serves: 4-6
Prep: 10-15 min
Cool: 20 min +

1 head cabbage, chopped
5 green onions
2 pkg uncooked noodles (Ramen noodles best)
1/2 c. butter1 T. sesame seeds
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. oil1 t. soy sauce
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar (white or cider, it doesn't matter)

Directions: chop cabbage and onions, toss together in a large bowl. Saute' noodles in melted butter, add nuts & seeds until lightly browned, drain. Mix dressing ingredients in plastic container, close with lid and shake well to mix. Toss everything together, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Refrigerate if longer than 20 minutes. Really good the next day!

Main dish: Lemon Pepper Barbecued Chicken
Other side: Rolls, rice, or fruit

Spicy Chicken Gumbo

2006-02-02T20:26:00.000-08:00

Tried it again recently, see notes at bottom...
From More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre
Serves: 8
Plan 1 hour for cooking, maybe more for prep

Saute' in large, heavy kettle:
1/4 c. oil2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced

Blend in:
2 T. flourCook and stir over low heat until vegetables are tender.
Add:
2 1/2 c. cooked tomatoes
2 c. cooked okra (optional!)
2/3 c. tomato paste
3 c. broth or stock
1 1/2 T. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. chili powderpinch dried basil
1 whole bay leaf
Simmer 1 hour.

Start cooking rice.
1/3 c. fresh parsley, chop & set aside

Add to gumbo:
2-3 c. cooked chicken, diced
Simmer briefly.
To serve, combine hot cooked rice with chopped parsley and mound rice in center of soup bowls using ice-cream scoop. Pour hot gumbo all around.

My notes:So after trying this again after a couple years it turned out really good. Good enough that David said we could have this all the time - and that's quite a complement! I used 2 huge chicken breasts and cooked them in the morning, cut up & put in the fridge. I was trying for a half recipe but made enough chicken for a whole. Used one diced tomato instead of cooked tomatoes, 1 can of tom. paste (was too much), 1 can of chicken broth and had to add water later. Did NOT have ground cloves or fresh parsley or whole bay leaf. Chopped dry bay leaf seemed to be ok. Oh yeah, and I didn't measure most of the seasonings beside Worc. sauce. :)

Enchiladas

2006-02-02T20:24:00.000-08:00

Don't lose or forget this recipe!
from can of La Victoria's Enchilada Sauce:

4 corn tortillas
3 oz shredded mild cheddar cheese
3 oz shredded Montery Jack cheese
1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
1 T. oil (for frying - might be less)
1 can (10 oz) La Victoria Enchilada Sauce
Preheat oven to 350*.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Fry each tortilla 3 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Mix the two shredded cheeses together and set aside 2 oz cheese. Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce in a shallow pan. Coat both sides of the torilla in the enchilada sauce. Fill each tortilla with 1 oz of cheese, 1 T. onion and 1 T. sauce. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in casserole dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
Bake at 350* for 15 min. Remove from oven and cool for 5 min before serving.
Serves 2-3

My notes: I used 6 tortillas (easier to split for 3 adults). Added cooked chicken to all tortillas, no cheese on two (for me!) My onion wasn't chopped small enough to some bites were more onion than chicken - ewwwww. Otherwise a very good and simple recipe. I had two enchiladas left over but were quickly eaten the next day. :)BUT Nina got fussy two days after eating this. It may have been too spicy for her, or it was the pepperoni pizza we had the day before she became fussy. Hmmmm. Probably won't try this one again until we find the root of the fussiness.

Taco Pasta

2006-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Make a great recipe the other day. It was based on Taco-Filled Pasta Shells but I used elbow macaroni instead. It was very good and AMAZINGLY it not only filled 3 adults, but actually seemed to make about 6-8 servings. (Two of my adult diners are big eaters.) See Taco-Filled Pasta Shells for the actual ingredients. The process is what I changed...

Brown ground beef, add Taco seasoning & water as usual.
Add 1 can of refried beans and 1 c. salsa to cooked meat, mix together and heat through.
Cook 1 lb. elbow macaroni in 4 qt. pot.
Drain pasta, return to pot and stir in 1 c. salsa.
Add meat mixture to pasta, stir together.
Serve from pot, garnish with shredded cheddar or sour cream.

This gave me the complete control of WHO had dairy in their dinner. I suppose it would have been very good to mix the cheese in with the meat & all the rest, but then I would've had to eat it too. Adding it at the end was fine and everyone liked it.
Goal: stretch 1 lb of ground beef through 2 meals for 4 adults. Result: Large quantity of leftovers, seemed to be roughly 6-8 servings all together, everyone was both full and happy. Mission accomplished!

Chicken and Dumplings (low fat?)

2006-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

I had to add the question mark to the end because I don't know if it's a low fat recipe or not, it just seemed that way. I wanted to make chicken pot pie or chicken & dumplings but couldn't find a recipe that didn't ask for something weird so here is my mixed up version. Oh yeah, as usual, all measurements are approximate. :)

3 Large chicken breasts
4 c. water
1 med. onion sliced into quarters (reserve half)
5 baby carrots

Place all ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer until chicken looks ready to fall apart (about 1 hour). Strain chicken out of broth into a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish with a tight fitting lid. If necessary, tear apart chicken as you go! :)
Add to casserole dish:
2 c. frozen vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, beans, whatever)
1/2 medium onion (diced)
3 c. broth - or enough to cover ingredients
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. celery salt (whoops, a little too much)
1 t. rosemary
1 t. thyme
Place in 350 degree oven until heated through & bubbling, about 30 min.

Add to dish:1 pkg. Refrigerator Biscuits (Pillsbury Grands or whatever)Spoon out as many biscuits as needed to completely cover chicken mixture and replace lid tightly. Follow package directions for baking time - approximately 10-15 minutes.

The broth certainly seemed to be lower in fat than what my other recipes had called for (butter, stewing an entire chicken, etc) so other than the biscuit dough, there wasn't much fat in there at all. Ended up with good flavor but needed more salt & pepper. Also didn't have enough room for all the biscuits in my dish so they were baked alongside and turned out to be a good "sweet" next to the "savory." So that was my fun for the day!

2006-01-21T16:44:00.000-08:00

hi, here I am