Super Bowl Recipes

It is hard believe that next weekend is the Super Bowl 2011. I’m sure a lot of us will be preparing a list of Items needed for the Super Bowl such as, dips, cheese balls, meatballs, pizza etc. I would like for everyone to take part in the sharing of recipes. If you have a recipe that you would like to share just post it on my blog under comments or, you can email me (sharon.parson@gmail.com.) Please make sure that your recipe has your name on it.  Remember to participate you do not have to have a blog! Just email me. So make sure to go through all your recipes and share with other people. I think it will be a lot of fun getting some new recipes. I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for something new to try. So please just take a few minutes and share your favorite recipe.

Sewing Dresses

So, I thought you maybe wondering how I got into sewing.  When I was growing up, I used to sit with my grandmother and watch her sew, and of course looking back on it , she was very good when sewing clothes. My grandmother would give me scraps of fabric to sew and “boy did I have fun.”  I went around telling everyone that I knew how to sew “yeah right!” Well as the years past I did not care for sewing and lost interest and moved on to other things.

When leaving the workforce, I had extra time on my hands which was something I had never had before. So, I asked my husband “what do you think about me taking a sewing class?”  His response was “that is so not you!” I continued to think about it, and one day I happened to be in the public library and as I was going out the door, I saw a flyer on sewing and it caught my eye. So, I brought the flyer home, and called about the sewing class, and from that day forward I have been sewing. As you can see, you really don’t ever know what you might be doing. Who in the world ever dreamed I would be sewing and having a blog too. I am having so much fun and I would recommend that you do the same.

Here are two dresses that I completed when taking the sewing classes.  Simplicity is the pattern that I used to make the dresses.

Blue Jean Dress

Cotton Dress

Whats For Dinner?

I’m sure you have heard before “whats for dinner” right! Well I have a recipe you may want to try.”Its called spaghetti” You will notice the spaghetti sauce has no meat which makes it light and satisfying. The second dish  I added some Smoked Turkey Sausage and it was really good. The Turkey sausage complemented the sauce very well.  If you wish, you can make a lasagna out of the sauce. Serving garlic toast, tossed salad as a side Item goes well with the main entrée. I hope that you enjoy the recipe that I have shared with you today.

Ingredients needed:

• 3 large white onions ( chopped)
• 3 cans diced tomato ( with garlic)
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 can tomato paste
• 3 bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sweet basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large saucepan add olive oil and chopped onions, cook on low heat until the onions become transparent. Next, you will add the next six ingredients and mix well. Simmer for about 2 hours to bring the flavors together.

Give Away!

Apron Club

Eat Cake

Family Reunion

Have you heard the news about the giveaway over at Bee in my Bonnet. Go over and take a look to get more information and notice her new blog look. Cute huh? Here are three of Lori’s patterns which will be in the giveaway. So take a look and decide which one you like the best. Hurry, the giveaway closes Monday, January 31st at Midnight. Lori will announce the winner the following day. Good luck everyone!

Low Fat Beef Chili

Enjoy!

Here is another one of my favorite recipes I am sharing with you.  So grab your apron here we go!

Ingredients Needed:

• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• 1 Large onion
• 1 Medium Green Pepper
• 1 can (28 ounces)Tomatoes in puree
• 1 can (15 ounces) Red Kidney Beans
• 1 small Bay Leaf
• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dried Oregano Leaves , crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 pound of Lean Ground Beef

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Next, chop the onion, green pepper, garlic: cook until the vegetables are tender. Crumble the meat into the saucepan and cook until no longer pink. Next, add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

5 Steps To Make A Valentine’s Tree Ornament

Valentines is less then a month away so I hope that you are getting ready to celebrate the holiday. Today I spent some time making hearts out of felt and thought I would share the process with you. So lets get started.

Here are the materials needed to make hearts:

• Felt in the color of your choice
• Thread in the color of your choice
• Scissors
• Pinking Shears
• Marking Pen
• Heart Template (you can make one yourself out of paper)
• Straight Pens
• Ribbon, buttons, etc.

Here are the steps when making the hearts:

1. Place the template on the felt and put a straight pen in the center of the heart to keep it from shifting while tracing or cutting the felt. After you cut the felt, you should have two hearts.

   

   step 1

2. Take one of the felt hearts and place a ribbon down the center of the heart. I would double fold the ribbon so it will hang correctly.

   

   Step 2

3. Now take the other piece of felt and place it on top of the other heart. Place a straight pin near the “V” in the center of the heart to hold the ribbon in place. I would also place a pin in the center and the bottom of the heart to prevent shifting while sewing.

   

   step 3

4. Take the heart to the sewing machine and sew a 1/4 inch seam around the heart. You can do a straight stitch or zig-zag stitch. When you reach the center of the heart, make sure to back stitch to ensure the ribbon stays in place.

   

   step 4

5. Trim the edges around the heart with pinking shears to give it a decorative look. Decorate the heart with buttons, ribbon, etc. as desired.

   

   step 5



Heart hanging on the tree

Have You Heard the Latest News!

Have you heard the latest news? I was searching for new sewing blogs and came across Erin with Quilt Bee Blocks and Amy with Amy’s Creative Side and found some information on a Sewing Summit.

So I guess you are asking the question, “What is this all about?” It is  a sewer and blogger conference. It is  information about sewing: classes on machine quilting, bag making, garment construction, make and take projects, etc. They will also have a question and answer panel as well as an online component. The Sewing Summit will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 7-9th so mark your calenders ladies.

My Latest Learning Experience

Crochet dish cloths

While on a recent visit home, I mentioned to my mother that I would like to learn how to crochet. During our discussion, she told me that her neighbor knew how to crochet and was making a afghan for my mother. So I called her neighbor to see if she would teach me the basics of crocheting and, of course, she agreed to. When I went to the store for yarn and a crochet hook, I discovered that the hooks came in different sizes which, at the time, confused me. So I asked the sales clerk if she could help me pick out the correct crochet hook. The first thing she asked was, “What are you making?” and I stood there because I had no clue what I was going to make. I explained to her that I had someone who was going to teach me the basics of crocheting. So finally we decided on a crochet hook and yarn.

The following day the neighbor was teaching me the basics and in no time I discovered that it was fun and easy to do. I did a lot of research on the internet and found a lot of helpful information and videos. If you want to learn to crochet, I suggest that you do a lot of research online because there is so much information out there. Here are some links that I have used:

• Crochet Instructions Crochet Basics – Crochet Abbreviations
• Dishcloths – Free Patterns
• Afghan – Simple Afghan Pattern

After Learning the basics of crocheting, I decided that I would adventure out and try making an afghan based on the instructions from the link above. The afghan will take longer to make because of the size, so this one requires a healthy dose of patience.

Here are two dish cloths that I completed. I love the colors and think they turned out very cute. The type of yarn I used was cotton and the brand name is Lilly Sugar ‘N Cream.

The Holidays are Here…still

Extending the Holidays with a Valentine's Tree!

Sometimes life will send us in another direction and my recent work on a Valentine’s Tree did just that. Instead of wondering why, it’s best to just move forward where we often find out in the end that it’s not so bad after all. As it turns out, I wasn’t able to get my intended sewing project to work out so I moved on to an alternative approach after finding some inexpensive decorations at my local JoAnn Fabrics store. It’s not what I had set out to do, but in the end, I think it’s very cute.

Its hard to believe that Valentine’s Day is less then a month away. I am glad that I was able to share my Valentine Tree with you. If you have the opportunity, try making one yourself because it is fun and something different. Even if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you expect, you might find that you like it as well or maybe even better!

Fiesta Turkey Pie

Fiesta Turkey Pie

Here is another recipe that I would like to share with you. The recipe is very easy to make and tasty, and very little ingredients needed.

You will need:

1 Package (about 1 pound) Fresh Ground Turkey ( I use lean ground beef)

1 Cup Salsa

1 Can (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 Green pepper (chopped)

1 White onion (chopped)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a skillet over medium heat add olive oil, onion, green pepper. Cook until tender. Next, add the meat and cook until the meat is no longer pink, and stirring to break the meat into small pieces. Stir in the salsa.

Press the crescent roll dough onto the bottom, up side and on the rim of a 9-inch pie plate to form a crust. Spread the turkey mixture evenly over the crust; sprinkle with cheese. Bake in oven for about 18 to 20 minutes or until crust is brown.

Note: You can buy hot salsa if you wish.