Woohoo! 100 followers!!!

I appreciate my sweet followers so much. You have given me so much encouragement and inspiration since I started this blog last February, after receiving my Baby Bug for my birthday in December. My sweet hubby got me an Expression at midnight on Black Friday last week at Walmart. He stood in line for an hour, and grabbed the last of SIX that they had. I can hardly wait to get going on it, and I have started to design some things for the larger scale of the Expression. Thanks so much for your encouragement, my peeps!

Laura

Mmmmmm ... Autumn Cooking

I have wanted to share this recipe for a long while - just never got around to it. It was given to me by my sister-in-law, Jami. It is wonderful with pork.

Spicy Rice

6-8 Servings

Apple cider to replace water for cooking rice, amount according to rice package

3 c. cooked long grain rice, (I like Jasmine rice) according to package*

½ c. raisins, plumped in hot cider

1 T. butter

½ c. chopped celery

½ c. chopped onion

¼ t. ground allspice

½ t. cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

1½ T. brown sugar

1 tart apple, cored and chopped (I used a SweeTango apple - yum!)

½ c. toasted almonds

*Cook rice according to package directions, substituting cider for water. 

Plump raisins in warm water or warm cider to cover for 5 minutes; drain. 

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter and sauté celery and onion until onion is crisp-tender. Add spices and seasonings, brown sugar, cooked rice, and plumped raisins. Heat thoroughly. Stir in chopped apple and remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with toasted almonds. Great with pork.

In the Mood For...

Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 6

2-3 T. x-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ qts. chicken stock or broth
1 lb. cooked chicken, in bite-sized pieces (rotisserie chicken in a hurry)
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. celery, chopped, about 2 ribs
1 bay leaf
1 T. dried or 2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 14-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
Dumplings, recipe follows

In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Sauté a few minutes, then add chicken stock, cooked chicken, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender, about 10-15 minutes. When carrots and celery are almost done, add parsley and evaporated milk. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil and add prepared dumplings by tablespoonfuls. Reduce heat to low, and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Cover and continue cooking 10 minutes more (liquid should just be bubbling gently). Serve. Store leftovers by separating dumplings from the broth, so that they don't soak up all the liquid.

Dumplings:

2 c. Bisquick
3/4 c. milk

freshly ground pepper to taste

Sage or parsley, if desired

Mix together with a fork just until dough comes together.

Sweetheart-Neckline Princess Dress Card

As a dressmaker, I had so much fun designing the cut file, and doing the embellishments for this card. I made it for my little granddaughter's birthday. She's a girly-girl who loves jewelry, and makeup, and pretty clothes, and is just becoming aware of princesses, so...

I covered the front of the card with pale blue Swiss dot paper. All the little dots are glittered, as is the neckline & hem, which is hard to photograph. The skirt is covered with blue tulle, with a ribbon waistband & rose & jeweled accents. You could do way more in the way of embellishment than I did, but this is for a young little girl. This would make a darling bridal shower invitation. So sweet!

The SVG file is available for $1.50 USD, and includes the card and a separate overlay for the front (and back if you cut it twice), to cut from decorative paper, as well as the materials list and instructions, and the scut2 file for the Cricut.  Please let me know which file it is you want. Upon notification from Paypal of funds received, I'll email you all pertinent files.

Thanks for your business! Laura

Laura's Chicken Pot Pie

You need a 9" deep dish pie plate for this.
Makes 6 servings - Filling is also very good over biscuits.

32 oz. chicken stock

3 lbs. meaty chicken parts (I used to use a pick-of-the-Chix)

1 medium onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced into 1" chunks

2 ribs celery, sliced in 1" chunks, reserve leafy tops

1 10-oz. pkg. frozen peas & carrots

1 c. fat-free half & half or whole milk

6 T. butter

6 T. flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten in a small bowl

Double Crust (Food Processor method) - from ATK - very easy to roll out.

2½ c. unbleached all-purpose flour

2 T. sugar

1 t. salt

½ c. Crisco shortening, cut into ½" pieces & chilled (easier to use sticks Crisco for this)

1½ sticks butter, cut into ¼" cubes, frozen until very firm

6+ T. ice water (start with 6, add up to 2 more if needed)

In a Dutch oven, bring broth to a boil, adding rinsed chicken parts, onion, carrot & celery chunks, along with celery tops. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for one hour.

Meanwhile, make the crust: In a food processor), combine flour, sugar & salt; process until combined. Add chilled Crisco; process 10 seconds. Add butter cubes and pulse 10 times, until it resembles coarse crumbs; transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle 6 T. ice water over mixture all at once. Stir & press dough together using a rubber spatula, and pressing it against the bowl, until the dough sticks together. If it doesn't come together, add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water, one at a time, pressing after each.

Divide into two even pieces. Shape each piece into a 4" disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for one hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Lay dough on a lightly floured work surface, and roll from the center outward, into a 12" circle, about 1/8" thick. Between every few rolls, give the dough a quarter turn, tossing a little flour under it as needed. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin, and gently unroll over a deep-dish pie plate. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill while doing the next step .

Cool chicken in the cooking liquid if time allows. Strain and reserve broth, discarding vegetables. Return broth to heat. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the bone, discarding skin and bones. Cut into bite-sized chunks and place in a bowl. Cook peas and carrots in simmering broth, according to pkg directions. When cooked, remove from broth and add them to the chicken meat. Preheat oven to 375°. Bring broth to a boil; reduce to 3 cups liquid. Add half and half. Make a roux by kneading together 6 T. butter & 6 T. flour in a small bowl, using your fingers, and working quickly. Drop roux into simmering broth, stirring slowly until thickened. Add chicken, peas & carrots, season to taste, and pour into the chilled crust (or a 2-qt casserole, if serving over biscuits). Top with rolled out 12" diameter top crust. Trim both crusts together so that they extend 1/2" past edge of pie plate. Press the edges together and tuck under, toward the pie plate. Crimp edges. Cut vent holes with a paring knife. Brush with beaten egg, and bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes, until golden brown.

Housewarming Artwork

I was recently asked to recreate a picture of a new house - not quite finished - in paper in the form of a card. The result is not in card form, but rather a frame-able piece of custom artwork in 3D (which is hard to see in this 2D picture). 

The design work took about 8 hours, and construction was another 15 or so - not an inexpensive little housewarming gift, but hopefully a keepsake for many years to come. And, yes, I did sign it! You betcha!

Babyface Favor Box

In my shameless, burning desire for more grandbabies, I have designed yet another baby-related shower accessory: a baby-faced favor box. 

The box is a 1½ inch cube - just the right size for a good handful of pastel butter mints or pink or blue M&M's. It is sized for cutting on a Baby Bug, but could be enlarged for a larger cutter/larger gift - maybe even to wrap the mom-to-be's gift in. I used a pale peach paper for the face, which is glued to the top flaps of the box. I also made a face stencil so that you could marker-in the areas under the facial cutouts. I used rosy chalk to give the baby's cheeks, chin & ears a blush. The face & curl can be cut from whatever color matches the new mommy & daddy's complexions/hair color.

The svgs for the box and it's components, along with the face stencil and a picture of the finished box, and a sheet of tips is included in the price of $5.00 US. Upon notification from Paypal of funds received, I will email you the appropriate files, including the scut2 files for cutting on a Cricut. Please use the "Donate" button to order, and leave a note telling me which file it is that you want. Thanks for your interest! I appreciate your business so much! 

Laura