I Made It onto Nie Nie Dialogues! (153:365)

I took a shot in the dark a week ago and sent some of my etsy shop stuff to Stephanie Nielson's awesome blog NieNie Dialogues when she did a call for a homemade Christmas.

She received HUNDREDS of submissions and kept posting that she'd only be able to show off SOME of the items she received...

...drum roll please....

And she picked me as one of the luckies!!!

Check it out here.

My First Baby Booties (122:365)

I have a baby shower today and needed something quick 

and easy to make.

I've never made these before, but decided to take a chance on them.

I think they turned pretty well.

So cute! And easy. Here is the free tut.

Thanks HomeSpun Threads!

Sneaky Chicken Nuggests (114:365)

I mostly (because some of the recipes are too healthy/"sneaky" for the likes of me) like the cookbook Deceptively Delicious that was written by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. Also, her all-knowing tone is kind of irritating too, but that issue is for another day.
I use the Banana Bread recipe from her book all the time and we love it.

Today I made a Chicken Nuggets recipe from that cookbook for the first time and everyone loved it! On her own, without any questioning, Dee said that they nuggets were "really good", and Scott also declared the same. I read reviews online where everyone that used the broccoli puree said it was a nightmare and didn't work well at all. I like the sweet potato in baby food jars because it is easy and fast!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs (or panko) 
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 cup broccoli or 1 cup spinach or 1 cup sweet potatoes or 1 cup beet, puree
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or 1 lb chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• nonstick cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic and onion powder on the paper or foil and mix well with your fingers.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.
3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.
4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil.
5.  Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes.
6.  Turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut through a piece to check that it's cooked through.) Serve warm.

 

What I did:

I used panko breadcrumbs, not whole wheat.

  

I didn't add any Parmesan Cheese because I wanted to be able to dip the nuggets into a Tikka Masala dip and a Thai Sweet Chili dip. Both went really well with the nuggets and made them seem a little more grown up.

 

For the egg and veggie wash mixture I used Sweet Potato (baby food puree in a jar!) since we have TONS of those right now.
Honestly I sneak baby food veggies into all kinds of recipes and no one (usually) notices. I've used the Sweet Potatoes in pancakes (with added brown sugar), Carrots in a Quinoa Chile, and would put Carrots into a Spaghetti Sauce too. It's all about hiding the healthy stuff in a way that no one notices the extra veggies they are getting. I've also seen pureed veggies in the freezer section at Costco and Target, stuff like beets and spinach, that would be a good thing to have on hand as well.

Oh, anyone else excited for Trader Joe's? I seriously think about it a few times a day! I know that I am super obsessed right now, but I can't help it! I'm totally going next weekend to one that is opening over an hour away. Boo-ya! 

Mom Pants into 2 Sweet Girlie Skirts, Part 2 (89:365)

I began this project almost a week ago, hemming and hawing over it because I am a freak.

Finally, I finished (I think).

My mom gave me these pants which were just too big.

What to do?

Cut, cut, cut!

With a little inspiration from here and here,
I came up with these cuties.

This has to be the best part. 

I was too lazy to hem them,
plus I think they'd be too short if I did.

So, instead I left the hem as a frayed edge
(I have a skirt like that that I love)

and used my fantastical genius sewing machine
to do a scalloped stitch along the edge.

Should I add something like these flowers to the bottom corner?

These skirts are for our family photos we are takng
this weekend at a family reunion.

They are going to wear black long sleeved shirts on top. 

Should I add a black ruffle to their shirts? 

Or just do cute flowers/headbands with
flowers out of the skirt fabric?

Onesie Extenders Part 2 or Why I Feel Sheepish or Why I Want a Serger (38:365)

Success!


I figured it out. I think. I tried another stretch stitch and it worked MUCH better (i.e. it actually sewed instead of ate my fabric). Also, I moved the seam over to a little bit bigger than 1/4" so the edge had no possible way of getting pulled down into the depths of the machine.

Why do I need a serger? Why not?! I could have saved me some major time with the edges of this thing. Zig zag and cut at the same time? Heck yeah! That is my next craigslist purchase.

And, why am I so excited about Onesie Extenders? If you have skinny kids like I do, you'll understand. My kids NEVER grow out of something because they get too thick, but only because they get too long. So, these are a perfect solution! Lucy is enjoying the pink ones right now. Hooray!