Top Envy

I have previously made 'pillow sack dresses' for my daughter.  They are fairly easy and really cute.  The latest trend is to sew pillow case tops for women.  Patterns always vary and many times the free patterns don't turn out the way you hope.  So when I found this cute pillow case top at a big retail store I had an idea.  I tried it on to make sure it actually fit.  I then looked at the price tag and realized I could make this same top and save $80.

This is when I cringe at myself.... I lay the shirt down on the floor of the dressing room.

I used my hand to give a reference for how big to make the shoulder/arm area.

I then used my feet for the width of shirt.

Yes, I really did this.  And now that I see the photos from my phone it makes me laugh at myself.  Seriously!?  Who does this.

I'll post a finished product soon I hope!

Graduation Party

Tonight we had a graduation party for our big preschool graduate!  The family came over for all of B's favorite foods.  Macaroni and cheese, watermelon and cherries, cupcakes and rainbow sherbert.

I made vanilla cupcakes and topped them with blue and white frosting (school colors!) and then topped each with a 'graduation cap'.

The graduation caps consisted of an upside down peanut butter cup, Ghiradelli chocolate square, and a tiny blue candy tassle.  I took a toothpick and gently pushed through the center of the pb cup.  Then pushed the toothpick part way through the Ghiradelli chocolate.  To make a tassle I found a nasty looking candy in blue and cut it in strips to make the tassle.  I adhered the tassle with a teeny tiny drop of frosting.

For an appetizer I made a layered dip in individual cups.  Refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, salsa (no salsa in the kid's cups), shredded cheese and topped with some thinly sliced green onions.  The servings looked a little small until we started eating them.  Its amazing how much can fit in to one of those plastic cups! 

This is a great way for guests to walk around a party while enjoying an appetizer.  They can put on a plate with some chips and venture away from the serving area.  You can also help control how much dip your kids eat... I know mine would eat chips and dip all day long if I let them! 

I had some blue scrap ribbon and tied them around our white cloth napkins to look like diplomas.

And you wonder where I got my love for being crafty?  This is "The Graduate" that my mom made in college.  It is a paper mache face, glasses, hair and little robe and graduation cap.  This guy freaked me out when I was little.  He still freaks me out a bit! 



Thank You!

Today is the last day of preschool for Blake.  This fall he will begin his kindergarten career!  To thank his teachers we gave each of them a little rose plant.  A trip to Trader Joe's resulted in very cute and fragrant flowers for a very reasonable price.  I love that store!  Great foods and even better teacher or hostess gifts.

Treats for End of School

My son has a few funny sayings and one of them is, "See you 'round like a doughnut!"  His Grandpa Rick taught him this phrase and I thought the wording combined with a few doughnut holes would make for a cute treat for school friends. 

I bought a bunch of doughnut holes at the grocery store, on sale! Score!  And used some cello bags that I already had on hand.  You could also use resealable sandwich bags or the snack size bags too.  I measured the width of my cello bag at 3 1/2" and I wanted the wording to be about 2" tall. So my finished product would end up being 3 1/2" wide and 4" tall, allowing me to fold the length in half and stapling it shut over the open end of bag.

You can use my premade template below.  Click to enlarge, then save.  This prints on standard size paper and I recommend using cardstock.

The kids thought their treats were pretty cool! 

See you 'round, like a doughnut!

Breakfast Cookies

There seems to be a trend on Pinterest.  Tons of recipes or photos of breakfast cookies or premade oatmeal, or some other quick breakfast idea.  After reading through most of these recipes there was so much focus on Splenda or fake sweeteners (which I am opposed to) as well as all natural ingredients or gluten free.   

I was on a mission to find a breakfast cookie that was semi healthy, easy to make and had a flavor that we'd actually enjoy eating.  After toying with a recipe I found during a massive internet search, I think I've come up with a great finished product.

The dough is thick and holds up well. 

It holds up so well that I actually had to flatten the cookies slightly before baking to ensure the center would heat through.

The end product is similar to a moist granola bar.  The flavor isn't what you'd expect from a cookie... remember, these are breakfast cookies and are aimed to be semi good for you.  Give these a shot and let me know what you think!

Jodi's Breakfast Cookie

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 c. apple sauce
1 3/4c. uncooked quick-cooking oats,
1/4 c. skim milk
1/4 c. raisins
1/3 c. chocolate chips, optional (If you exclude, use 1/2 c. raisins)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl really well.  Let stand for 5-10 minutes so the oats can soak up some of the liquid. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon and heap the dough onto a Silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool.  Store in an airtight container.

Goat Cheese Chicken Wrapped in Prosciutto

Want a meal with serious flavor?  You'll need a small package of goat cheese (herbed or plain), a package of prosciutto and four chicken breasts.

Add a few drops of olive oil to the goat cheese and microwave for about twenty seconds to soften it up.  If you're using plain goat cheese add a few sprinkles of your favorite herbs... oregano, herbes de provence (my preference), or just some pepper.  Don't add any salt as the prosciutto will be plenty salty.

Using a sharp knife, cut a slit and make a deep pocket in the middle of the chicken.  Divide the goat cheese evenly between the four chicken breasts and stuff inside the chicken.

You can also spread some on top of the chicken. Then a few dashes of freshly ground pepper.

Wrap each breast with 1-2 pieces of prosciutto making sure the ends are on the bottom side of chicken.  Place prepared breasts in greased baking dish and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes.  Bake time may be longer depending on thickness and sizes of chicken breasts.

Serve with some asparagus or broccoli and an easy side of noodles or rice.  This chicken has a great flavor and our kids loved it too!