Hand Knit Pumpkin Hat

Finished a second pumpkin hat today.  This one should fit my 8 month old grandson, as the first one I made was too small.  The free pattern is on www.simplejill.com.  Very easy and quick to make.  I want to make a bunch of them, but I'm already moving on to another pattern.  LOL

Beautiful Knitted Newborn Dress

Now that I've given this dress to the mommy-to-be I can post about it.  I didn't want to risk ruining the surprise.  Her baby shower was yesterday and I'm proud to say that this dress was a big hit with everyone.  

This is from a paid pattern on Ravelry called Bloom.  The yarn I used is the color Real Red by Caron Simply Soft Light.  This particular pattern covers sizes newborn through size 8, just by changing yarn and needle sizes.  For this one I used fingering yarn with sizes 2 and 3 needles.

I'm hypercritical of my work and can see all the errors I made, but I'm still very happy with how it turned out.  

You can find the pattern here:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bloom-9

Managing Finances

My family is doing okay financially in one aspect, but we are also doing poorly in other aspects.

Managing our personal finances falls on my shoulders in our family, and it is my biggest dread and induces so much anxiety in me that I find I put it off until I can't put it off anymore.  I want to take that fear away and make it a manageable process.  I have many things pinned on Pinterest that say they will help me so I'm going to be exploring them to see what makes it all click for me.  I'll share what works for me in later blog posts.

If you have always struggled in this area but are able to manage it better, please share with me what worked for you.  This is not something that has ever come naturally to me and I really don't care for the sentiment I've heard from others that I need to just do it.  That doesn't help me, or anyone, to hear that.  Please leave it in the comments below.  Thanks!

National Black Dog Day

I just discovered that today is National Black Dog Day!  So I decided to share a pic of our beautiful black dog.  This girl is Izzy, a Newfoundland.  She's a total sweetheart with no idea how huge she is.

Do you have any black dogs?  I'd love to see them.  Please feel free to share the pics in the comments.

Counting Backwards To Relaxation

I'm prone to migraines and sometimes the only thing that really helps me to combat them is to lay down, put an ice pack directly on the spot that seems to be hurting the most, and tuning every thing out and make myself relax.  I'm lucky that my kids are older and have no problems keeping themselves entertained quietly with their iPods.  My husband is great about it, too, and encourages me to stop trying to work through the pain and to lay down and relax to help it pass.  

I'd like to say that just relaxing will get rid of my migraines, but nothing really touches them except for prescription meds, which sometimes comes with side effects that makes me wish I hadn't bothered taking them.  The same pill will affect me differently each time, so I have idea if it will bother me or not.  I take them when I need to and hope for the best.

Counting backwards is a way I've found that I can force myself to relax.  I'm very scatterbrained and my mind goes in every direction constantly, and forcing myself to count backwards takes real, concentrated effort for me.  It actually sounds like it's not relaxing if it takes so much effort, but it really is.  It takes me a while to actually count from 99 to 0, but usually by the time I get there, I'm feeling better.  

I woke up with a migraine today and tried to take care of it more conventionally with OTC meds, an ice pack, heating pad, and eating something good and filling.  Nothing was working and I was even getting an upset stomach, possibly from stressing about it, so I decided to take the stronger meds, lay back in the recliner with the ice pack on my forehead, and the heating pad on my belly.  Once I got comfortable, I started counting to myself in my mind and this is some of what it's like for me:

99

98

97

96

95, this ice pack isn't as cold as it could be.  I didn't have it in the freezer long between uses.  I have that extra rice in the cupboard, I should make several of these so I can switch them out and always have a cold one.  I like this shape, like a horseshoe, and it will be easy to copy to make more. STOP.

94

93

92

91

90

89

88

87

86, 1986.  Our 30 year high school reunion is this year and I don't think there have been any concrete plans made for it yet.  I haven't been to a reunion since our 10th and had really wanted to go for our 25th but didn't then wished I had after seeing all the pics that were posted.  I want to make sure some of my old friends will be there so I need to make sure they... STOP.

85

84

83

82, I need to change the cat litter today.  And what was Widebutt wanting earlier? She usually only bites my ankles and tries to trip me when their food is empty, but it was fine.  Maybe she wants her litter changed, too.  STOP.

81

80

79

78

77

76

75, I would love to start hosting a monthly if family dinner and have all the kids and grandkids come out once a month to eat and visit.  Everyone is so busy, I don't know I'd they'd even be interested, then I'll be so disappointed if none of them want to come out, and what if I wake up with a killer migraine on the day we are supposed to do it, I'd still want to do it but I'd also be miserable.  STOP

74

And on and on like this until I finally get to zero.  It takes a lot of effort for me to not let my mind wander and worry about things that don't even need worrying about.

Do you have any tips or tricks you use to help you relax?  Please share them in the comments below.  I'd love to try out some new ideas.

I like to have pics in my posts but nobody would want to see me kicked back in my recliner with an ice pack and heating pad!  So, here is a stock image of a 99 to 0 chart to keep you entertained. 😉

Also, I'm usually very good with my grammar, but look at the first paragraph and tell me if lay is the right word.  I'm thinking maybe it should be lie, but the more I say them the dumber they both sound.  Grammar nazis, help me out!

Great New Super Easy Bread Recipe

I love homemade bread and I've always enjoyed making it.  I recently discovered this recipe on another blog and I've made it twice now and we've loved it both times.  The first time I made it I substituted vegetable oil for the coconut oil and the second time I made no substitutions.  Both batches were equally delicious.  

All the mixing and kneading for this bread is taken care of by the stand mixer.  Saves lots of strain on the wrists and hands.

Other than the mixing, several things concerning this recipe is different from any other bread recipe I've used.  First is the addition of two eggs in the dough, and another rising in a slightly warm oven.  I've always had lousy luck getting bread to rise in a timely manner, but this way really works!

Click here to go to their blog to get the recipe.  http://www.humoroushomemaking.com/yeast-bread-4-kitchen-aid-mixer-bread. You won't be disappointed.  Leave me a comment and let me know how it turns out for you.

March's Pin A Day Challenge

Since we are still deep in the throws of Winter here in West Virginia I've decided to embrace the fact that I'll be snowed in fairly often and have decided to challenge myself to tackle one pin per day from my boards on Pinterest.  Since I'm also wanting to get back in the routine of posting on this blog more often, it seemed like a great challenge to share.  

There is a link on the right, in my bio, to my Pinterest page, but here is the link to the actual board I made just for this challenge.  https://www.pinterest.com/maxwellmama/february-pin-a-day-challenge/

I started out by looking on my calendar to see which days I'd have more time to work on projects than others.  On days I'm going to be short on time, I selected easier pins, and the days I'll have more time, I chose the more labor intensive ones.  I also selected pins from the boards I already have and just repinned them to a new board and added the date I plan to tackle it on each description.

Please comment below if you might try to work on some of your pins in March.  

I'm hoping to have many Pinterest wins but I'll post even if it's a fail.

Breaking the Facebook addiction

I've finally had to admit to myself that I have an addiction to Facebook.  I noticed that I was spending countless hours everyday on there and getting nothing meaningful done.  Anything that could be procrastinated, was.  Everything from laundry, dishes, hygiene, and so much more.  And not only that, but I was getting myself too worked up and engrossed in drama on there that didn't involve me.  

I finally overstepped common courtesy and posted an offensive meme on a post that had nothing to do with me and caused a lot of hurt feelings that I don't know if I can ever fully repair.

I removed the Facebook app on all my handheld devices and am only letting myself sign onto it from the desktop or laptop, both of which I don't really care to use.  I considered deactivating my account altogether, and I still might in the future, but I do use Facebook messenger as a main source of contact with several people, so I wanted to maintain access to it.  

It's been just 24 hours since I removed it from this iPad and it's amazing how often I was inclined to tap the icon to open it.  I almost gave myself permission to bring it up in the web browser, but I held out and didn't do it.  I kept myself busy working on neglected projects so that helped.  

I'm not kidding when I say I feel this is a real addiction and a real problem for me.  I'm going to make myself a list of some of the projects I want to work on so that I'll have something to occupy my time whenever boredom strikes and I find myself wanting to log on.  I do have this blog set up with a Facebook page, so I plan to let myself sign onto Facebook once a week to see if anyone has tagged me in anything, and I'll do the blog posts on its page at that time.

There is nothing wrong with Facebook and other forms of social media, but it works best when used in moderation.  Please leave a comment with your experience with using social media.  Are you able to self moderate or do you find you have to force a time out from it?  I'd love to hear how others deal with this.

Breaking Out Of My Blogging Rut

There have been almost no posts in this blog for nearly a year.  I have no real excuse.  I just fizzled out. There have been enough things happening in my life and in my family's lives that I could be posting several times a day.  

I just looked at my drafts folder and it's overloaded.  No actual posts, just titles for posts, and they all would make great ones, just don't know that I am in the mood to revisit them.  Some I can't anyway as they would really need extensive pictures which I had, but that camera has been lost along with all the pics on the memory card.

I vow to return to posting more often and I'll still be doing pretty much the same content as before.  Recipes, crafts, etc.  Looking forward to hearing from my followers, and I hope I haven't lost everyone through my neglect.

Since posts with pics seem to catch the most attention, here's the cookies I learned how to decorate at a class I attended with my friend.  It was so much fun.  I've since ordered the icing bags and as soon as I get them I'll post the directions on here in another post.

Working On My Fitness Goals

It seems like I'm always wanting to get in better shape but I seriously lack in the follow through department.  I joined a gym in October that we could all go to and it was open all hours so there was no reason that we couldn't go.  But, still, in the five months that I paid the monthly dues, we only went one time, and that was only me and my middle son.  Sigh.  So I cancelled it and vowed to do free workouts that I could find on Youtube.

I discovered Bikini Body Mommy and decided that I wanted to give her approach a try.  I've only done the first two days, so far, but let me say that I am loving it!  It's easy but challenging at the same time.  She has a few versions on there, and I am starting with 3.0.  You really need to start on Day 1 and then do them in order.  The workouts are not very long but are intense so you will feel it, trust me.

I am in no way being paid to endorse Bikini Body Mommy (BBM), but I have to sing her praises.  She does it right along with you and that is what helps me feel that I can do it, too.

A few people that I met on a BBM Facebook page decided to start during the same week so we made a new page to encourage each other.  Let me know if you'd be interested in starting this fitness program and I'll become one of your cheerleaders!

Because I was wanting to really commit myself to her entire program, I decided to purchase her meal plan. 

I also took a set of before pics, not in a bikini though, as I wouldn't wear one even if I did lose a lot of weight and get in shape.  I'll not post them now, but will at the end of the 90 days.  And actually, I know it will take me more than 90 days as I have a week long vacation scheduled and a wedding that I'll be in.  So it might be more like 100 days. 

Mystery Seed Swap

Last month I signed up to join a mystery seed swap.  The rules were fairly simple:  mail seeds to them and they will mail seeds back to you.  I sent a variety of seeds, both saved and retail.  I clearly labeled each variety with what it was, if it was saved or retail, and directions for proper growth, along with days until harvest, and any other information that was relevant.  I also added $4.50 for return postage.  They asked for a minimum of 10 packets to be sent of a variety of seeds, and for each packet to contain at least 15 seeds or 30 seeds for a plant like corn.  I sent in around 30 packets of about 10 different varieties.

Here is what I received in the exchange:

Pumpkin - Big Max, Cinderella, and Jarrahdale
Squash - Hubbard
Chinese Cabbage - Pak Choi White Stem
Brussels Sprouts - Long Island Improved
Beet - Golden Detroit, and Detroit Dark Red
Parsnip - Hollow Crown, and All American
Carrot - Royal Chantenay
Pepper Chile - Ancho/Poblano
Long Pod Okra
Gourd - Luffa Sponge
Beans - Cherokee Trail of Tears, Rattlesnake, Red Chili, and Frank Barnett Cut Short
Tomato - Taxi, Alaskan Fancy, Red Robin, Cherokee Chocolate, Jersey Giant, Beefsteak, Cherokee  Purple, and Amish Paste
Flowers - Delphinium, Candytuft, Zinnia Giants of California, Datura Blue, Pink Manners Obedient, Yellow Cup Tall Native, Pink Tall Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate, and two Lily Grass.

I was very excited to see the Jersey Giant tomato seeds in this package.  I just tried to order them from Baker Creek and was told they had a failed crop of them last year so they had no seeds to offer.

Can't wait to get these started in the greenhouse I hope to get built in the next month or two.  I need to look up some of these plants as not all of them came with planting instructions.  Going to have a fun gardening season this year.  Once I get my seeds in that I ordered from Baker Creek, I'll go over all I have and make a post about ones I'll be happy to trade and what I'd like to trade for.  Maybe just postage, and I'm not sure I will need anything else.

Pumpkin Spice Banana Cake

We got snowed in today and it inspired me to do some baking.  I made bread to begin with and then decided to make a cake to use up some bananas that were getting pretty ripe.  It's extremely easy, and so delicious!

PUMPKIN SPICE BANANA CAKE
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
1 box yellow cake mix
1 (4 serving size) box of pumpkin spice flavored instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray a bundt pan with oil and set aside.

Connect your stand mixer with the whisk attachment and in the bowl add the peeled bananas that have been broken into chunks.  Whisk for a few seconds to roughly mash.

Into the mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk on low for 2 minutes.

Pour into the prepared bundt pan and place in oven and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a plate and allow to finish cooling.  Eat as is or decorate it with frosting in any way you desire.

Personal Goals for 2015

It's been a few weeks since I posted on here, I think I hit a creativity wall and just didn't even try to climb over it. One of my goals for the coming year is to post with more of a structure and I've written down some ideas and will start implementing them in January. I'm not going to get super specific in my goals, as I tend to focus more on making a detailed list rather than actually doing the things I was wanting to do. I will separate into a few categories to help me focus.

FAMILY
I hope to do more things as a family this year. Our two youngest kids are 14 and 16 and we haven't been on a vacation in years. I was initially thinking of an Orlando vacation, and we still might, but our appliances seem to be dying by the day, so I'm worried about not having a safety net for when the next one goes out. If we do go, we'll use our tax refund to pay for it all, as we don't do that great with saving for an event, so it will be to go when we have it. My husband races mototrials bikes and I hope to do more family time going to watch him race.

BLOG
My goal for my blog will be to post three times a week. I have a lot more recipes I want to feature, but also want to post more on my creative pursuits, activities, organization, and whatever seems to be happening in my life in a given week. I also hope to start hosting giveaways, so I need to get in contact with the people and companies that I love and would like to feature.

READING

I'm a member of several reading groups, both in real life and online. I plan on reading each of the books assigned each month and participating in the group events. I might also do a book club on my blog, now that I think of it. It could be for the other books I want to read that are in addition to the ones assigned. With just the groups I'm already active in, that will have me reading about 4 books each month, depending on how quickly I read it. If it's a great book I can zoom through it, but if it's not, I really struggle making myself finish it. I have heard of a guideline to use when reading a book you don't really care for is to allow yourself to read 100 pages minus your age. If you still don't like it, then quit and don't waste any more time on it. Since I'm 46, I would need to read 54 pages before giving up on it.

FRIENDS
Sadly, the majority of my friends are online. I rarely see any people on a social level in real life. My goals in this area are to make friends in the groups I go to at the library and try to get together with some of the ladies outside of the library. Also, I'm going to do an event each month and invite friends to join us. In January, I've already scheduled a bowling event and invited some of our friends, which are mostly people my husband works with, and several are planning to join us. I think I'll schedule a roller skating even for February, and not sure after that. It will have to be local (which isn't a lot) and fairly cheap as most of us have several kids and not the highest of incomes.

CLUBS/GROUPS
I plan on staying active with my reading groups, knitting group, as well as joining a local genealogical group to help trace my husband's lineage. I also am considering taking a Master Gardener's class this year, so I will have that group, if I do. My husband is joining a local homebrewer's club and I'll probably join it with him, even though I don't like the taste of beer, I do enjoy trying new things. I'll make sure the kids continue with their Teens! group a the library and my daughter wants to rejoin her old dance studio, so I'll make sure she gets to all those activities.  And our community plans some activities and want to get more involved with those, too.

HEALTH
Sadly, my health insurance cost went up nearly 50%. I'm going to keep it for as long as we can afford it, but just in case we can't, I'm going to go ahead and get every test done that I can now. I already have a sleep study scheduled for February. I got a fitness bracelet for Christmas but I can't get it to sync up with my laptop, so I need to either buy an ipod touch or help my husband replace the battery in his and use it. My son and I want to use our gym membership a lot more. A realistic goal for us will be to go once a week. Once we can stick to that, up it to twice a week. I think we need a fitness goal to work towards. Not so much a weight loss goal, but an activity goal, like a 5K. I'll look up ones that are in the area and get some on the calendar.

GARDENING
Our garden did pretty well last year even though it was very neglected after planting. This year I'll use the same garden spot and will add good dirt and fertilizer. I found an easy, economical greenhouse plan and my husband says he'll help me build it, so some the seeds we've ordered this year will be able to go into the garden as plants rather than seeds. If the greenhouse is as easy as it appears, we could make more and sell them. I might also be able to sell some of the plants we'll be growing, too. We've decided to do more planting in various places throughout the yard. The vining plants like pumpkin, squash and melons, will be planted above the bank in the back yard and will be free to spread out down the hill. A flower bed that was built several years ago and never used will be for the superhot peppers that I got seeds for by sending a SASE to a person in a group on FB. I also want to use my unused clothesline posts by adding some sort of mesh or net and then plant things that will climb up, like cucumbers and noodle beans. I also would like to plant a variety of berry bushes, but not sure where they might go yet, and maybe a few more fruit trees.

HOME
I'm planning on doing a lot of organizing and decluttering this year. I filled out my planner for daily decluttering missions, so it's just a little each day which will add up to quite a bit by the end of the year. I have three rooms that we want to redo. Our bedroom needs the carpet ripped out and either tile or wood floors put in, and probably paint the walls, and rearrange the furniture. My daughter's bedroom needs a major decluttering (she's a hoarder, pretty much), the carpet ripped out and replaced with tile, walls repaired and painted and just an overall teenager update. The one that will take more effort, and more money, is our bathroom. We want to remove the shower stall and garden tub and replace with a larger walk in shower and storage closet. We also want to remove the double sink and either find or build a buffet stand for the sinks. We already own the sinks and their faucets, so we need to buy the shower stall and do a heck of a lot of work on our part. I also want to install ceiling fans in every room, and my husband works with someone that will be able to do it for us. I also need to repair/replace many of the window screens so we can use the fans this summer without inviting all of nature in to join us. I'm going to research the price of a pool, on the small side, and see what it typically costs to run each summer.

CREATIVITY
I plan on doing more knitting this year, as well as trying new techniques. I've made several items as gifts but I want to make more things for me, too. I would love to try making a hoodie/sweater. I've been working on a sea monster painting and I want to finish it and then work on the Sasquatch one and another one. These paintings are where I'm adding these monsters to large landscape paintings I buy at yard sales. I'm trying to not do any other creative pursuits except for the painting and the knitting, otherwise I just flutter from one to another and nothing really gets accomplished.

BUDGET
This is an area that needs some serious attention. We tend to live paycheck to paycheck, and I am also overdrawn at the bank more than I care to be. I plan on doing more menu planning, and freezer cooking (as well as buying a big freezer), so the food budget should be more manageable. I need to write out each of our paydays, each of our set monthly bills, and write out other possible expenses. And more than anything, set up some sort of savings as we have nothing except cash on hand now. We have very few bills other than the basic utilities. We no longer have any cable TV service, but we do pay for Netflix and Hulu each month, no credit cards, no loans except for the mortgage. There is no reason that we can't survive and thrive on what my husband makes, so I need to really focus on being a better money manager. I'm not sure that coupons would help, but I'm going to look into them a little more, too.

Here's hoping for a prosperous 2015. Do you have any goals that you are working on this year? Please share them in the comments, as I'd love to hear about them.

Pumpkin and Peanut Butter Dog Treats

Our pets are our babies.  They are four legged ,furry members of our family.  They just adore it when we make treats for them, of course, they adore any sort of treat regardless of where it comes from.  I like making treats for them as that way I know what they are getting.  Some of the mass producing treats seem to be not much better than bone shaped cardboard.

I signed up to join in this peanut butter challenge and they way it works is that you have to come up with a recipe using peanut butter and another ingredient voted on each month.  This month the extra  ingredient to be used is pumpkin.  Also, it is supposed to be a dessert but I've been playing with this recipe for a little while and since it's a treat for our dogs, I consider it their dessert.

PUMPKIN AND PEANUT BUTTER DOG TREATS (Printable Recipe)

1 quart home canned pumpkin chunks (or a 15 oz. can pumpkin puree, not pie filling)
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 cup oats
3-4 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the pumpkin, eggs and peanut butter.

Add the oats and flour until a dough forms.

  It will be sticky but you want it to be fairly firm.

On a floured surface, roll out the dough to around 1/4" thick.  You will need to keep your hands and rolling pin well floured.  Use cookie cutters or a knife to cut out the treats.

Put some parchment paper on a baking sheet and lay the treats on the paper, leaving a little space between each treat.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool before serving.

#‎peanutbutterbash‬

An InLinkz Link-up

Huckleberry Buckle Recipe

These huckleberries surprised me when they popped back up in my garden this summer.  I planted some seeds for them last year and didn't even pick them as I didn't really know what to do with them.  I learned later that they can't be eaten raw and must me cooked with added sugar.  So after I found them this year I decided to work on a recipe to use them in.  I found several that sounded good, but finally decided on combining several ideas from each and coming up with my version of a buckle.

 INGREDIENTS (Printable Recipe)

Topping
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
6 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Batter
4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 lb. huckleberries (you can use blueberries if you can't find huckleberries)


1. Heat oven to 350˚. Butter and flour a 9" springform cake pan; set aside. Make the topping by mixing all the ingredients together in a medium bowl, set topping aside.

2. For the batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder; set flour mixture aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and egg and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and milk and mix for 1 minute.

Add the huckleberries and, using a rubber spatula, fold them into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan

and sprinkle with reserved topping.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into center of the buckle comes out clean, about 1 1/2 hours.

Let cool before serving.

SERVES 8 – 10

Life Hacks Using DAWN Dish Degergent

I'm going to admit a shameful secret of mine.  There was a time in my life when I would purchase dish detergents that were not of the Dawn brand.  I know.  I know.  Shameful.  I am reformed though and I'd like to share some of the ways I utilize Dawn in ways that have nothing to do with washing dishes.

1. Pretreatment for greasy stains on our laundry.  Just a squirt over the stain, rub it in, and let it sit for a little while, then launder as usual.
2. Mixed equally with white vinegar and use as a tub and shower cleaner.  I mix these two ingredients in a spray bottle and use it by spraying onto the surfaces I want to clean.  I let it sit for about an hour, then use a rag or sponge to wipe it off.  No scrubbing required.  This is the best tub and shower cleaner I've ever found.
3. Moisturizing hand scrub.  I mix 3 parts sugar with 1 part Dawn with Olay.  I use this for when my hands are grimy after gardening and my husband uses it when he comes in the from the garage.
4. Pet flea treatment.  I started using Dawn by itself as my dogs shampoo to help get rid of fleas.  I did help but left her skin extremely dry.  I started adding some Dawn to a moisturizing pet shampoo and that worked much better.
5. Cleaning greasy kitchen cabinets.  I add the detergent to a wet sponge and use it to wipe down the cabinets in the kitchen.  They get greasy so quickly from cooking and this is the only way I have found to effectively and efficiently remove the grime.
6. Poison ivy treatment.  I got a little poison ivy on my leg this summer and even though I washed it off well it was still itching and spreading.  After two days I decided to try Dawn and it halted the poison ivy right in it's tracks.  I washed the area 3 times a day with Dawn, then covered with Ivy Dry, and did this for several days.  

What are some life hacks you've discovered for using Dawn?  Please share them in the comments below. And if you'd like to check out the Dawn Twitter party, check it out using #Dawnbeyondthesink.  And if you'd like to follow me there, click here.

Easy Breakfast Burritos

I had grand plans of making a mountain of these scrumptious breakfast burritos and freezing some for later use.  This particular cooking session didn't result in any being left to freeze.  They were so delicious we gobbled them all up.

It's a very simple recipe and you can make it vegetarian my omitting the sausage.

EASY BREAKFAST BURRITOS

Ingredients:
Whole wheat 8 inch flour tortillas
6 eggs, scrambled
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour cream

Before assembling, spend a few minutes to cook the scrambled eggs and place in a serving bowl.  Cook the sausage, drain and move to a serving bowl.  Add the cheese to a serving bowl, as well, to make for a speedy assembly process.  Leave the tortillas in the bag, open it and microwave for up to a minute.  This will soften the tortillas so they won't crack when rolled.

For each burrito, place some of the scrambled eggs down the center of the tortilla, leaving an inch or two empty on the bottom edge.  Then layer on the sausage, if using,  then the cheese.  Wrap the burrito by folding the bottom edge up over the filling slightly.  The roll tightly.

Continue until you have used up all the filling ingredients.

If the eggs and sausage are warm still, the cheese will melt from that heat, but they can also be popped in the microwave for up to a minute.  This recipe made 8 burritos.  Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side, if desired.

If you want to freeze some, wrap each burrito, after assembly, tightly with plastic wrap and store in a freezer grade zip top baggie in the freezer.  Remove when wanted and microwave for one minute, then check for doneness and heat up to another minute. 

Noodle Doodle Pudding

There is no real reason for the word doodle to be in the title of this noodle pudding, but I liked the sound of it so it stuck.

The grocery store I use most often has carts and racks set in various places throughout the store for clearance items.  I buy a lot of items at clearance prices that I might not normally purchase if it was full price.  Perhaps it's because it's a higher priced name brand or something that is not ever on my shopping list.  The noodles I'm using in this recipe I got for a steal in one of those bins.  I tried making them as just noodles in chicken broth with a little butter but we didn't really care for them.

Something made me think of a traditional Jewish dish called noodle kugel, also knows as noodle pudding.  I guess I could have called this recipe Noodle Doodle Kugel, too.  That actually has a good ring to it! 

The recipes I could find online didn't really match exactly what I was thinking of wanting this dish to be, so I used ideas from several different places and came up with this deliciousness I share with you now.

NOODLE PUDDING

Ingredients: 
1 pound medium egg noodles
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs, well beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
16 ounces sour cream
16 ounces small curd cottage cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
1 sleeve cinnamon graham crackers
 (Printable Recipe)

The noodles I had were in 12 oz. packages so I used my handy-dandy to measure out the 16 oz. needed, and put the rest in a ziptop bag for some other use later on.  I also used the scale to measure out the 1/2 pound of butter since I buy it in a one pound block.  I did the same with the cream cheese to get the 4 oz. from the 8 oz. brick.

Cooking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Apply spray oil to a 9" x 13" pan and set aside.  In a large pot bring water to a boil then add the noodles and return to a boil and cook for 7 minutes.  Drain and leave in the strainer for a few minutes.

In the now empty pot add the remaining ingredients, expect the graham crackers, and turn on the heat enough to melt.  The order I did it in was the butter and cream cheese first, then the cottage cheese and sour cream.  Then the sugar, vanilla and beaten eggs.  Stir well to combine and turn off the heat.  Add the noodles and continue stirring until they are thoroughly combined.

Pour the noodle mixture into the prepared pan.  Using your spatula move the noodles around so that they get into the corners and they look like they are spread fairly evenly.

Place the pan into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the graham crackers into crumbs.  There are several ways this can be achieved, this is the easiest way I've found to do it.  Take a sleeve of crackers and start pounding on it lightly with a rolling pin.  Don't pound too heavily or it will break open the seals on the package.  Turn the crackers to one  side, pound, turn, pound, and so on until they are nothing but crumbs.

After 30 minutes remove pan from oven and cover the top with the graham cracker crumbs.

  Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

 

Note:  This is even more delicious than I thought it might be.  This is going to be my go to dish to take to potlucks.  It's perfect just the way it is, but you could make it lighter by using fat free or reduced fat ingredients, and replace the 6 eggs with 1 1/2 cups egg whites.  Some of the recipes I looked at added raisins, and we wouldn't care for that ourselves, you could add about 1/2 cup of raisins before baking.  

No Knead Pizza Dough Using A Stand Mixer

This recipe for pizza dough is made even easier because you can do all the mixing and kneading with a stand mixer.  I have a KitchenAid brand, but others should work equally well.
This recipe will make enough dough for 3 pizzas.

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 T. of dry yeast
- 2 cup of warm water
- 4 cups of bread flour
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 T of sugar
 (Printable Recipe)

Add the warm water into the mixer bowl, sprinkle the dry yeast and sugar and mix it. Let it rest for about 5 minutes and your mixture will be foamy.

With the hook attachment on start the mixer on slow speed and add olive oil and salt, mix it for about 1 minute and start adding the flour.

Once it is all combined let your mixer do all the work kneading this dough for about 10 minutes (you might need to add a little bit more flour, not too much), this dough will be elastic and a extremely sticky.

Grease a clean bowl with olive oil and pour dough into it.

Cover your bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for about 30 minutes.

Punch down the dough and it  is ready to be shaped. Oil your pans and your hands very well to keep the dough from coating your skin and so they will come easily off the pans after baking.

TO MAKE INTO PIZZAS:

Preheat oven to 425° F.  Separate the dough onto three well greased pizza pans or baking sheets.

  You can line the pans with foil to save on dirty pans afterwards.  Using your well greased hands, spread the dough out to the thickness you desire.  The dough will thicken some as it bakes.

Bake just the dough for about 7 minutes.  Remove and add the toppings you prefer

and bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese melts and is bubbly.  Slice and enjoy.