Links

So finding recipes is something I love to do. Even though I may have a bazillion cookbooks, there is something to be said to see a picture of the food that you want to make. So this link... www.tastespotting.com is one of my go to pages. I put what I want to make in the search and all these pics come up of wonderful things that other people have made. The greatest thing is that it is from people with blogs themselves.
My other link love is Ravelry, I might have already shared this. This is the greatest website to search for knitting and crochet patterns. You can search by yarn, by pattern, by word.
I love it! And there are tons of patterns for free on there!
You can even search for a yarn shop near by and if they are liked by other knitters.
ok. link love.

Hat for Titus

Since we have had snow and freezing temps for the past week, I knitted Noah a hat with ear flaps.It turned out so cute that I couldn't resist making one for my only and favorite nephew, Titus.
Noah took it out for a test run...

Tags

So the holidays and crafting go hand in hand for me.
I saw this idea in a magazine (I don't remember which one)
And so I thought I would try a cheaper version than buying their premade set.
I love the way they turned out. The idea is make the tag and then you can hang it on the tree as an ornament.
I love the double duty! It would be a great craft for kids because they can decorate it any way they would like. One thing I wish I had done was bought a punch so I didn't have to hand cut every window out.
I did purchase the adhesive backed craft paper and that was a huge time saver!
Yay for personalized Christmas!

Mitts

I have been knitting a lot because I want to make handmade gifts for the holidays. I finished some mittens today and I come into the living room and Dave has Noah dressed like this:
I laughed so hard and had to take a picture of all the crazy.
The great part about these mittens are they are thrummed mittens and are fuzzy on the inside from knitting roving into it. I knitted these to try out the pattern I will be making a red pair and a pink pair for my lovely nieces in Idaho where it actually gets cold.
While on the subject, I also knit some endpaper mittens and I love them. They were a lot of fun to knit but they took a little longer than I thought.
As I finish the Christmas presents I will post them.

PIRATES BOOTY

I saw some pants in an online magazine called small. I thought they were cute so I went to the website to see how much they were, or if they sold the pattern. The pants are called Jolly Rogers and were selling here, guess how much they were asking?! 80 dollars! I could not believe my eyes. The funniest/craziest part, they were sold out. I was thinking, ummm... who buys $80 dollar pants for their baby? So I decided I was going to make Noah pants for $6 dollars. Here they are. He is almost grown out of them.

Taste of Fall

Yesterday we had to make a much needed dump run, so my Dad and JJ came to help with the truck. It was feeling very fall-ish outside so I made Potato Soup and Pumpkin Bars.
The pumpkin bars are Dave's all time favorite dessert (it is mostly the frosting)
Here are the recipes.
Potato soup

3 lbs red potatoes
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced bacon
2 Tblsp butter
4 Tblsp flour
2 brats (I like Johnsonville brats), optional
salt and pepper, extra chicken stock

Cut red potatoes with skin on and boil in 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water. 5 minutes into boiling add the brats. Take the brats out when they are cooked through. In a skillet cook bacon until almost done then add onion, carrots and celery and saute for 3 - 5 minutes. add butter, when the butter is melted add the flour and mix into the veg. When mixed in then throw the whole mixture into the pot of potatoes (make sure potatoes are cooked) and mix. Take out a 1/2 cup of potatoes and mash and then add back into the soup. This should make the soup rather thick. Cut up the cooked sausage and add to soup. Cook on med-low until all veggies are cooked, add salt and pepper and more chicken stock to your taste and consistency.
Top with cheese and green onions if you like.

Dave's Favorite Pumpkin Bars with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

For pumpkin bars:

3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
15 oz (1 can or a scant 2 cups of home cooked) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using an electric mixer, mix eggs, sugars, oil, applesauce, and pumpkin until smooth and well-blended. In another bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture in several batches, mixing by hand after each batch. Lightly spray with cooking spray an 11″x15″ jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with sides and pour batter into it. Bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool well before frosting.

For frosting:

1/4 cup salted butter
1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, stirring and checking frequently, until it turns a medium brown color and gives off a caramel odor. Allow to cool for at least half an hour before proceeding.

Using an electric mixer, combine cream cheese and butter until uniform in color and texture. Add powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, until completely combined. Use to frost pumpkin bars, reserving any excess.

YUUUUUUUUUUUM!

I haven't tried these yet, but had to post about them. Potato chips in the microwave.
ummmm... sign me up! I love potato chips!
Click HERE for the link. And let me know if you have made them. I am going to try it tonight!