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My bread dough is in the fridge, waiting for me to figure out what's for dinner!

Thanks for stopping by~
Amy
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Library Trip!

After school yesterday - we went to check out a few books!  The only thing on Owen's mind is a "choo-choo book" - thankfully the librarian came to put one away as we were searching for Thomas.  Emmalie and Sophia each look for the books with interesting covers, today there were a few sparkles on the pages.  :)  And Ella is free to roam the chapter books in search of something that will hold her attention - she devours books!

After they have made their selections, we all went trooping upstairs - there's a few seating areas, and they mostly looked through their books while I took a few minutes to look around.  I rarely have the chance, as I'm usually chasing Owen, or making sure the girls use their quiet voices (like, none!).

I found this treasure!  Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day I've been wanting to read this book for a while, but have not taken the time or $$ to do so.  I have read a couple of chapters so far, and I'm excited to bake really good bread!  I'll let you know how it goes :)  Do you like to bake bread?

I'm always tempted to eat too much of anything that I bake, so I try to avoid it for the most part. We'll see how that goes!
Amy

PS - How is it that we are already a week into MAY!?  too fast!
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Almost Here & a Recipe for You

Hi there!  Today is the day - my girls are so excited to see Grandma & Grandpa.  I've done just about all the scrubbing and vacuuming that is going to happen!  We woke up to snow falling yesterday, and so I put the girls to work.  Ella and Emmalie are easily motivated with a quarter, and each happily earned a dollar for the extra chores.

Thankfully it stopped snowing and they went out to play for the afternoon.  I've gotten stir crazy with them inside ALL the time!  I think spring is worse than winter around here - snow is easy to play in, but not mud.  uck!

While the girls played outside and Owen napped, I scrubbed the kitchen and made banana bread.  Our snack supply has been low, and the bananas were turning, perfect solution!

I thought I would repost the recipe, it's yummy, quick and easy.  

Banana Nut Bread
2 1/2 C flour
1 C sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TB vegetable oil
3/4 C milk
1 C mashed bananas (2-3 medium)
1 egg
1 C finely chopped nuts

Heat your oven to 350 and grease 1 large or 2 small loaf pans.
Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl; beat on medium until just combined.
Pour into pans and bake 55-65 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Let me know if you try it.  You won't be disappointed :)
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I want to thank We All Sew for featuring my 1/4" seams tutorial this week.  I hope more quilters are inspired to keep stitching :)

Many blessings ~
Amy
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Giveaway Winner & Baking Day

Thank you all for your kind, sweet comments of congratulations on my milestone! I wish I had more to give :) Your comments made me smile, laugh and a few brought tears to my eyes - thank you for sharing and making this community so beautiful to be a part of.

There were a total of 355 comments and 401 entries! RNG selected #57 which corresponds to Katie B who said --

I'm really loving her All Stars flannel bundle. Wouldn't that make a great quilt for a little boy!?

Thanks for the giveaway! I always look forward to reading your posts.

Thanks for reading Katie! You should have an email from me - please get your address to me and the fq bundle will be on it's way to you!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yesterday we baked!

My girls love to help! I just have to give them the right tasks :) I told these two they could not eat the kisses, but if they fell on the floor they could eat them. Next thing I know there's 3 kisses on the floor! Little smarties :)

This is the production team - Chelsee is home from school and came to help out (thank goodness!) We baked 4 cookies and 2 candies - and we were done by 4:30 in the afternoon. I did my best not to over do it this year!

I have a list of a few of these recipes from last year here.

Emmalie wrapped herself up as a present after school today - such a cutie! She loves to dress in all the same color when she can, she switches outfits around until she has the colors all the same - it works for her!

I need a nap! Today is another busy Monday, no new snow yet, but I think it's on the way.

Blessings & hugs ~
Amy

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Family Dinner Swap

Let's swap recipes! I need some serious help getting creative in the kitchen. I even checked out a pile of cookbooks recently and hardly looked through them - it's hard to know if they will turn out good, or if my family will eat it! That's why I love this community - you all are willing to share what you know :)

I've mentioned Alfredo here a few times - it's a family favorite. One recipe that I know everyone will eat, and usually can stretch for two dinners! If not dinner, I at least have good lunch for a few days :) It's a little involved, and dirties at least 3 pans - but worth it!

Alfredo with Broccoli & Chicken

2-3 broccoli crowns, just the florets
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup parmesan cheese - I use the best quality possible, it makes a difference.
1/3 Cup ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 lb of pasta - fetticcine is traditional, I like to use mini-penne so I don't have to cut it on the kids' plates.
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks

To make the most of my time I have worked out my little system --

First - wash and cut the broccoli and get it steaming over medium heat.

Second - get water boiling for pasta (most pasta takes twice as long to cook here at altitude)

Third - cook the chicken in olive oil - be sure to season well - salt & pepper/garlic, or whatever you like.

Fourth - once the chicken is cooked through I transfer it to a large casserole dish with a lid and put it in the oven on warm. As other bits finish I add it to the dish! That way it doesn't have to finish at the same time - that stresses me out.

Fifth - Start the sauce! Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook it for a quick minute while stirring. Gradually add milk, whisking to blend. Cook for about 15 minutes or until it starts to thicken - you need to stir/whisk constantly. Next stir in your cheeses, salt and pepper, and cook until the cheeses melt. Taste, and remember it's going over pasta, I usually add a touch more salt.

Usually while the sauce is cooking the broccoli and pasta finish, and I have added them to the dish in the oven. When the sauce has finished I pour it over the top and stir to combine! I love this dinner with a salad, but love that I already have veggies in the mix for my kiddos.

I don't have a picture of it - but it's good! Trust me :) I typically use 2% milk, because that's what we buy, but it could be made less fat with skim milk and ricotta - if you like. That and switching the pasta to whole wheat would be healthier - I haven't been able to get my family to switch.

I hope you try it and enjoy it! Let me know what you think. I made a pdf too - click here to print out my Alfredo recipe.

Now I'm curious to see what you have to inspire me in the kitchen! Add your link to your favorite family dinner recipe and enjoy checking out everyone's favorites too!
Family Dinner Swap Participants

1. Rene' 2. Lois 3. Erin @ Why Not Sew 4. Candied Fabrics 5. Jeanne 6. 2hippos 7. Iowa Expat (lasagna!) 8. ktquilts 9. Audrie (Blue Is Bleu) 10. beth 11. The Calico Cat with a delish chicken recipe 12. Andy (Creamy Rosemary Penne w/ Chicken) 13. Emily 14. Valerie (Stir-fry) 15. Sue 16. Sarah (Come and See the Seitz) 17. tigglegiggles.com

18. Kathy at Cottage Garden Quilts 19. Kandra 20. Erin at Farm and Wuzzies (Buttermilk Chicken) 21. staci (dump chicken) 22. Jenn- Simple Things (pizza!) 23. Mary - Quilting in the Sunshine State 24. Shona B 25. Carin 26. Lara @ Sew Many Stitches Later 27. Nikki :) 28. Dena (grilled lemon chicken & chocolate cake) 29. Natalia- Taco Soup 30. Mam 31. Sandy at Moonlight Serenade 32. Holly 33. Serena-Cabbage Carrot Soup 34. kristina-parmesan orzo

Powered by... Mister Linky's Magical Widgets.

Thanks for sharing everyone! I'll let you know what I'm making for dinner later :)
Amy
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Homemade Tomato Sauce

After Joe and I married, we both decided we didn't like our moms spaghetti sauce very much. One used a jar of sauce and added fresh bits, and Italian sausage, and the other used canned tomatoes with browned hamburger. Neither was bad, but we figured that their must be better! This sent us on a journey of trying and tweaking many recipes.

Ingredients
1 head of garlic
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 large onions
3-4 T dried basil (1 bunch of fresh, chopped)
1 T dried oregano
1 T salt (to taste)
1/2 T black pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp chili pepper flakes - this will add more heat as it simmers
1 tsp fennel seeds - crushed
2 T balsamic vinegar
10# can stewed tomatoes (if using fresh, blanch, peel, core and de-seed)

1. Roast garlic in oven at 350 for 1 hour.
   
2. Warm olive oil in large dutch oven, over medium/low heat. Finely chop onion, add to oil. Slowly saute and caramelize. Be patient here for a mellow sweet flavor :)
3. Peel and chop/smash garlic. It is a gooey mess after roasting.
4. When onions are translucent and slightly brown, add garlic through balsamic vinegar. Cook the vinegar into all the vegetables for 1 minute. (If using fresh herbs wait to add after tomatoes)
   
5. Add tomatoes and cover.
   
6. Stir occasionally while cooking over low heat. I like to keep the lid slightly ajar to allow the sauce to thicken.
   

If your sauce happens to be too thick add chicken/vegetable stock 1 cup at a time to reach desired consistency. This sauce can be canned or frozen in portions as needed. We love to simmer Italian sausage (after boiling) in it the day it will be eaten - the longer it stews the more tender the sausage becomes (the acid levels in the sauce - break it down). This sauce is also amazing in lasagna or on pizza!

Let me know if you make it and what you think~
Amy

I also whipped up a pdf of this post so you can easily print the recipe for later! Enjoy
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SewConnected - August & A Little More

I know - it's already September, I was slow to take the time to figure out paper piecing. I've read a few tutorials, but until I sit down to do something for the first time - it is still an unknown. In the end I had a lot of fun making these for Amy -

• Over last weekend I took the time to make tomato sauce for the winter. It was an experiment. I love to make my thick and hearty sauce, but usually use canned tomatoes from the store. So I bought up 30 fresh, locally grown tomatoes at the farmer's market - after all the simmering I was left with 2.5 quarts! I was/am a little disappointed :( It's not cost effective, I can purchase a 10# can at Costco for less than $3 - and it renders enough sauce for a months worth of dinners. The fresh tomato sauce tastes so good - but I can't tell the difference. What would you do? Anyone care for a recipe?

• My sister is on her way to visit over the long weekend :) It's been almost two years since her last visit - I'm looking forward to our weekend together!

• I've been a bit quiet here this week as we have started school, and working out new routines. Ella is in 4th grade - I cannot believe it! Time seems to keep flying by. Emmalie will start Kindergarten next week after all the assessments have been done and teachers assigned - watch for more tears then. The first day of the school year always makes me misty eyed - all the hope and promise of a new school year. Learning, growing, becoming more independent - of course this is what I want for them - I am brimming with pride.

• My DQS7 quilt is near completion - I'm hoping to share it tomorrow for Sew-N-Tell :)

Many Blessings ~
Amy

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