Carleen's Crafty Kitchen

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Sloppy Joe Casserole

Coming up new easy recipes that would please a family of picky eaters are always hard. Sloppy Joes has always been a family favorite, but it gets tiresome after awhile. So I looked around for recipes to spruce it up a little and wound up combining a few recipes to come up with this new family favorite.



     Sloppy Joe Casserole
                                                                             serves 6

1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup red bell pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 box of Corn Muffin mix (8.5 oz.)
1egg
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. In a skillet brown ground beef, onion and bell pepper. Once meat is fully cooked, drain and return to the skillet. Over low heat mix the ground beef with garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, salt and pepper until the meat is well covered and sauce has thickened (about 2 or 3 minutes). Transfer the meat into a small casserole dish, preferably 8x8 dish. In a separate bowl mix together 1 box of corn muffin mix, egg, milk and cheese. Pour the corn muffin mixture over the ground beef evenly. bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the corn muffin top comes out clean.

1 (8.5 oz) box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Read more at http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2013/07/cornbread-sloppy-joe-casserole-recipe.html#HGGvSVKc1QlUAyi8.99

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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Easy Maxi Skirt Pattern

I don't know about the rest of you but I love skirts, you can just throw them on and go. Since spring is not that far away (hopefully), I went and looked in my closet only to see that it's time for new skirts. So I whipped out my sewing machine and thumbed through my fabric stash and put together a pretty skirt that's perfect for spring. Since I know I'm not the only one who loves maxi skirts and since it was so simple to put together that I thought it was perfect to share.

All you need is:
Fabric (yardage depends on waist measurements)
3/4 inch wide elastic
matching thread

To find out the amount of fabric you need, measure your waist line and double it (if you measured 35 inches double it and get 70 inches). For the the length, figure out how long you want it to hang and add 2 inches (if you want it to be 28 inches measure and cut it to 30 inches). With these measurements you will have a large rectangle.

Fold the fabric in half, width ways, with the right sides together. Before I sew the raw edges together, to prevent frying, I do what I call a rolled seam. I fold the raw edges a 1/4 inch in and then fold a second time 1/4 inch, pin, press, and stitch. This way the raw edges are tucked in and will prevent frying.

Stitch both sides together to form a side seam and press open. Pressing the seam open will help the fabric to lay flat against the body.

For the hem I follow the same procedure that I used for the rolled seam. I fold the raw edges a 1/4 inch in and then fold a second time 1/4 inch, pin, press, and stitch. (like what is shown in the first photo)

For the waistband fold over 1 and 1/4 inches, tucking the 1/4 inch under (this will help to prevent frying), pin, press and stitch closed leaving a 2 to 3 inch opening so you can thread in your elastic.

For the elastic, take the measurement where you want the skirt to sit and minus 1/2 to 1 inch (depending on how snug you want it, but remember elastic is very stretchy). To thread the elastic I take yarn, knot on the one end and stitch onto the elastic. The other end of the yarn I thread it into the eye of a tapestry needle and tie it into a knot to prevent the yarn from slipping out of the needle. Thread the elastic through the opening of the waistband of the skirt, keep threading, bunching up the fabric as you go. Make sure you don't loose the one end of the elastic into the fabric when threading, if you want you can safety pin the elastic to the opening of the waistband. Once you fully thread the elastic through, stitch the two ends of elastic together. Before you stitch the elastic, make sure it's not twisted. Stitch the opening to the waistband closed.

There you go...you now have a maxi skirt

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Homemade Ornaments

Christmas is approaching which only means it's time to whip out those boxes of decorations. One of the frustrations on doing so is finding out you don't have enough ornaments. Whether you bought a bigger tree or some of them went MIA, you are going to need some ornaments. Before you run out to buy some, consider making the ornaments and save yourself some money. These will be good Christmas activities for the kids to get involved.

Bird Feeder Ornaments

½ cup water

       3 tbsp. Corn syrup
        1 envelope of Knox
            unflavored Gelatin

¾ cup flour

3 cups of birdseed

cookie cutters

yarn or twine

   On low heat, dissolve gelatin and corn syrup
in water, until dissolved, do not boil. Remove
from the heat and whisk in flour until it
          forms a thick mixture without lumps. Add
in Birdseed and mix until fully covered by
the flour mixture. If you wish, you can
          substitute ½ cup of bird seed for a ½ cup of
          dried berries. Place cookie cutters on a cookie
   sheet that has been lined with wax paper. Fill
         each cookie cutter halfway with the bird seed
         mixture, packing tightly as you go with the
         back of a spoon or butter knife. Take a piece
   of yarn or twine, tie the ends and place it in
   the cookie cutter, in the area you think will
         look good as a hanger. Fill the cookie cutters
         the rest of the way, again packing the
         birdseed as you go. Wait for 4 hours before
         removing the ornaments from the cookie
         cutters. Wait for a total 24 hours before
   hanging. After Christmas hang the ornaments
   outside to give winter birds a little treat

Apple Cinnamon Ornaments

                          1 cup ground cinnamon
                          1 cup thick apple sauce
                               1/4 tsp. cloves
      1/4 tsp. nutmeg




preheat oven to 200*. Combine the dry
ingredients. Using your hands, mix in
        applesauce until the dough resembles a stiff
        cookie dough. Working with 1/3 of the
        dough at a time, roll the dough out to a
      thickness of about 1/3 inch. Use a 3 to 4 inch
cookie cutter to cut out your shapes. With a
        small drinking straw, make a hole to which to
        hang the ornaments when dried. Gently
        transfer the ornaments to a nonstick cookie
        sheet and bake for 3 hours. Once cooled add a
ribbon or hook and you're ready to go. These
ornaments not only look pretty on the tree
        but also make the whole house smell
        wonderful.

You can find these two crafts and others in my eBook "Having a Very Merry Christmas on a Budget" available on Kindle and Kindle apps. You can find the link to the book in the advertisement on the right of this blog. ~ Thanks

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

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Monday, November 11, 2013

Pumpkin....Canned and Puree

Halloween is over with pumpkins sitting on the porch, cheapskate as I am, something needs to be done. For over 12 years I haven't used canned pumpkin, first it was because I was cheap and then over time I noticed that my pumpkin dishes simply tasted better. They say that canned pumpkin is made from premium pumpkins, but for some reason it tastes different from homemade puree. Maybe the can leaves a certain taste? Maybe the pumpkins I use gives it a different taste? Maybe knowing it's fresh pumpkins makes me think it taste better? Well it really doesn't matter what the reason is, I'm not going to stop doing it. So I figured share my technique.

It all starts by having the right pumpkin. It's best to cook with the pumpkin type "pie pumpkin" or "sweet pumpkin". Yes I know at the pumpkin farms, the pumpkins are not wearing name tags. So you basically look for a pumpkin smaller then a jack o' lantern size pumpkin. They run somewhere around 4 to 5 pounds. Each will give you roughly 2 pies or about 3 breads. So unless you're planning to do a lot of baking at once, it's best to think about how to save the cooked pumpkin.

One method is cooking down the pumpkin to a puree and freezing it in pre-measured portions. Another method is home canning it. Pumpkin puree is to thick to be home canned in mason jars, the jars wont seal. So you would jar the pumpkin in cubes with liquid. When you go to open the jar then you go about making into a puree for your recipe. I'll cover both in this post, so hang tight and here we go.

First Step: this is the first step you take before you decide on which method you are going to use your pumpkin in.

                      Prepare your work station before anything. Have a large pot of boiling water going. On the side have a large bowl filled with ice and water. Cut the pumpkin you are using into quarters, crapping the seeds and stringy innards out. Two at a time place the pumpkin quarters into the boiling water, After about 3 minutes remove the pumpkin and place them directly into the ice water to cool off. When they're cool enough to handle, with a paring knife remove the skin and cut the pumpkin into 1" cubes.

Home canning method

After the first step, wash and sterilize pint size mason jars and lids. Cook the pumpkin cubes until fork tender yet still firm enough to hold it's shape, about 3 to 5 minutes, you don't want them mushy. Fill each jar with the pumpkin cubes leaving an 1 inch head space. To each jar add 1 tbsp. maple syrup , 1/4 tsp of salt and enough hot water to cover yet leaving you an 1/4 inch head space. Wipe down rims with a lint free rag dipped in vinegar, close with two piece lids. Process in your pressure canner according to the manufacture instructions for 50 minutes. Depending on the size of the pumpkin depends on how many jars you will need, figure either 4 or 5 jars. When you are ready to use the pumpkin as a puree, you drain the liquid from the jar, saving about 1/4 cup from every jar you're using. Place pumpkin cubes and reserved liquid in a sauce pot with a sliver of butter and follow the cooking instructions in the "To Make Puree" method

To Make Puree

After the first step add pumpkin, 3/4 cup of water, 2 tbsp. maple syrup and 2 tsp. of butter to a large pot. Bring the water up to a small boil, turn down the heat to very low and cover. Simmer on low for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow pumpkin to cool for about 5 minutes. Transfer the pumpkin and what is left of the water to a blender and process on high until the pumpkin resembles what looks like baby food. Transfer back to the pot and on a very low simmer, cook until thickened, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. To save you can simply freeze in measured portions.

Hopefully you will find all your pumpkin dishes just as tasty with the homemade puree.

In my eBook "Having a Vary Merry Christmas on a Budget" you can find a great recipe for pumpkin pie. The book is available on Kindle and Kindle apps

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Christmas Countdown Star

During Christmas time it is very easy to forget and overlook the real reason why we celebrate the holiday. We need to bring this into our children lives with the understanding that Jesus is the reason for Christmas. We all need to remember that Christmas is not all about Santa and gifts. I did this craft as a child and brought this into my own home, now it is time to bring into yours.

You're going to need:
             Yellow, green and red
             construction paper
              Glue or tape

Make an 8 inch star from yellow construction paper. With the green and red construction make paper chain of 24 links. You attach the chain to the star. Write the following prayer on the star;


   "Thank you, dear Jesus,
           for coming down from heaven to save us.
                              Thank you for Christmas time.
                   Help us to get ready for your coming this year.

Amen"

OR

" Let us all with gladsome voice
                                     praise the God of heaven,
                                  Who, to bid our hearts rejoice,
                                      His own son Hath given.
                                                   Amen"

Each Night have you're child take off a link and say the prayer. With the last link it will be Christmas eve. This is perfect way to get your children to say their prayers while having fun counting down the days to Christmas

You can find these two crafts and others in my eBook "Having a Very Merry Christmas on a Budget" available on Kindle and Kindle apps. You can find the link to the book in the advertisement on the right of this blog. ~ Thanks

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

Follow Carleen's Crafty Kitchen on Pinterest

Tabletop Christmas tree

Christmas time is approaching fast, so I started a list on things I needed to decorate with, when I realized I needed a centerpiece. As a cheapskate, I needed to come up with an idea on how to decorate my table for Christmas dinner for very little. Since Evergreens are a big part of Christmas decorating I took this idea and ran with it

When it comes to real evergreens, it's best to shop in Autumn during planting season for trees. So I went out and bought a 2 qt. potted dwarf Alberta spruce for $8 at my local gardening center (Lowes) in October. I kept it in it's original pot and decorated it for the centerpiece. What you do is put a small, snug plastic container underneath the potted evergreen, for drainage. Take some fabric, if you don't have fabric you can use wrapping paper, large enough to wrap around the pot to look like a tree skirt. You just go about decorating the tree with small ornaments and ribbon or star on top. If you want to take it a step further, add a string of battery operated lights. During early spring you can plant the evergreen to decorate outside for future holidays. You can even wait till it's full grown to cut down as your main Christmas tree for the living room. If you're willing to spend a few dollars more, you can buy a little larger potted tree and place it on it's own table and use it as your main tree in the living room.

There you go fast and cheap.

I have this project and other Christmas ideas on a budget in my ebook " Having a Very Merry Christmas on a Budget" available on Kindle and Kindle apps.

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Spiced Honey

Everyone likes honey one way or another. Some like it straight, some like it in teas, breads, on biscuits, on waffles or pancakes and so on. Some like myself use it more when they're sick. I started making spiced honey years ago and since my family likes to use it when they have a cold with a scratchy throat and cough I continue to make it year after year.

Now I know you're asking why a cheapsake like myself would use honey when it's so expensive, but taking into account how much cold meds. cost, honey is cheaper. Also honey is a more natural, healthy way without any chemicals.

When I go to make this I seal it in mason jars, if home canning is not your thing, storing it in an airtight container will do just fine. This recipe is very easy and is as follows.

5 1/2 cups of honey
8 cinnamon sticks
24 whole cloves
2 lemons, each lemon cut into 6 wedges

You stud each lemon wedge with 2 whole clove, then place everything in a sauce pot and bring to a boil over med-low heat. Boil for 2 minutes occasionally stirring. Take off the heat and let it stand for about 15 minutes. You're going notice a foam on top of the honey, just skim the top of the honey to remove it. If you're planning to home can this in mason jars, at this point you should have 4 pint size jars, sterilized, and a pot of water boiling. Fill each jar with honey, 3 of the lemon wedges and 2 of the cinnamon sticks with a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe each rim with vinegar and place sterilized lids and bands on. Place in water bath for 25 minutes.

If you're not home canning the honey, a simple air tight container will do fine.

You can half this recipe if you want, but I wouldn't cut it down any further then that

Thanks for stopping by, Become a Fan and follow My blog for more fun ideas~ Thank you, Carleen

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