Holiday's Homemade

Don't forget - We go LIVE on Holidays Homemade - Christmas Countdown Calendar with you TOMORROW!!! 

I know...December, already?! I'm excited!!


26 days till Christmas. Wee...

Grinch Munch

Come check out my post on Holiday's Homemade, to see how you can make your own Grinch Munch!

After you make this yumilious snack, you might want to grab a blanket, a tall glass of water, and get comfy.  It's time for Christmas movie night!

xo

Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken and Rice

This recipe sort of just came together on it's own.  I was in a rush one morning, so threw all the ingredients in the pot, and was quite pleased with the outcome. Funny how one jar of "cheese" that has set in my pantry for the last 6 months turned something ordinary into extraordinary!


You'll Need:
2 Chicken Breasts
1.5c. rice (not minute)
1 jar of Ragu Cheese (over by the spaghetti sauce)
Water filled 3/4 full in Ragu Jar
Seasonings (We used garlic, salt, onion powder, paprika)

Liberally season your chicken breasts with all your seasonings (excluding paprika).  Place into your lined crock pot.  Top with rice.
Combine your cheese and water in a separate bowl.  Stir.  Pour over the top of chicken and sprinkle with paprika.
Cook on low 7 hrs or until the temperature of the chicken reaches 165.

A few minutes before serving, I placed on a bit of shredded cheese on the rice, and served with green beans.  Not bad for a dinner on the fly!

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Hair Bow

This is one of the fall hair bows I made for the girls in my life.  I'm a little late in posting, but since it's almost Thanksgiving, it's really perfect timing, if you think about it! 

So let's get started, shall we?

You'll Need:
12 pieces of 3/8" Curled Orange Crossgrain Ribbon 
2 pieces of 3/8" Curled Green Crossgrain Ribbon
1"x 1" piece of brown satin ribbon
Heavy Duty Needle
Thread
Scissors
Ruler

Lighter or Fray Away
Hot Glue Gun, Glue
Alligator or French Barrette Clip

To start, you'll need to curl your crossgrain ribbon.  If you've never done this before, it's simple enough, just follow these easy instructions.

Once your ribbon is curled, you will want to take them off the dowel rods and sit aside for them to be cut down.

With your ruler or cutting mat, measure your ribbon down into 3" pieces. Cut.
You will need approximately 12-15, 3" pieces/bow.

Once all your pieces are cut, heat seal your ends. This is just quickly running your lit lighter across the ends of your ribbon.  Make sure when you do this, you're doing it in a sweeping type motion, so you don't catch your ribbon on fire.

Now it's time to thread your needle.  Every bow designer is different, but I like to thread my needle and (triple) knot the end when making my korker bows.  I just always make sure to leave ample room to sew the bow together.  I typically leave about 18" hang, which will leave me with plenty of thread to swipe the needle through the center of the "pumpkin" several times for maximum hold.

Let's start building the pumpkin now.  Once your needle and thread is prepared, you will measure the true center of each piece of ribbon and where the center point is, that is where your needle will go.  You can see a full "how to" here. 

Place the middle (center) of your ribbon directly down into the needle.  

DO NOT MOVE, PULL, OR DO ANYTHING WITH THIS HAND UNTIL YOU ARE FINISHED ADDING ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUMPKIN!

As you are adding pieces to your needle (again, do not pull the needle through any of the pieces just yet), you will want to stagger the pieces as you go.  Think of it as a clock.  Start at 12, make your way to 1, then 2, then 3, etc., as you add them to your needle.

You will have to cinch the pieces down as you go, as your needle is only so big.  It sounds much harder than it is, trust me.  Oh and don't worry about hurting the ribbon.  My 2 year old tugs at hers all the time and is still in perfect condition.

Okay, so once all your pieces are positioned/staggered the way you want them, add your 2 green pieces in a cross fashion across the top.  These will be your leafy steams.

Now it's time to feed the needle all the way through the layers.

With your opposite sewing hand, pinch the center together and hold it taut.  Feed the needle all the way through, keeping the center pinched, so the ribbon doesn't move around.  To feed it all the way through, you may want/need a hard surface for this. The ribbon is quite strong once you get so many layers.

Now you just continue to feed the needle through the front and back as you normally would when sewing.  I like to criss-cross the stitching as I go.  Once you are close to the end of your thread, make sure the needle is going through the back side of your bow.  This is where you will snip the thread from the needle and triple knot it.

Now for the stem.  Take 1, 1"x1" piece of brown satin ribbon and fold it in half (Sealing with glue), then in half again to create the perfect "Stem".

With a small dab of hot glue, insert the glue into the center of your bow between the green leafy steams, and place your brown stem in place.

There you have it...The most adorable pumpkin bow you'll find this side of town!

Humidifier vs. Vaporizer

We're quickly approaching flu season, and with the winter months approaching, the air is starting to turn dry and brittle.

As I'm sure most of you have heard at one point in time from your Doctor or maybe even a family member, humidifiers and vaporizers are great!

Both add humidity into the air, which makes for easier breathing.  It's perfect to use for all age groups, but I especially wanted to point out how fantastic they are if you have a sick infant or toddler at home.

More times than not, children in this age bracket are unable to take medication because of age limits, so humidifiers and vaporizers are truly great home remedies!! If you're like me, you consider them to be a God send! 

So...My question is - Do you use a humidifier or vaporizer to add moisture into the air? Do you have a preferred method?

As I've asked this question to several of my friends and family over the course of the last several months, I've really noticed that it's quite the controversy! You're either Pro Humidifier or Pro Vaporizer.  They're really doesn't seem to be any common ground. 

Which are you?
Why is that??

School me.  I want to learn!

I'm sure I don't need to put the fine print here, as all my readers are intelligent and have plenty of common sense, but as a precautionary - Please talk to your doctor 1st before using a new product.  They have far more knowledge than I or the web can provide to you and have the best advice for what is best suited for you and your family.

Homemade Biscuits & Gravy

Did you just salivate? LOL! It's ok; We're all friends here. ;)

This is one of my all time asked for recipes from my friends and family alike.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Pay attention when you're in the kitchen! You never know when that "secret" family recipe is being passed down!

Now, I have known how to make biscuits and gravy for....well...a long time now.  Probably since I was 8 or 9, watching my Grandma in her kitchen.  Now...don't go get all crazy...  This is my own recipe from what I've learned from her over the years.  Which is a great thing!  It has at least half the fat, but still has all the delicious, creamy, taste bud pleasing, goodness you'd expect from Grandma's Gravy!

Looks just like Grandma's.  Don't forget the extra pepper!

So let's get started!!!

You'll Need:
1# of your favorite sausage
4 cups of whole or 2% milk
3-4 Tbsp of Flour
Salt/Pepper
A whisk, skillet, patience, and a strong arm ;)

Brown your sausage like you normally would, chopping it into some crumbles as you go.
After it's cooked, drain the fat.
Add back to your skillet, and with a regular ol' tablespoon from your silverware drawer, measure out 3 heaping tablespoons of flour.
Adding one at a time, to your sausage, mixing well in between scoops.
With your skillet (now on medium-med high heat),  SLOWLY add in your milk. 
I season the gravy as I go.  It can lump quickly, so never ever walk away.
If you're baking biscuits, now is a good time to pop those in.  Then everything will all be ready and piping hot!
Continue to stir the gravy continuously until nice and thick.
FYI:  This make a ton of gravy, but it re-heats beautifully.  A nice tip for those leftovers - Add a splash of milk and stir before microwaving.  Continue to add milk (little by little) until its the consistency you like. 

Enjoy!

Cheese Ravioli Bake

Our family loves pasta!  When my daughter was younger, she was douse herself in the stuff! LOL

One of my favorite things about making pasta, is that it is always a cinch to whip up.  You do the short prep, throw it in the oven, go about your business, and in 30-45 min's minutes, you have a meal worth bragging about.

Today, I'm here to share one of these meals.  No Thank You Card, required ;)

You'll Need:
1# Ground Beef
handful of chopped onion (I used frozen)
handful of chopped bell pepper (again, I used frozen)
3 cloves of garlic
26oz. Jar of spaghetti sauce
1c. water
cheese filled ravioli (found mine in freezer section)
seasonings of your choice - I like salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and a smig of extra basil for this recipe.
Shredded Italian Cheese Blend (just enough to cover the top - About a cup)
Parmesan Cheese *Optional

Before starting, preheat your oven to 350.
In a skillet, brown burger, garlic, chopped veg, and add seasonings.

Once the mixture is cooked, drain fat, and return to stove.
Add spaghetti sauce and water.  Mix well.
While that sits (I leave the burner on low), grab an 8x8 baking dish, spray with non-stick spray, add cheese ravioli, enough to fully line the bottom (its ok is some overlap a bit),

then pour on your meat mixture, then cheese.

Cover and bake 35 min's. 
If you like parm cheese, add that after the 35 min's, and bake uncovered an additional 5-10, until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Upon removal, I recommend you let it sit for 10 min's.  It's piping hot and oozes all over the place otherwise.  Not ideal for a pretty presentation for company.  HOWEVER, with the way this smells, it's always too tempting for us to wait! ;)

Enjoy!