sweetcharitydawn

2011-05-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello there friends! Although I have not posted anything in a while I can assure you that I have not just been sitting around my house eating chocolates and drinking champagne. It is purely coincidence that I did have a glass of wine this evening and I am munching on chocolate chips while I write this post. I am actually glad that I just told y'all that because it made me get my rumpus off the couch to put up the chocolate chips. Anyway...where was I? Back to me not being a lazy slob.
I have actually been into refinishing furniture for the past couple of months. After refinishing my nightstands (nightstands I want to replace, by the way) I persuaded the lovely Jessica Ann to let me redo her room. She has very kindly given me free reign in her bedroom. So far I have painted her room, refinished her furniture, and purchased some great finds on Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon. It's been so much fun! I can officially say that I have design fever! I'm going to stop talking now and show you tricks some pictures of some of my finds and some of Jessica's furniture that she already had.

1. The chair was one of three that I rescued from the garbage ($0)

2. Jessica's hand-me-down bookcase ($0)

3. Full size bed from Craigslist ($30)

4. Desk from a junk sale in a random warehouse in a sketchy part of Memphis($10)

5. and lastly, Jessica's hand-me-down nightstand ($0).

I will post some "during" pictures later this week. Bet y'all can't wait to see what I've done with
this jizunk (I mean hand-me-downs if you're reading this Jessica Ann!).

A Lovely Pair

2011-03-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

These are a pair but I realized that 1.) I forgot to take before pictures, and 2.) I only took pictures of one at a time so, as far as you know, I only refinished one nightstand. I assure you that I really did refinish two nightstands that were once ugly dark brown, fake wood tables with hideous brass knobs. I just wasn't sure what to do with these tables so I let them sit next to my bed for months in their terrible overly-glossy state. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I decided on white and blue to go with my gold/yellow bedroom. I think these turned out pretty well considering they only cost $11 for the pair! I guess that doesn't include the cost of the paint (Lowes gift card) or the knobs (Anthropologie gift card) or my time, but we won't mention any of those!

I can't really get these pictures posted the way that I want but I'm just gonna let it go. I HATE it when I can't figure out how to do something the way that I want it to be done! Oh well, you get the point. I was simply trying to show that I painted the inside of the little cubby hole a light blue that I mixed myself using two colors that I got at Lowes. I was also trying to show off these cute little Anthropologie ceramic knobs. They are so cute! The pictures don't do them justice.

Now for the next project! I have this dresser that I got at the Les Passes Stock Exchange last year and I couldn't help but paint it. I liked the color. I liked the slight distressed look that I had going. I did NOT like the fact that the paint just scraped off whith little or no effort. I read on a blog that you didn't really have to sand a piece of furniture before you paint it---you just have to prime it. Not so! In my case, at least, the paint just wouldn't stick. Soooo, I stripped the dresser down to his bare bones and now I don't know what to do with him. He is a him because he is tall and the matching piece is a girl because she is shorter and she comes with a lovely curvy mirror. One is a chest of drawers and the other is a dresser but I can never remember which is which. Anyway...I don't know whether to stain him or paint him. Did I mention that there is a her too?

I can't tell you how long it just took me to post these last two pictures.

Just a Little Something

2011-03-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

I keep meaning to take pictures of some of my newest projects but that is impossible due to the lack of room on my memory card. I am just too lazy to go and get one...or too busy...or I keep forgetting. Maybe it's all of the above. Anyway...I am busy refinishing a dresser, a chest of drawers and two nightstands. I am also repurposing/building a vanity for my bedroom using an antique sewing table and a headboard. I really need to take a picture of the vanity project while it is still under construction so everyone can see how very awesome I am to even try to do something like this with 1) no tools, 2) no real woodworking capabilities, 3) two children, and 4) about 500 other projects floating around in my head or sitting around in my house. I think I may just be really, really stupid. I just can't help it though. Did I also mention that I am finishing up a knitted hood, and that I am in the process of knitting my first sweater? Oh yeah, I am also technically in the middle of decoupaging a serving tray. I have way too many things going on! Hoods are cool no matter what you're thinking right now. You just wait until you see a picture of me in it. Or a picture of Isabelle in it if it looks stupid on me. Since I don't have pictures of any of the above mentioned projects to post I will post a picture or two of my memory card hogs!

Just Call Us the Incredibles

2011-02-19T09:47:00.001-08:00

This is my son Clark Kent. He is an unassuming baby dork by day and Super Ransom by night.

Super Momma

2011-02-18T15:40:00.001-08:00

Ummm...what more can I say! I was supposed to be cleaning but instead I let "the beautiful madam" dress me up as a super hero. Ransom, otherwise known today as the Valentine elf, was asleep in his beautiful bower while we were up to our hijinx.

My Latest Projects

2011-02-05T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well hello there friends. Or should I say friend? Or maybe I am just writing this for myself. Oh well! Here is a picture of one of my latest projects.

Ransom Levi, here playing the part of King Richard, may be the sweetest boy ever. Now I have the best two babycakes a girl could ask for. Speaking of my babycakes, Isabelle is getting so big. I can't believe I have a 4 year old now!

I Forgot Everything!

2009-08-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

I don't remember if there is an easier way to move my text and pictures around, so y'all will just have to overlook my last post. I know it looks horrible but I don't care!

Isabelle Cupcakes

2009-08-29T18:24:00.000-07:00

This is the first thing that I have baked in forever and I didn't bake them by myself. Isabelle and I made these this morning together and we had such a great time! I literally just dumped stuff from my pantry and fridge into a bowl because I didn't have anything that the reciped called for. Isabelle didn't know this though! We decorated them with marshmallow fluff (didn't have the ingredients for icing) and leftover colored sugars and star sprinkles. I think that she probably had one of the best days of her life! The cupcakes taste kind of like slightly flavored, bitter, sickly sweet bricks.

I'm Baaack!

2009-08-28T17:54:00.000-07:00

My computer is back from the PC Doctor (who I highly recommend, by the way) and I am feeling a bit better. My head doesn't really hurt right now, my back is okay, my neck is okay, and my arm is okay. What more can I ask for? I'll tell you what I am asking for...I want to cook for about two weeks straight! I literally have not made ANYTHING since I made toffee fingers for one of Isabelle's teachers at Harwood. I have not done anything in the kitchen-besides make iced coffee for my headache-in a month. No cookies, no bread, no dinners, nothing. I don't think that I have really even looked at my computer for about a month. The point is...I'm back, I think. I plan to make something tomorrow. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something that I have made! I am going to try to post at least one picture tonight! Oh no! I have NO pictures to post of anything! What a boring blog this has become! I really like blogs with more pictures than words, and I have become the very thing I hate! Well, I don't really hate it but you I think you get the point.

Computer still broken!

2009-08-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

The old computer is in the shop. Actually, it isn't old but it is in the shop! I should be getting it back soon. Right now I'm using my mom's computer!

It's me

2009-08-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

Hey there Saunders clan and anyone else who reads this blog! I am feeling better today than I have in a long while, but my computer is still not fixed. I am going to take it today to get a little tune-up, if you know what I mean. I haven't cooked ANYTHING in such a long time. I don't even know if I'll remember how to cook. The first thing I make might have to be from the Martha Stewart cupcake cookbook that my sister, Memory, got for me for my birthday. It is the cutest cookbook I have seen in a while. I will take and post pictures of my creations for all of my loyal blog readers! I hope to actually post some pictures soon.

Nothing much

2009-08-12T19:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've had a serious migraine for just about longer than I can remember now. I promise I will make up for lost time when I feel a bit better. My computer is also sick. I am using it in safe mode right now. I haven't cooked anything for a while either. I can't wait 'til things get back to normal!

Mama's Day Out earrings

2009-08-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just finished these earrings this morning. I have to say that I am quite proud of them. I have also finally gotten better at taking pictures. I now have 2 tripods, one big one and one little flexible one, thank you very much. The little flexible one is pretty cool for close-ups except that the weight of the camera seems to make it slump a little. Oh well...what can I expect for $3.50 from ebay? My expectations for everything are always sky-high and unrealistic. Then, when I get what I want, reality kicks back in and I realize "hey, this miniature tripod isn't going to make me a professional photographer. I wonder what will...Maybe a new lense for my PHD (push here dummy) camera will do the trick." That's what always happens--unrealistic expectations. Sorry for my ramblings. I guess that's what pretty much a solid month of migraines will do to a body.

Isabelle Bracelet

2009-08-02T17:28:00.001-07:00

More Jewelry, Please!

2009-08-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

I think that I finally figured out the whole picture thing. It has taken a lot of work, but I am happy that I can actually take pictures of my jewelry and food without it looking like a dark, blurry blog of nothingness. I am inviting ya'll to come check out my Etsy shop. Well, I am actually kind of begging you...Take a look and tell me what you think. I welcome any suggestions! Let me know which pieces you like and which ones you don't. And no comments from you, Katherine, you leopard-print-platform-shoe-wearing, shovel-carrying speech therapist. Of course you can leave any comments you want. After all, I think that you are pretty much the only one who follows my blog!

I also have to post pictures of the fresh whole-wheat pitas that I made the other night. When those were done I made chicken shawarma with them. It was sooo good. They are easy to make-easier than making bread, even. I plan to make these often.

Freshly-made earrings

2009-07-30T10:38:00.001-07:00

This is seriously the only thing I've made, cooking or otherwise, in about a week. No, I take that back...I did make pudding shooters for girl's night at Adrienne's on Tuesday but that hardly counts. Stirring together pudding mix, milk, and alcohol does not count as making something in my book. Unless you count making a mess as creating something. I am pretty good at that! Anyway, I decided to put some stuff on Etsy.com to see if it would sell or if it would just continue to sit in my craft bag. Little did I know that it would take like 100 hours of me randomly snapping horrible pictures to get one OK shot of these earrings. I finally had to call in an expert (Beth) to help me out. Turns out I have to wait for a sunny day so I can take pictures in natural light. I am such a dummy. I thought that I would go ahead and post the only decent picture that came out of that whole 10 hours of wasted time, part of which was spent taking pictures and opening the same web page, literally, 20 times due to blood sugar in the 20's. I have to find a better way to spend my time!

Recipe of the week

2009-07-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

After consulting an expert in stuff foraging (Mitch), I have come to the conclusion that my herbs were not stolen. Apparently, when you put stuff on the sidewalk it is officially up for grabs. I thought that was the case and told the guy who does my yard (my husband, Ray) that it probably wasn't a good idea to put them there, but he assured me that they would be safe. All I can say is that my new herbs are now safe in the back yard! Anyway...I thought that I would share a new recipe with y'all. I have wanted to make my own liqueur for a while now. I don't know why I have this obsession because neither Ray nor I drink very often. But just in case we decide to I have made 2 bottles of coffee liqueur. Ray doesn't even like coffee-flavored stuff!

Coffee Liqueur
4 cups water
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp instant coffee
2 1/2 cups vodka
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Combine water, sugar and coffee in a large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours or until reduced to a maple syrup consistency. Let cool completely. Stir in vodka and vanilla a pour into a large bottle. It is ready to serve and enjoy!

Who would steal herbs?

2009-07-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

Can y'all believe that someone would actually steal 4 pots of herbs? I potted several different types of herbs about 6 weeks ago and they were coming along beautifully. I went out in my front yard yesterday and realized that all 4 pots were gone. I am so bummed. I just about had enough basil to make my own pesto, but now I have to start all over again. Well, there's my rant. I have been into making jewelry the past couple of days. I just need to take some pictures so I can post them. I haven't taken any pictures this week for headache-related reasons. I hate headaches!

Horse cookie puzzle

2009-07-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite baking craft. I decided today that I have to get one of those large sets of various cookie cutters so I can make these for any occasion. You know, like anniversaries, graduations, wedding showers... or maybe just children's birthdays. This one was for Joel David's birthday present. He loves horses and he had two ponies at his 5th birthday party today. So, I made this horse cookie puzzle in his honor. The picture doesn't really do it justice. I have to say, it's pretty cute. The things I do to keep my boredom at bay.

My first submitted recipe and my first sticky rolls

2009-07-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

I just made up this wheat berry recipe today. I am, officially, tooting my own horn. I think that it is the best hearty mediterranean salad ever created! Anyway, the other pictures are the first cinnamon rolls that I've ever made. They turned out well, if not a little underly gooey. They are a Cooking Light recipe, so I should have anticipated the lack of buttery gooeyness. They are pretty low in fat, though, so I am happy about that. I think I'm obsessed with my new tripod. It makes for such clear pictures. I have taken way too many pictures of food today.

Some recent stuff

2009-07-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share these recent pictures of my beautiful princess. The bottom is just a cute picture and in the second one she is making her "mean face." I still can't believe that I had such a beautiful child. Who would have guessed!? The top picture is a little project that I did for Isabelle's friend Olivia. I thought it would be nice to make a cookie puzzle for her birthday. Of course it took me way longer than I thought it would, but it was fun! When we got to Olivia's birthday party Isabelle put the bag of cookies down and when I went to go get them some little boy picked them up, then dropped and broke them. Oh well! That's what I get for doing those time-consuming projects.

I also have to tell y'all that I got the best thing from ebay. I am pretty certain that it is going to change the picture-taking part of my life for the better. I got a tripod! It was $6.99 with free shipping so I said to myself, "Self, I think that you should get this tripod." I did and I am glad. I took some trial pictures with it last night and it makes such a difference. I can NEVER hold still when I'm taking a picture, and as I'm sure you all know, wiggly hands mean blurry pictures. I am so exciting about this tripod (to quote Isabelle)! She always says exciting instead of excited. It always makes me giggle.

Yummy Cajun red beans and rice

2009-07-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

I made this super scrumptious dinner last night and I wanted to share it with y'all. I got this amazingly easy recipe from Cooking Light several months ago when I was craving red beans and rice. I usually just browse through recipes and save them to my different online recipe books hoping to one day remember them. I was reorganizing my CL recipes last week and I stumbled across this one. I modified it to fit what I had in the fridge and my modifications worked out beautifully. I will post the way that I made it and the link to the original recipe. I hope that somebody makes this! The link for the original recipe is posted in my "Things I've made recently" list.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup each chopped yellow bell pepper, celery, and onion
2 links of habanero and monterey jack chicken sausage, chopped
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c water
1 can red beans, partially mashed
1 package of prepared yellow rice

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add chopped veggies and sausage. Saute for about 4 minutes or until the sausage is browned and veggies start to get soft. Add the next 4 ingredients (spices and garlic) and saute for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, water, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Serve over the yellow rice and enjoy!

Sourdough bread

2009-07-14T16:03:00.001-07:00

Although this is called sourdough bread, and I did use a starter that I let sit/fed for 10 days, it is not sour! I think that the longer I keep my starter the more sour it gets, though. I will not be defeated. I will try again. Later. It was fun to make even though it didn't turn out exactly as I had hoped. It's the kind of dough that has to sit over night, blah, blah, blah. I also kneaded it by hand, thank you very much. Supposedly, sourdough is not supposed to be so much as touched by anything metal. That includes bowls, spoons, beater attachments. I have even made sure not to stir my starter with anything but wooden spoons. I can't believe I actually remembered that little no no. Well, I have to go feed my non-sour starter so I can't rant about this any more. If anyone has a good recipe for starter/sourdough bread, please let me know.

Healthy recipe of the week

2009-07-13T19:46:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a couple of weeks since I've posted a "healthy recipe of the week" so I thought I would give y'all a little something. I have a sweet tooth so I'm always trying to find sweet things that won't stick directly to my bottom line. This is one of the little faux desserts/breakfast shakes that I make. It tastes good enough to fool the likes of me!

Strawberry Milkshake
10 oz. skim or 1% milk
4 medium-sized frozen strawberries
1 tbsp Splenda
1/4 c. crushed ice

Blend all of this together until smooth just like a milkshake. I have a hand blender that works fabulously for things like this. This is a really yummy treat!

Bakin' Fool

2009-07-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with me? All I want to do lately is bake and eat what I bake. Next, I should post a before-and-after picture of myself. Me--before eating 5 tons of homemade strawberry muffins, ezekiel bread, rolls, bagels, etc.--and me after the above-mentioned 5 tons. I just need to find a way to get rid of everything that I make. Ray couldn't possibly eat all of this and Isabelle is so picky that she won't even try it. Hmmm, conundrum. Anyway, I have been stuck in the house with a very sick baby who only wants to watch movies around the clock, so I have been cooking and looking at recipes online and in cookbooks. I have always wanted to try my hand at bagels, so today I did. I have to say that they are delicious. Hopefully they freeze well! I think I will start taking baking requests. I have about 25 pounds of bread flour so, if any of my peeps that live close to me want something with flour as the main ingredient, I would love to bake something for you. I really don't want to weigh any more than I do right now, but I have no other choice at the moment. I can't let freshly-baked goods go to waste. Way too many comas.

Yummy granola bars

2009-07-05T15:08:00.000-07:00

Isabelle has been sick for about three days and she asked me for granola bars today. I am such a sucker that I made some for her immediately and then she refused to eat any. She actually took a bite and then spit it out, the little grump. Anyway, I didn't spit any of it out, unfortunately! I think they're great. I got the recipe from recipezaar, but I made some changes, of course. You can pretty much add anything you want, need, or can imagine. I hope y'all like it!

Granola Bars
4 c. oats
3/4 c. sweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. oat bran
1/2 c. wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients (oats through salt). Melt butter in a small sauce pan over low-medium heat. Add the sugar, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, and flour and stir to combine. Turn the heat to medium and stir occasionally so the mixture doesn't burn or stick. Once it gets warm, stir in the peanut butter. Grease a 9 x 13" baking pan and line it with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Bring the butter mixture to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour over the dry mixture and stir. Make sure that it is evenly mixed and that all of the dry ingredients are coated. Let the mixture cool until slightly warm and stir in the chocolate chips. I didn't wait long enough so all of my chips melted. Tastes good, but I like them whole! Press the mixture into the prepared pan and top with a greased piece of foil. Find another pan, board, book, whatever, that fits in the pan over the bars and press down firmly to compact the mixture. You can even stand on it! Cut into bars and cool completely. They will be soft, but they firm up after a while. Enjoy!

My new best friend

2009-07-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

Yea, that's right. This bread is my new best friend. I have eaten close to a whole loaf by myself in the past 2 or 3 days. This is the ezekiel bread that I posted the recipe for a couple of days ago. It was a little time-consuming to make and it has mashed lentils in it (yuck!), but I really do like it. It is very dense and wheaty tasting. It has wheat flour, barley flour, rye flour, and millet flour in it and it is still good despite all of that. Just wanted to let y'all know about my new friendship. I really love baking! Right now I have a batch of country white rolls in the oven for dinner tonight. Food-wise, it doesn't get any better than fresh-baked bread.
While I'm on here, I think I will post a great little kind-of recipe for all my peeps. I ran out of powdered sugar the other day and I remembered that I saw a recipe for it on recipezaar some time ago. All you have to do is grind 1 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp of corn starch in a blender until it is powdered like- surprise, surprise- powdered sugar. You can do the same thing with Splenda! 3/4 of a cup of Splenda to every 2 tbsp of cornstarch, I think. I plan on doing the Splenda one soon to see how it works. If one of y'all does it first, please let me know how it turns out. I think it's funny that I write like people are actually reading this! I guess I can just pretend.

Have you ever seen anything cuter?

2009-07-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Muffins, sweet muffins!

2009-07-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

These may be the best muffins that I have ever made. I got this recipe from recipezaar (of course) and, I can assure you, it doesn't disappoint. You probably can't tell from the picture, but these are jumbo muffins. I think that this will be my new base recipe for muffins. I can just add in different spices, fruits, zests, nuts, etc. The possibilities are endless! They are also made with ingredients that are usually on hand and, if not, you can easily improvise. I'll post the direct link to these Kittencal's muffin shop jumbo strawberry muffins. They are definitely worth the effort which, by the way, is minimal.

No more television, please!

2009-07-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

I finally got to bake today!!! I think my migraine is on the decline, so I got off of the couch (where I have been since Sunday) and made some dinner and some cookies for Isabelle's teachers. I have been going through cooking withdrawals for the past three days. I wasn't even really able to look at many recipes or websites either. Those of you who have headaches know what I'm talking about. Anyway, I am simply going to post some pictures of some of the things that I made last week and a couple from tonight. I don't know why I didn't post these last week. I am especially proud of the camping cake. The cake was a carrot cake cheesecake. Does it get any better than that? Maybe my simple baby back ribs top it, I don't know. I also made strawberry shortcake last week. Who doesn't like strawberry shortcake? I know I do. Tonight for dinner I made fish tacos that were sooo yummy. I made homemade corn tortillas for the tacos. Tortilla presses are amazing! The cookies that I made tonight are whipped shortbread cookies from recipezaar. Very tasty. I think that those of you who read my blog may be able to

tell that I have taken a strong pain-killer for this migraine. This post is not my best...sorry!

I hate migraines!

2009-06-30T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry, there's nothing new on here because I have had a serious migraine for several days. I haven't really cooked or anything like that, unless you count oatmeal in the microwave. I do have plans to make Ezekiel bread and many other yummy things when I get back to normal. Hope everyone is having a good week.

Recipe of the week

2009-06-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I haven't posted anything in a whole week. Ever since we got back from Colorado I feel like I have been playing catch-up. I'm at home with a sick baby today, so now is a good time to do anything but stuff that I need to do (clean my house, do laundry, etc.). On a whim, I decided to make stuffed bell peppers. I think that I may have eaten one some time in college but, other than that, I have no experience with making or eating them. I found a recipe for pizzeria peppers from Cooking Light and I just happen to have four bell peppers from the farmer' s market (I am obsessed), so I decided to make a few and freeze them so I would have a "microwave dinner" on hand. Maybe this will keep me from pigging out on goldfish, chocolate chips, or dry cereal instead of eating an actual meal.

Sausage and Squash Stuffed Bell Peppers
3 medium green bell peppers
3 links of turkey italian sausage
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. chopped yellow squash
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. myspicesage pizza seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp. parmesan cheese
10 oz. tomato puree
1/3 c. shredded mozz. cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degress. Cut tops and membranes out of the bell peppers and drop them in a large pot of boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes then remove and place them hole-side down on a plate to drain. Combine sausage, onions, and garlic in a large pan and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add squash and dry seasonings and cook until squash is tender. Add parmesan cheese and tomato sauce and cook until warmed through. Spoon filling into bell peppers and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in a greased 8-inch baking pan for 15 minutes.

Recipe of the week

2009-06-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

This is a surprisingly yummy dessert that I made last night and ate a couple of minutes ago. It is very easy and fat-free. It does have some sugar in it, but not all that much. Oh yeah, and there's alcohol. It really eased the craving that I was having for ice cream. Anything that can do that gets an A+ in my little book. I got this recipe from a great cookbook by the name of At Mesa's Edge, written by Eugenia Bone. I picked it up when I was in Colorado. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to cook or read!

Cantaloupe Freeze
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp tequila (I used triple sec)
1 ripe cantaloupe

Combine the first three ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cut the cantaloupe in half, remove the seeds and rind, and cut into small pieces. Place the cantaloupe in a large glass bowl and pour the lime mixture over it. Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until the cantaloupe is completely frozen solid (I did it overnight). Remove it from the freezer about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before you are ready to serve it. You want the cantaloupe to be icy, but not rock hard. Scoop it into bowls and eat away. I thought that it would be kind of like sherbet, but it's not. Surprise, surprise...It stayed in those little bite-sized pieces, but it was good. I really like the addition of the lime juice with the cantaloupe. I might try it with splenda next time.

Pictures from our Colorado trip

2009-06-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

I love the farmer's market!

2009-06-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

I really do love the farmer's market. I just went for the first time yesterday on the way to Walmart. Let's just say that I am going to get all of my vegetables and fruits there from now on. I hear that the one at the Botanic Gardens is the best. I just went to the Agricenter one because it is open all week long. From the list of things that I've made this week, you can tell that I have been on a veggie kick. I just sauteed some baby yellow squash and onions in olive oil, then topped it with some fresh thyme. I got all of these things (minus the olive oil) at the farmer's market. And I can't forget the beans I just made. They are some king of fresh beans...maybe pintos. I just covered them with salted water and brought them to a low boil for about 30 minutes. Just salt, pepper, and beans. They are so much better than dried beans. Who knew!? I love to cook! I think that I am going to make some bread today to go along with the pork chile verde and chile mashed potatoes that I am making for dinner. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Cooking withdrawals

2009-06-15T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the only thing that I've made in the past week and a half. These are double chocolate, coconut, and sesame seed rice crispy treats. I made them, along with original rice crispy treats, for our trip to Colorado. I think that I seriously started going into withdrawals from the lack of real cooking this past week. Sure, I made campfire pita pizza pockets and breakfast burritos, but does that really count? I don't think it does. I did make chocolate chip cookies for the camping trip, but I didn't take any pictures. Besides, that was like ten or eleven days ago. I will post the recipe for the cookies later. They are the best chocolate chip cookies ever, or at least I think so. Tomorrow, or some other time, I will post some recipes from a cookbook that I got on my trip. It has to be one of the most entertaining cookbooks I have ever read. And, yes, I do read cookbooks. From cover to cover. I really have to go to sleep now. I have not caught up on sleep yet. There is nothing better than a real bed when you have been sleeping on a blow-up mattress in a freezing cold tent.

I'm back...almost

2009-06-14T05:56:00.000-07:00

I'm back. Well, almost. I'm at a Best Western right outside of Oklahoma City and they have high-speed internet(!!!). Just thought I'd post this loverly (yep) picture of where I've been for the past week. I have many more pictures to post when I get back to the old homestead. I can say "homestead" now because I have been camping in Colorado and I have been near some horses.

Healthy recipe of the week

2009-06-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I am leaving to go to Colorado tomorrow for a week and I haven't even posted the recipe of the week. What would y'all (all two who read this) do without the recipe of the week? I stumbled onto this tasty concoction accidentally. I love cottage cheese so I eat alot of it. I started pureeing it in a blender to make it smooth and creamy. I always sweeten it with Splenda and add vanilla. One day I just thought to myself "Self, what would make this even better? I know! Cool whip and some delicious strawberry freezer jam from Costco! So here you go. With no further ado...

Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert
3/4 - 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese that has been pureed in a blender or food processor until smooth
3 Tbsp cool whip free
2-3 tsp of Splenda or to taste
1 tbsp of strawberry freezer jam

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and enjoy!

More jewelry?

2009-05-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

I am officially on a jewelry-making kick. I am not as happy with this as I was with the first attempt, but I do like it. The picture taking also went a little more smoothly this time. I only had to take about thirty pictures to get one decent picture. Maybe next time I can get it down to about fifteen or so. Some of you might have already noticed the extra special doggy hair treat that is attached to the pendant. You probably already asked yourself "How in the world did she miss the dog hair on the pendant?" I have no idea how I took thirty different pictures without noticing it, but I did. So there you go. I cannot get this picture to move to the center! I am so horrible at computer stuff!

This one's for you, Uncle Johnny

2009-05-29T14:41:00.000-07:00

Due to requests for more Isabelle, I offer up these tasty morsels. I couldn't just post non-crafty pictures, so here are some that show the more creative and food-oriented sides of Isabelle. And

yes, she is wearing a tutu at the Botanic Gardens

One-time wedding flower arranger

2009-05-28T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I did mention before in the "about me" thingy that I am a one-time wedding flower arranger, so here's my proof. I can only take a tiny little bit of the credit for these bouquettes, etc. because I only helped my wonderful friends, Adrienne and Jessica. Jessica Ann was in charge of the flowers for our friend Jessie's wedding and she very kindly asked me to help her and Adrienne. They both had in mind what they wanted to do, and their ideas turned out great. Adrienne did the standing flower arrangements and 2 bouquettes that swagged over a doorway, and Jessica knew pretty much exactly what she wanted everything to look like. My sister-in-law Anne did all of the ribbons and bows. It was sooo much fun! I think that it was so much fun because of the good company. I don't think that I have laughed as hard as I did when we were trying to finish the flowers at about 12:30am the night before the wedding. Sounds came out of Jessica's mouth that I don't think I have ever heard her make before. I might post some more pictures later. There are no pictures of the bride's maid's bouquettes here. Those were awesomely beautiful!

Healthy recipe of the week

2009-05-28T07:13:00.000-07:00

Who knows, this might be the recipe of the day, month, year, etc. I thought it might be fun to post a healthy recipe every week for my peeps. Y'all know that I'm kinda into the whole healthy/non piggy food. I have a HUGE sweet tooth so I am always trying to find ways to indulge without causing myself grief. This is one of my low-calorie favorites. Now everyone has to run out and get an apple peeler/corer/slicer so they can make this treat. Those things are amazing!

Mock apple pie
1 medium apple
about 2 tsp of Splenda, or to taste
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon (I love cinnamon so I always add a very big dash)
about 1/2 tsp of flour
1/4 tsp of vanilla extract
2 to 3 tsp of apple juice or whatever juice you have on hand
2 tbsp of Lite or Free cool whip (optional)

Mangle the apple on the peeler/corer/slicer and cut the apple slices into quarters
Mix the apple and the next 6 ingredients (through juice) in a small to medium tupperware container with a lid. Snap on the lid but leave one corner unclosed to let steam escape.
Microwave on high for about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes.
Top with the frozen cool whip and imagine that you're eatting apple pie!

I don't have any pictures or anything and, as you can tell, this is not at all an exact recipe. I don't really like those recipes that say "about" or "to taste", but what can you do.

Wire-wrapped pendant

2009-05-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the hardest thing about this pendant was taking the flipping picture. Who knew that taking a picture of jewelry was so hard?! I know that the picture is not that great, but you should have seen the (seriously) fifty or so pictures before and after this. This post should really be titled "My first jewelry photograph". Well, anyway, I made some earrings last night for Isabelle's teachers for teacher's appreciation day or something like that, and it made me want to try something a little more intricate. I tried to take pictures of the earrings last night, but I gave up pretty early in the process. I have made sooo many earrings over the years and I have always meant to try something that involves a little more wire wrapping. This was my first try and I have to say that I'm actually quite pleased with the end result. All I have to say is, if I can do it so can you! I think I use way to many commas!

Country White Bread or Rolls from RecipeZaar.com

2009-05-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here is the recipe that I promised. I get most of my recipes from RecipeZaar or Cooking Light. This one happens to be from RecipeZaar. It was originally written for use with a bread machine but I don't have one. I do, however, have a Kitchen Aid stand mixer so that is what I use. I have actually tried to post this recipe about 5 times but I have experienced technical difficulties (by technical difficulties I mean that I am a big, dumb dummy). They say the 6th time is the charm, so here we go again!

Ingredients
1 cup water, plus 1 tablespoon water
1 large egg
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons shortening (for shaping the rolls)
2 tablespoons melted butter

I have written this so many times now that I think I will probably dream about it tonight.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, and instant yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add warm water (118-125 degrees F) to flour mixture while the mixer is on low speed.
Combine oil and egg and add it to the flour/yeast mixture. If dough is still sticky add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
Put the dough hook attachment on your mixer and let it kneed the dough on low speed for about 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Place dough in a well-greased bowl, spray it with cooking spray/olive oil or coat with oil, place plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and place it in a warm, draft-free place until it is doubled in bulk. I like to put it in the oven (turned off) over a pan of HOT water.
Either shape the bread into a loaf and put it in a greased 9 x 5" loaf pan or shape it into 16 golf ball sized rolls and place them in a greased 9 x 13" baking pan. If you decide to make the rolls, coat your hands with Crisco to make the shaping process go easier. Spray and cover as directed above.
Place back into that warm place that we already talked about and let rise until, once again, doubled in bulk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. For rolls bake for 12 - 15 minutes and for loaf bake for about 25 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the top of the loaf.
Brush the loaf or rolls with melted butter and try not to eat it all by yourself.

I have used this bread for toast, sandwiches, and a diet buster. It has been great for all three so far!

Mmmm...Fresh Bread

2009-05-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well, the first crafty thing that I did after I started this blog (actually it was the night before) was to make bread. I have been making bread for about six weeks now, and I LOVE it. I haven't had to buy any baked goods at the store for these last six weeks! It was a little bit tricksy (that's right, tricksy) at first, but I think that I have totally gotten the hang of it. I am going to apologize in advance for the very mediocre and amateur pictures on this blog. I have no idea how to take a decent looking picture, but you never know, that may change. Anyway, here are some pictures of a lovely couple of bread loaves that I happen to know. One of them has recently had a bad accident with a serrated knife, a toaster, and a jar of yummy strawberry jam from one of my favorite places is the world (the bakery in Tracy City/Monteagle). I will post the recipe in a short bit. I made my first rolls ever this past week from this recipe and they were sooo great.

My first post

2009-05-24T12:39:00.001-07:00

I really have no idea what to write! I guess I'll just start by saying that this is my first attempt at blogging. The only thing in my life that is actually interesting is my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Other than that, I am just a regular house wife and mother. I do the things that all moms and wives do...cook, clean, grocery shop, wipe noses and bottoms (I am unintentionally making it sound like Ray has some serious issues, I only do these things for Isabelle), and the list goes on and on. I do consider myself to be somewhat of a crafty girl, but the operative words here are "I" and "consider". Craftiness is in the eye of the beholder and the, um, crafter. What?
I am also somewhat crazy, diabetic (hence the craziness), obsessive, and a bit odd. But who isn't? So, if you want to follow the daily, mundane chores of a mad woman, be my guest! I plan on posting pictures of my family and friends, my crafty successes and failures, and whatever else I want to post. If you are one of the people that knows me, right about now you are thinking "What is going on? Is this really Charity writing this, or is Isabelle a WHOLE LOT smarter than I thought? Well, the answers are "yes" and "yes".