Made By ME #90 Linky Party and Features

Hello everyone - thanks for visiting my weekly linky party.  Excellent stuff last week - lots of good highlights and favorites below.  Scroll down to the bottom of this post to add your creation this week :).

FOOD

Frozen Lemonade Pie Push Pops from Cutesy Crafts 

Sour Patch Kids Cookies from Design Eat Repeat

Madeleines Authentic French Recipe from Twigg Studios

CRAFTS & DECOR

 

Math Fun Number Rocks from B-Inspired Mama 

Easy Garden Markers from Handmade In the Heartland

SEWING AND KNITS 

Picture Frame Pincushion from Buttons and Paint

Mobile Phone Cozy from Crochet Dreamz

...and onto this week's "Made by ME" Linky Party.  

Happy Linking everyone! 

... and don't forget to visit our fellow bloggers :)

  

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Getting Ready for Fall Planting

I don't know if it's too soon but I've been itching to get my fall vegetable planting in order.  So after having a couple of failed less than successful attempts to plant straight in the ground (think it's the off and on heat spikes we've been having), I've decided to invest in a few of these:

I got them online here but you could find them [or similar ones] at your local nursery.  I like how they are pretty much ready to use - just add water and pull back the netting a bit.

These were started a week or so ago - with the tray on the seeds start to sprout in a couple of days.  Also the percentage of success was almost 100%.

As you could see I put WAY too many seeds into this tray.  Hey, it was the first tray I used and I was actually expected only like half the seeds to sprout since I was getting less than that when I planted it straight in the ground.  Like I said, pretty much 100% of the seeds sprouted :).

So far, I really like these little Jiffy pots.  I'll try to transplant a few into the ground soon - stay tuned!  Crossing my fingers for a good autumn garden.

Made By ME #89 Linky Party and Features

Welcome to another week of Made by ME linky party!  Beautiful projects last week - looks like summer has been quite productive for a lot of you out there :).  Here's a few faves from last week...scroll down to include your project this week.

CRAFTS & DECOR

Before After Distressed Dresser from The Koeings Create

Colorful Custom Wood Signs from Signs by Andrea 

Pinwheels Ponies Party from Polka Dots on Parade 

SEWING AND KNITS 

Gather Love Baby Quilt Tips from Project 12 Quilts

Flip Flop Slipper Tutorial from Windsor and Main

Anthropologie Pattern Pop Tee Knock Off from Domestic Bliss Square

FOOD

Angry Birds Food Fun from B-Inspired Mama 

Tortilla Pinwheels from Frugal Ferret

...and onto this week's "Made by ME" Linky Party.  

 

Happy Linking everyone! 

... and don't forget to visit our fellow bloggers :)

  

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Pesto Sauce Pasta - Our Family Favorite - Kid Friendly Version

Summer time means a lot of basil around here...and that means a lot of PESTO.  It's truly a family favorite.  We make ours with a little bit of chicken breast.

I've made this so many times I don't really measure the ingredients anymore, but here's (about) what I do each time - this usually serves 2 small kids, 2 adults and have leftovers for a small lunch for the next day:

Ingredients:

• 1 package of dry pasta - cooked.  I use whatever pasta I have around.
• 1 chicken breast, cut into strips
• about 1 cup of basil after stems are removed 
• about 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts - I just throw them on a foil paper in a toaster oven
• about 1/2 cup of reggiano parmesan cheese - finely grated
• olive oil
• salt 
• garlic powder

Optional ingredients: 

• garlic - about 2 cloves.  I usually omit this because the kids complain that the garlic makes the taste 'too strong'.  So for a more kid-friendly recipe, omit the garlic :)
• cracked black pepper.  Not really necessary but sometimes I add in a few sprinkles for extra flavor

(1) In a frying pan, heat up a little olive oil, put in your chicken strips and season in the pan with some salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Pan fry until all sides are browned and inside is cooked all the way through.  Put onto plate to cool down, then cut into small pieces.

(2) In a food processor add the basil, pine nuts (save a little bit for garnish) and cheese (and garlic if you want to).  Pulse a couple of times then add about 4 tablespoons of good olive.

(3) Blend all ingredients together - add more olive oil or water if mixture is too thick.  I like it to be the consistency of chunky peanut butter.  This is your pesto sauce :)

(4) In a large serving bowl, pour in your cooked pasta and pesto sauce, toss together well.  Add in cut chicken, your extra nuts and a little extra cheese and sprinkle on top.  Toss in slightly - not too much or else all your whole pine nuts and chicken will sink to the bottom.

That's it.  It gets pretty simple (ie: easier) the more you make it.  I think I have mine down to only 20 minutes now.

Made By ME #88 Linky Party and Features

Hello there :).  Notice a little change in my blog?  It's summer and for some reason I felt like it's time to change things up a little bit.  Hope you like it!

Here's some great projects from last weeks' linky party.  LOVE IT!  And to add your project to this week's party just press "Continue Reading Post" after the features.  You should be able to add your project after the jump.  Hopefully this will elevate some page scrolling :).  Cheers!

SEWING AND KNITS 

  Pleated Summer Dress from Lollipop Garden Crafts

For The Birds Quilt Top from Saltwater Quilts 

A Commo Quilt from Emmaline Bags & Sewing Patterns

CRAFTS & DECOR

  Chains and Charms Bracelet Tutorial

Multi Colored Crayon Shapes from Endlessly Inspired

FOOD

Oreo Banana Split Parfait Recipe

Homemade Ice Cream In a Can from Home Cooking Memories

Homemade Corn Dog Recipe from QueenBee Coupons

...and onto this week's "Made by ME" Linky Party.  

Burp Cloth and Tutorial

Baby Aya is 8 months now and drooling off and on for a few months now.  After looking around for burp clothes and failing to find the ones I love using for my boys when they were little, I decided to sew some up myself :).

Here's the results - a nice stack of burp clothes ready to use:

 

Since this picture I had made about 4 times as many, because babies drool a lot! On an average day I use 2-3 of these. Make extra - it'll save you time in the laundry room! 

 

Here's a quick little picture tutorial of how to make these yourself:

Green Beans and Tomatoes

Great times in the vegetable garden.  Our family is enjoying the greens this year - lots of basil (I have some pesto pasta photos to share later), green beans cucumbers, etc.

The green beans (pole) are a favorite among our kids.  The boys like to just pick it and eat it off the plant.  Aya (8 months) has many many baby food from it.  And there's even some left for the grownups to enjoy for a few dinners :).

I don't remember what variety of pole beans these are.  The bean seeds were dark brown with specks.  I got them from a local nursery - organic seeds.  Each plant is about 6.5 feet tall - and would grow taller if I had longer poles :).  

Made By ME #87 Linky Party and Features

We're back from vacation (or rather stay-cation...is that term still being used???).  Anyways, we had some much needed R&R around the house and even had a chance to go down to our neighborhood Fourth of July Parade...yes we've lived in this city for 4+ years and this is our first time at the parade...shameless yes, but somehow we were always out of town around the 4th.


Back to the PARTY.  I finally had a chance to look at the party from 2 weeks ago.  Wow and Wow :).  Awesome projects!  Thank you for all of you who had shared a project or just love looking at beautiful (creative and awesome) work.  Here are some faves from the last party...scroll down to the end of this post in include your project this week.

CRAFTS & DECOR

 

Painted Bamboo Utensils from La Gang A Nat 

Glitter Paper Flower Frame from The Crafty Blog Stalker

Felted Stones from HGK

FOOD

Toasted Coconut Dark Chocolate Cookies from The First Year Blog

Bacon Cheddar Potato Salad from Home Cooking Memories

Garlic Lemon Kale Chips from Design and Repeat

Rice Bowls from Frugal Living NW

 SEWING AND KNITS 

 

Lined Zipper Pouch Tutorial from Gingerly Made

Monogram Tutorial from Late to Create 

From Bubble Shorts Skirt from Olga Kid Approved

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

Guess who's 8 months today?

Fabric Love #25:: Folk Modern

I just opened my latest shipment in my fabric shop and I am in love...yes again...and yes I am obsessed from fabric - who can blame a girl??  There's sooo many beautiful fabrics out there, it's hard not to fall in love again...and again...

Well, if you haven't already, check out Ellen Baker's latest and greatest - Folk Modern.

6 great patterns in 3 colorways each.  All prints are in the famous Kokka light canvas - wonderful weight for just about anything.

Photo courtesy of Kokka Fabrics

I especially like it for the versatility of the prints.  Dreaming of pillows, dresses, bags and all sorts of goodies in the future...

Photo courtesy of Kokka Fabrics

See all fabrics from  Folk Modern.

Celebrating the 4th & No Linky Party This Week

No linky party this week - JAQS family is on vacation :).  Happy 4th to our U.S. readers!