Tortilla Adventures

Sometimes I'm a weird kind of lazy. I didn't feel like going to the store tonight, so I made tortillas. Granted, it's something I've been wanting to try anyway. I mostly followed this recipe and cut it in half.


The filling is a slow cooker salsa chicken, which is a combination of a couple recipes. I put frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot on high for four hours with some salsa, chicken broth, tomato paste, black beans, corn, and spices- garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper. Towards the end I added some instant brown rice and shredded the chicken. Yum!
I definitely will keep this in rotation. The tortilla was ok, but I think I might try another recipe next time that has baking powder in it. I'd also use less whole wheat flour next time (I did 1/2 and 1/2)

Diaper Bags and Quick Project

At craft night I made something quick and easy, and useful for me. I didn't have a convenient place for change in my car, so I was always hunting around when I need quarters for parking.

So I crocheted a little green bag o' money.


It holds a decent number of quarters, and now I'll always be able to find them easily!



I've also been wanting a decent little diaper bag. The ones on the market seem to be either ugly and/or very expensive. We have a nice messenger style bag that I love, and I also wanted something small for quick trips.


I have some improvements planned, and version 2 is already in the works.


I used a cotton duck for the outside and a quilting cotton for the interior. It's not fancy or waterproof, but I like it.

I also learned that you can't sew through stick-on Velcro, so I bought the proper stuff for round two. Gummy needles are bad news.

Baby Sling

This week I did my first bit of sewing since our baby was born a month ago. I made a simple sling from Mamma's Milk.


He doesn't look too impressed :)


It turned out alright, and was really fast to make. Next time I'll make it slightly smaller, since he rides a little too low. But not bad for a quick project, and I can probably use this one more once he's a little older.

Next I'm going to make one of the adjustable slings with rings.

Baby Booties

For Christmas my mom gave me some baby crochet books, including Little Crochet. When I saw this, I knew I had to try making the booties on the front. They're so cute!

My trusty assistant/foot warmer, Herbert, watched and hoped in vain I would drop a scrap of yarn for him.


I think they turned out well. I made the soles green to match the star. When I make them again, I think I'll start the side color one row earlier so it's better defined. Other than that, I love them :)

Herbs models them for me

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Good Times at Craft Night

Pottery

I miss throwing pots; I should take it up again. Granted, this isn't one of my best bowls ever, but I love it.




I looked at the signature line and realized I made it 11 years ago! O.O




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Delicata Squash: a score and a flop

A friend had given me two delicata squash, and I finally got around to using them last night. I had never tried them before.

One I served with dinner, and it was a hit (even if it was slightly burnt.) The other I roasted plain and blended to bake muffins. Those didn't turn out so well.

The Score - roasted squash

I found simple directions from Chez Pim to roast them with butter, brown sugar, and salt. While they were roasting I baked meatballs, and served spaghetti and meatballs with the squash as a side. I always consider it a small accomplishment to make an unplanned, successful dinner from ingredients already at the house- with leftovers or simply things I happen to have on hand.

The Flop - muffins

To be fair, I should have thought about this recipe and maybe just used it as a basic guideline. Because the idea was good, but the ratios seemed a little off. 3 cups of flour for that amount of spices and squash? They were very bland, to say the least. Next time I'll find a different recipe, or I would try to adjust this one a little bit. It made a dozen and a half muffins, which seemed like way too many for the 1/2 cup of squash.

Today they taste a little better, and the spices come through a bit stronger, but I'm still not calling it a success.

I have to say I do like these little squash so far, and I look forward to trying them again. They're a nice size when only cooking for two.