Crochet Collection

I learned how to crochet in November 2012. This post has a sample of some projects I have done since then. As time goes on, I will begin to share the patterns that I use. Stay Tuned! (many of these have been gifts, so some may look familiar :)). 

Both booty sets (Pink/Yellow Set and Grey/Yellow Set) are inspired by several different patterns.

Pink Hat is designed by Kate Alvis on Ravelry.com

The pink and gray booties are from Lion Brand's website, here.

The Big Flowers on the hats are from this website.

 I really wanted to make an infinity scarf. I found the pattern for the cowl on the right from this blog. I found it to be really tight, so I made one twice as long, with the same beautiful (back loop) half double crochet stitch (on the left). It is much more comfortable. I used Lion Brand Hometown USA super bulky yarn in Grand Rapids green. For the cowl on the right I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Chunky in Wheat (a little scratchy). 

This is a hat with a brim pattern that I found on Red Heart's website. I wouldn't wear it in public, but it was a fun project, and fun to wear around home.

Above and below are some of my very first crochet projects. It is fun to look back and see how far I have come since I learned in November 2012.

Left: Double Crochet hat with pom pom. Top Right: Hat and Gloves (Lion Brand Pattern) set for my sister. Bottom Right: Chunky Scarf for my sister-in-law.

Hearty Breakfast Smoothie

In a Blender combine:

1 Cup Skim Milk
1/2 cup Lowfat Strawberry Yogurt
1/3 cup fresh pineapple
1/4 cup quick oats
3 ice cubes

293 Calories

Mini Veggie-Chicken Pot Pies

I just finished eating these for dinner, and I couldn't wait to put the recipe on here. This recipe is adapted from several different recipes I've found, and these are delish.

1 1/2 Chicken Breasts
1/2 bag of mixed frozen veggies
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups of pancake mix ("Just Add Water" kind)
1 1/2 cups of water
2 TBL Olive oil
Shredded Cheese
Rosemary
Parsley
Salt, Pepper
Seasoned Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350, and spray 12 cup muffin tin.
2. Season raw chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt. Bake in oven on 350 degrees for 1 hour.
3. Shred the cooked chicken breast. Put chicken in a skillet with 2 TBL olive oil, the frozen mixed veggies, a dash of water, and the cream of chicken soup. Heat on med-hi until veggies are cooked through.
4. In a small bowl, mix pancake mix with water, stir. Add in parsley and rosemary to season.
5. Pour a spoonful of batter into each cup (2 or 3 TBL). Pour 1/4 cup of chicken/veggie mix into each cup. 6. Pour another large spoonful of batter over each cup in the pan. Sprinkle with cheese.
7. Bake on 350 for 25 min.

Adapted from:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/Tips/TipsLibrary/Cooking-Tips/Create-Your-Own-Signature-Mini-Pie and 
Aunt Jemima Buttermilk Pancake Complete Mix Box Pot Pie recipe

Skinny-Mini Pizzas

I Love Pizza. So I try to find different ways to make it and ways to make it a little healthier. These mini pizzas run around 143 calories each (maybe a little more).

Ingredients:

2 - 2 1/2 cups bread flour or all purpose flour
2 1/4 tsp. dry active yeast
1 TBL honey
3 TBL Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Salt
1 cup luke warm water
Spaghetti Sauce
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Hormel Turkey Pepperoni Minis

Stir warm water, yeast & honey together in a bowl. Let it sit 10 minutes. Next, add olive oil, salt and slowly add in 2 to 2 1/2 cups of flour. Stir and add flour a little at a time until the dough is not too sticky, but not too dry. Put the dough ball on a floured surface and knead it until it feels like it is going to stick to your fingers, but it doesn't. Roll out the dough and use a floured drinking glass to cut out 8 mini crusts. Place mini crusts on greased pizza pan. Top each mini pizza with spaghetti sauce, a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and mini turkey pepperonis. Baking times vary so keep an eye on them, but I did: 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy!

Freezer Meals: 2 Hours, 4 Dinners

I've been quite inspired lately by many Pinterest posts of these wonder women setting aside an entire day to make 30+ freezer meals. I don't have the time, energy, or freezer space to do that, but I wanted to try it on a small scale. 

I went to Walmart and bought a huge pack of fresh chicken breasts - I had no plan for the chicken, but knew I could think of some meals with ingredients I already had in my cupboards. This is what I did:

I baked all 8 chicken breasts split between two cake pans. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, and seasoned salt, baked them on 375 for 1 hour. I took them out, shredded them (ended up with about 8 cups of chicken) , and let the pile of chicken cool while I chose my recipes.

 Here are the recipes I made:

Chicken Enchilada Filling (thank you Julia for this recipe!)

• 2 cups Shredded Chicken
• 1 can Cream of Chicken
• 1 4 oz. can of Diced Green Chiles
• 1 cup. light sour cream
• 1.5 cups shredded cheese
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Dash of cayenne pepper
• To Serve: place thawed mixture in whole wheat tortillas, roll up, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

White Bean Chicken Chili 

• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 2 cups corn
• 1 can white beans
• 1.5 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 packet of enchilada seasoning
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. garlic
• 2 tbl. olive oil
• 1 onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

BBQ Chicken Sandwich Filling

• 2 cups shredded chicken
• 1/2 small bottle BBQ sauce
• 1 tsp. Garlic
• 1/8 c. vinegar
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• Serve BBQ Chicken hot on Whole Wheat Buns

Chicken Pot Pie Filling

• 2 Cups shredded chicken
• 2 cups of steamed veggies
• 1 can cream of chicken
• 1/2 c. milk
• Seasoned salt, pepper
• To make the pot pie crust: Combine 1 C. Whole Wheat Flour, 1/3 C. Butter (Softened), and 1 tsp of salt in a bowl. Use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients until the butter has made its way throughout the mixture. Next add 5 TBL of cold water. Use a fork to "wisk" it. The dough will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Add one or more tablespoons of  cold water if the mixture is still too dry. Pack the dough into a ball and roll out on a floured surface.Place pie crust in lightly greased pie pan. Dump in the pot pie mixture. If you choose, you can make another crust for the top, or even a crumble topping. Bake 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

I put each recipe (cooled) into a freezer bag, labeled with the contents, and baking directions. I'm really looking forward to 4 nights where we can simply heat dinner up and eat it. I hope this inspires you to do the same and save some stress during the week!

Spicy Tortilla Soup for Two

I love soup. Ask anyone who knows me well. When my grandma was visiting this past weekend she gave me a fabulous idea to make Chicken Tortilla Soup with a McCormick Enchilada Sauce packet for great flavor. She actually had one with her and gave it to me. I had no recipe to follow, so I decided to experiment on my own with her inspiration. I didn't use chicken in my soup because I was in a hurry and didn't have time to get some out of the freezer, but I ended up getting a really great tasting soup!

The following recipe only makes about 2 servings of soup since it was just for my lunch today.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups warm water

2 Chicken Bullion Cubes

1 Packet of McCormick Enchilada Sauce mix - you will only use half

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. fresh garlic (I use the kind in the jar)

Minced Onion

1/2 cup black beans

3/4 cup whole kernel corn

1/2 cup medium salsa (I used homemade that has green peppers and onions in it)

2 TBL cold water

1 TBL cornstarch

Tortilla Chips, semi broken up

1. In a medium sized pan, put the water, chicken bullion cubes, and 1/2 the packet of enchilada mix over a medium-hi heat. As it warms, the cubes will dissolve. Stir occasionally. 

2. Just before the liquid starts to boil, add the salt, pepper, garlic, and several shakes (maybe a few teaspoons) of minced onion.

3. Continue to stir. Once the liquid starts to boil, add the black beans, corn, and salsa. 

4. Turn it down a little so its not boiling too rapidly. To thicken the soup: Go get two tablespoons of cold water in a bowl. Add 1 TBL of cornstarch and stir it into the cold water. Pour this into the soup in the pan. Stir constantly and return the soup to a boil. Boil for one minute, still stirring, then reduce heat to simmer until the soup is heated through.

5. Serve yourself some soup and throw some semi-broken tortilla chips onto the top of your soup and give a little stir. 

You are done! Now you can enjoy your spicy soup!