Key Lime Pie

Tylor asked for this and we have fallen head over heels for it. It is simply delicious!

Key Lime Pie (amended from Kraft recipe 2011)

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lime juice

1 envelope Lemon-Lime Kool-aid (unsweetened)*

1 8 oz tub of Lite Cool Whip

1 lime - finely grate the peel and save the juice

Combine first three ingredients. Stir in half of grated lime peel and the fresh lime juice. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups Cool Whip (estimate this). Freeze for 6 hours. Take out of freezer 15 minutes before serving. Top with remaining Cool Whip then sprinkle on the remaining lime peel.

*If you can't find Lemon-Lime Kool-aid you can use Lemonade but then you need to add some green food coloring.

Bloomers

Sherri was teasing me a bit about making bloomers for Miriam...that's okay, I can take it.  I can also dish it out: 

These bloomers were super simple to whip up - and very practical. Very.

McCalls 5966 - Review

What do you get when you cross a tablecloth with a bedsheet?  Fabulousness, that's what.

Easy McCalls 5966

I like a pattern that is what it says it is...easy. The only tricky parts to this pattern were putting in a zipper - not that hard, just a little fiddly, and doing the set-in sleeves that were too small to go around the 'free-arm' part of my sewing machine.  Again, not hard, just a bit fiddly. The end result is pretty dang cute - and slightly Colonial.

Bloomers

Debbie was mentioning today that she was going to make bloomers for Miriam. Now she needs to stitch the above sign so she knows why...teehee!

Simplicity 2269 Review

I thought this 'easy-to-sew' pattern had great potential.  Sure enough, it turned out cute, but I have a bone to pick with whoever designated this 'easy-to-sew'.  It should have been 'everything on this pattern is easy to sew except the neckline insert which is fiddly and difficult and almost made me swear'.

At one point I nearly chucked it, but once I got the neckline in, the rest was a breeze - I was able to finish it up pretty dang quick.

Meet Cute...(Apron Skirt).

I've been seeing lots of apron skirts all over the blogosphere lately...and I love them. Well, I love many of them.  Some just don't quite work for me.  This past week Lil Blue Boo posted her version, complete with dimensions - so I was ready to go.  You can find her instructions here. She even made a great pdf instruction sheet that you can print right up.

Free Girl's Dress Pattern

Don't know how many of us still need to sew for little girls (cough*Debbie*cough) but I ran across this adorable free pattern from the brain behind Craftiness is Not Optional.  I love, love that fabric and think the button details are so sweet. 

Stepped up Lemon Cupcakes

Now let's send those Lemon Cupcakes over the top...

Lemon Frosting

12 ounces cream cheese - room temperature

1 cup store-bought lemon curd (Trader Joe's and Whole Food)

Beat together for 4 to 5 minutes until fluffy. Chill until ready to frost.

Candied Lemon Wheels

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

2 large lemons (trim ends) and sliced 1/8 inch thick

Boil water and sugar in heavy saucepan. When it is clear and bubbly reduce heat to low. Add lemon slices separating them with a fork. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the rind is translucent. Use a fork to place the candied rinds on parchment paper. Let cool completely. Can be stored in an air-tight container for about 1 month.

For mini cupcakes cut the candied lemon wheels in quarters.

Hello Gorgeous.

Say hello to my little friend...We call it "The Ruffler" (which totally sounds like an arch nemesis of Batman, but it is totally NOT).

The Ruffler isn't cheap (around $30 at JoAnns)...but I was in the mood for a little retail therapy (buying something besides 450 bags of potato chips for girls camp) and this was the result.  I have to admit, it looks more than a little scary, but fear not, it was pretty dang easy to install and use. What surprised me most is that it will fit on most sewing machines - so even if you don't have a fancy shmancy sewing machine, you can make yours do some pretty fun stuff.

Make It Work

I don't sew clothing from scratch and if you'll allow a broad metaphorical walk-about, I'll explain.  It's like the difference between culinary savants (with the white hats and shapeless coats) and plain home-cooks.  I don't bake cakes from scratch but I'll augment a boxed mix.  (Which is literally not true.  I really like to stick to the box mix in real life and if I'm really lucky, I get The Boy to make it for me.)
So, I still find following patterns to be difficult but if I get my hands on a piece of cheap clothing I have no qualms about ruining it as I try to sew it better.

Crafting With Kids

PBK Inspiration

 The Ya-ya is a little Summer-bored (Defined as: Boredness intensified by a flaming ball of gas in the sky and no school and no like-minded girls on the block) and I found a fun little sewing project that we wanted to try out.  It comes from the Pottery Barn Kids catalog and really, if sewing isn't your bag, the price isn't outrageous (Defined as: Not actually snorting when looking at the product details.).  Plus, the store one comes with legs.  And feet.  And your daughter's unmet summertime fun expectations.  Well, maybe not your daughter...

Alien Aprons

I've been meaning to make myself an apron for girls camp.  I procrastinated quite a while -  and time is pretty much up, so I bit the bullet and whipped up these bad boys.

Mini Lemon Cupcakes

I sort of got pulled in by a new (to me) blog this week.  Maybe you've already seen it - the pictures are beautiful (and mouth watering), and the writing is hilarious.  It's called Confessions of a Cookbook Queen. Read it. You'll fall in love. Anywho,I had signed up to take a dessert to the church potluck (yes, I also took pulled pork)...and I was sort of in the market for an idea.  I ran across her Lemon Filled Mini Cupcakes and my search was ended.

Super simple yet absolutely adorable...check.

Easiest Pulled Pork Ever...

...or: What to Take To the Church Potluck Dinner When You Are Too Tired and/or Lazy to Really Cook.

If you happen to be a vegetarian, just avert your eyes right now...you so don't want to see me raving about my love affair with pork.

Spicy Shrimp Masala

2 Tbs garam masala

1 Tbs paprika

2 tsp chili powder (NOTE: You can adjust this to the amount of heat you like in your food.)

1 tsp sea salt

3 garlic cloves, minced fine

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

2 tsp finely grated lemon peel and 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice plus lemon for squeezing on shrimp

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 - 2 lbs extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4-6 medium flat bread rounds

Prepare shrimp first - it's a nasty job but well worth it in the end. In a large bowl combine garam masala, paprika, chili powder, salt, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, lemon juice and oil to make a paste. Stir until there are no more lumps. Add shrimp and toss to coat. (At this point I put it in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for about an hour to marinate. You do not have to do this but it intensifies the flavor nicely.) Thread the shrimp onto pre-soaked wooden skewers.

Grilled shrimp over hot fire until lightly charred and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve in flat bread with any of the following; lettuce, diced tomato, cilantro, thin peeled cucumber slices, lemon drizzled on top, Greek yogurt mixed with lemon juice(1 to 1 1/2 Tbls of lemon to a small container of Greek yogurt (don't use plain), and basmati rice.

I modified this recipe from an America's Test Kitchen recipe from August 2010.

Sewing with a Smile

Lauren took her third week long sewing camp and create a blouse and block pattern tote bag. And she' learning how to pose for the camera!

Recovered Office Chair



The Verner chair from IKEA.



First of all, let me state for the record that no office chair was harmed in the making of this new cover.  The cover could be carefully removed, and the glorious black pleather would be revealed completely intact. Why cover it up in the first place.  Pleather, that's why. It was nice working with a brand new chair - I knew IKEA wouldn't let me down when it came to seeing all the pieces in their un-assembled state. Sure 'nough - here's what I had to start with: 

Teenage Boy's Room

While Danny was in California this week, I took the opportunity to try and make a silk purse from a sow's ear. The project took a little longer than I wanted it to, but I think it turned out pretty dang awesome. 

The walls stayed the same color - I had just enough leftover from painting it a few years ago to touch up the grubby/scratched bits (Behr - Whisper Yellow).  Curtains and chair cover - IKEA fabric (Susannah (I think)). Bedding from Walmart. Bed from the as-is department at IKEA.