Rag Doll

My granddaughters are at the age where they like to play with dress up. What would be more fun than dressing up a soft cuddly rag doll. I have a request from my youngest to have different clothing changes. Note to self make more clothes.

Cut out pattern. I use white material, that will painted on. There is a dart for the neck.

With acrylic flesh paint paint the faces, the arms, the legs.

 This is where it really get fun for me. I love to paint their little faces. The eyes make them come alive.

Out line the hair line.

Since I decided to paint under wear , I painted lace, and a ribbon.

The boots are painted on there is no way these will ever get lost. Paint with glossy finish to give a more realistic patent leather look.

Paint the eyes with a glob of glossy finish. This will put the sparkle in the eyes. See my rag doll.

Lasagna

Take a look at that, does that ever speak comfort food to a foodie like me. This meal takes me back to my childhood, the aromas the flavors.

Ingredients:

1 24 oz jar pasta sauce

1 box of Barilla lasagna (don't let the box fool you it will do a 9x13 pan)

3 Italian hot sausage links 

1 ball of mozzarella cheese grated

1 24 oz ricotta cheese

1 small package of chopped frozen spinach (defrosted)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

First fry sausage in pan. Break the sausage down to very small bits.

Sausage should be brown, drained and set to the side.

\Take all the liquid out of the chopped spinach. by placing in a clean kitchen towel, squeeze till the liquid no longer runs.

At this time soak the lasagna noodles in a bowl with water for 5 minutes until the noodles are no longer stiff, but flexible. Pull out of water and set to the side.

In a large mixing bowl add ricotta cheese, dried chopped spinach 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, (save the rest for layering , and topping) 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, both eggs, salt, and pepper.  Mix together.

This is where the fun begins layering.. Pour about 4 tablespoons of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan. I like to use glass it leaves the favor more true.

Place the noodles on top of the sauce, layer the sausage meat next then the cheese spinach mixture , sprinkle a handful of grated mozzarella. Continue layering changing the direction of the noodles with each layers until all the noodles are used up. The noodles are at the very top, spread pasta sauce, and mozzarella cheese to finish.

Cover with aluminium foil, this will steam the noodle, to tender. Preheat oven to 350 degrees bake for 1 hour. 

Allow to rest for 10 minutes. 

Enjoy!! This may become one of your new comfort foods also.

Portable Window Greenhouse

What do you do with your old windows? We replaced our windows in our home, couldn't bare to throw out those beautiful drafty windows.
 There was a lot of craftsmanship that went into those wooden frames. It's a green idea to reuse old things, and give it a new lease on life.
Here's an idea make a portable window greenhouse.

I like the way it looks in the front yard. Very shabby sheik, I'm thinking of hanging some flowers in it. What do you think of this idea?

Diy Coffee Table Redo

One of the things that I enjoy doing is taking a piece of furniture, and changing it. The most inexpensive way, with more bang for your buck is to repaint.. Since folk art is popular, and easy to reproduce, it's a great place for a beginner to start. There are plenty of books with patterns at stores like Micheal's. The book I got this particular pattern was Better Home and Gardens Painting Furniture and Accessories.

Supplies:
Sand paper
Large paint brush
# 5 round brush
3/8 angle brush
# 0 liner brush
6 inch glazed ceramic tile for paint mixing
Flat edge painting knife
Assortment of 2 oz paints made by Americana, Folk Art, and Delta
Blue Haze, Blue Mist, Napa Red, Buttermilk,Antique Gold, Antique Green, and Black
Tracing paper
Matte finish spray
Stylist tool
Water pail for rinsing brushes

Start by selecting the piece of furniture your redoing. I have chosen a coffee table. First sand the table all over. Using a wet cloth remove all dust from furniture. Also see furniture make over for more information.

Paint the table with the large paint brush in black.

Copy pattern to tracing paper. Tape into place, with white transfer paper under neath. Redraw pattern onto coffee table.

The main colors are based in first, to shade you side load with the darker colors, to high light you use the lighter colors.

• I took the liberty to do some free flowing leaves around the edges of the table, once you get brave try it, it will  give you  painting a free form look.

Lavender Baby Sweater with Hoodie

We have a new baby, or I should say grand baby arriving soon,. There is nothing that compares to the joy of having grand babies. I have been combing the net to find easy baby patterns, and once again I can state that wwwlionbrand.com  has some adorable free patterns on line. Pink Lemonade Hoodie

What I liked about this pattern was, the way it came together. The sleeves are made first. then set to the side while you make the body of the jacket from bottom up. The sleeves are then attached and the whole sweater is knitted together to give it a neat look. The shoulder is then narrowed by decreasing the stitches. The hood is then added to finish the jacket.

The one variation I did to the pattern was to make the opening of the sleeve smaller, by casting on 29 stitches instead of the 36 which the pattern called for.

Cheese Crepes with Blackberry Sauce

That time of year has come once more,one day we as a nation set aside to honor our mothers. One of my mothers favorite breakfast meals is cheese crepes with blackberry sauce. My dad use to do most of the cooking when I was a kid.. Being Italian, and from the region of Bari where the best cooks come from. My dad liked to experiment with food, just as I do. Most of his meals were great, except for the occasional flop like garlic muffins.

Crepes ingredients:
3/4  cup milk
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon oil
dash salt

Crepe filling:
24 oz small curd cottage cheese
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Blackberry Sauce
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon instant clear gel, or cornstarch

For crepes place milk, flour,egg, sugar, oil, and dash of salt in large bowl, using a whisk beat well. Set aside. Heat a lightly greased  6 inch non stick frying pan. Spoon 1/8 cup of batter, swirling to cover the pan. Cook till the crepe browns, turn over, and cook for 1 minute more.

  
For crepe filling place cottage cheese, orange zest, almond extract, and sugar in a bowl, stir together. Place cheese filling on one side of cooked crepe.

After folded , fry in tablespoon of butter, till lightly browned.

Blackberry sauce should be made to night before. Place blackberries in medium sauce pan with sugar. Bring to a boil for 30 minutes. Strain though a sieve to remove the blackberry seeds. Return to sauce pan with the addition of corn starch, simmer for 5 minutes or till the sauce thickens. Remove , from heat when cooled place in ice box over night to serve  with the cheese crepes. enjoy!!

Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup

It's May here in Virginia, and we're still using our fire place to keep warm. Sitting in front of the fire with a bowl  of warm spicy sausage lentil soup,  yum it doesn't get much better than this. I use to make lentil soup a lot when my boys were growing up, because I just like the flavor of lentils. My son Dany remarked one time he thought it was punishment. That really made me chuckle since that was not the case at all. I just plain liked lentil soup. I think Dany would even like this version.

1. 1/2 cup dry lentils
2. 3 Premo Hot Italian Sausage links cut into small bit size bits
3. 1 teaspoon dry fennel
4. 1  mini cubes Knorr garlic seasonings
5. 1 mini cubes Knorr onion seasonings
6. 3 carrots diced
7. 3 sprigs of celery diced
8. 4 cups water
9. 2 mini cubes Knorr tomato 
10. 1/2 cup chopped green onion saute in 1 tablespoon butter
11. 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
12. 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
13. 2 potato cubed
14. 5 cups water
15. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 
16. 1 teaspoon dry basil

In a crock pot place all ingredients.  Cook on high for 8 hours. Serve with crusty bread . Enjoy!