Today is the big FINAL photo session for all of the donations for the Detroit Veteran’s Hospital Baby Shower (on the 27th). Here are the final items turned in last night:
14 fleece/sewed blankets – ADORABLE!!!
Two adorable quilts – click on them (I LOVE the ‘boy’ one with hunting theme)
3 lovely crocheted blankets (and my baby headbands-
I made 10, total, but forgot to add the others to the
photo!)
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GRAND TOTAL OF ALL DONATIONS;
35 blankets/quilts/fleece
11 hats
3 pairs booties
6 hat/bootie sets
3 snug sacks & hats
10 baby headbands
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Enough for 70 gifts, total (of course if you add, maybe 2 headbands & a hat, that would change the total but that’s just fine!) I am REALLY proud of my ladies – they did an excellent job!
It’s been a bit BUSY around here lately, running to the library, drug store, grocery store, photoing the baby donations, etc. I think the hardest part was actually coordinating the DELIVERY of the baby items. The lady who heads the Lady Vets program is on a training in Florida until the 22nd; one of my members agreed to deliver them and she’s REALLY busy. I’m going to drive the lot over to her house and leave them on her porch Thursday and she’ll take them to Detroit Friday. Let’s just say: it’s a BIG load! Along with the Knit/Crochet group – we had THREE new people last night! That made 22 at our meeting (we would have been hard-pressed to pack in any more, if they’d have come!). One lady was not only new, but she doesn’t knit OR crochet – she does these REALLY COMPLICATED cross-stitch embroidery wall hangings (which she brought for us to see). She said she found our group on line and thought: “I need some time OUT” (she’s sole care-giver for both of her parents who have Alzheimers). I told her we were HAPPY to include her. Not only that – she brought two garbage bags full of yarn (that was her Mom’s) – she really knows how to please our group! (It was so hectic/crowded, I told her I was taking it home and would bring it back in two weeks – hopefully it won’t be quite as crowded.) Lovely evening getting to know the new people, helping someone who knits like me, and just chatting – I love my group!
On another (similar) note: I got a note on our site from a lady who heads up a different knit group; she was asking if I would be interested in ‘partnering’ with their group. I phoned her – their group gets together to knit/crochet scarves, hats & mittens for homeless people in Pontiac (through Grace Centers of Hope). I told her I thought it was interesting because earlier this year one of my members saw a post on Facebook about a lady in Canada who creates items and places them around her city with a note that says something like: “I’m not lost. If you need a scarf, please take me.” I talked with my member & told her about this new possible venture – I thought it might be a good idea for our group simply because it prevents US from going to possibly dangerous areas of Pontiac, just to aid the homeless. This way we could participate AND also be safe. (My member kind of said she still liked the idea of going around ‘scattering’ items, being anonymous.) Oh well – to each their own, right? I closed the subject by telling the leader of this other group that I would attend their next meeting in the beginning of October and we’d chat more about it then. I also told her that since we just concluded a BIG charity project, we probably wouldn’t be actually starting this until after the holidays. We’ll see how it goes. (I, personally, found 6 skeins of really nice yarn in the ‘FREE’ yarn from last night and will probably start scarves using that). Oh! The other thing: their group GIVES AWAY yarn for their projects! That might also be an incentive for some of my ladies who might not want to spend $$$ on buying more yarn. I love the way life always brings new and interesting projects!
(On another note – you’re probably getting tired or reading about this, but . . . I ran into a lady cashier at Walgreen’s today and we got to chatting about the group’s baby donations. She said she goes to a lot of estate sales and often runs into great deals on yarns. She took my card and will call me if she sees any great deals! Pretty neat – eh? You just never know whats around the next corner!)
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Cheese & Chive Bread
1 3/4 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 eggs, room temp.
1/3 C. whole milk, room temp.
1/3 C. olive oil
1 C. Cheddar cheese, grated
2 oz. Cheddar cheese, cubed
1/3 C. fresh chives, chopped
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Grease a loaf pan with butter. In
large bowl whisk together flour,
baking powder, salt & pepper. In
another bowl, whisk together eggs.
Add in olive oil & milk; whisk until
well blended. Add wet ingredients
to dry. Using a wooden spoon, mix
until combined, making sure not
to over mix. Stir in cheeses & chives;
pour into prepared pan. Bake 35-40
minutes. Remove pan from oven &
allow to cool.
(recipe: allfood.recipes)
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Tortellini Bake
1 (19/20 oz) bag frozen cheese-filled
tortellini
1 (15 oz) jar alfredo sauce
1//2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 C. shredded mozzarella
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9 X 13 pan with nonstick
spray. Mix all ingredients (except
cheeses) together & pour into pan;
spread around. Top with cheeses &
bake 1 hour.
(recipe: Pinterest)
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Pizza Nachos
Garlic Cream Sauce:
1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch cracked black pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
Nachos:
crispy tortilla chips (your choice)
1/2 C. Garlic Cream sauce (above)
1/4 C. diced onion
1/2 C. Pepperoni, cut into bite-sized
pieces
1/2 C. sliced black olives
1/2 whole green bell pepper, seeds
removed & diced
1 C. Colby-Jack cheese, shredded
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Melt butter in a saucepan. Make a
‘roux’ by adding Parm. cheese to
melted butter & blend. Add in cream
& milk, stirring constantly until blended.
Add in remaining sauce ingredients; simmer
on low, do not boil. Layer chips in an oven-
proof skillet. Pour sauce over chips & layer
remaining nacho ingredients, topping with
cheese. Heat in oven until cheese melts.
(recipe: Pinterest)
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Baked Garlic Potato Slices
2-4 whole potatoes
salt
olive oil
finely chopped garlic
herbs & spices (your choice)
–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
Slice potatoes to desired thickness;
thinner is crispier. Rinse potatoes
with water to remove starch; dry
with paper towel. In large bowl, mix
olive oil, salt, chopped garlic & your
choice of herbs. Add potatoes & continue
to mix until each slice is evenly coated.
Place slices in a baking pan & bake,
turning every 15 minutes until golden
brown. Serve hot.
NOTE: Can use Ranch or Thousand
Island dressing for dipping.
(recipe: foodfunhappiness.blogspot.
com)
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Feta & Spinach Stuffed Chicken
6 boneless chicken breasts, butterflied*
1/2 C. spinach for each breast
1/4 C. Feta cheese for each breast
2-3 sun dried tomatoes for each breast
olive oil
salt/pepper
any herbs you might like
kitchen string (1 1/2 feet for
each breast)
–
Preheat oven 400 degrees F.
*Butterfly chicken breasts:
slice each breast in half but
leaving end portion uncut (making
it look like an open book). You can
pound them flatter if need be.
Place a layer of spinach in each,
then a layer of crumbled feta and
2-3 sun dried tomatoes. Tie it up.
Lightly oil, salt/pepper each side
of tied bundle & add any herbs
you might want. Sear chicken on
stovetop in a skillet with a light
layer of oil, over medium-high heat
then transfer to a oven-safe dish.
Bake, 25-30 minutes or until internal
temperature reaches 165 F. If you
want the chicken to brown, turn on
broiler last 2-3 minutes of cooking
time but watch carefully. Let chicken
rest 5 minutes before serving. Remove
string before serving. Serves 6
(recipe: eatsimplefood.com)
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Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
16 oz. Penne Regate Pasta,
cooked al dente & cooled
2 C. shredded cooked chicken
4 C. finely sliced Romaine lettuce,
cut into 1/2″ thick strips
1 (12 oz) jar Marie’s Caesar salad
dressing (in cold produce section)
1 C. shredded Parmesan Cheese (
not grated)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cracked pepper
–
Toss dressing & cooked/cooled pasta
together until pasta is coated. Add
chicken, garlic salt & pepper; mix. Add
Parmesan (reserving a little for topping).*
Wait until you are ready to serve before
putting in romaine, so it stays fresh.
Serves 4-5
*The mix will look like way too much
dressing but once mixed in with the
lettuce, it will be perfect.
NOTE: Poster notes that she would not
use any other dressing for this salad
(recipe: thecreativityexchange.com)
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Zucchini Corn Pancakes
4 large eggs, beaten
1/4 C. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
3 C. grated zucchini (about 1 large)
1 C. fresh sweet corn off cob/or
frozen corn
1 C. shredded Cheddar cheese
1 3/4 C. flour
–
In large bowl combine eggs, oil, salt,
pepper & herbs; whisk to combine.
Add zucchini, corn & cheese; stir
thoroughly with spatula. Add flour
& stir until thoroughly combined &
there are no pockets of dry flour
hiding in the batter. Heat a large
cast-iron skillet or griddle to medium-
high heat, add a very small amount of
oil. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop
1/4 cupfuls of batter onto skillet &
flatten, if necessary with back of
scoop into a circle about 4 inches
in diameter. Cook on each side about
3-4 minutes or until a deep, golden
brown. Remove & transfer to a plate.
Serve warm with your favorite
toppings. Makes 10 pancakes.
NOTE: poster said she likes salsa &
sour cream for toppings)
(recipe: girlversusdough.com)
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Fire & Ice Salad
Dressing:
1/4 C. apple cider vinegar
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. horseradish
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
–
Salad:
1 medium green bell pepper,
cut into thin strips
1 small red onion, cut in half &
sliced thin
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
3 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
2 medium cucumbers, peeled/
sliced thin
–
Combine both vinegars with sugar,
salt, horseradish, celery & mustard
seeds in a small saucepan. Stir &
bring to a boil, boiling for 1 minute;
set aside. In large glass bowl, combine
bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno &
tomatoes; pour hot vinegar/sugar
mixture over vegetables & set
aside to cool.
Add cucumbers, stir, cover with
plastic wrap & refrigerate several
hours. Use a slotted spoon for
serving to drain off excess liquid.
Serves 4-6
(recipe: deepsouthdish.com)
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Sweet & Spicy Bacon-wrapped Meatballs
1 lb. bacon, cut in half
36 meatballs (or, as many as you have
bacon slices)
1 C. brown sugar
3 T. chili powder
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
Mix brown sugar & chili powder in small
bowl. Spray broiler pan with nonstick spray.
Wrap half-slices of bacon around meatballs
& secure with toothpick. Dredge balls in
sugar/chili mixture, pressing to coat well then
place on greased pan. Bake 30-45 minutes
depending on how you like your bacon
(poster likes it crispy, so she cooked hers
45 minutes).
Serving size: 3 meatballs, recipe yields
about 36 balls
Note: poster used frozen, fully cooked
Italian meatballs which she thawed in
microwave before wrapping with bacon.
(recipe: thegunnysack.com)
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4 Ingredient Butter Pecan Squares
22 graham crackers
1 C. butter
1 C. packed brown sugar
1 C. chopped pecans
–
Preheat oven 350 degrees F.
LIne a rimmed baking sheet with
aluminum foil & spray with non-
stick spray. Place graham crackers
on sheet; set aside. In small
saucepan over low heat, melt butter.
Add brown sugar & pecans; boil
2 minutes, stirring regularly. Spread
mixture evenly over graham crackers.
Bake 10 minutes; cut into squares
while still warm. Allow to completely
cool before removing from sheet.
Store in air-tight container.
Serves 22
(recipe: theseasonedmom.com)
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Our weather has been very nice the past few
days; it’s sunny and in the mid 60’s with a
slight breeze. I was very happy it stayed so
nice today so that I could finish taking the
photos for the group. (If you look close, in
one of them there’s my hand & camera
shadow – oh well – I was standing on a chair
trying not to fall AND make sure I took a
fairly good photo.)
Hope you have a GREAT day!
Hugs;
Pammie
Pammie's Place 