Homemade Hummus!

I LOVE hummus!  The only store brand I like is Athenos.  But it is really expensive ($4-5 a tub).  I haven't calculated how much this costs, but I'd guess $1 at most.  The most expensive item is the garbanzo beans/chickpeas are 62 cents. 

Hummus

1 can garbanzos/chickpeas, RINSED
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on your love of garlic)
cumin, to taste
garam marsala to taste
pinch of salt

 

1. Please rinse your beans.  This lowers the salt content, plus that canning liquid is gross.

 

2. Put everything in your food processor.  I use lots of cumin. But sadly I was out of garam marsala (a delicious Indian spice blend).

 

3. Blend!  Then taste to see if you need to add any more spices:

 

4. Eat with delicious pita chips:

Pasta With Tomato Cream Sauce

I got this delicious recipe from The Pioneer Woman and you should go right here to see her pictures because they are much, much, much better than mine.  Also her blog is pretty much my favorite everrrrrrr.  (Every time I try to add her to my blog-roll at the very bottom on this site it doesn't work.  Conspiracy against Pioneer Woman?  I think so.)

1. Cook onions and garlic in olive oil and butter.  Next time I'll choose either butter or olive oil, I think both were unnecessary:

2. Add in two cans of tomato sauce (I used 1 can sauce and 1 can tomato puree because I wanted a thicker sauce):

 4. Mix it all up:

5. Add in some pepper and a bit of sugar:

6. Let it cook down for 20-30 minutes (check out that steam!):

7. Add in 1 cup heavy cream (I used 1/4 heavy cream and 3/4 half & half):

8. Swirl it around to make a gorgeous shade of orange:

9. Add in lots of parmesan cheese:

10. Add in your chosen cooked pasta and mix well:

11. Add fresh basil on top when you serve it.  Please, please, please do this step!  The taste of fresh basil complements the sauce PERFECTLY:

Pasta With Tomato Cream Sauce
from The Pioneer Woman

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
Fresh Basil, Chopped
1-½ pound pasta

Preparation Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so.

3. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cream.

5. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings.

6. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Apple Bread or Muffins

I know it looks like I put a giant pat of butter on my muffin, but I'm not crazy, I put a giant pat of CREAM CHEESE on my muffin.  The flash just messed with it.

 There are lots of pictures missing for this recipe and that's because my boyfriend and I started making these and then part way through I remembered, oh right!  I have a crafty blog and should be photographing this for a post.

Pumpkin Apple Bread or Muffins
recipe from food.com


3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (such as Libby's)
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup apple juice (or water)
2 apples, peeled, cored, & diced

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray pans with Pam (2 loaf pans or 1 loaf pan and 1 muffin tray). Or be fancy with butter and flour.


2. In a small bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, & salt.

3. In a large bowl combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, applesauce, & apple juice until well-blended.

4. Add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.

5. Fold in diced apples.

6. Spoon mixture into loaf or muffin pans or both if you're indecisive like me. 

7. Bake for 60 minutes for loaf pan(s) and about 40 for muffins.

I want to learn how to knit

 so I can make this gorgeous scarf:

Overnight French Toast Casserole

Overnight French Toast Casserole
originally from food.com

12 pieces of bread
1/2 cup brown sugar 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sprinkle of nutmeg
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

 

1. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with Pam:

 2. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg:

3. Put 6 pieces of bread in the casserole dish:

4. Sprinkle them with the sugar mixture and spread evenly with the spoon:

5. Add another bread layer:

6. Sprinkle the remaining sugar mixture over the bread:

7. Crack 4 eggs in a bowl:

8. Scramble them and add a dash of vanilla:

9. Add the milk:

10. Mix in the milk:

11. Pour the eggy-vanilla-milk over the bread and evenly distribute using the spoon:

12. All ready for the fridge!:

13. After a night in the fridge:

14. After baking for 25 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered:

 
This is a fun recipe to modify.  If you have leftover cinnamon or pumpkin bread you can make it using that bread instead.  You can also insert fruit into the bottom and middle layers (it will dry out on the top layer).  I like to serve it with Crockpot Apple Pie Filling instead of using maple syrup or honey.

Quilting!

I have finally begun work on my Dad's quilt.  I bought the fabric for him (that he picked out) in February.  This is your introduction to my procrastination.  I have put it off for a long time because I can't just start the process at the part I love, sewing, and quilting.  No, first I have to cut out 1.6 million tiny squares.  I'm exaggerating, I only have to cut out 875 squares.  But I finally started the cutting of the squares!  Which means I can finally start the part I love and having some non-food related crafting to write about.

First I cut long strips 2.5 inches wide off the fabric: 

This is why I hate cutting the squares:

 My cutting mat and ruler aren't long enough to cut the strip in one continuous motion so I have to shift everything to finish the cut and it doesn't always go smoothly.

2. Cut squares 2.5 inches wide off of the long strip:

 

I cut a bunch of squares out of the star fabric and dark blue fabric.  The medium blue fabric is also the border fabric so I want to cut the border pieces before I start cutting squares out of it.  I'll do that tomorrow.  The dark blue is also the fabric for the backing of the quilt.

 

The quilt is an Irish Chain quilt.  I have made one before on a smaller scale for my nephew when he turned 1 and then for my niece when she turned 1.  The dark squares in this sketch that criss cross across the quilt are the star fabric.  The medium squares are the medium blue and the light squares are the dark blue.

Patterns!

My patterns came!  This one is the dress I am making for my niece:

Isn't it an adorable pattern?  And I'll be using this fabric:

 

She picked out the fabric, so it makes the project even more fun for the both of us.

I need an accent pattern and I think I'm going to go with this darker pink:

 

The only thing that I am fairly upset about is that the "pattern" did not come with tissue paper!  I thought that was the point of paying for a pattern!  (And it did cost a fair bit of money.)  It just came with this tiny booklet with bad diagrams:

Therefore, I'll have to do this project with my mom so I don't screw up royally and then waste the money I spent on fabric.  She has made clothes before and will be a big help!

The other pattern I won't be using for awhile, but will eventually be used to make a dress for me!  And thankfully, it does have the tissue paper to help you cut your fabric to the right size.

Making an item of clothing for myself and for my two nephews and my niece are all on my 25 Before 25 List.  It will be fun to be able to cross another thing off soon!