Christmas Soups - 2010

I used three recipes for my Soup Extravaganza this Christmas:

Cream of Broccoli Soup (Jen Smith)

6 c. chicken broth
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. salt
1 large head broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. butter (yes, that's three cubes)
2 qt. half and half (or use a mixture of half and half and milk)
1 (8oz.) jar of Cheese Whiz

Combine broth, onions, salt, and broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender. In separate pot make sauce - melt butter, add flour and blend into a paste. Add milk all at once, stir constantly until thick (when it bubbles). Stir in Cheese Whiz. Add to undrained broccoli.



Kristi's Sweet Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 T. olive oil
1 can (28 oz.) petite diced tomatoes - undrained
1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles
2 cans kidney beans - rinsed and drained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 c. brown sugar

Preheat large pot and brown beef, bell peppers, onion, and spices together in oil. When beef is browned and veggies are tender, add remaining ingredients. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, onions, etc. Serves 8-10


Creamy Chicken Soup (Nicole Kunze)

1 small onion, chopped
1 T. butter
3 c. chicken broth (I use 3 cans)
4 medium carrots, chopped (I use a bag of mini carrots)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 c. cooked and cubed chicken (I use rotisserie chicken from Costco)
2 T. fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. milk
1/4 - 1/2 c. flour
1 (8 oz.) package of cream cheese - room temperature, cut into small cubes

Saute onion in butter; add broth and veggies. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until veggies are tender. Add chicken, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Combine flour and milk until smooth. Add to pot of veggies. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for two minutes or until thick. Reduce heat; add cream cheese until melted.  This soup is very thick. Add milk or water if needed.

Christmas Table Runner

I just finished this table runner for our Etsy shop, and I was so pleased with how it tuned out, I had to post it here, too.

I did the quilting. The first time I dared use my free-motion foot to do any quilting. Yes, you can see some flaws, but overall I'm very pleased with how it turned out!

Showing the underneath side of the runner and the binding. So fun!

The worst picture ever. Lighting and angle are horrid, but I wanted to show the full monty.

This is my favorite view. Draped over my kitchen chair. (Please ignore my dirty grout. It needs to be cleaned again.)

See that plate? My sweet mother-in-law gave me a set of those snowflake plates. So perfect for the winter season!

Table Runner - French General in Red

I saw this fabric and had to buy yards and yards of it. OK, maybe not that much, but I bought enough of it to do a table runner for my sweet mother-in-law (to match her new awesome red wall in her kitchen) and one to sell in our shop. Here are the pictures for you all to drool over. I know, right? Who knew I could actually do this? I used Quiltsmart interfacing to do the pumpkin seeds, and appliquéd circles on to make it look like centers to flowers. I added a sashing/border, and folded the back up over the front to finish it. I even did my own machine quilting. Hooray! I love projects that end up so beautifully.

 I'm also going to be in Bountiful, Utah tomorrow (Saturday, July 31) at an  Artisan Fair trying to sell things from our shop, so if you're in the Bountiful area, come see me (and all of our cool stuff) in person.

Place Mats - Take One

My kids bug me. Really, they do. Okay, so maybe "bugs me" isn't the right term to use here, but allow me to explain. Our pre-dinnertime routine consists of the kids biting at my ankles, total chaos, prayers said in the middle of my dinnertime preparations, and then pulling chairs up to the counter and letting the kids eat at the counter. S-T-R-E-S-S. Big time. I hate it.

Well, we finally bought a table last week that actually fits our family. One that I'd like to use as a segue into a more calm and respectable dinnertime routine. One where the kids help set and clean up the table. One where we pray as a family sitting around the table, not standing in the living room amidst the chaos we call our life. One where Ed ( at 21 months) can help with something. Anything. And then it hit me. Place mats. He can put place mats on the table!

Here's what I did (in a nutshell):

* Starting with a yard each of two coordinating fabrics, cut into tops and bottoms of place mats, each measuring 18" x 13."

* Cut batting the same measurements, and place in between the top and bottom pieces of fabric.

* Pin to hold together, then sew vertical stripes 1.5" apart all the way across the place mat.

* Follow this tutorial on how to do a binding, and struggle until the last place mat to actually get it right (all except taking the time to do a blind stitch. Nah. No time for me for that one. I'm using my machine).

* Look at the finished product and smile. Big.

Now comes the hard part - teaching Ed to help when he's hungry and all he wants to do is scream at me and have me hold him. Nice. 

Photography for Sneak A' Roos

I did some trade work with a lady who lives here in Lehi. She owns Sneak A' Roos, a darling kids' boutique, mostly featuring shoes. I took new stock photos of her shoes and some creative shots for her to use on her web site and to print banners for her boutiques and shows she goes to. I thought they turned out pretty darn good for someone who barely knows how to use a camera, no? I will have more photos of fun shots coming, so stay tuned!

The above photo is her current stock photo from her web site. 

The one below is what I did with the same pair of shoes. (I know, right?)

Another stock photo of some of her soft-sole shoes.

And now presenting, my delicious children in the darling shoes she has for sale.

 I did my best to not show their faces, because, really, nobody cares how cute the kids are. It's the shoes she's selling, not my children.

This last one is  by far my favorite shot of the day. SO precious! I hope she uses this one. 

My First "Real" Quilt

Every Christmas my step-grandparents (Patty's parents) send us lovely and wonderful gifts for us and the kids. The kind that make me cry because of their generosity. Every year. I wanted to do something extra special for them this year, and I decided to make them a quilt. And I actually did! And it turned out beautifully! AAAH! Can you tell how excited I am?!

The journey was long and tedious. It started in the summer when I found a jelly roll of fabric I had to have (a jelly roll is a bunch of 2.5 inch strips of coordinating fabric rolled together to look like a jelly roll). Of course it was Moda. Why even ask?

I decided to cut each of the 44-inch strips into four equal smaller strips and sew five of them together to make a block of fabric. I then appliquéd them onto some soft jean-type fabric and had it quilted professionally. The next two pictures are from my phone and horrid. I'm sorry.

The professional quilting makes a huge difference!

When I got it back, there was the binding to do. Usually I just take the extra backing and roll it up and over onto the top and sew it down and call it a day. But the back of this quilt is a divine and super-soft red paisley minky. That wouldn't work for multiple reasons. First, minky slides everywhere when you try to sew it (learned that one the hard way). Second, it's too thick for a binding on such a nice quilt (ugly much). I had a decision to make, and I decided to try my first real binding. (Take notice that I'm using the word "real" a lot because I don't know the official terminology for quilting yet. I'm learning.) It took a lot of work and a few mistakes to get it just right, but by the time I was finishing the last piece of the binding I had it down to a science and it looked great!

Apparently when doing a "real" binding, you have to match up the edge of the back with the edge of the front EXACTLY or it'll look really bad. I thought with clear thread I could get away with not having it match perfectly. Not so much.

Aaah, that's better. I love perfection.

The final product all ready for packaging and mailing to the very cold Michigan

(until Clara got to it, that is).

(I guess we can tell Grandma and Grandpa Martin that Clara had to give it a "hug" before sending it.)

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Martin for always being so generous and kind. We love you so! Merry Christmas!!

And before anyone in our families gets too bitter that they're getting something store-bought in stead of with love, my goal is to make one really nice project for one person each year for Christmas.

Cream Cheese Chicken in a Pot

If you don't already have this as part of your working recipe repertoire, make it one. It's absolutely divine, so easy, and so bad for you.

Cream Cheese Chicken in a Pot:

4 chicken breasts (I use frozen tenders, about 10)

1 cube margarine (I hate margarine, but it must be done for this recipe)

1 envelope dry Italian seasoning mix

1 (8 oz.) block of cream cheese, room temperature

1 can cream of chicken soup

milk to consistency

Place chicken in bottom of a crock pot.

In small bowl, melt margarine in microwave. Add Italian seasoning mix and whisk together. Pour over chicken in crock pot.

Cook on low for 6 hours, or high for 2-3 hours.

Shred chicken with a couple of forks (sometimes I drain out some of the margarine before I shred the chicken to make myself feel a little better about this recipe).

In a medium mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, soup, and milk to a creamy mixture (almost runny). Add to chicken in crock pot. Mix. Turn to low, and continue cooking/warming for about a half hour.

Serve over rice.

I serve this with steamed broccoli. It's truly divine.

Oh, and I'm going to start taking pictures. I promise.

Recovering Ed's Bumper Pad

When I bought Ed's bumper pad from The Land of Nod, I loved it! It said "gender neutral" right on it, but I really thought it was very boy-ish.

Quite often, we'll see Ed asleep in his crib with his face burrowed into the bumper pad. He loves cuddling into things, and his bumper pad was almost a canvas material - ouch!

So, with some minky and Moda Dottie fabric, I went to town and within a couple of days, I finished it. It's not perfect (okay, so it isn't even worthy to be on here because I did such a shoddy job), but I thought I'd explain how I did this in case anyone wanted to recover a bumper pad for their little one. Or better yet, learn from my mistakes and do a better job. Leave me a comment and tell me how you have done yours in the past, please!

I'm recovering one for new baby boy soon, too. I've learned my mistakes, new lessons, and how to improve. I'll post pictures of that one when I get it done.

I started out by cutting strips of fabric and sewing them together.

Next, I folded the fabric under, pinned it to the existing bumper pad, and sewed it right next to the roll/edging.

The finished product (not in the crib because Ed is sleeping right now).

And one of the many mistakes I made. I didn't realize I was sewing the tie-down strap into the bumper pad until it was too late (from sewing the other side, not this one. I'm not that stupid). I wish I could say this only happened once. Nope. Three times. I know, right?

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

One of my favorite dinners is the Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas at a quaint little place here in Lehi, Utah called Carena's (is that even right?). It was in an old historic home on Main Street, run by what seemed to be the local Young Women's organization (don't even ask about what level of personnel ran the cash register). The decorations left much to be desired (unless you came from the 1990's and like country blue, mauve, and fake flower arrangements everywhere). However, the food - the food! It was amazing.

When the economy took a turn for the worst, it turned into a Thai restaurant. So sad for me. I tried replicating those delicious enchiladas, and I'm proud to say I actually perfected this one. I took a few recipes, mixed them up and came up with what I really like in an enchilada. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does. Oh, and don't even think about counting the calories in this one. You'll never make it again.

One more thing. It freezes really well. Another aspect of perfection. If I'm going to take the time to make something this time-consuming, I'm making a bunch. And I mean a bunch.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
Kristi Askew

8-10 chicken tenders
¼ c. butter
3 pkgs (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans (4 oz) green chiles
1 ½ c. sour cream, room temperature
4 c. shredded cheese (I use Colby Jack)
24 “soft taco” tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste
Milk to consistency (a lot, about 4-5 cups total, divided)

In the crock pot, add chicken and butter. Add some salt and pepper. Cook on high 3 hours. Shred chicken with a fork.

In a large mixing bowl, combine and mix with hand mixer until smooth:
2 pkgs cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. sour cream
Milk to consistency (about 2+ c.)

Then add and combine:
2 cans of green chiles
Shredded chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
More milk to consistency (if needed)
2 c. shredded cheese

Fill tortillas with mixture.
Fill pans.
8 enchiladas in each of the three 11x7 pans. (They freeze very well)

In same mixing bowl, combine until smooth and runny:
1 pkg of cream cheese
½ c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
Milk to consistency

Pour over enchiladas.
Top with remaining 2 c. cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes

Kelly Wilcox's Chili

I want to post some of my all-time favorite meals to make. You know, the tried and true ones. Nothing hokey. Just good home-cookin' and a lot of love for food.

My friend Kelly served this Chili for a friends' dinner a couple years ago, and I can't stop making it now. I love all the green and red peppers and tomatoes in it. Not to mention the brown sugar. It's sweet, and power-packed with deliciousness! Enjoy!

Kelly Wilcox’s Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I don't use these)
1 t. chili powder
1 tsp. granulated garlic, or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. crushed black pepper
1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I don't use this, either)
1 T. canola oil
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4-oz) diced green chilies
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomato soup
1 c. tomato juice
1 c. brown sugar
water to consistency (about 1-2 c.)
Sour Cream
Cheese, grated
Onion, finely chopped

Preheat large heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Brown beef, bell peppers, onion, and spices together in canola oil. When beef is browned, add remaining ingredients and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with dollop of sour cream, grated cheese, and finely chopped onion. Serves 8-10.

Let's Get This Party Started!

Just starting out. I want to be able to post my fetishes with food, fabric, and maybe photography/photoshop. I'm not great. I'm just beginning the frontier on all of these aspects, but I want a place to show my progress and not jamb up my family blog with this nonsense. So? Here we go!