A Quilt for Baby Charlie

 

When one of my best friends was pregnant, and found out she was having a boy, I got to work sewing him a baby quilt.  I already had some of the boy themed fabric and couldn't wait to use it.

 

This Alexander Henry print with the animals is one of my favorites.  Isn't it darling?

 

 

I didn't have a pattern for this quilt, but the idea came from this one by Kelly of Irene Design that I have pinned on Pinterest.  I figured out the size I wanted for my finished quilt, and worked backwards from there to figure out what size squares to cut.  I ended up using 4-1/2" squares for a finished quilt size of 35" x 42".  If you are looking for an easy way to make triangles for a quilt like this, follow this method.  So easy!

 

 

I started by laying out the squares in a pattern that looked good, and then sewed the rows together, left to right.  Once all the vertical rows were sewed, I sewed the horizontal rows together. 

 

 

The view from my sewing table at the rental house as I was sewing this last spring. 

 

 

I didn't finish the quilt before the baby was born, so baby Charlie got his initials embroidered on the back of the quilt.  I love that I was able to incorporate them.

 

 

And the finished quilt...

 

 



 

 

I really love making quilts for babies - there is something special about sewing for a new little one.  See my other baby quilts here and here.

 

Hopefully, Baby Charlie will love his quilt as much as I loved making it. 

Tasty Tuesdays: Summer Vacation

 

 

I've decided to put the Tasty Tuesday link up party on Summer vacation.  I have too much going on this Summer to keep up with blogging.  I hope you understand!  I hope to see you back here in the Fall.  Enjoy your Summer!

 

{ Photos from last years Lake Michigan vacation.  See it here }

 



Tasty Tuesdays: Coconut Lime Bars

 

 Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

 

On Sunday, my sister and I had our Mom over for dinner for Mother's Day.  For dessert, I made these delicious lime bars.  My Mom & I thought they were delicious.  My sister isn't a huge key lime fan, so her favorite part was the crust.

 

{ Original recipe from Martha Stewart Living.  Find it here. }

 

Ingredients:

Crust:

- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, plus more, softened, for pan

- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

- 3 tablespoons light-brown sugar

- Rounded 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

- 1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

- 3 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

 

Filling:

- 3 large eggs, room temperature

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

- 2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice or regular lime juice

- 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, for dusting

 

 

Directions:
 

1.  Crust: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom and 2 sides of pan with parchment, leaving a 1-inch overhang; lightly butter the parchment.

 

2.  Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium size bowl and stir until combined. Add butter; use a pastry blender until largest pieces are the size of peas. Add coconut and white chocolate, and combine, just until mixture holds together. Transfer mixture to pan, and pack down firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup. Bake until crust is deep golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and reduce heat to 300 degrees.

 

3.  Filling: Whisk together eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl, then whisk in flour. Gently stir in lime juice (do not whisk or stir vigorously or batter will become foamy).

 

4.  Pour filling over hot crust, and bake until filling is set, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

 

5.  Run the tip of a knife along the 2 sides of the pan not lined with parchment, then remove from pan by lifting with parchment overhang. Transfer to a cutting board, dust with confectioners' sugar, and cut into 1-inch squares.

What did you cook this week?

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2.  Add the Tasty Tuesday button to the post you are linking up.  You will find the button and code on my sidebar.  Thanks!
 



Tasty Tuesdays: Pesto Pizza with Arugula & Goat Cheese

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

 

This is my new favorite pizza - it is delicious.  My sister and I made up this pizza a month or so ago and made it again this weekend.  We love it.

 

Ingredients:

- Prepared pizza dough (instead of making our own, we used a ball of frozen dough from the grocery store)

- 3 oz. pesto (we used a jar from the grocery store)

- Olive oil

- Garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper to taste

- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

- 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped

- 1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles

- 1/4 cup fresh mozzarella, cut into pieces

- 1 large handful arugula leaves

- 1 lemon, cut in half

 

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.  Prepare pizza dough according to package instructions or recipe.  Roll out dough to desired size - 14" round works well for this recipe.  Place dough on pizza stone or cookie sheet and sprinkle with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for 4 - 6 minutes.  Remove from oven.

 

2.  Spread pesto evenly around crust.  Top with peppers, olives, and both cheeses.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until slightly browned.  Remove from oven and immediately top with handful of arugula leaves.  Squeeze 1/2 of lemon evenly over pizza (you may not need all the juice from the 1/2 of lemon; just squeeze to taste!)

 

3.  Slice pizza and serve immediately.

 

The flavors of this pizza are so good together.  We served this with fresh Italian sausage on the side to round out the meal.  And of course, a little red wine as well.  What good Italian doesn't enjoy a little vino with dinner?

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

What did you cook this week?

 

Party Rules:

1.  Add a link to the post you are linking up back tot his post

OR

2.  Add the Tasty Tuesday button to the post you are linking up.  You will find the button and code on my sidebar.  Thanks!



Dr Oz 3 Day Cleanse: A Review

 

Last week, my sister and I decided to do the Dr. Oz 3 Day Cleanse.  I normally eat pretty well, and work out 3-5 times a week, but have been at the same weight for a year now, and was hoping to jump start the loss of a few pounds.  The cleanse is only 3 days - and I figured there isn't anything I couldn't do for at least three days!

 

 

The cleanse is very easy to follow.  The breakfast, lunch, and dinner shakes are the same for all three days.  Click here for a printable sheet of the image above.

 

Shopping:

- The Dr. Oz website states the the cleanse will cost $16 a day.  After purchasing our groceries and supplies, we found the cost closer to $25 a day.

 

Prep:

- We decide to do the cleanse on a Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  That meant that I would need to take the Breakfast and lunch shakes with me to work.  The breakfast shake is quick to make, but the lunch one is more involved.  Each night I cut up the celery, cucumbers, and lime needed for the lunch shake to save a little time each morning.

 

 

Day 1:

- I enjoyed waking up in the morning and drinking the green tea.  It was nice to be able to have something warm in the morning in place of my coffee.  I am a regular coffee drinker and thought I would have a really hard time without it.  I definitely missed it, but it wasn't as bad as I thought and I never experienced any caffeine headaches.

 

- I loved the breakfast shake.  It turned out to be my favorite each of the three days.

 

- I had an additional green tea at work between breakfast and lunch.

 

- The lunch shake gets pretty awful reviews online so I wasn't sure what to expect.  At first, It tasted better than I expected, but toward the end I could barely get it down.

 

- After lunch, I was really, really full, almost to the point of being uncomfortable.  My stomach was really bloated and crampy.  Was not expecting that on a cleanse!

 

- 3:30 in the afternoon and I was exhausted!  I do not ever remember being this tired at work.  I can not tell you haw badly I wanted to lay down my head on my desk and take a nap!

 

- After work I went to the gym and got in 30 minutes on the elliptical.  I felt fine to work out.

 

- Enjoyed the dinner shake.  Still incredibly stuffed and bloated.  I was never hungry and never had the additional snack shake and any of the three days.  I don't think I would have been able to get it down!

 

 

Day 2:

- Woke up feeling really bloated and stuffed (still!)

 

- Again, enjoyed the breakfast shake.

 

- For the lunch shake, I used spinach instead of hte kale and blended it more to try and get rid of the strange texture.  It helped, the lunch shake tasted much better to me.  It is still my least favorite, though.

 

- 2:00 PM: still having major stomach issues and decided to take 3 tums.  It helped.

 

- Again, exhausted in the afternoon.  This normally doesn't happen to me at work.

 

- Went to my 30 minute spin class after work and had no problem working out.  In fact, it felt really good.

 

Day 3:

Woke up feeling great!  Was happy that it was the last day and knew that I was going to make it.  Also, my stomach finally feels back to normal.

 

- I felt great all day on the third day.  Even the lunch shake seemed a little better, but I only drank a little more than half.

 

- Decided not to work out on the third day.

 

- The dinner shake tasted so good.  I actually contemplated doing the cleanse for another day!

 

- I skipped the bath on the last night.

 

 

Results:

- Woke up on the fourth day and weighed myself - I lost almost 5 lbs.  It's been a week and I haven't put any of the weight weight back on. 

 

- My sister lost 7 pounds!

 

- I'm glad we tried this.  I think I would consider it doing it again or trying a different cleanse.

 

- What I missed the most?  Chewing!  I never thought it would be so hard not to chew on anything for three whole days. 

 

{ To read my sisters review and thoughts on the cleanse click here }

 



Tasty Tusedays: Cheese Ravioli with Mushrooms & Spinach

 

Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

 

A few weeks ago I made this simple and easy ravioli dish.  I used pre-made ravioli which makes this a quick meal - perfect for busy weeknights after work.

 

{ Recipe from the March 2012 issur of Rachel Ray Magazine }

 

Ingredients:

- (1) 20 oz package frsh or frozen cheese ravioli

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

- salt & pepper to taste

- (1) 8oz sliced muchrooms (variety of your choice)

- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 8 oz. baby spinach

- olive oil, for drizzling

 

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ravioli according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

 

Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt 1 tbsp. butter over medium heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs and season lightly with salt and pepper. Toast until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the skillet.

 

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. butter and melt. Add the mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the spinach in handfuls, tossing to wilt.

 

Add the reserved pasta water and the ravioli to the mushrooms and spinach. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp. butter; toss.

 

To serve, top the ravioli with the breadcrumbs. Drizzle with olive oil.  Enjoy!

 

 

What did you cook this week?

 

Party Rules:

1.  Add a link in your post back to this post

OR

2.  Add the Tasty Tuesday button to the post you are linking up.  You will find the button and code on my sidebar.  Thanks!