Gift Idea: Homemade Books

Allie (my niece) turned 6 years old this past week. It took me a while to come up with an idea of what to get her, but finally came up with these cute homemade books that I learned how to make at a church activity. She is in kindergarten this year and loves to draw and write. It was fun to pick out paper that reflects her girly girl personality. I was a little worried about her reaction, but they were a hit. She really likes them.

These are great for children, but I think if you got the right paper, adults would love them to. You can get creative with these by adding all kinds of embellishments. I would suggest putting their name on it to make it personalized (especially for kids).

Here is how you can do it!

Supplies

• decorative paper for the front and back cover
  
• computer paper for the inside of the book (or any kind of paper)
• embroidery thread, waxed cotton, or whatever you would like to do the "sewing" with
• pieces of cardboard (optional- to make the front and back cover less flimsy)

Instructions

1. Since I didn't take pictures of myself making the books, I'm going to direct you to this website instead. I figure this is easier than my explanation with only text. The figures definitely help!
2. Feel free to ask me any questions if the instructions are confusing!

Psst... For all four books, this gift cost less than $2.00!

New Ideas!

I have been thinking about some ideas on making this blog even more fun for me (and you). With my busy schedule, I tend to put blogging off. I still do craft (although it is not frequent) and make new/old recipes (this is frequent because we have to eat) and I take pictures of them, it is just the posting that gets put off. I have a picture folder with at least ten recipes to blog about just sitting there waiting for their chance in the spotlight.
So I want to come up with ways that will give me somewhat of a deadline, but not a strict deadline. Here are a few ideas I have come up with, but I would love your input on more that would be fun.

• Meal of the Month: Where I would post an entire meal (main dish and two side dishes) rather than individual recipes. This way I will for sure post one complete meal once a month.
  
• Challenge!: Where you suggest a cooking/crafting/whatever challenge for me to complete. Here is an example of a challenge: "I want to make something for a bare wall in my house (cheaper is better)." I could then respond to your challenge with a post like "Sprucing up the bathroom."
• Gift Idea: Where I would post things I have made and then gave away as gifts.

Please let me know what you think of these ideas and of any other suggestions you have.

Chipotle Cilantro Hummus

It is about time that I posted about hummus. I am a huge fan of hummus. It is a great dip for chips, pita, or veggies and is also great as a spread for pizzas and sandwiches. Not to mention, it is a healthy snack. Hummus traditionally uses olive oil and/or tahini (made from sesame seeds) which are mostly comprised of healthy monounsaturated fats. Consuming monounsaturated fats is one of the most effective dietary changes a person can make to increase HDL (good) cholesterol. For my Lifestyle and Chronic Disease Prevention class, I have to improve my own cholesterol levels, my HDL in particular. So I may end up making (and eating) a lot of hummus this semester. Increasing duration and intensity of exercise is even more effective, so I am working on that as well.
I found this hummus recipe about a year ago from 28 cooks and decided to try it out. It is Landon's favorite hummus of all time, and I love it as well. Hope you enjoy!

Chipolte Cilantro Hummus
2 (15 oz) cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
4 canned chipolte chiles, and
1 tbsp adobo sauce
1 clove garlic
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tbsp cilantro

Puree chipolte chiles and adobo sauce in a food processor until well minced. Add garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), garlic, and cumin and process until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until well mixed. Add cilantro and pulse a few times. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for an hour or so for flavors to make friends.

You can find chipotle chiles canned in abodo sauce in the Mexican section of your local grocery store.

*This hummus has some kick to it, if you do not like much "kick," use fewer chiles.

Ratings (scale of 0-10)
Landon: 9.8
Katherine: 9

Cheap but Cute Christmas Decor

During the month of December, life was hectic with final papers, projects, and exams. However, I was able to do one fun Christmas decor project in the midst of the craziness. Sorry I didn't blog about it before the holiday season was over. Now you will have to file it away and remember to try it next Christmas. I was very pleased with it and received many compliments from visitors.

All I did was buy some ornaments (balls and snowflakes) at the dollar store. I then hung them with fishing line from the curtain rod of my front room window. Voila! Like I said, very cheap, easy, and it looked very festive. I was really sad to finally take it down. Sorry about the bad picture, it was hard to get a good one without a glare from the window.

Sprucing up the bathroom

This is a picture from our "guest bathroom." We got this shower curtain (right of photo) for the bathroom but had nothing else in there. So I decided it needed something (preferably something cheap). I got the idea from my sister-in-law, Hayley. She made something like this for her room, only I made my individual squares smaller and did a completely different color scheme/style. All this wall arrangement requires are nine 6X6 inch squares of styrofoam, your choice of scrapbook paper, and ribbon to go around the outside edge. We were stoked when we found the dot paper that practically looks exactly like our shower curtain. This was a very fun project that would be fun to do in a child's room, or even in a living/family room. It definitely made our bathroom a little more friendly.

Spicy BBQ Chicken Pizza

This was my first time making a pizza with a real crust. I usually use pita bread or ready-made crusts because I don't have the time. Although, I must confess that I used my breadmaker for this dough. So I guess I still haven't made the real thing.
The pizza was a success! When I say it was a success I mean that I really liked it and Landon really liked it. When it comes to pizza, Landon usually sticks to cheese and pepperoni. Not only did this pizza have BBQ sauce, it also had chicken, onion, red onion, yellow bell pepper, and fresh tomatoes. It was a novel experience for him and he really enjoyed it. He suggested it was a great "cold day" meal because it was nice and warm and the BBQ sauce was a little spicy.
Here is the recipe.

Half-Wheat Pizza Crust Dough (in breadmaker)

• 1 cup water (80 degrees)
• 2 Tbs. oil
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 c. bread flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. Quick-rise yeast (I use saf-instant)

Directions

1. This recipe makes one thick crust or two thins crusts. Place dough on lightly floured surface and roll out (or toss, if you are brave) into desired shape (circle, rectangle, heart, etc.). Place on baking surface, I recommend a pizza stone. Generously prick dough with a fork.
   
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges of crust begin to turn a light golden brown. Remove, add toppings and return to oven to bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Toppings

• your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Sunflower Market's Spicy BBQ Sauce)
• chicken- shredded
• cheese (I used shredded mozzarella)
• any veggie toppings you like! I used yellow and red onions, yellow bell pepper, and tomatoes

Directions

1. Mix chicken in BBQ sauce and spread over pizza crust, leaving a one inch border. Top with cheese and other toppings of your choice.
   
2. ENJOY!

Ratings (scale of 0 to 10)
Landon: 8.0
Katherine: 8.0

I'll sing my praise to Borah High!

I really enjoyed my high school experience. I participated in cross country, choir, honor society, and was a faithful Borah sports fan (aka: Rowdie). Because of these, I collected quite a few Borah shirts that would have been difficult to part with. Instead of throwing them away, I made a quilt out of them because you can always use more quilts.

Out of all the t-shirt squares, this one wins first prize.


This is the back of my cross country shirt from 2002 (my junior year). It was drawn by Steven Waggoner. It is the classic scene from Lion King, only the lion is wearing running shoes and all of our rival mascots are bowing in submission.
This was a very fun project that allows me to be sentimental without being a pack rat.