Misc. fun

Jubal loves Leggos. He has gotten some cute little sets in the past couple of years and has done so well at putting them together. This past Christmas he got a big set from my folks. He loves it! He put it together once already and then took it apart. One day this week when he didn't have school, he was motivated to get a lot of it done. He finished it a couple days ago. It's definitely blog-worthy to post a picture. However, the picture does not give his hard work justice. There are lots of little parts.
He put together most of it himself. I just sat and watched for moral support. Cute.

It's really good.....I promise...

Here is a recipe worth posting and it's really healthy too. It's made from one of my favorite veggies.....cauliflower! The name is Curried Cauliflower Soup and it's from Vegetarian Times. It's so easy and delicious. It's definitely a keeper for my family.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tart apple; peeled, cored, and diced
1 tbsp curry powder
1-4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into 1 inch pieces
4 cups veggie broth
1 tsp honey
1 tsp rice or red wine vinegar

Heat olive oil in pot. Saute onion. Add apple, curry powder, and garlic. Saute for a minute or so. Add cauliflower and broth. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from burner and let sit for 20 minutes. Put soup into blender and puree until smooth. Place back into pot and add honey and vinegar. Serve.

**The curry powder makes the soup have a little kick so you can add 1 tbsp of yogurt to your bowl of soup to help ease the spice.

Cute craft....no sewing required!

Have you seen those cute canvas wall hangings for rooms in your home? I love them. So, I got an idea in my head to try to make some for Jubal's room. I have heard of using styrofoam sheets as the base of the hanging. I went to the craft store to buy some but I changed my mind very quickly when I saw the price of one sheet: $5.99. I wanted to make four so you do the math. So I walked around trying to find an alternative. Sure enough I found a pack of 4 cork boards and the price was so much cheaper. It even came with mounting strips to hang the boards. I love it! So here is step by step how I made these cute little wall hangings for Jubal's room. If you are looking for something fun, easy, and cute to make for your child's room or even your own, this is a great way to do it! Get your creative juices together and make your own custom made wall art.

Supplies you need:

Fabric scraps of your choice
Glue gun
Rotary cutter or scissors
Ruler
Iron

Cut out your fabric to fit onto the cork. This cork is 12 x 12 so I cut my fabric piece 14 x 14. This gives you room to wrap it around the edges of the board. Iron the fabric so that it is wrinkle free.




Place the cork onto the wrong side of your fabric piece and center it the best you can.





With a glue gun, dot some glue on the corners and fold the fabric as shown.




Glue the sides




Turn over to see how cute it is!



Hang on the wall the way you like it and you are finished.
Easy peasy!

Chicken fun

I remember the days when my mom would buy a whole chicken/turkey and I would watch her prepare it for dinner. I would usually start feeling nauseous seeing the giblets being taken out and the raw meat in her hands. I never thought I would try it myself one day. Well, here is proof that a girl's gag reflex can stay subdued......I bought a whole chicken the other day and actually cooked it. As I was washing it off and holding it in my hands I knew my mom would be proud. Smile.

I was at Ingles shopping for basic things and I saw that they had Tyson chicken on sale. If you look closely at the picture, with a magnifying glass ;), you will see that the chicken I bought was only $3.45. I had to do a quadruple take on it. (The meat guy probably thought I was crazy...no comments please....) You can't beat that price for dinner plus a couple more bucks for potatoes, carrots, and an onion. Perfect.

In case you have never cooked a whole chicken, it's really easy and I highly encourage my fellow carnivores to try it. It's so easy too. All you have to do is wash the chicken off with cool water, pull out the giblet bag and plop the chicken in the crockpot (or roaster).

I made a concoction of spices. It included thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. About 1/2 tsp each, give or take. Rub it on the chicken.

I also made a broth from an Edward 'N Sons "Not Chicken" bouillon cube. I thought it was funny since it's an imitation chicken broth and I was using it on REAL chicken ;)
No, I have not been cooped up in the house too long.....

I added potatoes, carrots and an onion. Pour 2 cups of Broth over all the food. You may need to add water to cover the veggies so they will cook evenly. Do so at your discretion.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on High for about 4-6 hours. You will enjoy a delicious tender chicken for dinner. The fun part is you can create more dinners with the left over chicken and broth. Have fun!