Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Recipe: Tomato, Chicken and Basil Rigatoni

Summer is slowly starting to come to an end and this is usually when I try to eat whatever we have grown in the garden. This recipe is so easy to make and it's perfect for lunch or dinner outside.


Here's what you need:
1 or 2 tomatoes from the garden
4-5 basil leaves
Left over grilled chicken cut into chunks
Sliced mushrooms
Rigatoni


Instructions:
1.  Bring a pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions
2.  Chop your tomatoes, basil, chicken and mushrooms
3.  Add some olive oil to a medium sized pot and cook your tomatoes and basil over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes.  Stir.  Add mushrooms and continue to stir.  Add chicken and simmer for about 5 minutes.  If the mixture gets a little dry, add some water or another tomato.
4.  Add cooked pasta and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. 
5.  Serve!

It's so nice with some salad


So healthy and fresh tasting.  I love summer cooking.  Enjoy!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Garbage Truck Backpack for J

So it seems like most of the boys I sew backpacks for have names like Jason, James, Joshua... is it a coincidence that I am always sewing for "J" kids?

Here's the latest/last backpack I made for the summer.   This one will be for little J as he's going to preschool.


This will be the first time someone has ordered two side pockets and I think it's a great idea!


Overall it's got the same look and feel as this one or this one.  I really like the look of the quilted bottom vs a flat bottom.  It's soft but has structure.


I love little boys and their backpacks!  Can't wait to see a pic of little J in his backpack!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Tutorial: Chair Sling

Today we are turning on the TV for the kiddies and sewing a very basic chair sling. By the time the kids finish watching Harry and his Bucketful of Dinosaurs, Dragon, and Thomas, we will have a nice new chair sling to hold stuff like bibs or Baby Bunny's eating tray.

Some highchairs will come with a sling underneath the chair. But, if you've graduated to a booster seat like the Fisher Price Healthy Care Booster chair, there's no chair sling because the booster connects to a regular chair. Now that Baby Bunny likes to climb into his chair, he will throw his tray on the floor. We have so many dents from falling forks, trays, cups, lego, etc. We can actually tell where he's been based on the marks on our hardwood floor. 


Skill Level: Easy
Items Needed: Fabric, Measuring Tape, Snaps, Chair that has two bars underneath  
Average Time: 20 minutes

Instructions:
Measure your chair... L and W from bar to bar.  Measure the width of the bar.


Cut your fabric and add 4" to the length (the front part of the chair) and 1/4" to each of the width measurement:  The amount you will add for the length is dependent on how much fabric you would like to have to fold over and under the bar.

Cut one piece:  L + 4" (this is where measuring the bar comes in handy) x W + 0.5"


My fabric was non-fraying so I didn't really need to finish the raw edges with a zig zag stitch.  But since I already cut out the fabric, I folded and pressed 1/4" and then used a zig zag to stitch it on.  Once it's done, place it on the chair rails and mark where the snaps should go.  Insert your snaps and you are done!


We put some bibs in there and some toys.  Overall, I prefer keeping the tray under the chair.  Keeps it tidy and helps out with the dent problems.


I'm pretty sure I could have enjoyed one or two sips of tea if I didn't waste my time finishing the edge.  Lesson learned for next time...

Still trying to keep the house clean,