Friday, December 9, 2011

Random DIY: Do you like pie crust?

What is your favorite part of a pie? Is it the filling or the flaky crust? The husband and I love the crust. :) The set up begins with me inviting my parents over for dinner. I already had dinner cooking in the crockpot, but I was at a loss when it came to dessert. I did not want to go out to town again, so I decided to used what was in my pantry. I noticed a refrigerated rolled pie crust tucked in the back of the refrigerator, and started thinking. I came up with the following recipe.

Ingredients:
Refrigerated pie crust
Butter
Cinnamon Sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brush refrigerated pie crust with butter. Slice pie crust into 1/2 inch strips. 

Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. (Mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon cinnamon)
 Roll strips and smush down. Brush with butter again. Bake for 20 minutes.
 Results:
 Yummy flaky cinnamon deliciousness. SUCCESS.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

DIY: Crochet Christmas Stocking fail/success?

I started crocheting in college. A girl in my Greek Mythology class crocheted and peaked my interest. I went to Michaels and purchased a single crochet hook and a bunch of yarn. I sat at my laptop and watched YouTube videos for hours and learned to crochet! :) I started out making scarves. I now have added beanies, dog sweaters, and bunny rabbits to my repertoire.

This year, I am trying to make most of my Christmas decorations. In the spirit of the season I decided to make some Christmas Stockings. Easy enough right? Eh. Wrong. I used/tried to use this pattern:  http://www.redheart.com/files/patterns/pdf/LW2634.pdf

It looked easy: I am familiar with all the stitches and abbreviations. The first part of the pattern was simple... then I came to crocheting the heel. The wording of the pattern did not make sense. I crochet the heel about five different times. I kept telling myself I should take pictures of the disasters, but I just could not bring myself to do so! Sharing your failures is humbling!


Long afternoon shortened: I ended up not following the pattern and doing my own thing. The results aren't terrible as long as you don't look closely. Needless to say, I will not be displaying it anywhere.
Please note the failed section of the stocking located directly above the heel. :/ I ended up sewing that part together. I have not idea where I went wrong. I figured since I have crocheted a few stuffed animals I could handle a large sock! Perhaps it was the patterns fault? Yeah, I just blame it on the pattern. FAIL.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

DIY: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love pumpkin, but I dislike pumpkin pie. Weird huh? It has something to do with texture and the added spices. I found this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies on Pintrest:
Pumpkin and Chocolate? Why did I not think of this before. The recipe is super easy and the results are delicious! I have made these at least six times since the end of October!

Give this recipe a try! I am sure it will be a SUCCESS!