Sewing (and more) for Baby -- Update #3

My Sew/Craft/Etc. for Baby List 

• Fitted Sheets for Co-Sleeper Mattress:
• 2 Cotton -- both now have elastic and have been washed

•  2 flannel -- maybe later?? 
• Is 3 enough? Am I crazy? 

• Zipper Front Sleep Sack
• At least 2? -- Um... I'm thinking I might not get around to this one. I've got some other sleep sacks from gifts and I might see if I can make it work with those. If baby is as hot a sleeper as Greg, I'll have to come back to this one and try something lighter weight than the fleece once we got! 

• Changing Pad Cover
• 2+ 
  
• At least 3 1 quilts/blankets (mostly to use as play mats)
• Panda Quilt -- in Progress

• Minky Cat and Mouse Quilt -- Done

• Autumn Woods Patchwork/Panel -- Done

• A Quiet Book (for later, but should start as time allows)

• Bibs -- in progress!
• I've got 6 ready for snaps -- just haven't gone outside to pound on them with a hammer! 

• Wipes
• Single weight flannel
• Double weight flannel

• Wash Cloths
• Flannel/cuddle fabric
• Flannel/texture fabric
• A couple for a gift

• Burp Cloths
• I'm guessing we want quite a few of these? 

I wound up with a lot of extra flat diapers, so for now I'm going with those. Most of them are still white / untouched, but I may end up dying more of them if time allows. I love the finished look -- even when the color doesn't turn out as expected, which is more than 50% of the time --but the process is time consuming, and the 'rinse' process is especially frustrating for me. I've dyed a few over the last few months, thinking we might use them either as part of the diapering process or the burp cloth (or a general clean up whatever is happening cloth!) but I have a LOT more white ones to go -- and I can only dye about 4 at a time before the coverage turns out really spotty. 

In addition to dying some of the flat diapers, we also dyed a few onesies, tops, and two of the plain white swaddles we were given. 

The process is a little frustrating to me, but I really like the outcome... If I do end up taking some kind of maternity leave before baby is actually here, I might have enough hours to do a few more, but if I work right on through there's no way I'll have the time. So, we'll see! 

• Hooded Towels
• 2 for gifts
• 2 for us

2 hooded towels -- one with yellow trim, one with original

• Leg Warmers
• 3 made, which is a good enough start for something that may or may not work out. I'm calling this good until we see how they work out in reality. 
• 
  
• Texture 'lovie' blankets
• 3 for us

2 small 'lovies' for us, plus 2 wash cloths

• 1-2 for gifts -- 1 down, 1 smaller one to go

The larger gift texture 'lovie' blanket

Not on the 'sewing' list, but I have finished one other project for the baby too... 

It's not quite as lovely as the examples I've been drooling over on Pinterest... but it'll work for now and I can always dress it up later if need be.

Glitter Bomb

Do kids in school still get to play with glitter during arts and crafts? Do kids these days even get to have an arts and crafts class? I grew up in a house with a lot of crafts -- but glitter was almost exclusive to school. Probably for mess reasons.

That's an attitude I've kept all my life -- until today.

Yes, today I brought home what I believe to be my first purchase of glitter. Not only that, I brought home 21 colors of glitter.

Okay, okay, they were small bags of glitter, not a massive indulgence. And they were purchased with a very specific plan in mind.

My original plan came from an image I came across on Pinterest: an image of what appears to be glitter in plain, glass ornaments. That seemed simple enough, right? Except instead of a single color, I knew I wanted a variety. So, a few messy minutes later I wound up with this:

I did use a hot glue gun to seal around the top, and so far no glitter has escaped when I shook them upside down. I hope that means the glitter is well contained.

I'm pretty happy with how these globes turned out -- but the real winning project is what I was able to do with those little bitty bottles I found -- by accident -- in the scrap booking area.

These ones turned out super cute. I think I'm going to have to go back for more, if I can find them. I'm not quite finished with these ones, as I think I'd better glue the corks in place if I can. My goal is to find a way to hang them up as tree decorations also.

And yes, I do have bats hanging around my kitchen. In December. They might just hang out with me all year long at this point.

Different Basting Technique

I've never been great at basting. I've tried laying it all out on the floor -- which sometimes requires crawling on top of it. I've tried taping the different layers to the ground before/during the basting process. I've tried several different methods of layering it across a desk, counter top, or another work surface. I've tried using self adhesive batting -- which requires an iron, some water, and depending on the size of the project, some crawling around on the floor again. Truthfully, I think for larger projects, I like a combination of the self adhesive batting mixed with a few pins to make sure things are really working well together. That's probably out of my reach for large projects again, since I'm without carpet and I don't want to risk the steam on the laminate -- and it's not something I really need for the smaller projects that fit on my ironing board.

So, I'm constantly struggling with how to make basting work better. Crawling around on the floor is never fun, and usually gives me less than ideal results. I don't currently have a desk top I'm willing to put pins against. And I didn't have any kind of fancy batting. So, I tried something new I had seen brief mention of on Pinterest (where else, of course). (link goes directly to source, not through Pinterest)

Using a combination of painter's tape and pins, I attached the backing and batting to a blank wall -- which I only had because I still haven't finished rearranging the office -- pinned the quilt top across the sandwich, and started pinning.

The basting part itself went very smoothly -- but this was a fairly small quilt to start with, so it might have worked just as well any other way. I'm hoping that this good luck rubs off on the rest of the process. I'm using the same batting I've fought with several other times (gotta use up what I've already bought), and so far quilting with it has not been a joy. There's a chance that a better baste could result in a smoother quilting experience -- or at least, I hope so.

If I get a few lines in and this is still a nightmare to work with, I'll probably rip it out and start over with a different batting. Sometimes I can deal with wrinkles and imperfections - but this is one I really want to turn out right.

Not much of an update -- but I have been trying to accomplish things around here.

Pinterest Challenge: Reuben Roll-Ups

After such a high stress, high work couple of months, I can't even remember the last time I was the one who cooked. Greg has been absolutely spoiling me, handling just about every meal we've had at home recently. So, when it came time to whip something up for the family reunion picnic dinner, I was completely out of ideas -- and practice.

Fortunately, I had good old Pinterest to turn to. Seriously, what did I ever do before Pinterest?

I had pinned some Reuben Roll-Ups and restumbled upon the idea while scrolling back through my Food board. When I saw how easy the recipe looked, few ingredients and not a lot of work time required, I knew I'd found the right thing to make this year.

The pin lead me to the recipe for Reuben Roll-Ups at Taste of Home.

I followed the directions -- though I forgot to half the corned beef slices, so I guess each roll up had about double meat compared to the recipe -- and in 20 minutes, 30 if you count draining the sauerkraut, I had delicious looking roll ups just begging to be eaten. For the sake of testing, we had to try one before we took it.

The result? So good. Honestly, when we got there and there wasn't enough room on the table for our food, I was not going to complain. Eventually, I did share, but I had a couple other people spot them and ask me to hold some aside for them - and they came back for more after that too. For people who like the flavors of a Reuben sandwich, I think this recipe is a real winner. Kind of a pig-in-a-blanket kind of take on a Reuben.

I think this was a total 10 out of 10, will absolutely make again kind of recipe. Hurrah!



On a personal note, we're obviously still adjusting to the new-to-us electric oven instead of the gas one we've had for the last 4 years. I'm still happy with the change, but the rolls aren't quite as pretty as I think they would have been in our other oven. But looks don't matter when something is this yummy.

Pinterest Challenge: Doughnut Strawberry Shortcake

Inspired by pins of pictures from Oven Adventures, I decided months ago what I wanted to have for my birthday cake this August. Except that when the time came to it, I was out of town and couldn't. When I got back home, there weren't any strawberries to be had in my town.

So, I made do. Just like I made do with purchased whipped cream. Actually, that one had to do with being lazy.

Peaches were a little tart compared to the sweetness of the doughnut, and let's face it, they just weren't strawberries, but all in all it was really good. And, since I skipped making my own whipped cream, easy and fast too.

Even with the comparable tartness of the peaches, this was yummy. And I am going to do this again with strawberries. Prossibly this weekend.

Assuming I can make it to the store this week. Which is not looking like a bet I'd want to take. Then again, for yummy sugary breakfast, I might just run out Saturday morning after my walk.

Pinterest Challenge: Wild Hearts

It's only been two months since I mentioned wanting to try my hand at the Scrappy Little Heart Block tutorial from Kristan Kremer at Doodle Do Designs - and this week I finally went for it. 

It wasn't great timing to start a new project - I have so much already on my table - but I only have five bobbins that fit my machine (the shop told me that all the bobbins that came with it were wrong), and all five were filled with the wrong kinds of thread. One pink, one brown, one bright blue, one green, and one purple/aqua/pink. With an eye to emptying some of the bobbins from the ghosts of projects past, I pulled up the tutorial and went digging through my scrap piles. 

The tutorial was easy to follow - so easy that I didn't stop to take a single photo until the mini quilt I made with the blocks was done!

Although I do get a little twitchy looking at the places where the prints don't line up at all (so almost all of these hearts), I do like the 'big picture' view. But the solid purple is by far my favorite, despite being the one that didn't come from the scrap pile -- and I'm certain that a big part of that is because I don't get distracted by the pattern being so clearly interrupted. If the other hearts had been less obviously interrupted pattern I would have done additional quilting on each one, but as it looks now, I thought that only the solid heart could really take that much more attention. I also figured the pink quilting thread might work on some of the hearts, but it was not going to look very good against the green/aqua/orange or the red/yellow/orange blocks. If I had made each heart scrappy (as in the tutorial), this would probably all have been less of an issue. Next time I'll try it that way and see if my twitches are a little less for that. 

The backing didn't come from scraps -  but it did come from my stash. I have several yards of pink/skull fabric that I picked up in an early craigslist purchase (someone else cleaning out their stash). I have no idea what to do with any of it - but this one had pink and black, so I went for a little piece of it. Mini backs don't really have to coordinate since they're usually too small to really fold over or ever see the two sides together, but I wanted to bring together the black and pink since I knew I was still using up pink thread and would do the quilting in pink. I did throw in the purple/pink/aqua bobbin for the heart in-lining I did on the solid purple, then switched back to finish up the pink for the binding (the last remains of the binding I used on the Bluebird Park Star quilt). 

I enjoyed making the blocks - the tutorial makes it very easy, and very fast - but if I were going to do a larger scale project with these blocks I'd be more careful about my fabric choices. This is that kind of pretty/ugly a mosaic or collage can be, where the whole is kind of chaotic but pretty in a way that the individual pieces may not be when compared against each other. It's a little strange, but I think I like it. The fabrics were mostly chosen by what was around in the right sizes, but I like the usual combination of colors - especially the black background with an almost pastel green binding. 



Note: although none of these links lead to Pinterest, it was following links from Pinterest that brought me to this tutorial, and I did pin it to remind me to get back to it. Much as I love Pinterest, and oh do I, I am trying to make sure my links go to the appropriate material rather than to the pin (when possible). 

Pnterest Challenge: 2 Ingredient Brownies

My second new recipe for the month was 2-Ingredient Nutella Brownies, from thekitchn.com. These went immediately into my 'make it soon' board, despite having spent nearly two months working hard to reduce the amount of sugar I've been eating. I knew if I made these while we had company, I wouldn't be faced with eating half the pan -- both my husband and one of our regular guests are huge chocolate fans, maybe more than I am or ever was!

Since the recipe suggests it should take 7-8 minutes to whip the eggs into the right size, color, and consistency, I didn't have Greg start working the Nutella right away. This was a mistake. I was using an old electric hand mixer, and the eggs were easily triple their original size within three minutes. I think by the time the Nutella was melted and ready to add to the mixture the eggs might have been larger than that!

My baking pan was small enough that I was able to completely line it (roughly) with baking paper. It wasn't pretty - but it seemed to do the job well enough.

In my gas oven, it did take longer than 30 minutes for the toothpick test to come out clean, I'd say more lie 40-45 minutes. I know some people really like gas ovens, I'm just not one of them I guess; I can't seem to adjust to the differences -- though if I ever get another electric I don't know what I'll blame my issues on... Maybe the high altitude has something to do with the differences I sometimes encounter when baking or cooking...

After letting it cool for 40 minutes (during which we all had to leave the house to avoid temptation), we cut in to it. Sine it was fully surrounded by the paper, I was able to lift it out of the pan completely before cutting and serving. This helped keep the pieces neat rather than looking like I dug them out with my fingers...

I almost forgot to get a photo before they were all eaten!

All six of the tasters agreed that the brownies needed nuts - both for a little more flavor and a little more crunch. I really enjoyed the mellow flavor, and thought that both the fudge style inside and the crispy top were fun textures. My husband and I both were impressed with how easy this was to make, despite the wait time to allow for cooling (something I am never patient enough to allow for). These did all disappear quite quickly, before our seventh would-be-taster even had a chance to try them. I'll let him try again next time I make these -- which might be tonight!

Pinterest Challenge: Tatertot Casserole

It's been a while since I last tried a new recipe, so I thought I'd attempt two new things this month. I tend to pin whatever looks good, and later come back to see if it's something I'm interested in ever making, so about twice a month I go through my pin boards relating to food, desserts, or crafts to delete what I'll never ever attempt (no matter how it looks or sounds). If I come across something I want to try in the next month or two, I repin it to a private board that runs more like a to do list than anything else. With both the recipes I tried this month, they went directly onto the 'to do list' board.

First up was the delicious looking Taco Tater Tot Bake recipe from blogchef.com.  Tater tots, enchilada sauce, and cheese? What more could I ask for!

We made a couple substitutions - going with ground turkey instead of ground beef, and using crispy crowns instead of true tater tots. And one unintentional issue when I forgot to stir the cheese in before putting the mixture of potatoes, black beans, corn, and meat into the baking dish - so my cheese is just kind of clumped on top instead of quite as mixed in as it ought to be.

I had one comment that it was spicy (from the same person who always finds enchilada sauce spicy, even when I buy the mildest option) and I thought it was a little salty (next time I'll probably skip the taco seasoning in the ground meat, I don't think it was noticeable under the sauce except as extra salt) - but overall it was really good. I think three out of four people had seconds, and I even had the rest as leftovers the next day. The potato pieces didn't hold up well as leftovers, but the flavor might have been better the second day. It's not quite as easy as I'd like - having to take an additional pan for browning the meat - but it was relatively fast and very delicious. Will be fixing this one again.

Pinterest Challenge: Bubble Up Bakes

Dinner: Taco Bubble Up Bake
Inspiration recipe from The Seasoned Mom, found via Pinterest

Canned biscuits, taco sauce, ground turkey, taco seasoning, and a little cheese.
Result: All four testers thought it was pretty good - but I think it needs a little something more. Sour cream or guacamole would have been an interesting addition, but I don't think it's what I wanted. I think I wanted something more like olives or lettuce.

We've tried it twice now and I'm still not certain I like it. Sometimes the biscuit seems to work well, other times I feel like it's just a little too sweet for my (very picky) taste. It's an easy enough recipe to make, and doesn't call for much in the way of supplies, which I like, but I feel like it needs a little bit more refining or something before I'm 100% happy with it. I wonder how it would taste with cornbread instead.... Hmm... Maybe I'll try that next!


Dessert: Apple Pie Bubble Up Bake

Inspiration recipe from Recipes for My Boys, found via Pinterest

Frozen rolls (defrosted and allowed to rise), apple cider, apples, brown sugar, and a powdered sugar glaze.

Result: While one person thought it could have used more apples, the rest of us thought that the issue was that as the dough cooked, it rose and pushed the apple pieces to the bottom rather than staying quite as well mixed as we'd have preferred. That said, the flavor was amazing and I am already thinking I should make it again tonight. Much easier than making pie, and so, so delicious.

I did use a little bit of apple cider mixed with powdered sugar to make a quick glaze to pour over the top of each serving. I like to give everyone the chance to control how much sweeter their own portion is - and I wasn't certain if we'd have leftovers or not (we didn't, but if we had, I think things store slightly better without glazes and frosting).  I think I might cut the rolls into slightly smaller pieces next time, which might help them mix with the apples better. I may also try keeping a small part of the apple mixture to pour over the top just before baking. I am definitely trying this one again though.

While Waiting on Tech Support...

In the growing list of things that are keeping me from accomplishing my non-hobby goals, last night I got to spend way too long waiting on tech support for my computer - and not solving anything. So, while I'm still waiting on getting that figured out - and unfortunately, a securely working computer is important to just about all the other steps I'm supposed to be working on - I am happy to report that I put that time spent waiting to use trying something new.

Though, it occurs to me now that I should have used that time working on the 2013 cross stitch portrait. Whoops. Maybe next time - since there's going to be one!

While I was waiting, I was trying to organize my leftover/scrap pile - left overs from other projects or odd blocks with no homes. I have a hard time throwing something away unless it's just a tiny trimming I'll never be able to reuse. I came across some excess that was trimmed off the back of the Happily Ever After Quilt after quilting. The smallest panel was about 15 by 45 of pieced and quilted backing and batting.

Previously in my waiting-turned-organizing time, I had been looking through some of the things I've pins on Pinterest and rediscovered a tutorial for Pink Stitches' Boxy Pouch. It called for starting with two small quilted panels, some lining fabric, and a zipper - all things I had within reach (except the interfacing, which I don't have and figured I'd skip, as usual). It seemed like fate, so I pulled up the tutorial on my tablet and went to work.

My tutorial following skills weren't quite up to par, what with being very distracted by trying to remain connected to three chat windows and a phone line - but I managed to pull together something fairly similar in only about an hour.

Since my zipper was a 14" and I had lots of panel to cut from, I went with a slightly larger box than the tutorial (the larger size is mentioned toward the beginning of the tutorial, so I didn't feel completely like I was jumping off head first). While my panels are a little more random than I'd have chosen if I had started from scratch, having them already pieced and quilted probably saved me an hour or more.

I started with two 15" by 10" panels and ended up about 10" by 6" finished bag. When it came time to box out the corners, I took out about 1.5" (having already forgotten the suggestion to try 2" on the larger panels) - but I'm very happy with the finished size, so I'm glad I forgot!

The tutorial was easy to follow - if I had this much success while doing four other things, just imagine how good the finished product could look if I'd been concentrating! Previous zipper installation practice probably helped a little, but it certainly isn't necessary; the tutorial makes it very easy. I struggled a little with the two ends of the zipper - again, user error of not marking where to stop/start sewing - and sewing the box corners shut after taking out the 1.5" also gave me a little trouble, but I had a blast and I'm pretty happy with how the finish came out. I really want to try it again - minus the tech support stuff.

My lining leaves a little to be desired. The scrappy aspect isn't my favorite, but it's okay compared to the fit. I cut to the prescribed size, and did my best to follow the directions in terms of seam allowance, but it seems a little too large. This isn't an isolated issue - it's happened to the last several bag projects I've made. I'm not sure what the issue is, but I really want to get it figured out - ill-fitting, baggy lining is a serious peeve. This one isn't far off, and maybe after a little use it'll settle in better.

It's not perfect, but it was fun and I want to make more. I always think that immediately wanting to make more is a sign of a great tutorial and a great project. Seriously though, I need to find a reason to make more of these. So family, you just might be getting these kinds of bags as gifts this year. Don't tell! ;)

Pinterest Challenge: One Pan Enchilada Pasta

I tried to follow One-Pan Enchilada Pasta recipe from Number 2 Pencil (found via Pinterest) - though I realized after cooking that I had completely forgotten to add the onion! It would have been a little better with onion, I think.

The recipe was simple and came together quickly.

Blurry photo - because I was in too much of a hurry to taste it.

Two of my four dinner eaters liked it, though we all agreed the 'mild' sauce was a little more intense than desirable. One didn't say much, though he did have seconds, and one said it was basically do it yourself Hamburger Helper. I don't think I've ever had Hamburger Helper... but I have a general idea what it is, and I have to agree that this does seem quite similar. That said, I don't really care. It was good and it was fast, and there wasn't much clean up involved afterwards - so I still think it's a winner.

Next time, I think I'll remember the onion, and I think I might try adding black beans or something else - especially if I use the same kind of sauce! It was good as I made it, but it felt just a little like it was missing something.

Fashion Challenge Check-In #3

The Goal: To use 4 different fashion looks from my Pinterest Fashion Stuff, Shoes, or the accessories on my Window Shopping boards as inspiration in creating a look for me to wear in November or December
-- extended in to January and February.

The Budget: $10 (specifically for tights)

The Inspirations:
1) Dress + Shirt

2) Dress + Cardigan 1, 2, 3, 4, - DONE!

Windy days do not make for great photos - especially not when it's so cold! - but I think this isn't too bad a look - minus the wind blown parts. The cardigan seems a little longer than ideal, compared to the length of the dress, and I do think the dress is begging for a belt or other waist accent, but I think it works alright. And yes, I did actually wear this one out on the town on a date with the husband - though I really wish I'd brought a coat!  

3) Shorts + tights -- DONE! 

4) Statement shoes -- DONE!

5) Accessories/Layers/Etc.:

1) Belt and bracelet.    2) Hobbit -inspired door locket necklace    3) Fish necklace  Plus today: 4) Layers - and tights.



So - what I have left to try is the shirt + dress combination. Which has been proving challenging to accomplish with the things in my closet - and challenging to want to try in this weather. I'm going to keep trying, and keep embracing the selfie so I can show some of the better layering options I've been running -- it might just be the cold, but I think I'm getting pretty good at layering! -- but honestly, I'm about to give up on the idea of dresses for a few months. This bitter cold - and occasional knee high piles of snow - does not make me want to expose my legs any more than absolutely necessary.

Meanwhile, yesterday it was decent and I saw not only dresses, but shorts and open-toed shoes being worn around town. So, maybe I'm just a little wimpy...

Fashion Challenge Check-In #2

The Goal: To use 4 different fashion looks from my Pinterest Fashion Stuff, Shoes, or the accessories on my Window Shopping boards as inspiration in creating a look for me to wear in November, December, or January. -- And I'm adding February since I've been so slow at accomplishing this! 

The Budget: $10 (specifically for tights)

The Inspirations:

1) Dress + Shirt

2) Dress + Cardigan 1, 2, 3, 4,

3) Shorts + tights -- DONE!

4) Statement shoes 1, 2, 3, 4,
I was actually incredibly excited to try this out the day that I played in the orchestra (all black outfit). So excited that I rushed out the door without taking the time to get a photo! So, from the day of, this bad cell phone picture is all I've got:

I keep thinking I'll recreate the outfit to get a more accurate photo, but instead I've been working too many hours to think about putting on such a dressed up outfit. Also, as much as I love those shoes (and I do, despite this being the third wearing in five years), after ten hours on my feet in winter boots, I do not think I could force my feet into them!

I also had a chance to try out another, but very similar, approach.

Again, a little artistic blur on the photo. Pretty basic, new black dress (love it so much), red shoes last worn three years ago to my sister-in-law's wedding, and - nearly impossible to see - a little fish-y necklace.

Not bad for something pulled together in about three minutes after the planned outfit had a breakdown. (I must remember to buy size 'tall' tights. The consequences of forgetting are not good.)

5) Accessories/Layers/Etc. -

I've been making more progress - even wearing accessories and layers on days I don't intentionally set out to create a picture for this challenge. I guess I've got to learn to embrace the selfie!

Also, while the fish necklace isn't so comfortable to wear (boo) (nor so visible in that photo) I am loving my diy hobbit door type necklace. The 'chain' is a semi-stretchy material and much more comfortable on my skin than the metal chain but my favorite part is that the door is actually a tiny locket held closed with a magnet. It has given me something to fiddle with when I'm tired or bored, which makes it practical as well as fun. Okay, 'practical' might be a bit of a stretch - but needless to say, I'm really enjoying it and wearing it a couple times a week when possible. 

For all that #4 (statement shoes) and #5 (accessories) have been going well, I am increasingly worried that the first two challenges I set myself are going to prove impossible. I have some dresses, and I have both shirts and cardigans. But so far, they are not looking good together at all. I'm going to try a little harder over the next couple weeks, but I might have to replace those challenges with things that more reflect my closet's abilities - or try again when I have improved my closet a little!

Pinterest Challenge: Oven Fajitas

The Inspiration: Budget Bytes Oven Fajitas found via Pinterest

The Results:

Although I did take the short cut of using fajita seasoning I had on hand (rather than making my own as the recipe gives instructions to do for those interested - and I'm sure it would have been a little better tasting and a lot better for me), I tried not to deviate much from the recipe as presented. Not being a fan of red peppers, I went only for green peppers and some onions - though I seriously thought about adding squash or large pieces of mushroom. My knife skills are rusty, so cutting everything up wasn't the easiest for me to manage, but I was still able to have everything in the oven a few minutes before my husband realized I'd started cooking dinner.

About half-way through the baking time, he kept coming out complaining that it smelled too good in the house. By the time I pulled it out of the oven, we were both practically drooling. Fortunately, the oven fajitas tasted as good as they smelled. Maybe better.

Delicious. I didn't have to do any clean up - not only did everyone come back for seconds, and thirds, but the scrappy little leftover onions and peppers that didn't quite make it into any plates got picked off before the dish was cold.

I've had multiple requests for the recipe, and repeated requests that this become a weekly thing. It's easy enough it just might!

Pinterest Challenge: Baked Ravioli

The Inspiration: Baked Ravioli at the old blogspot place of AmyLynnTitus.com. Found, of course, via Pinterest - though I had to do some back tracking to find the actual link to the instructions.

The Results:

Knowing about how much my usual test subjects eat, and having read the comments on the inspiration post, I went ahead and double layered the ravioli, with a little bit of cheese and a little bit of sauce between the two layers, but otherwise followed the instructions as stated. I was slightly surprised that it took nearly an entire can of spaghetti sauce to cover the large portion (approximately 24 ravioli) - when we usually use half that on spaghetti for three. Not being a fan of tomato sauce, I didn't try any from this large portion, but they went over well. All three guys had seconds - and all the sauce and cheese left over in the pan got scooped up with a little extra garlic bread.

I had my own smaller portion made with some leftover cheesy 'Alfredo' sauce. The cheesy sauce and cheese added between and over the layers, and the cheese centers all made for a very rich little dish - but that didn't stop me from eating it. Or from wondering if I have enough to make another batch for tonight.

Waiting forty-five minutes for everything to bake up (though the smaller serving dish could have gone with less time) was difficult, but the results were worth it. I can't tell you the last time we had ravioli in this house... probably before we were married, so it's hard for me to say how it compares to the traditional boiled method. It didn't take long to put together, only about three ingredients - though I do wonder how it would taste with some vegetables added between the layers - and tasted great, so I think it'll be joining the regular rotation around here.

Pinterest Challenge: Spinach Artichoke Bubble Bake

The Inspiration Pin: Spinach Artichoke Bubble Bake

The Reaction:
I swear I followed the directions - but not only did mine not look like the inspiration recipe, it can't have tasted like it. All three of my taste testers said that it was rich (the cream cheese probably) and a little too much spinach. The artichoke, cheese, and seasoning basically disappeared under the spinach. Extra disappointingly, most of my pieces of biscuit didn't bubble up - even after an extra 20 minutes in the oven. The edge pieces that had bubbled up were pretty delicious, even with some (about half of what wanted to be there) of the spinach artichoke mixture on them - but the majority of the dish was a soggy spinach flavored disappointment. We did eat half the pan, but no one was interested in seconds or keeping the leftovers.

Probably some of the problems would have been avoided if I had taken the time to really press the fluid from the defrosted spinach instead of assuming that since I didn't see that line in the directions that it was okay to skip putting much effort into that.

The recipe really had promise, but the result was highly disappointing. I may try it again - with some serious changes and reduction in the spinach amount - but it'll be a while before I'm feeling that brave again.