Sicilian Sausage w/ Vegetables & Ravioli – Just a Weeknight Meal, and a Little Bit of Home

Sicilian Sausage w/ Vegetables & Ravioli

A quick little weeknight meal, made by sauteing garlic, onion and mushrooms in a small amount of butter and olive oil.  I added some cooked Sicilian sausage medallions,  and a little cooked broccoli.  After this was heated through, I added chopped spinach, allowing it to wilt.  Freshly chopped Roma tomatoes were added  after removing from the heat. I wanted to keep the flavor light, so in addition to the fresh garlic that was added earlier, I seasoned with only Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, and a light sprinkling of nutmeg. I took a cue from Sandra Lee  (Semi-Homemade) by incorporating a purchased, but delicious item, Giovanni Rana’s Artichoke Ravioli, cooked then tossed in a little white sauce, then spooned over the vegetable/sausage dish.   Serve with Parmesan, salad, and crusty bread. A very simple dinner idea, but delicious all the same.

New Look Pattern 6648 – View B

New Look Pattern 6648 View B

I’m back again with another finished New Look 6648 project, this time –View B.

This view differs with a v-neck, and while still loose fitting, I like this much better. The other variance is the sleeves, this one having somewhat tapered sleeves.   I chose to leave the bottom of the sleeves open, but the pattern includes elastic gathers as an option.

Since this light knit fabric has a little give, I cut my waist panels on the cross grain, which I think gives it a little more interest.  To match the the bodice to the waist panels, I ended up hand basting it first (due to the grain/cross grain tensions being different).

Once again, this is really comfortable to wear, and pretty darned fun to make!

Just Popped in to Say Hey!

My husband took this picture of our cat Mini this morning. Hopefully this will make you smile. Have a happy day!

Steak on a Stick Recipe – A Family Favorite

Hello there!  This is just a quick post to share a delicious recipe with you.   I found this recipe years ago in Family Fun Magazine and my family has been enjoying it ever since.  I made this a few days ago for Sunday Dinner, and I decided to snap a few photos along the way.

Scrap Busting Sunday – Pattern Weights

 

Pattern Weights

 

I love a good project that allows me to use up some of those scraps I have in my sewing room.   In fact, I think just about every seamstress feels the same way.  It gives us the chance to breathe new life into a favorite fabric.  It gives us the chance to try something new without fear of messing up.  It gives us the chance to re-purpose.  It’s an inexpensive creative outlet.

I’ve been on the lookout for a cute little pattern weight idea, and I’ve seen some really clever ideas out there (creative people make me smile).  After a fun search all over blog-land, I ultimately decided to make up my own.  I just love drafting things myself.

So I decided that  3 – 1/4″ square weights would be a good size, so I sketched a little boxy flower to fit inside of  those dimensions.

 

I’ve always been a sucker for a pink and gray color combo, and lucky for me…I had fleece scraps of each.

I’ve had these black velvet heart buttons for ages, just waiting for the perfect project to use them.  I think they add a sweet touch.

 

Leftover dry sushi rice (from making California rolls) provided the perfect stuffing.  I don’t know if it was necessary, but I microwaved the rice for a couple of minutes to prevent little buggy-critters from nibbling on my project!  Years ago when I made bean bags out of dehydrated beans, I remember the recommendation of baking the beans first, to better preserve them.  Who know if it helps…couldn’t hurt, though.

So there ya have it… a quick and useful project, which I was able to make from start to finish even before the rest of my family woke up on
Sunday morning.  …Stolen moments…gotta use them, they’re too precious to waste.

 

New Look 6648 Pattern – My Finished Project

Last week I felt the need to get lost in a project and try something new. Since I don’t have much experience sewing stretchy fabrics, I thought that would be a fun thing to tackle. Lucky for me, JoAnn’s was offering 50% off some of these fabrics, so off I went. I had a blast looking through pattern books, and finally stumbled upon the New Look 6648 blouse pattern.

I ended up making View A, and I was really pleased with the way it came out.  I selected a purple lycra blend that worked well with this pattern, and it’s oh so comfortable to wear!  I like the combination of the loose fit, along with the gathered, form fitting panel across the bottom.  The sleeves flow nicely, reaching just above my elbows.  The only thing I would possibly change, is the neckline being a bit too large for my taste, and tends to drop a little over my shoulder.  This is a minor issue, and I’m looking forward to trying the other views.

 

Sourdough Pecan Cake – Recipe & Review

As promised, here’s the first sourdough recipe. Some of these I’ve made before, some I haven’t, so you’ll be able to follow me as I journey through these, reviewing as I go.
This cake recipe was a bit of a mixed bag,