I started making this summer tote out of my little bits & bobs of crochet thread. Hooking it until I have the perfect size to toss in a book, sunscreen, bottled drink...and head to the beach! 

Summer starts tomorrow...so I better get hooking!

Doily...Skirts and Skirts

I wasn't sure if I had shared this here or not...so if it's a double it's a double ha!

I found a Japanese vest pattern that I thought was sooo pretty and after taking a longer look at it, the center of it starts with this beautiful pineapple doily piece.  So I created it just as a doily and love it!  Wedding season is starting and  many gifts to find...one down!

And Skirts!  My nieces ask for SKIRTS!  So here are a few of the latest I made.
I love this wildflower cotton print I found, reminds me so much of The Little House on the Prairie! 

A recap of projects...

 

A cousin of mine is preparing for a new little one...so to my hook I go! 

I picked up some really soft bamboo crochet thread 

to start a baby blanket out of the basic granny square pattern!

 

 We don't have red meat often, so this night was a real treat!

I made asparagus roll-ups with red potatoes sprinkled with garlic, fresh parm, & parsley.

Very yummy!

Details:

I dunked the fresh asparagus in boiling water for 4 minutes. Let it cool.

In a saute pan-browned fresh garlic, red onion, and some herbs de Provence.

I then laid out the flank steak/skirt steak and spread the garlic onion mixture on it, topped with a slice of smoked gouda from our local cheese market, and added the asparagus.  Gently rolled up and placed on my grilling pan and seared the sides.  

Tucked in the oven to finish off by baking with the potatoes.

Easy...yet looks like you spent forever in the kitchen creating a gourmet meal! 

 

 Rainbow zippered bags for a group of lovely ladies to celebrate LGBT Pride Month this June!

My Mother's Day gift for my Momma

I found this pattern called 'Floral Medallions Tablecloth' in a book (I will search for the book title and post the details!) that was made up of rows of this flower medallion pattern, repeated across for a tablecloth.  I knew that I loved the floral piece in this mesh pattern, yet knew that I would get bored repeating it constantly for a tablecloth-size piece. 
So I decided to create it into a table runner for my Momma for Mother's Day, and that the cream mesh would be beautiful on their warm-wood dining table.
Off to creation I went!

Details:
1 row of the floral medallion pattern (using Rows 1-18 of the pattern). 
Then I created a middle section as I went:
Rows 19-21 I did rows of alternating open/closed mesh across the rows. (Checkerboard pattern) 
Rows 22-23 open mesh
Rows 24-30 I created an arrow pointing inwards from both sides (in towards the middle) with a 6 space open mesh between. 
Rows 31-32 open mesh
Rows 33-35 alternating open/closed mesh across the rows (checkerboard pattern)
Then I repeated the floral medallion pattern again.
For the edging I just did a basic sc around, with 3 sc in each corner for turning. 

Homemade Lumpia Night

Some days you just need a little splurge! 

Tonight ours was homemade lumpia with Korean Yum-Yum Sauce 

The lumpia is simple! I can't believe how many friends are scared to even try making them.
So here is an easy-peasy way...
In a skillet brown your ground turkey meat (or beef, chicken, whichever you wish!)
dice up garlic and green onion and in. 
Place in a bowl and add in s&p and other spices you wish, and a small dash of soy sauce. 
(We like ours pretty plain, with the kick being in the sauce.)  
Stir it up and let it cool a few minutes before rolling them up.
Take your wonton wrappers and have a little bowl of water at hand. 
Place a spoon full of your meat mixture on the wonton, dipping your fingers or a pastry brush in the water and brush around the edges (this helps seal them up!) of the wonton, then gently spread out the filling as you roll it up. I press the ends a bit to make sure they seal up and the meat doesn't fall out when frying.

Next, fry them in some light olive oil.  Blot on papertowels and cool a bit. 
Serve them with your favorite sauce! Yum!

Our "Yum Yum" sauce is actually Korean Teriyaki Sauce that I doctor up with added chilli pepper, garlic, soy, and some honey. 

A new take on the traditional cabbage rolls

This picture is quite a moosh-up as to their original form, as my dear hubby wanted all the "goopy sauce" added to his cabbage rolls.  Silly me, forgot to photo as I was taking from the oven.  Next time I shall take more glorious photos that show how "pretty" these can be!  Never-the-less, they are amazingly easy to make and quite yummy.
I grew up in a family where our Great Grandma made homemade cabbage rolls.  Amazing to smell as they baked, and even more amazing to be one of the lucky "kids" that were able to snag one onto their plates at the family gatherings...as the elder Aunts & Uncles and our parents all practically ran to the food line to grab up these yummy cabbage rolls.  Filled with the typical herbs and spices, rice, onion and garlic, wrapped up and slathered in a combo that tasted like doctored tomato paste.  Awhile back I got to thinking about these cabbage rolls and how they smelled so good while baking.  With my husband and I on our trek of "better eating", I got to thinking on how to change up this recipe.  Viola...I think I did it.  At least we both LOVE them!

Ronna's Cabbage Rolls
Preheat oven 350 and prepare your baking dish (grease it, line it, whatever you like)

Cabbage roll filing:
Brown ground turkey meat with onion and garlic. Add in diced mushrooms and a splash of beef stock. Add your herbs & spices...I added fresh basil, thyme, cracked pepper, and some savory.  Put this in a bowl and added in cooked (and cooled) brown rice.  I had cooked my rice with some diced carrots and celery. Add in an egg and smoosh it all together, just like you would prepare meatballs or meatloaf etc.

Sauce:
I made a basic white sauce, adding in sauted mushrooms, onion, and garlic.  Make this while you are preparing your meat so that it is ready to pour over your cabbage rolls when ready. You could use any canned cream soups if you are in a hurry or don't like to create your own sauce.

Cabbage Leaves tip:
Boil a pot of water (big enough for your head of cabbage), remove the core and put it into your boiling water. Partially cook it, rotating it around a bit. When it's slightly tender, remove and let it cool a bit.  

Stuff your Cabbage:
Lay out a cabbage leaf, place a big spoonful of the meat mixture onto it, and gently tuck in the ends and roll up the rest of the leaf.  Place them seam side down, side-by-side in your prepared baking dish. Continue with the rest. 

Bake:
Top with your sauce and cover with your baking dish lid or foil.  Bake until the cabbage is tender or your husband says "That smells good, when's dinner?"

Today's Lunch

Today I thought I would give the cauliflower cheesy bread 

my own spin...

So I followed this recipe over at @ Mom, What's For Dinner? 

 (Check out her blog full of great GLUTEN-FREE recipes YAY!)

and then I just tweaked it a bit!

It even earned a "thumbs up" from Mr. Jonny 
who really enjoyed his lunch today! 

Tips: USE parchment paper!  Make sure to really "rice up" your cauliflower, getting all the liquid from steaming out!  

My changes: I omitted the garlic salt, using fresh garlic. And in the "bread" I only used 1/4 cup fresh parm, omitting the mozzarella. For the topping I used olive oil and fresh garlic (instead of butter).  I also used just 1/4 cup fresh parm on the top with a sprinkling of fresh feta, topped with sliced mushrooms, red onions, red pepper, fresh garlic, and fresh spinach.  SUPER YUMMY! 
Yes, this takes it from "cheesy bread" to something more like pizza...but it's YUMMY! especially for those of us who can't handle all that cheese!  

The only thing I would do differently next time is to put under the broiler for a minute to get it "crusty"!