Sew God's Grace

Pies, pies, pies!  I dabbled in pie-making in the past, and, frankly, decided it wasn't for me.  The pie dough recipes that required cutting butter into the flour, etc. fascinated me, but I never had much luck with them.  My pie dough would turn out too tough or just plain wasn't right. So I had resigned myself to not being a pie maker.  My Great Aunt Joyce always made the most beautiful pies, so one day I got her recipe.  What a difference!  The dough is so easy to make and so easy to work with.  And, it turns out great every time.  I guess I am a pie maker! Aunt Joyce's Pie Crust (makes 1 two-crust pie) 3 cups flour dash salt, optional 1 cup canola oil (only use canola!) 1/2 cup water Heat oil and water in pan on stove top until it just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and let sit 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, place flour and salt (if desired) in large bowl.  After 15 minutes, pour oil and water into flour and ...

I get so excited when I finish a project.  I finally got the buttons sewed onto Anna's apron yesterday.  When I found the flip flop buttons at Walmart, I was pretty excited that they would match the fabric I had already picked out.  Hopefully I can wait until Christmas to give it to her!  I got started on Maddie's yesterday as well and will post pictures when I finish it.  I love this apron, and the pattern is fairly easy (although I still end up having to redo things because I don't always read as carefuly as I should!).  You can find the pattern here: Kids Four Corner Apron ,  All this sewing for my girls has made me think that my boy should get something for Christmas that I have sewn.  So, I have in mind an idea for a "manly" apron for him.  I found some really cute dinosaur fabric to use.  I'll post it, also, when I'm through.  For now, it feels good to cross another project off my list and put Anna'...

The kids have AWANA on Wednesday nights.  They have to be there by 5:55, so that means I need to make supper early.  I should be starting supper by 4:30 at the minimum, but sometimes that doesn't happen.  Last night was one of those times.  What were we going to eat?  Then I had an idea taken from a recipe my mother-in-law makes.  I simply started a box of wild rice on the stove.  In the meantime, I thawed about two cups of broccoli in the microwave and a half-pound of cooked ground beef that I had frozen previously.  When the rice was finished, I threw in the broccoli, ground beef, about three quarters of a cup of cheese and heated it through.  With some grapes on the side, I had a fast, one-pot meal.  Lois, my mother-in-law, does this with roast beef and peas.  Her roast beef has some onion seasoning on it which lends the dish some wonderful flavor.  As it was, my dish was a little bland.  We added some soy sauc...

Looking for a fun Christmas or birthday gift for a child?  Then try appliqued hoodie towels!  Anna, my three year old, always wants to use her little sister's hooded towels after bath time.  However, the hoods on those are made of washcloths and did not get her hair dried very well.  So I found a site that used a hand towel to make the hood.  After I had made one, I had my seven year old try it out.  It was plenty big for her, so I dedided to make one for each of my kiddos for Christmas this year.  To see how to assemble the towel, check out this link: Hooded bath towel.   You will need two bath towels and one hand towel to make two hooded towels. I found these towels at Target. I used a solid color towel for the bath towel portion and a striped hand towel for the hood. Cut your hand towel in half. Center the hand towel on the bath towel with the raw edge upwards.  ...

 Do you, like me, not always look forward to getting out of bed and making a filling breakfast for your family?  Well, try some make-ahead breakfast burritos.  I socked a bunch of these away in my freezer that are ready when I need them. I put 22 eggs and 3/4 cup milk into a glass pitcher.  Getting the yolks all broken and mixed up well was a challenge for me until I discovered how well my immersion blender did it.  As a bonus, your three-year-old can help--Anna was quick to join in the fun! Throw your eggs into a large, non-stick skillet and add a pound of cooked sausage.  When the eggs are just about set, add 1 to 1 1/2 cups grated cheese.  If you are an onion or pepper fan, I would just dice some up and saute it before adding to your eggs with the sausage.  I don't have many onion fans in my house.   Once your eggs are done, lay out several tortillas and place a small amount of filling in the middle.  Fold the ends toward the mi...

Do you enjoy making homemade pizza?  Well, next time, try a new twist and make it stuffed crust!  Simply roll out your dough as usual.  Instead of building up the sides to make the crust, continue to roll the crust out thin and flat, about two inches farther than usual.  I use a pampered chef pizza stone, and I rolled my dough to the outside edge.  Place string cheese about an inch from the edge, fold the dough over the cheese, and pinch closed.  Add your sauce and toppings and bake as usual.  Yum!