What Would Nancy Do?

Little Bunny

2019-06-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

As you probably know, I knit things.

About a year ago I found this pattern:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bunny-girl-in-a-dotty-dress

and instantly fell in L.O.V.E.

Not only with the outcome, but the way the pattern is written, the detailed illustrations and the fact that I could tuck the yarn etc into a small pouch and take it with me pretty much everywhere.

I've made about 10 so far this year.

Check out the link below for some of my work.

https://www.ravelry.com/projects/mrezel/bunny-girl-in-a-dotty-dress

This is the break that never ends...

2014-01-07T10:41:00.002-06:00

Who knew when school ended for Winter Break on December 20, 2013 that it would go from a 16 day hiatus to 18 days?! Two bitterly cold Wisconsin winter days extended our break two days to protect us all from crazy wind chills in the negative 20's and 30's. The last two days have allowed me to bake to keep the house warm, bundle under blankets to keep me warm, and craft the days away! My mom, aunt Martha and I are each knitting a "sky scarf" this year, adding a row of color to a scarf based on the day's sky at noon. I found the idea on pinterest on New Year's eve. To keep us dedicated to our task we're going to exchange them at the end of the year between the three of us. So far mine consists of mostly white, and it looks like that will continue today based on the sky now. However, I got a touch of blue yesterday.

Mom also has been crafty, making dog fleece's for our pups. Oh that's right, I haven't mentioned her before! The McClure family adopted a pup in November. Her name is Twinkie, she is a yellow lab/Shepard mix. Here she is in her fleece.

And here is Bailey in her's, now she is a reverse Dalmatian and she loves her fleece so much!

Mom's crazy Springer Spaniels are warm enough in their natural winter coats so they don't need a fleece, but here they are being crazy cute anyway!

Abe likes to try and eat cameras!

Izzy is super fluffy!

Stay warm!

~eem

Zumbathon for MS

2013-12-25T18:30:00.001-06:00

In an effort to raise money for our 2014 Challenge Walk we decided to get creative with our fundraising and host a ZUMBATHON ® for Multiple Sclerosis!

Where: Todd Wehr gymnasium at the Milwaukee Academy of Science
2000 W Kilbourn Ave
Milwaukee WI, 53233

When: Sunday January 19, 2014

Time: 10am onsite registration, 10:00-1:00pm ZUMBATHON ®
We will host two sessions with breaks in between for prizes and refueling!

Cost: $10- preregistration, $15- day of registration
(Exact change or a check made out to the MS Society would be appreciated for day of registration)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Donate $10 to Hayley Rezel's Challenge Walk and please note "ZUMBATHON" in the "personal note" section to register! Then show up on the 19th for the fun!

Proceeds from this event will go to benefit "Team Heller" of the 2014 Challenge Walk. Here are some of the team members at the finish line from 2013. Pat, far right, our team captain has MS and she is one heck of a fighter and an inpiration to me as a woman, an educator and a mom!

Below is a picture of the Lawrence family (sans the Texans who we hope will join us in 2014). In the middle is my grandpa Chuck who stood by my grandmother for over 50 years in sickness and in health. My grandmother Nancy was diagnosed with MS in a time where little was known about this condition. She was told to go home and rest, she was told she wouldn't live to see her kids graduate from high school. She lived to see 3 out of 4 GRANDCHILDREN graduate from High School. She was an amazing woman who I have grown to understand more after her passing and my aging into adulthood. She carried herself with grace even when things were tough. She always cared about others and used humor to make us smile even if she wasn't at her best.

These are the people I walk for, these are the people I volunteer for, these are the people, that even though I have two left feet, I will participate in the ZUMBATHON ® for Multiple Sclerosis for!

~eem

Six Cheese GF Mac-N-Cheese

2013-07-29T21:33:00.000-05:00

I have continued to experiment with gluten free cooking and baking and so far I've only had one failure... Pie crust... But I digress.

Tonight I made a delicious variation of my creamy Mac-N-Cheese. I was nervous because it required a roux, something I haven't tried making since going GF. SUCCESS!

Here is the recipe:

Serves 4

Half a box GF Scharr Penne Pasta (boiled for 9 minutes)
1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup 5 cheese shredded Italian blend cheese
1 cup milk

3TBS butter
3TBS Mom's Place GF flour blend

Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl.

Heat milk in a separate pot and bring to almost a boil. Whisk in roux. Once smooth, begin adding your cheese a little at a time until melted.

Pour over your cooked noodles!

Sorry no picture! It got devoured before I could take one!

-eem

Gluten Free Corn Dogs

2013-07-27T18:42:00.001-05:00

I cheated today... I ate REAL bread... Luckily I don't have Celiac's, but I will probably pay for it in hand pain tomorrow. So, no knitting until I get it out of my system. We went to Firehouse Subs today and they didn't have any GF bread (not surprising.) I planned to just pick out the middle and leave the bread like I normally do when I get a sub from a place that doesn't have a lettuce wrap or GF option. Well, by the time we got the sub home the cheese had melded to the top of the bread and it was impossible to get the top off without making a GIANT mess. So, I took of the bottom and just ate it like an open face sandwich. And then some slight guilt set in, because the bread wasn't satisfying, it was just a vessel that put the other tastey goodness in my gullet. Oh well, I knew I had a delicious GF dinner awaiting me...

Which brings me to the real reason you are here... GLUTEN FREE CORN DOGS! I LOVE CORN DOGS! I love everything about them... the crunchy texture on the outside, the taste of honey in the breading and the salty hot dog in the middle. I LOVE THEM! And since going GF I missed them and I am certainly dreading the Wisconsin State Fair because I will have to decide between cheating again and dealing with some pain or passing by all the Deep Fried GOODNESS that I have always indulged in once a year at the State Fair. But after tonight's dinner I know that I will have an alternative that will satisfy my corn dog cravings!

My husband recently posted a Corn Dog recipe on my facebook page as a hint that we could make them at home. I saw it as an opportunity to alter it to a GF recipe. Now it might not be fit for someone with Celiac's in the form that I used, because I couldn't find "certified yellow corn meal" and since I don't have Celiac's I don't worry too much about a little cross contanination. I am sure you can find certified GF corn meal, but I went with Bob's Red Mill corn meal that didn't say Gluten Free, but also didn't list wheat or gluten as an ingredient, it just said it was processed in a facility that also processes wheat and other allergens that I didn't really read.

The original didn't call for Bisquick, but since I was altering it I decided GF Bisquick would be a good place to start since it has all the levening ingredients worked out. Well the recipe with that replacement was REALLY soupy so I added an extra 1/3 cup GF flour mix and another 1/3 cup of yellow corn meal. That did the trick! Oh and I POUR the dry ingredients into the measuring cups instead of scooping them. You might have to experiment a little bit to get the consistency right.

So now for the recipe!

Wooden Skewers
Gallon Ziplock Bags
1 Gallon of Veggie Oil
Tall Cup or Glass

8-10 bun length hot dogs

Batter:

1 cup GF Bisquick
1/3 cup GF Flour Mix (I used Mom's place GF Mix)
1 1/3cup yellow corn meal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk
1 egg brought to room temp and then beaten
1 TBS veggie oil
1 TBS honey

While you're preparing the batter, pour the oil in your deep fryer and set the temp to 350 degrees F. If you don't have a deep fryer you can do this stove top, but then you'll probably need less oil and should use a REALLY deep pot and a thermometer to make sure the oil gets up to the proper temp.

Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Mix together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The batter should be thicker than pancake batter, if you find you think it is too thick, add a little more milk, about a TBS at a time.

Dry hotdogs with a paper towel, this helps the batter skick to the hot dog, and then skewer them with a wooden skewer.

Place the gallon ziploc bag into the large cup and then pour the batter into the ziploc bag. EASY CLEAN UP!

Once your fryer is up to temp, dip the corn dogs into the batter and carefully lower them into the fryer until they are immersed. Fry the corn dogs for 3-5 minutes until they are golden brown. You may have to rotate them a little to make sure they fry evenly. My hubby did this part because I am CLUMSY! We fried two at a time and he was able to finagle them to rest in one of the holes on the side of the basket.

It seems like quite a bit of work, but it was a pretty quick process and it helped to have some teamwork in the kitchen. Plus the end result was WELL WORTH the time spent in prepwork and cooking!

We rested them on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet to make sure they stayed crunchy!

Here is the end result!

~eem

Going Gluten Free and the Wonderful World of Disney!

2013-07-16T16:50:00.001-05:00

We've neglected the blog... But we've been BUSY! I wrapped up my seventh year of teaching and then the whole family went to Disney World, since then it's been enjoying the unseasonably cool (but wonderful) Wisconsin weather. You can thank mom for that... She FINALLY got central air put back in the house and she hasn't needed it... yet...

But onto the stuff related to the title...

Mom has been gluten free since January and I joined her in April. Her chiropractor suggested she reduce inflammatory foods so her dominant hand wouldn't hurt so much. It got to the point where she couldn't write or knit due to pain and inflammation. Once she went gluten free her hand stopped hurting so much and she is back to knitting! I had similar pain, but not as crippling as hers was. At first I was skeptical and thought she was a little crazy, but I supported her decision and thought I could never do it. Then on Palm Sunday we went to a brunch and I indulged on cakes and buns. That night my hand was really hot... I could feel the temperature difference in my palm near my thumb. That was a wake up call... I didn't want to end up with the crippling pain my mom went through. It wasn't as tough as I thought and it was nice to have support from my mom and from my friend/coworker Christine who is also GF. It made me feel like less of a weirdo... But it made staff breakfasts on Friday really tough because there weren't many options. I found an AMAZING GF coffee cake recipe and made it for Christine's bridal shower and another staff breakfast. Coworkers who are not GF said "If you hadn't told me it was GF, I would have never known!" What I love the most about it is that it uses GF Bisquick, so I don't have to do all that crazy mixing flours and such. I added lemon zest to the cream cheese layer because I LOVE lemon and I also used almond milk instead of regular milk. I had to add TBS extra of almond milk because the batter just seemed too dry.

When we went to Disney it was also an AWESOME experience to be GF. At each restaurant we worked directly with the head chef or restaurant manager to find items that were already GF or recipes that were easily adaptable. Not once were we let down by the quality of the food. I had a delicious pasta dish at Via Napoli that had an Alfredo type sauce with chicken and FRESH SPRING PEAS. I picked every pea out of that plate and declined dessert. Next time they can just make me peas with Alfredo sauce. I didn't take a picture but I wish I had! What I did take a picture of was the Chocolate Banana Creme Brûlée I had at Kona. I wanted to lick the plate it was so good! It was so refreshing by the end of our trip that the manager of our resort quick service, Contempo Cafe, recognized us and had her allergy pad ready to take our order. We are vacation club members and were staying at our home resort, Bay Lake Towers, so the walk over to the Contemprary was a welcome jaunt to get a quick meal that was delicious and GF! I cheated a bit near the end of our trip and paid for it hand pain the following days when I was knitting. But it seemed to leave my system quicker than when I first went GF... about two days of pain and then I was back to normal. No heat in my thumb area and no throbbing pain.

Here is that delicious Creme Brulee I meantioned... see how the plate is scraped clean!

My husband and son have also joined me in reducing their gluten intake. We already ate lower on the gluten scale, but noodles and bread were a staple in several meals a week. They've been okay with replacing the noodles (D-man actually prefers the GF noodles), but I haven't found a good bread that pasts their test. It is more of a texture thing than a taste thing. I on the other hand love Goodbye Gluten's multi-grain bread. Today I used a GF flour mix to make chocolate chip cookies and no one could tell the difference. YUMMY! The change has been slighlty different than our normal diet, but I feel better and I feel better knowing "my boys" are reducing their intake as well. It might not be for everyone, but it is certainly for me!

Here is my favorite family photo from the trip.

~eem

Let the countdown begin!

2013-05-05T21:44:00.002-05:00

We walked the local MS Walk in Milwaukee this morning. 3.5 miles after a winter spent hibernating had me dragging my bottom towards the end. I had to motivate myself to put one foot in front of the other... Pathetic! I know we will get there... This was just a wake up call. Time to start walking EVERY nice day outside and every crappy day inside. Let the training begin! CHALLENGE WALK 2013... I'M UP TO THE CHALLENGE!

-eem

PS: The walk is really in Door County, but Green Bay was the closest city the countdown program recognized.

Victory Garden

2013-04-25T07:33:00.000-05:00

This year I am putting in a raised garden, actually I am taking part in the Victory Garden Initiative in the greater Milwaukee area. A group of volunteers will come to our yard and put in the raised garden. There is a fee associated with the garden, not too much in my estimation, and they fill the raised garden with organic soil. They even offer mentors to new gardeners, or old gardeners who need some advice.

Here's the link if you're interested. You have to sign up by May 4, so hurry on over if you want to get in on the action.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but we've gone Gluten Free at our house. It all started just over 3 years ago when my right hand started to hurt when I tried to open jars, hold the steering wheel of my car or even write. I rested, iced, compressed and elevated to no avail. I even quit knitting for over a year, no help. Then my doctor advised that I try eliminating inflammatory foods from my diet. What are those? Sugars and Gluten can cause inflammation in some folks. Other foods that may trigger inflammation are dairy and nuts. So I jumped in and did a 21 day cleanse, eliminating all of the above along with meat and fish for the first 10 days. Besides getting immediate relief in my hands (4 days in) my daily heartburn went away. I also found I had lots more energy and I was sleeping through the night.

After the 21 days I brought back dairy first, no reaction. Then nuts, no problem there either. I decided to avoid sugars as much as possible even though I do not have a reaction to sugars either. It was gluten, the very first time I tried gluten my heartburn returned and the soreness in my hands soon followed. That sensation left me within 24 hours, but I didn't want to go back. Daily pain is...you know...a pain.

So we cleaned out house out of gluten foods. We read every label and found gluten aka WHEAT in weird stuff, like soy sauce, ketchup along with the foods that are composed out of wheat like noodles and breads.

We eat a lot more veggies these days and we are happier. I'm excited that we are putting in a garden so we can pick our own produce.

I will post pictures as we go along.

~mpr

Hippity Hoppity... Natural Dyed Eggs

2013-03-31T11:07:00.001-05:00

Last Sunday my mom and I attended Swiecone for my cousin Pat's Polish Syrenna Dancers. Each Palm Sunday they throw a feast as a fundraiser for they cultural dance group. The food is always delicious and the dancing never disappoints! I enjoy the homemade sauerkraut with bacon and caraway seeds! AMAZING! Although we are not Polish, we enjoy this event and the company of Pat's family and especially his wife Stephanie, who is my favorite cousin that lives in St. Francis. :)

One thing that I also enjoy is the cultural history that the even provides. They bless the food in Polish tradition and serve eggs as part of the blessing. They also share ways to dye eggs naturally, something I thought I would share with you today.

Foods that naturally dye eggs-

Red- beets, cranberries or red onion skin
Blue- blueberries
Yellow- yellow onion skin or lemon zest
Orange- orange zest or carrots
Green- spinach

I chose blueberries, the frozen kind, that at some point my mom or I spaced and put them in the fridge instead of the freezer and I found them yesterday morning and went... DOH! I had about a 1/4 of a cup left and didn't want to waste them, so out came the eggs to dye naturally.

Here is the process...

Submerge your eggs in water, add 2 TBS vinegar, a hearty amount of salt and the blueberries. Smash up the blueberries to add more juice/dye to the water. Bring the water to a boil, cover and let sit for 20 minutes. Voila! Naturally dyed eggs!

Pictures to come soon!

A few of my favorite things

2013-03-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

What have I been doing?

Knitting, sewing and the normal day to day stuff. I thought I'd take some time to share a few of my latest favorites

Sewing vintage looking aprons

The apron on the cover reminds me of one that my mother-in-law gave me shortly after meeting her. It's one that she made a long time ago. I love that the pattern book shares stories about each apron.

I've also been making a bunch of gardening aprons, which is essentially a BBQ apron. I make sure the pockets are super large. Here's a link to this pattern

It's from the Purl Bee, which not only has sewing patterns and tips, but has knitting, crocheting...you name it. I love their website.

Aprons are fun for little girls too, this website has a really cute pattern that you can whip up in an afternoon.

What have you been up to?

Messenger bag for boys...take your cars with you

2013-02-05T07:51:00.004-06:00

There are a lot of girls in our family. I have two sisters, 3 daughters, 5 nieces and 9 great nieces. I have one grandson and we also have 2 great nephews. I made this bag for one of those little guys.

Let's hear it for the boys!

This is a twist on my previous messenger bag, seen here

Before I assembled the bag, I made an insert that holds toy cars.

I started with coordinating fabric, elastic and the usual sewing equipment. I used a few of my grandson's cars as a reference.

Next, lay the elastic across the fabric and pin the ends down.

Next, mark your seam lines, I used the cars to help me determine the distance between my stitching.

Sew the stitches, I went back and forth several times with my machine.

Double check the distance between your stitching.

Assemble the interior of the messenger bag, you should have the pieces shown below.

We're going to make a big pocket on the inside too. The dimensions for my bag were 14x33" for the long section that forms the front and back. This piece was 30x18", folded in half to form a 15x9" pocket. The 15" will extend beyond the width of the portion that forms my bag, that's okay. We want to make sure we get the pocket in the seams that will form the bag. You can cut off the portion that extends beyond the seam allowance once you've attached the pocket to the interior portion of the bag.

Placement is important, I put mine down 2 inches from the top portion of my bag. I also marked with chalk the sections that I will sew down to divide this bad boy into two parts.

Position the previously sewn car pocket to the other side.

The interior section that forms your bag should look like this.

Sew down 1/4 inch on both sides then get ready to trim.

Sew your side pieces to the main portion of the interior of your bag. This is what it looks like when assembled.

Big pocket attached to interior of bag

That's it!

You can attach this completed section to the exterior portion to make a reversible bag.

This blog has a nice tutorial on how to sew the inside portion to the exterior portion, making the bag reversible.

Christmas gift cards

2013-01-24T07:55:00.001-06:00

I have 3 adult daughters, one in college the other 2 are living in their own homes. It's pretty easy to find gifts for the two older daughters as they live close and I am good at listening for hints. When I asked my youngest daughter (21) what she wanted for Christmas she said something to this effect "food, I'm a poor broke college student". So true, but wrapping up a month's worth or groceries isn't very practical. I decided to buy a few of her favorite treats and attach gift cards to Target (they have food now) and a few other fun places.

How do you disguise your gift cards?

De-junking my body...21day cleanse

2013-01-22T07:48:00.000-06:00

A few months ago one of my nieces posted that she was going to do a 21 day cleanse. That's crazy, I thought, but I was intrigued. I didn't want to commit to 21 days (what a chicken) so I did a 3 day detox a la Dr. Oz. it was rough, I felt like crap (toxins leaving my body/withdrawal symptoms) and craved protein. Afterwards I felt great. I decided to continue to have a green smoothie once a day and limit processed food.

Let me interrupt my story and mention that I've been suffering from inflammation in both hands for 3 years, to the point of not knitting for over a year. My doctor had suggested that I eliminate sugars and gluten from my diet as they may be contributing to my hand inflammation. I thought that was crazy too, I've been eating this stuff all of my life, why would I suddenly have a problem with sugars and gluten...oh yeah, I'm getting older, stuff starts to break down, that could be it.

My niece posted that she was going to do the 21 day detox again, right after the New Years. Anyone interested? Yuppers, I'm interested.

I checked out the rules and thought, I can do this. No sugars or sweeteners except stevia. No gluten...none! No dairy and no meat for the first 10 days.

I do have protein mixes at least 2 times a day and all of the veggies I can eat plus fruit (2 times more veggies than fruit).

I can do this! At day 11 you can add in fish or chicken for the remaining 10 days.

Well, it's day 15 and I'm pleased to say that it's going well. The inflammation in my hands has subsided to the point of me not noticing it. I even started to knit again...I'm sharing my story not because I intend on converting you, just wanted to say...

I STARTED TO KNIT AGAIN! I can hardly believe it.

Enough ranting, here's a recipe I am enjoying.

Spiced Lentils

2 cups lentils
1/2 onion, diced
1 diced fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon toasted fennel seed, ground
1 teaspoon toasted coriander seed, ground
1 bay leaf

Soak the lentils in water for 10 minutes. Rinse and pick through for stones. Coat the bottom of a pot with a generous layer of extra virgin olive oil. Sweat the onion and fennel until tender. Season with salt. Add garlic and spices and continue to cook for one minute. Add lentils and water to cover. Simmer until lentils are tender. If needed, more water
I cook mine down to resemble refried beans, about 45 minutes

You can find more lentil recipes here...I really enjoy the sweetness of the onions, we usually fry them up with some chopped up bacon. Salt and Pepper and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Cereal Clusters: A tale of two treats

2012-12-30T14:15:00.000-06:00

I have been on a no bake kick this holiday season. Lots of peanut butter cups, dipped cookies and pretzels have been shared with family and friends. I did make one batch of real cookies, our secret family oatmeal roll-out cookies, but that's about it. On my no bake mission I made two treats from my childhood that I always loved, cereal clusters. My family made two different types: a chocolate version with Cheerios, marshmallows and peanuts, and a peanut butter version with white chocolate, rice crispies, marshmallows and peanuts. Very popular in the 70s or so I am told because I wasn't alive then. Anyways I made both types for my boys because I was feeling a little nostalgic. I mixed up the peanut butter kind first and found them disappearing from the wax paper before they were even fully set. Next came the chocolate batch and as you can see from the picture below they weren't as popular.

While putting together treats for my family I told my mom about the cereal clusters. She said not to bother packing up any of the chocolate kind. After 31 years of marriage my dad informed her that he didn't like that kind. I imagine the conversation went something like this: "Emilie made cereal treats, do you want some?" "Yeah, but just the peanut butter kind, I don't like the chocolate kind." "But Kevin, you eat them." "Yeah, but I don't really like them." At least my boys didn't wait 31 years to tell me they didn't care for the chocolate kind. :) So you can make both kind for your family and decide which you like better. I hope it doesn't take your family decades to tell you they don't care for a treat you make. :)

Cereal Clusters Recipe

Chocolate Version

10 oz dark chocolate
1 cup peanuts
8 oz marshmallows
2 cups cheerios

Set aside about an oz of dark chocolate. Melt dark chocolate in microwave safe container for 30 seconds at a time. Stirring as the chocolate melts. When the chocolate is smooth and melted, temper it by adding the oz you set aside. When that melts it is ready to add the other ingredients. Add the dry ingredients and mix until coated.

Scoop into 1.5 inch clusters onto wax paper and set them in a cool area to set. We usually put them in the garage on top of the car. Out of the way of animals, and the cold winter air helps them set quicker.

Peanut Butter Version

10 oz white chocolate
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup chunky (or smooth) peanut butter. I use chunky so I can use less whole peanuts.
8 oz marshmallows
3 cups rice crispies

Melt the white chocolate in microwave safe container for 30 seconds at a time. Stirring as the chocolate melts. When the chocolate is smooth and melted, add the peanut butter and stir that in to temper the chocolate. Sometimes I have to zap it in the microwave for 15 seconds if the peanut butter doesn't fully melt. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well coated.

Repeat scooping and setting process from the version above. :)

Here are some pictures from my latest batch of peanut butter cereal clusters.

Mixing in the PB to the white chocolate... Isn't it pretty? YUMMY!

Adding in the dry ingredients.

Finished product.

Enjoy!

~eem

Take 5 Brittle

2012-12-22T17:26:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite candy bars is a "Take 5", a delicious combo of pretzels, caramel, peanut butter and peanuts covered in chocolate! It is the perfect salty sweet combo! While experimenting with making my own, this was the result... I knew something about making caramel, but instead of the ooey gooey goodness of the Take 5's caramel, it came out more like a brittle. Still delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
approx 3 cups of pretzels
12 TBS of crunchy peanut butter (I eyeball it)
1/2 cup peanuts
15 oz dark chocolate chips (1.5 bags of Nestle brand)
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Over medium/high heat, melt butter and brown sugar in a non stick pan, whisking until the butter is melted.

Once the butter has melted, stop whisking and let it come to a bubble. This happens quickly. Reduce the temperature to medium and set your timer for 5 minutes. Let the mixture bubble WITHOUT WHISKING for the entire time. While it's bubbling away, set up your pretzels on a foil lined rimmed cookie sheet (10X16).

Caramel starting to bubble.

Caramel near the end of 5 minutes.

When the timer beeps, remove the caramel from heat and slowly whisk. Then pour it as evenly as you can over the pretzels. You can carefully spread the caramel if needed, but the next step really spreads it all on its own.

Bake the pretzels for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and turn it off. Glob the peanut butter evenly across the surface of the hot caramel pretzels. Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes and it will start to melt from the carryover heat. Once it starts to melt, spread it over the entire surface of the pretzel/caramel mixture.

Sprinkle peanuts on top.

Sprinkle Chocolate Chips on top and then put the pan back in the oven for no more than 2 minutes. I have found the peanut butter isn't quite hot enough to melt the chocolate chips so that's why I throw it back in the (cooling) oven.

Spread the melted chocolate chips over the top. They will come out shiny and still look whole, but as you spread them they will mix in and melt. The peanut butter will mix slightly with the chocolate, but as you spread the chocolate will start to cover the peanut butter.

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt and cool on cooling rack for at least a half an hour. Once cool to the touch, place it in your freezer for at least two hours. Once frozen, remove from the pan by lifting out the aluminum foil. Cut into 1.5 inch squares and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Happy Holidays!

~eem

Market bags with pockets

2012-12-04T08:06:00.000-06:00

There are some really cute patterns out there for market bags. I wanted to make mine mimic the size and shape of a grocery bag, plus handles. At first I followed this tutorial.

I did have a few problems following the pattern as I am still fairly new to the world of sewing, but after completing my first one, I was hungry for more. I found that 2 yards of heavy duty fabric, I bought mine in the home furnishing section at Joann's Fabric, would yield 4 bags as long as I didn't make the straps from the same fabric. Denim, duck, and outdoor canvas also work well.

Here's what you need for 4 basic bags (no lining):
2 yards of fabric
4 yards of webbing (I purchased mine at an Army surplus store for 24 cents a foot)
coordinating thread

For each bag cut:

2 lengths of webbing 18 inches each.
One piece- 37x14 (for the front, back and bottom)
Two pieces- 15x7.5 (sides)

I had leftover fabric, perfect for pockets.

I had 2 pieces that were 15x7.5, that'll make 2 pockets. If you want pockets on all 4 bags, purchase 2 1/4 yards of fabric, or buy 1/4 yard of a coordinating pattern.

Fold the pocket material in half, right sides (pretty side) out.

I ran a 1/4 inch stitch on the folded side, just looks better to me.

Next line up the raw edges of the pocket, with the bottom edge of one of the sides, right sides together.

Sew a 1/4 inch seam down the sides and across the bottom. Go ahead and do this for the other side.

Attach the sides to the main long portion.

Right sides together, make sure your pocket is on the bottom, pin in place.

You'll need to turn the material around the corner. This is a photo of the pinning right before I turned it.

After the turn, there will be a little gap of fabric here, that's ok. We'll gather that in when we sew this down.

Pin all the way around. I pinned the other side too.

Using a 5/8 seam, sew down one side right up to about 1/2" from the corner.

Lift you needle up and turn to sew across the bottom.

Turn again at the next corner.

Go ahead and do the same on the other side.

Turn your bag right side out to check your work.

Whew...
Now turn the bag back so the ride side is back in and finish your seams with either a zig zag stitch or as I did, with a pinking shears.

Hem the top of the bag, I do this by turning the edge in about 1/4 inch, sew that down.

Turn again, this time 1/2 inch. Sew that down.

Add the straps.

I measured in 3 1/2 inches from each side and sewed the X pattern.

Turn it out and admire your work.

What would Nancy do?: Are you ready for some football

2012-11-26T08:10:00.001-06:00

What would Nancy do?: Are you ready for some football: It's football season, and around here that means one thing. PACKERS! I made this pattern a few years ago and thought I would share it wit...

What would Nancy do?: Christmas Traditions

2012-11-26T08:09:00.001-06:00

What would Nancy do?: Christmas Traditions: I'm sure you all have Christmas traditions, if you're anything like me, these change as we our lives change. When I was a little girl, ...

Christmas Traditions

2012-11-26T08:04:00.000-06:00

I'm sure you all have Christmas traditions, if you're anything like me, these change as we our lives change.

When I was a little girl, my sisters and brother and I couldn't wait to see the Christmas window displays at the H.C. Prange store in Appleton. Families would line the streets to walk past the windows and marvel at the animated figurines. You can click HERE below to take a peak into the past.

If you're up for a trip, you can see some of the displays at the Neville Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Another favorite memory is driving around town and looking at lights. I did this with my family growing up and then with my children. Back in the 80s and 90s, in Milwaukee, there were 3 main neighborhoods to go to. Candy Cane Lane, Christmas Card Lane and Orchard Hills. Cars would wind through these neighborhoods night after night. One of these 3 remains: Candy Cane Lane

Besides being an excellent destination for Christmas light viewing, Candy Cane Lane also supports Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer (MACC). Click here for a listing of appearances of local celebrities.

We have other Christmas traditions, going to midnight services at our church, family gatherings and of course cookies. I'll be back later to share some favorite cookie recipes with you.

What are your family Christmas traditions?

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

2012-11-17T19:18:00.002-06:00

Before I move on to the bulk of this post... I had to mention the most beautiful talisman roses I saw at the grocery store today. They were grandma's favorite. I said hello to her as I passed them by.

Anyways the post is dedicated to my Aunt Martha because she is a better baker and is certainly craftier than She-who-must-not-be-named. And certainly wouldn't end up in jail for tax fraud.

The cheesecake recipe unfortunately comes from She-who-shall-not-be-named, but the recipe looked too good and too easy to pass up. I used the homemade pumpkin purée that I made and froze a few weeks ago. You can click here to find the site I used to make my own.

The cheesecake is currently in the oven... The hardest part is knowing it has to sit in there for 2 hours and 45 minutes before I can successfully celebrate it! And then cooling it prior to letting it set for four hours in the fridge before I can EAT IT! This just might have to be breakfast!

Pictures will be posted when it is complete!

I don't think this will last until Turkey Day, but that was kind of the point! Enjoy!

~eem
Keurig K-Cup 18-Pk. Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice Coffee (Google Affiliate Ad)

Are you ready for some football

2012-11-13T07:17:00.000-06:00

It's football season, and around here that means one thing. PACKERS! I made this pattern a few years ago and thought I would share it with you here.

This is my original pattern, I see that there a quite a few variations on Ravelry now. I love that!
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/are-you-ready-for-some-football

This is knit flat for the first few rows and then knit in the round, I use the magic loop
method.
Materials:
I used Cascade 220, but you can use any worsted weight yarn and get similar results.
You’ll need less than one hank of the main color and just a few yards of the contrasting
color.
Size US 7 (4.50) circular needles.
Pattern instructions are for newborn, toddler and child changes are listed in parenthesis ()
Cast on 54 ( 60, 70) in brown if making hat A(see photo above) or in your alternate
color if constructing hat B (see photo below).
Rows 1-10 knit each row, as if on straight needles. This will give you a nice 1 inch brim
in garter stitch.
Row 11 join for working in the round. You’ll need to switch to your main color if
constructing hat B. If you choose to use dpns you’ll need to place a marker to indicate
the beginning of a row.
Continue knitting for another 2 inches (3 inches total)
Decrease pattern
SSK, K to end of needle (26 (29, 34)remain on first needle)
K2 tog, K to end of needle (26 (29, 34) remain on second needle)
Knit next Row
Continue with decrease every other row until you have 21 stitches on each needle (having
just completed a decrease row.
Join contrasting color
Knit one row
Decrease one row (20 stitches on each needle)
Knit one row
Return to main color
Knit 8, K2 tog, to end
Knit 7, K2 tog, to end
Knit 6, K2 tog, to end
Knit 5, K2 tog, to end
Knit 4, K2 tog, to end
Knit 3, K2 tog, to end
Knit 2, K2 tog, to end
Knit 1, K2 tog, to end
K2 tog to end (4 stitches remain)
Cut yarn and run through remaining stitches to tie off.
Weave in ends on wrong side of hat.
Using Contrasting Color, embroider the laces as shown in the photos.

You can check out this design on Ravelry and download a PDF file for free. Just type in Are you ready for some football in Ravelry's search engine.

Happy knitting!

Check out Emilie's spin off mittens available on ravelry.com as well!

google.com, pub-9160874291804057, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Don't want to/can't knit? You can order a completed hat here

These are a few of my favorite things

2012-11-12T07:39:00.001-06:00

I love Knit Picks knitting needles, their Harmony Wood needles changed my life as my hands don't "buzz" when I use them. They are so smooth, the yarn glides along the needles and they are reasonably priced. The options Interchangeable set is my favorite. If you are just starting to knit, Clover bamboo knitting needles are a great option. I found mine at Jo-Ann Fabrics.

Yarn, I love me some yarn. When I started knitting (again) a few years back, I used Red Heart, but I longed for a softer acrylic. Enter, Vanna Choice Baby by Lion Brand, excellent for baby hats. Then I found Cascade Superwash 220 at my FYS in Appleton, Wisconsin and it was love at first cast on.

Not that I don't love to shop for other yarns, one of my favorite places to discover yarn is,,,

It's free to join the community and there are not only tons of patterns (knit and crochet) but there are tons of hints and message boards. I have to give myself a time limit when I go there :)

And of course Pinterest...my latest obsession. Here's what I pinned last, take a simple sweater and bling it out for the holidays!

And one of our groups original designs as shown on Pinterest

What are some of your favorite things?

Clover 71195 Bamboo Circular Knitting Needle 29 in. -Size 11 (Google Affiliate Ad)

2012 Challenge Walk update

2012-10-04T07:20:00.000-05:00

And done! Our team raised over $55,000.00. Let me say that again OUR TEAM RAISED OVER $55,000.00. Whoo hoo! All 3 of my daughters joined me this year, it was truly a blessed weekend. I did sing John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt a few times, but not nearly as much as last year.

Our team not only raised the most money, but we took home the coveted "Best Rest Stop Award" for the 2nd year in a row. This year, our London Olympics team took the prize.

We are already planning on next year, I'm all signed up and ready to raise money to fight this disease. MS is BS

Chunky Monkey No Bake Cheesecake

2012-09-27T18:32:00.003-05:00

For the hubby's birthday I made a cheesecake. He hates his birthday, but loves cheesecake... So that evens things out!

It is a spin on the chocolate mousse cheesecake I posted this summer. It combines Banana Cream Pie with Chocolate Cheesecake!

Ingredients

1 Chocolate Graham pie crust

Cream cheese layer-
8oz of softened cream cheese
4oz of cool whip
1 1.4 oz instant chocolate pudding mix (I used sugar free and it tasted bland so I added a little sugar and that made it better.)
1-2 TBS heavy whipping cream
1/2 TBS sugar (or sweeten to tastes)

Mousse layer-
1 1.4oz sugar free instant banana cream pudding
1 packet of Dream Whip (Found in the baking aisle at my local grocery store)
1.5 cups of cold milk

Ganache layer-
6 oz dark chocolate chips
Heavy Whipping cream (I bought a half pint container and probably used about a quarter of it (approximately 1/4 cup)... Sometimes I just don't measure things, and go by look and texture instead.)

Banana Chips for Garnish

Directions-

Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. Add in pudding mix and start by adding 1TBS heavy cream. Add in the sugar and beat until smooth. Add another TBS if the mixture looks too thick. Add 4oz of Cool Whip (half of an 8oz container), beat again until smooth and somewhat fluffy.

Spread in the bottom of the pie crust. Chill in refrigerator while you make the next layer.

Add the contents of both the pudding mix and the dream whip into a bowl. Add the milk and beat for at least 2 minutes, longer if you want it fluffier. Chill this for 5 minutes in the fridge to firm up before adding it to the cheesecake layer. Once it has firmed up, carefully spread it onto the cheesecake layer. Then chill in the fridge while you make the final layer.

Pour the chocolate chunks into a microwave safe dish, set about a TBS to the side for tempering. Pour in some heavy cream... Just enough to lightly cover the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir, then again for 30 seconds. Don't worry if it looks curdled or like it isn't melting like straight chocolate, you will smooth it out later. Stir in the reserved chocolate pieces to cool the chocolate down. Depending on your microwave, it may take longer... But after the two 30 second intervals, I reccomend lessening it to 15 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Once the chocolate is melted, begin to beat it with your mixer. As you beat the chocolate, slowly stream in more cream until the chocolate is smooth.

Spread the ganache layer on the cheesecake and chill for at least two hours. Garnish with banana chips!

~eem

Rain rain go away

2012-09-19T07:16:00.002-05:00

Ive been checking out the 10 day forecast for Door County on The Weather Channel for the last week. At first it looked like we would be enjoying cooler weather during the Challenge Walk...high 60's. Perfect! Now it looks like rain and much cooler weather...in the 50's.

I can deal with the lower temps, but really want the rain to go away.

Say it with me!

Rain rain stay away from Door County this weekend.

Thank you.

I decided to make some head bands in bright orange for the girls. The first few were in a light knit. I switched over to fleece when the weather forecast changed. Thankfully my local Joanne Fabrics had both materials in stock. I also bought some orange fleece on acid. You'll see what I mean when I post pictures from the walk.

~Peace
MPR