Time Saver Recipes -- Pressure Cooking

Today I thought I would share a new kitchen tool I recently purchased.    It is a digital pressure cooker.

I have always been afraid to use one because I have heard tales of them exploding.  lol   But after seeing this one demonstrated on the Home Shopping Network I decided to give it a try.  
Mostly I was looking for a way to cook beans without it taking all day.    To my surprise the electric pressure cookers are very easy to use.
And my first trial,   I cooked one cup of dry beans in two cups of water.   And in 6 minutes I had 3 cups of beans perfectly cooked!
Next I decided to try making stew.  
I browned some stew meat.   Tossed it in the inner pot with onions, potatoes, frozen carrots and peas,  some chicken broth (I was out of beef broth), 2 cups of water and seasonings.    It took 20 minutes to cook.    The meat comes out so tender it practically melts in your mouth and the vegetables are perfectly cooked.

I am totally sold on this time saver tool.   Clean up is very easy,  too.   There are a lot of brands of digital pressure cookers out there and they can be pretty expensive.   I was very lucky to be able to get a Wolfgang Puck refurbished one from PremierAppliance.com  for $40 including shipping.    

I am looking forward to lots of time saving cooking with this fun appliance.

Welcome To My Studio --- Bette's Tomorrows Treasures

Today I thought I would take you for a tour through my studio so you can see where I spend a good portion of my day.

For many years I have taken over a part of the living area of my home and though it is pretty small, only 8 ft x 12 ft, I finally have a dedicated area to work in and I can close the door on the mess and no one else has to see the clutter.

As you come in the door, on the left is the closet area. I  added several shelves in the closet for fabric and keep the fabrics I use most often in here.   I have a shelf against the wall which has a pegboard behind it for my rulers to hang on.

Right next to the closet is my work table.   It is 6 ft wide but I had a big problem working on it because I always seemed to have piles of fabric in my way.   I recently added a long shoe shelf on top of it, against the wall and that has helped a lot with the fabric piles.   I  am now able to keep an area clean for cutting fabric and getting packages ready for the mail.

Under the work table I have several drawer towers for holding supplies and a small file cabinet for papers and patterns.  

To the right of the work table is my ironing station with another drawer tower.

Above this are shelves.   As you will see throughout my tour,   I have used every available space for supplies.

As you move towards the right,  this wall has the only window in the room.    In the corner of the other side of the room is my sewing station.    The table was a kitchen counter.   I made three wood pedestals for it to sit on.  

Under the sewing table I have some more stacking drawers.

And over one wall is my pegboard seen in an earlier organizing post.

As you continue along this wall I have more wall shelves.  

More drawers underneath them.   The colorful storage drawers hold all my printing papers and my postage scale sits on top of it.

And the final corner is my computer station.   I added shelves underneath the desk and small plastic drawers to the side of it hold more supplies.

I hope you enjoyed seeing where I work and write my posts for this blog.   It is still a work in progress as it is only half painted and needs flooring but I love my little space.

Thanks for visiting today.
Bette

Handmade Spotlight - Christmas Cards

Do you have your Christmas Cards ready to send? If not, maybe some of these gorgeous handmade cards would help you to get started.

Handmade Christmas Cards

Curated By: ewenmeprintab...

ArtFire.com

Tuesday Tutorial --- Dog Coat

My goal this last month of this year is to have a new tutorial for you each week.   Today I am sharing with you a dog coat I made for our small dog,  Shadow.      This would be a great gift for your pet for Christmas.

You can make a couple of changes if you want to try making it for a larger dog.    Just measure your dog from his neck to his tail and from the middle of one of his sides to the middle of his other side to get your pet's dimensions.   Widen and lengthen the pattern to those sizes,  adding the extra inches along the fold edge and along the bottom.    You will also most likely need to lengthen the under belly strap.
The batting is optional depending on where you live.   Use the batting in very cold climates.

Supplies

1/2 yd of fleece
1/2 yd of flannel
optional---1/2 yd of cotton batting
two pieces of velcro,  2 inch x 3 inch and 2 inch by 1 inch
matching thread

Pattern pieces can be downloaded here.
Piece One
Piece Two

Instructions

Tape the two coat pattern pieces together at points A and B.    From the fleece, flannel and batting if you are using it,   cut one pattern piece on the fold from each.   One side of the front closure tabs needs to be cut on the second cutting line.

Cut one strap piece each from the fleece and flannel fabrics.

Lay the strap pieces right sides together and sew in a 1/4 inch seam allowance,  leaving one short end open for turning.   Turn right side out and topstitch around the edges.

Next lay the fleece right sides together on top of the flannel.   If you are using the batting,  place this underneath the flannel.  Pin together.  

Take the strap and insert it inside the fabric so that the fleece is facing the fleece side of the strap.  Pin together.

Stitch all around the coat,  leaving the opening at the bottom unsewn so you can turn the coat right side out.
Clip the two curves at the sides of the collar and then turn right side out.   Pin the opening closed.   Topstitch all around the coat along the edge.

The last thing you need to do is to sew the velcro to the front straps and the under belly strap.
Sew one half of the velcro to the flannel side of the straps.

Turn the coat over and sew the other velcro pieces to the fleece matching the under belly end of the strap to the same area on the coat where the strap will meet it.

And that is all there is to it,   Here is the finished coat.   This is an under an hour project for an experienced sewer.    Shadow loves his coats and lives in them all winter.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.   Next week I will have a tutorial for an easy Christmas table runner.
Copyright 2001  Bette Shaw

Organizing - Money Saving Tips & Tricks for Organizing Your Home for the Holidays

Today's post is from guest writer, Deana Barnhart of www.momstheglue.blogspot.com


Holidays can be a mad rush for moms with small children. Rushing from one party to another, finding storage places for all of the new gifts, preparing special treats, wrapping presents, and entertaining guests can become so hectic that the joy of the season is often lost. On top of all of this activity is the worry that money will just not stretch far enough to purchase seasonal supplies and decorations for entertaining. Thankfully, a sense of humor, a bit of patience, and a little organization can keep your home running smoothly so that everyone, including Mom, can have a great time during holiday gatherings.


THINK FAST

Whether cleaning or decorating, the holiday season calls for speed. When preparing for an onslaught of guests, these time and money saving tips might be helpful:

• Put a large decorative basket in each room adorned with a Christmas bow. When unexpected guests arrive or you have just a moment before having to leave for the next party, a quick run through each room will have the clutter out of sight in no time.

• Throw a festive tablecloth over wooden surfaces so dusting is unnecessary. Once quick shake of the cloth, and you are finished.

• Cover old couches with new slipcovers to hide stains and rips or to give a new festive appearance to worn upholstery. They will also serve to protect furnishings from accidental spills during holiday parties.

• Use items already in place, but add a decorative holiday touch. Put Christmas ornaments in flower pots; tie holiday ribbons around lamps, and use Christmas lights and candy canes in floral arrangements.

• Use cheap holiday placemats in every room to give a festive effect.

WORK TOGETHER

Children love to help and can add special holiday excitement to any home. The following ideas will keep the children busy and provide conversation pieces that your guests will adore:

• Gather some rocks, big and little; spray paint in silver, gold, or green. Give the little ones some water based paint and let them create Christmas masterpieces. Depending on their ages; you might let them cut out old scenes from Christmas cards and glue them onto the rocks. Arrange as a grouping with glittered pine cones and holly leaves.

• Bring in a small branch from a pine and place in a flower pot. Make sugar cookies in holiday shapes and string with ribbon to help the children make a Charlie Brown tree for their own rooms. They can also string popcorn or cranberries to make garlands for the tree and hang candy canes as well.

• Give each child a large Christmas sack after breakfast each morning. Set a timer for five minutes. Have a small gift waiting if they can fill up their bag with clutter before the timer goes off. Play holiday music to make this fun for everyone.

Let the magic of the season inspire your decorative efforts. Most of all, always take time to share plenty of hugs and kisses and remember to enjoy yourself as well!