food

Ranch Veggie Roll-ups

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
Years ago, my mom had a Pampered Chef party…and one of the recipes that the consultant demonstrated was Cool Veggie Pizza. Buttery crust, ranch cream cheese spread and lots of crisp, fresh vegetables – delicious! It’s been a family favorite over the years and I’m always looking for new ways to try it.
After being inspired by various pinwheel recipes I had seen online, I wondered…what if I made Cool Veggie Pizza into a roll-up? (Spoiler: it’s delicious) So, armed with my curiosity and plenty of vegetables, I decided to give it a try. 
Ranch Veggie Roll-ups are easy, fun to make, and perfect as a party snack or a light lunch on their own! Simply spread a flour tortilla with ranch cream cheese (either a store-bought spread or your own) and layer on thin slices of your favorite vegetables and cheese. (Hubby and I like cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, cheddar cheese and roasted chicken on ours.) Starting at one end, tightly roll the tortilla up – almost like you’re making sushi. Secure with toothpicks and slice with a serrated knife into little 1 inch pieces. Delicious!
What do you think?
Until next time, stay crafty (and buy handmade)!
-Katie

CraftyGirl’s Featured Shop: OregonAlbacoreTuna

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
As I’ve mentioned before, I love to cook – sometimes I spend a quiet afternoon browsing through my cookbooks. (A little nerdy, sure..but delicious!) Often, the success of a recipe depends on the quality of the food you put into it..For instance, if you put a cheap, fatty sausage into your jambalaya, you’re likely to get a lot of gristle due to its poor quality. While large, brand-name companies have quality products, I prefer to go with smaller, individually owned companies as much as possible.. I think they have higher quality standards, taking extra pride in their work. 
Today, I’d like to share a new Etsy shop with you that specializes in high quality, individually caught tuna. Check out Etsy shop OregonAlbacoreTuna, from Garibaldi, Oregon. Owner Chris Zelenka recently opened the shop, and offers a selection of rod & reel caught tuna, using all locally sourced ingredients. Packed with Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt & Oregon Olive Mill Olive Oil, OregonAlbacoreTuna’s premium products ship for free and are available in a variety of quantities. Here’s my top 3 picks from OregonAlbacoreTuna:

2 Cans with Olive Oil & Sea Salt- Canned Oregon Albacore Tuna - 7.5oz per Can - Local Rod and Reel Caught Fish, Healthy Sustainable Seafood 
6 Cans with Olive Oil & Sea Salt- Canned Oregon Albacore Tuna - 7.5oz per Can - Local Rod and Reel Caught Fish, Healthy Sustainable Seafood 
12 Cans with Olive Oil & Sea Salt- Canned Oregon Albacore Tuna - 7.5oz per Can - Local Rod and Reel Caught Fish, Healthy Sustainable Seafood 
Until next time, stay crafty (and buy quality products)!
-Katie

Stay warm with Loaded Baked Potato Soup from CenterCutCook.com

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
It’s a cold day here in the mountains – temperatures barely rose above freezing before the sky went dark. When looking for dinner inspiration for tonight, I remembered one of my favorite potato soup recipes; thick, creamy and deliciously easy. Ultimate Loaded Baked Potato Soup from CenterCutCook.com is a favorite in our house, and is perfect for nights like this!
Loaded baked potato soup
Yum! Delicious recipes from CenterCutCook.com
I really encourage you to check this recipe out – as well as all of the others at Center Cut Cook! 
Until next time, stay crafty (and warm)!
-Katie

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting from All Recipes!

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
I’m on a little bit of a cupcake research mission lately. I have the wonderful opportunity of making cupcakes for a dear, close relative’s bridal shower (I am SO excited) and we’ve been discussing flavors. Of course, I just have to do a few test runs…right? So, I was browsing for a great peanut butter frosting recipe (one of the flavors we’ve picked is inspired by Reese’s peanut butter cups!), and I came across this one on All Recipes; Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting. I haven’t had the chance to try it out yet, but man..it looks good. I may have to push back some plans and make this recipe tomorrow 🙂
^That delicious, amazing looking photo is user-submitted onto All Recipes and is not mine, but I shall hopefully post an equally delicious photo soon. 🙂
So, speaking of cupcakes.. What’s your favorite flavor? Is it possible to have only one favorite flavor? I know I don’t! 🙂
Until next time, stay crafty (and bake)!
-Katie

CraftyGirl’s Book Picks: Cookbook Edition

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
I’m a little bit of a cookbook addict. At one time, I had a collection of over 150 vintage cookbooks…eek! I’ve since downsized, but cookbooks are still my favorite thing to read for food inspiration. Browsing Amazon, I’ve come across a couple cookbooks that I thought I’d share with you today. (There are affiliate links featured) Who knows, maybe you’ll get some food inspiration, too. 🙂 
 




 
 
Reading recipes always gives me such wonderful inspiration to create new recipes of my own. I’ll be experimenting soon with a tex-mex inspired pasta recipe that I hope to share with you. Wish me luck! 🙂 
Until next time, stay crafty (and be creative with your food)!
-Katie

Tried & True: Glazed Pork Chops from BudgetBytes.com

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
So, as many of you know, I’m not just an Etsy fanatic… I’m a foodie. Always have been (even before my Culinary Arts degree), always will be. Sometimes I stumble across recipes that are just too good not to share…and today’s no exception.
Glazed Pork Chops
So delicious!
While trying to think of fresh ideas for the pork chops in my fridge, I came across Budget Byte’s recipe for Glazed Pork Chops. Sweet & spicy, this recipe is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but flavorful and impressive enough for a weekend dinner party. I definitely agree with the author about cleaning the pan as soon as possible – I let mine sit for a little bit, and whew, my arms got a workout! 
So, head on over to Budget Bytes to see their recipe for Glazed Pork Chops..and make sure to check out the rest of their recipes for budget friendly, delicious recipes!
Until next time…stay crafty (and cook something tasty)!
-Katie
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Apple Spiced Mini-Muffins (Adapted from OneHungryMama.com)

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment
Fall is coming…It may still be 80 degrees here in Southwestern Virginia, but fall is coming. And I am PUMPED! (Is it obvious that it’s my favorite season?) It’s a rainy day here, so I decided today was the perfect day for something with apple..and lots of spice. 
While browsing for recipe inspiration online, I came across One Hungry Mama’s recipe for Baked Apple Donuts. Unable to find my donut pan (say it ain’t so!), I went with mini muffins… Mmmm.
The only changes I made, other than the shape:  the baking time, and a little added spice. 350 degrees at 12-14 minutes did it for my mini muffins. I dipped them in the applesauce and cinnamon sugar (with a little added ground ginger) and they are AMAZING.
So make sure to check out the recipe at OneHungryMama.com!
Are you excited for fall?
Until next time…stay crafty!

-Katie
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Chicken and Broccoli Casserole should be classified as a drug.

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment

I’m only slightly kidding here, folks. I am a BIG fan of chicken and broccoli casserole, and the lack of leftovers prove my point. What’s chicken and broccoli casserole, you may ask? Well, bear with me…when I first heard what was in it, I didn’t think it could possibly be good. But boy, how wrong I was. Chicken and broccoli casserole must be a southern thing, because I never heard of it before I moved down here. It’s cooked, cubed chicken, mixed with sour cream, cream of chicken soup and broccoli, topped with stuffing and cheddar cheese. Oh. My.

I meant to take pictures again last night, but…well…my stomach was rumbling 🙂 But for those of you that want to try it, check out the recipe below.

CraftyGirl’s Chicken and Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Makes one 9 inch round casserole

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, cooked and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup, undiluted (put that water/milk away, people!)
Frozen broccoli (or fresh, steamed), about 1 and 1/2 cups
Stuffing mix (think Stovetop)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

-Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
-Prepare the stuffing mix according to the package directions and set aside.
-Mix chicken, sour cream, soup and broccoli together and place in the bottom of the casserole
-Top with the stuffing mix, and then sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil, so your cheese doesn’t burn
-Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.
-Let cool for a few minutes, and dig in!

And in the near future, look forward to some gratuitous pictures of stir fry and my new wok, which was an early birthday present from one of my sisters! It came in the mail today (my birthday is Friday..Leave me some love, you know you want to) and I am SO excited to use it!

Until next time.. stay crafty!
-Katie

Pizza pictures!..err..whoops.

/ Kate Wilson / Leave a comment

So, I was so excited about making homemade pizza that I forgot to take pictures of it before I ate it. Uh oh.

Today’s day consisted of listing mixed yarn lots on eBay…you can find one of them here. Also, I made the aforementioned pizza (which was delicious, btw), cleaned some more (yuck), did a LOT of laundry (eh) and finally got around to watching The Hunger Games: Catching Fire…and now I’m impatiently waiting for the next one to be released. 🙂

Today was also the first day of what I like to call “The Countdown til B-Day”. My birthday’s on Friday, and I started celebrating today. A little silly, I know, but at least I did it frugally! Hubby picked up a quilt rack that I purchased from a lovely woman nearby (can’t wait to use it!), as well as the movie rental and…my favorite part… a strawberry cheesecake blizzard from DQ. Oh. My. Goodness. It was delicious! I had a BOGO coupon for my birthday, so hubby got a chocolate peanut butter blizzard too, which made him happy. 🙂

Let’s talk craft storage, folks. I’m currently rearranging my yarn, having made (somewhat of) a dent in it with my yarn destash lots. How do YOU store your yarn? Initially, I had it all in a large storage container, but then I arranged the skeins on a wire baker’s rack I have in the guest/craft room. I like it better that way, though I think I’ll decorate some cute boxes to put the balls of yarn in.

And for those of you who have fantastic nerdy taste (like me), I came across this today and totally had to share…

Perfect for any Star Wars fan who cooks, this awesome R2-D2 Measuring Cup Set is exclusive to ThinkGeek and is just…well..amazing. You can bet your bottom dollar (yes, I’m going vintage with my phrases) that this’ll be on my Christmas list!

Well, stick around…Tomorrow is Chicken and Broccoli Casserole (Say whaaat?) and probably a lot more cleaning. =)

Until next time…stay crafty!
-Katie