A Tote, A Tuesday

NEW Nesting Buckets this week. Charming coordinating prints and colors. These would be perfect in the craft room or any room that needs a bit of organization (and what room doesn't need that?)

Menu Monday

Linking up with I'm An Organizing Junkie today! Lots of great meal plans shared on this site every week.

Lots of busy evenings for all of us this week so the focus will be on meals that reheat easily!

Taco night
Pasta night
Sandwich night

We have been having "breakfast for dinner" at least once a week lately. Last night we made stuffed french toast from day-old croissants - 5 stars! Plenty leftover for breakfast for the next couple mornings.

Stuffed French Toast

1 dozen croissants
3 eggs - beat with 1/4 cup milk
2 sliced banana
syrup or fresh fruit

Slice croissants crosswise - not completely through (like a hot dog bun)
fill with banana slices
dip in eggs
Place on preheated griddle until browned on both sides - pushing the croissant as flat as you can without loosing the bananas.

Shop Update

A few new buckets added to the shop today. Lovin the dark bold prints for winter!

A Tote, A Tuesday (Yes, it is Wednesday)

I had the pleasure of visiting Crafty Planet in Northeast Minneapolis this weekend. I was really impressed with the variety of fabrics and helpful staff! I picked up these fun coordinating home decor fabrics for a NEW bucket design I am working on this month!

I also picked up a copy of Fabric-by-Fabric One-Yard Wonders by Rebecca Yaker and Patricia Hoskins (both Minnesotans, Patricia co-owns Crafty Planet). This book has over 100 sewing projects and lots of tips and information about supplies and different fabric types!

Menu Monday

Winter has finally arrived in Minnesota. This will be a great week to get out the crock pot for chili and pulled pork.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

One pork tenderloin
1 cup salsa
1 cup bbq sauce

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until meat is tender
shred meat with a fork
Serve on buns, tortillas or lettuce wraps

We made Parmesan Crisps last week. They were a nice compliment to our favorite salad

Linking up with An Organized Junkie

Shop Update

A quick shop update on a blustery Minnesota morning. . . .

E-readers are now available at http://www.shaggybaggy.etsy.com/. Many different fabrics with more coming soon.

Simple Organization

10 minutes
one  3 ring binder
3 hole punch

I keep a basket in my kitchen that has become a catch all for mail, paper work and printed recipes.

I made some simple tabs for a three ring binder - apps, dinners, salads/soups, desserts.

Now I can quickly add to this binder as I print recipes (or tear from magazines!)

Its not pretty, but it is functional, and more organized than digging through a stack of papers for a recipe!

Here is another recipe binder idea from Good Life Eats

How do you organize your recipes?

A Tote, A Tuesday

A big welcome and thank you to anyone visiting this blog from the Gussy Sews blog where I am sharing a post today on craft shows! Thank you Gussy Sews for this great opportunity!

A couple totes in the works this week. These will be in the SHOP later this week.

Menu Monday

Finals week at our house - which means the school year is half over - YIKES! I will focus on healthy snacks for after school and evening study sessions.

Humus with pita chips and veggies
Salsa with chips (and for taco night)
Asparagus spears

Meals:

Tacos (with salsa recipe from above)
Veggie Pasta (with lefover asparagus from above)
Tuna Cakes (with cauliflower and carrot puree - see below!)

I tried a new cauliflower soup last week and no one liked it. So I strained off the broth, and was left with some well seasoned cooked cauliflower and carrots and made this tasty (but not pretty) side dish to go with the tuna cakes.

Cauliflower Mash

1 head of cauliflower
2 carrots
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream or milk

Cook veggies until tender
Puree in a food processor
In a saucepan combine all ingredients and cook over medium heat until thickened (add more milk or water if too thick) and heated through.

Linking up with An Organizing Junkie today.

A Tote, A Tuesday

Working on new zipper pouches in a fun bold winter print!

Menu Monday

 I am always looking for recipes that can serve double duty during the school week. This dip is a great after school snack, but also makes a great spread for quesadillas with chicken and/or black beans or a spread for grilled sandwiches with turkey, grilled onions and tomato!

Hot Artichoke Dip

Two 14 oz. cans artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
One 8 oz. block cream cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
cayenne pepper
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper
Spray a 2 quart casserole with cooking spray.
Combine all ingredients and mix well.
Bake 20 minute or until bubbly.
Serve with Veggies, crackers, pita chips or crusty bread

On to the week:

Easy to reheat and eat on the run - soup and sandwiches are on the menu for the week and a few extra veggies.
Broccoli Hotdish
Pasta night
These sandwiches are great (thanks for the recipe Kim). I will serve with soup one night and salad another.

Milwaukee Subs

Take and Bake Baguette
Ham lunch meat
Pepper salami
Swiss cheese
Milwaukee kosher dill midgets (sliced lengthwise)
mayo and mustard
Slice baguette in half lengthwise
Spread mayo and mustard to taste (I mixed the two together and spread a thin layer on each half)
layer meats, cheese and pickles. Wrap in foil and bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Slice and serve. This picture does not do these sandwiches justice - they are delicious. 4 stars!

Linking up today with An Organizing Junkie today! Check out this site for more great recipes

A piece of cake . . . .

I have been sick all week. Got a few things done in the sewing room, but already feel behind and its only January 6.

Best approach under these circumstances - cake. chocolate cake.  "A piece of cake solves everything . . . "

Just a boxed chocolate cake mix with 1 cup of chocolate chips and a box of chocolate pudding mix to make it super moist. Glazed with a mix of powdered sugar and milk and served with some strawberry slices!

A Tote, A Tuesday

Great to get back into the sewing room today. Some new buckets will be added to the shop later this week. I am also tweaking some patterns, making a new handbag and doing some year end paper work (ugh) over the next few days so check back again soon!

Menu Monday

The kids are getting ready to head back to school tomorrow so I am back to planning meals. We have very busy after school schedules so I often make a mini meal at 2:30 before they head to practice, the pool or rehearsal. Then they eat again depending on when they return home between 6 and 9 p.m. This schedule will continue until spring for all 3 kids - so I am always looking for healthy recipes that can be made ahead, reheated, served in various ways and split into small servings.  Here are some of our favorites:

Egg bites
Chili
Broccoli Bake
Chicken Salad

Linking up today with An Organizing Junkie today! Check out this site for more great recipes

Happy New Year

credit

A big thank you to all who have read and supported this blog and Shaggy Baggy in 2011. Lots of new ideas and plans in the works for 2012.

One of my biggest struggles in the past 3 years has been finding a balance and "getting it all done" between home and this business. My greatest achievement in this area has been meal planning and eating healthier! Menu Monday has quickly become my most read weekly post so I know there are a lot of you trying to find that same balance. 2012 will be the year of keeping up with house keeping - sounds trivial to many, but this is important to me. This (like meal planning) will ultimately give me more time to devote to Shaggy Baggy- YAY!

Thanks also to my top 5 referring websites from 2011. It was so fun to work with some of you on various blog features and guest posts, as well as weekly link ups for recipes, home crafts, sewing and  31 Days.  THANK YOU:

1. I'm An Organizing Junkie
2. The Pleated Poppy
3. Tara Dara Made It
4. Nesting Place
5. Design Something Better