Salmon isn't for everyone, but...

I like it!  I love seafood, but not a huge fan of fish.  I know it's a contradiction in terms. Every once in a while I feel guilty for not eating as healthy as I should and decide to make something good for us.  Then I start cooking, and all that goes out the window!!  I can turn granola into something fattening and forbidden.  I have and that's why I know this.  However, I tried a new recipe with salmon tonight and it turned out pretty tasty!  I used this recipe for Salmon Loaf.  I can't ever leave a recipe alone, so I made some adjustments, and here is what I did:

First I had to increase the amounts since I'm cooking for 5, but usually aim for 6 servings in case someone is extra hungry.  I also made mine into individual servings to cut down on cooking time.

24 oz of canned salmon (drained)
1 c. of Club (buttery) crackers
2 eggs (beaten)
3/4 c milk
3/4 c shredded cheese (Colby jack)
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tsp Old Bay Garlic Herb season
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mash all the ingredients together just like you would for any meat loaf.  Take a muffin tin, and spray each cup with cooking spray.  Fill each cup with salmon mixture.  I filled about 10 cups, but I didn't fill them to the top.  Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and slightly brown around edges.

Easy, right?!?!  Again, I couldn't just leave it alone so I made a cheesy sauce to go over them.  That's just slightly more complicated.

3 tbsp butter (or margarine)
3 tbsp flour
1/2 c chicken stock
1 c cream cheese (I used the whipped kind, block kind would only be 1/2 c)
1 c milk
1 c shredded cheese (Colby jack)
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Ever made gravy or a roue?  That's how this goes down.  I will say that sometimes this needs to be adjusted a little because every stove or taste is not the same.  I cook this over medium heat.  Start off melting the butter in the pan.  Add the flour next and stir.  Let it cook for a few moments to cook out the flour taste.  Then pour the chicken stock in and stir together well (I usually use a whisk).  The next step is to melt the cream cheese into the sauce.  Once that is melted then you can pour in the milk.  After this is putting in the shredded cheese.  Stir until all the cheese is melted.  Use the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to season.  This is easy to adjust, if you like a thinner sauce use more milk.  Want it thicker?  Use more butter and flour or use less liquid.  You can use a stronger cheese for more flavor, or a milder one for less.  This can be customized to fit you and your family.

I put French style green beans down on the plate and cous cous down on top of that.  Then, I put the salmon cakes and poured the cheese sauce all over the whole thing.  See??  I told you I could take something healthy and make it bad for you.  :)

Oh, and for parents with picky eaters...  my whole family ate this up.  From my 10 month old daughter (minus the salmon), to my husband.  He really shouldn't count though because he likes everything I cook!  I am even a picky eater and I ate every bite of my green beans.

Rag Wreaths

I've seen these done before and really liked them, but I was afraid it might take forever to make one.  Boy was I wrong!!  It took a little bit of time, but it seemed to go pretty quick.  I didn't cut enough fabric at first because I thought I might cut too much.  That delayed the finishing time on it, but the actual work time was maybe a few hours.  Totally could have been done in an afternoon. 

For my youngest two girls' room.

If you want to make one of these, it is extremely easy.  This is one of those projects that you really would have a hard time messing up.  You cut strips of fabric that are around 12" long.   I say around because it will depend on the "frame" that you use for your wreath.  You can use just about anything that is round.  I used a green wire floral frame because it was so inexpensive.  The fabric I used was scraps from various other projects.  I added some tulle for an additional texture.  After you determine the length, you can start cutting your fabric strips.  I made mine anywhere from 1"-2" wide.  Different sizes just give you different splashes of color.  I used pinking shears to cut mine, but is certainly not necessary.  Then you tie all your strips onto the frame using a double knot.  You do that all the way around, and VOILA!!!  You have a great new wreath to decorate with.  I'm already sifting through my scraps to see if I have enough for another one.

Homemade Butter - Yes I Can!!

When my family went to North Carolina my husband and I visited the Biltmore.  It's a huge estate built by George Vanderbilt back in 1895.  As part of the experience there is a little village/farm that we also visited.  There they had a few different presentations of how things were done back at that time.  Metal working, spinning angora rabbit fur into yarn, and making butter.  They went through the history of how butter making has changed and ended with how it's possible to make now in your blender at home...  *Light bulb*

I love making things.  I make our laundry detergent, baby food, and I've tried others.  Sometimes it works and is less expensive than the store bought, sometimes not.  Naturally, I had to check this out.  I went to the store and bought some heavy whipping cream and prepared to be awed.

Regular whipping cream from the
grocery store.

 Now, the price of cream at a regular store is probably more than the price of butter.  Bummer for me since that means this isn't going to save me any money.  I decided to go ahead with it just to say I had done it at least once.  If you have a dairy nearby where you can buy raw milk then it might be cheaper that way.

The next step is to prepare for this little adventure.  I read several online articles on how to do this.  If you set out the cream and let it come to almost room temperature it will go faster when making the butter.  You'll need a blender, strainer, something to work the butter with, a bowl, and cheesecloth if you have it.

Pour the cream into the blender.  I used all 32 ounces of the cream I got.  Doing this in smaller batches is just as easy so feel free to try it with less at first if you prefer.  When you start your blender, use a slow speed. Once you get past the whip cream stage, then you can increase the speed and it will go a little faster to the butter stage.

Whipped cream stage



This isn't one of those processes where you have to guess when it's done.  You will know it's butter when you see butter.  I had an issue with having to stir the cream in the blender a few times because butter was forming at the bottom of the blender, but the cream was still sitting on top.  It eventually got there.  Once the butter and "buttermilk" separate, you can put it through the strainer.  The milk is really just milk with the fat taken out and not the cultured type you would find at the store.  I kept the

milk so I could use it for cooking. 

Ready to be washed

Now the work begins!  The butter has to washed, several times.  This can be done in the blender or in a bowl.  I did it with a bowl and it took a while.  Use cold water and swirl it around with the butter in the bowl, or use the slow speed on the blender.  This will probably have to be done at least 7-8 times.  It is important that it is done as many times as it takes for the water to run clear.  This is so important because if any of the milk is left behind the butter will go rancid quickly.  Thinking you are about to dig into some yummy homemade butter and getting hit with that spoiled milk smell is not pleasant.

Work that butter!

After the butter has been thoroughly washed, then it should be worked.  This consists of smashing the butter over and over to get all the remaining water out of it.  I did this in small batches and did it with a fork.  You could do all of it at one time using a wooden spoon that has been soaked in cold water.  Soaking it keeps the spoon from sticking to the butter.  Make sure to get all the water you possibly can out of it.

After all was said and done this was the fruit of my labor.  It didn't really take all that long to make.  This would be great for special occasions.  I added cinnamon and a pinch of sugar to one of the containers for toast.  I also read one article that suggested adding tarragon to the butter to put on steak.  Naturally, some garlic and salt would make some really yummy garlic toast to go with just about any pasta dinner.

All done!  :)

Starting Out

I've never done a blog before and really debated about starting this one.  I don't know if I have enough ideas and projects to contribute on a regular basis.  I decided to try it anyway.  You never know if you don't give it a try!  I thought I would start out with a little introduction.  I am a SAHM.  For those who aren't familiar with that acronym, it stands for Stay At Home Mom.  After realizing that practically everything I was making was going to daycare, my husband and I decided it was best for everyone if I just stayed at home with the kids.  This has led me to be even more crafty than I was before.  I would like to think that I'm just being creative, but in reality we try to cut costs in as many ways as we can.  That's part of what led me to start this blog.  I figure that there is probably other stay-at-home-parents that would like to save a buck or two out there as well.  I also thought it might be nice to show how easy some of my crafts are.  I know people who think that they aren't crafty.  I beg to differ.  If you can cut and paste, you can be crafty!! 

Now, I usually have 2-3 projects that I am working on at any given time.  Just like a Mom to multi-task!  I'm thinking of making homemade butter, doing a big scrapbook page on canvas, and I'm also working on a gift for a friend that recently had twin boys.  So the next blog will be my adventure into butter.  Until then...  :)