Recipe Converter

Cutting Recipes in Half

Recipes  I want to try!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Orange Cookies

Gingerbread

Ham Potato Corn Chowder

Stained Glass

For the past few months I have become obsessed with making stained glass.

Free online patterns:
Patterns
Delphi Free Patterns
Patterns
Cat face
Heart
Downeast Free Stained Glass Patterns
Stained glass gingerbread house pattern
Patterns




Lamp Making
Karal Studio


Soldering
Everything Stained Glass website
Decorative Soldering


Jewelry
Picture frame charm


Books
Online Lazy Man's Guide to Stained Glass

Books to purchase one day
Gingerbread house

Online Shops
Franklin Art Glass

Jewelry Cleaner

I was wondering around on Pinterest today and I saw a simple way to clean my jewelry.  I wish I had taken before and after pictures but I don't have any to share but it worked beautifully.
Here's how:

Heat one cup of water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Cut a piece of aluminum foil that covers the bottom of a small bowl.

Pour the hot water into the bowl.

Place one tablespoon salt, one tablespoon baking soda, and one tablespoon liquid dish detergent into bowl.

Place jewelry on top of the foil and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry completely with a soft cloth.

Homemade Wonder Bread

--
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water -- (110 degrees)
1 tablespoon white sugar 
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant potato flakes
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup warm water -- (110 degrees)

Whisk together the yeast, 1/4 cup warm water and sugar. Allow to sit for
15 minutes.

Add ingredients in the order suggested by your machine's manufacturer,
including the yeast mixture. Select the basic and light crust setting.

This recipe yields a 2 pound

FOR OVEN

I put all of this, according to bread machine, and set on dough.. Let it go thru it's thing. Take out , punch down dough, roll to fit your pan.. Cover w plastic, let rise , put in oven 350 degrees 20 minutes covered , and 15 mins uncovered. So it can brown.

Raisin Cinnamon Bread

I made this bread today and it was delicious!
Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Description

Simple, wholesome, perfect. Follow these instructions for yummy homemade cinnamon bread.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 2-½ teaspoons Active Dry Yeast
• 2 whole Eggs
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 3-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ⅓ cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• Egg And Milk, Mixed Together, For Brushing
• Softened Butter, For Smearing And Greasing

Preparation

Melt butter with milk. Heat until very warm, but don’t boil. Allow to cool until still warm to the touch, but not hot. Sprinkle yeast over the top, stir gently, and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Combine flour and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix sugar and eggs with the paddle attachment until combined. Pour in milk/butter/yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add half the flour and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the other half and beat until combined.
Switch to the dough hook attachment and beat/knead dough on medium speed for ten minutes. If dough is overly sticky, add 1/4 cup flour and beat again for 5 minutes.
Heat a metal or glass mixing bowl so it’s warm. Drizzle in a little canola oil, then toss the dough in the oil to coat. Cover bowl in plastic wrap and set it in a warm, hospitable place for at least 2 hours.
Turn dough out onto the work surface. Roll into a neat rectangle no wider than the loaf pan you’re going to use, and about 18 to 24 inches long. Smear with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle evenly over the butter-smeared dough. Starting at the far end, roll dough toward you, keeping it tight and contained. Pinch seam to seal.
Smear loaf pan with softened butter. Place dough, seam down, in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix a little egg with milk, and smear over the top. Bake for 40 minutes on a middle/lower rack in the oven.
Remove from the pan and allow bread to cool. Slice and serve, or make cinnamon toast or French toast with it.
Yummy!

Orange Meringue Pie

1  1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp. butter
2 Tbl. cornstarch
sugar to taste
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 pre baked pie shell

Directions:
In heavy saucepan dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water
Beat egg yolks and add to orange juice.  Place in saucepan with cornstarch water, sweeten to taste.
Cook slowly until mixture is thickened
Take from heat, add butter and stir until butter melts
Pour into prepared pie crust
Make meringue with egg whites and a little bit of sugar and top pie with meringue.
Bake at 350 degrees until meringue is lightly done.

Tacos

We usually eat at church on Wednesday nights and last night we had tacos.  Every Sunday we will look at our menu and then we will sign up for what we want to bring.  I have never made the meat filling for tacos before but that was the only thing that no one had signed up for when I went to look at the list. 
Here's my recipe which I think turned out pretty good.

Taco seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl mix together all of these spices and store in an airtight container.

When I went to make the tacos I browned approximately 3 pounds of hamburger.  I mixed 3 tablespoons of  the seasoning mix with 2 tablespoons of flour.  I sprinkled this mixture over the ground beef and then added about 2/3 cups of water and 2 small cans of tomato sauce.  I put in the crock pot and let it cook on low for about 3 hours.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

I made this coffee cake recently for a ladies Bible study that I host at my house.  It turned out great and I plan on making this again.

1 cup butter, softened
2  3/4 cups sugar, divided
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
2 Tbl. cinnamon

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and 2 cups of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Add flour and sour cream alternately, beating just enough after each addition to keep batter smooth.

Spoon one half of the batter into a greased 13 X 9 pan.  Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over batter.  Add remaining batter and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Sewing Machines for Quilting

I am looking to buy a sewing machine that I will use for machine quilting.  As I save my money I will be looking to see which one I want to buy:

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-PQ1500S-Quilting-Sewing-Machine/product-reviews/B003C29EL4/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?showViewpoints=1


And here  is another one:

http://www.amazon.com/Janome-1600P-QC-Sewing-Quilting-Machine/dp/B009VKTIN0/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1392769404&sr=8-8&keywords=janome+quilting+sewing+machine

http://www.amazon.com/JUKI-TL-2000Qi-Sewing-Quilting-Machine/forum/FxTLQNAADJBRU1/-/2/ref=cm_cd_ql_psf_ql_next?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B004C04YII&cdAnchor=B004C04YII&cdSort=newestdoc

Blueberry Cobbler

1cp milk
1cp flour
1cp sugar
1 stick butter
3tsp baking powder
1qt blueberries
Melt butter add milk and dry ingredients mix well. Pour into greased baking dish add blueberries-DO NOT MIX. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown @ 350.

I can't wait to try this recipe.  I think I may try it with blackberries and see how that tastes.

Making Rice in the Crockpot

Today I decided that I would try making rice in the crockpot.  I buttered the inside of my crock pot and I added in one cup of rice and two cups of water with a little bit of salt.  I'm going to let it cook about 2 hours and 15 minutes on high stirring it about 45 minutes into cooking!  Can't wait to see the final product!

This turned out great.  I will definitely make rice this way again!

Time4Learning

What is Time4Learning:
An online educational curriculum for home school students or for added enrichment for students in classrooms.

 The highschool curriculum correlates to state standards and is organized into courses that cover the subjects of language arts, math, social studies and science, plus two electives. Courses are parent-supervised, student-paced, and designed to help students achieve college and career readiness.

A few weeks ago I was given the opportunity to use Time4Learning in our homeschool.  As a mom of a 9th grader I thought that would give me a perfect opportunity to try out some new curriculum and see how it would fit in our school time.  For a low monthly price  your highschooler will be able to take 4 courses.  Since we had already started our homeschool year I thought it would be interesting to try a few subjects.  Our first week we tried Algebra, US History, Economics and Health.  We decided to drop Economics after our first week since she was already taking an Economics course at the co-op.  For the rest of the month we continued on with Algebra, US History, Health and then we added Biology.

My daughter enjoyed her time using Time4Learning and I am sure that we will continue on for the rest of the school year.  It made my planning time so much easier and I am looking forward to continuing on with this program.  

The only two cons I can think of is I would like the opportunity for my daughter to be able to go back and take a test again if she misses a lot.  And other people have told me that you need to make sure that you keep your own records and not depend on Time4Learning to keep your records.  That is not a problem for me as I do keep my own records.

If you are thinking about trying time4learning, just go to their website and sign up for one month.  You don't have to make a long term commitment and the price is great!  
www.time4learning.com

 
 This opinion is entirely my own and I am not an employee of Time4Learning,  but I was compensated for my time.
 




 

Flake Pie Crust

4 cups flour

1 3/4 cup shortening, lard, or coconut oil

1 Tblsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 Tblsp. Apple Cider Vinegar (You can use white vinegar, but I prefer apple cider in baking)

1 egg

1/2 cup cold water

Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in shortening, lard, or coconut oil

Add liquids and then chill for at least 15 minutes.  Take out dough and divide into four equal balls.  Dough can be frozen to use later.  Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

If you’re not baking today, take unbaked dough ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Toss in freezer. When ready to use, thaw in fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. Lightly flour surface, flatten dough ball with hand, and then roll to desired thinness.

 

Church Bulletin Board

Planning High School Part 2

Well, yesterday was finally the day to get some of my plans down on paper or should I say computer.  Last year I discovered homeschool tracker.  I have opted to use the free version of homeschool tracker and so far it does everything I need it to do.

On their website this is what they say about the basic homeschool tracker:

• Basic Edition Never Expires
• Upgrade to PLUS at any time
• Easy Setup
• Track Attendance and Hours
• Manage, Copy and Reschedule Assignments
• Track Resources
• Generate Reports

I love how easy it was to set up and after you have put in the books you will be using for each subject and determined your school year it is really very easy and quick to plan out for each week.  I also like the fact that I can print off the assignment sheets for each week.  Every Saturday I check to see if I need to add anything to the lesson plans for the next week and then I print off the assignment sheets.  Abbie will put this in the front of  her notebook and then everyday check off her assignments.  I will then take the assignment sheet to the computer and after I have graded all of her work I will put all of this into homeschool tracker.  It is easy to generate reports and also keep up with her attendance record.

I-Pod Arm Band

 I discovered Pinterest and I found the best thing that I can't wait to try.  Here's the link to the amazing design to hold my i-pod while I jog.  I-Pod Armband

Planning High School Part I

In just a few short weeks our youngest daughter will begin high school!  Okay, first of all I have to say where did the time go????  And then after I have a small little breakdown I have to sit down and start planning 9th grade.   Back in April I joined The Homeschool Magazine and let me say that was one of the best decisions I ever made!  I was able to download a planner for the high school years which looks like it will be great and very user friendly!

 I also have access to so many e-books from The Homeschool Magazine website which have proved very helpful.  I had actually signed up to receive a tote bag as my free gift when I joined The Homeschool Magazine but they were out of stock and they graciously offered to let me have all of the e-books in their library as a gift instead.  It took me just a little bit of time to figure out how to download the e-books from my computer and put them on my Nook Tablet but it really wasn't that hard and if you want to know how just leave me a message and I'll write a post on that.

The Homeschool Magazine also has lots of different teacher led courses ranging from sewing to Hebrew to geography and many many more.  I can't wait to utilize many of these classes during the next year.

I have only scratched the surface of what The Old Homeschool Magazine website has to offer.  But I do know that joining this year has been one of the best decisions I have made so far in our high school journey.

Please stay tuned to my next post on how I planned 9th grade.

Getting Started With Spanish by William Linney and Antonio Orta

We are almost finished using this wonderful Spanish curriculum called Getting Started With Spanish by William Linney and Antonia Orta.  After ordering the book you can go to their website and download the audible MP3 files which will enable you to be able to listen to a native speaker so you are able to use the correct pronunciation for each word.  The book consists of 177 short lessons which make it great to use during one year in your homeschool.  In the back of the book you have the answer keys for each school day as well as a pronunciation guide and a glossary.  Every day Abbie would learn the new word or words for the lesson and complete the exercise questions for the lesson.  The lessons were easy to implement as they averaged about thirty minutes time for each lesson.  I highly recommend this book for beginning Spanish lessons.