Gluten-Free Food Review - Udi's Pizza

This weekend the bf and I went to Whole Foods and it gave me an idea.  They had tastings of some gluten free products and I decided "why don't I do that?!".  So I am.  :)

Introducing.......

The first item I would like to review is Udi's new line of oven ready pizzas.  Very exciting I know!  I will tell you what Udi's has some of the best products I have ever tasted.  Don't worry I will be sure to share more of the products later.

There were two or three other options but I thought this one sounded fabulous with the mozzarella bits.  I don't have the exact price but I want to say it was around $7 or so.

This is what I saw upon opening the box.  It is freezer packed tight and on a cardboard circle to hold it flat.  I felt the ingredients were fairly evenly placed on the pizza.  I was surprised the mozzarella was in the shape of balls and thought it was so cute!!

 I wanted some meat on the pizza so I added some turkey pepperonis.

 What it looked like after I put on the pepperonis.

The directions call for the pizza to cook for 12 minutes from a frozen state.  I did that but I felt as though some of the edges were cooking faster than the middle.  I would have wanted to cook it a little longer but I didn't rotate the pizza until it was almost done and I was worried about burning the sides (what good is a review of a burnt pizza???).  I think that if I rotated it in the middle of the cooking time and cooked it for a few minutes longer it would be perfect.

Some of the mozzarella pieces did not melt as must as the others and this might have been because of my not rotating it at the right timing.  There was a collection of what the bf and I thought was olive oil on one side (but we think that might have been due to how we were not able to get the pizza in the freezer right away - yea we were running errands).

The verdict???  It was delicious!  The crust was crispy and didn't have that gross grainy taste like some other crusts I have experienced.  I would definitely choose to purchase this product again!

I can't wait to share the next g/f item I taste tested this week!!!

Enjoy!!!

 

Second Quilt!

In taking off of work for a few days last week I was able to finish my second baby quilt.  It is very similar to the one I already finished just with a few little changes.

First change was that I made all of the stripes go in the same direction.

Second change was that when I quilted it, I used brown thread on the bobbin and blue thread on the top thread.  That makes the back look so much different without seeing the quilting.  You are still able to see the quilting on the top since the blue thread shows up over the browns.

Third change was that I figured out how to make the bias tape look much more finished.

The fourth change was that I only used blue thread to sew on the bias tape.  I also only sewed the bias tape twice.  Once very close to the edge and once more in the middle. I still have to figure out how to avoid making the bias tape shift when sewing it.  It seems to pull and then the bias tape looks wrinkly.  I don't like that.

But on to the reveal!

 The blue thread I think looks so pretty against the bubble fabric.

The back.  You can't even tell if there is any quilting on the back and I think I really like it that way.

Here is the bias tape.  I found that if I folded the edge over and then pinned it.  It made the switch from one bias tape to another less noticeable.  I still have to work on that to make sure that it looks its best but I am proud of what I did.

And I only ran out of bobbin thread once!  And I knew it was going to happen but it happened about 8 inches before I was ready.

I calculated about how long it took me to make this one (without accounting for cutting the squares because they were already cut) and it took me about three and a half hours.  Not too bad I would say. :)

Second Quilt

Mentor Monday - Creativity

I have loved reading the New York Times for a long time now.  I even eventually paid for a unlimited online access subscription (which I have since cancelled because my money must be used to go elsewhere).  So through that unlimited access I read article after article and ended up coming across one of their bloggers.

He comes out with a post about once a month and their are always very different from each other.  It is fascinating to see how others make their creativity known.

His name is Christoph Niemann and he writes the Abstract Sunday Blog.  There are not that many entries but they are all wonderful.

Check it out!

Pinterest Pick - Button Love

I have always loved buttons and this find on Pinterest is something that I want want want.  BUTTONS!!  I have quite a few buttons saved up so I might have to figure out if I could make them work together to make one...

Food Friday - Beef Stew

This past weekend the bf and I went to his parents house and were given two HUGE carrots that they had grown in their garden.  Immediately I thought it would be perfect to use in beef stew!

Now my mom has always made her beef stew in a pressure cooker, and that is how I make mine.  I have a horribly written recipe and must rewrite it so that it is understandable to people other than me.

So I went to the store and bought all of the necessities:
~a roast
~potatoes, onion, and cabbage

I already had the bullion cubes, garlic powder, carrots, and tin foil.  I decided I wanted to add in fresh garlic this time too.

Look at how HUGE this thing is!!!

There was also a little bitty one too.

Now I don't have pictures of the first part because I was dumb and forgot.

First in the pressure cooker you want to brown the meat on all of the sides.  Then put in some water about 1/2 way up the meat, the bullion cubes, and the seasonings.  Put the burner on high and wait for the top to start shaking fast.  Turn the burner down to Med-Med High for one and a half hours.

Once the timer goes off place the pressure cooker under running water to bring the pressure down (wait for the pressure tab to release).

Then open the top to see your wonderfully cooked meat!

Now the potatoes, carrots, onion, and cabbage should be chopped up (any shape desired).

The bf does not really like onions so I was going to do a trick that my mom used to do when my sisters and I didn't like onions either.  You place the onion pieces into a tin foil and place the tin foil on top of the other veggies in the pot.  So all of the onion pieces stay together and do not end up mingling with the other veggies.

I made the mistake of cooking the onion whole.  Make sure it is cut into smaller pieces or it will not cook all of the way.

The onion all wrapped up.

I did the same thing with the cabbage.  The bf doesn't really like that either.  But for me it is not beef stew unless there is some cabbage in there.

The veggies should be put on top and around the meat (and should only go up 3/4 of the way up the pot... you can see I didn't follow that rule).  I moved the meat around to make sure that it was not sticking to the bottom of the pot.

This is what it looked like after it was finished cooking.  For some reason I didn't take a shot after I put the veggies in.

Place the pressure cooker back on the burner on high.  Get the top shaking fast again, lower the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.  After that place the pot under running water to allow the pressure to release, open and enjoy!!

I will eventually rewrite that recipe and when I do I will make sure to post it for you.

What have I been up to today????

A month ago I requested 1/2 of today and all of tomorrow off from work with the hopes of going to Key West.  Well that plan got scratched several weeks ago but I never officially said that I was going to give up my day and 1/2 off.  I decided that since I have so many ideas for crafty things and I have to start getting ready for the craft fair in April, I would just take the day and 1/2 off and stay here.

I have been quite successful.  So far today I have gone to the grocery store and bought a roast to make beef stew for dinner (it is currently cooking in the pressure cooker and I forgot to some take pictures for a future post...) AND completed one of the blankets I started.

It should look slightly familiar if you have been reading the blog because it is the leftover fabric from here.  I did the back a little differently this time.  I used just the frilly things.  I still have more fabric so I think the next one I make will have the lazy flies on the back... maybe the frog face will make a guest appearance too... not sure.

I have more fabric to iron before I can finish up my next goal on my list for today/tomorrow.  Better get to it!

Mmmmm that beef stew smells great too. :)

Crafty Copy Cat - Multiple year calendar - Part 1

I am drawing a blank on where I got this idea.  I thought I had seen it on Pinterest but now for some reason I can't find that pin.  But I will show you my partially finished product.

The concept of this calendar is to keep a running record of something done each day of the year for multiple years in a row.  Here is when I would link up to the pretty version that is already done, but alas I can't find it.

Sooo instead you get to see how I made mine so far! :)

Items you will need:

~Strawberry/tomato basket

~About 184 4x6 lined index cards (obviously I didn't buy enough)
~Date stamper
~12 post cards or photos

~Paper cutter or scissors

Using the paper cutter or scissors, cut the 4x6 index cards in half so that you end up with a 4x3 card.

I started with this paper cutter and then realized I couldn't get an accurate 3" measure.

So I switched to this one!

This step should not take very much time.  You can even do this while watching a really awesome show!

Yup that is One Tree Hill, I am trying desperately trying to catch up so I can watch the last season "in real time".

Then place the cut index cards (if you are like me you don't have enough yet) into the strawberry basket and wait to figure out what to do next. :)

More to come on this.  I am still trying to figure out how I want to date the index cards... I don't have a date stamper and I am not exactly interested in purchasing one.

I will however continue to try to find out where the source for this idea is.  I have a text out to my sister to see if she has the link saved on her computer.

Completely off topic, I am loving the weather outside.  It makes me want to go to the beach...

See you tomorrow!!

My new toys

I went on a mini shopping spree on Sunday and bought myself a few things.

First this ironing board.  I had used the old one that we had and could not close it.  And the bf tried and ended up bending the legs down and officially breaking it.  Here is my pretty new one with a cute cover.  LOVE.

My other new toy are these very pretty quilting pins!  I was using the small flat headed ones and recently realized that it is just too difficult to find them once I am done sewing.  So these pretties have already been used to sew up the next quilt I am working on.

So looking forward to working on the quilt.  I have approved time off Thursday and Friday so I am deciding whether to take the time off or work... decisions decisions...

Happy Tuesday!

Mentor Monday - Impromptu Inspiration

The bf and I went to a craft fair on Saturday and saw some very awesome things.  I saw this one piece and went back and forth and back and forth and finally decided I had to have it.

It was made by Michelle Harris.  She takes antique watches and other old items and turns them into jewelry!  I was struck by how much all of the pieces spoke to me.

I have loved watches for a long time, I can thank my dad for that, and seeing these antique watches being turned into something beautiful.

This is the piece that I bought:

Check out the website to see some of the other really amazing things she makes.

Pinterest Pick: Filing Trunk

First I have to apologize that this post is so late.  The bf and I went to an craft fair and a movie this afternoon.

I checked out my Pinterest board and found this great idea to keep filing hidden away in something beautiful.  It is a converted trunk!  It holds filing and also had some additional space to smaller items.

Hope to head out tonight for some arcade games.

See you Monday!!!!

Food Friday - Pressure Cooker Stuffed Peppers

First of all I have to say - THESE WERE AMAZING!!!  Okay, now that that is out of the way I can explain what we did. :)

I had wanted to make stuffed peppers in the crockpot for over a week.  It was getting to the point where if I didn't make them soon the peppers would not be good anymore.  Well Tuesday was the day, but I didn't have enough time to cook them in the crockpot so I decided to cook them in the pressure cooker.  I went to the store and bought the meatloaf mix from the Italian Pie Publix recipe.

So basically you will need the ingredients for the meat mixture: Some Italian Seasoning and...

Bruschetta and diced pimentos

Frozen Spinach

Chopped turkey pepperoni and salami

Meatloaf meat mix (it is pork and beef)

Red peppers (or whatever color is preferred)

Cook all of the meat mixture ingredients together.

We also cooked up some Quinoa instead of rice and ended up using some spaghetti sauce on the peppers.

While that is cooking you can start cutting up the peppers.  Cut out the insides of the pepper and do not throw away the top.

Stuff the pepper with the meat mixture and the quinoa (or rice).

Put the peppers in the pressure cooker.  I put some spaghetti sauce at the bottom with a little bit of water so that the peppers would not burn on the bottom.

I placed a little bit more spagetti sauce and water around the peppers and added some sauce on top.  We even added in a few potatoes in there.  Place the tops of the peppers back on.

Close the pressure cooker.  I put it on high until the top got shaking very fast then I turned it down to medium high for 17 minutes.

The silver button being up means it has been pressurized!

Then to bring down the pressure after the timer goes off, I place the pot under cool water until the pressure releases.

Then I get to open it up and see the goodness!!!

CLOSE UP!!!

 Here is my pepper with the little potatoes we put in there.  It was soooooooooooo good.  The bf does not like peppers and he ate most of the pepper!

If you want to try it out and have questions let me know!!

Have a great Friday!