Friday, August 27, 2010

Tutorial – Tank Top Bra Catcher

Okay, so I couldn’t think of a better name for this tutorial so I just went with “descriptive!”  I wish I had thought of this at the beginning of the summer.

A few months ago I scored with $2 tank tops at Old Navy.  LOVE them!  My problem is that I have to wear a bra (can you be a negative cup size after nursing a child?), a camisole and then the tank top.  For some reason it just looks weird on me if I don’t.  That means that I end up with all of these straps hanging out of my shirt.

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Okay, I know that it’s “ccol” for the kiddos to wear colored bras and different colored shirts and have their bra straps hanging out.  Sorry, I’m just not down with that.  I end up trying to adjust these the entire day.  So I came up with something that I have in one of my random dresses and always thought it was GENIUS.  It is a little “bra catcher” that holds your bra and camisole in place, hidden in your top!

Materials:

-Ribbon – I used ribbon but you can use whatever you have on hand; elastic, even bias tape, ric rac or fabric scraps

-Snaps – found these at Wal-Mart for $1.50

DSC_0143 -If using ribbon, you’ll need a Fray Stop of some sort

-Needle and thread – parts are done on the sewing machine, but you can do all of it by hand if you prefer

Directions:

1.  Take a tank top that you are going to use and hold the ribbon up to it.  You need to see how much ribbon you need for this.  I sewed mine close to the seam at the top of my shoulders.  You want your ribbon to reach from just inside the outside seam to just inside the inside seam.  You’ll need two of these cut for each tank top (one for each shoulder).

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2.  Once your ribbon length is cut, use a Fray Stop on one end.  I did 5 tank tops so I had 10 sets of ribbons.

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3.  When dry, sew one of the snaps to the end with the fray stop.  I did this by hand and it didn’t take that long.  Then I snapped the matching part on it to keep them all together.

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4.  Next you will sew your ribbon into place on the top (on the right side of the picture).  Match up your ribbon on the shoulder of your top and sew the side without the snap with either a small straight stitch or a zigzag stitch.  Cut the excess ribbon.

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5.  Next you will hand sew the other snap into place on your top.  As you can see from the picture above, the snap on the left side would be sewed in place near the side seam.

Here’s what it looks like completed (I am folding the ribbon down so you can see – obviously the snaps are sewn so they match up!):
DSC_0178 Here’s what it looks like when all done.  I wanted to show you where exactly they are sewn in relation to the entire garment.

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As a reminder, here is the before:

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  And after snapping my bra and camisole straps into the ribbon holders:

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Yippee!  So pretty.  Again, sorry to put this out there so late in the season, but here in Texas I have at least another month or so to wear these and it is a HUGE help.  Maybe you can save this and do it next year? :)



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Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Chocolate Chip Meltaways

Sorry there was no “What I Wore Wednesday” this week.  It’s been a really tough week and I just couldn’t pull it all together in time.  So, enjoy some yummy cookies instead!

These are pretty quick and easy.  I make them at Christmas sometimes too.  I printed this off from an e-mail a long time ago but it says it is from Marge Clarks “Just About Thyme.”

Ingredients:

-1 cup butter, softened

-1 cup vegetable oil

-1 cup sugar

-1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

-2 eggs

-4 cups flour

-1 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp cream of tartar

-1 tsp salt

-1 tsp vanilla

-12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

-additional granulated sugar

Directions:

1.  Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl.  Beat until smooth.

2.  Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.  Add to butter mixture.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in vanilla and chocolate chips.

3.  Refrigerate dough for 10-15 minutes.

4.  Shape mixture into 1” balls.  Roll in granulated sugar.  Put 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 395 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

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Friday, August 20, 2010

Cheeseburger Soup

If the title doesn’t make you drool, something might be wrong with your taste buds!  I first heard of Cheeseburger Soup on an episode of “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” on the Food Network.  It sounded delicious.  A few months later we had some missionary friends stay with us and they left me a cookbook as a thank you.  It is “Family and Friends Favorite Recipes” by Margaret and Branson Gayler of Rome, Georgia.  This is one of those soups that I get sad when the leftovers and over!  I have a vegetarian friend who uses the veggie crumbles in this instead of the beef and still enjoys it. 

Ingredients:

-½ lb ground beef

-¾ c shredded carrots

-¾ c diced celery

-¾ c chopped onions

-1 tsp dried basil

-1 tsp dried parsley flakes

-4 T butter, divided

-3 c chicken broth

-4 c diced, peeled potatoes (about 1 ¾ lbs)

-¼ to ½ c flour

-1.5 c milk

-8 oz Velveeta

-1 tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper

-¼ c sour cream

Directions:

1.  Brown the beef in a 3 quart saucepan, drain and set aside.  In another saucepan, sauté the onions, carrots, celery, basil and parsley in 1 Tbsp butter until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. 

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Add broth, potatoes and beef, bring to a boil then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 -12 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 

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2.  In a small skillet, melt the remaining butter, add flour and cook, while stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes or until bubbly.  Add this mixture to the soup and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes. 

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3.  Reduce heat to low and add cheese, milk, salt and pepper.  Cook and stir until cheese melts.  Remove from the heat and blend in the sour cream. 

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Friday, August 13, 2010

Grilled Cheddar Burgers and Veggies

Saw the picture for this recipe and KNEW we had to try it.  Found out these are also called “Hobo Lunches”?  I don’t know – all I know is that you MUST try it.  So great and I love cooking on the grill in foil because it’s a super easy clean-up.  Recipe from Pillsbury

Meal Planning:  Served with Cheese Stuffed Pull-Aparts (coming soon!)

Ingredients:

-1.5 lb ground beef

-1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese (6 oz)

-1.5 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

-3 medium green onions, chopped (optional)

-2 tsp peppered seasoned salt (I use Lawry’s)

-3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced

-2 cups baby carrots

-18 cherry tomatoes, cut in half, if desired

-6 medium green onions, sliced (optional)

Directions:
1.  Heat coals or gas grill as directed.  Cut six 18x12” pieces of foil; spray each piece with cooking spray.

2.  In large bowl, mix cheese, Worcestershire sauce, chopped onions and 1.5 tsp seasoned salt.  Shape mixture into 6 patties.

3.  Place potatoes on center of sprayed foil piece.  Top with beef patty, carrots, tomatoes and sliced onions; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp seasoned salt. 

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Fold foil over patties and vegetables so edges meet.  Seal edges, making tight 1/2” fold; fold again.  Allow space on sides for circulation and expansion.

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4.  Cover and grill packets over medium heat 17 to 20 minutes, rotating packets 1/2 turn after about 8 minutes; until potatoes are tender.  Place packets on plates.  Cut large X across top of each packet; fold foil back.

food (The black stuff is the cooking spray – it didn’t hurt the taste of the food but I’d probably just use a little less next time)




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Monday, August 9, 2010

Zucchini Fritters

I apologize for no Home Tour or Face Update this weekend.  My poor little dog had two seizures yesterday and it’s been a rough weekend.  We went to the vet for some bloodwork today so we’re hoping for some answers.  I’ll try to get these updates done for you soon.  Instead, I leave you with a yummy recipe that I already had typed up.

I love thumbing through my cookbooks to find something different.  I can’t STAND having the same meals over and over again.  We love zucchini in the summer so I pulled out a cookbook from my grandmother's church in North Carolina and found this recipe.  After a while, I realized that this was actually HER recipe!  These are great served with ranch dressing for dipping.

Meal Planning:  Served with “Alabama” Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

-1 small zucchini, grated

-1 cup flour

-1 large egg

-3/4 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp sugar

-Olive oil

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients together to form a batter that is not too thin or too thick.

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Drop from spoon onto non-stick pan that has been coated with olive oil.  Brown each side well.

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Friday, August 6, 2010

Oven Chicken Risotto

I love risotto.  I think it’s such a nice alternative to pasta or rice.  But I do NOT like standing over the stove to stir it constantly.  So when I saw this recipe, I was quite intrigued.  This turned out to be a great summer dish.  I don’t typically like tomatoes, but this was fabulous!  Recipe from Southern Living Magazine.

Meal Planning:  Served with any of the green bean dishes listed under the “Vegetable” label

Ingredients:

-2 Tbsp butter

-2.5 cups chicken broth

-1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

-1/2 small onion, diced

-1/2 tsp salt (honestly, I thought the rice was a little too salty so next time I’ll cut this down to maybe 1/4 tsp)

-2 cups chopped chicken (anything on hand or a deli rotisserie chicken works good too)

-1 (8 oz) package fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2” cubes

-1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

-1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place butter in a 13x9” baking dish; bake 5 minutes or until melted.  Stir in broth and next 3 ingredients.

2.  Bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Fluff rice with a fork.  Stir in chicken, mozzarella, and tomatoes; sprinkle with shredded basil.  Serve immediately.

DSC_0567 My husband decided that he didn’t want his chicken mixed in with the dish so we just did it on the side.  Still a wonderful meal!




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