Mini Cheesecakes

Kate here again with another recipe. A friend from college introduced me to this delicious dessert. I'm so glad to get this recipe typed up and off of the stained and folded half-sheet of paper stowed in my recipe box. Here's what you'll need:

A muffin tin and cupcake liners, too.

Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in each liner.

Beat together:

2, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour 1/4 cup filling over vanilla wafers in muffin tin. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

Please do not freak out at this point. When you pull the mini cheesecakes out of the oven 99% of them will have fallen in the middle. This is a good thing. It creates a divet to hold the pie filling. Carefully remove them to a cookie sheet and place in the fridge--or freezer if you're like me and running behind and need to chill these puppies pronto!

Remove liner and top with pie filling of choice. Here I chose cherry and blueberry. Serves 18-24 depending on how full you fill your cupcake liners.

Mini Cheesecakes

Place cupcake liners in muffin tin. Place one vanilla wafer in each liner.

Beat:

2, 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 T. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour 1/4 cup filling over vanilla wafers in muffin tin. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes. Chill. Remove liner and top with pie filling of choice to serve. Serves 18 Enjoy!

Kate is the author of The Guy Next Door.

Scent-sational Gift

It's time for a tutorial!
Kristie here from Kristie Kreates.

Have you ever been in a store and seen something like this?

These soaps are lovely and make great gifts,

but sometimes you want a smaller gift

and splitting up the box into 3 gifts is a great idea.

My friend needed to have about 45 gifts,

so we went about creating a box for each bar of soap.

First we cut the card stock to size.

Next we scored the card stock to the size of the soap plus 1/8"



Fold on all score lines.

On the long sides, cut on the folds to the score lines as shown below.

On one end, cut the corners as shown.

Apply adhesive to the small flaps.



Fold in flaps and fold up the sides.



Now you have a little box.

The soap fits perfectly.



And the box closes nice and snug.

The last thing is to make a belly band to go

around the box.
Cut a strip of paper that will fit around the box

and overlap with enough space for the adhesive.



Fold the band around the box.





Apply adhesive and secure.

 

Band can be slipped off and replaced as needed.



Here I just tied a ribbon around it to finish it off,

you could decorate it any way you please.



These really are quite simple and make lovely gifts.

My friend was using them for the nursing staff on one

of the units at her local hospital.
She attached a tag that said
"You are Scent-sational"

I would have given measurements,

but if you have something of a different size,

that would do you no good at all.

If you have any questions

 or need help figuring out sizes and

where to score etc. feel free to ask. 

 I'd be glad to help you figure out

what size you need for your little boxes.

If you check out my blog

Kristie Kreates,

you will find a link to e-mail me.

I'd be glad to have you come over

and see what else I've been working on.

Leave me a comment and let you know you've visited.

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

I hope I've inspired you to think about different

ways to "package" things.

Little gifts like this are great for

shower gifts,

gifts for co-workers,

thanks you gifts for staff at a hospital or nursing home,

teacher gifts.

 

I'll be back next month with another crafty tutorial.

Until next month, have fun creating!

 

The Secrets of Gluten Free Baking and Blueberry Muffin Recipe

Today we have a fun guest post from the fabulous cookbook author, Jillayne Clements. I reviewed her marvelous new gluten-free cookbook here.  ENJOY!

 

Hi! I’m so excited to be a guest blogger on Rachelle’s website. My name is Jillayne Clements and a little over two years ago, my doctor told me that because of antibodies to gluten, I would never be able to eat gluten containing foods again. I felt heartbroken and discouraged! But because I’m a big believer in whole foods and had been eating a whole foods diet for years, I knew right off that I wouldn’t be eating the typical refined gluten-free foods made of white rice flour, tapioca and potato starches, and xanthan gum. Instinctively I felt there had to be a way to prepare gluten-free whole foods and get them to trap air bubbles and bind together like gluten containing foods. 

So taking in part what I already knew about the need for properly preparing grains before eating them—a form of pre-digestion that has existed for centuries but relatively forgotten in our day; souring and germinating—and applying it to the gluten-free world, I was determined to accomplish my goal of creating whole food gluten-free baked goods.  After many tries, I almost gave up on my goal, but I practiced around with different flour blend combinations and eventually came up with some whole food recipes that look and taste like their wheat counterparts. Plus, I discovered how to make a whole food alternative to gums that can be made at home; something I call glue flour. In a nut shell, I persisted and found a way to make gluten-free whole foods and grains bind together and trap air bubbles much like gluten, without using any refined starches or gums. And I’m SO excited to share what I have learned with others who, like me, are frustrated with the lack of fiber, nutrients, flavor, and heartiness of typical gluten-free foods and are looking for whole food gluten-free alternatives. 

Blueberry Muffins (Makes 12)

Ingredients:

2 cups white beans

(sprouted and cooked)

4 eggs

¾ cup dehydrated cane sugar

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup butter (melted)

2 cups oat flour

1 ½ cups frozen blueberries

In a food processor or blender, blend beans

and eggs until smooth. Add dehydrated cane

sugar, salt, soda, vanilla, and melted butter.

Pour in oat flour and mix well. Stir in frozen

blueberries until mixed together. Scoop into 24

oiled muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes at 400ºF.

Faux tin ornaments

Diana, Mom to the Wayward Girls, here! When the girls were young, we wanted to make December a magical and fun month for them. I collected children's Christmas stories, activities, recipes, and crafts all year long. I made a notebook for all my ideas and consulted it often. Each year, I got a big calendar on which we tracked and planned our activities. I tried to have a craft or activity plus a Christmas story each night. We kept some of our treats and crafts we made; others we gave away as service to others.

Here's one of our favorites: Faux Tin Ornaments.

Supplies-

• Aluminum trays or pans.
Note: I bought a very inexpensive one that was really too thin. Try to get one trays that are heavier than heavy duty aluminum foil. Because my tray was so thin, the ornaments bent too easily when handled. This doesn't happen so easily with heavier foil. We still have many of the ornaments the girls made more than 10 years ago.
• Cookie cutters or Christmas object shaped stencils.
• Ball point pens, scissors, pen or nail
• Ribbon

Find a pattern shape. You can use cookie cutters, print out shapes or freehand.

Trace shapes on the tray with a ball point pen. The ink will not show up. You can burnish out creases you may find in the tray, as I'm doing with the scissor handles here.

Cut out the shape. Lay the shape on a magazine, stack of paper, or corrugated cardboard. Use the ball point pen to draw embellishments on the ornament. (This makes the lines softer and broader.) You can draw on both sides to add texture. This will make the ornaments look embossed.

Embellishment ideas: The lines on the angel's wings, and the dots were drawn on one side of the angel, and the heart was drawn on the back.

The star has designs on both sides as well as small holes that will allow light to shine through.

If desired, an adult or older child can carefully punch holes through the ornament for a new look. You could also use permanent markers to add color to the ornament.

Finally, punch a hole for a ribbon or ornament hanger.

Stamping is not just for cardmaking

Hello blog fans!

Kristie here today from

Kristie Kreates

I love to stamp and I wanted to tell you that

stamping isn't just for cardmaking.

Today I'm going to show you a different way to use stamps.

Stamping on fabrics is a lot of fun and easier than you might think.

There are only a few things you need

a stamp

an ink pad

something to stamp on

paints and brushes

and you are good to go.

Depending on what you are painting will determine what kind of

ink and paint you will use.
Today I'm stamping on a place mat

I am using VersaFine Ink and a mix of acrylic and fabric paints.

Just be sure if you are making something that will be going through the laundry, that you use products that are safe to wash.

First step I inked up the stamp.

Next I stamped the image onto the place mat.

Try to get as clear and crisp an image as possible.
The center of this image could have been a bit better,

but no worries, it will be just fine.

Next, using fabric and acrylic paints that I had in my crafting stash,

I began to paint the image.

You can find small bottles of acrylic paint at most general craft stores.

They are not very expensive and can be used for lots of different projects.

Here you can see that I have the leaves painted,

the black ink of the stamp still shows through,

as I have not used a great deal of paint.
You want to put the paint on with a light hand,

making sure not to put it on too thick.

You want the "outline" from the stamp to show.

Check your paint, but most paints can be thinned

 a bit with water if needed,

just be sure not to make them too thin.

Test this all on a scrap of fabric. 

The place mats I use are very inexpensive

and I bought one that I use just for testing paints and inks.

 

Here you can see that I have been working on the red areas.

I will be adding more red and silver to the ornament

to finish it.
I haven't finished this particular place mat yet,

but here is another to see what the finished one might look like.

The stamps I used for this place mat are
"Christmas Ball with Ribbon" (#12702) and

"Merry Christmas Script (#3206) both from

Eureka! Stamps and
"Icicle Ornament" (#83406) and
"Round Ornament" (#83405) both from

Biblical Impressions Stamps

Thanks for stopping by today. 

Leave a comment if you will.

I hope I have inspired you in some way

 and that you will try using your stamps on some fabric projects.

Why not pop on over to my blog

Kristie Kreates

and see what else I've been creating.

If you have any questions, there is an e-mail link on my blog.

Feel free to e-mail me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

 

Until next month, have fun creating.

 

High chair makeover & tips for sewing with oil cloth

Brave Brooke from Wayward Girls' Crafts here! A friend of ours gave us a high chair. I didn't love the cushion so of course what did I do? I recovered it! I chose orange with white polka dots oil cloth. I used the same techniques that I did on this tutorial. Here are some pictures.

Before

My husband said it looked like a sour patch kid. 

After- it looks a little wonky because of how she slouches when she eats

Also I wanted to add a couple tips for sewing with oil cloth:

• Use a heavier duty needle. Size 16.
• If you're having problems with the oilcloth sticking to your presser foot use clear tape on the underside. This can also help with sewing vinyl. 
• Make sure you're sewing the right thing. When you make mistakes and have to pick it out it leaves holes.
• If your oilcloth is creased I saw some suggestions to leave it in a warm room. My husband was kind enough to use my blow dryer and to warm up the pieces and convince them to flatten out.
• Oilcloth cannot be washed so make sure you avoid leaving the backside open to get dirty from little hands. 

Here she is enjoying it (please excuse the quality of the phone picture!).

BBQ Meatballs

Kate here again with another recipe. This is an old standby for a quick meal at my house. The prep is very easy and it cooks fairly quickly. My second daughter always requests BBQ Meatballs for her birthday dinner. So lets get started:

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and add 3/4 cup oatmeal and 1 cup canned milk. Stir together and add 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, and 1 1/2 lb. hamburger.

Mix altogether and form into walnut-sized balls. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Put in 400° oven for 10 minutes or until brown.

While the meatballs are browning mix up the sauce ingredients.

Measure 4 T. Worcestershire sauce, 2 T. sugar, 1/4 cup water, 3 T. vinegar, 1 cup catsup. Then coarsely chop an onion and green pepper.

Stir altogether. I love the colors in this sauce. Yum. Pour the sauce over the browned meatballs. Turn the oven down to 350°. (If you forget like I sometimes do, and leave your oven at 400°, your meatballs won't be as tender as they should be.) So turn your oven down to 350°. Cook for 20 -30 minutes or until red disappears.

Here they are just out of the oven. Their tangy aroma makes me hungry!

Enjoy! I like to serve these over rice. My husband, not a rice lover, prefers them served over a baked potato. I hope you enjoy this quick and simple meal. If you've never bought frozen, petite peas, you must give them a try. They are the next best thing to frozen garden peas. We never have enough frozen garden peas so I have to resort to the grocery store freezer section. These are Western Family brand petite peas and are nice and sweet. My children gobble them up.

BBQ Meatballs

Meat Mixture
1 1/2 lb. hamburger
2 eggs
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 cup  canned milk (evaporated)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Sauce:
4 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. sugar
1/4 cup water
3 T. vinegar
1 cup catsup
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped (optional)

Mix meat mixture altogether.  Make into walnut-sized balls and place in casserole dish (9x13). Put in 400° oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Mix sauce and pour over meatballs. Reduce oven to 350° and cook for 20 -30 minutes or until red disappears.

Kate is the author of The Guy Next Door (LDS Romantic Suspense).