Baby Quilt

A friend had her lovely baby boy a few weeks ago, and I had offered to make him a nice warm blanket for watching hockey games in – he came to his first game to watch his Dad play at only 2 weeks old, I would say he is going to be a hockey fan. Anyways, I decided to do the blanket in the colours of the team’s jerseys (they are basically the same as the Nashville Predators jersey).


I got the idea from a pattern I had seen with nice large blocks and made a trip to the fabric store. Lucky for me they were having a sale on fleece, and that would make a great hockey blanket! I didn’t do the 3 blankets like the original pattern called for, so I kind of re worked the cutting and fabric amounts to work for me.

Materials:
¼ m Fabric 1 (yellow)
½ m Fabric 2 (White)
½ m Fabric 3 (Blue)
1 m Fabric 4 (patterned)
36 x 42” batting

Squares:
4 – 9X9” squares (Fabric 1)
1 – 18 x 24” square (Fabric 2)
2 – 9 x 18” square (Fabric 3)
2 – 9 x 24” square (Fabric 3)
1 – 36 x 42 square (Fabric 4)

I sewed everything together following the original instructions, and then quilted it with a random curved line. The only thing I added as a stitch around the edge of the blanket to make it neat with a ¼” seam.

Reviews:
I love how thick and soft this blanket it. Sadly the total size of 35 x 41” is a little too small to be of much use to me. I really hope the new hockey fan enjoys it!

Salsa Rice

Salsa Rice

Some days I want something quick, that I don’t really have to think about – this is one of those meals. I love how tasty it is and how easy it is to put together. I originally got the recipe out of a Kraft cookbook and have altered it over the years, as I don’t usually have minute rice in the house. I have also tried to make this a healthy meal, while keeping the cost down.

Ingredients:
½ lb lean ground beef (you could also use ground chicken or turkey)
2 ½ cups cooked brown rice (I use Basmati)
1 ½ cup salsa
1 can corn niblets (drained)
Shredded light Old Cheddar

Directions:
1.While the rice is cooking (however you like to cook rice, I like to through min in my little rice cooker) brown the ground beef.
2.Combine the corn, ground beef, rice and salsa in the sauce pan and let it heat so the corn is hot.
3.Dish up and sprinkle with cheddar to your taste.

Reviews:
This is so tasty and simple that it a great dish to throw together on a busy night. The bonus – my husband can easily make this with little instruction or help for me, which is a great thing if I need to work late. The brown rice gives it a nice flavour that you don't get with the white rice (although it is still yummy).

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I had some butterscotch chips in the cupboard to use, and what better way to use them than feeding them to the hockey team? The bars worked so well for them last week that I decided to do a bar again (well that and it takes so much less time to bake when I am in a hurry.)

I looked for butterscotch bars and decided to try the Nestle TollHouse version of Butterscotch Brownies (although they were really just like cookie dough), and decided to add some chocolate to it.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup margarine softened
1 ¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2/3 to ¾ package of butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. In a bowl cream the margarine/butter, then cream in the sugar, eggs and vanilla.
2. Mix the flour and baking powder together, then slowly add to the sugar/butter mixture.
3. Fold in ¾ of chips (both butterscotch and chocolate). Spread the batter into a 9x13 baking pan (I lined mine with parchment paper).
4. Sprinkle the remaining chips on top of the batter.
5. Bake at 350F for 25 to 35 minutes (30 min was a bit too long in my oven, they will be soft in the middle at the end, but set).
6. Cool on a wire rack, and cut into squares.

Reviews:
These were tasty, especially if you like butterscotch or chocolate chip cookies. I actually had members of the Bulldogs stopping to thank me for them this week and tell me they really liked them. The goalie said they were a little heavy for before the game, but he couldn’t stop eating them! I would say that it is a good review anytime someone makes themselves sick because they were couldn’t stop eating it.

The Score:
The Bulldogs beat the Gators 4-2 and are now in second place in their division! Hopefully they keep up the good work, as playoffs are only about a month away.