Sewing Room Organizer

I recently built this wall-mounted organizer for my sewing room.

Materials:

1/2 Sheet (28") pegboard
1 - 12' Pine 1X4
2 - 1/2" dowels, cut to 28"
4- cement wall anchors, for ends of dowels
3- large cans - recycled from my Marinara Sauce recipe
fabric to cover the 3 cans
pegboard hooks
1 can multi-surface spray primer
1 can brown spray paint

I made the box for the bottom first and mounted it to the pegboard. I then cut 2, 4" lengths of the 1X4 to make the ribbon holder. I used a 1/2" drill bit to drill holes in the 1X4's to hold the dowels. I mounted the 1X4 pieces to the pegboard. I flipped the whole thing over and mounted small scraps of wood on the back- top and bottom- to allow for the use of pegboard hooks. If you mount it directly to the wall, you wont be able to use the hooks. I pained the whole thing, including the dowels and let them dry for a few hours. I (eh- em, my hubby) hung the organizer and then added ribbon to the dowels, and put the cement anchors (4 for $1) on the ends to hold the dowels in place. I covered the cans with fabric to match the roman shade and chair cover I made for my sewing room. I drilled a hole in the cans to be able to hang them with the peg hooks. The covered cans in the box are Crystal Light containers covered with scrapbooking paper.

1 hour build/paint time

2 hour dry time (1 coat primer, 2 coats paint)
1/2 hour for hanging, covering the cans and organizing it.
Total cost was about $12.

Love it!

Softie Dolls

One of my new blog reads is TaDa! Creations. Angel had posted a softie doll tutorial she used from 60 Piggies. Follow the link for the tutorial!

These adorable dolls will go in Bubba and PBJ's Easter baskets, along with a few other goodies. I know I will be making many more dollies from this tutorial!

French Onion Soup

I recently invested in a hand held mandoline from Target. Best $15 I've spent in awhile! It will make the job of slicing all of these onions much faster and will spare you the burning eyes and tears!

8 Medium-large onions, sliced thin, and then cut in half.
3T Butter
4 Cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4C Soy sauce
1/4C Balsamic vinegar
2T Worchestershire sauce
1/4C Beef stock
3/4CWhite wine
Salt and pepper to taste
10C beef stock
1 french baguette, sliced in 1" slices
Guyere, swiss or provolone cheese - 1 piece per planned serving.

1. Thinly slice the onions and mince the garlic. Melt butter in large saute pan and add onions and garlic to pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, worchestershire sauce, beef stock and white wine. Mix and add to onions.

3. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for at least 2 hours, until all the liquid has been absorbed and onions are a dark brown color. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the beef stock to the onions. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Add more liquid if necessary.

5. While the soup is coming to boil, place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for a few minutes at 400 degrees.

6. Set oven to broil. Ladle soup into oven safe bowls. Place 1 pc baguette on top of soup, and top bread with cheese. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and set in oven for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling. Serve immediately.

**The bowls will be VERY hot!

Thai Peanut Chicken

Adapted from Sisters Cafe

1lb whole grain spagetti noodles

SAUCE:
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1T freshly grated ginger, or 1tsp powdered (use more as desired)
1/2C creamy peanut butter
2T sesame oil (available in the Asian food section)
1/4C soy sauce
3T brown sugar
1T rice vinegar
1tsp red pepper flakes
1C hot water

Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor until completely smooth.

2T olive oil
1/2C chopped white onion
1/2C chopped red pepper
3C chicken, cooked and shredded
1/4C chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1/4C peanuts
2T sesame seeds

1. Make sauce and pasta set aside.

2. Saute olive oil, white onion, red pepper and cilantro in pan until onion in translucent. Add chicken and heat through.

3. Combine everything in large pot and heat through. Plate the dish, top with peanuts and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

**This makes a HUGE batch. It does freeze and reheat well though.

Honey Dijon Dip/Marinade

1C mayo
1/4C whole grain mustard
1/4C honey
salt and pepper to taste

Combine and 1) Serve with pretzels or 2) Place in a Ziploc bag with 3-4 chicken breasts. Let marinade in refrig for 2-3 hours. Pour entire contents of bag in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.