Archives for April 2011

29
Apr

Leftover Remix: Grilled Shrimp and Roasted Corn Pasta

Yesterday I posted my recipe for Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish.  Well, we had some leftovers and I decided it would be fun to turn them into something new for the following dinner.  There are very few additional ingredients for this pasta dish, but your family will never know they are eating something very similar to the night before.

If you would like to make this dish, but fear you might not have any leftovers from the night before, just plan ahead and make a double recipe of the spicy shrimp.

Leftover Remix:  Grilled Shrimp and Roasted Corn Pasta
Ingredients:
Leftover Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish (pineapple removed)
1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any shape you like)
1 package grape tomatoes
Olive oil
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions.
Place leftover corn relish, grilled onions, and grape tomatoes on a large baking sheet.  Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until grape tomatoes start to get wrinkly and corn starts to get a little color.
Meanwhile, cut up your shrimp into small pieces.  Once you remove your corn and tomato mixture from the oven, add your shrimp to the baking sheet – this will warm them up without cooking them any further.
Drain pasta.  Add all the contents from the cookie sheet into the pasta.  Make sure to scrape up all the little brown bits (this gives the great roasted flavor).  Add your Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste).
Garnish with additional sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve with freshly baked garlic bread.
Now that’s practically two meals in one – how great is that?  I love things that do double duty!
28
Apr

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish

A week ago it actually felt like spring here in Chicago (though today, not so much), so I had grilling on the brain.  One of my favorite foods is grilled shrimp and I came up with this spicy grilled shrimp recipe with corn relish that is perfect for those warm weather days.  This recipe may appear to have a lot of ingredients, but most of the spices can be found in your pantry.

Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Corn Relish

Serves 4-6

 

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of 2 limes
Corn Relish:
1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extras:
1 red onion, sliced
Pineapple, cubed – fresh or canned chunks
Rice, of your choice


Directions:

Combine all the ingredients under “shrimp” to make a marinade/paste for the shrimp.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade.  Add shrimp to marinade and let sit for 20 minutes before grilling.  You do not want to over marinate shrimp.  The acid from the lime juice will start to cook the shrimp ever so slightly and if you marinate them all day then you can end up with some tough, over cooked shrimp.
Drizzle the remaining marinade over your sliced red onions.
Cube pineapple or used canned pineapple chunks.  If you would prefer to do these as kabobs, just cut your onions into chunks rather than slices.  We happened to have one of those pans that go on the grill (so nothing will fall through) and just decided to go with a deconstructed kabob to make our lives easier.
Defrost your frozen corn and combine all ingredients under “corn relish”.  Allow flavors to come together.  This can be made up to a day ahead of time.
Heat up your grill.  Add the onions, then the shrimp and finally the pineapple once the grill is hot.  The shrimp should take approximately 6 minutes (3 minutes on each side), but the onions will take a bit longer.  If you are doing a kabob, just put everything on the grill all together.
Serve with corn relish and rice of your choice (I made some red beans and rice)……..my mother always told me to make sure you garnish your plate (something she learned from her mother).  Doesn’t that fresh bit of cilantro just make the plate look so much more appetizing?  I think garnishing is worth the effort – it shows your family that you truly care and that the food you serve them is filled with love.
Tomorrow I will show you how I turned the leftovers from this meal into a fabulous pasta dish!
26
Apr

Dick and Jane Inspired Easter Dress – Bodice Tutorial

In case you missed my guest blog post on  “No Big Dill” about a month ago, here it is………..

To me, the “Dick and Jane” books are the epitome of retro, children’s storybook classics.  The images in these books bring me such comfort.  They remind us of simpler times, they remind us when life was slower and more easy going.  I often wonder if I was born during the correct time period because it seems that everything vintage always has a soft-spot in my heart.

I personally did not grow up with the “Dick and Jane” book series, but my mom grew up learning to read from “Dick and Jane” books.  The books contain simple words with simple images, perfect for the new reader.

One of the most enjoyable parts of looking through these old classics are the illustrations of the children’s clothing.  If you’ve ever been to my blog or etsy shop, you know that I love classic children’s clothing so this time period is right up my alley!

I chose to do a “Dick and Jane” inspired look because I love sweet, classic, feminine dresses on little girls which is what Jane is all about.  So I guess we could say I came up with a “Jane” inspired look.

This entire dress (aside from the notions and the lining) was made from a $1.49 full-sized sheet that I found at my local thrift store last weekend.  I was waiting for some inspiration for this look and the sheet did the trick.  I love the pretty floral as well as the vintage feel I get from the sheet.  The scalloped edging was another vintage touch that I thought would be perfect for the “Jane” look – I can just see her wearing this dress in one of those books.

The above picture is the sheet prior to being turned into the dress.  It had this fabulous border across the top and little flowers on the rest of the sheet.

I thought I would show you today how to embellish the bodice of a dress.  You can take any tank dress pattern that you love and change up the bodice to make it your own.  If you don’t have a bodice pattern that you really like, you can print my party dress pattern HERE and use that pattern.

The main, featured trim on this dress is this pink picot edge trim.  You can buy this online or you may be able to find it in your local fabric shop.  Since the lines of this dress were very classic, I wanted to make sure the trims were as well.

Cut four pieces of trim that are the same height as the bodice.  I like to cut mine a little longer just to be safe.

Next, grab your Wonder-Tape.  You all are probably so sick of hearing me talk about this product but it is one of my absolute favorites!  This is a double-sided tape for fabric that disappears in the wash.  You can use it to secure any trims that may be difficult to pin or where pin marks might show.  I find it holds trims with much more precision than pins – I use this on my piping as well.  You can definitely pin if you don’t have this product, but I think this makes life SO much easier.

Apply your Wonder-Tape to the back-side of each piece of trim.  When you are ready to put your trim in place, remove the paper backing.

Apply your first two pieces of picot edging with the scalloped edging pointing outward.  Stitch down each piece of trim in coordinating thread.  I stitched close to the scalloped edge because your second piece will end up catching the other side.

Next, place your second piece of picot trim on top of the first.  Make sure to line it up perfectly so you can’t see the plain edge of the first piece.  Stitch down the side close to the scallop edge.

Take a piece of coordinating fabric to use as your center focal point of the bodice.  I used two pieces since the sheet fabric was fairly thin, but you could definitely just use one and press the edges under.  To use the two pieces, measure the distance between your trims and add enough to account for your seam allowance – I used 1/4″.  Stitch both pieces of fabric together leaving the top and the bottom open.  Turn right-side out and press.

Place your fabric in the middle of your trims and stitch into place.  You can leave the top and bottom edge raw because that will become concealed once you add your collar and bodice lining.

Stitch very close to the edge of the fabric – about 1/16″ or 1/8″ seam allowance.

Do all the embellishing on the bodice before you start sewing the dress.  That way your lining will conceal all the stitching on the bodice and you will have a beautifully lined top.

I did three pin-tucks on the skirt of the dress.  You can do this by adding an inch per pin-tuck to the length of the skirt.  So for this skirt piece, I added an additional 3 inches.

I used petite piping in the collar.  You can make your own piping or used a packaged variety.  Click HERE to view my piping tutorial and HERE to find out how to make your own custom piping.

I think its in the little details that make the difference between a nice dress and a truly special and unique dress.  Back in the 50’s and 60’s, parents definitely valued quality over quantity when it came to clothing.  It’s fun to take the time to make something special for our little ones – they deserve it, don’t you think?

I think “Jane” would have been proud to wear this dress and Savannah loved wearing it on Easter!  She told me, “Mama, I look like a beautiful angel.” – what a sweetheart!
25
Apr

Early Empire Cinch from Handmade Beginnings

I have been wanting to make the “Early Empire Cinch” from Anna Maria Horner’s book, Handmade Beginnings – 24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby since before I was even pregnant.  I purchased this book because it had some projects that I wanted to make for Matilda and had some really great baby gift ideas.

There is an entire chapter in this book dedicated for “Mama Sewing” and that’s where you will find the “Early Empire Cinch” plus tons of other great projects for anyone who is expecting.

I had my husband snap a few pictures of me before I went out to run some errands so you could see the cinch in action.  I really made these with the intention of wearing them with some t-shirts or to wear with dresses.  But alas, the Chicago weather is still pretty chilly, so I paired it with one of my lose fitting sweaters and I think it looks pretty cute.  I love how much it accentuates the baby bump.  Oh, and by the way…….that’s my 20 week baby bump in these pictures.

You can wear the cinch with the large part to the back or in front.  I tend to carry my babies pretty high, so it worked better for me in the back.  But if you carry low, it would look adorable with the large part in front.

I made two different cinch’s for myself and both of them are reversible.  So that’s four looks for the price of two!

I made this first cinch with a lot of scraps from my fabric stash and a little bit of yardage.  I have A LOT of scraps, so I love projects that cause me to use them up.  I made sure that the scraps were all in the same color family – mostly pinks, blues and greens.

I made the outside of the cinch with the thoughts that I would pair it with a black maxi-dress that I have for summer.  And as you can see, I made the inside brown, so I can pair this with more neutral clothing or create a more casual look.

I made the blue and orange cinch to go with a rather boxy maternity dress that I recently purchased from Old Navy.  This cinch really helps to give the dress more shape and again, emphasize the baby bump.

For some reason the dress looks a little red in these pictures, but I promise it’s deep orange and it ties in with the deepest shade of orange in the teal fabric.

The inside of the above cinch is blue and orange polka dots and can be reversed to reveal and entirely new look.  Not sure what I will pair with this one, but I think it would look cute with jeans and a tee.

I don’t usually take a lot of time to sew for myself, so I’ve been having a lot of fun creating some new outfits and accessories for my expanding figure.  I think pregnancy is such a beautiful time and should truly be celebrated.  So if you are expecting, take a little time out and make something pretty for yourself – it will make you feel great!
24
Apr

Happy Easter from The Cottage Home

Happy Easter!
Just a quick little blog post wishing you a very Happy Easter.  

We started out our day by checking out what the Easter bunny had brought for the girls, followed by a little egg hunt inside the house. Next we met my in-laws for Easter Mass, followed by a delicious brunch at one of our favorite local restaurants.  And, to our surprise, we actually had some decent weather, so when we got home we headed outside so the girls could hunt for more eggs in the front yard. 

It was a truly lovely day.  I hope you all had a great time during your Easter celebration and were able to spend some time with loved ones.  Again, Happy Easter from our family to yours!
22
Apr

A BIG Announcement!

In case you missed the very last line of that poem……….
Can you believe it?  I think I’m still in shock, but we are beyond thrilled!  My husband and I just kind of assumed we’d have another girl since we have two already, but when the ultra-sound technician told us the news, we were utterly stunned.
Me, miss “all about all things girly” is going to be the mama to a little man? Yippee!  This little guy is going to change our family dynamic for sure. We got some great ultrasound pictures of him and I think he looks just perfect (of course I do, I’m his mama).  I know some people don’t agree with finding out the gender before the birth, but it honestly makes me feel so much more connected to my baby knowing if it is a boy or girl.  And I love this little guy already.
So, I’m guessing this little man is going to change things up here on the blog.  You know I still do, and always will, love all things girly, but you’re definitely going to see a little more variety on here in regards to projects for boys.  This blog is about my life and I have a feeling this little guy is going to steal my heart!  He’s expected to be here some time in early September.
And will you believe me if I tell you that I’m already crafting up something for this little guy? Yep, it’s just a little something, but I can’t help myself.  My head is swirling with all kinds of ideas and I can’t wait to start designing his nursery.
Thanks so much for letting me share this wonderful news and yeah for boys!! 
20
Apr

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

My husband and I have a thing for southwestern cuisine. We love it all!  I think I could serve my husband southwestern food every day of his life and he would never get tired of it……..and neither would I.  We’re a match made in heaven, I guess.

We both love Chile Rellenos, which is what I originally considered making with these beautiful poblano peppers.  But the idea of frying something didn’t really appeal to me, so I came up with this slightly healthier alternative – Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  These peppers are stuffed with a mixture of tomatoes, green chiles, zucchini, cilantro, rice, garlic, onions, Mexican spices and Monterey Jack cheese.  They are baked in the oven and garnished with sour cream and more fresh cilantro.

In the mood for some southwestern cuisine?  Give these a try!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Serves 3-6
Ingredients:
3 poblano peppers
1 can Rotel (tomatoes and green chiles)
1 can green chiles
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 Tablespoons chile powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups cooked white rice, prepared according to package directions
Garnish – Sour cream and cilantro
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cook white rice according to package directions.  Cut poblano peppers in half, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and white parts.  Place in a baking dish.
Meanwhile, over medium heat, saute onion, zucchini, garlic, chile powder, cumin, cayenne and salt and pepper.  Once onion is cooked add Rotel, cilantro and the extra can of green chiles and cook until most of the moisture has cooked out.
Add vegetable mixture to cooked white rice and stir to combine.  Add one cup of cheese and combine.
Spoon rice mixture into each poblano pepper half.  You want plenty of rice in each one, so make sure it’s mounded up pretty high. 
Next, add the remaining cheese on top of each pepper.
Place peppers in oven for 30-35 minutes.  If for some reason your cheese starts to get too brown, just place some foil on top and finish cooking.  Mine ended up just right, but every oven is different.
Peppers are complete once they are easily pierced with a knife and cheese is golden brown.
Serve one pepper or two (if you have hungry adults).  My husband and I both ate two, but we are pretty big eaters and didn’t have a lot of side dishes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on each pepper and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro.  If you have salsa on hand, that would be great too!  You can add additional side dishes – we had warm buttered tortillas, but some refried beans would be another good idea.
Cottage Mama’s Note:  This dish is a great way to sneak some veggies into your non-veggie lovers.  I used zucchini because that’s what we had on hand.  You could use sliced carrots, corn or even add in some black beans for extra fiber.  Watch the cayenne pepper if you plan to serve this to little kiddos.  Luckily my little ones like some spice, but if they aren’t used to it, ease them into it slowly.
18
Apr

Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Orange and Arugula Salad

I’m not joking when I say that this recipe is ridiculously good!  I can’t take credit for this one since it is actually a Rachel Ray recipe, but man, I had to blog about it because my husband and I just loved all the flavors.

This recipe has the perfect balance of sweet, tart and savory all in one bite.  Serve it with mashed or roasted potatoes and you have a meal that is fit for entertaining (or an easy weeknight dinner).

I’m not going to post the recipe here, since I can take credit for it, but you can find it HERE.  I will, however, tell you the minor changes I made that you might want to give a whirl if you decide to give this recipe a go (which I highly recommend).

I breaded the chicken pretty much the same, however; I used panko bread crumbs instead of regular.  You can find panko bread crumbs in most major grocery stores in the same section as the regular ones.  I find they add a crunch to breading that really can’t be beat.  The orange zest is key in this breading, so don’t leave it out even if you think it sounds strange.

For the orange and arugula salad, I made a vinaigrette from 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 Tablespoons orange juice, 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.  I used small tangerines instead of regular oranges which made assembling this dish really easy.  Arugula has a very peppery, bitter flavor when tasted on its own.  Personally I don’t love it by itself, but pair it with something sweet or savory and the balance of flavor is amazing.

I served our chicken cutlets with homemade mashed potatoes.  We had some leftovers and it was equally as good the next day.  So cook up some extra cutlets and have some chicken to use in other dishes throughout the week.  If you don’t like arugula or don’t have any on hand, the chicken cutlets by themselves are still very good.  But if you can, go for the salad on top – it is diviiiiiiine!

Again, click HERE to go to the Rachel Ray recipe for  
Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Orange and Arugula Salad.
14
Apr

The Modest Mom Giveaway Winner

And the winner of The Modest Mom giveaway is……….

Congratulations, Jessi!  Please email me at thecottagemama[at]gmail[dot]com with your contact information and we will get your sizing and skirt mailed out to you as soon as possible. 

Thank you to everyone who entered!  And if you didn’t win, I highly recommend ordering from The Modest Mom – her skirts are handmade with the highest quality!
12
Apr

Quick and Easy – Bubble Skirt Tutorial

Right now I am in the process of updating my girls spring wardrobe.  Savannah seems to have grown overnight and everything is about 1″ – 2″ too short.  I am repurposing a lot of her clothes, adding a few totally handmade items, and buying a few new things.  I will share the full wardrobe with you once I have it all completed, but for now I thought I would share this quick and easy Bubble Skirt Tutorial.
I’m not kidding when I say that this skirt only took me 20 minutes to make (including cutting time).  It’s SO quick and easy and if you have a serger it’s even easier (though you do not need one at all for this project).  If you have a naptime to spare, you can whip up several of these little skirts that will be perfect for running around outside this spring/summer season.
Quick and Easy
Bubble Skirt Tutorial
(Size 6 months – 14 years)
Supplies:
1-1.5 yards knit fabric (cotton interlock or jersey knit)
Sewing machine
Thread
Scissors
Directions:
First you need to determine your child’s measurements.  Measure around their waist and subtract 3″ (or even 4″ if you have SUPER stretchy fabric) – that will be your waist band measurement.  Figure out where you would like the skirt to hit.  Here are some standard measurements for you:
Measurements – Above the Knee (first measurement) and At the Knee (second measurement):
6 months – 6.25″, 6.5″
12 months – 6.75″, 7.25″
18 months – 7.25″, 8″
2T – 7.75″, 8.75″
3T – 8.25″, 9.50″
4T – 8.75″, 10.25″
5 – 10″, 13.5″
6 – 12.25″, 14.5″
7 – 13″, 15.5″
8 – 13.75″, 16.5″
10 – 14.50″, 17.5″
12 – 15.25″, 18.5″
14 – 16″, 19.5″
Once you’ve determined your measurements, it’s now time to cut.  Cut your main bubble skirt piece.  You may need more fabric if you are doing a much larger pre-teen size.  Double the length measurement and add 1″.  You need to double the measurement because the skirt is going to essentially be lined (or folded in half).  Use the width of your fabric as your width measurement.  Mine was 54″, yours may be 60″ – if you would prefer less gathers in the skirt, then reduce the width measurement.
Cut the skirt band.  This measurement is your child’s waist measurement minus 3″ – 4″.  Reducing the size of the waist-band is VERY important.  If you don’t do this step correctly the skirt will not stay up, so measure carefully and think about the amount of stretch you have in the fabric you are using.  
For Savannah’s, I did an 18″ waist band x 6″.  The waistband will be folded in half (length-wise), so the 6″ will actually become about 2.5″-3″.  For Matilda’s, I did a more narrow waist-band, but I think I preferred the wider one on Savannah’s.
Join the two raw sides of the main bubble piece and sew down the side.  Do the same for the waist-band piece.  Now you will have two circles of fabric.  I suggest changing your needle to a ball-point needle when sewing with knits – it will make things go much more smoothly.
Fold the main bubble fabric in half length-wise (wrong-sides together).  I sewed mine together at the top just to make the next step easier, but you certainly don’t need to.  Do the same thing with the waist-band fabric.  Now you will have two fabric pieces both folded in half.
Run a gathering-stitch along the top of the skirt piece.  Pull bobbin thread to gather the skirt to the same size as the waist-band.
Pin the raw edge of the waistband to the raw edge of the bubble skirt.  Stitch in place.
Flip the waistband up and your skirt is complete!  The blue skirt is the one I made for Matilda with the more narrow waist-band.  Her waist-band is only about 1″.  I prefer the larger one on Savannah’s (pictured below), but feel free to adjust it more or less.

This is Savannah’s skirt and the waist-band is about 2.5″ wide, which I think is just right. Next time I may even try making it much larger so that it scrunches at the top…….maybe 12″ so I end up with a 6″ waist-band.

Here are the girls finished skirts.  I don’t like things too short on little girls, so I used the “at the knee” measurement for both of them.

Matilda was very happy to be part of this photo session.  I typically use her older sister since she is easier to work with, but Matilda is learning to follow directions and not run off, so you will be seeing more of her soon.

I love these skirts because they can be dressed up or totally dressed down.  I ordered some solid colored tank tops from Old Navy that I think will look darling with these skirts for playing outside or at the park.

Stay tuned for my full spring wardrobe reveal which was inspired by Jessica at “Me Sew Crazy“.  I hope to give you some inspiring creations that will give your little one a boutique style wardrobe for a fraction of the cost.
Happy Spring!