Mug Sleeve

Mug Sleeve

Honestly, I don't quite understand the point of these.  I just think they're ridiculous, unnecessary, and make your mug look cute. 

So, I thought I would try to knit myself one to see if I would like it or not.

This is for a standard size mug.

What you will need:

• 10.5 / 11 gauge knitting needles
• Thicker Gauge Yarn
• Place  Marker
• Sewing Needle / Crochet Hook

Cast On 30.
Stockinette Stitch 3.25"
With a needle or crochet hook, sew sides.  And be sure to leave a hole for the handle.  I took my favorite mug and used that.  Placed a marker where the handle started and ended and sewed the sides together, weaved yarn to the next marker and then sewed the rest.  Voila!!  You have a sleeve for your mug, now your fingers won't burn, or whatever their purpose is.  I have a thing for buttons, so I added a couple to this to pretty-it-up a little bit.


When putting mug into sleeve, place handle in first, then the rest should slip on without trouble.

Enjoy.
Thanks for reading. :)

Fingerless Gloves

Fingerless Gloves

With this winter being relentless, I figured some of you might want to know how to make some fingerless gloves.  They're a simple quick knitting project you can knock out in record time.

What you will need:

• Size 10.5 / 11 gauge knitting needle
• Yarn ( I used a larger gauged yarn)
• Sewing Needle / Crochet Hook
• Markers (Not markers to write, but a marker to hold your place

I like my gloves to be a little larger, so I made them that way. If you want them smaller, cast 20 instead.

Cast On 25 stitches
Knit.
Alternate Knit Purl for 9 rows.
Knit.
Add stitch. Purl
Add stitch. Knit.
Stockinette Stitch for about 3.5 - 4 inches, I would hold my swatch up to my hand to make sure it was long or short enough.
Cast Off.

Leave about 6-8 inches of yarn on the tail.
Put your hand in the unsewn glove and place a marker where the top of your thumb would go.
With a crotchet hook or needle, sew to your marker.
Place your hand back into the glove and place the marker to bottom of your thumb.
Weave yarn to marker, and start to sew to the bottom.
Once sewn, be sure to knot the yarn nice and tight.

I added a button to add a little color to the glove and personalize it a bit.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
Stay warm.

Thanks for reading.

BACON bouquet

Bacon Bouquet

You read that right, a bacon bouquet.  Bacon, the little slice of heaven.  The high five in your mouth.  The thing that makes the world go 'round.  This is the best way to show someone you love them.  At least, it would work for me.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 pack of Bacon (any flavor you would like, I used maple)
• Vase
• Ribbon
• Plastic Roses
• Cookie Sheet
• Toothpicks
• Aluminum Foil

Preheat oven to 375.

Put aluminum foil on cookie sheet and open up your bacon.  You don't need the vase and plastic roses yet, so set those aside. 

Taking one strip at a time, roll bacon. Place toothpicks cross cross each other on the farthest you can go on your rolled bacon. The toothpicks stand the bacon upright so they don't fall over while baking.  Roll all the bacon and place evenly on the cookie sheet. 

*If you want to make a "super rose" roll 2 pieces together.  You will make a giant delicious bacon rose.*

Put bacon in oven and on the middle rack and bake 30-40 minutes.

While your bacon is being baked, pop the fake roses off of the stem.  And replace the rounded "leaves" with the plastic stub.  You want the cup looking leaf part to be about a half an inch to an inch below the stub of the rose so the bacon doesn't bend the stem.  I have seen people use electrical tape to tape the stems together, but I didn't have an issue with them falling over.

Once bacon is baked, remove toothpicks, and place bacon crispy side up on the rose stubs.  Add ribbon to the vase to pretty-it-up and voila!!  You have your bacon bouquet.

This works for mainly anything, but I made it for father's day.  Let's just say, my dad LOVED it!!!

I hope you enjoy making this and they enjoy eating it.
Thanks for reading.

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Goat Cheese

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Goat Cheese

I remember telling my man child how I wanted to cook for him.  And with this being the first meal he would be eating made by yours truly, I knew I couldn't just do something easy.  So, I went on the wonderful world of Pinterest and found this absolutely amazing recipe. And I am so excited to share it with you for you to try it out for yourself.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 9 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 Cup White Wine
• Lemon zest from 2 lemons
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs (I used thyme, oregano, and a little rosemary)
• Salt and ground pepper to taste
• 1 small log of goat cheese (If you don't like cheese any kind of "creamed" cheese should work)
• 1 lemon, but into 8 wedges, lengthwise

Divide cheese into 8 equal parts using fingers, loosen, the skin from one side of thigh to form a pocket for cheese.  Try to keep the skin connected to the thigh as much as possible, don't panic if it becomes a little detached.  Place portion of goat cheese (or cheese of choice) under the skin of each thigh, then press down gently on top of the skin to distribute the goat cheese in the thigh pocket.  Season with salt and pepper.  And set aside.

Over medium heat on stove top, heat olive oil in the tangine (or dutch oven). Add garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Do not allow garlic to brown.  Add wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, herbs, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Place chicken thighs skin-side-up over the sauce in tangine.  Brush thighs with the sauce.  Tuck lemon wedges in the tangine among chicken pieces.  Simmer 30-40 minutes until chicken thighs are tender and cooked thoroughly.  Occasionally,  brush thighs with more sauce.  Spoon off excess fat and oil from tangine and reserve for cooking veggies.

If making zucchini noodles, just toss a couple tablespoons of fat with zucchini and sauté until tender, but not falling apart. 

You can broil chicken thighs after cooking if you want more of a crispy top. 

Serve with hot pan juice.

To make zucchini noodles, take a vegetable peeler and peel thin slices of zucchini until you get to the seeds.  You don't want to use the seeded area because they'll fall apart.  Place zucchini slices on a paper towel and pat dry them the best you can without breaking them.  Let them
sit in a new dry paper towel for about 15 minutes.  You can either serve them cold, with some seasoning,  or sauté them.  I like them sautéd.

Bon apetit.