DIY Project

My latest DIY project was recovering my sewing machine seat. Can it be called a project if it took me five minutes?
The seat had no padding so it got quite uncomfortable sitting on it for long sewing projects.
My solution:

Before: Flat seat, funky olive green fabric.




First I layered new fabric, memory foam padding, and the chair seat. Then I pulled the new fabric over the edges and stapled it on with a staple gun.


Ta-da! Brand new seat . . .


with much more cushion!

The Topeka Rental

I debated on whether or not to post these since we seem to move every year! However, I know how much I like looking at photos of peoples' houses, so here's our current home:

Front of House: We're on a corner lot so we have a huge front yard.


Side of House: I spent our first month here pulling up the overgrown landscaping (weeds) next to the house. I also did the brick border, I think it turned out pretty good! Hopefully I'll be able to plant more things in the Spring.


Backyard: We were lucky to find a rental with a fenced yard for the dogs- even though it's half the size of the front yard! It's still big enough for us to play fetch.


Bedroom: The beautiful quilt was made by my Aunt Annette for our wedding. The colors are perfect for Fall.


Office: Also known as the storage room, sewing room, scrap-booking room, guest room . . . If you haven't noticed it's hard to take photographs of the interior of our house because it's so tiny! Half of the office is missing from this picture :).


Bathroom: One of the reasons we chose this rental was that the bathroom is newly remodeled- no dingy tub and tile!


Kitchen: Tiny but functional.


Dining Room: We had to leave our nice big wooden dining table and chairs behind, so we borrowed this collapsible one from my parents. We have to get creative for seating when we eat at it.


Living Room: When we moved we left behind most of our big furniture. We started off watching TV and eating in our office chairs! Now we have places to sit when you come visit. My solution to semi-ugly mismatched furniture was making slipcovers and matching pillowcases. I think they turned out pretty good!


Thanks for looking!

Tuesday's Supper- Pepperoni Ziti Casserole

Another good recipe from Taste of Home (and it's healthy)!



Pepperoni Ziti Casserole

10 Servings, Prep: 20 min., Bake: 30 min.

Ingredients
1 package (1 pound) uncooked ziti or small tube pasta
1/2 pound lean ground turkey
2 cans (one 29 ounces, one 8 ounces) tomato sauce, divided
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 can (8 ounces) mushroom stems and pieces, drained
5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 ounces sliced turkey pepperoni

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the 29-oz. can tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spinach, ricotta cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, garlic powder, pepper flakes and pepper. Drain pasta; fold into turkey mixture.
Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine the water and remaining tomato sauce; pour over pasta mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and remaining mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni.
Cover and bake at 350° for 24-30 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Yield: 10 servings.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup) equals 306 calories, 7 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 37 mg cholesterol, 795 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 20 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2-1/2 starch, 2 lean meat, 1 vegetable.

Chicken Noodle Delight = Comfort Food

I tried out a new recipe from the Taste of Home website. So good!

To make it even healthier I skipped adding the 1/4 tsp. salt, butter, and crackers. I also skipped the baking step and just heated it on the stove. Delicious.

Chicken Noodle Delight

6 Servings, Prep: 25 min., Bake: 40 min.

Ingredients
4 cups uncooked yolk-free noodles
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) reduced-fat reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup (8 ounces) plain yogurt
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup crushed reduced-fat butter-flavored crackers (about 25 crackers)
3 tablespoons reduced-fat butter, melted

Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the soup, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, milk, parsley, onion powder and salt. Stir in chicken.
Drain noodles; toss with chicken mixture. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Combine cracker crumbs and butter; sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 432 calories, 17 g fat (9 g saturated fat), 86 mg cholesterol, 637 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 27 g protein.