Grapeseed Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies from Cookies and Cups

Cookies and Cups Grapeseed Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies


Ok, I tried her Grapeseed Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies as the grapeseed oil is SO heart healthy. I used 2 1/2 cups of King Arthur's White Whole Wheat flour in place of regular old white flour as well. One picture is worth a thousand words, and they were yummy cookies as well.

Spinach Pasta Bake

Ok, I saw this recipe on the Kitchn that I really wanted to try. LOVELY photo of spinach flavored pasta. I wrote down what I needed and headed to Fry's Food Store. They did not have any spinach only pasta, so I picked up some wacky mac. Then, I am not certain I'd like shallots--never bought them, so I chickened out and bought green onions. I did buy the Asiago cheese the recipe called for, but I wasn't certain we'd like it, so I picked up some Kraft crumbles. I turned the Kitchn's Double Spinach Pasta Casserole with Pesto and Asiago into Wacky Mac Pasta Casserole with Pesto and Kraft Cheese Crumbles. I have a picture to prove it:

 I'm writing down the recipe I did so if anyone ever wants this casserole again, I can duplicate it.

Wacky Mac Pasta Casserole with Pesto and Kraft Cheese Crumbles

Mine served six with leftovers.

One package Wacky Mac
5 ounces of fresh baby spinach, rough chopped, about five cups ( I may have gone overboard with the chopped spinach)
One bunch of green onions--chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Kraft Cheese Crumbles--might have used a tad more
4 ounces chicken breast (recipe said raw--I used COOKED rotisserie chicken breast from Costco)
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 cup prepared basil pesto--I found some by the cheese section at the store and used it
Didn't add any salt, but you can if you like
Freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 by 13 pan (recipe said 8 by 8 pan, but I had too much stuff to go in that size dish). Add Wacky Mac pasta to lightly salted boiling water, and cook according to directions, drain and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl, toss together the chopped spinach, green onions, and garlic. Toss in the Kraft Cheese Crumbles as well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cream, and pesto. Taste, and add salt if you want. Stir in some black pepper as well. Whisk in the eggs.

Stir the cooked pasta together with the spinach and green onion, then pour in the sauce and toss to coat. Spread in prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes or until golden-brown on top and lightly bubbling. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Jelly Roll Toddler Sundress

Well, I was looking online, trying to score a FREE toddler sundress pattern, to try some of the fabric I bought from Hobby Lobby last week. I didn't buy a TON of fabric, and a lot of the professional patterns I have were really full and would take a ton more fabric than I had. I came across this totally darling little toddler dress from 2010 on the Modabake.com website. (Picture of the lady's sundress is in my photo along with the fabrics I picked up to try my version of her sun dress. She called it a 'jumper' with ruffled  leggings, or some such thing. It is going to be HOT in Texas soon, so I trust my little granddaughters won't be needing ruffled leggings. I could be wrong.)

I printed out the little bodice pattern the lady had on the Moda blog. Actually, it printed out two different ways and had no seam allowances marked or anything. I went to Joanne's with Kristi, and we picked out a Jelly roll of fabric, fat quarter of coordinating fabric she liked and 10 inches of fabric for the border of the sundress. See photo below:

 I kind of knew what I was doing.......but didn't feel like her directions were enough to actually come up with a finished sundress. I adapted her bodice for a size 3 Toddler bodice in a Simplicity, or McCall's child's sundress pattern. I also compared the width of my skirt panel to the Simplicity pattern, so I'd know it was wide enough. The professional skirt pattern kind of angled out wider towards the hem, and my strips were obviously just straight.....and I didn't want to mess with trying andle them out wider. I just sewed 20 of them together, using 1/3 of the length of the jelly roll strips. I then folded a five inch piece of fabric and added it to the bottom of my jelly roll strips--attached the skirt to my bodice.....and we will see if it fits Brooklyn or not. The buttonholes were a total nightmare--all the work on the little dress, and I absolutely could NOT get the buttonhole foot to line up properly for two evenly placed buttonholes. Hey, I've done them before, and after over 50 attempts, I should have had the hang of it--with any normal functioning foot.

Here is the little dress all finished. Now, to try to copy Breezy knit maxi skirt for Kristi. Wish me luck!
Update on the maxi skirt. Kristi loved it, pulled it up and made a dress out of out! She totally loved it. I'm off to make maxi skirt number two.......at some point.