Oatmeal Raisin Wookies

Let me present to you my recipe for Oatmeal Raisin Wookies (Waffle cOOKIES):

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
5 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
5 Tbsp xylitol (birch sugar)
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/3 cup raisins
Nonstick spray

For your mis en place, put the egg, whites and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk together the flour, salt, soda, and spices. In another bowl, mix the oatmeal and raisins.

Heat your waffle iron. (Mine has settings 1-4. I used 3.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, applesauce, brown sugar and xylitol until smooth and caramel-like. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla. Whisk until fully incorporated. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour mixture and then the oatmeal mixture until all dry ingredients are moistened. It will initially seem liquidy but will quickly thicken up. Use a medium cookie scoop and place a scoop of batter in each quadrant of your waffle iron. Cook for 90 seconds and remove to a plate. Repeat.

Tie One On! - The Clothespin Apron

Materials:
2/3 - 1 yard of fabric
Matching thread
Two large buttons

Tools:
Scissors
Ruler
Marking pen or pencil
Sewing maching
Serger (optional)

This project requires 2/3 yard of outdoor home decorator fabric. I used Waverly Sun N Shade Outdoor fabric for this apron. The standard width is 54 inches. If your fabric is narrower, you will possibly need more. I chose this fabric because it is durable yet light in weight. It come in many colorful and attractive patterns. I have learned that a white or off-white clothespin apron will look soiled in short order if you are wearing it outdoors and bumping up against things.

You will be cutting five pieces to construct this apron. The layout I used is this (clicking on the image will give you a larger view):



There is the main body of the apron (16.25" x 23.5"); two pockets (10.75"x15" each); and two ties (3"x34" each).

Once your pieces are cut, the method for assembly is:

1. Fold ties in half lengthwise with the wrong side showing. Stitch one short end closed then turn the corner and stitch the length of the the tie using a 1/4" seam. To make turning easier, you may wish to tie a knot in the end of a length of heavy yarn and lay it into the folded tie before stitching, leaving the knot extended out of the end you first enclose with the seam. When you have sewn the length of the tie, you can pull on the yarn to being turning the tie right-side out.

2. Fold the two shorter sides of the main body of the apron 1/2 inch and press. Turn the raw edge into the pressed fold to created a 1/4" turned seam. Stitch.

3. Repeat this technique to finish the bottom hem of the apron.

4. Mark the pocket placements by drawing a line (using an appropriate fabric marking tool) that is 2.25" from the bottom edge and 1.25" from each of the side edges. This will help you place the pockets later.

5. Finish the side and bottom edges of each pocket. This is preferably done with a serger or it can be done using the zigzag feature on your sewing maching. (This step is important because the outdoor fabric is prone to fraying and yet it is too heavy to create unnecessary turned edges.)

6. Finish the top edge of the pocket with the same technique used on the sides and bottom hem of the apron. Turn 1/2" and press. Turn raw edge in to pressed fold and stitch close to the edge.

7. Fold pockets at each bottom corner, aligning straight edges and then marking a stitch line. Your line should be 2 1/4" from fold to finished edge. This will give the pocket depth.


8. Turn the corners right-side out and turn the extra fabric created by making this seam toward the bottom of the pocket. Since this apron will get a lot of hard use, I wanted to incorporate as few sewn edges as I could and to leave the corners intact so that I didn't have weak seam areas. These folds of fabric will also help the pockets natural tend to stay open.

9. Lay the pocket on a surface, right side up, and locate the center point of the top edge. Mark the place of your buttonhole. Create a buttonhole that is appropriate to the size of the button you have selected. The button hole should vertically on the upper edge of the pocket.

10. Lay your pocket again on a surface facing up. Make a mark on the top edge of the pocket 1.5" from the bottun hole toward the right and another to the left. Now fold these mark points toward one another and stopping just before reaching the buttonhole itself. This please will ensure that while your pocket is roomy, the top will not droop down and allow the contents to spill. Make sure all three layers of the folded pleat are aligned on the top edge and stitch through all layers. Repear this on the other side of the buttonhole. Your pocket should now have a tidy pleat that will permit the button to peak out of the center.

11. Fold the sides and the bottoms of the pockets in 1/2" (wrong sides together) all the way around the pocket and place pins to hold the turned edge in place.

12. Place the pocket on the apron in the right hand position, lining up folded edge with botton and right markings. Fold apron in half and make sure the pocket does not extend past the center. If it does, just ease in the extra a little. If it doesn't quite reach the center, that's OK.

13. Stitch the pocket in place from the top, very near the folded edge, and keeping it aligned with your placement markings. This will create less bulk and a double stitched seam for sturdiness.

14. Fold the top edge of the apron, wrong sides together, 3/8". Press. Turn again 1 1/4" and press. This creates a strengthend waist band.

15. Slide the raw edges of each tie into a folded end of the waist. Stitch each tie in place securely. The stitch the long folded edge of the apron waist.

16. Mark the button placement by placing the marking pen/pencil throught the buttonhold on each pocket and finding a position where the pocket looks like it's closed as much as you would like. (Stitch your buttons on using the sewing machine. (Stitch length 0 and width appropriate to the button holes. Draw front threads through to back by lifting back threads until you can see the loop. Tie threads in the back and trim to knot. This will fasten the button on more securely than hand-stitching may.)

Now fill your pockets with clothespins and be a laundry day fashionista!

Note: If any of these instructions don't make sense or if some step appears to be missing, please let me know. I am new to writing instructions and I appreciate any input you have.

Raising the Bar

Here's the nitty gritty:

1. Measure the space you plan to use in your refrigerator. This is your starting point. I actually made room to accommodate taller containers than I originally thought I'd use.

2. Visit a Walmart, Target or other store where plastic storage containers are found. Keep an open mind and peruse your options. I originally thought I'd get one large, shallow container but couldn't find one that would make the most use of the space. I found that these two containers would utilize the full width and depth of my shelf.

3. Find containers that fit within your main container(s). I actually spent a bit of time trying out a variety of insert containers. I looked for small containers that had straight sides, so that I wouldn't have wasted space as I seated them next to one another. I also realized that while a quart container of grape tomatoes or cauliflower would be about right, I did not need that large of a container for sunflower seeds. So I ended up with one quart freezer containers and one cup freezer containers that fit well in an arrangement together to make the most of the available space.

4. Take them home and wash them. Clean out your fridge. And see how your larger container(s) fit. Don't like the way it works? Get creative and move things around. Who says that a produce drawer can't hold small containers of dairy products? Who says egg cartons can't be stored on their sides?

5. Empty your produce drawers of all your salad items and prep them for the salad bar. You'll want to use a lid for items such as onions, which could make everything else smell like them, or for cucumbers, which are best when not dried out to the same humidity level as, say, mushrooms. If they don't need to be extra moist or aren't likely to share their aroma, I leave the small container open within the larger container to make it more convenient.

6. I leave half of one large container open to keep my lettuce handy, also. Line it with a paper towel, wash and tear your lettuce, place it loose in the open side, and cover lightly with a damp paper towel. Really, salad making doesn't get any easier than this.

7. Get creative with your salad bar contents. Don't think only produce, think of canned items that could jazz up your salad building, nuts, eggs, whatever you like to eat.

8. Remember, it's not just for breakfast. What would it be handy to have ready to go for making other meals a snap?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

What's in my salad bar right now?
Romaine lettuce
Iceberg lettuce
Hard boiled eggs (peeled and in fresh water)
Cucumbers
Onion
Sunflower Seeds
Scallions
Grape Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Radishes
Jicama
Celery
Sweet Pepper
Cauliflower

Things I have/will have in my salad bar:
Apple
Garbanzo Beans
Beets
Kidney Beans
Black Beans
Squash
Zucchini
Carrots
Banana Pepper Rings
Mandarin Oranges
Fennel
Snap Peas

Go crazy - It's all good for you!

Welcome to My Second Home

If you stumbled across me here, you may want to visit me at my main home. This blog is a place for all the behind-the-scenes details that would bog down my main blog. But for those of us who are curious and like to know, I'll be posting here at "I Did This and You Can Too" all the how to's, recipes, and instructions that related to the goings on at home.