Blueberry Lemonade: Leftover Soup

Just for fun, I decided to do a search on the history of soup.  I have this idea in my mind about the origins of soup, and a preliminary search did not reveal anything of value.  I had to do a bit of digging, changing up my search terms to find something close to what I was looking for.

In my mind, soup originated from poverty.  One small rabbit and a few almost rotten vegetables thrown into a pot with some roots and herbs would go much farther than the rabbit and vegetables cooked like a roast.  According to one article I found, soup originated to serve invalids.  I hadn't thought about that.  Regardless of its origins, soup continues to be popular in all socio-economic circles.  In our family, it provides a way to use every small piece of food.  We live on a very tight budget, and waste cannot exist.

Some items naturally make great soup.  Others do not.  Similarly, finding the combination of items that work best takes some practice.  I make various types of soup from leftovers, and over the years through trial and error, I have established a standard 3 recipes that I only slightly vary.

Fish
Vegetable (chicken, pork, beef)
Taco

Today, in the crockpot, is the vegetable soup.  I had the ingredients in the fridge and had not moved them to the freezer soup bowl.  The freezer soup bowl is a plastic container I put all leftover vegetables into and then use to make soup once the bowl is full.

In the crockpot is:  a few potatoes and carrots from a roast, a small piece of grilled pork chop, leftover green beans, a small amount of leftover au gratin potatoes, 1/2 chopped onion and a cup of frozen mixed vegetables.

Warm a tablespoon of butter in a skillet and add chopped onion.  Stir and cook until onion just becomes tender.  Add the leftover vegetables from the roast and heat slightly.  Add 1 cup of water and stir well, allowing the ingredients to mix well.  Pour into the crock pot.  Add a tablespoon of butter to the skillet and melt.  Add 2 tablespoons flour and mix well.  Heat through.  Add 2 cups of water to the flout mixture and stir to make sure no lumps exist.  Add to crock pot.

Add the other ingredients.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  I like to add some rosemary and thyme. Turn the crockpot to low and cook for about 1 - 2 hours.

I hope you can find some tips and techniques to help expand your food use.  Check back often as I will post more frugal chef recipes.

Blueberry Lemonade: Upcycled Washcloths

Several years ago when I was just married and had purchased our first house, I saw these beautiful towels and washcloths at a Dillard's in the mall of Abilene.  Essentially, the towels were just decorated with a strip of accenting fabric and lace.  The price tag for each one was well over $20.  It was more than I was willing to spend.

So, I designed my own.  With some scraps I had and a towel in my own linen closet, I made my first prototype.  I have made these now for over 20 years as gifts, to extend my linens or to add some punch to a boring bathroom.  Adding some accent fabric is a quick fix and will allow for multiple re-decoratings.  My daughters are forever changing their minds about the bathroom decor.

Recently, I decided to try to extend the life of some washcloths that were beginning to fray on the edges.  I had plenty of shabby chic fabric pieces, so I set out to make some old-fashioned and functional washcloths.  The result was amazing.  I decided to upcycle linens for my daughters for Christmas.

Gather the linens to upcycle.  Lay them out and examine for frayed edges.  Trim the tag and any frayed edge.

Next, layout the accent fabric on the selected linen.  For a washcloth, I use the washcloth as the pattern and just cut out around it.  For hand and bath towels, decide what pattern of strips to use.

For these hand towels, I used a smaller strip of the blue and a larger strip of the zebra print.

For towels:  fold over the edges of the strips and pin flat.
For washcloths: pin the accent fabric to the washcloth.  A zig-zag stitch will finish the edges.

Stitch.
For towels:  use a straight stitch all the way around.  Notice in the picture that the strips of fabric hang over the edge.  That's ok.  Stitch using the towel as the reference.

For washcloths:  stitch once all the way around with a straight stitch.  Then, go back over it with a zig-zag stitch.

Once the stitching is complete, remove all pins.
Use pinking shears to cut off the excess fabric.  I cut right up to the edge of the stitch.  Now is a good time to check that stitches did not fall off the edges and restitch for any gaps.

Carefully trim an extra hanging threads.

Once the product is laundered, you may need to trim again.

 Notes:  If you truly UPCYCLE, your linens will not be crisp and new looking.  From my pictures, you can see the splatter of paints for when the washcloth had been used as a brush rag for some art project.  I did not catch this when I initially sorted the linens.

Also, if you want more clean edges, you can spend some time folding over before pinning.

For washcloths, you can sew the two pieces together and leave a small gap.  Then, turn inside itself.  You would need to roll, pin, press and then stitch around the edge.  This will make a very neat, clean edge.  If you are planning on gifting, this might be your best option.

 Here is the finished product.  I made 3 bath and 2 hand towels and 4 washcloths for my daughter for Christmas.

To place an order:  https://www.facebook.com/ShabbyRoundTheCorner

Blueberry Lemonade - Shabby Chic cake plate

I have seen a few examples online of handmade cake plates, and for about 3 months, I scoured shops - junk, vintage, consignment - looking for components to make my own.  I finally gave up.  That is when I literally stumbled onto the two pieces I used to make my own Shabby Chic cake plate.

I wish now I had taken pictures before..........I will know better for next time.

I used a wooden candlestick that had one of those pins in it to secure the candle.  With a lil force, I removed the pin and then spray painted.  I sprayed on a thin layer of varnish to seal.  Then, I glued the plate on the top using gorilla glue.  I have used this cake plate for almost everything lately.

My quest is to make several more this summer and upload to my etsy store.

To order:  https://www.facebook.com/ShabbyRoundTheCorner

Blueberry Lemonade

Christmas is over and the new year presses upon us almost impatiently.  As 2012 begins, I hope to begin my crafting work with the definition of my spring moods; I have outlined these in my "idea journal" several times before now, so just the putting together of many thoughts and ideas will complete the cycle.

Blueberry Lemonade...............I think of it as a pale yellow, a beautiful blueberry blue and a hint of deep lavender.  This mood can be accented with cream and occasionally punctuated with a vibrant red, but only sparingly.

This lovely flower captures what I envision for this mood.

Stay tuned for more.

Blueberry Lemonade - Frozen Delight

Frozen Blueberry Lemonade

by Jessica on July 6, 2011

Click on the title to be linked directly to the creator!!

You know the commercial: a gruff voice announces that lemons always get a bad rap, as one lucky lady sips on the newest McDonald’s delight, the Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Does it tempt you as much as it does me? I get *this* close to jumping in the car and driving down to the nearest ‘Golden Arches’ before I remind myself of all the sugar and hundreds of calories that this thing packs in such a small cup. I was craving that frozen concoction something fierce, so it was truly fate when this recipe floated through my inbox last week.
It’s not speckled with that famous red berry, but a pretty popular blue one instead. I urge you to try this as soon as humanly possible… just don’t blame me if you become as addicted as I have.

Frozen Blueberry Lemonade
Adapted from: Real Simple
PointsPlus™ Value: 0 (without the Vodka!)
Yields: 4 servings
1-1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c Crystal Lite lemonade
1/2 c fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp + 2 tsp Splenda
3 c ice
1/2 c Vodka (optional)
In a blender, puree the blueberries, lemonade, mint, Splenda and ice (and vodka, if using) until smooth. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve!