Burlap and Lace Breadstick Holders

I made the cutest Burlap Bread Stick Holders last weekend and they were really simple to make.  I saw a Burlap Silverware Caddy on Cupcakes and Crinoline and I thought it was adorable.  I knew I wanted to make something like it.  What cinched the deal was when I saw a tutorial on Cutting Burlap Without the Mess on What Meegan Makes.

I had saved the large cans from the crushed tomatoes that I used for my Bolognese Sauce for this project.  I thought these would make the cutest bread stick holders, and I was correct.

Meegan from What Meegan Makes posted a tutorial last week on cutting burlap, and it worked like a charm.    This is how you do it

1.  Measure where you want to cut your burlap.
 
2. Next go to the space next to where you want to cut and start pulling on the thread.  You want to do this slowly, so that you don't break the thread. 

 

3. Once you have pulled the thread out, you will have a space that you can cut a straight line and you wont have a huge mess.

4.  Cut the burlap.

5.  I did this both width wise and length wise and got beautiful squares of burlap to use for my Burlap and Lace Bread Stick Holders. 

 

5. Next I just put the burlap inside the can, and gathered it around the outside of the can.

6.  I cut a piece of lace trim to tie in a bow around the outside of the can.

7.  I put in the bread sticks and was good to go.

Isn't this a really fun and easy project for serving bread sticks or anything else that stands up straight for a party.  It only took about 15 minutes, and I have these really cute little serving pieces.  I always love hearing from you.  Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!!!
Debi 

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How To Throw A Dinner Party

Today I am writing about How to Throw A Dinner Party, and the planning that went into my husband David's birthday party.  I'm kind of a last minute kind of girl.  I'm always late getting things done (notice I didn't get this post up yesterday, because I was exhausted and needed a day off), and most of the time, I'm still working in the kitchen when people are walking in the door.  I normally barely have makeup on, and sometimes my hair is still wet.  I always bite off more then I can chew.  I always make too much food, because God Forbid, someone may not have enough to eat.  My wonderful, patient, and kind husband always laughs at me, because he says "if we are having 10 people over, there will be food for 20".  

All of that being said, Saturday night was amazing.  I was on time, even early.  I had my hair done and makeup on by 6:40 PM, people were coming at 7:00 PM.  I did have help in the kitchen, from a wonderful woman Lilliana.  She helped with me with getting the appetizers and food out, and the dishes done, so that I would not have to do that part.  I actually got to get everyone drinks, and visit, and enjoy the evening, and best of all my husband had a great time with his friends.  He was relaxed and got to visit with everyone without having to do anything, except show up (that was pretty easy to do, since he just had to walk down the stairs. )

So today I am actually going to give a few pointers on How To Throw A Dinner Party, and enjoy it at the same time. Not always an easy task, but for the unorganized person that I am, this is really doable.  I will post some of the other recipes over the next week.  You have already seen some, and I will put links to those recipe in this post which will make it easier for you to find them.  So here we go, isn't that what Mario or Luigi say in that video game Mario Cart. 

1. I had made my menu a while ago in anticipation that David would want a birthday party.  He originally didn't want a party.

2. Menu:

Appetizers

Antipasto Skewers 

 Bread sticks  and Hummus

Cheese and Meat Tray

Dinner Buffet

Caesar Salad (Store Bought)

Asian Salad (Store Bought)

Rigatoni Casserole w/ Bolognese Sauce
I will post the recipe this week at some point

Garlic Bread ( I will post the recipe this Thursday)

Dessert Buffet Table

Desserts

Chocolate Mousse Cake (from Tony's in Centennial)
Store bought Cookies
Swiss Chocolate Almond Sundaes ( I will post the Recipe next Saturday)

Cocktails
Cucumber Basil Martinis

Peach Sangria ( I will post recipe on Friday)

2.  Get your recipes together and make your grocery list

3. Do your grocery shopping

4.  I started making my Bolognese Sauce on Wednesday.

5. On Friday, my daughter Charly, helped me with the cooking.

         Made Anitpasto Skewers

         Made the Rigatoni Casserole

         Made the Swiss Chocolate Sundaes

         Make Garlic Butter 

         Muddle cucumber and basil for Cucumber Basil Martinis

6.  To do list for Saturday

     ( I would normally have set the tables on 

     Friday, but my daughter Charly was staying with us for the week

     and I can't keep her cat off of my table, so I waited until he was 

     leaving.  Charly moved last week, so it was great to have her 

     home with me for the week.  Poor thing was exhausted Saturday

     night after moving all day, but she made it.)

        Pull out serving pieces

        Set tables and buffet

        Cover cans with burlap and lace bow

        Buy flowers, bread, salads, and cakes

        Arrange flowers

        Make Peach Sangria

        Get bread cut and spread garlic butter on it ( This was done by

        my oldest son Vince with Lilliana.)

        Get cheeses and meats on serving platter 

        Cut limes and lemons and put in bowls for the bar

        Get coffee ready

        Pull casseroles out of the refrigerator, turn oven to 350

        Casseroles go into the oven 30 minutes before you want to

        serve them.

        Cook Garlic bread

        Toss salads

        Clear appetizers

        Serve dinner

        Clear dishes

        After dinner turn on coffee pot

        Set desserts on buffet and serve

7. I did have help that night, so Lilliana was able to put food in the oven, clear the appetizers, and she was a huge help.  She came 30 minutes before people came, and got the appetizers ready to go, and helped me get everything out when people got there.

I must say, that this party was fun, and I was thrilled that I did not have to spend the whole time in the kitchen.  

You will see different recipes that I made on the blog this week.

I hope that this post was helpful.  Let me know what you think.  I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

Debi
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Antipasto Skewers

In keeping with an Italian theme for David's birthday, I decided to make Antipasto Skewers for an appetizer.  I was originally going to do a tray of Antipasto, but that seemed  like it would be a little difficult for a lot of people to eat.  So I came up with the idea of making Antipasto Skewers.  I thought this would be a really easy and semi healthy appetizer.  

So here is the recipe for Antipasto Skewers. 

Ingredients:

1 containers small fresh mozzarella

1 container small fresh marinated mozzarella

1 jar marinated artichoke crowns ( cut in half)

2 jars marinated artichoke hearts

1 large jar garlic stuffed olives
1 jar hearts of palm cut into 1/2 inch pieces

40 pieces of dry Italian salami  ( I used gallo )
1 container each of red and yellow tomatoes

1 package wooden skewers

Directions:

Slide 1 piece of mozzarella, 1 red tomato tomato,1 piece of artichoke crown, 1 olive,1 piece hearts of palm , 1 piece of salami folded into quarters, 1 piece of marinated artichoke heart, 1 yellow tomato, and 1 piece of marinated mozzarella.

I made some without meat for vegetarians, and some without cheese for my husband who is allergic to cheese.

This makes approximately 35 pieces.  I made between 2 pieces per person.

Isn't that an easy and healthy appetizer?  I thought so too.  Let me know what you think. I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Cucumber Basil Martini for Friday's Happy Hour and Favorite Blog Links for the Week

Today we are having Cucumber Basil Martini's for Friday's Happy Hour.  This is one of my husband's favorite drinks.  We had them on a Royal Caribbean Cruise 2 years ago, and they were so good.  I am really a fruity kind of drink girl, but I will tell you that this was an amazing martini.  So we have been on a quest for the last two years to make him a great Cucumber Martini.  I think that we finally got really close last weekend.  

Before we get to the recipe, we have one of my favorite times of the week.  Favorite Blog Links of the week.  I love Fridays, because I get to feature these great bloggers, and it is always a difficult choice, because there are so many talented people out there.  So here they are, take a look at their blogs and follow them if you like what you see.

New To Blogging Series - How to Blog Party from Serenity Now.

How to Thrift Like a Pro from How to Nest For Less

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes from Dishing With Leslie

Bohemian Bracelet From Little Treasures

Now, here is the recipe for a Cucumber Basil Martini for Friday's Happy Hour.  

Cucumber Basil Martini

Ingredients:

4 oz vodka

2 oz cucumber liqueur

2 oz simple syrup

6 1/4 inch slices of cucumber 2 slices cut into quarters.

6 leaves of basil
a muddler to crush the cucumber and basil ( they are a couple of dollars at the liquor store) You can make this without one

Directions:

Put cucumber and basil in a glass or cocktail shaker and used a muddler to crush well.  It will take a few minutes.  This releases the juices from the cucumber and basil to flavor the drink.  Before we had a muddler, I used a blender stick, or even a potato masher will work. 

Next add ice to whatever container you used to muddle your cucumber and basil.   

Add the rest of the ingredients to the container and mix well.  I let it sit for several minutes so that it gets really cold.

Pour into a martini glass and garnish with a cucumber slice.

Serves 2

This is a great recipe for a Cucumber Basil Martini.  I hope you enjoy tonight's Happy Hour.  I would love to hear what you think of this Martini.  I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Bolognese Sauce Recipe

Today I am giving you my Bolognese Sauce Recipe.  It is My husband's birthday on Saturday, and we are having some of his friends over for dinner.  I decided to make an easy meal, so that I would be able to spend time with everyone.  So for the next several days you are going to be seeing some of the recipes that I will be making for his special day.  On Sunday I will post pictures of the tables, the appetizers, the meal, and the cocktails.  I am pretty excited.  This is the 1st gathering that I will be showing all of you.

So here it is.  My Bolognese Sauce Recipe.  I hope that you enjoy it.

Bolognese Sauce 

Ingredients:

2 28 oz cans tomato puree

2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes

1 lb sweet Italian sausage cut into 1 inch pieces

1 lb ground beef

1 1/2 lbs veal shanks or short ribs

1 onion diced

5 cloves garlic

2 Tb Italian seasonings

2 TB parsley

1 1/2 tsp ground oregano

1 1/2 tsp basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp tarragon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

3 TB olive oil
2 TB sugar

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions.  Cook the onions until translucent, then add the garlic.  Cook for another minute or two.  Add all of the seasonings except the sugar, and just stir.

Next add all of the meat to the pan and continue to cook over medium to high heat to brown all of the meat.  You will need to continue turning the meat until it is all browned.

Next you will add all of the tomato puree and the crushed tomatoes and sugar.    Mix well.

Bring the sauce to a boil and then partially cover with a lid and reduce heat to either low or simmer depending on how hot your stove burns.  I keep mine at low for about an hour and then I turn it down to simmer.  

I cook this for 4 to 5 hours.  You want the short ribs or veal shanks to be falling apart.  

I serve it over spaghetti or rigatoni with Parmesan cheese on the side.

I am actually going to make this sauce into a rigatoni casserole.  I thought this would be an easy way to serve the pasta without having to be in the kitchen cooking.  

I hope that you like this recipe.  It is pretty simple and amazingly good.  I always love hearing from you, so send me your comments.

Enjoy!!!
Debi

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How To Make Natural Tinted Lip Balm and Wednesday's Adorned from Above Link Party 19

Read all the way through to get the recipe for my new and improved How to Make Natural Tinted Lip Balm.

Welcome to my Wednesdays Adorned from Above Link Party 19.   I hope that all of you have fun, and I can't wait to see all of your beautiful work from the last week.  You are all truly amazing.  I want to thank all of you for your support of Adorned From Above.  I really appreciate all of the time you take to link to my parties.  Keep up the good work.

The first thing I am going to ask any of you to do is to become a GFC Follower if you are not already following me.  I would really appreciate it. You could also follow me on Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook, Linky, anything you want.

This week I am featuring the three top blogs that had the most visits. Clicking on the like button will also help to pick which posts you like the most.  Right now I am picking the links with the most page views.

 

I am thrilled to feature the following posts this week.  So without further ado, I would like to present these beautiful and informative blogs.  To those of you that I featured just grab my new Wednesdays Adorned From Above Featured Button in my sidebar, or you can post a text link.

Let's Make a Deal from Suzan at Simply Vingageous .........by Suzan

Isn't this a beautiful chest?  I love it.

Birthday Dress by Betsy from Through The Looking Glass

This is the most adorable birthday dress and so is Betsy's daughter.

Candy Corn Oreo Treats by Sheryl from Lady Behind the Curtain.

These look so good, I am going to have to make them for my middle son who can eat anything.

I want to thank everyone who linked with my Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party 19.  All of your projects are wonderful and I would feature all of them if I could, but I think that the blog would probably be a little too long.  I hope that all of you link more posts this week.  Let's Party!!!

Your posts can include anything, I would love to see what you have been up to.

The only rules are to follow me, have a link somewhere on your post to Adorned From Above, and visit some other posts - after all it is a party.

• Wednesdays Adorned From Above Link Party Link
• Or Grab my Link Party Button in my sidebar.

I had posted a recipe for Pink Honey Beeswax Lip Balm .  It was tinted with Kool Aid, which gave a just a light color on your lips and a tiny bit of flavor.  One of the comments that I got from someone on Pinterest was to make it with natural food coloring.  Well, I want all of you to know that I do listen to you.  I try to take your suggestions into account, if it is possible.   "Great Idea!!!", "Thank you. Thank you.  Thank You!!!"

I decided to find natural food coloring and to take the recommendation one step further and add a natural flavoring also.  I figure that if we got an amazing lip balm with a great color and flavor, these would make great stocking stuffers for Christmas.  So here it is,  How to Make Natural Tinted Lip Balm.

Natural Tinted Honey Beeswax Mint Lip Balm

Ingredients:

1 oz. beeswax

4 TB honey

4 TB coconut Oil

India Tree Natural Food Coloring

1/8 tsp Natural Mint Extract

Directions:

Melt beeswax in a small pan over low to medium heat.  

Next add the coconut oil and honey and heat just until melted.

Then add food coloring until you get the color you want.  Then and the extract.

Put pan in ice and whisk until your lip balm has hardened and put in your sterilized lip balm containers.


Lip Balm 1 - 10 drops red food coloring

Lip Balm 2 - 25 drops red food coloring

Lip Balm 3 - 35 drops red food coloring
                       6 drops blue food coloring
                       2 drops yellow food coloring

Lip Balm 4 - 35 drops red food coloring
                     12 drops blue food coloring
                       4 drops yellow food coloring

Lip Balm 5 - 50 drops red food coloring
                     25 drops blue food coloring
                       6 drops yellow food coloring
  

Makes 4 medium Lip Balms or 5 small.

I am trying to make natural beauty products and I think that using natural food colors is a great way to go.  Let me know what you think of this Natural Tinted Honey Beeswax Flavored Lip Balm recipe.  I always love hearing from you.

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Organize Under the Kitchen Sink

Yesterday, I decided to Organize Under the Kitchen Sink.  The cabinet under my sink was a mess.  I wanted to accomplish organizing the cleaners under there, but I also wanted to get rid of as many chemicals as I could.  That would also give me the opportunity to see what other chemical free cleaning products I need to make.  I thought that this was going to be a big job, but I actually got it done pretty quickly.  It was quick and easy to Organize Under The Kitchen Sink.

The mess

The first thing I did was take a picture so that all of you could see what a mess it was.  Now I will go step by step what I did, and how I decided what I could get rid of and what I needed to keep.

1.  Take everything out of you cabinet under your kitchen sink.

2.  Start separating the chemical cleaners from the natural cleaners.  I have quite a few natural cleaners that I have made over the last several months.  There were not quite as many chemicals as there were at one time.

3.  I have two bins for my different cleaning supplies to be stored in, under the sink.  At some point I may get some sliding shelves to install under the sink, which will give me more room.  My bins are a least a way for me to organize my cleaning supplies, and get to them quickly.  At this point, I took a look to see what cleaning supplies I could do without, and what was necessary.

4.  This is how I decided what was going and what was staying.  

• I decided that anything that I had made and was chemical free would stay.  That included:
• DIY Natural All Purpose Cleaner
• Natural Ammonia Free Window Cleaner
• Homemade Clorox Clean Wipes  not totally chemical free
• Natural Lemon Oil Furniture Oil
• Homemade Furniture Spray Polish
• Natural Swiffer Floor Cleaner and Wood Floor Cleaner
• Next I went through my store bought cleaners to see what I could give up.
• I decided that I couldn't get rid of my liquid soft soap gel with clorox in it yet.  I do not yet have a good alternative for cleaning my white porcelain sink.
• I also decided that my silver polish is staying until I can come up with a better alternative.
• I also kept the Goo Gone,  Resolve Upholstery Cleaner, Toilet cleaner, dishwasher soap ( my husband buys it in bulk, I will make my own soon), dish soap, and my light and dark furniture oil.

5.  The cleaning products that I could get rid of were:

•  Fantastik, Quick Shine, Bona Floor Cleaners, Method floor cleaner, garbage disposal cleaner, and a couple of other cleaning products.

6.  I stacked the trash bags and dishwasher soap on the side of the cabinet.  I put the insect and wasp spray in the back of the cabinet.  I was able to put the paper towels in the back of the cabinet and also the Windex pads ( chemical free ) in the back. 

7.  I then replaced the tubs in the cabinet with the cleaning supplies.  Take a look and see how organized it is.  I can see everything.  

The change is amazing isn't it.  I put the paper towels in after I took the picture, but is still looks great.

Over the next few months I will start replacing the chemical cleaners with natural ones that I make.  It's just going to take some time and research.  

I hope that today's post on How To Organize Under the Kitchen Sink will help you.  I always love hearing from you, so send me your comments.  

Enjoy!!!

Debi

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Courage a Devotion

I always pray for wisdom and knowledge before I write these short Bible Studies.  Courage a Devotion is the topic for today.  You see I rely on God to lead, not only me, but also you.  I certainly do not have the answers, but God does.  Today, he is leading us to have Courage, and we are going to follow.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: 

for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; 

he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, 

until thou hast finished all the work 

for the service of the house of the LORD.
1 Chronicles 28:20

 Salomon's job was to build a new temple for God, and he needed to know that God was with him and wanted it done.  Since God ordered that Salomon build this temple, it would be completed no matter what.  Kind of an important thing.  If we listen to God, and do what he tells us, then things are going to work out, because that's what God wants.  It's when we stop listening, and try going it alone, that things don't really happen the way they are supposed to.  Unfortunately, wrestling control from God does not always work out.

God is always with us.  He doesn't forget us or leave us.  He's is there to help us achieve the completion of the tasks that he sets ahead of us.  I always say that I am amazed by what he accomplishes, but this verse says do not be dismayed.   A wonderful thought, and something to remember.  He is God, and he can accomplish anything, and so can we with his help.  

So have the Courage to do the work that God is asking you to do.  He is with you, and with him by you side you can accomplish anything.

I would love to hear anything that you send me. I always love hearing from you.

Have a Blessed Week. 

Debi 

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