Fixing a Hole

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Simple mending can save a piece of clothing from the rag bag or trash.  Usually it just takes a couple of minutes, but thinking about doing the mending is hard.  Just do it!  You’ll be so glad you did.

My daughter’s favorite shorts had a drawstring with eyelet holes.  One of the eyeles ripped out and left a hole that threatened to get bigger.  Normally I would have slipped it into my mending basket and left it to sit until they no longer fit.  Fortunately my daughter needed them for camp and I had to act fast.

1.  First I removed the drawstring which was for style only and not really functional.

2.  Then I used a scrap of fusible interfacing on the front and back to reinforce the torn fabric.

3.  Then I picked a scrap of fabric from my stash and ironed a piece of Wonder Under Regular-Weight Paper-Backed Fusible Web to the scrap.

4.  The Wonder Under has a paper backing that is easy to draw on.  I used a pencil to draw a heart shape patch and then cut the fabric on the pencil lines.  (It’s so much easier to cut out fusible shapes after the wonder under is fused to the fabric than to cut the shapes first.)

5.  I peeled off the paper backing and ironed the patch over the hole.  I set my machine to a satin stitch (a zig-zag with a width of 3.0 and a length of .5) and top stitched all around the edge.   It’s not perfect, but it’s sturdy and the whole process took about 5 minutes. 

Fixing a Waistband

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My son is blessed with a thin waist and has been able to wear the same swimming trunks for 3 years. Finally chlorine rotted the stretch right out of the elastic and he couldn’t hold his trunks up any more. My first thought was to pitch them and buy a new pair, but finding time to go to the store was harder than just fixing them.

I use this same method to add elastic to the back of garage sale found jeans and slacks too. It helps the kids wear a wider variety of sizes.

Note 1:  Since this was a real mending job, my thread matches perfectly and may be hard to see.  You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and see more details. 

Note 2:  I keep a stash of basic mending supplies that I purchase when the thread and notion walls are half off.  My stash includes hanks of elastic in all sizes ($.50-$1 each) basic colors of thread:  red, black, khaki, navy, white, pink etc.,  interfacing, and sewing machine needles in all sizes and types.  This allows me to do quick sewing and mending without a trip to the store and I never have to pay full price for notions!

Step 1. Use a seam ripper to cut a slit in the inside of the waistband at each side seam.

Make a hole with the seam ripper

Step 2. Measure the width of the opening and choose elastic that is about 1/8 in narrower. Slip a pin in one end and pull it through the waistband. (Wait to cut the length of elastic until the end.)

Use a pin to slide the elastic through

Step 3. Set your machine to a wide satin stitch (a zigzag with a very short stitch, so the stitches lay right beside each other.) Satin stitch over the hole you cut, catching the end of the elastic to secure.

Fix a Waistband Step 3

Pin the elastic in place before satin stitching

Step 4. Adjust the gathers in the back to be even and trim the elastic to the desired length. Satin stitch over the other end to secure and repair the hole.

Satin stitch over the hole

Step 5. Straight stitch through the center back of the elastic to keep it from twisting.

Confession:  After the mending, he wore them once and we plan to donate them to Diabled Veterans instead of throwing them in the trash since the fabric is still good and the elastic gave them years of new life. I thought he deserved a bigger pair of trunks and this time of year is the perfect time to buy a swimming suit. They are on clearance for less than thrift store prices!

What’s for dinner?

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Penne Frittata and Pepperoni Kale.  This meal was a prime example of substituting what I had in my pantry to save a trip to the store and also to save from buying more expensive ingredients.  It is meatless which also saves on costs, but has plenty of protein from the eggs, yogurt and cheese.  The kale is from our garden.  It was overgrown but still had great flavor.

This Frittata recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart’s.  I didn’t have milk, ricotta, or fresh basil so I made a few adjustments.  Here’s the recipe as I used it.  Next time I would use a little less salt and less basil. Darren and I loved it, but the kids did not. 

6 eggs

1 cup plain fat free yogurt

1/4 cup parmesean cheese

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups cooked whole wheat penne pasta

Beat eggs, stir in yogurt, cheese and spices.  Fold in pasta.  Pour into a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 400 degrees until eggs are set, about 30 minutes. (I put mine in a cold oven and let the eggs cook while the oven heated up.  I thought this would give the cook first on the stove top and transfer to the oven feel without having to stand over it and burn the bottom.

Pepperoni Kale (What happens when I run out of turkey bacon–it was fantastic!)

6 slices of pepperoni, chopped

1 onion sliced

1 large bunch of kale, washed and sliced (I didn’t measure, just stuffed the pan full.)

Stirfry the pepperoni and onion together until the onion is clear.  Add the kale and cook just until barely wilted.  Remove from heat and salt gently.

With 6 you get Eggrolls

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Eggrolls! I love egg rolls, but they can be expensive either at a restaurant or from the frozen section at the Grocery Store. Eggrolls are easy and inexpensive to make at home. I prefer to make them ahead and then bake to rewarm for the meal. (It saves my nerves if I’m making stir fry to go with them.) You can triple this recipe and keep some in your freezer.

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, pork or shrimp or any combo)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 package (12-16 oz) coleslaw mix (this is just shredded cabbage and carrots and often goes on sale between $.50 and $1 a bag.) (you can also add other chopped veggies like broccoli, onion, celery, mung bean sprouts etc, water chestnuts etc.  I just kept mine simple and fast.)
10 egg roll wraps (or click to make your own)

1 48oz container of oil

  1. Pour oil into an electric skillet set to 350 and put the lid on while it comes to temperature.
  2. Place turkey in a large skillet and sprinkle with soy sauce and spices.  Brown meat, breaking it up into small pieces.
  3. When meat is cooked add the coleslaw mix and cook and stir for 3 minutes or until the veggies are crisp tender.
  4. Place 1/10 of the mixture on an egg roll wrapper. Fold the sides in. Tuck the bottom up and wet the top of the wrapper with your finger dipped in water.  Roll the rest of the way up.
  5. Fry in hot oil (350 degrees) until golden brown, turning once.
  6. Remove with a large fork to paper towels to drain.

We’ve spritzed these with olive oil non-stick spray and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes with good results.  They don’t have the same texture as fried egg rolls, but still yummy.  We’ve also skipped the wrapper and just eaten the filling.  It’s commonly known in the fitness community as “Eggroll in a Bowl.”   I’d love to try these in an air fryer.  If you have one, let me know how it goes!

What’s your favorite dish from a Chinese Restaurant?

Homemade Deodrant?

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Am I brave enough to try it? I don’t love the chemicals in commercial deodrant, but I do love smelling great. Now that my older children are entering the deodrant wearing age, I’m wondering if it’s time to find a more natural alternative that works.  As a plus, going DIY is budget friendly too.

There are lots of blogs out there for recipes and instructions and reviews. Here are my top 3:

Angry Chicken

Passionate Homemaking

WholeHearted Mama

Are you going to try it with me?  Interested in a deodrant container coop?

Cooking is so much easier now!

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Our floor is finished and I have a kitchen table out of my living room and into my kitchen!  Even though my cabinets are on back order until Mid-July, I have folding tables where the cabinets should be.  It’s a lot of space :).  I’ll be happy to have a dishwasher and kitchen sink again, but we have a stove now and life is feeling more normal.

Also we found a “new” table and chair set on Craigslist for a mere $50.  Normally the craigslist table wouldn’t have caught my eye, but I had already seen this one from a link at www.knock-off wood.com:

It’s worth a click on the photo to go to Little Bits of Bliss and see how she refinished this table to make it the beauty it is today.  I was so inspired by her post that I immediately went to Craigslist and found this:

I was so excited!  I plan to copy Little Bits of Bliss on their redesign, but at this point I’m planning on it being a year or more before I even think about it.  We are enjoying the unusual colors for now.  (If you can’t change it, love it–right?)

Homemade Refried Beans: Frugal and Fabulous

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These refried beans are fat free, delicious and super easy!

2 lbs pinto beans, sorted (remove dirt clods and stones) and rinsed

12 cups water

1 Tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons of garlic powder (Or 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic.)

Place all ingredients in a large crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Or cut recipe in half and place in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes on high pressure. If your pressure cooker can hold the whole thing without being more than 3/4 full, do the full recipe. Use a ladle to scoop half the cooked beans and liquid into a blender.  Puree until smooth.  Transfer beans to another dish and process the other half.  This freezes well, works great as a dip, is delicious just with a spoon, and great for any recipe calling for refried beans.  This makes about 15 cups of refried beans.

I ate mine with chips and with a spoon, then rolled some up with rice and cheese in flour tortillas and topped with hamburger mixed with salsa with a final layer of cheese for dinner.  These rice and bean enchiladas were delicious! And so easy.  You could easily make them vegetarian by leaving the hamburger out of the topping.  You could also substitute tomato sauce with chili powder, canned tomatoes with green chilies, or enchilada sauce for the topping.

 

Kansas City Grocery Deals Wednesday June 30

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These are the good deals that I plan to take advantage of this week.  A lot of people ask if we eat much fresh produce.  You’ll see quite a bit of fresh fruit in the list below:

Price Chopper

80% lean ground beef family pack $1.54 per pound

Whole Seedless Watermelon $2.94

Mangoes 2/$1

Breyers Ice Cream 48 oz $1.94 (I love this brand, but Hy-vee has a better deal on their house brand.)

Hy-Vee–Thursday and Friday only

Red Seedless Grapes $.95 per pound

Hy-Vee Hamburger or hotdog buns 77 cents each ( I will buy whole wheat buns from the bread outlet, but this is a decent price for someone who prefers white.)

Banquet frozen meals 10 for $7 (not my normal purchase, but good for emergency lunch for DH.)

Kandy Cantaloup 99cents each

Sweet corn $2.99 a dozen

Bar S Jumbo Franks $.59 each limit 2

Hy-Vee cottage cheese 69 cents for 12 oz (perfect size for my Slow Cooked lasagna recipe.)

Save A Lot

Fresh peaches, plums and nectarines 89 cents per pound

Bananas 33 cents per pound

Malt-o meal mini spooners or frosted flakes 50 cents a bag (great for snack mix or dessert recipes.)

Aldi

Honeydew 99 cents each

Strawberries 99 cents per pound

blueberries 99 cents per pint

cantaloupe 99 cents each

What readers are saying about Slow and Savory: 31 natural recipes for your slow cooker.

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This came through on the Grocery Shrink yahoo group:   Hi everyone, Just want to share that Angela’s New cook book
Slow and Savory Suppers 
Has a lot of great meals, I just tried the Spinach Chicken Alfredo and we loved it, My husband had seconds and wants it on the menu again, the children finished every bit on their plates. I loved the fact that I was not in the kitchen all afternoon, and actually had time to sew up some napkins for our table.
Andrea Lewis

I am also enjoying Angela’s slow cooker cookbook. Right now I have her chalupas cooking. Last week I made the lasagna. I figured I’d start at the beginning and work my way through! I LOVE that the chalupa recipe uses dry beans but requires no soaking! Soaking beans intimidates me.

-Suki

Angela, 
    The Chili was Fantastic…….My husband doesn’t like to eat
beans…..let alone a pot full of “Chili” ( there is only 2 of us).

He loved it and I encourage families that don’t really eat this sort of
thing, to try it.!!!!!!!

-Lisa

Setee Update

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I found out my little upholstered bench isn’t a bench but a Queen Anne Setee; all the better!  I just got back from the store with paint stripper, aquatic vinyl, double welt cording, dark walnut stain, and upholstery thread.  I already have a leather needle, a stapler, glue gun, and misc. padding and foam.  I’m hoping to borrow my mother and to pick my friend Vicki’s brain, who is a professional upholsterer.

My mother helped me move the bench in the bay window to check out the look and it is a perfect size lengthwise but too short.  I’m on the lookout for some ball feet to put under the legs and raise it just right.  I’m so excited!  The Nester has a post about a Queen Anne Chair she gave a makeover to.  It’s worth a read.  It’s so pretty! And gave me the boost I needed to stop dreaming and start doing.

I’m in tear-out stage now and taking lots of pictures and notes so I’ll know how to put it back together.  I started on the front, and soon found out that with all the tufting, I’d have to do the back first.