Category Archives: Miscellaneous Therapy

Chicken Alfredo Pizza to Die For!

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I posted this recipe in 2008 here on this blog but it bears repeating – it’s that good!  We made it a couple of weeks ago and it was devoured by everyone.  When you sit down for a meal and expect conversation, but the entire table is quiet – that’s how you can tell that the food is delish!

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However, we made a few changes from the recipe I posted here in 2008.  We split the pizza into thirds.  One-third of our family wanted the basic Chicken Alfredo pizza so that section was made with chicken, green onions, bacon & mozzarella cheese.  The next third wanted spinach added to theirs.  The final third wanted everything except the onions.  I’ll post the full recipe below and you can pick and choose what toppings you’d prefer on your pizza:

Ingredients:

Homemade pizza crust
Homemade Alfredo sauce (butter, garlic, parsley & whipping cream)
2 c. Tyson® grilled chicken strips, cooked and diced
1 c. cooked, slivered & drained bacon
1/8 c. diced green onions
1/2 c. roughly chopped fresh spinach
2 c. mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°.  Spray baking sheet (half sheet cake pan is perfect) or pizza pan, then sprinkle with a little corn meal.  Spread Alfredo sauce down on dough (we don’t like too much, but use your own discretion).  Next, layer the diced chicken, bacon, green onions, spinach and cheeses on top.  Bake for 15 – 25 minutes, depending on how toasted you like your crust and cheese.  Enjoy!

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Personal Quilt Records

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Why didn’t I think of documenting who and where my quilts went 30+ years ago when I started quilting?  My answer is that I didn’t think of it back in the days of my early quilts.

After a few years, I did start to take photos of the quilts and afghans I made.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get name the photos so I could remember just who the gift went to.  So I have a stack of photos as a reminder, but I am not sure I could tell anyone who the items were given to.

After I was diagnosed with MS and we realized the extent of the loss of my short- and long-term memory problems, I started asking the recipients of my quilts to take a digital photo and send it to me, so I could refer back to it and know who my quilts went to.  Unfortunately, my request hasn’t always been honored.

There’s also a reason to document your quilts if you ever need to show your work to someone who is interested in purchasing or commissioning a quilt from you.  The stack of photos I have has been passed along to others many times and many quilts have been made based on quilts I had made in the past via those photos.

But, here are a few suggestions for documenting quilts (or any type of handmade gift) that you make and give or gift away:

  1. Photo album:  A photo of the finished quilt before it is sent to its new home, plus a photo of the recipient (if possible) with their new quilt.  But take this one step further and write or type a little note, adding the information on where the quilt went and who it went to.  A date would be great, too.  If nothing else, take a photo of the tag on the quilt, then you could eliminate any further need to write anything.
  2. Write out information about your quilts.  This is a pretty thorough list items to help you:  https://www.reddawn.net/quilt/documnt.htm.  This is even a more thorough form you can print and use:  https://oregonquiltproject.blogspot.com/
  3. “Personal Quilt Registry“, a book written by Lynne Fritz, offers a seemingly excellent opportunity to keep a record of your quilts – not just what you’ve gifted away but also those you have kept.
  4. Make a quilt journal:  https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/05/how-to-make-a-quilt-journal/.
  5. There’s also software you can purchase and use on your computer to document your quilts:  https://softexpressions.com/software/organ/index.html#Quilters.

There are many options for you to choose from to help you keep a record of your quilts.  What’s your favorite way?


Tutorial Tuesday: Repurposing Washcloths

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Last week, I opened one of our linen cabinets in search of an old towel and everything came tumbling out.  Once I had what I was looking for, the guilt of just shoving everything back and closing the doors to hide the ugly mess hit me.  I opened the doors back up and took matters into my own hands – reorganizing.  After all was said and done, I realized that we had a disproportionate number of washcloths to towels.  Even a family of six doesn’t need three times more washcloths than towels!

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Time for a washcloth intervention!

After pulling out some of the washcloths, I decided to make ditty bags out of them for camping adventures.  Last week I had two kids off at camp, this week two kids at camp, next week two kids again…and so on.  Summer is for camping and all four of my kids love to camp!

I began by matching up plain colored washcloths with washcloths that had a pattern on them.

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Then I trimmed up three sides so they were both even, pinning them, right sides together, as I went along.  I did not trim the top of the washcloths – they were already finished out and I didn’t see the need to trim them and then hem them.  I was repurposing, not reinventing!

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Using a wide zig-zag stitch with a medium stitch length, I sewed the washcloths with a 1/4″ seam allowance on the two sides and then sewed across the bottom.

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This is a photo of the inside-out washcloths after they were sewn together.

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Then I turned the bag right-side out and used my handy-dandy corner tool to push the two corners out.

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This is the ditty bag, ready for the next step.

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Using about 16″ of 100% cotton, 1/4″ diameter cording, thread a wide-eyed needle.  This will become the drawstring for the ditty bag.

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Using large stitches, begin at the corner of the top of the ditty bag and sew all the way around the opening, tying off the cording with a knot.  A camper can not only but a bar of soap in it and use it as-is in the shower, they can also store all of their personal items inside it (in a plastic bag) to make it easy to carry their toiletries at once!


NOT a Pay it Forward Gift

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The administrative assistant and our daughters’ school has been exceptionally helpful to me and our family this school year.  Therefore, I made her a small gift as a token of our appreciation.

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One side of her tote bag.

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Other side of her tote bag.

I have projects for two more special teachers for our middle daughter to get ready but we’re in the home stretch of this school year – three and a half days for our daughters and five days for our son!


A Dazzling Quilt Label

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I asked a quilty friend, Mary Mann, if she would make some embroidered quilt labels for me.  The three quilts I needed them for were pretty special quilts and I wanted labels that would last a long time.  When I received the labels from her, she surprised and delighted me with a little razzmatazz on one of the labels that goes on a quilt gift to a breast cancer survivor!

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Thanks Mary!