An inexpensive way to acquire blankets for your home (guest use, personal use, decorative) is to buy the material and make it yourself. Try the no-sew way of making warm fleece blankets....
For a kid blanket, I buy 1 1/2 yards of a solid color and 1 1/2 yards of a fun character or print (monkeys, disney, etc). Line up the two pieces, then cut 6 inch deep fringe pieces along all the sides. Tie the top fringe with the corresponding fringe from the bottom fleece and there you have a simple blanket. It takes a little bit of time to do all the little cutting, but it's worth it if you can get the fleece on sale. Yesterday I bought pieces to do a kid blanket for about $13. That's a double-thickness fleece blanket! You can't get a store-bought one for $13.
Plus, the blankets make good birthday or Christmas gifts. They're homemade, so I think the gift is more appreciated because you put your time and creativity into it.
Any other ideas for homemade items? Please post in the comments section. I would love more ideas for making my own things and saving the money. I don't mind putting in the time if I save a few bucks. :)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Here's a recipe I came across online several months ago and copied down. I would post what site I got it from, but now I can't remember. My husband and girls love it! It's a pretty quickly made yeast bread and the garlic/cheese combo is delicious.
Garlic Cheese Flatbread
1 envelope yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)
1 cup lukewarm water
2 cups bread flour (or 2 cups plus 2 TBSP all-purpose flour)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp white sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 TBSP garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan (grated) cheese
1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Beat with spoon until stiff. Cover and let rise for 35 minutes.
Remove from bowl and knead briefly on well-floured surface. Roll to 1/4-1/2 inches thick to the length of baking sheet. Grease the baking sheet, then place the dough on it. Spread butter on the dough and sprinkle with the garlic powder and cheeses. Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.
I have made it several times and played around with different cheeses. I only had mozzarella and cheddar once, so I used those 2 and it turned out pretty good. I've done shredded Colby Jack with no second cheese. If you have fresh Parmesan to grate, that tastes the best (in my opinion). But if all you have is the container of parmesan, that works too.
Since it is fairly quick, I start it right after I start whatever meat I'm cooking for the meal. Then I let it rise while I tend to the meat and the veggies I'm making. I finish the dough prep and pop it in the oven while I'm setting the table and finishing up the meat and veggies. That way, it's all done together and we can eat the bread while it's still hot! Mmmm.
Any comments on good dinner breads are appreciated. I'm always looking for good dinner breads to try. I've done the drop biscuits from the bisquick box; those are really easy and fast. I do make dinner rolls but they are the typical yeast bread that rises twice, so I usually start those only when I can start it in advance and be around to take it to the next stages on time.
Garlic Cheese Flatbread
1 envelope yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast)
1 cup lukewarm water
2 cups bread flour (or 2 cups plus 2 TBSP all-purpose flour)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp white sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 TBSP garlic powder
1/4 cup Parmesan (grated) cheese
1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes.
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and oil. Beat with spoon until stiff. Cover and let rise for 35 minutes.
Remove from bowl and knead briefly on well-floured surface. Roll to 1/4-1/2 inches thick to the length of baking sheet. Grease the baking sheet, then place the dough on it. Spread butter on the dough and sprinkle with the garlic powder and cheeses. Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.
I have made it several times and played around with different cheeses. I only had mozzarella and cheddar once, so I used those 2 and it turned out pretty good. I've done shredded Colby Jack with no second cheese. If you have fresh Parmesan to grate, that tastes the best (in my opinion). But if all you have is the container of parmesan, that works too.
Since it is fairly quick, I start it right after I start whatever meat I'm cooking for the meal. Then I let it rise while I tend to the meat and the veggies I'm making. I finish the dough prep and pop it in the oven while I'm setting the table and finishing up the meat and veggies. That way, it's all done together and we can eat the bread while it's still hot! Mmmm.
Any comments on good dinner breads are appreciated. I'm always looking for good dinner breads to try. I've done the drop biscuits from the bisquick box; those are really easy and fast. I do make dinner rolls but they are the typical yeast bread that rises twice, so I usually start those only when I can start it in advance and be around to take it to the next stages on time.
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