Friday

Home Made Chicken Noodle Soup


Today's post is all about doing things handmade... 
Noodles! 
That's right, I'm going to share with you my grandma's recipe
for her home made chicken noodle soup! 
I even have pictures.
(How prepared am I!) 

Ingredients:
1 chicken, sectioned or not
4 to 6 carrots
3 to 5 stalks of celery 
Soup Base (I used Orrington Farms)
parsley, rosemary, bay leaves, salt & pepper

Noodles:
4 eggs 
(I use organic from my mother in law when I can)
3Cups flour
2tbsp water
1tbsp oil
salt
flour to roll out

First, boil the chicken. This should take anywhere from around a half hour up, 
depending on what kind of chicken you get and how big the pieces are. 
Make sure it's cooked properly! 
I start the chicken then move on to the noodles. 
First boil some water for the noodles before you start them. 

Mix all the ingredients for noodles with a mixer. 
It can be done by hand, but it's a pain!
I used to do it by hand in my apartment before I got married... ugh.

Sometimes I let the dog help? Hahaha. I spilled some flour.

Oh Gus, You're too cute!

Once the noodle dough is mostly done, knead the dough
to incorporate all the ingredients fully. Also, it makes the dough 
a little smoother and easier to work with. 
The dough should not be sticky, and if it is just wipe a little 
extra on your work surface so it doesn't stick. 
Then roll the dough out as thin as you would like the noodles to be. 

Here is the dough rolled out and partly cut. 
Cut the dough into strips! I like my noodles a little thicker, and my husband likes
them thinner. 
This is about how thick I cut them:

Now put the noodles in the boiling water, about three handfuls at a time. 
Do not overfill the pot, as it is easy for all the 
starches to foam up, and you don't want
your noodles to stick together. 
Stir the noodles a few times during cooking, which should take about three minutes. 
The noodles will float when they are done, 
and you can always taste them to make sure.
Also, if you take them out a little too soon
 they will always cook a little more in
the soup. 


Here are the finished noodles! Now, set them aside to work on the rest of the soup. The chicken should be done by now, and you may have taken it out to cool already. I strain the water from the chicken to use as the base for the soup, then add soup base to it. I do not measure, just look for the right color and taste. (should be several table spoons full)
strip all the chicken from the bones, and add it back to the pot. Then cut up the carrots and celery, however thick you want them, and add those too.
Then add the herbs and noodles. I like the spices I listed in the recipe, but use whatever you like. If there is too much ingredients and not enough broth, mix the soup base and the water together before adding it to the pot, so you don't have to re-season the whole pot of soup. 

You are done! It's ready to eat (as long as the veggies are cooked), but I like to let it sit on 
low for an hour or more to let all the flavors mix. And it's almost better the next day! 





Thursday

Eden's Wake

Who loves purses?
Well, me! But I know I'm not the only one.
And what makes a good purse? 
(Or should I say who?)

The answer is Eden's Wake, on Etsy!
This mother daughter team opened up shop just two short months ago, 
and already the quality of their work and their breathtaking fabrics are
 turning heads! 
(They certainly did mine!) 

Check out this gorgeous handbag!
The perfect thing for spring
with all this color and a great vibrant pattern.


They also do applique. 
This tote can go from lunch with the girls
 to a day at the beach, 
and carry your items with ease!

Eden's Wake has purses for every buyer, 
from a $98 dollar bag to a $6 dollar bag.
You can't go wrong! 


Only $23 for this adorable elephant applique. 
It could be used from day to day, 
for a kids tote (handy for church and car rides!)
as a book bag for the library...
the list is really endless. 

For readers on a budget
(who isn't on a budget these days)
that still wants one of these great bags
how about this great red pleated bag.
At only $15, it's like a great sale, 
without the sale!


I suggest pouncing on this, as it won't last long!

So why don't you head over to Eden's Wake
check out all the amazing purses, bags, totes, coin purses, 
and all the goodies they have to offer over there. 
I promise you will find something to put on your wish list
(or maybe just purchase now!)
Happy Spring/Mother's Day/etc. etc.
Every day is an excuse for a new purse!
They also do custom orders. (wink wink!)

Follow me on Twitter for sales
that I only give to my twitterers!
Check out my shop for all my new items 
and for a heads up on when I will be uploading new items! 


Sunday

The Crazy Antelope Post!


Hello again bloggedy blog world, and Happy Easter!
 What am I up to? Well I'm driving home from Wyoming, where I spent Easter weekend with my great aunts and uncles, 
and also hit up a bead shop in Casper, WY. 

I also tied up the loose ends on a custom order. This is a picture of the finished product. 

I love Wyoming! I like to see my relatives
But mostly...
(I just love seeing antelope!)

This is the view from my uncle's back porch.


This is the first time we have left our babies (read: Dogs) 
This is Gus, our 7 month old pug.
He goes to get coffee with my every Tuesday! 
(but he gets water and treats, instead of coffee)

And this handsome boy is Rocky. 
We rescued him from our local shelter last July, so we don't know how old he is. 
We do know that since we got him... there is a curious lack of flies in our home! 
He is half Jack Russell Terrier, and half Springer Spaniel.
Those flies don't stand a chance! 


So now that I've written a long, rambling post that was only vaguely related to crafting in any stretch of the word, I'm going to get back to my drive and search the treasuries for my next feature! 

I offer sales through twitter I don't give anywhere else for my

Tuesday

Ever Improving Me

Hello! The first post to my new blog... exiting! 
I decided to do a feature to break things in a bit. 

EverImprovingMe


An artist of many talents, when you click into her shop  
you can see anything from dream
 catchers to reusable sandwich bags, pictured above. The sandwich bags, available in many different patterns ( custom orders available!!!) are dishwasher safe, or just clean them with soap and water. She also has the cleaning instructions in all of her listings. These bags make 
me feel like going back to school, just to pack my lunch with her bags!
 But of course, they are much more diverse than just for a school lunch. My husband could use them to pack lunch for work, and they are perfect 
for picnics, and anywhere that you may be needing a sandwich.
I would also like to point out that they are economical, as they are reusable. No more brown bags, just beautiful patterns that make being eco-friendly fun! 




Some of the other items in EverImprovingMe's shop that I love!

EverImprovingMe also has Twitter and a blog, which makes her really easy to interact with, and get a hold of. (to ask her to make some custom sandwich bags, of course!) She also has a monthly giveaway on her blog that you might want to check out! 




Well, that's EverImprovingMe in a nutshell. Make sure you check out her blog to see what her giveaway is this month, and definitely check out her shop!

I guess this is the end of my first post as a blogger! Stay tuned to see who the next feature is, and I will start giveaways at some point... ! Check out my shop also, and make sure to follow me on  Twitter for sales that are offered only to my followers! 
Till next time!