Friday, September 30, 2011

My Helper and I have been very busy.

Charley and I have been busy getting all the office work finished. 

Then we had lots of laundry to do.

After that the family came for a small dinner.



Feed them and they will come!

We had to work off all that food, so we played football.

Tomorrow is my craft show.  It's been crazy getting ready.  I'll post pictures of that next week.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!  If you live close by, come to Dutch Neck Village for shopping and lunch Saturday.  I would love to see all of you!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Ho-Ho-Ho, I'm working on Santa's.

I'm on a Santa kick.  I just finished 6 of these using a pattern by Cindy of Country-Friends.
There are 6!,  One must be hiding behind the front right one!
I also finished up 15 of these Santa ornies. 

I need to get them listed in my Etsy shop soon.  Most are going to my craft show on Oct. 1.
I must have over 100 ornies ready to sell.  It's been a busy two weeks sewing for the craft show, and filling my Etsy orders. 

Tomorrow is my Daughter's Birthday.  It's hard to have a 9/11 Birthday.   We always make the best of it. 
We are having a family dinner here to celebrate.   I ordered a bushel of cook and cleaned blueclaw crabs. Yummy South Jersey/East Coast feast!! We always have to have Jersey corn, and  mac'n cheese to fill us up while picking the crabs.  Crabs are so much work, but worth every bite. We just sit back with a nice drink, talk, and pick, and eat, and talk, and pick, and eat!!!  You can't hurry eating crabs.
Have a nice cool rest of the weekend. 



Saturday, September 3, 2011

The best Barbecue chicken recipe for Labor day

My camera usb cord broke, so I can't post any new photos until the new one arrives. 
I thought I would share my favorite barbecue chicken recipe.  It looks more complicated than really is.  I use Sweet baby rays bottled sauce, and regular store bought italian dressing to speed things up.
This recipe came from the Neeleys over at the foodnetwork.  Just click that and it will be ready to print.

Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time: 8 hr 30 min Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min Level:


Easy Serves:

6 to 8 servings Ingredients

2 chickens (or 4 whole bone-in chicken breasts) halved lengthwise

1 1/2 cups Italian dressing, recipe follows

1/4 cup Neelys Barbecue Seasoning, recipe follows

1 cup Neelys Barbecue Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

Rinse chicken halves in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken in a large bowl or baking dish, coat with Italian dressing and evenly season with Neelys seasoning. For best results, allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.



If Cooking Inside:

Take the chicken out of the refrigerator and brush chicken with Neelys Barbeque Sauce.



Place into a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 minutes.



If Grilling Outside:

Thirty minutes before you're ready to cook, take the chicken out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat the grill to a medium temperature, about 275 degrees F preferably over hickory and charcoal.



Place the chicken halves on grill, meat side down. Cover grill and cook for about 50 minutes. Flip chicken over and let it brown until the chicken becomes golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. The wing and the drumstick should become very tender and will easily pull away at the joints. Brush the chicken with Neelys Barbecue sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking.



Neely Italian Dressing:

2 tablespoons ground mustard

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons Neelys Barbecue Seasoning

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup canola oil

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, except the oil and salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste.



Yield: 1 1/2 cups



Neelys BBQ Seasoning:

1 1/2 cups paprika

3/4 cup sugar

3 3/4 tablespoons onion powder

Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir until combined. Keep in an airtight container for up to 6 months.



Neelys BBQ Sauce



2 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.



Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Christmas crafting is taking the back burner again.

I thought I would be well into making Christmas by now.  There's plenty of things cut out!
Then, the pumpkin orders started, and haven't stopped.  I think I have two more sets in me. I really want to move on. LOL.
Next I wanted to show you the sweet gingerbread that I made with a free pattern by Sandy over at
The olde country cupboard. 
They look so real!! I just love them.  I think they will be hanging all over my prim christmas tree this year.

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