Here’s a quick and easy way to entertain friends – a taco salad bar. (You know, this would have made a fun Superbowl party idea. I should have shared it awhile back. We had this for Christmas Eve dinner.) My friend Monica over at The Yummy Life blogged about these tortilla molds last fall, and I immediately ordered them. ($12.99 for 4 – great deal).

Making the bowls is easy. Buy 8″ diameter tortillas (the kind sold in a plastic bag at room temperature in the grocery store). Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put one tortilla in each baking shell (no need to grease or spray them – just tuck the tortilla down in there). Bake for 15 minutes, or until evenly browned, and move them to a cooling rack.

You can make these ahead and store them in a ziploc bag or plastic container for several days.

See how easy that is? But your dinner guests will be so impressed. Serve with all of the makings for tacos or taco salad and put them on a lazy susan so that everyone can reach them easily. For dessert, you might serve Mango Fruit Salsa with Sugar & Spice Tortilla Chips. YUM!

We have winners from the Fourth Quarter Challenge contest! Congratulations to Mary from Texas who won the Reader’s Choice Award with her beautiful Pemberley Sweater. And congratulations to Chanina from Israel who won the regular drawing for her gorgeous Snuggle Up Wrap. We’ve added $25 to each of your Loopy accounts for winning. Have fun finding something to spend it on!

What’s up for your weekend? I’m laying low with the cold of the century (ugh), so that means staying away from Loopy, knitting and Netflix, or a good book.

Sheri caution:grumpywhensick

I loved reading all of your ideas about project organization from Wednesday’s post. Thanks for sharing! (Look – I have started my Mizzle, which means I get to fill that basket up with something else now!)

- Liz is using clear shoeboxes, which I think will be great and colorful on a shelf.

- Karen found these on Amazon, which look nice, especially if you can hang them. (Although sitting on a shelf would be good, too.)

- Lots of you use ziploc bags and clear plastic tote bags.

- Melissa hid 12 of hers in brown paper bags and put them in a basket. When she is ready for the next month’s project, she picks one and gets a nice surprise!

- Carol has an entire wall in her living room filled with cubbies and baskets of yarn. Wow!!

- Ronni uses something like this on the back of a door, due to lack of wall space. I think that’s a great idea.

- Some of you don’t keep anything in physical view, but you organize your soon-to-work-on projects on Ravelry or in notebooks.

- And Lori thinks my projects look like they are in prison, waiting to be paroled, which cracked me up! (Well,  I guess they sort of are waiting to “get out” ….)

I think anything that keeps us on track with our knitting is a good thing, no matter what the system is! I hope you find something that works for you.

Today I have another good soup recipe to share with you. I made this over the holidays when we had family in, and it was a big hit with everyone. Plus – it’s easy. I like things like that! (It comes from this blog. Check out the latest post – those mushrooms look great!)

Lasagna Soup

1 1/2 lbs. Italian Sausage
2 c. chopped onions
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbl. tomato paste
1 can (28 oz) fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock
8 oz. pasta (corkscrew, bowtie, whatever. I used a bit more.)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

8 oz. ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper

2 cups mozzarella

Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add sausage to brown. Add onions and cook until softened.  Add garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute.  Add tomato paste and stir well, cooking for another 3-4 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes, bay leaves and chicken stock. Mix well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente. (Don’t overcook or let it simmer too long, or it will get mushy.) Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the pasta cooks, mix together the ricotta, parmesan cheese, 1/4 tsp. salt and pinch of ground pepper.

To serve, place a dollop of the ricotta mixture in the bottom of the soup bowl, ladle hot soup over the dollop, and top with mozzarella.

Have a great weekend! Any plans? I have a few knitting projects to work on!

Sheri beautifuldayheretodayinthemountains!

We’re looking forward to a weekend of relaxing, celebrating, and being with family. Knitting Daughter and Web Guy have been here all week, and WH’s mom arrives today. I still can’t quite believe that Christmas is here and the month of December is almost gone! (Know what else is gone? These cute “Elves Themselves” figures because they don’t make them any more. This is my favorite – the one holding the manger.)

Before the New Year diets kick in, you ought to give these cookies a try. They are seriously delicious. S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y. They melt in your mouth and your family will gobble them up and ask you to make more. (Found on Pinterest, from this blog, originally published in the Salt Lake Tribune.)

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 cups shortening
3/4 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/3 cups cake flour*
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
plain or colored sugar for decorating

Heat over to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, cream together both sugars and shortening, using an electric mixer. Mix on slow speed for 30 seconds until blended, and then mix on medium speed for 3 minutes.

Slowly add vanilla and beaten egg, while mixing.

In a separate bowl, combine cake flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture, mixing slowly until just blended. (Do not over mix.)

Roll a tablespoon sized ball in your hand, flatten slightly, and then toss in sugar.

Bake 9-10 minutes.  Cookies are done when small cracks appear on the top and they are pale golden. Do not let the edges get brown.

Let cool and enjoy!

*If you don’t have cake flour on hand – and I didn’t – it’s easy enough to make. Measure out 1 cup of flour. Remove 2 Tbl. of flour from the measuring cup and add in 2 Tbl. of cornstarch instead. Sift this 4-5 times and then it’s ready to use in your recipe. (Since this recipe takes 4 1/3 cups, I measured out 4 1/3 cups of flour, removed 8 Tbl. of the flour, added in 8 Tbl. of cornstarch, and sifted it 5 times. Worked great.)

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas, a Loopy Ewe Gift Certificate in your stocking, and a relaxing weekend with the ones you love.

Sheri (with holiday wishes from my whole family to all of you, too!)

(P.S. We’re in the shop and shipping today, but Monday the 26th is a holiday. We’ll be back in there on Tuesday again.)

That title pretty much sums up what I’ll be doing this weekend. Our new space is done!! (Well, ok – they still have a few ladders, tubs and tables to take out from the construction.) Here’s what the long part of the U-shape looks like, empty. (Compare that to this one, before they had started the finish work.) So we’ll have the same group of movers back to wheel things from one side of the hall to the other on Saturday morning. Then we’ll spend the rest of Saturday and more time next week, fine tuning everything over there.)

So many of you asked about having the webcam going for the moving in process, so we’ll be sure to connect that first thing. Not that I don’t think you have better things to do a week before Christmas. But if you’re sitting and knitting those last minute gifts and want to pop in to view the chaos once in awhile, we’ll be there!

Since this will be a busy weekend, there’s nothing better to have for dinner than a hearty soup that you can toss in the crockpot in the morning. This has turned into my favorite soup recipe this fall, and it’s easy!

Wild Rice and Chicken Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2 tsp. salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half (can use fat free, or a mix of both, or be brave and go full fat….)
1 cup sliced carrots (or a pack of frozen, sliced carrots)
1 cup diced celery

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken and rice (including the seasoning packets from the rice mix) in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (or on high for 4 hours).

Take chicken out and shred it. Add it back into the slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour mixture slowly, whisking to form a roux. Whisk in the cream a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and let cook on low for 15 more minutes.

(I usually double this recipe so that we have lunch leftovers for the next couple of days as well. It reheats well.)

Enjoy your weekend and we’ll be back on Monday to let you know about the new things going up Monday night. A new line, a new base from a favorite company, and some gorgeous re-stocks!

Sheri heatedbirdbathonthedeckwasfrozenthismorning.
Thatcan’tbegood.Brrrrrr.

It seemed like a good idea. Start an interesting new project and then alternate between that and the boring-but-going-to-be-cute cowl. It was supposed to motivate me to continue working (slowly but surely) on the cowl. However, once I started the hat, I didn’t want to go back to the cowl. The hat is almost done. Hoping I get some time to work on it this weekend. I’ll show you pictures next week.

In the meantime, if you are in the mood to make something other than pumpkin pie this coming week, you might try this Pumpkin Crunch Cake recipe. It smells wonderful in the oven and it tastes great.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

1 Large can of Pumpkin (29 oz)
1 Large can Evaporated Milk (10 or 12 oz)
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans or hazelnuts)

Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil and then spray the foil with cooking spray.

Mix pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour into foil-lined pan.

Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top of the pumpkin and pat down lightly. Sprinkle nuts on top of the dry cake mix. Melt the butter and drizzle it over the top.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Let stand for 2 hours before turning it out on a cutting board.  Peel off the foil and cut into squares. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!

Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe?

Sheri whomightwhipupsomepumpkinbreadthisweekendtoo

We have winners today! First of all, the winners of our Camp Loopy Project Two awards. It took us awhile to tally up all of the votes, but we had a Reader’s Choice winner. That goes to Christina in CA for her beautiful Owlie Socks. We also drew four winners from all of the entries, and those go to: Jessica in NM (Eugenia’s Mittens), Samantha in IL (Sammi’s Convertible Mittens), Rebecca in VT (Sprouting), and Eve in PA (Sweet Loopy Socks). Each of the winners has received a $25 Loopy credit, and I know they’ll spend it well!

Now please help us choose your favorite project from Camp Loopy’s Project Three Gallery. You can send your response to us at support@theloopyewe.com and we’ll report back soon.

We also have winners of last month’s blog contest, which I snuck in at the last minute. We’re sending a skein of Wollmeise to Diane in MA, Patricia in WA, and Jen in CA. Congratulations to all of you!

Today’s recipe is one I tried earlier in the fall and it was a hit. I found it on Pinterest and it comes from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. I hope you and your family enjoy it.

Baked Penne Chicken, Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 bunch broccoli (about 1.5 lbs.), cut into small pieces
12 oz. penne pasta
2 Tbl. olive oil
1 md. onion, minced
6 md. garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 c. flour
2 c. chicken broth (I used low sodium)
1 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into small pieces
3 oz. smoked mozzarella, shredded (I used regular – couldn’t find smoked)
8 oz. jar oil-packed sune-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped

Topping:
3/4 c. bread crumbs mixed with 2 Tbl. melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring water to boil in large pot, add 1 Tbl. salt and the broccoli. Cook the broccoli until it is bright green – 2-4 minutes. Remove from water and add pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente (about a minute less than you might normally cook it). Drain and toss with 1 Tbl. olive oil.

Drain water from pot and add 1 Tbl. oil. Put on med. heat until you see the oil shimmer. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme, mixing well. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream, stirring as you bring it to a simmer. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Add the chicken and cook through, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in tomatoes and mozzarella.

Add the pasta and broccoli to the sauce, and stir to combine. Transfer to a greased 9 x 13 pan and sprinkle with the topping. Bake at 400 degrees until it’s bubbling and the crumbs are lightly brown (about 15 minutes). Enjoy!

Sheri thinkingaboutcastingonahatthisweekend.
Gotafavoritehatpattern?