The Best Way to Hem Jeans

Have you ever gotten your jeans professionally hemmed? It looks all neat and tidy and they even manage to keep the original hem. If you have basic sewing skills and a sewing machine, then hemming your jeans is easy. Save yourself the alteration charge. Learn to shorten your jeans and keep the original hem. This is the best kind of project because it takes about 15 minutes. Here's what you'll need:

• Jeans that are too long
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine
• Ruler or tape measure
• Stitch Witchery double fusible tape (optional)

Newly hemmed -- and you can't even tell!

First, try on your jeans and figure out how much length you'd like to take off by folding up the cuff and measuring from the edge to the fold. With today's pair I wanted them to be two inches shorter.

Take your measurement and divide it in half. This is how much you're going to sew away. Remove your jeans (and continue crafting without pants if you'd like) and now fold up the edge of your jeans till the fabric below the hemline measures half of what you'd like to remove. In my case, I want to remove two inches, so I make sure there is one inch of fabric folded below the hem. Pin in place.

Start your seam in the inner leg and sew right below the edge of the original hem. Repeat with other leg.

You are now basically done and if you are truly lazy you could walk away from this project now. But why not make them look perfect? It will only take a few more minutes.

Turn your jeans inside out and iron the fold you just made. Iron the whole "flap" you just created upward. Take your Stitch Witchery and cut a couple of strips that are long enough to be tucked under the flaps. You may need to trim the tape if the flap is narrower than the tape's width. Sorry, no photo, but it's really not that hard. You're just fusing the flap to the leg so it doesn't flop around when you wear the jeans. Press your hot iron on the flap, using steam, for about 20 seconds and *PRESTO* your flap has been fused to the leg.* I love Stitch Witchery. It's one of my favorite sewing notions. 

Now, admire your professionally hemmed jeans and how you saved, like, $15.

*If you are shortening your jeans by a lot, such as more than four inches, I would consider cutting the flap till it's about an inch wide and running a zig zag stitch around the raw edge (which used to be a fold). Then fuse this flap to the leg.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Roll-ups

I'm in love with the lasagna roll-up. It's simple, it's customizable and it's delicious. I also love pesto. So it only makes sense to combine my two loves to create something super amazing tasty.

Chicken pesto roll-ups!

They were indeed super amazing tasty, but they were more like stuffed shells than lasagna. They weren't as gooey and cheesy. I would consider using cottage cheese next time or adding some milk to the filling.

Ingredients (I eyeballed everything):
Lasagna noodles
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 cup pesto sauce (Costco has the best store-bought kind, but nothing beats homemade)
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese plus 1/4 cup for topping
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a casserole dish. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook noodles according to box directions.
Meanwhile, mix together all the rest of the ingredients. Lay the cooked noodles out on your counter and spread some of the filling on each noodle. Roll up the noodle and place it seam side down in the casserole dish. When all the filling is used up, top the roll-ups with cheese and bake for 30 minutes.

Yum!

Quick Tip: Business Card Holder to iPhone Stand

I recently got a new job and now I have business cards. Grown-up job, woo hoo! I figured I should probably get a holder for my desk for all the dozens of visitors we get to our office who will want my business card (I'm being a tad sarcastic).

I got the absolute cheapest business card holder at Office Depot. It was less than $2. It's pretty boring, see?

In an effort to prop up my phone one day, I discovered it makes a much better iPhone stand than business card holder. You can now have a miniature movie night. Pretty great, huh?

Artichokes Steamed in White Wine and Broth

I have always loved artichokes. My parents boil them in a big pot of water and serve them with either melted butter or a mayonnaise yogurt dip. I have fond memories of the whole family tossing the scraped leaves into a big bowl in the center of the dinner table.

Recently my mom changed her artichoke tune. Instead of tossing them in a pot of water for 45 minutes, she prepared them with oil and vinegar and steamed them with white wine and chicken broth. She only cooks them for 20 minutes because -- now brace yourself -- she microwaves them. Never would I have imagined that you could produce something so flavorful in a microwave, but she's done it. The outer leaves are a bit tougher than when you boil them, but the inner part of the flower is tender and delicious.

And now I'll share her recipe.

Ingredients:
Two artichokes
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
White wine
Chicken broth

Directions:

 Snip off the tips of the leaves so you don't get stabbed while working with the artichokes

Cut the top inch or so off the top of each artichoke.

Cut off the bottom half inch of the stem and cut the whole artichoke in half.

With a spoon, scrape out the furry centers and inner leaves. This is kind of tough, so really work at it. You might need to use your fingers to yank out the inner pointy leaves.

Place the halves in a microwave-safe dish. Make a light dressing of two parts olive oil to one part vinegar. No need to be exact. We maybe used 1/4 cup oil and 1/8 cup vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now pour the dressing in between the leaves and coat the outsides of the artichokes. You may need to add more oil and vinegar if you run out. No biggie.

Pour about 1/4 cup of white wine into the dish.

Add some broth too. There should be about a half an inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan, so add broth and wine if needs be.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the plastic wrap when done (it will be quite hot) and check an inner leaf for doneness. If it's still tough, microwave another five minutes.

Reserve the liquid in the dish and use it to dip the leaves in. Add a little mayo or yogurt for a creamy dip. Don't forget a big bowl in the middle of the table!

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes

In an attempt to make less messy breakfasts for my 13-month-old son, I came up with a tasty pancake recipe that's healthy and delicious. I'll never understand why my mom always had pancake mix in the cupboard because homemade pancakes still only take minutes to make. And if you have leftover pancakes, bag them and freeze them for another day when you don't have as much time. Just pop them in the microwave to reheat.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. sugar or agave nectar
1 egg
1 Tbs. cooking oil or melted butter
1.5 cups milk
1/4 cup canned pumpin purée


Directions:
Mix together the dry ingredients. Measure the milk in a large liquid measuring cup and add the rest of the wet ingredients. Whisk gently to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir till just combined. It's ok if there are lumps.

Heat a large skillet over medium flame. Coat with cooking spray. Ladle batter into pan, forming three flapjacks at a time. Turn when edges are cooked and bubbles form in middle. Cook on other other side till brown. Repeat with rest of batter. Serve with butter and syrup or honey.

Spectacular Minestrone

My baby son has had a cold all weekend. In an effort to get some nutrients in him, I pulled out of the cupboard a pouch of pre-made baby minestrone soup. It was pretty bland and I didn't have high hopes, but Jack ate the entire thingie of it in a matter of minutes.

It wasn't good and I figured I could easily make something one hundred times tastier.

And I did.

I wanted an authentic minestrone so I turned to legendary Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan. In her book, "More Classic Italian Cooking," she has a recipe for Minestrone alla Novarese. She calls it "spectacularly hearty," and she doesn't let you down. It's a bit different from a typical minestrone, but that's what I wanted. The ingredients were easy to find and the soup is simple and delicious.

And minestrone always tastes better reheated the next day. I am sure it will be a hit with Jack.

I made some very slight changes, but the red cabbage adds so much depth of flavor, like none I've ever tasted. I was surprised how little tomatoes the recipe called for, but I trust Ms. Hazan through and through.

Serve this with some hearty artisan bread and a glass of red wine.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs. butter
2 slices of bacon, cut into little bits
1 onion, sliced very thin
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery rib, diced (use the leaves)
2 zucchini, diced
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 can cannellini beans, partially drained
1/3 cup canned Italian tomatoes, chopped with their juice (I accidentally bought pre chopped kind, so I eyeballed it)
salt and pepper
1.5 cups chicken broth

Directions:
Add the oil, butter, bacon, and onion to a soup pot and turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden -- about 20 minutes.

Add all of the diced veggies and the cabbage and thoroughly coat in the oil and fat. Mmmm...fat is good. Stir around for a minute or two.

Add the tomatoes with their juice, a tiny bit of salt, and lots of freshly ground pepper. Add the broth and as much water as needed to cover the veggies by one inch.

Cover and simmer on very low for at least two hours. Skim off some of the excess fat with a spoon. Add the beans with some of their liquid 15 minutes before serving.

Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese when served.

If you like noodles in your minestrone, I'd add the dry noodles toward the end and serve right when the noodles are al dente.

Old Rain Jacket ===> Baby Rain Pants in 20 Minutes

Our son is just learning to walk, which means crawling is still his preferred method of transportation. Alaska summers can be wet and although yesterday was a balmy 66 degrees and every child on our street was playing out in the sprinkler, most of the time it's a bit chillier. 

Jack has been recently introduced to the outdoors that isn't covered in snow. It's too warm for a snow suit and he keeps mucking up his regular pants. What I really needed for him was a pair of outdoor pants.

I'd long ago posted about making pants from t-shirts and I've also made baby pants from sweater sleeves. Wouldn't it be perfect to cut up an old rain jacket and make pants out of it? Usually rain jackets have adjustable wrist straps, which would totally work to tighten over baby boots. Yes, it can be done!

And thanks to a church rummage sale yesterday, I did it for less than a dollar.

Here's how.

Ingredients:

One large adult rain jacket or windbreaker. Adjustable wrist straps preferred

chalk

fabric scissors

pins 

one foot of half-inch wide elastic

large safety pin

sewing machine

one pair of pants that already fit your baby

This project is super simple. You literally only sew two seams and then sew up the elastic. It took me 20 minutes from start to finish.

Directions:

You'll be using an existing pair of pants as a pattern. Turn them inside out. Take one leg and turn it right side out. Tuck it inside the other leg so it looks like you have a one-legged pair of pants. Fold the pants so the inseam is along the edge. Ta-da! Pants pattern. Study how this looks because you'll be doing this later.

Lay your pattern on top of one of the jacket sleeves so the hem of the pant leg is the end of the sleeve. 

Using chalk, mark the rise and waistband of your pants, about an inch away from the pattern on the rise and three inches above the waistband. This isn't an exact science, but you want enough room in the waistband area so you can fold it down twice and still be able to fit a diaper.

Cut your sleeve along your markings. My jacket had a breathable liner, which I decided to keep 'cause it worked out that way. 

Lay the leg you just cut on top of the other sleeve and follow along those cut lines for the second leg. You are now halfway done with your project.

Turn one leg inside out. As you did with your "pattern," tuck the right-side-out pant leg inside the leg you turned inside out. Line up the cut edges along the rise and pin in place. Sew this one seam. I double stitched it in case Jack is rough on them.

Un-tuck the legs and you should have an inside-out pair of pants with no waistband.

Fold down the waist about 3/4 inch and fold it down again so there are no raw edges. Pin all around the waist.

Turn the pants right side out and sew around the waistband, making sure there is just over a half-inch space to run the elastic through. Leave a small part unsewn so you can run the elastic through. You could do this with the pants inside out, but I like knowing what the outside seam looks like cause I sew totally crooked.

Put a safety pin through the end of the elastic and run it through the waistband. Use the pattern pants as a guide for how tight to make the elastic, or use your child as a model. Mine was sleeping so I winged it. When you've decided how tight the elastic should be, sew both ends of the elastic together with a zig-zag stitch back and forth a few times.

Sew over the opening in the waistband.

Put pants on your baby and let him get dirty out there!

Today's Thrift Finds

It snowed today. SNOWED. I know it's Alaska and all, but even we think it's abnormal. Last year we beat the overall snowfall record and this year we have beaten the longest snow cover record.

I needed a thrifty fix to conquer my bad weather blues.

Here's what I conjured up!

PacSun T-shirt, $2; Joe's Jeans, $10

Pocket detail of Joe's Jeans

Vintage beaded cropped cardigan, $2; vintage Worthington herringbone skirt, $2.50

Beading detail 

Abercrombie & Fitch Cardigan, $1.50; Penguin silk top, $1.50

Chicken Taquitos with Spinach & Wild Rice

In my ongoing quest for quick and somewhat healthy dinner ideas, I came across a tasty recipe for chicken flautas today. Usually my decision to try a recipe is based 90 per cent on whether I have all of the ingredients already. This one passed the screening and sounded tasty as can be. Since I never know what type of vegetable to serve alongside Mexican food, I tweaked the recipe slightly and added chopped frozen spinach. I also healthified it more by adding a wild rice/quinoa blend that I'd made earlier in the day and saved in the fridge.

Both boys (husband and son) gobbled this up. I think I'll have to make these a staple dinner in our house.

Ingredients (I eyeball everything, so measurements are approximations):
8-10 taco-sized flour tortillas
1 chicken breast
olive oil
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
1/2 cup frozen spinach
1/2 brick Neufchatel cheese or cream cheese
nearly one cup Monterey jack cheese
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Place frozen spinach in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with water. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and microwave for two minutes. Drain thoroughly, squeezing with your hands to remove as much water as possible. Place in a medium mixing bowl.

Butterfly the chicken breast and coat both sides with salt and pepper. Coat a frying pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high flame. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Once chicken is thoroughly cooked, shred with two forks and add to mixing bowl.

Add all the other ingredients but the tortillas and combine thoroughly. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling onto a tortilla and shape it into a narrow log. Roll up the tortilla tightly and place seam-side down in a casserole dish. Do the same with the rest of the tortillas and coat the tops of the taquitos with cooking spray. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until they are golden and crisp on the edges.

Knitted Socks -- Finally!

I've been an avid knitter for about 11 years and during those years I have diagnosed myself with SSS -- Single Sock Syndrome. I will knit one sock, usually on size seven needles because I'm lazy, and then the idea of having to start a whole new sock is too daunting. The single sock rests forever in my random drawer of lost regular socks.

Until now.

My mother-in-law gave me Peruvian hand-dyed wool yarn for Christmas and I finally decided it was sock time. I was going to free myself from SSS.

I love how it knitted up. I used a simple pattern found on Ravelry called Beginner's Socks. The instructions were crystal clear, but having knitted countless Christmas stockings it was nothing new.

I used less than one skein of Araucanía yarn, 240 yards, 100 gram weight, color 411 with size six needles.

I decided I wanted short ankle socks with tighter ribbing, so I K1, P1 for only four rounds. I was going to take a progress photo and decided my toes were in dire need of a pedicure, so I got them all painted up to match the socks, but I finished them during my appointment. They knit up faster than I thought!