Unbaked #7 - The Toy Mouse, for Mouse

See the cat?  Her name is Mouse.  She is the most needy, obnoxious cat I have ever met, but my hubby loves her, and well, that's the only reason she is still around!  Since I love my hubby (and not his cat), I made her a toy  to keep her occupied and out of my hair.  Here are the instructions for the crocheted toy...

What you need:
Cheap, scrap yarn, and not very much of it!
Size J Crochet hook
Stuffing (like you'd use if you were sewing a pillow, or shredded paper?)
Scissors

1. Chain 3 and slip stitch them together.
2. Chain 2 and turn.
3. Double crochet in each of the first 3 chain.
4. 2 Double crochet in each previous double crochet.
5. Double crochet around and around until your "mouse" is as long as you want it.
6. Skip every other double crochet until the backside is closing in.
7. Before closing it completely, turn it inside out and stuff with stuffing.
8. Slip stitch the "tail end" closed, add one more chain, snip about an extra 2 inches of yarn and pull your crochet hook through that last stitch to secure with a knot.

There you have it!  Something to keep the cat busy so you can blog, check Facebook, bake, nap, clean house, or whatever ;-)

My Favorite Pasta Salad

This is a super duper easy pasta salad I love to make for summer potlucks, and summer is just around the corner!  I made it for a friend's birthday tonight :)  It was pretty yummy if I do say so myself!

1 (12 ounce) box of Tri-Color Rotini

Your favorite Italian Dressing

Feta Cheese

Artichoke hearts in water (not oil), sliced

Kalamata Olives, sliced

1. Cook pasta according to box directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Stir in enough dressing to coat the pasta.

3. Add artichoke hearts, Kalamata olives and feta cheese.  As little or as much as you want!

4. Refrigerate for two hours.

Add more Italian dressing for extra flavor & tang!  I also like adding red onion and baby corn too.  After I've stirred it all together I like to sprinkle the feta cheese on top and add an artichoke "flower" and olives for decoration because, after all, it's all about the presentation, right?!  Enjoy :)

Sweet, but Not Too Sweet Scones

These scones are soooo easy to make!  Just make sure you have a stick of butter in the freezer at least a day in advance.  They can be as sweet, or not sweet, as you want them.  I use this awesome pan that my hubby's grandmother gave to me, and they turn out more evenly baked... but you don't need the pan :)  I used my pizza stone prior to owning the pan, and they turned out yummy then too!

Here are some tweaks:

Instead of 1/2 cup raisins, use: 1/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup dried cranberries

or

With raisins, add 1/2 tsp cinnamon into the dry ingredients.

Since this recipe serves 8, I made them a little flatter for a brunch for my brother-in-laws wedding and used a small glass to cut them into circles.  Each batch made 12 scones instead of 8.  I topped them with icing and they were a hit!

White chocolate icing:  1/2 cup white chocolate chips; 1 Tbs milk.  Heat on low in a small saucepan until melted and smooth.  (Add more milk if needed)  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

Cinnamon icing:  1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 Tbs milk; 1/2 tsp cinnamon.  Mix ingredients in a small bowl with whisk until smooth.  Add more sugar or milk to obtain desired consistency.  Drizzle on top of cooled scones and allow to dry.

As you can imagine, these scones are so versatile, and I'm sure there are so many other goodies to put into them!  On Friday, I got to watch the Royal Wedding with my aunt and my cousin, and we made them plain and topped them with my aunt's home canned peach butter.  Matched with delicate china brimming with hot peach tea, these were a delectable treat.  The company was great too!