Pantry Pasta

So I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner the other night.  I didn't have much in the fridge or pantry.  The only veggies I had were left over from the night before, and I didn't feel like making a trip to the store. I stumbled across Pioneer Woman's Pantry Pasta recipe, and it was perfect.  Delicious and it saved me a trip to the store! I made little tweaks here and there, but for the original recipe, go here.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 whole Red Onion, Diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can Diced Tomatoes With Juice
• 1/3 cup manzanilla Olives, Pitted And Roughly Chopped
• 1/3 cup White Wine
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 pound Linguine, Cooked Al Dente And Drained
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon italian seasoning
• dash of pepper
• shredded chicken
• 1 cup of chopped squash and zucchini 

Directions:

Heat medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add olive oil. When warm, add diced onion and stir. Cook slowly for five minutes, stirring occasionally. 
 

 Add garlic, then stir and cook for one minute. Pour in diced tomatoes with their juice. 

Add chopped olives. Stir and cook for a minute or two. Splash in wine, then stir and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chop up chicken and veggies and add to sauce.

Add chicken broth and seasonings.  Give it a good stir. 

Toss cooked linguine in olive oil and arrange on a platter. Spoon sauce over the pasta serve immediately. You can add cheese on top, if you'd like :]

This was a very light dish, and left overs were scrumptious!

-Saleena :]

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DIY: Pencil Bags

Back to school again! 

Summer just flies by, doesn't it?  

Well, I hope you all enjoyed your summer as much as I did.  I took my girlfriend shopping with me last week so I could get all of the necessaries for school, and I have never seen someone so excited about school supplies! While we were going up and down every aisle, she excitedly pointed to this and that as if she was opening Christmas gifts.  Her boyfriend called her so she was busy talking when I pointed to extra large post-it notes that were slightly bigger than index cards.  Her mouth dropped and held the package, patiently waiting for her boyfriend to finish whatever he was saying so she could tell him about these incredible post-its. Haha! It was entertaining to say the least.  If you get half as excited about school supplies as my girlfriend does, you are going to love today's post.

DIY Pencil Bags!

I mean, you could just buy a plastic bulky box to put everything in, but where's the fun in that?? So instead of school shopping for a pencil bag, school sew! :]

Materials:

Fabric

Buttons

Scissors

Sewing Machine

Thread

Straight Pins

Rotary cutter

Tape Measure

Ribbon 

Fray Check

Directions:

Cut a piece of fabric to your desired size. (Mine was 20"x8" for colored pencils)

Then fold the top of the fabric down 3 inches, then fold 3 inches again and pin.  Fold the bottom of the fabric up 5 inches, then pin. 

Sew the top three sides, I like using contrasting fabric. As you can see, I didn't sew any hems.  I could get away without them because this fabric was thin and didn't fray much.  I used Fray Check on the raw edges to prevent any fraying. 

Then I cut a piece of fabric 9"x2"

Fold it in half and pin

Sew all four sides, then sew a gathering stitch down the middle

Pull the string so a bow forms, then wrap the string around the bow and secure with a knot. 

Add a cute button if you'd like!

Then sew the bow onto the outside of the top flap of your bag.

On the opposite side of the bow, sew the end of a ribbon.

Fill up your bag with pencils, roll up the bag, and wrap the ribbon around.  Form a large knot at the end of the ribbon to tuck back under the ribbon to secure it.

And now you have a darling pencil bag! 

I had to get creative because I didn't have any zippers or velcro, so I used ribbon and buttons! The green polka dot one in the back is a bit bigger than my orange one and it holds markers.  To secure that one, I sewed on two buttons, one on the top flap and the other on the bottom, and then added a thick thread underneath the bottom button. To close it, I just wrap the thread around the top button and back around the bottom button a few times. 

Happy School Sewing!

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Linked to: One Artsy Mama, At the Picket Fence, Shabby Nest, The Girl Creative, Home Stories a to z, Craft-o-maniac, I Heart Naptime, 

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