Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie always scared me because of the crust. I've never been able to make a good pie crust so I usually buy a pre made crust if I am making a pie. My kids don't really care for the traditional Chicken Pot Pie so I have created my own recipe.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut two pounds of chicken into one inch pieces. Put into a large mixing bow. Mix in can of cream of chicken soup, mixed vegetables, medium cheddar cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into a greased 9 X 13 pan.

 Cook mixture uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through and the mixture is bubbly.

Take pan out of the oven and add two cans of pre made biscuits to the top of the bubbly mixture. 

Cook mixture and biscuits for the time called for to bake the biscuits.

Take out of the oven and enjoy!

You can use canned or precooked chicken for this recipe. You don't have to cook the mixture as long, just make sure the mixture is bubbly before adding the biscuits so that the bottom of the biscuits cook.This recipe is nice because you can scoop it up into perfect portions. We don't usually have any left overs. 

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken cut into one inch pieces

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 cup medium cheddar cheese

12-14 oz of Frozen Vegetables (I use 1/2 a bag each of corn and peas and carrots)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cans of pre made biscuits

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Mix the chicken, cream of chicken soup, cheese, frozen vegetables, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 

3. Pour mixture into a greased 9 X 13 pan.

4. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the mixture is bubbly.

5. Take mixture out of oven and add the biscuits on top of the bubbly mixture.

6. Bake the mixture and biscuits for the time called on the biscuits packaging. (usually around 14 minutes)

7. Take out of oven and enjoy!

Up Cycled Bangle Bracelet

While recently shopping I saw some cute bangle bracelets that had flowers on them. I knew that I could make my own! And definitely for a lot less money! The best thing is that very few supplies are needed and you probably have them laying around. For this I used vinyl fabric, thread, scissors, needle, button or button maker and extra fabric if you want to make your own button and a flower pattern. These particular Bangle Bracelets are from Amate Studios. 

 Cut out flower pattern. Pin pattern onto vinyl fabric and cut. Cut two flowers of the same size.  

 Now with a crap piece of vinyl material you will make a button. Below are the pieces that come with a button kit. There is a round plastic piece that you will use to trace the fabric with. A top and a bottom to the button, a white piece that you will put the button in and a blue piece that you will use to push the pieces together. 

Use the round plastic piece to cut a piece of fabric out. 

Now you will start to layer the pieces to make the button. Put the fabric right side down on the table. Put the inside of the button (the rounded piece) on top of the fabric. Now you will put those two pieces into the white plastic. Now you will push the fabric pieces on top of the inside button piece and then put the outside piece of the button on top holding together. Now using the blue piece push the outside piece of the button down with firm pressure until the button is formed together. Pop out of the white piece and you have a button! 

 The final button! 

Layer the two flowers on top of each other so that the petals are alternating and not directly on top of each other. With the needle and thread starting in between the layers so that you don't see the end sew a circle (about where the white circle is)  in the center of the flowers and pull tightly like you are making a ruffle. Finish the stitch on the top side of the flowers and don't tie off the end yet. 

Now you will add the button to the top of the flower. The button loop isn't very big and might take a little bit of playing to get the button sewn on. Now you will start to sew the flower onto the bangle bracelet making sure to stitch in between the two layers of flowers so that you don't see the stitching on top.

Finish by tying a know in between the layers of the flower and cut the end off. 

Enjoy your flower bracelet! 

The teal flower was my trial and error one. I tried making it with sewing individual petals together. While you can't tell in the photo it is a much more flimsy flower and the button feels loose because of the flimsy base. 

5 Strand Braided Suede Bracelet

While I love Pinterest it can be very frustrating! Most of the time when I "pin" something I try and click all the way through to the actual website. I want to make sure there are directions if there are supposed to be. Recently there was a pin that had several bracelets on it that were handmade. While the pictures showed what to do I need the written directions also. Well I pinned it and looked at it later and it directed me to a sight that was in another language. Not so big of a deal because I just clicked on interpret. Well when I did that it was a log in page that you needed to sign up for. Well I'm not one to sign up for a page when it is originally in another language so I was very frustrated. So my goal is to make several of the bracelets with written directions and pictures. We will see how I do!

Supplies Needed - Suede cording, pliers, scissors, ribbon crimps, jump rings, clasp, and something to help hold the suede cording together like a clip or you can knot the ends and put it around a nail in a piece of wood.

Start by measuring your wrist. Now times that measurement by 2. If your wrist is 7 inches you will get 14 inches. Now cut 5 14 inch pieces of the suede cord. Lay the suede cord pieces right next to each other. Clamp the ends together with the clip.

Each time I do this I have to start over a couple of times. So don't get to frustrated if you have to start over. Starting from the left side take the first three pieces and braid them together making sure the furthest left piece is on top of the second piece and  under the third piece.

Now it will look like you have two pieces on the left and 3 pieces on the right. Now you will use the 3 pieces on the right and braid them together. You will do the opposite of what you did on the left side. So you will make sure the furthest right side is over the fourth piece and under the third piece. Now you will go back to the left side where there should be 3 pieces and braid together. 

You will continue to go from left to right making one braid on the left and then one on the right. Remembering to start with the out side piece. I know that this is a little confusing but once you start playing with it it will get easier. Continue till you get the length you want.

You will actually have length left over. It makes it easier to braid if you have longer pieces.

I couldn't photograph the next step because I was using both of my hands to do it and no one else was at home to help. Cut the excess ends off of the braid in a straight line. Once cut hold the ends together and put the ribbon crimp on the ends. Use the pliers to crimp together. Now take off the clip from the other side and hold together. Cut the braid to the length you want. Remember when cutting that you will be adding a little extra length when you add the ribbon crimp, jump ring and clasp. Add the ribbon crimp to the ends. Use the pliers to crimp together. Add a jump ring to both ends of the ribbon crimps. Add a clasp to one of the ends. 

Here is the final product! I made one in green and one in black. The green photographed better but I kind of like the black one better in person. 

I hope my directions weren't to confusing and that they will actually help!  Now I have to decide which bracelet I will make next! 

Christmas Crackle

Have you heard of Christmas Crack? A few years ago someone at my church gave us some stuff called Christmas Crack. No it is not a drug although it is addicting so maybe? I didn't like the name of Crack so I started calling it Christmas Crackle. I have lost the original recipe and keep forgetting to ask for it. So of course I scoured the internet for a Christmas Crack recipe. There were ton's of them but none of them were the one I was looking for. They all had saltine crackers, chocolate and other stuff. Really? Saltine's in a dessert. Anyway, I knew the basics of the recipe so I experimented! This is one of the easiest and quickest recipes ever. Almost as easy as making rice crispy treats!

Can you see the gooey goodness this has? Now if you have any new crowns or fillings be careful!!

Christmas Crackle

Ingredients:

12 to 14oz of Golden Grahams Cereal
1 cup Butter
1 cup Light Karo Syrup
1 cup White Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
Candy Thermometer

Directions:

1. Pour 12 oz of Golden Grahams Cereal in to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Boil together Butter, Light Karo Syrup and White Sugar. Insert candy thermometer and boil to almost firm ball stage. About 245 degrees. (From experience don't boil it longer. It will will literally become Crack and will break your teeth!) Don't walk away from the pot. It only cooks about 5 minutes.
3. Once it has reached 245 degrees take off of burner and stir in vanilla. Then pour onto cereal and stir till mixed really well. If it looks like it is a little to gooey add more cereal.
4. Pour out onto a greased cookie sheet. Let cool. Break apart and store in an air tight container. (It is almost better to store in a big rectangle container as apposed to a bowl. If it is in a bowl it tends to stick all together and  a little hard to take apart. )