Is homemade worth the trouble?

I've been trying to make more gifts for those I love and appreciate. I dipped my foot in the water last year by making some stocking stuffers with my (then) four-year-old. We cut bookmarks out of the previous year's calendar, with quotes on the back for each person. I loved using them through the year and decided to try a few more projects to give as gifts or as part of a gift.

You'll have to forgive the lighting in these. I realized the night before going out of town for the holidays (in the midst of packing, no less) that I needed some snapshots, so we have to be happy with what I got.

Flax Seed Pillows

I saw these flax pillows at An Oregon Cottage and thought they seemed like a terrific idea! I bought fleece on Etsy and found them very easy to make, even for a novice seamster like myself. The one pictured is for the Kindergartener's teacher (he picked the fabric). Other variations on a theme: flax seed hand warmers or foot warmers for your cold-footed friends to take to bed. 

Time: < 30

Cost: < $5

Recommended: yes!

Girl's Catchall

This Girls' Catchall from Martha Stewart took quite a bit of time, but I think it was worth it. The bulk of the time was spent painting the frame/dowels and waiting for them to dry (I applied three coats over the course of a few days). I made one for my daughter and one for my niece. It should surprise no one that I chose bright colors instead of Martha's tastefully cool tones. Mine is larger (12X12) and I secured the ribbon to the back with tacks since we don't own a staple gun. I also used superglue to affix the dowels vs. wood glue.

Time: 1-3 days for painting; ~ 1 hour for the rest

Cost: I'm approximating, but this was relatively expensive when all was said and done...between $30-35.

Recommended: Sure. Attractive and functional; also a good project for other children to help with.

Sweater Pillow

This is a down pillow covered with a sweater that my grandfather used to wear. It was a gift for his daughter, my mother. The down was upcycled from a pillow I already owned, which mom appreciates. I got the idea from my cousin, who made one for my aunt. It does look a little lumpy in the picture, but it's very comfortable and my mother loves it. I used a storebought pillow case as the underlayer and then cut/handsewed the sweater to fit in a relatively square shape. I don't know that I'd necessarily give it as a gift unless the sweater had some meaning to recipient, but this was my favorite homemade gift this year.

Not pictured is the kitchen towel I embroidered for my mother-in-law (Eiffel Tower!), but you can see a sample of my needlework in the first picture with the flax pillows. The green/yellow design on the towel is my second embroidery project and I am excited to be developing this new crafty skill, so I did make sure to at least get it in the shot.

Did you make gifts this year? Are they well-received? Worth the trouble? If you have pictures, link and share what is worth the time and what was a bit of a flop.

Inside My Fridge - Dec 2, 2011

"Inside My Fridge" version of Where's Waldo...see if you can spot:
Last of leftover gravy?
Turkey stock to freeze?
Turkey noodle soup?
Turkey enchilada casserole?
Turkey tetrazzini (hint: it's gone)

I also made turkey pizzas last night for our Friday "Pizza and Movie Night" extravaganza. The best thing about pizza is that you can use what you have. Both had a tomato sauce base, but one had turkey, mexican-blend cheese, onions, olives and the other had turkey, artichokes, lots of onions and all the leftover Thanksgiving brie (amen!).

Date Night Leftovers = Crab Cake Eggs Benedict

Under Construction: Toasted artisan bread, crab cake, scallions, poached egg, remoulade (don't forget the Bloody Marys)

We are lucky to have my parents living quite close and, occasionally, they invite our children to spend the night. Sometimes we use this occasion for a dinner out or, more often, as a chance to go see some of the amazing live music available to us here in Music City U.S.A. But really our favorite thing to do is cook together the way we used to do before we had kids.

Back in The Day, we'd leisurely peruse the aisles of the supermarket, possibly having a plan for our meal or possibly waiting to be inspired. So on this recent date night, plans to play golf got rained out and we decided to do five-course dinner instead, followed by "playing" (i.e., me learning) chess by a roaring fire. Delightful!!

I don't have pictures for everything, but the food was so beautiful I couldn't help but snap a few pictures here and there. We hadn't done this in so long that I have to admit we got a bit carried away, but it was an awful lot of fun and a splurge I do not regret!

First Course

Fried Green Tomatoes (Brandywine) with  Goat Cheese and Stone Ground Mustard

Second Course

Mahi, oil-poached with pineapple sage, Garlicky Fingerling Potatoes, Broccolini

This beauty was 100% the spouse's brainchild: oil poaching without requiring a full pan of oil, with the bonus that we could finally use the fancy food saver. He prepped the mahi and cooked it in some low-simmering water, but 3/4 of the way through the damn bag broke, so it was only mostly "oil-poached." Making the most of things, we tossed our broccolini in the herby/lemony water with the fish and it turned out to be a happy -- and quite tasty -- accident in the end. 

Third Course

Crab Cake with Remoulade

Fourth Course

Lamb Chops with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fifth Course was a cheese plate, for which I have no photo. I also must stress that, if you want to do this, the key is small portions of everything (that one piece of mahi, for example, yielded our two "portions" plus leftovers). You want a lovely taste, an exquisite mouthful or two to savor, but then you need to cook the next course, so if you get overloaded you might decide (like I did) to forego that lovely pea puree that would have been beautiful with the lamb and potatoes. C'est la vie. We had leftover broccolini and that was good enough for me!

The following morning, we woke and went about our day at a leisurely pace, enjoying coffee and then Bloody Marys, which lead to the inspired idea (again, credit to my spouse) to make a fantastic Eggs Benedict with our leftover crab cakes and remoulade. Then he strummed the guitar and indulged in a nap while I painted. 

Feed the body. Feed the Soul. Appreciate Our Time. Live Well.

We are planning a frugal-minded version of the 3+ Course Date Night very soon. Not surprisingly, it's easier to take pictures when the photographer is not also responsible for all of the cooking and prep, so I feel confident I'll be able to share that with you as well.