Fall Recipes to Try

Happy November everyone! I can't handle how it's already dark at five now that we set the clocks back, I miss the sun. But before we know it we'll be setting the clocks ahead again and be at the beach in the summer! Thus is the cycle of life.

Since it's been slowing getting colder and colder, and now that I have brought out the down and wool blankets, it's about time to turn to my food Pinterest board and look for those yummy fall-type recipes that I want to try out this season. Here are ten that I can't wait to try.

Chorizo Macaroni and Cheese.

Cheesy Quinoa and Broccoli Patties.

Quinoa and Sweet Potato Chili.

Stuffed Acorn Squash.

Spinach and Tortellini Soup.

Caprese Lasagna Roll Ups.

Baked Hummus and Spinach Dip.

Mozzarella Sticks.

Crock Pot Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread.

And for dessert...

Chocolate Covered Frozen Banana and Peanut Butter Bites.

A lot of these look and sound like that aren't that difficult to make which I like. Also some of them seem like the could be stand alone meals, which is my most favorite thing ever since I'm not a big fan of making bunches of sides to go with whatever I just spent an hour or two creating. Maybe one day if I have a family I'll be more into side dishes, but for now it's not what I like to do. I think I may try to make one of those quinoa recipes today, because quinoa and I have a wonderful relationship together where we just love each other for who we are and what we might become (a meal in the quinoa's case). 

Are there any cozy meals that you can't wait to try out as the weather outside gets less friendly? Let me know and enjoy your November!

Naomi Odlin

Crafts

When my sister went off to college, she got rid of (and replaced) many clothes that she no longer liked or did t fit her anymore. Lucky me, I got to go through all these hand-me-downs and make my picks before the rest went to consignment shops or Goodwill. I grabbed some jeans and immediately cut them into capris, though now that I did I I realized that they don't exactly fit me that well. But alas, they've been cut and cannot be uncut. So I was left with some ill fitting pants and a couple of pant legs.

I remember pinning on Pinterest something about turning the scraps of cut off jeans into little containers for different things and decided to search through my many pins, and finally found it. The project was so simple, straight forward, and quite useful in the end, so I just put on an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch (my latest obsession on Amazon Instant Video) and busted out a couple. 

All you need are the scraps from your cut offs, thread of any color, and scissors!

Turn them inside out and sew a straight line across the cut part, at least an inch down.

This part may sound tricky, but isn't. Fold the fabric in half so the seams are opposite each other, fold the sewed part down to one side, and make a sort of triangle. Sew a straight line across. Repeat on both sides.

Turn it right, fold the top down a bit, and there's your upcycled jean container!

I used one of them to hold my acrylic paints and brushes, and I haven't found a use for the second one just yet. Though I'll probably hold some other craft supplies once I get all of those better organized. 

I just love to upcycle things into art or useful objects, it's one of my favorite things ever! Does anyone else out there like to reuse old things? Let me know some other projects you've done before! 

Naomi Odlin