Thanksgiving Napkin Rings in Eight Easy Steps
By
Maureen
Hardegree
Materials
for 8 Napkin Rings:
1 spool of
1 ½- to 2-inch wide wired ribbon in a fall color
1 snap
spool of Kreinik gold metallic cable thread (three-ply twist)
1 small
spool of all-purpose, cotton-polyester blend thread that matches
Wired ribbon
1 sprig of
silk fall leaves
Tools:
Needle
Scissors
These
napkin rings are easy to make and look quite elegant. Get ready
for the compliments!
First,
unless you have these materials handy, go to your favorite local
craft store to purchase your ribbon, metallic cable thread,
all-purpose thread that matches your ribbon, and sprig of silk
leaves. Some great wired ribbon choices would be chocolate satin
(like I picked), pumpkin velvet, or olive taffeta. Wired ribbon
holds its shape better than regular ribbon. Keep in mind that
the beauty of these napkin rings is in the quality of the ribbon
you choose; so if you’re going to splurge, splurge on the
ribbon. The chocolate, wired, lustre satin ribbon I chose runs
about $4.99 per 12-foot spool. When selecting silk leaves, pick
ones that show veining for the embroidery portion of the craft.
I chose the Kreinik gold cable for the embroidery, but copper or
silver also would be pretty.
Instructions:
1.
1.Cut the smallest silk leaves from sprig.
2. Snip
wired ribbon into eight 7-inch long pieces.
3. Cut a
foot-long length of three-ply, metallic thread. Separate
strands. Thread needle with 1 strand of foot-long, metallic
thread. Don’t use pieces much longer than 12 inches to ensure
less fraying and knotting.
4. Center
silk leaf in the middle of one piece of wired ribbon. Starting
at the bottom of the center vein, outline stitch the veins on
the leaf.
Left-handed
crafters will stitch right to left and will keep the thread
below the needle.
Right-handed crafters work from left to right, keeping thread
above the needle. Bring needle up into the leaf at the beginning
of the bottom center
vein. Put the needle down into the leaf along the vein at about
¼ of an inch. Without pulling the gold cable all the way
through, push the needle up
through the vein about halfway down the length of the previous
stitch. Now pull the gold cable all the way through. Continue in
the same manner, following the leaf vein up and out.
Besides outlining the leaf veins, these stitches secure the leaf
onto the ribbon.
5. Repeat
Step #4 for all remaining ribbon pieces.
6. Flip
ribbon inside out, fold ends about ¼ inch, press right sides
together, and hand stitch folded ends.
7. Repeat
Step #6 for all ribbon pieces.
8. Flip
ribbons right side out, and you’re ready to set your table.
Maureen’s
favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Find out why by going to
Maureen’s Musings on the News and Appearances page of
www.maureenhardegree.com.
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Comfort
Foods
by
the Noodlers
Chicken and Dumplings
Contributed by
Pam Payne
One of my all-time favorite
comfort foods is Chicken and Dumplings. The easiest way to
make them is with refrigerated biscuit dough, but the best way
is with Bisquick. For refrigerated biscuits, use 24-32 biscuits,
torn into three pieces each. For Bisquick, follow package
directions for dumplings.
Boil chicken with one can of
chicken broth added to the water. Remove from bone (I use
boneless chicken thighs because it’s much easier). Cut chicken
into bite-sized pieces. Return to broth. Bring broth back to
boil, adding water if needed. Add salt and pepper to
taste.
Drop biscuit dough or biscuit
pieces onto boiling broth, cover, reduce heat, and cook 10
minutes. Remove lid, cook an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with crusty French
bread.
Pot Roast with Roasted Veggies
Contributed by
Maureen
Hardegree
1 pot roast (look for a roast
with fat veining)
2 packets Lipton Beefy Onion
Soup Mix
1 (1-pound) bag of baby
carrots
1 Vidalia onion (or Texas
Sweet)
1 (2-pound) bag of small, red
potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large Ziploc bag
1 large crockpot
Trim excess edge fat from
roast and place in crockpot on low setting early in the morning.
Sprinkle one packet of the Beefy Onion Soup mix on the top of
the roast in the crockpot. Replace lid and simmer all day.
One hour before mealtime,
preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9x13-inch Pyrex pan with Pam
or other cooking spray. Wash potatoes. Cut potatoes in quarters
for bite-sized pieces; peel and cut Vidalia onion into wedges.
Place potatoes, onion, carrots, olive oil, and second packet of
Beefy Onion soup mix into large Ziploc bag. Seal and shake. Pour
into Pyrex pan and roast at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally to even out the browning.
Warm Raisin Bread
Contributed by
Dani Collins
Okay, food = comfort for me,
but I’ll offer up Campbell’s tomato soup and a
grill cheese sandwich as a standby. My daughter likes
applesauce (I buy the no-sugar kind), and my son suggested warm
raisin bread. Here’s my recipe for one loaf that will work
in a commercial breadmaker that makes a 1 ½-pound loaf:
1 cup of milk
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons margarine or
vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fast-rise yeast
3/4 to 1 cup raisins
If you use a lot of raisins,
it will weigh down the loaf. If you’re making it by hand,
add them with the flour. If you’re making it with your
breadmaker, add them late during the kneading cycle or they’ll
be pulverised by the end.
I don't mix my yeast
separately in water, just measure out the wet, add the dry,
including the yeast, then stir with a spoon until I can’t
anymore. After that, I dump it on the counter, knead until
I’m tired, make a ball and let it rise for a while, usually
until it doubles in size. Then I punch it down, roll it
into a loaf shape, and put it in a greased loaf pan (you can
just make a ball on a greased cookie sheet if you don’t own
bread pans). Then I pop it in the oven with only the light on.
That’s a great place to let your bread rise. When it’s
grown nice and big, I set the oven for 350 degrees and give it
20 to 30 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when you tap on it
and it sounds hollow. From there, brown to your personal
preference.
Note: If you increase the recipe and wind up with six loaves
in there, you’re better off taking the bread out to preheat,
otherwise the air doesn’t circulate and you wind up scorching
the bottoms. Yes, I learned that the hard way.
Yummy,
Fast Potato
Contributed by
Kiki Clark
This is my recipe for the
writer who has almost no food in the house but wants something
yummy, warm and fast. Microwave a potato. Mash with fork, and
top with mayonnaise and salsa. Eat in between moans of
pleasure.
Cube Steak -- Easy and Quick
Contributed by
Diane Perkins
Heat enough olive oil to cover
the bottom in a frying pan. Dip cube steak in Bisquick mix;
really pat in as much of the flour mix as you can. Fry in the
pan until brown and crispy on one side (about five minutes or
so) then turn, adding more olive oil if you need it. Fry another
five minutes or so on that side.
Mix the leftover Bisquick with
water and pour the mixture into the pan over the meat, using
just enough to cover the bottom. Put a lid on the pan and lower
the heat to low. Simmer about five to 10 minutes, until the
water is absorbed.
I serve this with mashed
potatoes (one of the pre-packaged varieties from the meat
section of the grocery store) and a jar of beef gravy. And, of
course, a vegetable. For me, it is always green peas. If
you prefer, you can exchange the gravy for the flour-and-water
mix. Just dilute the gravy with a little water. Or you can mix
the flour with beef bouillon instead of water. Add whatever
seasoning you like. I usually add a little garlic powder.
Very easy, but comforting.
Dressed-up Mac and Cheese
Contributed by
Terry McLaughlin
At our house, the #1 comfort
food is macaroni and cheese. We keep a couple of boxes of
macaroni mix handy for emergencies, but we always dress it up a
bit to make it creamier and cheesier. After boiling the
noodles according to the directions on the box and draining them
in a colander, I melt four tablespoons of butter in the same pan
I boiled the noodles in, add a quarter cup of flour and the
macaroni flavoring mix and whisk until smooth, and then add a
couple of cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese, stirring until
the cheese has melted. Then I add the noodles to the thick
cheese sauce and stir until blended. To make it a complete
meal, I toss in some diced ham and fresh, chopped broccoli I’ve
steamed in the microwave.
For metric conversions of the measurements above, consult any of
the following sites:
http://southernfood.about.com/library/info/blconv.htm
http://www.thatsmyhome.com/recipes/conversion.htm
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm
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