Cure Bracelet

By Anne Mallory

In honor of Breast Cancer Month (October), here is a bracelet you can make for your mother, daughter, friend or yourself!

Tools:

Crimping pliers

Cutting pliers or scissors

Supplies:

Soft Touch, Soft Flex or the stringing material of your choice

2 crimp beads (Make sure you have a few extras though, just in case.)

10 crystal beads (This bracelet used 6mm, square, Swarovski Light Rose a/b beads; 6mm, bicone or circle shapes also make nice bracelets and are less expensive.)

10 pearls (This bracelet used 6mm, Swarovski Pearl Cream Rose beads; feel free to use any pearl or any bead of your choice.)

22 spacer beads, your choice (This bracelet used 4.5mm ones. Just choose some you like; Bali are nice.)

1 clasp (This bracelet used a toggle clasp, but any clasp will do. Choose your favorite!)

Charms - use as many as you like!

Note: Number of beads will vary depending on how long you want the bracelet to be. Buy a few extra of each and size as you go. Add or remove beads as needed. Change sizes, shapes and colors at will. This is your bracelet. You are running the show. Have fun!

Steps:

1. Figure out the desired length of your bracelet. The one made here will fit most wrists. If you think you might need something bigger, buy an extra bead or two of the crystals and pearls, and double that for the spacers (they go in between each bead, so you'll need more of them).

2. Buy your supplies at your local store or favorite online seller.

3. Pull out a length of the Soft Flex, but don’t cut it. This way you can string your beads and not worry about the other end until you are ready. String your beads in any order you desire. For this bracelet, I went in the following order (visual learners, see picture for easier identification!): toggle clasp (one piece of it), crimp bead, spacer, pearl, charm, spacer, crystal, spacer, pearl, spacer, crystal...repeat through the middle...spacer, pearl, spacer, crystal, spacer, charm, spacer, crimp bead, toggle clasp (the other part).

4. Pull the wire back through the crimp bead. Okay, here’s the fun part. As said above, you string the crimp bead then the toggle clasp at the end. What you then need to do is pull the end of the wire back through the crimp bead. So you create a loop around the toggle clasp only — do not pull the wire through the toggle clasp twice. So the order is crimp bead, toggle clasp, back through crimp bead. Check out the pictures for further clarification.

5. Crimp the end. Take your crimping pliers and after securing the crimp bead in the desired position (pull on the end of the string to pull the beads together more tightly — this just takes a little bit of practice and maneuvering), squish the bead between the teeth of the pliers that form the bead into a half moon. Then put the bead in between the circular part of the crimping pliers and fold the half moon closed. This will tighten the bead around the wire and hold everything in place. Practice with the crimping pliers first if this is your first time using them.

6. Cut the wire away from the Soft Flex reel; leave two inches of wire at the end to finish things off (see picture at right).

7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for the crimp bead on the other end of the line.

8. Trim any excess wire. If you can thread the extra wire back through the beads, all the better!

9. Give your bracelet away, or wear it with pride! Support the race for the cure!

***Please note: All steps subject to your own way of doing things! Have fun! :)

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Sunday Brunch Recipes

by the Wet Noodle Posse

Sunrise Salad

Contributed by Maureen Hardegree

1 bag washed baby spinach leaves

1 bag washed, cut romaine lettuce leaves

1 large can of mandarin oranges, drained

½ cup pecan pieces

1/3 red onion, sliced thin

1 pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in halves

Poppy seed dressing to taste

Mix ingredients in a large salad bowl, and toss with dressing right before serving.

Eggnog Bread

Submitted by Pam Payne (from Something Warm from the Oven)

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup eggnog

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons dark rum

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 ½-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, beat the egg with an electric mixer on low speed. Add the sugar, eggnog, melted butter, and rum, and mix until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the nutmeg. Add to the wet mixture all at once, mixing just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Scrape into pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, lightly cover it with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes or so of baking. Let cool for five minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Crustless Quiche

Submitted by Terry McLaughlin

We love this recipe, and we’re asked to bring it to every family potluck, no matter the meal or the season. Try a combination of diced ham and onion for a breakfast treat, or experiment with different vegetables (decorated with a pretty spiral of red pepper slivers on the top) for a great dinner side dish.

2 cups precooked ingredients (see suggestions below)

1 cup sour cream

1 cup creamed cottage cheese

1/2 cup Bisquick

1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9-inch pie dish. Spread the precooked ingredients over the bottom of the dish. Blend (in a blender or food processor) the remaining ingredients until smooth, and pour over the precooked ingredients. Bake 30-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center shows the mixture is set/dry.

Note: if you double the batch (as we often do) and pour it into a 9x13-inch casserole dish, you’ll need to allow for quite a bit more baking time, perhaps 45-60 minutes. Cover the top with tented foil during the last half of the baking time to prevent it from browning too much.

Suggestions for the precooked ingredients:

Diced ham

Diced chicken or turkey

Diced onions

Coarsely chopped fresh broccoli

Coarsely chopped fresh cauliflower

Coarsely chopped peppers

Fresh asparagus chunks

Clean Out the Fridge Hashbrowns

Submitted by Dani Collins

Start by frying onions with chopped bacon. Dice or slice some leftover baked or boiled potatoes. Add chopped celery and some colorful peppers, fresh herbs like chives, and parsley. Then add whatever else you have in the fridge that looks good. Scrape the corn off the boiled cobs; cut up some sausage, ham or even chicken breast. Cooked broccoli is yummy, and so is sliced cabbage. Tip: A bit of salsa or hot sauce makes it extra good if you’re hung over.

Fanny Farmer’s Crepes

Submitted by Kiki Clark

Crepes are classy. Crepes are versatile. Crepes are stupidly easy to make and can be frozen and used later. Serve with Mimosas, put some daisies or yellow roses on the table, and you’ve got a brunch people will rave about.

2 eggs

1 cup milk (soy is fine)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons melted butter

Beat the eggs well, then beat in the rest of the ingredients. Or mix everything in a blender until smooth. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Heat a non-stick skillet. Brush with butter or spray with oil or non-stick spray. When the pan is moderately hot, pour in several tablespoons and tilt the pan around until you have a thin pancake. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned and the edges lift easily. Turn over. Cook until the other side browns. The second side may have toasty spots. If you’re picky, put the fillings on this side and roll it up -- the toasty spots won’t show. You can stack completed crepes and freeze them, wrapped in plastic wrap. Defrost at room temperature.

Fillings

Sweet or savory, this is where you get to use your imagination. Anything that can be spooned on a crepe and rolled up is fair game. Without even thinking hard, I came up with the following:

Whipped cream and berries. Dust the rolled crepe with powdered sugar, or drizzle chocolate syrup on top.

Cheese and diced meat (ham, smoked turkey, leftover lamb)

Sour cream or yogurt, and fruit preserves (Powder sugar dusting is good on this one.)

Flaked salmon, sour cream or cream cheese, and capers

Asparagus, crab meat, and mayonnaise, with lemon and paprika over the top

Ice cream

Salsa, chopped olives, and beans

(Yield: 12 seven-inch or 16 five-inch crepes)

Spinach Quiche

Submitted by Lorelle Marinello

Pie crust

1 cup flour