Car Playmat

Our boys at church were having a fundraiser dinner and auction.  I made this playmat for them to auction off.  It was super easy and I got the idea from a car mat my sister-in-law made for our son.

Materials: About a half a yard of sturdy fabric

Lots of colored felt

Tacky glue

Optional: Thread and sewing machine, other embellishments.

Directions: First I cut out the sturdy fabric to the size I wanted.  This one is about 2 1/2 by 3 ft.  Next, I hemmed all the way around the outside to finish off the edge. 

Second, decide how you want your road to be laid out and cut it out of black felt.  Using the tacky glue, attach the road to the fabric.  I also sewed along the edges of all the road pieces for extra reinforcement.

Third, get creative.  Figure out what you want on your car mat.  For this car mat, I made a church building, a fire station, a pond, houses, school, playground, gas station, and hospital.  Then I added more little details to the buildings and all over.  Some of the embellishments I used were (and you can't see to well from this picture) a small pom-pom for a basketball, glittery string for the swing and gas station pump cord, and puff paint for little details.

I was happy with the way it turned out, and our 2 and a half year old approved it:)  Good luck making your own!

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Definitely a new favorite in our house! This is AMAZING! I got the recipe from http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/

1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 T. butter
1/4 c. water
3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have fresh parsley, so I just used dried and it worked perfectly)
1 package cream cheese (you can use 1/3 less fat or fat free)
1. In a bowl, mix the oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture into chicken. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken in butter for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Place chicken in a slow cooker.
2. In the same skillet, mix the water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon. Bring the mixture to boil. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker.
3. Cover, and cook on High for 3 hours, or Low for 6 hours. Add the parsley to the slow cooker 15 to 30 minutes before the end of the cook time.
4. About 15 minutes before you're ready to serve, remove the chicken and place on a serving platter. Add the cream to cheese to the juice in the crockpot, and whisk until smooth.

Ladle the sauce over rice or pasta, then place your chicken on top!

Italian Sausage Soup

Sorry I haven't posted in....years. I have been on a "try new recipes kick" lately thanks to pinterest and recipe club here in Ohio. So I decided I will post a few of my recent favorites for y'all to try and enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. hot or sweet Italian Sausage (could do turkey sausage for a more healthy approach)
2 c. diced carrots
1 c. chopped onion
8 c. chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz) cans diced italian tomatoes
1 c. small shell pasta
4 c. bagged baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
4 tb grated fresh parmesan or romano cheese
4tb chopped fresh basil (I used dried)

Cook sausage (stir to crumble), carrots and onions in a large pot over medium-high heat until sausage is browned. Add broth, tomatoes, and pasta. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes or until pasta is done. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach until wilted. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and basil. Serves 8-10.