EASY KITCHEN HOLIDAY GIFTS!

I love to watch cooking videos to get new

 meal ideas. One of the cooks was using 

 silicone holders/covers on the handle of 

her pots.  I thought these were neat gadgets.

 I have been burned too many times

because I used  thin pot holders.

 I looked up this item on the computer. 

These pot handle holders/covers were

 a little pricey. 

I wondered if these holder/covers were 

available in cloth fabric. Some cloth 

pot handle holders/covers were for 

sale online.   They looked like they 

 would make a great DIY project. 

I did find some DIY videos with 

crafters using cloth pot holders

for holder/covers. All of the 

videos I found required using a

 sewing machine. This was a

 problem since I don't own a

sewing machine.

I searched for needles that I could use 

to hand sew the pot handle holders. 

There were packets of special needles

hanging on a retail store End Cap display. 

These looked like they would be perfect

for hand sewing pot holders. The packet

noted that the needles were for glove

and car seat repair. I bought one 

packet of the needles to experiment

with.   I  discovered that I could hand

 sew the ends of the pot holder together

if I used a taunt whip stitch. I had a 

friend who taught me the sewing

 machine stitch and the whip stitch. 

She used these stitches when  hand

 sewing her doll clothes. There are

detailed examples of how to make

 these stitches online.

DIY POT HANDLE HOLDER/COVER

ITEMS NEEDED:

Pot holder (7 inch) , straight pins

Home repair or embroidery needle

Scissors, matching thread

Directions:

Fold pot holder in half and keep the

loop exposed. Secure ends with straight

 pins. Leave a 3 inch opening on the side 

with the loop. This will be the area where 

pot handle goes in. Make sure edges and 

sides of pot holder meet. 

Guide thread through  the needle and form double thread 12-14 inches long. Make a knot at the end of

 the threads.  Whip stitch the side and bottom

 edge  on left side of the pot holder using taunt

 close stitches. This will ensure the pot handle holder/cover stays together when pot handle

 is inserted.  The finished stitches will resemble

embroidery stitches seen on some linens

 and tea towels.

TIPS:

** Sewing machine can be used to make the

holder/ cover.

** Using holiday themed pot holders for the

 pot handle holder/cover make great gifts.

** The pot handle holder/cover should

fit the handles on most pots & pans.

** Tab loop can be used to hang up 

pot holder/cover. 

SENIOR LADY: MAKES BREAKFAST BREADS!

Slice of Carrot Bread

.

I try to save the classic breakfast meal that includes eggs,

 bacon, or sausage for the weekend. I'm not a fan of

cold cereal or oatmeal either.  

My solution to a meatless breakfast was homemade

muffins and breads.  Making yeast breads require

a lot of work and skill. I've discovered that I can

enjoy muffins and breads just as much as yeast

 rolls and breads.

Banana and zucchini breads taste great. However,

I like to experiment with unique fruit flavors in

my muffins and breads.

CARROT BREAKFAST BREAD:

15 oz White Cake Mix 

1/3 cup Canola Oil

2 Eggs

4 oz sour cream

1 tsp Vanilla

1/cup finely chopped carrots, packed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg 

SPICE OPTIONS:

Pumpkin pie spice, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace

DIRECTIONS: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.

Add listed ingredients in large bowl. Blend well with mixing fork

or hand mixer. Pour batter in loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes or until

toothpick comes out clean.

Fruit Options:

Finely chopped 1 cup strawberries, peaches, apples

Mashed 1 cup bananas, pumpkin 

Vegetable Options:

Finely peeled, chopped zucchini (drain liquid)

Mashed/pureed 1 cup sweet potatoes

Tasty additions:

1/2 cups finely chopped pecans or walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

Note:

**   Adjust spices to your taste.

**.  Use muffin tin if muffins preferred.

**.   Add extra egg if preferred.