DIY Yarn-Wrapped Wreath

Now that Little Mister is (gasp) actually taking a nap each day (ranging from 30 minutes to 2+ hours), I'm trying to redeem my "me time" by climbing back on the crafting wagon.

Before baby, I was very into paper-crafts (card-making, scrap-booking, and the like) and sewing/quilting. For my first big post-baby project, I decided to branch out and try one of those amazing yarn-wrapped wreaths that have popped up all over Pinterest. With fall right around the corner, it was the perfect craft for me to tackle--I got to use fun fall colors, and once I

finished, I had something fun and uniquely personal to hang on my front door.

Sorry folks; no tutorial here. There are too many wonderful tutorials already out there for me

to try to replicate what I did. For the one I relied on most, click here. I used less than one "super size" skein of yarn, and a handful of felt in various colors. A little hot glue and a whole lot of patience later, I'm pretty happy with the result. It'll look even better once it cools off enough to repaint my front door "Deep Sea Dive" by Sherwin Williams.

Pinterest, it's what's for dinner!

Ok, so my obsession with Pinterest has lead to a wide variety of recipe sampling...and every dish has been met with much approval from Mr. M.

Below are two of the recipes we WILL be having again. And again. ...And again. (And I can't take credit for the photos. They are shamelessly copied from the original posters.)

Baked Zucchini Fries

Serves 2.

In a small bowl, beat one egg and season with salt and pepper. In a ziplock bag, place 1/3-1/2 cup breadcrumbs and garlic powder (I used garlic & herb breadcrumbs and omitted the garlic powder); shake well. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Cut two medium zucchinis into sticks. Dip the zucchini sticks into the egg and then place into the bread crumb mixture, a few at a time and shake to coat. Place the breaded zucchini in a single layer and spray more cooking spray on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 – 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve with some marinara sauce for dipping.

I served these with Italian chicken sliders. I bought the Italian-marinated chicken from HEB, grilled it in a skillet, and then sliced it up and served it on whole-wheat slider buns. Would be good with fresh basil and tomato, but I didn't have basil on hand.

Garlic-Rubbed Grilled Cheese with Bacon & Tomatoes

(I modified the recipe by cutting the amounts of everything in half, and subbing cheeses for what I had on hand. For original cheeses, follow link above. Ok, read on.)

Cook 3 slices of thick-cut bacon in microwave, as directed on package.

Pour a couple handfuls (real exact, right?) of grated Italian cheese blend and grated cheddar cheese into a bowl; mix with 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.

Slice 4 slices of thick Italian bread. Lay them out on your work surface. Choose 2 and divide half of the cheese between them. Add a slice and a half of bacon on each. Stack a couple slices of raw tomato on top of that, then add the rest of the cheese mixture. Lightly butter one side of the remaining two slices of bread, and put them on top of the sandwiches, butter side up (obviously).

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches butter side down in the pan and cook on the first side until the bread is golden brown and toasted. Meanwhile, butter the top slice of bread on each sandwich. Flip sandwiches and continue to cook on the other side. Remove from skillet and immediately rub both sides with the cut side of a peeled garlic clove, to give it a subtle garlic flavor. Serve immediately. :)

Makes 2 sandwiches.

I served these with sea salt and cracked black pepper potato chips and iced tea. Excellent.