Tales of a Crafty Mommy

You know how sometimes certain things take you right back to your childhood? To me, seeing and hearing the pressure cooker doing its magic reminds me so much of those early years. My Grandma ( Mami Jana - like I used to call her ) used it to make lentils and beans as it cooks quickly in the pressure cooker. My Hubby has now learned to use it to make this delicious pulled BBQ Beef (or pork). Thanks to the pressure cooker, the meat was so tender that it fell apart while covered with a generous amount of BBQ . It was so juicy, perfect for any BBQ lover. The best part is that it took a little less than an hour to have it ready. (Between you and I - I really do think this dish turned out much better than Smokey Bone's pulled BBQ Pork that they make!) shhhh! ;-) Ah...and I can assure you, my kitchen smelled so good that we were just staring at the clock counting the minutes until the food was ready! Happy BBQ-ing!

This has got to be the BEST dish I have had in the ENTIRE month of November! I love French Fries, especially homemade, (reminds me of my Grandma who made them for me when I was a child), I love meat, and I love BBQ sauce. What else could be better on a quiet Saturday evening? Thanks to my Hubby for cooking for me :-) Ingredients: 6 Potatoes 1 onion 1 garlic parsley Salt Pepper BBQ Sauce Rice Sour Cream (optional) Steps: 1. Cut up all your potatoes, onions, garlic, and parsley. 2. Heat up the oil, if you are anything like my Hubby, use a thermometer to check if it's at the right temperature. (bring oil to 350 degrees) 3. Make some rice on the side, if desired. We eat rice with pretty much everything in our home! 4. Season the meat with the parsley, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cook until desired. 5. Get ready to eat, get messy, and have a fantastic time!

Red Velvet Cake Balls covered in Dark Chocolate  Lately, I have become a huge fan of Bakerella and the book Cake Pops. Cake Pops and Cake Balls are very similar. Really, the only difference is that the first one goes on a stick while the second remains as a ball. Pretty simple, huh? The design and flavor possibilities are countless! I already have a couple * on my to-bake list * for Christmas and my Daughter's Birthday.  In my opinion, Cake Balls / Cake Pops are really fun to make. Here is why:  Your children or friends could make them with you You could design your own shape of cake ball / cake pop You can mix any flavors you'd like  ---talk about doing things non-traditionally! This would be why I am so excited about making more Cake Balls / Cake Pops for Christmas and Birthday Parties. (My Daughter loves Mickey Mouse, so I will be trying my hands at cutting little Mickey and Minnie faces!)  Ingredients: Boxed Red Velve...

My Hubby's favorite dessert is Cheesecake. I never thought it would be possible to make it at home, but when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake....it seemed like the dish was calling his name!  I had been wanting to make something special for him (since he is the one who bakes for me quite often!) and knew this would be the right dessert! In my Hubby's words: "The cheesecake was similar to pumpkin pie, slightly richer. It was the perfect blend between the traditional pumpkin pie and cheesecake . "  I ended up making two pies from the ingredients listed below. One pie was made in a store-bought crust and the other one was a homemade crust. I strongly recommend making your own crust because the cinnamon flavor from the Graham Crackers and brown sugar will add an additional pumpkini, fall-ish flavor to the cheesecake. This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen found at the Food Network.  Ingredients:   cream che...

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup of puree pumpkin 2 tbsp Bread Crumbs 30 Wonton wrappers 1/2 tsp minced Sage 1/8 Nutmeg 2 tbsp Parmesan Cheese 1 jar Alfredo Sauce Water { This recipe has been adapted from MyRecipes .com } Steps 1. Have a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil and spread the pumpkin. 2. Cover it with another sheet of aluminum foil and let it stand for 5 minutes. 3. Use a plastic spatula to scrape the pumpkin into a bowl. 4. Once the pumpkin is in the bowl, stir in the sage. Then the breadcrumbs, Then the nutmeg,, The Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. 5. Mix well. This will be the pumpkin mixture to go in the wonton wrappers to make the raviolis. 6. Stuff the wonton wrappers, seal them with water, fold all the edges. Spoon 1 tsp of the pumpkin mixture into the center of the wrapper. Have a brush and a bowl with cold water by you. Brush the edges... Fold the wrapper. This is the method that worked for us. We ...

We are about one month away from one of the best times of the year, Thanksgiving !!!! I love all the food (of course!!!), the family gatherings, and all the picture taking, ha!  So I got to thinking and planning for the occasion, and created a chart of ideas to help me plan the meals for it. I created a pdf file called Thanksgiving Menu Ideas - and I am sharing it with each one of you through Google Docs! Just click here  to find it.  This handy table is helping me decide what I want to make for the Main Dish, Side Dishes, Salads, Desserts, and Drinks.  Do you have a traditional Thanksgiving recipe that you'd like to share with us? Send me an e-mail with the recipe and picture and I'd love to share it in the blog.  thechambs@gmail.com 

Exactly a week ago (as of yesterday when I made this dish), all 33 miners and the rescuers made it to the surface safe and sound. Last week I skipped Seafood Wednesday because we had a small 'asado' or grilled meat to celebrate the success of the operation. I even got to sing the national anthem with my family and millions of Chileans who were watching the rescue from their homes, at the Mina San Jose, and other places around the world. It has been an event that has touched my heart. So yesterday's dish was first of all dedicated to my family and to Chile and to anyone who loves fish.  Want to give it a shot?  1. Place cod in a bowl and season it with salt (i used sea salt) and black pepper.  2. Make some fresh lemon juice and add it to the fish. Let it stand while you continue making the other parts of the dish.  3. Melt some butter in a pan and add onions.  4. Add paprika or 'aji color' (it's a type of chile powder) ...