Malisa Price - Cooking, Crafting and Opinions Galore - malisaprice.com

Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild

2012-05-24T13:00:00Z

Last Saturday, I had planned to meet Jodi for a day of thrifting. Sadly, we weren't able to meet up. Instead of moping around because I didn't get to see her, I took the advice of a Twitter friend, Rebecca and visited the Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild.

The Sacramento Modern Quilt Guild (SMQG) meets once a month. Every other meeting is at Sew Fun Fabrics in Folsom. The other months they are a "travelling" group. I learned that quilters are often travellers and will drive great distances to find good quilt shops!

Upon Rebecca's request, I live-tweeted the meeting. I have never tweeted anything live before and I gained a HUGE respect for anyone that can do so. People talk a lot faster than I can compose a tweet!

The SMQG is led by Jenniffier and they are in the process of becoming a more formal group. The meeting was a lot of fun. My personal favorite part was the show and tell. During this part of the meeting, each lady got to show what they had been working on. I was in awe and shock, truthfully, when I saw all of the projects the members had created. Their creations are amazing.

Jenniffier showed her embroidery 101 blocks and of course I loved the block with the pennant!

The SMQG is working on a Bubble Quilt and Debbie showed her block. She had a few other projects that were incredible. I loved one she's making for "herself" (secret present for a friend) and it's a music-themed quilt.

Spider quilt by Nancy. This was actually her "smaller" quilt. I just sat there thinking, smaller?? This is humongous.

Golden threads, the quilter's ruler, you sew over the paper and then take it off. It's great for quilting a pattern on your fabric.

Coffee inspired quilt by Nancy. I really liked the colors of this quilt.

I showed my bicycle blanket. The ladies were so encouraging and gave me great ideas on how to quilt the top. I'm hoping to take a Free Motion Quilting class from Melody who teaches at Sew Katie Jean. (If you look closely, you'll see Iron Man lego on the arm rest. It's my hubster's)

My favorite thing about Modern Quilting: you don't have to sew straight lines! I really enjoyed the SMQG and hope that I'll be able to make more of their meetings.

What adventures have you been up to lately?

Happily linking with Alicia for:

Reader Feature at Sugar Bee Crafts

2012-05-23T13:00:00Z

Each week Mandy from Sugar Bee Crafts hosts Take-A-Look Tuesday. It's a link party for crafts, recipes, and other do-it-yourself projects. Today, I'm sharing my choices for Mandy's Reader Feature! Here's a snippet of what I said:

Hello Sugar Bee Crafts Readers!

I'm Malisa and I'm excited to share my picks with you. A little about me: I love blogging and sharing my perspective. Along the way, I like to encourage and entertain you too. Some of my favorite things are cooking and baking, although I modify almost every recipe to make it more healthy and tasty! I'm also a craft enthusiast. Knitting and sewing are my two main crafting hobbies.

Here are some of my favorite features from this week's link party!

I loved this idea for Homemade Laundry Detergent from Julia at Stars and Stripes

This Little Zipper Clutch from ChiWei at One Dog Woof sounds super easy and I'm going to attempt to make it!

Mmm! Any recipe with balsamic vinegar and veggies sounds like a winner in my book. These Balsamic Roasted Veggies from Rachel at Happily Ever After are going in to my weekly menu.

I have been attempting to sew my first skirt. And I really liked this Gathered Skirt from Christa at Life in the Makings

To read the rest of my choices, click on over to Mandy's blog.

Menu Planning with Google Calendar and Pinterest

2012-05-22T12:00:43Z

Today, I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Food Your Way about how to make Liza's Delicious Brownies, and I’m excited to welcome Carrie from My Favorite Finds to Malisa Price ~ Cooking, Crafting, and Opinions Galore!

Hello! My name is Carrie, and I blog over at My Favorite Finds. I’m so excited to be here today, sharing my menu planning tips with you. On My Favorite Finds, you’ll find recipes, organizing, tutorials, and even some Disney travel tips. I hope you’ll take the time to stop by and check it out. Looking for a new link party to join? I have two!

Monday is Must Try Mondays where you can link up your favorite recipes. Tuesdays, I co host Handmade Tuesdays with Ladybug Blessings, where you can stop by and link up crafts, tutorials, recipes, home decor, just about anything! I hope you’ll take time to visit-the more the merrier.

About a year and a half ago, I started menu planning. I had been doing it off and on for a few years, but nothing as committed as what I am doing now. The part that amazes me about it is how much simpler it makes my life. As moms, wives, and busy women, we have a lot on our plate. Just the simple process of menu planning has lessened my “stress” and has allowed me to be ready for meals, feed my family in a timely fashion, and be prepared.

So, how do I menu plan? I have moved from a pen and paper list to something a little more technology based-Google Calendar and Pinterest.

First, you need a Gmail account to start using Google Calendar. At the top of your Gmail tool bar you’ll find “Calendar” next to “Documents”. I first open up my Google Calendar and think about what we have going on during the upcoming week. I fill in “Sundays” with {Pizza Night}, and from there I decide what nights will be crock pot, grill, or “leftover” nights. Next, using tabbed browsing, I open up my Pinterest account. I start with my Chicken Dishes Board, and choose a dish from there, adding it to Google Calendar and also any ingredients I need to my grocery list. I continue through my boards, choosing sides, breads, etc. and fill in our calendar accordingly.

As I enter dishes into Google Calendar, I can set them to repeat. So, if I know it’s a dish we like, or a new one I’m certain my family will like, I repeat it. To do so, I click on Edit Event and a box pops up. Then, I choose which day of the week to repeat the dish on, and set it to repeat every two weeks.

Voila! It’ll show up again two weeks later, and my menu for that week is partially complete. Don’t want to make that dish again or something comes up? Not to worry, I just edit it. Since you’ve planned your menu in Google Calendar, you will receive an email reminder for that day’s happenings. You can set this to remind you when you are entering your menu.

I set mine for ONE DAY reminder. That way, if I need to thaw any meat or pick up something for that dish, I can do so. When using Pinterest to menu plan, I have organized my boards into food types. I used to have one big food board, but I had so many pins on it, repins, and dishes I knew weren’t going to realistically happen. So, I took some time to rearrange these recipes by type. It makes it super easy to plan meals when I can look by type, instead of for a particular dish. When it’s all done, I stand in my kitchen with my Google Calendar and write my menu on my fun chalkboard menu board.

I hope you’ll stop my My Favorite Finds find joy in your everyday!

Visit Life Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!

Birthday Giveaway Winners!

2012-05-21T13:01:11Z

Hi Friends!

I hope you are having a nice Monday. Last week I had a birthday giveaway. To choose the winners, I numbered the comments and used Random.org.

The winners are~

Pillow Cover 1: Beth

Pillow Cover 2: Mariah

Pillow Cover 3: Jodi

Pillow Cover 4: Joseline

Zippered Pouch: Mia

Thank you all for entering. I'll email the winners to mail you your prize!

Friday Favorite Things, Version 2.0

2012-05-18T13:30:00Z

This week I'm joining Rachel for her weekly Friday Favorites & Jeanett for InstaFriday.

Saturday, with the help of Mandie, I sewed 2 mug rugs for my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. I love how they turned out and our moms did too.

Anthony and I both had Sunday off, so we went to the Mighty Kong Cafe for breakfast. They've just remodeled it and it turned out great! I wore the only item I purchased from our New York trip from the Mint Julep. We visited both of our moms and had a nice day together and with our families.

When I got home from work on Monday, I realized our yard is full of weeds and bees.

I decided to host a big birthday giveaway! It has low entries and I love the pillow covers I made.

Tuesday was my birthday and Anthony and I had a wonderful day off together.

We stopped by Tupelo coffeehouse for our favorite beverages & a little breakfast.

A few months ago, Anthony bought me a cute clutch from Peggy Ann Design and I finally used it. I had the perfect outfit to match the purse. I must say the clutch is just the right size.

From Tupelo, we drove to visit Jodi and her boys. In the words of Jacob, we brought over our favorite "Chinese" food (Burma Superstar). Jodi surprised me with a lovely birthday cake. Visiting with her and Anthony was one of my favorite parts of the day.

Jacob entertained all 3 of us adults with ease, even while playing the iPad. Anthony lovingly nicknamed him, Little Josh Ink.

We then went in to the City (San Francisco) and went to Blue Bottle Coffee at the Ferry Building. This is the third Blue Bottle we've visited. Anthony blogged about the Mint Plaza and Rockefeller Plaza locations.

We headed to a great parking lot by AT&T Park that my dad recommended. But first, we stopped by Safeway and picked up some snacks for the game. All of these were only $8!

We had great seats and the tickets were very reasonably priced. Yeah! We got to the park early and were able to watch both teams warm up.

Anthony and I enjoyed the game. And we realized it was the first game we'd ever been to by ourselves. Every other game, we've attended with family and friends!

I enjoyed Cracker Jacks and Anthony sunflower seeds. We also ate LOTS of other food too!

Sadly, the Giants lost. But I didn't care. I had a memorable birthday!

Wednesday, Anthony insisted that I try on a pair of TOMS shoes.

He bought me my first pair as a birthday gift! I proudly wore them to dinner with my parents at The Porch.

Thursday, after going to two different Target stores we found e.l.f. cosmetics!

I spent $43 on makeup, hair accessories, and skin care to update my Summer Beauty regimen. Thank you Jessica (Polish and Pout) for your suggestions. I got some major bargains!

We also had s'mores in our backyard with Jesse, however due to windy conditions no photographs were taken.

What were your favorite things this week? What have you been up to?

Linking up with Jeanette & Rachel:

Much Love, Me Project

2012-05-17T13:27:00Z

I'm sharing a little about myself at Nicole's blog as part of her Much Love, Me Project.

If you're stopping by from Nicole's blog, welcome. I hope you'll stay for a while! Just FYI I'm hosting a birthday giveaway.

Please enter! I'd love for you to win.

Happy Thursday, friends!

(P.S. My hand is not sunburned in the picture, a filter on Instagram made it look that way!)

Vegetable Baked Ziti

2012-05-16T13:01:10Z

We were having company over and for some reason, I was craving baked ziti. I'm not really sure why as I have never had one that was seasoned properly.

I looked up a few recipes online and discovered ziti dishes are as varied as pasta shapes! I chose to blend a bunch of recipes I read and created this version. It was delicious and my guests loved it.

Vegetable Baked Ziti

Ingredients

1 lb. Ziti pasta (or penne/tube shaped pasta)
Olive Oil
2 cups Shredded Carrots
3 cups Frozen Spinach
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 jar Pasta Sauce (your favorite/cheapest brand)
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
Salt & Pepper
4-8 oz. Ricotta Cheese
2 cups Shredded Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

Boil water, add salt and pour in the pasta. Cook to al dente on the package. Drain and pour the noodles into the prepared dish. Fold in the ricotta cheese.

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots and saute for 3 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and saute another 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Carefully add the jar of pasta sauce. Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Heat for about 5 minutes until all ingredients are heated throughout.

Pour the vegetable sauce over the noodles/ricotta mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Serve with a green salad and enjoy.

Don't forget to enter my Birthday Giveaway!

A Birthday Giveaway

2012-05-15T08:50:32Z

Today is my 29th birthday!

I love birthday presents and thought it would be fun to share some with you.

May is the 5th month, so I'm giving away 5 items.

I sewed envelope pillow covers made for 18" (inch) pillows.

I'm giving away 4 covers to 4 different readers! (If you win, you'd need to buy the actual pillow)

I'm also giving away a yellow, zippered pouch that I bought from Mandie.

This pouch would be perfect for accessories in your purse. The inside is brown flannel and it's about 7 1/2 inches wide by 4 1/2 inches tall.

There are two ways to enter (only one entry is needed to win):

Entry 1: Leave a comment letting me know you'd like to win the pillow covers or pouch
Entry 2: Tweet or Facebook a link to the giveaway and leave a comment here saying you did
- You can use this if you want to: @malisaprice is hosting a birthday giveaway http://malisaprice.com/blog/2012/5/13/a-birthday-giveaway.html

Yay for birthdays and I hope you win a prize!

This promotion is open until Sunday, May 20th, at 8 pm PST. 5 winning numbers will be chosen with Random.org and will correspond with entries in the comments section of this post. Make sure to leave an email address when you comment, as that's how I'll notify the winner. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only.

Gold Stars and Performing for God

2012-05-14T13:00:40Z

Photo Credit: Warrenski on Flickr

When Nicole wrote about not liking women's ministry (gatherings, retreats, teas, etc.), I was doing a happy dance and celebratory hand-waving. I'm sure I looked like a nutty person, but I was so relieved that she felt like me.

Recently, I went to a women's retreat. I have been on retreats before, but this was the first one I have gone to that was paid for out of my pocket. This time was different because I had a time and financial investment.

I don't know what actually possessed me to sign up for the weekend getaway. I like being home with my hubster, eating the meals I make, and sleeping in my nice bed. Nicole talks about how she is led by the Spirit. I am too. I think it was the quiet voice of Jesus calling me, "Come Malisa, experience more of what I have for you. I want to spend time with you and get to know you better." Shockingly, I signed up.

I allowed myself to be vulnerable. I allowed myself to be a follower rather than the leader. I allowed myself to be out of control and go with the flow.

Hop over to Nicole's blog, where I shared the rest of my story...

Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bake

2012-05-09T13:00:57Z

I love meals that require minimal effort and clean up. I also love casseroles, but I prefer to call them bakes or dishes. Sharon, a contributor at $5 Dinner Mom's site, posted a recipe for Brown Rice Casserole. It reminded me of a chicken and rice dish my mom used to make.

Please don't run away when you read that I won't cook with cream of ____ soup anything. I just don't know what's in that stuff. So, I modified and doubled Sharon's recipe so it would match my cooking criteria. It also enough that there was plenty to freeze.

Here's my updated and healthier version!

Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bake

(adapted from Brown Rice Casserole)

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken
3 cups Brown Rice
8 Celery Stalks, chopped
4 1/2 cups water
24 oz. Broth (3 cups)
2 tbsp. Onion Powder
1 tbsp. Garlic Powder
1 tbsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tsp. Thyme, dried
1 lb. Broccoli, chopped (I used frozen)
4 cups shredded cheese

Directions

Bring the first 5 ingredients to a boil. Turn down heat to a simmer. After 8-10 minutes, the chicken will be done cooking. Remove it and set aside. Cover the rice/celery/broth mixture and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

While the mixture is simmering, chop broccoli (if needed) and microwave for 2 minutes, just until warm. Roughly cut up the chicken, into bite sized pieces.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray at least 2 9 x 13 pans (or combo of pans) with cooking spray. Gently add the chicken, broccoli, and seasonings to the rice mixture. Place in the pans and top with cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Broil for 3-5 minutes, if you'd like the cheese to brown.

Enjoy!