Switching Sides: Simple Roasted Carrots For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my holiday. All mine. I plan the menu, but I don’t forget to add in a few family favorites mixed with a few new recipes I’ve bookmarked to try. What usually happens though, is that I end up with way too many sides that take too much time to prepare.  Inevitably we eat about an hour later (okay, two) than I tell everyone.   Not this year.

This year I’m taking Thanksgiving back. I’m all about simplicity this year. I want good-quality ingredients prepared simply with as little stress as possible. I’m trading in those time-consuming sides (with too many steps and endless ingredients) for the basics done well.

A few Thanksgivings ago, I made Braised Carrots with Shallots, Thyme and Sage from Gourmet Magazine. They were incredible.  INCREDIBLE.

Because I usually run out of burners on the stove, I’m trading the 20 minutes on the stove for 20 minutes in the oven. I’m nixing the braising liquid and the high calorie butter (though, as I said–incredible), and yes, even the shallots. I will be keeping the basic flavor elements that will help the sweetness of the baby rainbow carrots shine through.

Fresh herbs are an important part of Thanksgiving.  I planted sage in my garden a few years ago just so I could have it for Thanksgiving.  True story.  And basically so I could eat those braised carrots all spring, summer, and winter long.

If you can’t find fresh herbs, don’t fret.  Dried is fine.  Just use about half as much because dried herbs (if they aren’t too old and stale) will be stronger than an equal amount of fresh.  I love sage by itself, but I’ve added rosemary and thyme here because…well, because why not?  It’s Thanksgiving after all.

Last time-saving tip–don’t peel your carrots. It won’t hurt you to eat the peel.  And it saves a lot of time.  These carrots are pretty small anyway, so I also didn’t want to lose too much by peeling them.  I scrub them with a brush or the rough side of a new dish sponge to remove any dirt.  I halved or quartered the thicker carrots so they all cooked evenly.  (For size reference, the carrots pictured ranged from the thickness of a pencil to about 1? in diameter.)

Use the leftovers cold or room temperature in a salad or dipped in something yummy.

Roasted Baby Carrots with Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
double or triple for a crowd, this amount will serve 4

1 1/2 lbs. baby carrots (rainbow if you can find them), washed well
1 small sprig fresh rosemary, minced
1-2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stems
5-6 sage leaves, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Toss carrots with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and herbs.  Roast at 425 degrees F for about 20 minutes in a baking dish or on a baking sheet lined with parchment.  (I like mine tender-crisp.  Roast longer if you prefer them more tender.)

Tagged as: menu plan, side dish, thanksgiving, thanksgiving food

Lindsey Johnson is a stay-at-home mom who enjoys cooking, baking, photography, gardening, and writing. You can find more recipes at her blog, Cafe Johnsonia. Read other posts by Lindsey

View the original article here

Simple Kids Crafts - Wood Projects

When you think of kids crafts what comes to mind? Many of us think paper, glue, scissors, and glitter. There is another form of crafting that children enjoy referred to as wood crafts. Although, it may seem complex there are plenty of rather simple wood projects you can start with your child. Introducing them to woodworking is a great method to use for confidence building.

The act of manipulating unfinished wood into a useful household object is rewarding for a child. They instantly feel accomplished, capable, and important. Creating something with their hands helps improve motor and problem-solving skills. Similar to other crafts it unleashes their imagination allowing them to openly express themselves in a new way. The more artistic outlets a child has the better their opinion and communication to world will be. As a parent it is important to assist in your child's development. Providing them with a woodworking project teaches self-esteem and pride. Many schools have shut down their woodworking programs so introducing your child into the wonderful world of wood will be new and exciting to them. Wood crafts are sturdy lasting you years to come.

If you make several projects some can be sold on eBay or Etsy for extra income. Many children would be thrilled to see people actually wanting to purchase their creation. It's a great method to introduce your child into business and money. Showing them an example of how through learning something you can generate profit.

Simple kids crafts made from wood products are extremely useful. A favorite among woodworkers is the key holder. Have you ever been running late and you can't find your keys. Many children can recall that type of situation. They will find great pride in creating a custom key holder for mom and dad. Birch shaker pegs or wood spindles can be used as an alternate key hook when making the design completely wood.

Another great wood project idea is building a letter holder. You can teach your child about postage stamps during the process. It's a quick and easy project to do. If you want to customize the letter holder let your child select their own choice of paint to add color to the piece. A fun and easy outdoor wood project is building a butterfly house. If you have a decent size backyard creating a structure that will attract beautiful monarch butterflies will amaze your child.

A classic wood project that is quite simple is building a toy box with a giant toy wheel attached to the front. Kids can sand and paint the toy wheel while the adult assists with pulling the chest together. The positive aspect about wood projects is its totally up to you. Every design can be changed to look the way you want it to. There are many wood crafts kits available that make woodworking simple as well. Some parents like to use them for convenience. They have an assortment of projects ranging from toy trucks to animals that comes with precut wood toy parts.

Lara Smith is an aspiring artist and employee at craftparts outside of Fort Worth in Haltom City Texas, offering many products including wooden toy wheels, wooden toy parts, buttons and plugs and a huge inventory of unfinished wood parts for woodworkers and crafters. For all of your Wooden toy parts needs, check out CraftParts

Lara Smith works for Woodworks, LTD, a wholesale craft parts supplier near Fort Worth, TX, offering wood products such as wooden toy wheels, toy parts, buttons and plugs. To learn more about craft wood, check out http://www.craftparts.com

Simple Crafts For Kids-6 easy Kids Crafts

Children enjoy arts and crafts. Creative and tapping into their imagination is what they do best. Crafting skills children every opportunity to hone that openly volunteer. It is a fun way to entertain the children while improving their cognitive skills. Learn how something works and to create an object is a fascinating way for children to spend extra time. A few hours of paper or wooden crafts can a period adhesion between you and your child. Crafts can also a great activity to keep children busy during rainy days, holidays, breaks and weekends.

There are six children easy crafts that every parent can do at home with their child. The most common craft project for children is pasta art. All you need is the various pieces of colorful construction paper, glue and a box of dry macaroni, noodles. Using different type such as penne pasta to make the art more interesting. Kids love to play around with the set-aside obligation pile dry noodles. It is a fun activity for them. Finger painting runs a close second place for easy kids crafts. The big kid in all of us loves to messy. Painting is a great form of expression. Children practice finger dexterity if they dive and glide their little fingers on the paper. Establishment of old newspaper and put special play dress up your kids that you don't mind is damaged you will ease clean-up of a stressful.

Wooden crafts are not so demanding they may sound. The third easiest children craft includes wood products. It is magnets. This is a simple project that children can have fun with. Buy wood to unfinished wood shapes, paint, magnet strips magnets that self-adhesive or a hot glue gun for standard magnets. Let your child painting their wooden toy parts or shapes, and then set to dry. After they added each additional types of decorations such as glitter or beads attach magnets and hand on the door of the fridge. Will the children smile every time they walk to the kitchen to admire their masterpiece.

Puppet is the fourth easy kids crafts. Creative craft to explore if you are making a puppet. There are many options when constructing puppets. The simplest shape is the sock puppet. A little glue and felt goes a long way in making your creature puppet. All supplies to around the House will suffice. If you would like to put on a more refined show than a wooden doll using wooden sticks and fishing line move your wooden puppet. There are kits available to produce this amazing puppet to help you effortlessly. Kids can put on their own puppet theater whenever they want.

The fifth craft project that many children enjoy is making wooden frames. Most wooden frames come already assembled in unfinished wood. All you have to do is paint and decorating to your own taste. Connected wooden balls, Finials, or small toys wheels to make the frame edges a dramatic effect. Kids can add hours glitter and painting. Similar to the previous project is the sixth child easy craft idea wooden door signs. Taking a piece of plywood which saw the careful monitoring of your child while in their desired shape or buy pre-cut pieces and decorate is a favorite among children. They love hanging from their door sign on their room. Remember when tinkering with children creativity and patience is the key.

Lara Smith is an aspiring artist and an employee at craftparts outside of Fort Worth in Texas in Haltom City, offer many products including wooden toys, wooden toys, parts wheels and plugs and a huge stock of buttons unfinished wood parts for woodworkers and hobbyists. For all your wooden parts CraftParts toys needs, check out

Lara Smith works for Woodworks, Ltd., a wholesale craft parts supplier near Fort Worth, TX, offering wood products such as wooden toys toy parts, wheels, buttons, and plugs. For more information about wooden toys http://www.craftparts.com wheels, check out

Summer fun and easy Kids craft ideas

Summer will be here soon enough, and will be thrilled with your kids be of school and playing outside. Well, at least for a few days anyway. Once the novelty of the summer has worn off and the reality of boredom once, your happy campers sinks into ' mother I'm bored ' samples. What is a parent do to help ease the pain of ' doing nothing '? Summer craft projects in advance of plan is an idea that smart parents can use. Who knows, maybe the kiddos will even learn a thing or two at the same time.

Since the weather is perfect for get out and explore the nature, children will find objects such as seeds, leaves, grass, flowers and other items to use when you create a collage of nature. All they need to do is found the bits on a rigid piece of cardboard craft glue. They can all other items that they want to add to the collage colorful and interesting. The spray can with paint and collage color variety also add. How about spraying some glue on and then sprinkling glitter on the collage? Another idea for the use of the nature of items they collect is to arrange dried flowers in special schemes for MOM.

Of course, if children collect wild flowers they need to a beautiful homemade vase in arranging them. Making a simple vase is a great summer craft idea. Children can make a nice, simple vase from a can recycled. Soup cans and small coffee cans work well for homemade vases. The best cans have smooth exterior and not too broad. Make sure you trim away a sharp points or edges that may still be at the opening. Children can cut a piece of colorful construction paper to fit around the outside of the can and then glue it to the can, after they have furnished in anyway they wish. Stickers, markers, crayons, paint, glue and glitter ... the list goes on. A great idea for decorating the vase is a beautiful summer scene by drawing on the construction paper. They can also name their glue dried pasta, beans or seeds, add on the paper. Let all the glue to dry well before May. But they want to decorate their vase is to them. All that's left is to add some water and their flowers or dried wild flowers.

Children can also make containers and vases of empty jars. Canning jars make great vases, but all old recycled pot works well. Make sure that it is really good to clean. Let them get their hands wet by the kiddos to clean the pot itself. After the pot is dry, add nice ribbon around the mouth. Children will enjoy painting on the glass pot and maybe glitter, beads and buttons to add also.

Tin and glass jar vases have several purposes other than containers for flowers. Children can turn into pencils, pens and markers or a small add item they want.

These are just a few simple craft ideas that can help you create your children this summer. There are literally limitless ideas for summer kid crafting. You can spend some nice time with your children while the boredom to prevent sample show early. Not only will you and your children have fun, but you have some adorable items to display in your home or give as gifts to friends and family. Your children can learn of some new crafting skills and the satisfaction of the performance at the same time. Stay cool and happy crafting this summer!

More information on editing and free patterns for scrapbooking and all types of http://freecraftideas.homestead.com craft projects on free Craft ideas find

Simple Questions In Preparing For Your Kids' Crafts - Part 1

Who? What? When? Where? Why? How?

These are the first simple questions one should answer in preparing for any activity such as making Kids' Crafts. As I often tell my design students in college, the amount of preparation one makes (input) is directly related to the rate of success in the end (output). So in this article, we would deal with these questions one by one hoping that you would find the right answers to what you plan to do. Remember that it is equally important to ask the right questions first before we set out doing any of the projects.

In asking "Who?", we are referring to the age group of the children involved. By knowing this, we would be able to tell the general skills that children of a particular age group normally have. Cutting and folding paper involving complex structures with intricate patterns naturally would be more difficult for younger children ages 8 or below. In addition to identifying the skills set of the kids, their familiarity with symbols and easily-recognizable characters would also have to be considered. An example of this would be Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters--they would appeal more to younger children but not to the ones who are already playing out the roles of Wolverine of the Xmen series or the Silversurfer from the latest Fantastic Four movie.

"What?" would have to be about the occasion or the theme of the activity. Is it an outdoor activity that would involve a lot of running around or be held by the swimming pool or beach? Making kids' crafts that are waterproof would surely lengthen the time of use and enjoyment by the kids. Likewise, a "Little Mermaid" theme party would surely be more interesting when done by the water than indoor. "What?" could also be used to refer to the resources that would be needed in making your projects.

In asking the question "When?", we are actually referring to the timing of the event and the amount of time you have for preparation. Glow in the dark patterns would be more exciting and more effective at night, and making them during the day when the sun is shining bright might make appreciating the artwork harder because of less lighting contrast. Find out how much time would be involved considering the skills level of your participants. Another aspect of "timing" would be the appropriateness of the activity such as using "hot" characters such as Harry Potter while the movie is still very much being talked about. Although it could still be used as a theme for your next Christmas party just to have a different "look" apart from the usual Santa Claus motif and traditional red and green colors.

In the next article, we would discuss the other remaining questions "Where?", "Why?" and "How?". Meantime, you may start preparing to answer the first three questions posed at the start of this article, "Who?", "What?" and "When?". Remembering these simple questions would surely be as easy as when you are already doing your Kids' Crafts projects!

For more information related to this article, please visit http://kidsartsandcrafts.blogspot.com/ or [http://www.datuindesign.com]

Simple Kids Crafts

If you love the fun of doing crafts with your kids there are so many simple low cost things you can do. Simple things like cutting pictures from magazines and pasting them onto empty card board boxes such as shoe boxes to personalise them for keeping treasures in.

Quilling and other paper crafts may be used to create elaborate works by adults but they can often be simplified for the benefit of kids.

Dough craft can be great fun and there is simply no end to the things you can make, with a simple salt dough recipe (4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 ½ cups hot water) and some cookie cutters the kids can make assorted shapes which once baked can be decorated with paints and glitter. Of course you can make seasonal cookies depending on whether it's Halloween or Christmas for instance.

Naturally if there's a holiday season on the horizon you can help the kids make their own greeting cards. From the simplest folded card decorated with paints and glitter to more elaborate ones embellished with all sorts of stick on goodies from the craft store.

Painting eggs for Easter is always lots of fun, you can dye the eggs with food colouring or just paint them with acrylic paints, Don't forget to hard boil them first. If you wrap rubber bands around the eggs in ways to form patterns before dying them, when you remove them from the dye and dry them remove the rubber bands to reveal a pattern where the dye didn't take.

A great craft idea for the older kids is to punch holes in the sides of a used tin can to form patterns then you can use the can to hold a candle, they look great in the dark. If you can find the sort of can that came with a pull off plastic lid that means there wont be any dangerous sharp edges. You'll also need a hammer a pin hammer should do, and a nail punch or similar tool to make the holes. You need to find a piece of wood to fit inside the can while punching the holes to stop the sides of the can from collapsing. If you can't find a piece of wood, fill the can to about a half inch from the top with water and then put it in the freezer. When the can is full of ice punch your holes and then melt the ice.

If you need lots more great ideas for simple kids crafts to keep your family entertained go to Crafts For Kids

Simple Paper Pumpkin Craft for Kids

Construction paper and pipe cleaners are about all you need for this paper pumpkin craft.

We’ve really gotten into decorating for both Halloween and autumn around here.  The dining room as a definite silly/spooky Halloween vibe, while the living room has more of a sophisticated “harvest” theme.  Just because it’s more grown up doesn’t mean there aren’t any kid crafts in there, with these simple pumpkins being a great example.

What you need to make paper strip pumpkins:

Orange construction paperScrap of green construction paperGreen pipe cleanerScissorsTapeStapler Most of these craft supplies are right on hand!

Cut your paper lengthwise into strips. The width is up to you. We did 11 strips for our each pumpkin.

Fan the strips out and staple them at the gathering point. Then tape the two fans together.

Cut out a leaf and hole punch it at the bottom.

Hole punch each strip on the non-attached end. Bring them all together at the top and feed a green pipe cleaner through them and the leaf before twisting it to hold everything in place. Curl the pipe cleaner around your finger or a pen to look like pumpkin vines.

Use your paper pumpkins to add color and fun to your Halloween or harvest decorations.

You may notice a couple of our other autumn crafts in this picture, like the autumn leaf garland and paper bag pumpkin!

View the original article here

3 Simple Kid Craft Projects - Nature Crafts For Kids

Crafting with kids doesn't need to cost a lot of money. With a bit of creativity and inspiration, you can make a lot of fun kid craft projects out of pretty much nothing. Many craft supplies you can be found in nature. For example, Instead of buying stamps, you can replicate similar result by using everyday objects in the kitchen or the outdoors. You can create intricate shapes by cutting a potato in half and scooping out some of the center. You can also use rocks and leaves to create patterns and transfer them onto greeting cards, bookmarks, bed sheets and more. To celebrate the end of summer and welcome the fall season, here are three simple kid craft projects using objects found in nature.

Pressed Flower Picture Nature Craft

Gather the flowers. Press them between sheets of hardcover books. When the flowers are ready to be used (after about 2-3 weeks), take a piece of stock paper and gently glue the flower petals onto the paper. You and your kids can create pictures by arranging the flower petals in desired pattern.

Beach Treasure Pendant Nature Craft

Collect some beach glasses or pebbles. Take a beading wire (about 1 foot long). Wind the wire all the way around the beach glass or pebble. Experiment with how you wire to create different results. Create a loop with the wire so you can make a necklace or bracelet by stringing a piece of ribbon or chain.

Leafy Print Nature Craft

Take a leaf and brush the underside with paint. Place the painted leaf over a piece of paper or cloth, paint side down. Cover the whole area with paper tower and press hard against it for a few seconds. Lift the paper tower and gently peel the away. Repeat until you have created a pattern with your leafy print. This method can be used to make greeting cards or to decorate a plain grocery tote.

Edda Shea is the author of Kid Craft Project - a website for people who enjoy crafting with their kids. Edda is a lifelong crafts enthusiast and enjoys making natural crafts for kids.

Simple Kids Crafts - Wood Projects

Are you in need of a few simple kids craft, consider wood projects. Simple kids crafts come in a variety of patterns, including paper crafting projects, mache, scrapbooking and beading, wood projects are not typically the first to come to mind. Don't worry, there are a number of easy and safe wood crafting projects that are great for children, and do not require any fancy or dangerous tools.

Simple Kids Crafts Build Confidence

There is no doubt that crafting is very popular and an excellent activity for children. It's fun and entertaining to work with your hands, and it helps the children express their creativity. Motor skills, and hand eye coordination are improved and a child develops a dexterity and connection with the project that is a wonder to behold. Creating unique pieces of art gives the children a sense of accomplishment and pride, and seeing the satisfied smiles on their face is a reward in itself.

Wood Craft Projects Are Easy

There are quite a few interesting and easy wood crafting projects that are appropriate for kids. For many reason, woodworking projects have been closed in schools, and unfortunately this has closed access for kids to what can be a very rewarding and creative activity. Unlike some other craft creations, a woodworking project will stand the test of time, and each completed project is a completed memory that they will be able to take with them for years to come.

The Key To Children's Wood Projects

But children of a young age shouldn't work with dangerous saws, nails and other woodworking tools you say? That is entirely true, and I don't recommend anyone strapping an adult tool belt on their 5 year olds waist! The answer to this woodworking dilemma is the dowel system. There are countless woodworking projects that are pre-formed, requiring no cutting or sanding. One need simply buy the woodworking set and connect the pieces of the project.

A common woodworking project is to create a key holder. This can be done, simply, safely and is also very functional. Your child can be involved in creating something that is not only gazed upon, but contributes to the families activities day in and day out. Depending on your child's age, you can get fancy by staining or painting the completed project.

Simple Projects for Older Kids

For older children interested in working with wood, you can resort to classic wood projects such as mailbox making or tree houses. These projects might require a little more supervision but the results can be very rewarding.

Whatever simple kids crafts you choose, remember that you are not just killing time, but creating quality memories of time spent together. Wood working, scrapbooking, beading, whatever the case may be, you will remember these moments with your loved ones for years to come.

Feel the satisfaction of working with your hands and creating beautiful simple craft projects.

Check out the definitive location for craft ideas, bead supplies, scrapbooking materials and more... check out the hundreds of quality craft kits and get started creating today!

Make a Simple DIY Wreath Hanger

Is it just me…or do you end up having more than one wreath for each holiday? I love to craft…so I usually end up making a new wreath each year. The problem is… I only have one front door. This year I decided it would be fun to hang a wreath in my vignette and I think it added the perfect touch!

I searched my house for supplies and this is what I cam up with. These are super easy and very inexpensive to make…. let’s get started shall we?

Supplies:

Wooden Base (circle or square)Finial Topper (found from HD)Large wooden Dowel (I cut mine down to 20 in)Wire hangerMetal CutterSpray Paint

The first thing you’ll want to do is drill a hole into the wooden base. Make sure your drill bit is the same size as your wooden dowel. Also make sure to not go all the way through (about 3/4 of the way) the wood.

Next you’ll grab some “strong glue” and put a little glue in your hole. Then push your wooden dowel in and hold for about a minute or so.

Then snip off the top of a wire hanger with wire cutters and glue to the vertical side to the dowel.

Finally you’ll glue the finial to the top of the dowel. Then once it’s dry give it a few coats of your favorite color of spray paint and you’re good to go! Pretty simple huh!?

This wreath hanger ended up only costing me THREE BUCKS! I saw one in Pottery barn last year for $80! Crazy huh?!  These are super easy and they look great on your vignette with your holiday decor! You can find the yarn wreath tutorial here if you’d like to make that as well.

Who’s ready for Halloween now?!

Tagged as: diy, wreaths

Jamielyn created I {Heart} Nap Time where she shares her creativity, DIY Projects, crafts, sewing tutorials and recipes. Jamielyn enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 little ones in Phoenix Arizona. Join her on Facebook or Twitter.  Read other posts by Jamielyn

View the original article here