Spaetzle

For those of you who are not of German heritage, a Spaetzle is an easy German noodle or small dumpling. It really is simple to learn how to do, and super yummy, considering it is just mostly flour, egg and water! Here is a basic recipe...although you can find variations on Pinterest, this one works great...

Spaetzle makers are found on amazon and also at gourmet kitchen shops. They are a simple and fairly inexpensive contraption. They look a lot like a grater with a box on top that easily slides back and forth on runners on the sides. (I know. It sounds complicated, but I was so astonished at how easy it was the first time I made this that I was certain I was doing it wrong!)

Just like the recipe says, you mix the eggs and water and add the flour, salt and pepper, if you wish. Stir into a thick and gooey dough. Put a wide pot of water on to boil (you will not need a deep pot, but the wider it is, the more spaetzle you will be able to cook in each batch.

All you do, once the batter or dough is made, is place the spaetzle maker over the pot of boiling water (my new one even has a built-in stop on the underneath to keep the pot still), spoon some batter into the "box", and slide it back and forth along the grater. Noodles form and drop into the boiling water.

In just a few minutes, they will have risen to the top of the pot and are done! It takes no time at all. Then, you just scoop them out with a slotted spoon or scoop and put them into a bowl to cool.

I put them, 2 cups at a time (2 servings), into plastic bags. When they are completely cooled, I bag them into another bigger bag and freeze them for future use. They are so good just sauteed with a little butter and salt and go well with all sorts of things!

I've Been Gonna...

Many years ago, I got a call from my oldest and dearest friend, who had recently lost her mother. She and her sisters needed to clean out, divide up and organize their mom's belongings and cull out and sell what they did not want. But they were at a loss as to how to go about doing this, and, when they knew what they were going to sell, how much it would be worth. She asked for my help.

So my darling daughter and I packed up and went to Oregon for a long weekend.

Amidst (and despite) the heartache and loss and frustration and sadness, I learned something that weekend that I have taken to heart and that I want to pass on to anyone who cares to read this...

This dear lady obviously loved handiwork and making things. Her husband had build her an enviable shop/workroom where she had her sewing machines, quilting racks, and projects all beautifully set up and organized. (I cannot begin to say how much I would LOVE a space like that for myself!)

I took box after box and container after container of yarn, fabric and patterns, from the shelves. Each one was labeled: "make quilt for _______", "crochet afghan for ______", "this fabric and pattern would make a cute dress for ______". Mind you, it was not just five or six boxes...but dozens...an overwhelming number of never-to-be-done projects.

I do not know what this lady did accomplish in the way of projects, but it was painfully obvious what she did not accomplish! And that weekend, I vowed not to become that lady...the lady who always says (as my husband loves to say), "oh, I've been gonna do that".

As a person who loves Stashes, and who is constantly on the lookout for bundles of paper, yarn, fabric, patterns, etc, at yard sales and estate sales, I am prone to piling up a lot of projects. So, every few years, I go through things and clean them out. A lady like me needs to be able to lay her hands on the things she needs to put a project together. And here in Montana, you do not just jump in the car and run down to the Craft Store, (although we did just last year get a Hobby Lobby in Missoula!). But I am not kidding when I say that it takes an hour and a half to get from my house to a craft store!

So, I have my stashes to keep me busy and entertained. And every January, I make a list of projects I want to make in the new year (it is kind of like my New Year Resolution list). However, I routinely clean things out and give them away or sell them. No doubt there is somebody else who will love a good deal on a great stash!

And I sew, crochet, knit, scrapbook, cross stitch, embroider, and bead things I intend for the people I love. I do not just look at them and say, "oh, I've been gonna make that..."!

Needlework Kits

If you love needle crafts as much as I do, no doubt you know how terribly expensive and investment a needle work kit of any kind can be. For some years now, I have wanted to try my hand at making wool felt candle mats or table runners. I have seen so many cute ideas on Pinterest! But what an investment! Then I discovered that yard sales, estate sales and thrift stores are the best places to find good deals on needlework kits! Granted, you have to take whatever there is to offer and you do not have a lot of choice in what is there. But for pennies on the dollar, it can be worth it!

I picked these kits up along the way of the 50 Mile Yard Sale this summer, and I paid $2.50 apiece for them! The ones that had price tags still on them had sold for $25- $30 each! And the kits I did not care to save to make, I turned around and sold on ebay for a profit, so Win-Win!