Crocheted a New MP3 Player Case

My husband bought me a new MP3 player when my 2 1/2 year old Sansa player died. The new SanDisk Sansa View that he got me was slightly larger than my last one. I wanted to see if I could make a new case for this player because I need one with an armband when I go to the gym.

I used my original pleather case as my model for this one. I think this pattern could be resized fairly easily for any of the wheel control-designed MP3 players.

Tape measure
Yarn needle
E sized crochet hook
1 button (1/2” wide)
Metal ring (1”-1 ¼” in length), either rectangular or D shaped—this is optional, in case you want to wear the player on a lanyard
Piece of thin cardboard, cut the same size as the MP3 player (4.2” x 2”)
1 skein Premier Yarn Deborah Norville Collection Serenity Sock Weight in Saffron (#08)—You will be working with 2 strands of this yarn at the same time (This is a very fine, soft yarn and I didn't think it would work at one strand at a time.)
I reused the arm band from a case that was too small for this model

Front of the Case (worked from the bottom up)



Row 1: Leave a good length of yarn and chain 14.
Row 2: Turn and work 13 SC in the chain, starting from the second chain from the hook.
Row 3: Chain 1 and turn. Continue with 13 SC along the width of the piece.
Row 4 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 4 SC and one slip stitch at the end. Turn. At this point, you will start working on the right hand side of the case to leave an open space for the wheel. The left side will be worked later.
Row 5 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 4 SC.
Row 6 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 3 SC and one slip stitch at the end.
Row 7 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 3 SC.
Row 8 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC and one slip stitch at the end.
Row 9 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 2 SC.
Rows 10-11 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 sc and turn at the end.
Row 12 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 1 SC in the first SC, and 2 SC in the last SC (total of 3 SC).
Row 13 (R): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC in the first SC, and 1 SC each in the next 2 SC (total of 4 SC). Pull up a loop of the 2 strands together and cut off a length of yarn. You’ll use this loop later.

Turn the piece over. Reattach the 2 strands with a slip stitch at the outside edge of row 3 and chain 1. Now you’ll be working on the left side of the wheel.

Row 4 (L): Work 4 SC and one slip stitch at the end. Turn.
Row 5 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 4 SC.
Row 6 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Work 3 SC and one slip stitch at the end.
Row 7 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 3 SC.
Row 8 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC and one slip stitch at the end.
Row 9 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Skip the space of the slip stitch and work 2 SC.
Rows 10-11 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC.
Row 12 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Work 1 SC in the first SC, and 2 SC in the last SC (total of 3 SC).
Row 13 (L): Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC in the first SC, and 1 SC each in the next 2 SC (total of 4 SC).

Row 14: Chain 1 and turn. Work 4 SC along the length of the previous row. Chain 6. Insert the hook from the front of the last SC at the end of row 13 (R) and attach the chain with a SC. Finish doing SC across the length of that row. At the end, insert your hook through the front of the loop you pulled up earlier and attach the two with a slip stitch (you may have to pull the loop’s tail tight).

Row 15: Chain 1 and turn. Work 13 SC along the length of the row.
Row 16: Chain 1 and turn. Continue working 13 SC along the row.

Rows 17-27 (R): This will create the right side of the screen opening. Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC. When you reach the end of row 28 (R), pull up another loop of the 2 strands together and cut off a length of yarn. You’ll use this loop later as well.

Turn the piece over. Reattach the 2 strands with a slip stitch at the outside edge of row 17 and chain 1. Now you’ll be working on the left side of the screen.

Rows 17-27 (L): This will create the left side of the screen opening. Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC.
Row 28: Chain 1 and turn. Work 2 SC along the length of the previous row. Chain 9. Insert the hook from the front of the last SC at the end of row 27 (R) and attach the chain with a SC (insert your hook through the front of the loop you pulled up earlier and attach the two with a slip stitch). Finish doing SC across the length of that row.
Row 29: Chain 1 and turn. Work 13 SC along the length of the row. Finish off yarn.

Armband strap (worked from the bottom up)



Row 1: Leave a good length of yarn and chain 7.
Row 2: Turn and work 6 SC in the chain, starting from the second chain from the hook.
Row 3: Chain 1 and turn. Continue with 6 SC along the width of the piece.
Continue repeating row 3 until the piece is 3” long.

When you are ready to start the last row, (if you are inserting the D ring), line the ring up and crochet over it, still continuing with the 6 SC, to attach it to the piece.

Leave another good length of yarn and fasten off.

Back of the Case—Make 2

Once sewn together, this will be a sleeve for the cardboard to slide into. You may have to trim the cardboard smaller to fit into it.
Row 1: Chain 14.
Row 2: Turn and work 13 SC in the chain, starting from the second chain from the hook.
Rows 3-29: Chain 1 and turn. Continue with 13 SC along the width of the piece. Fasten off yarn. Keep the second back piece on the hook.

Before attaching these pieces to each other, attach the armband strap to the first back piece. Center the armband strap and sew it on (at the strap’s top and bottom) with the yarn needle and the extra lengths of yarn. Depending on the size of the armband you’re reusing, you may want to run it through the armband strap to find out if you need to add a few extra stitches in the strap and back to make it fit more snug.

To put these pieces together, lay them together so that the armband strap is outward. Do SC’s around three sides of the pieces, leaving the top seam open. To make the turn around the corners, work 3 SC per corner. Slip in the cardboard gently (you may have to remove it to do some trimming to make it fit better).

Take your front piece and pay it face down.
Row 1: Attach the yarn with a slip stitch to the lower right corner. Do SC’s around four sides of the front piece, and do the corners with 3 SC again.
Row 2: Continue working another round of SC (do not do 3 SC per corner this time) but only in the inside loops of the previous row. When you get to the lower left corner of the cover, you’ll need to create a small gap (with a break of 2 ch, slip 2 SC) to make the opening for the earphone jack. You can lay the cover over the player to match it up. Make your final stitch a slip stitch and fasten off the yarn.

Lay the back piece and front piece together. Starting 1 SC below the upper left corner, do a row of SC all the way around, through both loops of the SC rows of the back piece and front piece. Leave the top open. Do not do 3 SC per corner here. End in the last SC before the upper left corner with a slip stitch and fasten off yarn. Weave in any loose ends you might have.

Flap

Row 1: Attach the yarn with a slip stitch in row 2 that was just completed, but in the SC above the top right of the screen window (from the last slip stitch made, count over 4 SC and start there). After the 1 slip stitch, do 7 SC.
Row 2: Chain 1 and turn. Do 8 SC across that length (the 8th SC should be done in the slip stitch).
Rows 3-4: Chain 1 and turn. Do 8 SC across that length.
Row 5: Chain 1 and turn. Do 3 SC, skip 2 SC on the previous row, and attach the chain (with a SC) to the 3rd SC after the skipped SC. Continue doing SC to the end of the row.
Rows 6-7: Repeat row 3. At the end of row 7, fasten off yarn.

Fold the flap over the back. Sew the button on the back so that it will go through the chain from row 5 (this is the button hole).





I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I think it'll be pretty secure while I'm at the gym. And the best part...I didn't have to buy anything in order to complete this project. I already had everything I needed.

That Bettty Crocker Woman Knows Her Way Around the Kitchen!

One of my favorite cookbooks is one I ordered because of an advertisement I got in the mail: Betty Crocker's Fix-It-Fast Family Favorites. I go to that one quite a bit when I'm stuck on what to make for supper.

A couple of nights ago, it was one of those moments. I had chicken thawed out and no inspiration. Until I saw Betty's recipe for Ranch Chicken.

Betty's cookbook said, "These breaded chicken breasts are crispy and brown on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside." Yes, yes they are! I can tell you right now, this is a recipe I'm going to be going back to quite a bit!

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1/3 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp olive oil

Dip the chicken into the dressing and coat with bread crumbs.

Heat the olive oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in oil 12-15 minutes (I always think it takes me twice as long to cook chicken, for some reason) turning once, until the outside is golden brown and juice is no longer pink when the centers of the thickest pieces are cut.

I think the next time I make these, I'll make them in a fryer. The first time, I thought the crumbs seemed to fall off the chicken fairly easily when made in a pan. I wonder if making them in a fryer would change that, because they would be handled less.

The Greatest Video on You Tube

Trekkies of the world, UNITE, for I have found the greatest video on You Tube!

Hi, my name's Amy (waves at the group) and I am a Trekkie. I'm not a Trekker, but rather a Trekkie. (I'm old school like that.) I have been since I was in elementary school and saw an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. I was hooked! So last summer was a build of up the geek-fest that was to come because of J.J. Abrams' take on Star Trek.

I present to you...the gag reel from Star Trek!



The young boy that portrayed Spock as a kid was "pinch your cheeks" cute as hell. But the absolute best part is the last blooper. I've never seen (or heard) anything like it.

Little Arty Farty Updates

Two little project updates to do here in the same post: the cat hat and Wizard of Oz mobile.

This cat hat pattern was too great to pass up for my friend Nina. She just got home a few days ago and gave me a call to let me know she was wearing it and hadn't taken it off yet.



She said she loves it and I'm happy.

And my sister has finally gotten her Wizard of Oz mobile. The baby's room is just about complete and the mobile is in place on the crib.

She loves it and I'm happy about that too.

A Waste of Water for the Sake of Art?

This is such a waste to me: "Artists Turn House Into Ice Sculpture". You can actually see a video of the "ice sculpture" here at CNN.

"'This gives them an opportunity to see something different in their neighborhood," said Gregory Holm, a New York-based photographer who grew up in Detroit. "It's not saying it's going to change afterward. But it's a gift.'"

"The artists picked the house, which had been slated for demolition, from the state's land bank. In return, they agreed to pay the back taxes on another foreclosed house so that a Detroit woman could move in."

So even though the house will be thawed out in the spring and the wood reclaimed for another use, they think this is a good example of a gift of an art piece to the neighborhood? True, the house was abandoned, but now they are working to ruin it. I can't imagine all that ice and water is good for the structure. It's not standing under normal conditions. "The two-story house and its boarded-up, broken windows have been covered with sheets of ice that glow in the sunlight, and icicles reach from the edges of the roof almost to the ground."

I get the idea behind the project: "Its creators want to draw more attention to the nation's housing crisis and inspire people by showing what's possible in a city with tens of thousands of vacant homes and a foreclosure rate among the nation's highest."

I think anyone paying attention to the recession across the country has heard how hard Detroit has been hit. But I can't imagine the residents in that particular neighborhood NEED to be reminded of the housing situation. Good homeowners are already aware of their neighborhoods and surroundings. Showing them blight by putting it in their faces is not the way to go. I would wonder if the constant (albeit temporary) reminder would be enough to the residents of that neighborhood to be kind of an emotional drag on them. But probably not, because that article talks about people stopping by the house to take photos.

Just because artists say something is art doesn't make it true. Just because I call my faux kitchen window an art piece does not make it one.

But my main question is this: who is paying for the water to cover this house in ice during the freezing temperatures? "Freezing the house wasn't easy. Even with temperatures in the teens, ice melted when the sun came out. First, the artists tried using rooftop sprinklers, but those froze. They ended up using a system of hoses to spray the house with water from hydrants." Hydrants? Who is paying for that? That sounds like a tremendous waste of water (not to mention a giant MESS when the house thaws out). I want to know if Detroit residents are sucking up the cost of this little "gift" and if so, how much is it costing them? Or is the city paying for it (and the costs being conveniently passed to the residents)?

I have to know for some bizarre reason and it doesn't even concern me! I went through Matt's blog for the house, found his email, and shot him off an email to ask him who is paying for the water. I just got a reply back from him.

"We have a water permit to pull a certain volume of water from the fire hydrant. We have already paid the City of Detroit for the water use forthis project."

Okay, so I'm a pessimist and was thinking the worst about this project. It is still a waste of water but at least residents there are not paying for it themselves.

Quadrennial review says Navy 'will' base carrier in Florida

"Defense officials made clear Monday they're backing the Navy's desire to relocate a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Fla. Whether the Navy is successful may come down to a nasty fight in Congress, say some Virginia legislators, who argue the military hasn't provided any solid research to justify the relocation."

Well, it's about time we heard something like this. This was first brought public in September. I thought then, as I still think, that at least one carrier should be moved out of Hampton Roads for safety reasons for the Atlantic Fleet.

But my new thought is this: WHY do some of our Virginia legislators need to have the military justify the move to THEM? My guess what not be the number of constituents would be moved from Virginia to Florida...its all about the Benjamins.

"All five nuclear carriers on the East Coast are currently based in Norfolk.

"Top Navy officials have been pushing the move for a couple of years, arguing that it is dangerous to keep all the East Coast carriers in a single location.

"Several Virginia members of Congress said Monday that despite the Navy's claim that Hampton Roads carries a higher risk of terrorist attack, accident or disaster, the military has not provided any classified or unclassified analysis to back their statement."

But who would make that move? "The Navy hasn’t decided which of five Norfolk-based aircraft carriers would be moved to Mayport, Fla., if the relocation is approved, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told senators in Washington Tuesday." Right now, that shouldn't matter to the general public, but that's such a huge decision that it couldn't really be announced to the ship in question and then be expected to be kept quiet.

I still just want say two words on why a carrier should be moved: Pearl Harbor. If another attack like that happened on American soil, here in Hampton Roads, we could possibly help to prevent thousands of people, stationed on an aircraft carrier, from dying or being injured by getting one of those carriers stationed in Florida. I think those lives would be well worth the cost, time and effort to everyone involved in the move. For the legislators to squabble over money is short-sighted. We need to look at the long-term. Moving a carrier out of Hampton Roads is the way to go.

A Song I Shouldn't Listen To While Driving

I love Amazon when I'm wanting to buy older CD's. I recently was on a little Fatboy Slim kick a few weeks back. I ordered "Palookaville" (2004) and "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" (1998).

Right now, my favorite of the two is "You've Come a Long Way, Baby." I feel like it's got more of the classic Fatboy Slim sound. To me, "Palookaville" comes across more as a freshman release.

The best song on "You've Come a Long Way, Baby" is one that I shouldn't listen to when I'm driving home from work in the evening: prime evening traffic; peak traffic conditions, really; shooting across the interstate, weaving in and out of traffic. It's track 5 "Build It Up - Tear It Down." Let's just say this: the speed limit on the interstates out here is 55. I've realized I've been doing just over 70, just while listening to this song. You can go online to Amazon to listen to a snippet of the song.



It's got this great kind of (drum or bass) beat to it that reminds me of the theme to the Munsters, or a dark grim superhero, for some damn reason. This song should be used in a car chase scene in a Jason Stathman movie. The Transporter meets the Munsters. This one song makes the entire CD, and the rest of the songs are almost as good as this one.





And about half way through this song, you'll hear the same chant used in the chorus of "Because We Can," also by Fatboy, on the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (track 3). I wonder if Fatboy is the first artist to ever sample himself?

Is This Really a Problem?

This entire article is what appeared online on Yahoo! News on January 27, 2009:

"WASHINGTON – So you think you can dance at the Jefferson Memorial? Think again.

"A federal judge has ruled against a woman who was arrested for dancing with a group of 17 others at the memorial dedicated to President Thomas Jefferson. The woman, Mary Oberwetter, and others were dancing to music on their headphones near midnight April 12, 2008, the eve of Jefferson's birthday.

"A National Park Service officer told the group to stop dancing and arrested Oberwetter when she refused. Charges against her were later dropped.

"But Oberwetter sued the Park Service last year, claiming a violation of her rights to free expression.

"U.S. District Judge John D. Bates says the inside of the memorial is not a public forum where people can dance, even if it's a silent dance party."

Are...you...shitting...me???

Both Oberwetter's arrest and her suing of the Park Service are frivolous cases. At least her arrest was dropped. But can we PLEASE get her case tossed as well? Here are just my thoughts on all this:

1. If you don't want people dancing, PUT UP A SIGN. My God, are we living in Footloose or something? I'm guessing there is no sign. I'm pretty sure I've been to the Jefferson Memorial. I don't remember seeing a sign.

2. "...the inside of the memorial is not a public forum." Yes, we know to conduct ourselves with dignity and decorum. But, since you don't have to pay for admission to the Memorial, does that take away the privacy of it?

3. How many people were there and saw the dancing? Who complained? I'm guessing it was someone with a corncob up their rear end. Why did they feel the need to complain?

4. They were dancing to music on their headphones...so probably no one else HEARD the music. I'm guessing Mary got a little into her dancing and bumped into someone. (I'm sure they weren't dancing for the sake of the Memorial. They probably got caught up in a song or two they each really liked.)

5. Why was Mary the only one arrested? How old is she?

You know what's going to happen the next time I go up to DC? I'm going to take my MP3 player and my camera. I'm going to dance at every Memorial (tastefully: I'm not going grind on anything or be gross) and I'm going to have whoever is with me take video of my dances. When I get back home, I'll post them online! If you don't want us to dance, like I said earlier, PUT UP A SIGN!!!

Oh, and here's my A-HA moment...check the website for the Memorial (the link is above). There's no mention of dancing not being allowed! Should we let a little anarchy out while we're there?

"Anarchy is the only slight glimmer of hope."
--Mick Jagger

"Anarchy may await America, due to the daily injustices suffered by the people."--Louis Farrakhan

Secondhand Heartbreak

This article on CNN.com today made me think of a previous post I made in October.

"Relationship expert and author, Ian Kerner, Ph.D., says these feelings of secondhand heartbreak are pretty common."

"'Monogamy is very difficult, and most of us don't have solid relationship role-models to draw upon,' he explains. 'When those we idealize or romanticize fail, it makes us fear our own fallibility. If they can't make it, how can we?'"

And in a stupid, I'm kind of childish but what can I do, kind of way, reading that article by Judy McGuire, it made me feel better. It made me realize that to mourn the end of someone else's relationship, is normal and other people do it.

"Even if you don't share kids, pets, or real estate, a breakup is always much bigger than just the two people doing the breaking." In one case we've known, we (my husband and I) are no longer friends with the ex-wife. She decided that since we were friends with her ex-husband, we couldn't be friends with her and be impartial. That always pissed me off, to take the decision away from us. It's not that I would have chosen to stay friends with that ex-wife (she cheated and ended her own marriage, finding no fault within herself), but how could she think there is a limit to my friendship?

One More Hat and Then a Break

A friend of mine is a student at the University of Virginia. I've known Auna since she was 14, when she started volunteering at Operation Smile. She started the same summer that I started working there. At the time, Jan Rosser, the non-medical volunteer coordinator, decided that since Auna and I were both new, we'd work together. Even with the age difference, we immediately clicked.

When she was back for this last semester break, we got together for lunch at Doumar's, like we usually do. Somehow, we got to talking about crochet. Auna doesn't crochet but she said she'd like a beanie in UVA colors (blue and orange) with dinosaur spikes.

Excuse me? What does dinosaur spikes have to do with UVA?


Auna found this shirt at Mincers and pretty much fell in love with it. She's a petite young woman and can wear small sizes in clothing. So this was her inspiration for wanting the dinosaur beanie.

2 colors:
1 skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Blue Heather (#107)
½ skein of Red Heart Super Saver in Pumpkin (#0254)
I-sized hook
Fiber Fill (very small amount)
Yarn needle

Beanie:
Round 1: With the Blue Heather, chain 4, join with sl stitch.
Row 2: Ch 2, 8 HDC in ring. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 3: Ch2, work 2 HDC in each stitch around. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 4: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, and 1 HDC each remaining stitch. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 5: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, 1 HDC in next stitch, 2 HDC in the next stitch, etc., until the end. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 6: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, 1 HDC in next 2 stitches, 2 HDC in the next stitch. Alternate 1 HDC in 2 stitches, 2 HDC in the next, until the end. Join to beginning ch 2.

Row 7: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, 1 HDC in next 3 stitches, 2 HDC in the next stitch. Alternate 1 HDC in 3 stitches, 2 HDC in the next, until the end. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 8: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, 1 HDC in next 4 stitches, 2 HDC in the next stitch. Alternate 1 HDC in 3 stitches, 2 HDC in the next, until the end. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 9: Ch2, work 2 HDC in 1st stitch, 1 HDC in next 5 stitches, 2 HDC in the next stitch. Alternate 1 HDC in 3 stitches, 2 HDC in the next, until the end. Join to beginning ch 2.
Row 10-15: Ch 2, work 1 HDC in each stitch around. Join each row to the beginning ch2.
Row 16: Repeat row 9.
Row 17-18: Repeat row 10.
Row 19: Change yarn to orange. Repeat row 10.
Row 20: Change yarn to blue. Repeat row 10 but only ch 1 instead of 2.
Row 21: Turn hat and work 1 sc in each HDC. Fasten off yarn once complete.

Dragon Spikes:
Make 2: Row 1: With the orange, leave a length of several inches and ch 7.
Row 2: Do 2 sc tog in the sec chain from the hook, 1 sc in other sc, and finish with 2 sc tog in the last sc. Ch 1 and turn. (4 sc)
Row 3: Do 2 sc tog in the sec chain from the hook, 1 sc in other sc, and finish with 2 sc tog in the last sc. Ch 1 and turn. (2 sc)
Row 4: Do the last 2 sc tog (1 sc) Ch 1 and turn.
Row 5: Do a slip stitch in the 1 SC and fasten off yarn.

Make 2: Row 1: With the orange, leave a length of several inches and ch 9.
Continue reducing each row by 2 sc (at the beginning and end) until the triangle is complete.

Make 2: Row 1: With the orange, leave a length of several inches and ch 11.
Continue reducing each row by 2 sc (at the beginning and end) until the triangle is complete.

Make 2: Row 1: With the orange, leave a length of several inches and ch 15.
Continue reducing each row by 2 sc (at the beginning and end) until the triangle is complete.

Once you have the triangles complete, pair them up and sew them together (using those lengths of yarn from the first chains), leaving the bottom seams open. If desired, stuff the largest spike with Fiber Fill, and then sew them to the beanie. Find the vertical center of the back, and sew the largest spike in place, with the bottom edge right above the orange stripe. Continue sewing the spikes up the back of the beanie with the corners touching, so that the smallest spike is the last one to be attached.

I am so lazy! Here it is...Saturday, five days after I made the post and I'm just NOW getting around to posting the photos!



Side view (Looks a little chicken-like, doesn't it? "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!")



3/4 profile rear view (This kind of makes me wish I had put the smaller spikes all the way down the center to the front. I didn't because I was thinking it would look like a mohawk. At the time, I thought it would help to convey the idea of dinosaur spikes down the back, by leaving them like this.)



Rear view

It's on it's way to Charlottesville. I can't wait for Auna to get it!

Tried a Couple Vegetarian Recipes

Since we had another football game to go to (Saints and Vikings), it was time to go through the cookbooks to find something new to make. I didn't realize it at the time, but I tried two vegetarian recipes.

The first recipe was Hot Chili Peanuts from Southern Living Homestyle Cooking. "The best of Southern comfort foods, from the leading authority on Southern cuisine. Features over 400 authentic, homestyle recipes from community cookbooks across the South, everything from picnics to canning produce. Over 100 sumptuous photographs, easy-to-use directions, plus the assurance that Southern Livings staff kitchen-tested each recipe, make Southern Living Homestyle Cooking a must-have for cooks of all skill levels."

Published in April 2002, this is a great cookbook. The version I have is hardback, which can be kind of a pain, trying to get it to lay open while cooking.

I got an early start on the peanuts so that the flavors would have time to mix together and really take.

9 cups (about 2 1/2 lbs) salted dry roasted peanuts
1.4 cup and 2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp ground red pepper
1 Tbsp and 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Spread the peanuts in a single layer in an ungreased 15x10 inch jellyroll pan. Combine butter and remaining three ingredients, stir well. Pour butter mixture over peanuts, toss gently. Bake at 350 degrees, stirring often. Yield: 9 cups.

Unfortunately, I wasn't happy with the mild taste of these peanuts. While the house took on a really nice roasted peanut smell, the taste was just that: plain roasted peanuts. A few people tried them and thought they had a very mild spiced aftertaste but I wasn't even getting that much.

My next recipe was for Amigo Dip, from Just a Matter of Thyme. " Roxie Kelley and Shelly Reeves Smith nourish the body and soul by combining simple yet satisfying recipes with tips on gracious living and friendly entertaining, all presented alongside warm and inviting hand-drawn illustrations. Destined to become treasured family keepsakes, each book features flavorful recipes along with distinctive touches. This more-than-a-cookbook book honors friendship with thoughts on friends and a chapter of gift basket ideas—from a "Bath Basket" honoring a family's new bundle of joy to a "Teacher's Pet Basket" welcoming the season of football games and report cards. The recipes include Peppercorn Vegetable Dip, Whole Wheat Pecan Waffles, White Chili, Hot Potato Salad, and Chunky Chocolate and Coconut Cookies." This particular book reminds me a great deal of the Gooseberry Patch books.

The Amigo Dip is kind of a layered Mexican-style dip.

2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Blend all of the above ingredients in a food processor or blender until creamy. Spread this mixture on the bottom of a larger platter. Then layer the following ingredients on top:

1 cup shredded head lettuce
2 tomatoes, diced
2/3 cup diced onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Jack cheese
1 jar of your favorite salsa (6-8 oz)

Chill until ready to serve.

This is an AWESOME dip! If you make this, you're really going to like it!