Family Recipe - Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Image found here.

If you're looking for a great appetizer to bring to your family function this holiday season, try this.  Sweet and Sour Kielbasa is a crowd favorite from my mom's recipe collection.  She makes it, I make it, and now I've passed it on to a few friends who will pass it on to a few friends.  It's one of those dishes that's gone soon after it's served.

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa is certainly not on any diet food list, but if you want to lighten it up a little, feel free to use turkey kielbasa.  This recipe is also great doubled or even tripled.  You can even get away with doubling the meat and not the sauce, depending on how much sauce you like.  Try it by the recipe the first time round and then experiment as you see fit.

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups ketchup

1/4 cup brown mustard

2 pounds kielbasa

1 Tablespoon vinegar

2 cups brown sugar

Cut meat into 1-inch chunks.  Combine the remaining ingredients in a crock pot and add the meat.  Cook on low 4-5 hours

Enjoy!

Nutrition Information - regular kielbasa (brands may vary)
Serves 10
1 serving =
350 calories
16 grams fat
41 grams carb
0 grams fiber
13 grams protein

Nutritional Information - turkey kielbasa (brands may vary)
Serves 10
1 serving =
241 calories
5 grams fat
39 carb
0 grams fiber
15 grams protein

Nutrition information calculated using CalorieCount.

Weight Watchers Points Plus - regular kielbasa- 10  turkey kielbasa- 7
Weight Watchers POINTS - regular kielbasa- 8 turkey kielbasa- 5

If you're looking for another great party recipe, try spinach bread!

Cute Handbag for Little Girls

Just the other day, I had finished my seventh blanket of the year and I was ready for something simple and quick.  The idea for a little girls handbag popped into my head and in about five or six hours the project was complete.  This cute little pocketbook is very simple to make and is a great gift for any little girl in your life.  It uses a simple double crochet stitch for the body of the bag and a single crochet for the handle and button closure.  I also made a simple flower and leaf to attach for some flair.

Little Handbag

Materials:

scraps of yarn
I used Red Heart Pretty n' Pink, Spring Green and White
1 button

Hook size: J

Instructions:

For the body of the bag:

Chain 30.

Double crochet into the second stitch and continue to the end of the row, turning your work.  After you turn your work, double crochet into the back of each of the chains and join the row with a slip stitch.

Chain two and continue double crocheting another round, joining with a slip stitch.  Repeat until bag reaches desired height.  My bag is about 8 inches.

For the button clasp

Find the middle of the bag and join a new piece of yarn.  Single crochet ten across.  Continue for 8 rows.

Single crochet 4.  Chain 2. Single crochet 4.  This will make your button hole.

Single crochet across row, with 2 single crochets in the chain 2 space.

Skip the first stitch and the last stitch, single crocheting 8 across.

Sew an appropriately-sized button where the hole meets the bag.

For the strap:

Keeping the bag flat, find where you would like to join the strap on the side.  Single crochet 7.  Continue until strap is about 30 inches long.  Join to opposite side using single crochet for a sturdy join.

For the flower:

Check out this YouTube video. Once you have made a flower, simply sew it on with yarn.

Recipe - Easiest Homemade Pancake Syrup

So, I know some of you will insist on real maple syrup.  I get it.  It's natural, delicious and truly cannot be copied.  However, if you're looking for a cheap alternative that's easy and still yummy you should try this.  I bought the bottle of extract for less than $4 at Walmart and it's taken me over a year to use even three quarters of it.

Pancake Syrup
This recipe comes off of the back of the Watkins Imitation Maple Extract box.

Ingredients:

1 cups boiling water
2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon imitation maple extract

Bring water to boil in a medium pot.  Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir in extract.  

The box suggests serving warm, but I typically let the syrup cool and pour it into an old syrup bottle with the help of a funnel.

If you're not into the fake stuff, I've heard of people who will make the simple syrup and instead of adding maple extract, they add real maple syrup.  If you have done this, please comment below!  I'd love to hear your results.

This syrup goes wonderfully with Mom's Pancakes!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and I pray you are blessed with the presence of friends, family and loved ones as the official start to the holiday season begins.

Recipe - Best Ever Rolls

You need to make these rolls!  With or without a bread maker, I'm sure these rolls will turn out fantastic.

Betty Crocker Bread Machine Rolls
recipe by: Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
3 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Measure ingredients as stated and place in machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer.  Select dough/manual cycle.  Do not use delay cycle.  When complete, remove dough from pan and let rest 10 minutes on a lightly floured surface.  Grease a 13X9 pan.  Divide dough into 16 sections and shape into balls.  Place balls in four rows of four in pan.  The dough will touch.  Cover and let rise 30-40 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake rolls 12-15 minutes or until just golden.  Cool or serve warm.


Nutrition Information:
Serves 16
1 serving =
123 calories
2 grams fat
23 grams carb
1 gram fiber
3 grams protein

Calculated at Calorie Count.com

Weight Watchers Points Plus - 3
Weight Watcher POINTS - 2