EKO's Crafty Life

As part of my getting back into blogging I found this post that I had written a while back and never posted for some reason that I can not remember at the moment but it is full of little craft ideas that are great for house warming gifts. so I shall share it now  House warming Gift for a red and white kitchen. My cousin recently moved into a new house and after some investigation I discovered that their kitchen was read and white, since it was near valentines day at the time I decided it was the perfect time to do a little kitchen care pack for them and their little girl. This Gift includes a crochet dish cloth (hardly visible in top left corner) a crochet top dish towel (left) a S'mores in a Jar, a child's apron (right), all on a great serving tray and all tied up  with a bow and a chocolate lolly pop in the bow Here is the Apron I made for their daughter, it is made from a valentines day tea towel and some decorati...

Lower Sugar Peanut Butter Cheesecake In our family I on occasion need to make a desert that is low in sugar but still satisfies that sweet tooth... Here is one of my stand bys  it is great because the cheesecake part has no added sugar, but you can make a regular crust and topping that can be made with full sugar and removed by those that do not/can't have the sugar, the crust and topping can be made with lower sugar options or you could just omit them all together, it is up to you.(this time around I used the full sugar topping and crust but will give you the lower sugar options in the recipe. Peanut Butter Cheesecake  (adapted from a few different Philly and Splenda cheese cake recipes) Cheesecake Base 2 pkg.  (8 oz. each)  Cream Cheese , softened (I like the tubs they are easier to mix) 1/2 cup   Natural  unsweetened peanut butter * 1/3 cup   Slenda Sweetner 1/2 tsp    Vanilla 2     ...

No Melt Popsicle Cantaloupe   and  blueberry  flavour I have 2 Young girls at home and many nieces and neighbours that like to visit my place and when the weather begins to get hot as Popsicles are always in high demand.  I avoid artificial flavours, colours and added sugar when ever possible so I tried to make my own when ever possible, I also find that little ones often put them down and forget about them, at times in places you don’t see (like last week my 4 year old left hers on the end table in the basement for a least half an hour before I noticed, and since it was one of these she was able to pick it up and finish it!) and you don’t want a big sticky puddle, So I came up with these popsicles they are easily made with fruit and juice from your fridge, perhaps that nearly over ripe fruit that you need to use up (that is what this batch was made from) try it out and see how many flavours you can come up with! Ingredients and tools needed: Food...

Banana Muffins I recently went on vacation and when I got home realized I had left some bananas on my counter that needed to have something done with them pronto!  So I called my mom and got her banana muffin recipe.  These mini muffins quickly became my girls new favourite treat 2 weeks and 4 or more batches later I still can not keep them in the house for more than a day! I love this recipe for a few reasons, 1. There is no need for eggs, oil, milk... just pantry staples. 2. It makes a small batch 12 small muffins or 24 mini muffins...     (this is turning out to be a bit of a problem now as they eat so many) 3. It is super quick to make. I did make a few changes to the recipe so I will list the recipe the way I make it and then list the original that was given to me by my mom. My Little Muffin Monsters! Erin's Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin  Recipe 2         Rip...

Oven Method Apple Butter Any one who has ever bought apple butter at a farmers market knows it can be pricey, It really does not have to be.  for the price of a jar of unsweetened apple sauce ( a little over a dollar) you can have a wonderful jar of apple butter to enjoy at any time. If you have tiered to make apple butter before you have probably had a pot of apples on the stove top and was stirring for ever!  there is no need, I will show you how. To start all you will need is a jar of unsweetened apple sauce and any spices you might like to add  such as cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves...remember less is more since the flavours will concentrate in the final product, I actually like using just apple sauce. Step 1  mix apple sauce and any spices into an oven proof casserole. for one jar of apple sauce you want no more than a tablespoon of spices. Step 2 Place in oven at 200F and set timer for 30-45 min...

You can have a hot bowl of home cooked steel Cuts oats every morning of the week if you would like. It is actually really easy to do. I do this on a Sunday evening and then for the rest of the week all I have to do is  reheat it in the microwave and add milk and toppings/flavourings of my choice.  This week I made a half batch enough for two or three mornings in the coming week. this recipe can be easily double and altered to meet you tastes and needs. Sunday Night recipe Ingredients: 1/2 C Steel Cut  Oats ( or similar multi grain and oats cereal form the bulk food store) 1/4 C Nuts of your choice (walnuts, slivered almonds...) 1-2 Tbls Sunflower Seeds 1 Tbls Ground Flax seed (not pictured here) 1 Tbls Chia seeds Equipment: Rice/Vegetable steamer ( I got mine for about 5$ at a thrift shop)  Measuring Cups and Spoons Spoon Storage container Step One   Chia seeds on left Flax seed on right Place all dry ingred...

My old university room mate recently made and posted a link on one of her blogs  to some raspberry Lemon Marmajam ( half raspberry jam half lemon marmalade) and ever since then I have been wanting to try it.  so last night I finally got around to making some. I decided to add oranges to the mix since I have always loved the combination of orange and lemon I was also was hoping to make this a little less bitter since I want my nearly 4 year old to like it aswell. I took a few shots during the process however I did forget partway through.  Also I made a few changes to the recipe, I will share the recipe after the photos.  Lemons and Oranges ready to peel.  Zest of the citrus ready to boil. Lemon an Orange segments.  All ingredients in the pot simmering away- including the jelly bag and thermometer. Mmmmmm the final product. Raspberry Lemon-Orange Jamalade This Recipe will make ...

Valentine Chocolat Pops; the tutorial I Love to arrange treats on a stick for my guests to eat or take home as a snack. I have been making these since I was a little girl with my mom, and now that she does not make them any more I have been given all her old molds.  Yes I have an entire cupboard full of molds! The Tutorial The first step is to melt the coloured chocolate that you will be using to paint the front of the pops, I uses little ceramic bowls made my Wilton  for just this purpose to microwave the chocolate on half power (I use the defrost setting) and keep it warm while working Using these bowls allow you to use small amounts of chocolate and not worry about getting water into the chocolate from the steam of your double boiler. one tip is to be sure you do not put a bowl in the middle of your microwave this is a sure fire way to burn that chocolate that is why I put them on the outside of a plate also this gives you something...