rice heating pads

What do you do when it looks like this outside?

It had just started snowing and the snowflakes were HUGE, and after it came down like this all day there were several inches of it on the ground. Sounds like a good day to stay home and craft! And since it was so cold, my mind was on ways to try and stay warm.  

This is not a new idea, but it's something I made for the first time. My Valentine gets cold easily (we're the reverse of most couples when it comes to body temperature, I don't get cold that easily and he likes to keep the heat at 80), so for Valentine's Day I decided to make him some of those rice filled fleece heating pad things. I don't know what they're called, so that's my technical term :)

I wanted to make a few different sizes so they could be used for different purposes, and this is what I ended up with. I think the 2 bigger sizes would work well for taking to bed at night or just for having by your feet watching TV, and the 2 small ones are for coat pockets.

To give you an idea how big they are...

So basically, cut 2 pieces of fleece in whatever size you want and sew them together leaving an opening to turn it right side out. Use that opening to fill them with rice, and then stitch it shut! It's that easy, and I know he's going to love them on Valentine's Day!

parmesan garlic chicken with creamy pesto sauce

The month of January was also known as the Great Purge of 2012 at my house. I went through every drawer, cupboard, closet, and box in my house and threw away or donated everything that doesn't get used. What a great feeling! Because of that I didn't do a ton of crafting in January, but I did cook!

One of my favorite things to eat is the bowtie pasta with grilled chicken and creamy pesto sauce at the Pizza Factory, and I wanted to make something similar at home. It was fast and easy to make, and it's not exactly the same but it turned out pretty good!

For the sauce, all I did was mix a jar of regular alfredo sauce with some pre-made pesto. I'm not exactly sure how much pesto I used because I just added more until it tasted good, but I would say about 1/3 cup. It just depends on how strong you want the pesto flavor to be.

For the chicken I did something a little bit different than the grilled chicken at the Pizza Factory. I have used this recipe for years and I have no idea where I got it. I love it though, and I thought the flavors would go well with the sauce. 

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix (I use Zesty Italian)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use tenders so they cook faster)

Mix cheese, garlic powder, and dressing mix. Moisten chicken with water and coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (tenders take about 12-15 minutes).

I also found this recipe for Pizza Factory breadsticks

I haven't tried them yet, but they would be the perfect way to complete one of my favorite meals!