Country Chatter & Calico Kitten Designs
are excited to present
Country Chatter Newsletter
June 2008  
 Issue #1
 

Welcome to the "new" Country Chatter
 

I want to welcome all the new people to my little newsletter.  The newsletter is just my way of sharing my part of the world with everyone, and helping people with their businesses and hoping to make the world just a little bit better for a couple minutes, to bring a laugh or a smile to your face and just a way of saying thanks. The kittens and their "adopted" mom have decided to start the newsletter again, only in a different format.  We have missed all our friends, and we want to catch up with everyone so..... We are going to try and put out the newsletter twice a month, once with recipes and craft projects and the other with all that is happening in the valley.

            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steps To Happiness"
Everybody Knows:
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:
You have to find out who you are, and be that.
You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:
You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due.
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are.
That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish.
And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

author unknown
 

 

                                  

   

The kittens are always looking for new recipes to try out and love the fact that Mom has learned how to use the bar-b-que outside, of course whenever we make hamburgers, one is made for them, too.  We have a herb garden growing on the patio and tomatoes, green beans and snow peas growing, too, and just planted eggplant.

Chili Dogs with Creamy Coleslaw

Ingredients
Extra-virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 all-beef hot dogs
1/2 head of Savoy cabbage, washed and shredded
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced

Cooking Instructions
Put a skillet over medium heat and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  When the oil get hazy, add 1 medium onion (chopped) and cook, stirring until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 pound of lean ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 more minutes.  Stir in 1 cup ketchup, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.  Season with salt and pepper.
Make the coleslaw.  Combine 1/2 head of Savoy cabbage (washed and shredded), 1/2 red onion (sliced), 1/2 cup mayo, juice of 1 lemon, some extra virgin olive oil and toss together.  Season with salt and pepper and toss again.  Cover and set aside in the refrigerator until you're ready to use.
Heat the grill to medium heat.  Add a couple of garlic cloves to a pot of water and heat to a simmer.  Dunk hot dogs in the water for about 5 minutes, until they are plump and juicy.  Take them out of the water, pat dry, and throw them on the grill--just long enough to leave a nice grill mark.
Brush the insides of hot dog rolls with olive oil and lay them face down on the grill, and cook until toasty.
To serve, put a dog in each roll and top with chili and a big scoop of creamy coleslaw - enjoy !!!!

 

                             

 

Rueben Bratwurst Burgers

Ingredients
8 bratwurst burger patties (4 to 6 oz.)
8 rye burger buns, split
8 slices (1 oz. each) Swiss cheese
1 jar (16 oz.) sauerkraut, drained, rinsed
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing

Directions
Heat gas or charcoal grill.  When grill is heated, place bratwurst patties on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill over medium coals.  Cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until patties are no longer pink in center.
Place buns, cut sides down, on grill and top each bratwurst patty with slice of cheese, cook about 1 minute or until buns are toasted and cheese is melted.
In medium microwavable bowl, microwave sauerkraut on High 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Stir in dressing.
Top bottom half of each bun with bratwurst patty and about 1/4 cup sauerkraut mixture.  Cover with top halves of buns.

 
 

The kittens are always looking for new recipes, and if you would like to have one in the newsletter, you can email them to admin@calicokittendesigns.com.  If you have a website, we will be more than happy to include that, too.  Bandit says if you want to send him some samples, he will not say no !!!!!
All of these recipes will be on the website, so if you want to print them out, they are set up in the newsletter that all you have to do is copy and print.

 

Craft Projects
 

Beaded Star Pins

 Supplies:

  • Wood Star Cutout
  • Red, White & Blue Acrylic Paint
  • Red, White & Blue Liquid Beadz (Self Adhesive Beads)
  • Pin Backing
  • Hot Glue Gun & Glue

Instructions:
 

  1. Paint the wood star with a desired pattern using patriotic colors.
  2. Once the paint is completely dry, apply the coordinating colors of Liquid Beadz over the painted surface. Allow the beads to dry.
  3. Glue the pin backing to the back of the star.

    Note: Three containers of Liquid Beadz and three 2oz bottles of paint can make over fifteen 2 1/2” wide pins.

Terra Cotta Scarecrow

Supplies:
 

  • 5” clay pot

  • 4” Styrofoam ball

  • 7” straw hat

  • 2 Provo Craft simple shape stockings

  • Muslin

  • Raffia

  • Twine or jute

  • Fabric glue / hot glue

  • Polyester stuffing

  • 1½” button

  • 18 gauge wire

  • Black Delta paint

  • Orange Delta paint

  • ¾ yard of plaid Halloween fabric
     

  • Directions

    Glue Styrofoam ball to bottom of clay pot with hot glue.
     

    • Find center of muslin and place over Styrofoam ball to cover head and make a collar.

    • Tie raffia around intersection of ball and pot. Cinch to form neck.

    • Cut sleeve 9”x22”. Glue sleeve along length. When glue is dry, stuff with polyester stuffing. Run a 20” piece of wire through sleeve to make posable arms.

    • Glue raffia to inside of sleeve and tie off cuff with raffia. Glue arms around
      backside of scarecrow to clay pot.

    • To make legs, cut fabric 9”x45”. Repeat the instructions for the arms, with the
      addition of the boots tied to cuff of pants at bottom with raffia.

    • Bend legs in half and glue pot in place on top of bend.

    • Make hair with a bunch of raffia tied in the middle and trimmed to the length
      you prefer (ours is 10” long). Glue in place. Glue hat in place.

    • Paint on face.

    • Use jute to make a belt about 24” long by braiding it with 6 strands. Glue in place.

    • Glue bottom in place.

 

Patriotic Tied Pillows

Supplies:

  • Fabric of Choice
    ~ 44”-45” - 1¼yd.
    ~ 54” - 1½yd.
  • Pillow Form 12” - 24”
  • Scissors
  • Rubber Bands
  • Embellishments
    ~ Ribbon
    ~ Cording
    ~ Lace
    ~ Bow

Instructions:
 

  1. Lay fabric out wrong side up.
  2. Position pillow form in the center, diagonal to the corners.
    ~ For 44” - 45” fabric, use the 12” or 14” pillow form.
    ~ 54” fabric will take any of the larger sizes of pillow forms
  3. Fold one corner of the fabric over the pillow form, turning under raw edges. Fold the opposite corner in the same way.
  4. Bring the two remaining ends to the center and tie together in a square knot. You can also put a rubber band around the fabric ends at the base and then tie.
  5. Tuck ends around and under until it looks the way you want.
  6. You can embellish with ribbons, cording or bows as desired.

    Change your pillows with every season! Simply switch the fabric as the seasons change.

 


Calico Kitten Designs wants to be your place to find everything that you need to make your life just a little bit
more easy for you.  The kittens want to make it the place that you look for recipes (check out all the wonderful new recipes that have been added), patterns for crafts, a newsletter to bring you a laugh or too, links to your favorite websites, and if you would like to look at some of my crafts and order, thank you.

Bear is in charge of link exchanges and was wondering if anyone would like to exchange links with Calico Kitten Designs.
You can get in touch with him at admin@calicokittendesigns.com and he will be more than happy to sent you ours.

                                      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, I hope that you have made it down to this little part, I love talking about Arizona, sharing this state with everyone. 

I want to share a part of my world with everyone and doing this newsletter
is my way of thanking everyone for being a friend. 
Say a prayer for our Armed Forces and pray that they will be home soon.

Count your blessings, hug your family and friends,
thanks for being a part of Country Chatter

 

Please sign our guestbook, so we knew you were here

 

Country Chatter
Cindy Kingren
623-210-3511
(after 3 pm - pacific time)
 dacarebear@yahoo.com
you can reach the kittens at
admin@calicokittendesigns.com