Make It from Scratch Carnival

Hurrah! It’s time to host the Make It from Scratch Carnival. Once again we have some splendidly tempting recipes, clever crafts, and useful gardening ideas. I hope you enjoy all these offerings as much as I have. Editor’s picks are flagged with adoring little red hearts:*

Foodies

* It’s Frugal Being Green
Baking Day: Pecan Sandies and Cherry Turnovers
Provides links to the recipes for two fine-looking treats.

Rani
Christ’s Bridge
Delicious Shortbread Cookies
Mmmmm… Reminiscent of what we used to call “shortnin’ bread.” To die for!

Chief Family Officer
Recipe: Brownie Bites
Like CFO, I’ve also thought that brownies out of a box are better than the from-scratch version. But CFO finds a recipe that works. Not only that, but pretty clearly you could premix and store the dry ingredients, using later them just like a commercial brownie mix.

Linda Mundy
LJM’s Kitchen
Chicken with Pineapple
Check out a dish that looks quick, easy, and very tasty.

Tara
Feels Like Home
Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole
When my son was little, I lived for this sort of recipe: easy, nutritious, and family-friendly.

*Mary
Simply Forties
Eggplant and Portobello Mushroom Melts
Glorioski!

*Leigh
Cheap Healthy Good
Veggie Might: Curry World Tour ’09—Pindi Chana
Yum! If you enjoy curry at all, don’t miss this: it’s unusual to find a recipe that includes real make-it-from-scratch curry, rather than substituting commercial curry powder.

Nerd Mom
Nerd Family Food
Easy Crowd-pleasing Baked Oatmeal
Here’s an interesting recipe that would serve several people.

Local Nourishment
Of Parsnips, Pancakes, and Beans
No detailed recipes here, but an interesting lead about parsnips. My sister-in-sin used to put them in pasties, but otherwise I’ve never gone out of my way to eat them. This makes them look worth trying.

vh
Funny about Money
Anna’s Biscuits
Here’s my contribution to the carnival.

Green & Frugal

*Condo Blues
How I Slashed My Electric Bills without Moving into a Yurt
Take a look at this. Determined not to get rid of functioning appliances or install expensive alternative energy systems, CB still managed to cut power bills by an amazing 32 percent!

Heather Levin
The Greenest Dollar
How to Recycle Tires in Your Garden
What a hoot! Even if you’re initially skeptical about the design possibilities of stacked rubber tires, you must see the amazing photos here. Good discussion, too, of the pro’s and cons and the question of whether tires make safe container gardens for veggies.

HowToMe
How to Put a Lid on Early Damage to Seedlings
Minigreenhouses for baby plants!

Crafty Ladies, All!

Bonnie Brewer
Nefarious Designs
Wicked Chair, i luv it
Zebra Mirror!!!!
Two closely related projects. Start with the first post, above.

*Cindy
My Recycled Bags
Recycled Plastic Can Cozy
Just in time for swimming-pool season, here’s something to keep those canned beverages cold.

Stephanie
Make It from Scratch
Tea Towel Travel Wallet
Here’s a nifty idea. You could also use it to put identifying information or a local phone number on a small child when you’re away from home.

The Tool Box

Jack Clifton
How to Build a Deck
Do It Yourself Deck Construction

Here’s a blog that relates the saga of a Happy Handyman who takes on the renovation and construction the redwood deck, garden, patio, and pool at his new-to-him home: a man who knows no fear!

And Finally . . .

I’d like to share this with you, because I think it’s important:
Use Caution When Making DIY Detergent

Next week’s Make It from Scratch host is Christ’s Bridge. Be sure to send in your contributions this week–you can use this convenient form at the Carnival.