Nacho Beef Bake 1.5 pounds lean ground beef or turkey 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed One-half cup water 1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning 2 eight ounce tubes of refrigerated reduced-fat crescent rolls 1 cup reduced-fat sour cream 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 4 oz. baked nacho tortilla chips (about 2 cups crushed) 3 cups shredded lettuce 3 medium tomatoes, chopped In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until it is no longer pink; drain. Add the beans, water and taco seasoning; mash slightly. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until heated thoroughly; set aside. Unroll the crescent dough and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; seal the seams and perforations. Spoon the beef mixture over the dough. Spread sour cream over beef mixture; sprinkle with cheese and chips. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce and tomatoes and more sour cream if desired. Serve immediately.

Written by: Ryan

Edit: The forum is back up and running now! Yay!

Save the Stitches! was down yesterday due to some technical difficulties and we’re still working on them to get them resolved. For now unfortunately, the forum is offline until further notice. Our apologies for this hiccup to all of you out there! We’re working to get it all back up and running ASAP. Until then, the rest of the site is functional and accessible. Little fun fact-o-rama though, seems like every time I go out of town on a proper vacation (if even for a day, as was this case) something inevitably goes haywire back home; I think my computer must miss me while I’m away, and it throws little digital tantrums. Yep, that’s got to be it. :)

Thank you for your patience, and I hope everyone’s weekend was fantastic!

P.S. If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to check out Debi’s latest guide on Needlepainting/Threadpainting!

Written by: Ryan

	Yogurt Popsicles with Fruit MAKES 4 1 cup plain yogurt 2 Tablespoons honey 1 cup fresh or frozen fruit of your choice (blueberries, cherries, strawberries, use your imagination.) Let the frozen fruit thaw just a bit before making the pops Put these ingredients in a blender. Blend them to the consistency you want from chucky to smooth. Divide the blended mixture among 4 paper cups, 5 ounce size. (You can use commercial Popsicle molds if you prefer, but you will need to adjust the recipe to fill the larger molds.) Put a piece of aluminum foil over the cups. Cut a small slit in the aluminum foil and insert a Popsicle stick for the handle. Freeze until solid. When you are ready for a cool treat, peel off the paper cup and enjoy! (You can leave the aluminum foil around the stick to catch the drips.)

Written by: Ryan

	Wild Rice Mix ‘n Match Salad Cook three-fourths cup washed wild rice until done, about 45 minutes. Drain, rinse and cool. To this add: 1 cup slivered almonds 1 cup cream, whipped 2 kinds of fruit of your choice, for example: 2 bananas and 2 cups pineapple tidbits; OR 2 bananas and 1 pound fresh pitted and halved cherries; OR 2 bananas and green or red seedless halved grapes; OR 2 bananas and 2 cups diced apples; or Any mixture of fruit you love including strawberries and oranges If what you come up with is not very colorful, top the bowl with colorful maraschino cherries. Refrigerate.

Written by: Ryan

We just got an awesome new embroidery book in and, yeah, I had to talk about it. The cover makes me drool in and of itself – grey fabric with a teal cupcake? Yes, please. Makes me hungry AND want to stitch.

Not only does this book have some awesome and amazing patterns, but it also goes over some great tips on washing and transferring, plus advice on patterning, combining, and using the motifs. In addition to all that, it even has detailed, in-color embroidery stitch instructions! Hot diggity.

The patterns themselves are totally rocking, like baby buggies, super happy birthday balloons, retro Christmas reindeer, sledding snowmen, *breath* cute cupids, Valentines wreathes, hat wearing owls… and that’s not even half the book! It even has number birthday candles and funky party hats! The things you could do with the designs are pretty endless. Create unique and personalized gifts – towels, bibs, onesies, aprons, blankets, even cards!

The near best part about transfer embroidery is how quick you can whip it up. No counting, no fussing, just quick stitching and fun results. For 25 bucks and some floss and fabric, the world is your snazzy oyster! What more could you want? The only thing that could make this book even more awesome would be if it actually made delicious teal cupcakes.

Written by: Ryan

Our wall in the back sale room at Nordic is playing host to the winning designs and honorable mentions from the new 2010 Award Winning Designs in Hardanger book, and let me tell you, seeing them in person is unbelievable! The display will be up until the 17th… know what else is happening until the 17th? We are running a deal for you! When you purchase the new 2010 Award book, you have the option to receive the 2005 Award book FREE! Niiice.

One of my favorite designs from the new book is a totally awesome Norwegian theme table center that actually includes satin stitch Viking ships (amazing!), Stave churches and an excerpt from Norway’s national anthem: “Ya vi elsker dette landet” (“Yes, we love this land”)! The other designs are fantastic as well, but that one just took the cake for me. Get your copy today and check out these unique Hardanger creations for yourself!

Written by: Ryan