Love to stay home

Easy DIY Felt Pumpkins

October 5, 2021 No Comments

These Easy DIY Felt Pumpkins are simple and quick to make. Use them around your home to decorate for fall and brighten up your space!

This is my 3rd post featuring pumpkins, I think I’m not going bananas but I am definitely going pumpkins! 🤣

If you would like to see my other pumpkin posts, here they are:

Thumbtack Pumpkins

Mini Crochet Pumpkins

Now onto these Felt Pumpkins. I had some pumpkins from the dollar store which needed a make-over.

Of course, the first place I look is Pinterest for ideas, this one really caught my eye: yarn pumpkins. Aren’t they gorgeous? ( Have a look at them by clicking the link) However, I didn’t have any nice colors of yarn for the pumpkins and was not about to go out to buy yarn.

Felt Pumpkins was an option as I had lots of felt. Most of the ideas out there used whole sheets of felt and others used cut-out leaves or shapes.

So I had to think of my own idea, eventually, I came up with these Felt Pumpkins. They are really easy to do and can be made in lots of colors.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO YOU NEED FOR THESE EASY DIY FELT PUMPKINS?

Hot glue gun & glue sticks

Wooden Sticks ( I just gathered these from my garden)

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE EASY DIY FELT PUMPKINS?

Remove leaves and flowers from pumpkin and make a hole for the stem. ( I had gone right though but its not neccesary)

Cut strips of felt, leaf and thin strip of green felt for tendril

Use hot glue and stick the strips of felt

Wrap the bottom part of the stick with felt and hot glue on top of the pumpkin. stick with felt

Cut a circle of felt and glue around the stick. If you want you can glue a circle of felt at the bottom too.

First, take off all the flowers or leaves from the foam pumpkin.
Next, make a little hole on the top for the stem.
After that paint the pumpkins the same color, I chose white but you can choose whatever color you want.
Cut strips of felt less than an inch wide, with a length of about 7 to 8 inches. I ended up needing about 30 strips to cover each pumpkin.
Using your hot glue gun, stick the strips of felt onto the pumpkin, overlapping them whenever necessary.
When the pumpkin is fully covered with strips, add the stem. Glue a stick onto the top. ( I made a hole right through the pumpkin, as I had planned something else which didn’t work, in the end, the stick was wrapped with felt to make sure it fit in the hole)
Cut a small circle, make a small hole in the center, and glue it around the stick.
Cut out a pumpkin leaf from green felt and a thin strip for the tendril. You can find a pumpkin leaf template here.
Hot glue both of them around the stem.
Optional – Cut another circle and glue at the bottom to cover up any gaps.
Your felt Pumpkins are ready!

NOTES:

You can use regular glue instead of a hot glue gun.

For the stem, use rolled-up brown felt instead of a stick. Another option is a cinnamon stick.

Roll a thin strip of felt around a pencil to get it to make that twirly shape needed for the tendril.

Tag me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog if you try out these felt pumpkins, I would love to see your creations! Also, leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

You might also be interested in my other felt DIYs:

Fall Felt Leaf Garland

DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments

DIY Paper Boxes and Felt Baskets for Organizing!

Easiest felt flower tutorial

Thank you for being here. Do come back to check out my latest posts.

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Recipes

Tamarind Fish Curry

October 2, 2021 No Comments

This Tamarind Fish Curry is very easy to make and will be ready in no time! You can use any type of fish like tilapia, mahi-mahi, kingfish, or salmon.

The recipe is made using just 2 slices of fish. I try to cook just enough for a meal so that we don’t have to eat the same dish more than once. You might enjoy this dish if you like sour and spicy food! Enjoy this fish curry with rice, paratha, or bread.

I used salmon fish in this curry. However, you can even use shrimp if you like.

Do check out my other recipe using salmon – Air Fryer Salmon Fish Fry.

When I make fish, I usually make a curry and also fry a few pieces of fish at the same time using the air fryer. My kids love the salmon fish fry! Do try it out if you haven’t already.

WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS FOR THIS TAMARIND FISH CURRY?

(Exact measurements are in the recipe card)

Fish

Onion

Tomato

Tamarind paste

Garlic

Spice powders: turmeric, Kashmiri chili powder, coriander powder

Salt

Oil

For seasoning: mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and fenugreek seeds (methi) & curry leaves

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS TAMARIND FISH CURRY?

Heat the oil in a pan. When hot add the seasoning ingredients, when the mustard splutters, add chopped onions and smashed garlic cloves.
Stir and cook till the onions are light brown. Next, add tomatoes with the spice powders and salt. Stir well, cook the gravy till the tomatoes soften.
Add tamarind paste and about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil. When you can see the oil floating on top, add the fish pieces.
Cover and let the fish cook. It should cook in about 6 minutes. Switch off the stove. Transfer to a serving dish. Your tamarind fish curry is ready! You can garnish with chopped cilantro if you wish.

Print

Tamarind Fish Curry

Fish in an onion, tomato, and tamarind gravy with Indian spices, a sour and spicy curry.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Ingredients

2 slices Fish
½ Onion (chopped)
1 Tomato (chopped)
2 Garlic cloves (smashed)
1 tsp Tamarind paste
½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp Oil

Spice powders

¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili powder
1 tsp Coriander powder

For seasoning

1 tsp Black Mustard seeds
½ tsp Cumin seeds
⅛ tsp Fenugreek seeds (Methi)
8-10 Curry leaves

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pan. When hot add the seasoning ingredients. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add onions and garlic.
Stir and cook till onions are light brown. Next, add the tomatoes, spice powders, and salt. Mix and cook till tomatoes soften.
Add tamarind paste along with about 1/2 cup of water. Cover the pan and bring the gravy to a boil. When you see the oil floating on top, add the fish pieces.
Cover and let the fish cook, it should cook fast, around 6 minutes.
Switch off the stove and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

NOTES:

Use more chili powder if you like it spicier, or you can add one chopped green chili as well.
If you do not have curry leaves you can leave them out, but it is highly recommended in this recipe.
If you like to make a bigger quantity of this recipe, you can certainly just double the ingredients.
Another option is to add coconut milk at the end to get more gravy. If you like creamier curries, you should add coconut milk.
Garnishing with cilantro is optional. I did not add the cilantro to mine.

Hope you will try this recipe. If you do let me know if you liked it by leaving a comment or rating the recipe. Thank you!

HERE ARE SOME MORE EASY RECIPES THAT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO TRY:

Spicy Indian Pork Chilli Fry

Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani

Lime/Lemon Quinoa

Instant Pot Mixed Vegetable Rice

Chickpea Masala

Easy Indian Chicken Stew

Pan-Fried Crispy Shrimp

Air Fryer Okra Fries

Lovetostayhome is on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK! Follow me @lovetostayhomeblog to know when I post new content.

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Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Macrame

Macrame Keychains

September 29, 2021 No Comments

Macrame keychains have been on my to-do list for a long time! I recently wrote about 10 fun hobbies to do at home, you can read about them here.

One of the hobbies mentioned was macrame. Ever since then I have been researching and trying to find the best resources to learn and the best places to buy macrame cord. I want to try all things macrame, I just love how beautiful they look.

Macrame is very easy to do and once you learn just a handful of knots you can make numerous beautiful things.

After all my research I have finally come across a few YouTube channels that are very helpful.

If you are interested in learning, here is my list of recommendations:

Thank you to these lovely ladies for sharing their talent with us!

WHAT ARE THE SUPPLIES NEEDED TO MAKE MACRAME KEYCHAINS?

Scissors and brush from MissKnottiemacrame.com

Macrame cord – after a lot of research, I bought my 3mm macrame cord from Ganxxet on Etsy. Their cord is recycled cotton and I love that it is a woman-run business. The fact that their cords are eco-friendly and very high quality appealed to me. The colors are amazing. It’s just so difficult to choose! I wanted all of them!

Scissors – you need sharp scissors because you will be cutting and trimming a lot of cords!

My beautiful scissors are from MissKnottiemacrame.com, I bought her macrame beginners tool kit which included the scissors, brush, and 2 S hooks.

Brush – you could use a pet- brush or comb as well. As mentioned above I bought my brush from MissKnottiemacrame.

Keychain hardware – I got mine on Amazon.

Macrame board or just a tabletop to tape your key ring on.

(Disclaimer: The links are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE MACRAME KEYCHAINS?

I followed the tutorial by Soulful Notions to makes these keychains. She has many tutorials for different kinds of keychains, the one I followed is the seashell pattern. Please watch her tutorial to see how it’s done. Thank you to Soulful Notions for sharing her wonderful talent with all of us!

Cut 4 lengths of 3mm cords, each 30inches or 76cms.
Cut 1 cord 10 inches long for the gathering knot.
Using a reverse larks head knot attach the 4 cords to the keychain clasp.
Starting from the 4th cord, tie double diagonal clove hitch knots across till the 1st cord.
On the other side, using the 5th cord, tie diagonal clove hitch knots across till the 8th cord.
Repeat the same step on both sides for 4 rows.
Gather the cords together and tie a gathering knot.
Brush out your cords and cut them to the length you like, or leave the cords as is.

Your keychain is ready to be attached to your keys, to a backpack, a handbag, etc.

NOTES:

I used a macrame board and pinned the keychain down before tying the knots. You could just use tape to hold the top part of the keychain down on a table so it is easier to tie the knots.
You have to use Macrame cord or rope, it does not work with yarn. (Yes I tried! lol:)
To get a nice fringe, cotton cord works best.
To cut your fringe straight, you could use a piece of tape on the cord and cut below it. A rotary cutter works too and is quicker as well.

Sometimes I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day!! I want to try all things macrame! For now, I plan to make plant hangers, wristlets, mini wall hangings, earrings, and rainbows! Of course, I will share my journey here on my blog.

Hope you enjoyed this Macrame Keychain inspiration. Let me know if you will be trying it out or even if you like it, I would love to hear from you! Please do leave me a comment down below.

Update: I am so happy to let you all know that these Macrame Keychains are now available in my Etsy shop! Do take a look, and please share my shop with your family and friends! Thank you so much!

If you would like some ideas to make your own handmade gifts, check these out:

Hand-Stitched Scrunchies

3 Easy Crochet Potholders

Beginner Velvet Crochet Scarf

Easy Crochet Hair Accessories

DIY Tassel Earrings

10 Easy Crochet Earrings (All Free Patterns!)

Easy Crochet Chain Earrings

Follow me on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, AND PINTEREST @lovetostayhomeblog to know when I post something new.

Thanks for being here, I appreciate each and every one of you!

Until next time, Keep smiling!! 🙂

Photo by Katarzyna Grabowska on Unsplash

Crochet

3 Easy Crochet Potholders

September 26, 2021 No Comments

I am sharing these easy crochet potholders today. There are so many crochet patterns for potholders on the internet, so I decided to sort through quite a few and try out the easiest ones, as I am all about quick and easy!

These 3 patterns are the easiest crochet potholders you can make! Firstly they are easy for beginners and they hold up very well. Secondly, they are thick and can be used every day in your kitchen. All of them are made out of 100% cotton yarn. which of course is washable. And finally, they are quick to make.

It is not recommended to use acrylic yarn for potholders, so please use 100% cotton.

All these are beginner-friendly patterns and they make great gifts!

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE EASY CROCHET POTHOLDERS?

100% Cotton yarn

Crochet hook

Yarn needle

Scissors

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE EASY CROCHET POTHOLDERS?

I am sharing 3 patterns, they are all free, so a big thank you to the lovely ladies from the below-mentioned blogs for sharing these patterns.

PATTERN 1

This is worked in one continuous round and took the most amount of yarn, I used almost one whole skein of yarn. This is also the thickest of all the potholders I made. Very thick and can be used as a trivet as well! I love when things have more than one use!

The pattern is here at jewelsandjones.com. The pattern is very well explained and she has a video as well which is always helpful.

I shared this potholder before in this post: 5 Useful Crochet Projects

The pattern is the same but the blog mentioned in this post is different.

PATTERN 2

You can find this pattern on crochetdreamz.com by clicking here.

This potholder is the prettiest of them all in my opinion!

PATTERN 3

I started following this pattern from poshpatternsblog.com, it is the easiest pattern of all the 3 that I tried. You only need to single crochet for this one.

Sometimes I feel big potholders are a nuisance and wish I had a smaller one. So, I decided to make this a ‘MINI’ version. It is perfect for taking out small bowls from the microwave. The pattern is just rows of single crochets done for the length that you want, folded in half, and whip stitched around.

Also, I made the little loop on one end to hang it up before whip stitching. I thought it turned out quite cute! What do you think?!

The original pattern calls for using 2 strands of yarn held together. But I used just 1 and I used a 3.75mm(F) hook.

If you would like to learn crochet, do check out my previous posts:

Learn How to Crochet

Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches

Christmas is around the corner, just saying! 😁

Handmade gifts are awesome!

If you want more ideas to make your own gifts, take a look at these easy ideas:

Easy Crochet Chain Earrings

5 Useful Crochet Projects

10 Easy Crochet Earrings (All Free Patterns!)

DIY Tassel Earrings

Easy Crochet Hair Accessories

Beginner Velvet Crochet Scarf

Thanks for reading! If you happen to try these out, let me know. I love hearing from you.

Lovetostayhomeblog is on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK.

Do follow me to know when I post any recipes, DIY’s, and my latest crochet projects!

Have a beautiful day!

Photo by Dan Wallace on Unsplash

Recipes

Egg and Potato Curry

September 24, 2021 No Comments

This Egg and Potato Curry is made using the versatile onion masala! I have talked about this before on my blog, if you are new here, this onion masala is a game-changer for cooking Indian food in no time! I first talked about it when I posted my paneer masala.

The onion masala is from Ashley at myheartbeets.com. I am a huge fan of Ashley and her instant pot recipes. Do check out her blog for some awesome recipes! I make her onion masala recipe every 2 weeks, so I can cook Indian food really fast during the week.

So let’s get straight to it!

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED FOR THIS EGG AND POTATO CURRY?

(Exact measurements are given in the recipe card below)

Boiled eggs

Potatoes – You can use regular potatoes cubes, or you can use small potatoes as I did.

Onion masala

Onion (optional) finely chopped

Cumin seeds

Curry leaves

Cilantro for garnish

Oil

Spice powders:

Turmeric powder

Kashmiri Chili powder

Fennel seed powder

Cumin powder

Coriander powder

Salt

Garam masala powder

HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS EGG AND POTATO CURRY?

Boil your eggs and keep them aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan. When hot add the cumin seeds, curry leaves, and chopped onions. Cook till onions are brown.
Add in the frozen onion masala with a little water. Cover and cook on low till it has thawed.
Mix well and add all the powders. Add the potatoes along with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let the potatoes cook.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add boiled eggs whole or you can cut them in half.
Let your curry come to a boil, then switch off your stove. Add chopped cilantro leaves to garnish.Enjoy this egg and potato curry with Peas Pulao, plain rice, paratha, or naan.

Print

Egg and Potato Curry

Boiled Eggs and Potatoes cooked in an onion tomato gravy with Indian spices.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Author Nandini

Ingredients

6 Eggs (boiled)
4 Small Potatoes
2 cubes Onion masala (around 1/2 cup)
½ Onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsps Oil
5-6 Curry leaves
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Cilantro leaves for garnish (chopped)

Spices

½ tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
½ tsp Fennel powder
½ tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Garam masala powder

Instructions

Boil eggs and set them aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and curry leaves.
Next, add onions and fry till brown.
Add the frozen onion masala with a little water, cover the pan and let the onion masala thaw.
After that, add all the spice powders. Mix well and put in the peeled potatoes.
Add about ½ cup of water, cover, and cook till potatoes are done.
Add boiled eggs. Cover and bring to a boil.
Switch off the stove. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro.

NOTES:

The chopped onions that I added were just to give the curry some texture, but feel free to leave it out.

This can be made in the Instant Pot to make it even easier! You can refer to Ashley’s blog to see how. She actually boils the eggs at the same time as cooking the curry! Check out this recipe on her blog – Instant Pot Royal Egg Korma

If you do not have onion masala, you can fry one chopped onion, when brown, add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, add 2 chopped tomatoes. Cook and puree when cooled. Then add in the recipe when needed. I highly recommend making onion masala if you are short on time and like eating Indian food.

If you do not have curry leaves you can leave them out.

Do check out some of my other easy recipes:

Thanks for visiting my blog! Do come back soon for more interesting recipes, DIYs, and easy crochet projects!

Have a great day!

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

Hand-Stitched Scrunchies

September 22, 2021 No Comments

Scrunchies are back in fashion! I can’t believe they actually went out of fashion but I’m glad they are back! 😁 There are so many people out there making scrunchies and selling them, in fact, it is a great small business idea! With all the amazing fabrics out there, it is easy to see why these are so popular nowadays!

I decided to try making hand-sewn scrunchies and I am very happy with the way they turned out. Not everyone has a sewing machine, so I wanted to see if hand-stitching them would be easy.

I made some with a sewing machine too and some without. Of course with the machine, it does make things faster, but not to worry without a sewing machine you can make scrunchies just as nice as the ones with a machine.

VIDEO & Pattern Credit:

There are so many tutorials for scrunchies out there, after much research, I decided to go with this tutorial on YouTube by Treasurie. You can watch it here.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THESE HAND-STITCHED SCRUNCHIES?

Fabric – cotton, satin, velvet, etc

Elastic – 1/4inch

Scissors

Pins – to pin the fabric together

Needle – sewing needle

Thread – polyester thread is really strong

Safety pin

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

HOW DO YOU MAKE THESE HAND-STITCHED SCRUNCHIES?

1. CUT YOUR FABRIC AND ELASTIC

Cut your fabric into a rectangle 22inches by 31/2 inches. The bigger the rectangle the bigger the scrunchie. If you want to make a skinny scrunchie, you cut a smaller rectangle.

Cut your elastic 9 inches long.

Hand stitched scrunchie — Cut your fabric and elastic.

2. FOLD, STITCH & TURN RIGHT SIDE OUT

Fold your fabric in half lengthwise with the right side facing in. Use pins to keep them in place. Fold one edge 1/2 inch inside and pin. Stitch along the long side of the rectangle.

After that turn your fabric right side out using a safety pin. ( I tried without a safety pin and it took way too long! Lesson learned! So please use a safety pin!). Iron the strip of fabric after stitching it.

Turn right side out using a safety pin and iron it out.

3. PUT THE ELASTIC THROUGH THE FABRIC & STITCH UP THE OPEN ENDS

Attach a safety pin to one end of the elastic and push it through the fabric bunching it up as you go. Make sure that you hold on to both ends of the elastic.

Once all the fabric is on the elastic, it’s time to secure the elastic.

Stitch the ends of the elastic together so it is secure or tie a knot as she does in the video. Or do both just to be safe! I tied it and then cut off the extra. Move the tied end of the elastic inside the fabric.

Put the elastic through using a safety pin and tie the ends of the elastic in a knot.

Next, turn the raw edge of the fabric on to the folded one, and stitch on top. Your scrunchie is ready!

Put the raw edge into the folded edge and whip stitch around.

Make lots in different patterns, colors, etc and you can have a whole collection! These make great gifts too and with Christmas coming up, you can DIY some gifts for your family and friends!

If you liked this Scrunchie DIY and want some more ideas to make gifts, here are some:

Easy Crochet Hair Accessories

DIY Tassel Earrings

10 Easy Crochet Earrings (All Free Patterns!)

Easy Crochet Chain Earrings

5 Useful Crochet Projects

Let me know if you plan to make some, do share them with me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog, I would love to see what amazing things you are making! Leave me a comment too, I love hearing from you!

Thanks for being here! Come back soon to see my latest, I have a new post out at least 3 times a week.

Do follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog. If you are already following me THANK YOU! I appreciate your love and support!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Crochet

Mini Crochet Pumpkins

September 18, 2021 No Comments

These Mini Crochet Pumpkins are so cute and easy to make! I couldn’t resist another pumpkin post! I know I just posted easy thumbtack pumpkins, you can check it out here if you haven’t seen them. But these mini pumpkins just scream fall and are the cutest things ever!

I have been seeing so many different types of crochet pumpkins all over Pinterest. I wondered if I could make a few for my home. So I started looking for easy patterns., when I came across this pattern I knew I had to try it! I love all things Mini!! It’s a very easy pattern using mostly single crochets, so it’s done amigurumi style.

If you are new to crochet or have no clue how to crochet, let me encourage you to learn! It is easy and you will love it!

I have some beginner crochet posts that you can check out:

Learn How to Crochet

Learn the Basic Crochet Stitches

Easy Crochet Chain Earrings

What are the supplies needed for these Mini Crochet Pumpkins?

Yarn – I used yarn I bought at Joann’s, it was on clearance and I ended up getting each ball of yarn for just 99cents!! So shop around your art and craft stores, I’m sure you will get some good deals!

The name of the yarn is KC Knit and Crochet, ELEMENT (Medium 4) I really loved these colors.

Crochet hook – size 4.25mm (G/6) (that is what I used)

Scissors

Fiberfill – for stuffing the pumpkins ( or you can use cut up pieces of felt or leftover yarn, etc)

Yarn Needle

Stitch markers ( you need these as you can keep a count of the rows)

Here are some of my finds for this project on Amazon:

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

How do you make these Mini Crochet Pumpkins?

The pattern I followed is by Heather Corinne. She has a written pattern as well as a helpful video. So head on over to her page to get the free pattern to make these cute pumpkins heather-corrine.com.

Thank you to Heather for sharing this lovely pattern!

I made 1 pumpkin out of each color of yarn that I bought. For the stems, I just used some green cotton yarn that I had leftover from another project.

I made 4 pumpkins in about 2 hours, so they are pretty quick to make.

What do you think of these Mini crochet pumpkins?? I think maybe I need to stuff them a little bit more, now that I am looking at the pictures! Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Ideas to use these pumpkins:

You can make a few and use them on a fall wreath for your front door.

Use them on your dining table as fall decor.

String them up and make a garland to hang on your mantle, a window, etc.

Thank you for stopping by! I appreciate your presence here more than you will ever know! Until next time, have a wonderful day!

Lovetostayhomeblog is on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook! Please follow me to get the latest!

Can anyone else relate to this?! >>>> I almost always have way too many tabs open in my brain!! 🙂

Photo by That’s Her Business on Unsplash

Recipes

Lime/Lemon Quinoa

September 16, 2021 No Comments

This Lime/Lemon Quinoa is just a different and delicious way of eating Quinoa. It’s healthy and ever since I have started eating it as a substitute for rice, I keep looking for different ways of eating it, as quinoa by itself is pretty tasteless.

So this is basically my Lime/Lemon Rice recipe, with the rice being replaced by the much healthier quinoa.

If you are looking for new ideas to eat quinoa, do try this recipe out, it will certainly be a hit in your home! Besides being tasty it is super quick to make!

What are the ingredients for Lime/Lemon Quinoa?

Quinoa

Onion

Green chili or jalapeño

Ginger

Turmeric powder

Lime juice or lemon juice

Cilantro

Crushed peanuts (optional)

For seasoning:

Mustard seeds

Split urad dal

Curry leaves

How do you make this Lime/Lemon Quinoa?

Heat a pan with some oil in it. When the oil is hot, add the seasoning ingredients. Immediately add the chopped onion, green chili, and ginger. Fry till onions turn translucent.

Add turmeric powder. Add cooked quinoa with salt.

Mix it well, add the juice of one lime.

Add cilantro leaves and crushed peanuts as garnish. Your yummy dish is ready!

You can serve this Lime/Lemon Quinoa with any side dish. Some good options to have with it are:

Spicy Indian Pork Chilli Fry

Paneer Masala

Chickpea Masala

Easy Indian Chicken Stew

Easy Egg Masala

Simple Chicken Curry

Print

Lime/Lemon Quinoa

Quinoa with onions, green chili, ginger, and a few spices make this delightful dish!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Author Nandini

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa
½ onion (chopped)
1 green chili (chopped)
½ inch ginger (chopped)
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 Lime (juice)
1 tbsp Cooking oil
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
Cilantro (for garnish)
2-3 tbsps Peanuts (optional) (crushed)

For seasoning

1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp white split urad dal
4-5 Curry leaves (chopped)

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the seasoning ingredients.
Stir and immediately add the chopped onion, green chili, and ginger.
Fry till the onions turn translucent.
Add the turmeric powder and stir.
Next, add in the cooked quinoa and salt.
Mix everything well and add the juice of 1 lime.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped cilantro and crushed peanuts.

Notes:

Use day-old quinoa for best results. But if you are cooking it the same day, let it cool down well before adding it.
I added chopped jalapeño pepper instead of green chili so it would be less spicy.
This can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
I have made it with 1 cup cooked quinoa, quantities can be adjusted if you want more or less. This was enough for 2 meals for 1 person.
If you are using lemon juice instead of lime juice, I think the juice of half a lemon would be good for this quantity of quinoa. Anyway, the best way is to taste it, and if you feel it could use a little more, add more according to your taste.
Red onion was used in this recipe, but yellow onion can be used as well.
The peanuts used are roasted peanuts.

If you do try out this recipe, let me know by leaving a comment down below or rating the recipe. I love hearing from you!

Thank you for being here, if you are looking for more easy healthy recipes, here are some you might like:

Air Fryer Okra Fries

Palak Paneer

Air Fryer Salmon Fish Fry

Air-Fryer Potato Wedges

Broccoli and Quinoa Patties

Quinoa Upma

Beetroot Cutlets

Crispy Zucchini Fritters

Photo by Fab Lentz on Unsplash

Art/Crafts & DIY

Easy Thumbtack Pumpkins

September 13, 2021 No Comments

These Easy Thumbtack Pumpkins are a breeze to make. They look cute sitting on a table or even outside your front door. They are light so it’s best to make sure they are taped down so they don’t fly away!

The base pumpkin is from Target, it is a paper mache pumpkin. But I think this could work even for a regular pumpkin as an alternative to pumpkin carving.

All you need is a base pumpkin and some brass thumbtacks or pushpins. You could make your own designs. The ones I did were a face and the word BOO!

To finish off I just tied some dollar tree ribbon on the top of the stem.

This is the easiest pumpkin project you will ever do! I know there is really nothing much to it, but I thought I can just share what I made to decorate my house for Fall.

What are the supplies needed for these EasyThumbtack Pumpkins?

Pumpkins – Paper mache pumpkins, foam pumpkins, or real pumpkins!

Brass thumbtacks – You can use any color you like, I just realized that Amazon has these beautiful rose gold thumbtacks! ( These would look great on those white pumpkins, don’t you think so?!)

Ribbon or twine

That’s it!

(Disclaimer: These are affiliate links, which means if you buy any of these recommended products, I will receive a small commission from Amazon at no extra cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I love and know to be of great quality. Thank you so much for your support!)

How do you make these Easy Thumbtack Pumpkins?

First, decide what design you want. With a pencil, you could make your design lightly on the pumpkin.

Next, push the thumbtacks into the pumpkin to make your desired design.

Tie a bow using a ribbon or a piece of twine on the stem on top.

That’s it!

This is a great project when you do not have much time and just want to dress up a store-bought pumpkin.

If you do not want to deal with carving a pumpkin, (believe me I tried and gave up the first time I attempted it! It was messy and stressful!) this is a good idea and it looks nice too!

These are based on some lovely thumbtack pumpkins here on ohsolovelyblog.com.

Hope you enjoyed reading about this easy project! If you happen to try it out, I would love to see your pumpkins! Do share them with me on Instagram @lovetostayhomeblog.

If you like simple DIY projects like this, you might also be interested in:

Fall Felt Leaf Garland

Hand Stitched Paper Gift Tags

DIY Farmhouse Bead Garland

Easiest felt flower tutorial

Lovetostayhomeblog is on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. Do follow me to know when I post new recipes, DIYs, and Crochet projects.

As always thanks for being here! I really do appreciate each and every one of you!

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

Recipes

Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal

September 9, 2021 No Comments

This Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal is the creamiest and tastiest comfort food you will ever taste! It is so healthy and can be eaten just by itself like a soup! Of course, the most common way to eat it is with some rice and a dollop of ghee on top. Yum!

There are so many different kinds of lentils but I think Moong Dal is the creamiest of them all! It is the Dal of choice when making Kichidi which is just moong Dal and Rice cooked together. It is very common comfort food made in most Indian’s homes.

This is an everyday kind of recipe, which is easy to make, now made easier with the instant pot!

I love the Instant Pot, it is easily one of the top gadgets in my kitchen, I have many easy Instant Pot recipes on my blog, here they are if you would like to check them out:

Instant Pot Shrimp Pulao

Instant Pot Egg and Peas Pulao

Easy Instant Pot Mutton Biriyani

Instant Pot Spanish Chicken Pulao

Instant Pot Peas Pulao

What are the Ingredients for this Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal?

(Exact quantities of each ingredient are given in the recipe card below)

Moong Dal – Yellow split Moong Dal

Carrots

Cabbage

Onion

Tomato

Ginger

Green chilies

Turmeric powder

Salt

Cilantro leaves for garnish

For seasoning:

Ghee, Cumin Seeds & Asafoetida

How do you make this Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal?

Wash the moong Dal and add it to the Instant Pot, add about 3 cups of water.
Chop onions, tomato, ginger, slit the green chili, chop carrots, and cabbage. ( the carrots and cabbage can be chopped into big pieces so they do not become mush but keep their shape.
Next, add all the above ingredients to the dal and water.
Put in 1/2 Tsp of turmeric powder. Stir and close the instant pot. Pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot beeps after it’s done, press cancel. After 15 minutes once the pressure comes down, open the Lid of the Instant Pot.
Add salt to taste.
In a seasoning pan or a small frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of ghee. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds and a pinch of asafoetida. Switch off the flame and immediately pour this onto the Dal. Your delicious creamy Dal is ready! Garnish with chopped cilantro and Enjoy it with rice, quinoa, paratha, or roti.

Some delicious sides that go with this are:

Spicy Indian Pork Chilli Fry

Fried Masala Mushrooms – Deep-fried Vs Air-Fried!

Chickpea Masala

Beetroot Cutlets

Easy Egg Masala

Potatoes and Dill Indian Style

Pan-Fried Crispy Shrimp

Air Fryer Okra Fries

Air Fryer Salmon Fish Fry

Print

Instant Pot Carrot and Cabbage Dal

Comfort food at its best! Creamy and delicious yellow split moong dal with vegetables.

Course Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Author Nandini

Ingredients

½ cup Yellow split moong dal
¼ onion (chopped)
1 tomato (chopped)
1 inch ginger (chopped)
1 green chili (slit)
1 carrot (cut in big pieces)
¼ cabbage (cut in big cubes)
½ tsp turmeric powder
Cilantro for garnish

For seasoning

1 tsp cumin seeds
⅛ tsp Asafoetida

Instructions

Wash the moong dal 2 or 3 times, add it to the Instant Pot with 3 cups of water.
Chop the onion, tomato, ginger, chili, carrots, and cabbage.
Add the above-chopped ingredients along with turmeric powder to the Instant Pot. Mix well.
Close the Instant Pot and pressure cook on high for 6 minutes.
Once the Instant Pot beeps after it is done, press cancel.
After about 15 minutes the pressure would have released. Open the Pot. Add salt to taste. If you want you can add more water. Mix and transfer the dal into a serving dish.
In a seasoning pan or a small frying pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee. When the ghee is hot, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Immediately put this seasoning into the dal.
Garnish with Cilantro, your delicious dish is ready!

Notes:

This Dal can be made without the vegetables too.
Using ghee is recommended as it really enhances the taste of the Dal. But if you do not have any, any flavorless cooking oil can be used.
This Dal will thicken as it sits, so when re-heating add water to it.
Some other choices of vegetables are green beans, broccoli, spinach, and zucchini.
Use more chilies if you like it spicy. I usually take out the chili before serving. You can also sprinkle some red chili powder on top.
Asafoetida is optional but it adds to the flavor of the Dal. It is available in any Indian grocery. You can read all about asafoetida here and learn about its health benefits.

Hope you will try out this simple yet satisfying Instant Pot Dal. If you do please leave a comment or rate the recipe below. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for just being here!! Do stay awhile and check out my other posts.

Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook @lovetostayhomeblog to know about my latest recipes, DIYs, and crochet projects!

Have a wonderful day!

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash