Easter Blessings

This lovely Printable is from One Dog Woof

May the glory
and the promise
of this joyous time of year
Bring peace
and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear.



May the Risen Christ bless you most abundantly.

Beaded Crosses for Easter

Here is what I have been busy with these past few days...I made these beaded Crosses for Easter to give to my family and friends. Thanks Cathy in Mt for the lovely beads you sent me recently. I also used some shimmering ribbon which my future Daughter-in-law had given me : )

I made these crosses using this pattern. However I altered the tops and tails as instead of the lanyard as a holder, I just made a knot in the ribbon to create a simple circle. The bottom I tied with one Uni knot similar to this method but again I adjusted this to suit my project according to the ribbon I used and added a small tassel to finish it off.





These are great tokens to give to friends, workmates, children in Catechism classes or even made for fund-raising.

In case anyone wants to try making these crosses, I started off with a length of about 90cm. of ribbon. To finish off the tassel tie an extra piece of ribbon, fold in two and tie to the 2 ends to create a tassel with 4 pieces. Maybe the instructions are not too clear but I finished these off in the best way according to how my work proceeded so maybe you will find another way to finish off yours. Have fun trying these out! God bless!

Roasted and Spiced Almonds *

I wanted to make a low fat, no cholesterol, sugar-free snack/appetizer with the bag of almonds I bought this week and found some healthy recipes on line which I adjusted since we are on a low sodium diet so here I am sharing my 'adjusted' recipe with you...

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 °
  
• In a medium baking dish place 200 grms almonds spread evenly and bake for 8-10 minutes until almonds are toasted, stirring twice.
  
• Let cool.
• In a skillet over a medium to high heat, pour 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon powders, 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper and a dash of salt (I put very little salt),
• Stir over high heat until well blended, then add the roasted almonds tossing to coat well. Stir for a few minutes. Take off heat. Let cool for a few minutes. Then scoop up the almonds and place on a tray lined with paper towels to absorb the extra oil. Pat the almonds, replacing the towels if necessary.
  
• Place in a bowl and when totally cool, store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You could, if you like, prepare the almonds by coating in the combined spice mixture and olive oil and bake directly in the oven for about 10-12 minutes but I prefer to pre-roast the almonds and then toss them over into the skillet as I think this gives them a better cooking time and a richer flavour and lovely crunch!

* 1 Tablespoon serving (about 15 almonds) contains about 80 calories.

So if you're nuts about nuts and want to make sure you are getting your "handful" this is one way to do it! It is recommended that we eat up to 1.5 ounces of nuts daily or one and a half times a "handful" unless, of course, you are allergic to nuts!

This is also a lovely Easter treat especially for adults while the kids are enjoying their Easter Hunt!

Enjoy!