Saturday, May 15, 2010

Chicken Pasta Recipe by Designs By Lisa

Ingredients:
1 * cup uncooked penne pasta
1 cup chopped asparagus
6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with herbs, including juice
1 ounce feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Cook penne pasta until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly. Set aside.
In a pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the asparagus.
Cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 2-3 minutes.
Spray a large nonstick frying pan with cooking spray. Add the chicken and garlic and saut* over medium-high heat. Cook until the chicken is golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, including the juice, and simmer 1 minute more.

In a large bowl, add the cooked pasta, steamed asparagus, chicken mixture and feta cheese. Toss gently to mix evenly.

Divide pasta mixture into two servings and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis (per serving)
Calories 455 Cholesterol 81 mg
Protien 41 g Sodium 240 mg
Carbohydrate 55 g Fiber 6.5 g
Total fat 8 g Potassium 462 mg
Saturated fat 3.5 Calcium 125 mg
Monounsaturated Fat 2 g

Friday, May 14, 2010

King of the Kitchen ~ Designs By Lisa

If you've been reading the LTS blog you've probably picked up that the kitchen and I do not get along. In fact, the big guy asked me recently where I'd like to travel when the kids get older. I said probably Hawaii, Ireland.....he interrupted and asked for a more domestic local. Maybe Texas or Arizona, I suggested.....nope closer he replied.....like maybe the kitchen. He laughed for quite some time at himself.

Seriously? He's nuts! He knew when we got married, I was not skilled in the kitchen department. I am certainly not the Queen of the kitchen, but the big guy on the other hand, is FABULOUS at making pretty much anything and everythign under the sun.....and so I will stitch this fun little design for him to let him know that if I can't actually make "food" in the kitchen I can still flex my stitching abilities there (:

Fabric: 28 Count Hand-dyed Sandcastle Jobelan #429-503 from Wichelt
Threads: Gentle Art Sampler Threads,DMC conversion included
Beads: Mill Hill glass seed beads # 00367
Frame: East Side Mouldings: 800-840-6077
Design Size: 9 1/2" w x 7 1/2"h
Stitch count: 134w x 106h

Kathy from Designs By Lisa is having an exclusive sale on this fabulous chart till May 16th. Sale price is $5 and that INCLUDES shipping! Be sure to get over to her website and order b/4 they are gone!



Thursday, May 13, 2010

LTS / SYHO May Stitcher Newsletter now available for download

The May Stitcher LTS / SYHO Designer Encyclopedia newsletter featuring Kathy Hackford of Designs By Lisa has been published. This newsletter is filled with activities, heart healthy tips, tricks and games to get stitchers excited about stitching!

You can check out the latest newsletter HERE

...and in case you missed past issues, you can find them HERE as well as fun downloadable activities, complimentary charts and much much more!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Help Mike from Hoffman Distributing!




Help Mike (from Hoffman Distributing Company ) out! Go rate his guitar playing HERE and help him get enough points to win a new guitar! Plus, you're allowed to make fun of him all you want. Who can resist that?

Monday, May 10, 2010

and the winner is......




Be sure to stop by the Funk and Weber Needle and ThREAD: Stitching for Literacy Blog today at 4PM EST to see if you are the lucky winner of the SYHO Bookmark Challenge ~ $500 in stash! courtesy of Loose Thread Stitchers. We will announce the winner on the LTS Blog tomorrow.

While you're there be sure to read about Bev who has stitched over 60 bookmarks for her local library in Clinton ~ isn't she FABULOUS!

Here's a preview of Bevs work ~ AMAZING!

Thank Ewe ~ Monday Morning Giveaway




Over the weekend, my girlfriend Michelle called and started raving about a fabulous new designer she just met at a local art show. Rachel designs greeting cards and small gift tags and although I was sure they were adorable, I wasn't sure how they would fit with Loose Thread Stitchers. Obviously I need to learn that Michelle knows of what she speaks. Rachel has a fabulous line of non stitching cards but my favorite series is a fun set about a sheep made of small balls of yarn. I just LOVE the simple design. What a fun way to say thank you to your stitching friends?




Rachel's designs can be purchased at Ewe and I or your local yarn shop. Feel free to e-mail Ewe and I at info(at)EweAndI(dot)com if your local shop does not carry her line. They'd be happy to fill your order.

I heart these cards so much ~ let's have a contest! We will be giving away a set of 6 mini gift tags this week to a lucky stitchers. Here's how to get started:

1 ~ follow the Loose Thread Stitchers Blog
2 ~ Leave a comment and let us know what other kinds of stitching cards you'd like to see
3 ~ Share this post on your blog and post the link in the comments section
4 ~ Share this post via Twitter, follow us and post the link in the comments section
5 ~ Share this post via Facebook, join us and post the link in the comments section

You'll receive 1 entry each for a total of 5 entries. We will use a random number generator to choose the winner. Good luck! The contest runs till Sunday with the winner being announced next Monday. Good luck!