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Sunday, July 22, 2012

Healthy Dinner

I found the recipe for this yummy pasta dish in the September issue of 'Cooking Light'. I had most of the ingredients on hand and it was super easy to throw together. I love the crispy vegetables and the creamy sauce. I have been substituting almond milk in all recipes that requires. Almond milk is only 35 calories per cup and provides 50% more calcium than dairy milk and there are no added hormones.



Creamy Spring Pasta
3 Quarts water
2 ounces wheat bread crumbs
1 T butter
3 cloves garlic (divided)
1 1/2 cups diagonally sliced asparagus
1 cup frozen green peas
6 oz fresh fettuccini
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped sweet onion
1 T flour
1/4 cup fat free, low sodium chicken broth
1 cup 1% milk (this is where I substituted Almond milk)
3 oz reduced fat cream cheese (I omitted this accidentally but it was good anyway.  What the heck?  Fewer calories!)
1/4 parmigiano cheese
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 T fresh chopped tarragon

Bring 3 qts water to boil

Meantime melt butter in skillet and brown 1 garlic clove and add bread crumbs and saute til brown.  Remove bread crumbs and wipe pan clean with paper towel.

Add asparagus and peas to boiling water for 2 minutes and then remove with a slotted spoon and rince under cool water.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.

Heat olive oil in skillet and saute remaining garlic and onion.  Mix flour and chicken broth with a wisk and add to onion mixture along with milk.  Remove from heat and add cheese, salt, pepper and stir until cheese melts.  Add pasta, asparagus, peas and toss well.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and fresh tarragon and serve immediately.

For the carrots, I just peeled and sliced diagonally and spritzed olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees.

 

Sunday, July 15, 2012

BLING

Another one of my craft moments.  I saw some of these in an antique store in East Texas and decided to try my own version.  These are so fun to make and very easy.  It just takes a little patience stringing the beads on the wire and getting them arranged just the way you want them.

First, I purchased some salad spoons and forks from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for just under $3.


I used some beading wire and beads that I had on hand and a couple of wire cutters for trimming.



There is a hole in the top of the handle that you feed the wire through and twist over and over again to secure. 
First, start adding a couple of beads at a time, wrap the wire around a couple of times to secure, then add a couple of more beads, wrapping the wire around the utensil a couple of times every time you add beads.  Keep adding until you get within about 3" from the bottom of the handle.


I made myself this blingy cake server which was the first thing I made.  I wanted to make sure I could do this before I started making them for my friends. 


I made this salad serving set for my friend for her birthday.  It was so easy and super fun to make.  I will be making more.  There are so many beads to choose from and you can just mix and match and create your own unique set. 






By the way, I am totally addicted to Pinterest, so don't be surprised if you start seeing some of my favorite things posted.  I have a whole list of fun things to try so stay tuned.





Friday, July 13, 2012

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere



A friend and co-worker brought me some beautiful peaches from his farm yesterday.  I suppose I should have made a jam or perhaps a peach cobbler, but considering it was 100 degrees outside, I figured a peach daiquiri was more in line.

I threw two whole peaches, (sans the seeds, but left the fuzzy peel on) in to my blender, along with a squirt of fresh lime juice, Jamaican Rum, a splash of orange juice, and some ice cubes.  The peaches were so naturally sweet, I didn't have to add any sugar.  The clock in the background still shows CST since I forgot to move it forward in the Spring, but no matter what the clock shows,  it was 5 O'Clock somewhere.  YUM! 

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Naan Pizza

My best friend is an excellent gourmet cook and always comes up with the best recipes with about 5  ingredients or less.  I love it when we get invited over for dinner.  Not long ago she came up with this 'Naan Pizza' made with Stonefire whole wheat flatbread. 


You can find this flatbread at most grocery stores.



Here are the directions for this particular pizza.  You can really get creative with toppings so find what you like and use it.
This is my friend's version:

One flatbread (feeds two, or one really hungry person)
Rub EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) over the bread
Sprinkle garlic salt around the rim for great garlicky crust
Top with fresh minced garlic
Two or three slices of bacon (fat removed) that has been chopped and sauteed
Very thinly sliced Roma tomatoes spread on top
Sliced green or black olives (I prefer feta stuffed green olives the best with the bacon)
Fresh basil
goat cheese sprinkled on top
Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Bake on pizza stone at 425 degrees for about 12-14 minutes.

Slice pizza in half (or not) and serve with a nice glass of Cabernet.



Check out the Stonefire website for more delicious looking recipes.  Report back if you find a really good recipe.




Sunday, July 8, 2012

Feeling Crafty

This weekend I decided to play in my hobby-room upstairs and work on some craft projects I've been putting off. Some time ago I blogged about all the re-decorating I had done in my room, but I have added a few touches since then.  I bought this zebra rug at a consignment shop a few weeks ago.  It is and 8 x 10 and I practically had to remove everything in the room to get it in.  I love it though.  I spend a lot of time in here because it is my office, my treadmill/gym, my photography studio, my eBay room, my sewing room, and my all-around craft room.  I could just live in there if there were a bed and a wine refrigerator. (smile).

Here's a photo of the room.


I dug out my sewing machine that has an embroidery attachment and some scrap fabric I've had forever and made some monogrammed coasters. 
First I cut out 8 5" squares (since that was the size of the square template I had)and then 8 squares for the backing.


Next I embroidered the letter 'S' in the center of each square.  I had forgotten how easy it was to use this machine, and now I want to make more stuff. I'll have to come up with some ideas.  After you get the machine set up, you just push a button and it takes off by itself.  I just sat and watched it sew.


After I finished all 8 of the top sections with the monogram, I scooted over to my serger machine and stitched the front and back sides together with a rolled edging.  At first my thread kept breaking and I was getting really frustrated.  After several attempts on a scrap of fabric, and resorting to the owner's manual, I figured out I had the machine threaded incorrectly.  When I corrected my mistake, the sewing was a breeze.



Here is the finished product.  This was a really quick fun project (well,,it was fun after I figured out the machine threading part) and I intend to make more for gifts.


I used all the stuff I had on hand already, but next time I will use a contrasting thread to make the letter stand out more.  It's cute nonetheless.


Thursday, July 5, 2012

Boot-Scootin' Boogie


This past Friday I headed to the lake house, but had to make my usual stopover at First Monday on the way. Everywhere I looked there were gals wearing sundresses and tall cowboy boots. Young and old alike! It was so dad-gummed hot though, I didn't last very long. Every 5 minutes I could hear ambulance sirens so I'm guessing that folks were dropping like flies from the heat. I took off and headed for some indoor antique stores in the downtown square and then to the local winery for a little Texas Wine tasting. Hey,,,it was 3pm,,,,close enough to 'happy hour'. On Saturday I ventured to Mineola to check out the antiques, and ended up at a darling consignment store on the square. (you know me and 'used clothing'.) Right at the front of the store was a display of cowboy boots, and the pair I liked the best were JUST MY SIZE,,,,,,and on SALE! I couldn't resist. There's nothing more comfy than a nice broken in pair of boots, but the lady made me walk around the store for about 20 minutes while I browsed to make sure these were 'the ones'. I absolutely love them and I love the look. I'm not sure if this is just an East Texas 'thing', because everywhere I looked, ladies were sporting the boots and sundress. Trend or not, I love 'em! (had to use my IPhone and bathroom mirror since my real camera and tripod were not close at hand)



Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Goodwill Hunting

This past week was my turn to host our monthly gathering of the BOS (Band of Sisters) gals. Since I am such a fan and supporter of Goodwill Industries and purchase about 90% of my wardrobe there, I decided to 'challenge' them with a Goodwill shopping experience. Each girl (5 of us) was required to come to my house wearing an outfit they had purchased at Goodwill. They were all shocked and amazed at the quality of the clothing and even more shocked at the price! Jeanne found a beige pair of pumps for $3.99 and ended up taking a similar pair back to Nordstrom that she had paid $$$ for. Sidney purchased several skirts and tops for a cruise she took a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, her favorite Goodwill skirt was 'borrowed' from her suitcase without her knowlege and never returned. We had such fun sharing our shopping experience and fashion show, I decided I needed to share it with you. Since then several of the gals have made return trips to their favorite Goodwill store. Enjoy my little fashion show.