Oscar Party

Planning an Oscar party Sunday night?  We are!  And so is my  sister!  Here are our table decor ideas - and we are making food that starts with each letter of O-S-C-A-R-S.  My food will be:  onion rings, sliders, cookies (black & white), avocado dip, raspberry refresher drink, and soup.

The bags are from Target, with chalkboard stickers attached, and black & white  dot straws for drinks.











These are just frames from the Dollar Store with printed letters inserted inside!

Bolognese Yum

This is a great bolognese sauce for your slow cooker - it tastes great and is so easy to put together.

Melt 1 T butter in a pan over medium heat.  Add 1 small chopped onion, 1 finely chopped celery rib, and 1 finely chopped carrot, and saute 5 min. Turn up heat and add 2 lb lean ground beef, cooking til no longer pink (about 5 min), season with salt and pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Pour in 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup white wine, and bring to boil.  Lower heat and cook at a lively simmer about 15 min until most of the liquid evaporates.

Transfer the mixture to your slow cooker, stir in 2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes, cover and cook on low 8 hours.  Stir, then cook til slightly thickened, about 30 more minutes.

Enjoy this sauce over pasta, with a fresh veggie and you've got yourself a meal!

Red Bean Avocado Dip

Do kidney beans, Greek yogurt and avocado sound like a winner, mixed together to make a dip?  My sister tried this recipe and says it's great.  She says you can add a squeeze of lime.  It's good with veggie strips, or tortilla chips, or even crackers...

Check out the recipe here.

Salad Dressing in a Pinch

I was out of salad dressing today, so I experimented with what I had on hand, and it was a hit!  I had olive oil, mayo, and banana peppers.

I mixed about 2 T mayo with olive oil and juice from the banana pepper jar until it had the consistency of salad dressing, added freshly ground pepper, and poured it atop a spinach & arugula salad mix.

Try it!

Broccoli Rabe Pizza

Broccoli Rabe Pizza is so delicious - just take your pizza dough and place it on a cornmeal dusted pizza pan.  Brown 1/2 lb ground meat, chop one bunch of broccoli rabe, slice 1/2 red onion, and grate 2 cups of mozzarella.  Top the dough with the meat, the broccoli, the onion and the cheese and bake according to dough directions. Top with fresh tomato slices...and eat!

You Tote It!

I saw this tote/purse this weekend at the outlets, at Aeropostale, and it's on line too - on sale half off!  It was a great size, and in an awesome print for the spring season!

A Good Line

Loving this makeup line, Physicians Formula. This cream/foundation is so light and creamy, and contains sunscreen.  The bronzer is my favorite for over the face color. And I just recently bought the eyeliner.

Roasted Cauli Grilled Cheese

This recipe is from the book I got for Christmas called Relish, by Daphe Oz.  It's a grilled cheese sandwich unlike any I've ever made - it includes cauliflower, caramelized onions, arugula, cheddar cheese and a jalapeno aoili spread on multigrain bread!  Check out the recipe here.  

Here's a photo of how mine turned out, and oh my - was it good!

Really Roasted

This is easy to prepare in the morning or on the weekend, and then enjoy it in several ways throughout the week!

Cut up all the veggies you have (I had carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and potato) into pieces about the same size.  Toss with olive oil and citrus pepper, salt & pepper, and spread out on a baking sheet in one layer.  Roast at 415 degrees for about 30 minutes (turning once) until veggies are tender.

To enjoy them, wrap them up in a tortilla for a veggie quesadilla, eat them alone or as a side dish, or place them atop pasta with sauce for an evening meal!

Bistro Box

There are three choices at Starbucks of these bistro boxes, but  my favorite is the cheese/fruit one - it's a great lunch on-the-go and very filling!  Stop in and try one...

Bow-tie Dinner

This bow-tie pasta dish was so easy to make and delicious!

Just boil 1lb bow-tie pasta in salted water, throwing in fresh, chopped broccoli rabe in the last two minutes. Meanwhile heat 2 T olive oil in a skillet and brown some italian sausage (we got chicken sausage with sun dried tomato), breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  Add in four minced garlic cloves the last two minutes.

Toss the the pasta in with the sausage and toss, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water (about 1/2 cup), sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and serve.

Spring Belt

Isn't this a beautiful belt?  It's one being sold by Noonday Collection - read about this awesome ministry here.   Consider doing some of your spring wardrobe shopping from this website, or purchasing a gift for someone.  Your money spent will be giving back to those in need.

Rake Rack

A friend introduced me to this - Repurposing 24/7  on Facebook - and I loved this idea. I'm sure you could use the rake end for all sorts of racks - hanging tea towels, jewelry, or even scarves!

Toasty Layers

A great weekend breakfast for two...or for the family!  Take raisin bread (or I just stuffed raisins into my multi-grain bread), top with sliced apple and cheddar cheese, sprinkled with a bit of cinnamon.  Melt unsalted butter in a skillet and toast the bread on low heat until the cheese melts.  This was sooooooooo good!

DIY tiered tray

Saw this cute craft idea in Woman's Day, and not only does it show how, it tells where to get the pie pans!  What a cool tiered tray!  LOVE this!

The Best Cookies

Marjorie Johnson is the mom of my friend, and she was on the Jay Leno show often, baking her famous recipes found in her cookbook - one of which I used last night to bake these oatmeal walnut cookies.  Her cookie recipes and other baked goods are really THE BEST!

These cookies are addictive, so watch out...

Lentil Almond Sliders

Just recently subscribed to Clean Eating online and received this recipe for lentil almond burgers - I made them small for sliders - on wheat buns (with mayo mixed with lemon and citrus pepper) - and added tomatoes and avocados - delish!  

A Great Pairing

At Whole Foods recently, we purchased this cranberry cheddar cheese, along with these cranberry almond crackers - and they are absolutely delicious together!  Add some almonds, and you've got yourself a mid-day snack or light lunch!

Pork Tapas

We had this appetizer last night before a movie, and it was delicious!  It was little toasts, spread with chopped pork, chopped tomatoes and garlic.  It was absolutely wonderful!

A Crafty Gift

These cute jars and chalkboard were a gift made for wedding shower, and are so cute!  Just take Mason Jars and wrap ribbon around and hot glue. Next, take wooden gift tags (bought at a hobby store) and paint them with chalkboard paint.  For the chalkboard, the trim was painted, and a wooden initial and clothespin were added for charm.  The hanging ribbon was attached, and on the back were buttons where it attached to the board!  A great bride-to-be-gift, or a gift for anyone at all!

Message in a Frame

My niece made this cute frame for her family by shopping at Goodwill for an old frame, then purchasing chalkboard paint and a sander's sponge.  She sanded the frame and painted it with white acrylic paint she had on hand.  When the paint dried, she sanded it and painted it again, making it have a streaked effect. Next, the glass in the frame was painted with the chalkboard paint.  

The cute frame is set up on her countertop ,but you could totally lean it against a wall, or hang it!  Write your message, copying a cute font found on Pinterest, and you've got home decor for every season.  

This particular idea came from http://missmustardseed.com/my-book/. Thanks, Amber Holdridge, for sharing!

Lefty Veggies

What to do with all your leftover veggies at the end of the week?

Fry some bacon (six slices) in a large skillet and drain on paper towels, leaving the bacon fat in the pan.  Toss in all your veggies (chopped about the same size) - I used potatoes, zucchini, carrots, cabbage, spinach, tomatoes and onions.  Toss them in, in order of denseness or how long they take to brown and get tender. Potatoes and carrots go in first, as they need to brown. Season with your favorite spices (salt, citrus pepper, crushed basil, etc.)

Scoop out spoonfuls on to your plate and enjoy!

Romper

I haven't worn a "romper" since I was a kid, but they're back in the stores now - and this is a cute one at Strut - a great store here in Austin - but also on line!  Check it out!  A cute outfit for spring!

Zucchini Fries

These zucchini "fries" were easy to make and so delicious.

Just slice zucchini into sticks about 3 X 3/4 inch in size, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper, and toss with olive oil.  Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes (turning once) until light brown.  Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese....

A great side dish!

Colorful Tuna Salad

This tuna salad was made just using what I had on hand in the fridge and pantry!

I just had a can of tuna in water, so I drained it and flaked it apart in a bowl with a fork.  Next, I added: diced apple (skin on), chopped red onion, chopped carrots, chopped fresh spinach, chopped plum tomato, and the juice of two lemons, plus seasonings like citrus pepper, lemon pepper, and freshly ground pepper.    I packed it in a soup ladle and turned it upside down on the plate in a mound.

With it, we had wheat thins, topped with a square of Swiss cheese, a cube of avocado, and the tuna salad.

YUM!

Clock Decor

Clocks can be a great decorating accessory in a room...big or small.  Check out this cute magnet clock on sale at World Market!  In two colors!

Clean Eating!

I recently subscribed to this website and I received my first set of "clean meals" recipes - so fun.  It's not a bad price at all, and the first month I got 79 recipes in my inbox to choose from - I can't wait to try!

Clean Eating Online

Here's an example of one I'm going to try - simple and easy:

Chopped chicken, Romaine Lettuce and a peeled, chopped orange and walnuts - toss with 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.