Fresh Chips & Gauc

Homemade corn chips are so fresh and good, served alongside guacamole in cute metal (french fry) holders from World Market!

Just use a pizza cutter to cut corn tortillas into triangles.  Place on a baking sheet and spray with cooking oil.  Sprinkle kosher salt, chili powder, and lime zest on the chips and bake at 375 for about 6 minutes or so, checking to see when they are crisp - not burned!

For an easy gauc, just stir in homemade salsa into two avocados, along lime juice and red onion, and combine!

Potato and Sausage Rounds

These potatoes, and these sausage rounds, made for great food when we watched the Oscars, and I'm going to be making them often!

For the potatoes:

Slice 4 med red potatoes about 1/4 thick and boil in water until fork tender.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 375.

Drain potatoes and pat dry, place on foiled lined, oil sprayed, baking sheet.  Brush potatoes with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground peppercorns.  Layer cooked, crumbled bacon on top, along with shredded monterey jack and cheddar.

Bake in oven 10-12 minutes til cheese is melted - serve with sour cream if desired.

For the sausage rounds:

Cut 1 lb sausage link into half inch slices, brown on both sides in frying pan, just to get both sides a little crispy.  Let them cool, while you get pastry prepared.
Brush entire surface of 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed) with egg.  Use a mini cookie cutter (I used stars) and cut out same number of shapes as you have sausage rounds.

Place rounds on baking sheet and cover each one with one of the cut outs, securing with toothpicks.
Bake in 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.

Mix 2 T mayo, 2 T dijjonaise, abnd 1/4 c apricot pineapple jelly for a dip, if desired!

Sausage, Potatoes & Onions

This recipe is absolutely delicious and easy to make!

You'll need a nice big link of Italian sausage or smoked sausage - your pick.  Slice it lengthwise, and then into small slices about 1/2 inch thick each.  Peel, slice, and chop a large onion.  Slice and chop about 5 large red potatoes into uniform pieces. 

In a large skillet, heat about 2 T olive oil, and place all ingredients in the skillet.   Sprinkle with sweet paprika, dried thyme, fine sea salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Let it sit until the potatoes are browned, then stir, continuing to cook until sausage is cooked, potatoes are tender and fried.

Once it's done, sprinkle with grated cheddar and enjoy!

Toward Spring

I'm getting our back garden ready for spring and found these pretty color-coordinated stakes and ceramics from At Home - and I'm going back to get more soon!

Toddler Style

Stopped in at Old Navy to look around and found these super cute dresses for spring for toddler girls - on sale - got these two for under $18.  They had such cute shoes to go with, too!

Pressed Pretzels

These are so delicious and easy to put together, and they make a great presentation on a long tray, on your dessert table!

You'll need:

1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 T butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
10 oz semi sweet chocolate
48 small pretzel crisps or twists
sea salt, freshly ground


Combine the peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar in mixer until well blended, Shape into 24 one inch balls.  Press each ball flat, between two pretzels.

Place a piece of wax paper out on your counter.

In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt 10 oz. semisweet chocolate chips in 15 sec intervals, stirring, until melted.

Dip half of the pretzel sandwich in the chocolate, lay on was paper, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Let them harden, and serve!  Delicious!  (Makes 24 bites)

Apple Nachos

One of our fun dishes for the Oscar party was apple nachos, so easy and so tasty:

Slice a large green apple and lay them out on a round tray or pedestal. Sprinkle with lemon juice to keep from turning brown.

Melt half bag of caramels (unwrapped) in a saucepan (with 1 tsp water) and stir until melted.  Drizzle over apples.

Sprinkle chopped peanuts and semisweet chocolate chips, and you're done!

Photos & Frames

A friend of mine loves the beach, and she loves taking photographs.  So she took her favorite photos of the beach and incorporated them into her guest bathroom decor!  What a great idea - if you love bridges (like I do), landscapes, flowers, animals, whatever - frame the photos and use them to personalize your space!

Closet Jewelry Box

A friend told me about this cool jewelry box for the wall in her closet - check it out below. And...she's replacing the glass on the door with a mirror - what a genius idea!
It's on sale at Pier One.

Pappa Al Pomodoro

This recipe is quite labor intensive, but interesting, and the flavor is out of this world - from Back to Basics Cookbook!

The ciabatta bread in the soup - oh my!
The topping of toasted bread, basil, and pancetta - oh my!

Hummus on a Sandwich

Hummus is great for dipping, but it can also be used as a spread on a sandwich!

This sandwich was made using edamame hummus:

In lg saucepan heat 2 T grapeseed oil, then add 1 chopped shallot and 5 chopped garlic cloves, stirring for 2 minutes.  Add 2 cups shelled edamame and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 T soy sauce, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp ground cumin.  Stir and bring to a simmer, then let it simmer gently for six minutes. (from Organic Gardening Magazine)

Transfer contents to your food processor and process until the mixture is thick and crumbly.

For the cucumber hummus sandwich:

Toast multi grain bread, spread with hummus, top with sliced cucumbers (sprinkled with pepper). That's it! (from Woman's Day Magazine).

Two Great Dips

Sometimes we just feel like chips and dip for dinner - so why not?

These salsa and guac dip recipes are easy and tasty!

Cherry tomato salsa:

Toss 1 pint quartered cherry tomatoes, 1 chopped seeded jalapeno, 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 2 T each cilantro and parsley, the juice of 1 lime, and salt to taste.  (place all in the food processor and pulse until the salsa is how you like it!)

Bacon guacamole:

In a bowl stir together 1 1/2 cups chopped avocado, 2/3 cup chopped plum tomato, 2 T fresh lemon juice, 1 T chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp garlic powder.  Cover and let stand 10 minutes.  Meanwhile cook 2 bacon slices and crumble.  Sprinkle the bacon atop the guac mixture, garnish with parsley sprig and lemon slice - serve with chips.

Heavenly Cookies

"These cookies are unbelievable, they taste like heaven!" is what my husband said when he bit into one of these pecan raisin oatmeal cookies from Back to Basics Cookbook!  The recipe is also on the Food Network site right here.

These cookies have toasted pecans, plump raisins, and delicious old-fashioned oats that make for a chunky, chewy cookie!

Garbanzo Bean Stew

This stew was made in the crockpot, it's tasty, easy and healthy - that's a four star winner for me.  I found it in Better Homes & Gardens Magazine...

Almond Cake

My daughter-in-law made this tonight for my son, for Valentine's Day, and we got to enjoy a piece too!  It's delicious!

She found the recipe here on line.  (Be sure to not overcook)

She then added fresh fruit - strawberries and blueberries (add 1 T sugar and let sit a bit before topping).

Weekend Breakfast

We had this for breakfast this week, and it was easy, and super pretty - and tasted great!

I didn't have any powdered sugar, so I crumbled sugar cookies on top - and they tasted great!

The recipe is from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics cookbook:

you'll need
1 cup each of raspberries, blueberries and sliced strawberries
1 T sugar
2 T unsalted butter, melted (plus 4 tsp for the dishes)
3 XL eggs at room temp
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated orange zest
3/4 tsp kosher salt
maple syrup and powdered sugar

preheat oven to 425

gently combine berries and sugar, and set aside.

place four individual gratin dishes on two sheet pans, adding 1 tsp melted butter in each

place eggs in a bowl, and beat til mixed, add the milk and combine.  slowly add flour, vanilla, zest, 2 T melted butter and salt, and mix til smooth.  whisk if lumpy.

place gratin dishes in oven for 3 min til butter is bubbly, make sure butter covers bottom of each dish.  immediately divide batter equally into the dishes and bake 12-14 min til puffed and lightly browned.

divide berries atop dishes, drizzle with syrup and dust with powdered sugar - serve hot!

Watch & a Tote

Found these two gems at World Market today - a traveler's watch and a vintage garden tote (didn't see it online, only in the store).

World Market isn't just furniture and home decor - it has the cutest accessories too!

Sneakers

I've bought tennis shoes twice now at Old Navy, different styles, and they're really comfy, cute, and my favorite!

Check out these (on sale online).  But in the store, they're even cheaper :)

Parsnips & Cherry Tomatoes

Another veggie recipe that is tasty served with steak (from Real Simple Magazine).  If you haven't tried parsnips, you're missing something really good!

You'll need: 

1 1/2 

pounds 

parsnips, cut into 2-inch pieces, halved or quartered if thick

1 

pint 

cherry tomatoes

1 

bunch scallions, trimmed

4 

sprigs thyme

1/4 

cup 

plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

 Directions

1. Heat oven to 450° F. Toss the parsnips, tomatoes, scallions, thyme, ¼ cup of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. Cover the dish with foil and roast until the juices are bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to roast until the parsnips are tender, 10 to 15 minutes more...

Roasted Vegetables

I'm LOVING Back to Basics Cookbook  - especially the veggie recipes!  This one is no exception.

You'll need:

2 fennel (bulbs only) cut into six wedges each (keep core)
1 pound small potatoes cut in half lengthwise (fingerlings or new potatoes)
1/3 cup olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 lb haricots verts, trimmed
1 bunch thin asparagus, ends removed, cut diagonally into 3 in pieces
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

preheat oven to 425

place fennel on baking sheet, with the potatoes.  drizzle oil on the veggies, then sprinkle with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, toss.

roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once.  toss the beans and aspargus with the veggies and roast another 12 minutes, until tender.

sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and roast 1-2 minutes til cheese melts.

sprinkle with S&P and serve hot.

Road Trip

Road Trip

If you live near the Austin area, this road trip we took yesterday was really fun and easy to do in a 12 hour span.

We traveled first to Martindale, Texas, a small town about 20 minutes from South Austin, east of Interstate 35.  There’s a custom furniture store on the main road, Native Furniture Works, that’s worth a look, because the craftsmanship is amazing.  Across the street is the Cottonseed Deli.  We plan to go back and eat there soon, because we were told the best pecan pie in the world is served there!

As we headed toward Lockhart, we drove the back roads through Fentress, TX and Joliet, TX.  There wasn’t much to see in those towns except some old buildings and houses, but we enjoyed the drive.

As we neared Lockhart, we were hungry because we had brought our picnic lunch (which included chicken slaw wraps, dill pickle chips, fruit, and tasty snacks.  We came upon a little Baptist church with a pretty cross (with a fountain) and picnic tables in the warm sun, just waiting for us to come sit!  My husband didn’t want to intrude, so he saw one man working at the church and asked if we could picnic on their grounds.  The man was super nice and invited us to use their facilities, and make ourselves at home, even while he left to go into town –what a friend!    We ate, looked at their new building and found out the church was really growing – even though it was in the middle of nowhere!  They had a cool baptistery built out of rock in the front corner. This was Mineral Springs Baptist Church.

We arrived in Lockhart, right in the middle of a vintage car show on the square. The guys looked at the cars, while my friend and I walked the square.  Lockhart has a pretty courthouse and few cute stores, and eateries.  Before we left Lockhart, we drove by their small airport, parked and watched an old plane do some fancy sky work – what a treat!

We headed on to Seguin, Texas (home of world’s largest pecan).  What a cute, clean town.  We parked downtown on the square and walked several blocks to an antique store.  Jon found an old tool (he collects them) – so he was excited!  There’s a pretty fountain in the middle of the downtown square that has colored lights at night.  We drove to Max Starcke Park, just on the edge of town and it’s beautiful!  What a pretty river, golf course, and scenic drive.  We also visited some of the old buildings downtown, Los Nogales, and Sebastopol Historical Park.  Get there before they quit having tours – pretty cool history! 

Finally, we ended the evening with dinner at the Seguin Power Plant Grill – an excellent choice – for the setting and food! It’s housed in an old power plant, across a river, with cool dining areas inside and out.  This is a must see and a must eat if you make this trip!  We had pecan crusted fish, and street tacos.  Their chips and guacamole were delicious!  After dark, the place is lit up, and the river setting is even more beautiful at night! 

This is a great day trip because it’s a short one, but full of fun.  Lockhart also has a Gaslight Theater and GREAT bar-b-que to be eaten, if you so desire!

All you need is a road map, a picnic lunch, and good friends!

Porch Wreath!

Found this pretty wreath at Michaels 40% off - it's so bright and cheery - and it's a nice large size!  Great for the front porch!

Crackers with Parm & Thyme

These little tasty crackers were easy to make, from Barefoot Contessa's Cookbook - Back to Basics.

You will need:

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
4 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
1 tsp freshly minced thyme

In a bowl, cream butter for one minute (using paddle attachment if you have it), On low speed, add parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper and combine.  Still on low, add in the flour and combine until mixture is in large crumbles, about a minute (add 1 tsp water if too dry).

Dump dough on a floured board, press into a ball, then roll into 9 in log.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 days.

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Cut log into 3/8 inch rounds and place on parchment lined sheet.  Bake 22 minutes until very lightly browned.  Rotate pan once during backing.

Cool and serve at room temp.

Great appetizer before dinner with a bit of jam. (And these smell GREAT while baking)

Aldo Sale

I stopped in at Aldo Shoes in the Outlet Mall today because they were having a super sale.  Their shoes are usually pretty pricey, but there were lots of shoes on sale at affordable numbers today!  Then on line, I saw more shoes...and purses!  Check them out, if you have a store near you, or order on line.  My husband ONLY buys these shoes because of their comfort....(and style).

Here are a few picks:

Corn & Zucchini Quesadilla

Slice kernels off of two fresh corn cobs
Dice one zucchini
Slice 1/2 red onion
Place all of the above, with 1/2 tsp cumin, in olive oil in a skillet, and stir fry until tender.  S& P to taste.

Meanwhile grate 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

Place half of mixture on one side of two large tortillas, fold over, and grill on both sides until golden brown.

Slice each one into thirds and enjoy with a side of your favorite salsa!