Recipe for a Home

egg toast mushrooms, onion, asparagus chopped lettuce & tomatoes Italian dressing Simply sautee veggies in olive oil & season with salt/pepper/rosemary seasoning. Put on top of toast. Fry egg in same pan & put on top of veggies/toast. Top with a side salad/Italian dressing & parmesan cheese.

What a little paint can do!

2017-05-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

Took this white picnic table that was in very bad shape, sanded & painted it with exterior gray. Love it!! To get you inspired to update that old item with paint instead of throwing it out.

Painting & Decorating inspiration!

2017-04-20T06:48:00.002-07:00

Been painting & decorating a lot, lately! Will add more pics as I take them! Love sharing my creations.

Decorating high shelves with plants & displaying photo's of best friends & family

Kitchen Table basket added to tie together napkin holder/salt/pepper shakers. Added a plant for some greenery & color!

Painting items I bought at Savers that were old & cruddy. Making them into pieces I can use. #repurpose

Took an old tin baking pan & painted/decoupaged & using as platter to pull together some decorative pieces nicely!

A Plain pot I painted for a friend w/colorful plant! Easter Pots/plants for relatives:

Candle in glass bowl surrounded by wine corks!

Veggie Lentil Bolognese

2017-01-16T07:02:00.001-08:00

Veggie Lentil Bolognese

1 Onion
3 cloves garlic
3 cups red lentils
vegetable broth - 2-3 cups
2 carrots
3 red peppers
3 green peppers
Mushrooms
1 can tomato paste
4 cups tomato sauce
romano/Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes or sriracha hot sauce
whole wheat pasta

Grind up in food processor most the vegetables (I chopped a few so little larger for texture). Sautee in olive oil & season with salt/pepper. Add in the red lentils. Slowly keep adding broth so lentils get softer. Cook until tender. when done add cheese on top & put mixture on top of whole wheat pasta.

NOTE: My kids gobbled this right up & it's very healthy! Was delicious! Manga!

Zucchini noodle salad

2016-07-20T12:17:00.001-07:00

Zucchini - 4
feta cheese - 1/8 cup
grape tomatoes
olive oil/salt/pepper
lemon juice
Rosemary garlic seasoning
1 bulb garlic chopped

Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil & season with salt & pepper & the rosemary garlic seasoning. Roast tomatoes in 400 degree oven until carmelized. Spiralize zucchini (I use pampered chef spiralizer) & put in bowl. Put feta on top of zucchini. Then when tomatoes are done, add those on top. Mix lemon juice & olive oil & garlic for dressing.

NOTE: My kids LOVED this! :) Next time I make will take a better picture. It's very beautiful & would make a nice side dish for company.

Gift for Mom

2016-06-21T12:16:00.001-07:00

For mother's day, I picked out some pretty purple plants. Then I bought a regular ceramic planter pot & painted it a really cool purple color which I mixed with different paints. Then I decoupaged different pictures onto the pot & gave each pot a few coats of polyurethane. These came out really neat & Mom's loved them! Unique pot for a pretty plant!

Trash to treasure: old wall picture to chalk board

2016-05-01T06:47:00.003-07:00

I sadly did it again & failed to take a picture of this chalkboard before I started painting it! I may have one somewhere, if I find, I will post. Anyway, this was an OLD, RATTY wall hanging. The frame was dingy, cracked, dirty etc. It had in it an old map which was just haphazardly placed there! I first washed the whole thing good. I then sanded it & washed again. Then, I filled the cracks with calking, let dry & sanded it again. I then taped the frame part off & painted 2 coats on the glass with black chalkboard paint. Then when that was dry, I taped the chalkboard part off & painted the frame an oat/creamcolor with the chalk paint. When that was dry, I painted with a dry brush just over some areas (brushed) a metallic gold. Here is the finished project which I plan to use in my kitchen in my new beach home!

After chalk paint, before frame is painted:

Finished & ready to go on my kitchen wall! :)

Trash to treasure

2016-05-01T06:39:00.005-07:00

Grungy, tacky mirror made into a cute beachy mirror! Also, a VERY old, cracked, wall hanging that had an old map in it. I decided to make it into a chalkboard for my kitchen!

The beach mirror originally had a gold frame & was very tacky! Instead of tossing it, I mixes a bit of grey acrylic paint with some oat chalk paint. I put 2 coats on the frame (after taping the mirror part with painting tape). I then distressed the painted part in various parts. I then put a layer of wax paint over it to set. Wallah! Here it is:

This looked fantastic when I peeled the painting tape off! From tacky to beachy! :)

Plain vase to shabby chic vase

2016-05-01T06:33:00.001-07:00

I took a plain turquoise vase that I thought was ho-hum & painted it & made it shabby chic! I mixed turquoise, grey acrylic paint & added some oat chalk paint. I painted the entire vase & let dry. Then I printed a graphic I thought would look nice & decoupaged over the top! Sadly, another example I didn't take a picture of before. Very happy with the results! I think I'm going to use it to put cooking utensils in!

New Life for an old stool

2016-05-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

I took this dirty, cobweb filled, paint-peeling, grungy stool & washed it good! I then sanded it down, gave it a coat of paint & let it dry. I then put another coat of a different color as a wash it & let this coat dry. I then decoupaged a graphic I found on the internet over the top. Wallah! This is the before & after ~

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Refreshing old decor

2016-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

We just bought a house in Maine which needs a ton of work. My hubby is a contractor, so he will be renovating it as soon as possible. We also went through the entire inside of the house, it was filled with junk, old items, dirty items & trash! We threw some out, but I set aside items that I could revamp & use to decorate the newly renovated home!

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the before of this cutting board. Let's just say it was scratched, had a terrible, hideous graphic on it & was grimy as well. I took it home & decided to give it a good wash, then I chalk painted it a cream color which I then distressed with sandpaper. I printed out a few graphics. One graphic I found on the internet & the other I made on a word document. I proceeded to decoupage the 2 graphics onto the cutting board. I think it looks great now & would make a great decoration for the new home!

I also washed out a plain mason jar I found there & decided to paint a nantucket blue/gray color. I made the color with a blueish black acrylic mixed with a cream chalk paint. I painted jar, let dry then distressed with sandpaper. I then added some brown string around the top & a salt dough ornament to the jar, one I previously made . I plan to put dry flowers (hydrangeas?) in when I use for decor.

I like how they came out! Trash to treasure! I promise to start taking before pics so you can see difference. Here are items together:

Quick caprese salad

2016-04-01T06:14:00.001-07:00

Ripe tomatoes
red onion
romaine lettuce
mozzarella cheese
fresh basil
cucumbers
avocado (if desired)

Garlic herb butter for Steak

2016-04-01T06:11:00.002-07:00

My family loves this seasoning when I cook steak for them. I use it while cooking the steak & also brush some on with a brush after it's done cooking & on the platter. It's so easy too!

In food processor blend:

1 stick Butter (softened)
3-4 cloves of garlic
dash of salt/pepper
dash of oregano
about 1 tbsp rosemary seasoning

Blend until smooth.

Chalk painting wood candlesticks

2016-03-31T11:58:00.001-07:00

I found some plain wood, boring candlesticks & decided to chalk paint them. I painted them with chalk paint mixed with a little beige acrylic. I waited for them to dry then distressed them by rubbing a nail file in various places to rub the paint off. I think they look pretty cool. Decorations on the cheap!

Mexican Bean Soup

2016-03-21T09:56:00.001-07:00

I kind of combined 2 recipes for this soup, but my husband absolutely loved it! It was so quick & healthy!

1 package frozen corn

1 small onion chopped

1 can black beans rinsed

1 can large kidney beans rinsed

2 cans rotel (kind w/chilies)

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 can enchilada sauce

1-2 cups tubetti or other small soup pasta

2 tsp cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

Cilantro, salt, pepper, coriander if wish

You may also add sauteed peppers if you wish (I didn't because hubby doesn't like)

Saute onion, add other ingredients except pasta, which you add last. Cook till pasta is tender & soup is warm. You can serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheddar, soup cream etc. if you choose.

~ Enjoy!

Salt dough Crafts

2016-03-16T12:00:00.002-07:00

Easy salt dough recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water
Mix and roll out with rolling pin. Shape as you wish, or cut out with cookie cutters. You can also stamp the dough to make embossed design.

Bake 250 for a few hours until hard. Cool & paint if you wish.

You can use these for:

Kids dough crafts, Christmas ornaments, ornaments for gift bags, decorations for the home, etc.

I will show ornaments I made, then will update when I use these ornaments in various ways. :)

EASY Pasta Salad Appetizer for a crowd

2016-02-01T08:27:00.002-08:00

Ingredients:

Broccoli

Salami

Red & Yellow cherry tomatoes

button mushrooms

Artichoke hearts marinated

hearts of palm

chunks of cheese

parmesan shredded cheese

Mozzarella balls

salad dressing

Cooked tortellini

Green & black olives

I use as much as each item as I see fit. It's up to you how much you'd like to use. Cut all items into bite size pieces & toss with dressing

Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese & toss again. You can serve with toothpicks if cut into larger pieces, or serve as a pasta salad.

Enjoy!

Around the Home

2015-08-28T09:57:00.002-07:00

Savory Mushroom Crepes

2015-08-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

Crepes

2 eggs
1 cup milk
2/3 cup all purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Blend all ingredients in magic bullet, food processor or blender. Spray cooking spray onto a medium saute pan. When pan is hot, add thin layer of crepe mixture & swirl around to coat pan. Cook until bubbly, then flip. Cook on other side until lightly browned. Transfer to paper towel lined platter. Do this until mixture is used up.

In same pan, saute cut up mushrooms & onions with a little olive oil. Season with a dash of salt/pepper & a generous pinch of thyme.

Put this mushroom mixture onto a crepe & sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese & parsley. You can eat as is, or roll.

*Very tasty & very low on weight watchers points! Bonus!

Quick & Light Lunch

2015-06-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Tortilla
Lo-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
Black beans
Srirachi sauce
Lettuce
tomatoes
corn
onions
cucumbers
Cilantro
shredded parmesan cheese

Make your salad (ingredients as you desire) on plate.

Spray flat pan with cooking spray. In pan Put your tortilla & fill with beans, onions, corn & cheese. Fold in half & cook each side until lightly browned. Remove from stove top & put on salad, top with srirachi sauce & a dollop of yogurt. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top. YUM! Filling, quick, healthy & light! Note: You can fill with whatever ingredients you choose.

Roasted Baby Red Potatoes & Asparagus

2015-03-26T11:07:00.002-07:00

This is a very quick & easy side dish!

Simply chop the baby red potatoes into bite sized pieces. Pinch off the bottom of the asparagus, then cut into thirds. Chop 1 onion & add to bowl with potatoes & red onion. You can pre-season with dressing & chopped garlic if you like also until ready to cook.

For dressing: Mix olive oil, salt/pepper, rosemary seasoning mix (can find in spice aisle of grocery store, either packet, or TJmaxx has a nice rosemary mixture I like to stock up on & use too.

Toss all ingredients gently, but well, till coated. Pop into 350 degree oven & cook until potatoes & asparagus get lightly browned & softened. ~ Enjoy!