Summer Pasta in 20 minutes

I wanted to make something simple and tasty for dinner a few nights ago.  

Here's what I came up with.  

I put equal parts of onion, zucchini, and roma tomatoes in a sauce pan with a couple turns of olive oil.  

When the veggies were soft, not brown I added some carrot puree (for extra nutrients) and some marinara sauce. I let the sauce and veggies simmer together while the pasta was cooking.  

Then I added everything together and dug in.

It was quite delicious!

Two Toothpastes - 7 Years & Counting

On Sunday (Sept 2nd), my husband and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.  While we reach the "copper anniversary" we may still be newlyweds compared to some (my grandparents have been married 62 years!), we see no signs of stopping.  I look forward for many more years together.  Since a happy home is one that includes happy occupants, I thought I might share a secret of our success so far.

Two toothpastes.  Two toothpastes?  That's it?  That's it. 

Mine is clearly the tube on the left.  ;)  As you can see, his is pretty disgusting.  Don't get me wrong, he's actually quite neat in other areas of his life, just not this one.  When we first got married and moved in together I was appalled.  How could I share a life with a man if I can't even bear to use the same tube of toothpaste?  Then, it hit me.  Just get your own tube silly.  I refused to be one of the couples you see in the movies and on TV that are driven apart by one partner leaving the cap off.  So, now he can leave his cap off if he wants.  He can squeeze in the middle (GASP) if he feels so inclined.  He doesn't even have to wipe the top off.  It's all his.  It's been 7 years and I can honestly say that NEVER have we fought about toothpaste.  I am no marriage expert, I know, but for us, this tiny thing has made a big difference.  It has reminded us that mole hills need not turn into mountains.  And that while in marriage it's good to share things, lots of things, it's not necessary to share everything!

That said, I'm lucky enough to have found someone wonderful who makes sharing easier.  Happy 7th Anniversary Byron! I love you!    

To Make or Not to Make? That is the question.

Here are 10 recipes that I found during the past week I want to try.  

Whether I actually get the time to try them is a different question. 

#1 - Pineapple Coffee Cake (recipe here)

(eatingwell.com)

#2 - Skillet Gnocchi with Shrimp and Asparagus (recipe here)

(delish.com/Peter Ardito)

#3 - Peach Ice Cream (recipe here)

(myrecipes.com/James Carrier)

#4 - Strawberry Sparkle Cake (recipe here)

(thepioneerwoman.com)

#5 - Quinoa and Avocado Salad (recipe here)

(For more information re: quinoa visit here)

#6 - Coca Cola Cake from Cracker Barrel  (recipe here)

*For Audrey*

(food.com/WishTrish)

#7 - Spiced Candied Cashews (recipe here)

(mobile-cuisine.com)

#8 - The Lion House Pantry Dinner Rolls (recipe here)

(ldsliving.com/Temple Square Hospitality)

#9 - Chicken Wild Rice Soup (recipe here)

(thegunnysack.com)

#10 - Shrimp Veracruzana (recipe here)

(eatingwell.com)

Thunder Cake

My favorite picture book as a child is Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco.  As I woken up by a traditional Arizona monsoon thunderstorm at 2:00 a.m. last night,  I was inspired to make my very own moist delicious chocolate thunder cake.  Unfortunately, my grocery store of choice had been robbed causing a halt to my plan of getting the "secret ingredient."  Bummer!  Who robs a grocery store?  Really?  

Thunder Cake

Official Recipe Here

Miracle In a Can?

Spray paint really is amazing!  It turned these:

Into this:

For both of these pieces, the root method was the same.

1. Sand

2.  Vacuum/Wipe Down

3. Spray Paint

4. Ta Da!

I'll admit, the table did take a little more.  It had a ton of nail holes in it that had to be filled.  (I prefer Elmer's Wood Filler, but as Sabrina Soto would say, "You can get any type of wood filler at your local hardware store."  Just make sure that it is paintable.)  Then, sanding commenced!  Also, I decided to tone down the pink a bit by doing a layer of stain over the paint.  Because of that, I put on two coats of polyurethane over the stain.  The table took a little over 2.5 hours of work total.  However, I did have to wait for the stain to dry overnight and then wait for the poly to dry, twice.  So, it took me a few days from start to finish.  The rocking chair was easier.  It took roughly 1.25 hours and one day. 

This project also was super affordable.  The table cost me $1!

I used 1 can of spray paint ($4.23 w/tax), and I had the wood filler, sandpaper, stain, and polyurethane on hand.  (I have a well stocked garage from project after project after, you get the picture.)

The rocking chair was a little more expensive at $5.  :)

 

I ended up using 3 cans of spray paint ($12.69).  It had some pesky hard to reach places, which is why I opted for spray paint over hand painting anyway.

Notice the drop cloth and the well-ventilated areas.  I would also recommend a spray paint can handle.  They are available for a few dollars right next to the spray paint at your local hardware store. ;)  They keep your finger from hurting and your hand from cramping.

In summation, this was an easy, affordable project.  Final totals: $22.92 and < 4 hours of work.  Now to sit on the deck and enjoy it with Charlie. 

I think he adds that final touch, don't you?

Top 10 - Stores That Make Me Smile

Need some retail therapy?  Here are 10 of my favorite stores (some virtual).  Hopefully your purchases at them will bring a smile to your face, too.  Happy shopping!

 

This store is located in Nashville (Belle Meade to be precise), 

but check out Gold Crown stores in your area.

Dirty Dishes...still :)

(This post was originally published by me on my knitting blog, Sara's Closet, in April 2010. It's that blog's most recent post. (So pathetic!) I thought I would re-post it here and update it with a link to a PDF of the pattern. Because, let's face it...trying to follow a pattern on a blog post sucks. PDFs are so much more user friendly!)

 

I am one of those people who always has more that one project going on at once. I normally have one BIG project, but I tend to get bored...even if I love it. So, I always have some sort of itty-bitty-easy-peasy-super-quick project as well. Just to get me through the rough patches. For the longest time, it was baby hats. However, recently, I have discovered the crocheted dishcloth. It all started when I spotted this gorgeous skein of Peaches n' Cream that was calling my name.


Yarn: Sara...Sara...Sara...
Me: What?! Oh...you're a pretty little thing!
Yarn: Thank you! You should take me home.
Me: Sorry, I don't have any use for you.
Yarn: People often knit dishcloths with me.
Me: I don't knit dishcloths.
Yarn: But you LOVE to knit!
Me: I don't knit dishcloths.
Yarn: They are quick and easy!
Me: I don't knit dishcloths.
Yarn: You...could...um...crochet one. Yes! That's it! Crochet one! Didn't your Aunt DeeAnne give you a lovely crocheted dishcloth?
Me: Oh, yes. She is so sweet. And it is just the best dishcloth!
Yarn: There you go! You could make one just like it.
Me:I've already got dishcloths.
Yarn: Isn't your son always complaining that the current dishcloths are too small for his giant 16 yr. old man hands?
Me: Yes, but...
Yarn: And wouldn't I make your kitchen look just lovely?
Me: Certainly, but...
Yarn: Much better than that old thing you've got in there now!
Me: It is getting rather dingy.
Yarn: Can't you just see me? Draping over the faucet...LOvely. Cleaning the dishes...loVEly. Covered in soap bubbles...loveLY!
Me: You would look nice wiping off the table...
Yarn: And look! I only cost $1.47! That's like pocket change! You could make a whole bunch. Like one for each day of the week. That would be a clean dishcloth every day. You'd never have to have an old, dirty dishcloth hanging in your kitchen sink ever again.
Me: Hmm...The Mythbusters did say that the kitchen sponge is the dirtiest/germiest spot in the house.
Yarn: Dirtier than the toilet seat!
Me: You might be on to something here. By buying you, I would be protecting my family from evil bacteria just waiting to infect them with horrible diseases!
Yarn: Exactly!
Me: And dishcloths are very eco-friendly.
Yarn: Green is the new black!
Me: So I wouldn't only be saving my family from bacteria...I'd be saving the entire planet from certain doom!
Yarn: You'd be like Wonder Woman!


 
Great Hera! That is one gorgeous dishcloth! (Now if I could just get my son to actually use it!)

Sara's Aunt DeeAnne Dishcloth
Yarn: I used 1 skein of Peaches n' Cream.
Hook: I used a US size G/6-4.25mm

download now



(This is the original that my aunt crocheted. Hers is a bit smaller than mine and she worked a cute single crochet border around the edge. )

Surprise!

Guess what kind of cupcakes these are...  

(Yes, they're cupcakes even though they look like weird snowballs.)

Wait...

for...

it...

SURPRISE!

Wasn't that fun!

Read on to see how I made these fun treats. 

 Using a boring white cake mix, make the batter according to the directions on the box.  

Separate the batter for color.  I used neon blue, neon purple and neon green. 

Put each individual color into it's own pan or cup if you want cupcakes 

and bake according to the directions on the box. You can mix the colors if you want more of a marble look.

When the cakes are cool, cut the tops from the bottoms.  

Match up the colors that you want together...  

and frost.

(I used a cup as a cheap cake stand to make sure every bit of color was covered.) 

And wha-la!