Present Surprise

My sister gave me an early Christmas surprise, she had this cutting board lasered with an old recipe for Pizzelles that was my mothers in her very own handwriting.  My mother wrote the recipe on the inside cover of an old cookbook of hers that I have.  What a great gift that brings back so many memories of her.  My sister is very thoughtful when it comes to giving a gift, always has a thought process for what will make the "giftee" happy, so they will cherish it forever, I love her for that. Thank you sis for this happy memory cutting board, it sits on my windowsill and I see it many times in a day.  I will always think of mom and you when I pass it by!

Turquoise Jewelry

This necklace caught my eye while I was shopping at Kohl's last week  It's a mix of turquoise and carnelian stones, silver and gold metal beads and chains.  I matched it up with a pair of earrings and a bracelet with a leather tie, also from Kohl's.  And of course all were on sale.

 Green and white pin dot and blue stripe fringed scarf was $5.00 at Walmart.

Green Pasta

Just me and my son the vegan in the house last night for dinner.  We were both hungry, he just came in from school, and I hadn't eaten all day.  I had a lot of fresh veggies to use up in the refrigerator, but with no meat on the menu for him, I had to come up with something good for both of us to eat.  I had broccoletti, asparagus, all kinds of colored peppers, fresh parsley and garlic waiting for me in the refrigerator.  I also had watercress, a favorite of mine in there too, so I made a simple salad out of that.  We both enjoyed it, got our bellies full and satisfied.  I topped mine with grated Parmesan cheese.  This is how I made it.

On high heat, put on a pot of salted water for the pasta. Wash and trim the broccoletti and the asparagus, pat dry.  

  In a saute pan, on medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 minced cloves of garlic.  I used a red pepper for color in this dish, cut it into bite size pieces and add it to the garlic.  Chop the broccolini and slice the asparagus on the diagonal and add to the pan.  Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.  Cook the vegetables just until they are tender, not mushy, they should have bite to them.  

 When the water starts to boil, add your pasta.  I used Farfalle, we love that shape of pasta.   Right before serving, hit the veggies with juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley.

 Top with grated cheese if you like, and a side salad of watercress, red onion and grape tomatoes with garlic dressing rounds out the meal.

Boots Are Made For Walking

Yay!  It's boot season, and what a better way to start it than with a new pair of boots.  Camel or Cognac whatever you want to call it, I love this color for fall and winter.  This color is classic and it goes with everything.  I purchased a pair of black riding boots last year, and my goal this year has been achieved by finding this pair of boots and I could not pass them up, all leather and nicely lined for dry, warm feet in the cold winter months.  I will definitely slather on  a layer of protector to preserve the leather.

Nine West Riding Boots with buckle detail and side zipper - Marshall's $79.99

 I also found this pair of Ralph Lauren camel colored pumps at Marshall's, again they are classic and go with everything, $49.99.

Clear Out Of The Way, There's a Clearance Rack!

Checked out the jewelry clearance rack at Kohl's this past weekend.  Lot's of good things on those racks, and inexpensive too.  Dig deep, spend some time there, you never know what you will find.  I used my Kohl's cash, I had $30 worth, a 20% off coupon for my entire purchase, and some items were discounted more at the register.  Gotta love a sale at Kohl's.

Two pair of Vera Wang earrings (love her jewelry!).  Both originally $18.00 each, marked down to $5.40 each, I paid $4.05 for each pair.

Turquoise Mixed Media Bracelet, originally $20.00, got it  for $13.00.

The signet necklace was originally $50.00, on sale for $5.00 and 20% off of that, got it for $4.00!

 Western Silver Metal Cabochon necklace, original price $38.00, on sale for $7.60, I got it for $5.70.

The silver disk earrings, original price $20.00, on sale for $6.00, I got them for $4.50.

All tallied up, this jewelry would have cost, at the original prices, $164.00.  I purchased it for $35.30!  Ladies, never pay full price.  If you see something you like, wait for it to go on sale, get coupons and discounts, then buy it.

Sale Away!

Hit some sales this past week, and got a lot of  good, inexpensive things to add to the wardrobe.  Of course all were bought at discount, or with coupons, I don't leave home without them.  I actually keep a hard plastic envelope in my purse and stock it with all kinds of retail coupons, so I always have them.  I do not buy anything full price, EVER.  

So, off to the stores. I was looking for jeggings/leggings that you can not see through. I found them at Walmart!  These 3 pair on the left- dark grey, dark camel and a leopard print, are all double ponte knit, thick, and fit perfect.  They are a very nice quality for the price.  The grey were $12.44 and the other 2 pair were $14.97 each.  So if you are looking and can not find nice non-see through  jeggings/leggings, check out Walmart.

I also found a pair of Jessica Simpson dark wash skinny jeans at Marshall's for $19.99, and a pair of boyfriend jeans at Kohl's for $34.99.

 I paired the boyfriend jeans with this red peasant top with an under cami, I found on the clearance rack at Marshall's for $20.  I also paired the boyfriend jeans with this pale pink satin and jersey knit JLo t-shirt on sale at Kohl's for $19.99.  Jewelry and shoes for both outfits I already had.

 The leopard jeggings on the left, I paired with an orange lace tank and a jean jacket. 

I had the black leggings, the high-low, long jersey knit, 3/4 sleeve black and blue print top at 

Marshall's for $24.99, perfect with leggings. Jewelry and shoes for both outfits I already had.

The Change Up

The first thing I do in the morning when I get out of my bed is make it.  I make my bed everyday, because I can't leave my house if it's not made.  The bed makes the whole room look nice not messy.  I also like to keep the decor fresh looking in the house, so I change things around all the time.  Whether it's furniture I am moving, changing draperies, tablecloths on the table for the seasons, area rugs up for Spring and Summer and then down for Fall and Winter, moving artwork and pictures, or just changing my bedding to liven up the Master Bedroom for winter.  It keeps me happy and I don't have to spend a lot of money doing it.  I've had this duvet set on my bed for awhile, I love the colors that are in it.  The set goes with everything I have in the Master Bath too.  I didn't want to change it up with something darker for Fall/Winter, I wanted to go with brighter colors.  I also didn't want to spend a lot of money for it either, king size is usually always expensive.  I kept my eye on some sales and found the perfect, bright colored, king size reversible quilt for the season. 

This is the bed before.  I do love this duvet set, it's now washed and put away for next year.

 This is my new quilt set on the bed.  I absolutely love the colors! And it's perfect with everything I already have in the room and the Master Bath.

 Close up of the design on the quilt.  Kind of BOHO chic.

 And believe it or not, I got it at Walmart!  $49.97 for the King size reversible quilt and $9.97 each for the shams.  Could not beat the price for two quilts in one!

Maryann's Awesome Rice Pudding

One of my all time favorite comfort foods is rice pudding.  I had been begging my friend Maryann for her rice pudding recipe for a long time.  She finally was nice enough to share it with me, she is such a sweetheart.  She makes the best rice pudding around, no one beats her recipe!  It is very easy to make on the stove top, made in one saucepan, and no baking at all.  It is so rich and creamy, you could eat the whole pan in one sitting, I almost did.  Recipe below.

Rice and water measured out for the start of something really good!

Cook the rice according to the package directions for the amount you are cooking.

 Drain any remaining water, and the rest of the ingredients.

Sweetened Condensed Milk is the key to creamy rice pudding.  Mix all the ingredients with the rice.

Beat the eggs and add Vanilla...

I also added some fresh nutmeg.  Her recipe did not call for it, but I like the flavor of it in rice pudding.  Continue to stir as everything is melting together in the saucepan.

It is starting to thicken up and get creamy.

 Cooled off and served up - YUMMY!! Brings back memories of my childhood.

Maryann's Rice Pudding

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of white rice

1 cup of sugar

1 stick of butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 cups of whole milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, more if you like

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, omit if you don't like

2 tablespoons vanilla

Directions

In a large saucepan cook the rice according to package directions for the amount you are cooking.  When the rice is cooked, drain in a small hole colander and return to the same saucepan.  Add the sugar, butter, whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, beaten eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.  Stir to combine.  Cook over medium heat, stirring as it cooks so it does not stick to the pan.  Continue to cook just until it comes to a boil.  Turn off the heat and remove from the burner.  Cool, then pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish, cover and refrigerate.  Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

NOTE:  You could use evaporated milk in this recipe.  If you do use it, increase the sugar amount by 1/2 cup  (the recipe will have 1 1/2 cups of sugar instead of 1 cup).  

Go For The Sale!

We have a new Target in town, so the hubby and I went to check it out last week.   I found a few cute things on sale, who can resist a sale.  Among some of the things I found were these boots, adorable flats in a color I do not have, a pair of earrings and a scarf.  We really went in for the nice cotton men's T-shirts they had on sale for $4.00 each, we did get those among some other things we purchased.  Nice things and reasonably priced.

Cognac Moto Calf Boots - $17.98

 Cognac Ballet Flat - $16.99

 Blue Rhinestone Earrings - $3.98 & Red Polka Dot Fringed Scarf - $5.00

Quick Brother Devil Shrimp (Shrimp Fra Diavolo)

Was cooking dinner for just the hubby and me the other night, and wanted to make something fast and easy, so Shrimp Fra Diavolo was on the menu.  It's football season and the TV was on, so every woman knows what that means, dinner in front of the big screen.  I didn't mind though, I can bear watching football, although most of the plays I don't even understand.  So while I was busy getting our meal together the hubby was busy putting up TV tables, and setting our places.

I usually make my Fra Diavolo sauce from scratch, but this jarred version caught my eye at Giant, so I decided to give it a try.  It tastes exactly like the Shrimp Fra Diavolo at my local favorite Italian restaurant.  I have to say I was not disappointed in this jarred sauce at all.   Knowing this is on the shelf at the grocery store makes me wonder why I even make it from scratch. Recipe below.

Dinner was ready in about 30 minutes.  I added garlic bread, fresh grated Locatelli cheese, and a glass of red wine.

 Shrimp Fra Diavolo

1- 25 oz jar of Fra Diavolo Sauce
10 Jumbo sized frozen raw shrimp, thawed, shells on
1/2 lb linguine
Freshly grated Locatelli or Parmesan cheese


On high heat, start a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  In another small pot, filled halfway with water, add the raw shrimp, and cook over medium-high heat until the shrimp are done, about 2-3 minutes or until they are pink. In the meantime, heat the jar of sauce in a medium size sauce pan over medium - low heat.

When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, add the pasta and stir.  Continue to cook to your likeness, I like mine al dente.  When the shrimp are done, drain, peel, set them aside.  When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a serving bowl.  Combine the shrimp with the sauce, heat the shrimp through for a few minutes, then toss with the pasta. Top with grated cheese and serve.  Makes 2 servings.

The Tops

I added these two tops, that I have had my eye on, to my wardrobe recently.  The one on the right is really a cobalt blue it looks darker than that in this picture, I don't think the lighting in my closet was all that good when I photographed it.  I don't have anything in my closet that is this color, and I needed to add it.  I am never drawn to shades of blue when purchasing clothing, I don't know why.  I thought I would add this color, to see how it looks with a a lot of other pieces I already have.  The draped neckline is ideal for long and short necklaces or earrings, and the length is perfect for belting.  The fit on this top is great, I can't wait for the cooler weather to wear it.

I adore leopard print and think every woman should have at least one piece of clothing, or one accessory, in leopard print in her wardrobe.  This blouse on the left feels like silk, but costs much less.  It has an elongated neckline and a collar that can be left up, or folded down if you like.  This blouse is also perfect for wearing with leggings because it lays right to the hips.  Throw on a jacket and you're done with three easy pieces.  This is also perfect for all the colors of Fall, it will go with orange, red, green, black, brown, tan, jeans and many other colors.  Dress it up or dress it down, it will always look great!  Both of these pieces were purchased at Dressbarn, with you guessed it, COUPONS!  I don't leave home without them, why pay full price when you don't have too.