Tag Sale Loot!

My sister and I went out tag saling Saturday morning...and afternoon! It was a great time together, alota laughs and memories made! One of them being going to the same tag sale TWICE, thinking it was a completely different one! We ran back to the car laughing before they even knew we had been there...again! And then "Tag Sale Guy" who basically gave us a mini tour of his house and said he "could work something out" and sell us his house even though he was closing the sale Monday! He was a very nice gentleman though. (It was a very nice home though, complete with a pool that looked like a pond, deep enough to dive in!)
Also found some great deals! The double sided quilter's cutting mat(brand new) sells for $15-$20 in stores! I got it for $1! Can't beat that!
Here's the rest of the loot I found:

Vietnamese Venture!

Recently my hubby and I ate at a teeny tiny Vietnamese restaurant a few miles from our apartment. It was soo good! I'd never really had Vietnamese before, but I figured it'd be close enough to Chinese that it couldn't be too scary.  We ordered the Crsipy Spring Rolls, Grilled Pork Vermicelli and Lemongrass Chicken. It really was ALL delicious but what we loved the most was the Pork Vermicelli. Which was angel hair rice noodles, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, basil, crushed peanuts and served with a side of traditional Vietnamese home made sauce! It was all so WONDERFUL.
 The flavors all just joined hands together in your mouth and skipped around in circles! The cool rice noodles, the crisp carrots, lettuce and cucumbers, the nutty, crunchy peanuts, the tangy-sweet and crispy pork and the sauce was light, but had a little kick of heat(just a dab) and sweet undertones, without being too sweet. And there was fresh mint also, which I'm not usually a huge fan of but it worked so well with all these other flavors. 
So. I just HAD to try and duplicate this dish! I did a little research and found out I needed fish sauce for the meat.(I substituted chichen thighs for the pork. And I don't see why you couldn't try beef as well.)Well I didn't have fish sauce. So I used oyster sauce. Which, come to find out is completely different then fish sauce but, work with whatchya got, right? It worked very well. The traditional sauce is so easy to make might I add. A perfect meal for a hot summer day with the cool rice noodles and crispy veggies. I will have to try this again with the fish sauce next time! It came out wonderful! Best of all, hubby loved it!

Two Year Anniversary!

Wow! Can't believe it's been two whole years since we got married!! It really does not feel like that long. I wouldn't trade these last two years for anything with anyone else. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful, loving husband! I love you Mike! xoxo  And now we're off to our anniversary get away!  See you soon!

Tag Sale Hutch

Tag sale season is upon us! Tag sale, garage sale, yard sale whatever you call it. (Here it's tag sales.) Tag saling is so much fun.Trying to spot those little hand written signs nailed or taped to telephone poles, or stuck in the ground. Hoping it's not from the week before and someone just forgot to take it down, crushing your hopes. Or that the "HUGE Multi-Family Tag Sale" isn't really just three card tables of knick knacks after following sign after sign after sign! Although it can be tiring...make sure to bring snacks and water! This is serious business! And it DOES help if you have a large vehicle. Or, just make sure you have a best friend whose mom doesn't mind coming with her van to load the dresser and hutch you just bought! Haha!

Which is exactly what happened! I found this adorable hutch that just needed a little t-l-c for $15!!!!!

I cleaned it up, sanded it and painted it 'Whimsical Fairy Lily' yellow. I spent more on paint then I wanted to, I ended up having to get another quart. I used a paint with primer in it already but I think because I was painting a lighter color over a darker one it took a few more coats. I also replaced the back because it was warped and cracked, and gave it a quick sanding for a "distressed" look and now it's beautiful and in my kitchen and I love it! A great tag sale find! Here's the before and after pictures!

One Dish Chicken, Beans & Rice

Tonight I wasn't feeling so hot. I have some kind of head cold. I mean really, it's summer!! Who gets head colds in the middle of summer?! Me. So not right. Anyways. I was not in any mood or shape to make anything, for that matter. But-it needed to be done.
So, I took my mom's onion soup pork chop and rice recipe(yum.) and instead of the onion soup I added taco seasoning, cut the water back and added tomato sauce and a half can of small red beans. I blopped(That's right, that's a very fancy culinary term. Blopped.) my chicken thighs on top, covered it and threw it in the oven. Took all of about 5 minutes or less.
Now this does take about an hour to cook but it gave me some time to rest before hubs got home.
I was happy with how it came out and definitely a time saver dinner keeper! Soft, sticky rice with beans and I ended up shredding the chicken a little bit too and it was a great. The leftovers would make great burrittos or soup too!!

One Dish Chicken, Beans & Rice
1 cup rice
1/2 c water
1/2c tomato sauce
3/4 or 1 full envelope taco seasonings
1/2 can of beans-red, black, whatever
4 chicken thighs or breasts
s&p to taste



Put first five ingredients in 9x13, mixing slightly.
Add beans.
Add chicken thighs or breasts and arrange.
Cover tightly with foil.
Bake @ 350 for 1 hour.
When chicken is cooked through and water has been absorbed it's done.
 Enjoy.

Borrow the Old to Make the New..

So, it's Friday and what's for dinner? I had ground beef... a couple of sweet potatoes...a pepper that needed to be used...a little of this, a little of that..I wanted something a little out in left field different. I'm crazy like that. It keeps it interesting. And, if nothing else, something to laugh at later or a story to be told to your kids. I mean, you gotta keep trying new things, that's how inventions happen! Or mistakes.... that turn INTO inventions. Ok, so anyways. I decided to create a Southwestern Rancher's Pie! (A spin on the well-known Sheperd's Pie) I browned my ground beef, added that green pepper, onion and a can of diced tomatoes with a melange of southwestern spices. Meanwhile, I boiled my sweet potatoes and mashed them with a hint of butter and a touch of smoked paprika. Mmmm. Then I layered the beef, a can of black beans--ok I used small red beans, sadly I didnt have black beans in my pantry, but any beans really will do--then a layer of corn and finally, the mashed sweet potaotes on top! It really came out quite tastey!  The sweet potatoes balanced out the spices nicely too. And, it is QUITE colorful, and that just makes it that much more fun to eat. :)

Valentine Dinner

We decided to stay in for Valentine's Day this year. It's a little over-rated, but, at any rate, an excuse to do something special or different. I tried to do a full 6 course dinner for my hubby. It was FULL. And tiring. Way too much up and down, back and forth to really enjoy our time together, but I had fun cooking and planning it. By the time the entrees were served I was so tired I didnt want to get up again!  Maybe next time we'll just do a 3 course meal; or better yet maybe I can get my hubby in the kitchen to cook for me! Not so sure about that last one though...I think he'd rather starve then pick up a pot or pan! Haha!

   A beautiful centerpiece, provided by my hubby!

                                            

  First Course: French Onion Soup with Gruyre & Swiss cheeses



      Second Course: Lover's Scallops~Twin pan seared sea scallops
over wilted spinach, bacon, toasted pine nuts, shredded paremsan

Fourth Course: Grilled NY Strip Steak, red winereduction, mashed potaotes,
 crispy julienned brussel sprouts
(bad picture.. computer wouldn't let me use the better one. grr.)

         

Fifth Course: Mesculin greens, roasted garlic vinaigrette,

 balsamic asparagus, dried cranberries and shaved parmesan

Sixth Course:  Raspberry Linzer Tort with almond crust and vanilla ice cream

 (Sadly, I was so tired by the time we had dessert I couldnt muster up

 the energy to take another picture, or one more bite for that matter!)