Thai food.... with Randee

Several years ago we visited relatives in Vermont and they ordered thai food one nite. I am not too adventurous with food but I really did like this  dish it was an interesting and unusual tastes. IT was chicken with pineapple snow peas carrots and cashews. With coconut milk and red curry. IT was absolutely delicious. The curry added heat to it and the coconut milk balanced that out perfectly. It literally warmed you up on a cold nite. Yum. So I went home and tried to recreate it and I must admit it was pretty accurate and also delish. I made this last nite and here it is.....

These are the the ingredients that can be found at any food store in the asian food aisle. You will need boneless chicken breasts about one per person. You will also need a can of pineapple chunks, a can of coconut milk, carrots, snow peas, cashews and red curry paste...

Cook chicken in oil in a large pot until cooked all the way thru...

 Add coconut milk snow peas and carrots... let cook for about 5-10 minutes...

 Add pineapple chunks about 3/4 of the can...

 Add one tablespoon of the red curry paste.. this didnt make it very hot in terms of spice. I would start with that and taste and add if desired...

 Serve over rice and enjoy w your friend!!!

She loved it! Thanks Randee for coming over and having a taste!!!!

Target bargains....

Taking a break from cooking and decorating to show some bargains I got at target this week. I love those red clearance stickers!! Anyway here are some of my goodies...

This was a queen sized quilt that was $90 marked down to...22.48

 Another picture of the comforter. Its sort of fall looking without being too dark. Came with two pillow shams....

This is actually a quilt meant for a girls room but it was pink and cheap and cozy looking so I grabbed it...

Two shades of pink!

 It was $40 and I thought it was the sticker price but it actually came up...$19.99! woohoo

These items I found in the travel section and the packets on the table were on an end cap right near there...

Small tissue boxes for $0.67.... the silver eyeliner was $1.24

 These little packets were hair treatments body lotion and I think foot cream. They were $0.37

 Shout wipes were also $0.67....

 This was a six pack of triple roll ladies socks. Not the most stylish of things but for that price I can sleep in them!!


 Just a silly picture of my favorite boys and I ... love their expression!!!!!!!!!!!!

Banana Bread

Yum. thats what my kitchen smells like right now. Yum

Start with bananas eggs sugar and butter...

 

Add dry ingredients...

 Fill one large and three small loaf pans or probably two large...

 Messy but worth it!!!!

Recipe for banana bread...
1/2 cup (one stick) softened butter
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp  baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup of nuts - i leave these out only because Jack doesnt like them
1/2 cup sour cream.
Method...
beat together first three ingredients. Add in bananas and beat thoroughly. Add remaining ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan about half way full. Bake 350 for about 20 - 30  min our until knife come out clean.
so delish warm with a little butter or toasted...enjoy!!

Momma's Meatballs

My meatballs are so famous and sought after that they deserved their very own post! I have to admit and Im sure I have said this before but I am not a measur-er with alot of my recipes and the meatballs are one of them. I judge by smell feel and look. Sometimes I will bake one really quickly and taste test it as there are many willing participants in my house willing to test them out!!

Ingredients. About a pound and a half of chop meat

80% lean. Garlic powder, percorino romano cheese, and white bread. You can also add dried parsley but I often forget this

Mix together chop meat 2 eggs 2 slices of white bread crumbled and some roamno cheese probably about 2-3 Tablespoonsful. Also about 1-2 tsp of garlic powder.

Mix together and form into balls. The chunks of white bread keep it moist along with the eggs. I dont use bread crumbs. Its hard to describe the consistancy of it. Probably the same as a meatloaf mix.

Bake at 350 for maybe 20 minutes. Cut open to be sure they are cooked thru. I always make sure they are totally cooked before adding them to my sauce. These are really really good. Its also good to put them in the crock pot with sauce all day its an easy way to keep them hot and ready to eat when you want. My mother makes them this way. I still cant get mine to taste as good as hers. I like to think its because she has 30 years experience making these. Im at about 5! Enjoy!!!!!!

Finally some recipes!!

I have taken pictures of some things I have made but I havent had a chance to blog the recipe yet so here  they are!!

This is meatless spinach lasagna it was really really good. Very cheesy. No red sauce. It is a little time consuming so I think its better for a weekend meal instead of during the week. It also calls for no bake lasagna noodles that I dont use because I dont like the taste of them- which of corse adds to the time but I think its worth it. It makes a huge amount and is perfect for a big family meal or lots of left overs for the week. I dont have 'play by play' pics just the finished product...

Recipe for Meatless Spinach Lasagna
1/3 cup butter cubed
1/3 cup flour
3 and 3/4 cups  half and half
1 cup heavy cream
3/4  cup grated parm cheese divided
30 oz ricotta cheese
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup shredded carrots
12 no cook lasagna noodles
8oz of shredded mozz cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tablespoon melted butter

Method:
-In a large saucepan melt butter and stir in flour until smooth and gradually add in creams. Bring to a boil. cook and stir 2 minutes and stir in 1/2 cup parm cheese
-In large bowl combine ricotta spinach carrots (you could also add chopped mushrooms here too) and remaining cheese
-layer ingredients in following order.(in a 13x9 dish) Cover bottom w cream sauce. then noodles. then half rictotta spinach mix then cream sauce and mozz cheese. Repeat layers ending w mozz cheese. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over lasagna
-cover and bake at 375 for 55 min uncover and cook for about 10 more min. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. This really helps it to keep its shape when cut.

School House Cookie Bars

This was so delicious and easy. Kids loved it. You could probably switch up the toppings and sauced and switch out the ingredients for  peanut butter chips and choc syrup. Or butterscotch chips and choc syrup.

18.5 ounce package yellow cake mix
2 cups quick cooking oats (i think you can use regular cooking oats and it wont matter)
3/4 cup oil
1 egg
12 oz jar caramel ice cream topping
1 cup choc chips
-Combine cake mix oil egg and oats. spread half (its really more like 3/4 of it unless you use a smaller dish. i used a greased metal 13x9 pan)
-Drizzle w caramel topping  choc chips and nuts if desired
Crumble remaining cake mix on top bake at 350 for 28-30 min cut into squares
- possible variations peanut butter chips. butterscotch chips. white chips. dried cranberries. Graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows and choc chips? why not
Enjoy ! this was quick and easy and a delicious after school snack. Yum

My sweet pink display

I had a jewelry party last Friday and cleared off this table for the snacks I would put out. I thought it was so soft and pretty and girlie. The little blue birds I bought at Michaels last week I think for...$1.20? so inexpensive. The footed dish and pink depression dishes I have had forever. The floral plates I have also had forever. One thing I have learned while reading and discovering blogland is to use all those pretty things I have... so i did!

That little box of tissues was in the clearance been at michales. They were  $.33 So adorable. The vintage table cloth I have had  forever as well. I have collected them over the years and are among my prized possesions in my home. I love to find them on sale wash and iron them. I do use  these on tables around the house. Too pretty to keep in a cabinet. So I change them around here and there.

One last little close up. I think im going to leave it this way until I put up my halloween stuff which Im not going to do for a while. So pretty!

Some cute cleaning supplies.

So it was my intent that if I have cute cleaning supplies I will be more willing to clean and make it more fun. At least thats how I justified this purchase (again at home goods ) There is a broom. Duster. Mini broom and dustpan which make me feel like I work at mc donalds when I walk around with it in my house however it is really reallllllyyy handy when picking up shredded tissues and whatnot from my dog. Saves my back big time. Not to mention patience!!

 Here is a close up of the print. There were so many to chose from. I love red or course especially in the kitchen. Im totally going to sound like Martha Stewart here but this really is a good broom. No idea what exactly makes a good broom but this one seems to have it!!

I also bought lime green dishwashing gloves long cuffs which I love because then you don't get  your hands wet. And there were polka dots on the cuff. If you are going to be standing in the kitchen scrubbing pots or cleaning the counter might as well do it with some thing cute and cheery!!

Cant wait to clean!! (ok lets not go THAT far)

Fall display in my Kitchen...

This was originally in my dining room but I needed the table it was on for my jewelry party snacks. So I moved it into the kitchen. It is so cute and welcoming I must admit!!

The picnic basket was my mothers. We used it alot growing up on our trips to see my grandparents and any other car trips. It was sitting in her garage. Now it is here and I love it. She does too! The sunflowers in the middle are one bunch. I cant remember how I put it in there. There might be a piece of floral foam in there. But I litereally just stuck it in. The flowers in either side are picks from jo anne. And the raffia was left over from the plant stand project. That scrap of fabric I bought at the same store as the candles. Lets see...grapevine pumpkin from ac moor. The leaf bowls are from dollar general along with the runner. There is a small set of pumpkin salt and pepper shakers that is also from dollar general. There are chicken s and p's too. Thats what the yellow and red things are. So cute. I am just going to use them to decorate with. They were from Kmart.

 Another shot of the arrangement. Of corse I had to put one of my gooseberry patch books out to complete the whole fall look. I love this and it was so easy to put together. Makes my kitchen bright and cheerful!

Hope you enjoyed my pics!!

Finally! Some pictures and posts!!

I still cant find my camera but my sister was nice enough to lend me hers so its time to get busy

This is a wardrober that I grabbed off the street last week. It belonged to friends of mine and she didnt have any place to put it and hated to part with it. So I said I would be happy to give it a new home!!

 I wasnt sure if I would like something that is really meant for a bedroom to be in the living room but I love it. I must admit the decorations are pretty cute. I bought the sugar and creamer and plates at homegoods last week. And the leaf plate. O and I put scrapbooking paper on the shelves and in the drawers.

I love this picture. The candle was in my dining room and one of the things I bought that day before the hurricane when I was on the hunt for "primitives"

This is the top. The sunflower garland I got at AC MOORE last week along with the grapevine pumpkin. The fabric pumpkin I bought at Jo Anne fabric a few weeks ago.

Now this is the first crafty  thing I have done in a while and I love it. I found the black plant stand at Kmart I think for $4. I went and bought terra cotta pots from ac moore and stuck some floral foam in it. Then I just started cutting fake flowers and putting them in the foam. The bottom center flowers are  different ones all in one bunch. I put that in the center. The rest are just pieces from others that I stuck in. Then I took a berry garland and wrapped it around the whole thing. THEN I tied raffia around the top. I also bought two small strands of lights and put on in the top and bottom pot. The entire thing maybe cost $20. I love it and think it will but fun to change it out for spring. I dont know if I will use it at christmas. Maybe I will paint pots and go from there.

I love aprons! I feel like I have to have one on when Im cleaning or cooking. My mother wore an apron all the time. Im such a messy cook that I def need one as much as I can. Anyway. I couldnt leave this one at the store. It was way to pretty and sweet to leave behind. It is hard to see but embroidered above the leaves it says "harvest" love it. Its from Home Goods.

Here is a close up of the plant stand arrangement. It really is cute and after I made it I realized how much I have missed being creative and making things for the house. It is really cute.

Well that wraps it up for this post. I love the new piece and it was just what I needed. I had so much fun decorating it and looking around in my collections to add small touches. It was alot of fun.

Back to school, birthdays and breezes....

As luck would have it my camera is among the missing!! After the hurricane it has been somewhat chaotic here, getting ready for school and putting back together the rooms I have pulled apart in the last week. I havent really done any decorating yet so its ok for the moment I dont have my camera as I have nothing to show you yet!! My children went back to school this week. Shane started kindergarten and I was quite emotional. Ive said it time and time again it goes too fast. Jack will be ten tomorro...TEN!! I have a ten year old!! How is that possible?! and the breezes part is because Im sitting in my living room enjoying the cool breeze. I thought the sun would be out today but now im not so sure!! Well I am off to clean and do whatever I am supposed to be doing in a very quiet house. Hopefully I will find my camera and have some pics of my new rooms and decorating asap. Enjoy your day!

Flowers From My Neighbors Garden

Almost sounds like it could be a title of a book doesn't it?? Few things have given me as much pleasure as watching my neighbors garden grown and bloom every year. On the darkest dreary-est of winter days I look out of my bedroom window over their garden and envision the wonderful colors that will soon explode for months. It is like a never ending wave of blooms and flowers, daffodils, tulips, peonies, roses, sunflowers, gladiolas, dahlias zinnias and hydrangeas. Also tomatoes cucumbers sugar snap peas zucchini and eggplant. Nothing beats their home made bread and butter pickles made with their home grown cucumbers! Anyway here are some pics of  a bouquet I cut today and some of what is blooming ....