project on my table.

Yup, I have another doll on my table. My little boy-hero doll needs a damsel in distress! I've taken pity on him and cut out a little girlfriend for him.Her legs and arms are finished, as is her hair, but I need to find some fabric for a little skirt. This is kind of fun!

In other matters, can someone please send some cool air down here to the South? I'm frying! Summer clothes have all been deleted from the stores; sweaters, jackets and long-sleeved apparel have been downloaded into them! Sheesh, enough heat, already!

Maybe if I do some Fall decorating, I'll feel cooler. Thinking not really...but the house will look cute!

food blog and it's delicious!

Spaghetti.

Have you been wanting to make your own sauce?

This recipe looks promising. But all her recipes do. Her stories are fun, the photographs of her food are lovely.

Smitten Kitchen...go visit. You'll be smitten.

it's all Good!

Today we're visiting with Goodlife eats...

Who can argue with Katie's motto, "finding the good in the kitchen & in life...?"

Not me!

 These elegant cookies are Chocolate Gingerbread Men! Chocolate...!

Genius!

And these beautiful goodies are Cranberry Crumb Bars. Don't they look delicious?

There's also a gracious Recipe Index page.

Good golly, she has all kinds of great-looking recipes...

...quick breads, poultry, Mexican, scones, Asian, freezer-friendly...

The list goes on.

Visit Goodlife eats for some amazing recipes.

They're not just for Christmas...

All this Christmas-recipe research could be dangerous.

tasty good gifts.

Who can argue with a name like "The Gift of Goodnes?"

Or with the fact that all the recipes use real butter.

 Just look at those Peppermint Whoopie Pies.

Gingerbread Crinkles...

The incomparable North Pole Cookie Dough...yum!

Included with the recipes are "Packaging" suggestions; great for gift-giving!

While you're there, check out Butter Is Best for more delicious recipes!

Now go, conquer the butter!

ol' ball and chain.

K...I'm still trying to get the web site up and going.  

I'm a prisoner of my own making.

Linking the pages are what's biting me in the proverbial hiney.  

Just my luck, my IT guy is WORKING!  How dare he, when I need him so badly!

My question is this: do I sit here and fool with the darn thing for hours, or move on and do something else? 

Decisions, decisions...

Looking for a different, yet delicious Summer salad?

Here ya go, but please, keep an open mind...

CELERY SALAD

1/2  small onion, thinly sliced

4     stalks celery, thinly sliced

1     tablespoon olive oil

2     tablespoons of parsley (cilantro is good, too)

1     lemon

Soak the onion slices in a bowl of cold water, about 10 minutes. 

Drain the onion and pat dry, then toss with the celery, 1 tablespoon olive oil and parsley. 

Grate the zest from half of the lemon into the celery mixture and squeeze in all of the juice.

Season with salt and pepper and toss.

So I tried this salad and served it with a cheap marinated steak...that's it. 

You'd think the onion would be overpowering, but I guess the cold water bath must wash away the pungency of the onion.

Needless to say, the lemon gave it a fresh, light taste and when it's HOT outside, it makes for a refreshing alternative to heavy mayo-based salads.

They don't call me Julia Child for nuttin!

delicious steak salad!

I love salads.

It's what I always order when dining out...I think it drives my friends a little crazy. 

Only because I seldom waver from the beautiful greens...I don't try anything else.

And because we're back from vacation and I made some delicious, but semi-greasy sliders last night for dinner, today I'm going to share a salad recipe swiped from food network magazine (they don't capitalize the title~just so you know)...

STEAK-SPINACH SALAD WITH SOUR-CREAM POTATOES 
SERVES: 4

2       medium russet potatoes
3       tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2  cup sour cream
2       tablespoons buttermilk
1/4  cup chopped fresh chives
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1       3/4-pound boneless sirloin steak
1       large red onion, sliced into thick rings
6       ounces baby spinach or chopped regular spinach
2 to 3 tablespoons steak sauce

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 deg.  Pierce the potatoes with a fork and brush with olive oil.  Bake directly on the oven rack until tender, about 1 hour.  Cool slightly, then cut into chunks.  Mix the sour cream, buttermilk, chives and lemon juice in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the potatoes.

2.  Meanwhile, preheat a grill to high.  Brush the steak and onion rings with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Grill the steak until marked on the bottom, about 7 minutes, then turn and cook 4 to 5 more minutes for medium-rare.  Grill the onion rings until charred, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer the steak and onion rings to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes.

3.  Roughly chop the onion rings and toss with the spinach, steak sauce, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl.  Thinly slice the steak.  Divide the salad among plates, top with the steak and serve with potatoes.

I don't normally have buttermilk in my fridge...c'mon, who does?  Just squeeze a few drops of lemon juice or white vinegar into your milk and let sit for a few minutes.  You now have buttermilk.

Lowfat sour-cream works well...I also adjusted the amount of olive oil and steak sauce to suit my taste.  Play around with it...

I added some Romaine lettuce to the spinach, just to give it more substance and crunch. 

You can also put those onion slices under the broiler...I was afraid I was going to lose them to the grates if I cooked them on the grill.

Chives...I didn't have any, but I did have scallions, so I sliced them and used them instead.


This is a great light summer dinner!

delicious summer pasta salad.

One evening, while dining with my fabulous girlfriends, we discussed how tired we were of preparing the same old dinners for our families.  It's not that the darlings mind eating the same repetitious meal week after week, but that we are so bored with cooking the same old meal week after week...

Enter The Barefoot Contessa.  She regularly saves me from cooking boredom.  This recipe is a family favorite which I highly recommend.  Make it for your family this weekend...

PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

serves 6 to 8

1/2 pound fusilli (spirals) pasta  *I use whole wheat, its delicious!

Kosher Salt

Olive oil

1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced *I use Romas 

3/4 cup good black olives, pitted and diced *I serve these on the side
1 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, medium-diced 

6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

FOR THE DRESSING

5 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons good olive oil

1 garlic clove, diced

1 teaspoon capers, drained

2 teaspoon kosher salt *I use 1 teaspoon

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup packed basil leaves, julienned

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water with a splash of oil to keep it from sticking together.  Boil for 12 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.  Drain well and allow to cool.  Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth. 

Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and basil, and toss well. 

This is a very fast and easy recipe...I hope you enjoy it.

CALICO recipe!

Whenever there's a get-together at our house, Grandma offers to bring a side-dish to share with the other guests. Sometimes, though not very often, I tell her not to bring anything and just come over. And usually she just ignores me and brings her tallest grandson some deviled eggs. Because I don't make deviled eggs...and if I did, they'd never be as good as Grandma's. My jello isn't as good as Grandma's. Why bother making this stuff when you have Grandma, right?

Grandma knew that I had my hands full with the party last weekend and offered to make a dish...after reviewing the menu, she offered to make Calico Beans. The dish that captured my husband's heart when we were dating. The dish made every weekend, propelling Jason to propose to me and take me off John and Gail's hands.

I have to say, the guests raved over Grandma's beans. They wanted the coveted recipe! Yesterday, my friend Kathy interrogated me via text that the bean recipe had not yet been posted, as promised. "Well excuuuuuuuuuse me!" (Name the comedienne). She even threatened excommunication from our friendship if I didn't deliver the recipe, as promised. Geesh!

So without further ado:

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears..."

GRANDMA'S CALICO BEANS

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion-chopped fine

Brown and Drain

Then add to beef mixture:
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar**
1/2 cup of white sugar**
2 teaspoons mustard (regular)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Catsup
1 can Pork & Beans (15.5 oz can)
1 can Kidney Beans
1 can Navy, Great Northern, or Pinto Beans

Cook slowly on top of stove or bake in a 375-degree oven for 1 hour. I usually cook in the crockpot for 5 hours or so.

*Note: I often double the recipe and use a variety of canned beans, including black beans. However, if doubling, use 2 cans of the Pork & Beans.

**I use about half the amount of sugars called for--you decide how much.

Thank you, Mom, for sharing your excellent recipe with us. The world is going to be a much better place, now that we have your Calico Bean recipe!

I love you!

alternative to ho-hum chicken.

Chicken Piccata. Divine. Luscious.

When I was in my twenties, I frequented a restaurant that served an excellent Veal Piccata. It was the only item I ordered off the expensive menu. It was just that good. And I haven't tasted it since the day I left Buffalo, almost 25 years ago.

But that all changed today, when I ran across this recipe. It's not veal, but who cares? It turned out to be just as delicious and much less expensive. And the best part, my teenage son loved it! He doesn't really care for the taste of lemon...I figured it was time to expand his palette.

I recommend you give this a spin in your kitchen...it's fast and very easy. And yummy. Besides, who doesn't love Ina Garten's recipes...they're all fabulous!

it's what's for dinner.

I found this website in a magazine ad for beef. Just when you think you know everything there is to know about beef, they throw this at you. You can browse practical beef recipes, shopping for beef, summer grilling, the butcher's block, etc. Where to begin? Check it out and then cry because you can't afford those luscious steaks. That's OK, hamburger is always an option.

And what am I making for dinner tonight? Pork.

friendship recipe.

I have a new friend, Annie. I acquired her at PF Chang's two Saturdays ago. My girlfriend Suzy has a charming tradition of bringing a hostess gift to an invited party. Being an independent thinker, I decided to put a twist on Suzy's little tradition and bring a gift to Annie, kind of a "you're my new friend" gift. Upon meeting Annie, I was thrilled to discover that she was fun, talkative and charming. Hi, Annie. Thanks for being my friend. I had fun at dinner, you and Russel made me laugh.

A few days later, Jason came home with this bag of "stuff" and directions. How wonderfully clever, what a from-the-heart gift from Annie. Amish Friendship Bread Starter. Hi, Annie, I adore this gift. Thank you so much, it's like having a piece of you right here on my counter! I mix it every day and let the gas out of the bag (not me!).

You see, you have to take care of this starter and follow the directions. Which makes me think of Annie and the fun we had at dinner. And what a cute couple Annie and Russel are. And how I can't wait for the day to make the bread. Isn't that the way of friendship: taking care of the starter and over time, watching it bloom into a beautiful loaf of bread.

***And yes, my counter tops are turquoise. Jealous?

obsession!

Oh, dear! I am totally, freakishly obsessed with making these little suckers! And soon! How adorable are they? Check it out...Bakerella is honest-to-goodness, unbelievably talented. These little chicks are just the tip of the iceberg...she has other goodies, too!

Melany, are you up for a day of creating? I'm thinking sewing machines and cake mix...until I find something else to add to the list.

Tortilla Soup!

Meet my new friends, the Neelys. They're a husband/wife team...wife/husband team. I sometimes watch them on Food Network, usually on the weekend when I'm cooking. I don't normally watch the telly during the day... don't ask me why, I'm just weird that way.

The Neelys' were making some Tortilla Soup this weekend, mmmm, it looked delicious. And so easy! I downloaded their recipe and picked up the items needed to make this soup. It really was so easy! And fast. Have I mentioned that it's delicious? So delicious that I had it for breakfast this morning. I took a picture of it, but my photo wasn't too appealing and I didn't want you to turn your nose up at the soup. Now the next time I make this, which will probably be tomorrow 'cause I can't keep my spoon out of the bowl, I'll spice it up a little more. I think I'll add another jalapeno pepper (please be careful when working with these, as the juices left on your hands will burn your eye out) and although I did add some Tabasco to my soup, it needs a little more kick. I added some chili powder too, but I think I'll add more next time. Can you tell we like hot, spicy food around here? Whatever you do, please put some cilantro on top of your soup once you've dished it into your serving bowls (if you like cilantro). It adds so much flavor! I scrunched up three tortilla chips in my bowl and used just a small dollop of light sour cream. Mmmmmmm. Where's my spoon?

They also made a yummy-looking side salad that looked appealing, which I think I'll try next week. And Gina made a Neely-tini, but I'm not going to make that. That's just asking for trouble!

OK, friends, this should do it for my recipe week in review. What has gotten into me? If I didn't know better, I'd think I was nesting...ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

low-fat clucky-salad recipe.

I've decided that I really am going to make an effort to prepare healthier meals this year. Not to mention the fact that on the weekends, I love to watch Food Network while doing my ironing and saw some fabulous-looking meals. Mmmmm. Chicken salad. The twist is this, there's only 1-tablespoon of mayonaise in this dish. I don't like a lot of mayonaise. That's why I don't eat potato salad or macaroni salad. Ever. Never. Ever. In my bid to begin my year of healthier cooking, off to the grocery store I went and bought the ingredients for this salad. And I must say, it is very delicious. Since tomatoes are still rather expensive, I'm planning on serving this on a romaine salad and/or in pita stuffed with romaine. Pitas are low in fat. So is Weight Watcher's bread. So is a stalk of celery, but I'm not going hard-core! If you'd like the recipe, click here. Oh, and this will make a great summer dish for you snow-birds who need to eat more in the winter, to stay toasty.

Tomorrow, I'll be reviewing the Neely's Tortilla Soup recipe. It's finished, but I'm waiting for the flavors to meld. Yes, I said "meld." Go ahead, make fun of me. But I'll tell you this...Giada says it too, so there!

house of skinny recipe.

It's recipe time! For a great collection of recipes, head over to i have to say... for some delicious holiday recipe ideas. Today, the House of Skinny is featuring another delicious, fast & easy recipe...because I'm all about simple recipes.

Roasted New Potatoes

In boiling salted water, cook 2 lbs. of new potatoes until just tender. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

Mix 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon oregano.

Toss with potatoes, place on a lightly-greased roasting pan and bake at 425-degrees for 30-plus minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are crisp and tender.

These are delicious and you can't taste the mustard...I don't like mustard, but I love these potatoes! Perfect to serve with roast, hamburgers, anything...'cause they're just that good!

rice recipe.

Welcome to the House of Skinny, a new feature on this blog. Inspired by my friend Randi (visit her for more yummy recipes), we're going to share favorite recipes here...yes we are! Why the "House of Skinny" you ask? I sarcastically used it to describe our home and I got a very big laugh from my handy husband. It's not a physical description of our home, but rather a portrait of its inhabitants. Insert the sarcasm and you'll understand. Let's just say we're very "healthy" people. Yes laugh, all you people who know us. I'll wait for you to compose yourselves...

Here we go. I am going to give you a recipe so simple, it's frightening. I gave it to my friend Terri, who uses her rice cooker to make it...she has everything! Our slender son (he's not a member of the House of Skinny) loves this dish. It's a regular on our menu.

French Onion Soup Rice

1 can French Onion soup

1 can water

1 cup rice

1 tablespoon butter

dash of Oregano or Italian seasoning

Preheat oven 350-degrees. Put ingredients in small casserole dish or pan, stir ingredients & cover. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until rice is fluffy and water is absorbed. Serve and enjoy.
*Recipe can easily be doubled, just use a bigger casserole dish or pan.

Now go and feed your family. Become a member of my secret society and send me a picture of your Skinny House!

giant sugar cookie recipe.

Here at itsawonderful, it's all about sharing. And caring. I care about your kids, so I'm willing to share the source of this cookie recipe with you. My kiddo has been asking for sugar cookies for years. I've tried other recipes, but they just weren't very good. I can make a wonderfully delightful chocolate chip cookie, one that really can't be duplicated. I don't know why they're so unique, because I follow the directions on the back of the bag. But honey, I am the queen of Tollhouse. I don't bake often, because here at the House of Skinny, homemade cookies just aren't on the menu too often. One day, my dear friend Martha emailed this recipe to me, so I tried it. It looked simple enough, no "special" ingredients except for sour cream. And boy, these cookies were money! They come out big and moist and pretty. Just like that picture up there. This weekend, bake up a batch for your family and please, when they ask you why you made these cookies, be sure to tell them that "itsawonderful made me do it!"

If you'd like this recipe, click Martha. In the search box, type in "giant sugar cookie." I tried to link the recipe here, but it wouldn't work. That darn Martha, she isn't about sharing like I am!

P.S. Wanda, you know how much Kev loves your "homemade" cinnamon rolls, HA!...excuse me, it wasn't very polite for me to laugh in your face like that.