Flea market find

Hello friends!

I am SO excited to share my latest Flea Market find with you!

I am sure you have seen these three tier servers everywhere. 

I last saw it at Kirklands for like 40 bucks! Ha! Keep walking...

My eagle eyes spotted this and swooped it up for TWO dollars!

I knew this beauty would look lovely in my bathroom!

I am so pleased and at two dollars, you can not beat that!

Arancini- Oh you fancy, huh?!!

Hello friends!

I made a Pinterest recipe the other night that was an epic fail. 

Note to self- When it says Instant Rice, it means it...

anyways, I had TONS of rice left over and wanted to use it. 

"Use what ya got" my new motto!

I turned back to Pinterest and found my friend pinned this super
simple recipe for Arancini. 

Ooooh ahhh how fancy does that sound. 

Really, all it means is RICE BALLS!
I had all the ingredients it needed so here goes...

You need:

Rice, 2 cups

Eggs, 3

Grated Parmesan, 1/2 cup

Cheese, 1/2 cup

Breadcrumbs, 1 cup

Oil

I made some "Mexican rice" so it was loaded with yummy spices,

 tomatoes, and onions.

(I was going to add sausage, but changed my mind.)

Mix your rice, one egg, cheese, and the grated Parmesan.

Roll into golf size balls. I ended up with 9 large balls.

Beat the other two eggs and dredge rice balls through egg wash 

and then lightly coat with bread crumbs.

Fry small batches until golden brown.

And voila...

Yumm! They had a great flavor since I used Mexican rice. 

They are really good and I will definitely be making these again. 

Next time I will load them up with other leftovers like veggies and meats!

Stumbled Upon- Second Chance Furniture Iowa

Hello friends!

Crafting and projects have been pretty slow around these here parts. 

So I am going to start a new series called "Stumbled upon!" 

I stumble upon so many amazing, amazing projects all over blog land

 that I want to share here with you. 

(and remember so I can use them as inspiration later!!)

So today I was checking one of the best blogs out there, Better After, 

and stumbled upon the AMAZING Second Chance Furniture Iowa. 

Just listen to their perspective and tell me it doesn't speak to your heart-

 "The ultimate in upcycling and recycling- update that old, neglected

 piece of furniture so you can enjoy it again!" 

They spray their furniture which gives it a gorgeous, brush mark free finish. 

They also distress and glaze, which I love but am scared to try! 

So let's leave it to the professionals...

take it away Second Chance Furniture Iowa... 

STUNNING! I have been on the HUNT for a sideboard forever. 

I never though to give it this treatment and I absolutely love

 how it turned out.

Here is another amazing sideboard transformation.

That color?!! Absolutely amazing. I also love that they re purposed the cabinets to a wine rack.

Yikes! Pretty scary huh? I dream of having a vintage vanity one day. 

But this before would have scared me away. 

Another stunning transformation! I love that they were able to show off some of the original wood!

I too struggle with the debate of painting over gorgeous wood. I think this treatment is a happy medium.

Oh and just for fun...

If I am ever blessed with children, I am SO making this!

Thanks for the inspiration, Second Chance Furniture Iowa! 

I am excited to follow you on FB and see what you come up with next :)

Spaghetti Pie

Hello friends!

I am so excited to share this fun recipe with you. I don't remember where I first tried it but I have always thought this was so fun and yummy too...Spaghetti Pie!

It is another one of my "lickdob" aka 'use what ya got' recipes. 

You just need some basic ingredients and the rest is up to your customization.

I used:

Spaghetti

Butter, 2 tbs

Grated Parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup

Eggs, 2 beaten

Spaghetti sauce, half a jar

Cottage Cheese, 1 cup

Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup shredded

Ground beef, 1 lb

Sautéed onion, bell peppers, olives, and pepperoni

While your spaghetti is cooking, prepare your pasta sauce. I cooked some ground beef, added sautéed onions, bell peppers, olives, and pepperoni, and half a jar of spaghetti sauce.

Drain your pasta and put it back in the pot. Stir in the butter, grated Parmesan, and beaten eggs. 

Grease a pie plate (I use my Misto to mist EVOO) and add pasta mixture. 

Spread evenly and push the pasta up the sides to form your "crust".

Spread your cottage cheese over the spaghetti.

Then, spread your doctored up pasta sauce.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Spread your cheese over the top and bake for 5 more minutes.

And voila!

So yummy and so cute! It literally is Spaghetti Pie :)

My Fancy Shmancy Cranberry Sauce

Hello friends!

Years ago my mom MADE me make the thing that I HATED the most at holidays...Cranberry sauce! Ick! She had found a new recipe that she wanted me to try. Lo and behold it was absolutely fabulous. Everyone in our family asks for it now and it has become one of our staples.

The recipe changes a little but every year because we no longer have the actual recipe. We just kinda wing it knowing the basic ingredients. 

This year I used

Raspberry Jello (the large box)

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

Mandarin Oranges, drained

Crushed Pineapple, drained

Walnuts (1/2 a bag)

Ground Cinnamon

Make the jello as normal and then mix in everything else. Season to taste with cinnamon.

I usually use one of my mom's bundt pants but this year I wanted to make it extra special.

I found this baby bundt pan and thought it would be so cute to make individual servings!

Make sure and spray your pan with cooking spray! Lots of cooking spray!!!!

Make the day before so they are ready to go and one less thing to worry about!

And voila!

How cute are they? And so chic!

Here is our Thanksgiving meal. The first one I hosted :)

We had turkey, gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, and rolls. 

Shot out to my mom...she is the world's best cook. Seriously folks. She makes the best turkey you will ever have in your life. It is moist and full of fresh herbs, that she grew herself. All while finishing up her PhD....go mom!

Shish Kabob Battle

Hello friends!

"So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle 'ALLEZ CUISINE'"

My boyfriend and I had our first ever Iron Chef battle

SHISH KABOB!

I cut up bell peppers and potatoes.

I chose to marinate mine in Mojo sauce. Have you heard of it? 

It is a citrus marinade made from orange, limes, and garlic. Really tasty!

My boyfriend marinated his in plain old Louisiana Hot Sauce

 (I thought I had this battle in the bag, right?!!)

He pierced his meat with a fork and marinated it overnight.

All lined up and ready for battle.

and the winner was....HIS! The mojo was great but the flavor didn't hold up while grilling. His was fantastic. I never would have thought to use plain old Louisiana Hot Sauce! Who knew?!! 

Way to go babe! I am looking forward to many, many more meals and battles with you ;)

What should we battle next???

Super Simple "Calzones"

Hello friends!

Before I share this awesome recipe, I want to share the response I got when I served them. "Seriously, this is  one of the best things you have ever made." How is something SO simple SO good?!!!

Without further ado...here are my super simple "Calzones"

Looks good right?!! 

For today's version, I used pepperoni and string cheese.

 Separate the Grands JR biscuits and roll them out.

(Make sure you get the JR kind or they are just too big!)

Layer your ingredients in the center.

Wrap up your little bundle.

and place seam side down into a greased baking dish.

Give each biscuit an egg wash and season with garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

I served it with hands down THE best pasta sauce I have ever tried. Spicy Red Pepper HEB brand. Omg it is the best. Chunky and spicy, with the best tomato flavor. Try it!

and voila!

Yummmm!

Seriously, it is so simple that you don't expect it to be so good! I would much rather have this than a piece of pizza. It is that good! We are going to make them with all different types of fillings. Mmm spinach, feta, onions, garlic....