Gardening

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Three red roses

  
I love to garden.  Flowers or vegetables in all seasons.  My garden is evolving daily.  I find watching my flowers and vegetables grow to be inspiring.  I will keep you updated on the progress.

I’ve been planting in my flower gardens for years, but I just recently started in the vegetable arena.  During the summer, one of the first things I do each morning is go to the garden to see what we can harvest and cook each day.  It’s so rewarding to cook meals from vegetables that you harvest.  

In the garden section, I will take you along the seasonal journey of all my plants.  Any tips you have, please send them my way.  I am always looking for great ideas and hopefully, you can take some from me.

Crafts

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Woman making lace

Crafting has been a passion of mine since I was in high school.  Although it is not considered a craft, I first started sewing.  My mother was an expert seamstress and over the years, I watched her sew clothes for me and my sister as well as her mother and sisters.  There was nothing she couldn’t sew.  Once I started to take an interest, she showed me how to follow the pattern and to use the sewing machine.  

When my daughter was a toddler, I made a lot of her clothes.  As the years progressed, I moved on to curtains, pillows and placemats for my home.  I have also sewed quite a few Halloween costumes.  Flapper, Witch, Bear, Superman, Ninja Turtle, Power Ranger, Belle, Fairy, Bunny, Dinosaur just to name a few.
From sewing, I moved on to rug hooking, knitting and crocheting.  I love to crochet, I find it very relaxing, however, I don’t find lots of time to do it.

Ceramics was another creative venture that I really enjoyed. There was such anticipation to see how the pieces turned out when they came out of the kiln, it was great.  Once I got the hang of it, everyone in the family got a hand made ceramic gift for Christmas.  

As you can imagine, I am at my local Michaels, Jo-Ann’s or A.C Moore all the time.  I have tried almost everything in the store, and I love doing them all.

Here on the ‘Craft’ page, I will touch on a variety of different craft and sewing projects.  Hopefully these projects will help you make your home more beautiful, give great hand made gifts, and just as enjoyment to create something new.

Chicken Scarpariello

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Chicken Scarpariella

This dish is heavenly.  The chicken and sausage in the sauce from the mushrooms and onions is out of this world.  This is a perfect Sunday Supper.
 

 

 Ingredients
2 Lbs Chicken Breast – boneless                             
1 Lb Italian Sausage
2 Potatoes – cut in pieces
2 Red Peppers – cut in pieces
1 Onion – sliced
1 Lb Mushrooms –  stems removed
1/2 Cup Chicken Broth
1/2 Cup White Wine
1 TBSP Rosemary – chopped
1 TBSP Parsley – chopped
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 TBSP Flour
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 TBSP Butter
Flour for dredging
Salt 
Pepper

 

Instructions
Cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces.  Dredge the chicken in flour. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter.  Cook the chicken until brown on both sides.  Remove from pan.  
Brown the sausage on all sides and set aside.  
Add the potatoes and season with salt.  Cook the potatoes until just starting to get soft.  
Add the onion, red pepper and mushrooms again, season these vegetables with salt.  Continue cooking for 5 minutes on medium heat.  
Add the chicken and sausage back to the skillet.  Stir.  
Add the rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.  Stir in the chicken broth and wine.  
Mix 1 tablespoon of flour with a small amount of water and whisk until there are no lumps.  Add to the skillet and gently stir.  
Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes.

Steak Pizziola

by | posted in: Meat, Steak Pizziola | 0
Steak Pizzaiola1
Steak Pizziola is a traditional Italian meal.  The meat is tender and juicy and the sauce is delicious.
 
Ingredients
2-3 Lbs Chuck steak, Sirloin Steak
or any steak of your choice
1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
   – crushed (Preferably San Marzano)
2 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves – finely minced
¼ tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
 
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º.  Season steaks on both sides with salt and pepper.  In a cast iron skillet (or one that can go into the oven), sear the steaks on both sides.  Set aside.  In the skillet, add the tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Stir scraping all the bits left over from the steak. Put the steak back into the skillet and place in the oven for 1 – 1½ hours, or until the steaks are tender.   Spoon the sauce over the steak to serve.  The sauce can also be used over pasta or rice. 

Grilled Chicken Kabobs

by | posted in: Grilled Chicken Kabobs, Meat | 0

Chicken Skewers

This is a great dish for the barbecue.  Usually we would have this in the warmer weather, but if you have an indoor grill, you can enjoy these Grilled Chicken Kabobs anytime.
 
Ingredients
Marinade
¼ Cup Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Honey
1/3 Cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
¼ tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Salt
Kabobs
2 Pounds Chicken Breast
2 Red Peppers
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
2 Small Zucchini
16-20 Mushrooms
Bamboo Skewers
 
Instructions
Cut the chicken into ½ inch pieces.  Cut the peppers, onions and zucchini in the same size pieces as the chicken.
To assemble the skewers, start with the chicken, then add one piece of pepper, mushroom, tomato and pepper.  Repeat until the skewer is ¾ filled.  Leave about 2 inches on the top and bottom of the skewer.  Put them in a flat bottom baking.
In a small bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients.  Pour the marinade over the skewers and let sit for several hours, preferably overnight.  Grill over medium heat until the chicken is completely cooked.