Maple Sausage Skillet

I made this recipe this past week for the boys. Even my little guy loved trying bits of it. The original recipe is from Taste of Home, however, I've changed it up a bit to fit my family's pickiness culinary preferences. I'll make a note at the end in case you want the original ingredients. 

Here's what you'll need (though the amounts are vague because I change it up every time I make it, depending on what's in the fridge):

1 lb. fully cooked Kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
1 t. canola oil
1 medium green pepper, thinly sliced
2 medium red peppers, thinly sliced
1 red onion, halved and sliced
2 or 3 celery ribs, sliced
sliced carrots
maple syrup
black pepper

and.....hot cooked rice.
Ummm.....we really like rice in this family. I think our bag of rice is bigger than our child at present. :)

I chop all my veggies.

In a large skillet, cook sausage in oil for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.

Add vegetables; stir-fry 3-4 minutes longer or until crisp-tender.
(It's been a little tricky here in Mammoth, I miss my stir-fry skillet from home. The veggies were overflowing the skillet.)

Stir in the syrup and pepper.


Heat through.

Serve with rice.



The original recipe calls for just 1/2 lb. of sausage, 1 t. canola oil, 1 med. green pepper, 1 small onion, 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (my husband won't eat those:( sigh), 1 celery rib, 2 T. maple syrup (I ALWAYS use more than that :), 1/4 t. pepper. 


BON APPETITE! 




Linking up to some of my favorite link parties. 

Check Out This Giveaway!

Christina over at Christina's Adventures is hosting a fun giveaway spotlighting an etsy shop with such cute and affordable jewelry, you won't be able to resist shopping! I couldn't. I just purchased these from Simple Serendipity...

Aren't they just so cute! Nothing in her shop is over $5.00!! Can we say, "Time to stock up on stocking stuffers??" :D You can check out Christina's giveaway HERE.

Hope you're all having a great weekend. Be sure to check back tomorrow for a favorite family recipe that is so easy and almost all the way healthy. :D 

All Things Coffee

Due to the fact that it is Feature Friday and in honor of all things coffee, I thought I'd share some etsy love and show you a few things that have caught my coffee lovin' eye. 

This particular little number by Doodling A Smile could be my life's motto at the moment...especially in blog land. :)

Check out this adorable "Know Your Coffees" print from the etsy shop Blimp Cat.

For the paper lovin' folks in the house, here are some of my favorite tags that I've come across. I adore these coffee-stained tags by September Faire. 

 I thought these coffee-stained tags by Zero Names Left were cute as well.

I found this simple stamp by NoraJane that I now think I probably need. Sigh.

You'll know when I get it. I'll be using it on every note, letter and gift card.  :D

I love the smell of coffee. I love the taste of coffee (except perhaps when pregnant). What could be better than BATHING in coffee?? :D I ask you?
Check out this coffee scrub by Wicked Scentuals.

and this  coffee body butter by Whitney's Lotions and Potions.

This "Good Morning Handsome" coffee spoon by Sycamore Hill would make a great gift for your coffee-lovin' sweetheart. I may have to purchase this one for my man. Afterall, he did bring me roses on Monday. :)

For me personally, I'd choose a coffee spoon that said, "No Coffee, No Workee." That could be another life motto for me. :D 

If anyone in my family is needing a gift idea for me....

hint.hint.hint. 

I'm just sayin'.... :D 

Hope you all have enjoyed these fun little etsy finds as much as I have. :) Any other coffee kindred spirits in the house? 

So I Have A Little Announcement To Make... :D

It looks like our little guy is going to be a big brother! :D

I'm still a little bit in shock, but oh so excited at the same time. Our little guy and the newest little addition will be just 14 months apart. I told my husband that we'll just be very happy, very exhausted people for the next several years and then we'll be golden. :) It would probably be a bit easier if I were about 10 years younger (LOL), but I'm so incredibly happy that after such a long journey to have just one child, we're suddenly blessed with the expectation of a second. :) We had an ultrasound this morning and it was so incredible to see the baby (the size of a peanut right now) waving it's little arm and leg buds around like crazy. The doctor was cracking up because the little thing wasn't gonna sit still for anything. 

Now you know the secondary reason for my sporadic blogging. I have been SO INCREDIBLY TIRED, like almost unable to hold my eyes open kind of tired. I didn't really have that with the first pregnancy, but I wasn't chasing around a 10 month old then either. :) He's keeping me so busy that by the time he takes a nap, I fall asleep right along with him. :) The condo up here in Mammoth isn't all that clean right now and the meals aren't all that gourmet. I'm just trying to keep my head above water and stay awake most days. :) 

I'm going to try to start blogging on my fitness blog again this coming week so that I can try to stay active and accountable through this pregnancy. I'll be starting my little walking program. Please feel free to come over and join me there as well. :) I need all the company I can get in that arena. We're up in Mammoth Lakes and it's hard for me to be away from my girlfriends. As busy as I am here, it's also lonely. I'm looking forward to going home for a couple of weeks in October as well as heading to the east coast to visit my sister and new little niece! 

Aren't they just so cute! 

If any of you wonderfully creative women would be interested in doing a guest blog, please contact me with the project or recipe you'd like to share. I'd love to feature some of you while I'm away from home and most of my supplies, etc. Blogging is about community, right? :) Heaven knows I'm missing that up here. :) 

Just wanted to share our exciting news with you. I couldn't hold it in any longer. :) 

Hope you're all having a great Thursday! 

Curried Egg Salad

I am usually NOT an egg salad fan. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until the last year or so that I would even eat eggs unless they were baked into something yummy. However, I love curry and so does my husband. One winter when we were up in Mammoth Lakes and the snow was piling higher than I cared to venture out in, I was desperate for a recipe that I could throw together quickly for my husband and his coach and not have to get out in the weather for ingredients. I found a recipe for curried egg salad and thought I'd give it a whirl. Turns out it was so tasty that it even made its way into my little recipe book that I talk about here. 

If you like curry and even just kinda like eggs, you're gonna love this. This recipe is so simple and one of our very favorites for a quick lunch or light dinner. I like to double the recipe so that we have leftovers. After the flavors have gelled, this is almost even better the next day and my husband always cleans it out in short order. Here's what you'll need: 

1/2 c. mayo

1/2 t. honey

1/2 t. ground curry

Dash ground ginger

6 hard-cooked eggs, coarsely chopped

3 green onions, chopped

6 slices whole wheat bread

sliced tomato (optional)

In a bowl, blend mayonnaise, honey, curry and ginger. 

Stir in eggs and green onions.

(Let me insert my favorite way to hard-cook eggs, just in case you're like me and were always peeling away half the egg along with the shell. I start timing the eggs for 10 minutes after the water reaches a boil. After they've boiled for a good 10 minutes, I turn off the burner and cover the eggs with a lid to sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, I pour the water out and immediately fill the pan with very cold water. After the eggs are completely cool, I drain the water and shake the pan around to crack the shells. The eggshells then peel away without any problems and I actually have presentable eggs. It doesn't really matter with this recipe, but it's nice for deviled eggs, Southwest Cobb Salad, etc. )

Okay, back to today's recipe. :)

Here's my messy bowl after I've finished mixing. I wish I'd made it pretty for you guys, but this is real and it's my quick, gotta have something on the table within 30 minutes, recipe. :)

My favorite way to serve this is on toasted bread with sliced tomatoes and grapes as a side dish.

So Yummy! 

If you try it, let me know what you think. :) 

Check out some of my favorite blog parties! 

Black and White Monday

Hello, Faithful Friends! :) Happy Monday to you! My little guy and I are up in Mammoth Lakes, CA 

(again) and going just a little nuts. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful here. The mountains, the lakes... it's all breathtaking. But I'm a city girl. I like the mountains for a week or two. But several months and I'm going bonkers. 

Lately, I'm a really homesick city girl. I'm not talking homesick for our home in SoCal. I'm not talking homesick for our home in Oregon. Sigh. I'm talking, this Southern gal is MAJORLY homesick for her FAMILY and for TEXAS. I'm so ready to go home to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and put down roots near my sweet grandmother and my sister and my awesome extended family. Something about having my little guy makes me want to go home and raise him where I'm the happiest and where he can get to know his cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. If I had my way, I'd be buying a house in Frisco about right now.  I don't even care that they've had over 30 days straight of weather over 100 degrees. It'd be worth just being around my folks. :) 

I know I'm rambling and even whining just a bit...but a girl has got to vent every now and then. Thanks for putting up with me. :) But enough of that. On to today's little blog post. 

This morning my little guy woke up way before the sun came up. So... in an effort to get out of the house and do something relatively fun, I packed him up, pjs and all and he and I went out for a little breakfast date. I wish I'd taken the camera with me. He had his first bits of pancake with the tiniest smidge of syrup and he was lovin' it. Folks in the booth nearby were crackin' up. His hands started waving and his feet started kicking and his smile was a mile-wide. Apparently he likes that a bit more than the standard carrots and peas he's been accustomed to. It was too cute. :D Totally made me smile.

After breakfast we made a productive early morning trip to the grocery store and then it was back to the condo (sigh) where he's currently taking a nap - giving me a chance to peruse some favorite blogs and even discover a couple of new ones. I know it's not Friday, but I'm doing some features anyway. There were several projects and posts that stood out to me this morning and, when I realized they were all black and white, I figured it was a sign and I had to blog about them. :)

Random Picture: Here I am with the little guy I'm head over heels in love with. I can't even believe he'll be 10 months this week! The time is flying. He's crawling all over the place, pulling himself up on any and everything, stable or otherwise, and keeping me incredibly busy. Thus the sporadic blogging. :)

Check out this adorable owl art over at Till Death Do Us Part. I so want to do these! I need more rooms in my house to decorate! :D 

Meg over at A Little Knick Knack made these Easy Envelope Pillows. It was one of the first blogs I checked out this morning and the beginning of the black and white theme for the day. :) Thanks, Meg, for sharing. It almost makes me willing to brave the Ikea craziness to try to find this cute fabric! :D

These adorable First Day of School Survival Kits were made over at Sassy Sites for just under $1 apiece! That's hard to beat! Such a cute and thoughtful way to start the school year. 

This is my newest blog discovery. I'm looking forward to exploring it more. Randee over at How About Them Apples looks like a kindred teacher spirit. She's currently teaching kindergarten (brave soul) and is celebrating reaching over 100 followers by hosting this adorable giveaway! Be sure to check it out. It runs through the 12th of August and would make such a cute gift for your favorite teacher or for yourself. :)

Hope your week is off to a great start. My little man is now enjoying a snack of grapes cut into tiny pieces, graham crackers, vanilla yogurt and rice cereal. Fun times. My husband walked in a moment ago with a dozen beautiful roses. Such a surprise!! He must have known his wife needed a pick-me-up today.   :D I don't even remember the last time he brought me roses. His timing today was perfect. :)

Thank you, Honey.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Thanks to my girlfriend Susan for sharing this recipe with me. It has become one of our family favorites and is always a hit with guests. I took the following pictures when I made this dish at Easter and had meant to publish it then. Sigh. Well, better late than never, right? Just pretend that my little memo board reads, "Happy July 4th!" :D I did, afterall, make it this past week for the holiday per my husband's special request. :)

You will need the following ingredients: 

2 cups crushed pretzels

3/4 cup butter, melted

3 T. white sugar

1 (8 ounce) pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 (3 ounce) pkgs. strawberry flavored gelatin

2 cups boiling water

2 (10 ounce) pkgs. frozen strawberries

~Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Stir together crushed pretzels, melted butter and 3 T. sugar. 

 Mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Bake 8-10 minutes until set. Set aside and cool. 

In a large mixing bowl cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. If you forget to soften your cream cheese (as I did in this particular instance) and you're lucky enough to have a sunny day *sigh* you can  try this desperate strategy. 

Fold in the whipped topping and spread the mixture onto your cooled crust.

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in still frozen strawberries.

*Sidenote* Learn from my mistakes. Add the dissolved gelatin to the frozen strawberries and not the other way around. Yes. Yes, I did.

When mixture is about the consistency of eggwhites, pour and spread over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Again, pretend the memo board reads, "Happy 4th!" Sometimes the pictures and the post get a bit separated. :)

Friday Features

In honor of July 4th weekend, here are a few of my favorite patriotic projects and decor I've come across this week. I was so absorbed in looking at all the wonderful blogs that I TOTALLY DID NOT hear the kitchen timer go off indicating that the cookies were done. I TOTALLY DID NOT smell the burning going on just a few feet away and I TOTALLY FORGOT that I was even in the middle of baking anything. It wasn't until my husband came in from the other room to inspect the smell that I was jerked out of my happy exploring. I'm telling you, I burned those babies BLACK! 

Anyway, due to my little absent-minded mishap, I'll be a little thinner than I would have been and you'll have a few more cute patriotic projects and new blogs to peruse. :D

Check out this Burlap and Denim Ruffled Patriotic Wreath by The Scrap Shoppe Blog. I think I have a wreath obsession, but I seriously think this is one of my all-time favorites. 

I tend to love all things ruffly or burlap. You'll see the trend in today's features. I loved this USA Banner by 504 Main and she gives a great tutorial on how to make your own. 

This Ruffle Pillow by This Little Project is sooo cute! Check out her blog for a great tutorial on this as well as adorable patriotic headbands for those of you who have little girls. :)

And for a fun and easy snack, check out the Patriotic Pretzels over at Bouffe e Bambini.

So cute and so simple. :)

Hope you all have a wonderful July 4th weekend! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Girlfriend Inspirations In Portland

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, our family went out of town this past week. We used to live in Portland and it was good to go back and see family and friends while we were there.

I had brunch with a couple of girlfriends one morning and we had so much fun! We all used to teach 2nd grade together and I have missed these girls so much since moving away. 

I don't miss the Portland weather, but certainly miss these Portland girlfriends! :)

My girlfriend Shauna was the hostess and she made everything so cute! 

She had the most adorable straws I've ever seen. I can't remember exactly where she ordered hers from, but I did find them along with alot of other fun things over at The Sugar Diva.

My girlfriend Stephanie is the cutest pregnant girl ever. We were loving our sugar-rimmed glasses. It made our OJ taste oh-so fancy. :)

Check out this adorable play area Shauna and her husband put together for their little girl! The teacher in me is "all kinds of lovin' this!" :D My little guy loved the little mirror that was just his height.

I even got inspiration in the guest bathroom! I LOVED these pictures and knew immediately that I wanted to try to make some for my little guy. What great gifts these would make! Just a bit of wood, paint, mod podge and scrapbook paper and you can go to town! I think I know what I want to do for my nieces next year! :)

The nursery was adorable. Shauna had decorated quite a bit with Pottery Barn Kids as inspiration. Check out the butterflys. Don't they just make you happy? Shauna gave me two that she had leftover to use as a template. I can't wait to try it! If I still had a classroom, these would totally be going up on the walls every spring! :) She got the idea for the dollhouse shelving from PB Kids. She showed her husband the picture and he built it! I SO wish I had that kind of skill! The things you could do!

The PB Kids mobile was adorable. I took a picture so I could store it away for a future project. I really liked the simplicity of it. So perfect for a little girl's room.

I loved the different letters she used to spell out Emerson's name....

Let me know if you try any of these projects! Hope you've been as inspired by Shauna's place as much as I was! :)