Everything is coming up roses~

Absolutely stunning morning, the sun is shining, birds are singing and I am out in my little teeny rose garden clipping roses~  here is a beautiful and sweet country style display I made and want to share~

Started out with this little jar container

then added little cut flowers from my container box

Then the beautiful roses~

Simple & Beautiful~

 Enjoy!

Cutey Patootie Boots

 Flowers are so much fun!

I found this cute little vase/ container/ planter while shopping.. absolutely adorable! Filled it with white and purple ( blue?) Sweet Alyssum.

Crashburgers and Spicy Pickles~

If you havent had a crash burger then you are totally missing out!!
 These little burgers are packed with huge taste,, fresh, juicy and crazy goooood!
 You will be surprised at how easy they really are.. when you first read this you will think it's a normal burger.. but it's NOT!  I SWEAR!.. it's better than you can ever imagine  ..

 Behold.. the Crashburger ( smothered in my spicy pickles)

See? You are thinking, "hey...that's a regular hamburger".. STOP! it isn't.. first of all it has my homemade Spicy Pickles on it!! and second of all.. probably most importantly... you have to make one to be a believah~

So read on doubtful soul~

Follow the directions

 First preheat your griddle ( yes, you need the griddle).. I used my griddle on the grill.

You start with the freshest of ground beef.. I use 80/20 because you need the little bit of extra fat. Then make a ball of ground beef about the size of a lemon or 4 oz .

 I season it with sea salt, fresh ground pepper and Garlic seasoning.. just a touch.

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Next drizzle your griddle with good olive oil.. 

then place your burgerball on the griddle.. let it sear

 then flip to sear again..doing this helps keep the burger together..

sear and flip

see? Both sides are seared

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 and finally flatten it .I flatten it, then turn my flattener thingy about 1/4 of a turn.. then  I repeat once or twice more til I have it a uniform flatness. I know we have all been told to not handle the beef as much as it makes it tough.. but trust me on this.. a few flattening turns won't make it tough.. It's magic.. just go with it.
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This is my panini weight thingy i used to flatten my crashburger~ There IS a burger under it.

see how flat and pretty it is? Kinda looks like an all beef flower! haha

 Let this cook until the pink juices start pooling in the crevices on the patty, flip it once and let it finish cooking.

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the flipped crash burger~ 

while you are letting it finish cooking you can

place your bunz on the grill to toast at this time.. and you can also place your cheese on your burger if so inclined!
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~SERVE HOT~

 Wa-La!

YUUUM YUUUM YUUUM YUUUM YUUUM
 Enjoy!

Quick and Spicy Pickles

I love pickles. Go ahead and snort if you must.. but I get tickled about pickles. My first love was the dill pickle.. then along came the sour pickles by paramount, then the kosher spears.. then sweet midget pickles and I finally fell in love with bread and butter pickles.. but now as an adult, there isn't a pickle I wont try.
 Here is a recipe I think you will love.. It's quick and easy and fun to make. It has a hint of heat and a touch of sweet!

 Start with 1/2 of an English cucumber..

Slice it in 1/8 in slices, leaving the skin on. The skin on the English cuke is more tender than regular cukes so don't bother peeling it..it's wonderful.

 Set the slices aside in a heat proof dish that will accomodate the pickes and the liquid.. about 2 1/2 cups of liquid.. appr 2 cups sliced cucumber.

Combine and stir the following into a sauce pan and let simmer until sugar is dissolved and ingredients have a chance to blend..

·        2 cups white vinegar
1/2 cup water

·         1/4 cup granulated sugar

·         3-4 whole red peppers ( see picture)

·         1 tablespoon ground sea salt

·         2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed

·         1 bay leaf

·         1 English cucumber, cut into 1/8-inch slices or approx 2 c

·         1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

*Optional , 1 tablespoon of mustard seed.

 Let this simmer a few minz then dump the liquid onto the cucumber slices.
Stir well.

 Lightly cover and place your pickles pickles in the fridge and allow them to vacation for at least 30 mins.. 

 serve.. yuuuuum~

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This is what I used for my whole red peppers... teeny little fiery peppers. I crumbled mine. I suppose you could use red pepper flakes.. but 4 of these little heat packets were all I needed for my pickles.

 ENJOY!!!

Crispy Crunchy Croutons YUM!

One of the things that I love most about a salad are the croutons! And while they can be purchased by the bagful in a grocery store or market..they will ne-he-he-he-ever be as good as home made.. and they are sooooo incredibly easy.
 Here is a recipe that will get you started on your own obsession with these little crunchy bits of goodness~

Homemade Croutons

 start by preheating your oven to 350 F

1/2 loaf of day old french bread or whole baguette

Olive oil 1/4 cup -1/2 cup

Freshly ground sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Optional: Garlic powder and/or

Dried herbs and seasonings of your choice

I used:

Garlic powder

Onion powder

Rosemary

Thyme

and grated Parmesan

 and my olive oil was Garlic infused

 slice your croutons into fairly uniform chunks.. choose a size and stick with it because your croutons will bake more evenly , typically I do 1/2 inch to 1 inch.. I like 1 inch croutons..they are more rustic. It also gives you more flexibility with baking because you can burn a batch of small croutons in mere seconds if your not watching.. that's the key.. cutting accordingly and watching them.. 

Toss your bread and oil together in a large enough of a bowl to manage. Once your cubes are coated  tthrow in your mix of seasonings. Toss to coat.

 Place your cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer.

bake at 350 f checking and stirring them every 5 minz til golden and crispy crunchy. Watch these carefully as they will burn easier than you realize..

approx 20 - 30 minz..

Serve over your salad or use as a snack

 These can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks.. but trust me.. they wont last that long~

ENJOY!!  

LUVZ!!

Flower Power~

I wish the weather could be like this all year `round! It's going to get to about 78-80 today.. slight breeze, a couple of clouds here and there but lots of sunshine, the birds are chirping and my roses are blooming along with the azalea and a few other things.. I LOVE IT~

I love flowers. I always have and always will..There is something special about the flowers that bloom after a nasty wet winter.. 

In love with today's weather, I was inspired to hose off the barbecue island preparing for poolside dining yet to come this season~, piddled around in my flowers and plants planning a few more containers, and finally I clipped a few roses for a small floral arrangement that is rustic and fun...

~ Here it is~

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~I started with this Container, filled with water~

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~Clipped some roses~

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~I removed the leaves and snipped the tems to fit right down in the cups~

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~Next I snipped Sweet Allysum~

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~I went back and forth a few times for more of this lovely stuff~

~Tucked it around my roses~

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~And this is the finished container!  Rustic and natural and not at all contrived!~

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~Here are some more flowers and beautiful color from my garden~

~Have a lovely day!!! 

~LUVZ ~

Delicious & Simple Spring Lunch~

When it comes to food there is a time to be contrived and a time to get back to the basics.. and that's what I did today with my simple chicken salad

My Ingredients

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast, poached

1-2tbsp finely chopped red onion

1-2 tbsp finely chopped celery
chopped dill

6 or 7 grape tomatoes halved or quartered

2 tsp lemon juice

light mayo

salt and pepper to taste
(((Makes 2 normal size sandwiches)))

Mix  the red onion, celery, chopped dill, and chicken together,

then stir in the mayo to your taste but be aware that when you add the teeny tomatoes it will add some moisture, (I like my chicken salad with less mayo).

Now add the lemon juice, stirring nicely.

Last, add the tomatoes incorporating them gently. 

Salt and pepper to taste. 

I layered my chicken salad on de-crusted white bread and garnished it with pepperocinis and added a pretty and tasty fruit mix along with a large refreshing sparkling lemonade!

tips

I poached my chicken breast with garlic seasoning. I placed it in the refridge to chill over night as it makes the chicken firm up a bit , easier to chop and shred with a sharp knife..or 2. 

This is also a pretty healthy chicken salad. There is only the light mayo in it and if you don't drown your salad in it, it should remain healthy. I know I shouldn't use white bread.. but tough.. I love it.. hahahahaa

 I hope you take a moment to play around with this recipe.. it is very basic and simple. but you can easily contrive it all up with grapes, nuts, red pepper strips.. ect...ect...ect...

But I love it this way.. Simple Chicken Salad~

LUVZ~~~~

Pillowcase Dress and hair accessories~

Absolutely adorable handemade Pillowcase dress for my grandprincess Kylie.. this is a toddler size 3

Again, they are easy to make and simple to figure out.. I googled tutorials and scrubbed up on the simplicity~

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I also made matching headbands and clippies embellished with hand sewn yo-yo's

The right and left accessories match their little pillowcase dresses.. the middle one is for my oldest grandprincess Caitlyn~

Hope you enjoy~

LUVZ~

Cute Dress Alert~

Made this sweet little dress for my lil grandprincess Chloe'.. 

This is a classic *pillowcase* style dress..I Googled pillowcase dress tutorials and watched a handful before making this one.. over all they are pretty easy and fun to make..I didn't use an actual pillow case but it took less than a yard of material to make for a size 2 toddler~

LUVZ!!!

Pickety Picket

I love this Picket fence planter and shelf.

It looks fairly easy to reproduce as well..basically picket fence boards are wrapped around a planter and shelf. And I am thinking Mothers Day gift!  hehehe  

*Hint Hint* to my builder husband.

 If anyone makes this please send a picture~

LUVZ~

p.s. if you need more inspiration for your country garden.. check out the pics below~

This is my fave!  I've got to find an old chair NOW!!

 Be INSPIRED!!

Please Don't Squeeze the Charmin~

How cute and quirky is this little toilet paper holder? Holds 2 extra rolls and makes for whimsical storage~  I made several of these 20 years ago and decided to make one this evening for the fun of it..
 These are easy to sew (((or if you don't sew much you can also use the no sew iron on tape stuff.. LOL..)))
easy to choose the fabrics & embellishments for your own decorating tastes, I've seen them made in anything from lace.. to polka dots and more.
 I made mine from scrap fabric and hung it from the robe hook in my bathroom but you can also use a plastic ring and hang it from whatever you want...

Started with a pc of fabric 7 x 46 inches.
I folded the top, bottom and side pieces half an inch, ironing them down.. then another half again to hide the raw edge. I then stitched it alll the way around to make the edges nice and clean.

 Then I folded my strip in half right side out, and placed a seam 12 inches from the bottom. This makes 2 little compartments for the roll. top and bottom, you will close the top end when you make the pocket for your ribbon.

 Next, I made a pocket at the top for the ribbon to be pulled through. I placed the first seam right under the hemmed edges.. this gives it a slightly ruffly edge.
I made my second seam about half an inch under that to complete the pocket.  Added my yoyo embellishment.
(I placed a roll of tp in to determine where to add the embellishment)
 I pressed and starched the entire thing.
Then I slipped the ribbon into the pocket and tied it and there ya have it!
 Remember you can embellish this anyway you can see fit. ruffles on the edges, buttons, bedazzled..
Hope this helps!!

LUVZ~

Chicken Bucket~

So Wednesdays dinner was Chicken Bucket. It's my version of  the KFC bowls only WAAAAAAY BETTER!! There is absolutely nothing healthy about it.. But it's comfort food and it's re-he-he-he-heally good. Down-home style deliciousness..It's basically your fried chicken/ mashed potato, corn-on-the-cob with a different twist. Here's how it goes~
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Ingredients
serves 4
1 pound of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1.5 pounds chicken breast cubed and fried
Mashed potatoes, enough to serve 4
 6 little frozen corn on the cob ( read below for detail)
Biscuits: I used the prepackaged small ones, Pillsbury, i baked 2 cans.
Gravy. However you make yours.
I used a little of the bacon/chicken fat to make a roux and made my own, but you can also buy prepackaged gravy.
Milk, enough to soak the chicken in.
Crumb Mixture to coat the chicken chunks.
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Start with a package of bacon.. fry it up nice.. and try not to eat it as you remove it from the pan. Save the bacon fat in the pan, just leave the whole bacon fat mess right on the burner....trust me on this..
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Outside frying the bacon and suddenly I have an audience!

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Take a pound or so of chicken breasts and cut it into cubes, let it vacation in a nice bowl of milk or buttermilk ..for about 15 minz then remove the chicken by handful's and place it into the gallon baggie of crumb mixture, give it a good shaking. Really good shaking~

My crumb mix was made from 1.5 cups of Panko, 1/4 cup flour, salt, pepper, and a garlic seasoning mix, all to taste.

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Now this is why I told you to save you bacon fat mess of a pan~

 Re heat the bacon fat in the pan..Place the chicken a single layer at a time into the bacon fat. Make sure you have preheated it so the chicken chunks don't stick.. fry all chicken until it's all cooked up and crispy. Make sure to set on a  paper towel lined platter to drain some of the fat..

If you have never fried your chicken in Bacon fat.. just try it one time, it helps the chicken stay moist and adds to the overall flavor..

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View from my grill island.. see why I like to cook outside??

Can't wait til it stops raining so I can get my patio put together!

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Take a large scoop of mashed potatoes and well them into the bottom of a bowl, I used a larger than normal soup bowl. Since these are individual servings make sure the bowl is a nice size.

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Add the  biscuits, I used 2 1/2 biscuits and layered them in halves over the mashed potatoes then ladled a generous serving of gravy over it.

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Next add the corn. I used corn sliced off the cob, I cooked the cobs first.. sliced it off the cob and buttered it up. It tastes sooo good~ try it..

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Layer the crispy chicken chunks , as many or as little as you like. You'll probably sneak chunks as you cook and prepare, so maybe consider making extra.. hahaha.

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Add a little more gravy, and a couple of garnishes, I used the bacon and cheddar cheese. 

TADA! Here is your completed Chicken Bucket!

Serve with a big cold glass of iced tea, or sparkling lemonade

Sit down and enjoy .. maybe take a nap afterwards.. Let someone else clean the mess~

I hope I managed to get all the info right!  If you have any questions or I have cornfused you , just post your questions and I will  see what I can do to un-cornfuse you~

LUVZ!!