Saturday, September 27, 2008

Soups On!!! Pasta E Fagioli

To the Mom who I talked to in Kroger tonight, looking for something new for dinner...this is for you! Enjoy!!!

Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli

1 T oil
2 lbs lean ground beef
12 oz onion, chopped
14 oz carrots, slivered
14 oz celery, diced
48 oz canned tomatoes, diced
2 C red kidney beans
2 C white kidney beans
88 oz beef stock
1 T oregano
2 ½ t pepper
5 t parsley -- fresh, chopped
1 ½ t Tabasco sauce
48 oz spaghetti sauce
8 oz dry pasta shells

Sauté beef in oil in large 10 quart pot until beef starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Also add beef stock, oregano, pepper, Tabasco, spaghetti sauce. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes. Add pasta to cook about 15-20 minutes before ready to serve.

Makes 9 quarts of soup! Just cut the recipe in half if this is too much.

For more recipes, check out maryhanks.com !

Be sure & check out the Moroccan Chickpea Stew.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Going, going, gone!



With the help of Craigslist, Goodwill, Men's Warehouse Suit Drive, a weekend garage sale. You name it!

STUFF that has accumulated over the years is all finding its way out of here & boy does it feel good! I have had enough saving this & that. With Peter & Gloria married, Sara & Casey, married --- beautiful wedding gifts & don't need my old stuff. I've cleaned out closets, cupboards & cabinets, boxes of books in the attic. The fridge, the pantry, the freezer...scraps of wood from a variety of projects. More still needs to be done but I sure got things going & am on a roll.

I still have a few book boxes to go through --- a HUGE box of personal trainer/fitness manuals that needs to go. My YMCA days are over. Retired from aerobics, personal training, etc. Any takers on these things?

Tiffany (warmfuzzies) made this great treasury today with my "Lemon Square Yo Yo Pillow" as one of the items. This fantastic collection of grey & yellow items made the Front Page on Etsy. Thank you to Jill in Utah for snagging my pillow!!! Be sure & check out warmfuzzies and her amazing shop. I especially am loving her Cathedral Window Pillow Covers .

Friday, September 12, 2008

What Shall I Be?


When I was growing up I had a board game called * "What Shall I Be?" ; designed for girls with choices you'd expect; nurse, teacher, etc. There was one that I always would pick but never ever did --- "actress". But the music lessons, choir, sewing lessons certainly shaped the things I do & enjoy today, as well as those jobs that I've had & "retired" from.

I've retired my aerobic shoes and microphone, the personal trainer clipboard...retired are the church organ & piano offertory, wedding & hymn books...

Some days now it's my ladder, a paint brush & faux finishing tools. Other days, garden gloves, a shovel & pruners. Often it's the sewing machine calling my name, something for my etsy shop. I need to spend MORE time working on new recipes, maybe a cookbook. For now, I hope you enjoy my shop, this blog & my other recipes!


PS...don't miss my daughter Sara's wedding pictures & blog!
*Object of the game is to the first player to become a Career Girl.
Players move around the board collecting School Cards, Subject Cards and Personality Cards.
Game ends when one of the players has collected 4 School Cards of one Profession and 2 Subject Cards and 2 Personality Cards that are good for that Profession.
Professions and their respective schools are:
College - Teacher
Airline Training School - Airline Hostess
Drama School - Actress
Nursing School - Nurse
Charm School - Model
Ballet School - Ballet Dancer
(No doctors, lawyers, designers....certainly not Vice President or President!)

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Labor of Love, Etsy Treasury

This treasury took me by surprise! Guess I was in the right place at the right time but then there's that box, looking for a title...Labor Day I suppose...my birthday usually falls sometime during that weekend but this year the holiday came early but we'll use the theme & found some CUTE maternity t's in honor of my mom, laboring away --- we won't say how many years ago! The "Maker Maternity" shirt sold but another was relisted in it's place so check out these great shops!

























norajane





Middleburg




19Moons





SunshineandRavioli