Light up the Night

I bought one of these cute little lanterns about a month ago at IKEA.  With just a simple little tealight it really reflects back a lot of light!  Hubby and I sat out on the porch last night with our little lantern sitting on the table, and decided that it would look much better hanging on one of the porch support posts - and that we needed another 3 - one for each support.

Back to IKEA we went.  At $3.99 each, it was a pretty affordable deal!  We stopped at our local Ace Hardware, and found these perfectly matching hooks in the garden section.  They were only $3.69 each, so all 4 lanterns and hangers for just under $32!!

I can't wait until tonight when we can light them all up! 

Upstate Minestrone Soup

This is really the only homemade soup that I make on a regular basis.  While I like soup, I'm not fond of making it - except this one, as there is nothing that tastes quite like it, and my family requests it often during the cold winter months of Chicago.

Here is the cast of characters, otherwise known as the list of ingredients:

1 lb. mild Italian Sausage

1 medium onion - diced (about 1 cup)

3-4 carrots - peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)

2 zucchini - sliced

1-2 cloves garlic - minced

2 cups shredded cabbage (or coleslaw mix)

32 oz. beef broth

1 can Italian stewed tomatoes

1 can Great Northern Beans

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

Begin to heat olive oil in stock pot (got mine at Target - it's the Paula Deen one, and I love it!)

Cut the sausage into 1 inch thick slices (you can use bulk sausage if desired)

Brown in the olive oil then add the following:

onion

carrots

garlic

basil, and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Add zucchini

tomatoes

beef broth and shredded cabbage (oops, forgot to take a picture of the cabbage!)

salt and pepper.  The whole mixture will look like there is not enough liquid, but the cabbage will cook down and there will be plenty of liquid.  Bring to a boil, then lower temperature and simmer covered for about an hour.

Add the can of beans (undrained) and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

I like to serve with parmesan cheese..  Enjoy!!

Makes about 8 servings

Porch Retreat

Fall Pumpkin Project

I chose 2 coordinating fabrics for this project. 

Cut 3 pieces from each of the fabrics (since it is folded, I cut 3 sets of each,

so I could make 2 pumpkins)

Cut 2 for the stem (this is of felt) 

Here are all the pieces needed for this project.  If you want me to email you the patterns

let me know in the comments

Start by sewing 1 of each of the different fabrics together along one edge.  All seams are 1/4 inch.

Add in each piece, alternating the fabrics.

Until you have all six pieces sewn together - then join the first piece and the last piece, being sure to leave an opening along the edge for stuffing.

What you have will look like a deflated beach ball!

Begin stuffing the pumpkin very tightly - it actually took 1/2 of a bag of stuffing!

Whip stitch the opening by hand with small stitches.

Sew the 2 pieces of the stem, leaving the bottom open.

Then carefully turn it right side out.

And stuff tightly

Sew the edge corners of the stem to the pumpkin with several stitches (yes, I know I need my nails filled...)

Almost done!

I thought it needed a little something else, so I tied 3 pieces of raffia around it - pulling it a little tight to give it some shape.  Of course, this should probably be done before sewing in the stem, and that's what I'll do when making any additional pumpkins.  The nice thing about them is that you can keep them out from September through November! Happy Fall!

Best Baked Beans, Ever

The cast of characters: Pork and Beans, Dijon mustard, White vinegar, Barbeque Sauce and Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Fry up 8 slices of bacon - halved.  Move to paper towels.  Reserve 1/4 cup of bacon drippings and leave in the fry pan.

Dice 1/2 of a green bell pepper

dice 1 medium onion

Add onions and peppers to fry pan drippings and saute until tender - about 5 minutes.  Add 4 cans pork and beans, 3/4 cup barbeque sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1/4 cup white vinegar and 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard (or 2 tsp. dry mustard may be substituted)

Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and top with bacon slices.  Bake at 325 degrees until bubbly and sauce is consistency of pancake syrup - about 2 hours. 

Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

These beans taste like you started from scratch, with soaking the beans, etc.  Really good!!

What's Your Love Language?

Do you know what your Love Language is?  There are 5, actually, and a test to learn which one is yours. The 5 Love Languages are-  Words of Affirmation; Quality Time; Acts of Service; Receiving Gifts and Physical Touch. 

I didn't need to take the test to know that mine is Receiving Gifts.  I love getting gifts!  Now I'm not talking about huge things (although don't count them out) but little things.  Like when my husband comes home with a box of Sour Patch Kids, because he knows I like them.  Or when I get in to work and see that my assistant (and very good friend!) has gone to the bakery and left me an almond pastry on my desk.  Or when the man that lives in the apartment above our office drops by with a little box of candy because he is grateful that we put his newspaper in his door each day (sadly, on Saturdays someone steals his paper when we are not there to rescue it).  Now, food is not the only way to my heart, although probably the cheapest - it can be anything, even as simple as a note that affirms our love; friendship or relationship. My daughter in law and I both own a Nook e-reader.  I feel gifted when she "loans" me a book that she enjoyed.  I need to reciprocate, but I have not yet found any "loanable" books that I want to buy - but I'm trying! 

So here are the rest of the results of my Love Languages test:

Receiving Gifts - 33%
Acts of Service - 30% (for me, I find that this is similar to receving gifts)
Quality Time - 20%
Words of Affirmation - 17%
Physical Touch 0% (ok this disturbs me, as I do enjoy a good hug from practically everyone....really, this makes me seem untouchable - and I think I'm married to a "Physical Touch" person....I have to work on this one)

Maybe to someone who has a different Love Language, the Receiving Gifts thing seems shallow - but I can't help it.  This is the way I feel affirmation.  And because this is the Love Language that is familiar to me, I tend to be a gift giver, which is great if the person I am gifting has that same Love Language.  It's not always easy to figure out someone elses' Love Language, but can be interesting to try to find out.  Take the test - what's your Love Language?  Feel free to put it in the comments!

Summer Pasta Salad

I have always loved a good Pasta Salad.  It's such a great salad to make in the summer, what with all of the great vegetables that you can get at the Farmer's Market.  There were plenty of times on a hot summer night that this would be our dinner.  I would pack it full of everything I could find, mix it up and feel good about not heating up the kitchen to make dinner.  This filled us up plenty!  You can really put in anything you like - this is what I had on hand, but I have been known to add mushrooms, brocolli, corn, ham, turkey and loads of whatever I had available.  The sky's the limit!  Oh, and really, there is no measuring involved - just add away!

Start off with a box of Tri-color Rotini, cooked al dente - 8 minutes.  You want the pasta to be cooked, but not overcooked. Overcooked causes it to lose it's color and fall apart when you try to mix it up.  

Then, start adding whatever you would like - Green olives, drained and halved...

Black Beans, drained and rinsed....

Black Olives, drained and sliced...

Grape tomatoes - whole (these are small enough to leave as is.  I find that cutting the tomatoes makes it too soupy, so leave them whole).  If you use cherry tomatoes, slice them, but scoop out the seeds and membranes.

Green onions sliced - both white and green parts

Tri color peppers - red, orange and yellow - so pretty and fresh!

Don't leave out the green bell peppers - they want to belong too!

I love to add summer sausage and pepperoni - gives it some great flavor and texture.

Block cheese cubed - this is Monterey Jack and Colby

Now, how pretty is this? 

Dump a bottle of ranch dressing into a bowl, and mix in some dijon mustard.

Pour it over the top...

...and enjoy!!!