smoked sausage hash

This is one of those comfort food recipes, the kind grandma said sticks to your ribs.

Here's what you need:

4-5 medium potatoes

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 pkg smoked sausage

Vegetable oil

Peel and cut the vegetables into 1" chunks fry on medium in a skillet with a small amount of oil until they are just starting to become soft.  Add the sausage cut into 1/4" coins.  Cover and fry until vegies are soft and everything is starting to brown about 20-25 minutes.  Check frequently, but don't stir it too much you want some brown crusty bits and your potatoes to stay whole.  There is a fine line between brown/crusty and burnt, watch carefully.

Photo or reminder cube

Remember the friend's birthday gift I was making in a previous post?  I decided to add a photo cube.

Here's what you need:

Photo cube I buy mine from Oriental Trading

Coordinating papers

Glue 

Spray sealer

Embellishments 

Paint

Paint the cube a base color if you want.  I used my spray mist.

Cut papers slightly smaller than cube.  My cube's sides were 3" so I cut the papers 21/2".  Glue to cube.

Add embellishments as you like.  I cut my friends initials to add to the sides, then added clusters of buttons to the top.  You don't need much decoration since these are so small.  Let dry and spray with sealer.

Wrap everything in tissue and pop it into a bag.

If you keep a few things like this already made up you don't have to run out and but last minute gifts.  They also make a great hostess gift especially if you know her colors, otherwise stick to neutrals.  No I didn't make the bag, but I do keep several of them

 around for just such occasions.



home made pizza

 When you want pizza thee is just nothing that will take it's place.  When you live in a town this size your choices are drive a half hour, frozen or YUCK.  Or you can make your own.
Here's what you need:

Refrigerated pizza dough or hot roll mix
Pizza sauce canned is OK I make my own, see recipe below.
Fresh mozzarella
Your choice of toppings.  I use Italian sausage, onions, green peppers and mushrooms.
Parmesan I use freshly shaved you really can taste the difference.

If you are using sausage or any other fresh meat
cook and cool beforehand.  I also saute the peppers and onions a few minutes.
Prepare the crust according to directions on the package. 
Slice dice and do any other prep work before you start assembling your pizza.
Top the crust with about 1/2-3/4C of sauce add toppings ending with cheeses.
Bake according to directions.
Top with additional Parmesan after baking.

Home made pizza sauce

To 1 8oz can of tomato sauce add 1tsp each garlic

and onion powder, oregano, basil and fennel seed, salt

and pepper to taste.  Stir and use,  this also makes a great

dip for bread sticks.

birthday gift

 I have a friend who loves red.  She really, really loves red.  She has the coolest red kitchen you will ever see (after 5 coats of paint)  For her birthday I wanted to make something that showed off this love of red, was useful and I could use my Cricut on.  I decided to make a set of note cards she could have for business or personal use.
I started be cutting cream card stock and some scrapbook papers into 5X10" and had these lovely strips leftover.  You'll have to wait for another blog entry to see what I do with those.
I've been wanting to try  the product Glimmer Mist, but you know me cheap, cheap, cheap.  So I put some metallic acrylic paint into a small spray bottle and added about 3X the amount of water to paint, shook it well and gave it a try.  It worked great, so I sprayed a few cards withe the mist.
After everything was dry I started adding fabric, scrap papers, vintage papers I printed on the computer, cut outs, buttons, glitter and a few crocheted and silk flowers
 I worked in layers letting things dry between wax paper with a heavy book on them.
I almost always make multiples of things when I craft.  It just seems like it takes as much time to make 10 or 20 of something as it does 1.
The Cricut is a wonder machine and makes the little cutouts a breeze.  The 3rd and 4th photos are close ups of

2 of the cards. The bottom is the series of 10.  I'll make envelopes on the Cricut cut to size and tie them all up with ribbon.  I think my friend will love them.

Did you see the sneak peak of what I did with the strips of leftover card stock?

  

bookmarks

Remember the scrap pieces that I had when making cards?  I decided to turn them into book marks.

Here's what you need:

Card stock strips 1x7 2 per bookmark

Stamps and ink

Homemade spray mist

Embellishments

Fabric strips or ribbon
Glue
Clear spray sealer

If you want to, spray your strips with mist (metallic paint mixed with water) let dry
Glue two strips together

Stamp words on half of the strips.  Spray with sealer.  Glue two strips together back to back with a 6" loop of fabric or ribbon at the top.  Let dry between wax paper weighted with a book overnight.  Trim if necessary.  Embellish with buttons, lace,silk, crocheted or paper flowers

setting a pretty table

 I love to set my table with pretty things when my friends are coming.  I have one of those Duncan Phyfe drop leaf tables that with the leaves and drop leaves up will easily sit 14-16.  I start, as with everything around here by cleaning off the cat hair.  I then added this beautiful hand crocheted cloth my MIL made me years ago and bright yellow fabric as a runner.  The menu was Mexican so I wanted the table to be bright and cheery.  After I got about half way done setting the table I took off the yellow and ironed it, One of those things that really bug me.

As a center piece I filled six juice glasses with 2-3 stems each of different flowers from my garden.  It's been so hot and dry, it's getting harder to get flowers,
so using just a few stems in each glass  is a help. 
Plus you don't have to strain your neck to see over.
I added antique plates that I've collected for years. 
These were the kind of dishes you would have found in
a dime store in the 40's-50's.

 I then added cloth dark green napkins. I always check out the end on season sales for napkins and runners.  I got these after Christmas years ago for a quarter for 2 at Walmart.  I also have them in several other colors. They are all wash and wear so no ironing. I also like to mix the flat wear for added interest.  To finish the table I laid out the magnets and book marks for each of my friends to take home.  Just adding simple touches like these makes your guests feel welcomed.

To the right a close up of the dishes.  I think I have enough to serve about 25 people.  They do have to be washed by hand(sigh)
Below the finished table.

Last but most important were the guests.  The table was even more beautiful. when they arrived

fruit salsa

I made this as an  appetizer the first time for my girlfriend party.  Everyone loved it and insisted it go on the blog.

Here's what you need:

2 limes

1# strawberries

2 kiwi

2 peaches

2 apples

3T of fruit preserves, any flavor.  I used  black cherry

1/4C brown sugar

1 small jalapeno pepper seeded and finely diced(optional)

Zest and juice the limes. hull and chop the strawberries, peel and chop the peaches, apples and kiwi.

I put he apples and peaches in the lime juice  first to make sure they were covered  so they wouldn't darken.  Add the rest of the ingredients and chill before serving.  You could substitute almost any fruit you wanted.  Serve with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon chips

10 flour tortilla shells 10"
1/4C butter
1/4C cinnamon sugar

Melt the butter and brush lightly over the shells,1 side only, sprinkle with the sugar mix. Cut each shell into 6 pieces.   Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with oil spray and bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes.  Cool, I baked mine ahead of time but had a hard time keeping them crisp.  Just do it right before serving.

There were no left overs so I don't know how it would store.