Dinner of Bread and Veggies Just Using What I Have Recipe

I made this sort of deconstructed pizza tonight using some left over crusty bread and some cherry tomatoes and zucchini veggies I bought at a farmer's stand Sunday.

There is this place I like to buy homemade chewy bread, and I slice it myself. I usually have the end pieces of the bread left. I used these end pieces to make this recipe also using:

cherry tomatoes, cut in half
sliced zucchini
sliced onion
  I sauteed the veggies just until slightly soft and added salt, pepper and some dried oregano. I topped the bread with a little pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked until cheese was a golden brown.
Then I just laid the vegies on top of the bread. I picked some fresh basil I had growing and added to the dish. It was really good.

  
 I really like cooking with all of the fresh produce this time of year!

Rice and Beans and Chicken Made With What I Had on Hand

I made this Rice with Beans and Chicken recipe tonight with just ingredients I had on hand.  I like to cook like this and use up items, clean out the pantry and refrigerator. It was pretty good.

  1 cup uncooked brown rice, cooked with about 3 cups of water until tender.
  1/2 red onion
  1 can of chicken
  1 can northern beans
  1 cup chopped, frozen spinach
  I also used garlic powder, dried oregano, chili powder, some chopped fresh parsley that I grew,
    some sarachi sauce and topped with some cheddar cheese.

This recipe could be made with just about anything you have on hand and would be really good with cilantro. Since I did not have any, I used the parsley I had growing instead.
  

Garage & Yard Sale Tips

The garage sale season is in high gear. I love to shop these sales because you never know what treasure you might find. Here are some tips on how to look for items at garage, yard, estate sales:

1. Lamps can usually be found pretty cheap. You can paint almost any base. I am currently painting a brass lamp base black. If the shades are not to your liking, you can always add a different shade or even paint the one that comes with the lamp.

2. Don't be afraid to ask. I recently went to a sale and there was a lamp where I did not want the base but really liked the shade. I asked if the owner was willing to sell the shade and not the lamp. She said yes and that she also had a another one she just didn't set out. I got both shades for only $5.00.

3. Don't be afraid to ask if the owners will take a lesser price for an item. Many times they will say yes.

4. If you like the painted furniture look, almost any sturdy wood piece can be painted. If it is stained, you can use a deglosser before painting and it may not require sanding. To save on paint costs, check with your local hardware store to see if they sell "oops" cans of paint that you can get for a discounted price.

5. Think outside the box. Just last weekend, I went to a sale and saw two heavy glass half globes. I was told they were old light covers used at a school gym to protect the light bulbs. I am repurposing them as cloches (bell-shaped glass covers used to protect plants).

6. Think ahead to Christmas. I know this may be really hard to do in the heat of the summer, but Christmas decorations are usually really cheap at garage sales. I recently bought a bag of nice globe ornaments, some with price tags still on them, for only $1.00.

7. Bring measurements for things you are looking for and a measuring tape to measure items with.

8. If you find a picture you like but not the frame or vice versa, keep in mind that frames can be painted or replaced. Likewise, pictures can be removed from the frames and the frames reused with other pictures or mirrors.

9. If you find a wooden chair with a fabric cushion seat where you do not like the fabric, it is usually easy to recover. Check that the cushion can be unscrewed from the bottom. If so, it is simply a matter of wrapping new fabric around the cushion and screwing back on.

10. You can usually get kitchen basics very reasonable at garage sales. Pyrex casserole dishes, glass measuring cups, colanders, pots and pans, mixing bowls, etc. can be found at most sales. Just check that they are in good condition and wash thoroughly when you get them home. You can save a lot of money buying these items at garage sales.

Unusual Planter Ideas and Inspiration

I saw these recently on a trip to Harbor Springs, Michigan and thought they were so different. I would like to recreate them. They use curly willow, ferns and pinecones.

Home Creative Home: 10 Things you can do with a Lemon

Home Creative Home: 10 Things you can do with a Lemon: If you are like me, you buy lemons at the store and then forget that you have them until they are about to go bad. Do not throw them away! H...

Home Creative Home: Transformed Candle Holder

Home Creative Home: Transformed Candle Holder: I had this candle holder in this fake blue/green verdigris that was popular several years ago... I painted it using DecorArt Americana br...

Home Creative Home: Wild Blackberry Cobbler

Home Creative Home: Wild Blackberry Cobbler: I picked these blackberries on Sunday... And made this cobbler...what it looked like before baking... Here is the blackberry cobb...

10 Things you can do with a Lemon

If you are like me, you buy lemons at the store and then forget that you have them until they are about to go bad. Do not throw them away! Here are some things you can do with lemons:

1. Make this lemon basil cooler, using the juice of lemon, sweet white wine and basil.

2. Make Sunny Sangria:

• 1 bottle of dry white wine
• 1/2 bottle of Moscato wine
• juice of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 orange
• 6 oz. pineapple juice
• Top with Ginger Ale before serving (I used diet to make it less caloric)
•    You can also double this recipe for a crowd and to use the other 1/2 bottle of Moscato.

3.  Use a lemon to clean and sanitize your cutting board. Rub a cut lemon on the board and then wash off.

4. Put cut lemons in your garbage disposal to clean it and make it smell good.  You can also rub the lemon in your sink to clean and brighten it.

5. Of course, lemon goes hand in hand with any fish or seafood recipe.  I also like to slice lemon and put it in the pan with the fish as I cook it for extra flavor.

6. Use lemon juice instead of vinegar in salad dressing recipes.  This is especially good for Greek salads.   Use lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper.

7. If you use self tanners and your skin looks uneven, rub lemon on the areas where there is too much and it will lighten those areas.

8. Use lemon juice on stains on white fabric to bleach out the stained area. Putting the fabric in the sun after you apply the lemon juice, makes this technique work better.

9. Make Ginger Lemon Tea if you are feeling a little under the weather. Boil a peeled knob of ginger with sliced lemon and add a tea bag.

10. Rinse your hair with lemon juice after shampooing to make it shine.

Transformed Candle Holder

I had this candle holder in this fake blue/green verdigris that was popular several years ago...

I painted it using DecorArt Americana brand paint in Raw Umber

Here it is after painting. I think this is much much better. Do you agree?

Wild Blackberry Cobbler

I picked these blackberries on Sunday...

And made this cobbler...what it looked like before baking...

Here is the blackberry cobbler after baking...

Yum!