Sis Boom Wahoo

Today my friend Michele and I made a trip to Wilton to visit Sis Boom’s open house.  She designs her own yummy fabric and makes all things kitschy.  Here’s her blog which also contains all things pretty surely a must see!

Here’s my vintage goodie finds . . .My favs?  Oh gosh definately the black & white cabinet card in the upper right hand corner (LOVE IT!) & the bag of miscellaneous fabric.

And this apron . . . I purchased it for our niece Isabella for her birthday, pink is one of her favorite colors right now.  It’s Sis Boom’s fabric and the apron is made from one of her fabric lines called “Girlfriends”.  Simply adorable, gosh I think it might fit me right?  HA!  It’s so pretty I’d love one in a big girl size.

Oh and since we WERE in Wilton we had to stop at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk.  Oh my gosh this was a day of all things pretty and yummy.  Stew has great marketing with his taste samples.  I mean I had no intention of purchasing Brussel Sprouts that is until I tasted what was cooking.  You go Stew for taking our hard earned money!  So here are the ingredients needed.

And the recipe . . .

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 tsp salt

2 shallots (chopped)

2 containers brussel sprouts cut in half

1/2 cup crispy onions (you know like french’s in the red & white can . . . I have fancy imported onions in my picture though).  I love all things fancy you know.

3/4 cup mushrooms chopped

In a large skillet, saute garlic and mushrooms in olive oil.  Add shallots, brussel sprouts and chicken broth.  Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.  When brussel sprouts are tender add the crispy onions.

THE VERDICT:  I had to add about 1/3 cup more chicken broth for the last five minutes of cooking and next time I’ll try cooking on medium-high.  I loved this recipe!  Mike on the other hand, well lets just say he took a bite but then pushed them around his plate while making funny faces.  He’s such a good sport!  Thanks Mikey for letting me cook ONE NEW thing once per week and for trying it.  You see, I was in a phase of cooking new recipes all of the time so Mike thought it best to try one new recipe per week.

And lastly this little guy sprained his back right leg before I left for my Sis Boom/Stew Leonard’s day today.  Poor thing knew I was getting ready to leave and that I WAS NOT going to work (he knows).  He thought he might be going for a grand ride in the car.  Through his excitement he fell at the bottom of our stairs and injured his leg.  He cried which brook my heart.  He’s still gimping around on it tonight so I’m on my way out to the family room to put an ice pack on it.

A Mixed Bag

Our first snow fall of the season happened this morning . . . so pretty!

OK . . . this year we had two Thanksgiving meals.  Thursday we went to Michael’s dads and Saturday we went to my sisters.  Here are some photos from the events.  We’ll start with my sisters dinner first.

This is where you’ll typically find Mike . . . yep always working!

My mom . . .

My brother Scott . . . love the new beard/stash!

Our niece Shelbie who has the most beautiful blue eyes . . . She’s growing up so fast!

Our niece Isabella who is such a bundle of bouncy joy . . . simply adorable!

And we decorated their Christmas Tree (Bridget handed out the ornaments) . . .

Now onto Mike’s dads dinner . . .

Mike’s sister Crystal loving the turkey . . .

Mike’s sister Carla . . . we got a picture with both eyes open, amen!

Me with Crystal’s new puppy Chloe (such a sweet loving little puppy) . . .

LuLu (sweet mush pie)

And last but no least Charlie (he’s the alpha dog of this household) who’s growing tired these days . . . we love you Charlie!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I was awakened as normal on a day off at 5:30 AM by our furry baby pawing me at the bedside.  It’s his new thing lately asking me to please help him up into the bed so he can cuddle.  He isn’t so good with jumping up into the bed these days.  So up he went and we were off to cuddle land and I let out a great big “gooble gooble” as I always do on Turkey Day.  I was then reminded of one of the greatest things I’m thankful for.  It’s the unconditional sweet love that Scottie gives us every second of his life.  I’m also thankful for my husband who is the greatest man in this entire universe and also our friends and family.  Without the relationships we have life wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is.  And isn’t it true that the things we are most thankful for are the things we work hardest at?  So with that statement I’m thankful for the business Mike has developed and is taking off like no ones business.

Anywho . . . a few pictures of our furry babies and their attitudes this morning . . .

These two faught all morning.  Pele (the black kitty) will sit and just look at Wilbur which causes growling.  Had to keep seperating the two of them and reminded them they’re lucky their not turkeys!

This one kept howling at the back door.  Guess she wanted a turkey hunt outside . . .

And this one . . . he laid around the kitchen floor while I prepared some food to take to dad’s for dinner.  Love when he lays like this . . . By the way, we’re getting new flooring for the kitchen.  Wouldn’t you agree it’s about time?  HA!

So now we’re off to my father-in-law’s for dinner.  I’ve been assigned to the mashed potatoes this year.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sunday Breakfast

We typically go out for breakfast Sunday mornings and it’s usually at the same spot, Captains Pizza #6.  I know most of you are wondering why we’d have breakfast at a pizza joint or further more why is a pizza joint even serving breakfast???  Well we wondered the same thing years ago but decided to give it a try and it wasn’t bad.  It’s close by our home, the service is quick and friendly and they always have specials.  Overhall is needed with their home fries . . . maybe I should give them some pointers?  Anywho, my all time favorite special is the wrap with egg whites, asparagus, onions and mushrooms.  And Michael gets his traditional bacon, eggs, home fries and toast.

Yes, this is a picture of my breakfast and yes, I decided to splurge this Sunday for the extra fat and calories.  Definitely NOT happy about doing that though.  Next time I’m getting the healthy wrap!

Pampered Chef Party

Pampered Chef

I’m hosting my first Pampered Chef party and it’s online.  How awesome is that to have the opportunity to purchase great kitchen supplies right from the comfort of your own home.  It’s quick and easy.

I’ve posted a picture of all the items I purchased from Pampered Chef in July of this year and here’s a little bit about each of them.  Mike and I have searched and used several hard cheese graters and haven’t found anything we liked until the Deluxe Cheese Grater came into our lives and is one of my favorites!  I was jumping with joy to learn they carry a product that will make my Walnut Christmas cookie making a breeze and it’s with their Mini-Tart Shaper.  OMG!!!! I can’t believe how much time this inexpensive extremely handy tool is going to make my life this winter WAHOOO!!!  I’ve also heard so many good things about Pampered Chef’s Stoneware so of course I had to get my very first pizza stone.  LOVE THIS ITEM TOO!!!  Not even sure how I survived pizza making without it.  And the Measure-All Cup is just fantastic especially for measuring ewwy gooey things like peanut butter.  It’s so easy and clean with this cup.  The pinch bowl set I earned free and really like having them.  Especially since fall/winter is almost here.  I do alot of crockpot cooking (you know night before work prepping of food) and these bowls work very nicely for this.

Thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions about any item Pampered Chef carries please let me know.  I’d really love for you to give one of their items a try . . . I’m certain you won’t be disappointed.  Party closes Saturday, September 20th.

Browse & Shop Here

www.pamperedchef.biz/maryjo?page=products-main&showId=1754593

A Childhood Favorite “PIZZA HUT”

Can I just say “OMG . . . I LOOOOVE THIS PIZZA!” My most favorite is the Supreme . . . Oh man I soooo wish we had a Pizza Hut close to our home. I’d seriously have a pizza addiction if we did so it’s probably a good thing that there isn’t one closer. I’m not entirely sure why the fetish, there’s nothing fancy about it and it’s not overly pricey. I think it has alot to do with my father taking us kids out for dinner and most times it would be to Pizza Hut, probably got a good bang for his buck there. LOL! Feeding 4 kids and in later years it was 6 kids so one had to stretch the dollar right . . . good grief, can you imagine . . . i sure can’t! So is it the memory of actually going out for dinner as a kid, we didn’t do it very often and I remember being ecstatically thrilled each time we had a dinner out. Or is it the fantabulous taste of the supreme toppings ontop of the crunchy greasy crust? Or perhaps it’s that they offer plain O iced tea (no sugar in it) love that too. I admit that it’s all of those reasons and will always have a humble love toward the pizza under the hut . . . ememem.

I decided to write about this pizza fetish because I tend to forget some of the good things and this was one of them. I was reminded of this fetish recently when Mike and I ventured up to Winsted to sign the paperwork for his new motorcycle (you remember reading that post as well right?) well, it was a work night and we needed to eat. So we pulled out the GPS and punched in restaurants to get a gander at was available on our trail back home. “OMG”, I said to Mike “THEY HAVE A PIZZA HUT!!!”. Pure joy and excitement all over my face. “CAN WE PWEEEAAAASE?” And you know Mike hardly ever tells me NO so there ya go, I punched in Pizza Hut (glee all over my face and my feet were swinging back and forth like a kid) and the GPS had us on our way to the great Pizza Land. I think they’re all decorated the same and have the same carpet, tables and curtains from when I was a kid. It was like stepping back in time, a little strange and a bit unsettling but we still ate there. They even still have the paper place mats that when turned over there are mazes and puzzles for kids. “HEY, DOES ANYONE HAVE A PEN OR HEY MISS WAITRESS, MAY I HAVE A CRAYON AND PLEASE MAKE IT A RED ONE?” LOVED this place and all it stood for, the pure simplicity of this restaraunt is humbling. Eeeeeennnny way . . . definately a nice memory and my craving for this pizza remains very active 20 plus years later. Isn’t that sumpton. 🙂

New Toaster Dilemma

Toaster Cream Toaster Chrome

Our 10 year-old counter top toaster oven caught on fire this past weekend so we’re in the market for a new toaster. We’ve decided we’d replace it with a traditional 2-slice toaster. No need for the little counter top oven any longer. So with a bit of research we’ve decided to purchase a dualit. Wow this toaster is the bomb! It’s hand built in England, the company has been in business for 50 years and the toasters have a vintage look to them. And these babies are built to last a lifetime . . . LOVE THEM! Now the dilemma is color . . . the classic steel or cream with a bit of classic steel? I have this fetish with the color cream. So my thought is as we replace our “starter” kitchen items with “lifetime” items I’d like them to match but I also want to be sure we’ll be happy with the choice for a lifetime. Both options will match my current lifetime cream colored items so I’m undecided with which choice to make. Will have to sit on this for a bit to make a thoughtout choice. ThoughtOut . . . ha! Your opinion is welcome, please leave a comment. 🙂

Homemade Bread

Homemade Bread

Oh for heavens sakes I truly forgot how good homemade bread really is! I humbly admit that my mom gave me a bread machine for Christmas about five years ago. I’ve used it a couple times and am not entirely sure why I haven’t continually used it. It’s so easy in comparison to the other option of making bread with your own hands! I love to cook and all but don’t have time to knead a dough ball! Michael has been dropping hints here and there for five years about using the machine and that he’d LOVE some homemade bread. And of course I half listened and poo poo’d him . . . ya da ya da ya da (wink)! Then Christmas rolls around this year and I get the itch to make a Christmas Bread and I cleverly think “oh yeah I have a bread machine to make this task simple”. So out comes the bread machine and 3 hours later the house has a wonderful homemade bread smell and it took me all of 5 minutes to add the ingredients to the machine. So my friends and family, I urge you to go out and purchase yourself one of these babies and permeate your home with the wonderful smell and the phrase “oh my gosh this is so good” will be falling from your loved ones mouths. Listen, just because Michael knows my bread comes from the machine doesn’t mean your loved ones have to know. Let them think you made it entirely from scratch. HeHeHe

bon appetit!

Block Island Video

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