Winter Decor

Winter Decorating

Today the Hubs decided he would do the cooking, and make a double batch of his famous "deer chili". So that gave me the opportunity to finish up a few projects so I could cross "winter decorating" off my to do list. Most of the winter decor has been up since I put my Christmas decorations away. There were a few things I had seen on Pinterest that I wanted to finish up and add to my winter mantle. So today was the day. Here's the full view of the finished project.

I made one of the Epsom Salt candle holders you can find on Pinterest. Very easy and I got all my supplies at the Dollar Tree. The plate was something I already had, and used my Silhouette to cut the "V" out of vinyl. The pitcher and bird were things I had.. I added a bit of "snow" to a pine cone.

At the other end, I added some black candle holders I picked up at the Queen's Antiques in Buford (love that place!), a metal ice skate from Michael's, and a few more pine cones with "snow" in a milk glass dish.

There are several ways to repurpose old sweaters on Pinterest. I decided to use an old white sweater and make a wreath for my living room mirror. I used a sleeve from the sweater to cover a styrofoam wreath, wrapped it with some yarn, and added a few fabric flowers. Taa Daa!! Here's a close up and another pic for the full effect hanging on the mirror.

Hoping you are enjoying your weekend as much as I have enjoyed mine. Spent some time with some special people, heard a great message at church this morning and finished my winter decorating. Really enjoyed the chili (very yummy and very spicy) and my day off from cooking. Thanks honey!

Come back soon to see what I do to this cute stool found at Mud Puppy Antiques in Winder (another favorite place to browse for treasures!).

I've been sick for the last 4 days. So sick that I haven't cooked since maybe last Friday. That is a stretch for me. Ask my hubby. Ask any of my children. Since I've been sick I've been able to watch the Food Network while I lay in bed, read some books that seem to have southern recipes written into the story line, and browse and pin new recipes and ideas on Pinterest. Today I've finally started to feel like I have a little energy, so I decided to try two new recipes tonight . . . must have an appetite again!

Have you heard of 7 Up Rolls? Have you tried them? Why haven't you told me? This is just one of the yummy recipes you can find on Pinterest . . . it was pinned quite a few times I might add. My mom makes the best yeast rolls I think I've ever tasted. She has shared her recipe with me, but mine don't turn out as light as hers. And they take some time to make. So I opted for this quick version of a roll to go with the soup tonight. Four ingredients - can't be much simpler than that and about 20 minutes from start to finish and they are done.

The soup I made was based on a recipe I saw Rachel Ray throw together on her show this week.

7 Up Rolls

1/2 stick of unsalted butter

2 cups baking mix

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup 7 Up

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. While oven is preheating, place 9" square baking dish in oven and let the butter melt. Remove dish when melted.

In small mixing bowl, place 2 cups of baking mix and 1/2 cup sour cream. Use two forms and cut the sour cream into the baking mix until a crumbly mixture forms. Pour in 7 Up and fold into baking mix and sour cream. This makes a very soft dough. Sprinkle extra baking mix onto a pastry board or on a sheet of wax paper. Turn dough out onto this surface and pat lightly into a 9" x 9" square. Cut into 9 rolls. Place into baking dish. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

* You might want to add an additional 1/4 cup of baking mix to the recipe. The dough was very soft and sticky. But the rolls turned out yummy - very light.

Italian Meatball and Pasta Soup

2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1-2 ribs celery

2 cans chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes, 14-15 oz can

2 cans cannelini beans, 14-15 oz cans

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into thick slices

2 small zuchinni, cut into small pieces

1 bunch Kale, chopped

Meatball Dumplings -

1 lb. Italian sausage

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

1-2 Tbsp. milk

parmesan cheese

Pasta of your choice

In soup pot, melt butter or heat olive oil. Add chopped onion, minced garlic and sliced celery.

Cook until veggies become transparent. Add 2 cans of chicken broth and 3 broth cans filled with water. Add diced tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil. Turn heat down, cover and let mixture simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Peel and slice carrots. Slice zucchini. Add veggies to the broth and let them cook for about 30 minutes until tender. Add another soup can of water if a lot of the liquid has cooked out. You want to make sure there is enough broth in the pot to cover the "meatball dumplings" you will be adding to the broth. Bring the broth to a low boil.

Mix italian sausage with 1/2 cup of bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp. parmesan, 1 egg and 2 Tbsp. milk. I use a melon baller to make uniform size meatballs. Drop meatballs into the boiling broth. Let them cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kale and let cook for another 10 - 15 minutes until wilted.

I did learn a trick from Rachel about the pasta. Since my family doesn't always sit down to eat at the same time, this worked perfectly. I cooked the pasta separately, rather than adding it to the soup. Drained it, drizzled it with a little olive oil, and set it aside. Then when I was ready to serve the soup, I put some pasta in each bowl, ladled the hot soup over the pasta, sprinkled with additional parmesan and served it. Hubby just said I could serve this soup in a restaurant! He made my night . . . just one of the reasons I love him.

Happy cooking!