Cooking Thursday

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Good Morning everyone, hope you're all doing well and ready to share in some great recipes.

I know I don't say it near enough but I do so appreciate every single one of you who come in every Thursday and participate in this feature. You've given me many recipes to try out :)

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Salsichas com molho de tomate (Sausages in Tomato Sauce)

1 lb sausage (whatever your favorite is)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp crushed garlic
paprika
1 bay leaf
white wine
salt and pepper to taste

I start off by putting the olive oil in the pan, add the onions and the tomatos, garlic, salt and pepper, sprinkle with paprika, bay leaf, sliced sausage and tomato sauce.
Give it a good stir and then place the lid on it and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, remember to stir now and then. If you want more gravy just add a little bit of water. You’ll be surprised at how yummy it is and how easy. Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaf (you don’t want to eat that lol).

Potato and Spinach Mash

I love making these mashed potatoes, it’s something that the whole family will eat, you can’t really taste the spinach AND is a good way to get the kiddos to eat the veggies too. Luckily for me though, my children love spinach and all sorts of vegetables.

I also like to substitute the spinach with carrots and make a potato and carrot mash which is equally delicious and the kids think it’s super cool because it’s orange.

All you need to do is make your mashed potatoes as usual.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a separate small saucepan, cook some frozen spinach with a little bit of salt. Again just follow the directions on the package. When cooked, drain and squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can.

I just add butter, milk, salt and pepper to mine, that’s it.

Simple Touches

I like adding little touches here and there in my home.

They don't have to be big things, even something as small as a quick bunting hanging on the window sill, immediately changes the feeling of the kitchen :)

They're so easy to make, just some fabric of your choosing, some interfacing, twine and a hot glue gun.

After applying the interfacing to the fabric, I cut out a few triangles, then using a hot glue gun, I glue twine to the back of the triangles and hang it up.

Just like every other piece in my home that I make with my own hands, it's got imperfections, it's not perfect and that is what I love.

But it's not just decorating that allows me to add a little of me....I try to incorporate that into every other aspect of homemaking.

Cooking is by far my biggest passion in life, right up there with reading, and crocheting, and sewing, actually I think I have quite a few passions now that I think about it HA!

I've talked about the cleaning solutions I make, and it thrills me to see so many of my friends and blog readers also using them now.

Again, it's another way to add a simple touch to a chore that otherwise would be a pain in the behind....like washing bathroom floors.

Vinegar infused with lemon. Cleans amazingly well, works on the baseboards, the walls, the doors and the floors. One cleaner that does the job of a bunch of others but is way safer.

Likewise when it comes to my kitchen, I like to simplify things and one thing I've been wanting to do for quite a long time is to make homemade sausage.

So, with that in mind, this past weekend we spent a few hours at Cabella's and I picked up something I've been wanting for years but never got around to getting it. It reminds me of home, I honestly remember all the women in the family using it in the kitchen :)

And to help me get started, even though I have a few recipes on hand, I got this amazing book, ooohhh I can't wait to get in there and try it out :)

There is always, always something to be thankful for

Morning, afternoon, night

Morning:::  Coffee, toast, jam

Afternoon:::  Ham, Onion, Mozzarella and Bean sprouts Omelette

Night:::  Portuguese Peppered Steaks

Overbite by Meg Cabot - TLC Book Tour

Book Summary:

Meena Harper has bitten off more than she can chew . . .

Meena has a special gift, but only now does anyone appreciate it. Her ability to predict how everyone she meets will die has impressed the Palatine Guard—a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican—and they’ve hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan. Sure, Meena’s ex-boyfriend was Lucien Antonescu, son of Dracula. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames, and now she’s sworn off vampires for good—even though she firmly believes that just because they’ve lost their souls, it doesn’t mean they can’t love.

Convincing her new partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf, that vampires can be redeemed won’t be easy . . . especially when a deadly new threat arises, endangering not only the Palatine, but Meena’s friends and family as well. As she unravels the truth, Meena will find her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare . . . and temptations she never even imagined before nearly impossible to resist.

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If you like paranormal/suspense/romance/action etc, this is certainly one book that delivers that and much more.

This book follows the first one called Insatiable, so if you've read that one you are well aware of who the characters are and what their backgrounds consist of, if not, then no worries because it can still be a stand alone novel.   

I hadn't read the first one and I didn't feel lost in the least, matter of fact, I really enjoyed it.  It's one of those books that grabs you from the first few pages and doesn't let go until the very end, it almost feels like you're thrown into a roller coaster and then dumped back on land left to your own devices.  

Meena is a demon slayer/psychic, or at least that's what I got from it.  She is tasked with telling people of their impending deaths.  Throw in some vampires, the New Jersey Devil and a bunch of twists and turns and this book made for a very interesting read.  I think I'll look up the first book Insatiable, and read that one too, I could easily become a fan of Meg Cabot.

If you're into paranormal mysteries, this one should be added to your reading pile :)

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a review copy. If you want to check out the rest of the tour, here are the next stops:

Meg’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, February 7th: Reading Lark

Wednesday, February 8th: The Road to Here

Thursday, February 9th: Life In Review

Friday, February 10th: Just Joanna

Monday, February 13th: The Englishist

Tuesday, February 14th: Jenny Love to Read

Wednesday, February 15th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Thursday, February 16th: Books Like Breathing

Monday, February 20th: Book Drunkard

Tuesday, February 21st: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Wednesday, February 22nd: A Soul Unsung

Thursday, February 23rd: girlichef

Friday, February 24th: Chick Lit Reviews and News

Thursday, March 1st: Stiletto Storytime

Friday, March 2nd: Peeking Between the Pages

Friday, March 2nd: Seaside Book Nook

{ Happy Homemaker Monday 2012 #8 }

Good Morning, hope you are all enjoying a good long weekend.  I feel as if it's just rushed by though, time seems to fly doesn't it?

On to today's Happy Homemaker Monday :)

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The weather:::

45 degrees right now and I really wish that I could see some rain in this place.  Arizona must be the only State where dark gloomy skies do NOT mean rain...ugh LOL

On my reading pile:::  
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler 
Levi's Will by W. Dale Cramer (this weekend I read through all the Daughters of Caleb books, LOVe them) 
Beauty Gone Wild (Herbal recipes for gorgeous skin and hair)

On my TV:::

Call the Midwife Series Finale Episode 6 
Bramwell Season 1
Upstairs Downstairs Season 2

On the menu for this week:::

Monday -  Bifes de Cebolada (Portuguese Recipe, will be up later on the food blog) 
Tuesday - Oven Hash
Wednesday - Sausage and Spinach Manicotti
Thursday - Beefy Slow Cooked Pot Pie
Friday - Chicken Carbonara Risotto
Saturday - Yummy Hero Sandwiches
Sunday -  Salisbury Steak

On my to do list:::

Homeschooling
Laundry

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

During movie time, I've been working on my big beast of a ripple blanket, it's slow going but it's coming along :)
Got a new crochet book this weekend and I plan on starting some projects on there.
Still working on the Tabbard for my husband, it's done except for the design on the front, THAT is going to take me a while.

In Homeschooling:::

Jasmine is learning all about the skeletal system in Science and in Social Studies she will be learning about the midwest.  Nicholas will be doing a Science Unit Review and taking a Language Arts test.

Looking around the house:::

It's a holiday so everyone is home.  Hubby is on his computer playing Castleville, Nicholas is playing a game on the Wii and Jasmine is on the couch with her laptop.  My dishwasher is running, my washer is doing a load and aside from giving the kitchen a quick clean, I plan on relaxing with the family today. 

From the camera:::

Been relaxing on here quite a bit, loving the new couches they are so comfortable :)

Something fun to share:::

There are so many great blogs out there that I love and there are those that just catch my eye and keep me captive for a long time, those are the ones that I find myself with a cup of hot coffee in hand, just scrolling and scrolling and scrolling and telling myself "Just one more", but hours later I'm still there.  Violet Bella is such a blog for me, the owner is stunning, has a really cool sense of style and is always sharing neat things :)  Go on over and take a look.  

On my prayer list:::

So many people needing prayers right now.  Family, friends.
For me, I just ask for prayers for health and for patience, I have a tendency to over worry about things and drive myself crazy.  

Bible verse, Devotional::: 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105