Birdie Birdie in the Sky

Have I mentioned I heart SPRING?! The nice weather has gotten me back into a crafty mood. These are some canvasses I have done for Ainsley's room. I got the bird idea from Elizabeth. Check out her blog for AMAZING ideas! Anyway, I just can't figure out what these are missing. I don't know if I should antique them to kind of tone them down. . . plus I love antiquing everything. . . or if there is something else that needs to be done. Basically I am really missing Sarah these days. She was my go to gal, whenever I got stuck. My plea for advice doesn't end there. I have a total of four canvases. I haven't decided if I should do flowers on the other two, or if I should stick with just birds. . . OR just do one more with A bird on it. So crafters unite and give me some advice. . . please!!

Since I am begging for some advice tonight, I thought I would throw some ideas out there too.

I am definitely a creature of habit. Especially when it comes to eating. I have noticed lately that we have a schedule of foods we like to eat on a regular basis. . . which isn't a bad thing really, but it was time for a change. Here are two new recipes we tried this week and enjoyed! Well everyone but Isaac!! Just so you know the pictures to come are not my own. I am not the best at taking pictures of food. Something to work on. . .

Sunday night we had Baked Rigatoni.

1/2 lb dry Rigatoni pasta (we used whole wheat)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
3/4 lb Italian Hot Sausage
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
3 Cups fresh baby spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
2 14 oz cans diced fire roasted tomatoes with garlic
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
8 fresh basil leaves, stacked, rolled and thinly sliced (chiffonade)
Pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 Cup fresh grated Romano Cheese
2 Cups shredded mozzarella Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Heat oil into a large dutch oven or other large pot. Saute onion and red bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in garlic, sausage, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until sausage is cooked through.

2. Add spinach leaves and cook until wilted down. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked pasta, stir to combine, then transfer to a 9x13inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with Romano Cheese and mozzarella Cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.


Last night we had Asian Lettuce Wraps. I am a HUGE fan of the dish. I have been somewhat intimidated thinking they wouldn't turn out as good as PF Chang's. But this recipe is a MUST TRY. Super Easy and Super Good!!!


2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Cup finely chopped onion
1 lb ground turkey breast
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 12 oz bag of Broccoli Slaw (can be found at Super Target, or Sprouts)
(I didn't have the broccoli slaw so I just sliced up red cabbage, grated some carrots and zucchini and used 1 cup of each vegetable.)
1 small can drained water chestnuts
½ Cup Yoshida’s Teriyaki Sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Approximately 15 Butter Lettuce leaves (you can also use iceberg lettuce leaves)

1. Place oil into a large 5 qt skillet or other large pan over medium heat. When hot, add onion and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper and garlic salt. Brown and crumble until cooked through.

2. When turkey is cooked, stir in broccoli slaw, water chestnuts, teriyaki sauce and sesame oil. Cook for another 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Reduce heat to low until ready to serve. Serve spoonfuls inside lettuce leaves. Enjoy!

Both of these recipes I found here. One of my new favorite places for recipes!!