Photo Challenge: Spring

I am joining in Rebecca's Photo Challenge today and this week's theme is SPRING. One of my favorite things about Spring are daffodils!






Be sure to stop by Rebecca's blog to visit more participants, or to find out how to join in yourself! Have a wonderful weekend.

Skillet Lasagna

Good morning! Hope your week is going well. I've been going through some old recipes since it seems like I've been in a rut lately. This Skillet Lasagna was a hit a few years ago and everyone still loved it last night.

Skillet Lasagna

Use a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a tight filling lid.
-1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1 pound ground beef or turkey. (I used 1/2 ground beef, 1/2 sausage)
-1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
-Water
-10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
-1 cup mozzarella
-1 cup ricotta cheese
-3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Drain off any grease. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Pour tomatoes with their juices into a 1-quart measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart. I also seasoned this mixture with salt, pepper, Italian seasonings and a pinch of sugar.

3. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomato mixture over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Sprinkle on mozzarella. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta, sprinkle with pepper, and cover and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.


Let me know if you try it!

Easter Plans

Good morning! I've been adding a few spring touches around my house, including this vintage table runner that my mom gave me a couple of years ago.


Speaking of my mom, I just found out she's coming for Easter, along with my Dad, brother, and my sister and her family.


I can't believe it's less than 2 weeks away. What are your plans?

Happy First Day of Spring - Part 2

It really did start to snow last night and continued on for awhile.






My poor spring birdcage and nest decoration. I'm sure it will melt quickly, but I'm glad I didn't take the extra comforter off our bed!

Happy Spring!

Happy First Day of Spring! We normally have very warm springs in Texas, but it is 33F right now with a possible chance of snow!


We are staying warm and cozy inside.


I made Green Chile Chicken (I'll share the recipe on Monday) and a big batch of cookies filled with Heath bar caramel pieces.


I have also been doing a bit of reading. I found an old copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass at the antique bookstore last weekend.




It's filled with sweet pictures of Alice and everyone she meets in Wonderland.


They have been the inspiration for some new Alice tags and cards in my Etsy shop. Have you seen the new movie?




Well, that is what I've been up to. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Photo Challenge: Green

I have wanted to participate in Rebecca's Photo Challenge for awhile now and since this week's theme is GREEN, I thought it was the perfect time to join in and take a look around my backyard gardens.


I was surprised at how many weeds I found, but I was happy to see my hydrangeas popping up.


Inside the house, pretty daffodil stems.


And my Asparagus Fern is growing quickly. I found this Victorian style terrarium at Walmart at the beginning of the year. Thank you for stopping by for a visit!

Be sure to stop by Rebecca's blog to visit more participants, or to find out how to join in yourself! Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated last night with family and friends.


We had corned beef, colcannon, cabbage, spinach salad, and Irish soda bread.


We also had Irish Cream Brownies.

Wishing you always—
Walls for the wind
And a roof for the rain
And tea beside the fire—
Laughter to cheer you
And those you love near you—
And all that your heart might desire!

Springtime

A new bud on our oak tree. The leaves turned brown shortly after planting it last summer, so this was a nice surprise.

Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn.
~Lewis Grizzard

Bathroom Decorations

Good morning! I'm continuing my updated home tour this week. We didn't have any repairs or upgrades done to our main bathroom this past fall, but I did simplify the look.






Thank you for stopping by for a visit and I hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

Our School Room

This is where our school work and my shop crafting takes place. We have a lot of things squeezed into a small area, but the main change I made was clearing the area in front of the window. It really makes the room brighter.




Thank you for taking a look!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1/2 cup salsa
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chiles
1/2 cup cilantro
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

1. Mix sour cream, enchilada sauce, salsa, green chiles, and cilantro together in bowl. Set aside.

2. In separate bowl, mix shredded chicken, 1 cup of the sour cream mixture, and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. I also seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder, and a little cumin.

3. Heat tortillas in microwave oven until soft. Pour enough of the sour cream mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish to coat bottom.

3. Place 2 heaping tablespoonfuls of the chicken mixture in each tortilla, roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Pour remaining sour cream mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbling.

Tonight, we enjoyed this new recipe for dinner. It was easy to put together and was out of the oven is 30 minutes. Let me know if you try it!

Front Porch and Entryway

Good morning! Spring has arrived in Texas, so this weekend I cleaned up my front porch and added a few decorations.








A favorite new find from Michaels.


I redid my entryway this past fall and went for a more simple look.


I'm going to be updating my blog sidebar in the next couple of weeks, so there will be more house pictures coming up. Thank you for stopping by for a visit and Happy March!