Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Italian or Breakfast Sausage... from scratch! (Easy Peasy)!





The time has come... I can't put it off any longer ... I absolutely have to lose 30 pounds AND get back in shape!  A year ago, I started taking blood pressure medication... the only daily prescription I have ever taken ... I admit, it does make me feel better...but well, I don't want to KEEP taking it...so!

I've been mostly following a low carbohydrate style of eating and I have to say... I like it.  BUT it's not really taking the weight off.  SO, I have to get active.  My book-selling business is really taking off for me, but it's a sedentary job listing books.  I of course, enjoy buying the books much more than I like the listing of them.

On Facebook the other day, I saw a video of a woman who had lost half of her body weight (155 pounds) in 3 years by doing Zumba ... oh man, Zumba looks intense!

So, I'm happy to say that yesterday I took my first Zumba class and I already feel so much better, it's not even funny! The plan is to take class two times a week until I get my strength back and my movements faster. I'm really looking forward to this journey!

Oh, and I have to say that I have a lovely great-niece who posted pictures of herself on Facebook as a result of doing Zumba, and she looks AMAZING!

In honor of low-carbing I bring you a recipe!

Homemade Italian style breakfast sausage! 

It was so easy to make and is just delicious!  This recipe makes 3 pounds of sausage, so some to use right away and more to put into the freezer.

After I made the sausage, I made a wonderful sausage and cabbage stir-fry.  That part took all of ten minutes and dinner was on the table! Noel really liked and and so did I... YUM!

I used 2 pounds of ground pork and 1 pound of ground turkey.



Add 12 herbs & spices and you are in business!

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com and modified it to my low-carb specifications...specifically I left out the brown sugar - The original recipe was submitted by Michelle Leigh Grossman and called for 3 pounds of ground pork, modifications are mine.



3 - Tbsp  Red Wine Vinegar                       2 - tsp Paprika   
1 - Tbsp  Sea Salt                                    2 - tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 - Tbsp Black Pepper                                    (to your taste...more or less) 
1 - Tbsp Garlic Powder                              1 - tsp Fennel Seeds (ground)
1 - Tbsp Onion Powder                                   (I used a coffee grinder)
1 - Tbsp Dried Basil                                  1/4 - tsp dried oregano
1 & 1/2 - Tbsp Dried Parsley                      1/4 - tsp dried thyme


Sprinkle all the above ingredients onto the ground meat mixture and knead until everything is nicely distributed.  Form into 3 rolls and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 hours and then use or freeze.



Naturally, I couldn't wait 12 hours to make the sausage cabbage dish...

Saute the sausage mixture until it looses its pink color and place aside.  This makes a very lean sausage and so I added some olive oil while it was sauteing.  

In the same undrained pan, saute about /12 cup sliced onion and about 3 -4 cups sliced green cabbage for about 5 minutes or when the cabbage and onion look barely done.  You want some crunch left.  



Add the meat back in and about 2 Tbsp cooking sherry.  Stir and cook 2 more minutes.  Adjust salt and pepper and then enjoy!


YUM!

If you decide to try this, let me know how you liked it!

And you don't have to make your own sausage, any bulk sausage will do!

Thanks for dropping by!

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

My poor, poor neglected blog! Well...it's Springtime at last...in the Four Seasons bathroom!

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For those of you who have read this blog before (if there are any of you left on the planet), you'll remember that one of the ways we celebrate the changing of the seasons is to change out every last thing we've been looking at in the bathroom for the past, oh say... three months or so 
and ring in the new weather!

Here (in no particular order) are the results of Spring 2015! I have my handsome husband Noel to thank for all his help and hard work! 
Yea Noel, thank you!


 Pink Fenton powder box!




Hull vase and other stuff...

Sorry for the fuzzy iphone pics...maybe I'll get a new camera some day....



Please let me know if you noticed I'm back, okay?  8-) 


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Meanwhile, back at the farm...

A lot has happened since I last posted...time just gets away...  I'm just gonna hit the highlights for the last eight months ... I'll elaborate over the next three posts...  and maybe elaborate further on the events as I have time to do so ... it's been (for the most part) an exciting 8 months!


  Last August we drove to New Orleans for the Louisiana Restaurant Show.


with a stop along the way in Lafayette, LA. We stayed in a vintage Travelodge Motel - Awesome! -  it was seriously a lot of fun!




And we ate here, it was in the parking lot of the motel, you can see the wall of the pool area over in the left... the food was really good!  We had mostly appetizers and a Greek salad... yum!



After we got home from New Orleans, Noel built a covered porch and landing for my office... and he put in the paths as well.  I really like it a lot!


 In my previous post I mentioned that last September, Patrick flew down and he & Noel packed up and drove him and his two cats up to Bayonne, NJ - to settle in his new apartment. They had a lot of fun on the road & I stayed home and tended to the business around here.


 A quick visit to daughter Julia and her cat, Feenie - before Noel & Patrick left Texas for New Jersey.



Bye! Be Safe!



From the path, a gratuitously pretty photo of the back porch and pergola.
Pride of Barbados and Evergreen Wisteria... I love my screen door.

And from the porch, looking out at the shop ...another pretty pic!


Of course,  I started another new blog as well...  too much time on my hands, right? Check it out and tell me what you think, okay?

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Updates and MORE Updates!

 Hello my friends!  

One of the last things I posted about were a lot of the reasons regarding why I HAVEN'T posted much this past year...I hope you are interested in hearing about some updates which are GOOD!

  • My oldest brother is ill - NOT GOOD!
Update:   My brother has received a new liver and is doing very well indeed!  VERY, VERY GOOD!
  • Then our daughter Julia moved out - VERY MIXED FEELINGS ON THAT ONE ...
Update:  There has been resolution on that situation and it is VERY, VERY, VERY GOOD!

You can read about it here -  October Moon Herbals
  • Then I opened a booth in a Vintage Mall in Columbus - WHAT?  I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO DO?
Update: Of the 6 months I've been in the Mall, I've only not made my rent of $40.00 for 2 of those months.  One month I paid $1.41 and the other I paid $13.41.  So, I'm ahead  around $339.34,  which makes it worth my while to have it open.
  • Then Tamara and Mama Kitty moved to Mexico - THAT SHOULD BE EXCITING ... & GOOD!
Update:  Tamara and Mama Kitty are moving back this week, October 17 to be exact. VERY GOOD!
  • Then our son Patrick accepted a job offer that moved him to New York City - VERY GOOD!
 Update:  He's still really liking his job and living on the East Coast! And he's started making some sales on Craigslist!  Yea!
  • I've been listing books on Amazon, I now have over 2200 books listed, sales have sucked big time - WHAT'S UP WITH THAT AMAZON? 
Update:  I now have 2236 listed and had a really great August & September - Sold a combined total of 75 books for a gross of 1835.42!  How great is that?

Up-Update: To date in October I have made a total of TWO sales and had 1 return, for a gross of  $5.95....Seriously Amazon...WHAT IS UP WITH THIS?????
  • I've been dithering about opening a shop on Etsy - PROCRASTINATION...
Update: Uh, no....more procrastination...
  • I've also been dithering about opening a shop on eBay - MORE PROCRASTINATION!
Update:  Ah...well....MUCH MORE PROCRASTINATION!
  • We have been fostering Pat's 2 cats - Nandi & Fro since May - CAN YOU SPELL, I'M  ATTACHED?
Update:  Nandi and Fro moved out Labor Day weekend and now Lucien aka Fenie (Julia's cat) has been enjoying the hospitality of "Casa de Tomas" for some weeks now and the end is only going to be in sight when I return from my annual road trip to go see said brother (see above) in Nebraska...leaving on Wednesday, the 17th, aka mine and Noel's 26th Anniversary.  GOOD to go on a trip and I have a very patient and long-suffering husband who encourages me to do what I want to do and be exactly who I am...am I lucky or WHAT?
  • In 2 weeks Pat will be here so he and Noel can move his stuff and his cats up East - MIXED, MIXED, MIXED!
 Update:  All have adapted well to the new apartment in Bayonne, NJ and I'm looking forward to a trip to go see them sometime in the Spring of 2014!

Current News:  Tuesday, October 15 - will be my 63rd birthday!  I rewarded myself by starting a new blog!


Check it out and let me know what you think...who knows where it will all lead?

Till we meet again....

Friday, August 23, 2013

Inspired by Mad Maine!

I got inspired to go do some thrifting yesterday after I watched this You Tube video from Mad Maine where she had a $30.00 budget to spend. So go check it out, I know you'll be amazed at what treasures she found and why I decided to go see what I could dig up!

Now, I know I have plenty of inventory already but you know what?  We live out in the country, so I try to combine my outings with getting as much accomplished as I can. 

A few weeks ago, Noel and I decided it was time to get our eyes examined and I needed to get my new glasses adjusted. To make this a worthwhile 100 mile round-trip, I first  went to the thrift stores, three of them in fact.  After I finished thrifting,  I went to Walmart to get my glasses adjusted, did a little grocery shopping, and cruised on home ...It worked out great! 

First stop was a shop I had never been to before and I was excited!  Misplaced excitement as it turned out, but I found a few things and spent $4.00.


5 Needlepoint & Crafting pamphlets, a little 5 X 8 notebook,
 and a really pretty 
Lefton Holly China Christmas Tree relish dish.

I collect the dark green Lefton Holly Berry pieces like this one like this one I found here, so this dish is headed on over to the Texas Treasure Box Shop over at the Grand Oaks Antique Mall.

And if you are interested in making your very own 
Rodeo Drive Designer Denim Jacket, well, I've got just the thing for you!

Beverly Hills Denim ~
Fun for the whole family, circa 1990! Sweet!
Check it out here!

My next shop-stop was my favorite stop for the day!

25% off Senior Citizens Discount Day!

And I remembered to bring a donation, so I got a 15% off coupon for my next visit, and I remembered to bring my 2 discount cards to get them combined,
and now I only need to spend $25.00 more dollars to get $10.00 off my purchases... and believe me, 
speaking as a Senior, it's hard to remember to do all this stuff!  8-) 

I spent $14.98 here, less my 25% discount with tax = $12.46 total

 Sorry for the fuzzy iphone pics,BUT look at this stuff!
A pair of Anchor Hocking Boopie candlesticks, an un-signed Peter Zook
Abundance hex sign, a 10" Texas Ware confetti mixing bowl, an uncut completely adorable Sunrise Designs 1T to 4T Dress Up Pageant Dresses pattern!
Those vases in the back I'm going to use to corral all my wine corks till I get them packaged for resale.

AND I found 10 books to sell and one that would be fabulous for altered art, especially since somone already cut some pages out of the middle of it!

But I'll have to show you those another time because ...
 my super cheap thrift store is going
to open in an hour and I need to go get ready to shop!

See you next time!

Oh, before I go, as I said earlier I went to 3 thrift stores...this last one I found only one thing...ta da!

Right now these beautiful brass scallop shell bookends are residing in my Summer time Four Seasons bathroom...because I can't find my tote that is holding all the rest of my Summer time stuff!  Wah!

 Remember how fabulous it looked last Summer?

So, altogether I spent $20.46!

Yea!



Friday, August 16, 2013

Vintage Teak Dansk Peppermill

A small interlude ... 
For Your Viewing Pleasure!
A Vintage  Dansk Teak Pepper Mill.
A thrifting treasure found nearby...

So yes, I am coming  back from my blogging hiatus... 
There have been many changes around here...mostly good I think ...
AND it appears that anytime anything changes...I go into a funk! 
 There, I've admitted it...I've been in a funk for 10 months... 
What's up with that you ask?

Well, here are the bullet points...
  • Our son Patrick graduated from college - GOOD!
  • My oldest brother is ill - NOT GOOD!
  • My sister Tamara moved from Pleasanton, TX to Ft. Worth - I THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA!
  • and took her cat, Mama Kitty (who lived with me for 9 months while she was in Pleasanton) with her - MIXED FEELINGS ON THAT ONE...
  • Then our daughter Julia moved out - VERY MIXED FEELINGS ON THAT ONE ...
  • Then I opened a booth in a Vintage Mall in Columbus - WHAT?  I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TO DO?
  • Then Tamara and Mama Kitty moved to Mexico - THAT SHOULD BE EXCITING ... & GOOD!
  • Then our son Patrick accepted a job offer that moved him to New York City - VERY GOOD!
  • I've been listing books on Amazon, I now have over 2100 books listed, sales have sucked big time - WHAT'S UP WITH THAT AMAZON?
  • I've been dithering about opening a shop on Etsy - PROCRASTINATION...
  • I've also been dithering about opening a shop on eBay - MORE PROCRASTINATION!
  • We have been fostering Pat's 2 cats - Nandi & Fro since May - CAN YOU SPELL, I'M  ATTACHED?
  • In 2 weeks he will be here so he and Noel can move his stuff and his cats up East - MIXED, MIXED, MIXED!
 CAN YOU SEE WHY I'VE BEEN IN A FUNK???????

Or, maybe I should just realize how fortunate I really am?  IDK, what do you think?


 Here's my hero! Noel is building me a porch for my studio that I blogged about getting, oh, May of 2012!

 This isn't even all of the mugs I have!  Crikey!
 Racks and piles of clothing...oh, and more mugs and books!
 I  declare! Those books you see in the box are being donated, yes!
Running out of room....need to make some sales!
Believe it or not, this is looking good!
Pencil sketch!  What a neat application!
Ah!  It's great to be back!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Giveway Winners! Take it away Vanna (I mean, Julia)!

Today is the day I announce the lucky winners of my Giveaway!  

Two Winners for one copy each of the Antiques Weekend Show Daily!
29 entries - Thanks so much to everyone who entered!


I decided to enlist the help of my DD Julia and she most kindly obliged...


We used a beautiful vintage vinyl-clad ~  Mad Man ~ brown faux alligator &

 gold ice bucket by the iconic Georges Briard ...

Julia shook it up really well!

Ooh, the suspense is killing me!


Here's one ...
 And two! Oh, I'm so excited, I could just spit!

And the lucky winners are ...

Hourglass Suzie & 4 Bushel Farmgal!

Ladies, please send me your addresses so I can get your prizes into the mail before I leave on my Road Trip on Wednesday, okay?  Just use the "contact me" button at the top right of my blog.

Once again, thanks to everyone who Followed me and/or left a comment on my Warrenton blog entry!

This was so much fun for me, I'm going to have to make up some kind of event so that I can have another Giveaway!

This next time the prize is  going to be a copy of the quintessential 
Bible of the antique business,

"How To Be Successful In The Antique Business"
by Ronald S. Barlow

First published in 1980 and revised in 1985, 
this book is still relevant in many ways for today's 
online seller, antique mall booth seller and/or 
a brick & mortar Antique Store owner!