snow, soup, and a painted dresser

It finally snowed!  A few days ago roughly 4 or 5 inches of that fluffy white stuff fell from the sky and greeted us when we woke up.  I couldn't wait to send the kids outside to play.  They lasted outdoors for about 45 minutes before they wanted to come back in.  I told Maria that when I was a kid, I would play outside all. day. long.  I think she found it amusing and impossible.  Those were the days....

As you can see, we have painted all the walls and radiators on the main floor white... well, minus the hallway and the kitchen.  It was a pretty big job but we managed to get it done in one weekend.  It feels so bright and fresh in here now.  The 'carpet guy' is coming this afternoon to measure out the square footage and we should have some new gray carpet in the next week or two.  No more Berber!  After the carpet is installed we'll reattach the cedar trim and hopefully start getting some shelves and pictures on the walls.

We've also made the decision to paint the wood fireplace... my dad will be so disappointed.  sorry dad. :(  I will most likely get that done this weekend before the carpet is installed.

We're still searching for some odds and ends furniture.  My friend Jake is helping us out in finding some tree trunks for either end of the couch.  I'm planning to do this to them... minus the legs.

I finally got around to painting Ginger's dresser too.  Over the summer we found it for free on the side of the road.  It was dark wood and the top of it had a big burn hole in it like someone left a candle burning or something.  I asked my dad to attach a new top and now you can't even tell that it's been replaced.

It was my first time using Floetrol mixed in with the paint and I really like the results.  Less brush strokes and no drag marks.

The color turned out different than I thought it was going to be but I still like it.  I intended to use the same color on two hutches on the main floor, but the color just isn't gonna jive. :)

I replaced the old pulls with new glass knobs that I found at Target and I think it adds to it's vintage charm.

Last but not least, I HAVE to share this amazing soup recipe with you too!  If you've ever had the Zuppa Toscana from the Olive Garden (and liked it), then this recipe is a must have for your recipe box.  It tastes just like the real thing.  Next time I will increase the bacon and decrease the sausage and pepper flakes.  Yowza it was spicy!  Scott ended up having to eat most of it because it was too hot for my liking, but the flavor was incredible!  And! last night I made Peach Lacquered Chicken Wings for dinner and they were so good that it was hard to stop eating them.  I'm going to suggest you add that one to your recipe box as well.

That's all for now.  Hope you all enjoy your weekend. I'll be painting... again!

Liberty Market = happiness

Last week on my birthday, my family took me out for an amazingly awesome dinner at Liberty Market.  If it wasn't for Karina filling us in on all the hot spots around Mesa, we would've never known about this fantastic restaurant.

Immediately when you walk in, you're greeted by the large, old and weathered butcher block and the long farm table I have always dreamed of owning.  I instantly knew that this was going to be good.  To the left was your opportunity to watch the orange glow of the wood burning pizza oven while enjoying your meal at their modern counter.

It wasn't exactly what we had envisioned, with their paper menus and order window, but it seemed to work well for this eclectic little place.  Scott stood in line while I tried to keep the girls occupied at the table... after a long day, it was not an easy task.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious and it was extremely hard to choose just one item.  The girls had a grilled cheese that was oozing cheesy goodness out of every edge.  It came with your choice of one side from the salad case.  Maria chose the best rice pudding I have ever eaten!  It was the first thing Ginger ate and lucky for me, Maria didn't like hers. :)

Scott ordered pizza with what appeared to be caramelized onions, sausage and goat cheese.  It was delicious and I can totally appreciate a good pizza crust.  Yummy!!  I ordered one of their starred menu items... a chicken pasta.  It was creamy, cheesy goodness that resembled the Pasta Luca Brasi at Blackwoods in Duluth, only without the shrimp and without the bite.  It was very VERY good.

Before leaving the restaurant, Karina mentioned checking out the bathrooms.  So past that old farm table I went, around the glass windowed kitchen, and into the communal sink area.  Each of the 4 or 5 bathrooms were for men and women, and each had their own distinct flare.  One had a crazy geometric floor...

while another had recipes strewn all over the white walls in a black sharpie pen.  Pretty cool.

I wish I had been more brave with my camera to take more pictures, but it's a little uncomfortable when people are watching me.  Definitely something I need to work on because there were a lot of photo opportunities in that place.

We'll most likely be coming here again before we head back north to Minnesota at the end of June.

Our day at Schnepf Farms

One hot morning a couple of weeks back, I got my butt in gear, got the girls dressed, and loaded them in the car for a trip to a local farm.  Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek offers pick your own peaches, apricots, and apples and I thought it would be fun for the girls and I to get out and try something new.

Having baked a disappointing crisp with canned peaches only a week earlier, I thought I'd give peaches another try.  We arrived to find a large, delightful farm with a small train running through the grounds and hay rides for visitors.  We grabbed our basket and red shopping bag, and got right to it.  Up and down the rows of peach trees we went, feeling each fuzzy fruit to check for ripeness.  And if you didn't know already, peaches don't ripen further after picking... they only get softer and as we soon found out, a lot of the ripe ones had already been picked.

But, there were plenty of peaches for all and we knew that within these rows and rows of green, lush trees there had to be some ripe ones left for us... which there were.  We filled our basket with what we thought we could use and headed to the checkout line to purchase our $9.00 worth of peaches.

The girls were fairly patient while we waited in line, but I felt like one of those mothers with all eyes on me.  Anything I said or did was going to be judged.  For a few moments I felt like I couldn't do anything right.  Should I keep them close?  Can they play on those wooden pallets?  Can they stand on those yet to be built boxes?  What if I say the wrong thing?  Which I did.  I thought it was funny, but I'm pretty sure I was the only one chuckling.  I do tend to get quite a kick out of myself. :)

After purchasing our fruit we got the stroller out of the truck and decided to check out more of the farm.  They have a nice sized section of pick your own vegetable and flowers too.

The sunflowers went as far as the eye could see and there were rows and rows of organic beets, romaine, carrots, yellow squash, kale, and green onions all for $1.50 a pound.  

The girls made sure to smell the flowers while I made sure to take some pictures.

No veggies were picked that day, but fun was had by all.  I think they enjoyed the hay bales most of all.  

Up and down they went with a few quick breaks from Maria to strike her favorite pose.  To think she used to hate getting her picture taken!

Scott had the following day off from work and took the girls for a long bike ride so I could get some baking done.  After sampling one sour peach, I was worried how the rest were going to be.  Luckily the they were fine and after blanching, peeling, and slicing all those messy peaches, it was time to get baking.

I decided to make and taste my first peach cobbler.  I used this recipe from myrecipes.com and added both nutmeg and cinnamon to the top.  It was pretty good, but unlike most people, I preferred mine cold and not necessarily with ice cream.

That same afternoon, I made Emeril's Peach Muffins with Pecan Crumb Topping.  I used the 1½ cups sugar as once reviewer had suggested and seriously baked the hell out of these things!  They weren't golden brown after the recommended 20 minutes, so I baked them for about 45 minutes.  It's most likely due to our inaccurate, economy sized oven. This recipe made exactly 24 muffins (usually I end up with more or less) but ran out of the crumb topping ¾ of the way through my second pan.  I froze half and took the rest of these tasty muffins with us to Lake Pleasant. I can see myself using other seasonal fruits in this recipe as well.

By the time I was finished baking, this trailer was hotter than hell and there was NO relief of stepping outside into the near 100° temperatures.  

In the end I had learned a few things.  1.) picking your own fruit is much more fun than buying it from any market 2.) baking for roughly 4 hours in a 34 foot trailer during summer in Arizona is a no-no 3.) I don't think I'm that into peaches.

Yeah, after all that I'm just not that into them.  I'd rather eat rhubarb, strawberries, and raspberries.  Who knew?


**I also want to thank everyone, here and there, for all the birthday wishes.  It was a great day and I'm looking forward to posting about it soon.**

An afternoon well spent

This past weekend we took the drive down to Tucson to visit my parents.  They live in such a beautiful area right on the edge of the mountains and where the sunsets make the Catalina Mountains glow a magnificent pink.  I think I'll take refuge at their place quite a bit these next few months and relax on the patio swing with cerveza in hand.  Ahhhhh, the life.

My mother took me down to Tubac on Sunday morning to do a little shopping.  Tubac is known for their artist community and most of the shops had locally made goods and open art studios.  It was interesting and I came home with to adorable dresses for the girls.

We enjoyed lunch at a quaint little restaurant... Maria something or other.  

We dined outside, both enjoying delicious salads, took pictures, and gabbed about everything.  It was so nice to be sans children for pretty much the entire day.

The following day, Scott went golfing with my dad while we girls enjoyed a relaxing morning.  We made a stop at a nearby yarn store so I could get some help with a pattern.  Unfortunately, I was not well received.  The lady who 'helped' me was rude and I could totally tell she thought I was stupid and had questioned my knitting capabilities.  I should have listened to the reviews I read and stayed away.  The project has since been completed. Yay!!


On Tuesday, after returning home and getting a good nights sleep, I made our first batch of kale chips.  I've seen these before and they appear to be quite popular at the local farmer's market.  They are surprisingly good and have an addictive quality to them. I added too much salt to ours so next time I'm going to be more careful.

Here's what I did...


 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Wash and dry your greens and tear into bite size pieces.  Place in a large bowl, drizzle with 1 T. olive oil, and sprinkle with salt.  Feel free to add other seasonings if you wish.  Bake for about 15 or 20 minutes until nice and crispy.


How did you spend your weekend??

Adventures in cooking... potatoes with ranch dressing

I've always enjoyed cooking and baking and then sharing my creations with others, but since having children, my passion for it has taken a bit of a back seat.  However, I still love trying new recipes and have compiled a list in my head of tantalizing menu items (with my own personal touch of course) that would surely make the cut if I ever opened my own cafe... something else I've 'pipedreamed' about.

I find a lot of great meal ideas in magazines, my two favorites being Better Homes & Gardens and Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Everyday Food is full of quick and light meals that often only require a few ingredients.  That's where I acquired this tasty side dish.  The sweetness of the baby reds really paired well with the tanginess of the homemade ranch dressing.  Since Scott and I enjoyed it so much, I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Potatoes with Ranch Dressing

1 lb. small potatoes

½ cup low-fat buttermilk

¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt

2 T. mayonnaise

1-2 T. chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, or basil)

¾ tsp. fresh thyme

1 small garlic clove, minced

course salt & ground pepper to taste

In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.  In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and mayonnaise.  Stir in herbs, thyme, and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Drain potatoes and add to dressing.  Gently toss to combine.

Enjoy!!