Wait a second...didn't we do this last week...that's right baby we did, it was so delicious last week, that my husband and I indulged again!  This past Saturday was so beautiful we decided to redo our meal from the previous weekend, and as you can tell it turned out equally delicious!  Now...for the ribs, on Sunday, we felt more adventurous and went all out and spent the 3-4 hours doing these bad boys, and yes, they tasted as delicious as they look!  They are well worth the work...but also a once a year type of thing.  We did have a few mishaps, like running out of propane for our grill midway, but we adapted and just moved it inside to the oven!  The best part is that my son actually did eat some of the ribs!  Yippie!  Oh and in case you were wondering, yes, I am obsessed with taking pictures of my food!

What is Earth Hour...you ask?  For those of you who do not know, here is the basic definition on the Earth Hour website: On March 27, 2010, an estimated one billion people around the world came together to call for action on climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for just one hour—Earth Hour.  Well, I already screwed up...I had the day wrong, so we participated on March 28, 2010, but we redeemed ourselves by turning out the lights for 2 hours!  We turned off everything in the house...went outside and lit a small burn pile that we had been building full of limbs, leaves and such, yes I know this may be defeating the purpose, but we created our own light!  It was a beautiful evening, the temperature was just right and we had a great time together as a family.  I took some pretty neat looking photos of the flames, and the photo above is of the one light we couldn't turn off (it is controlled by the city)  quite spooky isn't it!  Our little man loved running outside at night and loved the neat-o fire, though he had a hard time understanding he couldn't run through it.  So, for those of you who didn't participate this year, there is always next year, or heck, do it together as a family this weekend!

Happy Friday!  This recipe is an oldie, but a goody that originated from my mom and now has my spin on it!  It is quite unique, but very tasty and is great served with mustard as a dipping sauce, and a salad on the side.

Marci's Salmon Patties
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
1 Can Red Salmon
1 Large Egg
3/4 - 1 Cup Breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon Mustard (Spicy or Regular)
3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
2 Green Onions, Finely Chopped
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
2 Tablespoons Your Choice of Oil (Vegetable, Canola, or Olive)

Mix together in large bowl the following ingredients: Salmon, Egg, Mustard, Parsley, Green Onions, Salt and Pepper, add enough Breadcrumbs (about 1/2 Cup) to give the mixture a solid feeling that you can now form into patties.  Form patties no bigger than the palm of your hand, smaller if you wish, around 3/4 Inch thick and then roll them in the remaining breadcrumbs coating the entire patty.  In a large skillet heat over medium temperature the 2 Tablespoons of Oil.  Cook on both sides until nice and brown.  Enjoy!

The title says it all!  This past Sunday was a lazy, cold and windy day....perfect for barbecue!  Well, not really but we braved the elements to enjoy some really good food.  My husband and I picked up a loaf of garlic bread, vegetables for grilling and two New York strips...and we managed to grill them to perfection!  I mean look at those grill lines...impressive...I know!  Our skewers included onions, squash, mushrooms, jalapenos, tomatoes and shrimp...so delicious (see my post below about how to grill the vegetables.)  I seasoned the steaks with salt, pepper, a gourmet burger spice and worcestershire sauce.  Simple as that!  GIve it a try sometime and hopefully you can have a meal as gorgeous as this one!  We sure did enjoy it, and of course my two year old wouldn't even take a bite of anything, big surprise...oh well, maybe one day his palette will enjoy this type of food, but until then, I guess it is all for Mom and Dad!

Well you know you are....jealous that is.  Seriously, in case you were wondering, this is what it looks like...the COMPLETE Little House on the Prairie series on 60 discs!  This item has been for sale for a while, but I could never bring myself to shell out the major bucks, but with a great Amazon sale and $50 worth of gift certificates, I went ahead and treated myself!  Yes, it is a binder full of DVD's!  I am so excited to start watching this beloved series that I grew up watching...when TV was simpler, cleaner and before the days of reality TV.  Yes, I know that this will take me FOREVER to watch, but hopefully my whole family will enjoy it and we can spend some quality wholesome family time in front of the TV...haha!  I know this makes me dorky and all, but I really did love me some Little House...loved the books also!  So, what was your favorite TV show growing up?

I know, sometimes it is the little things, but I am so excited at how lovely my little stamp turned out on my manila shipping envelopes.  I think it turned out so beautiful, and hopefully my customers will think the same when they receive their little package in the mail!  I purchased the stamp from a shop on Etsy and was totally happy with the design, communication, proof time and price...not so happy about the fact that the shop "pretended" to be located out of the United States, but the product was really produced in a third world country.  After I made my purchase, they changed their policy section to reflect the truth about where the stamps were really being produced and the "real" shipping time that it would take to receive the product.  It took 6 weeks to receive the stamp, but when I purchased it they said it would be 2-3 weeks.  I left positive feedback because the stamp turned out so nice, but because of the other factors, I won't be recommending them on my website!  Oh well...you win some, you lose some, right?  I still think it turned out lovely and I hope you do to!

You know what time it is...Friday!  Today's meat-less meal is a really easy, really tasty one that has several great variations!  This recipe is designed for the grill, but you can do the exact same thing inside in the oven (in case it is raining, or just unpleasant outside!)

Marci's Grilled Tilapia with Lemon Herb Sauce
and Grilled Vegetables
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 Tilapia Fillets (Catfish is equally good!)
Non-stick oil cooking spray
2 Lemons, exteriors scrubbed cleaned and rinsed
1/2 Teaspoon Dill
1/2 Teaspoon Rosemary
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Sage
1/2 Tablespoon Parsley Flakes
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)
Olive Oil
Your Choice of Vegetables: Bell Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Tomatoes, Squash, Jalapenos

Heat your grill medium-high heat, around 350 degrees.  Make sure you have an area/zone that doesn't have high flames.  Cut all of the vegetables into 1/2" - 1" bite size chunks and thread them onto skewers.  Drizzle Olive Oil over the skewered vegetables and sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper.  Place on grill, rotating often to make sure they aren't getting burned.  Rinse the Tilapia fillets.  Take 2 large pieces of tinfoil, lay one on top of the other and fold up all four sides, you are making a boat for the fish and sauce, make sure you seal the sides together really well, you don't want your sauce to leak out all over the grill.  If you have large fillets, you may want to make 2 boats and put 2 fillets in each (you will have to pick up and transfer the boat.)  Spray tinfoil with non-stick cooking spray.  Place Tilapia in tinfoil boat.  Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper, then sprinkle all of the herbs over the fillets, flip them over and season the other side.  Slice the two lemons in half, squeeze lemon juice over all of the fillets, after you have done this cut the lemons into slices and place all over and around the fish in the boats.  Place the tinfoil boat onto the hot grill, and cook (lid on) until the fish is white, totally opaque and flaky (I am not putting a cooking time, because it varies by grill and temperature.)  Carefully remove tinfoil boat and discard lemon slices (save a few for garnish if you wish.)  Plate fish, spoon extra sauce over the Tilapia, and serve with grilled vegetables on the side.  Enjoy!

Once again it is Friday and I will be sharing a very healthy, delicious and easy recipe that is meat free!  This recipe makes a ton of food and is great with a loaf of french bread or just crackers, lunch or dinner!  This is one of my husband's favorite soups, personally I don't like soup to much, but this one is so chunky, I can get away with less liquid in mine, making it less like soup!  I truly hope you love it!

Marci's Minestrone Soup
6-8 Large Servings

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (or oil of your choice, like Canola or Vegetable)
2 Large Carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
2 Stalks Celery, chopped into small pieces
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sage
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Thyme
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
8 Oz. Frozen Green Peas
8 Oz. Frozen Chopped Spinach
8 Cups Vegetable Broth
1 Can Italian Diced Tomatoes
2 Cans White Beans (I use Great Northern,) drained but not rinsed
1 1/4 Cups Small Tubular Pasta (Macaroni or Ditalini)
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce (Your favorite brand, I use either Louisiana or Tabasco)
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Heat oil in a very large pot over medium-high heat.  Add onions, celery, carrots and saute until tender about 7 minutes.  Add Red Pepper Flakes, Sage, Thyme, Oregano, Salt and Pepper until fragrant about 1 minute.  Add Peas, Spinach, Vegetable Broth, Diced Tomatoes and Beans, cover and cook until it comes to a boil, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and add pasta, adjust heat if needed, simmer for about 10-11 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally making sure the pasta doesn't get stuck to the bottom.  Right at the end add hot sauce, salt and pepper if needed.  Enjoy!

It's Friday again, and you know what that means...no meat!  This week's installment involves a semi-hard recipe that I have reworked to make super duper easy!  About a month ago I decided to fix Ricotta Manicotti with Tomato Sauce for my mother's birthday...well halfway into making the dish, I remembered why I don't fix this meal often...it is aggravating!  So after some thought I figured out how to redo it...resulting in the same great taste, just so much easier to make.  Roll up your sleeves and try this baby out for size!

Marci's Faux Ricotta Manicotti Roll-Ups with Tomato Sauce
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
1 box lasagna noodles
2 containers (15 oz each) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2 jars of your favorite already prepared tomato sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms of your choice
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper finely chopped

Chop all veggies, heat a medium skillet with 1 tablespoon oil, add mushrooms once oil is hot and saute until the mushrooms have darkened and softened to a good consistency.  Remove mushrooms from pan, set aside to cool.  Add chopped onions and bell peppers to the pan and saute until wilted and slightly browned, set aside.  Cook pasta noodles just until it reaches al dente', drain and carefully remove lasagna noodles with tongs onto a plate (it is ok if some are broken.)  While the pasta is cooking, mix together in large bowl the ricotta, 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup of the Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup of the Mozzarella cheese, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and cooled mushrooms.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large 9x13 baking dish, pour one of the jars of tomato sauce into the dish and add cooked onions and bell peppers, stir in well.  Taking one lasagna noodle at a time (on a separate plate) using about 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling, evenly spread the mixture onto the noodle, and then starting at one end carefully roll up the lasagna noodle and place (seam down) into the baking dish with sauce.  Repeat until finished (this should fill up the baking dish!)  Once you are done with the lasagna roll-ups, pour over the other jar of tomato sauce (I only use half a jar, but it is up to you) and then top with the remainder Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.  Bake until bubbly about 30 minutes, and cheese is nicely browned in spots.  Enjoy!

Photo 1 shows the lasagna roll-ups once placed into the sauce.
Photo 2 shows the dish before it goes into the oven (we like cheese!)
Photo 3 - Missing - Sorry no photo, we were too hungry and I forgot to take a picture!

Think about it, six months, doesn't really seem like that much time does it...or does it?  I guess that is one of those glass half full or glass half empty questions.  In some ways looking back six months seems like forever, but when looking at it on paper it seems so short.  Well six months ago I had my very first sale on etsy - yippie!  I opened up my shop about 2.5 weeks before my first sale and was starting to get nervous, but then it happened - I was so excited, and still am every time I have a sale, no matter how big or small, I guess it's validation or something, but it truly is thrilling every time to me!  So Thank-you to all of my customers in my first six months...without you, I wouldn't be here out on the web! 

The past six months for me have been filled with new beginnings, challenges, loss, celebrations and oh so many memories...

Opened my Etsy shop - August 10, 2009
Found out that we were having another baby! August 28
My first sale on Etsy - August 29
Oh so many birthday parties!
Sewing Sewing Sewing
I turned 29 - Last year in my twenties, oh crap - September 17
Oh so sick...really really sick...pregnancy can miserable!
Oh so sick...really really sick...pregnancy can be wonderful!
Our sweet unborn baby went to heaven - October 22
In and out of the hospital - October 22-25
My husband and I started dating 10 years ago!  October 26
My son was a garden gnome for Halloween - wouldn't wear his costume! - October 31
Our little boy turned 2! - November 1
Sewing Sewing Sewing
Designing Crafting Sewing
Celebrated Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Mardi Gras

Well, here we are today, reminiscing, but yet looking forward to the future!  Who knows what the next six months will hold...I guess we will have to wait and see...but, I am sure it will be filled with many new adventures!  So...what does six months mean for you?