PASTA, SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

Because I had a red and green bell pepper leftover from our fajita dinner, I chose to look up some recipes that would allow me to use the peppers before they spoiled.  I landed on this pasta recipe which was really tasty!  It takes your everyday pasta to a different level without too much extra effort.

This is a two pan recipe which can be on your table in just under an hour!

INGREDIENTS:

1 jar of your favorite red spaghetti sauce

1 lb. bulk italian sausage

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

4 oz. cream cheese (cut into small cubes)

¼ cup grated parmesan

1 tsp. fennel

3 cups penne, mostaciolli, or your favorite pasta

DIRECTIONS:

Slice the peppers into narrow strips.  Brown italian sausage, in a large skillet over medium heat.  Drain the sausage on a paper towel. Use the remaining fat to saute' the peppers.  When fork tender, add in the sausage, the sauce, fennel, and the cream cheese.  Blend by stirring over a medium low heat.  Cover and simmer while you cook the pasta. 

Add the cooked pasta right into the sauce mixture, sprinkle and stir in the parmesan.   

Enjoy!

recipe c/o:  www.allrecipes.com

CRANBERRY ORANGE BISCOTTI

Having a half bag of frozen cranberries in my freezer, I set out to find a recipe that called for fresh cranberries.  I landed on a biscotti recipe that fit the bill.    The recipe also suggests that you can use dried cranberries, which would probably be a bit sweeter.  If you're looking for a little tart with your sweet, go with the frozen variety.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup room temp butter

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp. orange zest

1 tsp. orange extract

¼ tsp. almond extract

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder 

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

6-8 oz. of fresh or dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar together in a bowl until creamy.  Beat in eggs, orange zest, orange extract, and almond extract.  Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl; mix dry ingredients into moist ingredients to make a stiff dough.  Mix cranberries into dough.  Form dough into a ball, cut into halves, and shape each half into a log.  Place logs onto prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the oven until the edges are lightly browned; 20-25 minutes.  Let logs cool completely on wire racks.  Cut logs into slices and lay them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake biscotti until crisp and lightly golden brown, about  *10-12 minutes.

*baking time may need to be longer when using fresh cranberries due to the added moisture they provide to the dough.

Enjoy!

recipe c/o:  allrecipes.com

TWO TIER CATHEDRAL VEIL

This past summer I had the pleasure of making a cathedral length veil for a Texas bride.  Sarah wanted a simple cathedral length veil; meaning no embellishments....but she also wanted it a double layer.  Now, I have to tell you, I hadn't heard of this before.  I thought she may have meant a two tier (meaning with a blusher), but she meant two full layers of illusion the full length of the veil.

Take a look at how full the veil looks with two full layers of illusion.  So beautiful! 

I also used an extra wide comb, which looks really pretty ... creating a statement from the top of the comb to the very tip of the veil!  So elegant!

Sarah did a great job choosing a veil that was a perfect match for her contemporary gown.  Simple and understated, yet look how well it complemented her dress and...... what about that bouquet?! 

Thank you Sarah for allowing me to be a part of your special day and for introducing me to the double layer veil, it's a beauty! 

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

It was sometime in late November or early December when my daughter approached me about making her a dress for New Year's Eve.    She wanted a short off the shoulder dress, and it just so happened that I had some beautiful black lace that would be perfect.  I found a black suiting fabric for the dress itself on a trip to JoAnn fabrics.  I chose one with a two way stretch since we discussed the fact that she wanted it to be form fitting.

So here she is rockin' her little black dress on NYE 2017!

I began the project with a classic strapless dress with princess seaming in both the front and the back so I could d really fit the dress to her shape.                                                      

After that, I draped the lace on top of the dress to create the lace overlay.  As I was creating it,  I knew the scallop would at the top of the bodice (the off-the-shoulder piece), but I also wanted to take advantage of the lace motif, by cutting around the pattern highlighting the leaves and florals where the bodice ended right at the hipline.  

I put in an invisible zipper up to the top of the underlayer and then strategically placed four sweet buttons at the very top in the lace.

I apologize for all the differences in the lighting in these pictures, but some of them were obviously taken on NYE, while others were taken at different points in the project in my studio.

I love how it turned out....and better still, my daughter loved how it turned out.  Best part for me....since she was pleased with the final fit, I now have a"block" pattern that I can work from to make her all sorts of different dresses in the future without starting from scratch each time!