Taco Pasta Skillet

I made this for dinner tonight and it got rave reviews from the hubby and kids so I thought I would share this easy recipe. It fed 6 people and hubby had 2 servings.  I served it with crusty bread and a green salad.

1 lb	ground beef
1 c	chopped onion
1 c	sweet corn (frozen)
4 oz	diced green chile peppers, drained
1 pkg   2/3 c	taco seasoning (1.25oz) water
1 lb	penne pasta (1 box)
4 oz	sliced black olives, drained
1 c	shredded monterey jack cheese (divided) can of diced tomatoes sour cream fresh cilantro

Brown the ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Drain. Meanwhile, cook your pasta of choice according to the package directions.  I used ziti.
Add the corn and green chilies to the beef mixture. 
Add the package of taco seasoning mix and 2/3 cup of water and stir. Add 1/2 C of the cheese and the olives.
Simmer for 5 mins.
Drain pasta and add to the meat mixture. 
Serve topped with the remaining shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream and cilantro.
Enjoy!

Happy Sunday!

It is a gorgeous day here in New England.  The highs will be in the low 70's. I hope to get more yard work done and just enjoy the day.  I switched up the farmhouse table this morning.  My Mother in Law who recently passed away had given me this lovely victorian lemonade set that was her Mothers. I filled it with the hot pink rhododendrons that are blooming in the yard and added a few more victorian pieces around it and used a vintage tablecloth with strawberries galore on it.   I think it makes for a bright and cheery table. While I still love my primitives, I do like to decorate in other styles on occasion and love to mix things up between primitive, farmhouse, shabby chic, and victorian. Maybe it is the Gemini in me.  How about you?  Do you stick with one style regardless or bring other treasured pieces into your decor even if they aren't the majority of your decor?

Catmint ? You Would Think The "Cat" Part Would Have Given Me a Clue

Hubby and I went to Home Depot this morning to pick up a lawn mower starter and of course I can't leave that place without walking through the garden dept.  I saw the tall spikey purple flowers and thought they were pretty and a decent price at $5.97 so I purchased three 2 qt. pots. I noticed it was called catmint when I got it home and so I tore off a leaf and smelled it...yep minty. I wonder why they call it catmint?   So I decided to put the plants beside the garage where it gets a lot of sun. One of the kittys was nearby and immediately began to roll on the plant knocking half of it flat to the ground.  Another comes by and starts chewing on it.  Yikes. I tell hubby that I think we bought catnip!  I was afraid they were going to flatten the rest of my flowers and seedlings there so I replanted all 3 plants in an old cranberry box and put it on the side of the house. So the kitties are havin' a hell of a time with my new plants and hubby is grumbling about wasting 15 dollars. lol

Little Mama is staggering off after rolling on the plant for 15 minutes.

Misty comes by to take a "hit" off the plant.

Catmint plants all replanted in their new box. Uh oh...Mama is back for a second roll and Ty is getting his fill too.  I wonder how long the plants will look pretty? lol

Out and About on a Beautiful Early Summer Morning

Today is one of those picture perfect days here in New England.  The sun is shining brightly, it is in the mid 70's and a light breeze is blowing. After all the rain we had everything is very green! I was walking around the yard this morning checking on my flowers and decided to take a few pictures.  I am a bit behind in my gardening this year because of the weather and the death of my mother in law, but things are starting to look nice around here.
I love the pinks. They remind me of peppermint candies. The wooden planters are planted with a few mixed perennials.

Outside the back door, the old oak chair and table make a nice place to have a cup of ice tea in the morning. The old rusty bucket makes a nice pot. More pinks are planted in the rusty clam bucket. I do love my rusty buckets! The iron german shepard is a shoe scraper. The green table was a curbside freebie.

The outhouse on the property which hubby says will soon be my potting shed looks pretty with the old lobster traps and buoys out front. I collect old buoys and anything ocean related besides my prims. The old watering can makes a nice planter on top of the lobster trap.

At the front of the house the child's double seat adirondack chair has a potted pink petunia on its table, and here comes kitty to investigate what I am doing! The old wagon wheel with it's great red paint leans against the lamp pole. I am hoping the vine I planted will grow around the spokes.

Beside the house the river is calm and the greenery is lush. I love sitting here watching the fish jump and if I am lucky I see a couple of river otters playing occasionally. In the early morning when I arise the croaking of the bullfrogs is like a chorus.  A black snake surprised hubby when he was fishing earlier here.he didn't catch anything. lol

I hope today is a beautiful day wherever you are! Thank you for stopping by!

Happy Memorial Day

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend!
I haven't been working on my blog for a bit as my mother in law passed away last week. She was a wonderful lady that my family loved dearly. She was 89 years old. She will be remembered lovingly.
Rest in Peace Alice.

Prayer for the Troops

Please join us in our prayers for the men and women of the Armed Forces Of The United States Of America and other countries who are now in harm's way in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other parts of the world. We thank them and their families for their sacrifices.

 

We are grateful for the ultimate price of freedom paid by those fallen. We pray for strength and courage for the POWS and Missing In Action and those held hostage.

 

We pray for the protection and safety of selfless relief workers and missionaries who help those in need.

 

We pray for the protection of children and innocent civilians.

 

We pray for our nation and our leaders.

 

- The Howards

Lilacs To Brighten Another Dreary Day

Today has dawned another dismal, showery, cool day here in New England.  The only cheery sign of pending summer is the beautiful lilacs blooming along the back fence.  I snipped a few, shook the rain water off, placed them in an old Gem mason jar and added them to my coffee table vignette. They are beautiful and smell so good!  My daughter's boyfriend informed me that next Tuesday is supposed to be good weather. Today is Thursday sooooooo..... I guess that is something to look forward to. I am wondering if I will ever get to plant my vegetable beds.

Outside Corner Makeover

Yesterday hubby and I were walking around the yard deciding what new plantings need to be done and what changes we should make.  We stopped at that corner of the house.  It is a place where nothing grows, and believe me I have tried growing things there. There is little sun because of a large Japanese maple tree that blocks the light. It is just an eyesore. The only thing that flourishes there is spiders. He said, "We need to get something for that corner", and started listing things that involved money.  ( granite troughs, benches...ugh)  I am on a thrifty kick and my brain began to think of things we had in the shed, in the garage, or stuck in the basement. I remembered seeing this sweet little chair in the garage on top of the canoe ( it looks like an episode of "Hoarders" in our garage at the moment. ) I think it was another thing he had found roadside.  I came out of the garage with it and some bucket that I believe is the liner to a bait bucket, and he said "where are you going with that?"  I said, "I just want to try something" He began mumbling about wood glue and clamps as usual.  I just ignored it...it's not like anyone would want to actually sit in that spider infested corner anyway.  So this is our new "naughty corner" display and I like it.  I am going to put a plant in the bait bucket liner. Best of all it was Free and I think it looks primitively charming. What do you think?