butter beer & milk bottles

i really don't know if anyone reads this little blog or not. so i don't know if anyone has missed me or even noticed that i haven't written anything in a while. i have a long list of excuses. all of them valid. but i will admit that one excuse is a full blown addiction. pinterest. and while i do my fair share of pointless pinning, like baby bunnies and shoes i'll never be able to afford, i do an equal amount of purposeful pinning. i have recreated many craft projects, put together outfits, cooked a few meals, and decorated for holidays all because of pinterest inspiration. here are a couple of copycat projects that turned out at least as good as anticipated.

#1 - re-purposed starbucks frappuccino bottles into milk bottles. i picked up some super cute, retro, paper, striped straws from tj maxx. clayton loves these bottles and they get used daily.

#2 - harry potter butter beer. oh my goodness gracious alive, it was sickening sweet. delicious, but definitely something you save for a special occasion. our special occasion was that my mom hadn't seen the movies, so we watched them through in order. it was a great experience and the butter beer was so much fun to drink during the event.

harry potter butter beer
from: designdazzle.blogspot.com july 2011

step 1 - the "beer"
2 liter cream soda
2 tablespoons butter extract
2 teaspoons rum extract

drop the extracts into the 2 liter bottle.
put on cap & slowly rotate until combined.

step 2 - the topping
7oz marshmallow creme
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon rum extract

add items together in an electric mixer and combine until smooth.

step 3 - mix & enjoy
pour the butterbeer into a glass, drizzle with the cream topping, enjoy!

cozy. comfy. cute.

cozy. comfy. cute. that's my motto for life. i took this picture over the summer during our stay in bend for a soccer tournament. it describes me well...good book, hot cup of coffee, tasty breakfast, in my pajamas, on the porch. cozy. comfy. cute.

krispy kreme

krispy kreme, krispy kreme, krispy kreme! i am not a huge fan of doughnuts. if i'm going to consume that many calories in the early hours of the day, i'd rather they come from a cheesy bagel. however, warm, plain glazed, krispy kreme doughnuts are very hard to resist. especially when they get delivered to your office along with cute hats!

my office has been treated with free krispy kreme doughnuts twice recently. the first time was because my cube neighbor, francine, put her business card in their random drawing bowl. the second time was on international talk like a pirate day. apparently, if you show up in pirate attire, they give you a free dozen!

right now you can get krispy skremes, which are their halloween & pumpkin seasonal doughnuts. and as i'm writing this, i'm realizing that i will conveniently be passing by our local krispy kreme on my way home from visiting a friend this afternoon. wahoo!

if you have sugar plum dreams about these tasty treats, go get yours!

birthday pizza party

my parents are in the process of moving to the great northwest, which means we will all live close to each other for the first time since 1992. yes, 1992. that's when i moved to texas, mom was living in arkansas, daddy was leaving for africa, and jacy headed back up here.

mom’s birthday was our first reunited family celebration. she requested jeff’s homemade personal pizzas for her feast. i made menu/ordering forms so everyone could choose what they wanted on their pie.

and in true lawson-castagnola fashion, we had more than enough salad, cake, beer, wine, soda, gifts, laughing, and board games!

happy birthday, momma!

summer fun

it’s barely july, but i’ve already collected a bunch of memories for the summer of 2012.

to celebrate jacy’s birthday, i made burgers & onion rings. she brought her own cake & we drank lots of wine.

we got a ton of fresh strawberries. they were so sweet & smelled delicious! i love turquoise & red together.

my parents are moving to the great northwest & are staying with us until they buy a house. here they are eating their very first baby...dutch babies, that is. (mom is hiding from the camera.)

jolene celebrated a very special birthday and looked like a queen with her chicken wire & ribbon crown. we all sported mustachios for fun. jeff looks like the pringles man & i look a little disturbing.

i recreated this 4th of july treat i saw on pinterest for clayton. it's just a half of an ice cream sandwich with sprinkles. super cute & easy.

i wish you all a safe, fun & happy independence day. i'm looking at 6 straight days off. i plan on catching some rays & watching a bunch of camas soccer. enjoy!

here's a link for a crown tutorial if you'd like to make one for your very own. i'm thinking i'll make one for myself & wear it daily!

saltworks

this morning i was a little cranky, a lot tired, cold and wet. yes, it is june, which means summertime in most states, but not here in good ol' washington/oregon. but then i got to my desk & it was good morning to me! my work husband, todd, brought me 2 boxes of salt samplers from saltworks. that's 12 different salts & i tasted every single one. it even came with a cheat sheet on what to do with them.

here's what i got:
himalayan
murray river
bolivian rose
mediterranean
pure ocean
fleur de sel
sel gris
cyprus flake
alaea
hiwa kai
fume de sel
salish

the last 3 are my favorites. they're dark & a couple smell like campfire!

butterfly bagel

thank you to whoever supplied the bagels & white bean hummus in the staff lounge today. it was a good breakfast. my half a bagel reminded me of a butterfly, so i drew little antennas on my napkin. of course, the breakfast was complete with a bowl of blueberries. mmm, mmm, good

chipotle chicken and rice

we eat some sort of mexican dish every week. beans, rice, tortillas, peppers, spicy meat...what's not to love? the boys & i are really looking forward to some good eating when we get to south texas next month. i've heard that chuy's is a must & i'm excited to go back to my old college hang out, kiko's. until then, we'll have to settle for what i can put on the table.

here's a recipe for chipotle chicken & rice from martha stewart's everyday food, july/august 2009.

chipotle chicken and rice

in a large dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over med-hi.

season 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt & 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

brown chicken on both sides & transfer to a plate.

reduce heat to medium & add 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise.

saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.

add:
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
and 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced

cook until garlic is soft & fragrant.

add 2 large, diced tomatoes & 1 teaspoon salt.

cook until tomatoes begin to break down & release juices.



stir in 1 cup water.

return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot.

cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

remove several pieces of chicken and stir in 1 cup long-grain white rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid.



replace chicken, cover, & cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.

serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

last day of 8th grade

i remember the first day i dropped clayton off at liberty middle school for 6th grade. he was just 11 and all the 8th graders looked so old.


1st day of 6th grade

today is his last day of 8th grade & his last day at liberty. he’s off to camas high school in the fall, lord help me!


last day of 8th grade

as always, he was sent off to school with a full belly. he actually made his own breakfast this morning.



welcome summer!

tellin’ stories

y’all know that i use my crock-pot often. especially when it’s too hot to cook or when i’m working extra-long days. most of the time, i get the meal ready the night before & ask either jeff or clayton to pull the pot out of the fridge, put it in the crock-pot warmer thingy, & turn it on. i use the same process with this meal that has to cook for nearly 4 hours.

that was jeff’s job the other day & in case you don’t know him, he’s a joker. it’s a castagnola-male trait. you can only expect to believe about 20% of anything they tell you. lying is too strong of a word, because it’s never anything serious & you always know it’s not the truth within a minute or two. my nana calls “lying” “tellin' stories” & that’s what he does; he tells stories.

here’s a picture of a text exchange between husband & me.



it’s a good thing he’s cute.

the recipe in this story has a long title: lime-cilantro shredded beef with tortillas. we just call it green beef tacos. it’s from the southern living cooking school - holiday 2005 recipe magazine and it’s fantastic. there is a lot of prep work, but once it’s in the oven, your job is done.

green beef tacos
process:
8 garlic cloves
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
in a food processor until a thick paste forms, stopping to scrape down sides.



make a few 1”-deep cuts in each side of a 4-pound beef roast with a sharp knife.
spread the mixture on the roast, filling each cut.
wrap tightly with plastic wrap.



chill 8-24 hours.
unwrap roast & place in a 13x9” pan.
cover with foil.
bake at 325° for 3 hours 45 minutes or until meat shreds.
let stand 10 minutes.



serve in warm corn tortillas with sour cream, salsa, fresh cilantro & lime.

girly food

most of the cooking i do is for someone else...a family dinner, a party, a work potluck or for the boys. here are some girly foods i've been making just for little ol' me.

a piece of dave's killer bread, toasted, with an itsy-bitsy bit o'buttah, avocado, salt, & pepper.



shrimp & cheese omelet.



my version of california pizza kitchen's miso shrimp salad.



and this new favorite, from taste of home, pita wedges with cream cheese & cucumbers.



pita wedges w/cc & c
use an electric mixer to mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with 1 package of italian salad dressing mix.
cut pita bread (i used whole wheat with honey) into triangles.
spread cream cheese mixture onto pita triangle.
top with a peeled cucumber slice & sprinkle with lemon pepper.

the first time i made these was when a couple of ladies came over for an afternoon-snacky-dinner. after that i started packing them in my lunchbox. delicious!

how to win a man's heart

it’s probably pretty obvious that i have a special fondness for food. why else would i spend so much time writing about, cooking, eating, & photographing it? it’s just so spectacular! i’ve mentioned on here in the past that i really love vegetables. i’ve also said that i adore cheese, bread, meat, and chocolate. it appears i have a hard time committing to just one.

speaking of committing to just one...you know that old saying, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? i’m living proof that it is the truth. lean in close & i’ll tell you a secret recipe that will surely win a man’s heart.

meatballs -from beau macmillan, foodnetwork.com
preheat oven to 425º
in a large bowl, combine:
•2 pounds 80% lean ground beef
•3/4 cup breadcrumbs
•3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano
•3/4 cup fresh, chopped parsley
•2-3 minced garlic cloves
•2 eggs
•salt & freshly ground pepper

form into 1 - 1½” meatballs
place on a greased baking sheet or roasting pan
bake for 5 minutes
turn oven down to 350º
bake 10 more minutes, turning every few minutes to brown on all sides

serve with buttery, warm garlic bread & a glass of red wine.
you can top with a sauce, but they don’t need it.

stick at’yun in your back pocket in case you ever find a special someone you’d like to keep forever. and, on the flip side, be careful who you serve these to. men are like stray cats. feed ‘em once & they’ll never leave you alone.

southwest tortellini chowder

here’s a recipe for southwest tortellini chowder. it’s from the 1996 pillsbury million dollar bake-off magazine. i’ve used this recipe magazine so many times that the cover has fallen off.

i served the soup with hot sandwiches, which were filled with mozzarella, roasted red bell peppers, parmesan, pepperoni & salami. i called it a panini. clayton pointed out that this was not the correct way to make a panini because i used sliced bread rather than a bread roll. correct or not, he ate it & loved it.

southwest tortellini chowder
in a dutch oven or large saucepan, combine 32 oz condensed chicken broth, 1 ½ cups chunky salsa & ½ teaspoon grated orange peel. (i left out the orange peel because the smell of oranges makes me sick.)
bring to a boil.
reduce heat to low.
simmer 3 minutes.
stir in 18 oz refrigerated tortellini & 1 lb package of frozen corn, broccoli & red peppers.
cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until tortellini & vegetables are tender.
stir in 5 oz can evaporated milk & a dash of salt.
cook 1-2 minutes or just until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. do not boil.
top each serving with cilantro.

mother's day dinner

being a mom is the best thing in the whole wide world. it’s better than hot coffee, new boots, down comforters & roller coasters. the picture above is my sweet clayton & me on mother’s day. he just melts my cotton-pickin’ heart. i’ve already told y’all how i spent my mother’s day morning. below are some pictures of my mother’s day dinner at newport bay. the weather was warm, the river was beautiful, the food was delicious, but the company was the best!

broken bones, superheroes & cake