Quarantine Cooking ~Are You Running Out of Ideas? ~Pasta, Pizza, and Soup

Are you still eating most of your meals at home?

And preparing all of those meals?

Day..after..Day

Here are some of our favorite Pasta Dishes.

This LoMein is the perfect side dish for Grilled Pork Chops.

Another one of my Go-To Meals is Garlic Shrimp Pasta.

I like to sauté some mushrooms, pepper, and

green onion, in addition to the shrimp.

This Chicken Asparagus Pasta Alfredo was pretty tasty, too.

During the Winter Months,

I prepared Soup in the Crockpot every Thursday.

Italian Sausage, Vegetables, and Pasta.

Beef, Vegetables, and Barley.

Hubby’s favorite was this Knoephla Soup.

Now that our weather has turned to Spring,

I’m switching from Soup to trying different Salad recipes.

I’ll try to remember to take some photos.

Of course, we still celebrate Pizza Friday.

This is Italian Sausage and Caramelized Onions.

Chicken Cordon Bleu is perhaps our favorite.

Chicken Bacon Ranch is a close second for me.

Hubby loves a Supreme, especially the Pepperoni.

Guess who else loves Pepperoni Pizza!

Soon it will be grilling season.

Hubby will handle those duties out on the patio,

while I prepare the side dishes in the kitchen.

Teamwork, at its finest!

I’d love to hear about your

Quarantine Cooking favorites.

Take care,

~Natalie

Earth Day 2021 ~Reuse, Reduce, Recycle ~Tins and Treasures

I started sewing and crafting when I was a little girl.

So it’s no surprise that I have a variety of creations in my Etsy Shop.

My shop’s name, Tins and Treasures, was chosen

for my decorative Tins, made of recycled food cans.

All the other creations are considered the Treasures.

Almost everything in my shop is made of upcycled  materials.

These pumpkins are made from sweater sleeves.

It is a challenge to find orange sweaters in the thrift store,

so if you’re getting rid of one, send it my way!

Hubby cuts the pumpkin stems from the branches

he gathers in the backyard.

I love working with Wool. I had plenty of wool skirts

in my Teacher Wardrobe. And most of them are Vintage!

That Vintage Wool is also nice for making these Handwarmers.

They stay warm just long enough for a run

or a brisk walk with your dog!

Another favorite fabric is an upcycled Chenille Bedspread.

When we find one in a Thrift Shop, we snatch it up right away.

Here it is...all put together with a Vintage Wool Scarf,

a Vintage Button from one of my MIL’s old Winter Coats,

and a hat made out of the top of my Hubby’s discarded sock.

(Laundered, of course!)

Many of my friends know I love to recycle fabrics so they

bring me quilts, bedspreads, jeans, sweaters, and much more.

These snowmen are fashioned from an old bedspread,

wool skirt, vinyl sample, and shirt buttons.

Our most recent gift from our friend, Paula, 

was a box of Vintage Jewelry.

Those beads are perfect for Hubby’s Wine Bottle Necklaces.

Another item for your Wine Gifting needs, are these bags,

created with upholstery samples. And do you recognize that

the beards are made of the fringe from one of

those old Chenille Bedspreads?

These Owls started out as scraps of

upholstery and vintage wool.

When Hubby cleans out his closet,

I’m quick to save his cotton plaid shirts.

Handsome fabrics for Santas and Scarecrows.

I searched every thrift store in town to find enough

wooden candle holders to serve as pedestals.

Now hubby can make them for me in his woodshop.

Cotton shirting coordinates as a wrap for the

Terry Towel Thanksgiving Turkey.

I could go on and on...

Like this Birdhouse made with the Barnwood

from our Family’s Farm.

Vintage Chenille Bedspread, Vintage Wool Skirt,

Vintage Cotton Sweater, one of my Son-in-Law’s Socks

and a Vintage Coat Button

all come together for this creation.

This spring I’ve been cleaning and organizing my Sewing Studio.

I look forward to creating again with those upcycled

wool and cotton fabrics in my stash.

And hopefully, you’ll see some of those new creations

at Winterfest this year.

In the meantime, check out my Tins and Treasures Etsy shop

to see these items, along with the bowls

that Hubby has turned out in his Wood Shop.

Earth Day is a Good Time to think about how

we all can ♻️ Reuse and Recycle our valuable resources,

and Reduce the amount of stuff that is sent to our landfills.

Be kind to one another...Be kind to our earth.

Take care,

~Natalie

Looking for The Blog Worthy ~Much Miscellaneous ~A Special March Birthday ~More Spring Happenings

Photos of our Grandsons and Phone calls

from our daughters are a Highlight of my day.

The anticipation of seeing them all

this summer warms my heart.

Otherwise, every day around here is the same mundane,

but safe, routine. Nothing blog worthy to report. 

We have had a taste of spring with warm weather,

but Mother Nature is quick to remind us that Winter is not over.

We had a little snow earlier in the week,

before it moved east to the New England States.

This Grandson had a birthday in March.

He looks so grown up...

He loves going to his preschool, dinosaurs, trucks, Paw Patrol

and is such a good big brother.

Along with our spring-like weather came grilling season.

We’ve enjoyed Salmon, Burgers, Pork chops,

and this Spatchcocked Chicken.

I am happy to report that we are both now fully vaccinated.

However, I’m still pretty content to stay close to home.

We celebrated Easter with Hubby’s Mother and Sister.

Speaking of Hubby,

he looks forward to retiring in a few weeks.

His Field Reps gathered for a conference and

recognized him during dinner. This is the Rapid City Group.

And me? Like usual,

I’m focused on Spring Cleaning.

Moving furniture, vacuuming the edges,

dusting ceilings and light fixtures,

washing windows and the window treatments.

And much more.

Yep, year after year.

I’d share photos, but no one wants to see me cleaning!

Enjoy the end of your school year and

what’s left of your spring cleaning.

Take care,

~Natalie