Pasta al Forno

A tasty treat for all you pasta lovers!!!!

You Will Need:

{2} TBL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
{2} Garlic Cloves, Crushed
{2} 14 oz. Cans Diced Italian Tomatoes
{1} TSP dried oregano
{1} lb Penne Pasta
{8} oz Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded
{2/3}  cup parmesan

S&P

Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook over medium high heat, 1 min. Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally until thickened, ~15 min. 

Note: I am obsessed with Rachael Ray's Lazy Spoons! Clever and convenient, these spoons are worth every penny of $16 {for the set}. Your counter top will thank you later.

Meanwhile, cook pasta.

Toss pasta with sauce.  

Place half of pasta in an oiled 9×13” dish. Cover with half parmesan and half mozzarella. Top with remaining pasta, then parmesan and mozzarella.

Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Tuh-MAY-toh. Tuh-MAH-to.

Plump, ripe and warm from the sun, the moment you bite into it, a juicy explosion of flavors will convince you that nothing beats growing your own tomatoes! Here is a little snapshot of the journey of our "Celebrity" and "Husky Cherry Red" tomato plants this summer. 

We bought our tomato plants from Walmart for $1.50 each {that's how much I spend on ONE tomato at the Teeter}! 

21 days later...

7 days later...

8 days later... 

6 days later...

7 days later...

 

 4 days later...{we finally saw RED}

5 days later...

 

14 days later...we have more tomatoes than we can ever eat {and we eat a TON of tomatoes}!

Time to enjoy the fruits of our labor! Recipes {using our homegrown tomatoes} to follow...

Burlap Monogram

I am absolutely in love with any craft involving BURLAP right now. A touch of burlap adds the perfect amount of rustic appeal to just about anything! It’s a neutral color, so it goes with all color schemes and its versatility allows for it to be used in many different ways. Besides its use for sack racing, burlap can be used for furniture, banners, weddings, wreaths, curtains, bows, and so much more! Oh, and did I mention burlap is not just an eco-friendly fabric option, it’s also super inexpensive?!

My most recent burlap project is a monogrammed canvas. I am thrilled with how it turned out. 

You Will Need:

Canvas {I used 12x12} - $6.99

{1/2} Yard Burlap - $1.50

Black Acrylic Paint - .22

Paint Brush - $1.99

Staple Gun - $7

Letter Stencil - free
 

To create my stencil, I used “Times New Roman” font, and blew it up to size 800. Once it was printed, I very carefully cut it out.

 and taped it to the burlap so it didn't move while I painted.

Time to paint!

Let it dry for a few hours before removing the stencil.

Make sure your letter is centered on the canvas before you start stapling...

ta-da!

 The perfect addition to our guest book table!

And now it hangs in our living room.