Dinner Party!



 

Pictured above are some of the materials I sorted through this morning trying to decide which bookmark to complete and send with the painting I sold yesterday. I make book markers by slicing up rejected watercolor or acrylic paintings. I tie organza or grosgrain ribbon through the punched hole, and sometimes embellish with beads, sequins, buttons or other somewhat flat decorations. Today's winner was "cat's eye" with a golden organza ribbon.


"cat's eye"

Gus who's coming to dinner...OK, fine, so Gus is who came to dinner! I thought it was a clever play on words. We're having my version of Chili Con Carne--low fat, low sodium, low $, and fast and easy to make!!

Ground Turkey Breast 97/3, low sodium canned chili beans, tomato sauce, tomato juice and diced tomatoes, frozen corn and garlic powder and taco seasoning to taste...that's it!

I brown the turkey before I add the onions and spices...oops, did I tell you I add fresh onions? Gotta have onions, the more the better =)

 And then, you guessed it, everything goes into this counter top baby and I can get on with my day!

Smells Heavenly...

I'm trying a Weight Watchers dessert cake recipe...just cake mix and canned pumpkin...hmmmm, we'll see!

 Did I forget to tell you about the bread, too? I usually make cornbread with chili but I had an awesome cheese filled loaf my daughter brought home and it was just screaming for some butter and garlic...so I gave in...you can see the snack cake loaves under the bread rack in the bottom picture...it turned out pretty darn good, too, if I do say so myself! I added a dollop of cool whip lite.

 I also made a simple tossed salad with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and balsamic dressing...then, we were so hungry and so eager to dig in that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product! But, it was wonderful! We have LOTS of leftovers to carry us for the next few days and even had extra to send home with guests! Then it was time for an after dinner rest...even Bella was exhausted--poor pooped baby--hey, wait a minute, that's my comforter!

Pictured above and below are clutches I'm working on...quilting, beading and otherwise embellishing...it's something to do while I sit with my feet up watching TV in the evening sometimes.

See you next time! Hugs!!