4/30/15

Share Your Style Link Party #11



Hi everyone and welcome back to another fabulous Share Your Style link party! I am Barbara from the blog 21 Rosemary Lane, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to be your party host this week. Thank you all so much for joining us again.

Remember when you link up to SYS you are seen on eight blogs!


Wow, we are almost to the beautiful month of May and that means kicking it off with Cinco de Mayo celebrations! So this week I shared with you 3 of my absolute favorite Mexican inspired entrees we enjoy here at 21 Rosemary Lane.



Hope you give one or all a try!

 OK, I know you probably hear all the time how difficult it is for a party host to select features, well you know what, it really is a tough job! There was an amazing amount of creativity linked up to last week's party. So without further ado, here are just a few of the links that really caught my eye.

First up is this gorgeous spring bedroom makeover by Shirley of Housepitality Designs. Shirley mixes beautiful soft blues with peach for a lighter brighter warm weather appeal. (And check out that ah-mazing tray ceiling with the stunning chandy!)


Next is an updated dining room from the super adorable blog Sweet 'n Sour Gumballs. I love the elegant simplicity of Amy's room with its lovely farm table and painted Craig's List hutch! 


Melissa from Dancing Dog Cabin shared her recipe for peanut butter doggie treats. These must be yummy, just look at the face of longing on her pretty little pooch Dolly. (too cute)


After 2 attempts at trying to find the perfect chair for her mother, or Nana as known to her grandchildren, Mary Beth's Place finally found this pretty French chair and beautifully refurbished it. The third time really is a charm!


And finally since this weekend is the Kentucky Derby, why not whip up a batch of non-alcoholic Mint Juleps for the entire gang. This incredibly refreshing looking drink is from Carrie over at the blog Curly Craft Mom.



If your style was featured this week please grab our button to take with you before you leave!




4/29/15

Another Road Side Find for the Office and I Need Your Opinion


I am still working on the office and have a bit of a ways to go before my big reveal, but I wanted to share with you yet another roadside find. A couple years ago our neighbors were in the process of getting ready to sell their home, and in an effort to scale back their furnishings this beauty was taken out to the curb!


 It is solid wood and get this... the back also has a raised panel so it also can be used as a room divider.


According to the owner it is an Ethan Allen piece, and according to my quesstimation it is probably from the 60's or 70's.

So it sat in the garage all the way up to last week when I finally pulled her out, wiped her down and gave her a fresh coat of paint.



Mr. Rosemary Lane likes it with the doors off so the games are in plain view. (I have no idea why we have 2 Battleship games!) I'm still on the fence about it. I did go ahead and paint the interior of the cabinet and plan to see how I feel after living without the doors for awhile. I would like to purchase a few more baskets or even some pretty coordinating storage boxes for the shelves, right now they looks kind of sparse.

So what do you think...doors on or doors off?

Thanks for your most valued opinion!

XO

PS Don't forget to stop back this evening for another Share Your Style Link party being hosted by yours truly!!!


4/27/15

Favorite Recipes for Cinco de Mayo ~ Mexican Pazole ~ Taco Lasagna ~ Chicken Maragrita


With Cinco de Mayo right around the corner, I thought I'd share with you some of my absolute favorite Mexican dishes.


This first dish I discovered when Mr. RL and myself spent a week driving through the great southwest. We were staying in Durango Colorado at the historic Strater Hotel, and this Mexican Pazole was on the breakfast buffet. It can be made with either pork or chicken and I will tell you for me it was L-O-V-E at first bite!


1-2 T. canola or vegetable oil
2 lbs. boneless pork loin roast cut into one inch cubes
flour for dredging
2 14.5 oz cans of enchilada sauce
2 15.5 oz. cans of white hominy, drained (I used Goya)
1 cup chicken or beef broth
1 medium onion chopped 
1/2 cup of canned green chilies chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2-3 tsp. oregano
cayenne to taste
1/3 cup fresh cilantro

Dredge meat in flour and place in pan with hot oil. Brown the meat with a good sear and then place in a 4 quart crock pot. Pour the enchilada sauce over the meat and then top with the remainder of the ingredients except the cilantro. 

Cook in crock pot on high for 6 to 7 hours. Add the cilantro and then cook for another 30 minutes. The traditional way to serve Pazole is topped with shredded cabbage, fresh avocado or guacamole and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.



 And who wouldn't love the idea of a favorite Italian dish like lasagna but with a Mexican twist. This next recipe was a mega hit with the entire family the very first time I made it. It still is at the top of the list whenever I ask my crew what they'd like for dinner!


2-3 lb. ground beef or turkey ( I prefer turkey or even chicken myself)
12-16 oz. cream cheese depending on how creamy you'd like your dish.
Seasonings...chili powder, garlic, onion powder, salt & pepper, cumin and red pepper if you like it hot!
2 jars taco sauce or you can put salsa in the blender with regular tomato sauce if you don't have any taco sauce on hand
 4 cups shredded cheese or taco blend
About 14-15 lasagna noodles
1 cup of tortilla chips, crushed

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and then boil lasagna noodles for about 8 minutes

2) Generously season your beef and brown in a skillet. Partially melt cream cheese in microwave and then add to the ground meat and blend.

3) Spray 13×9 pan with cooking spray and then lay out your first 4 noodles lengthwise and then cut one more noodle to fit in perpendicular to the other 4 to completely cover the bottom of the baking dish. Spoon 1/2 of the beef mixture onto the pasta. Pour 1/3 of the taco sauce over the meat, and top with a third of the taco or Cheddar cheese.

4) Make another layer of noodles like the first and then add the other half of the beef, add another 1/3 of sauce, and then another 1/3 of the cheese. Top with last 3 lasagna noodles.

5) Pour the last of the taco sauce on top, then sprinkle on the last of the cheese.

6) Grab a handful of chips and crunch them up on top of the cheese.

7) Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.


This last recipe is actually my own creation. One evening I wanted to make a chicken dish using white wine, but unfortunately we were out. I know WHAT...OUT OF WINE? Sad to say but it was true. So Mr. RL suggested I make a dish using something we did have, tequila, and that is exactly what I did! I think the secret to the wonderful flovor of this recipe is in the reduction of the tequila, broth and lime juice.


1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 T butter
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
3/4 c. chicken broth
4 T tequila
3 T lime juice
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, un-drained
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
cumin, garlic and onion powder for seasoning
1/2 cup half-n-half
dash of black pepper
10 oz. fettuccine
Fresh mozzarella sliced or
cubed into small pieces

Place a pot on the stove with salted water and heat to a boil for pasta. In a deep saucepan saute the cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in 2 T of melted butter for about 3 minutes. Add the broth, tequila and lime juice and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is reduced by half. Then you can go ahead and add the bell peppers and onion and saute until the vegetables become soft. In the meantime add the fettuccine to boiling water and cook according to package directions for pasta to be done al dante.

To prepare the chicken just rinse and pat it dry, then pound it down flat. Season the meat with a little cumin, onion and garlic powder, plus salt and pepper. I like my meat grilled so I cooked the breast on my Foreman grill, but you can also grill it on a conventional grill, just don't overcook or you will loose too much of the meat's juice. When the chicken has cooled some, cut it into bite size cube pieces.

Once vegetables are soft add the cubed chicken and cook through. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes and then stir in the half-n-half and heat through. When the sauce thickens toss with the pasta and mozzarella, season with pepper and then serve immediately. Garnish with more cilantro.

Hope you give one of these dishes a whirl whether for the 5th of May or any other old time!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

XO

4/23/15

Share Your Style Link Party #10


Hello and welcome to the 10th Share Your Style link party!!
(Can you believe 10 parties already???)


Well spring has certainly sprung in these parts. All of a sudden the grass is green, the trees have pretty shades of light green on them, and here the great northeast cherry blossoms are in full BLOOM! 
I love this time of the year!


Now it is on to this week's SYS party and our hostess with the mostest Debra, who has also selected some fabulous features to share. 
Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day!

XO

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Everyone, it's Debra from Common Ground
I'm your host this week and I'm so happy you're here
 to join in for the fun and inspiration!

Remember, when you link up on one blog,
you are seen on Eight!




I've been busy unpacking boxes from storage this last few weeks. After moving last November, we're still working to get all the boxes over to our house and unloaded. I've been finding a few Small Treasures I'd almost forgotten, and we were able to get our outdoor furniture and goodies in place. I'll be putting together my Potting Bench soon, hopefully. I'd love you to come by Common Ground for a visit!



There are so many great inspirational projects and fresh fun decor going on this time of year. Your Spring posts are just brimming with great ideas and beautiful spaces. Here are a few I loved this last week.


shared an old screen door re-do.



A great tutorial on
How to Make Fern Art from Amy at



 A Closet Built-In Industrial Desk for her son by
 Doreen at Hymns and Verses



Deserae is Embracing Spring with some Buffalo Checked Pillows



and a yummy temptation...
Key Lime Margarita Cupcakes 
from Mary at Home is Where the Boat Is


Thanks gals for sharing your wonderful posts last week!

Please have a link within your blog post
 to the blog where you party.


Thanks for joining in this week,
Let's get to it!!




4/21/15

Presidential Home ~ Mount Vernon



While visiting Washington DC with the kids during spring break, we took a quick jaunt over to the plantation estate of George Washington, Mt. Vernon.



The estate sits on the banks of the Potomac River in Fairfax Virginia.


Mt Vernon was a family owned estate of which Washington acquired possession in 1754. He didn't become sole owner of the property until 1761.


As you can see the cupola is being refurbished. The cupola itself is topped off with a weathervane in the shape of a dove bearing an olive branch.


The Servants Hall lies adjacent to the left of the Bowling Green side of the mansion.


To the right of the mansion is the kitchen.



Beautiful arched walkways connect the two outer buildings to the mansion.


The dung repository in the background is located near the stable.


The gardens of Mt. Vernon.


Shortly after his death on December 14, 1799, George Washington's body was laid to rest in the Old Tomb at Mt. Vernon.


The new tomb was opened in 1831, two marble sarcophagus's are housed by this vault. The final resting place for both George and Martha Washington.


The sheep paddock near the stables.



After Washington's death the plantation passed through a series of relatives who were unable for one reason or another, to maintain the property. In 1858 the Mount Vernon Ladies Association acquired the plantation and part of the property thus rescuing it from neglect and disrepair. During the civil war the estate served as neutral ground for both the North and the South.


XO

4/18/15

Mirror Mirror on the Guest Bedroom Wall


A couple months ago I was shopping in the Christmas Tree Shop and came across this pretty iron scrolled mirror. It was fairly heavy and even though I was in the Christmas Tree Shop where things are usually pretty reasonable, I was thinking that this may be a wee bit more than most of their regular items.


Then I looked at the back to check out the price and much to my surprise there it was, only $29.99.

SOLD!


Not really having a plan as to where to put it, I left it in the guest bedroom for safe keeping.


A few days later I went back to the bedroom to get the mirror so to try it in another room, when it struck me that the mirror with its greenish patina, would be perfect right where it is, in the guest bedroom. I began to play with it a little and finally decided the best spot for it was between the twin beds where I originally had a much smaller mirror. Now all I need to find is a nightstand that is a little wider so it compliments the width of the mirror.



The new mirror immediately brightened up the wall and the entire room. Now I am kind of kicking myself that I didn't pick up a second mirror because when my sister Kim saw it hanging in the guest bedroom, well she just flipped for it.  

Keeping my fingers crossed that I find another one like this or something similar for my sweet sista!

XO

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