4th of july wrap up

We had fun in the mountains last week and I wanted to share some new finds and recipes you all might like-

First- Salmon Sisters– my friend Karen sports a really cute sweater jacket from this line and I have hopped on their site almost every 2 months to see if I can buy one for myself! This is a COOL company supporting women in Alaska. I found this baseball hat and had to have it- all my favorite colors in one hat!

This candle is on repeat in the afternoons right now- Colorado is known for summer afternoon rains- they are quick- but I just love them! For about 30 minutes, the skies darken and you cozy up at home – my kids love them too! It reminds me of growing up in Chicago. Pink Grapefruit/Prosecco is my fav.

We celebrated the fourth in Breckenridge with a big group of old and new friends. The menu was all bbq which is a weakness for me! My friend Jamie made two sides that I loved! Trisha Yearwood’s  Easy Baked Beans and Corn Bread. I will be making both SOON! I brought S’more bars that my friend Margaret introduced me to awhile ago. When we got to the condo, I thought I had packed all the ingredients but I was short some chocolate. Well, we did have a red, white and blue bag of m & m’s and we crushed and melted them for the second batch and it worked out GREAT! I do not care for spicy in my desserts, so I omitted the spices.

Another awesome and QUICK app- cube up ripe avocados and pour about 1/3 cup of Frontera Tomatillo Salsa over it- this would be awesome in a taco too!

Other recipes – my sister Holly loves this recipe –

One Pot Lasagna Soup-
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (italian sausage if you like)
1/2 cup onion, diced- I use frozen onion
1 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
32 oz chicken broth
3 T garlic, minced
3 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground pepper
1 box of bowtie pasta

Put Onions in EVOO and saute til translucent.  Add ground beef and cook through.  Add in seasonings to the meat/onion mix.  Add diced tomatoes.  Add jar of sauce and chicken stock.  Simmer together.  You can cook the noodles in a seperate bowl to have them ready to add or add them in and let cook in the broth. (your call- depending on the day, i’ve done it both ways.)

Also works great in crockpot.

Serve with cheese and bread.

Okay- totally unrelated- but for those of you who like interior design like I do- my sister Wendy sent me this link for a great before and after and I have looked at it numerous times as the afters are SO good! Cote de Texas is an awesome design blog.

A site I recently found through Martha Stewart Living mag- Makaua – beautiful handcrafted gifts from Mexico. Love all the colors and woven goods!

That’s all for tonight! – Suzanne