Fall design, cheap, that's the way I do it.

I recently saw a beautiful fall decoration that I fell in love with and knew I could do cheap.

The original design was on a sideboard with a few more decorations. I am beginning stages designing. I see something I like, I tend to take a few things from this or that.
The letters were easy, I just bought from JoAnn Fabrics along with the gold spray paint. It took all of ten minutes to color those. I also found a good deal of buy one, get one silk flower 50% off. I already had the vase and candles. There is much more that can be done. Let your imagination go.

Things I make when my husband goes out of town...yup, he's gonna be jealous.

So, when my husband goes out of town, I veer between a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and items that I definitely know he doesn't like. I tend to bring out the big guns when he is gone, much to his displeasure.
I have a great fish store in town, that I buy a whole slab of salmon, (just for myself) and he cuts off the bottom and slices into five or six pieces for me. Most I freeze for either when my husband goes out of town or for when I have company that enjoys salmon like I do.
 Many years ago I visited a wonderful restaurant in Grand Rapids, MI.  http://www.amwaygrand.com/cygnus27.html
It is called Cygnus 27 inside the Amway Plaza. They had a wonderful salmon in a puff pastry, that 6 years ago, I still think about.
I have to pat myself on the back with this recipe I found/made this evening.
I started with a pretty large filet of salmon, about 8 oz. I would suggest cutting it in half. I made a wonderful topping of walnuts, oil, garlic, salt and pepper, lime juice and parmesan cheese. I have a small food processor that I blended all these ingredients. I placed atop the salmon.
I then made a single crust pie recipe. Here is the recipe below. I then placed the salmon atop the pie crust and  folded to completely cover the salmon.
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pies/pastry-for-single-crust-pie/

I baked the salmon for 30 minutes at 375. It took longer since it was such a large piece of salmon. I paired it with a Bearnaise sauce and a side salad. Here is the wonderful finished product:

Now, if this just makes you all think I always have fancy food, please think again after you see this photo of the wonderful Halloween cake the girls and I made. My daughter Grace, definitely knows how to sell a cake.

 That's how my girls roll with cake.

Another Mac 'n' Cheese

My goal in life is to find the absolute perfect mac 'n' cheese that all of us can enjoy.
I think I found it. I love crispy on the outside but gooey on the inside. This is the best way to get both.

It needs to be spread out on a cookie sheet with raised sides. Bake at 500 degrees for 15 minutes.
I could include my recipe, but there are so many good ones out there, that any cheese that you like can be added. Just so long as it is on this type of pan will you get both crispy and gooey.

A great pair, is a fast and easy recipe for rolls. I am always a last minute dinner planner. The faster the better!
This recipe was very good. Here is the website: http://abcnews.go.com/US/organizations-seek-donations-improve-life-pine-ridge/story?id=14729358



Enjoy! If you want my recipe for the mac 'n' cheese, just send me a message.