Chipotle honey~lime Vinaigrette

The other night I made some enchiladas and a big tossed salad but did not have a dressing for the salad that really went well with the Mexican themed dinner. 

So I made my own and it was just what we needed. It has a little kick to it, which we like, and have used it since then as a dipping sauce. I'm not sure where it will show up next.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Fire Pit ~ retaining wall construction resumed

Remember this?

Well, it didn't look like this for long.

Back in August, after we had a few fun bonfires, the fire pit retaining wall had to be removed so that it could be replaced to match the new rock wall.  However, life got busy and the work was put on hold.

But that has all changed this past week. The schedule cleared, was well as the weather, and I am happy to report that construction has finally resumed.

The hubs has been working on the forms so that he can get the cement poured while the weather is good. The forecast shows more sunny days ahead so we will keep our fingers crossed!

I will post updates as the wall construction progresses which, of course, is all dependent on mother nature.

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Italian Beef Braciole

Another Sunday Supper first and it was a winner!

Since I had never made Beef Braciole it took a little extra time to prepare however I know now that some steps could be done ahead which would free up a bit of time in the kitchen. Either way it was well worth the time and effort to prepare. 

The filling was a wonderful combination of onions, garlic, rosemary, parsley, parmesan, bread crumbs and pine nuts to name a few. 

All of the filling was wrapped up in the flank steak and tied to hold it all in. 

Next it was braised on both sides

and then topped with homemade tomato sauce. 

Once it was done I sliced it, placed the rounds on a pile of pasta and topped it with the tomato sauce.

A tossed green salad and homemade focaccia bread completed our main course.
YUM!

Happy Friday!

rainy day baking

Fresh hot homemade bread sounded really good on such a rainy day.

Our original dinner plan was to go out to eat but at the last minute we decided to stay in. Since the decision was made late in the afternoon there wasn't much time for cooking which meant something quick and easy with ingredients we had on hand. Homemade chili fit the bill however I decided to make focaccia bread topped with fresh rosemary and sea salt instead of our traditional corn bread. 

Our rosemary bush is outside near our tomatoes so it was well washed by a day of pouring rain. It was the perfect topping for the bread and was delicious with our chili.  

Have a great weekend!

mac & cheese please!

There are a lot of recipes for homemade macaroni and cheese so I thought I would venture out and try something new. 

I have experimented with different recipes only a couple times before and each time decided that the way my mother taught me to make it is the best. This time was no different. The versions I have tried in the past have been good however the texture is never as smooth and creamy as we are used to.

So, it will be back to my old fashioned way of making Mac & Cheese....with Kraft Velvet® cheese!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Sunday Supper ~ beef stew

This is a new recipe I tried on Sunday called Beef Bourguignon which is the fancy name for french beef stew. I actually found it in one of my old favorite cookbooks and thought Sunday Supper would be a good time to give it a try. 

My go~to stew, which is a combination of two recipes, is much easier and takes less time to prepare so I wasn't sure if this new one would be worth the extra time and effort but curiosity got the best of me. 

I actually adjusted the recipe a bit with some ideas from a couple other sources I found however the recipes were basically all very similar. The stew took about 4 hours to make start to finish but it was well worth it. We all loved it!

To complete our meal I made 3 loaves of homemade french bread, rustic mashed red potatoes, our family favorite ~ 3 bean salad { although the way I make it is really 4 beans but who's counting, right? } and a fresh apple cake topped with a warm caramel drizzle. I will definitely be making this again.

Happy Thursday!