A Full Weekend and Spring Is In The Air!

This has been a pretty full weekend and I've enjoyed every minute of it!  Spring is in the air in Columbia, SC and I was drawn to work in the yard....but not before I fretted for two days over deleting my blog background!  Yes...what a dumb thing I did, of course by accident, and I'm mad at myself for one slight click of the mouse!  I was trying to be cordial and add someones button to my sidebar and when it didn't work, I deleted the wrong thing.  Problem is, I didn't have the code backed up anywhere and when I went to the website where I got it, it was no longer available.  Pooh!  So, I started the search for a new one but nothing, I mean nothing, struck my fancy.  I finally decided on the one you see here and I guess it will do for now.  Hopefully I will locate my old one and I will feel like I'm at home again...right now I'm trying to get use to the new look!  I am so ready for spring!  It is so comforting knowing it's in front of me instead of behind me!  I've even made the switch with my nail polish from my winter OPI Big Apple Red to my summer OPI Cajun Shrimp!  My only dread is the pollen that I know will be here in about 2-3 weeks!  The weather here has been wonderful so, Saturday morning I was out bright and early in my back yard cleaning out flower beds, trimming hedges, and raking leaves while my hubby cleaned out the pool.  My first daffodil of the season has bloomed and by next weekend they will all be in bloom!  I can't wait!  My peonies have just broken ground and tiny little red leaves are popping out in the trees!  The dreaded chore of cutting back all my crepe myrtles is something I put off until it just has to be done, but this year I am determined to have everything pruned by the end of February.  I have one week to finish this task, but if the weather holds out, I think I'll get it done.  I did finish my myrtles and they look bald.  Here is a picture of how they looked in the fall and how they look now. 

Pretty pitiful, huh?   This weekend's weather is just a tease I know, but it did inspire me to get busy with everything that has to be done.  My plans for Saturday night supper went by the wayside when hubby and I decided to take a break for a late lunch causing neither one of us to be hungry at suppertime, so guess what I ended up snacking on instead?  You got it, ice cream....but not any ordinary ice cream!  This was gelato and I found it at Publix.  Actually I saw it a couple weeks ago and recommended it to my daughter and she loves it.  I decided to try some myself and I am hooked.  It is absolutely delicious...ya'll it is so good it will make your tongue slap your brains out. 

It's called Talenti Gelato.  You've got try it, but beware, it's additive!  I tried Sea Salt Caramel which has chucks of chocolate coated caramels in it.  Smooth as silk.  I think it's taken the place of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey which has been my all time favorite!  Try it, but beware...you will be hooked!

Sunday's lunch ended up being what was suppose to be Saturday night's supper which was a London Broil I had been marinating.  My husband grilled it and it was so good...I though you might like the marinade I use.  It's a family favorite and the longer it marinates the better.  I usually try to let it marinate 24 hours but at least 8 hours is enough.

London Broil Marinate

4 tsp. Adolph's Meat Tenderizer

2 T. table sugar

4 T. cooking sherry

4 T. soy sauce

2 T. honey

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Accent

Mix all ingredients together and microwave about 30 seconds to melt the honey.  Pour over London Broil and marinate for 8 - 24 hours. 

Here are two more recipes I will share. The Lunch Bunch girls are tired of fixing lunch and....we're tired of trying to think of something good to fix for lunch, so, we are each bringing a salad to share tomorrow and for the rest of the week, or however long it lasts.  I am taking a marinated vegetable salad which is good because the longer it marinates, the better it gets.  This will last about a week in the fridge.  It makes a lot so it's a good dish for a large crowd and especially good for tailgating.

Marinated Vegetable Salad

1 can French Style Green Beans

1 can sliced carrots

1 can bean sprouts

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 can green peas

1 can whole kernel corn

1 2-oz jar chopped pimento

1 2-oz jar green olives

3 stalks celery chopped

1 green pepper chopped

1 small purple onion, chopped (I don't use the whole onion because I'm not real big on raw onions)

Dressing

Drain all canned veggies and dump in bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and add dressing.  Cover and marinate overnight.

Dressing

1 1/2 cups vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons (or less) salt

1/2 tablespoon pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk togeter.

I enjoy this recipe because the whole bowl only has 2 T. oil and all those veggies...it's got to be healthy!  Great thing to have for a snack too.

While I was in the kitchen I decided I couldn't send hubby on the road this week without something homemade so I made him a bowl of one of my own concoctions.  I made this up a couple years ago and it's been a family favorite ever since.  It's a really good pasta salad that he loves and will keep about a week in the fridge.  It has a Greek flair to it and easy to make, just a lot of chopping!  Now keep in mind I made this up so you can adjust the amounts as you like...in fact I just dump the ingredients in a bowl and keep tasting it until I think it's there.

Orzo Pasta Salad

8 oz. cooked Orzo pasta

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 oz. feta cheese

3 green onions chopped

1/2 bottle drained capers

1 medium chopped red pepper

1 small can sliced black olives

chopped fresh baby spinach (add as much or as little as you like)

salt/pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Cook pasta and drain.  Add olive oil and toss.  Add remaining ingredients and toss well.  You can adjust the vinegar, olive oil and herbs to your liking.

Hope you enjoy these recipes and don't forget to enter my Pink and Green Giveaway in the post below.  You don't have to do everything that is listed.  Just make sure you tell me in your comment what you did because each thing will count as an entry!   Hope you all have a wonderful week!  Think spring!

                                                                                         ~Becky