Baked Feta Cheese ~ my recipe

Hello everyone!!

It's been a crazy year....maybe the longest break I ever had from my blog. Many things have happened, I'm now back in Colorado with my family probably for good. I will always keep California in my heart as well as all the wonderful places and people I've encountered these last 11 years. My new daily routine helps me now to go back to writing and posting things I like, here on my blog. 

As you already know, cooking is one of my favorite hobbies, I love to share my recipes and try new things. Yesterday I tried a NEW one!! It's a Greek dish. I've never been to Greece, I've seen many pictures of the beautiful sea, which reminds me of the sea where I grew up in the South of Italy.. {it's only 300 miles from my hometown...}

Milos, Greece

Gorgeous, isn't it? So...with images like this in my head, dreaming to be floating on those crystal waters, I decided to cook one of their typical dishes: Baked Feta Cheese.
It's incredibly simple and so delicious!

This is the one I did

All you need is this {it serves 1 or 2 people} :

• FETA cheese, 8 ounces (not crumbled)
• Extra Virgin OLIVE OIL, a generous drizzle
• Kalamata Olives, a handful (I used green olives, they were also good)
• 1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Ripe Tomatoes, sliced
• Salt
• Oregano

1. Drizzle a baking dish with the olive oil, add the sliced onion, tomatoes and olives. Add a little salt and oregano.
2. Add the whole piece of Feta cheese on top of the veggies. Sprinkle some oil and oregano on top.
3. Bake for 1 hour in oven at 350 degrees.
4. Enjoy with a piece of bread!

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Buon appetito!!!

Let me know if you try this dish and how it came out! I'd love to hear!

Love for now.

xoxo,

Rustico ~ a delicious recipe from my town.

Hello Hello!!!

I have been asked to write the recipe of this delicious treat. I have published it on my Recipe Blog... but it's in Italian {here is the LINK, if you are interested}. I'm translating here the recipe in English for all those who would like to try it without using google translate... because who knows what would come out!!! :))

If like me, you use the frozen puff-pastry it will be very simple. Here we go:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 sheets of frozen PUFF-PASTRY

Bechamelle Sauce

• 2 cups of warm MILK
• half stick of BUTTER
• 3 tbsp of FLOUR
• SALT
• PEPPER

extra ingredients for the filling

• a can of PEELED TOMATOES
• 1 cup of FRESH MOZZARELLA
• 1 EGG

1. Thaw the puff-pastry.
2. Prepare the bechamelle sauce:melt the butter in a small pan on medium heat. When melted add the flour. Mix well, always stirring. Add the milk very slowly, always stirring, until it becomes a cream. Add salt and pepper. 
3. Every rustico is formed by 2 discs of puff-pastry (diameter of 5-6 inches), you can also make it square... any shape you like.
4. Put a dollop of bechamelle in the center of the first disc, add 3 chunks of mozzarella and one or two well squeezed can tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt.
5. Beat the egg to use it as a "glue" to attach the two puff-pastry discs together. Brush the edges of the first disc and close the rustico covering the filling with the second disc, pressing well the edges to form kind of a dome on top.
6. Brush the whole surface with the rest of the egg-wash.
7. Use the rest of the puff-pastry and ingredients to make 2 or 3 more rusticos.
8. Bake in pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Well, that's all!!! I hope you like it... and if you make it... please let me know!!!!! :)

 

xoxo,

My Decorative Pillows.

Hello everyone!!

Like I have said other times, I can never stay still.. I always have to be doing something and, of course, in a house with 5 little kids there's always a mountain of things to do.

I spend most of the day doing chores: cleaning, picking up toys, cooking, standing at the sink washing dishes...especially cups of every kind...{no dishwasher here}, "wash-hang-ironing" clothes and now also changing diapers and rocking my adorable baby girl. I bless God for all of this! He gives me everyday the opportunity to give my life for my family and others...

Among all these daily activities I try to squeeze-in also my hobbies... sewing, crocheting, making pretty things... it reminds me so much of my grandma, always busy with work in her hands. She could embroider really well... I never really learned how to embroider and it's too late to ask her to teach me. Nonetheless I'm starting to teach myself! I have been following different you-tube videos to learn the basic stitches, to be able to create cute stuff. I have many ideas but not much time to put them into practice.

I have been recently working on decorative pillows for my daughters. I had bought the plain pillows at Hobby Lobby more than 2 years ago! I recently bought a super adorable "Rapunzel" fabric from Japan {pretty Rapunzel pouches will be soon in my Shop!!} and started to practice my embroidery. 

Here's a few pictures of my work...

I tried to leave it simple. The important thing is that my daughters love their new pillows.. especially their initials and embroidered portrait! :))

xoxo to you all,

Mug Cozy & Vintage Spoon GIVEAWAY!!!

Hi!!!

I can't believe we are already ONE week away from Valentine's Day! These last days I had a few orders from my SHOP that made me very happy and useful... I love to make something that will be gifted to someone special... :) And because of this I'm in the mood for a Giveaway!!! Who doesn't like free stuff?? Especially if the prize is beautiful! One of my dearest friends and awesome crafty-lady is joining me in this giveaway {what a blessing!}.

Are you ready??? 

I'm giving away my newest Latte Mug Cozy together with Lisa's hand-stamped "Need Coffee" vintage spoon!

Hurry up and follow all the instructions in our Rafflecopter Giveaway below the picture

{please don't cheat!! we check all the answers...} :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!!!

The winner will be announced on Feb. 15th!!!

xoxo,

Ruffles.

Days are passing like a lightning, between school, daily chores, meetings... I haven't yet found much time to work on my SHOP as much as I would like to. It has been closed for the whole summer, as I was away from home and I had no internet connection {a little difficult to be able to communicate with the rest of the world nowadays...}. I'm trying to add new items.. I'm in love with ruffles right now! It's actually the very first thing I learned how to sew with my sewing machine. When I first bought it I had no clue how to use it, I invited over a good friend mine {who is an incredible seamstress} and while showing me all the different buttons to click and turn, she decided to teach me how to make ruffles. It remained stuck in my head since then! I think of her now while making this new kind of pouch: the Ruffled Pouch! :)

What do you think? It's colorful and also very soft, as I layered the fabric with fleece. I like how puffy it feels at the touch! My plan is to make more, with different color fabrics... soon soon!

my Ruffled Kitty Pouch

 

Well, I hope you are enjoying your week as much as I am. Until next time...

 

xoxo,

 

 

Have You Ever Gifted a VIP?

December just started and you can already smell Christmas in the air! I had a few orders from my Shop and had a lot of fun crocheting, sewing, wrapping... it's the best time of the year!!

Thinking about presents... have you ever sent a gift to a famous person?..a so called VIP? I'm asking because..I did! A few months ago I created a cozy inspired by Rachael Ray. I love her TV shows {the one on Food Network, whenever I can watch in people's houses with cable, and her daily show}. I sent it to her, well, actually to the Studio where she works...and... I never got any answer. :( 

So, I have no idea if it ever reached her hands. Probably not. Oh well! I tried, and I can still imagine that she has it and uses it everyday, sipping her coffee in the morning. Who knows... ;)

If you are curious to see what I sent her... here it is:

I was very lucky to meet her 9 years ago {befooore all her big shows!} while she was shooting an episode of her show "40$ a day" in Denver. I could talk to her and she signed one of her cooking books.. I have a collection of them! 

Do you have any experience with VIPs? I would love to hear them!!!

That's all from me!...for now...

xoxo,

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY!!!

I just want to let you all know that I'm in 2 giveaways this month!! I will first show you my feature on a beautiful blog I sponsored last month: 3 Four and Under. Trisha is a very sweet Mom of 3 beautiful children and has also a pretty Etsy Shop. She wrote about me HERE! Go check it out and enter the Giveaway! If you don't need it.. it could be a cute Christmas present for someone who loves sipping his tea or coffee in style! ;)

{For those who don't know what a "Giveaway" is... well.. just click on the link above, follow the directions and you can be picked to win my Ladybug on a Rainy Cloud cozy!}.

What are you waiting for? You only have one week!!!

The winner will be notified and will receive my cozy for free♥

Hugs to all,

{ LADYBUG GIVEAWAY }

Almost a month ago I received a message from a sweet girl asking me to participate in a give-away. This is my first experience and I'm thrilled!! I'm giving away one of my cozies, the Ladybug in the Clouds, through her blog. If you are interested and would like to have the opportunity to win one, just click HERE and follow her directions. :)

http://shealynns-faerie-shoppe.blogspot.com/2011/12/2nd-day-of-christmas-le-belle-madeline.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ShealynnsFaerieShoppe+%28Shealynn%27s+Faerie+Shoppe%29