Crafts, gifts and a whole lot of love
Greetings all and happy Easter weekend! To celebrate, (and per my earlier promise) I’ve added a new little zip bag to the store that is just the cutest danged thing. Think mini microwave popcorn bag for the shape, which means this little darling EXPANDS to […]
don’t know about you, but when the weather is nasty and cold, I want something hearty and warm for dinner. Enter this FANTASTIC recipe from Pampered Chef. With a Toni twist. The original recipe is vegetarian friendly, but since the hubby and I are carnivores, I added ground beef to the mix for an alternative version. The biggest win for this recipe? I had EVERYTHING I needed on hand. I bet you do too!
When I was a kid, my mom worked out of our house. She had her own drapery business in the basement and did a pretty brisk business honestly. She did jobs for Ethan Allen Home Galleries in Fargo when their usual crew couldn’t handle all the fussy ruffles and pinch pleats that were the order of the day. Looking back, I realize she had high hopes that I would one day take over her business but as my young, foolish heart was set on another path entirely, she quietly retired and some other talented seamstress took over her clients.
I begin this post in this way because for as long as I was living at home, and even after I (the youngest of six) was married and was bouncing my first son on my knee, she was there in that house, working away with her sewing machines, her hemming machine (yes folks, in the drapery business there’s a machine dedicated to hemming) and her rolls of fabric. She never complained about being down there (remember that 100 plus year old house story I regaled you with a while back? The basement was chilly year round. Anyway, mom had one day each week (two if she went into town for groceries on a Saturday) where she (probably gleefully) said to heck with the business and got out of the house. Dad was left with his lunch and an empty house while mom headed into town to go bowling. She was in a bowling league for years, and was pretty darned good too. I remember her bringing home a few goodies from the annual bowling banquet. (and doesn’t that have Midwest written all over it?!)
In my humble opinion, one of the best things mom ever brought home from her Tuesday bowling “escape” was this lasagne recipe. Her pal Shirley Critelli gave it to her and our family loved it from the get go. We didn’t get it all that often, but it was definitely one of the recipes everyone made sure they were home for when she made it. Back in those days, we viewed Lasagne as some sort of exotic meal that was reserved for special occasions, or for when there was a special on Ragu or Prego. LOL! The beauty of this recipe was, and still is, that it doesn’t require hours of preparation. Start to finish, it takes about 90 minutes and it feeds a crowd. A good thing when you have 6 plus people around the table. Plus, while it’s baking you can be off doing other Suzy Homemaker things… Ha!
Now, I know what you are thinking. No self respecting Italian would ever stoop to using Ragu, or Prego or heaven forbid, Velveeta, in their cooking, but I’m here to tell you this recipe is DA BOMB! Also, I’m not so sure good old Shirley was Italian. I think her husband was Italian and she was Scandinavian or German and she said to heck with the complicated fancy authentic sauce and substituted what she had. Kinda like my mom. This did all take place in North Dakota after all…
Anyway, I know you are going to love this recipe. I’ve served it for years to family and friends and we even used it for a charity Ronald McDonald House dinner a few years ago. The leftovers were minimal. Serve it up with some warm garlic bread and a fresh side salad and you have a hearty meal. Enjoy, and if you have leftovers, a minute or two in the microwave is all it takes to warm it up another day. Or, freeze the leftovers and pull them out when you’re having one of those “I don’t wanna cook” days.
Cheesy, flavor packed and delicious, this recipe is a family favorite.
Letting the lasagne rest for a few minutes will make cutting and serving so much easier.
For gluten free diets, substitute gluten free noodles. Barilla no-bake noodles are a good alternative.
This recipe can be made dairy free as well. I've had good luck with dairy free cheese though I recommend cutting back a little on the overall amount used.
Welcome back! Today I am going to wrap up my world travel bucket list with a couple of gems that, until I did some out-of-the-box thinking I had completely overlooked. My list of places I would love to see is really pretty much endless, but […]
Welcome back! If you have been tracking this repeating topic you’ve landed on episode 4 and I’m staying in North America for my picks today If you want to skip back to my previous picks and catch up, you can find the first post here, […]
Welcome back fellow travelers! I’m going to share two new someday destinations with you today. Both of them are on my list because they offer stunning views, out-of-of-the-way appeal and charm to spare.
First on the list is…
Just look at that view. Now tell me you wouldn’t want to go there! LOL! Lugano is touted as the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland” and is graced by soaring mountains, turquoise blue lakes, charming Medieval squares, arcades and restaurants . Somehow, it’s also cited as being “traffic free”. How they manage that I have no idea, but I am certainly game to find out. As an added bonus, the climate is near perfect year round for travelers with temps ranging from the 40s to the high 70s. For a Minnesota girl, that’s ideal!
It dawned on me that it might be helpful to share the sites that I am finding all this travel info on, so I’ll go back and add that info into the previous posts. Duh! So, if you are curious about this fantastic destination, Thrillophilia.com offers lots of info about lovely Lugano.
Giethoorn, Netherlands
My second pick is north of Belgium and East of Germany in the Netherlands. What can I say, between the lure of tulips that Amsterdam and the Netherlands are famous for and adorable destinations like Giethoorn, this place is on my short list. Nicknamed the “Venice of the Netherlands” you can hop on a boat and wind through beautiful canals for a view of pretty cottages and farms or rent a bike and traverse the network of paths throughout town.
As is true of nearly any travel destination, Giethoorn isn’t totally off the radar for tourists, but since we typically travel during the “shoulder season” (April-May or Sept-Oct) our chances of avoiding crowds is better. It’s also only 90 minutes from Amsterdam so it works as a day trip too if Amsterdam is your true destination.
tassiedevilabroad.com also has some great information to share about what to do, where to go, where to stay and how to get there that I found to be helpful. I’ll be bookmarking her site for sure! Nothing beats a seasoned traveler who has actually been there.
My next installment in this series will bring us closer to home. Well, if you live in the US anyway. I promised a post about our upcoming trip to Charleston, SC and I’ll be pairing that with a suggestion for Vermont and one more a bit further north in Canada.
I’ll wrap things up today with another reminder to be sure and sign up for my newsletter. I’ll be offering some exclusive deals for newsletter subscribers just ahead of the holidays that you won’t want to miss out on. Tell your friends! I’d love to add them to the Love from the Heartland family!
Welcome back to part two of my bucket list of places to go in the world. My list is long and I can only hope to live long enough to visit them all but it’s good to dream, right?
Summertime for me means lots of fresh salads, fruit and light, zesty balsamic dressings. In the winter I reach for good old Ranch, but when we’re grilling or just eating out on the deck, I want my citrus, balsamic and olive oil. As you might […]
I spent this past weekend celebrating another trip around the sun and was reminded that spending time with family and friends is one of the things I enjoy most. I am also a big fan of movies, especially the kind that tell a good story or have a feel-good vibe. When our boys were little we watched a lot of movies together. There was the standard Disney lineup of course and as they got older a few comedies and yes, lots of Marvel comics movies. I am surrounded by boys after all.
Today’s post is all about a handful of movies that I have always loved because they leave me with a general feeling of happiness and renewed faith in humanity. No surprise I suppose that several of these involve animals or have the Disney stamp on them. I did mention we watched a lot of Disney movies with our boys right? You will also notice that most of these are older movies, but trust me when I say they are still worth a watch. So, pop some popcorn, grab a blanket and, if you have one handy, a kid and settle in to enjoy. You can stream all of these on Amazon but you might find them on other services as well.
Second Hand Lions (2003)
This 2003 gem follows a young boy who is dropped off by his flaky mother to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles. The antics that ensue involve an adopted lion deemed too old for the circus, two cranky uncles, a mystery surrounding some “treasure” and a young boy in desperate need of a real family. This movie alternates from hilarious to adventurous and ends with just the right amount of charm and love.
The Sandlot (1993)
Our entire family LOVES this movie. It’s a charming telling of a new kid in town finding a group of friends and a love of baseball. And then there’s the “Beast” on the other side of the fence. I love this movie because, at its heart, it’s about kids just being kids. Be prepared to laugh a LOT.
Stand By Me (1986)
Another favorite for us is this coming- of-age story about a rag-tag group of 12-year olds and their search for a missing teenager’s body. Similar to The Sandlot, the kids are funny and so typical of the average 12-year old boy. They’re full of fun and a healthy thirst for anything slightly scary and adventurous. Give it a watch and (if you’re older than 30) remember what it was like to be a kid.
Toy Story (1995)
I mean really, what’s not to like about Toy Story? My kids grew up with this movie and we all fell in love with the characters. My youngest son especially. He was three when the first one came out and, ironically, heading off to college (along with Andy) when the third one was released in theaters. I cried buckets of tears at the end of that one because it was so close to home and sending my baby off to college was heart wrenching. I knew exactly how those toys felt! LOL! This movie (and the 2nd and 3rd) all make my top 5 list simply because they illustrate the amazing potential of a child’s mind. No electronics required.
The Incredible Journey (1963)
This movie has been remade with at least one sequel, but the original was made before I was born and I think it’s one of the best . I remember watching it every year on the Wonderful World of Disney and bawling my eyes out at then end because the ending is (spoiler alert) SOOOO GOOD! I think this movie tells the story of an animal’s steadfast love for their family so beautifully. If you have pets, you know what I mean. Grab a box of tissues for this pick. You’ll need them.
I hope you’ll give all of these a try. I promise they’re worth the time and the popcorn!
Have a fantastic day!