Coconut Curry Soup with Shrimp and Scallops
This flavorful shrimp & scallop coconut curry soup is full of veggies and a little bit of heat. Perfection!
Author: Lesley at Lola Rugula
Goat Cheese Balls with Pecans and Dried Cherries
Another easy appetizer recipe. Goat cheese & cream cheese balls mixed with dried cherries & pecans are simple but elegant and delicious. Great on crackers or bread.
Garlicky Marinated Mushrooms and Red Peppers
This marinated mushroom recipe is built for a crowd but you can easily cut it in half. These are always a big hit at get-togethers. You want to use sweet bell peppers in this; either red, yellow, or orange; any of them add a pop of flavor and color. The beauty of these little shrooms is that you can make them a few days ahead of time and have them ready to go for your event. Ideally, you want them to sit at least 24 hours so they have the best flavor.
Easy Marinated Mushrooms with Garlic Recipe
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 5 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, plus extra for serving if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 lbs. mushrooms (white or portobello – I used white for the photos here)
- 1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, thinly sliced. I like to mince up a few of them for added color all around but this is optional.
Directions
- Add everything except the mushrooms and peppers in a large saucepan, cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and peppers, cover, bring back to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool about 30 minutes. Transfer to a dish and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.
- If desired, sprinkle with a little freshly minced parsley immediately before serving.
These are seriously about the easiest marinated mushrooms ever and, if you’re really not a fan of garlic, you can omit some or all of it. Trust me when I tell you they give these great flavor, though.
Again, you can cut the recipe in half if you want to and, if you want to add a little kick, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the initial marinade. They’re great this way skewered and served with bloody mary’s.
I like the mix of different kinds of vinegar in this but feel free to use your own combo. This is a fun recipe to fool around with. Never, ever be afraid to play with your food.
Enjoy!
Almond Lemon Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
These beautiful little cookies look like jewels nestled in snow, don’t they? These are perfect for the holidays or any special occasion. Best yet, you can freeze before finishing & serving.
Snowy Mason Jar Candle Holders
These beautiful little candle holders are perfect for the holidays and easy to make, too! It’s a project even little hands can help with.
Recipe Box Makeover
I promised I’d start sharing more of my crafts and projects here on my site and this one was a quick but fun one. My mom picked up this cool little vintage recipe box at a flea market or estate sale and gifted it to me with the intent of me giving it a nice makeover. I think I did it justice but you can let me know. 🙂
As you can see, the interior was in pretty good shape but the exterior had some serious rough spots on it. That just tells me that this was often-used and much loved which inspired me even more, knowing that someone at one time really enjoyed this piece.
I initially tried to start sanding it with 100 grit sandpaper but after just a few swipes discovered that the wood on this was much too soft and fragile for such a coarse grit. I switched to 180 grit, which was much better, and proceeded in lightly sanding the entire box, going from 180 (lightly) to 240 to 400.
The front “Recipes” detailing was already worn down in a couple of spots so I had to sand over this very lightly to ensure I didn’t sand anymore of it away.
Once I was satisfied with the sanding, I then wiped the box down well inside and out with a soft cloth dampened with denatured alcohol and let it dry overnight.
Day 2 I examined the box thoroughly, to ensure there weren’t any spots that needed more attention. There were still a few dings in the wood but I knew that trying to sand them completely out would be next to impossible without over-sanding the entire piece so I left them as is; thus is the beauty of real wood.
Though not entirely necessary, I’ve gotten into the habit of using wood conditioner prior to staining and have always had great results with it. If you’re wondering what the purpose of a wood conditioner is, it’s to help condition the wood which helps it take stain more evenly. I felt like this piece really needed it; soft woods often do, so I conditioned it, applying it with a soft cloth, and waited about 45 minutes.
Once the wood conditioner had set, I set about staining it. The color I used is Minwax Dark Walnut and I used a simple, inexpensive small foam brush to apply it. I was originally thinking of a lighter stain but realized with the already darker grain of the box, plus the knicks and dings, that a darker stain would work better.
I applied it first to just the very lightest spots and let it sit a few minutes before wiping with a soft cloth. Then I stained the entire piece, again letting it sit a couple of minutes before wiping off the stain.
I’m more than pleased with the final result.
I honestly love that you can still see some of the lighter spots on the front edge where the box is opened; again this just tells me this box was often-used and I wanted to keep that memory that’s ingrained here.
People often tell me they don’t know how I find time to do these types of projects but this was an easy one. All in all, it took me 2 days to do this from start to finish and in hours, it took me less than 3. The biggest lag of time is letting the piece dry well after wiping it down with denatured alcohol.
I’ve not yet decided just how I want to showcase this cool little box but I have a few ideas. One of them is to line up some pretty little painted 1/2 pint Ball jars in them and use them as little vases. All I know is that I want to display it somewhere and let it know it’s still much-loved and appreciated.
I hope you enjoy my latest refinishing project as much as I do! Thanks for stopping by and your comments are always welcome.
Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup
Potatoes, Leeks, and Broccoli come together for a creamy, dreamy soup, no dairy required. This soup is rich & luscious; perfect on a chilly day served with some warm bread.