Mexican Pizza

Hello my friend ! 

I'd love to share with you a family favorite-

Yes, it's a copy cat recipe from Taco Bell....

but so much better and

so easy and great for a busy weeknight dinner.

Here's the ingredient list then we can walk it through-

You'll need:

1 lb lean Ground Beef

1 Pkg. Flour Tortillas

(We love Trader Joes Habenaro Tortillas )

1 Can Refried Beans

1 jar or can Red Enchiladas sauce

1 Packet Taco seasoning

or

Make your own Taco Seasoning-

2 tsp. Chili Powder

1 1/2 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Onion Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Cumin

1/2 tsp. Oregano

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Mix together dry ingredients.

Save in a jar and use as needed.

You will use this seasoning when you brown the ground beef.

I also add a chopped onion if I have one on hand.

Season to your family's taste

I add a Tbsp or so and also add alittle water.

Brown the meat, season and set aside.

To assemble your pizza:

Start with

2 flour tortillas per pizza

We love these Trader Joe's Habenero Tortillas!

I lightly sprayed both tortillas with avocado oil spray, 

cook in a skillet on the stove top so

they would be crisp.

On a cookie sheet, place one crisp tortilla.

Spread a layer of Refried Beans, then top with

a layer of cooked and seasoned meat.

Top with another crispy tortilla.

Cover the top tortilla with enchilada sauce.

Add toppings over sauce.

Toppings can include

grated cheese, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes,

and even sliced black olives.

It's fun to let everyone add there own toppings.

Bake at 350' about 10 min.

 or until cheese has melted.

Your pizza will be crispy and delicious.

 

                                           Cut into wedge slices like a small pizza and serve hot.

So yummy!!!

Have a wonderful week.

xo Lisa S

Just Getting Started- A little FALL Decor

Hi friends,

I was at the Dollar tree 

getting something else when

I saw these Maple leaf stems.

I know I could spend more and get better quality

floral at Hobby Lobby or just about anywhere else.

I had an idea and I wanted to see if it would work.  

I love the brown and beige tones.

I bought 2 stems for $1.25 each, so not a big investment .

Found some old book pages in my paper stash.

I used one of the leaves to make a pattern.

Then cut some Maple leaves from the book pages.

You could even stain your pages 

with coffee, tea or watercolor paints.

I folded the leaves down the center.

Then glued the leaves to a center piece that 

did not have a leaf...

but looked like it needed one.

It made the stems nice and full !

I put one stem in an old cider jug...

It works for me-

nothing fancy!

Here's a close up of the leaves.

I put the other stem in a white pitcher.

This year

I plan to decorate with my brown transferware, 

lots of browns and neutrals.

It turned out like I was thinking....I like it-

Okay... tell me what you think. 

Are you thinking about Fall?

Or are you 'enjoying' 105 degree weather like I am ???

Have a great week!

xo Lisa S

Faux Cinnamon Roll

 Hello!

I found air-dry clay at the Dollar Tree.

It looks like it's a terra cotta color

I wanted to test it out-

I immediately thought about cinnamon rolls....

Who doesn't love cinnamon rolls year-round ?

I cut the moist slab of clay

 in half lengthwise and rolled it out

 with a rolling bin wrapped in parchment paper.

I rolled it into one large cinnamon roll.

It was easy to roll.

The edges were smoothed out 

with a little water and fingertips.

It dried overnight-

The clay is dense and weighty-

No cracking.

I painted the swirls with Matte Mod Podge and real cinnamon.

I decided to paint the clay with acrylic paint.

I used white paint for the icing and let it drip over the sides.

After the paint dried, I went over just the icing with

GLOSSY Mod Podge.

The icing stayed glossy.

It looked real to me-

A delicious paper weight!

I enjoy making faux foods- it really fools the eye!

This clay was a win!

Definitely worth a try.

An 8 oz. package made 1 extra large roll or

 could easily make

4 mini rolls.

Have a great week!

xo Lisa S

Trash to Treasure- Monocraft Wood Cabinet

 Hi there!

The other day my Mom asked if I wanted this very old cabinet-

It's stackable-The top drawer is a separate piece.

YES!

I'll take it !

The drawers have dovetail corners.

It needed some work-

and a little wood glue.

One of the drawers still had

some dividers.

Some drawers had the dividers removed.

We used a sharp, flat scrapper to remove the

glue and wood pieces left-

It soon became a Mr. FreshVintage project!

 

We wiped it down and cleaned out the drawers.

I had this 'Old English'

Scratch Cover on hand.

It does an amazing job when you don't want to

refinish the piece of furniture

The color blends so well and the scratches disappear.

The cabinet was made with inexpensive wood.

It needed to have a bit more

 stain coverage in some areas.

I had some old stain-

I just used a soft cloth on the edges

 and in the dovetail sides.

It's nice and clean now.

I left the old labels just because I like it that way....

I can't help it.

The cabinet is a dark Mahogany color.

I immediately moved in-

The small sections are just the 

right size for all sorts of things.

Thank you for visiting!

I really appreciate you so much.

xo Lisa S

Simple 'Back to School' Vignette

 Hello!

Well it's been a while since I posted,

 in fact I've missed

all of July... and now summer is almost over.

To get back on track at our house I decided

to make a quick Back to School vignette.

I picked the desk near our front door.

I started with a clean slate.

It give me a chance to clean the area

and 'feed' the wood furniture.

I grabbed a few ideas to display.

Had to add a globe-

Brought over some books-

This little Koala named Blinky is adorable.

A few flashcards will stand up 

in a couple of vintage 'flower frogs'

This glass 'frog' will hold some pencils.

That was easy!

More books and some crayons.

One of my favorite finds was this Crayola chalk tin.

It was in great shape.

 I liked the color-and yes,

 I do keep my chalk in it.

I took a lunch pail thermos

from my kitchen.

We are all about the ABC's around here

right now!

These books came from my eBay shop-

I have quite a few vintage ones at the moment.

In the past I have shared 

my collection of  Early childhood readers.

I moved things around a couple of times!

That was fun to put together.

Thank you for visiting!

xo Lisa S

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Hi my friend,

It's July and I'm already making plans for Christmas.

This year I want to make some homemade vanilla extract 

for my friends and family.

It needs a good 6 months to make start to finish.

Now's the time to start the process-

It is incredibly easy and delicious.

I ordered my vanilla beans on Amazon

www.vanillabeankings.com

Madagascar Grade A

I purchased 10 beans 

I cut a slit in the bean lengthwise.

This will help to make the rich vanilla flavor.

It is best to have the alcohol 80 proof or higher.

I bought the least expensive Vodka from Trader Joe's

It was around $6

I put the vanilla beans directly into the

bottle. I plan to leave the bottle for the next

6 months.

At that time I will decant the vanilla into smaller bottles

for gift giving.

I put in away in the cupboard.

                                               After just a couple weeks, it already looks

                                                           like it's going to be good!

Now just let the vanilla do it's thing-

Just ignore it for now and go back to swimming

or hanging out at the beach-

I'll come back late November and share with you

how I package up the bottles for Christmas gifts.

Do you think you might give it a try?

Let me know if you do.

Thank you!

xo Lisa S