Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Living in the "boonies" as I do, it is not easy for me to run to the grocery store so I happened to have all of the ingredients to make this VERY tasty casserole this week. I had only made it once before and really liked it and after I decided this was "what's for supper" I could actually feel my mouth watering for it. I just love anything that tastes of tomatoes and this fits the bill. It is a bit labor intensive but if you go ahead and get the rice cooking in the microwave and saute' the cabbage which cooks fairly fast it isn't too bad...worth the work. Caution: It makes plenty so that you can have leftovers for the next day. Of course there are only two of us in our home but my hubby loves leftovers. This is the only recipe I've come across that uses that much thyme also and it does gives it a unique taste. Enjoy!

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

• 2 tsp olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• ½ green pepper
• 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp Paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans (15 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese (Sargento)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef, onion, and green pepper and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks. Drain. Return to pan. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce. Add water to the pan. Simmer until it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes. While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper. When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and then layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges. Remove foil and sprinkle on cheese (if using.) Bake uncovered an additional 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to slightly brown. Serve hot. Freezer friendly if you have leftovers. To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then either microwave until hot or heat in the oven in a glass dish covered with foil.

I'm a Little Teapot...

FINALLY got into my stash of old teapots that I bought from the Goodwill and painted one up. I don't know why I let things intimidate me so much but I do. I have wanted to paint one of these for over a year and what fun it ended up to be. I will admit that it took me a couple of days to do as I had no clue what I was going to put on it. I think it turned out rather cute. I will list it in my Etsy shop eventually. I still have not varnished it. I sooooo love to see things from trash to treasure! Enjoy!

Tub Cleaner

I don't know about you all but I definitely have an addiction problem...to PINTEREST! It would take me 10 lifetimes to cook every recipe, make every Christmas decoration, make every craft, etc. that I have saved on mine. If you are interested in following me on pinterest, I have a link to it below. I have managed to save over 8,000 pins...get this, I came across a lady that had over 83,000 pins the other day. And I thought I was bad! Anyway, since my most dreaded household chore is cleaning the tubs (one day I'm getting rid of a tub and getting an enclosed shower - no tub) I thought why not try one of these so called homemade tub cleaners I found on Pinterest. I'm so glad I tried it coz now I am hooked! Although it was a bit stinky it left my tub shining like a silver dollar. Once rinsed the smell went away. You just take the same amount of vinegar and Dawn and mix them together and spray away. You first must warm up the vinegar in the microwave and then add the Dawn but how easy is that? I made only a small amount the first time as I didn't know if it worked or not but you can bet I will be making it again. Good luck if you try it!

http://pinterest.com/cyndimac/

Mini Coke Can Ornie

My dad had an awful car accident on November 1st and what a struggle he has had but I'm happy to report that he is thisclose to being home finally. He suffered fractures in his spine, ribs and pelvis and has a blood clot in his head and developed DVT (blood clot)in his right leg but he is coming along. He is almost walking by himself and his memory is getting closer to normal. He still has a ways to go and has had several setbacks but we are so thankful that our prayers are being answered every day. When you go through something like this you truly do realize the power of prayer. Anyway, these past two months I have tried to save every small mini pop can that he has used in the hospital and rehab because that's just what I do...I love to paint on things that would normally be trash to someone else. These will make the cutest little ornaments. I have painted on the regular mini pop cans but not these taller, skinnier ones. This is my first attempt at painting up one. This is a down sized version of a Jamie Mills-Price pattern. Enjoy!

Sweet and Saltines

I really enjoy watching Trisha Yearwood's cooking show on the Food Network. She makes "normal" food which I always like. I have made this recipe several times and it is so super EZ and soooo yummy! Plus I usually have the ingredients around. Trisha's family calls this "crack" coz it is truly addictive...bet ya can't eat just one!

Sweet and Saltines

Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 35 to 40 saltine crackers
• 2 sticks (1 cup) butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 1 large or 2 small jelly-roll pans with aluminum foil, spray with nonstick spray and arrange the saltines in a single layer. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly. Put the jelly-roll pan into the oven and bake for 2 to 4 minutes, or until just bubbly, watching carefully. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

CD Ornaments

I have painted on CD's before but it was a long time ago. Here are two that I just finished up today...what fun they were to paint! Got many more to paint up so stay tuned! Having such fun painting different things! January is my month to paint up new designs...fun, fun, fun!

Spoons, Spoons & More Spoons

I have totally been into painting spoon ornaments lately and here are my latest three. Two of these are inspired by my painting hero Renee Mullins! I just love all of her patterns although I just look at them and make my own since I don't have a copier that decreases or increases patterns. I usually use my own color combos too. I'm thinking that this Christmas I'm gonna have a tree just filled with different spoon ornaments!