Sunday Pot Roast on a Wednesday

I love to smell pot roast cooking! I used to always cook it in the crockpot and was never crazy about it. Now, I put it in the oven and it is so good. I start by browning my roast in a cast iron dutch oven, getting it really brown on all sides. Take out the roast and saute (in butter) one onion, 2 stalks of celery ( these can be chopped in large pieces as they will be taken out) about 20 whole peppercorns, a clove of garlic, and a teaspoon of ground thyme. ( don't leave out the thyme!) Saute for about 5 minutes, then add a can of beef broth. I think the consomme tastes the best.

Put the roast back in with the lid on, pop it in the oven @ 350 for 3 hours. I basted it every 30 minutes to keep it moist. Once it's done drain the broth, discarding the vegetables. Shred the roast with a fork and place it back in the pot with a pound of carrots. Pour the broth back over the roast and cook for about 30 minutes to an hour more, depending on the size and cut of your roast. A Chuck roast won't take as long as a shoulder because of the fat content.

We had rosemary red potatoes with it. It was very tasty!

Very Thrifty Treasures

I think I have to agree with Rhoda. I too am getting burned out on yard sales. Maybe because I seem to drive forever and only find a couple. I wish I would have had my camera Saturday. I ran into four ladies who all had on matching shirts that said "yard sale addict." It was funny.
I found a cute little lantern, but didn't realize the glass is missing in the front. I can still put a candle in it though.



I love this picture frame.



I really like this Anne Taylor purse, although on closer inspection the handles are a little frayed.



And last but not least, I couldn't pass up this little thingy. She makes me smile with her bunny slippers, popcorn, remote control and hair in curlers.



Be sure to check out more yard sale loot. I'm sure someone did better than me!

I've Been Splashed!!

What a nice surprise to have an award waiting for me this morning! I received the Splash award from Lori at. The Peterson Family I love Lori's blog! She is someone who boring people like me can live vicariously through. From rock concerts to travels around the city, never a dull moment. Thanks again Lori for the award and the kind words!



The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive, and inspiring blogs.


When you receive this award, you must:

• Put the logo on your blog/post.
• Nominate & link up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
• Let them know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
• Remember to link to the person from whom you received your Splash Award.

Here are my Splashes:

Studio M Designs ~ Misti and I went to school together! She is a very talented decorator! She's raising a family, going to school and making Sknobs! If you don't know what those are you have to rush over to her blog to find out!

Bloggin It Like It Is~ I can always count on Stacey for a laugh!

Cheap & Sweet~ I love going here to see all of Paige's great deals. What an inspiration!

Domestic Princess In Training~ Kendra has the cutest blog! Full of all things domestic with great recipes thrown in.

Groggy Froggy~ Lisa is such a sweet girl and a great artist!

When We Listen~ Lori is such a talented writer, you have to check her blog out!

Now go and share the love!

Lost, Indie, and Cleavage. Oh My!

This should be a fun Blog Hop! Whenever anything funny happens around here it usually comes from my youngest son Hunter. He loves to draw.



Normally he draws characters from the show Lost, or he will do Indiana Jones.



Lately, though, I'm thinking the hormones are kicking in. I'm seeing more and more pictures like this....



Did you happen to notice the cleavage on this one?? The other night he showed me his latest creation. I can't remember exactly how he described it, but the girl is mad and telling the boy that all he thinks about are girls. The boy is supposed to be embarrassed. Once again, notice the cleavage. This one is supposed to have a six pack too! It just cracks me up. No more Indiana Jones I guess. Sigh........

Weekend Finds

Thrifty treasure time! I found a couple of cute pictures. I took down this big picture and replaced it with these.



These are a little crooked and still have fingerprints from hanging them but I went ahead and took the photo anyway. I also found a cute headband and a necklace and bracelet.





That's about it for this weekend, be sure to go to Rhoda's
and check out more great finds!


I know that black is hard to read, I kept trying to change it but it went back to black. :(

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

Do y'all have weird dreams? Mine off so off the wall. I don't know what triggers them. Maybe I get them from my mom. She always dreams that someone is after her. It's always the same scenario, she runs and runs, gets in a car to make her get away. The car turns into a bicycle which eventually disappears all together, all the while the bad guy is still keeping chase. Once she is on foot again she gets quiet the head start but then all of a sudden she is climbing a hill made of macaroni! It happens every time. It's so bizarre. I would love for the dream analyzers to get a hold of that one!
I think I've been watching too much Six Feet Under. Last night I had a dream that Nate Fisher and I were in a library working on a research paper. Weird.



I'm off to bed, maybe I'll dream about normal things. Oh, by the way, if you haven't tried The Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake you are missing out. It is so good! Best Cake Ever!!

To Market, To Market

I've lived south of Atlanta all my life. In all this time I can't believe I haven't discovered "Your Dekalb Farmers Market." This place is a cooks dream. Unfortunately you can't take cameras in. I have no idea why. They have a really nice bakery with just about any kind of bread item you can think of.





They had the best Challah bread that I made french toast with. Yum! I was really impressed with their spices. The had a big selection and the prices were great!













I found some Turbinado sugar to make cookies with, and a great price on granola for yogurt.





I guess I will be a cooking fool now! I bought some Star Anise just because it was so cheap, but I don't have any idea what to do with it. I'm thinking it's used a lot in Chinese dishes but I'm not sure.

My pictures are so dark. I'm trying to get used to taking pics without using my flash and I just didn't take the time to lighten them up any.

Recipe Blog Hop

I feel like I haven't posted in forever. I have not been feeling well. I'm not sure if it was the flu or not. It sure felt like it! I'm slowly but surely feeling more like myself. Since I was feeling bad I didn't get to go to any yard sales. Bummer! Hopefully I didn't miss much since it was so hot. I am so ready for fall. Enough with the 90 degree days!

Today I'm going to join in on Mcklinky Blog Hop. The topic is favorite recipe. We had fajitas tonight. Nothing special, just run of the mill fajitas. But can we just talk about the rice and pico de gallo for a minute? I can't get enough of this stuff. I didn't need the fajitas, I can make a meal of the rice and pico!




I'm sure most of you know how to make the pico de gallo, but I will go ahead and post the recipe. It's good on everything, or just eaten as a dip.

3-4 half ripe tomatoes diced
2 large jalapenos diced
1 large onion diced
juice of one lime
pinch of kosher salt
Cilantro -chopped ( I use the whole bunch, I love it!)
Just mix it all together and let it sit for a little while for the flavors to marry.



Spanish Rice

2 cups of long grain rice
2 cans chicken broth
2 diced green onions
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon Cumin

Brown the rice in a tablespoon of oil. Get it really brown, that's where the flavor comes from. Add green onions and tomatoes and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken broth, cumin, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes.

Hope you enjoy!

Antique Stores

My mom and I hit a few antique stores today. We had a lot of fun. Can you believe I came home empty handed? This has got to be a first. We have the cutest little shop on the square in Mcdonough. It's called The Plum Tree. They have a little garden section on the side of the store. I wish I would have taken more pictures. It's very whimsical. They have animals made of things like propane tanks and saw blades.









Aren't those the funniest things? Here are a couple of shots from inside. I love how they had umbrellas hanging from the ceiling.







I really wanted this, but held off on it.



And these Jadite cups



And Jadite chicken



I love the vintage linens



Here is an adorable little vegetable stand that is also on the square.



It was just a fun day. Now I have to run and pick up another Xbox 360. Has anybody else had trouble with these? We already sent it off to be repaired once. Supposedly it is a problem that has been fixed so it just makes more sense to get a new one. Good thing my son saved for one! He has acted like he lost his best friend.


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