just stuff and a recipe!

I thought maybe I'd share some of my favorite things(right now) with you. You know, like Oprah or something! :-)

This chalkboard-magnet board is in my kitchen. The frame is from an antique store, last summer I had my father cut some MDF board out and I first painted it with MAGNETIC PAINT (super cool stuff but not cheap) then I painted it with chalkboard paint. I plopped it in the frame and voila'! Of course I write extremely thought provocing or super cool quotes. NOT! It's usually something simple like what's on there right now. The sign above it is a fav too! I think I may have posted a pic of this last summer when I did it. If so, sorry for the repeat!

Our crepe myrtle is blooming and it's just gorgeous! So I lopped off some blooms and stuff them in this cheap pitcher. It's all sitting on a really awesome french wire tray and stand I got at Pier One at the summer clearance! YEAH!

My pergola that Matt and our friend Curt (www.wadecontractors.net) made after my father designed it. I know I've shown you before but now it's painted. Matt does have to replace that one piece of trim with wood instead of white, but oh well. I'm not in love with my chairs, I really like the other chairs (they are going to Goodwill) but when we figured out how much it would be to recover the seat to make them outdoor friendly, it was easier to just go buy these at Target. BUT I still think the others looked better :-)

Our fish, I LOVE these fish!

Okay, here's the recipe. It's from another blog so I'm going to give her credit of course. http://www.allthingsheartandhome.com/2009/06/23/spinach-artichoke-alfredo-dip/ I know everyone has a spinach/artichoke dip but this one is better! LOL I swear it is awesome. You do have to roast garlic cloves in your oven first (VERY important for the flavor) But I just open the whole garlic thingy (don't really know what that is called, you know the white thing with the roots sticking out) and pour a little EVOO on it and put the little foil wrapped bit of goodness in the oven. I didn't think I'd like roasted garlic because I'm not a garlic fan, you'll NEVER see me order scampi. BUT Cole and I were smearing the extra buttery roasted garlic cloves on Townhouse crackers....oh my gawd! YUMMMMY!

THIS is DIRECTLY from her site in her own words. It's a FABULOUS blog you must visit!

Artichoke & Spinach Dip Restaurant Style
4 cloves garlic
1 (10 ounce ) package frozen chopped spinach ~ thawed, drained…I pretty much squeeze all the moisture out !
1 (10 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (app. 10 ounce) jar Alfredo style pasta sauce(I used red pepper alfredo sauce)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese- softened
*Preheat oven to 350*
*Place garlic in small baking dish wrapped in foil. Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins. (It will be soft and a bit mushy) ***Don’t eliminate this step…it adds so much flavor.
*Mix all ingredients and put into a 8×8 inch baking dish (or something close to this!)
*Cover and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted and bubbly! Serve warm with crackers or french bread slices…YUMALICIOUS!