Turkey meatball subs

We needed a fun & quick dinner the other night so we could get some work done on the house, so I wanted to try turkey meatball subs inspired by this blog.

To make the meatballs:
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
2 eggs
1/2 white onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp Italian herbs
1 tsp crushed red pepper (I didn't use this because I don't eat spicy food)
salt and pepper to taste

To make the subs:
baguette loaf
marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
oregano

As I was grabbing ingredients from the fridge, I turned around to see this:

Kitty wanted to help!

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients for meatballs in a large bowl.

2. Mix ingredients well by hand.
3. Roll into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter and place on a greased baking pan.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for approx. 30 minutes. Cut one open to see if they are done. When it's no longer pink in the middle, it's done. Ours needed an extra 5 minutes.
5. Cut a section of baguette and slice it down the middle leaving the bread connected in the middle.
6. Spread with marinara sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
7. Slice 2-4 meatballs in half and place on the sub. Top with more mozzarella, parmesean, and oregano.
8. Toast in a toaster oven or on broil in the oven until cheese is melted and edges of the bread are crispy and light brown.
9. Squeeze it together and enjoy!


Of course, we needed some college-style beer complete with camo art on the can!

These subs were great leftover too. I ate them for dinner the past 2 nights. Yum!

Family Room...More Progress

Another update...

It's a very slow and frustrating process, but we're getting there. Last week we organized the garage and took a break from the family room, but it's back to working in there this weekend.

I wanted to share some pics of my little helper getting caught in drop cloths.

New satin nickel door hinges

New satin nickel door knobs

Finished recessed lighting

And Kitty helping us clean up the dust...

My bargains this week...I think I'm obsessed!

Hi, my name is Lisa and I am obsessed with bargains. I have now been to Old Navy 3 times in 3 days just to look for cheap deals! 50% off the lowest clearance price so check it out!
I hardly ever buy anything at Old Navy because things don't fit too well, but I found a few things for myself and for holiday gifts.

Jersey Cowl Neck Top - Love this with dark skinny jeans. I bought one for me and one for a gift.
$17.99 online
I paid $1.99!

Perfect Tee - Perfect with a matching green Irish-inspired cardigan I already have
$10.00 online
I paid 99 cents!

Ruched V-Neck Tee - Always great for work and weekends
$10.00 online
I paid $1.50!

Ruffled One Shoulder Top - Really cute for next summer
$7.99 online
I paid 97 cents!

Moisure-wicking rib knit tank - I got these in 2 different colors for working out and a couple for gifts.
$9.99 online
I paid 97 cents!

Rimless Aviator Sunglasses - Don't fit perfectly, but they'll work for my Halloween costume!
$8.00 online
I paid $1.50!
Sadly, there's more, but I doubt you really need to see everything. Ummm..help me before I stop by another location on my way home!

I'm drowning in leaves!

I've always wanted to show my crafts in a craft fair and last year I had the first opportunity to do it. I sold stuffed pumpkins and Christmas trees at a small fair and they were a huge hit.

During the past year, a lot of people have asked me if I was going to do them again this year. As much as I love to do make something for people that they love, I just didn't have the time to put in with the new house stress going on. After much begging, I decided I would do the craft fair again this year, but with something easier and quicker - fall leaf wreaths! See my original post here.

With 10 days until the fair, I've been scrambling around and crafting during all my free time to get enough done. I've bought out the fall leaves at just about every store within 10 miles of my office too!
For these new ones, I put a spin on my original wreath and tried some variations including different wreath sizes, shapes, colors of leaves, bows, etc. Here are some of my new wreaths for the fair:





Wish me luck that they sell!

Family room progress

This transformations is a slooooow process and is taking much longer than originally planned. But I wanted to show off some preview pics of things we're working on.

New paint

New taller baseboards

Pulled down old 70's paneling and added new window trim and crown moulding (pics to come soon)

It's coming together!

Pumpkin fluff

If you know me, you know I love anything pumpkin. I heard about this recipe and have been dying to try it! It was a huge hit at work when I brought it in, so give it a try!

Pumpkin Pie Fluff Dip

Canned pumpkin (15 oz. can)

Container of cool whip (16 oz.)

I t pumpkin pie spice

1 packet of vanilla pudding

½ t vanilla

½ c sugar

Dippers:

Graham crackers

Nilla wafers

Apple slices

Mix and chill until serving. Enjoy!

The first experience with the crock pot

I've never used a crockpot before and everyone has been raving about how great they are.  Mine has been in storage for 2 years and I finally found it last week!  

The recipe started out great...

And it smelled really yummy while it cooked all day...

But it looked a little weird at the end...

Maybe it's supposed to look more like mush than a meal?? It did taste good and that's all that matters, right?

Am I a crazy painter?

So we're been busy painting our family room and I just pulled the blue tape off for the big reveal.  It was little uneven in areas where the paint soaked through.  After all this hard work that's going into the family room makeover, I want it to look perfect.

My crazy solution: a very thin art brush to correct lines.  Am I crazy to go around the entire room, 3 doors, and lots of detail areas just to get it looking perfect?

Strangely enough, I got a calm feeling from doing this...

Please tell me someone else has done this!

The beginning stages of a new house

Now that we're moved in, organizing and makeovers have begun.

First I'll show off our new satin nickel locks on our 3 exterior doors. I'm still looking for matching nickel handles for the storm door in the front.


Our family room makeover is the first major project we are taking on. It's been taking a lot longer than we thought, but we're starting to see a big change! Recessed lighting is in, panelling on the wall is down, and paint is slowly going up. After a slight paint color problem, we picked out Benjamin Moore lenox tan for the walls and Benjamin Moore snowfall white for all our doors, trim, crown moulding, etc.  As an odd coincidence, I think lenox tan is the color we used in our old house in the bathroom. I guess it was meant to be!

Our old guest bathroom

In the near future, I'll be working on a post about how to paint stained trim white since people often wonder about the best way to do it. Trust me, I have learned a LOT about this topic recently!

I really don't want to show pictures until we have more done, but I'm SO excited to show you soon!

Fall door wreaths

I've been dying to make a cute wreath for our front door. There are so many different kinds and I couldn't decide what to make until I saw one on Infarrantly Creative from guest blogger, A Penny Saved. I followed her directions with a little twist of my own. Here's my wreath!


Here are a bunch of other fall wreath crafts that might inspire you:

My inspiration from Infarrantly Creative. Love this on the red door!

The Long Thread shows you how to make this pretty black ribbon wreath.


A ribbon wreath from About.com


Try this fall foliage wreath from Embellished Bayou


A modern wrapped ribbon wreath from Elise Blaha