Autumn on the Inside

 A beautiful Pottery Barn runner, wrought iron & ceramic pumpkins and a scattering of pine cone candles from Target

 Blazing Blooms

 Scary Reminders

 Autumn Spirit

 The bats were fleeing our fireplace last year {http://coastalpines.blogspot.com/2011/10/halloween-around-hutton-home-part-two.html} this year they are keeping us company in the kitchen

 Toddler Swag

 Ghoulish Playroom

 Empty wine bottles?? A silver marker, plastic spiders and you have a fun decoration or hostess gift!

 Keepin' it simple this year

 Black roses & a glittery crow

More than once this large brown hairy spider has given me pause...

To see a sampling of our out-of-doors, click here:  http://coastalpines.blogspot.com/2012/10/autumn-on-outside.html.

Thanks for visiting!

Sausage, Peppers & Onions by Coastalpines {Recipe Swap}

Sausage, Peppers & Onions

8 Hot Italian Sausages

8 Sweet Italian Sausages

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, Halved & Sliced

3 Large Green Peppers, Sliced

3 Large Red Peppers, Sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, Minced

1 ½ Teaspoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (I use Trader Joe’s)

4 Leaves of Fresh Basil, Chiffonade-d

Grill Sausages to get a nice dark grill mark.  Once grilled and cooled, slice sausages into 1-inch pieces.  Set aside.

Note:   I always slice my spicy sausage on a slant, and the sweet gets a straight cut.  Although I cook them together, I will still let people know which is which when it is time to eat…especially the kids!

In your crockpot (set on LOW) mix olive oil, garlic and mustard. After about 10 minutes, add onions to sweat, stirring occasionally.

After about 20-30, add all of your peppers and basil and set crockpot to WARM. Stirring Occasionally.

After about 20-30 minutes, add all of your pre-grilled sausage.  Continue to cook on warm for 2-3-4 hours.

That’s it.  Serve on fresh Italian bread or rolls.

It’s so good, I have yet to get an after shot…it goes that fast {wink, wink}

This version is MARVELOUS!  S,P,O has been done hundreds of ways and as a Jersey Girl, a stone’s throw from a famous boardwalk version, I can honestly say…mine is better!  Come on’ people, it’s football season…TRY IT!!

Thanks for visiting!!

Autumn on the Outside

Cheap taupe pots from Big Lots spray-painted glossy black and filled with mums.  Glittery BOO sign from the Target dollar spot and some Dollar Tree reed, leaf and acorn picks for a little extra something, something...$11 Bucks.

 You may see off to the side there, my Geraniums are still kicking. They rose to the occasion and served me well this Summer.  Whilst spray painting the cheap pots, I threw a stencil on a lone adirondack that on our driveway near our side entrance (our house number).  A Dollar Tree wreath, aluminum bucket and Mother Natures leaves complete this vignette for $2.

 Had to throw this in, although it's not really Autumn-y at all, but this bed was a hot mess in the beginning of Summer.  Still looks pretty in October...

Mums, cabbages, kale mixed in with some mums and 2 Dollar Tree grave stones makes for a simple, yet festive entrance.

A few pumpkins and a bale of hay, complete our Fall yard. I'll give a glimpse of the inside later this week, along with a FABULOUS recipe for Jersey Sausage & Peppers.  Thanks for visiting!

Zucchini 2~Ways {Recipe Swap}

Buffalo Wing Zucchini Sticks

Zucchini Boats

Fabulous Summer + Eventful Autumn (so far) = My being Absent! But I'm back with a couple of recipes and hope to catch up and be more...present.

Zucchini Boats

6 Medium Zucchini
2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Finely Shredded Cheddar
1/4 Cup Crispy Crushed Bacon
1 Small Onion, Minced
2 Tbsp. Chopped Parsley
S & P (to taste)

Wash zucchini and cut off ends; do not peel. Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just tender. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; remove pulp with spoon; place zucchini shells in a large baking pan or jelly roll pan. Combine chopped zucchini pulp, bread crumbs, cheese, onion, parsley, salt & pepper.  Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese/crumbs (to taste) and bake at 350° for 20 minutes, Broil for a few if you like the tops extra crispy. 

Buffalo Wing Zucchini Sticks

{Recipe Courtesy of Fritos & Foie Gras.com}

I doubled this amazingly easy & awesome recipe on a Saturday.  I tripled it the next day.

1 Zucchini, Washed and cut into 3 fingers
1/4 cup of Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. of Hot Sauce (more or less for your taste)
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1.5 Cups of Panko Bread Crumbs

Combine Mayo, Hot Sauce & Spices in a bowl. Dunk Zucchini in the mayo mixture. Mush slathered Zucchini in Crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The addition of the garlic & onion powder really pull this recipe together...No BS, it's awesome.  Serve with a nice blue cheese dressing and a cold beer.

If adorning a vegetable with bacon, fat & cheese will get my family to eat it, so be it.

Thanks for visiting ~ Traci

Gift Idea {for the foodie that has everything}

Wanted a unique gift for my cousin who a chef in Chicagoland. He and his gf just bought a home in the burbs, so a fun housewarming gift was in order.

Check out Empire Mayonnaise Co. I'm all about mayo to start with! I got them the NYC mix...one each of smoked paprika, black garlic & lime pickle. Bonus ~ I found a online discount code: SUMMERBBQ for 25% off.

Since this is a quick iPhone post, that's all for now folks xoxo

Workman Brain Quest Kits

I found a fantastic deal on these from Rue La La, so I ordered them for the boys.  The 2nd Grade and the Kinder Kit.  I would love to hear any opinions or input...

And it just goes to show (my husband) that shopping on Rue can be educational too.  It's not just clothes & shoes.  

Happy Weekend All!!

BHG Throwback ~ Farmer's Casserole

I'm on a mission lately to clean out and use up products in my fridge and pantry.  I created 4 weekend appetizers on Friday by just hitting the farm market and clearing out some stuff we already had...Tzatziki, Corn & Black Bean Salsa, Buffalo Chicken Dip and Deviled Eggs.

Along with making a concerted effort to cook {almost} every night, the pantry purge has been pretty successful!

This recipe also helped me purge an aging can of evaporated milk, frozen hashed brown potatoes, cheese and eggs that were on there way out.  Some "seen better days" green onions and peppers were added as well.  A perfect midweek supper!

Nonstick cooking spray

3 cups frozen shredded Southern Style hash brown potatoes

¾ cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese or shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

1 cup diced cooked ham, cooked breakfast sausage, bacon or Canadian-style bacon

¼ cup sliced green onions (2)

4 beaten eggs or 1 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed

1 ½ cups milk or one 12-ounce can evaporated milk or evaporated fat-free milk

Pinch of Salt

  Pinch of Pepper

  Optional: Diced bell peppers and/or mushrooms

Directions:

1.Coat a 2-quart square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange potatoes evenly in the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham, and any vegetables you may be using.

2.In a bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture in dish.

3.Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F oven for 50 – 60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Recipe courtesy of better homes & gardens.