Rustic Couture Designs

I decided to resign from my job as a NICU nurse at the beginning of October.  I honestly needed a break from nursing while I finish up my nurse practitioner degree.  In the mean time, I am enjoying staying at home with my sweet boys.  I have also started designing my own jewelry.  I named the business Rustic Couture Designs.  I did my first marketplace yesterday, and it was a success!  Check out my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RusticCoutureDesigns and my Etsy shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/RusticCoutureDesign.  Here is a sneak peek of some of my designs:

Halloween

We had a blast trick-or-treating in our neighborhood this year.  Ryan wanted us all to dress up, so he was General Grievous from Star Wars, I was a Ninja Turtle, and Dustin was a pilot!  We are still eating candy from Halloween, and it's mid-November!

Updated Picture of Our House

Here is an updated picture of our house.  We have lived here for a year and a half now, and we still love this house!  It is the perfect size for us, and we love our sweet neighbors.  Inside pictures coming soon...

Party Crackers

Party Crackers were my neighbor's specialty when I was a child.  They are addicting and perfect for an easy party food.

Ingredients:

·        1 package oyster crackers

·        ½ bag pretzel sticks

·        1 box Cheezits

·        ½ box corn Chex cereal

·        1 ounce packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix

·        ¾ cup canola oil

·        ½ teaspoon dillweed

·        ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper

·        ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

Mix the crackers, pretzels, and Cheezits together in a large flat pan with sides (broiler pan).  Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a small bowl, and pour this mixture over the crackers.  Stir the crackers and mixture together.  Bake at 275 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.  Stir the crackers after 10 minutes.

Mandarin Orange Salad

Ingredients for Salad:

·         Bibb lettuce (may substitute spinach)

·         1 can Mandarin oranges

·         1 package sliced almonds

·         3 tablespoons sugar

Ingredients for Dressing:

·         ¼ cup vegetable oil

·         2 tablespoons sugar

·         2 tablespoons cider vinegar

·         Dash of pepper

·         Dash of tabasco

Directions:

Heat the almonds and sugar in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir the almonds until the sugar melts.  After the sugar melts, pour the almonds on wax paper.  Allow the almonds to cool, and then break them into pieces.  Mix all of the ingredients of the dressing together, and shake them up.  Mix the lettuce, almonds, oranges, and dressing together.

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

·         1 sirloin steak

·         1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

·         1 sweet onion, sliced

·         4 ounces sour cream

·         2 cans cream of mushroom soup

·         2 tablespoons butter

·         pepper

·         1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

·         dash of tabasco

·         rice

Directions:

Cut the steak into thin strips.  Season the meat with Worcestershire sauce.  In a pan, brown the meat on both sides in the butter.  Remove the meat from the pan.  Brown the mushrooms and onions in the pan.  Mix all of the ingredients together in the pan, and warm over low heat.  Serve over rice.

Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Loaf

Ingredients for Loaf:

·         1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

·         2 teaspoons baking powder

·         ½ teaspoon kosher salt

·         1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

·         1 cup sugar

·         3 large eggs

·         2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (approximately 2 lemons)

·         ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         ½ cup vegetable oil

·         1 ½ cups blueberries, fresh or frozen, thawed and rinsed

Ingredients for Lemon Syrup:

·         1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

·         1/3 cup sugar

Ingredients for Lemon Glaze:

·         1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

·         2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.  Dust the pan with flour, tapping out the excess.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla, and oil.  Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  In a separate bowl, mix the blueberries with the remaining tablespoon of flour, and fold them very gently into the batter.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake the loaf for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring the loaf to a wire rack on top of a baking sheet.  While the loaf is cooling, make the lemon syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Stir together the lemon juice and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Once the sugar is dissolved, continue to cook the syrup for 3 more minutes.  Remove the syrup from heat, and set it aside.  Use a toothpick to poke holes in the top and sides of the warm loaf.  Brush the top and sides of the loaf with the lemon syrup.  Let the syrup soak into the loaf, and brush the loaf with syrup again.  Let the loaf cool completely.  After the loaf has cooled, make the lemon glaze in a small bowl.  Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice.  The mixture should be thick but pourable.  Add another tablespoon of lemon juice if the mixture is too stiff.  Pour the lemon glaze on top of the loaf, and let it drip down the sides.  Let the lemon glaze harden for about 15 minutes before serving.