Cut it out!

 This past weekend I pressed-n-curled my strands (blog to come this week) and I was asked the question, "Do you trim your ends yourself?"  I answered the question by stating that I trim and cut my own hair.  This question later prompted me to go back and search past images taken after performing major cuts on my tresses.  Man I did a lot of cutting back in the day!  Not sure if I'll do any major cuts anytime soon, but I "will" make attempts to style my tresses in a way to create the illusion of short hair as short hair can be super cute and sexy!

Southern living...

Corn and Crab (shrimp) Soup

I grew up in the south  and I love to cook southern dishes.  I have several Southern Living cookbooks that I absolutely cherish and on cold nights this soup is a family favorite that takes only minutes to prepare!

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained ( I use shrimp, but you can also use crawfish tails as well )
1 (11 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained ( I use frozen corn )
1/2 teaspoon salt (season to taste)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder ( I use minced garlic seasoned to taste )
1/4 teaspoon pepper ( season to taste )

1) Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add flour, stirring until mixture is smooth  Cook 1 minute,
stirring constantly.  Gradually add broth, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Stir in half-and-half and remaining ingredients (make sure seafood is cooked thoroughly before adding); cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

Makes 4 to 6 servings
Prep: 10 minutes; Cook: 21 minutes

Enjoy!

*Note*

I always double up on this recipe as it is a family favorite and tastes even better the next day!

Please don't tease me!

I've been anxiously awaiting for the cooler temperatures to arrive so that I could begin wearing my most recent fall and winter purchases.  I love fall and early spring seasons.  Earlier on this past week the weather was rather cool, so I grabbed a few pieces and put together the look below.  Needless to say as the week went on, the weather here gradually rose back to the 80's.  That's Texas weather for you!

Scarf - Ross
Top - Spense
Skirt - BCBG Maxazria
Boots - Steve Madden Annnie

Top - Ginger G.

Above, I layered a black top over the ensemble to create a different look.  The Steve Madden boots are 

the same boots I posted here. 

Two different looks.   You can easily layer your pieces on cooler days to keep warm.

I love wearing scarves and they will be in heavy rotation this fall/winter season.

Well the forecast for next week doesn't show that we will get any cool weather, so I'll have to wait just a little while longer to rock my new pieces.  But until then  have a GREAT weekend!

A polished look!

Fall season has officially begun, however, the weather here in Texas hasn't received the memo!  These past few weeks the days have been rather warm, but the nights are somewhat cool.  This weekend we are in for a cold front...high of 55°F  and a low of 48°F .  I know that you northern girls are probably making a face right about now, but that's cold here in Texas!

In preparation for the upcoming cooler weather I have been busy shopping and preparing my look for the fall and winter seasons and I have found some great pieces and accessories to wear.  To complete my looks I have also been on the hunt for colorful nail polish.  In the past, I did not wear nail polish.  I guess I thought that since I didn't sport long nails, there was no need to use polish to "dress" them up.  Also, I thought only the young girls could get away with wearing the vibrant colors.  Wow, how my thought process has changed within these past few months.  I love wearing nail polish! I feel dainty and more feminine  wearing the pretty colors.  Colors ranging from faint beige to midnight black.   My hands stand out more and my outfits seem to come alive!

The above is my "Believe Beauty Paris" nail polish collection.  I purchased this collection at Ross.   Once I applied a few of the shades, I immediately fell in love!   I then visited several local Ross stores to purchase all that they had!  Here are the colors: Tutu,  Smoky Lilac (my favorite shade from the collection), Cupcake, Sweetheart and Aubergine.

Colorful nail polish is not just for the young girls, we "mature' girls can wear them too!

Stuffed Bell Peppers!

These have become a family favorite! The recipe calls for green bell peppers, but I have used red, yellow and orange bell peppers as well with much success!  Actually, we love the taste of the red, yellow and orange peppers the best!

Ingredients:

1 pound pork sausage (I use hot and sweet Italian sausage)
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 dash garlic salt
4 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
1 (14 ounce) package uncooked instant rice (I use long grain rice here, but switched to brown in later versions)
6 large green bell peppers
1 cup grated Asiago cheese

Above:  In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, beef and onion until sausage and beef are evenly brown and onion is tender.  Season with garlic salt.  Drain grease.  Mix in 2 cans diced tomatoes and 1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer 15 minutes.

Prepare the rice according to directions.  Preheat oven to 375°F (190 degrees Celsius).

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise, retaining stems, and remove seeds  Arrange pepper halves in a baking dish, and fill each with about 1/3 cup of cooked rice.  Top with equal amounts of the meat mixture.  Pour remaining meat mixture and remaining 2 cans diced tomatoes around the peppers in the dish.

Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly.  Top evenly with cheese, and continue baking 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Enjoy!