Kicking Myself

I stumbled across the Suzy's Artsy Crafty Sitcom Blog as I was reading my emails and checking my daily blogs I read. I saw these gorgeous faux metal wall art pieces. The tutorial is over at her blog...and get this they are made out of paper towel tubes...paper tubes.

Visit Suzy's Blog for the Tutorial!!! 

And just yesterday I finally threw out 3 wrapping paper tubes from Christmas that have just been sitting around. Man, I'm bumming now...these are super cute. Guess I'll have to start saving them again.

Winter Wonderland

This week's challenge at i heart faces is Winter Wonderland. We haven't gotten any fresh snow since our vacation...what we have left at home is a slowly melting, icy mess.

So the photos I am sharing today were taken on our drive out of Colorado at the Vail Pass Rest Stop. There was at least 6 feet of snow on the ground; it was a really amazing to see. I had never seen so much snow in my life...and I'll gladly pass on seeing it again. The mounds of snow resulted in horrible driving conditions and added 5 hours to our 16 hour drive. Boo.

Nick and I outside of the Rest Stop

The entire building was covered, you could barely see it. 

This is the view from inside. There has to be 7 feet of snow outside the window. 

If you enjoy skiing, snowmobiling, and hanging out in below freezing temperatures...this might be the place for you. As we were pulling into the rest stop, there were 3 trailers full of snowmobiles and about 100 riders that had been on the trails. It looked like fun, but they all looked a little bit too cold for my liking.

Zesty Shake and Bake Potatoes

I was needing a side for dinner last night and wanted to try something I haven't had since childhood. They used to sell Shake and Bake Potato mixes. This was always one of my favorite sides as a kid, so this is what I came up with. 

Zesty Shake and Bake Potatoes

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 45 min

Ingredients:

10-12 Small to Medium Butter Red Potatoes

¼ c. Olive Oil

¾ c. Italian Style Bread Crumbs

1 pkg. Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix*

1 tsp. Paprika

½ tsp. Minced Garlic

¼ tsp. Ground Pepper

¼ tsp. Salt

 Preheat Oven to 450

Step 1: Wash and Cut Potatoes into Wedges.

Step 2: Place potato wedges into large bowl or gallon size bag and drizzle with Olive Oil

 Step 3: Combine all other ingredients in small mixing bowl.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients to Potatoes. Shake in bag or stir in bowl until all potatoes are coated with the seasoning mix.

Step 5: Place on Baking Sheet or 9x13 pan and Bake for 45 minutes, stirring and flipping potatoes halfway through.  

 Step 6: Remove from Oven, Salt to Taste and Serve. Potatoes should be golden brown. 

*Substitute Zesty Italian Dressing Mix for any other dressing or dip mix. As a kid I always enjoyed it with Hidden Valley Ranch Mix

 

I shared this recipe over at Tasty Kitchen. If you haven't checked out this site and enjoy spending quality time in your kitchen, check it out. It is a great place to share recipes and find new dishes...yet another great thing from the Pioneer Woman.

If you're already a member be sure to add me. My username is saramw