Easter Bread, Easter Bunny Cupcakes & So Much More....

Today I'm sharing some of our awesome 
Features from last week's 

Wake Up Wednesday Linky Party.

Easter Bread...A Family Tradition
Walking on Sunshine

For years my sister has been making Easter Bread for her family
and always shares a small loaf with us to also enjoy.
I love Easter Bread.  It's so festive and makes such a pretty presentation
 and lovely gift to bring to the hostess for Easter Sunday dinner

Homestead Tips on Tuesday: Earth Friendly Gardening for Your Backyard
The (mis)Adventures of a "Born Again" Farm Girl

Why do folks garden? The simple answer is, to provide themselves and their families with better quality food for their table. So why then, in our attempts to provide better food do we include things in our gardens that shouldn't be there? No, I am not talking about the plants..... I am talking about the garden structures themselves and the techniques used to grow the plants.

Easter Bunny Cupcake Toppers
She Saved

Back by popular demand, my friend Rani, from Lettering Delights (and creative-mind extraordinaire), is back today to share with us another fun creative idea just in time for Easter.
Check out these ADORABLE Candy Melt Bunny Toppers:
Get into the spirit of the holiday and make this special treat for that some “bunny” special! These fun toppers are easy to make and entirely edible!

Craft Room...A Sneak Peek
Homespuns 'n Hayfields

I decided to give you a sneak peek into my craft room.  It's in desperate need of a clean-up so I'm not quite ready to expose all of it yet.  The craft room is in it's early stages but usable and I enjoy spending time in there.  Of course I want everything to be "cute" (there's that word again) and my hubby thinks I'm nuts.  To me, making it cute makes it more enjoyable to spend time in and revs up those creative juices that I so desperately need.

ZUCCHINI BREAD BITES [VEGAN + GLUTEN-FREE + SUGAR-FREE]
Healthy Helper Blog

High carb, low-fat vegan Zucchini Bread Bites are perfect for snacking on while sneaking in some extra veggies! Gluten-free and only sweetened with fruit, these bites are great for kids and adults alike. All the taste of zucchini bread with no need to turn the oven on!

NAUTICAL WALL DECOR – STARFISH WALL HANGING
Pastels & Macarons

Giving your home that beautiful coastal look and feel doesn’t have to be expensive. Creating a simple Nautical Wall Decor Starfish Hanging is so easy to make and is quite inexpensive!

DIY Vases From Plastic Water Bottles-Trashy or Classy?
Petticoat Junktion

Happy Monday Everyone! Wasn’t it a beautiful weekend. Yes, we had some rain but the temps were nice and we saw a lot of sunshine too.

My college classes are over for a few weeks so I’m free as a bird….well not quite…but I do have more free time now. So I worked on a couple of projects this weekend.You know…. I think these are really cute! And talk about inexpensive.

COWBOY CASSEROLE RECIPE
Real Advice Girl

We are sharing our favorite casserole recipe, a heart Cowboy Casserole Recipe that is perfect for cold winter nights or potlucks.

Light and Creamy Peanut Butter Cupcake
Virtually Yours

This light and creamy peanut butter cupcake is so delicious, you’ll be making this recipe for every party you attend. Who doesn’t love peanut butter? Put it in a cupcake, and you’ve got my favorite dessert recipe! I also love that this is a simple dessert to prepare, so it won’t keep you in the kitchen for hours. Easy is good for a change, right?

DIY Easter Candy Jar Centerpieces
A Mother Thing

It is lots of fun to decorate for seasons, holidays and other special occasions. These bright candy jars with nesting peeps are adorable for Easter and for spring! They make great centerpieces for Easter dinner, or you can give them as gifts, a sort of grown-up Easter basket! These are easy to make if you know the right tricks.Let me show you how.

Cute Repurposed Denim Fabric Baskets
Taylor-Made Homestead

I know I must have been a bitter disappointment to my grandmother who sewed all her life (even patchwork quilts for FUN??) and my mother who was a skilled seamstress herself.  I could just never do it.  I was gifted an old Singer sewing machine and I promised myself I’d learn to use it.  But.  I.  Didn’t.

Craft Studio Makeover Reveal - Part I
Little Vintage Cottage

I've been working on a complete makeover of my craft studio space for a few weeks now and I think I'm finally ready to show you! I'm going to do TWO posts for this reveal though because there is a LOT to show!

 

Eggs: Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

I love the Food Network and I found this eggtastic dish.  My family loves eggs and hashbrowns so this was a big hit at our table.  The original recipe was created by Ree Drummond and I just changed it up a little to fit what my family likes.

Baked Pasta and Sausage with Tomato Cream Sauce from Christie Campbell

Ah, Sundays! Who doesn’t love a good Sunday casserole for supper?

Oh. Oops. Introductions first! Hello there Sew Crafty Angel readers! My name is Christie and I’m A Kitchen Hoor. You know the type. They’d rather be in a Williams Sonoma or Sur le Table than a DSW or Macy’s. That’s me! You can read about how I got the nick name here.

I’ve been in the kitchen cooking or baking ever since I can remember. Which isn’t saying much because my memory ain’t all that great, but there isn’t one that doesn’t involve food in some shape, way or form! So, when Angel had contributor sign ups, I was hoping I’d be a shoe-in for the “food” category! No pun intended. And, well I must have been because here I am, on her blog, chatting about food. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy! If you enjoy it a lot, feel free to stop by  my blog to read some more.

Where was I? Sundays!! YES! We cook 6 nights a week, sometimes only 5 if we’re lazy on Saturdays. But Sundays?  They’re ALL about the wholesomely delicious food that you CAN’T make during the week; the lasagna, the baked penne, the pot roast, the roasted chicken. You know, THOSE types of dishes. That’s when both of us get in our one butt kitchen (S says that because he thinks is small and only ONE of us can fit in there at a time. I disagree most times. *wink*) and whip up a delicious meal.

I think I meant for this to be more of a #MeatlessMonday meal, but since I planned it on Sunday, I threw in a package of sausages we had in the freezer. Because there always seems to be sausages in the freezer. I’m not sure how that happens, but I’m not going to question it!

For those of you who are new to my recipes, S has cholesterol issues, so I always prepare low fat meals for him and, for the most part, I benefit from them, too. So, yes, there are low fat and fat free ingredients listed, but if you’re not following that, then feel free to use the types of ingredients you’re used to. It’s a recipe, not a commandment!! Just sayin…

Funny thing happened while making this dish. I picked up a bottle of an Argentinian red wine. I’m not sure what type it was. I know it was from the Mendoza region, but that’s about it. It was a very dry, VERY dry red wine that I thought was rather tasty! Anyway. The sausages were nice and browned and I added the wine for deglazing (you can totally use a vegetable or chicken stock for this). S says to me, “The sausages are purple.” Sure enough! The wine had turned them purple!! I’ve added wine to sausages before and never seen anything like it!! It was funny. This is why the sausages look a little “off” in my photos. But let me assure you, they tasted FABULOUS!!

In fact, this whole dish tastes fabulous. It’s like a cross because a traditional baked penne and a lasagna. In all honesty, I had cottage cheese and ricotta that needed cooking. That’s how I come with a good chunk of my recipes. “What’s in the pantry, freezer, fridge that should be used?” And voila! A recipe is born. So, get in your kitchen and cook from your pantry, freezer or fridge and whip up a batch of this deliciously simple Sunday casserole!

Baked Pasta and Sausage with Tomato Cream Sauce

Recipe by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures (@AKitchenHoor)

Ingredients

• 12 ounces short pasta (penne, cavatapi, shells)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup fat free half and half
• 1/2 cup 2% ricotta cheese
• 1 cup fat free cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup low fat Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup fat free mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 cup fat free mozzarella cheese

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and swirl to coat. Sauté garlic 2 to 3 minutes or until it becomes fragrant. Using kitchen shears or scissors cut the sausages into slices into the pan and cook until browned.
3. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until the wine has reduced by half. Add the marinara sauce and simmer.
4. While the sausages are simmering, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine next 8 ingredients (half and half through crushed red pepper) and stir well to combine.
6. Add the pasta and stir to combine. Carefully add the sausage and sauce and fold the mixture until the sauce is incorporated with the cheese mixture and it is a pale red color.
7. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes.
8. Cool slightly before serving.