Life in Rehab is BACK! Get ready for a slew of new projects for the new year! We just can't promise we know what we're doing!

Visit Life in Rehab's new Etsy shop
And because we're good friends by now,
our readers get 25% off
by entering the promo code
REHAB when you make a purchase!
So deck out, do some early holiday gift shopping,
strut your stuff and make a statement!


I'm on a mission. If I have never EVER not once replied to your comments, you may want to check this out: No Reply?



Sunday, October 31, 2010

What's Blooming?

Ah, the tropics. While most of the country is digging out sweaters, 
we're still in shorts, and things are still blooming.
 Next week, I'll have some new orchids to show off.
 They're a little shy right now.
 Until then, here's a wild vine that has eaten the fence on our western property line.
 Along with feathery ferns and philodendron, it's engulfed the fence completely, and I'm all for letting it. I consider chain link to be basically a trellis. It may be an unattractive fencing choice, but anything else is destroyed by a hurricane.
Happy Sunday.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Going Shopping...and a Surprise

TOTAL MYSPACE PIC!!!!
 Okay, no, but just to let you know, there WILL be a Life in Rehab Facebook page this weekend, so we can all share and get chummy, so stay tuned!
And that's NOT the surprise promised in the scrolling marquee either!
But for now, grab your list, because we're going shopping!

Headed for Target, Dollar Tree, and the Italian Market, 
BRB
If not back, avenge death.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Top Ten Fresh New Blogs


We're going to take a small break from the usual Top Ten. I'm only bringing you four new blogs today.
Four VERY spooky blogs.
Just in case you and your Minions still have some last minute spots in the house to hit with a horrific stick,
these will inspire you with their ghastly goodness and frighteningly original decadent decor.

And before I make introductions, just in case you think I am devoid of evil myself
and would in no way do anything wrong or awful...

I dress my cat like a rap artist!
Yo, Smidgey Smidge in the hiss house.
(Fine. I'm sorry...)

Enough stalling. Ready for a visit or two?

Wiccan Make Some Too   That's right, Beth is Wiccan! And who better to lead you through some really great projects than a bona fide witch! She's a funny grandmother with crafts, recipes, and site recommendations that will have you taking notes and hitting links. The boots made out of cereal boxes are a great craft with the kids. 

Musings from Kim K   These guys are nuts. Seriously. If you have no idea how to haunt your house, here's your answer. Simple to elaborate, the entire family has Halloween madness, and they'll show you how to cast shadows in your brightest corners. I completely bow to their creativity.

Crows Feet Chic   Tracy is new to this. Steff over at Three bed semi emailed the site to me, and although there aren't tons of posts, what she's done is dead on cool. I'm following her just to see what she does next. And if I have time this weekend, my family portraits are getting her awesomely eerie treatment.

Gothic Wedding Planner  Technically, Steff's site isn't a blog, but the wedding cakes alone had my gears spinning in the direction of show stopping confections with a dark twist. I'm sorry I didn't see her goods sooner, but there's always next year!

Go visit, say hi, follow if you like what you see, and enjoy a little extra chill on me.

The Top Ten will return as usual next week.




Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinner is one of those things that is an intergral part of the Southern lifestyle.
I'm already a stickler for every evening meal being a fully set table with everyone in attendance,
candles lit, and music to match the cuisine.
But Sunday is even more special.
Last Sunday, Momma hit the kitchen, and I whipped up a family favorite:
Stew with Steamed Dumplings.
We're going to simultaneously make 2 batches, one with beef and one completely vegetarian. 
Thom eats no meat, and Savannah is trying to cut it out of her diet.

For Southern Beef Stew you will need:

1 1/2 pounds of stew meat, cubed to bite size
32 ounces of beef broth
2 cups of Marsala wine
2 cups of Cabernet Sauvignon (aside from whatever you're drinking)
1 package onion soup mix
1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 6 to 8 inches long
3 onions coarsely diced
5 carrots cut bite sized
4 potatoes cut into small chunks
3 cups of peas
3 cups of corn
3 cups of sliced green beans
5 mushrooms, quartered
2 ribs of celery, chopped
Canola oil
1 cup of flour

I used a large roasting pan so I'd have a lot of real estate on top for dumplings. Spray your pot with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium high heat, drizzle in canola oil to just lubricate the bottom. Toss the meat with flour and Adobo in a bowl until well coated. Add it to the oil. Sautee until the beef begins to brown. You'll get some residue sticking to the bottom of the pan. This is a good thing, I assure you.
Add the onions and garlic and sautee for 5 more minutes, until the onions soften.
Now, pour the Marsala into the hot pot and scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot up, stirring as you go to thicken the base of your sauce. Pour in the beef broth, add the onion soup mix,
and allow this to simmer.
Next pot please. For Vegetarian Stew, you will need:

32 ounces of vegetable broth
2 cups of Marsala wine
2 cups of Cabernet Sauvignon
1 package onion soup mix
1 tablespoon Adobo seasoning
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
1 sprig of fresh rosemary 6 to 8 inches long
4 onions coarsely diced
3 carrots cut bite sized
3 potatoes cut into small chunks
2 cups of peas
2 cups of corn
2 cups of sliced green beans
Thom isn't a fan of mushrooms
2 ribs of celery, chopped
Canola oil
1 cup of flour
To make our base, we're going to give the onions the same flour and seasoning treatment the beef got and sautee until they begin to brown.

Add the garlic...
...and deglaze the pan with Marsala as before, scraping up the fond (little brown bits) from the bottom of the pan. See that gorgeous caramel base? 
Add the vegetable broth and onion soup mix and bring it back up to a simmer.
Now just add the rest of the ingredients to each pot.

 Put the lids on and go find something to do for an hour.
Dumplings
6 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoon salt
12 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs, well beaten
9 tablespoons melted butter or other shortening 
Milk (about 2 cups)
Sift dry ingredients together. Add egg, melted shortening and enough milk to make a moist, stiff batter.

It will be a sticky dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will not, however, be orange, unless of course you substitute circus peanuts for some of the flour. I have no clue what's up with this weird color. The dough was biscuit colored. I swear.
Remove the rosemary sprigs from both pots.
Drop the dough in little balls on the surface of the bubbling stew. 




Cover the pots and let it bubble for about 18 minutes, until the surface of the dumplings looks a little dry.
Um...
...YUM!
Dish it up! You don't need anything else to serve with it.
One pot each, minimal cleanup, easy, and OMG delicious! And that's a lot of veggie servings right there.
Shall I add insult to injury?
I made Chocolate Bread Pudding  for dessert.

Friday Flings!
















The DIY
Show Off
Tidy Mom I'm Lovin It Fridays
Chic on a Shoestring
Decorating







A Little Knick Knack




Photobucket



Party Button


Site Button 200