Treasure Hunting

I love hitting the local Estate Sales and Yard Sales! I have determined that the psychology behind my favorite pastime is our innate love, or even need, of finding what we consider "Treasure". Admit it: we all have that need to think that we have found something desirable and unique--our style, our house, our mate...we all love treasure!

Sometimes I keep my great finds, some-times I give them as gifts, and sometimes I resell them on Ebay (you can find me under "Terri's Vintage Treasures").

Because I buy purely on instinct and personal aesthetics, sometimes I pick up things that have value, and sometimes, not so much...LOL...but that is the fun of the entire endeavor (at least to me!).

This particular piece of art glass caught my eye at an Estate Sale, earlier this spring. It was only $6, and I grabbed it just because it had a lovely shine to it and I saw a name and date etched into the glass on the bottom of it.

Imagine my surprise when I looked it up on Ebay! It made a lovely gift for someone I love!

Bruschetta

Summer is on it's way here! This is one of my favorite things to make when tomatoes are lovely and ripe and juicy...

Chop 2 or 3 well-ripened heirloom tomatoes into bits. Drizzle with about a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Then add a heaping tablespoon of Pesto. (I get the jars of pesto at Costco. It freezes very well and maintains its flavor.) Mix well and set aside.

Slice a nice baguette into rounds and lay out on a baking sheet. Brush each round with olive oil. Then sprinkle with garlic salt. Place into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. This should leave them nice and crispy.

Serve the bruschetta mix with the toasted bread and let people add the tomato as they like it. We like to first moisten the bread with the lovely juice in the bottom of the bowl and then mound the toast with tomato. This and a nice steak make a wonderful summertime dinner!

Mama's Pasta Salad

In the summertime, Mama makes two different cold salads that we all love. One is her potato salad (and that one is just her special recipe that only she can make correctly). The other is her Pasta Salad. In honor of Mama, on Mother's Day this year, I want to share her recipe with you. Here is the recipe:

Mama's Pasta Salad

1 Box Tri-Colored Rotini Pasta, boiled for 10 minutes in salted water. Drain and pour cold water over it until noodles are cool. Set aside.

In a big mixing bowl, mix together:

2 small containers marinated artichokes, drained (reserving the liquid)

1/2 each, chopped red, green and yellow bell peppers

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 cans drained slices olives

1 cup sliced, drained, marinated mushroom

Mix the veggies together and then add the cooked pasta. Then pour on a goodly bit of Zesty Italian Dressing and the juice from the marinated artichoke. Best if you let it sit a few hours or overnight. You might want to add a bit more dressing if it gets dry. Yumm!