Fire Sachets

A few of my friends and I have started a little book club. This month’s selection is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and it has me completely enchanted 🙂 It’s been a long time since I’ve read something that sparks my creativity and pulls me into that dreamy state where candles shimmer in the soft darkness of my mind and a scent that I can’t quite identify floats on the air lulling me into peacefulness and comfort.

On Friday we will meet to discuss the book and I can not wait! My awesome in-laws gave me a fire pit for Christmas so the club is going to meet in my back yard around the fire while we drink lavender hot chocolate and eat cookies and chocolates! I’m going to decorate in the theme of Christmas lights, candles and black and white (the circus in the book is made up of only black and white).

Today one of my dear friends came over and we made little sachets filled with dried orange peels, cinnamon sticks, lavender buds and ground cloves to throw in the fire. I’m so excited to find out how the air will smell! Here are a few photos of our little project. I’ll give a proper review of the book and post pictures of our magical evening over the weekend! Have a wonderful week!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Pasta

Good day! Hope this week is treating you well so far!

So yesterday was my usual meal planing and grocery shopping day. We try to stick to a budget so I really love and appreciate a good healthy meal for not a whole lot of money 🙂 This pasta fits those criteria (well, besides the butter)  and is so yummy that I call it my happy pasta.  Just thought I’d share it with you!

Ingredients:

Rotini Pasta (Gluten free variations are available too)

Roma Tomatoes

Red Bell Peppers

Fresh Spinach

Fresh Basil

Mozzarella Fresca balls

Dried Rosemary and Sage (powdery or flaky consistency)

Red Pepper Flakes

Red Wine Vinaigrette

Butter

Begin boiling a pot of lightly slated water on the stove. Clean out and cut two red bell peppers to 1/4 inch slices. Begin to saute peppers in the red wine vinaigrette and sprinkle a bit of red pepper flakes if you like a little kick to your meal. The water should be boiling now so go ahead an add about 3/4 of the box of Rotini to the water. Clean 2 cups of fresh spinach and set aside. Slice 3 or 4 Roma tomatoes and a few large leaves of fresh basil. Set those aside also. Begin to melt about half a stick of butter on the stove. Add the sage and rosemary to taste to the butter when it is completely melted.  When your red bells are nicely softened turn off the burner and add the spinach. Toss it all around together until the spinach has just wilted. After you drain the pasta and put it in a big bowl dump in the rosemary sage butter, the red bell spinach mixture, the basil and the tomatoes and toss it all together. Wait until it cools down then cut the mozzarella balls into smaller chunks, sprinkle over the pasta and serve!

This serves two with leftovers.

Hope you enjoy! Have a lovely day 🙂