Tag Archives: Corn

Quick & Easy Shepard’s Pie (For the busy family!)

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Shepard’s Pie is one of those really yummy dishes that taste really good, but seem like they take a lot of work to make. However, this does not have to be the case!

I’ve now learned that when I’m making a nice home-cooked meal, if I make extra mashed potatoes, then I can use them to quickly whip up a super delicious Shepard’s Pie! This means that I’m actually slightly ahead of the game called “life” since dinner for the next night is already half-prepared!

Perfect for those busy Mom’s or Dad’s on the go, here is my very easy recipe! 

All you’ll Need:

– 1.5lbs of Ground Beef
– Salt & Pepper
– 2tbsp of Soya-Sauce
– 1 small, diced Onion
Utopia Kitchen Stainless Steel 6 Piece Knives Set (5 Knives plus and Acrylic Stand)
– 3 cups of mixed frozen Peas, Carrots, Green Beans and Corn (You can use fresh vegetables in place of frozen, if you like. Frozen just seem to be a little bit faster and easier when you don’t have a lot of time!)
– 1 can of Condensed Mushroom Soup
– 3 cups of Mashed Potatoes
– ½ cup of Shredded Cheese (I’ve made this dish using both Cheddar Cheese and Mozzarella Cheese before, and both tasted great!)
– 4oz of Cream Cheese

What to do:

Step One: Using a nice big pan, start out by frying up your ground beef, onions and Soya-Sauce. Once the meat is fully cooked, drain off and dispose of the fat.

Step Two: (You can perform this step while you are waiting for step one to cook!) In a separate bowl, mix the mashed potatoes with the shredded cheese, cream cheese and pepper. Set aside.

Step Three: Add the mixed vegetables and a dash of salt to the pan with the ground beef and onion mixture.

Step Four: Add the condensed mushroom soup to the vegetable and ground beef mixture. Stir and then let it simmer for about 2-5 minutes.

Step Five: Pour the ground beef and vegetable mixture into a medium sized casserole dish, and then layer the potato mixture on top and cover.

Pyrex Easy Grab 8-Piece Glass Bakeware and Food Storage Set

Step Six: Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, then remove the lid and let the dish bake for another 15 minutes.

Step Seven: Serve and enjoy!

Last Minute Thanksgiving Vignette!

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Even though our Canadian Thanksgiving has already come and gone, the American Thanksgiving is just around the corner… That’s why I thought that I would take the time to put together a very simple Thanksgiving Vignette to share with my American friends and family!

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My mom recently gave me this really neat candle holder that is made to sit within a wine bottle. I decided that I wanted to try to build my vignette around this… And instead of using a wine bottle, I would use one of my antique bottles from my collection! (I love my bottles, and I get really excited when I get to use them!)

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Next I decided that I would use this new serving tray that I just picked up last week. I found this beauty in the old train station in the little town of Stirling where I grew up. The trains and tracks are now long gone, but the old train station is still standing and over the last few years has been filled with beautiful antiques and collectibles, and is now one of my favorite little spots to hit up and see what I can add to The Project Pile!

This tray could be very old, or it could be vintage… I still have to do my research, but can’t wait to find out! I also still have to see if I can find a way to buff out the scratches, but we’ll save that for another day. Any suggestions?!

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The next thing that I added to my tray were the cobs of corn. I snatched these little guys off of the stalks that I have out on the front porch, and haven’t had the heart to take down yet.

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I also had some left-over mini pumpkins and gourds, so I added those to my vignette as well.

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I then played around with the placement of my antique bottles and the candle, until I came up with something that I liked.

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I didn’t want to cover the entire tray, because I just love how pretty the patina is, but I still had a lot of bare space on the tray… that’s when I remembered my little supply of bittersweet that I had stocked up on earlier this fall. I just added a few sprigs here and there… and – voila! All finished!

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It really took only about 10 minutes to throw together this Thanksgiving vignette, and I really, really like it! I hope you have enjoyed this post and feel inspired to create one of your own!

10 of the Prettiest Fall Wreaths for your Home!

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11Ok, so I have to be honest here…. I started off with owning no wreaths – At all! And now I am like, completely obsessed with them! I just want more and more, and with everything I see, I find myself thinking, “Hmm… that would make such a cute wreath!”

My new-found wreath obsession has driven me to search the internet and compile this list of some of the prettiest fall wreaths out there, for your home, just to share with you… Enjoy! 🙂

1. This gorgeous 45 Second Fall Leaf Wreath from The Creek Line House is not only stunning, but super quick and easy to make… I mean 45s?! Yes, please!12. I love a good monogrammed wreath, and have been wanting one forever… That’s why I finally decided to make this 10-Minute, 10-Dollar Pretty Fall Wreath! Simple and very budget-friendly!2

3. Does anyone else love collecting acorns, as much as I do?! The problem is, that I never know what to do with them all…. Well, problem solved! I can’t wait to make my very own Fall Wreath With Acorns!3

4. How about pine cones?! Is anyone else quite as slightly-obsessed with them, as I am?! They are just so neat when you think about it… And I cannot wait to make my very own Pine Cone Wreath!6

5. Ok, pine cones and acorns?! Mind-blown! This super-creative, Foraged Fall Wreath is a real winner in my books!7

6. Burlap has been in style for quite a while now, and honestly, I just don’t see it going out of style any time soon! So why not create your very own Burlap Wreath, that will remain classic for years to come!5

7. Hydrangeas have also really come into style over the last little while, and I really just can’t get over the beautiful fall colors that were used in this gorgeous, and easy to make Fall Hydrangea Wreath.8

8. I have always loved Indian corn and have seen the really pretty bundles, but I never would have thought to create an Indian Corn Wreath like this one… So simple, yet so beautifully, bold!10

9. Every time I go walking in the woods, I am always on the lookout for the very beautiful, but very elusive bittersweet vine… I haven’t come across one in about 20 years, but as soon as I do, I will definitely be making this stunning, Fall Bittersweet Wreath!4

10. Ok… this Cat Wreath is more of a Halloween wreath than fall, but oh my… it is just SO cute, I just had to include it!9

Just in case you don’t have the time to make your own pretty fall wreath, you can check out these beautiful Fall Wreaths from Amazon!

A Rustic Fall Front Porch, using Some of my Favorite Antique Pieces!

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I’ve been waiting all summer to get out there and decorate my pretty front porch for fall! To start off, I decided to head out to the old junk pile… ahem… I mean Project Pile, to sort through and pull out some of my antique pieces that I haven’t got to use yet…

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This old ladder was actually the main inspiration piece for this fall front porch design! I had purchased it a couple of weeks prior to use in the new baby’s room to hold quilts. My main intention was to chalk paint it white, but I really just didn’t have the heart to paint over it’s beautiful, old-looking patina, so I decided to use it for fall instead! I may or may not end up painting it in the future… we’ll just have to wait and see!

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I grew up on a cash crop farm, so of course, I am quite partial to beautiful cornstalks. Since my family’s farm is about six hours from our home, I ended up purchasing these beautiful stalks from a local farm market in town.

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Same with these giant, gorgeous pumpkins, and the straw bale. Do you like my fall wreath on the front door?!

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I made it just last week and I think it really works well with the rest of my décor. You can find out how to make one just like it, here!

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Last summer I found this big beautiful picnic basket at a garage sale for five dollars! I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, so I was really excited when I came up with the idea to set up the straw bale as a picnic area! All that I used was my fall-ish blanket from the dollar store (total score!), my picnic basket, a lantern, for some romantic ambiance… and some of my antique bottles in the beautiful wire basket that was given to me by my wonderful sister-in-law, Julie!

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To dress it up a little, I added in my antique wagon wheel from my parents 180-year-old farmhouse, a piece of rustic barn board from the gorgeous barn that used to reside behind my neighbor’s house (The Creek Line House), and of course, some mini-pumpkins and gourds!

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More mini-pumpkins and gourds were placed onto the ladder, because let’s face it… you can never have enough mini-pumpkins and gourds!

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My lovely antique milk-can is also from my parent’s farm! It’s extra special, because it’s one of those projects that my dad and I did together when I was younger… Painting it white and blue! To keep it simple, I just added in some sunflowers in a mason jar, for an extra pop of color! (Just ignore that green extension cord hanging out in the background!)

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After finishing up decorating, I noticed that I was missing one key element… A door mat – and did I have the perfect one? Of course not! So I needed to be a little bit creative here, and put on my thinking cap… Then it came to me! I had a couple of pieces of barn board cut into the perfect shape for a mat in the garage… I wasn’t quite sure if it would work or not, but decided to at least try it… And, I love, love, love how it turned out! Definitely extra-rustic!

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And well, that’s about it… my very rustic fall front porch. Antiques, plus fall harvest items, plus fall foliage, plus a pop of color and a little bit of creativeness!