It was so pretty and warm in my yard the other day so I decided to take some pictures of my side yard.
I have these pink impatient plants and the bird statue sitting on my side wall.  Take a look at the wall, there is an image that looks like a fish.



Another view of where we sit outside and enjoy the summer.

Another topiary tree, I do love this spiral.

My 4 tomato plants I have growing.  Hopefully I will have some tomatoes to eat this summer!

And another topiary tree.



I love this peach colored rose I have growing in my side garden.


My mom gave me this beautiful angel statue for me to put in the garden when my husband and I moved into our house 18 years ago!
Another view of my yard.

I have just a few tomatoes starting to grow in one of my pots.  I have to wait for them to turn red.
If you look closely you can see the tomatoes hiding in this plant.

Flowers starting to bloom on this tomato plant.


This is on my front stoop.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend.  I just wanted to share with you this dishcloth that I made last week.  It's from Week 9 of the 52 Weeks of Dishcloths.  Here is my dishcloth, I just love the color I picked out for the yarn.  The yarn is from the Martha Stewart line, cotton hemp, and the color is called Peacock.

This is a close up of the dishcloth and you can see how pretty the fan stitch is.
Here is the dishcloth folded up.

I hope everyone had a good week.  It's been really hot here, sunny and in the 90's.  Great summer weather finally.   We really had no Spring and it's been cold.   Next week is the end of my daughter's school year and she does not have to be back in school until the middle of September.  We all want to relax and enjoy the summer.  Here is a recipe that I want to share with you and I hope you enjoy.

What is broccoli rabe?   If many of you don't know what broccoli rabe is, it's a green vegetable.  It's known especially in Naples, Portugal and Spain.  It has many spiked leaves that surround clusters of green buds that resemble small heads of broccoli.  Small yellow edible flowers may be blooming among the buds.  The flower is described as nutty, bitter and pungent.

Have you ever had Broccoli Rabe and Pasta in a restaurant and loved it?  Well I am going to give you the step by step easy way that I make it at home.  It is so good and it is a family favorite in my house and I never have left overs!

One bundle of Andy Boy broccoli rabe

1. Take one head of Andy Boy broccoli rabe and cut off the stems and discard.  I do not use the stems for my recipe.

2. You will need one 1 lb. bag of Whole Wheat Rigatoni (Or you can use whatever pasta you like).

Whole Wheat Rigatoni

Crushed Red Pepper flakes and 2 garlic heads peeled

3. You will need to put 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 garlic heads peeled and cut up into small pieces and 6 teaspoons olive oil in a large pot and sauté until your garlic is lightly browned.

Olive Oil with garlic and hot pepper flakes

4. Cut your broccoli rabe in half and put in a large bowl.

Broccoli rabe cut up

5. Add the broccoli rabe to the pot of sautéd oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook until wilted down.

6. While your broccoli is sautéing, put the pasta into a large pot of boiling water.  Cook using the packages directions.

7. The Whole Wheat pasta should cook for about 14 minutes, but keep checking until done, and stirring the pot of pasta so that the pasta does not stick together.

Rigatoni boil in water

This is what the broccoli rabe looks like sautéd, while the pasta is boiling.  It really cooks down a lot.

Broccoli Rabe, olive oil,  garlic, and hot pepper flakes

8. Drain your pasta.

Pasta drained

9. Put your drained pasta into the pot of broccoli rabe and mix all together.

Broccoli Rabe and Pasta

10. This is what your broccoli rabe and pasta will look like!  You have to try this recipe.  It is so good and your family will think that they are eating in a fancy Italian Restaurant.

11. Don't forget to sprinkle whatever grated cheese you like on top of the pasta.  Enjoy!  Please try this recipe and let me know how it comes out and if your family liked it.


Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!


Julie

This is another scarf that I finished working on and I made for our annual Christmas Fair that takes place in the fall.  It will be added to the crocheted and knit items that I have made so far this year.  I have managed to fill a whole shopping bag with different items that I have made.  I'll have to start on another shopping bag soon!

The scarf is crocheted length wise 60 inches and is 6 inches wide.  I used the half double crochet and then I decided to add blue yarn,  I double crocheted the border at each end of the scarf.  I then added a flower to give the scarf some color.  The inside of the flowers have the same multi color yarn as the scarf.   I then sewed that to each of the inside flowers and attached them to the scarf.  This how the scarf came out when I finished everything.  The flowers remind me of pansies.

Crocheted Pansy Scarf - julieslifestyle.blogspot.com

Crocheted Pansy - julieslifestyle.blogspot.com

You can see how I added the multi colored blue yarn to the inside of the flower with the yarn from the scarf.  I hope I have inspired someone to crochet a scarf like this with flowers!

Brighten up your summer with this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad.  This easy Mediterranean salad goes with fish, chicken or beef and can be made ahead of time.  This salad is perfect for any BBQ or during the week for a quick salad.  I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Julie

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!  Now that summer is approaching, how would you like to have a glass of refreshing Iced White Tea?  Well it is such a healthy tea to drink and it is so easy to make.  I want to share it with you how I make this at home.


First fill a large pot with water and boil.



This is what the pearls look like.


For a large pot I usually use 6 pearls and add this into a tea infuser and then put this into a pot of boiling water and let steep for 5 minutes.


Thanks everyone and enjoy.

Julie