Welcome to the first ever St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store Blog!    Some of the things that you can expect to find in our Blog are Recipes, Inspirational Quotes, Fashion, Latest books from our book club, Art work, Jewelry and items of clothing that are available in our store.

The Recipes that I post here will include ones that I have tried and feel you might enjoy.  

In our Fashion section we will put together casual and formal outfits, together with jewelry and purses, and things that make an outfit.

I will be posting events as they come up in our community and in our store specifically.

I will have a section titled “Maria’s Musings” where I will include various items and artwork that I have found intriguing, or helpful to our followers.

As I visit other cities in the US I will post ideas from our neighbors that compare with our thrifting ways.

I can’t wait for Spring, where I will feature garden items, as they come into our store, and ideas for your home gardens.  I hope to plant my own vegetable garden this summer.

 I am so ready to go from this: To this:

I would like to start off with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

Maria’s Musings:  Still Life Vignettes

Sometimes everyday objects can make interesting displays.  I hope these pictures give you some ideas or inspiration:

HAPPY EASTER!

These savory bites were a hit.  Here is the recipe:

Thumbprints:

2 oz (60 g) fresh Parmesan cheese

½ cup butter softened (1 stick), softened

1 cup (250 ml) plus 2 tbsp (30 ml) flour

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp (30 ml) water

Filling:

3 tbsp (45 ml) finely diced jarred roasted red peppers

1/3 cup (75 ml) apricot preserves

½ tsp (2 ml) crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C)

Line Cookie Sheet with a piece of Parchment Paper. Grate cheese using fine grater.

To make the thumbprints, combine these ingredients in a food processor in this order:  

half of the cheese, butter, flour, egg yolk and water

Process until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.

Place remaining cheese in a coating tray (shallow bowl).  Using a slightly under-filled

small scoop, scoop dough a few scoops at a time directly into tray and coat well.

Arrange dough balls in 1 in. (2.5 cm) apart on parchment; flatten slightly with back of scoop. 

Bake 13-15 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

To make the filling, firmly pat peppers dry with paper towels.  Mix peppers, preserves and pepper flakes in (2-cup/500 ml) prep bowl.

Remove cookie sheet from oven.  Immediately press down on centers of cookies with the back of the clean scoop to create wells.

Remove cookies to stackable cooling rack; cool 5 minutes.  Spoon filling evenly into wells of cookies.

ENJOY!!

By the way, two of these equals 160 Calories (trying not to be a kill joy, but just had to let you know 🙂

COME BACK NEXT MONTH WHERE I WILL FEATURE MORE IDEAS