Recipe: Sausage and Vegetable Hash

You will need: 

1 small potato, chopped

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 small bell pepper, chopped

5 mushrooms, quartered

2 links of Italian sausage

2 TBSP shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP oil

What to do:

Break up the sausage into small pieces and fry until almost done, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage from pan. Add oil and chopped potato to pan. Cover and cook for 6 minutes, add carrots and cook for another 4 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables, spices, and butter to pan. Cook for an additional 6 minutes or until all vegetables except for the potatoes are done but still crisp. Add the sausage back to the pan and cook with lid on until sausage is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Enjoy!

Favorite Picture of the Week

My brother took a video of this squirrel in his backyard raiding the squirrel feeder (The box in front of him). I thought it was cute so I took a couple of screen shots.

He's a cute little guy. 

My brother and sister in law are animal lovers like me. They have a dog, cats, a turtle, and rabbits and a koi pond. They get a lot of humming birds in their back yard so they have hummingbird feeders out as well as boxes they fill with nuts and food for the squirrels and birds. 

Review: Iron (Rent A Dragon book 2) by Terry Bolryder

Book Description

A Dragon Mechanic? Unheard of.

Unless you're Magnus Ironside, a metal dragon who just awakened in the modern world and happens to be obsessed with cars and their inner workings. Add in the fact that his mate just walked in to hire him to work at her auto shop, and Magnus is one happy dragon. Now he just has to flex his pecs, show her his huge 'axe', and everything will work out, right? Wrong.

Lindy Dunn doesn't have time for a relationship, not while she's working herself to the bone trying to make ends meet. She doesn't have time to notice the huge muscles or gorgeous, jade-green eyes of the oddly sexy handyman she just hired. No matter that he's seriously good with cars, and fun to be around. With someone sabotaging her dad's shop, it's not the right time to fall into any man's arms, even if it's someone as capable as Magnus.

Magnus knows he can win over Lindy, as long as he doesn't move too fast with talk of dragons and destiny. The heat between them is too blazing to deny. But though Magnus thought he'd left the past far behind him, one big storm is still approaching, bringing a dark figure that threatens to destroy everything the iron dragon holds dear.

Iron is the second book in the Rent-A-Dragon series! It contains stubborn dragons, action-packed fights, and hot, steamy dragon romance. Enjoy!

My Review

Magnus is fighting some demons and nightmares. He blames himself for their ship going down in a storm because he built it and thought it couldn't be brought down by a storm. They all could have died and stayed dead if they hadn't been found and Magnus blames himself for that fact. But all is not as it seems. 

Magnus is a metal dragon and after so much time, he and his friends are trying to find their mates. They work at Rent A Dragon so they can meet people and try to find their mates while being out there. 

Lindy needed someone to work on her car as well as a few other things, it had already broke down once at night and Magnus stopped to help change her tire. She sped off before he could even get a number so imagine her surprise when she goes to hire a Rent A Dragon and Magnus is the one picked to work on her car and in her shop. 

These two were so funny together. Magnus wants to get to know her better, hang out with her and have fun. But Lindy is all about her job and not interested in a relationship right now. Her dad died and left her his shop but the shop is being vandalized and she is in great need of help. Another shop in town wants her to sell her shop to them and things get dangerous when she refuses. Good thing she now has a big dragon shifter to help her out and hopefully scare away the bad guys. 

There are other dragons out there and not all of them like humans and some of these dragons are down right dangerous. But Magnus has several dragons that he lives with in the castle and I loved how they all get along and the great banter that goes on between them. 

I've been devouring this series because I've really loved reading the stories and getting to know these dragons and their mates. I'm really looking forward to the next book as well.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Time to get my fortune and a cookie!"

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief*

"Your tail smells like vanilla. Have you been baking cookies again without telling me?"

*Photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I help fact check the Science."

Review: Red Wolf by Jennifer Ashley

Book Description

A man is only as strong…

Red wolf Shifter Dimitri has fought his whole life for respect. It is claimed that red wolves are tainted with coyote blood and therefore not pure. He may not be skilled at verbally defending himself, but because he's a bodyguard, tracker, and champion of the fight clubs, his fists are always ready for some rough and tumble. However, he’d prefer a roll in the hay with the woman who is his oldest friend.

…as the woman who’s got his back…

A spirited leopard Shifter and a fellow tracker, Jaycee Bordeaux has no problem forging a mate bond with Dimitri, but soon the two are called to infiltrate a rogue group bent on enslaving Shifters. Jaycee may have defended Dimitri from taunts before, but they now face a more lethal danger—one that threatens not only the future of their people, but also their love.

My Review

Dimitri knows that he and Jaycee are destined mates but she hasn't accepted or denied the claim as of yet. So when they get sent on a mission together, I knew some sparks would fly and it wouldn't be from their fake collars. 

While they're off on their mission they stay in Jazz's house, which seems to be alive and has a distinct personality. The house and their interaction with it was the first thing I liked about this story. While it starts out a little slow, it does build up to some really good action, a little mystery and a lot of naughty fun between Dimitri and Jaycee. 

These two find themselves among shifters they aren't sure they can trust and even though they seem to be nice and not out to hurt them, things aren't always as they seem. There are a few twists, new people to this series are showing up left and right and a Fae lady actually does something nice when a couple of shifters find themselves in need of help. 

It's obvious that a war is brewing between the Fae and the shifters but when it will happen and exactly what will happen is a mystery. 

As a person who has been reading this series, it was nice to see so many of the characters from previous books show up in this one. It was also nice to see new characters emerge and I can only hope to see some of these newbies again in upcoming books. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Video of the Week

I don't know if you guys have ever listened to Seether but they're a favorite band of mine. When I saw this video I laughed so hard. They wore make up to look old and even got some older people to be in their music video and I found the entire thing very funny.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Nioxin Shampoo and Conditioner
Toppik Hair Building Fibers for thinning hair
Nice Jerky Bites for dogs
$5 Amazon gc from Crowdtap

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: White Tiger by Jennifer Ashley

Book Description

Wanted and on the run...

For twenty years, Kendrick, a white tiger Shifter, has been the Guardian of un-Collared Shifters who spend their lives living in secret—and in fear of being shunted into Shiftertowns. When Kendrick’s group is discovered and forced to flee, Kendrick is more desperate than ever to protect them

His only salvation was in a beautiful stranger.

In a diner in the middle of nowhere, lonely waitress Addison Price has seen a lot of unusual drifters come and go, but none has ever captivated—and intimidated—her like the imposing fugitive who wields a broadsword with incredible skill. But when he risks all to protect her, Addison’s fear turns to empathy—and empathy to desire as she learns more about her savior. Soon she’s more than willing to help the crushingly sensual white tiger and his cubs in a passionate bid for freedom. Whatever the cost.

My Review

Ever since coming into the diner with his cubs, Kendrick hasn't been able to stop coming back to see Addie. He'd been coming back every night right before closing time, getting pie for him and his three kids just so he could see Addie. This night was just like the others until Addie finds one of the employee's dead outside, then all hell breaks loose and Kendrick comes to the rescue. 

Kendrick didn't realize that some of the shifters wanted him dead, not until they start shooting at the diner and he has to come to the aid of Addie. Addie soon realizes that Kendrick and his kids aren't human, the're shifters but after the shock wears off she knows she has to keep the kids safe until they can get out of there. After the bad guys are dealt with Kendrick sends her away to what he thinks will be safer for her but it turns out not to be the case. 

Kendrick battles his instincts and his attraction for Addie all the while trying to keep his clan safe and figure out who to trust. There's quite a bit action, fights, blood and romance in this book. I've been loving this series for years and even though I hate the fact that shifters are treated worst than second class citizens and have to wear collars that are supposed to keep them in line, they are finding ways around that in secret. I do hope at some point this story line will evolve to where they aren't treated so badly by humans and have more rights. 

Addie ends up being stronger than I first thought she would be and I loved that she didn't back down when things got scary. I really liked seeing characters from previous books. That's one of the things I love about long series, the past characters and new characters tend to pop up in books and we get to see what they'e been up to. 

I highly recommend this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite picture of the week

Last month my daughter and grandson came over for her birthday. Logan showed off his Paw Patrol hat. I thought it was funny because when I first saw it, I thought it had devil horns instead of ears.

Review: Steel (Rent a Dragon book 1) by Terry Bolryder

Book Description

A dragon as a handyman? Ridiculous.

At least Liam Steel thinks so. Sure, he and his crew of newly-awakened metal dragons are experts at building things, but after being sunk at the bottom of a frozen ocean, all they want is to find the mates they were sailing in search of in the first place, and Liam isn't sure how that can happen while he's playing in the dirt. Until he meets his first client, a sweet, curvy, no-nonsense business-woman busy taking care of everyone but herself. His heart screams 'mate', and he's ready to get his hands on more than her yard.

Kate Hinton doesn't know what to make of the beefcake Rent-A-Dragon sent over to help with her yard. Impossibly tall with soulful teal eyes, dark hair, and the features of a male model, she's pretty sure he should be walking a runway rather than digging trenches in her yard. And the way he looks at her? Like nothing else matters in the world. But the more she gets to know her kind, friendly, amazingly efficient handyman, the more she is realizing he's not from her world.

He lives in a remodeled castle. He doesn't know certain modern words. And he definitely doesn't understand the rules of modern courtship. But somehow, Kate is finding herself falling in love with this 'dragon' all the same, and finding out there is a whole other world outside her own. One full of secrets, and danger, and maybe even the love of a lifetime.

Steel is the first book in the Rent-A-Dragon series! It contains stubborn dragons, action-packed fights, and hot, steamy dragon romance. Enjoy!

My Review

Kate and Liam were so good together. I loved how they got along right from the beginning even if she had no idea that he was a dragon shifter. From the title I really thought that these dragon shifters were going to be made of steel or robot-like but that's just not the case. I realized only after reading this book and looking for the next one that this is a spin off of The Awaken Dragon series. I will have to go and read that series as well because even though this book and most likely this series can be read without reading the other series first, I'm sure that the characters will make more sense once reading about them in that first series. 

Liam meets Kate while working as a handyman as his cover for finding his mate. He and the other dragons are awesome at fixing things so this works out well. Kate gets to know Liam while he's fixing her house and yard. But she is hilarious because she can't stop staring at him while he's working up a sweat and taking his shirt off. All the naughty things she was thinking about him and about doing to him were just funny. If a tall, muscled, hot guy were working in my yard, I'd probably be having some of the same thoughts. 

There are different types of dragons and some of them don't get along. While the main story is resolved there's a bit of a back story going on that didn't really get resolved and I suspect we'll be seeing more of the mad dragons in subsequent books and I look forward to seeing what happens with that story line. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Target Beauty Box for July available now!

Target Beauty Box is available right now! These are first come first serve and they usually go pretty fast but I just ordered mine and they were still available. This month's is just $7 and free shipping so if you've been wanting to get one, now is a good time. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of me*

*Photo courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Photo courtesy of @MrRat395 on Twitter*

"Did you say something about chocolate? I know I heard chocolate."

Review: Shadow Reaper by Christine Feehan

Book Description

#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan returns to her scorching-hot series starring a Chicago crime family that has built its empire in the shadows...

Billionaire playboy Ricco Ferraro knows no other life. Being a shadow rider is in his blood—but so is a haunting desperation stemming from the secrets of his dark past. His recklessness puts not only his life at risk, but also the future of his entire family. To save them all, he must find a woman who can meet his every desire with a heat all her own...

Just when Ricco has given up hope, he meets her—a mysterious woman whose shadow connects with his. She’s someone looking for a safe haven from the danger that has stalked her over the last several months. In Ricco’s embrace, she finds one. But the darkness in which they so often find sanctuary can also consume them...

My Review

Ricco and his five siblings are shadow riders, meaning they are able to turn into shadows and quickly move anywhere shadows are. Ricco hasn't been the same since he was sent for training in Japan when he was 14 years old and had some awful things happen to him. While he might not be suicidal, he hardly cares if he lives or dies these days. After crashing his car, he confesses that he needs something to do and hopes to find his one true love. So he holds auditions for a rope model for his photography book. 

Mariko shows up for the rope model job and Ricco instantly knows that she's the one for him. She's excited and nervous when she gets the job because that means she's going to be working closely with him for the next few months. 

There's a new threat to the Ferraro family which brought a couple of interesting twists to the story along with a family mystery that gets solved. 

While there was a romance, action and lots of blood shed, I didn't find this book quite as exciting as the first book in this series. I really didn't feel the passion between Ricco and Mariko even though they had quite a few passionate love scenes, the passion just didn't feel real, it fell flat for me. I understand that part of the story revolves around Ricco finding a rope model that he can practice his shibari skills on and take pictures for his book, but there was way too much time spent on the shibari aspect. Too much time telling the reader how, what and why he was using this knot, this rope or this pattern. I found myself really bored with a lot of that and for the last shibari scene I just glanced over it as I was reading. 

All in all it was a good second book and I will continue to read this series but it wasn't as good as the first book. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Video of the Week

Have you seen any of the road rage videos on Youtube? There are so many of them but I picked this one because the guy outside the car was just nuts as hell. The guy inside the car looked like he was calmly waiting for police to arrive for the accident he and crazy man had but crazy man wanted to beat the crap out of him for the accident.

Warning: Strong language..lots of cursing.

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

This week I received:

Dark Legacy by Christine Feehan (ARC) for a guest review at I Smell Sheep
Sundown Naturals B12 Gummies sample
Palmers Cocoa Butter Sunscreen Sample
Dragon Fall by Katie MacAlister and a swag bag. I won in a giveaway at Angel's Guilty Pleasures blog

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap


Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Target Beauty Box- May

So this is the Target Beauty Box for May. It was a Mother's Day themed box and this is what was in the box. 

Nexxus Shampoo & Conditioner- 1 each, .3 oz

ACURE Pore-Minimizing Red Clay Mask- 1 oz

Nubian Heritage Bath Bombs- 2 ct

Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Lipstick- .24 oz

Vichy Pore-Purifying Clay Mask- .23 oz

Nexxus Vitall 8-in-1 Masque- 1.5 oz

Guess Dare Fragrance for Women- .04 oz

Soap & Glory Flake Away Body Polish- 1.69 oz

This box was only $10 and it said it was worth $32 if you bought everything separately. Not a bad value. I gave my daughter a couple of these things like the bath bombs and the liquid lipstick because she likes bath bombs and the lipstick wasn't a color I liked. I usually give her what ever I won't use so it works out well for both of us. Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. I posted a link to it on my blog when this one went live, I hope a few of you were able to get it

I love getting the little trial size bottles of shampoo and conditioner to try out because you just never know when you'll find one that you love. I've also been getting a lot of the clay masks and using them and they are great for making your skin feel soft. I really liked the fragrance sample that came in this box but I think I'll be sticking with the Honeysuckle body spray that I usually buy. All in all for $10 this was a great box of samples to try. 

Have you tried a beauty box yet?

Favorite Picture of the Week

If you have an electric tart warmer and love all the different scents of wax cubes that you can get. I had been ordering them from Target or Amazon and I've been paying $4-5 for each pack of them. But my daughter found them at Walmart for just $1 each and she bought be a few for Mother's Day. I loved them and they had really nice fragrances to them so I ordered a few more from Walmart. The Darkest Sandalwood has turned out to be one of my all time favorites. 

Do you use a wax tart warmer? Here's a picture of mine. 

Recipe: Fried Zucchini and Vegie Saute

What you'll need: 

2 Carrots, shredded

6 Brussel sprouts, thinly sliced

3 Large broccoli stems, trimmed and shredded

1 Cup thinly sliced cabbage

1 Medium zucchini, cut into 8 spears

1 Package Deep Fry batter

1 Cup of oil

2 TBSP Butter

1/4 Cup Chicken or Vegetable broth

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1/4 tsp. Cumin

1/4 tsp. Chili powder

What to do: 

Prepare your deep fry batter according to package directions or you can prepare your own. Heat oil in a small deep pan and deep fry your battered zucchini spears for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove zucchini and set aside on a paper towel. 

In a saute pan heat butter and add all of the shredded vegetables (Except for the cabbage) to the pan. Saute on mediun heat for 6 minutes and then add chicken broth and spices. Continue to saute until the liquid is gone. Serve with deep fried zucchini spears and cole slaw. You can find the recipe for the cole slaw here. 

Note on the broccoli stems. I know most people just throw the stems away but if you trim that hard outside bit off, you're left with a very juicy, tasty piece of broccoli stem and it's really good for stir fry or vegetable saute or if you're like me, just eating raw. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Why yes, I would like broccolis for lunch"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Today I'll be making a birfday cake. That's why I wearing my birfday hat."

*Picture courtesy of Poppy's Mischief*

"I'm planting yogie seeds. Mom said they don't grow that way but I don't believe her."

Recipe: Zucchini Carrot Bake

You will need: 

2 zucchini, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

2 large cauliflower florets, shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup marinara sauce, divided

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 eggs

What to do:

Spray an 8x8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray or lightly oil. Add shredded zucchini to a dish cloth and squeeze as much water out as possible.

In a large bowl combine, shredded zucchini, shredded cauliflower, shredded carrots, green onion, 1 TBSP of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 TBSP marinara sauce, salt, pepper and eggs until well mixed. Press into the bottom of the baking dish and bake on 400 for 30 minutes. 

Add remaining marinara sauce and cheese to the top of the baked vegetables and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

You guys, this was so good. I couldn't find a recipe online that had everything that I wanted so I made my own. That's right, this is a Mary original.