Celebrate, celebrate!

We are celebrating at our house big time! What are we celebrating? This:

Mano O is OFF blood thinners. After six months of no dark green veggies, he can eat them again without worrying it would affect his medication. I've never seen a man miss broccoli so much!

So how do we celebrate? With a dish full of broccoli, kale and spinach. We are trying to reduce our meat consumption so steak is out. We are also reducing carbs. And I had a hankering for pizza, lasagna, etc. All those good Italian things.

So Italian Veggie Bake it is.

1) Saute your choice of three cups green veggies in an oven-proof skillet in a little bit of olive oil, just until tender.  I used broccoli, spinach, and kale. Adding zucchini or summer squash is a great addition or substitution for the broccoli. You want the base of this dish to have some heft.    

2) Add a cup and a half of spaghetti sauce, stirring over medium heat until heated through.

3) Take dish off the skillet and lay slabs of a cut fresh mozzarella ball across the top. Note: Shredded mozzarella or even thin slices just doesn't do it for this dish.

4) Place in the oven under the broiler until the cheese starts to bubble and turn golden brown. Safety note: Be sure to use an oven mitt to take it out! Don't ask me how I know.

5) Serve using a slotted spatula or spoon so most of the moisture is removed from the dish. 

Now ManO loved it. And for a guy who is a meat eater at heart, that's saying something. The slab of  pseudo-meat sealed the deal without being tofu!

Now I had something else to celebrate.  At RWA, I received two requests for my manuscript. So I figured I best reward myself for putting on my big girl panties and pitching. What to do, what to do? It hit me. After San Antonio, I had to retire my favorite tote bag.  It continually snagged all my new knit dresses. Not a happy camper.

Now I am a purse fanatic. It isn't about having  a bunch of purses but about having one that will last forever and meet my very picky specifications.  Leather. Always leather. Now that alone was a difficult requirement. I would have had an easier time if I was a vegan.

My dream tote also had to be big enough to carry my favorite notepad folder of all time. Zipped, sleek and perfect for holding pitches, schedules, and a legal pad. So a large bag was in my future.

But it still had to be stylish, in a color that would pop against my new standard wardrobe of black, gray, brown or white.

I stalked TJ Maxx, Steinmart, and all the on-line outlets with no success. I may want to spend hundreds on a leather bag but I sure wasn't going to do it.  I wanted a purse with out the baggage of guilt at blowing our budget.

I stopped into our small local Belks on a whim. There it was. The fossil bag I'd seen on sale earlier in the week and still too expensive just marked down another thirty percent. SOLD. The purse fairies were so kind!

The color is  called "orchid" but it's actually a dark raspberry red.

So what about you? Are you celebrating back to school? A weight loss? Just summer coming to a close? What have you rewarded yourself with lately?