Daily Inspiration from My Mom

This is a display my mom did in my parent's new house. She used nature as an inspiration, and got a lot of the pieces for it from the woods surrounding their house.

Some Daily Inspiration

From Traditional Home

From Traditional Home

A Lovely Table Setting

I love the flower arrangement and the white dishes with a dark table.

From House Beautiful

Cabernet Sauvignon

Here are some great holiday cabernets from Food and Wine magazine!

Under $20: Value Cabernet Bottles for Big Holiday Parties

2007 L de Lyeth Cabernet Sauvignon ($13) This Sonoma producer's bottling is more elegant than most reds at the same price.

2007 Fineline ($14) The Paso Robles region's warm climate makes this Cabernet especially juicy.

2007 Josh Cellars ($15) A vineyard in the up-and-coming Red Hills AVA provides the grapes for this rich red.

$20-$50: Best Cabernet Wines for Special Holiday Dinners

2007 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley ($38) A complete winery revamp has distinctly improved the quality of this longtime producer's wines.

2007 Frog's Leap Napa Valley ($42) Black currant fruit and the dusty note typical of the Rutherford Bench define this impressive wine.

2007 Selene Dead Fred Vineyard ($50) Winemaker Mia Klein's superb, structured red comes from a vineyard named after the owners' beloved cat.

Christmas Breakfast

This is a compilation of recipes from different holiday breakfast menus on Epicurious. There were a lot of dishes to choose from, but these ones looked the best to me!

Frittata with Bacon, Fresh Ricotta, and Greens

Find the recipe here.

Cardamom and Orange Panettone Toast

Find the recipe here.

Eggnog French Toast with Cranberry-Apple Compote

Find the recipe here.

Yukon Gold Cinnamon Rolls

Find the recipe here.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

Find the recipe here.

Blood Orange French 75

Find the recipe here.

Holiday Recipes!

This looks like a delicious pork roast recipe from Epicurious 

that would be perfect for Christmas dinner!

Pork Roast with Winter Fruits and Port Sauce

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah started last night, and here is a menu to celebrate!

Traditional Hanukkah menu can be found here! 

Thanksgiving Table Ideas

Here are some inspirational decorating ideas from Martha Stewart:

Mini Brownie Cupcakes

I recently made these cupcakes for my niece and nephew's birthday party and they were delicious! It's hard to find a really good cupcake recipe, but this one is great. I found it on Epicurious. 

I added vanilla buttercream frosting with sprinkles. For Christmas I am 

going to add peppermint extract to the frosting to make a nice

chocolate and mint combination, which is one of my favorites! 

Thanksgiving Countdown!

9 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs from Epicurious

Find this recipe for this colorful side dish here

Thanksgiving Countdown!

12 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Roasted Carrot and Chestnut Soup with Parsley Cream

The recipe for this soup is from Williams Sonoma and would be a great 

first course for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. 

Happy Birthday Babies!

Its Jack & Lola's 2nd Birthday! 

They are the best niece and nephew an

aunt could have and I love them so much!

This is from the day we found out Robin was having a
boy and a girl! She surprised us with booties the color
of the sex she was having. I have a whole collection of these pictures
with the booties all over the place. 

The first day they were born. 

Thanksgiving Countdown!

14 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Yukon Gold and Fennel Puree with Rosemary Butter from Bon Appétit

This delicious looking recipe can be found here: Potato Puree 

Thanksgiving Countdown!

16 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Cranberry Kir Royale from Epicurious

This is a delicious cranberry and champagne cocktail that would be

great to give your guests as they arrive. A great start

 to the festivities of the day and a nice ice breaker to get 

the conversation flowing! 

Find the recipe here: Cranberry Kir Royale 

Thanksgiving Countdown!

18 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Italian Sausage and Bread Stuffing from Gourmet

Find this delicious recipe here: Italian stuffing 

Note: This is very similar to the Italian stuffing my mom makes every year and it is

the most delectable and savory bread stuffing I've ever had! 

Holiday Decorating

Here are some inspirational decorating ideas, all of 

them from Pottery Barn, that make me very excited 

for the upcoming holidays! 

Baby Shower Flashback

It is almost Jack and Lola's 2nd birthday (my niece and nephew) and for 

that reason I want to flashback to my sister's baby shower. It was a 

beautiful day and a beautiful set up. The theme 

colors were turquoise and orange and my other sister Aimee, 

of Aimee Grace Catering did an amazing job with the food.

We set up round tables on my mom's lawn and used turquoise 

runners to add some color. The flowers were from the local

farmer's market and featured orange dahlias to go with the theme.

We set up a present area with the crib and wrapped our presents in 

the theme colors. There were also lots of doubles since she was 

expecting twins! 

A goat cheese "lollipop". Goat cheese rolled in

pistachios and truffle oil. These were delicious!

One of three flavors of cupcakes. I ordered the baking cups in both

theme colors as well. 

The lovely fruit platter!

Thanksgiving Countdown!

20 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Bourbon-Pecan Tart from Bon Appétit  

Find the recipe for the dessert here: Bourbon-Pecan Tart 

Thanksgiving Countdown!

22 Days Till Thanksgiving! 

Food & Wine Magazine's Haricots Verts and Chesnuts w/Date Vinaigrette 

You can find the recipe here on F&W's website: Haricots Verts 

Holiday Centerpieces

Some ideas from Martha Stewart

This centerpiece uses a white pumpkin as a "vase". I love the

fall colors of the flowers and the use of mini pumpkins. 

This one is more of a winter display with the bright red color of the cranberries

against the pure white of the roses. 

Happy Election Day!

Don't forget to VOTE!

Thanksgiving Countdown!

24 Days till Thanksgiving! 

Martha Stewart's Perfect Roast Turkey

Here is the link to the recipe: Perfect Roast Turkey

Autumn Display

My sister Robin created this lovely display on

 her mantle in her living room.

 I love the combination of the white pumpkins with the 

red branches and mercury glass stands. The mirror above 

the mantle adds a sparkling reflection of the beautiful 

chandelier, the mercury glass, and the candles when 

they are lit. This is one of my favorite holiday 

arrangements Robin has done.

Nail Polish

I am loving the trend of the putty/taupe colored nail polish that has been seen all over the runway and on celebrities. It is an unexpected neutral that is perfect for the Fall season!

"Khaki Brun" Chanel

"Over the Taupe" OPI

"Fash Pack" butter London