Weekend

Santa came to soccer. 

Prepared Sunday dinner on Saturday afternoon. I literally dumped every leftover veggie, meat, dairy product and misshapen remaining block of cheese into a breakfast casserole. Good way to clean the fridge before our vacation. Now what am I going to do with 7.5 pounds of potatoes before we go....

Celebrated a sweet friends 50th birthday. A beautiful affair and unique center pieces for Rosie...

Lots and lots of Christmas prep. It's 70+ degrees on the jersey shore, may as well do it while its warm!

How come my girl friends don't come help me clean...?

Just a peek. I'm a mini white light fan, never LED, too bright for me. How about you, white or multi? Old school or LED?

In a couple of weeks, I'll share the whole outdoor display. 

Deer heads are the hot decor symbol lately. I bit...painted one for my Christmas mantle. Jury still out whether I'll incorporate it. My 4YO named him Jackie. Played around with some tree painting too...

Hope you had a fabulous weekend ~ thanks for visiting!

Drop Leaf Table {furniture rehab}

I acquired this table from my first home purchase 15 years ago. It's time she got a makeover. {you can see where she was painted on...totally abused as a craft table for some years}

In my head, she's a flat, olive-green and slightly distressed.  She will live either in the foyer or the dining room.  I've been pinning some options, though...so at this point anything can happen.

What looks good to you?

This distressed black version would go perfectly in our dining room, as is.

This aqua would be an unexpected pop of color.

Totally distressed.  I could just sand mine down and achieve this.  I love the length of this table, what a great console it would make. 

Mustard yellows always make me happy, but I am trying to un-beige our home, so I need to fight the urge.

I can appreciate this version, but it's a little too primitive for our home.

Another pop of unexpected color.

Love this...I just don't have the time or patience to sand, and sand, and sand, and stain.  {Not even sure what wood mine is made of, how it would stain} This is beautifully styled.

Another gorgeous styling.  This vignette is just perfect, what an entry!

{All images courtesy of Pinterest}

If the table were to reside in our dining room, it would most likely become a bar cart.  Love the organization of a bar cart.  Not to mention, displaying special bottles and vintage barware is a work of art.  Don't even get me started on pinning bar carts.............?!

Stay tuned for results...

Thanks for visiting!

Cheesy Baked Bread Bowl Dip {recipe swap}

This is one of those crazy-rich recipes that you aren't going to eat on a regular basis, but once in awhile it's a treat.  It's akin to this Recipe that I made last year for New Years Eve and Superbowl. 

Super rich, loaded with carbs, cheesy and spicy, everything you always wanted in a dip...

Cheesy Baked Bread Bowl Dip

8oz. sour cream

8oz. cream cheese, softened.

16oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

4.5oz. chopped green chiles, or to taste

Chopped green onion, to taste (I used ½ cup)

8 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped

1 large round bread bowl, hollowed out to bowl shape
Garnish: Jalapenos, Green onion, dots of hot sauce

Preheat oven to *350.  Hollow out bread bowl, cubing bread removed for dippers.  Mix first 7 ingredients together and put into the hollowed out bread bowl.  If you should have extra dip that doesn’t fit into bread bowl, put in a crock and bake it along with bread bowl.  Bake, uncovered, at 350* for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot with bread dippers, chips or raw veggies. ** To reheat, spoon out of breadbowl and microwave for a minute or so, stir, and put back in bread bowl.

Thanks for visiting!

Lighter Broccoli~Cauliflower Gratin {recipe swap} Thanksgiving Sides

I'll featuring side dishes this month leading up to Thanksgiving.  This will be the lightest option.  It's delightful...a fabulous selection to pair with the heavier foods of the holiday.

I'm keeping it real here...I burnt the first batch.

Glad I didn't throw in the towel, because the final product was delicious!

Lighter Broccoli~Cauliflower Gratin

2 (16 oz.) packages fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets

1-1/2 cups of light mayonnaise

1 cup reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

3 oz. parmesan cheese, shredded

4 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

3 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

Steam flowerets until crisp tender, about 8-10 minutes, drain well.

Arrange flowerets in a lightly-greased 2-quart baking dish.

Stir together mayo and next 5 ingredients.  Spoon over flowerets.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake at 350* for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Thanks for visiting!

Weekend...

First and foremost on this Veterans Day weekend, thank you to all who have  served and continue to do so...

 

Accumulating and crafting Christmas decorations. Jute wrapping ornaments is not as easy as it seems...tedious and itchy!

Fail! Burnt the first batch of light broccoli and cauliflower gratin....

 

Second times the charm. Recipe coming on Tuesday, this was delicious.

Christmas shopping...Tastefully Simple sangria slushy mix, along with a bottle of wine, perfect gift for friend or co-worker. Or mail person, or hairdresser, or secret Santa...

 

Speaking of hairdresser, it's time to go. I need a trim desperately and a good cut.  I don't wash my hair everyday, I'm about 3 times per week. I have trained my hair by washing less, it doesn't generate as much oil. Still, it's getting a bit unruly. 

Travel soccer took us near one of the few cracker barrels in NJ. Kinda glad we don't have one nearby, the store and hash brown casserole gets me every time.

My place cards and leftover tags from Thanksgiving 2012. I love doing personalized place cards. You can get free printables online and use a heavy card stock. Sending your guests home with sweet tagged containers of leftovers is fun too.  We will be traveling to see family in St. Mary's, GA. I cannot wait to see everyone and have a southern thanksgiving! 

Time for football and an appetizer experiment. If it's good, I'll be sharing with you!

Hope your weekend is wonderful ~ Thanks for visiting!