Ooh La La

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving holiday. Mine was terrific, spent with family in California.  During our recent trip we were walking around San Francisco and Paul's sister took us to La Boulange.  It is literally like a little slice of heaven right there in the middle of San Fran. 

They have all kinds of french pastries, sandwiches, breads and coffees.  It is soooo good its ridiculous.  They went straight to the top of my favorites list with a giant jar of nutella at their condiments station.  I mean that is just insane... in a good way.  If you are ever in the area you should definitely stop by one their locations.  The food is fantastic, the ambiance is great and they have nutella. 

Doesn't it all look soooo tasty, it's making me hungry just writing this?

Another food post....imagine that.

So in my effort to seem some what productive on these "chilly" fall days I have seemed to taken up baking and cooking.  I was looking through the 25th anniversary issue of House & Home magazine and came across a recipe for spiced nuts.  It was great because I had all the necessary ingredients and didn't have to leave the house.... perfect for my very consistent lazy behavior lately.

All I needed was:

1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of cane sugar (like demerara)
1 tsp each of cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt (give or take depending on your taste)
2 cups of almonds (also, your choice)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
Heat oil, vinegar and sugar in saucepan over low to medium heat, sprinkle in spices and salt and mix well
Add almonds, stirring to coat and cook in saucepan approximately 5 minutes until everything is sticky
Pour mixture over a foil lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
Let cool and serve at room temperature

This is sooo simple and could easily be changed based on your personal taste but would make you look like some kind of super star at your next gathering.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my Dad.  You are an awesome guy and I hope you have a great birthday.  Love you.

P.S.  If I was rich I would buy you this bad ass truck that probably gets  a wopping 7 miles to the gallon.  :) 

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Inexpensive Wall "Art"

Now if you are anything like me and can't stand blank wall after blank wall in a home but don't have the moola to purchase art you live by the theory of "if it can go in a frame... it's art" . Which is how we roll in this casa.

There are several low cost things you can do to add a little something something to your walls instead of just leaving them as big blank spaces.

I myself have framed coffee bean bags  and they are proudly displayed on a wall in my living room, seen in a previous post.  I have also framed maps I got from a $3 book of state maps  from TJ Maxx.  I chose three states that have had significance in our lives and framed those bad boys up.

My Aunt was kind enough to take this photo outside of a home on Caterina street in Italy when she was there and had it framed for me.  Obviously, her photography skills are waaayyyy more superior than mine. 

I just love the colors of the laundry and the shutters, such a simple thing but full of life and color.

Can I interest you in a drink?

So there is a trend I have been noticing in decor magazine and across the world wide web and me likey what I see.  I don't know if it is because of the down economy, the popularity of Mad Men or if this country is just filled with a lot of drunks (probably a combo of all three) but bar carts and other such related items are huge right now. 

Instead of having an entire space dedicated to a bar (i.e. a basement bar with cheesy dogs playing poker "art" hanging on the walls)  these are little vignettes  carved out of a spot in a room dedicated to the "drink".  They are makeshift in sorts and take up very little space but offer up a lot of opportunity to demonstrate your personal style and entertain your guests.

Here's a little look see on what I have been eyeing:

When space is limited who says your bar area can't serve as a side table?

I love the creative use of materials in this little corner.

I love the mix of the old gold cart with the wall color and little bouqet of flowers.

Again a multi-purpose space serving as bar area and magazine shelf with stacks of the iconic yellow national geographics at the bottom.

The baskets and foliage add an organic element to the bar area.

I love the old furniture with the modern ghost chairs doing double duty of storage and extra seating as well.

The battered industrial style cart with modern geographical art is a great use of space and design.

And if you are completely awesome you get to have this in your house... I mean shut the front door.

There's Been Some Baking Going On

There has been some serious baking taking place in mi casa as of late.  As the weather turns and the cooler it gets, the less I enjoy being outside...hence there has been some baking going on.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been baking up these little goodies, all of which I found on the oh so fab pinterest.  I will say I am by no means a pastry chef, my approach to baking is twofold simple and delicious.


Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake

This one turned out ok, super easy and was good for just using two ingredients.

                                                          Cream Cheese Sopapilla

This one was amazing!!!  So good and very easy to make.

                                                              Honey Beer Bread

The bread was hands down my favorite, I made it with a lager beer and it was soooo yummy in this tummy. 

FALL!!!!!!!!!!

Fall weather has officially arrived here in North Carolina....and I'm loving it.  I have big plans this weekend to do nothing but relax, wear some comfy warm clothes, maybe drink some hot tea or a few glasses of vino to stay warm.  Who knows, I may get a little crazy and bake something up.

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