Rifle Paper Co.

I know I have a problem with my obsession over stationary but I want it all.

More found on the Rifle Paper Co. site.

Animal themed baby shower

My friend Michaela is pregnant and we hosted a baby shower for her over the weekend.  The theme started after we picked out these invitations from etsy.

I loved the little animals so I created a centerpiece of pussy willow branches and little foam animals strung from it.

The lovely guest of honor:

And some yummy food thanks to Liz and Katie! 

Love Mae

How adorable are these wall decals for children's rooms/nurseries?

I love that they are basically indestructable.  They will re-stick over and over and if they are crumpled up, they will just bounce right back!

More options found on the Love Mae site.

Chicken Florentine Style

 I should've known this was gonna be guuuuud.  For one it has cream.  For two I was lucky enough to live in Florence for about six months on a study abroad program in college and I didn't meet any food there I didn't like (as evidenced by some serious weight gain). 

I saw this recipe from Giada DeLaurentis on the Food Network site.  This is the first of her recipes I've tried although whenever I see her (albeit annoying) show, I always think her recipes seem simple and delicious.  This fit the bill.  I made a few adjustments (i.e. trading her recommended frozen spinach for fresh and substituting light cream for heavy cream) but it was still delish.  This one is staying in my recipe reportoire.

What you'll Need:

4 thin chicken breasts
1 large shallot
2 large garlic cloves
1 cup light cream
1 package fresh spinach
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
3 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll Do:

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides. 

Chop shallot and garlic.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour and coat with a thin layer.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet.  Once heated, add chicken and brown evenly on both sides. 

Remove from heat and cover with foil to keep warm.  Add the garlic and shallots to the pan along with 2 Tbsp butter and cook to soften. 

Add the white wine and cook until half of the liquid reduces.  Add the cream and parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat remaining Tbsp of olive oil and butter in a separate pot.  Add spinach and season with salt and pepper.  Let wilt.

Add the chicken back to the pan with the sauce. 

Serve the chicken with the spinach and cover it with the sauce.

It's [Urban] Electric!

I found the image below on pinterest and was so distracted by the animal print on the stairs that I didn't even notice the great light fixture. Then I stumbled across Urban Electric and realized this is where the image came from. I adore so many of their lights...certainly not in my price range (most are over a grand) but still fun to look at don't you think?

Easy Beef Bourguignon

I know...it is kind of an oxymoron - easy beef bourguignon.  But this ain't Julia Childs' version.  This one is in the crock pot - perfect for a make ahead weeknight meal.

What you'll need:
1 pound of beef - I used pot roast
1 onion
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups red wine
1 can beef broth
1/2 can tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

 

What you'll do:

Brown the meat in a skillet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Remove and add to crockpot.  In the same pan as you browned the beef, brown the carrots, onions, celery and garlic.  Season also with salt and pepper.  Add to the crock pot.  Add beef broth, wine, tomato paste and bay leaf.  Stir together and cook on low for 8 hours.  We had ours with peas and mashed taters.