Two Things I Want But Can't Afford

I need to find a copy cat version of these two bad boys cause they are beeeeautiful and I want them both:

Made Goods Bruna Chandelier

We're talking a mere $1200 for that light fixture. 

And $875 for this resin wreath but I still love it:

Mecox Gardens Resin Antler Wreath

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

I've told ya'll about how to make Braised Short Ribs for supper before.  Make them...seriously, you won't be disappointed.  It is a great dish to entertain with as well.  Once you get it all prepped they just sit in the oven for 3 hours so you can visit with your guests easily until it is time to pull them out.

I made horseradish mashed potatoes to go with them.  I love the extra bite it gives the potatoes and it goes great with the short ribs.

What You'll Need:

8-10 medium sized red potatoes, cut into fourths
1 large spoonful of horseradish (more or less to taste)
half a stick of butter
skim milk
1 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

What You'll Do:

Boil the potatoes until tender and drain the water.

Add butter, horseradish, and sour cream and begin mashing.  Add milk until the potatoes are the consistency you want.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

High Street Market

More holiday shopping inspiration for you.  I recently found High Street Market and I adore it...

I love all of the vintage touches with a heavy lean towards brass.  I'm kind of obsessed with brass these days.

I'm sure a few of these things will wind up on my Pinterest wish list.

Shop all High Street Market here.

Hearty Bolognese to Share

Our neighbors just had a little girl - Molly Georgia Janes. How adorable is that name? I decided to make them dinner and wanted to take them something they could freeze just in case they didn't eat it right away. So, I made a hearty homemade bolognese sauce. The beauty of this is that this makes a ton so we had dinner for us as well!

What You'll Need: 
2 lbs. of extra lean ground beef
2 onions, diced
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 large carrots, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (do not drain)
1 large can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 cups tomato paste
2 cubes of beef bouillon
2 cups dry red wine
1 packet of Italian seasoning
3 tbsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

What You'll Do: 
Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil. Careful not to burn the garlic. After that sautees for a bit, add the carrots and celery. Add a little more olive oil if things start sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the ground beef and brown along with the veggies.

Add remaining ingredients and let simmer for several hours....the longer the better!

I packaged things up for them.  I sent over a loaf of bread, salad and fixings and uncooked pasta so in case they decided to freeze the sauce, they could save it for later.

I separated out the salad toppings so they wouldn't get soggy.  I included dried cranberries, toasted pine nuts and crumbled goat cheese.

I made a quick champagne dijon dressing (champagne vinegar, olive oil, dijon mustard and salt and pepper) and separated that out as well.  With a quick label it was easy to explain what everything was.  And, I thought it looked kind of cute.

Here's the whole shebang before I put it in a bag to take over to them.  

Happy Turkey Day, Ya'll!

Looking forward to spending the day with a mix of family and friends that we are hosting this year. My husband has been up since 6am smoking the turkey, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is on TV (right in Herald Square in NYC where we just stayed last weekend!) and I'm getting ready to start cookin'.

I purchased this garland kit from Paper Source last weekend and hung it on the mirror in our kitchen.  Feeling festive.

Yesterday I tried my hand at my first attempt at making cranberry sauce.  It was surprisingly easy...now we'll see how it tastes.

Got some fresh flowers to set the table.

Now I'm tackling the problem of how we are going to fit 11 people in this teeny tiny house.  We'll all be thankful if we can find a seat around the table(s).

I do have a lot to be Thankful for this year.  Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Felt Mistletoe Craft

I've seen a couple of little felt mistletoe ornaments lately on Pinterest and most recently from Wisteria.  Instead of paying $12-$20 I realized that I already had all of the materials to make my own.  So, I did.

Here was my inspiration from Wisteria:

I started out by cutting out the shapes from the felt.

Then I assembled it so it looked like Mistletoe.  I used spray adhesive to hold it together.  I sprayed it on top of newspaper to try to make less of a mess.  I also went ahead and tied the pieces of felt up at the top to secure them.

Then, all that was left was to add the white "berries" and tie a bow.  I am thrilled with how it turned out.  My husband is thrilled that I didn't "waste" the money.  Score.

Lovely Lighting from Hudson Valley

Beautiful lighting from Hudson Valley Lighting Co. I can think of places all over my house that I want all of these!

I especially want these next ones over the bookshelf/entertainment unit in my living room.

For the hallway...

For the (pretend) beach house...

For the den...

For the dining room...

For the hallway...

All fixtures found on Hudson Valley Lighting site.