Party time.

I love an excuse for a party.  After spending some time on the Shop Sweet Lulu site, I have a serious party bug.  Don't all these adorable goodies just cry out for a par-tay?!

All items sold here.  Now get partying!

Pork Papriskash

We eat quite a bit of chicken and when we eat pork it is usually pork chops on the grill or BBQ in the crock pot.  I came across this Martha Stewart recipe and was prompted to try something new and out of my usual go-to weeknight cooking repertoire.  Good call.  You should try it.  Martha's instructions are below and found here.

Ingredients

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
• 1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound), excess fat and silver skin removed, halved lengthwise, then cut
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 can (14 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water
   to a boil. Cook noodles until tender; drain and return to pot. Stir in butter; cover and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine
   pork with 1 tablespoon paprika; season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high; cook pork, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate (reserve skillet).
3. Return skillet to stove; reduce heat to medium. Add remaining tablespoon oil and onion; cook until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add pork, remaining tablespoon paprika, tomatoes with their juice, and 1/2 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook, until sauce is slightly thickened, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes.
4. Remove skillet from heat, and stir
   in sour cream; season with salt and pepper. Serve paprikash over noodles, garnished with parsley, if desired.

A brief check in and some beautiful roses.

I am sorry for the long period of no posts for anyone out there reading this.  I have to say, every once in a while, I feel like I am talking to myself when I write these posts but then someone who I had NO IDEA was even reading my blog will say something to me and it gives me new found motivation.  Anyway, thank you to all of you who do read my posts!

I'm heading off to Oklahoma City tomorrow for a visit with my husband's grandparents.  I have no idea what to expect in the wake of all of the destruction from the tornados.  I am a little anxious about the trip but am hoping the weather will cooperate.

In the meantime, we've had bouts of sun, heat and rain here in DC which has done wonders for our flowers. Our roses have been going insane.  I am LOVING all of the fresh cut flowers in the house.  Not only are they beautiful but it saves me money from having to buy them!

My husband gets the photo credit for these but I thought they were too beautiful not to share.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy long holiday weekend!

Shop: Designers Guild

Virtual shopping is sort of torture but my husband LOVES anything that keeps me happy and doesn't cost him money - ha!  It is also a handy way to pretend to shop for things you can't afford...which is a lot of the stuff from Designer's Guild but I do adore it.

Happy virtual shopping to you today!

All items found on the Designer's Guild Shop.

Outdoor Makeover

We FINALLY got new outdoor furniture.  We have moved from having a table and chairs to a conversational seating area.  I haven't come inside since we set it up yesterday.  I love how we essentially have another room in our house!

Here is the before (once we moved out the old table and chairs:

And here it is now:

The furniture is from Overstock.  The pillows are from World Market.  The rug is from Amazon.

Healthier Homemade Sesame Chicken

I'm trying to eat healthier and lose some weight.  It is not easy but I'm trying.  This recipe is so EASY.  And yummy, to boot.

What You Need

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
• 2 tbsps sesame seeds
• 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli

What You'll Do

1. In a small bowl, whisk the chicken stock, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, and white vinegar together. Set aside.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. In a large pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken in one layer. Cook for three minutes on one side until seared and then flip and cook for another three minutes on the other side.
4. Pour the chicken stock mixture over the chicken, stirring to combine.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Add brocoli and let it cook with chicken and sauce mixture.
6. Remove from heat and toss the chicken with sesame seeds and serve.

Reath Design

Frances Merrill is one of my new favorite designers. Her spaces feel fresh, unconventional, whimsical and fun.  She launched Reath design in 2009 and has been going strong since.  Here are some of my favorite projects:

All projects found on Reath Design site.