Roasted Parsnip Puree

Last night we had a yummy French dinner at Bastille in Alexandria.  If you're local and like French cookin' then I recommend this place.  It is cozy and intimate in the winter but in the summer they have a great outdoor patio.  And the servers are so nice.  Last night I had the equivalent of a beef potroast but it was served over roasted winter vegetable puree.  I love any potato but especially mashed potatoes!  So, in the interest of trying to be healthier and eating less carbs, I decided to try to copy what we had at Bastille.  Here's what I did and they turned out delish!

Roasted Parsnip Puree

1 bag parsnips
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1/2 cup fat free half and half

Peel the parsnips.

Chop off the ends.  You'll have to cut around the thick, peely core as you chop the parsnips.

Melt the butter and pour over the parsnips and add 1/2 of the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper and garlic powder.  Spread on a baking sheet.  Put into a preheated 400 degree oven and roast for 30 minutes or until nice and browned and roasted.

Put mixture into a blender or food process with the remaining olive oil and half and half.  Puree until you are happy with the consistency.  They are deliciously sweet tasting. 

Enjoy!

Meares' High Gloss

Unless you've been living under a rock then I'm sure you've seen the new High Gloss online magazine.  But, just in case you are under that rock (and I'm not judging if you are - I am frequently under my own personal rock), I thought I'd share my favorite part of the new mag.  If you live in Raleigh and you haven't been yet, you need to check out Jamie's shop, Furbish.  If you don't live in Raleigh, you can also shop Furbish online.  I have and it is great.  And if you don't want to spend any money but you want to get almost daily inspiration from Meares, check out her blog, I Suwannee.  My friend Meghann introduced me to her blog and it, along with Southern Exposure, were the two blogs that got me inspired to start my own.  The thing I like most about reading Jamie's blog is that she is truly living the dream (or my dream anyway) - she left her corporate job to follow her dream of owning her own store. 

High Gloss featured Jamie's house in the premiere issue.  Girl's got style.  And shares my love of animal print which she douses liberally in many of the rooms they featured (my absolute fave is the monogrammed zebra shower curtain). 

Hamilton Design

Hamilton Design puts to use bright, bold fabrics in unexpected combinations that I think are just gorgeous.  I'd be happy in any of these spaces...

Up Country for Pups

My friend Liz introduced me to this site - Up Country - which has super cute collars and harnesses for dogs.  I'm in the market for a dog harness for my pup.  He is tiny and doesn't really pull when we walk so I have only ever used a collar with his leash.  However, now that he's getting older, he has developed some sensitivity to his collar and gets winded a lot on our walks.  So, I've decided to get him a little harness to see if that helps. 

How cute are these prints?  (Just a note, my dog is a male so I recognize that some of these wouldn't be appropriate for him but I thought I'd show you ALL my faves - for boys or girls).

I think the squirrels and nuts one is the winner contender for my pup.

Retro Fabric

Check out Tonic Living's Retro Fabric Collection.  I adore and my mind is whizzing with potential super fun projects.

For a kids room or nursery:

(doesn't this fabric remind you of the Jetson's??)

For Holiday Projects:

For a retro fun kitchen - maybe some pillows on a banquette...

To cover a dog bed:

Are you digging' the retro vibe?

Buffalo Au Poivre

I know, we're gettin' fancy, huh?  Note: this is not a weeknight inspiration of a meal...

Ya'll, if you have not tried buffalo, and you like red meat, give it a try.  It is really lean and flavorful.  Obviously we weren't on our calorie counting plan for this meal.  We served it with garlicky green beans and homemade twice baked potatoes. 

To do the meat au poivre (you can do tenderloin or any steak you like as well), you just crust it throroughly in black pepper and cook over the oven.  After the meat is cooked through and seared on the outside then you make the au poivre sauce.  Recipe we used found here. 

When you add the cognac into the pan it fires up like at a Japanese Hibachi Grill.  Fun if you have guests over one evening. 

Clean plate club!!