this week

 Here is what is happening over here....

 We are burning through the large pile of stacked logs sitting in the garage and eating lots of pistachios from the mega bag we bought at Costco. See the coffee table...brass leaf with nuts and a discarded shell bowl? Looks like we are almost finished but there is still the big bag with plenty more in the snack drawer. I need to stop going into the snack aisle at Costco, the bags are too big. Does this happen in your house? The day a new item is brought into the house, everyone is interested and takes their share but the following days, no takers. Oh well, new strategy...walk past the snacks, head to the flowers instead.

Found pretty tulips, lilies and alstroemeria last visit.

I remembered to take an Ina food photo! I made Asian Grilled Salmon from her Parties cookbook which I think is one of her best.

 I doctored the recipe though because it was too bland. The sauce consists of just olive oil, soy sauce and mustard. It needed bite and sweetness so I added honey and lime juice. Made it much better and the honey created great caramelization. This is son's plate, I sadly had one little scoop of mashed potatoes on my plate. See the black thing on the middle of the filet? He asked in a typical teenage tone what it was so I picked it up and ate it, yum, crunchy and delicious. Do you cook frozen broccoli in the microwave? It is so easy, I think I do 6 minutes covered. Then toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Costco does have the best frozen broccoli. 

I also made Parker's Beef Stew on Super Bowl and I did forget to take a shot, very delicious of course and not quite as rich as her yummy Beef Bourguignon recipe. 

I have been fooling around with some master bedroom changes. I change things in the house at this time every year, part of the hibernation process. I decided it should be feminine and light with touches of green and blue. I use our bedroom as my personal living room since I record shows on that television. Have now chalk painted the bedside tables, a baker's rack we brought down from a guest room and the armoire. The only brown thing left is an antique farmhouse chest of drawers. Will post some pics later once a sunburst arrives for over the bed. 

Here is the baker's rack which is now in place of a table next to my favorite chair. It houses favorite books, magazines and serves as my charging station and a nice place for a scented candle. I painted it in Annie Sloan Country Grey.

Loving our birds at the feeders. I will never get over the beauty of a cardinal in the midst of a bleak landscape. Mother Nature is so amazing. This beautiful boy was outside the kitchen window.

Ran out of personalized stationery so just ordered and quickly received this simple design from etsy seller Short Grass Designs. Can be ordered in lots of colors and comes with kraft envelopes. Would make a great gift.

What is going on in your home on these winter days?

this week

We moved one of the bird feeders to the crab apple tree on the patio so we could get a closer look of the goings on of the little critters that live outside our windows. The mess the seeds make is not a problem in the winter as it falls on the patio, so no damage to the myrtle bed and no sunflower sprouts to worry about in the summer. 

I love the shape of the plump mourning doves' little bodies. This was taken yesterday when we still had snow, all melted today. They wait in the tree and then drop down to  sit under the feeder to get dropped seeds. Not sure how they stay so chubby.

The last little bit of snow next to the sweet baby Red Tailed Squirrel. We actually have more black squirrels in our yard. I will get a pic of one to show later.

He or she looked up at me and then turned its back!

The Amaryllis finally bloomed in all its trumpeting glory! It seems to be white, not the Lemon Star like I thought we had bought. I love the whole process of watching it grow, I will never tire of watching a flower come to life! Its sister plant is way behind so perhaps we will see it bloom in the spring!

Still cooking Ina food, made Mac and Cheese and Lemon Chicken but forgot to get the camera, it is difficult for me to remember to photograph food once it is ready. Not sure what I will make next. Going to take advantage of the mild weather today... temps in the fifties, and head to a  Lebanese restaurant for dinner. We picked up the two Ina books I did not have on our last trip to Costco,  Foolproof and how easy is that?

I decided to stop buying paper napkins. We still need them for messy finger food but my collection of cloth napkins, collected over many years, was just sitting in the drawer. We hardly entertain like we used to when we were younger. I placed a group of them in a basket on the counter near the flatware drawer, easy to pick one up and then just throw into the laundry sink nearby when done or we are using them twice, leaving them at our places at the table.

Husband invented a new cocktail the other day when some friends were over for NFL playoff games! I had shown him these two mixers we had for vodka. The cocktail of the day was a Bloody Mary so I was intending to just use the Clamato, the Izze sparkling grapefruit was a backup in case someone did not like tomato juice. He thought I said to use both when making the Bloody Marys. A little miscommunication but we loved it, much lighter and fresher than a regular Bloody Mary. On round two, we all ordered the new concoction! I highly recommend it. He also used the horseradish, lime and worcestershire like usual. I recommend you try it, we are calling it a Bloody Mary Fizz.

And finally, my favorite candle is at the end of its wick this morning. Have you ever used Rigaud candles? 

I have since my mother bought one for me over twenty years ago. She is still the source as that is the only request I give her when she asks for a birthday idea. It is quite a luxury, not something I would purchase for myself. I love the Cypres scent, perfect for winter which is the only time I burn it. There are many more floral scents and I should try them too.

What are you up to this during this dreary time of year?  We have only seen the sun one day in the last two weeks, that day was glorious with a beautiful blue sky but we need more!