Winter Trip to the Napa Valley!

My Hubbers and I no longer buy each other Christmas gifts.  We prefer to spend the money, time (and shopping stress!) on our children and grandchildren. After almost 34 years of marriage we don't need anything and, if we do, we usually buy it ourselves.  So we do little getaways instead.  It's a great way to reconnect, to get a day away from home.  A few weeks ago found us in Las Vegas seeing a concert.  We love to go to the Napa Valley so yesterday we made the two-hour trek to that area.

We have never been there so late in the year.  The vineyards, of course, are bare of leaves and fruit. Every now and then we would spy a persimmon tree, the orange globes very visible. All the wineries and shops were decked out in their finest holiday adornments.  Surprisingly, there was little traffic and few crowds.  Quite a contrast from the summer months! It rained the night before but we had blue skies, lots of sun, and just needed a lightweight jacket in order to stay warm. I think this may now be our favorite time of year to visit!

Christmas lights in persimmon trees; so pretty!

We did a little browsing along the main street of St. Helena, visited a few wineries, had a wonderful late lunch at Bottega. The scenery and the company were fantastic! Merry Christmas, Hubbers!



A lighted Christmas tree in one of the wine caves!



 

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

I'm pretty good at storing food in the freezer.  In fact, just last night, I pureed a bag of persimmons and put 1-cup portions into freezer bags.  Where I go awry is using said frozen food before it's too late. It's almost as if the freezer has a magic hole that stuff disappears to, only to return when freezer burn has taken over!  I try to keep an inventory but, along the way, it all falls apart. It seems I'm always disposing of something I froze. So it probably should not have surprised me that I found some homemade gnocchi, that I had made in October, in the freezer while looking for the walnuts.  I worked hard to make those gnocchi, I'm amazed I forgot I froze some! Old age taking over? Anyway, I grabbed the bag of gnocchi and rearranged my dinner menu to include them.

 This is just a simple tomato sauce, simmered a while for the sauce to reduce and thicken and the herbs to add some subtle flavor. In fact, Pomodoro sauce basically means tomato sauce, it just sounds fancier!  I always have San Marzano tomatoes in my pantry, a can is the foundation of many a quick meal around here. Other brands can be used,  I think San Marzano tomatoes make superior tomato sauces.

Of course, homemade gnocchi is not required here.  There are wonderful packages of gnocchi in most grocery stores these days.  A package of gnocchi works well with hectic weeknight dinner schedules.

Gnocchi with Pomodoro Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can San Marzano tomatoes
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup heavy cream
16 ounces potato gnocchi
8 ounces mozzarella
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in 10-inch ovenproof pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, lowering the heat if needed so the onions don't brown.  Cook until the onions are transparent, about 5-7 minutes.

Crush the tomatoes with your hand (or blender) and add to the pan, along with the juice.  Season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.  Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the sauce reduces and thickens.  It should be thick enough to coat the gnocchi.  Stir in the heavy cream and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted boiling water. The gnocchi are done when they rise to the top.  Drain and place the gnocchi into the cooked sauce. Top with mozzarella (shredded or halved mozzarella balls) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil for 5-8 minutes, until the cheese melts and the tops become crispy. 

Chalk Painting For The Craft Room!

Ever since I put together my craft room I've had an empty corner.  Originally I thought I wanted a nice, comfy upholstered chair there, a place to hand stitch or read a book. While I love spending time in here I find I do need to spend some time in the same room as my husband, so I went away from getting a chair.  For the last few months I've been on a mission to find an old dresser, small enough to fit in the space.  I finally found one in an antique store and have spent the weekend painting it.  I love how it turned out and I think it fills up the corner so nice.  The dresser also gives me more storage (I seem to keep accumulating stuff!) and another work top.  I think it will be a useful addition to my room!

Harley rarely lets me out of his sight!

Chalk painting has been around for a while but I've been rather intimidated by it.  A few years ago I painted the stools under my cutting table but kept telling myself they were just stools, I didn't think I could do a piece of furniture.  A few weeks ago I chalk painted the frame for my design board so my confidence grew a little.  Yesterday I jumped in and it wasn't so bad! 

 Chalk paint leaves a matte finish, a very soft look, that blends in well with the urban farmhouse vibe in my home.  There is very little prep involved; no stripping of old paint, sanding, etc.  It's basically a matter of making sure the piece is clean and then just painting. Once painted there is a waxing process, very similar to painting, whereby the wax is brushed onto the piece and wiped off.  It leaves a nice smooth finish.  I did a little distressing on the edges of this dresser, knowing it's going to get used a lot and will get distressed over time anyway. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint.  They have a pink paint in their color line but it was more muted than I wanted so I mixed pure white with a little of red, to make a bubblegum pink color.  I have a lot of bright colors in my room and this adds to it!

 

The dining area turned into a painting studio for a day!

My husband was apprehensive at first as he knows I'm not a big fan of painting. I managed to impress him.  Now he thinks I should paint my beloved armoire as it's the only non-colored piece in my room.  I'm thinking about it now! Maybe blue?

Nutcrackers!

My love affair with Nutcrackers began in 1989, when I took my then 4-year old daughter to see the ballet performance.  She fell in love with the ballet production and dance; she danced until high school graduation and danced in a few local Nutcracker productions. I began buying Nutcrackers and Nutcracker-related items and cross stitched quite a few pieces. Our Christmas tree has many glass Nutcracker ornaments on it.  My favorite Nutcrackers decorate our mantel each year.

Last year, our grandson was due to arrive around Christmas so I did very minimal decorating. As we had to travel four hours for the delivery and I was going to stay with the new family to assist, I didn't want to have to take down a lot of Christmas decorations.  So my collection stayed packed away.  It was so much fun opening up their boxes this year, it was like meeting old friends!

 

Some of my Nutcrackers were brought home by friends and family on trips to Germany. My newest one from Germany arrived this summer.  My nephew was stationed in Germany during his stint in the U.S. Army.  I asked (ok, I begged!) him to bring home a Nutcracker and he didn't let me down.

The center Nutcracker arrived from Germany this summer!

The Nutcracker ballet begins its annual Christmas showing this weekend in our town.  My 10-year old granddaughter is participating in her fifth Nutcracker. She longs to play the role of Clara and we are so proud of her! Even though I've seen the ballet many, many times we will attend to watch her. And my love affair with Nutcrackers will continue!

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

It is the custom in our family that the birthday person gets the dessert of their choosing for their special day.  Recently we celebrated my son's 33rd birthday (how can I possibly have a child that old?)  I asked him what he wanted and he said "something with chocolate and bananas".  Hmmmm....what to make? I decided to do my version of a black bottom pie.  A black bottom pie is basically a cream pie with a layer of chocolate.  I added a layer of sliced bananas between the chocolate and the vanilla cream layer. The vanilla cream is a variation of the recipe my Mom has been making all her married life.  She uses milk, I use half & half. Eating this pie was like eating a chocolate covered banana with a bonus of pudding!  Oh, my, it was yummy! I made two pies; there was enough for all of us to have a piece and enough for the birthday boy to take the leftovers home.

Black Bottom Banana Cream Pie

9" baked pie shell

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups half & half
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon butter

Bring whipping cream to boil (on stovetop or microwave).  Pour over chocolate chips and let sit for 2 minutes.  Stir until thoroughly combined.  Pour on bottom of baked pie shell.  Top with a layer of sliced bananas.

In a medium pan, combine flour, salt, cornstarch and sugar.  Stir in half & half until combined.  Bring to boil over low heat.  Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  Combine the three egg yolks and one cup of the hot pudding, lightly beating until combined.  Add egg/pudding mixture back to remaining pudding in pan. Cook over low heat for two minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter.

Pour pudding over chocolate and banana layers.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing wrap onto the pudding (this is so you don't get a "crust").  Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Top pie with sweetened whipped cream or meringue.

Thanksgiving 2015

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Family, friends, football, and FOOD. What's not to like about that? It's a day we pause to give thanks for all we are blessed with. I think if we spent more days being thankful the world would be a gentler place. Even in bad times there is always something to be thankful for.

We are expecting 18 today. It bothers me when people are alone on the holidays so we have a hodge-podge mix of family and friends arriving for our early evening meal. It makes for a lively time.

It feels like I've been planning, prepping, baking, and cooking for days! Thanksgiving dinner is one of those occasions where you try to include everyone's favorite food, even if it's not the cook's favorite. My Hubbers will get his canned cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie. Mom will bring her cornbread dressing, which is what I always look forward to.  There will be a bowl of olives for the kids, some of which inevitably end up on the end of fingers! The menu doesn't change much from year-to-year, people expect the traditional items. We all look forward to the meal, then complain afterwards about how full we are!  Our menu:

Roast turkey (dry-brined)
Dressing (cornbread and sourdough)
Sweet potato soufflé
Green bean casserole
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Orange-glazed carrots
Cranberry sauce (homemade & canned)
Strawberry pretzel jello salad
Yeast rolls (homemade)

My family prefers pies so I've tried to make everyone's favorites such as pumpkin pie, Dutch apple pie and chocolate cream. The dessert station is ready for all the sugary goodness!

I went with a natural look on my tables this year; fresh fruits, pumpkins, squash, a few candles. I didn't have enough transferware plates for the crowd so splurged and bought some Spode Woodland turkey plates.  They blend in well with my existing dishes.

Thank you for visiting my little blog. Your comments always brighten my day!

Kraft Paper Wrapping

I don't like a lot of clutter.  That applies in my decorating and in my storage arrangements. One place I've eliminated clutter is with wrapping paper and supplies. It used to be I was always buying wrapping paper or bags for each kind of gift.  That gets expensive (gift bags aren't cheap!), I'm running to the store at the last minute, and then I'm stuck with half a roll of paper that I may never use again.  Now I apply my Christmas wrapping philosophy to every occasion of gift wrapping. The only kind of wrapping paper I keep on hand is basic brown kraft paper.   Probably 99% of my gifts are wrapped in plain kraft paper or in kraft bags.  I personalize them for the specific occasion with various ribbons, doilies, and other add-ons.  This method saves me space in the closet as I'm only storing a few things and makes wrapping a no-brainer process.  It works for me!

Pinterest (don't you just love Pinterest?) has a lot of gift wrapping ideas for inspiration. I found the idea for this gift there.  I always have paper doilies on hand, both for gifts and for baking presentation.  Folding the doily, adding a sprig of rosemary, and a small stamped-label makes for a cute gift.

This gift was for a 5-year old celebrating her birthday.  Again, a simple doily and a basic pink ribbon and you instantly know the present is for a girl. Using a doily stamp makes for a cute tag and eliminates having to buy a card.

Adding a football ribbon gives a masculine touch to this gift.

I keep a supply of ribbon and twine on this wall organizer, but rolls of ribbon are easily stored in plastic boxes.  I usually stock up when I find a sale.

I'm linking up to Inspire Me Tuesday.