In my final post of 2012, I shared a New Year’s Eve tablescape and showed you some plates that I longed for.

Among them was this set of four Ralph Lauren clock face plates that were from a 2010 Lauren line.

I’ve now learned that the pattern of the plates is Pocketwatch.

On Wednesday of this week, I thought I spotted the plates in a photo I saw on the Sweet Salvage Facebook page for their upcoming sale.

Posted only a few images later there was a close-up shot. It’s them!

Yesterday as the sale began and as soon as Peggy, Sheila, and I got through the doors, we all headed for the booth with the orange scarf on the mannequin. Peggy got there first and was snagging up the plates for me! Thanks, girlfriend!

I was a little worried about what the price would be. I’d searched online the day before we arrived to shop – just so I’d have an idea of what price to expect.  I learned that the original retail price in 2010 was $27 each!

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I saw this beautiful loaf of bread, more like a bunch of rolls actually, on Pinterest, and instantly knew I wanted to make it ASAP. The wonderful blog it originated from is called The Italian Dish. Check it out, I know you’ll love it.

I had to hold Dave, Marissa, and Connor back from diving into this when it came out of the oven. I did not bake it for them – I brought it as a hostess gift to the lovely Joanne and handsome Mark, who had us over on New Year’s Eve.

Use you imagination, and you could take this basic recipe, shape the dough into balls, and make any number of designs.

From a festive tree for next Christmas to a heart, for Valentine’s Day.

Thank you, Mark and Joanne, we had a fun evening, even if I was a bit sore and tired which resulted in us leaving before midnight.

Which reminds me – I have not given an update on my pelvic injury in a while – I am doing so much better! I have been walking on my own, without the walker, since last Thursday. I’ve even ventured upstairs a time or two when I’ve needed something up there. Most importantly, I’m driving, so life is just about back to normal! I should be completely healed in about two weeks.

Thank you again for all your kind deeds and lovely thoughts and prayers. God is good and so are you! xoxo [Read more →]

My New Year’s wish for you is that you’ll know exactly what you need to do to make all your dreams come true!

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This is the final tablescape of 2012.
Heck, it’s the final post of 2012!

It’s New Year’s Eve! TIME to Party!

We are going to a neighbor’s home for New Year’s Eve cocktails and dinner this evening.

Prior to my fall from the ladder, I was planning on having a little New Year’s Eve gathering of my own, but we were very grateful when we got the invite to another party. Especially one that we don’t have to drive to!

In all honestly, the main reason I wanted to host a celebration of my own, was so I could set a pretty table.

Crazy, I know!

I have seen clock face plates all over the web recently and have been so sad that I missed out before Pottery Barn and Ralph Lauren sold out of them, the past couple of years. If you ever see anything similar to any of these, please let me know! I’m dying to get my paws on some!

Back in October, I tried to make some knockoffs – using a clock patterned fabric and Mod Podge.

Umm, they didn’t turn out so great.

Then I saw a photo on Pinterest using a paper clock-face image, set between a large charger and a clear glass plate …

Bingo!

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On Monday afternoon, I was looking through the stack of magazines that had been piling up these past few weeks. In the middle of the stack was the January issue of Bon Appétit. The first thing I spotted, down in the right corner of the cover was this-

“Set Up The Ultimate Bloody Mary Bar”  What the heck? Who knew I was so on-trend?  I had just done that very thing two days before!  So I immediately opened the magazine to page 60 and saw this –

This is the “ultimate” Bloody Mary bar? I don’t think so! They have a few good ideas, some of which I had already used on my Bloody Mary bar – like beef jerky, pepperoncini, garlic stuffed olives, and pickled veggies. But come on, 8 snazzy items do not make an ultimate anything! Heads up Bon Appétit… the next time you want something done ultimately, give me a call.

This is how you set up an ULTIMATE Bloody Mary Bar –

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My barrage of Christmas recipes has come to an end, time to let you know what we did for our New Year’s Eve Brunch.

I decided to host the brunch after my friends, Laura and Mary, and I was reminiscing about a fun annual Christmas cocktail party I used to host. I don’t recall why I stopped, but I’m sure it had something to do with feeling too overwhelmed, and then it fell by the wayside in the following years until it was forgotten. By the time I thought about hosting the cocktail party this year, it was too late, so I switched it to the NYE Brunch.

What made the original party unique, was that I would send out recipes to all the potential guests and they would choose a recipe (first come – first serve), make it, and bring it to the party. The concept is great because, as the host, you still have complete control over what is served and how it is set up. And as a pot-luck guest, you don’t have to “think” of what to bring.  And since you get all the recipes for every dish in advance, you don’t have to rely on someone to send you the recipe for that thing you just loved and want to make in the future. Plus, since everyone contributes, everyone feels completely invested and proud of how the party turns out.

For me, the #1 host benefit is that the RSVP’s come in, fast and furious! I sent out the email invitation with all the recipes attached at 3:00 PM on December 12th and everyone who could make it had responded by 6:00 PM the next day!  Here is what my email looked like –

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Last night was our neighborhood Holiday Progressive Dinner. A fantastic time was had by all. My name was drawn to go to Tony and Cindy Hancock’s gorgeous home for dinner, and I was one lucky girl. Check out that beautiful holiday table! The food was fabulous too, and the company… it couldn’t have been more lovely.

I made several appetizers for the beginning of the evening, here is one of them. [Read more →]

Martinis have always seemed like such a sophisticated drink, probably in the past due to James Bond and nowadays thanks to one of my favorite television shows, Mad Men… Don Draper…deep sigh.

These delectable Martini Puffs are equally upscale and easy to make, as long as you can wait the full week for the olives to marinate. Equally wonderful, they can be assembled and frozen before baking, then go directly from the freezer to the oven for impromptu entertaining.
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Bruschetta (pronounced brus ‘ketta) is a snack or appetizer from Italy. It consists of grilled or broiled bread that is traditionally rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil, salt, and pepper. There are more variations of toppings than one can count, making it a very fun and versatile hor d’oeuvre.

I love roasting cherry tomatoes that have been drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper. They are sweet and tangy and are like little bursts of goodness in your mouth. If possible, use different colors of tomatoes for an even more pleasing presentation. In the photo below, my daughter, Marissa, and her boyfriend, Alberto, are enjoying the bruschetta with us on New Year’s Eve.

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Happy New Year, wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, prosperous 2010!

To start the year out on a yummy note, why not combine two Italian favorites? This is a quick and easy lasagna, with no boiling of noodles or making of a time-consuming homemade sauce.

Just purchase the various items for the layers and go to town assembling a big old pan of goodness. To change to a vegetarian dish, substitute diced or sliced zucchini, yellow crookneck squash, and/or bell peppers for the sausage. Sauté the veggies in an additional tablespoon of olive oil and proceed as directed.

When it comes to nutmeg, there is no comparison between freshly ground and the already ground stuff you’ll find in the spice aisle. Purchase the whole nutmegs and use any of the tools above to grind it fresh when you need it.

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