ROYGBIV : : Yellow

Camogli, Italy

Don't Forget - Giveaway ends at midnight!!

Don't miss out on your chance to win The Home Within Us in The Life of Riley's first giveaway! Pop on over to the original post to leave a comment and make sure you are a follower!

If you have not perused this book of Bobby McAlpine's work yet then this giveaway is for you! His work goes beyond decoration to the bones of it all. This Alabama based architect also has an interior design firm...he knows what he is doing.

Love the warmth of this room, I could curl up here and hibernate through winter...

Simple, clean, native materials...its all there. Believe me, you want to read this one!

Make sure you are a follower through either Google or Facebook

then...

...leave a comment in the comment section of this post!

Extra Entry Opportunity:

If you blog about this giveaway with a link back to my blog, you get an extra entry. Once you blog, come back and comment again with the link to your post!

The giveaway will end on June 30th at midnight EST.

Check back on July 1 to see if you won!

The winner will be chosen via random.org.

My favorite Pintrest photos of the day

I want color like this in my life.

Spinach, Mushroom and Gouda Souffle

Spinach, Mushroom and Gouda Souffle

• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1 cup sliced shiitakes
• 1 cup chopped spinach, blanched and squeezed
• 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup skim milk
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 whole eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup grated smoked Gouda
• 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 egg whites
• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (or parsley)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Heat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook shallots over medium-low heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add shiitakes; stir until soft, 5 minutes. Add spinach and 1/2 chopped garlic; stir about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, whisking, 5 minutes. Whisk egg yolks, one at a time, into milk-flour mixture; whisk in cheeses and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Fold spinach mixture into egg mixture. Beat egg whites in a bowl until firm peaks form. Stir 1/4 whites into spinach mixture; fold in remaining whites. Coat a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray. Spoon mixture into dish. Bake until puffed and golden, 30 minutes. In a medium skillet coated with cooking spray, cook remaining chopped garlic, stirring, until lightly golden. Stir in tomatoes; cook 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in basil, thyme and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Spoon soufflé onto plates; top with tomatoes.



I say "delicious" and Nate doesn't even remember eating it...what does that say? Have a wonderful Wednesday, only a day-and-a-half until I head to Greenville for wedding festivities!

Ebay Thrills & Steals

In an attempt to bring you regularly scheduled blog offerings here is a virtually wordless post with pretties found on eBay. Pick one and spruce away. 

Schumacher Tibetan Stripe

Clarence House Silk Fabric

Clarence House Sarong Ikat

Clarence House Gaudin Brown

Scalamandre Bon Ouef Wallpaper Green

Old World Weavers cotton ikat

Brunschwig & Fils wallpaper

Ralph Lauren seagrass wallpaper

Don't forget to enter to win The Home Within Us in the giveaway! You have until June 30!

Our First Giveaway! :: The Home Within Us

If you have not perused this book of Bobby McAlpine's work yet then this giveaway is for you! His work goes beyond decoration to the bones of it all. This Alabama based architect also has an interior design firm...he knows what he is doing.

Love the warmth of this room, I could curl up here and hibernate through winter...

Simple, clean, native materials...its all there. Believe me, you want to read this one!

Make sure you are a follower through either Google or Facebook

then...

...leave a comment in the comment section of this post!

Extra Entry Opportunity:

If you blog about this giveaway with a link back to my blog, you get an extra entry. Once you blog, come back and comment again with the link to your post!

The giveaway will end on June 30th at midnight EST.

Check back on July 1 to see if you won!

The winner will be chosen via random.org.

Blueberry Scones

Meyer Lemon and Dried Blueberry Scones

• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 cups dried wild blueberries (about 10 ounces)
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon peel or regular lemon peel

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk self-rising flour and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub in chilled butter until pieces are size of small peas. Add dried wild blueberries and toss to coat. Mix 1 cup buttermilk and finely grated lemon peel in glass measuring cup. Pour buttermilk mixture into dry ingredients and stir until dough begins to form (some of flour will not be incorporated). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather together. Knead dough briefly, about 5 turns. Divide dough in half. Form each dough half into ball and flatten into 1-inch-thick disk. Cut each disk into 6 wedges.

Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart. Brush tops with remaining 1 tablespoon buttermilk and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.


One word: YUM
I messed these up and they were still delicious.

Note:
No, this is not a "main dish" (though I have had almost 3 in less than 24 hours)...but I wish it was. I do, however, totally believe that sconces can be eaten for dinner (and thai food for breakfast).

The Anti-Chicken-Pot-Pie Campaign

I will be the first to admit that we are in a weekday dinner rut. Chicken-pot-pie, spaghetti, grilled chicken, and omelets and the occasional wild child jambalaya. All good, but not so yummy after a year (cough, or two). So here's the thing. I enjoy cooking, but it overwhelms me with all of the recipes to choose from and ingredients to buy. Our goal is to try one new recipe a week (has to be a main dish), and I will share them with you. Here are the ones from the last month.

Chicken Souvlaki with Cilantro (from last month's House Beautiful)

6 chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), cut into cubes
8 warmed pita breads


Marinade
Small bunch of mint, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red chili, deseeded and finely chopped
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
1 T. coriander seeds, crushed
1 t. tumeric
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and black pepper


Dressing
Large bunch of fresh cilantro, plus extra for serving
1 cup plain yogurt
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2 Add the chicken cubes to the bowl and marinate overnight to 2-3 days.
3 Place chicken on skewers and grill kebabs until done.
4 Put all the dressing ingredients in a food processor and whizz to form a smooth green sauce. Pour over chicken and mix well. Serve with pita bread, cilantro.

Our thoughts (because we soooo obviously know what we are talking about):
We loved it. We added spinach and tomatoes to our pitas. I think it would be delicious with tahini sauce and hummus also.

Wedding Photos

With our two year anniversary creeping up on us I decided I would share some of our pictures with you. Click on the "Our Wedding" tab to the right!

Good morning, how was that coffee?

I woke up this morning when Reacher decided it was time to get back in bed with me. I'm taking a wild guess when I say that Nate must have fed him before he left for work because this is what Reacher led me to when I got out of bed. And, yes, he pitifully laid down beside it like this. Now here is the head scratcher...my flip flops are carefully positioned on top of the pile (along with a napkin) in what I can only guess is an attempt to hide it? I gotta believe that Nate did not deliberately put my flips on top of it when he left in hopes that I would not see it. So that leaves Reacher. My sweet puppy who stacks my flip flops and napkins on top of his problems in hopes that his human mommy will not notice.

 Too bad he couldn't find anything to cover the other three spots...

Gotta love them. Have a happy Thursday. 

New York Farmhouse Restoration

Lately I've been scouring the pages of This Old House and DIY Network rather than those of Elle Decor as we mentally prepare to renovate (closing date was pushed...waiting, just waiting). I am falling more and more in love with homes that have been restored with understated elegance. Like this farmhouse:

I can't believe I am about to say this but these picures make me long for crisp fall days....and summer has just gotten under way here!

Lake/Life Update: 6/10

Memorial day weekend Reacher and I went to the lake with my family to start moving some furniture up to the lake from my parents house. The end is in sight, just a few more light fixtures and a bit more paint and we are done! Here is a picture of the bathroom...I am pretty much obsessed with that sink.

The carpet was installed:

The rest of the pictures were blurry, but I'll take some as the furniture comes together! We have gotten so busy,  quite an adjustment to go from school to working 4 days a week. I logged a solid 12 hours last night and have just been lounging around today since my wallet is in Nate's car. Perfect excuse to stay home! 

We are still playing the waiting game with the house. We watched our original close date fly by Memorial Day weekend and are anxiously awaiting the announcement of our next close date. Meanwhile we have been driving around our new neighborhood taking pics of exterior paint colors that we like.

 This next house was so beautiful that I had to put up both pictures. We both loved the landscaping.

On other fronts:  I love this industrial exposed shower from Kohler. I love its raw-ness.

Also obsessed with these wall hooks by Paul Mclelland:

Especially the orange...

What about this one for the bunk room at the lakehouse?

That's all folks. Since I am "stuck" at home I think I'll take advantage of it and clean, pack for a quick trip to the lake this weekend, perhaps lay out? Working sure makes you enjoy those days off. Oh, and catch up on blogs. Lack of wallet to purchase more half-and-half for my coffee has left me high and dry with only one measly cup of coffee this morning. Will provide wittier musings on life on a morning with three cups of coffee.