A Color for All Seasons
Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.
Hope this inspires you for your next project, dinner party, invitation or spring dress.
On Saturday the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce put on their annual fashion show. This year the show was held at the Inn at Spanish Bay. I volunteered to set up and coordinate the show. It was a great success for everyone.
The local boutiques had great fashions and everyone had a blast.
I wish I had more pictures from the event but I was backstage most of the night making sure everything ran smoothly. It was a great evening, and I was honored to be able to be a part of it.
I know this isn't a new concept, many of you have already figured out this inexpensive, fast and easy makeover secret. But for those of you who have not, now's the time. I know you've been thinking about updating the rooms in your home before the guests start arriving for the holidays and don't want to spend a fortune or put in a lot of time. Here's the trick, change out the knobs and pulls on your furniture, built-ins, and cabinetry. This will give the room a new look and feel; it will update what you already have and can add a bit of color and whimsy. And it will have all your house guests asking about it.
Knobs and pulls can range anywhere from $2.00 to $25.00 (sometime even higher) depending on material and style. You can find great knobs for great deals at vintage shops and garage sales. Some of my favorites come from Anthropologie and can be ordered online.
These new pulls can make an old "tired" dresser or desk look fresh and inspired. Changing the hardware can also make an inexpensive piece of furniture look elegant and sophisticated.
I was in the hardware store yesterday having some paint colors matched when I came across an interesting article at the paint desk. It was a paint quiz to find what colors match your style and personality. Seems a little silly but I thought lets see how true this is. When I got home I went to the website and took the quiz and the results were quite interesting and pretty right on.
Below are links to two different quizzes, each one is about 8 questions and only takes a few minutes. This is a great starting point if you are thinking about repainting rooms in your home.
16 thin slices pancetta
16 tsp soft fresh goat cheese (from a 5-ounce log)
2 small very-ripe pears, halved, cored, cut into ¼-inch slices
fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Place pancetta slices in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Using spatula, slide pancetta crisps onto platter. Top each with 1 tsp. goat cheese and 1 pear slice. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.
Yield: 16 appetizers
Tips: *Plan ahead w/ your pears… purchase them a couple of days before using and let them sit on your counter to ripen. Crunchy pears won’t be good on this appetizer. *No fresh thyme? In a pinch, use a sprinkle of parsley instead- you won’t get the flavor, but the garnish will work just fine.
Recipe Source: www.recipegirl.com
Roast Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Cinnamon Croutons
4 cups peeled cubed pumpkin
1 large yellow onion, minced
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl toss pumpkin with olive oil and and salt and pepper. Cook for 45 minutes until soft, and set aside.
2. In a large heavy-bottomed stock pot melt butter and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and spices and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Add 4 cups of the chicken stock and 2 cups of cream. Simmer over low heat.
3. Place cooled pumpkin in food processor with reserved chicken stock (2 cups) and puree until smooth.
4. Add pureed pumpkin to the soup, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
Serves 8-10
Recipe source: http://gourmetgirl1.blogspot.com
Cranberry Rice Pilaf
1 cup chicken broth
½ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1½ cups uncooked instant brown rice
½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
1. In a saucepan, bring broth, orange juice and sugar to a boil. Stir in the rice, cranberries and butter. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds.
Servings: 4
Tips:
*I use a couple of oranges and fresh-squeeze them for maximum flavor
*Don’t use dried sweetened cranberries for this recipe- it won’t turn out the same as using fresh.
Recipe Source: www.recipegirl.com adapted from Taste of Home
Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 boneless center cut pork loin roast (4 to 5 pounds)
1 tablespoon butter
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 medium onion, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine garlic, salt, rosemary, thyme and pepper in small bowl. Cut lengthwise down roast almost to, but not through bottom. Open like a book. Rub half of garlic mixture onto cut sides of pork.
2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and onion; cook and stir 5 to 10 minutes or until soft. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Spread mixture evenly onto one cut side of roast. Close halves; tie roast with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour apple cider over roast. Rub outside of roast with remaining garlic mixture.
3. Roast, uncovered, basting frequently with pan drippings 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until thermometer inserted into thickest part of roast registers 155°F. Remove roast from oven; let stand 15 minutes before slicing. (Internal temperature will continue to rise 5°F to 10°F during stand time.) Carve roast crosswise to serve.
Serving 14-16
Recipe Source: TLC cooking
White Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce
1 (16 ounce) Hawaiian Original Bread; cut into one-inch cubes
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 cups white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups milk
2 eggs, beaten
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups toasted pecans, chopped
Caramel Sauce (homemade, or store bought)
1. Cut bread into cubes the night before and leave out, allowing them to become slightly stale.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat cream over medium heat. Meanwhile, place white chocolate chips in large mixing bowl. When cream comes to a simmer, remove pan from heat and slowly pour over chips, whisking until chips melt. Whisk sugar into mixture; add milk, eggs, egg yolks and vanilla.
3. Add bread to bowl, gently stirring to coat cubes. Set mixture aside to allow bread to soak, tossing periodically. (About 30-40 minutes or so.)
4. Toss pecans into soaked bread mixture, then pour into a baking dish. (Individual dishes can be used for single servings).
5. Place in 350°F oven for about 45 minutes. Test bread pudding to make sure the top is golden brown and the inside is cooked (not too dry though).
I love this idea for a table setting or a hutch/china cabinet shelves. Often it is the color of a display that captures your eye, but for a really dramatic and elegant look go for monotone. In this case it's white, but you could do black, red, aqua or any color that inspires you.
Mix different shapes and sizes of vases. The best place to get glass vases and containers for less is thrift stores and garage sales, and you probably have a bunch of them stuck in the back of a cabinet from all those flowers your husbands and boyfriends have sent you. Start with what you have and with a few cans of high gloss spray paint you can transform them into an elegant table center piece. Or mix this contemporary look on the shelves of your antique china hutch for a fresh eclectic look.
Add an accent color with flowers, votives, or decorative napkin rings.
These photographs are from the 2009 Decorators Showcase House in San Francisco. Designs by Orlando Diaz-Azcuy
It doesn't take much for me to get inspired, especially around the holiday season. My rainy Sunday morning trip to the local coffee shop was enough to do it today. This beautiful pumpkin spice latte made my day. It was all it took for me to create a dinner menu and decor for an upcoming classy Halloween dinner party we are throwing. The first course will start with a buttery pumpkin soup with spicy cinnamon croutons.
Try adding a little pumpkin spice mix to your next latte or pumpkin bread to add a little more zest! Or maybe this will even be an inspiration for tonight's family dinner.
Check back soon for the pumpkin soup recipe, holiday inspired treats, menus, and decorating ideas.
On Saturday the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce put on their annual fashion show. This year the show was held at the Inn at Spanish Bay. I volunteered to set up and coordinate the show. It was a great success for everyone. 
I know this isn't a new concept, many of you have already figured out this inexpensive, fast and easy makeover secret. But for those of you who have not, now's the time. I know you've been thinking about updating the rooms in your home before the guests start arriving for the holidays and don't want to spend a fortune or put in a lot of time. Here's the trick, change out the knobs and pulls on your furniture, built-ins, and cabinetry. This will give the room a new look and feel; it will update what you already have and can add a bit of color and whimsy. And it will have all your house guests asking about it. 
These new pulls can make an old "tired" dresser or desk look fresh and inspired. Changing the hardware can also make an inexpensive piece of furniture look elegant and sophisticated.
Servings 8-10 
