Category Archives: Her Home

It Won’t be Cold Forever, Spring Will Come

Posted on March 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

Say what you will about the traffic, the economy, the politics; Florida is a special kind of place, it is sunny, fresh, embraces rhinestones and diamonds for daytime, has a lot of love, and takes pride in its sunshiney-ness with streets named after flowers, fruits and tropical birds like Flamingo Road and Orange Drive.  

Hollywood Beach
As I mentioned I spent the weekend at home visiting my parents.  I flew in Friday evening and had dinner with my parents at home.  Saturday morning I went for a training run for my upcoming race (it’s 3 days away!), and then I spent lunch with my dad’s parents for lunch and a baking lesson, recipe coming soon.  
Lunch at Nanny and Poppy’s
On Sunday I went to my mom’s favorite place, the beach.
Hollywood Beach
Hollywood Beach
I haven’t been in 80+ degree weather in quite some time, and I haven’t been to the beach since Thanksgiving.  It was a good reminder of what is to come.  So, my friends in cold locations, please know it won’t be cold forever, the rain will stop, you’ll be able to put your coats, scarves, and wellies away.

The sun will come out soon, and it will be beautiful.

And when it does, please don’t forget your sunscreen.

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Posted in Family, Her Home, Her Inspiration, Personal, travel

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First Signs of Spring in DC

Posted on March 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

I spent the weekend in Florida with family, and I have lots of recipes and photos to share of what is perenially 85 degrees and sunny (my hometown).  

But, before I left I snapped this picture of cherry blossoms along Logan Circle in DC.  The arrival of cherry blossoms, a gift from the Japanese, is the highlight of the year because it is a reminder that even though it is still 40 degrees, that spring will come and it will be lovely.


Wishing you a pink filled, lovely start to your week!

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Posted in DC, Her Home

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Pre-Game Snacks

Posted on February 4, 2011 | Leave a comment

I really do love football, but this weekend’s “big game” is not really luring me in.  I am not into the teams, and I’m not into the location being a snowy Dallas…

In any case, I am into making food for the “big game”.  Did you know that only NFL and the network broadcasting the game are allowed to use the term Super Bowl in a marketing context… little known fact!

If I was having a party for the Big Game I would serve up some of these healthy favorites!
Candied Pecans!
Stuffed Mushrooms!
Sweet Potato Chips and Spicy Arugula Pesto
For more inspiration and to honor the teams playing, The Greenbay Packers and The Pittsburgh Steelers, how about these recipes:

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Posted in Appetizer, entertaining, Her Kitchen, Seasonal, Snacks, Winter

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Candied Pecans and Bleu Cheese Bites

Posted on December 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

This originally was featured on the DC Ladies Blog but the recipe was too easy and too good to not share!
Earlier I posted savory bleu cheese and pecan cookies, which were awesome and easy and fun to eat for breakfast, if that’s your thing (which, evidently it is mine). Anyway, those cookies were the round 2 to this even easier, and also quite charming, appetizer.  Because the whole thing takes about 8 minutes to prepare and assemble this might be perfect for when you have surprise company or perhaps need reinforcements at a cocktail party.

Candied Pecans and Bleu Cheese Bites
Ingredients
French baguette
Candied Pecans, recipe here
Bleu Cheese crumbles
Honey
Your freshly made, or store bought pecans get a good chop and are set aside.
Cut a French baguette into thin slices and toast lightly.  (This isn’t really necessary, but generally speaking there are few things better than warm bread).  With the back of a spoon “spread” the crumbled bleu cheese on top of the baguette slices. 
Sprinkle on top of the bleu cheese and the chopped candied pecans and a light drizzle of honey.


Each bite is like a divine sampling of a cheese platter at the most divine wine bar, and easy to do and made with ingredients that are probably in your pantry!

Happy Holidays – wishing you delicious entertaining!

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Posted in Appetizer, Christmas, Easy Recipe, entertaining, Her Kitchen, Holiday Food, New Year's Eve, Snacks

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‘Tis the Season

Posted on December 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

In the last 24 hours I have made Cuban beans for a taste of home, tres leches to delight in new traditions, pannetone French toast and Santa pancakes to continue our old new traditions and tiramisu cake on special request.

However, sweeter than that us hearing little kids ask to go to bed, to speed up Santa’s arrival and then see their joy in the morning.

And the sweetest if all is spending a cold, snowy day with the ones you love.

Merry Christmas, or Happy Saturday, to you and yours!

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Posted in Family, Her Home, Her Inspiration, Her Kitchen, Holidays

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Bleu Cheese and Candied Pecan Savory Cookies

Posted on December 23, 2010 | 1 comment

I love cheese, like looooove it.  I love going to a restaurant and getting to order a cheese plate: with beautiful wedges of fragrant cheese, breads, honeys and perhaps some nuts.  The idea of this arrangement of flavors always seems so sophisticated but perhaps a little intimidating to try at home.

I tested this out last night (in two different way), and success!  These Savory Cookies are perfect for when you entertain, as an a pre-meal snack, or as a gift to a hostess packaged in a cute bag.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Stick of Butter (4 Tbsp), softened
1/3 Cup of Candied Pecans, grounded
1/4 Cup of Crumbled Bleu Cheese

Candied Pecans
1 1/4 cup of Pecans
1/2 tbsp of butter, unsalted
1 tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 tsp of cinnamon

In a non stick pan melt butter, add the pecans and sugar and cinnamon and stir with a silicon spatula over low-medium for 5-7 minutes until the pecans are covered with small flecks of caramel goodness.  Set aside to cool

In a food processor grind up the pecans to a small grind, but now a fine powder.  Set aside.
In a medium size bowl blend the softened butter and then add the bleu cheese, ground pecans and flour.  Side note, you could definitely use regular all-purpose flour, but I opted for whole wheat for its nuttier flavor and texture, and the potential for it to be a little more nutritious.
The dough will be crumbly, and look like a bunch of little tan colored peas.  Sprinkle a little extra flour on your work surface and begin to form the dough into a log.  This is completely visually unappealing.  I’m sorry – please, don’t let it dissuade you from making this recipe…
Cut the dough into 1/3″ slices and lay out on a non-stick cookie sheet or silpat and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. (See those flecks of cheese?  They are going to bubble and melt into amazing deliciousness!)
Let these cool for about 10  minutes after baking and serve with your favorite wine and either a drizzle of honey on top or a small dollop of your favorite pear or apricot preserves (that helps add back the sweetness found on your favorite cheese plates).

 These are great, and they keep nicely, and well, if we’re being honest I ate two for breakfast so they’re all around perfect snack to bake and share.

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Posted in Appetizer, Baking, Christmas, entertaining, Her Kitchen, Holiday Food, New Year's Eve, Thanksgiving

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Looks like Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2010 | Leave a comment

It now officially looks like Christmas in my house.  There is a small tree and mini lights somewhat haphazardly wrapped around and their are small glass ornaments, and sparkly snowflakes and finally a “Giving Peace” and “Giving Hope” from the Pottery Barn collection.  The mantel even has cute, little stockings, sewed with care.
I went to Michael’s and picked up some felt, gray, olive and plum.  I used a sewing kit I had on hand, scissors and a pencil.  This is low profile crafting, inspired by Martha.

I freehanded the outline of a stocking and after cutting one out used that as a template for all of the rest.  Then I cut out a strip about 3 inches wide and a little bit longer than the length of the stockings when they are back to back.

With a simple need and thread, I stitched the white felt strip, with a little lip to secure the stitch to the back to back stockings.
Then with the white strip attached, I folded the two separate pieces of stocking towards each other and continued to stitch all the way up to the top of the white to secure the seam.  
Then I turned the whole stocking inside out and turned down the white strip to create a cuff, this helps to hide all of those little uneven, no-machine, not-perfect stitches.  

This was an easy Christmas craft, and kind of perfect to keep your hands busy while watching an episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, you know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Happy Holidays!

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Posted in Decor, Her Home, Holidays, home

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It’s Not About Politics, It’s About Food

Posted on December 20, 2010 | Leave a comment

Map Highlighting the Access of Food in DC
I live in DC.  I love it here.  In the 7 years that I have lived in the DC Metro Area I have lived in Northwest DC, near American University and Arlington, and now more recently a neighborhood in Ward 5. 

In my old neighborhood I lived 3 blocks from Harris Teeter, a few hundred feet from 3 convenience stores and 1.5 miles from a Whole Foods.  The part of Arlington I lived in has a “walkability” score of 97/100, and where I currently live has a walkability score of 77/100.  77 is still good, but not as good, and the access to food is considerably different.  There are several micro markets, two small groceries, Timor Market and Windows Market and a Harris Teeter and Whole Foods about 1.5 miles away that are reachable by crossing major roads along the way.  

However, the highlight of this neighborhood is the Farmer’s Market.  I walk with friends to the market on the corner of Rhode Island and 1st Street.  We meet our neighbors there, and are delighted with the overwhelming number of puppies and babies that we normally don’t see on the busy Monday – Friday schedules.  But more than the puppies and babies, I get to see fresh baked bread, a diverse variety of cheese that would make the most selective wine bar jealous, and fruits and vegetables that literally make your eyes grow wide.  The Bloomingdale Farmer’s Market, every Sunday  is the only consistent source of fresh and plentiful produce in the “neighborhood”.  
It cannot be underestimated the value that fresh fruit and vegetables provide to people of all ages.  In my experience the Bloomingdale Farmers’ Market, helmed by Robin Shuster, makes the extra effort to highlight sales, and provide recipes and ideas for using all of the different options that show up week to week.  

I have shopped at other Farmer’s Markets before, and of course some people are turned off because they are deemed too expensive.  The vendors that appear every Sunday in Bloomingdale are the same as at the Dupont Market, but luckily the prices are not.  The vegetables that I buy from some vendors total out to be considerably less expensive than the same items I would buy at Trader Joe’s or any other supermarket. 

So, what’s the big deal?  Why all the talk about the Farmer’s Market?  Tonight there is a meeting to discuss continuing the Bloomingdale’s Farmers’ Market.  There is concern about the lack of parking and too much noise.  My concern is about lack of the most succulent and juicy peaches in July, ripened tomatoes in Augusts and apples in September.

If you want to support the Farmer’s Market please join the community Dec 20th at 7pm to discuss the future of the Bloomingdale Farmers` Market as well as parking issues related to local churches and the Big Bear Cafe.
The meeting will be at 7pm at the Metropolitan Wesley AME Zion Church at 1st and North Capitol, NW, and the meeting is open for all to attend. 

Speech, now done.

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Posted in DC, Her Home, Her Inspiration, Her Kitchen, Personal

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Christmas at the Movies

Posted on December 17, 2010 | Leave a comment

Growing up it was not uncommon to be at the movie theater on or around Christmas.  It is also not uncommon to find between my birthday (on Thanksgiving) and Christmas a LOT of Christmas themed movies.  Some of my favorites are A Charlie Brown Christmas, the Family Stone, Love, Actually, and A Mom for Christmas.  Adding to the seasonal line up, every TV Show does a Christmas special… last week’s Brothers & Sisters was especially over the top.

A few weeks ago I got into the Christmas spirit on Tuesday night with Glee.  I know this is not newsworthy, or even that relevant anymore, but the episode was just… PERFECT.  


Modeled after the Grinch Who Stole Christmas this episode just filled me with GLEE.  Also, anyone think that Artie is perhaps McKinley High School’s Tiny Tim?

Watch, enjoy, maybe cry a few tears! 

Merry (Early) Christmas!

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Posted in Her Home, Holidays

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Crafty for Christmas

Posted on December 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

This weekend I am going to endeavor into the world of Christmas crafts.  I have never had a Christmas tree, or hung stockings on a mantle, but as I told a colleague this week, when you have a real house and like decorating, it is hard to not get into the Christmas spirit.

I have spent weeks searching the Internet and have found many sources for pure decorating delight.  I find myself trending towards a vintage aesthetic, and really loving the soft, muted shades of silvers and golds that give the decor a little extra glamour.
Back in September I spotted this ornament in my regular Pottery Barn catalog.  Let me be real here, few companies, in my opinion, do holidays or “just perfect” seasonal decor better than Pottery Barn… Okay, so with that out of the way, I spotted this ornament in my regular Pottery Barn catalog in September, and then I was in love. 

Pottery Barn Ornament
It was a part of the Family Giving tree collection, and I was just captivated.  I love the sparkle, clearly, but more than that, I love the message of giving hope, peace and love, plus it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite books, The Giving Tree.

Pottery Barn Family Giving Collection Tree
 This is Pottery Barn’s perfectly designed tree.  That is fake snow, but knowing the magic of Pottery Barn’s catalog styling I am sure if they wanted to use real snow when they shot this catalog in May they could have done it — quick call to Santa, of course.

I am also loving this mantle collection.  While Pottery Barn sells everything you see here, this would be really easy to achieve a) for a lot less, or b) with items you already own.  The aesthetic is simple: glass, candles and shiny… 
Pottery Barn Vintage Silver Mantle Collection
If you want more directional, categorized and yes, last minute decor shopping, check out ZGallerie – they have it perfectly broken down by color groups so you can design with guidance.  For a more modern twist of the shiny, happy holiday decor, Crate and Barrel is filled with pieces that are as perfect in December as they are in June.

I’ll be sure to share with you my successes with holiday decorating after the weekend!

How would you decorate for the holidays?

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Posted in Decor, Her Home, Holidays

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