Wonderland Revisited.

Sources: Elizabeth and James Avery wool-blend twill mini dress, SpicyRose (Nails), Port City Studios ("Palm Trees, Santa Monica Morning, 1994"), Alaia Metallic Leather Gladiator Flats, Sam Ubhi (Rabbit Ring), Rochas Nappa Clutch, Martha Stewart weddings (Braids), Senseless Style (Dark Red Lips)

The Kooples: I am obsessed with their Couples style!

Newspaper Nails!

Source: PassionNailArt.com

I saw this pretty nail technique last night on Pinterest and made a mental note to try it today. The only problem is that the instructions are in French. I tried following the directions with my limited, French translating skills, but it didn't work. So I did what any self-respecting, manicure enthusiast would do: I put the directions into Google Translate. It turns out, I had been doing it right. It just didn't work. So now, I'm sad AND I reek of rubbing alcohol. I'm wondering if the newspaper I used is too old. I'm getting my sister on the case and I'll be back with an update. I love these nails! If anyone tries this and it works, can you let me know what I'm doing wrong?

Source: PassionNailArt.com

You will need scissors, a nail polish color pale, with a varnish base a newspaper, alcohol (such as vodka or other) and a top coat. Varnish your nails by applying a base coat and two coats of varnish. Put alcohol in a glass. Cut small pieces of newspaper large enough to cover your nails. When your nails are dry, soak them in alcohol.

Source: PassionNailArt.com

Cover your nails with small pieces of newspaper. Remove the small pieces of newsprint slowly. Let dry and apply a coat of top coat.

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet

Source: SweetSugarBean.com

When I saw this photo, it was love at first sight. Sweet Sugar Bean's Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet (that's a mouthful), is like the ultimate in comfort food for me. I was waiting for the perfect occasion to make this (asap) and today, it came. We're going to my mom's for dinner and since her meal involves tongue and heart and other organs, I thought I'd bring this for those of us who don't indulge in organ stew. That sounds gross. It's really not though. It's actually a very traditional Portuguese dish. I digress. I don't have fresh tomatoes, so I'm using stewed tomatoes, which I really didn't want to do, but I want to eat this NOW!

Sausage and White Bean Cassoulet (Recipe from: Sweet Sugar Bean)
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
4-6 hot Italian sausages OR Chorizo sausages
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1 onion, cut into wedges
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
coarse salt and pepper
few sprigs fresh thyme OR rosemary
3 cups cooked white navy beans or white kidney beans OR 1 19 oz can (540ml) of white beans, rinsed and drained well
chicken broth or white wine(optional)

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 *F.
Scatter tomatoes over bottom of dish (reserve about 1/2 cup to add later).  Add garlic, onion and sausages over top.  Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil.  Toss on thyme and sprinkle with S & P.  Bake about 25-30 minutes, for sausages to be golden and tomatoes start to burst.  Remove from oven and stir in beans and reserved 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes.  If you'd like a bit more sauce with your beans, add a glug or white wine or chicken stock.   Return to oven and bake 20 minutes longer or until beans are cooked through.  Serve with bread and butter for dunking; green salad on the side.  Makes enough for 4.  Recipe adapted from Dinner with Julie via Pam Anderson and the Merry Gourmet

DIY: Doily Plates

Hi, blog. Sorry if I've been neglecting you these past few weeks. I've been kind of blah and uninspired. On the plus side, I've been keeping lists of things I want to blog about when I finish being self-indulgent and melancholy. First order of business: I need a new art project so I can find inspiration to finish my projects in progress.
I found these adorable doily plates on Pinterest and though the instructions are in another language, the pictures explain everything. Monique doesn't know it yet, but she's making one of these plates this weekend since she's the clay wiz. I think we'll use a modeling clay like Sculpey (since we have pounds of it), and finish it with a basic white acrylic paint and Sculpey glaze.

Source: Pinterest Baillie Seifert and Duitang

Mimosa Bars

Source: Coastal Gourmet CT

How amazing are these Mimosa bars? We're not really big drinkers, but we love Mimosas and Bellinis. Whenever we host a dinner party, we always serve them. We usually switch it up from the traditional peach and orange juice with lovely fruit purees like, mango, passion fruit, guava, pear and papaya. You really can't go wrong, it's just champagne and fruit juice or puree. We pretty much stick to the Goya fruit nectar, which can be found in most supermarkets or Wal-Marts. I love Mimosas because the possibilities are endless, and they look so elegant in champagne flutes. You can serve them for an intimate brunch or a large wedding reception. They can be adorned with fresh fruit to add a little extra touch. We've also served Mimosas in our antique punch bowl for a birthday party and it looked beautiful.

Source: The Party Dress

Source: Camille Styles

Source: Canvas and Canopy

Source: Green Wedding Planner

Source: Small Shop Studio

Source: Amy Atlas

Source: Goya Sorry, this is a little blurry, but it was the best one I could find.

Color Inspiration: Blue and Orange

Source: Martha Stewart

Source: Martha Stewart

Source: Martha Stewart

Source: Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Source: Barbara Gilbert Interiors

Source: Budgetwisehome

Source: Budgetwisehome

Source: The Lennoxx

Source: RealSimple

Source: The Decorologist

Source: PicsDecor

Source: HomeDecor.sheknows

Source: Lefrufrublog I love this idea for a table runner!

Source: Budgetwisehome

Source: ApartmentTherapy

Source: ChinoiserieChic

Source: Delightbydesign

"If wishes were horses..."

I've seen this photo floating around today and from what I've gathered, it is a wall at an Anthropologie store in NYC. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I need a wall like this! I realize I say I need a lot of things, but this one is the one I need most. I don't care if the entrance to hell has a replica of this wall, this is absolutely gorgeous.

Freshly Picked: Desk Accessories

I've been gaga over these leather and gold desk accessories for awhile, but now they're all sold out... and I want to cry. Hard. Like a behbeh.

Penny and The Week of Firsts!

I am so happy to report that Penny, the New Year's kitten is so much better! She's still on an antibiotic, but she's 100% better. I don't know how it's possible to be spoiled in a house with six other spoiled cats, but cuteness always finds a way. However, she is in danger of being eaten due to said cuteness, because that's what everyone says to her all day! "You're so cute I'm gonna eat you!"
This has been an exciting week for Miss Penny. She's discovering all sorts of interesting things about the world, including her litter box which doubled as a playground one night this week.
Penny got her first toy, she made enemies with a pineapple and she smelled catnip before deciding she wasn't touching the hard stuff! When we moved, I had been growing a little windowsill herb garden. I brought the plants to my mom's including the organic catnip I had been lovingly caring for. We placed it outside during the summer and it lasted maybe a week. Every five seconds one of the cats would be laying in the flower pot on top of the plant. God forbid you try to grow any type of mint! The other cats are not loving Penny. They leave her alone, but when she tries to follow around the older tabby cats, they are not having it! I can't handle her three pounds of cuteness!

Chicken Florentine in a Parmesan Cream Sauce

I have been dying to make some version of Chicken Florentine for a few weeks, but after the holidays we couldn't bring ourselves to look at food. We've been eating grilled salmon, salads, black beans and rice, shrimp stir fry, basically anything that didn't resemble what we've eaten since Thanksgiving. We go through this every year. I think most people probably do. So, I held off on the Chicken Florentine and it gave me time to browse some recipes online. I usually end up taking different parts from different recipes until I come up with something I think we'll like. I have to say, this pasta dish came out beautifully. The only thing I would do differently would be adding shaved Parmesan cheese on top if I were serving it to guests.
I would also serve it with garlic bread, but since this is our first stroll back into the rich foods neighborhood, I decided to skip it.

Chicken Florentine Alfredo
1 package of boneless chicken (I cut up the chicken, but it can certainly be left whole)
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs. of chilli sauce (see below)
1 tbs. paprika
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbs. butter
2 cups milk or heavy cream (I used milk)
2 tbs. flour
1 tbs. thyme
1 tbs. dry Italian seasoning (fresh basil and oregano can be used here)
1 bag of frozen spinach (I used chopped), stained
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
white wine or chicken stock for deglazing the pan
Olive oil
The juice of half a lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 package of Vermicelli

For the sauce:
In a bowl, add chicken, salt, pepper, paprika, chilli sauce and lemon juice and mix until chicken is coated in marinade. In a large frying pan, drizzle olive oil and add chicken once oil is hot. Cook until chicken is browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, thyme and Italian seasoning. Cook for about one minute until onions and garlic are slightly browned and tender. Pour in a little wine just to deglaze the pan to get all of the delicious brown pits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for another minute or so and add the butter and flour. This is the sauce thickener. Mix well for a couple of minutes allowing the flour to cook. Add the milk and Parmesan cheese.
Cream sauces can be intimidating, but once you make the first one it will be a piece of cake. Mix the sauce. It should have a fairly thick consistency. If sauce is too thick, add more milk, or more flour and/or cheese if it never thickens. Cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally. Add sun dried tomatoes, chicken and spinach. I used a lot of spinach!

For the pasta:
Add water to a large pan, salt well and drizzle in some olive oil. We usually add a clove of garlic to boiling pasta and rice for extra flavor. When water comes to a rolling boil, add pasta and follow the package directions for the cooking time. Most pasta will be a perfect al dente between 8-11 minutes. Remove from heat and strain.

Photo of Cubanelle peppers from: HardScrabbleTimes

The chilli sauce I am referring to is an old school (escola velha) Portuguese condiment. We use it in everything and I do mean everything. Pimenta Moida is made from Cubanelle peppers and though it is readily available wherever there is even a tiny Portuguese community, it's probably impossible to find elsewhere. I've found that Thai Sriracha sauce is a good substitute and this is usually found in any supermarket.