Young Love

This is my son and his beautiful girlfriend, they are only 16.  I see them and I can't help thinking back to when I was 16.  I remember being that age and thinking that everything about my life and my loves were so important, they were not.  I also remember the dreams I had, in my case of becoming a lawyer and having a wonderful marriage and family.  Well, I'm not a lawyer and I don't have a wonderful marriage anymore but I do have three incredible children.  I work a regular desk job, struggle with money worries and I am sometimes overwhelmed taking care of three boys.  It may not be the life I planned when I was 17 but it is my life and I am so grateful for it.  However, no matter how old I get I will never stop coming up with new plans/dreams because change is inevitable.      

Weekend Happenings

Last weekend my son and his girlfriend went to their high school Winter Ball, aren't they the cutest couple.  I may be a bit biased but I think they are so adorable.  Once again I was reminded how shopping for girls, which I do not have, looks way more fun than shopping for boys.  Her dress is so cute, I just loved it.

 

Enjoyed a romantic dinner at Medici House. 

 

and Sunday brunch at Betty's.  It was my first time there and the food and service were both excellent.   

 

This chocolate and strawberry French toast casserole with a salted caramel sauce creamed it's going to be a "Good Morning". 

Christmas 2013

 

                                            Cookies on Christmas Eve

                                     My favorite people

                             The Men in my life

                                   My boys and I

               Someone is waiting for his presents

                        Cute packages

My Favorite Pizza

Whenever the boys have friends over they want to order pizza but I hate take out pizza. I just can't seem to find any pizza around here that I really enjoy. So I always end up making it. It taste so much better it is worth the effort. I usually use Tyler Florence's pizza dough recipe but any will work. I just add olive oil, tomatoes, mozzarella, Parmesan and a few spices, whatever I have on hand.  We also eat this meal when we are trying to cut back on meat.

St. Patrick's Day Desserts

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I'm thinking about a special St. Patrick's Day dessert to make this weekend and I have narrowed it down to one of these or maybe two of these.  They all look so delicious. 



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I think these Irish Car Bomb Cheesecakes or Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes below, made by Bakers Royale are on my must make list. 
A dessert made with Guiness, Baileys and Whiskey, how can you go wrong?



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Sunday's Supper

This Sunday I decided to try Smitten Kitchen's gnocchi, in my feeble attempt to imitate her talents. It tasted amazing and to my surprise it actually came out the way it was supposed to. However, for me I'm not sure it was worth the work. You have to bake the potatoes, grate them, make them into a dough and then boil them in water. The processes wasn't hard but it was time consuming. The tomato sauce was excellent and would be great as an everyday pasta sauce.

For dessert, I made Bakers Royale's Kit Kat Cheesecake Bars. Damn, these are good. Luckily it doesn't make a huge amount because they are hard to resist. I didn't bother with the white chocolate decorative touch because I didn't have any white chocolate. Also, next time I make them I may skip the chocolate ganache layer on top. You really don't need it and it just makes them extra rich but you never know because the boys loved the extra layer of chocolate.

Weekend Food

Lately, I have had the urge to spend all day in the kitchen just cooking and baking away.  Maybe it is the result of the cold winter days, but this gnocchi in tomato broth keeps screaming my name, perhaps served with Salsa di Parmigiano and Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon.   


This winter salad on Studio Cuisine look delicious. 




Of course, I can't forget dessert, these Kitkat cheesecake bars look amazing.

12 Years Old

My babies turned 12 yesterday.  Where does the time go?
Somedays I just want to hold my little babies again but I am so proud of the men (yikes, men) they are becoming.

Be Still My Heart

 

My heart literally skipped a beat when I came across these photos of Kelly McGuill's house on Two Ellie today.  It seems perfect to me, warm and modern yet clean and crisp with great texture and materials.  I finally found my inspiration for my home.  I am going to try and stay focused on this look and not get distracted by all the great designs and "stuff" I come across.  I really like the uncluttered and clean look of this space.

My Family Room

My main goal for the next couple months is to transform my family into a room that is modern, stylish and comfortable. The room is still the beige color it was when the home was built 12 years ago. I still don't have window treatments and the fireplace is dated. Also, the room is long and I'm not sure how to layout the furniture and tv. Since I really don't know where to start and my funds are very limited, I decided to first paint my cabinet black. The color is "Blackjack" by Benjamin Moore.

The picture is bad because I lost the light in the evening.

Holiday Gift Guides

I am so grateful for the Bloggers that take the time to put together these gift guides.  They are so useful in helping me find something perfectly unique for the favorite people in my life. 





Creature Comforts Blog has put together an incredible gift guide for everyone you could possibly ever have to buy for this Holiday season, teenagers, children, the cook, the home, him, her, babies, food gifts, (my favorite ) and so on.  Her guide is really useful, the gifts are beautiful and unique and every source is well listed so you can easily order any gift. 



In Honor of Design put together a gift that also includes recipes and entertaining ideas, check it out here.

Also, check out the Taigan Holiday Gift Guide.  There are a collection of gift guides put together by some of the most popular bloggers.

More Thanksgiving Tablescape

I just can't stop thinking about my Thanksgiving table setting.  Since it is my first time hosting Thanksgiving for the family I want everything to be memorable, really I want everything to be perfect but that is a lot to strive for.  I think I really like simple, rustic tables with lots of whites and browns.   Also, I definitely need fresh flowers, fresh leaves or some gourds to make the table feel more organic.  


      




  via    Country Living



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The winner is...this is my favorite, simple but beautiful tablescape, via.

Mayer Brothers Cider Mill

Recently, I have enjoyed two treats from Mayer Brothers Cider Mill, thanks to my dear friend Roger, donuts and caramel apple pie. I am not really a donut person but these were so, so good. The apple cider donuts were moist, because they are made with their cider, and perfectly cakey. I prefer a cake donut.  The maple donuts had just the right amount of maple flavor, not overpowering.

The caramel apple pie is a must for Thanksgiving, but I think if I served it again I would drizzle more caramel over the individual pieces.

However, you must get there fast because the bakery and store are only open through Thanksgiving. I'm definitely heading back before they close for the season.
The Cider Mill Store will open this year from August 17th until Thanksgiving.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

1540 Seneca Creek Rd
West Seneca, NY
14224-2522
716-668-5260