Tablescape tuesday {a southern shabby chic christmas}

Being back in the south, I am quickly reminded how old shabby chic style vintage boutiques are so prominent around here. The smells of maple and hazelnut fill the small town diners and family owned stores. I love being back in the south, especially the people with such southern charm!
To inspire you today I found a beautiful vintage store/shabby chic-ish theme tabletop. The pretty pastel colors and embellished vintage items set the perfect tone for a southern charmed holiday dinner or breakfast.Notice the floral chintz table runner mixed with charming detailed mason jar candleholders. Too cute.
Everything you see can be found at your local thrift and makes it oh so easy to throw together!
How amazing do those Vanilla Belgium Waffles look? Would be absolutely divine to dive into those on Christmas morning. Don't you think? Here is my personal favorite recipe...

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil
2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Directions:
Preheat waffle maker. Put all ingredients except egg whites in large mixer bowl. Beat on low until moistened. Increase to medium, mix until smooth. By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour 1/2 cup batter over grids. Close waffle maker, bake until steam no longer escapes, about 3-5 minutes. Repeat. Serve hot with your favorite topping.


Variations: 
Pecan or Macadamia Nut Waffles: Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. finely chopped pecans or macadamia nuts over preheated waffle grids. Pour 1/2 cup batter over nuts & close waffle maker. Bake as directed.

Blueberry Waffles: Fold 2 c. fresh blueberries into batter. Pour 3/4 cup batter over grids. Bake until golden.

Chocolate Chip Waffles: Fold 1 cup chocolate chips into batter. Bake as directed.


recipe

Entertaining in style... gingham loveliness + recipe

loua
Entertaining in style is an essential for any decorista. 
With the upcoming holiday season I have been searching for recipes to cook for my family when I get home and I am always drawn to gorgeous breakfast decorating. I would rather bake amazing dessert than cook a huge meal. 
(Just incase you all didn't know, I pride myself on my baked goods...so very martha stewart-y)
I like to think that baking + decorating go so well together anyway.

I love the look of beautiful gingham with breakfast, and when I laid my eyes on this gorgeous dish + the gingham napkins my heart skipped a beat. Dessert for breakfast? why not?

It looks absolutely dee-lish!


i'm also a teeny bit obsessed with these gingham walls. so very "Updated Traditional".

Decorating for a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta + RECIPE

I love holidays (any excuse to decorate and I am on board) and Cino de Mayo is no exception. It's all about mexican food, drink and decorations. I am a sucker for Mexican Food so I love learning new recipes and finding new decorations for fun and festive get-togethers. 
Why not try some colorful mexican themed banners, fun colorful flowers + tablecloths?

Want to learn how to make tissue flowers like these?
Check out a step by step DIY here.
or check out how to make these here.


On the menu for my fiesta...Out of this world SHRIMP TACOS (my fave!)
This recipe is from Real Simple (where I get most of my recipes)

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 limes, cut into quarters
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 8 6-inch corn tortillas
  • 2 to 3 cups finely shredded green cabbage
  • bottled green tomatillo salsa


Directions

  1. Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, milk, and cumin. Set aside. 
  2. Skewer the shrimp. (If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 10 minutes beforehand.) In a small bowl, combine the butter and garlic.
  3. Preheat a gas grill to high; adjust to medium after 15 minutes. (If cooking over charcoal, allow the coals to burn until they are covered with gray ash.)
  4. Brush the skewered shrimp with the garlic butter. Place them on the grill with the limes. Cook about 4 minutes on each side or until the shrimp are opaque and the limes are browned. Remove from grill. Lightly salt the shrimp.
  5. Grill the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, then place inside a paper bag to keep warm.
  6. To serve, pull the shrimp off the skewers and divide them evenly among the tortillas. Top with the cabbage, sour cream sauce, tomatillo salsa, and a spritz of grilled lime.
  7. This is the method i use: Broil the shrimp and limes about 4 inches from the heat using the Total Times above. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat in a 350° F oven for 15 minutes, or wrap them in a napkin and microwave for 3 minutes

Trust me...it is absolutely DE-LISH!




images courtesy of...
vintage domino
elizabeth ann 
martha stewart

happy thanksgiving!


I LOVE THANKSGIVING TIME!
Last night was my first sighting of the holiday. I was driving around the beautiful neighborhoods of Hollywood and saw a huge christmas light display on a gorgeous home. I went home immidiately and played some christmas music. It gave me the chills. I love all of the smells of this time of year, the fall just makes me so happy. It's truly the beginning of the holiday season. Even the Starbucks has the pumpkin lattes on special. 
I am spending this holiday week in Palm Springs, CA with clark's family. It will be my first holiday with the Koelch's. His mom, grandma and sister are so much fun and I cant wait to cook with the family. I will be bringing one of my favorite recipe's from the FAT FREE VEGAN blog. The double-layer pumpkin cheesecake is out of this world. Everytime I make it, its gone in 5.3 seconds. I am so excited to celebrate, my vegan way! 
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! re

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake
(printer-friendly version)

8 ounces Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese (look for the non-hydrogenated version in the yellow container)
12 ounces light firm silken tofu (or extra-firm)
1/2 cup agave nectar (or sugar)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup pumpkin puree (canned, not pumpkin pie mix)
2 teaspoons rum (optional)
3 tablespoons brown sugar or natural sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg (please!)

1 pre-made 8-inch graham cracker crust (or oatmeal cookie crust)

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Put the first set of ingredients (toffuti through vanilla) in a food processor and puree until completely smooth. It should be silky smooth--not chalky or lumpy.

Remove a cup of this mixture from the processor and spread it in the bottom of the crust.

Add the next set of ingredients (pumpkin through nutmeg) to the ingredients remaining in the food processor and process until well blended. Smooth it carefully over the white layer in the crust, heaping it slightly in the middle. Bake until the center is almost set, about 50-60 minutes. (Insert a toothpick. If it comes out liquidy and cold, give it more time, until the center is firm.) Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours. Serve to delighted guests. (Don't tell them it's vegan, and they won't know!)

Serves 8. Per serving (not including the crust): 218 Calories (kcal); 7g Total Fat; (28% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 179mg Sodium.


xoxo

happy birthday Rique!!!

Its my cousins birthday today! :)
I adore him. So i am going to go over to his beautiful hollywood hills home and bake cookies.
I know i haven't mentioned this before but at the present moment i have taken on a new lifestyle. MACROBIOTICS!
its all about living a healthy life in every way, through food and spirituality.
its amazing. i have only been eating this way for a week, but i tell you, i have NEVER felt better inside. and the amount of cooking i have done is insane. i love learning to make new things, especially the types of food that nobody else i know seems to make. i mean, who makes miso soup and brown rice morning cereal. yumm!
so today i have decided to bake my first macrobiotic dessert, OATMEAL COOKIES!!!!

i am so excited!