Equine Style

With my mom in Ireland (with Jethro and Heather) c. 1987

Lately, I have been seeing lots of equestrian inspired interiors and fashion.  

I think I need to go through my parents' attic and find all my old riding things.  I would love to put some ribbons up and maybe my old dress boots in our foyer.  

I still have my beautiful saddle, which will probably be the only Hermes thing I ever own! 

Of course, I love the antlers

 

 Cute box o' ribbons, but where are the blues!

 

 This one is for my mom who is just as beautiful and chic as Jackie!

Want to get a huge black and white photo like this.  It ads a bit of modernity to the sometimes-stuffy hunt scene look.






Cute bag made from a feed sack here.

LOVE this!

Want this triptych behind my couch!
via








Finally, I just HAD to include this!  I wore out our VHS tape watching this constantly when I was a kid.  Tatum O'Neal, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Plummer, horse show world in 70's England, and the Olympics!...what's not to love!

Tally-Ho!

Skip to My Loo

My beautiful, refined, and graceful daughter is currently obsessed with toilets.  She loves to draw them and talk about them non stop.  She has it in her head that she wants to be a toilet for Halloween.  I told her people may sit on her, and she said they could use her ear to flush.


First, let me state that I will not allow my kid to be a toilet.  But, imagine my surprise when I ran across this little number from Target:

 

 

WTF Tarjay?  This is disgusting (and a little bit hilarious).  Also, didn't that kid win the National Spelling Bee a few years back?

 

In the meantime, I am trying to talk her into this costume:

(Or anything not-a-toilet)

 

 

 

 

 

Rustic, Lived-in Feel

 

 I love antlers, however; they're not so kid-friendly.  Also, hunting ain't my bag ...but I love the look.

 

 I don't think everything in a house should look brand new, and I am not really a fan of fake distressed furniture.  That's why it is important to buy quality items that will age gracefully. 

And this doesn't mean buying expensive antiques. Sometimes just adding an old chair or rough-hewn wooden bowl to a table can give a room character.

pinterest

English Muffins

Can't get these here (that I've seen), so I am going to try this recipe this weekend!


 


Just-Like-Thomas' English Muffins
www.foodnetwork.com

• 1/2 cup non-fat powdered milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon shortening
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 envelope dry yeast
• 1/8 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup AP flour and 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and had great results)
• Non-stick vegetable spray and oil for brushing
• Special equipment: electric griddle, 3-inch metal rings*

In a bowl combine the powdered milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, shortening, and hot water; stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool. In a separate bowl combine the yeast and 1/8 teaspoon of sugar in 1/3 cup of warm water and rest until yeast has dissolved. Add this to the dry milk mixture. Add the sifted flour and beat thoroughly with wooden spoon. Cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes (longer = more holes!).
Preheat the griddle to 300 degrees F and brush the bottom of skillet with a thin coat of oil. I don’t have an electric griddle with a temperature gauge, so I just cooked my muffins on the stove-top with the heat set to low. If you are in the same situation, I recommend cooking one muffin as a tester muffin before filling your skillet with as many rings as you can. Because the muffins cook for 5 minutes per side, they are easy to burn. You want a temperature that will allow the outsides to brown nicely while the insides are just cooked.
Add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to mixture and beat thoroughly. Coat the metal rings with vegetable spray and place them on the griddle. Using an ice cream scoop, place 1-2 scoops of batter into each ring and cover with a lid or cookie sheet and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the lid and flip rings using tongs. Cover with the lid and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a cooling rack, remove rings and cool. Split with fork and serve. Note that these must be split open with a fork. If you cut them open with a knife, you can kiss all those beautiful holes goodbye!
*If you don’t have muffin rings, try wide-mouth canning lids or mini-tart rings. And if you don’t have those, try using tuna cans with the top and bottom removed!

Kitchen Design

I love the simplicity of this kitchen.  Country, but not hokey.  Thinking of putting our oriental rug in the kitchen because I love the look.  However, it could get ruined.  It's aleady a bit threadbare like the one above, but I don't want to destroy it.

 I love the all white collection of pitchers against the rustic wood of the hutch.




Would love a set of these Mason Cash mixing bowls, they go with everything.

Great idea for cutting boards and/or sheet pans.














This Blue Onion china was my aunt's wedding pattern in the 60's.  I've always admired it.  I think this would look great on a kitchen or dining room wall.

Great job of pulling off modern and rustic.  I currently have a very modern kitchen and, since my tastes run more traditional, it's difficult to balance.  This picture proves, not only is it doable, but it's also a look that I am beginning to prefer.






$20 Ikea pitcher that looks like a flea market find!

Cute measuring cups from Anthropologie.  Again, loving white pottery. 


These large dishes from Ikea are very elegant, they look just like the provencal ones, and they are CHEAP, CHEAP!  The dinner-sized ones also work well as chargers.

Finally, good dish towels are essential.  I love a fresh, clean stack of dishtowels. These, from Williams Sonoma are the best.  They actually absorb well, and last forever. 

To: Me, From: Me!

So excited to receive this box in the mail.  I'm hitting the American sales on summer wear.

Can't wait for warmer weather! Bought these Calvin Klein wedges here (less than half off!).

Now, if only I could get out of these sweatpants and go somewhere cool!  I've been sick with some kind of sinus/tonsil virus for nearly three months. I've seen the Doc four times and am currently on my second round of antibiotics.  

Husband is traveling for a few weeks, so tonight I've got my Box(es) of kleenex, I'm crankin' the heater, and watching Project Runway on itunes! Unfortunately, there is no junkfood in the house so I am just popping chocolate chips from my dwindling 'imported' stash.

Super Easy Lemon Chicken

I truly adore Ina Garten!  Her recipes are ALWAYS fool proof and, unlike many other recipes (Martha!), they're loaded with flavor.  I made this chicken the other night, and it turned out perfectly with like zero effort.  Her roast chicken recipe is my favorite and always a hit with guests, this comes very close with less effort.

Lemon Chicken Breast (Serves 4)
	1/4 cup good olive oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves) 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each) 1 lemon	View Book

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 X 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Here is the 'before'.  A gross photo of uncooked chicken.

I wasn't able to get an 'after' picture b/c the camera battery died.

(I used breasts and thighs with bones-in. I also used fresh rosemary)

Valle De Colchagua

Viu Manent Winery

Just a few glasses of wine!

 Hotel Parador de la Vina

 Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza here

 

The "Ruta del Vino",  in the Colchagua Valley, is only a few hours south of Santiago.  We took a trip down there with my in-laws and had a wonderful time touring a few vineyards and discovering some outstanding restaurants! The town of Santa Cruz is a quaint, colonial villiage with some beautiful hotels and a pleasant plaza at its center.