Monday, October 31, 2011

beef+carrot stew

How about that snowstorm?
Quite a doozy.
Surprisingly, school is cancelled tomorrow.
Some towns are cancelling Halloween.
Crazy, right?
Down wires + a bunch of kids on the road could
=
no fun.
So the best thing I did was make this
Beef Stew with Carrots 
for our Saturday eve in.
The recipe is from
It was so so delish
with mashed potatoes
String beans
apple free form pie with vanilla icecream for dessert.
I highly recommend.
Beef Stew with Carrots

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds beef round, or stewing beef, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
salt
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 thyme sprigs
1/2 cup light red wine
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
3 cups hot water
3 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch chunks


Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole.  Add the beef and brown it over high heat until it is deep golden on all sides, salting the done parts as you go.  Add the onion and fry until it is lightly browned and looking a bit sticky.  Add the butter, garlic, and thyme, and cook until you can smell the garlic.  Add the wine. Cook until it has evaporated, and then add the tomato sauce.
Add 3 cups of hot water and bring to a boil.  Cover, turn the heat to minimum, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, giving it a stir now and then.  The meat should be soft and there should be a good amount of liquid.  Add the carrots and sprinkle them with a little salt.  Cook uncovered for another 20- 30 minutes, until the carrots are cooked all the way through but not collapsing, the meat is meltingly soft, and the sauce fairly thickened.  
Remove from the heat, leave the lid off for 10 minutes or so and then serve with mashed potatoes.
Serves 4.

OH and Happy Halloween!
photo found here

Friday, October 28, 2011

e + p in the mud puddle

Just heard....10 inches of snow tomorrow.  C'mon.
This snap of E+P in the mud puddle 
was from the rains after Irene.
It was a remembering photo on 
this week.
Thanks again MOMFILTER.
Stay warm + cozy this weekend!


Thursday, October 27, 2011

modern home

 
I could live here.  No prob.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Friday, October 21, 2011

cannellini bean soup

This looks good.
Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

that kind of woman

My new favorite blog:
I love love love the images
this young woman posts.
 firewomen=power

 kitchen love

welcoming entry

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

loving the look

Found this gal on The Sartorialist.
Loving the look.
Time to mix it up.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

chimney sweep deluxe


This post is surely not for everyone
but I must share the most
interesting experience.
We had a fireplace chimney and our furnace chimney
cleaned yesterday by the most fascinating 
fellow named Terry 
(quite the character)
(Phone number:  203-853-2003)
Write that number down and call right away 
if you want a proper cleaning done folks.

I have never in all of my years of having various sweeps
clean our chimneys seen anything 
like what I saw yesterday afternoon.
This man pulled out all kind of animal carcasses 
out of the chimney.
I nearly jumped out the window when I saw the giant,
charcoaled squirrel....there it was on my living room floor 
(on a nice tarp)
with the other petrified creatures.
Bird, bat and squirrel are what I could recognize.
Everett was unafraid and in awe of this man.
He went to town cleaning.
He said others don't go where he goes...
some shelf up the chimney to be exact.
Terry was like Dick Van Dyke 
on the roof with all kinds of brushes.
I am telling you it was a sight
and quite refreshing to see
a person take his work so seriously.
I will never use another
sweep again.
Get on the horn and call Chimney Corners
and ask for Terry.
Here are some snaps:
Terry on arrival.
The squirrel and see the bat on the left?
OMG.
Everett and squirrely.
Terry and Everett and squirrel again.
Terry on the roof.
One of his great brushes.

Wow.

Monday, October 17, 2011

rad tuna hum sandwich

I made this amazing, Barefoot Contessa inspired
sandwich yesterday for lunch.  Actually, 
I made it four times in four days.
Ina makes hers with
homemade everything:
bread
tuna
+
hummus.
I made mine with:
Village Market made tuna
+
Trader Joe's Roasted Garlic Hummus.
Here is the recipe:
Toast the bread of your choice until a smidge brown.
Spread bread with hummus.
Then spread with tuna.
Arrange thinly sliced radish on top.
Grind fresh ground pepper on radish slices.
Serve open-faced with chips if you want.
Yum.


Friday, October 14, 2011

keep your

my friend.

and thank you to Jill for finding this

Thursday, October 13, 2011

piper jayne is 2 today!

thank you gretchen for the photo


Happy Birthday my girl!
Everett typed a birthday note
for Piper on 
an "old computer"
aka
typewriter.
He said he couldn't find the off button.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

blogshop nyc

I am going!
in December.
I can hardly wait.
(Katie!  I see you!)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

baby lost and found

I adore 
a shop in Hollywood, California.
They have fab things for 
women, men, the home + children.  
I was perusing the site today 
and found these special goodies for baby.





Monday, October 10, 2011

hudson

love this label

everett's chalk drawing on sidewalk in Hudson, NY

piper eating icecream from LICK
right before a large passing dog
ate it in one swoop


s
everett potter?

cookies we made for our friend to go in a jar

Friday, October 7, 2011

hot coffee

I gave in to the cold and turned the heat on this morn.
Could not wait for my hot cup of coffee.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

pumpkin patch

See the one pumpkin in our patch?
Loads of flowers and only one pumpkin.
Better than none pumpkins.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

mama gina

Happy 75th Birthday Mama Gina!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

boots

These are a beautiful blueish black leather.
Super comfy.


Love these tall brown distressed with back zip.
From Free People not on sale.
 PLEASE NOTE:  I SAW THESE IN PERSON....
NOT AT ALL LIKE PICTURED...TOO TWO TONED WITH
FAUX CREASES ON TOP OF FOOT PART.
:(

Monday, October 3, 2011

bonjour

Happy Monday.
Have a good one.