~ pumpkin votives ~ Time to start decorating for Autumn! Today I’ll be taking my Autumn decorations down from the attic and packing up the white slipcovers, blue & white and “beach house” decor for another year. Here’s one of my favorite, easy, centerpiece ideas for this time of year. I alternate mini pumpkin votive…
Luxurious Retreat Tips
thrift store score
by Melissa • • 19 Comments
fresh herb tea
by Melissa • • 7 Comments
~fresh herb tea~ “Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order.” ~Okakura Kakuzu, 1906 We have a ton of fresh herbs growing in the container gardens out back on…
sandy erdman talks herbs & edible flowers
by Melissa • • 8 Comments
I would like to welcome my friend, and newspaper columnist for the Rochester Post Bulletin, back to ChinDeep! She has some fun, delicious tips and a recipe to share with us. EDIBLE FLOWERS~ Use edible flowers in your cooking and salads and your guests and family will think you’re a gourmet cook! In the past…
picnic
by Melissa • • 2 Comments
“A book of verses underneath the bough, a jug of wine, a loaf of bread and thou…” ~Edward Fitzgerald It’s my birthday week and the first celebration was a little picnic under our oak tree. We made a Muffuletta sandwich, sipped wine and rosewater lemonade, and had creamsicle Oreos and dark Dove chocolates for dessert.…
six senses saturday
by Melissa • • 4 Comments
~seeing~ about 25 bald eagles flying overhead and My family enjoying dinner out on the deck… ~hearing~ Alexi Murdoch on the iPad ~smelling~ fresh spearmint-infused iced tea ~tasting~ Romanian basil-beef kabobs after my son-in-law-to-be showed me this yummy recipe! ~feeling~ happy, grateful and exhausted after a long day ~knowing~ that this is a good match…
vintage pretties
by Melissa • • 6 Comments
Today I met my friend Clare at her gorgeous quilting studio here in Red Wing. After moving some furniture into her new space, we noshed on banana bread, black pepper kettle chips and rosewater lemonade. This time I made my lemonade with Lebanese rosewater (which, according to many rosewater enthusiasts, is the best rosewater you…
the languid step of spring
by Melissa • • 12 Comments
ritz carlton ginger tea
by Melissa • • 10 Comments
Here is a wonderful, natural drink that is not actually tea, but a ginger infusion. I know a lot of people who suffer from seasonal allergies, so I thought I’d pass this little recipe along. Ginger tea is a fantastic home remedy for indigestion, nausea, and to help cure colds, the flu and ailments associated…
six senses saturday
by Melissa • • 6 Comments
~seeing~ The world from this point of view as I sip my first cup of morning tea… ~smelling~ the lily of the valley that’s blooming like mad all along the wraparound porch ~feeling~ excited for the long weekend ~hearing~ Beth Orton she cries your name stolen car central reservation ~tasting~ THIS bread… with more of…