Product Review

scenes from a girlfriends’ weekend

I just returned home from the best weekend ever! I got to spend time with by BFF Jana. What a fun, relaxing couple of days. Thanks Jana! I thought I’d share our adventure with you and include some restaurant reviews, wine tasting notes and movie reviews while I’m at it. Yesterday I arrived just in…

elderflower water

Tea party! My two favorite words I think. I made tea and treats for Jeff, Gracie, Andie and Madeline May today. There is something so beautiful and romantic about getting up early on a Sunday morning in winter, sipping tea and making cucumber sandwiches for a tea party. If someone were to ask me what…

not the bacony goodness i was expecting

We had been anticipating trying Baconnaise. It sounds like the ultimate. Bacon and mayonnaise? Come ON! But the taste test we did this afternoon proved us wrong. Wow. Yuck. I don’t know how to put this nicely. Baconnaise tastes like fish. Not fresh, good yummy fish (I love fish.) No, it tastes like rancid fish.…

the tastes of summer ~ river city days

~The Tastes of Summer~ What flavors make you think of Summer? farmer’s market produce? heirloom tomatoes? fresh herbs from your garden? iced tea and homemade lemonade? berries melting on the vine, just begging to be baked into a flaky pie crust and topped with real whipped cream? grilled steaks, chicken and fish? zucchini? popsicles, creamsicle…

grilled balsamic chicken with strawberry salsa

~strawberry balsamic chicken~ I’ve been playing with jam in my kitchen. My friend Maria makes awesome jams, preserves and marmalades and generously shares them with me. I’ll go out to the mailbox and there will be a brown paper package all filled with jars of her new creations just waiting for me! One of the…

scent scrapbook ~ mediterranean by elizabeth arden

While in California I wore Mediterranean by Elizabeth Arden base notes: Sparkling Radiance: Peach Nectar Sorbet, Sicilian Mandarin, Damask Plum Unforgettable Bloom:Radiant Wisteria, Star Magnolia, Madagascar Orchid Lasting Impression: Addictive Sandalwood, Fluid Skin Musk, Golden Amber Whisper   Whenever I go on vacation I pick a new scent and draw upon the wonderful phenomenon called…

tea with toast & jam

~tea with toast and jam~ One of my favorite teatime treats is a big mug of black tea, a thick slice of well-buttered, homemade toasted bread, and homemade jam. My favorite jams are made by my friend Maria Denise Davis. She’s a talented quilter and has also mastered the art of canning. While she was…

Latin Beef Picadillo

Hello everyone! This is a re-post of one of my favorite “spa cuisine” recipes. Tonight I added a little extra chili powder, substituted chopped pecans for the almonds, and topped my whole wheat tortilla with some sour cream and Sriracha. Have you noticed? I like Sriracha on almost everything. The perfect zingy accoutrament. Oh, and…

Six Senses Saturday

~Seeing~ These new-to-me books by one of my favorite authors Helen Hoover ~Smelling~ Imagine Perfume by Lollia… smells like spring! ~Hearing~ This album, by The Tallest Man on Earth I am in love with this music and expect to be listening all weekend… Like the Wheel The Gardener ~Feeling~ This poem by Mary Oliver ~Tasting~…