Facebook Excess and Update

I've been trying to find more areas of excess in my life as I journey through this year. Next on the chopping block is Facebook. I just don't need to be friends with people I don't like, used to know, met once, don't recognize, etc. So I have deleted quite a few of late. I have no desire to offend, just to cut down on my newsfeed information so that I can spend less time of my life getting all this "vital" information. I also have stopped myself from logging on several times of late--I just don't need to see everything that goes on, but I DO enjoy staying in touch with certain people via this means. So I'm trying to be sensitive to using Facebook in balance (easier said then done).

Next up: Word files on the computer (eek).

I am becoming more and more aware of excess sugar in my life. Spring is a perfect time to start hitting up the farmer's markets and changing our eating habits for the better, but I do so love certain processed foods. I'm worried...

Any suggestions of other things I can focus on or things you have stopped from being excessive in your life? I have cut down on clutter in a mighty way in every room of my house, picture files on the computer, Facebook, shopping, etc. What's next (insert sinister laughter here)??

Downton Abbey Finale Party

Downton Abbey Finale Party

Downton Abbey is pretty fantastic. Minus a few elements and the deaths in season three, I have loved every minute of it. My husband is equally into it as I am which hasn't happened with other period pieces (he doesn't really care for any Austen, Bronte, Anne of Green Gables, etc). So we decided to throw a finale viewing party for a few friends who are just as into it as we are. Only problem was, we couldn't do a weekend due to Mike's work schedule (and anyway, "what is a weekend?") so we made it a Wednesday night which eliminated the other 8 people that we invited, but we were undeterred and celebrated with two other couples. 

Menu:
Deviled eggs
Popcorn
Grilled cheese sandwiches with pesto and hummus (thank you Trader Joe's)
Pound cake with mixed berries and whipped cream
Walkers tea biscuits
English toffee squares
An assortment of tea
Punch

We enhanced our table with tablecloth, placecards, my grandmother's suitcase, a few victorian-looking boxes, a hatbox, and The World of Downton Abbey book. 




The tea sets were loaned to me by my mother. The blue and white China was used daily by my grandmother and holds a special place in my heart. I almost didn't take them for fear of one of us un-trained, clumsy Americans breaking a piece, but everything remained in-tact throughout the evening! 

I created the Downton pennant banner. The outside triangles say "What is a weekend?"

We had our guests wear pins should they deign to show up without costume. Just kidding. We bought these here on etsy.

For my costume, I saw this dress on etsy which reminded me of this one worn by Lady Mary and thought I'd give re-creating it a try.

I went to Goodwill and scored big with a $7 formal dress and a $4 lacy black lingerie piece that I chopped into bits as soon as I got home. The purple dress came with a matching shawl that I used to lengthen the dress from ankle to floor length. I used the black trim the came with the lacy dress to create the girth, then sewed 6" wide straps of lace to the dress and secured them under the flowers at the back 

(here's a fairly good photo of the lace attached to the back)

 I found the beading for the dress on etsy for $12 and hand-sewed it to the front. I purchased black opera gloves at Chicago Costume for $10 and dolled-up my own pearl necklace with some ribbon. My sweet husband wore a tux, and even our schnauzer got a bow tie!

Hair: I watched several "downton abbey hair tutorials" on youtube but came up with my own solution. I separated my hair into three sections and teased each. I then twisted the sides and secured to my head. Then I used the tube-part of a black sock to wrap the middle section up into a low bun (the sock added some volume). Add some bobby pins, some hair spray, and a brooch from my grandma in-law and my hair was complete. I loved how it turned out.

Here's the whole ensemble:

The home-made photo booth background was our shower curtain and the props I made from foam sheets hot-glue-gunned to skewer sticks. I also found a tray from Goodwill that I painted with chalkboard paint for our sign. I edited the photos with picmonkey.com.

We also played trivia. Here are the questions that we came up with along with the correct answers (and some of the best answers that we got from our guests!)

 20 Downton Abbey Trivia Questions from Seasons 1-3

1) What is the name of Lord Grantham’s dog? A) Isis

Best other answers: Pedro and Baxter
2) What war did Bates and Lord Grantham fight in together? A) Boer war 
3) Before becoming engaged to Matthew Crawley, Lady Mary considered a visit to what country? A) America
4) What does Daisy’s father in law do for a living? A) Farmer
5) Downton Abbey was created and written by whom? A) Julian Fellowes
Best other answers: Mark Walberg, J.K. Rowling and Laura Linney
6) DA Season 1, Episode 1 opens which the news of what historic event? A) Sinking of the titanic
7) What country was Mr. Pamuk from? A) Turkey
8) In Season 1 what medical condition did Mrs. Patmore have? A) Cataracts
9) In season 3, episode 3, what type of spoon did Alfred fail to identify correctly? A) Boullioun Spoon
Best other answers: French onion soup spoon, spork
10) What was Lavinia Swire’s father’s name? A) Reggie Swire
Best other answer: Pamook
11) Sir Richard Carlisle was a self-made man who acquired his fortune in what business? A) Newspapers
12) A badly disfigured soldier arrived at DA and claimed to be the rightful heir. Who was the only family member to believe his story? A) Lady Edith
13) Several family members were taken ill in the last episode of season two. What disease caused havoc in the house? A) The spanish flu
14) Who was Robert talking about when he said “She thinks that if you put a toy down, it will still be sitting there when you want to play with it again”. A) Lady Mary
15) Which hand did Thomas injure in the war? A) Left
16) What is the first name of the Dowager Countess of Grantham? A) Violet
17) What is the name of the castle where DA is filmed? Highclere
Best other answers: Tower of London, Kensington
18) Who left Edith at the alter? A) Sir Anthony StrallinBest other answers: “One-armed man”, Bob, “old man who is awkward”, and “creepy guy’
19) In season two when Matthew and Mary dance together to a record, what musical is the song from? A) Zip Goes a Million
Best other answers: Les Mis, Marriage of Figaro, Lion King, 
BONUS QUESTION:
20) Name as many ingredients in Branson’s slop mixture for theArmy General as you can. A) Sour milk, cow pie, ink, oil
TIE BREAKER:
How many people in downton house caught the spanish flu? A) Five

First place trivia winner won this fabulous framed Downton quote that my friend Debbie made for me (it says "You'll find there's never a dull moment in this house"). Second place got a tea cup (thank you, Goodwill) filled with English toffee squares.

 

Even Emma got into the spirit for the evening:

(just kidding, she didn't spell that, I did).

We had a wonderful evening and will do it on a weekend next year so that more people can attend. I'll leave you with some final pictures of the night.

Summer Salad

Summer Salad

This salad represents the epitome of summer to me. Major yum. Goes great with BBQ, Indian food, or on its own as a healthy lunch!

One large ripe tomato
One large ripe cucumber
1/4 red onion, sliced and chopped
1/3 cup Italian dressing

Mix all (vary the proportions if you'd like). Chill several hours before eating to let the flavors meld. Tastes even better the next day, although you can eat it right away if you can't help yourself.

Wilted celery? Try this!

Rehydrating Celery

Before:

Wilted celery? No problem, just stick it in a cup of water overnight to rehydrate it. In the morning your celery will be full of crunch again! I hear this also works with artichokes!

After:

The piece with the leaves jumped up in about an hour, so I ate it...

The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

Move over Tollhouse, there's a bigger, better chocolate chip cookie in town: America's Test Kitchen Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie to be exact.

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

14 Tbl butter divided

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda (heap it if your baking soda is over a month old)

1 1/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cups nuts (I always use pecans)

Brown 10 Tbl butter in skillet 3-5 minutes (should be brownish in color and have a nutty smell). Pour into bowl. Stir in other 4 Tbl butter. Add sugars, salt, and vanilla. Whisk eggs in 30 seconds then let the batter stand 3 minutes. Repeat this whisk/stand pattern twice. Use spatula or wooden spoon to mix in flour and baking soda for 1 minute. Stir in chips and nuts. Drop 3 Tbl balls, 2 inches apart on greased pans (or use parchment paper). Rotate halfway through baking. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-14 minutes.

Homemade Baby Food Recipes

Making our own baby food seemed appealing because I know exactly what's in it and there are no need for preservatives if you freeze it! Plus its EASY!

Yummy Carrots (still frozen)!

Starting Solids 101:
We introduced Emma to solid foods when she was 4.5 months old because she seemed to want more milk than I was producing and because we got the okay from our pediatrician. (And it's super fun). We started by giving one ounce, once a day. She is now 5.5 months old and she has had six different kinds of food. We give the same food for three days in a row to see if she exhibits any signs of allergic reaction. Below are some basic baby food "recipes" that I've tried with success! I dollop all pureed foods onto parchment paper and freeze until solid. Then I transfer to labeled ziplock bags. Take out a dollop or two a few hours before you want to feed. You don't need to warm baby food up--room temperature is fine. We fed vegetables before introducing fruits so that her "sweet tooth" wouldn't be sparked too soon, but I don't know that it really matters. We feed after she's nursed or had formula so that she gets filled up on the good stuff first. If she doesn't seem interested, cries, or turns her head away, we don't give any more. For us, feeding solid foods at this stage is much more about having fun and introducing the concept of a spoon than about nourishment (breastmilk/formula is perfectly sufficient nutrition for babies up to 6 months old). Enough talk! Here's the 4-1-1 on baby food recipes:

Applesauce:

Store-bought organic applesauce only has two ingredients: organic apples and water making it perfect for babies. No mashing, mixing, or watering-down required!

Avocado:

Many recommend avocado as the first solid food you introduce your baby to since it is rich in fatty acids and doesn't require any cooking or pureeing! Just mash a small bit of avocado flesh and start feeding!

Banana:

Just peel and mash! Great for on-the-go!

Carrots:

Boil sliced carrots until tender. Drain. Puree in blender. Do not add the leftover water with carrots as it can contain harmful nitrates. Add tap/filtered water to the pureed carrots until you are happy with consistency.

Peaches:

The first fruit I cooked for Emma. I peeled and diced a few peaches (although I hear that frozen works fine too) and placed them in a saucepan with 1/4 cup of water (just enough to keep them from sticking to the pan). I simmered them until they were tender then I pureed them in the blender. I didn't have to add any water to mine--the consistency was perfect with the peaches alone.

Peas:

Boil fresh or frozen peas until tender. Drain, reserving some water. Mix in a blender until pureed. Add a few tablespoons of the water you used to boil them in until you're happy with the consistency.

Sweet Potato:
Emma's first. Stab an unpeeled, raw sweet potato in several locations to allow steam to be released. Place in microwave for 4 minutes (or hit the "potato" button if your machine has that option). Let cool. Peel and mash. You can add water or breastmilk or formula to make it an easy consistency for your baby to swallow.

"More peas please!"

Boston Cream Pie

This is my favorite cake in the world by far. Growing up, my Mom made this via a recipe she found in a magazine and we have since discovered that this cake tastes even better and is SO much easier when it's made with ready-made elements.

You'll need:
Chocolate Frosting
Vanilla Jell-O Pudding Mix
1 Yellow Cake Mix

Make the cake mix according to package instructions and bake in two 8" or 9" round pans.

Make the pudding according to the package instructions.

When cakes have cooled, place one on a cake pedestal, spread the pudding over the top, then place the other cooled round cake on top of the pudding.

Microwave your chocolate frosting until it's pour-able and pour it on top of your cake, letting it drizzle down the sides.

So easy and SO delicious...

(College graduation party, Boston Cream Pie, and my Mama. Can you see how much I love this dessert?)

Cinnamon Air Freshener

Just cooked up some fishy-smelling salmon and guests are coming over for dessert in 10 minutes? Just put a tablespoon of cinnamon into a saucepan of water and simmer. Fills the house with a delicious cinnamon aroma in about 5 minutes.

German Pancakes

Bring on the kid-friendly recipes! Assemble the ingredients in a court jar and shake it up to mix! This is one my family's favorites growing up (often made for lunch during my homeschool days!).

German Pancakes

1 Tbl margarine
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
dash of salt
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place margarine in a glass skillet and place in the preheating oven to melt. Mix up the other ingredients in a court jar (you can use spoon and bowl but a court jar is much more fun).

Remove hot pie plate when butter has melted (swirl it to cover) and immediately pour in the court-jar mixture.

Return to oven and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, rotating half-way through. Eat immediately with syrup, powdered sugar, bananas, chocolate or your topping of choice!

Banana Cream Pie Receipe

This recipe is taken to the next level if you put in an Oreo Cookie Crust (which I didn't have at the time these photos were taken).

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:

3 cups milk

4 egg yolks (save the whites for your husband's breakfast!)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

3-4 ripe banana, halved and sliced to 1/4" pieces
Graham Cracker or Oreo Cookie Crust

Heat milk over medium heat till warm. Gradually add all ingredients but bananas. Whisk till you can see tracks of the whisk in the bottom of the pan (about 6 minutes). Removed from heat. Fold over bananas. Cover and chill in the fridge 1 1/2 hours. Pour into Graham Cracker or Oreo crust. Top with shipped cream. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Yum!

Polishing Your Dutch Oven

You know those brownish stains on your dutch oven that don't seem to come off no matter how hard you scrub with dish soap? Ever try baking soda? Sprinkle some baking soda on your clean dutch oven and rubbing it in with a sponge! Voila! Shiny as new dutch oven!

Before:

After: