A Gift Grown from Love

So I'm excited to share my latest creation. This one was not made in my kitchen and took a little longer to create then a tasty dessert or savory dinner. These beauty's came to life in three pots nestled near the sunshine from my dining room windows.





My baby Narcissus finally bloomed after about 6 weeks of love and nurturing. The fragile bulbs lay a top soft peat moss, soaking up the suns rays and drinking the minimal water they need to build up enough energy for the stalks to break through the bulbs thick barrier. I know it sounds like I'm talking about a child here, but after you care for them for 10 weeks, they kind of become your baby.

My real reason for telling you about these pretty little flowers is for the beautiful, inexpensive holiday gift they make. Whether you need a hostess gift, a gift for a neighbor, or a gift for that person who gives you an unexpected present, these hand raised flowers in a beautiful flower pot make the perfect holiday gift. And the scent they give off is just as sweet as they look too!

For $3 you get a bag of 6 bulbs at Lowes around early November, make sure to also get some peat moss or even rocks while your there (these bulbs don't like a lot moistness). Then just pick up a few small holiday pots at your local Michaels, Home Goods, or Christmas Tree Shops.



Put the peat moss or rocks in the pots, place the bulbs so that only half the bulb is covered (making sure the root side is down) and then water every few days. Make sure not to over water in the beginning; once the stalks start to emerge you can water more frequently.


If you want flowers around the week of Christmas plant 4-6 weeks before Dec. 25th and the more direct sunlight they get, the quicker they will grow



Around the time you are gifting these to some lucky friends, you'll have the sweetest pot of white Narcissus you've ever seen. A few buds will still be waiting to bloom, but that will give your friend something to look forward to and will lengthen the life of your gift!


And if you can't bare to part with a few pots of these beauties, they make wonderful center pieces for your Holiday Table display.


Jacklyn Lorraine

Maple Bacon Biscuits

Hello again. I'm back from my 3 month hiatus. Who knew fall could be so busy? While I was gone I've done some occasional baking that I'd like to share.

My sister had suggested going on a Food Tour in Manhattan back in November and being the food lover that I am, I decide to join her. I would recommend this tour to local New Yorkers, tunnel and bridge folk, or the average tourist; it was a blast! The tour was called Food on Foot; it's rated number 3 on Trip Advisor "Things to do" in NYC. Not only did we eat great food, find restaurants and food vendors hidden in what seemed like closet sized spaces, but the tour guide was a just an average guy with a passion for great food. My sister did a great post on our tour. You can see it on her blog Quick Feet Good Eats. One of the tasty treats that stuck in my mind after the tour was a maple bacon Scone which we sampled at a bakery called Build a Green Bakery on 1st Avenue. The next day I had to find a recipe and make them for myself.

Maple Bacon Biscuits



Makes: 2 Dozen Biscuits
Total Time: 1 hr, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. Bacon, crumbled
3 1/2 cups Flour
2 tbls sugar
1 tbls baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), cut into 1/2 in. cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 egg yolk
1 egg
1 tbls heavy cream
Fleur de sel

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fry bacon over medium heat until cooked but not crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove excess fat on a paper towel lined plate when done.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter or fork, but in the diced butter, until it resembles small peas. Stir in the bacon, then one-fourth cup plus 2 tbls of maple syrup and the buttermilk until the dough just comes together (it will still be clumpy). Be careful not to overwork the dough.


On a lightly floured surface, gently press or roll the dough to 1 inch thickness. Cut the biscuits using a 2 inch round cutter; you should have 24 biscuits. Place 12 biscuits on each of two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Freeze the trays just until the biscuits are chilled, about 10 minutes.

While the biscuits are chilling, prepare the egg wash. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, egg and cream. Brush the chilled biscuits with egg wash and top each with a pinch of fleur de sel.

Bake the biscuits until they just begin to brown, about 25 minutes (you should easily be able to pick the biscuits up off the tray.) Remove the tray from the oven. Quickly drizzle 1 tsp of the remaining maple syrup over each biscuit, then place the tray back in the oven for 3 minutes more. Serve while still warm.



A wonderful after dinner or treat or breakfast. These treats mix sweet and salty perfectly. Yum!

Jacklyn Lorraine

Art of Food Festival

The Riverdale Art Center and The Riverdale Land Conservancy joined forces on September 14th to raise money for the restoration of Riverdale's Glenburn Estate. Above are a few photos of the delicious food, wine and art that was available at the fundraising event.


Jacklyn Lorraine

American Pie

The scent of warm apples and cinnamon baking waft in from the kitchen. It's that time of year again, where the leaves change color, soft sweaters keep the chill away, and the itch to bake fills my every pore. Yesterday I baked my first apple pie of the season, made from fresh apples picked on my friends farm.

It's a simple recipe that creates a savory "American" Apple Pie, with a golden brown, caramelized crust. Yum!!

"American" Apple Pie

Ingredients

1 package double pastry pie crust
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp cinnamon
6 Granny Smith Apples

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, slice, and core apples. Toss apples with the cinnamon.

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to thicken. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and simmer for 5 minutes.

Place the bottom crust in a 9" pie pan. Fill with apples. Cover with basket weave crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter syrup over the crust making sure to cover entire pie, but not drip off the edge.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.



Jacklyn Lorraine

Pottery Barn DIY

So if your anything like me, you'd love to jump into a Pottery Barn magazine and call it home. Everything they do in that magazine screams comfort and style. So in the process of reorganizing our office I received the newest Pottery Barn magazine in the mail. First off I was overjoyed with the Fall front door display (which I plan on reproducing at my door step), but their workspace pages where to die for. The organization, the color schemes, the use of modular wall organizers. I was in heaven. What they call their "Daily System" is composed of interchangeable boards; a corkboard, a linen pinboard, a calender. etc. This was a perfect option for our unused wall space above the desk. But who wants to spend $200 on a wall organizer? Below is the Pottery Barn "Daily System" and below that is my $70 DIY modular wall system.

Pottery Barn "Daily System"


DIY Modular Wall System






What I used:
4 white "Ribba" frames from Ikea.
3 - 9 3/4" x 19 3/4" at $9.99 each
1 - 19 3/4" x 15 3/4" at $15.99 each
1/2 yd of Fabric $3
Roll of 1/2" ribbon $1
Corkboard Roll - $12
8" Small Shelf - $6.99

I took all the glass out of the frame and just kept the solid cardboard back piece. In 3 out of the 4 frames I covered the cardboard piece with either corkboard or fabric, keeping it in place with a staple gun. The ribbon was also held in place with a staple gun. The frame with the shelf, I spray painted the cardboard piece white to match the frames and the shelf. My handy husband then added a small piece of wood behind the shelf so he could nail into something when attaching the shelf. When all frames where assembled we measured and placed picture hooks with matching nails in the wall. After we tested the accuracy of our work we nailed all the frames together in the back. Then ta da... a wall organizer for under $100!



Jacklyn Lorraine

Eva

I thought it time I introduce my puppy. Eva is a mini dachshund short hair/long hair mix. We named her Eva after one of the characters in one of my favorite movies, Wall-E. We always said if we got a male dog we would name him Wall-E and a female dog, Eva. So Eva it is and it totally fits because I am always calling her name out, just like Wall-E does in the movie.



She is a wonderful puppy. She always loves me, always brings a smile to my face, and never holds a grudge. She loves her belly rubbed and will lie on her back until you rub it. Here she is hiding in the tall grasses that surround her dog house.




Jacklyn Lorraine

Bon Appetit

So I always have a hard time thinking of ideas for dinner. I'm also not the type of person that gets a few signature dishes and just rotates them threw out the week. It seems I always want to try something new. This dish, however, is one that I keep coming back to. It's a spin off of Carrabba's "Chicken Bryan". It's both complex in taste and texture and can pacify those health freaks in your life (like my husband). Oh and if you don't like goat cheese you could substitute for mozzarella, but really you should just learn to like goat cheese cause it's the most amazing cheese on earth. I hope you enjoy!

Chicken Bryan

Chicken
4 large chicken breasts
1 to 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn black pepper
4 oz crumbled goat cheese, softened to room temperature

Sun Dried Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (food processor works really well for this)
1 tbsp finely chopped yellow onion (food processor works really well for this)
1/2 cup dry white cooking wine
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small peices
1 1/2 cups finely sliced sun dried tomatoes (food processor works really well for this)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basel
1/2 tspn kosher salt
1/2 tspn pepper

Spinach
1 pk frozen whole leaf spinach
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (food processor works really well for this)
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Chicken: Slice breasts down the center. Cover with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Grill till center is no longer pink.

Sauce: Place butter, garlic and onion in a large skillet over medium heat and saute until garlic and onion are tender and transparent. Add white wine and lemon juice. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer to reduce by half.
Reduce heat to low. Add cold butter one piece at a time. Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and stir to blend ingredients. Set aside.

Spinach: While sauce is cooking, start the spinach. Add the oil and garlic to a medium skillet over medium high heat until garlic turns soft. Lower heat to medium and add spinach. Saute spinach until its soaked with the oil and garlic and becomes limp. In the end add a bit of the sauce to the spinach and mix in (if you want).

Plate Chicken, place a scoop of spinach on top of the chicken, spoon sauce over plate. Crumbled goat cheese goes on last. Extra spinach is plated on the side. Bon Appetit!

Jacklyn Lorraine

Shore Style

Who says you need to live near the beach in order to enjoy the soothing colors and scenery of the crashing waves and sandy shores? For my living room, I've been inspired by "beach life" or should I say "the best life". To me, there is no better way to spend your time then on a beach with a book in your hand, while watching your husband bob up and down in the tide while searching for the perfect shells. And since our best memories and mementos are from the beach, I figured why not try to compass that feeling into our home. We already had the shells from trips past, beach themes tend to keep surfacing at home decor stores, and my shabby chic obsession lends itself nicely to the creams and aquas of the beach inspiration.

When my husband and I get an idea in our head it doesn't matter if it's 20 degrees outside, we will find a way to get it done. And that is precisely how this fireplace surround and bookshelves came to be. I wanted a larger fireplace mantle and my husband wanted bookshelves, so in the middle of January we threw on our down jackets, pulled on our gloves and 3 toe numbing days later we had our dream fireplace surround.

It's taken a while to fill all the shelves and decorate the mantel top. There are still some empty shelves but I am happy with what we have so far. It has really become a collection of items from our travels. Shells from our trips to Florida, aqua sea glass and a photo taken of us on our honeymoon sit atop the mantel.

A blue glass Ball jar filled with tiny white wild flowers adorn one of the many shelves. A clock I bought in England sits above it. I looked for one similar in the states, but never found one so I was overjoyed when I spotted this one overseas. On the top shelf sit my collection of Nicholas Sparks books.

The tiny antique jewelry box and eyelet pot filled with peonies and roses are treasures I also found in England. Below that sits more of my favorite books held in place by an A book end, standing for Adamo. One of our many wedding albums takes up one whole shelf. I thought the colors of the album went well with the surrounding decor.

Detail was a must for the fireplace surround. I knew I wanted molding details and dimension. We used small sand colored tiles to create the mosaic around the fireplace insert. I wanted a new mantle with an old world feel to it and I think we were able to achieve that.

Jacklyn Lorraine

Shore Style (continued)

Shelves flank the interior wall where I display some of our shell collection in a glass jar. A shell tiled mosaic mirror helps reflect light from the opposing window. A wooden lantern brings a rustic touch to the display. One of my flea market finds is tucked next it; the blue glass Ball jar I bought while in PA. Some tiny white daisy peek out of it's top.


Light gray walls framed by white molding keep with the soothing beach aesthetic we were looking for. The use of ivory objects was intentional. Mixing different whites and ivories gives the room that beach infused feeling. The black shelves are an eysore right now. When I find time they will get a fresh coat of cream paint as well.


Jacklyn Lorraine

Tiki Time

So have I mentioned my husband yet? Well let me introduce him now. He is my best friend, the love of my life and a multi-talented financial analyst/carpenter. By this I mean he's a Financial Analyst by day and a self taught carpenter by night and by night I mean in his free time. About a week ago he decided he wanted to build a Tiki Bar for our backyard and before our 4th of July party. So what do we have by July 4th? A Tiki Bar and a damn good one at that.

My only contribution to the whole thing was the Tiki Bar sign which you see below and the white wash look that I gave to the bar top. Other then that my hubbie designed, built, and painted this little island Tiki bar for our backyard.




Jacklyn Lorraine

4th of July

Happy 234th Birthday America! Our nations flag flying proud and true in our yard.

The gazebo in our backyard all decked out for our 4th of July Party. It was a beautiful day for a BBQ; a little on the hot side but at least it wasn't raining.

The orgami stars I created based off of Martha Stewarts red, white and blue garland. I used the same technique to make the stars, but I did different sizes and used fishing line to tie them to the roof of the gazebo for a whimsical feeling.

One of my junk finds were these old shutters. We haven't decide what we are going to do with them yet, but for the party they made a great backdrop for my July 4th banner.

I used red and white polka dot stationary cards for the letters, blue construction paper for the stars and red ribbon to hang them on. I thought this was a fun way to celebrate and who doesn't love polka dots.

Jacklyn Lorraine

Landscaping Inspiration

A view of our newest garden bed. I was inspired by a photo I found online that incorporated a seating area inside the garden. We have a very flat rectangular yard and we are always looking for ways to add depth and height. The extra setting area was also a huge plus. On a beautiful day like today it's always nice to sit in the garden and daydream.

A wider view of the bed. The plants were specifically chosen so that we have color in this area from spring till fall. Right now our butterfly bush is in full bloom and making quite a statement in this young bed. It's doubled in size since we bought it a few months ago. Perfect choice if you are looking for a fast growing perennial with beautiful blooms.

This is the picture that inspired our corner flower bed. I don't remember the site I found it on, but I thought it was a beautiful way of incorporating a seating area into your garden.

Jacklyn Lorraine

Red, White & Blue

Red, White and Blue Star Garland

I love being creative. Since we are hosting this years Fourth of July party I thought, why not make some of my own decorations? So I searched my favorite crafty guru, MarthaStewart.com. I found some great ideas for red, white and blue garland. Above are pictures of my work in progress. I also plan on making a July 4th banner that I found on bhg.com. Colorful dinnerware and serving dishes will help to bring the red, white and blue them home. God Bless America! Pictures of the decorations finished and in place to come.


Jacklyn Lorraine

Treasure Hunts in PA

Boy do I love stuff, not just any stuff but stuff that adds a certain character to your home or yard. Stuff that when displayed correctly can add a unique, cozy, inviting atmosphere to your home. My search for the perfect "stuff" took us to Adamstown and Kutztown, PA where the Antique Extravaganza was taking place this weekend. Below are some photos from the Extravaganza.

Outside one of the vendors at the Adamstown Shupp's Grove Market. This innovative seller took pieces that would otherwise be consider junk and re-purposed them in creative ways. She had birdhouses made out of wooden barrels with metal oil funnels as roofs. Old turn leg columns used as posts for American flags.

Piles of hidden treasures lined up outside one of the antique stores in Adamstown. You could pretty much find anything and nothing you needed here.

A very shabby chic display at a vendor in Kutztown's Renninger's Market. Her palette of soft neutrals caught my eye from a mile away. I wanted everything this woman had for sale.

All in all my search found me a few metal buckets, a handful of masonry jars, a tiny blue wooden wagon, 4 blue shutters and endless ideas. A successful trip, a few regrets of item's I passed up or couldn't afford, but there's always next time (which hopefully will come sooner rather then later) to find more junk.


Jacklyn Lorraine

Shabby Chic Shed?

Tiny Victorian Cottage found on nytimes.com.

White washed walls and floors, hundreds of yards of white floaty fabrics.

The front porch I've dreamed of my whole life. Maybe mine could be a little bigger, buts its better then no porch.

I am in love with this little Victorian Cottage. Even though it's an overstatement to really call this a cottage, it's more like the size of a one car garage, I adore every single element of it. I can't take the credit for finding this little beauty, it was actual my husband who found the article on nytimes.com and screamed "You have to see this, it's like your dream shed?!" Front porch with window boxes, white washed interior walls, yards and yards of flowing voile drapes, dream-like bedroom loft and crystal chandlers, what more could a girl ask for? The bedroom loft alone makes you want to put your finger to a spindle and fall asleep till prince charming wakes you up. I don't think this backwoods brilliant little designer is actually a professional but she sure does have an eye for classic beauty. An all white little playhouse for a princess, pretty but not practical. It seems this cottage is for sleeping beauty's only; cooking and bathroom breaks are strictly in the trailer outside. But when you have an escape like this fairy tale doll house, does it really matter that you really live in a trailer?

Jacklyn Lorraine