Happy Thanksgiving Ina!

  I've watched two Thanksgiving episodes of Barefoot Contessa this week and her meals come out so beautifully.  My mom is making the turkey and stuffing, my mother-in-laws is making a few veggie dishes.  I will be making riced potatoes, mac&cheese, since my husband and I don't eat turkey, but I am thinking about it, and for the cousins, rice crispy treats and polenta cake.  And for today's Ina recipe, roasted vegetables, her whole meal looks amazing, but I'm only doing the veggies this year.  I'm excited to decorate my table, I just got my parents wedding china (they're divorced) so I'm excited to do a fancier table than I'm use to.

Thanksgiving Oven-Roasted Vegetables


Ingredients
2 small fennel bulbs, tops removed

1 pound fingerling or small potatoes

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the fennel bulbs into 6 wedges each, cutting through the core to keep the wedges intact. Place on a sheet pan. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place them on the pan with the fennel. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the fennel and potatoes and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss with your hands.

Place the Brussels sprouts on a separate sheet pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and toss with your hands.

Roast the vegetables in the same oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, tossing once while cooking.

Combine the vegetables in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.


Has anyone gotten her newest cookbook?  I flipped through it at Costco and I seemed like a lot of meat dishes, which isn't ideal for me.  I thought I might ask for it for Christmas.

Pecan Squares

Can't decide what to make for dessert on Thanksgiving, but these are one the maybe list.  They look so

much better than pie.  Maybe it's the chololate.

Ingredients

Crust:

nocoupons

1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt



Topping:
1 pound unsalted butter

1 cup good honey

3 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.


For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Sent back

I ended up send the French Linen bedspread back.  It wasn't quite what I wanted.  I was so bummed.  It was a little dark, or dirty in color and it was very rough.  And then I realized that it was dry clean only.  So the search for a new bedspread continues.  Also, I think we might have found a bed. 

  I love that it doesn't need box springs.  For a bed right now, we have a futon base, that is about one and a half feel off the ground.  It works fine, but we're looking for a permanent bed.  The futon doesn't need a box spring either, because it has slates built into the base.  It is from canvas and the only down side is you can't return it and we can't look at it in person until we buy it.  But it looks exactly what we were imagining.  So we'll see.

I have a tone of pictures of projects and painting I have done.  So stay tuned.

Delicious Fall Dinner

Last Friday I made this risotto instead of Ina's.  It was just a tad simpler because I didn't have to roast the squash.  But I will get around to it soon.

This chicken and dumpling soup came from here and my mom and I made it last week and it was amazing.  It was so simple and light, but filling.  It would be great for a busy weeknight cause you can do almost everything in advance.

Also made it with bean salad and Brussels sprouts.  The Brussels sprouts were by far the hardest, but totally worth it.

Ina's Risotto

It's finally feeling like fall here and I think I'm going to make this tonight.  I even have butternut squach from my garden.


1 butternut squash (2 pounds)


2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 ounces pancetta, diced

1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and serve.


Give it a try.  I'll let you know if I make it.

Ina's Baked Brie

I'm back with another Ina Thursday.  It's been several weeks since the last one, but it was so delicious I spent the last few weeks of summer making it several times.  But it's time for something else.

My husband eats cheese like it's a member of all four food groups.  We have brie a couple times a month, at least, for dinner.  Sometimes with honey, sometimes without.  We also have it with apples, strawberries roasted whole garlic cloves and fresh crusty bread,  I cut a head of garlic in half, horizontally, oil it and put it in the oven about 5 minutes before the brie.  Squeeze the gloves out of the papery skin when done and they will spread like butter on the bread.






Ingredients


1/4 wheel brie

4 tablespoons honey

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.



Place the brie on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper and drizzle with the honey. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it starts to ooze but not melt.

Serve with crackers.

It's Ina Thursday!

Today is the very first Ina Thursday.  Every Thursday I'll be featuring one of the Barefoot Contessa's wonderful recipes.  She's my fav and so adorable, She deserves her own day.

First up is Herbed Grilled Shrimp.

  

2 pounds shrimp (16 to 20 per pound) peeled and deveined

3 cloves garlic minced

i medium yellow onion, small dice

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

1  teaspoon dry mustard

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lemon juiced

Combine all ingredients and allow to sit for one hour at room temperature or over and refrigerate for up to two days.

Put 3 or 4 shrimp on a skewer and heat an oiled grill.  Cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until pink.

I love these with skewered vegetables on the grill.

                                

It's Mine

So I am new to One Kings Lane, but man am I glad I joined when I did.  I have been eyeing  French Laundry bedding for awhile now, but the price tag is hard to swallow.  But this morning I opened my email and there it was.  The sale had only been going for 30 minutes and a lot of stuff was already gone.  This beauty was already on hold, so I kept checking and finally it came up and I snatched it.  Hurray for me.  I'll take some pictures when it come and I get it on the bed.  There area some pillow left, but I can't quit decide, so I think I will wait on those. 

I was actually thinking of going to restoration hardware this morning and getting these.

I actually have been having a hard time deciding whether or not to get these.  I think they would be amazing on my front porch and they are at a great price.  But I just wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to any kind of accessory yet.  So it must have been fate.  I would much rather have a awesome blankie than lanterns.

Pretty please

I love love love these oxfords.  I'm def going to be watching for these on sale.  Perfect when I don't feel like wearing my heavier boots heading into fall.

As son as the squash in my garend is ready, I'm making these!

Watch-It!

It's the season Finale to Friday Night Lights tonight. It's the BEST show on tv right now. If you've never watched it, start from the beginning, by the time you make it to the fourth season, it should be on dvd. One you start you won't be able to stop, I promise.

Look at that face.  If this doesn't motivate you to watch this show, nothing will.  He is a sex machine.

Awesome stuff

If you are not reading My Favorit and my Best's review about Design Star, then you are missing out. RUN RUN now over there and feel validated.

Uggo Bathroom

So we moved into this house a little over two months ago and there were four rooms that HAD to be painted. I started with the smallest and quickest project, the bathroom. Of course I didn't take a before picture, but there is a little of the red left in the paint can. It was almost orange-red.

I love Love Love this M-Fer. I can not stop looking at it. My husband things I'm rediculou. But I don't care. It is the only bathroom I use now.

I stole the idea from young house love. I did however choose my own colors. They are B. Moore Aura in linen white in satin and cumulus cloud in eggshell. Aura is the BEST BEST paint I've ever used. It covers incredibly smooth and thick. This paint is going to last longer than I want it to. Totally worth the price.

For the time being, the black trim is going to stay. It doesn't drive me crazy like some of the other painting schemes in the house. Eventually I'll get to it.

Sad

Still trying to get the hang of this blog thing. My layout is a little messy, so I'll be working on that. First things first. The name of this blog was a play on one of my favorite shows, New Adventures of Old Christine. But come to find out, as I was starting this, that is has been canceled. Damn. Old well, it is suppose to be going into syndication this fall, I think? I don't know why every show one TV that is actually good and funny has to be canceled while shit shows stay on the air FOREVER. That's right, I'm talking to you According to Jim.

Next up, I traded my red and black bathroom for neutral stapes and I looks f-ing amazing if I do say so myself.