Sunday Supper Success!

The groundhog must have seen his shadow, or vice versa.  Whatever he has to do to indicate winter may never end.  Although I’m nearly over it, there are some great things about winter.  Red wine. Fires in the fireplace.  And hearty meals.  I had the most perfect winter meal at a recent Sunday Supper. The Wrights made the Pioneer Woman’s Sunday Night Stew. 

It’s as if Ree Drummond wrote this recipe just for us. It did not disappoint. The recipe is rather involved and if you’re anything like me you are always looking for a shortcut in the kitchen.  To expedite the potato mashing process, be sure to get an immersion blender. You can find them at Target, Amazon, or Williams Sonoma.  This trusty kitchen tool will save time and a good bit of elbow grease.  I have used the immersion blender to make this tomato soup as well.  It’s both easy and tasty! Our first Sunday Supper included this short rib recipe.  A perfect winter dish.  (The key is a good sear).  We served these with sweet potato gnocchi (complete fail).  Note: I would recommend picking up take-out gnocchi or serving with mashed potatoes.  Hopefully the weather is turning a corner and we will all be enjoying some warmer weather soon.  In the meantime, I hope these hearty meals help to get you through the rest of the cold!

Next Stop, CA!

It’s Friday!  This cold weather has me dreaming of summer vacation.  I mentioned previously that Craig and I declared 2014 the year of travel!  We spent a long weekend in Napa earlier this year and right now I wish I could go back.   We ate and drank our way through the Napa Valley!  We stayed at the Napa Valley Railway Inn.  It was an inexpensive option located centrally in Yountville.  It was the perfect location as we could walk to lots of good restaurants and other local vineyards.  Planning a trip to Napa soon?  Here are some suggestions of places to eat and things to do!

Food: As I mentioned, we ate and drank our way through Napa.  Here are some of my favorites!

Bouchon

Ad Hoc

Archetype

Gott’s Roadside

Oxbow Public Market

Redwood

Drinks at Bardessono Hotel

Wine:  One of the best things we did was a wine tour.  We had several suggestions including Small Lot Wine Tours, and Flex Wine Tours.  The nice part about a wine tour is their ability to customize the day for you! I recommend splitting tastings.  Craig and I split a tasting for one and had more than enough.  It can turn into a long day!

Vineyards:  We were able to walk and drive to a handful of vineyards throughout the Napa Valley.  I would recommend the vineyards below:

            Laird Family Estate

            Artesa Vineyards and Winery

            Cakebread Cellars

Kelham Vineyards

Last but not least, pick up a wine-checking box so you can pack and check your wine for your flight home.  Most of the vineyards sell these boxes.  Make sure you get to the airport with plenty of time to check your wine. If you don’t allow yourself enough time you just may end up missing your flight (getting re-routed through DC for a few hours of sleep and flying out Monday morning in time to get back to Nashville for work.  Don’t ask.)!!  Another option is shipping.  Most vineyards will ship your wine back home for a fee.  All in the name of wine!

Have you been to Napa?  What were your favorite spots? 

Reconnect When You're Too Connected

Our schedules are crazy busy these days.  Mondays are bachelor/bachelorette nights. Wednesday is bowling night. Tuesday or Thursday might be drinks with friends.  We need to slow down.  When we first got married I had grand plans of celebrating life’s everyday moments.  Inspired by the team over at Today’s Letters, I tried to be intentional of building “fun” into every night.  I googled “things presidents ate” for presidents day dinner.  I made Craig have a picnic in the living room floor one day in the middle of winter.  Then, life got in the way.  I realized I didn’t have to make every day a celebration but did need to celebrate every day.  Now Craig and I focus on family meals at the dinner table rather than in front of the television.  It’s nothing fancy, just he and I and our plates.   But, it does allow us to stop and focus on us rather than on our phones and the television.  Once or twice a week we are intentional about turning on some music, pouring a glass of wine, and just enjoying each other’s company.   What do you do to unwind and reconnect? 

The Addition Begins

After our kitchen renovation, we got the bug. We had a great time picking out tile, space planning, and getting to a final product that was something that felt so much like us.  A few years later we realized it was time for more space.  And, we were faced with the decision to look for a slightly larger house or to add space on to our existing home.  Starting the process, we looked around for properties in the neighborhoods where we wanted to live.   Location, location, location, right?  After looking at properties in these areas, we decided it made more sense to add on to our current home.  Our neighborhood is undergoing a lot of change at the moment.  We’re getting new restaurants, new homes, more retail.   We’re excited about where the neighborhood and adjacent areas are heading.

Once we made the decision, we thought about our short-term needs and wants, as well as our long-term goals.  We tried to plan for what we needed now while allowing us the flexibility to make other changes later if we decide to stay here for the long haul.  The design process forces you to determine what it is that matters most and how you want your home to feel.  What is most important?  What can you live without?

One thing that was important to us was keeping the original look of the house unchanged.  We decided to add on to the house going straight back.  The addition would tack onto the back of the existing house connecting by tearing down the back wall of the existing house. Wanting the outside of the house to reflect all of the work we had done on the inside, we spruced it up with some paint and landscaping.  Here’s a look at the floor plan.  Stay tuned for room-by-room reveals!