in preparation for the baby, i think nesting is kicking in and not just in the nursery. we recently did a little revamp in our bathroom. thanks to young house love, we discovered extra long shower curtains. so, we changed out our too short one and put in this nice long white one
just now, this sweet heart loop formed at my feet and it made me smile. funny how the littlest things can cheer you up!
hope you’re having a good day. it’s dreary out where i am. i wish the sun was shining so that i could take product pictures. i have lots of updating to do!
a few years ago, kacey’s family began a tradition of serving hot browns for breakfast the day after thanksgiving. my sister-in-law made them one year and they were a huge hit! they’re perfect for the day after turkey day since they use up some of that leftover turkey everyone has! i look forward to them every year.
my sister-in-law tweaked the original recipe to make it easier to feed a larger group. with her permission, i thought i’d share it with all of you!
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thanksgiving hot browns // serves 8-10
8 oz. whole butter
8 oz. all purpose flour
2 qt. heavy cream
2 qt. milk
2 beaten eggs
ground nutmeg
2 cups pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, plus 4 tablespoons for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
3 lbs. leftover turkey
8 slices of texas toast (crust trimmed)
16 slices of crispy bacon
8 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
paprika
parsley
in a large saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. whisk heavy cream and milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in pecorino romano cheese until the mornay sauce is smooth. then, slowly wisk in the beaten eggs. return to a low heat stirring constantly until sauce thickens. remove from heat, grate in a large pinch of nutmeg (i like grating fresh from whole nutmeg), add salt and white pepper to taste (black or red is fine, but it will effect sauce color). cook bacon. [to save time, these steps can be done a day or two in advance and refrigerated.]
toast bread. cut roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet. broil in oven until lightly charred.
tear/shred leftover turkey and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish, top with mornay sauce, reheat in microwave until warm. then broil in oven until cheese begins to brown and bubble. crumble large chunks of crispy bacon over top of casserole.
for each hot brown, top 1-2 slices of toast with turkey mornay casserole. take the two halves of roma tomato and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. sprinkle entire plate with additional shredded parmesan cheese, paprika and parsley. enjoy!
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posting will be light for the rest of the week as we wrap up a few projects and spend time with family. happy thanksgiving!
photo via the brown hotel
a good friend just sent me the loveliest blanket she knitted. it makes me want to turn up the ac and snuggle.
if you like the pattern, it’s the mayfield afghan and you can find it here.
I promise to share some of our Paris trip really soon [we've got a ton of pictures to sort through!], but in the meantime, I thought I’d pop in and share this exhibit I just discovered via Wide Open Spaces. It’s called Living Perfume, and it’s going on right now in NYC at Henri Bendel [poo, that it's too far away to go!].
As I have mentioned before, I have a bit of a miniature perfume collection myself, and I love them. Each label and bottle shape is so unique and special. I love finding them in antique shops all over the place. I even found a couple in Paris. They quickly found their way home with me.
The ones pictured above came from my paternal grandmother. They are vintage ones she picked up on a trip to Paris a very, very long time ago. They are teenie tiny [the smallest pictured is an inch tall]. And there are ten of them in a long, skinny French box. These little perfumes belonged to my mom, and she gave them to me when I was little. I treasure them.
This weekend, the weather was divine, so we took full advantage. Here’s a little snippet of what we did. We watched a bit of dragon boat racing, did some gardening and hosted a little bbq. Lots of fun with wonderful friends.
Hope you had a great weekend!
I try to keep fresh flowers around the house. Tulips. Peonies. Renuculas. Baby’s Breath. Whatever I can find at a local market. I find that they are an easy way to perk up photos. Last night, however, I was about to start photographing an invite when I realized I didn’t have any flowers. So, I went to the garden and plucked this Gardenia from our newly planted tree. The smell was intoxicating. One of my favorite floral scents.
I’m a huge, huge butter fan, and I snatched this Irish butter up when I spotted it at our local market this weekend. It’s quite delish!
Reading up on Paris, I’ve come across several mentions of how good French butter is. I can’t wait to slather some on a nice baguette! Soon. Real soon.
We finally got to tackle our flower bed this weekend. We sprinkled in new Petunias, Snapdragons, Impatients, Pansies and a Gardenia tree. Lots of work, but the weather was beyond perfect. Warm with a nice cooling breeze.
Hope you had a good weekend!
The first King Cake of the season has officially made its way into our home. This one is true New Orleans style - my favorite! And oh so tasty!
Well, technically not a whole day. But we did enjoy a bit of snow for a few hours this morning. A very unfamiliar site for Louisiana.
I spent the day today doing a little holiday decorating. Wrapped a few presents. Put up our stockings and our little tree!
