Christmas Tree Decorating Basics

This past weekend Chris, Jennifer & I rallied on a dreary Sunday to help Grandma decorate her tree.  Ok well to be fair, Chris did all the heavy lifting. My Aunt Rosemary unwrapped each individual ornament in preparation for hanging.  Then, Grandma directed Jennifer & I where to hang them.

Grandma has some ornaments that are 60+ years old.  Click through for some tips that I picked up from my Grandma on how to decorate a proper tree & keep your ornaments for years & years.

Fall Shoe Trend: Silver Oxfords

1. Forever 21 Sleek Pointed Oxfords | 2. French Connection Giovanna | 3. Y's by Yohji Yamamoto
4. DV BY DOLCE VITA Pepita Oxfords | 5. Mia Eleanor Oxford

Shoes make the outfit. Or at least that’s what my Grandma says & I’m sticking to it. I like to think of my shoe collection as not an addiction (it totally is & I should probably go to meetings) but as a tradition. My Grandmother loves shoes & has instilled this in me. We still discuss shoes at least once at every visit. Thanks Grandma for teaching me the way.

Most times, I don’t pay attention to what’s trending - I honestly just pick what I like & then I find out it’s trending. I like what I like, what can I say. So when I saw these silver oxfords I couldn’t stop thinking about them. I didn’t buy them when I first saw them & then it became a mission to find them in my size. I ended up buying them at DSW where they so graciously had them shipped from another store to my home because they didn’t have my size in stock. My grandmother also instilled the thrill of the hunt for a good deal in me so you can imagine the high I felt when I found these shoes in my size at a DSW price. I hope I made Grandma proud.

In case you want to find your own pair of silver oxfords for this fall season (which you really should - they go with everything!) I found some at all different price points. Grab the links in the photo caption.

Will you be wearing silver oxfords this season? If so, which ones would you pick?

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today I'm celebrating my Grandma Anna & dedicating this blog to her.  Today is her birthday!

Don't let the tiny frame of this birthday gal deceive you, she is tiny yet very mighty! She teaches & inspires me continuously.  She is the one who told me that shoes make the outfit so I credit her for my shoe addiction.  She has taught me to believe in angels.  She loves unconditionally & gives so much of herself to those in need while putting herself last.  She makes a mean meatball & has taught me how to express love through cooking for my family. She is forever whipping up something either in the kitchen or her sewing room.  She's the best. Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #8 Always Defrost Meat Completely

At our house growing up & at my grandma's house (where I also grew up) there was always a full second freezer for storing two month's worth of food either in a separate room (the laundry room at my parents' house) or the garage (at my grandma's). We don't have an extra freezer, yet, but ours is pretty full. I usually try to freeze chicken, shrimp & other meat in fear that I'll forget it in the back of my fridge where it will no doubt rot away - which would stink on all accounts.

One thing I've learned is that if you freeze your meat, always, always defrost it completely before you cook it. And don't do it in the microwave. Try to plan ahead & take it out in the morning or the night before & defrost it gradually. Defrosting it completely allows for it to cook evenly - so you won't get random raw or worse - frozen - spots in your meat all the while burning the outside.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Happy 85th Birthday Grandma!

This past Saturday we celebrated my grandmother’s 85th birthday with festive balloons, Chinese takeout & two delicious cakes. It was a perfect celebration. Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you.

Here are some of my favorite moments.

Better Home Cooking Basics: #48 Make your Lettuce Last Longer in a Container with a Paper Towel.

Every week I buy a large container of organic baby lettuces. On a good week I’ll finish the whole package spread out between meals. On a bad week I’ll scrunch up my nose & throw away my greens (& hard earned cash with it) because the tender baby lettuce leaves have wilted & worse have become mushy & have started to ooze some weird liquid that forms a nice sludge at the bottom of the container.

Greek Salad Party Kebabs

At my work we celebrate A LOT. It's pretty awesome. One of the things we celebrate for sure is birthdays. Each team member draws a name at the beginning of the year and then is in charge of the festivities for the person she has drawn. This year I got Jess.  As part of the Jess-tivities, I wanted to serve some food.  We're mad snackers in our office and Jess might just wear the crown jewel in that department which she literally gets from her mama (Happy Mother's Day Elizabeth!).

Since we would be celebrating in the happier hours of the day I thought we could just something refreshing and savory that would also pair nicely with some lets-drink-wine-at-work-to-celebrate-your-birthday-wine. They're super easy to make. No cooking involved. All you need to know is how to chop, spear, stir and pour to make these fancy little party kebabs.

Learn how after the jump!

Oh and of course: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to my Mama Jeannie, my grandma, Mary O and all of the fabulous mommies out there!

Struffoli (Honey Balls)

Ever since I was a little girl I loved eating these tasty honey balls, also known as struffoli, at Christmas. The dough isn't super sweet but the honey it's soaked in sure is, & there really isn't anything better except for the special sprinkles that I hoard specifically for decorating these every Christmas.

It's become tradition that I now make honey balls with my Great Grandma Borgia's recipe for Christmas Eve at my grandparent's house (for the 7 fishes!). Like the food we eat at Christmas I feel it all tastes better when it is shared, so I'm sharing this family recipe with you!

Merry Christmas!

Click through for our family recipe.

Cheesey Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you follow me on instagram you may have already seen the giant pile of mashed potatoes I made for Thanksgiving. We always have several kinds of potatoes, but my cousin Marco insists it's not Thanksgiving without mashed potatoes - so it we had mashed potatoes & it was officially Thanksgiving.  This year I added two of my favorite things to our potatoes - cheese & garlic - & mashed them with a supped up version of the potato masher that my cousin-in-law, Mariah, said would've made Grandma O'Hara proud.

Keep reading for my recipe. How do you make your mashed potatoes? Do you use a food processor or go for the full arm work out with a traditional masher?

PS: remember if you have a ton of leftover mashed potatoes you can reinvent them with this recipe!

A Convertible Dress

I save the best for last this week. The DRESS. I didn't make this dress but my mom sure did!

Photos by Erica Lynn; Dress by Jean Pesce (my mom!)

I wasn't one of those girls that had her wedding planned since childhood. I really didn't have any idea what I wanted.  The one thing I did know was that my mother would make my dress.  Lucky for me my mom is a professional seamstress -but she's more than that she's a true artist/designer.  

Shortly after Chris and I got engaged my mother and I got to planning the dress.  I told her I didn't know exactly what I wanted but I did know that I wanted a  convertible dress. I wanted a formal dress for the ceremony and a party dress to boogie down in at the reception.  Not knowing what my mom would say I was happy (and relieved) to find out that she was up for the challenge (and could've possibly been more excited than I was to make the dress).

As you can see the dress was truly convertible as well as beautiful.  I still really don't know how she did it being that we live about 11 hours (driving fast) apart.  With the help of email, photos, my grandma, my sister and my mama's sheer talent this dress came to fruition and was AHHHHHHHMAZING.  I still love it and want to wear it again.

Words can not describe how special and magical this dress truly was (and still is).  There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears  that went into it but the end result  was better than I could've dreamed. Thanks MOM! I LOVE YOU.

Raisin, Coconut & Oat Scones with a Maple Glaze

Scones will always remind me of the coffee house that I worked at in college. We always had them & they always sold out. I would always bring some to my mom when I could - she was (& still is) a huge fan of the scones at Immaculate Consumption. I of course ate them but I never made them.

This past weekend I decided I would finally give it a try. I combined a bunch of recipes to come up with mine which I can say I’m proud of. If you’ve never had a scone it’s like the love child of a biscuit and muffin. They can be sweet or savory. The ones I opted to make were sweet with raisins, coconut & a maple glaze. 

Have a great weekend! I hope you make these for breakfast :)

Dress to Impress (& Eat) on Turkey Day

1 | 2 | 3

We all want to dress to impress especially around the holidays. But I think we can all agree that we need to dress to eat, too! Some bad news, friends, if your sweats have pockets in them - that does not make them dressy - leave them at home.  Good news, there are dresses that will give your sweats a run for their money in comfort, earn you a compliment (or ten) & leave room for seconds.

Here are some of my tips for holiday dressing:

1. Pretty patterns are your friend:  If you are prone to wearing your dinner no matter how hard you try to get it in your mouth opt for patterns - they hide stains better.
2. Classic shifts & color blocking are chic & comfy: If your eyes are bigger than your stomach, opt for soft fabrics with either elastic waist bands or go uber chic with a shift (read: loose around the waist!) If you can find something with slimming color blocking like dress #2 - you'll have your fellow party-goers confused when you reach for seconds while maintaining your slim silhouette.
3. Consider the temperature where you're going: Is it always hot at Grandma's even if it's 30 degrees out? Then that sleeveless #3 is suddenly not a crazy idea but a good one.  If it's traditionally as chilly inside as it is outside opt for a sweater dress like #2 or another long-sleeved option like #1.

What are you wearing for the holidays?

Olive Oil Bundt Cake

We decided last night at Easter dinner that I will make the desserts for all family dinners at my grandma's house (with the addition of the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve where Chris will make his crab stuffed mushrooms & I'll make the honey balls). So desserts are my thing since my grandmother & aunt have the dinner down to feed a few small country instead of pint-sized family members. 

This Easter I made some new desserts which is always a risk but I think they went well.  The first of the two desserts I made was an olive oil cake. I've had olive oil cake at La Columbe & it was delish so I searched the internet for a recipe that spoke to me. I found Gina DePalma's recipe for an almond olive oil cake by way of Lottie + Doof's blog.

I know what you're probably thinking - olive oil cake - that's a little weird. And no this is not an April Fools joke (although, happy april fools!).  But honestly if you like pound cake, almonds & a buttery glaze - there is really nothing you won't love about this cake. It's pretty easy to make. Sure there's a few steps but it's not all that bad. Plus if you're making it for a holiday party that you don't have to cook an entire dinner for your family why not spend that time baking up this cake. I used our bundt pan because it gives the cake in interesting shape but you can definitely use a spring form pan or just a regular cake pan too, it'll still be delish.

Thanksgiving Appetizers

Clockwise from top left: A Simple Cheese Plate; Apple Parmesan Basil Bites; Whipped Feta Crostini; Simple Mushroom Crostini

My sister & I were talking about how we usually don't eat much the day of Thanksgiving - until we get to "the Thanksgiving" portion of the day.  If you're the same way you probably think the appetizers  (or antipasto at my Grandma's house) portion of the night is key since it might be one of the first things you're eating that day (besides all the tasting while cooking, of course).  These were some of my favorite simple, light appetizers from previous posts that I think would be great for Thanksgiving this year.

What are you making for appetizers?

A "Bon Bon" Gift Idea

This year I've been trying my hand at some homemade gifts.  I hope I have enough time for all that I've mentally put on my list (eeek!).

If you anticipated whipping up batches of baked goods for your friends & family but you have run out of time I have a "bon bon" (read: good good) idea for you: Bon Bons by Serena.

Ok, so your name is probably not Serena & these bon bons are not made in your home or my home, but they are homemade.

Serena stuffs classic short bread cookies with surprising fillings like maraschino cherries, dried apricots, chocolate (mmm chocolate) & lots of other tasty treats by hand. She then hand dips said cookies in homemade icings.  Yes, handmade, small batches of her grandma Jean Sabella's original bon bon recipe. They are bite-sized perfection.


To top it all off, Serena boxes these  "couture confections" in hand stamped boxes (can you feel the love people!!!).

With price points starting at $11.50 its the perfect gift for any secret santa on your list.  Head to Bon Bons by Serena & get your gift on with gifts like the holiday matriarch or a sweet box of brown sugar kisses!!!!

Better Home Cooking Basics: #10 Pasta Water Should Taste Like the Sea

If you want your pasta to taste like my grandma’s (& believe me you do) you absolutely must salt your water. I’m not talking a little sprinkle from the salt shaker. In fact, don’t use the salt shaker that you put on your table, or if you must please unscrew the top to get the salt out of it.  Add the salt right before you add your pasta (it should be at a rolling boil at this point). I usually add at least a tablespoon or two depending on the size of the pot & the amount of water. If you don’t know if you’ve added enough, taste the water. It should taste like the sea.  Adding salt before you cook the pasta is the best way to season your pasta. If you do it after it will just taste like salt on top of pasta. If you add it while you’re cooking it - it will simply taste like good pasta.

Check out more better home cooking basic tips here.

Reinvent Your Turkey Day Leftovers

It's the day after thanksgiving & I'm so thankful for a day chockfull of family, food & laughs. Oh, & leftovers.  What are you making with yours? These are some of the ways I've reworked leftovers in the past.

• For everything you brought home from grandma's house, try this sandwich
• For the mashed potatoes you can't get enough of, try these potato croquettes.

Pasta Bolognese

Every now & then I make something with red meat. As you probably know if you’ve stopped by before I’m not a huge fan of it, but Chris is so from time to time I’ll make it. This past Sunday I made a pasta bolognese from Anne Burrell’s recipe that I adapted to make my own. This bolognese sauce takes 3-4 hours (yes that long) to cook(!!!!) hence why it’s made on a Sunday. I actually cooked the sauce on a Sunday &  we ate it with pasta on a Monday.

This recipe is not particularly difficult (actually it’s pretty easy) but it does require a big time commitment. Growing up my family didn’t identify pasta bolognese sauce as a ‘thing’ it was just spaghetti & meatballs. When the meatballs broke apart in the sauce I guess that was our version of a bolognese sauce which I learned later in life (after waitressing on Mulberry Street) that it is a meat sauce. So this recipe isn’t a Grandma Pesce recipe but it is a good one & I’d make it again.
 

PS: Happy Birthday Amanda! I love you & hope this is your best year yet! (In hindsight I really should've made manicotti huh? :)!)

How-To Store Fresh Herbs

I don't have much luck with keeping potted plants alive. The green thumb gene seemed to skip over me since both my mom & grandma could grow a jack a bean stalk from a Mexican jumping bean with googley eyes glued to it. I really love fresh herbs, one day I'll grow (not kill) my own but until then I'll probably continue to buy them at the super market. In hopes to keep them as fresh as possible my new goal is to do a better job of storing them. It's actually really simple & only takes a few minutes of prep.

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

If you’re looking for a summer dessert this is it. I love rhubarb & have traditionally enjoyed it most in a strawberry rhubarb pie (mmmm). My aunt is allergic to strawberries so when deciding on what to bring for (Easter) dessert at my Grandma’s house I opted for this Rhubarb-Almond Cake. It’s light but moist. It’s sweet, but not too sweet. The rhubarb offers the right amount of tartness to make you want seconds.