cff Simple and Serene Living: recipe
Posts with the label recipe
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

GOOD BOOKS AND MUFFINS

I have been so engrossed with reading lately that I have forgotten other things.

Those other things are writing my blog posts.

muffins books and tea


No matter the time of year, I can't think of anything more enjoyable that settling down with a great book, a cup of tea or coffee, and some freshly baked muffins.

Good Reads

I have been so engrossed in my latest read that I haven't done much else.

Fellowship Point is an outstanding novel. 

Fellowship Point

Alice Elliott Dark is also the author of In The Gloaming.

“An ambitious and satisfying tale” (The Washington Post), Fellowship Point reads like a 19th-century epic, but it is entirely contemporary in its “reflections on aging, writing, stewardship, legacies, independence, and responsibility. At its heart, Fellowship Point is about caring for the places and people we love...This magnificent novel affirms that change and growth are possible at any age” (The Christian Science Monitor).
I believe that the two women in this story encompass every woman. 
Their differences along with their shared experiences weave their lives together.
I stayed up late this weekend and got up early because I couldn't put it down until my eyes were too gritty to see the pages. 
I also was finally able to read two other books I had been waiting on.
Jacqueline Winspear's  Maisie Dobbs series is one of my favorites and I was skeptical about her newest book The White Lady featuring a new heroine.
Would I like it? Would it be as good?
I could have saved myself some handwringing. It was absolutely as good. 
The White Lady


The other book I finished last week was the latest book by Deborah Crombie.

I always enjoy her Duncan Kinkaid and Gemma James novels and this was no exception.

Nothing better than a good British mystery.

a killing of innocents


Muffin Recipe


I recently found this delicious recipe for cinnamon banana bread muffins and decided to whip it up Sunday afternoon.

So glad I did because they are yummy.

muffins

I followed the original recipe exactly except I substituted gluten-free flour.

Have a great day and I would love for you to check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork.

This post contains affiliate links

Read post

GOOD BOOKS AND MUFFINS

Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

CREATIVE EASTER EGGS

I don't know about you, but when I was growing up dying Easter eggs meant that my mom would boil some eggs, and we would dye them using food coloring.

PAAS Easter egg dye kits

When my daughters were young we used PAAS dye. The magic crayon was always a hit.

Featured Easter Eggs

Although I think most children still love using PAAS to decorate their eggs I love looking at all of the fantastic decorated eggs that artists and crafters create these days.

These precious eggs were created using stickers from her artwork by msnastyi.

hand painted easter eggs

She sells some adorable stickers, but this close to Easter I was looking for something for the grandkids that was a little closer to home and are good for kid use.

Amazon has some cute stickers that are kid adorable.

Neeneetwigs has repurposed old quilt scraps into eggs and a basket. I love these for a cottage Easter.

quilt easter eggs

These handpainted eggs by marinamina178 are gorgeous. I would want to leave these out year-round with their beautiful flowers.

handpainted eggs

Recipe

Easter isn't Easter for my family without deviled eggs.

I remember my mom making them, then me, then my daughter Katy, and now it is back to me. 

deviled eggs


Halve 6 hard-cooked eggs lengthwise.
Remove yolks and mash with the following ingredients.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
dash pepper

Sprinkle paprika on top if desired.

What I Am Doing

I am working on getting back into an exercise routine. 

I love walking, but my neighborhood is too hilly, and walking up and down my hall is not fun, although I do it.

We have an exercise bike downstairs so I have started going two miles on it several times a week. I hope to up it to every day.

On nice days I have been spending an hour or so sitting outside and reading. It is very relaxing.

I have so many old books on my shelves and I am pulling them out and rereading them. It is like meeting up with old friends.

I love Phyllis A Whitney's books but they are hard to find now.  

I am currently reading The Turquoise Mask 

The Turquoise Mask Phyllis A Whitney

Have a great day and I would love for you to check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork. There is currently a 15% off sale going on shopwide.

This post contains affiliate links













 










Read post

CREATIVE EASTER EGGS

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 2/14/2023

Happy Valentine's Day to those of you who celebrate it.

I see it as a day to celebrate love. 

Not just romantic love, but all love.

I love you

I love all of you for your support, kindness, and friendship.

Home Interior Finds

I love scrolling through Instagram and looking at all of the wonderful decor ideas on there.

It is especially exciting to come across a home that you fall in love with. 

It happened to me recently when I came across @mollyinmaine and even more exciting when I saw that she has a Molly In Maine blog.

We all know how much I love blue and white and she has an abundance of it to reflect the sea that is outside her windows.

cozy living room with blue and white

Mickie @cottageonmainst is creating a cozy home in a 1912 fixer-upper farmhouse.

Can I have those gorgeous floral prints, please?

antique floral prints

Linda @stonecottage2250 has a wandering mind and appreciative eye.

Who could resist lunching at this beautiful table in your own home library?

beautiful lunch table in home library

Wendy is enjoying a beautiful Queenslander life @my1925cottage

Queenslander cottage living room

Margyl has created a beautiful farmhouse style home in Utah @theoldhouseonmain

farmhouse style bedroom

Good Eating

Over the weekend when it was chilly and rainy my mind turned back to comfort food. 

Of course, it's Georgia, so yesterday brought back spring weather.

Still, when I got home after an afternoon with family I felt like some comfort food and this Butternut Squash Soup With Apples sounded perfect. 

butternut squash soup with apples

I have always loved butternut squash soup but the apples add some sweetness that is a whole new twist.

Happy Reading

I am always looking for a good whodunnit mystery and I have just settled down with this one.

The Maid

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • “A heartwarming mystery with a lovable oddball at its center” (Real Simple), this cozy whodunit introduces a one-of-a-kind heroine who will steal your heart.


ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Reader’s Digest
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Washington Post, The Guardian, Glamour, Elle, PopSugar, Newsweek, Mental Floss, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews

I love that the central character is an ordinary girl that finds herself in a spot of trouble. 

Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened. Will they solve the mystery in time?

Have you discovered any great new mysteries lately? If so, I would love your recommendations. 

featured spaces and more

Have a great day and I would love for you to check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork.

This post contains affiliate links











Read post

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 2/14/2023

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 2/07/2023

Sunday while dusting off some of my blue and white transferware, and believe me the whole apartment needs a good dusting, I decided to look online at how other people are using it (transferware not dusting) in their own homes.

You can read the history behind my blue and white transferware here.

Transferware

Blue And White Decor

This cabinet full of stunning dishes from @porcelainehouse  literally took my breath away.

transferware collection

Erzsebet Klubal from @nordvindien has the most amazing collection of transferware. 

It has me dreaming of summer days and afternoon coffee in a beautiful garden.

blue and white transferware collectiom

Just in case you have a few too many transferware plates for your china cabinet @justinamariehome has created this beautiful wreath.

transferware plate wreath

@addictedtochina has set the sweetest Valentines Day table with these heart shaped dishes.

heart shaped blue and white dishes

Blue and white transferware is always perfect in the kitchen and Nancy from @NancysDailyDish has paired hers up perfectly with copper pots.

blue transferware in the kitchen

Good Eating

Did someone say cannoli? I have always been a big fan of  a cannoli as long as someone else is making it. 

"This pie is sort of a cross between a no-bake cheesecake and a cannoli. It’s easy to make and super delicious."

Perfect for Valentines Day.


If you are gluten free like me you can use gluten free vanilla wafers for the crust.

Tools That Are Recommended For This Recipe:







Have a great day and I would love if you would check out my Etsy shop where I sell vintage and antique finds along with digital downloads of beautiful antique artwork.

featured spaces and more
This post contains affiliate links.









Read post

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 2/07/2023

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 1/31/2023

In my last post, I talked about our false spring in Georgia. 

Even though our spring-like days are intermittent, they still have me thinking of the warm days ahead.

Fabulous Home Decor

Okay, I know I don't have a porch of my own, but that doesn't keep me from drooling over other people's porches.

I love this rustic back porch at Blue Willow Home And Farm. It reminds me of summers in the country when I was growing up. 

rustic country porch

Are you sick of cold weather, piles of snow, and just plain old winter? 

Even though my weather is much milder I know I am so ready for bright sunny days. 

How sunny and bright is this living room by Lantern Lane Designs. 

It would be hard to feel gloomy here.

bright and sunny living room

We can't all have a 19th century apartment in Paris and an 18th century home on Cape Cod, but we can drool over Cedar and Limestones. 

We can also add a beautiful gold mirror to make us feel like we are living French chic. 

french gold mirror decor
An English cottage kitchen? Yes please.

Whats' not to like about racks filled with beautiful plates, antiques, ceiling beams, and even a place for your sweet dog.

Find out more at Decor Curator.

English country cottage kitchen

I absolutely love everything about this living room. I could happily settle in for an afternoon of reading.

Find out more about how this room came together here.

english style living room

Good Eating

Growing up in Canada where winters were extremely cold and seemed to go on forever I can remember that one of my favorite cold weather meals was good old fashioned beef stew.

My mom cooked a lot of fancy meals, but no meal was better than this.

I loved walking in the door after school or a day of ice skating to the smell of a pot of it simmering on the stove. 

You don't have to live in the frozen north to appreciate a bowl of stew for dinner.

Paula Deen has created a stew that will definitely warm you up. 

Paula Deen old time beef stew

So did you save room for dessert?

You will definitely want to try a piece of this chocolate chip cookie pie.

It's warm and gooey with a shortbread cookie crust.

Okay, I know spring is just around the corner and you are worried about fitting into those shorts, but you have just enough time for one more indulgence.

chocolate chip cookie pie

Great Reads

My wonderful grandson gave me the latest Louise Penny book that I have been dying to read and I finally had a chance to start in on it this week. 

A World Of Curiosities is just as great as all of her other books. I love the suspense along with her superb writing. 

From Amazon:

It’s spring and Three Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge.

But something has.

As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the village of Three Pines.

But to what end?

Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?

As Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up.

As the bricks are removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden messages warning of mayhem and revenge.

In unsealing that room, an old enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very heart of Armand Gamache’s home.

Louise Penny A World Of Curiosities

Visit my shop on Etsy where you will find professionally curated vintage and antique finds along with antique digital artwork available for immediate download.

featured spaces and more 1/31/2023
This post contains affiliate links

Read post

FEATURED SPACES AND MORE 1/31/2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Thursday, September 15, 2022

BEDROOM WALL DECOR

 Simple Pleasures #

For me, nothing defines a space more than what you hang on your walls.

Recently I shared how I updated the hanging shelf in my bedroom.

Since then I have been adding to the other wall spaces in my bedroom.

vintage wall art

(My bedroom is very dark so I apologize for the quality of these photos.)

Today I thought I would share more of that wall.

This is the space above my bed.

wall art

In the center is a signed original oil painting that I purchased several years ago from an estate sale in Kentucky.

It is based on an oil painting titled "Whistling Boy" by Duveneck.

I believe that it may have been done by one of his students. 

I paid $10 for it and it is definitely one of my best purchases.

It is surrounded by four framed vintage butterfly prints that belonged to my mom.

Since people often ask me how I have decorated my home on a budget I plan to share more of my finds in the near future.


As we move into fall we look forward to the coziness of a new season.

Simple Inspiration

moving into fall quote

Inspiring Reads From Around The Web







Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins

Hot tea and muffins are definitely favorites of mine when cooler weather rolls around.

Whether first thing in the morning or mid-afternoon they are a perfect combination. 

I am always looking for new ways to use my overly ripe bananas and these muffins are a very tasty way to do just that. 

gluten free blueberry banana muffins

These muffins contain very little fat, so they don't even have to be a guilty pleasure.

You can find the recipe here.

If you love banana bread check out my favorite recipe here.

What I Am Watching

Have you watched Abbott Elementary?

Of my goodness, I don't think I have ever laughed so hard.

Abbott Elementary

I am currently catching up on season one on Hulu because season two starts next week.

In a world where everything seems to be bad news, this will definitely brighten up your day.

Let's Shop

Shackets From Amazon
Amazon

fall pillow covers
Amazon

fall placemats
Amazon

fall throw blanket
Amazon

fall wreath
Amazon

Yesterday I got my Omicron booster. I am doing everything I can to avoid getting covid and to help stop its spread. I hope you will consider getting your booster too.

Thank you for your visit.

More Simple Pleasures

Visit my Etsy shop for vintage and antique collectibles and printable art.

bedroom wall decor


This post contains affiliate links.

Read post

BEDROOM WALL DECOR

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Latest photos from simpleandsereneliving

© Simple and Serene Living. Design by Kate.