for your sweetie..

 

Valentine's is always such a difficult holiday around my house.  The hubby is a non believer... his Valentine gift usually consist of a king size peanut butter cup.  The good news is that I do love the peanut butter cup!  What type of Valentine are you? Breakfast in bed type? Cakes? Chocolates? Dinner?  Gifts? Weekends away?  If I had my way it would be with some sweets, preferably homemade, and a plant-able flower.

On a side note... it was brought to my attention that there has been trouble with checking out in the Shop.. well it is all fixed up now!  I apologize if you wanted to order and were not able to!  Please take a minute to go back and make your purchases with a 10% discount- just use the code OOPS at check out through the weekend!

 

 

top image via ikea/food images via

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weekend wishes...

 

Last weekend we had a chance to snack and relax a bit and I am hoping to squeeze that in sometime this weekend too.  It is always a challenge to take a step back and really try and relax a bit.

This week has been very inspiring to say the least... here's a little of what I love!

These sweet prints make me miss Paris.. a lot!  

I am pretty sure we need to make this sandwich for lunch/dinner this weekend... yumm

Saw this little gold table at Target and I am pretty sure we must have at least one!

Picked up an army jacket last week and I love it.

I have been busy reading away and fell in love with Ten Tiny Breaths by K. A. Tucker.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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Christmas Two Thousand and Thirteen

I hope that everyone had a wonderful and joyous holiday! 

Like some of you, we lost power the night before Christmas Eve due to the major ice storm that swept the Northeast and Midwest. The power came back on Christmas night (thanks to the help of crews from other states to help mend fallen power lines) and we rejoiced. 

Here a few scenes from the last week. 

I bought about a dozen battery-operated candles for the house, which I love! Little did I think that they would also come in handy when the power was out. It's great that they can run all night without worry - I am a huge fan of them. I think that we'll continue to leave a few out throughout the year. 

I started my amaryllis and paper white bulbs about a week before Christmas, so we haven't enjoyed their blossoms quite yet. Perhaps they will be here by the New Year. 

A quiet glimpse into the snowy wonder. 

I never tire of the scene just outside that window. 

I snapped this picture on our Christmas Eve. We postponed the holidays for a couple of days when the power was out, because it was just too hard to keep up with simple tasks of keeping everybody warm and fed. So after we regained power, our delayed Christmas Eve felt extremely warm and cozy - for both heart and soul. 

Here is the living room, enjoying the twinkle of the candles (battery operated) and tree lights. 

My dear friend Kate told me about this lovely Swedish chime candle that she'd been enjoying with her sweet twin boys. I ordered one for our family and our little dumplings just love watching the angels spin around and ring the chimes. We lit it every night, and will continue to until the candles have expired. 

Christmas morning. 

And of course, there's the food...There's always the food. So good. 

Using local organic carrots and butternut squash, Mike made an AMAZING soup. 

AMAZING. We had something similar at one of our favorite local bakeries and our sweet dumplings gobbled it up. 

With a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top, it's especially festive. 

Mike also made some buckwheat pancakes. We have a wheat and egg allergy in our family so we've been exploring new recipes. This recipe requires no added sugar as the pureed dates provide the sweetness. They were fantastic. Locally harvested maple syrup helps make them the perfect breakfast treat. 

There were also sweet potato muffins, which we made for our new neighbors. Mike's last batch (he made four) had a couple of minutes left when the power went out. He also made a special version for us that were wheat and egg free. 

I ended up eating about a half dozen during the power outage. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! 

xoCatherine 

weekend wishes...

 

So little time left to get all of the racing around taken care of..  I hope you have it all wrapped up and ready to go so that you can relax and enjoy this holiday season!  

A few little things that might help..

A little bit of this could not hurt anyone right? 

I fell for this new little phone case.. I may be obsessed with phone cases though so don't take my word for it- mine is arriving shortly!.! 

Gucci, horses and macarons.. perfection.

Getting ready for New Years??!!   We all need a wish to get it started!
A little inspiration from Christmas past here on greige.

Happy weekend!

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homemade granola...

 

I know I don't post a lot of food here on the blog... but I am hoping that will be changing. 

Just like last year I wanted to challenge myself to do a little something in hopes of bettering myself in the year to come.  So here is a confession.. I don't cook much- shh.  Life is busy and to be honest I am not a food lover, I have often wished there was a way to be full and eat without taking all of the time.  I know I know- there are so many things out there that taste so wonderful, I just don't like to take the extra time.  Anyway, that leads me to my challenge for this year (I am counting the year from my birthday to my birthday) I am going to try and make dinner for my family at least 3 times a week.  Please don't gasp or judge!  I am hoping that it will become a good habit much like my habit (obsession) with reading that is still going strong.  I am also hoping to be better about sharing here on the blog because we can all use some great yummy ideas to keep food interesting right?  

I would love to hear how you keep your food life interesting (this girl needs ideas).

This granola is something that I make fairly often and it is simple and delicious sprinkled over yogurt or simply with milk and some fresh berries.  I have tweaked it a little bit from the original...

Homemade granola 

4 1/2 cups Old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

3/4 cup shelled, raw, unsalted sunflower seeds

1 1/2 cups slivered raw almonds

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 cups pure maple syrup, preferably grade A dark amber

1/3 cup canola oil

salt to taste (I usually use a couple of pinches)

1 tablespoon ground flax seed

optional: 1 cup dried cranberry

1. Preheat oven 325 degrees

2. Place oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, salt, flax seed and cinnamon in a large bowl and combine.  Add the maple syrup and oil, stir until all the dry ingredients are moistened.

3. Spread the granola on a 12 x 17" rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until it begins to brown, about 25 minutes, then stir with a spatula.  Let the granola continue to bake until it is lightly browned, dry and fragrant, about 15-20 mins longer.  Stir the granola at least one more time while it continues to bake and watch carefully as it can burn quickly.

4. Let it cool on the baking sheet, add in cranberries or dried fruit.  Transfer to to an airtight container.

recipe from the Earthbound Farm Cookbook: Food to live by

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Brown the natural nuetral..

 

Falling for browns today... they go with just about everything right?  

 

images via

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weekend wishes...

 

This week Friday filtered into my weekend... just that little extension makes such a difference.  It is supposed to be another warm weekend here and even though we have started into November California keeps going strong with the sunshine..

Here's a few little something's to get you through..

I think I should get married again.. in Paris 

This seems like a fall must along with pumpkin bread!

My favorite fall serving pieces are back.. maybe this year??

Have you started your holiday wish list yet- I have!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

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Edible garden...

 

I have a great appreciation for the edible garden..  we started working on ours this past weekend and I cannot wait to see it full of beautiful food for the family.  Do you have one?  I would love to hear any tips and tricks to keeping it green and what I should grow!

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday!

image via

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Weekend Wishes...

 

After a busy week it is so nice to have a couple of days to relax, don't you agree?  We have family in town and plan to spend a bit of time pool side..

Some dreamy things for this weekend....

I am loving this series... cannot wait to go on Safari one day!

We are planning an early fall trip and I want this whole outfit just for one day.

This is the perfect girly accent!

As fall it quickly approaching I can share these hot little numbers with you.. I love mine!

If you follow me on instagram you know how I love caprese, I might need to try this.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

 

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Awesome Grilled Pork Chops with Adobo Paste Rub

I don't post things like recipes very often but I just had to share this one with you! Especially since it's summer and lots of us are grilling. I don't know about you but I find that I tend to grill the same things over and over - mostly chicken. If you've never had grilled pork chops, you MUST try this!

This recipe is amazing! And it's so easy! 

Great with either bone-in or boneless pork chops, this rub can also be used on chicken, and you can adjust the heat by increasing the pepper flakes (or decreasing as the case may be). Even my eight year old (who is currently the pickiest eater in the world, by the way) couldn't resist giving these a try and gave them two thumbs up. Dude, trust me, try them, you will love them!

Ingredients

6 Thick-cut boneless pork chops

Adobo Paste (recipe below)


Adobo Paste

6 Thick-cut boneless pork chops

2 & 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Paprika

1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Oregano

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic power OR 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin

1 & 1/2 teaspoons Red Pepper flakes

2 teaspoons Lemon juice

1 & 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper


Directions

Mix all ingredients together except for the pork chops to form a paste.
Rub the paste all over each pork chop.
Grill on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes per side.
Check internal temperature with a meat thermometer so that they reach 160 degrees F in the center.
This recipe makes enough paste for what is shown in the photo - 6 thick cut pork chops.

Enjoy!

Weekend Wishes..

Hello friends!  I am running a little behind this morning.. but better late than never!  We have a weekend with no major plans, but I will be hitting up the flea market while I scatter some of the goodies from our container around the house!  More on the container in the weeks to come...

Here are a few links to make things even more enjoyable this weekend...

A little more of this wonderful kitchen can be found here..
Need to make some of these one of these summer nights.. yumm!
I always like an interesting view on the new way we live...

Have a wonderful weekend!



 

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Weekend Wishes

 

I am promising myself I will go through my photos this weekend!!  Eek.. what are you promising yourself?

I fell in love with these little cups and cannot wait to make them for breakfast!

If you like pretty food check this out.. (can you tell I am hungry while writing this?)

I cannot wait to use this guy in an upcoming project..

I think I may need these for fall..

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Lunch at Merci's Used Book Cafe

This is the first trip that I have gotten to visit the Used book cafe at Merci.  Each time we have been running late and closing down the store..  This time I was able to visit Merci, lets just say often (read 5 or 6 times), because it was just around the corner from our apartment.  If I lived there all the time I would be poor.. I love their stuff and my apartment would be amazing!!  We had a chance to have a late lunch there one afternoon and it was perfect!  We sat in my dream spot by the window over looking the door so I could see the people coming and going.  The waiter was sweet and the food was wonderful.  I loved it and vowed to stop again during out trip but never made it back to eat there. 

That day the little mini was getting a make over and so was the shop, which was super fun to watch unfold over the few times that we visited.

This was by far one of the best things I have ever eaten.  Amazing and perfect.

Don't miss our upcoming sale @greigeshopsale on instagram!

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