- Part 4

Rose Romano’s Italian Peppers

By Kristin on December 28, 2012 1 Comment

It's been a week of feasting, for sure! It's the kind of week where calorie counting is put on pause and you just enjoy each meal as a gift. This week I've enjoyed my husband's rich, slow roasted lamb, my daughter's hand rolled sugar cookies, my cousin's first ever roasted turkey, a friend's super soaked rum cake and of course...homemade cinnamon buns. I have received gourmet food toys, such as dark chocolate with pink pepper and citrus notes, tarragon dijon kale crunch and chipotle spice sipping chocolate. Friends and family … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feast, Foodie Reviews

Our Friendship Story~Part 2

By Kristin on December 22, 2012 1 Comment

We were a little nervous. We'd never been to their home before and here they had invited us to celebrate their son's 1st birthday with them. We pulled up and squeezed our Hyundai Scoop in behind a few other cars. There were a lot of people here. We unbuckled our son, popped the trunk and got our gift out of the back. Linking fingers, we walked up the sidewalk towards the house. We heard a lot of voices coming from the back yard. "Do we go to the front door or just walk around back?" I asked Devon. "Let's just go around back," he … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin's Story, Life, Our Friendship

Holiday Gift Guide for HIM

By Kristin on December 4, 2012 11 Comments

We don't know about you, but shopping for HIM can sometimes be difficult. Aside from the traditional ties and power tools, what do you get the men in your life? Having 5 boys in my family, I'm always on the hunt for something unique. So, based on the tastes in my house, I created a Holiday Gift Guide for the boys. For the Tech Guy: I found these iPad cases at a local handmade market and loved the texture of the waxed canvas. For the Musician: The musician in your life will feel righteous with this guitar strap … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Style, Style Gift Ideas

Holiday Breakfast Buffet

By Kristin on November 29, 2012

Every Christmas morning, before the kids are allowed to come out of their rooms, my husband and I heat up our Breville Espresso maker. (We kinda have a thing for the Breville...so much so we've been known to take it across the country.) He will make a double shot of espresso for himself and an Americano for me. Meanwhile, I pull the cinnamon rolls that have been proofing overnight, out of the fridge and put them on top of the stove to come to room temperature. This is one of our favorite Christmas morning rituals. We have a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feast, Tips

Our Friendship ~ Story Part 1

By Kristin on November 28, 2012 7 Comments

Colorado was behind us now. We had left our sanctuary, our beginnings as a married couple. He was just 19 and I was 22. We had married on a mountaintop and had our baby in a town where no one knew our past. Our little town of LaVeta only had 700 people in residence. LaVeta was the perfect stage for falling in love. We woke up every morning, facing the Spanish Peaks, the only mountain range in Colorado that ran east to west. It daily pointed it's majestic finger to home. We would drive up a windy road, weaving in and out of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kristin's Story, Life, Our Friendship

Thanksgiving Place Settings

By Kristin on November 22, 2012 1 Comment

A few years ago, I found these bamboo disposable plates at a yard sale. They were in new packaging and I picked up a few packs of them. It was the best tablescaping money I've ever spent. Those disposable plates, have become my plate chargers for many o'feast. This year is no exception. Usually I use these beautiful plates my mother in law collected for me... after all, they are gorgeous and they totally work with my Vintage Wheat inspired table. But, I wanted a softer look for the table this year, with the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor, Decor LoveFeast Shop, Tablescaping

Thanksgiving 2012 Menu

By Kristin on November 21, 2012 1 Comment

Every time we share a meal together, Chris Ann and I write the menu on our chalkboards. She writes hers on the chalkboard I gave her before our family left the country. It use to hang over the counter at our coffee shop, Jahva House. I love that it hangs in her house. I love that a piece that represented an important era in our friendship journey, falls on her eyes every day. It hangs in the center of her home where her kids sometimes put up their own messages. But, the culture of writing a menu on the chalkboard was one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feast, Menus

Artistic Napkin Flowers

By Kristin on November 20, 2012 5 Comments

I spent years folding stacks and stacks of napkins when working in the restaurant business. I can roll silverware blindfolded, create napkin tents with clean crisp lines and make these napkin flowers as if they were fabric origami. They are my favorite to make and to use on the table. They are pretty easy once you get the hang of it. 1. Take a square napkin, starting with the underside, fold all four corners into the center. 2. Fold all the four corners into the center again. 3. Carefully slide your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor, Tablescaping

Creating a Thanksgiving Table Centerpiece

By Kristin on November 19, 2012 10 Comments

Gathering at the table for Thanksgiving, is one of our favorite times of year. Not only do our husbands get to shine (in the kitchen...'cause truth be told, they do most of the cooking) but we get to TABLESCAPE! What is "tablescaping" you ask? It's decorating your table just like you would your room, using color, patterns, textures, fabrics and dishes. We love to brainstorm ideas, colors, themes and templates. Each year we try to switch it up so our guests are surprised and feel valued, knowing we took the time to create a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Decor, Tablescaping

Pavlova in Ireland

By Kristin on November 15, 2012 6 Comments

How does Pavlova find itself on the table of an Irish meal? Well, if you're my friend Jenn, whose husband moved to Ireland when he was a little boy, from New Zealand, it's totally normal. While we were in Ireland, we shared a number of amazing meals. We had fresh mussels and fish curry, roasted chicken with spuds in jackets, pasties, fish and chips, cinnamon twists and a roasted lamb dinner that made me fall in love with my husband all over again! Our hostess Jenn, began cracking eggs and separating them. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feast, Meals & Moments, Recipes