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So It's snowing again and all I want to do is drive down to the Bakery on the corner and devour a  big huge slice of cake.  It really doesn't matter what kind, I'm not picky at all.

I'll just jump into a larger hoody so I can be guilt free.  During the winter I find myself saying YES to dessert a lot more then Summer or Spring.  I came across "Say NO with Sass" by Connie Bennitt.  Im in the process of memorizing All seven smart, sassy retorts to defuse the situation when the waitress comes by when your completely defenseless and throws that dessert menu right in front of you

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1. "There's a full moon out. If I have some of your dessert, I'll turn into a Sugarwolf and start snapping at you."
2. "Thanks, but I'm just a dessert voyeur. I like to watch."
3. "Dessert? No thanks. I'm the designated driver."
4. "I'd love some, but your dessert is just a beast waiting to happen."
5. "No thanks. I'm already sweet enough."
6. "I better pass. People are still talking about the last time someone fed me sugar. I jumped up on a table, started singing ‘She's a Maniac’ out of key, toppled an antique lamp and hit on my mother's boyfriend."
7. "No thanks. As they say, sugar on the lips goes straight to the hips.

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Hot Stack of Flap-Jacks please...

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This Morning I woke up with the intense craving for a phenomenal

stack of hot-cakes, yes with some hot coffee and sweet milk...or maybe freshly squeezed OJ.

anyways there is snow on the ground and it's freezing outside in Westchester today.  I think a trip to Carbo land is exactly what I need.

 The Best pancake recipe ever, is Barefoot Contessa

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes.

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• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Unsalted butter
• 2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving
• Pure maple syrup

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Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

Auld Lang Syne

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Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne. 

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The song Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung by most of us on the stroke of midnight each New Years Eve however in Scotland, where Auld Lang Syne originates it is also sung on Burns Night, January 25th, to celebrate the life of the author and famous poet Robert Burns.***

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"You may be whatever you resolve to be. Determine to be something in the world, and you will be something. "I cannot," never accomplished anything; "I will try," has wrought wonders."

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I resolve to:

stay better in touch with friends

travel more ( i think another trip to Ireland)

read more of the classics
meditate

 create more paintings 
be grateful and at peace with what I have 
complain less

be a better listener.

be happy.

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HAPPY NEW

YEAR!!!!

 

My Christmas Wish List......

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I LOVE these hats and Gloves by Kate Spade. 

Perfect for N.Y.C.

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Max Brenner Chocolates.

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Mauviel Copper 12 piece-Cookware set.

Better then diamonds ladies

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The perfect snuggel in a down comfee book

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Anthropology Lavender Suede

peep-toes

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Jan Leslie

Flying Pig Cuff links.

I simply adore these.

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Equestrian Vacation to Scotland.

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Alejandro Ingelmo "Rita"

Riding Boots.

Bloomingdale's.

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Painting Canvases

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Barbour Tweed Hacking Jacket.

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A Lemon/Lime squeezer thingy

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I'm pretty sure everything on my Fabulous

List are Needs and not Wants.

Maybe we should spread this out over two Christmas's.

Merry Christmas Girls!

Homemade Christmas Tree Decoradions.

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 The Christmas tree is a symbol of a living Christmas spirit and brings into our lives a pleasant aroma of the forest. The fact that balsam fir twigs, more than any other evergreen twigs, resemble crosses may have had much to do with the early popularity of balsam fir used as Christmas trees.
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I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! 

Growing up decorating the Christmas tree was quite the event.  We would climb up into the attic and Find boxes and boxes of tree decoration's that we had made and collected over decades. 

Mom would put on Christmas Music and if we were lucky she would make us peppermint hot chocolate.  Hannah (my sister) and I would never take the decorations off the top we would go searching in Layers and layers to find our favorites to put on. 
 Which of course messed up all the organization mom put into packing them up the season before.

On Christmas Eve Daddy would go into his office and grab his journal where he always recorded who's

turn it was to put the Angel on top of the Tree. This was a Huge deal for us, there were seven kids in the house so this was absolutely necessary to keep the Peace.

The Angel was given to my Mom by her 2nd Grade Teacher and it has always been our topper.  The idea for these homemade Tree Ornament's are from all the jewelry boxes I had lying around the house.  They are perfect for little shadow boxes.
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Bedford Post & Stone Barns

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Bedford Post and Stone Barns are two Brilliant restaurants that I love. The food is very special, the kind I was raised on by local farms Which is why I find them to be a liiiiiiittle bit overpriced. But they can get away with it because of where they are located. 

Shopping and dinning in Bedford NY is the equivalent of shopping in an airport,

they don't realize the prices everywhere else in the world. 

Ive experienced dinner at the Post

for New Years and Easter as well as several Sunday Brunches. 

The other week I went to the Cafe for a little lunch with my dear friend Reagan From Tryon NC and had the most satisfying scrumptious lunch, it was the perfect autumn treat.

I'm the only one who probable enjoys feasting in the

middle of the afternoon. Yes well, Only if I have time for a nap later. 

It was a lazy day so I allowed myself to over indulge. I much prefer the Post casual dinning then the fine dining experience they provide (though both are wonderful). It falls a little short to Stone Barns but the wait staff at the Post is perfection.  I find myself more interested in how I'm being served rather paying the proper attention to the food.  They are nothing short of Spectacular.  It's the biggest Nuisance to be bothered constantly by a wait staff.  At Stone Barns You are also served to perfection

except the staff is a bit tense which makes me tense,

however I do understand Fine Dining calls for a certain standard. 

The Ambiance of the whole Farm takes you to another

Land all together and the memorable dining experience is superb. 

I would recommend Easter Sunday Brunch at Stone Barns.   

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www.bedfordpostinn.com

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http://www.bluehillfarm.com/

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Caramelized Onion Soup. At the Post

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My Lentil and Radish Salad.

At the Post

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Reagan's Hot polenta Sandwich. 

At the Post

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The Bakery

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My Hog Butt. It was a perfect

piece of Bread with a thin slice of ham and

a fried Egg. At the Post

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BROOKLYN FLEA

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A few weekends ago my darling friend Reagan

came up for a little visit and suggested

that we go to the Brooklyn Flea market. 

 I don't get to Brooklyn often

but I have to tell you what a find. 

To Reagan and I it's better then gold, 

 all the vintage pieces and antiques.

 The Market features 100 vendors inside the

landmark Williamsburgh Savings Bank.

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"One of the great urban experiences in New York." —The New York Times
"One of the Best Antiques Shows in the U.S." —Country Living
"One of New York's Essential Pick-Up Spots" —Time Out NY

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So After the flea market Reagan and I were on a mission to find the

Four and Twenty Blackbirds pie shop.  We walked up an appetite for those

pies and walked them off , just because I parked so far away.  So no worries, guilt free pie is the best.

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The Kitchen of Four and Twenty Blackbirds

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Reagan's Honey Pumpkin pie,

my Plum crumble.

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No talking please...

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Jumping for Pie.

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