Wednesday (Thanksgiving) Weekend Warm Up

ere is one more pumpkin inspired cocktail recipe to conclude my Autumn drink line-up (on to Christmas cocktails next week!). This one requires a blender, but is simple to make and will be a smashing hit at your Thanksgiving get together! Add these ingredients to your Thanksgiving grocery list and enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

1 part Kahlua

1 part spiced pumpkin pie filling
2 parts coconut rum
4 parts milk
6 ice cubes
graham crackers and cinnamon to garnish

Directions

Blend all ingredients in a blender on high

Serve in a graham cracker crust rimmed highball glass
Spinkle with cinnamon

from: Food Vu, Daily Drop Cap

{Tuesday Thoughts}

"An optimist is a person who starts a new diet on Thanksgiving Day."

-Irv Kupcinet

from: Real Simple

Makeover Monday: Insider Tips, Tricks & Expert Advice

Lighting the Dining Room

re you planning on entertaining in the upcoming month for the holidays? Take a look at the lighting in your dining room. Does it fit the bill? I know mine doesn't! Our dining room soley depends on overhead lighting and natural lighting coming straight in from the wall of windows our table sits beside.

If you can get an electrician in, or you've got a handy man, here's some lighting tips I found from Real Simple, by Joyce Bautista.

“People’s biggest mistake with the dining room is getting all their light from overhead sources,” says New York City–based interior designer Bunny Williams. “It’s cold and not intimate.” She suggests counteracting this effect by dimming chandeliers and pendants to mimic the effect of candlelight.

Create a Centerpiece
If it’s too low, your hanging light will distract your guests. Too high and it will seem disconnected from the table. Ideally, the bottom of a chandelier or a pendant should be about 30 inches above the tabletop, says Ace Hardware spokesman Lou Manfredini.

Strike a Balance

“To give some sense of the room outside that central pyramid of light”―and to keep guests from tripping in the dark when they leave the table―“punctuate the walls with sconces,” advises Bentel. (Candlestick lamps on a sideboard work, too.) Plug-in sconces are easy to install; conceal the cord with a plastic cord cover painted the color of the wall.

Chandelier

The bottom of a chandelier should be about 30 inches above the tabletop. Shades soften the glare of bare bulbs.

Sconce

Sconces―like the mirrored plug-in versions here―should be mounted between 5½ and 6 feet high on the wall, says Williams. Oly Mosaic Bowl Sconce, $200, olystudio.com for store locations. Wire Channel plastic cord cover, $6, Home Depot, homedepot.com.

photo by: Jeff McNamara, info from: Real Simple, Daily Drop Cap

Fresh Find Friday!

asy Thanksgiving centerpieces that anyone can create! As you all know, we are hosting Thanksgiving again this year and as much as I like to cook and entertain, I enjoy decorating far more. I've realized that I've spent more time on the internet this week looking for a perfect centerpiece rather than that perfect turkey recipe. (I'll save that for next week!)

These centerpieces have made it into my "Final Three". The first one has my vote. Which is your favorite?

Pumpkin Candle Centerpiece

~ pumpkin ~ candle ~ berry sprigs ~

Natural Table Runner

~ gourds ~ double faced ribbon ~ bittersweet stem ~

Corn & Candles

~ candle ~ dried corn ~ clear glass jar~

centerpiece ideas from: Better Homes & Gardens, Daily Drop Cap

chocolate + chartreuse = winning color combo

Today's winning color combination has been inspiring by my recent winning of

"CHOCOLATE A LOVE STORY"

from the peeps over at Beach Brights. (LOVE THEM!) I'm especially excited to receive this awesome book just in time for the holidays, as we'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year for the second time in a row!

"The touches of white are what make the chocolate brown work, keeping the room from feeling too much like a men's club. The contrast between the white furniture, white accessories, and brown walls is lively and chic."


"Chartreuse green, pulled from the artwork and repeated on the sofa cushions, adds an invigorating punch of color. The Persian rug brings an important element of pattern into the room. "


room from: My Home Ideas, Rosanna American Bungalow White Mini Vase Set, rug: Emmett Eiland's, pillow: Crate and Barrel

Wednesday Weekend Warm Up

Marvelous Mulled Wine

by Stephen Phillips

enturies-old, mulled wine is a delightfully festive alternative to wine by the glass for a fall dinner party or celebration. Infuse Cabernet Sauvignon with sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks, then top it off with port and brandy. Remember the ladle, and you're ready to enjoy this centuries-old delight.

Ingredients:

• 2 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 12 whole cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups port (a sweet Portuguese wine)
• 2 cups brandy

Preparation:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the port and brandy, into a large copper or cast-iron pot (not aluminum). Simmer while stirring occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add port and brandy.
4. Heat for 30 seconds.
5. Pour all into a large heat-resistant bowl or leave it in the pot.

from: Fine Living, Daily Drop Cap

{Tuesday Thoughts}

great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.  ―Dave Meurer

from: Real Simple, photo by: Joshua Paul, Daily Drop Cap