Kitchen Hutch in Her Winter Glory

Old man winter finally arrived and has been keeping us pretty dang cold up here in the northeast corridor. Temps for the week are predicted to be in the teens to low twenties at night, and maybe just getting up into the low to mid 30's during the day. We currently have about an 1/2 an inch of snow on the ground with a little more on tap for the rest of this week. With that being said it is certainly time to get cozy inside and settle into the winter. 

As you may remember, our kitchen now has a big beautiful hutch which I had painted black just before the holidays. She was a Restore score last spring for only $40. 

Here is her "Before" shot...

I had filled her with lots of white ironstone and pretty pops of red and green for the Christmas season. But now it is time to edit out the bright colors and give her a much less vibrant more serene look for winter.

I decided to switch out some of the plain white dishes with my black and white rooster dishes to create more visual interest.

The berry filled Christmas wreaths which hung from the black and white checked ribbon were replaced with simple winter green wreaths.

My pretty measuring spoons purchased in New Orleans a couple years ago remain hanging from the chicken wire door. (I think it is the perfect spot to display them)

A few items are added to the top of the hutch to give her a little more height.

Then the other day while in my local grocery store I was excited to find tulips in the floral section. Tulips are my absolute favorite flower and I just couldn't resist buying a bunch! They add a pretty touch of color to the kitchen island.

 So all in all I am absolutely thrilled with how my lovely hutch looks against the long wall in our kitchen. She has added tons of warmth and farmhouse charm to this rather large space. And moving some of my favorite seasonal things around her beautiful shelves has been a lot of fun as well. Ahhh to me she is a true stunner!

How about you? Have you done any post Christmas "Winter" decorating yet?

Wishing you a happy and warm week!

XO

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Paperwhites in the Living Room

Over the Christmas holidays I received paperwhite bulbs as a hostess gift. I was so excited because I have seen them all over the blogosphere and have always admired their beauty. Now I had my own bulbs to plant.

They took about a good three weeks to begin to bloom and as of today they are still blooming!

Aren't they delicate looking?

So nice to see blooming flowers in the dead of winter!

Hope you are staying nice and warm!

Have a great day!!!

XO

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Something to Warm You Up ~ Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Well we have been in the deep freeze here in the northeast with temps dipping down into the single digits at night, and we did manage to get a good 5-6 inches from that big bad nor'easter Juno in the beginning of the week. The kids don't really seem to mind the cold too much as they are out burning over 600 calories per hour sledding. I should have that kind of energy right?

One of the things I love most about the winter and snow is coming in from all that cold and sitting down to a nice bowl of piping hot soup. And for me the spicier the better! This soup can warm your right down to your toes and the kids and Mr. Rosemary Lane like it too!

So to keep the calorie count down, instead of sauteing my veggies in oil I simply sauteed them in low-fat low-sodium chicken and beef broth.

Ingredients:

4 medium boneless and skinless chicken breasts cut into small bite size pieces

3 1/2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups beef broth

1 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 medium onion chopped

1/4 cup of chopped sweet green or red pepper

1 1/2 cups loose kernel corn. Frozen works.

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 of a 4 oz can of jalapeno peppers 

1 T snipped fresh cilantro or  1/2 T dried

3 cups tortilla chips coarsely crumbled (I like the ones with a hint of lime)

Avocado optional

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the chicken and beef broths and add the tomatoes, onion and the pepper. Bring to a boil, add the chicken and bring to a boil again, then lower heat and cover the pot. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Next add the chili powder, cumin, black pepper and corn. Then add the chopped jalapeno peppers and cilantro and return the pot to a boil, cover, lower heat and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

To serve ladle soup into 6 bowls and top with the crubled tortialla chips and avocado.

And enjoy all the spicy goodness!

Here's hoping for a break in our big freeze although I know it is not happening until sometime next week!

In the meantime have a great weekend!!!

XO

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The Season Of Snow

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” 

― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

Happy Weekend!!!

XO

Winter Warm Up ~ Teacups and Lace

 As we are now winding down from all of the holiday's festivities and pageantry, what better way to relax than to spend time with friends cosing up to a  brilliant fire with a soothing cup of hot tea. Come on and join me. As cold as it was today, in the low 30's, I decided to shoot this post on my back patio so to capture the natural light on the flowers, food, and teacups. I  gave the tablescape as girly a setting as possible by covering the tabletop with white lace and a vase of pink roses.

 

The silver plated teapot I picked up several years ago when Mr. Rosemary Lane and myself took a road trip through upstate New York. We spent our days in the beautiful wineries and in every antique shop we could find. This lovely teapot was sitting on the back of a shelf in a hardware/antique shop in downtown Albany.

The pink teacup was also another find in the same shop in Albany.

This next teacup set belonged to my my grandmother. My mother gave it to me when I started my collection about 10 years ago...it must be over 100 years old.

 I purchased the white and blue set below when my sister Kim and I were up at the Brimfield flea market and antique show in September of 2011.(Click here to see day 2 of our Brimfield trip.) It was for me a no-brainer as I adore the blue color and the daintiness of the gold on white pattern.

This beautiful floral teacup set with gold banding my hubby found while we were in an antique store in the Canadian town Niagara-on-the-Lake.

How about a slice of white chocolate cake with coconut and pecans? Perfect to enjoy with herbal tea served up in one of these beautiful teacups.

Thank you so much for stopping by and joining me for tea. Wishing you a fabulous first weekend of 2013!

XO

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