Hi there and Happy Sunday. Well, its not that happy because we were supposed to be in Florida this weekend to celebrate a dear friends wedding. I have been sick in bed last three days. So much going around, son has/had the flu and I think I got whatever I have from him however I know so many sick people, so who knows!. I was looking so forward to basking in the Florida sun and celebrating a dear friends sons wedding, though ironically I keep hearing how certain parts there have been quite cold.
Disappointing as we had plans to see good friends down there but what can you do? Nothing. But trust that things work out for a reason. And I am not going to have a pity party when I think of what those in California are going through…still so hard to believe whats happened there. We are happy to be making a donation from sales of our recent holiday sale and starting today from our porcelain sale. All the small efforts add up to something. The rebuilding almost feels insurmountable. OK, onward to my post this weekend….
1 TOWELS! I am also embarrassed to admit how long its been since I bought bath and hand towels. I used to always wait for Neiman Marcus’s white sale and would buy a bunch and take advantage of their monogramming services. Recently my husband noticed we were in need of new towels, and he was absolutely right. Found these beautiful scalloped beauties from Pottery Barn which are really nice quality and are on sale! I too, love a monogrammed towel so will likely get my monogrammer to do these. Click here to see.
Got these for my husband, he likes a white towel with gray or taupe trim. They also offered monograms for these which made ordering this super easy. Best part is that they too, are on sale! Click here
2 A BEAUTIFULLY CURATED NY APARTMENT Enjoyed this tour with Alex Papachristidis and Anne Wolf (also enjoyed her beautifully done Houston home tour). This is small but super charming and I love all of her collections. Makes me want to delve into our storage and start opening up boxes that have been there for nearly two years!! Cannot wait for our final move back into our home which will undergo a renovation so I can start curating away:) Here is proof that beautiful things come in small packages….
3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Time to get back to just simple pretty and inspiring Instagrams….
4 A FOLLOWUP TO A PRODUCT So when I did my post on my skin care haul from Paris, one of the most anticipated purchases was the iconic A313 cream. Which is basically a very strong Vitamin A (retinoids) that is purchased over the counter. I have been using it a month (now up to 3 times a week) and have to say I think my skin is actually looking better.
I don’t think its my imagination as two people complimented me on my skin. So for what its worth yes I am really liking it and will continue to use (bought four tubes which will last a long time) for many of you who have asked there are apparently some French pharmacies that sell this online to ship to the U.S. and one person even said Walmart has it! This is not to say that this can do things like fillers,etc…can do but I am trying this route first before I feel the need to do any type of procedure. You will have to do your own research…
5 A REALLY DELICIOUS EGGPLANT/CHICKEN DISH The flavors here might seem unexpected but I promise you that after this comes out of the oven you will be so happy you made this, especially if you love eggplant. This is soooo good, my boys said its one of their top two favorite dinners that I make. It is served with aromatic Basmati rice and I can almost guarantee you that it will be a hit. One of those meals that can entice everyone to come home for dinner!
Heres what you need
2 lbs skinless chicken thighs
1 large vidalia onion
6-7 cloves garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
one can of San Marzano stewed tomatoes
Tomato paste of your choosing
3-4 large eggplant or 8 baby eggplant
Sea salt and pepper
Lime juice
Approx 1 TBSP of saffron threads
In a dutch oven or something similar, add olive oil, thinly sliced onion and sliced garlic. Saute for approx 6-7 minutes on medium. Add chicken thighs and add salt and pepper to taste. Brown lightly on each side. Meanwhile, slice your eggplant in rounds ( thinly sliced) place on parchment paper on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and put in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Once they are done, remove but keep oven on.
Add about half the cooked eggplant to the chicken, half of the stewed tomatoes and repeat (reserving around 8 slices of the eggplant on the side). Then add salt and pepper with lime juice to taste. In a mortar, gently grind the saffron threads to a fine powder and add approx 2 TBSP of water. I will then add maybe about 2 TBSP of tomato paste and mix in then gently pour into the chicken mixture. I cook this for approx 15 min on the stove top on a medium heat, stirring very carefully. You can either transfer your dutch oven/pot directly to oven (preheated to 375) or put into a large casserole dish. Add a splash of lime juice. I add the remainder of the eggplant on top. Bake for approx 45-50 min covered with aluminum. I will sometimes remove the aluminum and let it cook another 5 minutes (optional). I serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice. Heavenly good!
6 THE HUDSON VALLEY We are lucky to have so many wonderful areas and pockets of places to visit within a few hours of us. One area is the Hudson Valley, once famous for being an artist retreat and many renowned artists settled. A friend from out of town is coming in Feb and we are taking a little trip there. I was last there last spring and had such a great time. There is a lot to see and do in this culturally rich area. The iconic Hudson River School of art was born there, amongst many wonderful antiques shops, quaint inns and restaurants. The culinary scene there is huge and many flock to that area for that alone. Landscapes painting became synonymous with this region because of its proximity to the beautiful Hudson River and the beautiful American landscape. If this interests you, you should check out this website for so much great information.
Wildflower Farms is there, part of the Auberge property group as a great hotel option. There is also the Maker Hotel among many other more boutique style hotels. There are so many wonderful restaurants, two notables are Wm. Farmer and sons and Feast and Floret. Then there is the famed Culinary Institute in Hyde Park which has a few restaurants and lots of culinary events happening. There are many new places since I was there last, so will be looking into those. I remember two antique stores also because I found something in each, Naga and Sutter Antiques. This is just a really charming weekend getaway for anyone looking for something that offers a little of everything, antiques, quaint accommodation, culture, good food and lots of art!
The “Hamptons” always seems to be the default answer to anyone from out of town wondering where else to go beyond NYC, but I would argue that the Hudson Valley area has as much if not more to offer (though the Hamptons is special in it’s own right). Maybe it doesn’t have the beaches, but it is an area bustling with character, charm and history!
The Maker hotel, super charming with a fabulous bar
Feast and Floret
The beautiful Wildflowers by Auberge
The Wadsworth Anthenum (in Hartford CT) has the largest collection of beautiful landscape paintings from the Hudson River house
7 SUNDAY’S SURVEY If you are TV watcher, curious how/where you find out about new shows to watch? I was thinking about this the other day when my husband literally spent about 40 minutes trying to find a new movie or series for us to delve into (I eventually fell asleep waiting). We often go by recommendations from friends and family but seems we have tapped out that list:) It can be overwhelming if you subscribe to more than a few streaming channels (which we do). If you have a website or source that talks about new shows/movies/series, would love you to share!
________________________________________________
TODAY AND TOMORROW ALL PORCELAINS ARE 25% OFF! WE RECENTLY GOT IN A HUGE CONTAINER SO ARE WELL STOCKED. IN ADDITION TO OUR SALE, 10% OF ALL PORCELAIN SALES WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS.
Hi Tina! I am sorry your are “under the weather” . I have a couple of suggestions for series to watch on Paramount, Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton takes a few episodes to get into but then you are hooked, and also Lioness is the one we just finished. OMG that one is intense and my husband and I LOVED it. It’s about a fictional special ops force headed up by women. They say it is loosely based on real situations, I lean more to the reality side. Can’t recommend enough, LOVED it!
+1 to both of those and would also recommend Taylor Sheridan’s newest, Landman (also with Billy Bob Thornton). He has really grown on me the past few years with some of the work he’s done, and Landman is very good!
In my home one person cooks the dinner while the other has to find something to watch on tv for later. Finding a tv show is the harder of the two! We are enjoying “The Day of the Jackal” on Peacock.
We practically “stay” on ACORN anymore…have really enjoyed multiple series…currently, “Blue Heelers” (all 13 seasons w/40 episodes per season!! Last nite…HUGE fires in Australia…this program filmed in 1990s!! “When will we ever Learn”….. franki
Friends here in southern Wisconsin are sick, too. It knocks them down. My TV , my evening fun, is either Netflix and BritBox. I watch documentary programs. But sometimes. I’ll watch a program completely out of the blue. Love in blind Habibi. I found culture and family played a huge role in both the man and woman. Parents approval came before the partner relationship. I tried another show but different country. But didn’t hold my interest.
Towels! Maybe that’s why January is white sales. Mine need replacing. The local animal shelters take in clean towels for the dogs and cats bathing .
Pray for California 🙏
Good morning! My husband and I enjoy watching British shows. Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Vienna Blood and a few others. A fun show to watch is High Potential and we also enjoy Will Trent.
Our youngest son and his family used to live in the Hudson Valley. Such a beautiful place. Miss going there.
Feel better!
I get many great recommendations for reading & watching from Preppy Empty Nesters blog!! One of our very favorite shows to watch is on PBS Masterpiece, All Creatures Great & Small. New season 5 begins today!
Hope you feel better soon Tina! Noro virus is going around here in Northwestern Wisconsin. Yuck! Fortunately it hasn’t hit our house yet….fingers crossed.
You are doing an extensive remodel to your house which makes me wonder what to was about your lovely French style house, which you built to your specifications, that caused you to sell it? I really loved that house so I am curious…. I know whatever you are doing it will turn out beautifully!
Tina, I just wanted to say thank you for always being so generous and thinking of others who are in need, be it here in the States, or abroad. Our firefighter son who is very experienced in wild fires told me he has never seen anything like this before. I hope that your local news also reports how communities are coming together to help one another. Sometimes when bad things happen, it brings out the best in all of us. Hope you are feeling better. Take Care..
Dear Tina
I do hope you feel better soon, its a shame you missed Florida. Im writing today, mostly with so much sadness at the devastation in California. Here in the uk we are all very shocked. Sending love and prayers to everyone affected, it is too awful.
I dont subscribe to any tv streaming, but like many of the bbc dramas and even some reality they do. You may enjoy Death in Paradise, The Split and The Apprentice. Wish I could buy the A313 cream here
With Love, Sallyx
Fun post as always! I look forward to making that chicken and eggplant recipe love eggplant!!
cannot really recommend much in the way of movies or series as I tend to resort to older movies, just don’t like the content they’re putting out these days.
Thanks for the feedback on the french cream, my sister is headed their own business next week and is going to pick some up for me😄
Acorn, Britbox and Masterpiece are pretty much all we watch. Currently catching the new season of Astrid, which is charming. If you’ve never watched MI5, it will keep you on the edge of your seat—not a new series, but a good one.
Just binged The Day of the Jackal based on Grace Atwood’s recommendation and it was excellent! Never do this but my husband and I watched 6 episodes back to back today😳.
Tina,
The recipe looked so yummy that I went out picked up what I needed to make this. Now that I have made it it is a winner in our house too! Thanks for this one!
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Hi there and Happy Sunday. Well, its not that happy because we were supposed to be in Florida this weekend to celebrate a dear friends wedding. I have been sick in bed last three days. So much going around, son has/had the flu and I think I got whatever I have from him however I know so many sick people, so who knows!. I was looking so forward to basking in the Florida sun and celebrating a dear friends sons wedding, though ironically I keep hearing how certain parts there have been quite cold.
Disappointing as we had plans to see good friends down there but what can you do? Nothing. But trust that things work out for a reason. And I am not going to have a pity party when I think of what those in California are going through…still so hard to believe whats happened there. We are happy to be making a donation from sales of our recent holiday sale and starting today from our porcelain sale. All the small efforts add up to something. The rebuilding almost feels insurmountable. OK, onward to my post this weekend….
_____________________________________________________
1 TOWELS! I am also embarrassed to admit how long its been since I bought bath and hand towels. I used to always wait for Neiman Marcus’s white sale and would buy a bunch and take advantage of their monogramming services. Recently my husband noticed we were in need of new towels, and he was absolutely right. Found these beautiful scalloped beauties from Pottery Barn which are really nice quality and are on sale! I too, love a monogrammed towel so will likely get my monogrammer to do these. Click here to see.
Got these for my husband, he likes a white towel with gray or taupe trim. They also offered monograms for these which made ordering this super easy. Best part is that they too, are on sale! Click here
2 A BEAUTIFULLY CURATED NY APARTMENT Enjoyed this tour with Alex Papachristidis and Anne Wolf (also enjoyed her beautifully done Houston home tour). This is small but super charming and I love all of her collections. Makes me want to delve into our storage and start opening up boxes that have been there for nearly two years!! Cannot wait for our final move back into our home which will undergo a renovation so I can start curating away:) Here is proof that beautiful things come in small packages….
3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST Time to get back to just simple pretty and inspiring Instagrams….
4 A FOLLOWUP TO A PRODUCT So when I did my post on my skin care haul from Paris, one of the most anticipated purchases was the iconic A313 cream. Which is basically a very strong Vitamin A (retinoids) that is purchased over the counter. I have been using it a month (now up to 3 times a week) and have to say I think my skin is actually looking better.
I don’t think its my imagination as two people complimented me on my skin. So for what its worth yes I am really liking it and will continue to use (bought four tubes which will last a long time) for many of you who have asked there are apparently some French pharmacies that sell this online to ship to the U.S. and one person even said Walmart has it! This is not to say that this can do things like fillers,etc…can do but I am trying this route first before I feel the need to do any type of procedure. You will have to do your own research…
5 A REALLY DELICIOUS EGGPLANT/CHICKEN DISH The flavors here might seem unexpected but I promise you that after this comes out of the oven you will be so happy you made this, especially if you love eggplant. This is soooo good, my boys said its one of their top two favorite dinners that I make. It is served with aromatic Basmati rice and I can almost guarantee you that it will be a hit. One of those meals that can entice everyone to come home for dinner!
Heres what you need
In a dutch oven or something similar, add olive oil, thinly sliced onion and sliced garlic. Saute for approx 6-7 minutes on medium. Add chicken thighs and add salt and pepper to taste. Brown lightly on each side. Meanwhile, slice your eggplant in rounds ( thinly sliced) place on parchment paper on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and salt and put in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Once they are done, remove but keep oven on.
Add about half the cooked eggplant to the chicken, half of the stewed tomatoes and repeat (reserving around 8 slices of the eggplant on the side). Then add salt and pepper with lime juice to taste. In a mortar, gently grind the saffron threads to a fine powder and add approx 2 TBSP of water. I will then add maybe about 2 TBSP of tomato paste and mix in then gently pour into the chicken mixture. I cook this for approx 15 min on the stove top on a medium heat, stirring very carefully. You can either transfer your dutch oven/pot directly to oven (preheated to 375) or put into a large casserole dish. Add a splash of lime juice. I add the remainder of the eggplant on top. Bake for approx 45-50 min covered with aluminum. I will sometimes remove the aluminum and let it cook another 5 minutes (optional). I serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice. Heavenly good!
6 THE HUDSON VALLEY We are lucky to have so many wonderful areas and pockets of places to visit within a few hours of us. One area is the Hudson Valley, once famous for being an artist retreat and many renowned artists settled. A friend from out of town is coming in Feb and we are taking a little trip there. I was last there last spring and had such a great time. There is a lot to see and do in this culturally rich area. The iconic Hudson River School of art was born there, amongst many wonderful antiques shops, quaint inns and restaurants. The culinary scene there is huge and many flock to that area for that alone. Landscapes painting became synonymous with this region because of its proximity to the beautiful Hudson River and the beautiful American landscape. If this interests you, you should check out this website for so much great information.
Wildflower Farms is there, part of the Auberge property group as a great hotel option. There is also the Maker Hotel among many other more boutique style hotels. There are so many wonderful restaurants, two notables are Wm. Farmer and sons and Feast and Floret. Then there is the famed Culinary Institute in Hyde Park which has a few restaurants and lots of culinary events happening. There are many new places since I was there last, so will be looking into those. I remember two antique stores also because I found something in each, Naga and Sutter Antiques. This is just a really charming weekend getaway for anyone looking for something that offers a little of everything, antiques, quaint accommodation, culture, good food and lots of art!
The “Hamptons” always seems to be the default answer to anyone from out of town wondering where else to go beyond NYC, but I would argue that the Hudson Valley area has as much if not more to offer (though the Hamptons is special in it’s own right). Maybe it doesn’t have the beaches, but it is an area bustling with character, charm and history!
The Maker hotel, super charming with a fabulous bar
Feast and Floret
The beautiful Wildflowers by Auberge
The Wadsworth Anthenum (in Hartford CT) has the largest collection of beautiful landscape paintings from the Hudson River house
7 SUNDAY’S SURVEY If you are TV watcher, curious how/where you find out about new shows to watch? I was thinking about this the other day when my husband literally spent about 40 minutes trying to find a new movie or series for us to delve into (I eventually fell asleep waiting). We often go by recommendations from friends and family but seems we have tapped out that list:) It can be overwhelming if you subscribe to more than a few streaming channels (which we do). If you have a website or source that talks about new shows/movies/series, would love you to share!
________________________________________________
TODAY AND TOMORROW ALL PORCELAINS ARE 25% OFF! WE RECENTLY GOT IN A HUGE CONTAINER SO ARE WELL STOCKED. IN ADDITION TO OUR SALE, 10% OF ALL PORCELAIN SALES WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS.
CLICK HERE
CODE 2025
And that’s a wrap for this Sunday. Thanks for stopping by, wishing everyone a wonderful and hopefully relaxing Sunday. Until next time…
Hi Tina! I am sorry your are “under the weather” . I have a couple of suggestions for series to watch on Paramount, Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton takes a few episodes to get into but then you are hooked, and also Lioness is the one we just finished. OMG that one is intense and my husband and I LOVED it. It’s about a fictional special ops force headed up by women. They say it is loosely based on real situations, I lean more to the reality side. Can’t recommend enough, LOVED it!
+1 to both of those and would also recommend Taylor Sheridan’s newest, Landman (also with Billy Bob Thornton). He has really grown on me the past few years with some of the work he’s done, and Landman is very good!
In my home one person cooks the dinner while the other has to find something to watch on tv for later. Finding a tv show is the harder of the two! We are enjoying “The Day of the Jackal” on Peacock.
We practically “stay” on ACORN anymore…have really enjoyed multiple series…currently, “Blue Heelers” (all 13 seasons w/40 episodes per season!! Last nite…HUGE fires in Australia…this program filmed in 1990s!! “When will we ever Learn”….. franki
Let us know how most are finding shows to watch/ binge! Thanks and fell better soon
Oops typo!! Lol
Friends here in southern Wisconsin are sick, too. It knocks them down. My TV , my evening fun, is either Netflix and BritBox. I watch documentary programs. But sometimes. I’ll watch a program completely out of the blue. Love in blind Habibi. I found culture and family played a huge role in both the man and woman. Parents approval came before the partner relationship. I tried another show but different country. But didn’t hold my interest.
Towels! Maybe that’s why January is white sales. Mine need replacing. The local animal shelters take in clean towels for the dogs and cats bathing .
Pray for California 🙏
Good morning! My husband and I enjoy watching British shows. Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Vienna Blood and a few others. A fun show to watch is High Potential and we also enjoy Will Trent.
Our youngest son and his family used to live in the Hudson Valley. Such a beautiful place. Miss going there.
Feel better!
Angel Studios is our go to for great movie recommendations.
Thank you for the chicken salad recipe the other day. Made it yesterday since we are snowed in down South. It was great. Get well soon!
I get many great recommendations for reading & watching from Preppy Empty Nesters blog!! One of our very favorite shows to watch is on PBS Masterpiece, All Creatures Great & Small. New season 5 begins today!
Was about to write the same comment. Katie always has great recommendations.
Hope you feel better soon Tina! Noro virus is going around here in Northwestern Wisconsin. Yuck! Fortunately it hasn’t hit our house yet….fingers crossed.
You are doing an extensive remodel to your house which makes me wonder what to was about your lovely French style house, which you built to your specifications, that caused you to sell it? I really loved that house so I am curious…. I know whatever you are doing it will turn out beautifully!
Tina, I just wanted to say thank you for always being so generous and thinking of others who are in need, be it here in the States, or abroad. Our firefighter son who is very experienced in wild fires told me he has never seen anything like this before. I hope that your local news also reports how communities are coming together to help one another. Sometimes when bad things happen, it brings out the best in all of us. Hope you are feeling better. Take Care..
Dear Tina
I do hope you feel better soon, its a shame you missed Florida. Im writing today, mostly with so much sadness at the devastation in California. Here in the uk we are all very shocked. Sending love and prayers to everyone affected, it is too awful.
I dont subscribe to any tv streaming, but like many of the bbc dramas and even some reality they do. You may enjoy Death in Paradise, The Split and The Apprentice. Wish I could buy the A313 cream here
With Love, Sallyx
Fun post as always! I look forward to making that chicken and eggplant recipe love eggplant!!
cannot really recommend much in the way of movies or series as I tend to resort to older movies, just don’t like the content they’re putting out these days.
Thanks for the feedback on the french cream, my sister is headed their own business next week and is going to pick some up for me😄
Acorn, Britbox and Masterpiece are pretty much all we watch. Currently catching the new season of Astrid, which is charming. If you’ve never watched MI5, it will keep you on the edge of your seat—not a new series, but a good one.
Just binged The Day of the Jackal based on Grace Atwood’s recommendation and it was excellent! Never do this but my husband and I watched 6 episodes back to back today😳.
Where can I find Anne Wolfs home tour in Houston?…thank you
Made your eggplant/chicken dish for dinner last night. Hubby said it was tasty. I say delicious!
Tina,
The recipe looked so yummy that I went out picked up what I needed to make this. Now that I have made it it is a winner in our house too! Thanks for this one!