Welcome 2016
After my New Year’s photo shoot with the pups, I thought the mylar balloons would be a great addition to our lockers for the new year. Adorned with a few party hats and a feather boa, we’re ready to ring in the new year!
Holiday Decorations Cheat Sheet
It’s time to deck the halls again!
I used to think decorating for Christmas was daunting – where does THAT item go… Was it on the mantle or on top of the piano? Or was it in the guest room?… I used to overthink it too much and decorating took forever.
The came a simple (but time-saving idea) – a “cheat sheet”! Since I started it a few years ago, the pressure to remember all the ins and outs of the decorations has been lifted (aahhhhhhhh). It’s simple, really. Each year, I take photos of my holiday decoration details, the layout of my Snow Village, the mantle, the kitchen, etc. Then, before I pack everything up once Christmas is over, I print out the photos (wallet size) and store them in page protectors WITH my decorations. That way, when it’s time to drag it all out again, I have a reminder of how it was done the year before. It’s a basic idea, but it saves me SO much time (and stress over deciding where everything will go). The beauty of it is that I still leave room for change – moving things around – and I do, that keeps it interesting. I just make sure to document the change with a photo so I can recreate it the following year. Holiday decorations will always be a work in progress, but having a guide makes delving into the talk a lot faster and easier!
If you like this idea, you might also like this Holiday Tip for packing away garland.
Thanksgiving Dinner Game Plan
I love planning a holiday meal. As new food magazine issues emerge on the shelves, I start collecting them – and scouring them – using page flags and sticky notes to mark interesting recipes.
I’m lucky that my family is laid back when it comes to holiday meals. They usually leave the menu up to me, and I love the responsibility – it lets me get a little creative!
A decision on the protein comes first – turkey, ham, duck, Cornish game hen, seafood? From there I plan the sides carefully… and yes, I write it all down on one big list. (Normally I make a list of possible sides and then mark them off based on relevance to the protein.) Once I’ve narrowed down my sides and desserts (the two hardest categories to whittle down), I make a shopping list. I go through the ingredients in each recipe and check it with items I have on hand. If I need something, it goes on the shopping list – with amounts needed jotted out to the side. So, if for example, I need butter for the green beans, butter for the mashed potatoes and butter for the dessert – I might have a side note of 1/2 cup + 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons… Before heading to the store, I do the math so I buy the right amount of each ingredient.
**My Holiday Grocery Shopping Trick – Buying in bulk (especially when everyone else is) can be a waiting game. Instead, plan out your shopping list early and conquer it by making more frequent, quick stops during the week leading up to the holiday. Plan to buy 10 items or less so you can go through the Express Lane – it’s a breeze and you’ll have all you need in no time, without having to wait 30-45 minutes in a long register line! **
I’ve made TWO free printables to help you with your Thanksgiving Dinner planning and shopping – just click on these links to download a thanksgiving menu planning and a thanksgiving shopping list.
Another clever idea for your holiday (and everyday) entertaining is to keep a Cooking Journal. I got this one years ago at Anthropologie, but any journal or notebook will do. In my food journal, I keep track of menus for holidays and other special get-togethers. It’s kind of like in the movie High Fidelity when John Cusack’s character reorganized his record collection in chronological order. If I remember that we loved the potatoes from last Easter but our favorite turkey was from Christmas 3 years ago, I can mix and match to create a better menu for the next holiday. It’s a good way to keep beloved recipes close at hand (if they’re well received I jot down the recipe in the book) – and I love to look back on what went over well and what didn’t.
Here’s a peek inside my cooking journal. I make notes of the event, date of the meal, who was in attendance and where the dinner was for future reference. I also include a rating out to the side of experimental dishes – stars if we loved the dish and X’s if we hated it… keeps us from repeating culinary mistakes. In this journal, I also experiment on recipes I’ve had and want to duplicate or recipes I’ve thrown together and liked. It’s where I keep track of my culinary adventures (and misadventures too).
I would recommend a cooking journal to any aspiring foodie… in fact, if you know a foodie who doesn’t have one, it might be a great Christmas gift idea.
It’s back to Thanksgiving dinner plans for me. Happy Thursday!
Fly Fishing Weekend
Without a doubt, fall is my favorite season. The first time that air turns crisp, I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl.
For past several years, my grandparents have traveled to Roaring River State Park to go fly fishing in the fall, and I’ve been lucky enough to tag along for a weekend during their stay. (Aren’t they the cutest?)
Not only does this mini-getaway weekend provide quality time with my grandparents, but it always gets me geared up and ready for fall. The weather is cool at night (the low was 48 degrees when we were there) and not too hot during the day (mid 70’s). Plus the leaves start to change earlier in Missouri than they do in Texas, It’s just beautiful. This time away is also great for me to make myself “unplug” because there is ZERO phone service. None. Sometimes it seems nice, but it always freaks me out a bit – I keep carrying around my phone just in case I get some kind of alert. Even so, being “off the grid” gives me the opportunity to recharge for the store’s busy season, and that’s a blessing.
My grandparents usually take their RV to Roaring River and we stay in a cabin nearby, but this year they decided to not mess with the RV and stay in a cabin themselves. The other cabins were booked, so mom and I stayed in an Inn on the park grounds.
Behold, my favorite fly fishing spot on the river. It’s my happy place. I like standing on the rocks instead of the riverbank because the sound of the water rolling over them is peaceful… (and less slippery).
One of my favorite “river activities” is to tie flies with granddad. He’s color blind, so he makes the most interesting flies. They’re never the normal colors, and I think that makes it more fun. I also enjoy getting to be creative and see how my flies fare in use.
This particular lure got taken by a big fish the moment it hit the water. How do I know? There was a huge tug on the line and when I reeled it in a bit, the lure AND the tippet snapped off. (Sigh, it was the big one that got away – they always take my pink ones.)
The daily trout limit at Roaring River State Park is 4 per person, so once we caught our limit, we would head to the cleaning station (details on my gdad’s method here if you’re interested – be advised it may be graphic to some viewers). I ended up cleaning most of the fish this go-round because honestly I wanted the practice and granddad was happy to let me have it.
It feels so rewarding to catch your own lunch! While had fun trying new recipes with our freshly caught trout – fish tacos, fish salad (like chicken salad) and baked fish with lemon and herbs… everyone’s favorite preparation of the trout is simple – coated in cornmeal and fried. Nothing beats fresh fried rainbow trout. It’s delicious.
Not a bad spread considering that the closest grocery store is at least 10 miles away (and we only had the fryer and a toaster oven to cook with)!
In the early afternoon when it’s too hot to fish, we like to drive into Cassville to go antique shopping. There’s always treasure to be found.
Once said treasure is found, sometimes you have to mail it home because it won’t fit in your carryon – oops. While at the Cassville, Missouri post office, I was blown away by their gorgeous mailboxes! They were enchanting (just look at the design detail).
On the last morning of our trip, mom and I were able to catch the most beautiful sunrise. It was truly breathtaking, and a great end to our weekend away.
End of Summer Fiesta
To wrap up the summer, I thought it might be fun to throw an End of Summer Fiesta for the entire Barque team. We’ve never had an official “office party” or anything, so this was new – but definitely fun and we will do it again!
A good fiesta has to start with colorful decorations, so I knew paper fans and tissue honeycomb would be an easy option to hang between the dining room and front door.
To start building the tablescape early in the week of the party, I layered a black tablecloth with a white knitted one on top. Once I added a serape runner, it started to take on the festive vibe I was going for. With the addition of a few chile/salsa cans from the grocery store, it really started to take shape.
A few days before the party, I made tissue paper napkin rings and menus. You can see the tutorial for those here.
The day before the party, I emptied the cans and filled them with flowers – spray roses, dahlias, spider mums, stock, Billy balls and such.
For place cards, I printed the guest names on colored cardstock, cut them out, and used a scalloped Martha Stewart punch from Michael’s to create the lace detail at the bottom.
For the Fiesta Menu, I decided to prepare dishes from cookbooks we sell in the store. That way, my entire team could have first hand experience with some of the recipes.
Starters – Tortilla Chips, Salsa, Guacamole and Pico de Gallo
Soup & Salad – Green Chile Corn Chowder (Pioneer Woman) and Orange Cabbage Salad (The Forest Feast)
Main – Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce (Perini Ranch Cookbook) and Chimichurri, plus a Tomato, Corn and Avocado Salad
Dessert – Dutch Oven Blackberry Cobbler with Buttermilk Lime Ice Cream (Sweet on Texas)
I’m not sure why the only photo I got was of the dessert, but it sure was tasty, so here ya go. And I have to say that the Buttermilk Lime Ice Cream was worth the extra effort. It was delicious!
Of course the bar cart was stocked with Citrus Water (water with lemons and limes), 3-Step Margaritas (they’re SO easy) and Corona.
{The decorative flags on the bar cart were made with my Silhouette Cameo, but that was kind of a disaster. One would cut perfectly and the next would be a train wreck – no reason why – so I’m kind of mad at my machine at the moment.}
As a party favor, guests received tiny bottles of hot sauce with a fun gift tag.
All in all, we had a great time – we had great conversation, enjoyed the food, and had such a good time. Definitely going to do more of this “office party” thing in the future!
{If you want to see the inspiration behind this party, check out the Pinterest board here.}
