How To Be A Domestic Goddess

How To Be A Domestic Goddess: Baking And The Art of Comfort Cooking

"You might think that preparing the cups sounds fiddly, but in fact the job is just demanding enough to make one feel uncharacteristically competent, but not so much that any actual dexterity is required." - Nigella Lawson, on getting ramekins ready for molten lava cakes.

 This book has been so much fun to look through! And Nigella has inspired me to make cakes (I'm going out to pick up come chocolate as soon as Addie is up). The first one I'm going to try is her "Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake". If you could see the picture you would understand my choice. In her words, "This is the plainest of loaf cakes-- but that doesn't convey the damp, heady aromatic denseness of it. To understand that you'll just have to cook it. And as you'll see, that isn't hard at all." Well if you say so, I know I'm game!

Happy Domestic-ness To You All!
~Noble

The Gentle Art Of Domesticity

The Gentle Art Of Domesticity

In case you missed it on my Facebook page, or I haven't had a chance to personally extol the virtues of this book to you yet, I would like to take this opportunity to share a snippet from the afterword with you.

"For me it is recognition--recognition of the worth of homemaking, of overlooked skills, of ordinary things. Above all it is the recognition of the small but significant moments that come with an acceptance and enjoyment of the domestic space. ... We should recognize the moments of inspiration or luxury, the delights of domestic nature and style, and allow them to flourish and become a memory, so that we can hold on to them and keep them with us as reminders that although our situations may change, we are always able to recognize the significance and value of domesticity." - Jane Brocket, The Gentle Art of Domesticity (pg 274)

 This book is so delightful, I was absolutely captivated the entire time. While she enjoys domestic skills that I don't quite adore yet (knitting, crocheting, quilting) it was still very nice to read about how each of those talents is a joy and inspiration to her. And I love her writing style. And this book. Read it, dears. You won't be sad you did!

Real life. Real love.

This morning was kind of hysterical. It's our anniversary so Noel was a sweet heart and got me a card and some chocolate. Love that man! However, Addie threw fits all morning, I messed up the ingredients in the pancakes, the maple syrup had molded so Noel had to throw out the first two pancakes I did manage to make for him, the van had to go into the shop so Noel was late for work, we ate dinner at mom and dad's last night so there were no leftovers for him to take for lunch, we missed getting the garbage out on time, and we forgot to move the car seat base out of the van before Noel took it in so now I am trying to coordinate a ride to get lunch to him. This is the stuff real life is made of, and I wouldn't want to be going through it with anyone but my love, who manages to make me laugh about it all; especially the crazy days. :) Hope y'all have a blessed day and get to laugh with your love! 

Let the Rejoicing Begin!

And it begins....

We are two days away and we start with the brine for the turkey. Our particular favorite is full of spices and apple cider!

And Dad has started as well.

He is just getting read to put the pumpkin cheesecake into the oven. Mmmm.

Tomorrow is full of preparation: tablecloths and napkins need ironing, pies need baking, sauces need mixing. There is such blessing in the work it takes to bless those we are so grateful for. It's the least we can do.

What are you all doing to get ready? I would love to hear!

Recipe review: Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Baked Pumpkin French Toast

So this Saturday I tried an entirely new recipe (c/o Pinterest). I'd never made french toast before, let alone baked pumpkin french toast. I used this recipe, and for baked french toast I thought it was okay, but I'm really not  fan of baked eggs in anything. Like. Anything. Shoulda thought of that before I picked this out as my weekend splurge. sigh  I really couldn't taste the pumpkin; but that might have had something to do with the fact that I used pumpkin puree not pumpkin butter, and that I only had cinnamon not pumpkin pie spice mix. Ah well, that's life. Noel really liked it, which is always handy when you forget that you're only feeding two people and accidentally make a 9x13 pan of it anyway! At least it keeps in the fridge for a few days. So, *if* you have pumpkin Butter and/or pumpkin pie spices (also, if bread puddings are *totally* your thing) then you might really like this. But if you're like me, and don't have pumpkin butter or the spices and you really are not a fan of baked eggs of any sort, I'd wager that your life would continue on just nicely without it

My kitchen has totally scary retro counters and backsplashes....

Chicken Parm Meatloaf

Tonight I tried a new recipe for Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf, and it was so tasty! I was a little concerned when there was still a *lot* of liquid in the bottom of the pan at the end of the cooking time, but I figured that must have something to do with the water content of my onion (or something, I really don't know, this was my first meatloaf of any kind) and it didn't seem to have any effect on the finished product.  Noel and I both liked it immensely; the seasoning levels were perfect and the melty cheese on top made my day. So, go! Eat! Be happy. :) 

(Photo c/o the actual author of the recipe. One day I will remember to take my own photos!)

~Noble

New recipe success!

I like to keep things interesting around here which, for me, means trying new recipes on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes two or three times in a week, (but sometimes none!) it really depends on how much energy I have whenever I plan on which meals to make for the week. Anyway, this week I made plans to try two (possibly three!) new recipes and I have to tell you that the first one was a smashing success! 

 Ladies, let me introduce you to Italian Chicken! (I'm going to go ahead and borrow a picture from her blog since I forgot to take any of my own, so props to her for pretty pics!) 

 The recipe was exceptionally straight forward and it turned out beautifully. I didn't even have any fresh basil on hand to sprinkle over it and it was *still* yummy. Also, I feel like this is one of those super handy dishes that feels fancy enough (thanks to the artichokes) that I would serve this to company in a heartbeat, or if I was feeling greedy just make it and keep it all to myself.

 Happy eatings!
~Noble