Pie in the Sky

Dress & (Headband-free gift): Modcloth

Cardi & Tights: Target

Brooch: Antique Mall

Shoes: Miss L Fire

Weekend Greetings Darlings, 

As you may know from reading along, last weekend I hosted my very first dinner party which included  cooking, baking, and appetizer making for 30 of our very good friends.  Yes, it was quite a crowd and quite an evening!  Many of our friends cooked and baked up yummies for our tummies as well so I was very fortunate to have plenty of food for this lively bunch.  As for what I made, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese, brie in pastry with candied walnuts and currants, and english cucumber topped with smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, and a caper were the hors d'oeuvres that kicked the evening off.  Others contributed empanadas, a plethora of dips, and a nice little meat and cheese spread.  We most definitely did not go hungry and truth be told, most of us were quite stuffed before the sit down dinner even began.  

Being Italian, I whipped up a batch of homemade sauce with meatballs and hot sausage and gemelli pasta to satisfy everyone's taste-buds for dinner and let's not forget about the crusty bread with rosemary olive oil to munch on in between helpings.  Are you hungry yet?  I sure am I as sit here and type this all out.  Anyhow, the best part of the evening was definitely the stories told around the table...I swear we laughed all night.  Having moved to this new town last year, I feel very blessed to have the support of good friends like this in my life.  

Oh yeah, and this is what I wore :-)

Love Bunches, 

Sponsor Spotlight: January, Part II

Hello there darlings,

Meet another bunch of the loverly ladies that were my January sponsors.  Pop on by their pretty blogs and shops and give them a big warm hello if you do so fancy.  These gals are colorful, creative, and pretty darn cool if you ask me :-) 

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RACHEL

I'm Rachel from Rachel The Hat and i mostly pay dress-up every week and post photos of it. Im a retro loving, dress wearing mama and wifey with a big love of all things vintage and nostalgic. I am also a keen(novice) knitter, big tea drinker and a regular thrifter.  Do come on over for a lovely natter and a knees up! 

Blog // Twitter // Instagram (@RACHELTHEHAT)

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BECKY

Hey, I'm Becky the mastermind of B is for Becky. This blog is a place where I share my obsession for things like my little furry dogs, random crafts, and adventures in my miniature camper. You will also find some fashion, wine drinking and a husband in the mix. I also co-host a series called Furry Fridays where fellow bloggers introduce you to their furry pets! Stop by because awesomeness like this isn't born everyday!

Blog // Twitter // Pinterest

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HATTIE

My name is Hattie and I run a style blog where I showcase my one of a kind hand made jewellery. I take vintage pieces and recycle it in to new and pretty items. You can find me hunting at the local flea markets, reading a book in a coffee shop or in my favourite destination Barbados.

Blog // Facebook // Twitter

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Thank you bunches to my January sponsors.  You gals are as sweet as apple pie.

If you are interested in sponsoring in February, and wish to advertise your pretty blog or shop click here for more details.  All ad space is 10% off if you book now with the code "Heart". 

Catch up with you soon!

Love Bunches,

Amtrak is for Lovers

Sweater: Vintage, in shop here

Blouse: Vintage, in shop here

Skirt: Swapped via Jessi of Haircut and General Attitude

Hat: eBay

Tights and Socks: Modcloth

Boots: Marshall's

Oh hello there, 
I'm back in Philly and back at our plane spotter's nook that the Mr. and I have had so many fond memories at over the years. At the railroad and the water side laying right below the spot that the planes fly lowly overhead before they make their landing is quite peaceful and soothing as we sip our coffees and walk hand in hand.  There are just some places that I will always love, no matter what the weather.

So with that, I wish you one loverly Tuesday darlings!  I'm still in need of some recuperating from the weekend - between hosting dinner parties and leading drama practices (I coach two high school teams), I am quite pooped and rather snowed in.  Methinks the hot cocoa is calling out to me right now :-)

Love Bunches,

What I Made: Eggnog Bread Pudding with Brandy Sauce

Oh hello there darlings!

Today I'm back with a very delectable little dessert recipe I made for some friends who came over for a visit last week.  It's winter, so naturally I love warm, brown-sugary, ooey gooey, bready desserts.  Who doesn't?  I promise this one will satisfy all your taste-buds and give you the warm fuzzies on the inside.  I first partook of this scrumptious little delight last winter when my mom opened up the Paula Deen cookbook and made it for us.  Of course, being the experimenter that I am, I had to change it up just a bit - my version calls for Eggnog (or flavored creamer and some cinnamon and spice).  Even better, it's so simple to make and really doesn't take much expertise in the kitchen if baking is really not your thing.  So without further ado:

* Adapted from here

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar 
5 large beaten eggs 
2 cups eggnog (if you don't have eggnog, you can use 1 cup of whole milk with another cup of flavored coffee creamer - The Bailey's Irish Cream kind is delicious!)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
3 cups cubed french bread, allow to stale overnight in a bowl
1 cup packed light brown sugar 
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened  
1 cup chopped pecans

SAUCE: 
1 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 
1 egg, beaten 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1/4 cup brandy

Tahitian vanilla gelato - (I found mine at Wegman's)


Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.
2.  Mix together granulated sugar, eggs, and eggnog in a bowl; add vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.
3.  In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.
4.  Pour bread mixture into prepared pan. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.


For the sauce: 
Mix together the granulated sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together until the sugar is melted. Add the brandy, stirring well. 

Cut a piece of bread pudding (warm up if needed), top with vanilla gelato, and drizzle your brandy sauce on top.  

Bon Appetit!  

PS - Thanks for all the suggestions you gave for my dinner party this past Saturday.  The whole night went off like a hit, but more on that another day :-)

Love Bunches, 

The Birds and the Squirrels

Dress & Hat: Target

Cardi: Modcloth

Blouse: Thrifted

Tights & Socks: We Love Colors

Shoes: Seychelles 

What a week...er even year this is shaping up to be so far!  Some pretty splendiferous things are on the horizon for me and the fam, but I'll save that for another time :-)  As for now, I have a nice little (or big) dinner party on the horizon for me this weekend.  Yes, I am hosting and to be honest this is the first time I've prepared dinner for a large crowd other than for my family, so of course I'm just a tad nervous.  Right now I'm thinking about the Hors d'oeuvres - pastry wrapped brie with blackberries, spinach balls (they are yummier than they sound), perhaps some kind of dip.  The possibilities are quite endless, you see?  So darlings tell me - what are some of your go-to Hors d'oeuvres, that you make for special occasions?  No need to be shy - I'll welcome any recipes or Pinterest pins etc, so share away to your heart's content.

Other than that, I'm all crittered out today with birds and squirrels.  Seemed pretty appropriate that my duck and swan friends wanted to join in with me on the photos as well.

Happy Tuesday darlings!

Love Bunches, 

Tick Tock Teal

Hello hello, I'm back over at Flock Together today with another swap. Fly on over HERE to read more and find out which lovely gal sent this pretty little slip dress over my way. Perhaps I'll see you there :-)

Love Bunches,

Sponsor Spotlight: Meet Z

Hello Darlings, 

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce one of my mid-month sponsors to you all.  Meet Z, she's one cool gal, you will want to know.

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Hey all - I'm Z and I run sometimesztakespictures. Originally from a tiny town in Wisconsin, I moved to Boston last year so I could go to angsty underground concerts, eat way too many burgers, and realize that maybe I can pull off a lip ring. (And occasionally I go to class to study creative writing, but that's more of a side thing...) On my blog you'll find rants about cooking pizza, over thought out playlists, and the chronicles of my yellow backpack Henry who accompanied me on my cross-country tour of Europe last semester. 

Oh, and sometimes I take pictures.

You can find Z hanging out at these places:
Blog // Facebook // Twitter

Be sure to pop on by and say a warm hello :-)  

See ya soon!

Love Bunches,

Gatsby Gal

Pullover: Modcloth

Headscarf: Thrifted

Blouse: Vintage 

Skirt: Gap

Belt: Vintage from Grandfather

Tights: Modcloth

Boots: Marshall's

Holidays spent in the Philly always include a day of shopping around Rittenhouse Square.  I'm actually not much a shopper - or perhaps not much of a mall rat would be a better word for it (I loathe malls!), but there is something about city shopping that always gets me bubbling up with excitement and has me feeling quite energized.  With that being said, this part of Philly has the best Anthropologie I've ever been too - 4 stories, in an old building that looks like it was once a church or bank or something elegant like that.  Yep, it's hard to yank me out of that place.  Add in some other favorites like Lush, UO, etc. etc. and a trip to the patisserie to grab some french macarons and a hot chocolate and I could quite happily call it a very good day.

So with all that being said, here's wishing you a very good day darlings!

Love Bunches,

Winterberry - A Thread Share Post

Happy New Year darlings!

I'm finally back home and recuperating from the holidays and all the sweets and pie and other yummy little confections I stuffed myself to capacity with.  Now bring on the healthy eating resolution once again :-)

Dress: Vintage

Cardi: UO

Bow: Etsy - Janelle Haskin

Pendant & Tights: Modcloth

Shoes: Vintage

Today is another Thread Share post between me and the lovely Amanda of Salvaged Strawberry.  This time around I sent her my strawberry print cardi (how apropos, right?).  As a blizzard came through our way over the holidays, I thought there be no better way to style it than over a thick and cozy knit vintage dress and heavy tights.  I probably should have had a coat on - but being the summer sort of gal that I am, wearing a coat is always a chore for me...hehe.  

As for Amanda, she was thinking along the same lines as me and went with a blue top and tan bottom.  Though I'm actually wearing a dress, I thought it was pretty funny how similar our color choices were as far as our garment choices were concerned.  

You can see more from Amanda's post right here.  So that's all for now darlings.  It's pretty frigid where I'm at today, so I'm off to get a nice tall mug of hot chocolate to warm up.  Have a lovely Thursday!

Love Bunches,