Bookcases Aren't Just For Books Anymore

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In our last house, we had built-in bookcases on each side of the fireplace in the family room. One of my favorite projects was dressing those shelves. That's right, dressing them. It's fun and easy to make shelves interesting by adding a variety of elements other than books.

Okay, here are some tips.

1. Empty the shelves of their contents. Now is the time to clean or paint before beginning.

2. Search your attic or other rooms for interesting objects that you may want to use. A bookcase is not only for books. You'll want to add a little sparkle with brass or glass. You can introduce form and color by using interesting objects.

3. Sort books by subject and/or size. Place them on the shelves, leaving some blank spaces for your objects. Stack some on their sides, and place some vertically.

4. Now begin to place your objects in the spaces you've left. Attractive baskets or boxes can offer convenient hiding places for extra storage.

5. Then add the sparkle with ceramics, brass, silver, family photos, etc. This will personalize your bookcase.

6. Hanging framed art on the front of the bookcase adds the unexpected.

There you have it - a beautiful focal point for your room. Give it a try. You'll be surprised by what you already have in you home that will add warmth and individuality to your shelves.
photo credit: Annie Schlechter
Photo Source: House Beautiful

How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken

Produced by Azon Juan
Food editor Ian Knauer demonstrates how to cut perfect chicken pieces every time.


Source: Gourmet Magazine

Cashew Cheese

I have a delectable recommendation for you. Chocolate & Zucchini is a food blog that showcases delicious recipes and beautiful photographs - all prepared, photographed and written by a delightful Parisian woman.

Her bio states: Chocolate & Zucchini is a blog written by Clotilde Dusoulier, a 24 25 26 27 28 29-year-old Parisian woman who lives in Montmartre and shares her passion for all things food-related -- thoughts, recipes, musings, cookbook acquisitions, quirky ingredients, nifty tools, restaurant experiences, ideas, and inspirations.

Clotilde warns that Cashew Cheese does not offer instant gratification, since the recipe requires soaking the cashews for a couple of hours and allowing the "cheese" to set for a day, but she says, "Delayed gratification is fine by me, especially when it takes such a flavorsome form."

Cashew Cheese

- 190 grams (1 1/2 cups) plain cashew nuts (not roasted or salted)
- 60 to 80 ml (1/4 to 1/3 cup) water
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice or good vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground pepper

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Place the nuts in a salad bowl, cover with fresh water, and let stand for 2 hours.

Drain the nuts and place them in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) water and the rest of the ingredients, and mix until thoroughly puréed, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl every once in a while. Add a little more water and blend again to adjust the consistency, if necessary; the cheese will get a little more solid as it sets.

Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let stand somewhere cool for 24 hours before placing in the fridge, where it will keep for another 5 days.

Get the story behind the recipe here.

Adapted from Real Food Daily.

Turn Stress into Strength

Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress, says many women don't realize they are addicted to stress because they are not paying attention to their own needs. "Instead of helicoptering over everyone else and their happiness, it's time to helicopter over yourself and identify that pattern of [being an] overdoer at home and at work," she says. Debbie shares ways to combat stress and turn it into useful energy.
Photo:© 2008 Jupiterimages Corporation

Reclaim Your Identity
Find the hidden girl within! Who were you before you became a wife, mother or colleague? What makes your heart sing? What do you enjoy doing? "You need to go back to the basics of your identity," Debbie says. Think about what you like to do and ask others what you are good at doing and write these things down. Debbie says you should ask yourself, "What is it I want to accomplish for myself instead of other people?"

Learn to Become a Healthy Narcissist
You don't need to be self-obsessed to be a healthy narcissist, Debbie says. Instead, engage in good self-care, she says. "Dress to please yourself and for success," Debbie says. "Your accessories, anything about you, even the jewelry you wear—whether it is costume or it is real or it is fun—it expresses who you are, your identity to others."

Build a Healthy Body
Lift weights to lift your spirit or take an aerobics class to sweat away the stress of the day, Debbie says. "Because I am exercising and feeling fit and energetic and ridding myself of stress, I will [also] eat healthy, because my body is my temple," she says.

Cultivate Your Sense of Fun and Humor
Reduce problems and stress to absurdity by looking at life with a sense of humor, Debbie says. Then, learn some jokes, read funny books and watch funny TV shows. "If you keep looking at 'funny,' it will become a part of you," Debbie says. "Pretend you are a detective and you've got this eye for humor. I think if you find someone who makes you laugh or smile, conjure that up [during a stressful moment], and it just breaks the perspective immediately."

Jump-Start Your Libido
Women get depleted from their constant to-do list, and sex is often the last thing on their minds, Debbie says. "A woman has to relax, she has to be in a good zone, and if she is stressed, [sex] is just not going to happen," she says. "There has to be a point where you say, '[Intimacy] is special for me, and I am scheduling it and I am making time,' and then everything will be better for you because you will be happier. This is a way to harness your power."

Reframe Your Thoughts
When people get upset, they create a negative stories. Why not make your stories positive instead? "Come up with a way to create a positive story where you are the heroine, and this way you build up immunity to all this negativity," Debbie says.
Source: oprah.com

Bring In The Light

My brother just finished a family room addition on his house. Large windows on three of the walls are a defining characteristic of the room. As in the following rooms, he has chosen to minimize window treatments, allowing nature to become a part of the space.
Savory
Photographer: Bruce Buck

Logan designed wide, low windows for the living-dining room to capture expansive views of the prairie and foothills. Deep profiles created by the house's 32-inch-thick exterior adobe walls allow for window seats throughout the space.

All the furnishings were selected with purpose. The heavily corded natural-fiber rug from the Philippines refers to the texture of bark; the light and dark themes invoke the play of sunlight on the ancient tree limbs.
Photographer: Grey Crawford
Source: pointclickhome

Easy Party Dips

At game day parties or casual potlucks, these creamy dips are sure to dazzle the crowd. Each of oue is delicious, travels beautifully, and whips up in minutes.

Creamy Blue Cheese and Onion Dip
Makes: 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients

* 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
* 2 tablespoons dry onion soup mix
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (1 to 2 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
* Vegetable dippers: carrot and celery sticks, cauliflower florets, green pepper strips

Directions

1. Stir together sour cream and soup mix in a mixing bowl. Stir in blue cheese. Chill till ready to serve. If mixture is too stiff after chilling, stir in milk. Serve with vegetable dippers. Makes 1-3/4 cups.

Hot Artichoke and Asiago Cheese Dip
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Ingredients

• Baked Pita Chips
• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces Asiago or Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• Bottled roasted red sweet pepper strips (optional)
• Fresh parsley leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare and bake the Baked Pita Chips. Set aside.

2. In a food processor*, combine cream cheese, Asiago cheese, and garlic. Cover and process until mixture is combined. Add artichoke hearts, 1 cup roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and green onion. Cover and process with on/off turns until finely chopped. Transfer mixture to a 1-1/2-quart shallow baking dish or 9-inch glass pie plate, spreading mixture evenly in dish.

3. Cover and bake dip about 25 minutes or until heated through. (Or microwave, uncovered, on 70% power [medium-high] for 6 to 8 minutes or until heated through, stirring the dip and turning the dish halfway through cooking time.)

4. Serve the warm dip with Baked Pita Chips. If desired, garnish with roasted red pepper strips and parsley leaves. Makes 12 servings.

5. Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare and bake the Baked Pita Chips as directed; transfer chips to wire racks to cool. Place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the chips, covered, at room temperature.

6. Mixer Directions: In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and Asiago cheese with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until combined. Finely chop garlic, artichoke hearts, 1 cup roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and green onion. Stir into cheese mixture. Transfer to baking dish and bake as directed.

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 126,
• Total Fat (g) 10,
• Saturated Fat (g) 7,
• Cholesterol (mg) 31,
• Sodium (mg) 271,
• Carbohydrate (g) 4,
• Fiber (g) 2,
• Protein (g) 5,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 59,
• Calcium (DV%) 11,
• Iron (DV%) 7,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

One-Step Artichoke Bean Dip with Roasted Red Peppers
This creamy dip of cannelloni beans and artichokes is ready to go in just 20 minutes. Garlic and cayenne pepper punch up the flavor. Fresh basil and roasted red pepper make a quick (and beautiful) topper.
Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 19-oz. can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, quartered
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup roasted red sweet pepper strips
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil
• Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• Assorted crackers, toasted baguette slices, or toasted pita chips

Directions

1. In a food processor combine beans, artichokes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and process until almost smooth, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Transfer to serving bowl. Cover; let stand at room temperature until ready to serve (up to 2 hours). Or cover and chill up to 24 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 1 hour before serving. To serve, sprinkle lightly with additional salt. Top with roasted red sweet pepper strips and basil. Serve with crackers, baguette slices, or pita chips. Makes 12 to 14 (3-tablespoon servings).

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 76,
• Total Fat (g) 5,
• Saturated Fat (g) 1,
• Monounsaturated Fat (g) 3,
• Polyunsaturated Fat (g) 0,
• Cholesterol (mg) 0,
• Sodium (mg) 207,
• Carbohydrate (g) 8,
• Total Sugar (g) 0,
• Fiber (g) 3,
• Protein (g) 3,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 18,
• Calcium (DV%) 2,
• Iron (DV%) 7,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

I know this next one has been around for awhile, but sometimes you just want something you can depend on. This is one of my go-to recipes. It serves a large group and they always love it.
Savory
Mexican Seven-Layer Dip
Prep: 15 minutes
Chill: 4 to 24 hours

Ingredients

• 1 9-ounce can bean dip
• 1/4 cup picante or taco sauce
• 1 8-ounce container refrigerated guacamole
• 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar or taco cheese (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)
• 2 tablespoons sliced pitted ripe olives
• 2/3 cup chopped, seeded tomato (1 medium)
• 8 cups tortilla chips or crackers

Directions

1. Combine bean dip and picante sauce; spread into a rectangle about 9-by 5-inches on a serving platter making a layer about 1/4 inch thick. Next carefully layer avocado dip and sour cream. Top with cheese, green onion, and olives. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours.

2. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.

3. Makes 16 appetizer servings (1/4 cup dip and 1/2 cup chips)

Nutrition Facts

• Calories 174,
• Total Fat (g) 11,
• Saturated Fat (g) 4,
• Cholesterol (mg) 14,
• Sodium (mg) 265,
• Carbohydrate (g) 14,
• Fiber (g) 2,
• Protein (g) 5,
• Vitamin C (DV%) 4,
• Calcium (DV%) 10,
• Iron (DV%) 5,
• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

For more party dips: BHG

Photos of White House Interiors

Savoring Simplicity has moved to WordPress. Please, join us at http://savoringsimplicity.wordpress.com/ or click here.
Influenced by history, the times in which she lives, and her own personal style, each First Lady leaves her mark on the White House. Jacqueline Kennedy convinced Congress to pass legislation that designated the White House a museum, but it is still a home , and the First Family lives, works and plays there.

I'm happy with the recent deluge of "insider" photos and information regarding the interiors of the White House. I hope you enjoy the following photos taken during the years of former First Families.
Savory
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Following Photos: The White House Master Bedroom

Eisenhower 1953-1961

Kennedy 1961-1963

Ford 1974-1977
Reagan 1981-1989

Following Photos: The White House West Sitting Hall.

Eisenhower 1953-1961

Kennedy 1961-1963

Carter 1977-1981
Reagan 1981-1989

George H.W. Bush 1989-1 993

Of Interest
Editor-in-chief Deborah Needleman has written an article that makes observations about Jacqueline Kennedy's design legacy. You can find it in The New York Times. Decorative arts historian R. Louis Bofferding gives away the secrets about how Jackie got her way.

Source: domino