Saturday, September 23, 2017

Couture, Chintz & Whimsy - The Delightfully Pretty Life of Mrs. Alice Naylor-Leyland





English Rose Alice Naylor-Leyland's fairy-taled world of chintz, coutured frocks, and rose filled conservatory has a panache for adding in whimsy, 'so its not boring'.   Naylor-Leyland known as @mrsalice to her over ninety thousand Instagram followers, shares her life and style with us in a enviably pretty, glamorous, and colorful world.  I recently came across photos of her estate featured in Architectural Digest written by Amanda Brooks.  Here are just a few photos of her John Fowler inspired Regency country house, Stibbington, in Cambridgeshire, England that she shares with her husband Tom, and children Billy and Nancy.  You will want to see her entire estate, and follow her on Instagram.

Welcome to Alice's Wonderland, it never looked so pretty...  





"The house itself is traditional & whimsical.

When it was built everything had decorative flourishes, so modern 

furniture doesn't work.

I like using chintz and florals because they haven't been seen for a 

while, so, ironically, they look fresh and new."








































Photography: Simon Upton
Read and View the entire article here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/tour-insta-famous-alice-naylor-leylands-dreamy-english-estate

Thursday, September 7, 2017

When Summer Begins to Fade ... and The Best Minestrone Soup Recipe







The air is still with the fragrance of dirt and fallen leaves,

and the light is dull and flat.


The birds are quiet, no singing this morning,

I think they're tired after the storm.


There is the sound of casual productivity as my neighbor

washes her parents' cars and sprays off the drive.


"Cooler today", said the forecaster "a high of 99" - it's a beginning... 


But, the white Staub pumpkin is out on the stove to hurry Autumn in, and 

I am off to market to buy ingredients for the best minestrone soup.


I will just turn on the air and happily pretend Fall has arrived.




  
 MINESTRONE SOUP
- Serves 6-8 -


Good Olive Oil
(I love Olio Santo Olive Oil, I think it's the best)
4 oz pancetta or bacon - 1/2 inch diced
2 cups carrots - 1/2 diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 1/2 cups gold potatoes quartered
1 1/2 tbs minced garlic
2 tsp chopped thyme - fresh
26 oz can Chopped tomatoes
8 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
15 oz can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups small pasta - cooked
1/4 cup white wine
8-10 oz baby spinach leaves
2 tbs store bought pesto
Plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and more for the table
Red pepper flakes


Heat 2 tbs of olive oil medium heat in Staub Cast-Iron Pumpkin Cocotte/stock pot, cook pancetta/bacon for 6-8 minutes until light brown.  Add onions, carrots, garlic, thyme, for 8-10 minutes until vegetables soften.  Add tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, chicken stock, bay leaf, 1 to 1 1/2 tsp  kosher salt ("to taste" as my mom use to say) and 1 1/2 tsp pepper, a dash to one teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  

Bring to a boil, add potatoes, white wine and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.  Add beans and cooked pasta.

Heat through, soup should be thick.  Stir in 2 big spoons of pesto, add spinach just before serving, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with Olive oil. Serve hot.

Top with Garlic bruschetta, or sliced Italian bread in the bottom of individual bowls.


Enjoy!






Staub Cast-Iron Pumpkin Cocotte at WilliamsSonoma.com also comes in orange and black







The BEST olive oil! - Olio Santo Extra-Virgin Cold Press Olive Oil at WilliamsSonoma.com









Photo: Maura Endres @m.o.endres - You will want to follow this beautiful Instagram
Minestrone Soup Recipe:  Ina Garten's Winter Minestrone and mine combined


Friday, September 1, 2017

Cotswolds Manor House ... A tangle of pink climbing roses, hedgerows, and gloriously unruly flower beds.





For novelist Ian McEwan and his wife, journalist and novelist Annalena McAfee, the promise of a country home in an unspoiled setting found them on an eight-year journey in search of a place they could call home; luring them to the Cotswolds and an 18th-century Palladian architecture manor house with nine acres alongside the River Orwell.  Tangles of pink climbing roses, hedgerows, Korean dogwoods, carpets of daisies, Irish yews, walnut trees, and gloriously unruly flower beds filled with an abundance of blooms; foxglove, lady's mantle, iris, allium to name a few.  The spectacular property is just a couple of hours from London, which means they happily host friends and family almost every weekend.  I only wish they would have included photos of the inside....  Enchanting.







































Photos: Ricardo Labougle
Featured in T Magazine article by Mary Kaye Schilling, 8 | 28 | 17:  To read the entire article - T Magazine
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