Vegetable Centerpieces & Arrangements

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I have really become fascinated with vegetable centerpieces lately. I recently saw an asparagus centerpiece on the cover of Ted Kennedy Watson’s book Style and Simplicity. I thought “how beautiful” using vegetables to make arrangements.



The prices of vegetables aren’t bad either. So you can have an interesting and healthy arrangement in your home at a cheap price. I recently had an arrangement that had cabbage in it and I just loved it! It made the arrangement look so rich and vibrant. Below is some inspiration for vegetable centerpieces. I hope they inspire you to try out these wonderful items from the garden. Enjoy!



Photo by Vince Lee on Unsplash



(photo from Ted Kennedy Watson.com)
Ted Kennedy Watson’s book Style and Simplicity
A Guide to Living a More Beautiful Life
I have a copy and it is absolutely wonderful!!!


The Frittata ~ A Simple Breakfast

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So as most of you know I purchased Style & Simplicity a few months ago. There is a chapter in the book called “Frittata”. Ted gives you a simple recipe for creating this beautiful breakfast dish. Now I have heard of a frittata from Ina Garten. I record all her shows on Sundays and she made a frittata in one of the episodes.

So once I read this from Ted I thought, “I have to try this”. So I followed the recipe and it turned out great! I loved it! It was so simple and quick. I added some french bread and a glass of o.j. it was a great Sunday breakfast.

So here is the recipe and also here is the blog entry from Ted (see here). I hope you try it and enjoy it as much as I did! Enjoy!

1) Break 5 eggs into a bowl, add a splash of milk, a few pinches of salt, a pinch of pepper and whisk together. 
2) Turn on broiler in your oven so it begins to heat up. You will want to use a non-stick skillet that can go in the oven for the frittata. 
3) Turn heat to the lowest setting on the stove top, and add enough butter so the skillet is fully coated and melts completely. 
4) Add the egg mixture to the skillet. Add crumbled bits of smoked salmon and scattered bits of herbed goat cheese around the eggs. 
5) Let the eggs cook just until they have set on the bottom, but are still runny on the top. 
6) Take the skillet and place under the broiler that you turned on earlier. You want to stay with this dish as it cooks. The eggs will start to bubble, brown, and puff up. Once the entire mixture is set, take out from under the broiler, making sure to wear a heat proof cooking glove or use a hearty pot holder. The handle is going to be quite hot. Serve with toast. This also makes a lovely lunch or Summer supper served with a salad and a glass of Chardonnay.






My frittata. I added the 6 eggs, parsley flakes, salt, pepper, turkey bacon & cheese.
It was wonderful!!


The Floral District in New York

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The floral district is of course an area in New York where you can buy beautiful blooms for any event in your life. It is located mostly on West 28th Street. There is a variety of stores and booths were owners sell their gorgeous blooms.

My friend Marc took me to visit one of these stores. I was so thrilled! The only thing I dislike is the time-frame. The district only displays their blooms (well I heard the best ones) during the hours of 5 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. So it’s a very short window. But I was fortunate enough that since Marc knows the city so well he was able to get me to a great florist.

I don’t remember the name of this particular shop but the owner was very nice and she had some of the best blooms that I had seen. I have some photos below of my visit. I have also attached a video from Design Sponge (see here). A New York florist by the name of Amy Merrick shows you how to shop at the Floral District. Lastly, read my blog entry from March about decorating your home with flowers (see here). Enjoy!

Me in the Floral District




The lilies I purchased. I paid only $13! You could smell them all over the home. 



(all photos by me)

The Visit to Columbia University

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Now I have to admit I didn’t know much about Columbia University but one thing I can say, it is beautiful! We took a quick tour while vacationing in New York. My friend Marc is an architect and he did some restoration work at the university in the last few years.

We grabbed some lunch in Harlem and headed to the university. Marc took us around the school and showed us some of the work he did. We ended up in the center of the university in front of the library. We sat down like the other students and ate our lunch while Marc talked about the history of the school and the courses. Marc attended Columbia during his college days also.

I was really impressed and at awe at how beautiful the school was. Then I realized that one of the Assistant United States Attorney’s I work with attended college there! I loved sitting there and looking at all the buildings. There was something majestic about those buildings nevertheless we enjoyed it! So, of course are my photos below. Thanks for reading!

Outside on the step looking around and eating lunch

Sitting out front of the Library of Columbia University




Inside the library. Can you see yourself giving a speech that will change lives?




Looking up in the library. Very majestic right?

Okay, this has nothing to do with Columbia but I had to add it.
It’s my photo of the Met Museum in New York.

Organizing the Fridge

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I love looking into a clean and organized refrigerator. It makes the whole kitchen feel complete and cooking much more enjoyable. I love cleaning and organizing but for some reason cleaning the fridge seems to be something I don’t enjoy as much. So I do daily cleanings and weekly cleanings to make sure that it does not get out of hand.

 Below is a go to list from Real Simple.com . It is very helpful and has great tips on keeping your fridge in order. It’s that time of year where we tend to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables so keeping your fridge in order is a wonderful thing to do. Enjoy!





Our fridge at home. I love my Samsung!



My favorite stainless steel cleaner. I use it on all my appliances.
Just spray it on your appliances and wipe down with a dry paper towel. 
Fantastic!


Our Visit to Rockefeller Center

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Visiting the Rockefeller Center was a challenge for me because I knew that my husband wanted to go to the top; I just didn’t want to join him! I am very afraid of heights but I knew that I needed to take advantage of this opportunity because who knows when it would come again.

So I knuckled up and said okay! I also wanted to be brave because my 9 year old daughter is frightened of heights too!  So we went in and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised! Oh, it was high, terribly high but I am glad that I faced my fear and went to the top.

I did enjoy looking at all of New York! The views up there are one of a kind. If you are thinking of visiting New York definitely add the Rockefeller Center to your list! Here are some photos below of our visit. Also check out the Rockefeller Center tour and explore website. It could help you with making plans for your visit. Enjoy!

The outside of Rockefeller Center

The garden outside the building

As soon as you walk in you will see this painting. It is very interesting…

This giant chandelier is inside the center. It is gorgeous!

This is the view from the upper deck at the top floor.

Now this is from outside the building. This was scary but beautiful.
You can see Central Park from here!

Another view from outside on the upper deck. The Empire State Building. Wow….

Roasted Chicken- Simple & Delicious

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I have really fell in love with this recipe this year. It is so simple to make and has graced our dinner table so many times for the past few months!! Once I learned how to make it now I keep chicken and red potatoes in our fridge every week!

I do the following:

* Rise off my chicken and pat dry
* Season it with salt and pepper
* Spray my baking pan with Pam and pour a little olive oil into it
* Rise off my red potatoes and cut them into halves
* Place them into the pan and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and olive oil

* I then place my chicken on top of the potatoes or you can put the chicken into a separate pan
* Sprinkle some more salt, pepper and olive oil onto the chicken
* Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 -50 minutes

Let it cool off and serve with some vegetables and french bread. My family loves it. Below is a link to Ina Garten’s (The Barefoot Contessa) video for roasted chicken. Enjoy!

My roasted chicken


Perfect Roast Chicken-Food Network – YouTube

(click on the link to watch the video)