Gift Tags with Fringe Benefits!

 

 

Between the Lake Bluff Ghost Walk this weekend and our annual Christmas Open House the next weekend   ( Nov.2 and 3rd) ,  I have worn out my glue gun this week.  Many projects need to be completed for both of these events.   Last night I finished our gift tags for special gifts for the holiday season.  One of my fabric reps came in the store and went through our fabric and trim books and discarded some discontinued books.  I couldn't bear to see the beautiful samples of trims thrown away. Katha came over last week and helped me assemble these tags.  With Office Max shipping labels, my stamps and colored pencils, a little glitter and rhinestones and that discontinued  trim book,  we created these gift tags.  They are our gift tags "with fringe benefits" and will embellish many special  gifts this season. 

 

Lemon Chess Pie

it all starts with a bowl of lemons- actully it only takes a couple of them!

puffed and just out of the oven

cooled and ready to eat-

a candied lemon slice with fresh thyme for garnish

flaky thick pie crust - read below for the the easy secret!

warm custardy lemon pie- deelish!

Lemon Chess Pie - no one knows where it got it's name- but it's a staple for most  Southern cooks.  One story says that when the pie was pulled from the oven, someone asked - "what kind of pie is that?' And the cook replied " it's jes pie" and that's how it got its name!   This recipe is my aunts - but all of my aunts made chess pies - plain, chocolate, orange, coconut, you name it - it was made.  My momma made mini ones with chopped nuts on top ( she was ahead of her time on the "one bite" - dessert trend! But it didn't  really make any difference- we just ate 3 instead of one!)  It is an easily adaptable recipe and is in our cookbook - Romancing the Home Entertains" in several versions.  I love to make an orange chess pie or chocolate mint, but this weekend I had a bowl of lemons that need to be used. Besides, lemon is Mr. RTH's - our maintenance man's - favorite flavor.  It is a simple recipe, using ingredients that you probably have in your pantry.   For this pie, I added a little fresh lemon thyme to add a different flavor profile and it was great. And I cheated on the crust - I learned this trick from a Paula Deen show years ago and have done it ever since -  buy two ready made pie crusts. Bring them to room temperature.  Lay one over the other with a few drops of water in the middle and roll both of  them together with a rolling pin. Place in the baking dish.  The double layer pie crust  really mimics a home-made crust and is much more flaky.  Try it and see  what you think!

Lemon Chess Pie

 

 

prepared pie crust

2 c. sugar

1 T. flour

1 T. cornmeal

4 eggs

1/4 c. melted butter

1/4 c. milk

3 T. grated lemon rind

1/4 c. fresh lemon juice

 

Combine sugar, flour and cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until slightly  set in the middle. It will firm as it cools.

 

Serve warm or at room temperature.

 

Great served with whipped cream!



Easy Care Family Room with Style Galore

With kids and 2 crazy dogs, Julie opted for washable slip covered furniture and it looks fantastic

Light and airy with the filmy unlined linen drapes.

pale tan and cream cow hide is placed under the coffee table to anchor it.

such a romantic corner!

love her choice of the bold pillows to add the "pop" to the room

heavy weight open weave linen is perfect to let light in, yet give a little privacy.

I love this piece- we purchased at an antique market and found the mirror in one of our lighting catalogs

love this mixture of the turquiose and crystal, mixed with the mercury glass on the limestone top. so pretty!

cow hide covered chair from the store is the perfect size for additional seating in the room

a pair of vintage game chairs are upholstered in an animal print.

blue and red chinese porcelain is bought in for an additional pop of color.

a restful room to relax in.

When one of the Romancing the Home girls gets ready to re-do a room in their own home - trust me- input is rampant  and freely given from the rest of the staff - whether you want it or not!  But Julie had her own vision-a light and airy family room  and easy to wash slipcovers because of her two dogs!  Lots of samples go home from the store  for the night, lots of catalogs are poured over for the right accessory, and lots, lots, lots of conversacion takes place about the perfect decor for the new room! Julie chose white linen slipcovers from a line that we sell in the store - oversized extremely  comfortable seating. She has already had to wash them several times due to little muddy feet from her beloved dogs and they have washed beautifully.   I love the lightness of the large room- lots of large windows that face west.  I think it was a brilliant idea to bring in the blue and red pillows to add the color to the room.  The paint color that Julie chose - French canvas - from Benjamin Moore is wonderful. It has a "muslin" tone to it,  but is warm and makes all the colors in the room blend perfectly.  However I must say that my favorite elements in the room are the pastry stand and mirror that are being used for a bar.  What a great job pulling all these different elements together to create such an inviting room- great job Julie! 

We love hearing your thoughts - please leave a comment! Thanks!

Post  Script -
 Izzy - Julie's dog in  "Bad-Dog" digs for Halloween!  Black dog- White sofa??? Hard to find a place to hide -for a bone stealing Halloween criminal dog with muddy feet ! 

The Greenbrier

one of 10 lobbys in the Greenbrier

bold carpets everywhere

lobby outside the casino entrance

sitting areas and letter writing spots with desks and stationary through out the public spaces

this wallpaper is used throughout the main lobby area

plaster reliefs used extensively

more plaster relief over a small bar in a private dining room

it was a fantasy world of oversized chandeliers

the glamorous indoor pool

striking with the famous green leaf wallpaper"Braxilliance"

love this emerald green faux bois carpeting

heading to the theatre doors for nightly entertainment

tea is being served in the main dining room at 4 o.clock - complementary for hotel guests.

grounds on the back of hotel as you walk to the golf course

Mr. RTH found his heaven on earth here!

Carleton Varney's new bistro in the hotel  Love these chairs-
reminded me of the one's at my friend Gail's house in the  kitchen.

notice the details - like the red and gold menus.

the now famous lobster and mashed potatoes from the  Jerry West steakhouse in the resort- Lord, please keep me from ordering another one!  please!  so so so gooooood!

a little history - pictures of celebrities and diplomats that visited the Greenbrier

the "Old White" was changed to the Greenbrier n  1940

adorable picture of a "Children's Costume Ball" held at the hotel.

Christmas Dinner 1942 when the hotel was a WWII hospital.- never knew you served Fruit cake with ice cream!

Located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, the Greenbrier is America's most iconic old resort.  Over 200 years old, it was once called "Old White", served as a hospital for the army in World War II and was sold back to the Chesapeake and Ohio railroads after the war to become the "Greenbrier".  That is when one of the most famous American designers ever, Dorothy Draper, was hired to refurbish it.  Today it still  embodies her philosophy of color and  stark contrast. When picking wallpapers and fabrics for the Greenbrier, she said " show me nothing that looks like gravy"!   Her protege , Carleton Varney, " Mr. Color" still oversees the design of the hotel. In 2009 the hotel filed for bankruptcy and was rescued by James and Kathy Justice, West Virginia natives who made their fortune in milling and farming.   A state of the art casino and several new restaurants were built and the rest is history.  It is absolutely drop dead gorgeous.  I spent 2 days just soaking in the decor, while Mr. RTH fly fished on their pristine Howard Creek, catching over 60 rainbow trout in 3 hours!  It is a golfer's paradise and spa goers are in heaven with the  incredible array of treatments being offered at the Greenbrier's spa. Culinary classes are taught twice a day in the hotel's gourmet shop, while tours of the underground secret bunkers built during the cold war for the President and Congress are given every couple of hours. It is a fascinating place- full of American history but ready for a glorious future.  Seven restaurants are on the property, with ball room dancing in the main dining room during dinner service.  It is a farm to table concept, with much of the food grown on the premises.  In the steak house, a lobster and mashed potato dish was  featured on the Food Network's "the best thing I ever had to eat".  We ordered it and have to agree.  But I have to add that Cathy Justice's cornbread - that she won a blue ribbon for at the state fair and is served in Jerry West's steakhouse - is also fantastic.  While dining, you are given a copy of the recipe on the back of a blue ribbon for a keepsake!  This is a charming- must see- hotel and resort.  It is less than a 6 hour drive from most cities on the East Coast- but soon Jim Justice will be launching new luxury  Amtrak cars from  Washington, DC's Union Station  to come to the resort, as the Amtrak station is a short walk to the entrance.  His team is refurbishing 1950's sleeper cars into luxury Pullman cars. for service to White Sulphur Springs. How cool is that?