hello, little elves

a few of my favorite little Christmas treasures...

they always put a smile on my face .

ciao! Fabiana

the truth about the French ( a book review)

Our love-hate relationship with the French

and all things French has inspired

writer Piu Marie Eatwell,

to write this fun book,

"They Eat Horses, Don't They?".

This book looks at the myths and stereotypes

that we associate with the French. 

Any Francophile can appreciate the subtle humor

and irony in this book. Eatwell looks at such things

as fashion, food, marriage, manners in

 the City of Light itself, Paris. 

I bought a few copies this year to give to some friends

who love anything French. 

This book is also loaded with fabulous quotes

by some famous French glitterati. 

Here are a couple of my favorites…

au revoir! fabiana

two new breakfast recipes

When the gang’s all home for the holidays, having a few hearty breakfast recipes will definitely come in handy. These Cheesy  Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacos fit the bill in my book. All you need is a few simple ingredients on hand, and they're so easy to put together. Topping the tacos with a bit of avocado makes them extra yummy!

Cheesy  Egg and Potato Breakfast Tacos

ingredients

·    8 refrigerated corn tortillas

·    5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

·    1 pkg. Simply Potatoes refrigerated diced potatoes with onions

·    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

·    8 large eggs

·    ⅓ cup salsa (your favorite salsa e.g. tomatillo), plus more for garnish

·    ⅔ cup shredded jack or mozzarella cheese

·    4 scallions, thinly sliced (1 cup)

·    12 dashes hot sauce, plus more for garnish (optional)

·    1 large ripe avocado, thinly sliced 

·    Sour Cream, for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Turn gas to medium-high heat. Cook tortillas on a non-stick skillet until charred in a few spots, about 30 seconds per side (be careful not to let tortillas burn.) Once charred, nestle tortillas in a cloth dish towel to keep warm and set aside.

Meanwhile, add 3 tablespoons of oil to a large non-stick skillet over medium- high heat. When it simmers, add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook according to package directions. When potatoes are ready, remove from pan and set aside. 

Meanwhile, place eggs in a medium bowl and quickly break up egg yolks with a whisk. Stir in salsa, ½ cup of cheese, scallions, hot sauce (if using). Season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Wipe out skillet potatoes were in and return to medium heat; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add egg mixture and cook stirring occasionally until just set, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining cheese, cover and sit until eggs are cooked to desired doneness and cheese is melted.

Divide eggs and potatoes among charred tortillas. Top with avocado and finish with additional salsa or sour cream, if using. Serve immediately.

Delicious Prosciutto and Egg Biscuit Cups will make the perfect Christmas morning breakfast for my gourmet Italian crowd! They're also so easy make and with the added spinach and mozzarella, I'm sure to please my hungry family!

Prosciutto and Egg Biscuit Cups

ingredients

·    Nonstick cooking spray

·    6 thinly sliced pieces of prosciutto (about 3-oz.)

·    1 can (8-oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

·    1/3 cup defrosted frozen spinach

·    2 jarred roasted bell peppers, finely chopped

·    6 large eggs

·    1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 oz.)

·    Sour cream, for serving (optional)

·    Salad, for serving (optional)

preparation

Heat oven to 350°F and arrange rack in the middle. Coat 6 jumbo muffin well or 6 (6 oz.) heatproof ramekins or cups with cooking spray.

Separate biscuit dough into 6 pieces then place 1 in each muffin cup. Press the dough two-thirds of the way up sides of muffin wells. Lay one piece of prosciutto on top of each biscuit dough piece, allowing the ends of each prosciutto piece to stick out of the muffin well. Divide spinach then peppers and cheese among muffin wells and finally crack an egg over the top of each.

Bake until egg whites are set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Run a butter knife around muffin wells to loosen. Serve immediately, with a dollop of sour cream and/or salsa, if using.

ciao! fabiana

Christmas trends from Roger's Gardens

I recently got the inside scoop on the decorating trends for this Christmas season from Eric Cortina, Creative Director of Roger’s Gardens. This season’s trends are so easy to incorporate into your home by adding just a few key pieces and colors to your existing collection.  On trend for this 2014 holiday season are looks that use Gold Gilt, White-on-White, Scandinavian elements and Pinecones and Copper.  

The Gold Gilt look is the biggest trend of the year, according to Cortina.  Since we are now drawn to a warmer palette, mixing different metal tones gives a more modern feel to holiday decorating. 

Mix in some gold ornaments with your silver and pewter ones.  Incorporate a collection of gold and mercury glass votives to your tabletop décor. 

Bring out an antique gilt mirror to display over your mantel and then add some of your sentimental treasures and greenery to finish off the look.  Be creative and don’t be afraid to mix and match metals!

There is nothing more elegant than a table set with white linens, solid white dinnerware and assorted white and clear glass votives. This creates the perfect backdrop for a gathering of holiday greenery, and white roses, hydrangeas and amaryllis at the center of your table. 

The mixing of matte and gloss whites is a great way to add a subtle textured quality to this look.  Painting some of your current decorations a solid white is also a way to give them a fresh new look.  

The traditional look of a Scandinavian Christmas always brings a sense of warmth into your home with the classic color combination of red and white. 

Natural elements are also an important part of this look and can be achieved by adding decorations made of natural wood and freshly cut evergreen branches. 

Try adding mercury glass to take this look into a more elegant direction. 

The Copper and Pinecone theme works great with the current burlap trend.  This mix of textures works great with existing decorations.  Just add a copper urn for your greenery or a few spun copper wire spheres to your décor. Magnolia branches also look spectacular with this look, with their rich glossy leaves and velvety brown undersides.  

ciao! fabiana

Of course, Roger’s Gardens is a great place to get inspired 
by these four holiday decorating trends, and while you’re here in Newport, 
you won’t want to miss 
the Holiday Ring of Lights home decoration competition and 
the 106th Annual Christmas Boat Parade. 

Newport Beach has long been a holiday destination, 
especially during Christmas season. 
The New York Times has even voted
 the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade 
“ One of the  top ten happenings in the nation”! 

classical christmas details

A peek at the entrance of Roger’s Gardens.

Love all the gold details and the classical theme.

More to come on the blog….

ciao! Fabiana

a truthful Sunday

Truths and roses have thorns about them.  

-Henry David Thoreau

ciao! fabiana