princess Kate's favorite Christmas treats

Kate Middleton is known for her elegant and stylish fashion choices, especially during the festive season. For Christmas, she often opts for classic colors like reds and greens and sometimes incorporates plaid patterns into her outfits.

 

Tartan has a rich history and various connotations in fashion. Tartan plaid is deeply rooted in Scottish culture, often associated with clans and families.

 

I love how Princess Catherine wears plaid, as it can be dressed up or down, making it a versatile pattern that has stood the test of time.

 

During the holiday season, the royal family wears the most beautiful and stylish plaid patterns, especially in red and green to evoke a sense of warmth and festivity at Christmastime.

 

Now here's something I love just as mush as Kate does... Sticky toffee pudding!! It's a Christmas classic, and it’s no surprise that Kate enjoys it during the festive season. Here’s her simple recipe for you to try.

If you've never had Sticky Toffee Pudding, you're in for a real treat!

 

And here’s another traditional Christmas dessert…

 

King Charles also has a fondness for traditional Christmas desserts, including plum pudding. This rich, steamed pudding is packed with dried fruits, spices, and often a splash of brandy or rum, making it a festive favorite.

 

Prince William and the Princess of Wales have several cherished holiday traditions that they enjoy with their family. 

They make sure to spend quality time together as a family, often baking and decorating Christmas cookies, and watching holiday movies like "Elf," which is a favorite of Prince William.

 

Like all of us, they also hang stockings by the fireplace and leave out very British mince pies and milk for Santa and the reindeer.

 

They continue the tradition of attending a Christmas church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, a long-standing Windsor family custom.

 

I love that Kate and William have started creating their own separate holiday traditions, including hosting their own holiday party with Kate's family. This allows them to have a more private and relaxed celebration away from the larger royal family.

Plaid always brings out the true spirit of the holidays, whether it's adding a plaid pillow on your sofa or brightening up an outfit with a bit of tartan. 

ciao fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on Instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials” 

 Do you add a little plaid to your Christmas traditions?

Photos and recipes courtesy of People Magazine

 

 

a very dreamy christmas

I’m really an old soul at heart,

and especially love all the special traditions of Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do is to turn out all the lights 
and let the twinkle lights on the tree illuminate the whole room.

It feels so cozy, doesn’t it? 

A Christmas movie night is a must!

Of course, Christmas movies are so sentimental and there are so many great ones.

One of my favorites is “Christmas in Connecticut”.* I just discovered this classic movie a few years ago, and it’s so fun! In the movie, Barbara Stanwyck writes a newspaper column called “Diary of a Housewife” and she plays sort of a 1940’s perfect-homemaker, Martha Stewart-type character. 

Well, her whole lifestyle turns out to be a sham, and she has to somehow pretend to be this persona she’s created throughout the holidays. It’s sweet, and of course has a nice feel-good ending.  

*If you want to DVR it, it’s on TCM on December 17.  

And, “Elf” is definitely a family fave around here!

Son of a nutcracker!

You really can’t beat Will Farrell’s sense of humor. 

I just love the silhouette of a beautiful Christmas tree!

And these quaint little villages remind me of my snowy childhood in upstate New York.

I also love the smell of fresh gingerbread cookies and this year 

I may even tackle making a gingerbread house from scratch.  

Today was the day for making spritz cookies. 

It just wouldn’t seem like Christmas around here 

without these cute little treats.

(Recipe on the blog tomorrow)

This is the sweetest little ornament that I’ve seen all year!

Available from Lauren Conrad for Kohl's.

And I love Lauren’s simple ideas for wrapping, too.

I miss those days gone by of sharing the wonder of Christmas with my sweet little babies.

This vignette from Downton Abbey captures the preciousness of those faraway days.

Panettone is essential for our family every year

and my absolute favorite is the chocolate chip variety,

especially when enjoyed along with a yummy cappuccino.

The name literally means large cake. 

It’s always fun to make bread pudding with these Italian cakes too!

These days you see Panettone everywhere, so 

how do you feel about this Christmas treat?

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:  1. & 2. Christmas-Winter Tumblr  3.  Dreamy Whites  

4. Ciao Newport Beach  5. Pop & Soda  6. & 7. Lauren Conrad

8. Downton Abbey  9. Laura Adani

christmas and new years inspiration

Happy Friday before Christmas!

I’m sure this weekend will be busy for us all, with last minute shopping, wrapping and party-prepping!

I just received a couple of extra tester shots from our photo shoot last week with Cottages and Bungalows Magazine.

The first photo is a little pre-setup that ultimately got tweaked a little bit for the final photo, but this is the basic vibe of the family room mantle.

  

From photographer, Bret’s camera, you can see the setup of the front door vignette. I made the “Buon Natale” banner a couple of years ago, but it’s the first time I’m using it over the front doors.

I like how all the gold and black colors work together. The wreathes are a collection of silver, gold and copper Christmas ornaments that stand out nicely against the dark doors. 

Here I am in the dining room… oh, how I dislike taking photos! I’m much more comfortable behind the camera.

The dining room tablescape came together using my husband's grandmother's antique "Indian Tree" china. You'll get an up-close peek at it soon, but I love the pinky-red details on it. 

Serena and Lily napkins and raffia placemats were used to update the more formal look of the china. This photo is a little dark, but I wanted to share this look with you. 

BTW, the chairs and pillow in the background are also Serena and Lily.

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have gotten a peek at my New Year’s Eve feature in the January issue of Romantic Homes Magazine.

I've updated my favorite clock plate theme exclusively for Romantic Homes, and here's a little peek at some of the outtakes.

Lots of glittery details were used for this partyscape!

And of course, if you know me, we had to incorporate a lot of vintage details too!

You can read my whole article and see all the best photos in this issue of Romantic Homes, so be sure to pick up a copy soon!

photo by Rita Lavoe

I’m so looking forward to Christmas! I spent ALL DAY baking my favorite Christmas cookies yesterday, and I think I made at least ten dozen! 🍪Just little gifts for friends and neighbors!

Today I’m starting on the Christmas pudding, which is really a cake that steamed and filled with all sorts of amazing fruits, nuts and chocolate!

I'd be so happy if you left me a comment to let me know what you’re up to this weekend. I’d love to know! 😍

ciao! fabiana

...and for lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

two cookie recipes and a table

With only two days left until Christmas eve, I wanted to make sure I checked in with you all at least one more time to share a special place setting and two amazing cookie recipes with you all.

These lovely “Indian Tree” plates are probably about 100 years old, and I don’t use them that often, but I thought they’d be perfect this Christmas. The hand-painted colors are amazing and the scalloped- ruffled edge makes these dishes so festive.

To downplay the old-fashioned look of these plates, I paired them with modern Serena and Lily navy blue gingham napkins (in the photo they look black, but they're navy!) I love the juxtaposition of the patterns especially with the natural elements of the raffia placemats, wood charger and runner.

The rest of the table has a modern feel with a bit of Chinoiserie thrown in, just for fun! It’s fun to mix different styles for a sort of unique look.

The tablescape meshes well with the transferware plates on the wall in the dining room too.  

Recipe cards can be printed at Cottages and Bungalows

I just got through a three day spree of cookie baking mostly and the old-fashioned Christmas pudding is done and ready to be steamed on Christmas eve.

Most importantly, I wanted to share this beloved Yankee Oatmeal Cookie recipe with you all. My mother-in-law Joan used to make these all the time, and I’ve never come across a recipe that's anything like these!

My whole family can confess to these being their all-time favorite cookies. They’re light, lacy and delicate and are oh, so yummy!! 

Joan’s Yankee Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup soft butter

2 eggs

1 ¼ cup flour, sifted

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 ½ cups of sliced almonds

3 cups quick cooking oats

Cream the sugars and butter with an electric mixer. Beat in 2 eggs until mixture is fluffy. Add sifted flour, baking soda and salt to the mixture until combined. Add vanilla, almonds and oats until evenly combined.

Divide the dough in half and shape into two separate logs, and then wrap each with waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. When dough is firm enough, thinly slice and put on cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes for a chewy cookie and 1-2 minutes longer for a crispy cookie. Makes about 4 dozen.

Also in this photo, at the top, are traditional Italian Pine Nut cookies. These cookies are also light and since they have a fair amount of almond paste in them, they’re similar to a macaroon. 

If you’ve never had these pignoli cookies, they're worth a try! The pine nuts give them a real festive taste that's so perfect for Christmas.  

Pignoli* or Pine Nut Cookies

2 cups pine nuts

1 cup powdered sugar

¼ cup almond paste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process ¾ cup pine nuts in a food processor with the sugar, almond paste, and vanilla until fine crumbs form. Add egg and lemon zest; pulse to combine. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; process just until dough comes together. Roll dough into ½ inch balls.

Roll the cookie balls in the remaining 1¼ cups pine nuts and gently press to adhere. Space the cookie dough 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.

Bake until cookies begin to turn golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Makes about 2 ½ dozen pignoli cookies.

Pignoli* is pronounced pēn-yō-lē

So this year, I’ve made three kinds of spritz cookies; one flavored with orange zest, another flavored with lemon zest and little chocolate stars sprinkles with powdered sugar ( the photo above is from last year).

In addition to those, I also made traditional tollhouse cookies, Martha Stewart’s Chewy Chocolate Ginger Molassas Cookies (my family’s 2nd favorites), and a new recipe this year, dark chocolate cookies with mint chip bits.

Well, I think I’m just about done with all my catch-up… that’s what today was all about.

I think I’m officially done with baking, gift shopping, and about 80% finished with wrapping presents. A few are still due to arrive from Amazon tomorrow!

How about you? How’s your Christmas prep going? Are you baking any special recipes this weekend? 

ciao! fabiana

for lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!