I was mentioned on the today show !

It was a total shock and surprise yesterday when I was given a shout out by The Today Show yesterday on this New Year's Eve segment with Kathie Lee and Hoda!

                    

Amy E. Goodman of Zulily was doing a fun New Year’s Eve segment on the show and used my clock face table runner idea for the foundation of her tablescape!  Watch the segment here.

It’s really easy to recreate. All you have to do is print out 6-10 copyright free and pretty clock faces and cut them out. Then you just layer them in the center of your table and embellish with new year’s décor of your choice.

Amy used silver spray painted wine bottles which would look great with candles in them as well.

For my original table, I used silver and gold glass globe Christmas ornaments and pearl necklaces strewn about, and lastly livened up the look with mercury glass votives and clear glass candles. These items all add a bit of dimension to the center of the table and highlight the runner.

I cut out large circles of leopard wrapping paper for my place settings and layered them between silver chargers and clear glass plates. No gluing required for any of this! 
   

It’s a really easy and festive look to pull off!

Thanks so much to my friend Lynn Simons for her eagle eyes and ears and letting me know about the shout-out on the Today Show, or I would have totally missed it! I feel so honored.

Here’s the first New Year’s Eve table I featured on my blog way back in 2012. We were ready to ring in 2013! I used the same clock faces from the runner for my place settings. I still have these clock print-outs, and they’re easy to reuse from year to year. They’d also be great for a milestone birthday party or wedding.

Remember when Teresa and Dina Manzo used my clock plate idea back in 2014?

Here’s an updated version of my clock tablescape from last year…

And yes, these are the original paper cut-outs from 2012 and I think they still look great!  

The floral centerpiece utilized evergreen cuttings and white roses sprinkled with eucalyptus tips.

This year we’re ready with a simpler table for a more casual gathering. 

I do love the clock theme, and this year I found these adorable cardboard clock buttons at Oriental Trading and just strung them on twine to create a fun little accent for the table.

We have mini champagne bottle bubbles and selfie props all ready to go... Happy New Year!

ciao! fabiana

Today Show photo credit: Amy E. Goodman of Zulily

cooking show: baked in vermont

Happy Sunday! We’re officially one week into the new year, yay! I don’t know about you, but the colder weather (50-60 degrees here in Newport Beach) always draws me into the kitchen and I end up cooking a lot more than usual, especially on the weekends.

I was especially inspired by my latest discovery on the Food Network, Baked in Vermont with Gisine Bullock-Prado. Evidently I’ve missed several episodes this season, but the ones I’ve seen have me hooked!

Not only does Gesine bake up wonderful goodies in her Vermont kitchen that also doubles as a cooking school, but her personality is absolutely bubbly and so fun to watch!  

Gesine's a multi-talented pastry chef and baking instructor that you may have also seen on The Kitchen and on TheToday Show. Have you guys watched her show at all?

She lives and teaches in the 18th century farmhouse that she shares with her husband Ray. She also has some amazing savory recipes that she makes, but for today we're gonna keep it strictly sweet!  

Such a dreamy old home! 

Picture perfect!

Here’s a little peek at her BH&G feature from last year. 

When I first heard Gesine, her voice and mannerisms reminded me of someone, but I couldn’t pinpoint it right away... 

...then I remembered she’s Sandra Bullock’s little sister. They really do sound a lot a like!

At the top of my list of new dinner items to make this month are Gisine’s Turkey Potpie with Biscuit Crust and her Broccoli Salad with baked Croutons, but as for this today, I'm gonna start with making these lemony blueberry muffins. I wanted to give you a head start too, so here's the recipe, plus one more for good measure!

Lemon Blues Muffins with Crumble Topping

Muffins:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon natural lemon extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 cup blueberries

Crumble:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Cream together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add the lemon extract and mix to incorporate.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and nutmeg and whisk for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening. With the mixer running on low speed, add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, then add the buttermilk and follow with the remaining flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Using a large rubber spatula, gently give the batter a few quick strokes to make sure there are no pockets of flour remaining. Fold in the blueberries. Fill each muffin cavity three-quarters full.

For the crumble: In a large bowl, combine the flour, butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt using a wooden spoon or your fingers. Keep working the mixture until the butter is absorbed and the mixture starts to clump.

Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of the crumble on top of each muffin. Bake until the muffins just spring back when gently poked, 15 to 20 minutes.

Mini Berry Ladyfinger Tarts

Makes 8 individual tarts

2 packages of lady fingers

FOR THE FILLING:

1 cup whole milk

2 cups heavy cream, divided

½ cup granulated sugar, divided

6 egg yolks

pinch salt

5 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup raspberry purée or jam

FOR THE ASSEMBLY:

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups mixed whole fresh berries
1 spool decorative ribbon, 1 inch wide

Make the filling:

In a large saucepan, combine the milk and 1 cup of the cream and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the granulated sugar, egg yolks, salt, cornstarch, and raspberry purée. Whisk on high speed until combined. Once the milk mixture has come to a simmer, slowly pour it down the side of the bowl into the whisking egg yolk mixture and continue whisking until well combined.

Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan. Over medium heat, whisk constantly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of mayonnaise. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly onto the surface so that a skin doesn't form. Refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours.

Remove the filling from the refrigerator. It will have firmed up quite a bit; stir it with a wooden spoon until it loosens and is smooth.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the remaining cream until stiff peaks form. Using a large rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the filling until combined. Transfer the raspberry filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip.

To assemble:

Place 8 metal rings on a parchment-lined half sheet pan. Line each ring with ladyfingers, the sugar-dusted side facing out, by standing them up side by side until the ring is filled. Place a ladyfinger cake round into the bottom of the ring, trimming the round if it's too tight a fit with the standing ladyfingers. Repeat with each of the remaining rings.

Place 3 raspberries on the bottom layer of each ring. Pipe filling into each ring until it just reaches the top of the standing ladyfingers. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.

To serve, carefully remove the rings. (Heat the rings gently with a kitchen torch or blow dryer for easier removal if necessary.) Arrange the mixed berries atop the filling. For an especially adorable presentation, gently tie a ribbon around each tart.

(I simplified this recipe by purchasing good-quality lady fingers. Gesine, of course bakes her own!) 

P.S. Gesine’s fun cookbook Bake It Like You Mean It is available on Amazon, or just tune in to the Food Network. Her next show is on Tuesday, January 9th at 12:30pm. 

ciao! fabiana

photo credits: Gisine Prado, Food Network, BH&G

By the way, don’t forget to watch the Golden Globe Awards tonight! I’ll be tuning in early to catch all the red carpet fashion for sure, and we can talk about it tomorrow!

a winter white tablescape

Hints of a winter wonderland are one of my favorite ways to honor the season we’re in right now. 

Evergreen trees, a neutral palette and just a hint of holiday sparkle is my favorite look for January.

 

Welcome to the breakfast room where today I’m featuring lots of thrifted treasures and some of my favorite simple holiday decor items.

I recently put up these cozy curtains right before Thanksgiving to warm up the space during the colder months. I found these toile-like drapes on Amazon and I just have them on simple and easy to use swing-arm curtain rods.

 

They’re so easy to install and you have so much versatility with how much of the curtains you want to show, and curtains are easily changed out without removing any hardware.

 

I loved this pattern so much that I recently bought a pretty blue colorway of this same print for my living room. I'll share those soon! 

 

The botanical print on these curtains features a pretty vining pattern with pomegranates, birds and even a few adorable hummingbirds!

 

And the fabric is perfect. It’s linen-like blend that has great texture and just the right amount of sheerness.

  

White eyelet placemats and napkins may feel like summer, but I love the little lacy quality they bring to this winter white table and give it a fun shabby chic look!

I found these two white cottage-shaped candles recently while out thrifting and I love how they glow in the center.

The chairs have a lovely, warm sheepskin throw on each seat adding to the coziness of this room and they do make you feel warmer on a cold January day like today. 

White poinsettias are the flower of the day, and I love the nostalgic feel they bring to the room.

 

And even though Christmas is over, the white poinsettias still look good here nestled in their plain paper bags.

Do you spot the pretty clear goblets with the etched Christmas tree design? I found a set of 6 of those at my favorite thrift store just before the holidays and fell in love with them!

 

It wasn’t until I got home that I realized they were from Neiman-Marcus! They are truly soooo elegant, and I just love the statement they make here with the small evergreen trees in the room and the muted bottlebrush trees on the table.  

 

The little sprigs of greenery on my chandelier are actually little evergreen wreaths that are sold as napkin rings. They’re the perfect size for the individual candlesticks of the chandelier.

 

The chunky chargers, also shown here, are from Antique Farmhouse. I added the dainty round eyelet placemats on top to soften the look.

 

The eyelet placemats and matching napkins are from Shabby Chic, and I found them both at Marshall’s!

 

Here’s the same room and table with a few little changes but still maintaining the beauty of winter white.

 

Here’s a tip for showcasing the poinsettias with a fun farmhouse cottage look… It's as simple as just popping them in a paper bag, cutting the bag to size, and tying with a pretty ribbon. No pots or baskets needed!! 

 

Armstrong Garden always has the best selection of poinsettias in the most unusual colors!

 

In case you haven’t heard, I started a new Instagram page in October and named it Claudia Fabiana Home. My former page is still up, but after getting a new phone, I was no longer able to log into this account, so the new profile was born!

 

I hope you’ll follow along with me on Instagram for all the latest projects and décor I will be sharing in 2025.

 

 

 

ciao fabiana

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on Instagram!

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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