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Functional Christmas decor for a kitchen pot rack
Decorating for Christmas can become a little mundane when you put up the same decorations year after year. I wanted to change it up by bringing in more natural elements and less bling. I have a pot rack installed over my kitchen island. This rack is not very functional for pots because they hang too low, so it's pretty much decorative. In the past, I have used the usual holiday greenery with red accents of holly and ribbon - very typical. We are expecting our first real freeze next week, just in time to get us in the holiday spirit! Because it's the first freeze, all of my non-evergreen herbs…
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Don’t toss those pumpkins away!
I have a soft spot for all things pumpkin. I love them for fall decor, but most of all I love pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin alfredo pasta, pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin stew, and the list goes on. Where I live in Texas, I skip outdoor decorating with real pumkins because they rot quite quickly with the warm weather. Now that it’s time to decorate for Christmas, what to do with all of the pumpkins you used to decorate your house for Halloween and Thanksgiving? You could compost the pumpkins, but why not eat them? I have really enjoyed filling my freezer with fresh pumpkin, which elliminates the need to use…
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a Flexitarian Thanksgiving feast!
It's almost Thanksgiving and I'm finalizing my menu to accommodate my guests. There will be vegans and meat eaters, so I will be serving a small turkey with many delicious vegan side options that will double as main dishes for some of us. It's exciting to hear more and more people I know are trying a plant based, flexitarian, pescatarian or vegan diet.Plant Based Thanksgiving Menu Ideas - click on the title or picture below for the recipe, if not listed in the comments. Vegan Butternut Squash Lasagna This recipe is one of my old favorites that I've made for many Thanksgiving feasts. Originally, I had used Giada's (food network) recipe, but…
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Dated vanity bench makeover
My old vanity bench, that I've owned for nearly 20 years, was dated and begging for a makeover. It was sturdy, not the type of piece you get rid of...but it was ugly. I had a momentary vision of using an old piece of clothing that was cluttering up my closet. This faux fur wrap is also 20 years old and long out of style. What a great way to recover an old piece of furniture and recycle an old piece of clothing! But after cutting the wrap up into two pieces that would need to be sewed together...I realized it was slightly too small to cover the entire top of the…
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Flexible meals for a flawless Thanksgiving week
I love fall and the beautiful colors and cooler weather. Thanksgiving time is especially great in Texas! This year I am hosting family from out of town and I’m really looking forward to it. My aunt Amy is vegan and her son Alex is not, so as far as food goes, it will be the usual at our house…something for everyone! Personal pizza’s are a great option for a flexible menu and what better way to use all the different squash currently available. Some of my favorites are butternut, spaghetti and acorn squash. I have been making Giada’s acorn squash pizza for years, as well as her butternut squash lasagna(my…