Stay tuned ... I'm posting a very cute giveaway in the next few days!!

Fall Lilly ...

Blog world has been buzzing with talk about the new fall Lilly line. IMHO, it lives up to the hype! I loved the fall line and was thrilled that there were so many cute things I can wear to work. I just special ordered the Burke dress and can't wait to add this to my work wardrobe. It is so comfortable and easy to wear. I will probably wear this with my gold Cole Haans and a fun necklace.

I have really enjoyed wearing the Dale Knit Top in navy blue. It works well with several other items that I already have in my closet. It is hard to tell in the picture, but it has these cute gold buttons on the sleeves. This top is so comfortable, yet dressy enough for work.

There are still sevearl other things that I have my eye on. I hope they are as cute in person as they appear on the Lilly website.

Happy Fall!

Work Shoes

Since starting my job in January I have had to buy lots of new work clothes. The one wear to work item that I cannot live without are my Cole Haan Nike Air shoes. They have become my go to work shoes. I love them because I can still buy the heels that I love, but the Nike Air technology that is built into them makes the shoes so much more comfortable. They cost a bit more than I typically spend, but the quality is good and the shoes are so comfortable it is absolutely worth spending a bit more. I bought my husband a few pairs too and he loves them as well.

Check them out at ColeHaan.com.

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

I made this recipe last Saturday night for dinner. It was just as fabulous as I anticipated and the recipe is very easy to follow. The recipe does require a bit more time to prepare, but it is well worth the effort. I served my boeuf bourguignon with roasted asparagus (arrange asparagus on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes) and garlic mashed potatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

1 6-ounce chunk of bacon
1 9- to 10-inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking oil
1 slotted spoon
3 pounds lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
1 sliced carrot
1 sliced onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups of a full-bodied young red wine
2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves mashed garlic
1/2 teaspoon thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
the blanched bacon rind
1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms sauteed in butter
parsley sprigs

Cooking Instructions:

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated.

VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS

Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bourdeaux-St. Emilion or Burgundy.

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Remove rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4-inch thick and 1 1/2-inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Saute the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you saute the beef.

Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Saute it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sauteing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 21/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.

(*) Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING

Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles or rice, and decorated with parsley.

FOR LATER SERVING

When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Walmart?

We were in the mountains last weekend and I forgot toothpaste (of all things!), so we had to make a Wally run. While we were there, Thomas and I decided to browse around for a bit. I am not going to be leaving my dear Target anytime soon, but I did find these cute magnets and thumb tacks for my cube. They were $2.88 each. My cube is all beige, so I like to add a little pink and green where I can. ;)

Enjoy your week!

Summer Reading

When I was at the beach I had a lot of time to read. It was wonderful!!

I finished Mommywood in no time. It was a light, fun read just as I expected.
Return to Sullivan's Island was another wonderful book. I definitely recomend it. Reading this book makes you want to pack up and move to Sullivan's Island.

I started to read Bungalow 2 but I ended up just putting it down. The first few chapters of the book consist of Danielle Steele repeating the same things over and over. It didn't draw me in at all.

I just borrowed American Wife from my sister. She said it was a great book, so I can't wait to start reading it. It is rumored to be inspired by Laura's Bush's life.

I bought Pat Conroy's latest book, South of Broad, this weekend. I will start reading it after American Wife.

Now if I can just carve out the time to read ...

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Julie and Julia!

My mom and I went to see Julie and Julia on Saturday. It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. Meryl Streep and Amy Adams were both wonderful in this movie. Meryl Streep really played the character of Julia Childs to the t. I can't wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD.

Immediately after the movie I went to Barnes and Noble and bought Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I am feeling ambitious and am going to try some of Julia's recipes this weekend. I will let you all know how that goes ...

Enjoy your week!

J Crew D*stribution Center ...

*Updated to Add* These are two of the other items I got at the J Crew D*st Center. They had tons of these silk blouses in various colors. I like to wear it under a cardigan at the office.
This is one of the cashmere sweaters I bought. I love wearing this one because it has shorter sleeves. The other cashmere sweater I bought is an off white v neck sweater with 3/4 sleeves.

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Okay, I have been so negligent on posting about this. I am so sorry! I am going to post the pictures that I have already taken and will update with more photos asap.

I went to the J Crew d*stribution center a few weeks ago. If you are in the area, it is certainly worth checking out. I bought two 100% cashmere sweaters, a pair of black city fit pants, a silk cami, a pair of shoes, and five headbands for about a quarter of what it would have cost me at the store.

The inside of the store looks similar to a normal J Crew - light wood floors, white walls, etc. Clothing is organized by style and color. Some styles they only had one item available and others they had several items in various sizes. It really just depended on the item. When I was there, there was a large selection of cocktail dresses, sweaters, swimsuits, and shoes.

*Edited to add* The d*stribution center is different from the outlet stores. It is a small store attached to the distribution center. There one is Lynchburg, VA and one in Asheville, NC. They sell items that are overstocks, items that are leftover from a previous season, etc.

I bought these shoes for 82% less than what they cost at the store. I have worn these twice and love them. As you can see, the name is marked out to prevent returns to the retail store.

I bought these headbands for $1.00 each. (AMS - the green, navy, and pink ones are for you. I will bring them this weekend).

I hope you all have a wonderful week!

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe was published in the August 2009 issue of Southern Living Magazine. I will definitely add it to my repertoire.

Yield - 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon oil
3 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)
2 (4-oz.) cans chopped green chilies
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3 (10-oz.) cans enchilada sauce, divided
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Mexican four-cheese blend, divided
8 (9-inch) burrito-size flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Saute diced onion for about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for two more minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Stir together the chicken, green chilies, cilantro, 1 1/2cups enchilada sauce, and 1 cup cheese.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; roll tortillas up, and place, seam sides down, in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

3. Bake, covered, at 425° for 20 minutes; uncover and bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown.