How To Make The Perfect Kale Salad

About a month ago, I posted a picture on Instagram of a kale salad that I was eating at a local restaurant. A dear follower left a comment that said, "Please help me like kale! I always feel like I'm eating a shrub!" I used to feel the same way, so I totally understood where she was coming from. I told her that kale, with a little love, can be really good and that I would come up with something that might mend her relationship with kale. So I came up with something that I hope you all will love...

Before I get into the recipe, I want to share my four quick tips for creating the perfect kale salad. If you follow these tips, you won't know you are eating kale. Promise...

1. Kale must be fresh. Kale that is not fresh is extremely bitter. No good.

2. Sweet and tart ingredients work well in kale salads. The sweetness and tartness offsets the slightly bitter taste of the kale.

3. Kale salads are best with a little crunch. I like to add toasted pine nuts, pecans or walnuts. Their toasty, nutty flavor compliments the kale in a weird way just makes the kale taste so much better.

4. A really good dressing is a must. Vinaigrettes, in my opinion, compliment the flavor of the kale and do the best job of pulling the sweet and tart ingredients together.  

Now for the recipe...

Wash and dry one bunch (about 8oz) of lacinato kale. Remove the stem from each leaf, keeping the leaf in place as you remove the stem. Stack the leaves on top of each other and roll them tightly. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll crosswise into ribbons. 

Add the kale to a large bowl and add as much as you like of the ingredients above. At the last minute I added feta cheese. I'm so glad I did! Add that, too. Then set aside.

To make the dressing, you will need:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Whisk the ingredients together in a small bowl and drizzle on top of the salad. The dressing is from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook and is one of my favorite dressings. It works well on pretty much any salad!

Enjoy! 

Images by me

A LOCAL LOVE: BELLA CUCINA

Happy Monday my friends! I have something extremely special to share with you today. Over the weekend, I had the privilege of photographing  Bella Cucina, one of the most beautiful specialty food stores here in Atlanta. You know how much I love beautiful spaces and food, especially food that is made with a lot of love, so this was an amazing opportunity for me. Bella Cucina is an award-winning line of Italian-inspired products that are all handmade and sold in stores all over the world. 

During my visit, I had the pleasure of meeting and conversing with owner, Alisa Barry, who started the line in the early 90's. She personally develops all of the products in her home kitchen before they go to production. She has developed everything from jams, to olive oils, to delicious sauces, to pancake mixes to her famous artichoke lemon pesto, which has been featured twice on Oprah's Favorite Things List. Her perfectly styled store and beautiful packaging makes the food look even better. Let me show you...

I adore it. Don't you? I could have spent all day there and have tons of photos to prove it. I'll show you more in the coming weeks. In the meantime,  click here to view and order Bella Cucina products. If you are ever in the Atlanta area, stop by!

All images by me

Kitchen Envy + Links...

Gosh is it really the first day of February already?? January went by in a flash I tell ya!

So what's up for your weekend? I look forward to celebrating the end of this busy week by taking a cooking class at Sur La Table with my buddy Amy and doing a fun little photo shoot that I hope to share with you later. And of course I need a nap like nobody's business! I know I mention that three letter word every week, but I just have to have them! I hope your weekend is wonderful and here are some fun links from the week!

The home where that beautiful kitchen is located...

My birthday isn't for several months, but I've already decided that this will be my birthday cake. So decadent looking.

A 47-layer dip for the 47th Super Bowl...

If you need a laugh, just read the comments of this post...

Pottery Barn has a new blog!

Did you jump on the Vine bandwagon?? I did (@Savor Home) and will post a video as soon as I get over my fear of posting a video. :) In the meantime, I'm enjoying everyone else's creativity, especially hers.

So sweet...

My Simple, Neutral Centerpiece

Like many rooms in my house, my dining room is currently a work in progress. I need window treatments, art for the walls and fabric counter height stools for the table. One day it will be finished! One day...  But I was recently able to check a chandelier (see here) and the table centerpiece off my list. 

The colors in my home are very neutral, so for my everyday table, I wanted to create a simple neutral centerpiece that would look great on it's own or on a fully decorated table. To get that look, I kept the elements below in mind. All of those elements add life to the piece as a whole and the splash of color acts as a place for the eye to stop, which is an important factor to consider in neutral environments. 

Oh and whenever I place a candle in a hurricane, I LOVE to use coffee beans. They add texture and hold the candle in place. I also love the way they smell!

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Pottery Barn Vintage Wood Pizza Paddle Board | Smith & Hawken Boxwood Topiary | Crate & Barrel Lanai Placemat | Tall Hurricane Candle Holder | Pier One Hurricane Candle Holder  | Pottery Barn Pilar Unscented Candles

Viennese Iced Coffee

I know that it's cold in most of the U.S., so some of you might think I'm crazy for posting an "iced" anything. But this is SO good, that I couldn't wait for warm weather to tell you about it. On Sunday, I had a craving for something sweet and satisfying and most importantly quick. When I flipped to the very last recipe of Ina Garten's new cookbook, "Foolproof," I knew this was it... 

Let me tell you, this drink is DIVINE! Yes, it's cold, but its frothy, it's creamy, it's slightly sweet, and it's SO easy to make. I made this one with decaf espresso, but I'm sure this can be made with regular coffee if that is what you have on hand. I think it would be the perfect quick dessert for a summer dinner party - or the perfect quick dessert to curl up with by a fire in the winter time. 

Here is what you need and what to do:

6 (1 oz) shots of espresso, regular or decaf

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup hot water

2 cups ice

4 scoops of vanilla ice cream 

Unsweetened cocoa powder for garnish

Add the espresso, sugar, vanilla and hot water to a blender and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the ice and blend on high until the mixture is almost smooth. Divide the mixture among 4 glasses or 3 glasses or 2 glasses - whatever makes you happy. 

Add a scoop of slightly thawed ice cream to each glass. Using a small sifter, sift cocoa powder on the top of each glass as a garnish. 

Enjoy!!

Images by me

Weekend On The Square...

Hello! Happy Monday my friends. I hope you had a wonderful weekend. I honestly didn't take many pictures this weekend, so these pictures (with the exception of the one of Max) are actually from a little stroll I took in an old town square last weekend. They may look a little different from my usual pics, so let me explain. I have tons of empty picture frames on wall around my house with no pictures in them. You have those too right?? Anyway, I want to fill most of them with my own photos, so I went out to some take "artsy-like" pictures of things around the square - all the while getting in a little practice with my camera. I took these photos right before dusk and my focus was on they way the the last bit of light from the sun hit the subjects. If you are practicing photography, that is a great time to get some good photos. 

At the end of my stroll, I treated myself to that cappuccino gelato cone from a quaint little gelato shop to accompany me during some good people watching. I'm still dreaming about that gelato. So very good.

And as you can see, Max is feeling much better. :)

Oh and P.S. I made this super easy-to-make chili last night and it just warmed my heart. SO good! I made it with ground turkey instead of beef, added two pinches of salt instead of one and let it simmer for an hour instead of 15 minutes. Delish I tell ya!

My dessert was even better, though. I'll tell you about it tomorrow...

Just A Dreamy Bedroom...

Hi there... I hope you had a good week. This has been one heck of a week for me. My fur baby Max was diagnosed with a urinary tract disorder this week, so I've had my fair share of sleepless nights, vet visits and credit card transactions. But anything to make my kid feel comfortable. My car decided it wanted to start acting up, too. When it rains, it pours I tell ya...

But I have to be thankful. I'm healthy when so many people seem like they are getting sick these days. I somehow managed to make it through this crazy week without getting a migraine. That would be a miracle. So excited about that! Your comments and e-mails this week, as they are every week, were a joy to read. They made me smile when I really needed a smile, so thank you...

All of that is the reason why I only have a picture of a dreamy bedroom for you minus links from the week. I apologize. Hopefully Next week WILL be better! 

Have a great weekend.

xo,

Image via

LUST LIST #12

ONE: Tory Burch Chelsea Ballet Flat | TWO: J.Crew Flower Lattice Necklace | THREE:  J.Crew Schoolboy Blazer | FOUR: Lotuff Small Leather Tote | FIVE: Jonathan Adler Palm Beach Pillow | SIX: ShopTen25 Antique Baroque Gold Leaf Tray | SEVEN: Overstock Louvre White Table Lamp

Well, this is my first lust list of the year and as always, I want it all. Even though I'm a lover of all things neutral, I surprisingly do love the colorful items here. I've never owned a red tote before, but I could see that particular classic tote being the star of a sleek neutral outfit. So pretty...

See anything you love?