The October Conservatory

We are so busy here at Frog Hollow Farm!  Bringing geraniums and hibiscus into the house before the frost, getting the gardens ready for winter, putting the finishing touches on our dining room and living room and also thinking about the holidays and the delicious menus we'll be serving. 

Our conservatory is right off of our dining room, and has become a year-round room.  Besides using it for housing herbs...

and entertaining, we love sitting out there in the winter, reading, and watching the snow fall outside while sipping hot chocolate with home-made Frog Hollow Farm marshmallows or drinking a delicious cocktail.

For October we have our pumpkin pine table set with some seasonal pieces of mixed vintage china picked up in a couple of antique shops on our trip to Vermont several years ago.

The napkins are from April Cornell and the tablecloth is from Marshalls.  I love the colors in these vintage pieces.

Two little bears sit in their adorable Halloween costumes, waiting for someone to take them Trick-or-Treating.  We don't get Trick-or-Treaters at our house - we sit down a long tree-lined lane and there are only a few homes on our street. 

Somewhere in my reading and browsing I came across an interesting way to prepare brussel sprouts, if you're a fan that is. 

Sliced and Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

Clean the sprouts and slice off the end of each one. 

Place in a food processor with the slicing disc and slice the brussel sprouts .

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan with thinly sliced garlic.  We like garlic so I used 3 cloves, but you can use as much or little as you like.  I suppose you could also use shallots or leeks instead.

Saute the brussel sprouts with the olive oil and garlic until soft - about 15 minutes or so.  While they are cooking, sprinkle on some kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

We are driving into the city today to check out the new 'Eataly' - Mario Batali's new gourmet Italian grocery store and restaurants (yes, there are several restaurants in this place).  My daughter has been there twice and has warned us that it's a zoo, but definitely a fantastic place for Italian foodies. 

I'm linked in to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper!  Please stop by to check out the wonderful blogs and seasonal ideas. 

Ciao, bella!!

Vermont Vacation

I'm finally sitting down to share our wonderful trip up to Vermont in early September. 

Thirty years ago was the first time FHFB and I took the long drive up to South Hero Island in a very large old Cadillac with a 6 month old baby.  Truth be told I was a little nervous, I didn't know our host (he was another weather friend of FHFB's) and I wasn't sure how baby-friendly the house would be. 

We all fell in love with Lindenmere the minute we drove down the narrow tree lined lane to the magical little house overlooking Lake Champlain.

I can't believe I don't have any photos of the house - it's a summer house built in the 1920s with cedar shingle siding and  wooden windows painted with a simple white trim.

Cedar trees surround the house and lean precariously over the rocks into the lake.  The house is up pretty high so there's no danger of any flooding. 

Our host plants the loveliest garden every year, full of colorful annuals and geraniums that he saves year after year in their clay pots.  He really has a green thumb.

Tomorrow I'll post some photos of the lake and flatrocks.  

Our Vermont host is visiting Frog Hollow Farm this weekend  and we're planning to have a wonderful dinner on the porch.  Hopefully the rain and wind will be out of here and we can all sit snuggled in some sweaters and talk the night away. 

Here's our menu chock full of Italian comfort food:

Frog Hollow Farm Sausage and Peppers

(all the peppers are from FHFB's garden!)

Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

Crusty warm semolina bread

Arugula salad with toasted walnuts

Ina Garten's Apple Crisp

(I use less of the citrus zest when I make this absolutely delicious recipe)

The first time I ever made this recipe was about 10 years ago.  We were expecting a phenomenal meteor shower that year, I think it was in November, but I'm not sure.  Anyway, we had some friends coming over at 3:00am (yes, I know, a bit crazy) to sit and watch the show with us.  And I say 'show' because I've never seen anything like it.  The meteors were so numerous and so very bright, they were lighting up the whole field.  It was one of the most magical nights that FHFB and I have shared together - and we had our dearest friends with us as well!  Afterwards everyone came into the kitchen and the aroma of the baking apple crisp was still in the air.  With a steaming cup of coffee the apple crisp just hit the spot - we still talk about that meteor shower and when we do our friends always mention the apple crisp. It was truly a memorable evening! 

(He just came into our office told me it was the Leonids meteor shower in November.)

I hope your evening is memorable as well - there are so many memories to make!

Ciao, bella!

Clouds Over the East Field at Sunset

Yesterday evening I was lucky enough to look out the window at just the right time to see these beautiful clouds hanging heavily in the eastern sky at sunset.  It was a very rainy and damp day here in northwestern New Jersey, but the evening dried up and we had spectacular blue skies and these gorgeous clouds to see.

FHFB took the photos - I think he did a great job!

Through the windows of the conservatory....

I'm linked over to Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper and Blue Monday at Smiling Sally!

Ciao, bella!

Harvest Moon at Frog Hollow Farm

Last night was such a beautiful night to sit out on the porch at Frog Hollow Farm with a glass of wine and some delicious appetizers.  The air temperature was just right and the most beautiful waning harvest moon was peeking over the treetops at the back of the south field.  Even with the brightness of that moon it was pretty dark outside and our little porch, lit with a few small candles and lanterns, seemed like it's own little world, safe and sound from any harm. 

FHFB had been wallpapering our dining room for most of the day and it was time to kick back and relax.  We've chosen the Herndon Straw pattern from Thibaut's Chelsea collection.  The image from the Thibaut website is a little blurry but I have to tell you that the paper looks just beautiful on the walls!

(Have I ever told you that FHFB is the most expert wallpaperer in the world?)

Our Appetizers

Roasted pancetta and goat cheese drizzled with honey

Picholine olives, which are a French green olive, salt-brine cured, with subtle, lightly salty flavor

sicilian style olives, A medium green color olive, crisp and salty.

Dinner

Pan-roasted Frog Hollow Farm stuffed green peppers

Fresh, whole wheat linguini

Frog Hollow Farm marinara sauce

Arugula and red-leaf lettuce salad with a light vinaigrette

Dessert

Raspberry pies in a jar (Yvonne's recipe at Stone Gable)

I'm still studying for my NCED exam in early November but found time to have lunch at our local Brew Pub last week with Bunny, a fabulously talented woman and owner of The Paris House Designs. 

It was such a pleasure to meet her and chat for awhile, and she brought me the most gorgeous gift of several MOR beauty products -  MOR is proudly Australian and recognized globally for its range of innovative, luxurious pampering body care and lifestyle products. 

Please take a moment to stop by Bunny's absolutely beautiful Paris House Designs website and blog - it will take your breath away and leave you with a ton of new ideas for your home as well as ideas to pamper and take care of yourself! 

Ciao, bella!