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Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

In the fall, I enjoy baking and eating my favorite bread – pumpkin. I have adapted a traditional recipe to make it a bit healthier. Enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

•2 cups of organic canned pumpkin

•1 cup of organic olive oil

•1 cup agave

•1 cup molasses

•4 organic eggs

•3 cups of organic whole wheat flour (or substitute with brown rice flour if you want gluten-free)

•1/2 cup ground flax seed

•1 teaspoon of baking soda

•1 teaspoon of salt

•1 teaspoon of cinnamon

•1 teaspoon of nutmeg

•1 teaspoon of allspice

•1/2 cup of chopped pecans for garnish

 

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients – flours, flax seed, salt and baking soda.

Mix pumpkin, eggs, oil, agave, molasses and spices. Combine wet and dry ingredients, mix thoroughly. Add some tablespoons of water if too thick.

Pour batter into a well-buttered 9-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle pecans on top. Bake 45-60 minutes or until center is firm and an inserted wooden pick comes out clean. Makes two loaves.

*image of pumpkin bread from eHow

 

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Read full story By on October 20, 2009 in food, Halloween, healthy home

Preston Bailey – Fabulous at Designing Events and His NYC Apartment

Preston Bailey is world-renown for producing fabulously one-of-a-kind, opulent events surrounded in dramatic vibrant blossoms, exotic textiles and theatrically lit crystals. After struggling at first in NYC Bailey’s best friend, interior designer Vicente Wolf, suggested he create floral arrangements for his clients. It wasn’t long before Bailey was designing parties for A-listers like Oprah, Donald Trump and Bill Cosby.

Bailey is also a bestselling author and his latest book, Preston Bailey: Celebrations (Rizzoli September 2009) showcases a sampling of his stunning work. With all this success, he still seems like a down-to-earth guy – love this! And I really like his advice from an interview in the New York Social Diary about throwing a party at your home, “You really have to let go of it – and let them help cleaning up.”

No, this is not another one of Bailey’s events; It’s his dining area in his cozy and colorful NYC apartment. Once part of a wedding by Bailey, the glass ball ornament is beautifully reflected in the enormous floor to ceiling mirror – great design element to visually enlarge a small space. The furnishing throughout the apartment was by designer and friend Vincent Wolf.

Bailey’s galley kitchen is simple in black and white. Again, the large mirror helps expand the small space visually. The white urn and flower arrangement is fabulous!

The round tufted leather ottoman is a perfect addition to this small living space. In a pinch it acts as additional sitting and my guess is it allows for storage within. The metallic copper color is a great juxtaposition to the dominate chartreuse sofa, walls and rug.

A pair of orchids and sea shells bring organic elements inside. We can also see a peek into the bedroom and Bailey’s racing bike. He is also an avid tri-athlete – go Bailey go!

A beautiful floor to ceiling curtain in teal divides the living area from the sleeping nook. And it’s brilliant how he used an easel to hold the TV.

Are you inspired to redesign your small space or throw an over-the-top party? I am.

* images from Preston Bailey and NYSD

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Read full story By on October 12, 2009 in dining rooms, Entertaining, interior design, living rooms

An Inexpensive, Nontoxic and DIY Way to Polish Silver

With the holiday dinner parties fast approaching, festive table settings are on our minds. Tarnished silverware can ruin a perfectly set table, so polishing the silver is one task that shouldn’t be overlooked.

 

Because commercial silver polish contains toxins, I searched for non-toxic and inexpensive alternatives to cleaning silver flatware. The Daily Green had a silver cleaning recipe that looked promising, but did it really work? I decided to test it out myself.

 

Here is a sampling of some of my tarnished silver before it was cleaned.

 

What you will need – aluminum foil, boiling water, baking soda and salt. 

Line your sink or a bucket with aluminum foil, and drop in tarnished silver. Pour in boiling water, a cup of baking soda and a dash of salt. 

Let sit for a few minutes. The tarnish will transfer from the silver to the foil.
 
If you can’t immerse your items, rub tarnished silver with toothpaste and a soft cloth. Follow by rinsing items with warm water and let dry. As an alternative to toothpaste, rub a mixture of three parts baking soda to 1 part water. I should have tried one of these methods with my silver bowl which did not get fully immersed. 
It might be hard to tell with the lighting, but the results were great – much better than I expected!

 

Here is a image of one of my spoons tarnished and the other just cleaned – in case you were wondering, the sterling silver flatware pattern is Repousse. As I said, I was very pleased with the results. Best yet, it’s eco-friendly, non-toxic and inexpensive!

 

Please note that Martha Stewart also had this DIY silver polish method on her site and warned that “with this technique the good tarnish (a desirable patina and the dark crevices in a pattern) may be removed as well, and pitting may result. Experts recommend using a good-quality commercial polish, and there are some less-toxic ones available. For silver, the best way to prevent tarnish is to use the pieces frequently and store them properly when not in use. For flatware and hollowware, wash and dry the pieces by hand after each use. Also, dust display items regularly, and store them in flannel that has been treated to slow tarnishing”.

 

* first and last images from Southern Accents
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Read full story By on October 9, 2009 in cleaning, Entertaining, green design, healthy home, household cleaning

You Light Up My Colorful Life – Glassybaby Candle Holders

Candlelight. It’s soothing, warming, prayerful and romantic. These beautiful handmade blown vessels by Glassybaby are perfect little votive candle holders, but can also be used for flowers too. And because they are available in well over 100 colors, they would compliment any interior or event color scheme.

Giving back. Glassybaby will donate a portion of the proceeds from designated colors to charity. Love this! Check out their goodwill program to see how you can get and give all at the same time.

*images from glassybaby
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Read full story By on October 4, 2009 in color, Entertaining, home accessories