loving the styling of these images by photographer + new orleans native alison gootee. reminds me of the warmth + spice of autumn and the crispness of winter!
how was your thanksgiving? ours was filled with love + laughter and lots and lots of yummy food! and those hot browns? absolutely delicious!!
a few years ago, kacey’s family began a tradition of serving hot browns for breakfast the day after thanksgiving. my sister-in-law made them one year and they were a huge hit! they’re perfect for the day after turkey day since they use up some of that leftover turkey everyone has! i look forward to them every year.
my sister-in-law tweaked the original recipe to make it easier to feed a larger group. with her permission, i thought i’d share it with all of you!
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thanksgiving hot browns // serves 8-10
8 oz. whole butter
8 oz. all purpose flour
2 qt. heavy cream
2 qt. milk
2 beaten eggs
ground nutmeg
2 cups pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, plus 4 tablespoons for garnish
salt & pepper to taste
3 lbs. leftover turkey
8 slices of texas toast (crust trimmed)
16 slices of crispy bacon
8 roma tomatoes, sliced in half
paprika
parsley
in a large saucepan, melt butter and slowly whisk in flour until combined and forms a thick paste (roux). continue to cook roux for two minutes over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. whisk heavy cream and milk into the roux and cook over medium heat until the cream begins to simmer, about 2-3 minutes. remove sauce from heat and slowly whisk in pecorino romano cheese until the mornay sauce is smooth. then, slowly wisk in the beaten eggs. return to a low heat stirring constantly until sauce thickens. remove from heat, grate in a large pinch of nutmeg (i like grating fresh from whole nutmeg), add salt and white pepper to taste (black or red is fine, but it will effect sauce color). cook bacon. [to save time, these steps can be done a day or two in advance and refrigerated.]
toast bread. cut roma tomatoes in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet. broil in oven until lightly charred.
tear/shred leftover turkey and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish, top with mornay sauce, reheat in microwave until warm. then broil in oven until cheese begins to brown and bubble. crumble large chunks of crispy bacon over top of casserole.
for each hot brown, top 1-2 slices of toast with turkey mornay casserole. take the two halves of roma tomato and set them alongside the base of turkey and toast. sprinkle entire plate with additional shredded parmesan cheese, paprika and parsley. enjoy!
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posting will be light for the rest of the week as we wrap up a few projects and spend time with family. happy thanksgiving!
photo via the brown hotel
i’m loving these goodies from japanese stationer delfonics. journal + strap + pen/pencil = perfection. there’s also a side pen clip that works with journals as well. and i love their small + large pocket calendars. so simple, so smart.
since it fell on a wednesday, kacey and i celebrated our anniversary this weekend. i thought i’d share with you the gift i made for him.
we really try to follow the predetermined anniversary gift list, and the third anniversary is leather, crystal or glass. for months i thought about what to get him. i like to give him experience type of gifts, and after reading this post, i emailed brooke to see how her class went. she loved it and sent me a link to austin art glass which offers private glassblowing classes. i knew i had found the perfect gift for him.
i also knew i wanted something for him to physically open on our anniversary. i designed and printed out a larger card + a little card. i affixed a glassine envelope to the larger card, inserted the little card inside it and sealed it with a round sticker. the larger card was placed inside a jelly bean filled kraft box, and the box was tied with white twill tape. he absolutely loved it!
such beautiful installations by austin artist rebecca ward. it’s hard to believe they are made with tape!
via @design_sponge
this time three years ago, kacey and i were enjoying our honeymoon in st. lucia. care to come along as i reminisce?
for the first three nights on st. lucia, we stayed at ladera which is a magnificent resort that’s very open to nature. it has the most breathtaking views of the pitons and caribbean sea. everywhere there is this beautiful rich wood, and lots of it is carved.
although the suites & villas are close, each was super private and quiet. at night we only heard the sounds of nature and babbling water from our private plunge pool.
each suite and villa at ladera has only 3 walls. the 4th is an “open wall” allowing for uninterrupted panoramic views.
ah, and then there was the beach! such a beautiful beach!
ladera was very laid back. it was like we were on nature’s time. no phones. no tv. yes, there was internet, but it was on one computer near the open air reception area. it was a place to go for peace, quiet and inner reflection. it was the perfect calmness we were seeking after the whirlwind of the wedding.
today, kacey and i celebrate three years of marriage. it’s been a wonderful three years, full of love and growth and many, many happy memories.
photos by bray danielle
since getting married, every year kacey and i share a holiday ornament tradition. we reminiscence about the events that took place over the past year and search for an ornament that reflects what we’ve experienced.
in 2009, we took a memorable trip to paris and experienced lots of change including finding out that we’re expecting. we chose this limited edition gilded leaf “christmas nest” ornament by paloma’s nest to depict our year. it’s a stretch, but we see symbolism in the leaves of the ornament. to us, they represent the leaves of our nest coming together, and the largest leaf reminds us of a bird which is symbolic of our flight/journey to paris. it took many months to find an ornament that encompassed our memories, but i love what we decided upon.
i’d love to hear about some of your special holiday traditions!
