mudroom chaos

for my southern belle

Even though she was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and has yet to visit the Alamo or take a bite of Blue Bell ice cream, my little girl is a southern belle, through and through.

As such, I couldn't pass up on this little wardrobe item in a size '12 months' from Gold Rush Outfitters.

I can't wait to see her wearing it this summer while we're teaching her the words to Texas, Our Texas and smoking a brisket out back.

50 easy crostini toppers

My sister is having a small cocktail party tonight and called me for a quick and easy warm appetizer recipe idea. In the process of my quick research (she was calling from the car on her way to the store), I stumbled upon this list from Food Network Magazine and found it too irresistible not to save (and share!).

Oh, and she decided on item #26 for her get-together tonight.

Step 1: Slice 1 to 2 loaves of French bread into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

Step 2: Brush each slice with olive oil or melted butter.

Step 3: Place the rounds on baking sheets and bake at 350 degrees until crisp throughout and lightly golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

Top This...

1. Spread with goat cheese; top with finely chopped canned beets, an orange segment and fresh mint.

2. Spread with fig jam; top with gorgonzola cheese and prosciutto.

3. Spread with fig jam; top with goat cheese and chopped walnuts.

4. Spread with butter; top with thinly sliced bread-and-butter pickles.

5. Spread with hummus; top with olive tapenade.

6. Top with sliced figs; drizzle with honey; sprinkle with sea salt.

7. Mash avocado with salt and lime juice; spread on toasts; top with shrimp.

8. Spread with ricotta cheese; top with chopped roasted red peppers; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

9. Rub with a garlic clove; top with sliced plum tomatoes; sprinkle with sea salt.

10. Spread with butter; top with thinly sliced radishes; sprinkle with sea salt.

11. Toss canned tuna with lemon juice and zest, olive oil, chopped parsley and salt; spread on toasts.

12. Spread with gorgonzola cheese; top with sliced pears.

13. Top with chopped grapes and wrap with prosciutto.

14. Top with pesto and shaved parmesan cheese.

15. Top with pesto, crumbled bacon and chopped tomatoes.

16. Top with pesto and chopped sun-dried tomatoes (pictured).

17. Spread with mashed avocado; top with crumbled bacon and sprouts.

18. Spread with ricotta cheese; drizzle with olive oil; add a dash of salt and pepper.

19. Brush with olive oil; add a thin slice of manchego cheese; top with chorizo.

20. Chop rotisserie chicken meat and toss with barbecue sauce; spoon onto toasts;
top with chopped pickles.

21. Combine mayonnaise with wasabi paste; spread on toasts; top with lump crab meat.

22. Combine mayonnaise and wasabi paste; toss finely chopped sushi-grade tuna with sesame oil; spread wasabi mayo on toasts; top with tuna.

23. Whip cream cheese with chopped dill; spread on toasts; top with thinly sliced smoked salmon.

24. Spread with taleggio cheese; top with candied pecans or walnuts.

25. Spread with apple butter; top with crumbled blue cheese and chopped fresh sage.

26. Sauté finely chopped mushrooms in butter and season with salt and thyme; spread on toasts; top with shaved parmesan cheese.

27. Sauté thinly sliced onions in butter until caramelized; spread toasts with brie cheese; top with apple slices and caramelized onions.

28. Top with thinly sliced apples and grated cheddar cheese; broil until melted.

29. Spread with butter; top with thinly sliced ham and a cornichon slice.

30. Spread with cranberry sauce; top with thinly sliced turkey; sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

31. Sauté thinly sliced fennel and golden raisins in olive oil until soft; spoon onto toasts.

32. Combine cream cheese and chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce; spread on toasts; top with thinly sliced smoked turkey.

33. Top with fresh tomato pulp; sprinkle with sea salt and fresh basil.

34. Combine refried beans with chopped green chiles; spread on toasts; top with pepper jack cheese and broil until melted.

35. Combine equal parts sour cream and cream cheese with horseradish; spread on toasts; top with thinly sliced roast beef.

36. Halve asparagus tips lengthwise; steam until al dente and season with salt; spread premade egg salad on toast; top with an asparagus tip.

37. Wilt baby spinach and toss with crumbled bacon; spoon onto toasts; top with chopped hard-boiled eggs.

38. Toss finely chopped romaine with Caesar dressing and grated parmesan cheese; spoon onto toasts; top with an anchovy.

39. Spread with brie cheese; top with thinly sliced ham and a dollop of grainy mustard (pictured).

40. Spread with mascarpone; top with crumbled bacon and chopped grapes.

41. Whip cream cheese with lemon zest; spread on toasts; top with fresh raspberries.

42. Spread with Nutella; top with orange marmalade.

43. Spread with mascarpone; top with thinly sliced melon and prosciutto.

44. Spread with orange marmalade; top with thinly sliced smoked deli turkey and smoked mozzarella cheese.

45. Sauté thinly sliced apples in butter until soft; spoon onto toasts; top with thinly sliced ham.

46. Spread with creamy peanut butter; top with thinly sliced bananas; drizzle with honey.

47. Whip peanut butter and marshmallow fluff; spread on toasts; top with shaved chocolate.

48. Spread with cream cheese; top with hot pepper jelly.

49. Spread with ricotta cheese; drizzle with honey; add a dash of pepper.

50. Whip mascarpone and confectioners’ sugar; brush toasts with espresso and spread with sweetened mascarpone; top with shaved chocolate and cocoa powder.

i've been unfaithful

... to Costco.

Yes, I've been cheating. I’ve been shopping at Sam's.

If you know me (or my mother) at all, you know of my love for all things Costco. Christmas decor, panties, wine, laptops, and my personal fave -- giant wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano ... you can find it all at Costco.

The problem du jour is that the nearest Costco to us up here in NH is an hour away. We made the drive twice, and it was annoying as hell.

Sam's, on the other hand, is about 5 minutes from our house -- so it's easy to do the math -- hence my problem with fidelity to my long-time love, Costco. Ugh.

So Sam's it is for the time being, as far as bulk purchasing in the Farrell household.

I do however, feel somewhat better about the whole thing since I recently found some cute outfits for Paige at Sam's -- the types of outfits I'd usually find at my beloved Costco.

Oh, and they also have big wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano. Score.

appreciation in aggieland

My Fightin’ Texas Aggies will be sporting camouflage jerseys tonight at Reed Arena when the men's basketball team takes on Iowa State.

All veterans or active duty military personnel may receive two free tickets to the game and can purchase additional tickets for only $10.

Following the game, the jerseys will be auctioned off at AggieAthletics.com. Proceeds will benefit the USO.

-- until everyone comes home.

tulips for a flower

Paige received her first flowers from a man yesterday – Valentine’s Day tulips (mama’s fave) from her daddy.

Lovely, both -- pink tulips and pink baby.

caliente

Better than Christmas.

According to the good folks at Whataburger (best “fast food” joint on the planet), today through the 20th is free jalapeno week. They'll add whole or sliced jalapeños to any entrée purchased for free. Add 'em to your Whataburger^®, Whatachick’n^®, or even a Taquito! Just mention you want free jalapeños when placing your order at any participating location.

I haven’t found a Whataburger in New Hampshire yet, but I’m still looking.

{ vday preparations }

So much to do.

So much pink, so much red, so many hearts, so many cards, so much sugar, so much ribbon … and so much love.

{ sweet hearts }

Why oh why can’t I be this adorably brilliant in the kitchen?

Valentine’s Day … an occasion when it’s perfectly acceptable to eat (or drink) dessert first.

valentine cake from marthastewart.com

red & black valentine’s day cupcakes from the cupcake blog

red velvet cake from bakerella

cookies from cakecentral.com

rasmopolitan from marthastewart.com

chocolate decadence by family fun

heart-shaped ispahan macarons from mad baker

pink meringue cupcakes with raspberry curd from marthastewart.com

magic

I’ve discovered that my favorite time during the winter months in New Hampshire is early in the morning after we’ve had a night of snow.

Everything is breathtakingly clean and white and quiet. The effect the snow creates on the branches of the trees is feathery and soft, almost like fern-like. The only word I can muster that suitably describes the transformation is magic.

God’s hand at work, and its so very lovely.

warm piggies

I love these booties (size options go up to 2½ yrs.) from Stonz.

I only wish they came in a ladies size 8.

backyard x games

So much snow has fallen on us in the past month or so, we can now sled down the drifts in the yard.

What a memorable first winter in New Hampshire, we've had.

And oh yeah, there's more snow in the forecast.

oh yeah!

(For all you young'uns out there, that's what the big jug Kool-Aid guy used to say on the commercials)

I thought today I'd give a little shout out to my favorite grocery item on the planet -- Tropical Punch Sugar-Free Kool-Aid (in the canister). Between my morning coffee and my evening gin and tonic(s), this is my beverage of choice ... several times a day.

At 5 calories per serving, it's a steal. But even without that healthy trait, I'd drink it anyway. Oh, how I love it so. Whether rain or sun or sleet or snow, a tall glass on ice is always nice.

And I refuse to patron any grocery store that doesn't carry the powdery goodness.

Oh yeah!