All About Decorating

Grilling with Helser Brothers at Home Fashions U

As the temperature rises in Arizona so does the excitement at Home Fashions U.   National Educator Donna Skufis is arriving in Phoenix on June 10th and many of the Arizona Workrooms are attending the 2-Day Window Coverings Workshop in Peoria, AZ. 

Friday evening June 11th Home Fashions U will be hosting a dinner and networking around the pool.  The menu is growing and a big welcome to guest chief Jay Helser of Helser Brothers Drapery Hardware.  Jay will be grilling his secret recipe Helser Hambugers.  To join us around the pool you can sign up at the Arizona Window Coverings and Professional Workroom Meetup.

There are only a couple spots left for Donna's classes.  You can sign up for the either workshop at Home Fashions U.

I have heard about the Helser Hounds, you will all get to meet the Home Fashions U hounds Gretta and Wilma.  They are great pups and love hamburgers.

    

Does anyone watch Glee?

What a great show!  There is not much on TV worth watching any more but I must say that I really enjoyed Gee and I'm looking forward to the next season. I search google for the latest Glee Cd, I think is will great listening music for summer pool parties.  The paper said it was going to hit 111 next weekend.  So if you like Glee hear is the link for summer fun.

Better Than Christmas Candy-Familia Deicas - Licor de Tannat

Several years ago I visited my son Matthew and his family in Montevideo, Uruguay.  I was so excited when Matthew reserved a guided tour at Establishment Juanico Familia Deicas, a beautiful vineyard and winery just outside of Montevideo.    

Located on the 34th parallel south, Establecimiento Juanico's 800 acres are part of Uruguay's oldest and best suited region for the production of fine wines.  It's tradition, history and beauty make it a must visit place for locals, tourists and wine enthusiasts. 

The tour was wonderful and after a wonderful afternoon of tasting their magnificent wines, I left with a case of my favorite Licor de Tannat.  

Now when other family members visit I always request they bring a few bottles back to the states.

Familia Deicas - Licor de Tannat

Licor de Tannat is the first of its kind to be produced in Uruguay and is made from the ripest and most concentrated Tannat grapes using the same traditional methods as the famous vintage ports. The fermentation is stopped with the addition of high quality Tannat alcohol thereby retaining some of the natural sugars in the grape juice and achieving 18-20 degrees of alcohol.
The result is a rich wine that is naturally sweet and has been matured for one year in oak barrels.
This Port style wine is intensely dark in colour and has aromas of ripe figs, mint and chocolate. On the pallet it has concentrated and balanced fruits and shows its natural sweetness whilst retaining its tannic character. Ideal to accompany desserts, particularly chocolate, but also cheese or as a digestif. 

I know you are wondering how this is related to Christmas Candy?  I had a few close friends over last weekend for dinner and we finished a wonder meal of Prime rib roasted on my rotisserie, twice baked potatoes and Eggnog Trifle with a glass of Tannat!  It is like candy in a glass!

Well my son and his wife are heading home to Uruguay next week after a 6 week visit to the states.  They are in the middle of starting a new venture and looking for investors to help with purchasing a 26 acre farm for a christian retreat facility just out side Montevideo, Uruguay.  I don't have a lot of info about it at this time but there is room for mom to teach slipcovers and sewing which helps the economy in Uruguay.  Learn more about Matthew and his outreach in South America at www.mattandtoni.org

Merry Christmas and be sure to try the Licor De Tannat,

Claudia

Kitchen Appliances

With the Holidays arriving this week, I could not accomplish all the cooking with out my favorite      Cuisinart Kitchen Tools. You will find every thing from Coffee Makers to Waffle Irons on sale for Christmas Brunch

Save Over 25% Off Cuisinart Home Appliances! Shop CuisinartWebstore.com now! Every kitchen needs

Sharp knives are a must for any kitchen and Wusthof has been my favorite for years.

Cutlery for carving Prme Rib, Country Ham or Leg of Lamb. 

Holiday Eggnog Trifle

Christmas is one of my favorite holiday's to cook and entertain friends & family.  We always make homemade Eggnog and this year I created a new recipe for a Eggnog Trifle.  It is very easy so even a beginner cook can create a beautiful dessert. 

The Trifle is strictly package cooking.  I don't normally use ready made or box mixes, but for the Holidays this is a easy fast recipe with stunning results.

You can make the Trifle in individual serving classes or your favorite Trifle Bowl.

Please download the recipe and send me photos for your dessert.

Download Eggnog Trifle Recipe

115 in Arizona - Sew Stay Inside

Another hot day!  What to sew today?  This time of year I try to sew a winter project, only to see if makes me feel cooler silly right! 

 Going to make a pot of vegetable beef soup and have another cup of fresh hot coffee. 

Winter is something we don't see much of in Arizona so we can just pretend even in the summer when it is 115 degrees outside.  Yesterday it was 105 at 9am can you believe that, Why do we really live in AZ.

The dogs don't even want to go out side!  So much about the heat, yes I hate the heat but I'm staying in the kitchen until soup is finished.

The next project of the day will be making a custom laptop cover with the new Amy Butler Pattern.  I just posted the patterns on HomeFashionsU I will take photos and let you know how it turns out.     I'm considering Sunbrella Fabrics for this laptop cover, they are so stain resistant and can hold up to anything.