Hazelnut White Hot Chocolate

Call me crazy, but for someone that loves chocolate, I never acquired the taste for hot chocolate, so I created my own hot chocolate recipe that included three sweets that I enjoy.         1. Milk Chocolate 2. White Chocolate and 3. Nutella 

And yes, this recipe is FULL of calories and sugar.  You're welcome

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 oz milk chocolate (bar or chips
• 11 oz white chocolate (bar or bag of chips)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 gallon whole milk
• 2 cups Nutella (or your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread)

In a large pot, add the dry ingredients and stir together.  Slowly pour in the milk while blending and stirring in the dry mixture.  Once that is done, add the two cups of chocolate hazelnut. Slowly bring the mixture to a soft boil making sure to stir regularly until all of the ingredients have melted and dissolved.  Serve alone, with whipped cream, or with marshmallows.  

To make this a bit more "festive", for those over 21 you can add a chocolate liquor, white chocolate liquor, or hazelnut liquor.   PS, It's good chilled too! Can you imagine blending this with ice cream?  Oh don't get me started!  I could go on and on! 

It's all about presentation

For me, visual presentation can change everything. When my husband ordered a burger and fries, I never expected the meal to be presented in such a beautiful way.  The white bowl, holding the french fries, was a simple addition to how they served the meal, but it made quite and impact.  Call me silly, but something so simple caught my attention. That said, I ended up going home to find a similar style vessel.  Not only do I think I found something similar, but the Sur la Table white lion crock / bowl looks like I found the exact item.  If you like the look too, I posted the link below. 

I will be returning to the Rangeley Inn's tavern soon and I will need to confirm how well I did with finding a "similar" item.

Gourmet dining on the porch

Last year, my husband and I had the pleasure of staying at Twin Farms, a Relais Chateau property, in Vermont.  Each day was an amazing experience, including our gourmet lunch that was served on the porch of our private cabin.  Below I have linked a collection of table top items if you would like to recreate this look. 

 

Peach Sangria Bubbly

Fall is my favorite season and this drink was created to usher in September and kickoff the start of my autumn decorating and cooking. 

Sliced watermelon and sliced lime Jello shots

My previous post was for a watermelon gin fizz cocktail and I thought I would follow it with this recipe for sliced watermelon and lime Jello shots since we used the watermelon and lime leftovers. 

Keep in mind these can be made without vodka too, but these were for an adult 4th of July party. 

I currently do not have photos of the watermelon sliced since that and the large batch of watermelon gin fizzes is going to a party that I won't be attending, but hopefully the hostess will share photos of the watermelon with me once it's been sliced.  

That said, I did make these mini lime slices with the left over Jello mixture, just for fun, since I had the limes.

This is the Jello all firmed up and ready to be cut, but sending it off to the party whole was a lot easier since.

Recipe to make the Jello that is firm enough to slice and hold:

This recipe was enough to fill one half of a smaller seedless watermelon that was hollowed out (leave a little of the watermelon flesh for the Jello to adhere to).

3 packets of red Jello (we, my daughter and I, used strawberry since watermelon comes out pink)
1 box of Knox gelatin (the box has 4 packets inside)
4 cups boiling water
4 cups citrus vodka

In a large sauce pan, boil the four cups of water then add the three boxes of Jello and one box of Knox gelatin and carefully whisk until all of the gelatin is dissolved.

Remove sauce pan from the heat. This is when you add your vodka.

Instead of adding the cold water to the end of the process, as noted on the box, substitute the water with the vodka.  Of course if you do not want to use alcohol, go with the water.

Fill the hollowed out watermelon with the mixture and set in the refrigerator until completely firm.

Once firm, the watermelon can be sliced and served.

For the lime wedges:

Cut limes in half lengthwise and juice them (our juice was used in the watermelon gin fizzes as was the inside of the hollowed out watermelon) and remove most of the pulp.  We went down to the skin and found the Jello took on a little bit of the bitter taste, so I would recommend leaving some of the tart pulp.

Note: The limes were very time consuming to hollow out without a press, so if you want to make a large batch, you will want to give yourself some extra time.

Watermelon Gin Fizz Recipe by New England Fine Living

My daughter is constantly juicing or making dried fruit, so when we were discussing a fun and super thirst quenching cocktail, we came up with our own version of a watermelon gin fizz since she just made a bet with a co-worker that she could dry watermelon (I will let you know how that turns out).

So I wanted to share the recipe with you before the holiday weekend in case you too had left over watermelon!  Below is the recipe and the steps we took to create this ultra refreshing watermelon cocktail. 

Lela Rose Pret -A - Party Book Signing

I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with fashion designer, Lela Rose, during her book signing at the Boston Design Center.  Below are just a few photos of the fun event and I have to add, I love her book!

Rainy weather dampens wedding garden party project for a bit.

Spring has decided to remain a rainy one here in New England.  We are on a full week of dreary gloomy weather, but the flowers and plants sure seem to be enjoying it.  Not me! This week I find myself starting to feel a a bit anxious and behind in my outdoor chores, which is worrying me out a wee little bit. See, in most cases, I would not mind the weather, but this year Ben and I are hosting a very large outdoor garden cocktail party in our back yard in just a few short weeks.

Interior Design and Entertaining Book Addiction

"Hello my name is Linda, and I am a book addict."

Yes, I admit it, I have a problem with buying books AND magazines.  I can't help it, they are my go to drug when I want to escape perusing the internet.  For me it is relaxing to flip the pages of a book vs swiping my finger across a screen or clicking a mouse.

With that said, I pulled together a few books below that might interest you.

Candied Pecan Recipe from the kitchen of New England Fine Living

Candied Pecan Recipe

1 pound pecan halves

1 egg white

1 teaspoon cold water

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

   1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. 

   2.Beat egg white with  water until fluffy.

   3. Fold pecans into egg whites until well coated.

   4. Mix cinnamon, sugar and salt together then fold        

        coated pecans into the dry mixture.

Bake on a cookie sheet (with parchment paper) for 1 hour. Serve warm.

Sipping Champagne from Simon Pearce Harland glasses

Being served Champagne and wine, in Simon Pearce stemware, was an unexpected treat for us when we arrived at Twin Farms, in Vermont.  I have visited the Simon Pearce showroom and glass blowing studio for years, seen their items in retail stores, and have been to signature events hosted by the company.  Sipping champagne, from their handcrafted pieces of functional art, is always a pleasure.

Cleaning Silverware with Foil

 Wait!  If you need to clean your silver and you are getting ready to rub and buff with a cream or polish, you might want to try this first.  I have been using this simple process for over 30 years and it has not failed me yet.

Cleaning your holiday silverware with aluminum foil and a few ingredients.

Call me lazy, but for years I have been cleaning my silver flatware with this easy cleaning process versus using store-bought silver polish. Not only is it easy, but it works wonders on pieces with intricate detail.  

Cranberry, Orange, and Apple Relish

Cranberry, Orange, and Apple Relish Recipe

This cranberry relish recipe brings back fond memories of preparing Thanksgiving and Christmas meals with my mom in the kitchen of our colonial farmhouse.  When I found one the the vintage grinders, like my mom has, at a consignment store, I scooped it right up so that I could create my own family traditions.  

This is a super simple cranberry relish recipe and the only modification I made to what my mom makes is that I added apples this year. 

Oven Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup

After enjoying this soup over and over at The Red Raven, in Acton, MA, I finally got the secret recipe from the owner and the chef to share in our fall issue and I am thrilled to be able to share it here with you.  

It is both lactose free and gluten free. I wish their signature grilled cheese sandwich, shown below, was too. 

Red Raven’s Spicy Oven Roasted Tomato Soup 

Halloween Decorating Ideas & Inspiration

I love to entertain, especially during the fall and winter holiday season where each year I can create a different theme and look in our home or for others.  

If you want to get away from the traditional Halloween decorations, below are a few photos I have collected of classy and chic Halloween ideas, but if you want to see many more, the link to my Pinterest page is below and it is full of Halloween decorating inspiration. 

A Delicious Grape Martini Recipe, If I Do Say So Myself. A perfect cocktail for entertaining.

With the warmer weather upon us, I thought I would share this recipe again, for those who might my post two years ago.  If you like the flavor of grapes and the flavor of oranges, then this martini recipe is for you! This grape martini was inspired by the scent of the Concord grapes that grow wild around our home and by a grape drink my mother used to makes us when we were children (without the alcohol of course) which was Grape Koolaid with orange slices.  To see a video on how I made the cocktail or to see the recipe in print, just follow the link to our luxury lifestyle website page for this delicious grape martini.  Read More

New England Fine Living's Web site http://www.newenglandfineliving.com and this blog was created by Linda Smith Davis, The Fine Living Muse, as a Girl's Guide to Decorating in Style, Entertaining in Style, and Living in Style.

Blue and White For Stylish Design & Entertaining

This is a photo I took during one of my visits to the Boston Design Center, of the Ralph Lauren Showroom window. Alas, the showroom closed (boo hiss!), but luckily I still have these products available to me through my vendors, but what a shame the Ralph Lauren showroom had to shut their doors. 

This navy blue, white, silver, and crystal vignette stopped me in my tracks.  I love blue and white, but I admit to not having it my home, at least at this point.  This photo has inspired me to show you some of the items we will have available on our web site (you can contact me before the site goes live, items are currently in stock and we are just working on building the store).

Photo By Linda Smith Davis - New England Fine Living

I have platform stilettos myself, but these babies take the cake!  Love the blue and white combo!

Source On My Pinterest Page

The blue and white toile fabric sets off the stripe menu perfectly!  The navy blue napkin looks stunning in the silver napkin ring.  

Source On My Pinterest Page 

Dash and Albert Throw that we carry

Cobalt Blue and White "Harvard" Pattern - From a line that we carry

Source On Our Pinterest Page

 Source on our Pinterest Page 

http://www.pinterest.com/newl/blue-and-white-entertaining-stylish-living

New England Fine Living's Web site http://www.newenglandfineliving.com and this blog was created by Linda Smith Davis, The Fine Living Muse, as a Girl's Guide to Decorating in Style, Entertaining in Style, and Living in Style.

A pink and green preppy tropical theme party

When I was asked to pull together a bright pink and green party for one of my regular client's, that usually likes toned down muted and natural colors,  I was thrilled!  I will show you a few of the photos below and then I posted a bunch more on our web site.  I would love to know what you think!

How about a key lime cupcake in a margarita glass?  I placed them in bright green tissue paper so that they can be transferred to the dessert plate easily then the glass can be filled with the margarita I made up for them.  

To see many more photos of this in home tropical preppy party  which also has the margarita recipe .... READ MORE

New England Fine Living's Web site http://www.newenglandfineliving.com and this blog was created by Linda Smith Davis, The Fine Living Muse, as a Girl's Guide to Decorating in Style, Entertaining in Style, and Living in Style.

A Patron Margarita Recipe For A Tropical Party

When asked to make the margaritas for a client's party, I knew just which margarita recipe I wanted to use. There are so many versions out there and some use a sweet pre-mix. Yuck!  Not in our household!!!!!  One of my favorite margaritas was sipped near the ocean during a fantastic trip to St. John with my guy and we have been spoiled ever since. I will soon be posting the party pictures this margarita went along with, but for the recipe, just click the link and you will be whisked away to my web site where you will find more information. READ MORE 

New England Fine Living's Web site http://www.newenglandfineliving.com and this blog was created by Linda Smith Davis, The Fine Living Muse, as a Girl's Guide to Decorating in Style, Entertaining in Style, and Living in Style.

Thanksgiving Table Setting

Happy Thanksgiving From New England Fine Living!  I thought I would take a moment in between baking and cooking to post these photos of a table I decorated.  I actually did two coordinating tables.  One for the adults and one for the teens.  

What fun this was!  Below is where I started.  A beautiful dining room table with the table pad in place.