Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Cape Cod Chopped Salad


My friend Laura invited me up for lunch one day last week and served up a variation of this Barefoot Contessa Cape Cod Chopped Salad with a quiche.  It was so delicious that my mom and I made a version we ate for a few days while they were in town for Easter weekend.  Ina nailed this one!  I plan to have this dressing on hand all summer.  

Here is how we made our version:

  • Mixed baby arugula and spring mix (as opposed to all arugula)
  • 1 large honeycrisp apple, chopped (she calls for Granny Smith)
  • 1/2 c. toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (recipe calls for walnuts)
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries
  • We omitted the bacon and blue cheese.  I may add in protein like bacon or grilled chicken next time if eating as an entree and not a side.

We followed the dressing recipe exactly as Ina describes:
  • 3 tablespoons good apple cider vinegar 
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 
  • Kosher salt 
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
  • 2/3 cup good olive oil 


In a large bowl, toss together the arugula, apple, nuts, cranberries. 

For the dressing, whisk together the vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, mustard, maple syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. 

Toss the salad with just enough dressing to moisten. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss well. Serve immediately. 

Enjoy!

XO,
Whit

Monday, April 21, 2014

DIY birth announcements





In order to save some cash monies (babies are expensive!) and truly make my vision come to life I decided to design my own birth announcements in PowerPoint.  Of course I used my favorite modern calligraphy font, Bombshell Pro, on both the announcements and the envelopes.  On the announcements I also used Copperplate Light font (pre-loaded on my Mac) and added some blue circles for some design interest on the front and back.  I made the little paw print by Olivia's name out of overlapping ovals.  

I bought the cardstock and envelopes from Paper Source and printed them all on my personal printer.  I printed the wallet-sized photos on the front and back from SmugMug.  They have the best quality prints!

Charles' darling bow swaddle was a gift from my mother-in-law and can be found locally at Charlotte's or online on The Beaufort Bonnet Company's website (here).  His is the Buckhead Blue Chambray.  I had it monogrammed with his initials and date of birth here in Raleigh.

Pretty simple and I think it's one of my favorite projects to date!

I can't get enough of this little boy who is 4 weeks old today.  We are so in love with our happy baby!

XO,
Whit

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Happy Easter!

















So thankful we were able to spend Charles' first Easter with all 4 grandparents.  We love you!

More non-baby posts coming soon...

XO,
Whit