Natural Holiday Decor, a Casual Holiday Outfit & More

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you are taking time to enjoy the holidays in spite of all the hustle and bustle. I will be posting on Tuesday for the next two weeks to enjoy a little time with my family away from the blog! Let’s join Annie and Mary Ann for a little Sunday fun. Let’s take a look at some natural holiday decor, a casual holiday outfit and more.

Flower Magazine on Instagram

Do you follow Flower Magazine on Instagram? Their feed is heavenly!

These two images from Flower magazine are the beautiful work of Amarylis Design. Check out Flower Magazine on Instagram for more Chrristms goodness.

Cindy LaFerle’s Life Lines

“In her latest Lifelines column, Cindy LaFerle offers timely pearls of wisdom on the importance of being present—especially during this frantic time of year.” You might enjoy reading “the gift of your attention”.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

This soup is another keeper.It is adapted from this Food and Wine recipe. If you don’t like kale you could substitute spinach. The original recipe calls for 1 c of heavy cream which I didn’t think was necessary at all. You could omit the cream altogether and it would still be good. The recipe requires a fair amount of chopping, but it is one of those soups that is even better the next day.

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5 from 1 vote

Tuscan White Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 12 medium garlic cloves peeled
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces diced pancetta about 3/4 cup
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 2 medium leeks thinly sliced into half-moons (about 2 cups)
• 3 large celery stalks finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 medium carrots peeled and chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 15 1/2-ounce cans cannellini beans, undrained
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 medium bunch Lacinato kale stemmed and chopped (about 4 packed cups)
• 1 /2 cup half and half
• Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Instructions

• Place garlic cloves and oil in a small heavy-bottom saucepan. Cook over medium-high until oil around garlic begins to bubble, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring often and flipping cloves occasionally, until golden brown and soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer 6 of the garlic cloves to a small bowl, and mash with a fork; reserve oil and remaining 6 whole garlic cloves in saucepan.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium. Add pancetta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cooked pancetta to a small bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in Dutch oven; discard remaining fat.
• Add bay leaves to Dutch oven; cook over medium until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in leeks, celery, carrots, and salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are lightly browned and tender, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in kale, mashed garlic, and 1/4 cup cooked pancetta; cover and cook until kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add half and half stirring to combine; cook until cream is heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and divide soup among 6 bowls; top each with about 2 teaspoons pancetta and 1 cooked garlic clove. Drizzle evenly with reserved garlic oil. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and toasted bread.
• Drain 1 can of the beans; transfer beans to a medium bowl. Mash beans using a fork. Add to Dutch oven along with remaining 2 cans undrained beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over high, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium; cook until carrots are tender and soup thickens, about 10 minutes.

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Eating Well shared his new study from the Alzheimer’s Association, and how you can apply it to your routine.

Outfit of the Week

Tomorrow we are having our Christmas party, so I thought I would share an outfit that could add a little “casual glam” that you might be able to copy with items from your own wardrobe.

These sequin pants are well priced from Bloomingdales. The darling Cinq a Cept jacket is on sale, love the velvet birdies in blue, and this charming clutch, and Virgins Saints & Angels necklace and earrings add a nice finishing touch. You could always add this furry vest from Avec Les Filles for more fun! You could also pair the jacket with these jeans for an after the holidays set.

Thank you for reading natural holiday decor, a casual holiday outfit and more. Enjoy your family and friends during the holidays.I will make limited appearances the next two weeks. Summer and Jenna are coming tomorrow for a week and I can’t wait! I turned 71 last week and we will celebrate with them! The rest of the family will be here for Christmas. What are your holiday plans?

Let’s pop over and visit Mary Ann and Annie and see what they are up to!

classic casual home

most lovely things