Sunday, May 16, 2010

Savannah Beverage Server

Whether you are serving Champagne Punch, Emerald Sea Punch or pink lemonade, the Savannah Beverage Server will make your drinks a smashing hit! Classic standbys like iced tea and lemonade get fun makeovers with slices of peach and watermelon. Refreshing ice water looks even more appetizing with sliced lemons and limes. Lift out the glass urn for a more modern look, or just remove the legs. The spigot is stainless steel. The server will hold 26 cups.
How would you like to have this as your next Willow House product? If you host a party, you could easily earn money to get this item. As a bonus, below you will find the recipes for Champagne Punch and Emerald Sea Punch. Enjoy!
Champagne Punch
(From the Southern Living Party Cookbook)
3 cups red fruit punch, chilled
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice, chilled
3 cups white grape juice, chilled
1 (750-milliliter) bottle pink champagne, chilled
Stir together all ingredients. Makes 12 cups.
*Substitute 2 (12-ounce) cans ginger ale, chilled, for pink champagne.
Emerald Sea Punch
(From myrecipes.com)
3 (0.22-ounce) envelopes unsweetened blue raspberry lemonade mix
2 cups sugar
6 cups water, chilled
3 cups pineapple juice, chilled
1 (6-ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 quart ginger ale, chilled
Combine first 6 ingredients. Stir in ginger ale just before serving. Makes 20 cups

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

It's Official Southern Living has a new name

Our Mission:

To create a feeling of welcome, comfort and beauty in home all across America, while fostering a spirit of generosity in the lives of our Consultants and their families.


Our Vision:

At Willow House we embody grace, warmth and a bit of magic. Like our namesake willow, we sway with the trends but are not overwhelmed by them.  We are strong, responsive to the seasons and always beautiful.  Our roots keep us firmly grounded in our core beliefs as we impact the world with a touch that is ever-confident and feather-light.

There's a lot of great changes going on, some great opportunities for new consultants and a great way to get involved on the ground floor of a "new" company.

Stay tuned in the next day or so for some fun new information!!


Monday, April 5, 2010

April Giveaway and Fudge Spoon Pie

April Giveaway
Southern Living Incredible Chocolate Recipes

"The twelve steps chocoholics program: never be more than twelve steps away from chocolate." Terry Moore






From Sweetheart Fudge Pie to Penut Butter Brownie Trifle, 90 recipes give every sweet tooth something to smile about.

Here's a little sneak peek of what's inside - YUM!!!


Fudge Spoon Pie

recipe from Southern Living Incredible Chocolate Recipes...
makes 9 servings



1/2 cup butter
1 ounce (square) unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs


Preheat oven to 325 degrees.


  • Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often; remove from heat. Stir in sugar and next three ingredients.
  • Pour batter into a greased 8-inch square pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 22 minutes. Do not overbake. (Dessert will be soft and mushy.)
Spoon into a bowl, and serve warm with ice cream, if desired.


Don't forget to enter the giveaway, you must comment on one of our blogs during the month of April!

We hope to hear from you!!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

And the Winner is.............................

Well, we had our drawing this morning and the winner of the Cottage garden Platter is ..................


 


Congratulations Patti H!


We really appreciate everyone's response to our blog - we love our comments and to prove it we will have a giveaway every month this year.

We will announce our next giveaway before Monday of next week.

thanks for your participation and don't forget to forward our blog to your friends and family. 

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Galveston Serving Stand



I LOVE this piece!!

It's on pg 72 of the Southern Living at Home Catalog - check it out.

This piece is so beautiful:  It's great for highlighting gourmet cheeses or special occasion treats like cakes or pies.

Why you’ll love it:

• Can be combined with either of our glass domes to create a small cake stand and cake dome.
• Perfect size for an appetizer at a party.


How you’ll use it:
For Decorating ... Display a large shell or piece of coral on the stand covered with a glass dome for a museum-like display.
or ... Lay a wreath on the stand with the red Santorini candlestand at its center.


For Entertaining ... Use as a riser for a serving dish or for our Savannah Beverage Server.
or ... Food-safe top is easily cleaned, making it perfect for serving a cheese sampler or setting out cheese and crackers at a holiday party.
or ... Make tea time special by serving a small kettle of tea on the stand and stacking cups next to it accompanied by the Galveston Sectioned Server.

Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered for our drawing.  We will announce the winner next week!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Bluebonnet Season is right around the corner - so get those kids dressed up and those cameras out

Hey everyone!

Spring break is here, the weather is starting to change (maybe one more freeze, we'll see) and then on to spring weather - I can't wait.  With all the rain this year the bluebonnets should be beautiful!

The kids always look so adorable sitting in the bluebonnets and what better way to save those memories than Southern Living at Home's Signature Portraits (click on link to go to the site).



Trends come and go, but oil portraits have been the standard of elegance and artistry for thousands of years. Southern Living At HOME Signature Portraits help you bring your family time-tested beauty that will never go out of style.
Selecting favorite moments to capture in your painting is so much fun. The rest is even easier- leave it to our skilled artists, committed to creating a one-of-a-kind treasure for your home. All the artists that paint the portraits are academy trained who use genuine oil paint on the portraits.



 
So make plans to get those kids in the bluebonnets.  Below are some links to local bluebonnet festivals.
 
Chappell Hill Bluebonnet Festival
 
Burnet Bluebonnet Festival
 
Ennis Bluebonnet Trails and Festival
 
Have a fantastic day and don't forget we LOVE comments!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Spaghetti Squash "Carbonara"

 

We have a really great recipe for you today!  Don't forget you have to comment on any one of the blogs in March to be entered into our drawing to win the Cottage Garden Platter!

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, copyright Emeril's Food of Love Productions, 2008

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
  • 1 large spaghetti squash (about 2 pounds), halved and seeded
  • 1/2 pound bacon or pancetta, cut into small strips crosswise
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
I add chicken to my dish as well.  I take 5 chicken tenders flatten them out, dredge them in a  little almond flour (I am allergic to wheat - you can use whatever you want) and put them in a pan with some olive oil.  I then add a piece of chicken to each plate.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Sprinkle the bottom of a large, shallow baking dish with 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoons pepper. Place the squash flesh side down in the pan and add enough water to come up about 1/4-inch. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook in the oven until the squash is just fork tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Shred the squash with a fork and transfer to a large heat proof bowl.


In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until it becomes a light brown but is not yet crispy. Pour off most of the fat and then add the shallots and garlic. Saute for 1 minute until the garlic and shallots are fragrant and begin to caramelize. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid has completely evaporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs together with the cheese and the parsley. Season with the remaining salt and pepper. Combine the eggs with the bacon mixture, warming the eggs in the pan. (Do not let the eggs cook through.) Add the spaghetti squash and toss to thoroughly combine and until squash is heated through. Adjust seasoning, if necessary and serve immediately.

Prep time 45 minutes         5 servings

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 355.0
Total Fat: 15.7 g
Cholesterol: 216.5 mg
Sodium: 1,350.9 mg
Total Carbs: 11.0 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 41.0 g

Monday, March 8, 2010

Spotlight on the Galveston Hurricane

The Galveston Hurricane

Today we want to spotlight one of our wonderful products, The Galveston Hurricane. The Galveston Collection features a gorgeous brown and black finish that is just a touch rustic... with its simple scrolled accents and twisted iron braiding, it is perfect for all different home decor styles and preferences. The hurricane comes in two different sizes, a small and large.

It can be used for decorating, for entertaining and for organizing. It is perfect for simple arrangements of branches and a display is easy to create. Pop in bare birch or berry branches during winter or use a budding branch in spring. Sea oats can be used in the summer and pretty colored leaves in autumn. It makes a stunning ice bucket for entertaining. It is a wonderful piece for storage in the bathroom. You can use it to hold sea sponges, bath salts, and/or wrapped soaps.

With spring right around the corner, you could pile brightly colored eggs in the glass insert, then simply tuck in real or faux flowering branches for a beautiful and bright display. For Memorial Day or Independence Day, you could fill it with red, white and blue gum balls and tuck in unlit sparklers for the kids. The possibilities are endless!

One more thing about this wonderful hurricane, you can remove the glass, flip the hurricane stand upside down and put the glass on top. It is now a towering showstopper!

Don't forget to sign up for our blog AND leave a comment on any post to be entered into the drawing for the Cottage Garden Platter!


Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Yummy Crustless Spinach Quiche Recipe

I have this wonderful quiche that I make on Sundays that lasts me the entire week. The recipe I am providing is crustless because I am low carbing it right now - truth be told - you don't miss the crust at all.

Crustless Spinach Quiche
Terrace Appetizer Plate

Ingredients:
  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
  • 2 large mushrooms chopped or sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Swiss and pepperjack are great alternatives)
options: bacon, broccoli, fresh onions or grilled onions and bell peppers.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper. Mix these items in a blender. Layer the spinach, mushrooms, and cheese in the bottom of the pie pan, then pour the egg mixture on top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Makes 8 servings.


Per serving:
Calories 298.2
Total Carbohydrate 2.4 g
Dietary Fiber 0.2 g
Sugars 0.2 g
Protein 11.3 g

Terrace Appetizer Plates
 
Toffee-colored designs set off by an apple-green ring around each plate tie together these unique, coordinating patterns.  Perfect for a casual party or for a wall display.  4 coordinating designs; dishwasher safe (7" diameter)
 
Don't forget to enter for the giveaway - just comment on any of the blogs in March to win the platter (pictured in the blog titled: March Specials and Giveaway).

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Fun stuff coming your way and a fantastic giveaway!

Hey everyone!

If this is your first time to visit please go back and look over our inaugural blog.  This way you'll know what's coming your way.

Make sure you read all the way to the end - we are having a giveaway that I know you'll LOVE!

Let's get to the fun stuff.............  

During the month of March the company is offering all hostesses who have a $350/party (whether you have a home party or a catalog party)  the option to purchase a mystery box for $9.95.  The mystery box will be FULL of product and I've been told it's new product - not discontinued product that's valued up to $175.  I might have to host my own party:).  So if you want to host something in March, let me know, the dates fill up quickly.


Monthly Hostess Club:
Shannon and I are also offering something new called the Monthly Hostess Club.  This will help those of you who would like to purchase more products be able to stretch that over a 6 month or 12 month period.  Please check it out - click on the pink polka-dot button on the right of the page. I think you'll really like the program - it's guaranteed sales for the hostess. Which can only mean one thing - more freebies and 1/2 off items for you.

Lastly, I want to mention the giveaway and what you have to do to enter.  All we request is that you subscribe to our blog  (just enter your e-mail on the subscribe button on the left) and comment on our blog (you will see a line that says "click here to post your comment" at the bottom of the blog).  By subscribing you will be notified that we have a new blog, video or recipe on the site.  We will randomly choose from one of the comments left on our blog during the month of March - you can comment on all the blogs and have your name entered multiple times - if your name is chosen you will receive the Cottage Garden Platter:
You will love this warm brown and blue platter with its beautiful ruffled edge. 
The platter is 15 5/8" in diameter and retails for $44.96. 

Please forward this blog to your friends and family and for those who are interested in placing any type of order - Southern Living at Home now drop ships which can make your ordering very easy.

We look forward to this journey with you and we can't wait to read all your wonderful comments!

If, for some reason, you are not able to post or the comments link is not showing up - please send us an e-mail directly - we will get you in the drawing that way.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Southern Living at Home

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Southern Living at Home and all their great products. We searched high and low for blogs having to do with Southern Living and we were only able to find a few. So after much thought and a grueling week of trying to figure out how to put a blog together we have finally made it! Our first blog.... Hopefully, it'll be great, I guess time will tell :).

We look forward to getting you all the latest and greatest information on all the new products and all the fun things going on with the company. We will have buttons on the sidebar of our blog where you can click and go to our Southern Living at Home website, learn more about the Southern Living Opportunity and find out how to become a hostess in order to earn some great products.

We will also throw in some delicious recipes with pictures and a few fun things from time to time, such as contests and giveaways. We hope to add, very soon, some great videos with design tips and how to best use your Southern Living at Home products.

Don't forget to click on the March Specials Buttons for Hostesses and Customers!

We love comments!