Light the Menorah

This would make such a fab alternative menorah if you celebrate Hanukkah or if you just want some sleek wintery decor. I want this for my buffet table in the dining room! We have tons of manzanita bushes here in Central Oregon, so I think it would be a nice nod to our surroundings as well.

Manzantia Candleaabra from West Elm, $99

Bookcase makeover wishes

I want my bookcases to look this cool and chic. So I'm going to work on this. This is actually the exact same bookcase in my living room, but mine is brown.
Bookcase, "Lack" from Ikea. Photo via Lonny Mag - my new e-mag obsession by former Domino staffers and contributors. More to come!

Wallpaper it to me

When I was eight, we moved into a new house and my new room and bathroom were done in Adrienne Vittadini wallpapers that I picked out - floral bouquets with blue ribbons in my bedroom and blue stripes in my bathroom. I had good taste for an eight year old - lol. We only lived in that house for less than a year, but I loved every minute spent in my wallpapered palace. Done right, wallpaper can be so luxe - I love it when one wall in a room is wallpapered for an effect or a smaller space like a bathroom. Please see exhibits A, B, C, and D below to see what I mean.

Image via Inspired Goodness

Image from House Beautiful

Image from House Beautiful

Image from Domino magazine

A week?! Bad blogger

I haven't written in almost a week?! It's okay because only a few people have ever even read my blog. The slow cooker project is 4 recipes strong - I highly recommend the bbq beef sandwiches from SLSC cookbook and a slightly spicy queso dip that was of my own creation with some help from the hubby. We had to say goodbye to our first crockpot - the ceramic pot had cracked :(. We will miss you, Red. We made many good meals together. I'm not sure on the new guy yet - I don't like that the outside gets so hot it can burn you and be hard to transport. Guess you have to spend more than $20 to get one like that.

What's (Slow) Cookin?

I've had this Southern Living Slow Cooker cookbook for a few years and it's been collecting dust. My husband had been pretty much begging me to make some type of stew for weeks, so I grabbed my SLSC cookbook and made an amazing beef stew that we devoured. That recipe went so well, we've decided to try and make most of the recipes in the cookbook this winter. Tonight is BBQ beef sammies. I would recommend this cookbook to anyone looking for easy, hearty, yummy slow cooker recipes.

Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook at Amazon

Chunky Beef Stew Recipe from SLSC Cookbook

This classic French braised beef, red wine, and vegetable stew is made simple and delicious.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

12 garlic cloves, crushed

1 (2 pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 cup dry red wine (something you wouldn't mind drinking! splurge a little, it's worth it!)

2 cups coarsely chopped carrots

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth

1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste (look for the kind in the tube in the Italian section)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I like the kind with no added salt, Trader Joe's brand is great)

1 bay leaf

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon, and set aside. Increase heat to medium-high.

2. Add beef to Dutch oven; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from Dutch oven.

3. Add wine to Dutch oven; bring to a boil, scraping bottom to loosen browned bits. Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrots, and remaining 8 ingredients; bring to a boil.

4. Transfer beef mixture to a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker.

5. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 1/2 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf. Makes 6 Servings.

Enjoy!