Living Well Is The Best Revenge

Casa Chinoiserie Chic

I had a great day in the garden yesterday and my plans are starting to come together. Even though I am not an expert in gardening here, I do know landscape design, and I have found that most (not all) landscape design companies' work is a bit generic and plebeian. I can do far better myself for free. Also, I am a bit of a plant collector and like to incorporate unusual and heirloom plants. My plan is to keep what I have which includes beautiful palms, coral pink ixora, split leaf philodendron, hibiscus, ferns, and croton, and fill in the blank spots. Those of you who commented with suggestions - they were great and I am using many of your ideas.

Today I am making a favorite recipe. It will be my first serious effort in my new kitchen/house and I am not cutting any corners. This is a favorite of mine for company, and I hope the days of dinner parties and house guests will return for all of us soon. Especially since my new Mercer dining table seats 8 - LOL.

Seafood Lasagna via Coopcancook.com

Let me warn you that it's a lot of ingredients and over an hour to make, but it's beyond delicious. Do not eliminate the crab boil and Cajun seasoning - that makes it!

Ingredients:

For Lasagna
• 1 lb lasagna sheets
• 1 Tbsp. liquid crab boil
• 1.5 lbs medium shrimp
• 16 oz lump crabmeat (you can use imitation)
• 1 Tbsp. Creole or Cajun seasoning
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cups fresh spinach - I use 4 cups because I love spinach and it really reduces down
• 1/2 Tsp. salt
• 2 cups shredded Mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded Fontina or Muenster cheese

For Sauce
• 5 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tsp. liquid crab boil
• Creole seasoning and cracked black pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil

Filling
• 8 oz Garlic & Herb cream cheese
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped

Directions:

Lasagna:

Boil lasagna until al dente according to package instructions. Pour the liquid crab boil into the water as it boils. Drain and set aside
In a bowl, combine all seafood. Add Creole or Cajun seasoning evenly to the seafood. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil a pan over medium-high heat
Add in the spinach and a pinch of salt. Sauté until spinach has wilted.
Remove spinach from the pan and set aside
Sauce

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Add the butter into the same pan used for the spinach. When the butter melts, add in the garlic and saute for 30 secs
Stir in the flour and continue stirring for 1 minute
Pour in the chicken stock and half and half while stirring. Use a whisk to continue to mix the sauce while it heats and thickens.
Season the sauce to taste using creole seasoning and black pepper
Pour in the liquid crab boil
When the sauce has thickened, stir in Parmesan cheese. Remove from heat when the cheese melts.
Filling

Mix all filling ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.
Assembly

Spray a lasagna pan with nonstick cooking spray, then ladle a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the pan
Place a layer of lasagna noodles over the sauce
Spread on 1/3 of the filling over the noodles
Then, add 1/3 of the seafood and spinach
Sprinkle on 1/3 of the Mozzarella & Fontina cheeses
Pour on 1/3 of the sauce
Repeat the above steps 2 more times until you have 3 layers.
Bake, on the center rack of the oven, uncovered for 35-45 mins. Then, broil on high for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is as brown.
Allow the lasagna to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle on some fresh basil, and Enjoy!
Recipe and photo from CoopCanCook.com

Now, a little of this and that to share.

For my tropical climate friends, I now get ceiling fans completely. They feel wonderful, and save energy. In Virginia I kept my AC at 72 degrees. With my ceiling fans here, I have the temp at 77 degrees, and it feels wonderful.

I am nuts about my Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vac. It was a great purchase. Dog hair is a thing of the past. It is a pleasure to use.

I just ordered this wonderful wicker garbage bin. I love beautiful things including the functional like my darling pink vac. Free shipping, no tax. The straps are real leather BTW.

Wicker Garbage Bin

Enjoy your day - I am going to go put a lovely bottle of Pouilly Fuisse in to chill before I forget. Cheers!

On Vacuums and Life

Dyson V7 Motorhead Fuschia

What a difference a day makes. I have been in my house officially for 24 little hours and it feels like home. I was in the other house for 9 months and it never ever felt like home for one minute. I have high speed Internet, I have TV, and I have a brand new security system with cameras in a gated community with great security guards. I have already made great strides in the house with most rooms looking pretty wonderful. I am in love with this house. I always loved the title of Bunny Williams' book An Affair With a House.

I am waiting on starting to hang art for a couple of weeks. My one and only phobia in interior decorating is hanging artwork. For two of the One Room Challenges, I hired the owner of an art gallery in Alexandria, Virginia who hangs art in people's homes to hang all of my pieces - one was very large and another was a set of six, both of which I was nervous about doing myself. I would love to hire someone for a few hours to come over and put everything up for me. Do any of my local followers have a recommendation?

I mentioned ordering the pink Dyson cordless stick vacuum for this house. This review is "An Affair With a Vacuum." It is pink. So so cute. It is light as a feather. It has no cord. It has excellent suction. It goes 30 minutes on a charge - I can do this entire house in 10. I am very very visual. I can't stand ugliness. Even my cleaning tools are works of art to me. Here they are hanging in my old laundry room.

I think this vacuum visually is a little work of art and functionally fantastic. And remember I have two long haired dogs. I highly recommend it.

It's one reason I have always had Apple products - gorgeous form and great function. I still have my raspberry pink IMac.

I came across this old post of mine on Pineapple Monograms. aren't these fun?

So "Florida" style, I think.

I am taking the day off tomorrow - I have not had a day off in weeks. On tap is HomeGoods - the manger has probably already sent out a search party looking for me. And seeing my friend and hairdresser for a cut, color, and blow-dry.

On a somber note, I am incredibly saddened by the number of emails and comments I have received from other survivors of domestic abuse who are followers of CC. Covid is not the only pandemic out there, I'm afraid. I think many women suffer in silence and I think many others who speak out seeking justice face a system that falls so far short of what it should be. I hope when the dust settles I can find a way to use my legal background and personal journey to help other women.

This and That

My Garage/Staging Area

Yesterday I arrived at the house around 9 AM and the painters were already hard at work with classical music and opera wafting throughout the house. Not your typical painters for sure.

We decided on Benjamin Moore Aura Matte in Classic Gray for the walls. The Samplize samples were great and I highly recommend this product. Beautifully painted (with the actual paint) and packaged with quick arrival, they are easy to use - peel and stick and you can move them around from room to room.

Samplize paint samples

It's the one in the middle.

And we selected the orange for the guest bath. Benjamin Moore Tandoori - we are using it on the wainscoting, baseboards, crown molding and door. It will be a little jewel box.

Here is my Chinoiserie wallpaper with Benjamin Moore Tandoori.

Each day I take two trips to the new house with breakables and such. So much easier than packing and unpacking. I'm using my garage as a staging area while the painters are in the house.

I ordered the pink Dyson cordless stick vacuum. Why? It's pink. End of story. LOL

I usually read a hundred reviews and research for hours and not this time. It had me at pink Dyson. It has been shipped already. BTW it's the V7 Motorhead.

PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I texted with the owner weaver of the lobster rope doormat business. Turns out they are from Baltimore and Annapolis and now have homes in Canada and Florida. They are hand delivering my two mats this weekend to my house.

I think these reclaimed lobster rope doormats are stunning. Durable and so unique, they are woven from rope that once tethered lobster traps in the sea. To protect whales which often became snared in the rope, a heavier sink rope is now used. Tens of thousands of tons of sink rope slated for landfills is now being used by a few companies to create these historical and authentic mats. Lobster rope doormats are also woven out of new lobster rope which comes in a huge variety of colors, but I love the muted shades of the reclaimed. Someone commented to me yesterday that she has one and they are the only doormats that hold up beautifully year after year with our intense sun.

While researching these doormats to purchase one for my new home, I happened upon 30 Fathom Doormats and learned that, as I mentioned, they have a place in Canada and a place in Florida not far from me and the owner even weaves doormats from locally sourced Florida recycled rope. I was thrilled that I could source this locally.

I am getting two for my new home and will post pictures next week. One of the doormats I have chosen, the charcoal colored rope was from lobster fishing at Big Pine Key, and the pale blue was deep water off Ft. Lauderdale for golden crab. The owner was telling me they spend hours retrieving, detangling, and cleaning the rope. This is the Old Florida I love so much. This is charming.


Please check out the website. The owner is happy to work with you on custom colors and sizes.

30 Fathom Doormats

30 Fathom Doormats

30 Fathom Doormats

30 Fathom Doormats

30 Fathom Doormats