I really like the kitchen that they have on Food Networks “The Kitchen”.  I like the color of the cabinets, the double wall oven, the chalk boards and the color of the granite counter top.

The last time I watched “The Kitchen”, they had a neat cookbook author on, Jenny McCoy.  She made a chocolate, dried cherry bread pudding that was from her book, Desserts for Every Season.  I pinned the recipe to my desserts board on Pinterest.

The recipe sounded good to me.  Then they were talking something about a cook book club.  I think it would be really fun to have a cook book club.  Have a group of friends that met once a month and each person have a book to discuss, the author and their experience.  Maybe each person brings something they made from their book for a pot luck and share the recipe.  Taking turns to host the club.  Maybe taking a field trip to a local produce, restaurant or farmers market once in awhile.

I was thinking of books that I would like to try and I like the above cookbook, The Kitchen Cookbook by Sara Kate Gillingham and Faith Durand.  It has 150 recipes and 50 cooking school essential techniques as well as an indespensable guide to organizing and maintaining your kitchen.

 

Then I would like to try Jacques Pepin Heart & Soul in the kitchen.  On the Kitchen show, they asked Jenny McCoy who she would like to cook with and she said Jacques Pepin.  She said she would make cream puffs.  And I can see why she chose that because she wrote a whole book on cream puffs.

I think I would like to try Jenny McCoy’s cream puff and eclair book, too.

Then they asked Jenny McCoy what cookbook was like a mentor for her.  She said “Tartine” was that book.  And for why, she said that the recipes in the book were no fail recipes.  I’d love to try that book, also,

Then a fun book would be “An Omelette and a glass of Wine.  It just is a good read in my opinion.

I saw the above inspiration in one of my fashion bloggers blog.  I thought it was sweet.

I like the above photo of Spring blossoms.  It looks like a painting.

I like the above picnic idea.  It just looks so much like a picnic you would have in Provence, France to me.

And I like the above inspiration.

And that is my thoughts for today……

The daffodils are now out.  So sun shiney and a sign of Spring and also a symbol of hope.

I love the above photo of sheep with one little black sheep.

Today on QVC they have a today’s special of O-Leary wine.  O’Leary is the guy from “Shark Tank”.  I bought 3 bottles of the mixed variety last time O’Leary was on.  This time I’m liking the 3 bottles of the Cabernet-Sauvignon.  Really smooth and wonderful wine.  I really liked the Chardonay and Pinot Noir but you have to buy 12 bottles to get the mixed package this time.  Little much for me.  I remember when the wine arrived in the mail last time I got some and it was just awesome.

I like the above kitchen basket idea.  It looks neat and saves space.

I would love to have a secret garden like the above.

I love the look of the above office.  I used to have a desk that looked a lot like that when I was a receptionist at a Real Estate office at one time.  I loved the job so much that I took courses and got my Real Estate license, although it took 3 tries to pass the federal part of the license test.  Not easy for me, anyways.  Hard to get, expensive to keep and I never did anything with it.

The French people call a kitchen garden a Potager.  I would love one like the above.  I love the little brick paths and all.

I like everything in the above style.  It’s totally French looking in my opinion.

I just am attracted to the above type of furniture.  And then the door with all the natural light.  Awesome in my opinion.

I like croissants that are buttery and light.  It’s easy to buy a croissant and then some chicken salad at the deli and make a nice sandwich for lunch.  It’s just a nice treat that is fast and easy to make.  I pinned the recipe for the above chicken salad on my pinterest under cool stuff.  It might be kind of fun to make if I ever felt like taking the time.

Farmhouse Pottery from Vermont got featured in Better Homes and Garden magazine I saw on my facebook this morning.  I’ve seen that pottery at the Woodstock Inn before featured on their website.

I like the above comforter set from Wayfair.  Mostly because I like blue and white and it just looks fresh and airy.

And it includes the pillows.  I love it.

Clam chowder is probably not the easiest chowder to make, but I have some recipes that I want to try until I can get ideas and call a recipe my own.

I think the chowder would be good with some Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits from the copycat recipe that is all over Pinterest.  I copied the recipe to try on my copycat recipe board on Pinterest.  There used to be a Red Lobster near here and I remember those biscuits.  So good.

I like seared scallops.  The above recipe with avacado and pink grapefruit looks like it might be good and also healthy.  I pinned the recipe to my salads board on Pinterest.

I wouldn’t mind a kitchen like the above.  Maybe add on cupboard that had a glass front or something like a hutch.

I adore the above cabinet that is sort of like a hutch to display favorite dinnerware.

One time on Cupcake Wars they had the winners recipes on the food network website and I really liked the recipes for Vegan all natural cupcakes from a California place.  The website for this person had a recipe book that you could download for about $11.00 I think.  I downloaded the beautiful photos and recipes and saved them on a disc.  I love the ideas.

I kind of like the above fashion ideas, but the sandals are a little much.  Although kind of neat.

My favorite fashion blogger had the above jeans idea and combined mint and white for a nice Spring outfit.  The jeans are found at Nordstrom and the color is called mojito mint and they are 30% off she said.  I think they are called Page Verdugo.  And she had Tory Burch Lexington wedges for shoes.  If I could, I would have a huge wardrobe of shoes and pocketbooks.  🙂

I like the above photo called April Shadows.

And that’s my thoughts for today…….

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the above photo of a Spring Arbor.  The early morning light is just beautiful.

I also love Spring blossoms.  Again, it’s early morning light.

Another chocolate recipe winner on King Arthur Flour website was Chocolate Birthday Cake.  Looks like a fun cake to have for birthdays.  I pinned the recipe on my Cakes board on Pinterest.

Then on Le Creuset they had a recipe for Coq au Vin Blanc.  So it looks like they just used white wine instead of red wine in the recipe.  I think that would be really neat because the red wine turns the chicken red in the regular Coq au Vin recipes.  I pinned that recipe on my Le Creuset recipes board on my Pinterest.

I saw a recipe for grilled bacon wrapped scallops and peach Bourban shrimp.    Now I’m hungry……. I didn’t know where to pin that recipe, but I think I pinned it on my Pinterest Fish board because I don’t have a seafood board.

Then I noticed a recipe for cauliflower that looked kind of neat that was on my Pinterest main screen and I pinned it to my veggie board on Pinterest.

I like the above style for on the side of a stairway.  I just love that chair style.  The lavender with the white is neat.

My favorite fashion blogger had  rolled up jeans and she had a kind of fushia color sandals with a matching blouse that I thought was neat on her blog today.  She also had the similar bracelets and watch as the the above.  Her sandals were Sam Edelman GiGi sandals and very comfortable and good for your feet.  She rolled her jeans twice and it looked effortlessly chic.

I’m no fashion blogger, but I like clothes and fashion.

I think the above is a neat outfit.

I actually met the photographer that took the above photo at an art show in Woodstock.  He calls the above photo “Spring Blossoms”.  So awesome how he has an eye for light and a gift for photography.  He puts the photos on canvas with a special machine that he has and it looks like art work and a painting.

I like the above style window overlooking an English style garden.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

 

I’d love to have the above view with a couple of chairs like that.

Then to have a kitchen like the one above.  Kind of dreamy.

I saw a new recipe for White Bean Kale Broth.  It had white wine in it and I found the recipe on a Vermont Country Inn website.  I pinned the recipe on my Soups board on pinterest and I want to try it soon.

Then on King Arthur Flour they had a chocolate recipe contest.  One of the winning recipes was the above Fudge Cake Donuts recipe that is  baked in the oven.  Looks good to me and I pinned the recipe on my breakfasts board on Pinterest.

Then another winner was the Fudge brownie.  I pinned that recipe on my desserts board on Pinterest.

Then King Arthur Flour had a recipe for “Spring Quiche” that I pinned on my brunch board on Pinterest.  The recipe called for asparagus and looks like a nice Spring recipe.  I would enjoy it with a nice tossed salad and a glass of white wine for a nice lunch as well as for a Sunday brunch with a glass of Champagne.  It would last for a couple of days.

Then King Arthur Flour joined with Craftsy to have an on line course on Artisan Bread making.  I’ve always wanted to take that class at King Arthur Flour and I think that it costs close to $100.00 or more for the class.  Amber Eister from King Arthur Flour is the instructor in the on line course and it’s only $29.99.  Wow.  I want to do that on line class.

I think it would be nice to have a jacuzzi tub with a fireplace like the photo above and like they do at country inns.

Would like to have a field of lavender.

And I like Black Eyed Susans.

I saw a recipe for rhubarb curd on Sur La Table.  It sounds good to me.  I pinned that recipe on my canning board on pinterest because I didn’t know where else to save it.

Then strawberry rhubarb tarts sound good or strawberry rhubarb crumble that was on Sur la Table.

I think that little lambs are adorable.

One of my facebook friends, John Churchman is a photographer and has a farm near Burlington.  Him and his wife Jennifer wrote a childrens book called  “The Sheepover” and it was a best seller.  I got a signed, numbered copy of that book as he offered that to his facebook friends.  I got it for my little grandchildren.  They loved it.  Now they wrote another book called “Brave Little Finn”.  It’s a story about another little lamb that they have. They have 1000 numbered and signed copies available from some local book stores that can be preordered and available in October.  So cute.

That’s the back cover of the book above.  That little boarder collie puppy is named Maisie and they name all their sheep.  One of the most fun and interesting face book friends ever.  They share all kinds of interesting stuff and cute photos from their farm on facebook and one of their lambs, “Sweet Pea” has her own facebook page.  Sweet Pea was the subject of their first book.  They had an on line event for the sheepover party they had for Sweet Pea.  So cute and then they wrote the book which got on the best seller list and their publisher wants more books which they are doing.

I like the above quote.  Plants always make me smile.

One of my favorite plants was a little rose plant that came in a ladybug planter.

And that’s my thoughts for today……

It’s kind of fun making a little indoor garden that has daffodils, white hyacinth and red tulips.  They seem to be doing quite well so far.  I sometimes put kitchen herbs in that container.

I think I will do the herbs again in the container when the Spring bulbs go by.  I bought that container with herb seeds with it for almost nothing in the grocery store out of season on sale a few years ago.

I got some pansies at the Walmart for only $1.86 and just set them in a butterfly planter.  Kind of cheerful for Spring.

Little things like that just make me smile.

I like the above idea for a pegboard for a craft and/or sewing area.

The above embroidery is cute for a sewing room.  Someone made it and it was on sale on Etsy at one time.  They always have cute stuff on Etsy.

I like the above tea cup.  They always have tea cups on Ebay that are just elegant and sometimes at a good price.  I like to browse at them and put them on my wish list.

A tiny little Chocolate Macaron like the above costs $3.50 at Burdicks Chocolate.  They are really good but could be made at home for like 1/10th of that price.  Unreal.

Feeling like having some French Onion soup.  I like when you can have a half salad and soup at the Long Horn Steak House for lunch.  Their French Onion Soup is so good.

Then a grilled chicken salad with strawberries to go with the French Onion Soup.  The half salad is huge.  And really reasonable price at lunch.

I have a really nice juice machine and sometimes it’s just fun to juice apples, celery, cucumber, lemon and kale.  You get a green smoothie like the above.

I like the Middle Bridge in Woodstock in the Spring.  All through Woodstock, the store fronts all have window boxes.  You see a lot of pansies in the Spring and each season they have beautiful window boxes.

And that’s my thoughts for today….

 

 

I like how the landscape looks for an early Spring painting.  Vermonters call this “new green”.

My favorite of all favorites is lilacs.  The aroma from these Spring flowers is just sweet.  If you have a bouquet in a room, the whole room smells like lilacs.

Everything just gets so green in the Spring.

Last year when I went for walks along the walking trail, there was a little chipmunk that would scurry across the trail every now and then.  I called him “Henry”.

I think that the above is a pretty setting.

I like the above idea for a curtain.

And I love the above book case.  Someone made the book case and made it look antique.

And then the above craft table for a sewing room would be nice.  I like the color that they painted it.  It could be used for crafts and also a cutting table for sewing material.

I like the above ironing board table that was made from a small kitchen island.  One for the laundry room where you could also use it to fold clothes as well as for ironing.

I think the above would look cute in a sewing room.

I like the button carpet, vaulted ceiling and all the natural light in the above sewing room.

Sometimes when I go to Keene, there is a Long Horn Restaurant where they have a dish called “Napa Chicken”.  It is so good and I found a copy cat recipe for it and pinned it on my copy cat recipes board on Pinterest.

I love the above idea.  I have a little container like that and I bought the red tulip, the daffodil and the white hyacinth little plants that were only $1.00 each at the Walmart.  I hope they look half as cute as that when they all bloom.

And that is my thoughts for today.

 

 

 

I love it in the Spring when the grass gets green again and the new leaves start coming out on the trees.  The new leaves are always a light green at first.

There’s a flower that has a technical name, but we always called them Johnny Jump Ups.  They have the color of a pansy but are the size of a violet and they just spread all over the place when they are planted.  At one time I had a neighbor that planted some by her mailbox and they traveled over by my mailbox.  So pretty.  I love them.

I planted some of the Johnny Jump ups in my dish garden last year.  When the local flower place opens this year I’m going to get some more of them.  They have a ton of the flowers for about a week or so and everyone buys them up fast.  So I always keep checking to make sure I don’t miss out on them.

I like Hyacinths and at the Walmart they had little ones not quite to the stage as the ones above, but they were only $1.00.  Such a neat idea to put them in a mason jar with the white stones and some moss.  Mason jars are so handy.

My favorite Spring flowers are lilacs and apple blossoms.  What a neat idea to put the two together.

Spring blossoms are just beautiful.

I like the above sewing table.  It is online at Walmart for only $100.00.  When you are not using it, it folds up into a neat cabinet and you can put your sewing machine on that shelf in the middle.

With a sewing machine it’s fun and easy to make a quilt.  I like the above style.

I like aprons and the Tea and Crumpets apron is so cute.  I like how you can copy the expensive idea and make it your own for less money if you sew it yourself.  And you can make it exactly to what is your own taste.

The above is what Barefoot Contessa’s garden looks like in the Spring on Long Island.  The white tulips and purple lower height flowers look so stunning.  Then the manicured hedges and Spring blossoms on the fruit trees are just plain pretty.  The look could be copied on a little smaller piece of space and still look spectacular.

I drive by this forsythia with the covered bridge in the background in the Spring when I go shopping and I love the above photo that I captured of it.  Forsythia is just so pretty.

 

I just love how it looks in a wreath for a door in the Spring.

They have an on line course on Craftsy.com called Classic European Tortes.  The instructor is Wilhelm Wanders from King Arthur Flour.    You get materials, recipes and 5 videos classes for $29.99.  What a fun course.  He shows how to make the German Black Forest cake, the Sacher Torte, the Dobas Torte and the Swedish Princess Torte.

To get the recipe for the Black Forest Cake and the Sacher Torte would be worth the price of admission in my opinion.

I like gardens and the above idea for veggies and dip that looks like a garden looks easy to create and fun.  I have all the instructions somewhere on my Pinterest boards.

Can you imagine Paris in the Spring time??  Awesome.  I like how they had prim roses and then white and red tulips.  So colorful.

Spring has got to be my favorite time of the year.  It’s like new beginnings.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

 

I love the above view including the pond.  I can’t even imagine having a house with that view to wake up to and to see sun rises or sun sets.  I would say that might be facing east and would have beautiful mornings with the sun coming up over that mountain.  Growing up in Vermont, I can remember when relatives visited from up north, they would say “Well, we better be heading back over the mountain”.  I love it. 🙂 ❤

Last year I was going for a walk on the walking trail that goes along the river.  There was a little island in shallow water with grass growing on it.  All I could see was the light brown and white dot back curved up in the grass.  Then it moved and it was a little fawn.  So cute.

I was looking for Vermont Spring recipes and I saw the above recipe in Vermont Life magazine.  It was Spring greens with charred onions, seasoned ricotta and poached eggs.  Looks like a french recipe to me.  I pinned the recipe on my Pinterest salads board.  Looks like it has asparagus in it also.

Then I saw a neat recipe for Vegan Clementine Cupcakes that has no dairy and no eggs from King Arthur flour.  I pinned the recipe on my King Arthur Flour recipe board.

Dandelion greens are so wonderful in the Spring.  My mom used to simply cook them and serve them with butter, vinegar and salt and pepper.  But I saw a neat recipe for Simple Spring Pasta with dandelion greens.  The recipe calls for a little white wine and parmesan and they said that home made pasta enhances the recipe but they used dry pasta.

Lake Champlain Chocolates, near Burlington has awesome Spring Truffles.  There are 5 different flavors including 70% dark, French Roast, Hazelnut, White Raspberry and Vanilla malt.  Sounds so fancy and a nice treat.

One of my favorite fashion bloggers gave a lot of tips on Spring makeup and she featured the above make up brushes.  They look awesome to me and they are only $16.00 for the whole set at Walmart.

I just went on line and ordered them from the Walmart website.  We have a Super Walmart nearby, but they don’t carry this particular set.

Then that fashion blogger has favorite bloggers and one I really liked was called Rich Life on a Budget.  I liked the post she had where she visited Sonoma Valley Gloria Ferrer Winery for a Bubbles and Bloom event.

They had Champagne for one thing that sounded fun.

Then she bought the above plants.  As soon as Hemingways around here opens for the season, they have all those same plants.  Love the ideas on how to arrange them.

Looks like it was raining there.  I have an umbrella in that same color.  Love the plant arrangements and especially the wheel barrel.

I’m just making a simple salad for lunch with my own dressing that I make in a mason jar and shake it up.  I think I watch too many cook shows and surf the web a little much, but I have fun.

And that’s my thoughts for today……

Vermont in the Spring is one of my favorite times of the year.

I love it when the Spring bulbs come out and it should be within the next couple of weeks.

The above are some of the Spring flowers in Vermont.

I like the Pistoulet pattern from Pfalzstaff.  I have the above set and it’s my favorite of all favorites.  🙂

And I have the tea for one little teapot and cup.  It’s just so French and reminds me of a little cottage in Provence or something.  I smile every time I look at it.

You see a lot of the ancient grains now and I like the above idea of Garlic Mushroom Quinoa.

I made the above Roasted Vegetable Couscous and I just loved it.  It’s so fast and easy to make and I think quite healthy.  I pinned the recipes on my Healthy Recipes board on my Pinterest.

Then there is the Vegan Buddha Bowl. Yum!

One time I visited my cousin and she grilled some steaks and had the above “Cowboy Caviar” as a side.  It was so good.  I pinned that recipe on my healthy recipes board, also.

All kinds of neat ingredients combined.

Definitely a pretty time of year.

And that’s my thoughts for today.

 

Next weekend it’s supposed to warm up again, but today it is rainy and chilly.  I can’t wait until the lilacs are out.  It’s amazing how all of a sudden the apple blossoms, lilacs and spring bulbs will all at once be in bloom.  I think it’s pretty to mix the white, the light purple and the dark purple lilacs together.

I watched Farmhouse Rules yesterday and Nancy Fuller had a tea party.  She made the above individual Pistachio Bundt Cakes with Lemon Curd filling that I think are cute.  I went to the Food network website and pinned the recipe to my Tea ideas board.

Then Nancy Fuller had a special tea blend from a tea shop for her tea.  She put a recipe from the show on her food network page on that episode for adding lemon and herbs to the tea.  I put that recipe on my tea ideas board, also.

Remember the A&W’s?  I used to love the frosted mugs of root beer.  I think there is still an A&W somewhere near Middlebury, VT and the car hops wear roller skates.  We haven’t been up that way for a few years but I bet it’s still there.

 

Yup, wouldn’t that be nice!  🙂

I like the above chair.  It just looks comfy.  The kind of chair that you could put your feet up and write in your journal.

I like the above style.  Don’t ask me why.  It just looks colorful and I like the glass front cupboard.

And that’s my thoughts for today.