Peek at my morning, just for fun...

Hello, Sunday.❤️

Pretty food always tastes better for some reason, doesn’t it?! This gorgeous taste of Summer is getting me giddy for our vegetable garden to take off!  Curious about our garden action?  Let's connect on Instagram HERE.  I typically share updates on my Instastories.

Just For Fun: Hello, Saturday!

The art of breakfast in Casa de Nenonen...

Willow appreciates it perhaps a tad too much.😉

Holiday Tip: Trick or Treat to Deck The Halls

Before you toss or swap the kids' Halloween candy... 

...set some aside for your holiday gingerbread house decor!

Sweet Saturday morning scene in my kitchen...

The taste of Autumn officially arrived in my kitchen this morning...

... in the form of Harvest Oatmeal for my boy!  

Find the recipe HERE.

Create storage for spices and oils in the kitchen...

Repeat after me...

...Brilliant!

Utilize the dead space to maximize utility of your design, Homeowners!⭐️

Hello Friday, Herbed Lemonade recipe toast!

Hello, Friday and Memorial Day weekend! Nothing screams “SUMMER!” in Casa de Nenonen like Herbed Lemonade...

Honestly, it’s one of the driving forces to maintain my container herb garden. Plop them in to the lemonade of your choice and steep for a few hours. It’s that simple!

I add a touch of cucumber vodka and a spritz of club soda for the adults. The kids- a touch of 7-Up or Sprite. Don’t be afraid of the savory herbs like dill, basil, oregano, and rosemary! I also toss in cocktail favorites like mint, lavender, and edible flowers like pansies.

How does your garden grow?

Even if you lack garden space (and a green thumb), you can grow your own veggies!

Our organic salad greens container is loving all of this St. Louis rain. 🌱🌦

Spring Fever!

Immersing myself in our garden over the past 2 days has left me with a serious case of Spring fever. I forgot how much I missed my “dirt therapy” and the simple flavors of the growing season!

Pretty plate of sunshine to start the day... hello, Tuesday! 🌸☀️

Life Hack: Design Genius for pets and children

Talk about a practical Homeowner solution that is perfectly camouflaged... 

Hello, genius... I had to share!  Why not incorporate a built-in pet/ baby gate for function with a streamline look? No more wobble, no more tearing up the door frame paint, customize the height and width to your needs.  Brilliant!

I wish that I would’ve seen this before we gutted the kitchen in Casa de Nenonen last Fall?! If you need it, it’s there. If you don’t, it’s hidden.

Have the Vision, Buyers!

Nothing beats a good kitchen makeover! Dark and dreary to cheery and inviting...

This is a gentle visual reminder to pay attention to the potential of the homes that you tour, if the 1st impression isn’t a good one. 💡

Getting Close!

They say that the devil is in the details. If loving this natural marble mosaic leaf shaped backsplash is wrong... 

...then I don’t want to be right, friends! It has been a while since my last kitchen update and we have finally hit the fun part of this remodel. This week we incorporate the special touches that will set the space apart and make it distinctly ours. 😍✨

Silestone “Lagoon” on the new Quartz countertop, for the win.

Kitchen Renovation progress...

Same exact angle of our ongoing kitchen project, 4 weeks apart...

Soffits removed and the sliding glass door was replaced with a smaller one to allow the dishwasher to be moved and the cabinets to round the corner. Progress!

#RethinkYourSpace

In The Kitchen: Harvest Oatmeal recipe

Rain, glorious rain brought lovely Fall temperatures to St. Louis over the last 24 hours.  High of 66 today! As soon as the weather begins to turn, Casa de Nenonen goes into full-on Autumn mode.  Apple season is underway and gorgeous produce has flooded local orchards and markets recently, inspiring a return of one of my favorite breakfast recipes.  Harvest Oatmeal is simple and quick, yet delicious... this recipe is the perfect hearty start to a cooler September day!

🍁 Harvest Oatmeal 🍁

(serves 4)

1.5 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cook)
1 large apple (or 2 small)- diced (I leave the skin on)
1/4 cup of pecans 
Teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
Dash of Salt 

Bring cider, salt, water, brown sugar, spices, and diced apples to a boil on high.

Bring heat down to medium high and add oatmeal, stirring occasionally.  Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat, add pecans, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar and serve.

NOTE: Oatmeal will thicken as it cools, so if "watery" upon removing from heat, do not fret.

------> See other Nenonen recipes HERE.

Just For Fun: Spring in Casa de Nenonen

Sweet Spring, I missed you and the return of the simple pleasures of life outside of work that I enjoy so much:  Time in my garden, bird song, sunrise breakfast on the deck accented with the herbs and greens I grow myself, lazy late night meals under the stars with my family,  more time in the woods spent lost in nature with my pup, and more hours of gorgeous sunlight. 🎔

Spring is indeed a time of regrowth and renewal and the energy is contagious!  I missed it dearly.

While I have always enjoyed the fun resurgence and swift pace of business that the Spring market delivers each year professionally, personally, life has felt a bit like a high speed train recently, as well.  My oldest graduates in a couple of weeks and has chosen Bradley University for his next journey...

My youngest has taken high school by storm, rocking drum line, varsity wrestling, and this exciting (yet frightening) new venture...

Typically, Spring is pretty much "business as usual" for our family, but this one has caused much pause and reflection as we carefully document the tides of change...

Life is happening for my babies and it is happening quickly. The past few months have been eye-opening to how little time I have left with these two as they tiptoe closer to Adulthood every single day.  Bittersweet.  *sigh*

Anyhoo, as we quickly barrel ahead towards Summer 2017, here is a teeny tiny peek at a slice of Spring here in Casa de Nenonen. ..

In My Kitchen: Classic Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Recipe

I have been baking up a storm all week in preparation for holiday hosting.  Leave your diet at home, friends.  This recipe is courtesy of a well-used recipe card from my Grandma McGahey....

Classic Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Crisco Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sugar
48 foil-wrapped milk chocolate pieces, unwrapped

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

1.HEAT oven to 375°F.

2.CREAM together shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup sugar. Add egg, milk and vanilla. Beat well.

3.STIR together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until stiff dough forms.

4.SHAPE into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

5.BAKE 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

6.TOP each cookie immediately with an unwrapped chocolate piece, pressing down firmly so that cookie cracks around edge. Remove from cookie sheets to cool.

Cookies can be frozen if baked ahead of time!  Just let them fully cool and place them in the fridge for 10 minutes first to ensure the chocolate is fully set.

Just For Fun: Thanksgiving in Casa de Nenonen

Did everyone have a lovely Thanksgiving celebration? Here is a teeny peek at ours...

Happy Friday and enjoy the long holiday weekend, friends!

Cinnamon Apple-Stuffed Crepe recipe

Unfortunately, the older my boys get, the less time I have with them as their busy schedules take them from sports practices to music lessons.  The one time that always seems to be ours as a family, however?  Sunday morning. While teenagers are not typically eager to rise early on a Sunday morning (ha!), sweet smells from the kitchen always seem to naturally beckon them so I don't have to. 

Every family has their weekend ritual.  While ours is typically Finnish Pannukakkuh, I often like to revisit MY childhood Sunday morning memories when my father would wake the family with stuffed crepes.   He tended to fill them with whatever was in season at the time: berries in the summer, apples in the Fall, or even homemade mousse if feeling unusually decadent.   

I share as his basic crepe recipe is fool-proof and is the one that I still use to this day. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple-Stuffed Crepes

Basic Crepe Recipe  

Ingredients:

1 large egg
1/4 cup + 2 T milk
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup flour
1.5 tablespoon melted butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
Additional butter or pan-coating spray for pan

NOTE:   I double this for our family of 4, to allow for mess ups and 2 hungry teenage boys.

If using the basic recipe for a savory crepe, I omit the cinnamon and vanilla.  I often add garlic powder and chives.

Directions:
Mix ingredients with a whisk.  It will be runny! Heat pan on medium to medium-high. Grease pan with butter/spray. Pour approximately 1 ounce of batter in center of pan and swirl until it is spread super thin. Cook for 30-45 seconds and flip.  Cook for another 15-30 seconds and remove to a plate.  Layer them in between small squares of wax paper until batter is gone.

Cinnamon Apple Filling Recipe

Slice 3-4 apples.  Toss in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter or coconut oil, 1 tablespoon or brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and an 1/8 tsp of salt.  Saute until soft.

Assemble, garnish, enjoy! =)

In the Kitchen: Baked French Toast Casserole

 Happy Saturday! When life hands you stale bread...

Whip up Baked French Toast with fresh farmer's market peaches, sliced banana, and pecan for your slumbering teenagers. =)

DIRECTIONS: Overnight or 2 hours ahead of baking, mix 10 eggs, a splash of milk, and a teaspoon of vanilla.

Tear bread and place in bottom of a greased square baking dish. Top with sliced fruit and nuts. Sprinkle with cinnamon and then the egg mixture.

Cover and refrigerate.

1 hour before serving, bake uncovered at 400 for 30 minutes. Let set for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or drizzle with warm syrup just before serving.

Summer Recipe: Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

The mild St. Louis summer that we have enjoyed thus far has resulted in a major herb surplus in Casa de Nenonen, most notably basil...

It makes me so happy, I swear.  While I have been busy preserving much of it, I have also been incorporating as much as I possibly can into our late night tiki-lit family dinners on the deck!  

In my opinion, no recipe highlights the superstars of the summer growing season like a simple caprese salad, as the 3 components perfectly compliment and highlight one another.  A caprese is easy to make, requires little prep, and can be presented in numerous ways to accommodate a large party or a creative dinner party take-a-long!

Here is my favorite recipe to doll up my garden tomatoes and basil with a tangy balsamic reduction... Bon Appétit!

Happy St. Patrick's Day with Green Pannukakku!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

How does the half Irish, half Finnish Nenonen family kick off the day?  Green Pannukakku- or baked Finnish oven pancakes-  for the kids, of course. 

Learn more about this tradition and get our recipe HERE.