Easton Place

Christmas Desktop and Laptop Wallpaper

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My sweet Aggie

Hello friends! It's been a long time since I've touched base with you all. Much has happened over the past several months. Some sad and lots happy, all part of life. If you follow my Instagram and Twitter accounts you probably already know my sweet Aggie died of acute leukemia in late summer. It was a terribly painful time for me and my family. In all honesty, I'm still in the healing process. Aggie was an important part of my life as well as the lives of my husband and children. We gave her the best life possible and she was mostly comfortable and pain-free until her final day. Chemo was not too rough on her, but after only 5 weeks of treatment, it was no longer effective. Making the decision to call off treatment and put her down is the toughest thing I've had to do. It was the right thing for Aggie though, and I have peace in my heart knowing I didn't let her suffer just so I could enjoy her company a few more days.

Molly Mousse the Whoodle

Again, if you follow my social media feeds, you know we welcomed a new fur-baby into our family on September 22. Her name is Molly Mousse and she's a Black Whoodle (Soft Coat Wheaten Terrier / Poodle Mix) with more spunk and attitude than I've ever experienced! We're still in the thick of teaching her the rules of the house... mainly that she isn't actually the boss of everyone. Ha! Who am I kidding? She's totally the boss right now. We've nicknamed her "The Ninja Puppy" because she's so hard to catch, and she often sneak up on you if you're not paying attention! I've already fallen madly in love with her!

In October I celebrated a fairly large birthday (no need to go into details), and my husband and I celebrated 20 years of marriage. I feel incredibly blessed to have him in my life as my partner, best friend, love. It seems like only yesterday we were planning our wedding, and now here it is twenty years later! Time really does fly when you're having fun.

November brought our home a new powder room, and some sprucing up in the living room as well as a new dining room. Everything happened just in time to host a family gathering for Thanksgiving. I'll share photos in another post at a later time.

And here it is December! The grand holiday month for so many! In my home we celebrate Chanukah with our boys, and I personally celebrate a peaceful and spiritual Christmas on my own. In honor of Christmas, I've put together a fun (and free) downloadable wallpaper for your desktop or laptop! Instead of designing a 2016 calendar, this year I've decided to design monthly wallpapers for your computer. And what better time to start than now. Just follow the link below to grab your Christmas Checklist wallpaper by Easton Place!

Christmas Wallpaper: Large    Christmas Wallpaper: Small

I hope your have a most joyous holiday season. May you find and be the love and peace in the world this year and in the years to come.

Much love. -Patti

Mont St. Michel

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While staying in the Normandy region of France this past summer, my husband and I drove to Mont St. Michel, a small island just off the coast of France. Today there is a long bridge connecting the mainland to the rocky land mass and it's Gothic Abbey built atop it. There are shops, gardens, high stone walls and a grand church. You can read about it's incredible history here.

It was low tide the day we visited. Groups of tourist were walking around the outer sandy area of the abbey. There were even a few people riding horseback along the sandy surroundings. And though it was cloudy and a bit rainy, the sites were still incredible. I'd love to return someday when the tide is high so I could see the grand rock and it's buildings reflecting on the water. 


Summer Holiday 2015: Normandy (where I stayed)

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My husband and I stayed three nights in the countryside of Normandy, France. I wish we'd stayed for at least a week or longer. A return trip is definitely on my wish list. The region of Normandy is quite large. It is both country-living and coastal-living. The inn we booked, Auberge de la Source - Hôtel de Charme, is situated about 2 miles from the quaint coastal village of Honfleur. It is one of the most special places we've had the fortune of enjoying. Its location is the perfect place to vacation. Nestled in the farmland of Normandy, surrounded by lush gardens, old barns, livestock and farmhouses, this 15 room, 4-star inn is just moments away from the coast. The accommodations are quintessential French Country with its red gingham window treatments, sitting room complete with an iron daybed topped with a tufted linen cushion, wide-plank wooden floors, window boxes overflowing with pink and white flowers, and the welcoming gardens and grounds. The king size bed was incredibly comfortable, dressed in crisp white linens, plenty of feather pillows and a fluffy down comforter. Out of the 3 weeks of travel, my best nights sleep were here. At night, my husband and I opted to open the windows so as to be lulled to sleep by the trickling brook outside our window as well as the softly mooing cows in the distance. The cool night breeze was the cherry on top for an incredible night's sleep.

Each morning we were treated to a delicious breakfast spread of French cheeses, yogurt, sliced meats, soft boiled eggs, fresh juices, teas and coffee as well as an assortment of French pastries and breads. I resisted the breads, but I could tell from the look on my husband's face just how delicious everything was! The buffet-style meal also had an assortment of fresh fruits, butter, jams etc. It was the perfect way to start our day.

dining room photo via hotel website 

We sampled local foods, and explore Normandy each day, but we did stay in one night for dinner at the inn. I'm SO happy we did. It was one of the most delicious five course meals I've ever eaten. I didn't take photos of every course, but I will tell you each and every bite was amazing. My meal's starters included champagne and a cold, whipped, creamy tomato soup topped with one muscle (local fare), then THE most delicious goose foie gras I've every eaten. Main course was "pork three ways" over a vegetable compote, 4th course was a small salad with baked camembert, and dessert was a collection of fresh fruits, homemade sorbet, whipped cream, an almond crisp, poached peach, caramel crackle... basically summer fruits prepared to perfection with added goodies. Have a look through my photos. I dare you not to get hungry! 

The final piece of this perfect vacation spot was the staff. Veronique, the inn's manager & front desk hostess was incredibly helpful and attentive, as was the dining staff and housekeeping. They all work together to create an environment that is both elegant, yet comfortable. While I felt like I was staying in a very special get-away, the inn also felt warm and inviting, never stuffy. 

I hope you've enjoyed my little recap of this sweet hotel. If you find yourself planning a trip to Normandy, consider staying at Auberge de la Source - Hôtel de Charme!

Chicken and Bean Chili

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I had a craving for chicken chili last night. Strangely, I've not had chicken chili before, it just sounded really good at the time. Per usual, I searched Pinterest for some recipe inspiration, then just decided to throw something together. This is pretty much how I make dinner every night: Get inspired then see if I have similar ingredients to make a meal. My family seems to enjoy what comes of this routine, so I'm sticking with it!

As some of you know, I live a "grain free diet". I've recently decided to reintroduce corn into my allowed foods, but limited in quantity. So far I've not shown any reactions to it! If you're going grain-free, you can still make this recipe by omitting the corn and maybe doubling up on the beans!

Here's my interpretation of "Chicken and Bean Chili"...

Ingredients:

  • 3 large organic skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and blotted dry
  • 1 large sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, chopped 
  • 1 quart of organic veggie broth (I like WholeFood's 365 brand)
  • 1 can of non-GMO white beans (I like Cannellini beans) slightly drained, but NOT rinsed
  • 1 can of non-GMO black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 bag of non-GMO corn (WholeFoods carries a large variety of non-GMO frozen veggies!)
  • 2 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tsp tabasco sauce or to taste
  • Borsari original season salt to taste (I swear by this season salt. This is not a paid advert. I just really like the stuff!)
  • 2 Tbs. Irish butter
  • Avocado, fresh cilantro and shredded Monterey Jack cheese for toppings

Directions:

  • Season chicken with Borsari salt and place in a microwave-safe covered dish with 1 cup of the veggie broth. (My favorite dish to use is this covered stoneware dish by Pampered Chef. The chicken comes out moist & tender, and never rubbery!) Cook for 5-7 minutes or until your chicken is cooked through. You can also use your cooktop, but I wanted to save time.
  • While the chicken is cooking, sauté the chopped onions in olive oil until translucent, about 3-5 minutes, then add the chopped garlic and continue simmering for another minute.
  • Add remaining veggie broth, drained & rinsed black beans, and drained but NOT rinsed white beans. I like to use the natural starch of the white beans to slightly thicken the chili. Then you won't need to add any flours or thickeners later.
  • Incorporate the frozen corn.
  • Using kitchen scissors or a salad chopper, "shred" the chicken, and add to the veggies and broth, stirring well.
  • Add butter, tabasco and red pepper flakes, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve topped with avocado, fresh cilantro and a little shredded Jack cheese!

My family loved this dish and asked for seconds. That's always a good sign. You can make it as spicy as you like, by adding more or less of the red pepper flakes and tabasco. I didn't add chili powder to this recipe, nor cumin. I liked the idea of making a "clean" chili, so I opted for red pepper flakes and tabasco only.  I'm really happy with the results. Let me know if you make this! 

(This is not a paid post. None of the links are for paid adverts, I just thought you'd like to know what products I use!)