Homemade Applesauce

Apples are plentiful now. Fall apples are crisp, plump and kissed in color by our wonderful sun and coolish evenings. Our favorite are the Honey Crisp variety. One of the reasons we love them is that they create that wonderful and juicy crunch sound when you bite into them. And they maintain their freshness a good amount of time. An added benefit is  they do not turn brownish when cut, so if you find that you cannot make your way through one, like me,  you can put it in a container in the fridge and they are almost just as fresh when you go back to finish up.

Today we are making homemade applesauce. We actually like the sauce slightly chunky. So we do not cook the apples too much. We add Lemon juice, cinnamon and honey. Maybe a little light brown sugar. Can’t wait to taste. And we have enough apples that we will make an apple crisp with granola over the weekend.

We love the recipes of our wonderful fall season. Bounty in real wonderful fibrous fruit. YUM!

French Lentil Soup – prepared today

We have prepared and posted this soup recipe prior  it’s so delicious we are posting it again today. It’s hearty, pretty and so delicious.  Our slightly cooler temps warrant a big pot of soup  Grab some crusty bread and ENJOY!

“French Lentils Soup”

Meat – 4 oz Bacon (you can substitute with sautéed portobello mushrooms for a meat free version)

Produce
2 Bay leaves
2 Carrots, medium
1/2 Celeriac, medium
1 cup French le puy lentils
2 cloves Garlic
1 Leek, large
1/4 cup Parsley, fresh
2 tsp Thyme, fresh
1 Yellow onion, medium

Canned Goods
6 cups Chicken broth, quality – we prefer home prepared broth

Baking & Spices
1/4 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground
1 tsp Salt

Oils & Vinegars
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar

In a stock pot cook the bacon (or mushrooms) over medium-high heat until done. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent and golden, 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the celeriac, leek and carrots and cook for another 4-5 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the lentils and cook for another minute or two. Add all remaining ingredients except for the parsley and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Finally stir in parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

NUTRITION

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 1448mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3900IU | Vitamin C: 31.3mg | Calcium: 83mg | to taste.

.NOTE:   Le Puy lentils are small,  with a slate-green color and blue marbling. They have a very slight flavor and are preferred among many cooks because, unlike their brown lentil cousins that turn mushy after a while, Le Puy lentils  hold their shape during cooking.

SOLD TODAY / Vintage Miniature Easels

Two Miniature Easels. Decorative and useful for small noted pieces of art work, photographs or special memory items you wish to display. Purchased at auction.Both have some painted ware, but in terms of ability to support your items they are perfectly intact.

One measures 11 inches and the other 14 inches. They both have a miniature shelf/ bar on which you can place your items for display.

They are charming and very unique. We love them. If you are a display person or have a shop they would be perfect to add to you display inventory. Great for adding character to a personal photograph/art collection.

We have not done any paint touch-up, as we feel this would detract from their “provenance.”

SOLD on our ContessasHome ETSY site for $30, to a customer in Forest Hills, NY

Seedlings….for “dearest”

so….. my dearest had a Birthday. I prepared a cardboard egg carton with “baby Zinnia” seeds. I took one extra step and planted them inside halved egg shells that I had been saving. The calcium shell can go right in the dirt once “dearest” gets ready to plant them. They are the tiny variety and will be about 6 inches tall. Perfect for a smallish vase in the kitchen or bathroom. A nice little project for you to do as well. You can frankly just fill the egg carton with dirt. No need to save egg shells. They will give you the same result. Enjoy!!

We think they are so “sweet.”

“Contessa”

 

Vintage, Miniature (ebony) Easels (2)

Excited to share this item from my #etsy shop: Vintage Wooden (ebony) black miniature Easels. (Two) #wood #contessashome #vintage https://etsy.me/#vintage https://etsy.me/3q3fHGIn

Be sure to read our item description when you click on the item link provided  Thank You!

“ContessasHome”

Valentines Day, Sunday the 14th

A few vintage Valentines from the 1940’s we have preserved in our collection. A special day in our calendar year, when we can reflect and convey the “meaning of our love.”

We are posting today, so you will remember to greet your dearest, with a token of your feelings of love.

 

“Contessa”

ContessasHome “ETSY” site…..(Revised)

All ETSY Customers and ContessasHome viewers;

We have completed a process to reactivate and upgrade our current ETSY site. Administrative changes are required. We will announce our new launch date. Please stay tuned……..

Revised:  it will be a few business days before we are able to re-launch our ETSY site  This small snafu is now in process. Please be patient.
We Thank you!

“Contessa”

ContessasHome our virtual “selling” site will be reactivated and we will be launching it for browsing at 12 Noon on Monday, February 1, 2021.  We have preserved numerous items from our brick and mortar store in Delray, Contessa’s Garden and Gift, Alexandria, VA. Our items will be selling in best condition and priced according to the current market value. 

Shipping charges will be the responsibility of our buyers. This is standard policy on ETSY.

ETSY is an easy and fun way to purchase treasures without leaving the comfort of your home. We trust you will enjoy shopping our online store. Feedback and questions on our Etsy site are welcome. We are happy to engage your comments and suggestions. This has been a practice we enjoy. It’s always fun to know our customers virtually. Perfect for the life we are all leading during COVID isolation.  All of our items are purchased at local auctions. Our inventory will include, what is known in the business as “vintage smalls.”  And we will sell restored lamps/lighting, art, mirrors, “classic” hardcover books, silver, home decor and garden decor. We also have small/petite vintage furniture in our inventory.

CONTESSASHOME looks forward to serving you!

 

 

 

Mt Vernon – Online workshop

Mt Vernon Gardening Workshop

mountvernon.emlnk1.com/lt.php

Online FREE workshop tomorrow. We are getting closer to flower pot/container time. Please, as you wish, take advantage of this great workshop. Enjoy!

The Garden Contessa

Lamps- A Pair – 1950’s – Handcrafted

A pair of Lamps, handcrafted using a laythe. Light mahogany stained wood. 18” tall from top of shade to the base. Base is 6” square. The shaft of this lamp is 8 3/4”.  Both have been fully restored. New sockets, new cords, new plugs and new almond color linen lampshades retailing for $40 each. A great pair for a console table behind a couch or for bedside. Selling now on Etsy.com at ContessasHome. $175.00 for the pair. These lamps were restored at the Lamplighter in Old Town, Alexandria, VA