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Since I’m so inspired by things of the past, I decided it might be fun to start a new little series on the blog … yesterday / today. The series will take a look at things that are chic today, as compared to pieces from the past that inspired those trends.
Earlier this week I got an email from my friends at Layla Grayce showcasing all of the beautiful mint green items they have on their site. Seeing all the mint together in one place made me realize instantly the color connection from the vintage jadite pieces that were once stacked on kitchen shelves everywhere. The gorgeous milky green glass has long been a favorite of mine, especially against fresh white, as a display piece just perfect for styling.
Though I am pretty sold on a neutral palette, this summer trend is so vintage and yet so current for today that I can’t help but fall for it. I love that it goes effortlessly from a casual day at the beach to the most glamorous red carpet event without missing a beat.
Have you collected any jadite? Find a favorite mint green piece? Would love to hear about it! And, would love your suggestions for future posts in the yesterday/today series!
Mint Perfection: Earrings : Layla Grayce / Nail Polish : Essie / Pleated Skirt : Net-a-Porter
Yes, as you may have noticed I’ve been a bit absent from my blogging duties as of late, but I assure you it’s not for lack of actually focusing on the blog. A slight lack of time, perhaps, but nonetheless my hiatus has been due in part to some new things I have brewing.
Taking a slight side-step from “preserves” the blog, being the perpetual marketer that I am at heart, I am so thrilled to introduce you to my newly refreshed site – Heirloomed. In keeping with the same concept of curating wonderful things from the past to be preserved for future generations to enjoy, Heirloomed still includes the same kitchen, entertaining, traditions & Heirloom Recipe Series that preserves did, but allows me a bit more room to explore some of my other passions in life that fall within the realm of heirlooms. Now expanded to home and interiors, fashion and style, soirees and weddings, travel and exploration, and of course, baby and child.
Which really is the perfect segway, isn’t it? We are excitedly expecting our very first child this December, a little boy, and couldn’t be more thrilled to have him in our lives. Continuing on for generations, it’s kind of my sweet spot anyways. More to come on him, of that you can be sure.
And thus, lots of changes but all wonderful in my book. I do hope you enjoy Heirloomed as much as I have enjoyed bringing the concept to life. Would love your feedback on the new, but still old-inspired, site! You can also join Heirloomed on Facebook and Twitter too!
This week, I am so excited to have designer + blogger Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo, also known to many as ABCD Designs!
Aside from having fabulous initials, her taste for design resonates clearly through her beautiful line of papers and invites, as well as her divine blog. I just adore the black background with white script. Her tweets are friendly and her taste is just as wonderful as she is. And, now truly a blog-veteran, I am so proud to congratulate Amy on her third-anniversary of blogging this week (have you seen how we’re celebrating?) Blog years is quite like dog years at this point, so three is quite a wonderful accomplishment.
Heirloom Recipe Series with Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo:
Hello, my name is Amy Beth Cupp (ABC!) and in 2007, I married Mr. D! What are the chances that I’d be lucky enough to meet the man of my dreams and get to add a D to my already catchy set of initials? During the Fall of ’07, we were newly married and gut renovating an apartment in NYC. I was stuck at home during the kitchen installation. It was at that point that I thought it might be fun to write a blog about newlywed life. www.abcddesign.com was born! ABCD Design stands for Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo designs (fill-in-the-blank-here) her life! I write about all things that make a house a home. I am an artist, a trained chef and a floral designer. I have worked in interior design as well as events and photo styling. On ABCD Design, it’s a mixed bag of nesting topics, but it’s always about what inspires me, and living a well-lived life. You can also see me tweeting @abcddesigns.
Who’s heirloom recipe are you sharing with us today, Amy?
The recipe belongs to my dearly departed mother-in-law, Barbara. I think she’d be so proud to have a recipe featured on your blog! My mother in law read my blog as though it was a religion. Often, after I pressed ‘publish’ I’d receive a lengthy phone call to discuss whatever it was that I had chosen to blog about on any given day. One morning, she called the Mr. up at work to talk about how much she loved ABCD Design, and how it was giving her a whole new insight into the personality of her new daughter in law. During that phone conversation, (in her wonderfully rich southern accent) she said “You know, I even follow Amy’s Twitter!” The Mr. was like “Um, Mom… what’s a Twitter?”
What makes this recipe especially meaningful to you?
I prepare this recipe on occasion when I sense that my husband is in need of a little comfort food. I think losing your mother has to be one of the hardest things that a person can go through in their lifetimes. It’s been a year and a half, and the sadness is still pulling at our heart strings like we lost her just yesterday. Last Christmas, I went through my mother in law’s recipe box. I scanned in all of her handwritten recipes and presented my sister-in-law in book form so that she too can recreate the dishes she remembers from her childhood. Until now, I have kept them all private, and I intend to do so going forward. But on this occasion, (as I mentioned above) I think that sharing the beef stroganoff recipe is appropriate. Like I said, she was very proud of her new daughter-in-law’s blogging and I have no doubt she’d be delighted that I have kept the blog going for the last three years, and honored to be featured by IceMilk Aprons!
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– Beef Stroganoff –
The Mr. likes to have beef stroganoff on egg noodles – just like his mama used to serve it. I also know that she liked to make peas, and a green salad as a side dish. At the table, he likes to top it with a condiment called Tiger Sauce. (It adds a little kick of heat to the dish.)
I have made my own version of Beef Stroganoff based off of Barbara’s recipe, mine is a little more descriptive! As a side note, I like to use organic ingredients whenever possible – it makes the dish taste cleaner, and more vivid. With the Mr.’s birthday coming up, I made beef stroganoff last week. This time I served it on fresh porcini mushroom ravioli. I must admit, it was a delicious addition to the recipe!
2 lbs grass-fed, antibiotic free, 85% lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1lb fresh sliced mushrooms
2 cans of Amy’s organic cream of mushroom condensed soup (It’s available at Whole Foods)
Garlic – I use about 6-8 cloves, minced.
Salt – I think it is important to season throughout the cooking process – so just sprinkle on a little pinch with each step in which I suggest you add salt.
1/4 Cup Ketchup
1T Dry Mustard
1/2 Cup Water
1/3 cup Vermouth
8oz Organic, hormone free Sour Cream
Add fresh ground pepper to taste at the table
Directions:
In a large sautee pan, melt a pat of butter on medium-high heat, being careful not to burn the butter. Sautee the mushrooms on medium high heat. Sprinkle with salt to release water in the mushrooms. This will help them cook. Once they’ve softened, add the onion, and season with a bit of salt again. This will help the onions release water and continue to keep everything moist. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic. Turn the heat down way low and continue to stir on occasion, or you can simply turn off the heat and set it aside.
In a large dutch oven or soup pot, brown the beef. There no need to brown in butter and drain fat as it says on Barbara’s recipe card. There is plenty of fat in the beef to brown properly without added butter. Season the meat with a bit of salt.
Once the beef is fully cooked, add your onion/mushroom/garlic ingredients to the pot with the beef.
At this point, add the ketchup, water, and Vermouth. Bring this up to a simmer so that the alcohol will burn off and only leave the rich flavor, not the taste of alcohol. I like to let it simmer for at least 10 minutes, if not 20.
Prepare noodles in a separate pot – by the time they are done cooking, your stroganoff will be too!
Right before you serve the stroganoff, add the 8oz sour cream. Be sure it is fully incorporated before you serve it atop the noodles.
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Part of our Heirloom Recipes Series, featuring foodies, chefs, artisans, Southerners & fabulous folks willing to share their stories, recipes and photos in an effort to help preserve and share these family recipes for generations to come.
Join us in celebrating our annual 1-day sale at IceMilk Apron – this Thursday, November 12 and receive 25% off your order by entering code: thankful at checkout!
We are thrilled to carry on this tradition for another year as a birthday celebration in memory of the late inspiration and original seamstress for IceMilk Aprons – better known as Grandma!
This year the celebration gets a little sweeter – you could be entered to win an IceMilk Apron of your very own! There are a few ways you can be entered to win:
- Facebook – share our 1-day promotion in your status to all your friends & family and then write on our Facebook Page wall sharing one thing you are thankful for.
- Twitter – simply RT our promotion (be sure to mention @icemilkaprons so we know!)
- Blog – share our promotion or feature one of our aprons on your blog, you can email us with the link and we’ll share with all of our friends too!
Now is the perfect time to buy your IceMilk Aprons and get a headstart on your holiday shopping. Making a perfect hostess gift for holiday parties, great to have in time for Thanksgiving cooking with family & friends, as well as December holiday baking!
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November 2009:
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@MizMaggieB herself (of Mashable Twitter 55+ Foodies to Follow fame)reviews IceMilk Apron, her favorite style and our annual one-day sale for her blog followers.
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October 2009:
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The fabulous ladies at Jack’s Harvest Organic Baby Foods give a nod to IceMilk Aprons as another mom-friendly product with a fabulous heirloom spin! Babies would be lucky to have such divine food to wet their tiny appetites!
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September 2009:
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The everything-wedding blog allows Ashley Leckey, founder & heirloom designer of IceMilk Aprons the opportunity to guest blog for a day with a post seeped in tradition: The {Heirloom} Wedding.
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August 2009:
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IceMilk Aprons featured on Cafe Cartolina, boasting a curious collection of art & inspiration, and in my mind, the best design interiors around. This blog is nearly as lovely as Fiona herself.
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July 2009:
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Bella Cucina’s “The Art of Food” Blog
IceMilk Aprons featured on the oh-so-artful blog by gourmet foods purveyor Bella Cucina as a “Need, Want, Must-Have for Summertime.” Swoon!
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As Lisa herself says, this blog is indeed “a nice place to visit.” Jam packed with inspiration & notions, IceMilk Aprons is featured in the Join me in the Kitchen segment. Thanks Lisa.
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Join us as we guest-blog for our always-heirloom take on The Saucy Apron, and as we share Grandma’s foolproof (and 90 proof) recipe for homemade Kahlua!
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May 2009:
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Mom Central’s Mother’s Day Gift Guide & Giveaway
IceMilk Aprons make a meaningful gift for Mother’s Day! Mom’s Central included us in this years Mother’s Day Gift Guide!
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April 2009:
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IceMilk Aprons hosted a giveaway to kick-off the Mother’s Day season with The Apron Goddesses and the response was quite overwhelming. Sometimes I’ll stop back into these comments for a pick-me-up!
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IceMilk Aprons takes the cake on this blog as being the perfect Mother’s Day gift “For the Hostess with the Mostest Mama,” guest-authored by gift-giving expert Jennifer Pete.
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And so we find ourselves here thanks to the Saucy Apron, ranked as one of “five phenomenal Mother’s Day gifts I’d like”
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February 2009:
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Truly an honor for us to be included in this wonderful project, click to read more about the SRRP and the family heirloom recipes we submitted that are now archived to help in our passion for sharing recipes and heirloom appreciation.
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January 2009:
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IceMilk Aprons featured on Sea and Jae.
A wonderful store & blog focused on “reinventing gift giving.” And a special feature on IceMilk Aprons making a special gift!
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IceMilk Aprons featured on Teacake Martini
A fantastic blog focusing on the “little luxuries of life,” check out the feature of IceMilk Aprons that delves a bit into our story and what we’re all about.
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December 2008:
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IceMilk Aprons featured by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Featured in this years AJC Holiday Gift Guide, as the perfect gift for the “Foodie with Everything” – check out our feature and the other wonderful products perfect for this years holiday gifts.
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NOVEMBER 2008:
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IceMilk Aprons featured on GourmetByMail.com
Featured as a “Serving in Style” product, check out this wonderful site that recognizes online gourmet products.
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IceMilk Aprons featured on The Apronista
With no other blogger more focused on Aprons, read the delightful feature of IceMilk Aprons by the even more delightful “Apronista” herself.
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