As the 145th annual Kentucky Derby occurs this weekend, we are celebrating with mint juleps and Derby Pie.

This is my first Derby pie and it was easy to make. The recipe describes it as a thick, gooey chocolate chip cookie meets a warm buttery pie for a heavenly and decadent Southern dessert.

Using a pre-made pie crust (I always use Trader Joe’s brand as I find it to be the best), fill a 9″ pie dish.

Line the bottom of the crust with semi-sweet chocolate chips and toasted pecans or walnuts (I used a combination of both).

Pour a mixture of eggs, sugar, flour, butter, bourbon, vanilla and salt over the chocolate and nuts.

Bake 40 to 45 minutes until set.

Let pie cool to room temperature and add Bourbon Whipped Cream on top.

Click Here for the pie recipe!

While I was making the pie, my son was making Mint Juleps. With 4 simple ingredients~~simple syrup, mint, bourbon and ice, you can make this Derby Day drink. Click here for the recipe.

Here are some fun facts that you may not know about the Kentucky Derby. 

Nineteen past winners have had names beginning with the letter “S,” including Secretariat, the fastest horse in Kentucky Derby history, who completed the 1973 race in just under two minutes.

The amount of food consumed at the Derby is pretty astounding. On average, spectators will eat 142,000 hot dogs, 18,000 barbecue sandwiches, 13,800 pounds of beef, 32,400 jumbo shrimp, 9,000 scallops, 8,000 pounds of potatoes, 30,000 cookies and 300,000 strawberries.

The traditional drink of the Derby is the mint julep and over 120,000 are said to be consumed at the race each year.

The Kentucky Derby trophy only weighs 3½ lbs.

The Derby is also referred to as ‘The Run for the Roses’ because the winner is awarded a blanket sewn with over 400 roses post-race. This blanket weighs about 40 lbs.

Over $150 million in wagers have been placed over the last several Kentucky Derby races.

I don’t know anything about horse racing but I’ve always wanted to attend the Kentucky Derby to wear a big hat! May the best horse and rider win!

As a result of freak accident, I have been unable to use my computer much so my apologies for not posting recently. Short version of a long story… an Easy Off Grill Cleaner can was accidentally punctured when I opened up an outdoor cupboard and the foam sprayed into both of my eyes. I am recovering quickly from chemical burns on my corneas. The good news is that this shouldn’t affect my vision. I am so lucky that my daughter was nearby and we acted quickly to minimize the damage. All is well and I am so grateful that I can see.

Strange incidents like this make me slow down and appreciate the simple things in life. So the purpose of this blog is to share some beautiful photos and remind you to be thankful for working eyes, ears and body parts.

The weather here in Phoenix has been nothing short of glorious. This time of year our yard is at its best.

The rose garden and its blooms have been very generous this year.

For those of you who received hollyhock seeds last year, I hope you are having success ~~ our hollyhocks are growing EVERYWHERE and have started blooming! I still have many seeds left for anyone interested. Please email me (marycrz@cox.net) with your address and I will happily send you some.

The citrus trees in the orchard have been nearly gleaned and the blossoms fill the air with their heady fragrance. The poppies are showing their pretty faces.

With the warmer weather we’ve had some windy days. Perfect for drying linens on the line.

We have two graduations in May. One daughter will graduate high school and the other college, so I am knee deep in preparations.

You have heard me lament about not having lilacs grow here in Phoenix. I recently ordered very fragrant lilacs from Torchio Nursery in San Francisco. Four gorgeous bundles arrived this week and the smell is amazing. Reminds me so much of spring in Connecticut.

Happy Friday to you! My eyes are getting tired so I will sign off. Wishing you a relaxing weekend!

Historians credit Marie Antoinette with the invention of the pocket handkerchief. She was so broken up at leaving her home in Austria that she cried all the way to France and wiped her eyes with bits of lace torn from her dress and lingerie. Anticipating future tears, she made it a point always to have a piece of lace tucked in a pocket of her dress. This, say the historians, was how handkerchiefs were born (according to 1940 Modern Women magazine).

Handkerchiefs during their existence have been used for many things like greeting someone, cleaning your hands, face, or teeth, wiping your tears and nose, applying perfume, and have even been used to signal to a gentleman that you would like to meet him or given to him as a token of your affection.

We now have Kleenex and facial tissues, and when I mentioned to my daughters that we should bring back the hankie, they said “eeewwww”. But how is washing a hankie any different than washing underwear? And isn’t it more environmentally friendly?

Don’t you agree that pulling out a gorgeous vintage handkerchief to wipe your eyes at a wedding or funeral is so much more sophisticated?

Or if you are on a plane and someone next to you is coughing, what more beautiful way to cover your face than with a lovely hankie?

If you agree, then I have 30 vintage hankies that I would love to share with you. Each one is different and they are super soft.

Some are embroidered or have delicate thread work.

Others have a theme of music or travel.

Some have initials and others are brightly colored.

This one has a scalloped edge and others are tailored. Since they are vintage some may have imperfections, but to me, that contributes to its story.

I would love to send you your very own hankie! All you need to do is send me an email (to marycrz@cox.net) with your name and mailing address. If you would like to share your favorite color or you see one in an above photo you are partial to, please let me know. If not, I will just surprise you!

Do you think we can collectively bring back the hankie???

The time between Christmas and the New Year is an interesting one.  I love having less cars on the road, a fluid schedule, and more time with my family. The house is a bit messy but I don’t really care. As this year closes and a new one is ready to begin, it is a good time to reflect on the last 12 months. I am guilty of sometimes thinking ahead, and not spending that necessary time to ponder on what has been.

Here are some of the highlights of 2018:

Entertaining

Most of what we do for entertaining is simple, spontaneous, come on over for drinks and nibbles.  But having scheduled, more formal events forces us to clean a bit deeper, tackle the projects we’ve postponed, and step things up a notch.

It is always such an honor to host a charitable event, where people have a wonderful time for a good cause.  In March, we had our second Afternoon Tea with New York Times Bestselling Author Rhys Bowen. We get to play dress up with our hats and nibble on civilized food, gather with friends all while helping others.

In the spring, our property is at its best.  Flowers are blooming, the trees have their spring buds and the weather is generally perfect.  Hosting Junior Prom for my daughter and her 20 friends, was as much fun for me as it was for them.

Perhaps one of my most favorite events is Valentine’s Day.  We are at an age where we don’t do much as a couple, but having a small group of good friends for a lovely sit-down dinner is just perfect. I tried something different with the table setting and the effect was magical.

Recipes

I tried some new recipes this year ~~ Key Lime Pie, Lemon Pots de Creme, Madeleines and a gingerbread house.

Before and After

As some of you requested, I posted more Before and After pictures of Bella Terra, including the master bedroom, wine cellar, kitchen, library, mudroom, my girls’ bedrooms and the exterior renovation.

Organization Projects

Each year I try and reorganize some cluttered area of the house (there are MANY), and was able to improve both the Butler’s Pantry, the kitchen pantry, and the mud/laundry room.

Personal Achievements

Yes, there were a few milestones this year~~our son’s graduation from college and the beginning of his professional career.

However, I do not miss assembling Ikea furniture at his apartment in Washington, D.C.!

My Willetta house restoration finally sold and the family kindly invited us to their holiday open house. It is such a gift to know this family loves all the hardwork and attention to detail we put into restoring this grand old dame.

All in all, 2018 was a good one for us.  Some years aren’t so gentle, but we are basking in the glow of this one.

Personally, I couldn’t have continued writing this blog without you, my subscribers.  Just when I am feeling discouraged, someone has a generous compliment or comments about a recent post.  I know in this busy world it is difficult to find time to sit down and read about life around here, but I so dearly appreciate it when you do.

As always, I look forward to your comments and criticisms.  With feedback I can only get better. As the year comes to a close, I send you my biggest hugs and lots of quiet, loving moments for your and your family. Thank you for your continuing support and friendship!

P.S. I didn’t provide links to the various blog posts mentioned above, but if you are interested in any topic you can enter it in the search bar.

With only a few minutes to spare between finalizing recipes and last minute shopping, I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!  Since we are having our big dinner tonight, here is our holiday table. Photos haven’t been edited, but hopefully you will enjoy them anyway!

I almost ALWAYS do a white table cloth, but this year I added placemats given to me last year by my friend, Connie. The design reminds me of a New England snow scene.

Once again, I am using my silver beaded chargers. The napkin ring is from Pottery Barn – a simple velvet ribbon and silver bells. Napkins are from Ballard Designs.

Since I only have 6 napkin rings and we are having dinner for 8, I used a wired red ribbon for the settings on the ends of the table.

The dishes are the Reindeer pattern from Pottery Barn.

Behind each chair has a ribboned wreath from Ballard Design (as shown in my last blog post).

I have refreshed the flowers in the silver mint julep cups with white tulips and roses.

Candles and votives complete the ambiance.

Dinner tonight will be individual beef Wellingtons, roasted root vegetables, and a salad.  For dessert, I am making a mocha and raspberry trifle from a 1998 Bon Appetite recipe.

Lastly, this is the VERY first time I have made a gingerbread house from scratch.  I used a Martha Stewart template for a log cabin and baked each of the sections.  I had such fun doing this, maybe because I love renovating homes.

The chimney is covered in pecans, while the roof tiles are mini Hershey chocolates and York Peppermint patties. Gingersnaps make up the border fence and walkway.  Hershey kisses top the roofline.

Graham crackers mimic shutters on the yellow cellophane window panes.  My snowman is made up of 3 snowball cookies.

He even has a carrot for a nose!

My husband added lights and the control box is tucked in the back of the house.

I’m dashing off to do some last minute shopping! Have a glorious day!

The first exterior decorations to go up for the holidays are the multiple wreaths placed around our property.  There are two lighted Balsam Hill ones on the front entry gates.

The largest lighted one is placed on the front of the well tower.

Everything looks very different at night.

Since our daughter is living in our guest cottage during her last year in college, we simply added a lighted wreath beside the front door.

Bright red amaryllis and holly leaves are the perfect complement to the wreath on the forest green Dutch door at the back of the house.

My husband gets all the credit for erecting and lighting the 7 trees that grace the front entrance.

Battery operated candles are placed in each window.  Someone recently asked me why we do this.  Growing up in Connecticut, my mother always had candles in the windows. So I researched why and here’s what I discovered.

The tradition of lighting candles in the windows of homes during Christmas was brought to America by the Irish. The Irish were persecuted for their religious beliefs by the English. When Christmas came, they would leave their doors unlocked and a candle burning in the window to let the priest know he was welcome in their home.

Each year my husband and I have the debate about white vs. colored lights.  I am partial to white lights; he loves colored ones.  So we compromise~~he gets colored lights on the wreath on the well tower and a tree that is placed in front of the pool house. White lights are used everywhere else.

I was a bit ambitious on ordering fresh cedar garland this year (2 strands each 75 feet long) and I am using it EVERYWHERE.  On the outside back terrace, the garland is the main stay of the centerpiece.  I added faux bois vases I purchased from Painted Fox.

I then added seeded eucalyptus, red berries and a few pinecones.

The vases are filled with fresh greens, red roses and white hydrangeas. Every year we host our neighborhood board holiday party and this centerpiece was perfect for the wintery theme.

Two metal hand painted angels are hung on the master bedroom terrace fireplace.  I bought these years ago from a street vendor and have never seen them again. I love how whimsical they are!

My next blog post will be an interior holiday home tour.  I have tried a few new things this year and cannot wait to share them with you.  I hope you are taking quiet moments for yourself during this crazy time of year!