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March 18, 2021 By Melinda Leave a Comment

5 Step Project: Simple Spring Indoor Planting

Are you familiar with the 5 ingredients or less concept when it comes to cooking and knowing what is in your food?

I had started the home decorating version a while back, and am starting it again! 

This series involves simple projects that take 5 steps or less to achieve in your home.

To recap, the items that are included most likely are ones that you already own or you can easily find. You can shop your home, favorite brick and mortar stores, garage sales–whatever floats your boat!

This series will provide you with the steps, but ultimately you are in charge.

It is that simple.

Let’s get started with our simple project, so that you can start decorating your home today.

5 Step Project: Simple Indoor Spring Planting

I have the itch to get my hands in the dirt, but the weather here will not be ready for planting for another couple of months. I found the perfect solution to this problem…

Indoor spring planting!

Why?

… it is a simple way to bring new life inside and welcome the spring season

… it allows me to get a taste of planting and what is to soon come

… it allows me to witness the daily growth of spring bulbs and seedlings, which I truly enjoy

What To Do: 

Step 1: Find a vessel (always shop your home first)

Step 2: Choose your spring plant, i.e. spring bulbs, seeds, flowering plant

Step 3: Assemble

Step 4: Add moss around the base (optional, but a favorite addition of mine)

Step 5: Select a location in your home for your spring plant & enjoy!

If you would like to know how I choose just the right vessel for my plants (they aren’t always traditional garden containers)  you can watch my video HERE. Oh, and be sure to like and subscribe to my YouTube channel, so that you don’t miss any new content!

Take care,

 

Filed Under: home, home decorating, Spring Planting Tagged With: spring, spring bulbs, spring planting

October 22, 2019 By Melinda 1 Comment

Classic Autumn Chicken & Dumplings

I knew once the colder temperatures began  I would want to start adding soups to my dinner menu on a more regular basis. Anyone that knows me knows that I will eat and enjoy a hot bowl of soup any day of the year, no matter the temperature outside.

I have a long list of favorites, but chicken and dumplings is one that I tend to make more often this time of year.  An added bonus is that my flat leaf parsley in my kitchen herb garden is still thriving outside, so the dumplings tasted particularly delicious in this batch of soup!

This is a recipe that I have been making for years, and is a family favorite now. I know it will become a favorite of your family’s as well.

A little tip…if you have an unexpected guest show up at your dinner table, this recipe can easily be stretched out. Add more chicken stock and you will be good to go!

Classic Autumn Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, drumsticks)
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 medium onion cut into wedges
  • 1 tsp dried basil, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 cup sliced celery
  • 1 cup thinly sliced carrots (2 medium)
  • 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 T snipped fresh parsley
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 T cooking oil
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Method

  1. kin chicken, if desired. Rinse chicken. In a large pot combine chicken, the 3 cups water, onion, basil, the 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Add celery, carrots, and mushrooms. Return mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes more or till chicken and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.
  2. For dumplings, in a mixing bowl combine the 1 cup flour, parsley, baking powder, the 1/4 tsp salt, and oregano. In another bowl combine the egg, milk, and oil; add to flour mixture. Stir with a fork just till moistened. Drop batter onto the hot chicken in broth, making 6 dumplings. Do not drop batter into the liquid. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. Do not lift cover while simmering. Transfer chicken, dumplings, and vegetables to a serving platter; keep warm.
  3. For gravy, pour broth into  a large measuring cup. Skim fat from broth; discard fat. Measure 2 cups of the broth; return to pot. Combine the 1/2 cup cold water and the 1/4 cup flour; stir into the broth. Cook and stir till mixture is thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Serve gravy over chicken and vegetables with dumplings. Makes 6 servings.

Please be sure to visit my amazing friends, who are also joining me on this autumn soup tour for more holiday inspiration and delicious soup recipes.

{MORE AUTUMN SOUPS}

Easy Slow Cooker White Bean and Ham Soup by Ella Claire & Co. | Creamy Cauliflower Soup by Tidbits | Butternut Squash Minestrone by Nest of Posies | Light Creamy Mushroom Soup by The Chronicles of Home | Corn Chowder by On Sutton Place

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup by Live Laugh Rowe | Apple and Celeriac Soup by Inspired by Charm | Chicken and Dumplings by House 214 | Chicken Gnocchi Soup by Tidy Mom | French Onion Soup Bowls by ShabbyFuFu

Sausage Tortellini Soup by My 100 Year Old Home | White Chicken Chili by Rooms For Rent | Roasted Pumpkin & Garlic Soup by Home Made Lovely | Healthy Halibut Chowder by Town and Country Living | Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup by Happy Happy Nester

Creamy Low-Carb Roasted Cauliflower Soup by Summer Adams | Dairy Free Cream of Broccoli Soup by Zevy Joy | Butternut Squash and Pear Soup by Nick + Alicia | Harvest Lentil Soup by French Country Cottage

Discover Your Home Decorating Style

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Filed Under: autumn, Christmas, classic, Cooking, design board, Fall, fall decorating, free resource, giveaway, home, home decorating, home tour, interior, Kitchen, laundry room, One Small Thing, Outdoor, Real Goods, rugs, spring, summer, Thanksgiving, timeless, Uncategorized

June 9, 2019 By Melinda Leave a Comment

A Student Question: How To Choose The Right Rug

I wanted to give you a sneak peek into a home decorating question from a student of  The House 214 Design School. Students in the school can ask me decorating questions about  their homes, as well as recommend topics that they would like me to teach.

In this blog post you will find an excerpt from a Facebook live where I answered a student’s decorating question about how to choose the right rug for their home.

Please click on the image below to view

 

 Are you ready to finally know your style and make the right decorating decisions for your home?  The House 214 Design School is not just a step-by -step program. It is a teacher led community where we work together to decorate our homes. No more overwhelm. No more wasting time and money. No more going it alone. Join us and finally decorate your home!

Filed Under: home decorating, rugs

March 14, 2019 By Melinda Leave a Comment

Video #1: How to Decorate for Spring

The key to decorating your home seasonally, in a real and authentic manner vs. a “decorated” and scripted way, is to first understand the season. Think the hygee way of thinking.

Every season has different sides that represent it, and spring is no different. Here is a sneak peek at a video from our “7 Days of Simple Spring Decorating Workshop” that will give you a quick lesson on the topic.

 

You are still able to join the spring workshop, community, and receive all of the content for $12! Click here to learn more: Spring Workshop

 

Filed Under: home decorating, spring

February 14, 2019 By Melinda Leave a Comment

I Answer House 214 Design School Student Lisa’s Light Fixture Question

Today I am helping House 214 Design School student Lisa answer her lighting questions for her new home.

We discuss how to best compliment the lighting that already exists in her home and how to make it all flow.

Lisa says: I’m having trouble with what type of lights to get for the stairway wall and the upstairs landing. I consider my personality traits to follow the timeless, classic feel. I haven’t decided on a chandelier yet for the staircase, but I’m leaning toward the open lantern style.

This is a picture of Lisa’s existing stairway wall:

These are the two fixtures that Lisa is considering for her stairway wall:

This lantern style fixture is what Lisa is considering for her landing:

Lisa says:  The other lights that can be seen from the entry are the dining room and semi flush mount hanging light farther down the hallway.

My Response: I am happy that you are taking into consideration the lighting that you will see from the entry. You want to make decisions that have a consistent feeling throughout your home, so that it is communicating you.

The sconces with the shades seem to have the same finish as the dining room and hallway lights that you will see from your entry, so their is that consistency. A matte finish communicates the timeless feeling as well, so you are on the right path with that way of thinking.

The classic straight lines of both the fixture and the shade communicate the timeless feeling. The actual sconce itself is more timeless in that they are something that you might traditionally see on a stairway wall.

The lantern that you are considering for your landing has a similar finish and similar structure, regarding the straight lines, as the sconces. Having these elements in common gives them a unified feeling.

You are not alone!  The House 214 Design School is not just a step-by -step program. It is a teacher led community working together to decorate our homes. No more overwhelm. No more wasting time and money. No more going it alone. Join us and finally feel home!

 

Filed Under: home, home decorating

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