Home At Last! with Patty Gironda

I have long since stopped expecting an answer when I ask Ron what he would like for dinner - but to my surprise(!) tonight he suggested he would like some meatballs. I had ground beef on hand, homemade bread crumbs, fresh parsley, dried sage and dried black and shitake mushrooms.  I combined the meat, fresh herbs, bread crumbs, anchovy paste, lemon and garlic; gently pan-fried the meatballs in olive oil and removed them to paper towels while I made a quick sauce. To make a rich gravy, I soaked the dried mushrooms for a half-hour-until a dark, robust flavor and color developed in the warm water.  A half cup of the mushroom water was blended into 2 tablespoons of the reserved olive oil.  I whisked together 1/8 cup warm water with 2 tablespoons of Bisto (Beef) and added it to the mushroom water.  I eventually added the soaked mushrooms in the final stage of coo...

Just a little hint of coolness in the air and I am transported to one of our favorite Tuscan villages, Terranouva. We have traveled to Tuscany several times in early fall to catch a great airfare deal but it has become one of our favorite times to visit Italy. There are all sorts of festivals, including Perugia's chocolate festival- positioned between ancient buildings, fabulous museums and, oh yeah. . .lots and lots of chocolate-the only other place I remember anyone ever shoving chocolate at me was in my dreams! I didn't start the blog to ramble on about chocolate . . . I intended to share this ingenious Knorr product from the IPER store-Porcini-flavored cubes. I found them last night tucked away in the back of one of my cupboards. I made a pan-fried version of the Pollo Al Mattone and served a delicious risotto with porcini and field greens. It was authentically Tuscan.

Besides hoarding beautiful dishes and serveware, I might be a little bit "hoard-ish" of pretty paper. I have a chest of drawers that is filled with some of my favorite scraps. Martha Stewart sent me a boxful of beautiful paper, rubber stamps and ink after a Lupus Fundraiser back in 1996. After reading an Atlanta Journal article where I was quoted as "wanting to be Martha" when I grew up, I was invited to host Martha at the luncheon and return her safely to Hartsfield Airport after the event wrapped up. I used some of her beautiful papers to wrap gifts for my friend, Char, before she passed away. She loved beautiful packages! These magnets that I made for my office represent a gift from Japan and wedding flowers from the pages of an annual wedding book. The blue-checked paper was in a gift box from Tokyo,Japan. A lovely family stayed at our B&B for a week before the marriage of their daughter to a young Newnan man. They shared a few of their pre...

Friend and fellow blogger, Susan Coggin, generously shared brightly-colored, garden-fresh peppers from Quail Hollow.  My bag was filled with dangerous-looking hot varieties laced with a few sweet peppers. Alone in my LA-BOR-A-TORY I fired up my bunson burners!  Into the little beakers, I threw a little of this and a little of that!  (Mostly garlic, herbs and spices) A sugary peach syrup from a previous blog was gently swirled into the smokey beaker and finally, the mixture thickened with the addition of two tablespoons of raspberry jam.

Join other passionate spirited women. Feel the synergy. Nancy Mills of The Spirited Woman - will conduct a one hour FREE teleseminar on  Wednesday, September 2, 5pm (PST), 8pm (EST) "Creative Ways to Think Outside the Marketing Box:  To Get More Exposure &  Visibility For Who You Are  What You Do. Yes!" You'll learn on the 1-hr. call:    - My top 5 insider secrets on creative marketing - Marketing passionately versus not - Why if you snooze creatively, you lose financially - Why it is so important to creatively think outside of the box to survive (emotionally, financially)  - The importance of aligning yourself with co-creators (think: people, companies, sponsors) - How women are on the cusp of change & destined to change the world TO REGISTER NOW. E-MAIL NancyMills@thespiritedwoman.com The Spirited Woman is a leading, rapidly expanding women's online empowerment community. All about creative fun and positive ne...

      One of the many reasons I enjoy our old house, even though it continues to be too big for two people, is that I occasionally stumble upon old forgotten trinkets. Yesterday, I opened a cabinet under the staircase and enjoyed some of my beautiful keepsakes-artfully displayed for maximum enjoyment. I'm looking forward to cooler weather so that I can make the climb into our 1200 sf of attic space. It's hung with old pictures and strewn with boxes of goodies. Bolts of fabric casually piled in a corner remind me of my decorating days in Atlanta-so long ago! Since I rarely go to the attic it doesn't feel like my space-which makes for a fun afternoon rediscovering box contents and poking through the bolts of pretty fabric. I enjoy the cabinet under the stairs so much that when it's time to wash the contents I take pictures of the arrangement so that each beautiful piece goes back into its rightful place. Over the next few months I'll share the contents of my...

I received an email about TV show, "A Place In The Sun" and a companion venue, OverSeas Buying Exhibition at the NEC-Birmingham. The exhibition will showcase properties for sale through-out Europe, as well as answer questions about living abroad! Unfortunatly I can't attend but it definitely sparked some favorite travel memories. I blogged a little about our Birmingham, England trip earlier this spring after stumbling upon on a beautiful costume bracelet scored at the Rag Market held on weekends in Birmingham. I relunctantly sampled my first kidney pie, loved English bacon and particularly enjoyed the local pubs including Mad O'Rourkes, famous for its "Desperate Dan Cow Pies", complete with horns! There were so many wonderful surprises in Birmingham, famous for it's "metal" bands of the 80's - including Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Totally unfamiliar with Birmingham, the sight of colorful handpainted canal boats drifting along the 174 ...