"Homemaker's Stainless Steel Cooktop Cleaner Friend"

We recently got a stainless double oven:

I love it!  With the exception of the stainless top...it is so hard to clean!  Oil and grease get caked onto it so easily...

I tried several products:

None of them worked very well...

Then I tried Bar Keeper's Friend....and it is really my new friend.  It could be renamed to:

"Homemaker's Stainless Steel Cooktop Cleaner Friend"!

 After sprinkling some of this onto the cooktop and scrubbing for a few minutes I got this:

So then I made a paste by mixing just a couple drops of water into the formula and stirring it with an old toothbrush:

I rubbed the paste around all the burners and waited about 5 minutes...

And Wallah!!!!!

YES!  A new clean cooktop!  Almost like new again thanks to Bar Keeper's Friend!!!

Our Mantels This Christmas - 2013

I know...it is a little early for Christmas decorations...but I love them!  And we are going to be out of town the majority of the next few weeks so this way it will be done when we get back in town in early December.  

Family/TV Room:

 Sunroom:

More Family/TV Room:

This room has a traditional fireplace and mantel in it.  I hung a wreath over a painting that was currently there and then added other touches of Christmas.

With the twinkle lights on at dusk (above).  I used the lights with the white wire so that they blend into the arrangement when no lit.

I love using pinecones to decorate in both Fall and Winter.  In the Winter it is fun to spray paint them white or buy some that have faux snow on them.

I love this cherub - she is usually in the house year round.

Greenery with more faux snow thrown into a glass vase is fun.

The wreath below is one of my favorite seasonal wreaths

More Sunroom:

The sunroom mantel is decorated very simply.  A simple garland hangs over a painting we have up year round and a prancing reindeer sits centered on the mantel.

See the Baby Gate inside the fireplace?  It has worked great!  And, it blends in so well after painted black.
To see more on baby-proofing the fireplace check out this POST!

I decided to keep the actual mantel simple because it is flanked by two bookcases that get decorated as well.

The left side of the fireplace mantel:

The right side of the fireplace mantel:

Because... Food Is Life!

A new cooking blog that is bound to be good!  Why create another cooking blog?  Well, the answer is in the title...

BECAUSE...FOOD IS LIFE

Sometimes healthy, always delicious recipes for a balanced life

My sister, Nicola, is absolutely fabulous in the kitchen!  When I see her cook I am amazed by how simple she makes it look, but by how delicious the outcome!  She says things like, "Let the recipe inspire you...then create your own!"

Recipe: Parmesan Pot Pie with Pancetta Butternut Squash and Sage

About the Author:

Hello, my name is Nicola.  Isn't food the best thing ever?  I love food.  I love cooking food, talking about food, reading about food and trying new restaurants.  Most of my spare time is spent looking for inspiration and thinking about my next kitchen adventure.

Food plays so many important roles in our everyday life.  It is nourishment, health, culture, comfort.  Food is so many things!  My goal is to find a balance of all these.  I'm inspired by many ethnic foods, countless blogs and the restaurants I try with my husband Matt.  Bon Appetit!

A Few Of Her Creations:

Recipe: Sweet Potato Hash and Baked Eggs

Recipe: Mezze Style Packed Lunch

Recipe: Coconut Chicken Soup

Hot Apple Cider Bar

Last year, to kick off the Christmas holiday season we added a Hot Cocoa Bar to our dining room:

It was such a hit that I decided I wanted to do something for Fall with Cider:

It is a fun way to serve a seasonal drink during a party or get together

This bar won't stay out all season because I think it makes for a more special occasion when the Hot Cocoa bar appears for the month of December, but it is fun to throw something like this together for friend's when they come over. 

This particular Hot Cider Bar was photographed during the Toddler Costume and Pumpkin Party on Halloween

Therefore, the desserts that accompanied the Hot Cider included seasonal homemade treats

Witches Hats:

Fudge Striped Cookie and a Hershey Kiss - attached with orange icing

And Acorns:

Mini Nutter Butter, Hershey Kiss and mini Chocolate Chip - attached with icing

If I made the acorns again, I would buy store bought chocolate icing.  I tried to make my own brown icing with things I already had at the house and it turned out grey... oh well.  But I think it would be worth buying brown next time.

Toddlers Costumes and Pumpkins

 A Toddler Halloween Party:

Costume Wearing

Pumpkin Painting

Good Food Eating

Fun Friends Playing

We had good friends over on Halloween for a fun filled get together.  This group of friends meets frequently at either someone's house, the zoo or a park.   Because this day happened to also be Halloween we filled it with pumpkin painting and costume wearing fun!

   

 This is what you get with 9 toddlers painting pumpkins at once:

Fortunately, all of these Moms were totally OK with a little mess!

~ plus we used only washable paint :-) ~

We lined them up on the couch and tried to get pictures:

 Try as we may, we never got all 9 on the couch at the same time... one would escape and another would be placed in their spot :-)

And then we enjoyed some good food around the table!

We had to extend the dining room table for this bunch of good eaters!

A Hot Apple Cider Bar was set up for a fun seasonal drink:

For more on the Apple Cider Bar look HERE

Thanks everyone for helping out - bringing food and goodies to help celebrate!

Check out last year's Costume Line-Up on the couch:

Before 9 Toddlers Starting Painting:

After 9 Toddlers Painted:

Tip: Before painting the pumpkins spray them with a sealer - otherwise when the paint dries it will peel.  I used Aleene's Spray Acrylic Sealer - Matte Finish.  I sprayed them one day in advance and let them dry.

This is what happens when the pumpkin is not sealed:  Lesson learned last year when we also painted a pumpkin

More action shots:

Happy Halloween and Happy Fall!!!