Persimmon & Brie Crostini

Tags

appetizer, brie, crostini, food, foodie, hors d'oeuvres, persimmon, recipe, snack

I love when persimmons begin to arrive at my grocery store in autumn. This underused fruit is perfect for autumn and winter snacking.

Ingredients: 
1 persimmon, 1 baguette, 1 wedge of brie, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic glaze, fresh ground pink Himalayan salt

Directions:
Slice the baguette into small pieces. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and toast. Thinly slice brie and layer onto the baguette slices. Slice the persimmon and then cut into thirds or fourths (depending on the size of your persimmon) and layer on top of the brie. Use your baker’s torch to lightly brown the edges and top of the persimmon and melt the edges of the brie. Sprinkle with fresh ground pink Himalayan salt and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Garnish with freshly slice basils leaves.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Grilling Spice Rub

Tags

BBQ, beef, dinner, entree, fish, food, food prep, foodie, grill, grilling, lunch, porkchops, poultry, recipe, ribs, side dishes, spice, spice rub, steak, vegetables

Autumn has been in full swing and winter is just around the corner. Although my crockpot season has started our temps have been gorgeous so our grilling season hasn’t quite ended yet. Before I relent and stash the grill for the winter, I wanted to grill dinner one more time…

Whether using this on beef, poultry of vegetables, this grilling rub is fantastic all year-long.

Young Wifey’s Grilling Rub

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. smoked paprika, 2 Tbsp. dried parsley, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, 4 tsp. hot chili powder, 2 tsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. fresh ground pink Himalayan salt, 1 tsp. fresh cracked tricolor black pepper, 1/2 tsp. ground mustard

Directions: Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight jar.

To Use:  Rub onto meat or vegetables with a small amount of olive oil. Allow meat to come to room temperature before grilling.

Usually our grill makes a reappearance in late February when I want to chase away the winter…

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Pomegranate Citrus Crab Salad

Tags

citrus, crab salad, food, foodie, lime, orange, pomegranate, recipe

I love how pomegranate arils can add an autumnal touch to a simple crab salad. 

Ingredients:
1 lb. crab meat, 2 limes, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 3 mandarin oranges, 1 c. pomegranate arils (seeds)

Directions:
Drain and rinse crab meat. Carefully check for shell fragments. Peel and segment oranges. Break segments into smaller chunks. Zest and juice limes. Mix together lime zest, lime juice, and mayonnaise. Carefully mix together crab meat, oranges chunks, and pomegranate arils. Pour dressing over crab mixture and lightly mix to coat.

*Garnish for additional lime zest and arils.
*Serve on a bed of mixed greens or on a sourdough roll.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Door Knob Swap

Tags

DIY, updates

This DIY isn’t exactly difficult or really anything to boast. However, getting rid of the last ugly brass touches made a major impact on the overall feel. After I swapped 18 interior doorknobs, it certainly felt like a major project. 

XOXO,
YoungWifey

Pomegranate Cider Mimosas

Tags

autumn, brunch, cocktail, Entertaining, mimosa

These delicious pomegranate cider mimosas have become my favorite brunch mimosa for autumn. This year, we’ve been blessed with temperatures nice enough for a Sunday brunch al fresco.

Ingredients:
hard cider, pomegranate liqueur, pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds

Directions:
Pour cider, liqueur, and juice into a glass.Use amounts according to preference. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Just add a tasty brunch menu and some great friends…

XOXO,
Young Wifey

New Hardwood Flooring

Tags

DIY, flooring, home decor

This DIY project was a time consuming project spanning over several months. We replaced the carpet, laminate, and linoleum flooring in our family room, dining room, hallway, entry, and powder room.

After we ordered and picked up the hardwood flooring, the boxes remained stacked in our living room until we could decide how to approach the project…

Tearing out the old flooring was a daunting task. Removing all the staples was awful!
That’s when our project halted again…

Which direction should we run the planks? What room should we start in? Are we going to buy or rent the tools?
In the mean time, Hubster leveled the floors and I opened the boxes and mixed the planks for a uniform look.

We decided to rent the equipment. Once Hubster got started, he realized it was much easier than he thought.
XOXO,
Young Wifey

Entryway Chandelier

Tags

ceiling medallion, chandelier, DIY, entryway, home decor

Over the next few months, I hope to post a few of our home DIY projects leading up to a few bigger reveals. The angles of the photos are not ideal, but I don’t want to giveaway any more clues of the finished projects…

Updating our entryway light fixture has been on my list since we moved in (in 2011)! Nothing about the original one suite our design tastes.

Hubster and I were browsing a discount store and came across a fantastic deal on a chandelier. The design was simplistic making it the perfect addition for our space. The finish was brushed nickel which is classic, but I wanted it to pop a little more in our space so I coated it with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.

I had already picked out a ceiling medallion for our entryway. It just needed a good coat of white paint. Hubster & Handy Cousin installed the ceiling medallion and light fixture for me over a weekend.

I love how it looks! With every new project and small touch, our house is one step further away from builder’s grade and another step towards our dream home.

XOXO,
Young Wifey