New Life, New Inspirations

Spring has officially begun!  And, we have been so blessed this year with actual spring-like weather instead of our typical 3 feet of snow every-other-week weather that we usually see here in Colorado in March.  I love this time of year for so many reasons but mostly because it signifies new life as we begin to see flowers popping up, green grass blades slowly protruding, trees budding, birds singing & the daylight lingering.  So, today, I just have for you some of the seasons inspirations that we are surrounding ourselves with here at Bella Vita.  I hope the season brings new life & inspiration to you and your home this Spring!

Breakfast Goodness

I LOVE breakfast - always have, probably always will.  It is my most favorite meal of the day and I am not sure of all the reasons why except there is just very little for me to not love about that first meal.  It can include a wide menagerie of menu items, satisfy a sweet or savory tooth (or both!), and it starts the day off deliciously.  When I was growing up my mom always made sure that I had a decent breakfast meal whether it was cereal, toast & eggs, or waffles, and she never let me leave the house without this first meal.  I guess that daily routine has just always stuck.  Most recently, my husband and I have been able to enjoy a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, & fresh fruit that we sit down together and share each morning. And, on Sunday mornings he always treats me to homemade waffles that HE makes which makes the treat even that more special!  With breakfast being such a special meal in my little world, I was ultra excited to get one of our most recent shipments in at Bella.  We are just absolutely delighted to have on our shelves a collection of morning goodies that come from Sarabeth's Kitchen.  Sarabeth is Sarabeth Levine - the award-winning jam maker, pastry chef, restaurateur & cookbook author - and she does not disappoint with this morning offering.  We are currently featuring: 

Classic Morning Crunch Granola full of rolled oats, almonds, raisings, & sunflower

seeds.  This all natural classic blend is packaged in a plastic jar so it makes it super easy

 to tote and the granola is delish mixed with a little vanilla yogurt

Orange Apricot Marmalade - this award-winning jam is truly the best marmalade

I have EVER eaten!  It is a wonderful marriage of orange & apricot that leaves a sweeter

combo to enjoy as opposed to a more bitter tasting marmalade. 

LOVE, LOVE this marmalade!! 

Sarabeth's Grade A Medium Amber Pure Maple Syrup is the real deal. 

It's produced on a small family farm in Quebec and it is a beautiful accompaniement to

pancakes or waffles making it a super extra real treat!

So, even if you are hustling & bustling out the door in the mornings and can barely even get a cup of coffee, I hope that you at least have the chance to enjoy something that gets your day started out with delight!

Lemon Bird Handmade Jams

Today I received my latest shipment of LemonBird Jams.  I just LOVE these jams - they are quite honestly the best jams I have EVER eaten.  And, I just admire the way that Amy Deaver (jam artisan & owner) combines the most unusual ingredients & flavors to produce the most delightfully deliciously sweet surprises.  Amy uses fresh ingredients from local California farms and you actually can see all of those ingredients in the jams she makes like the pistachios & the chunks of apricot that are so visible in the jar of Apricot with Sage Honey & Pistachio flavor.  I truly do love all of the flavors she creates, but my very favorites right now are the Blood Orange (super yummy mixed with vanilla yogurt) & the Grilled Nectarine with Balsamic Vinegar, Long Pepper, & Sea Salt (a perfect single bite paired with goat cheese atop a slice of grilled rustic bread!).

The delicious flavors of Lemon Bird Jams that we currently have on our shelves include:

Apricot with Sage Honey & Pistachios

Blood Orange

Grilled Nectarines with Balsamic Vinegar, Long Pepper, & Sea Salt

Kumquat & Tangerine with Vanilla Bean

Lemon & Lavender

Strawberry Cinnamon

Strawberry with Lemon Basil

January White Sale

We are celebrating the New Year with a

White Sale

All of our organic cotton

bed linens, bath towels, & shower curtains are

40-50% off

Sale goes through the end of the month (or until we run out!) & applies only to in-stock bed & bath linens & shower curtains

Take advantage of this great deal & start the new year out with beautiful linens

for your home!

Bubbles & Rosemary

I think it is probably inevitable that I always say this, but it really is hard to believe that another year has come and gone so quickly.  And, I am pretty sure that each year passes by exorbitantly faster than the one before!  For our small family however, other than the acknowledgement and feeling of a new beginning and the occasional party to attend, New Year's Eve has never been a big day of celebration.  I don't know why that is, but what is true is that we have always made food and wine a big part of any holiday that is celebrated.  I guess growing up in the south, the sharing of food with family and friends is just part of every day living for us.  So in the tradition of sharing delicious food & wine over a holiday celebration, I would like to share one of my most favorite food & wine combinations that we have enjoyed over the past few years. 

My husband and I discovered Prosecco (an Italian Sparkling Wine) several years ago and we just fell in love with it!  It is slightly different than a traditional French Champagne, but packed full of flavor and bubbles and is just a delightful sip no matter what the season, the day, or the occasion.  I also came across a recipe a few years ago from Williams Sonoma for home-made Rosemary Parmesan Crackers that are so easy to make and so amazingly delicious.  And the marriage of these crackers with Prosecco is complete harmony!!  Truly - you just have to try it.  This simply delicious little treat is a great way to celebrate the New Year as a midnight snack or to share with others at a party.  If you are going to a party, you could always pack your crackers in a pretty box, tie with a ribbon, add a bottle of Prosecco, and voila - instant hostess gift!  However you decide to celebrate I hope you enjoy & I wish you a very happy New Year that is full of family, friends, and all the inspiration, joy, & beauty that can be found in every day living!

{photo courtesy of Williams Sonoma Kitchen}

Rosemary-Parmesan Icebox Crackers
makes about 24 crackers
3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

4 tablespoons(1/2 stick) unsalted butter,cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup heavy cream

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, pepper and rosemary and pulse twice to mix. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 pulses. Add the cheese and pulse twice to combine. With the motor running, pour in the cream and continue processing until the dough forms a single mass. Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat an oven to 325-degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut the dough into 1/8-inch-thick slices and place on the prepared baking sheet. If desired, using miniature decorative cutters, cut out the center of each slice, then place the cutouts on the baking sheet. Bake until the crackers are light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack. When the crackers are cool to the touch, transfer them to the rack. Makes about 24 crackers.

recipe from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts-to-Go & Stocking Stuffers

{Easy "Gift-to-Go" Ideas}

{Books are always great gifts & easy to pick up & give too! 
This book by legendary pastry chef, Sarabeth Levine, will inspire any home chef}

{Also a great gift to-go for a home cook - a lovely linen apron packaged
in an over-size mason jar that also includes recipe cards & a
"heritage" tag to add the initials of family cooks that inspire}

{This beautifully packaged 9.5oz Roland Pine scented Soy Candle
needs no gift wrap & is the perfect fragrance for the season!}

{These Boxed Shea Butter Hand Creme's are beautifully
packaged too & ready for instant gift giving!}

{Last Minute Stocking Stuffer Ideas}

{Travel Tin Holiday Soy Candles; Mini Shea Butter Lotions in a variety of fragrances; Single Hot Cocoa Mixes; Hand-painted large Peppermint Patties from Moonstruck Chocolate}

Welcome to the 2011 Holiday Season at Bella Vita!

This year we wanted to help make the holiday season a little easier and full of inspiration so we decided to introduce our Holiday Gift Guide to give you easy gift giving ideas for all of those special people in your life.  Each Friday through the 23rd of December, we will post a sampling of gift giving ideas to inspire you and hopefully help you accomplish your gift list with ease.  We are always happy to help you find that right gift for that right person, so come by and let us help you make this Holiday Season easy, bright, & joyful! 

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Foodies

{Barefoot Contessa's "How Easy is That?' Cookbook; A Trio of Extracts - Almond,

Pure Vanilla, & Lemon; McEvoy Ranch's Tuscan Table Olives with an Olive Strainer;

Pasolivo's Lime Olive Oil}

Welcome to the 2011 Holiday Season at Bella Vita!

This year we wanted to help make the holiday season a little easier and full of inspiration so we decided to introduce our Holiday Gift Guide to give you easy gift giving ideas for all of those special people in your life.  Each Friday through the 23rd of December, we will post a sampling of gift giving ideas to inspire you and hopefully help you accomplish your gift list with ease.  We are always happy to help you find that right gift for that right person, so come by and let us help you make this Holiday Season easy, bright, & joyful!