Carolyn Westbrook: Turkey and Dressing Soup

With all of the cold and wet weather upon us, it makes me crave some warm and delicious comfort food like soup. I began looking through the fridge wondering what I was going to do with the leftover turkey and dressing.  I thought that I might use the leftover turkey in a hearty soup, so here it is:

1- clove of garlic minced
1- small onion diced
Chopped leftover Turkey
1-2 Chicken breasts diced (Depending on how much leftover turkey...I only had about a cup, so I added the chicken to the soup.)
2- large carrots finely chopped
2 TBSP.- Olive Oil
2- stalks of celery finely chopped
1/2 cup-1 cup of leftover dressing
1 cup of leftover green beans- (optional)
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of milk
1/2 cup of cream
1/2 teaspoon each- Rosemary, Thyme, Sage
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Add olive oil to saucepan on medium heat. Add onion, garlic, carrots, onion and celery to the pot and stir. Add diced chicken breasts and spices, and a 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Saute in chicken broth, stirring as needed, until tender. Add in leftover turkey and the remainder of the chicken broth with the milk and cream. Simmer on medium low heat for 15-20 minutes. Add in the leftover green beans. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Ladle into a bowl. I put a dollop of jellied cranberries on top of mine, but that is completely optional. The whole family loved this and a great way to get rid of the leftovers in a delicious way. Bon Appetite!

Carolyn Westbrook: Christmas in the Country

I probably should have titled this post...a passion for plaid. I do love traditional holiday decorating. Who am I kidding, I love every kind of decorating, so Christmas is the best time of year, where you can sprinkle gobs of glitter and snow, string twinkling lights everywhere, and hang icicles from your tree. I am still in love with a beautiful traditional plaid. We decked the halls, the walls, the banister, the mantles, the exterior, the interior, in fact every room in the house. A mantel bedecked in pine, twinkle lights, gorgeous plaid ribbons and a lovely Ironstone pot with a live planting of paper white flowers...and that smell permeates the room. We have done photography in our book, Carolyn Westbrook: Through the French Door, that shows the photos of our Christmas tree and these beautiful little classic books, that have wonderful red leather bindings. They are exquisite.We always wait until the days before Christmas to hang the stockings. Everyone has a stocking including Teddy, Bella, Rascal, Foxy, Coco, and of course our fat cat Milo. Milo follows me everywhere, like one of the dogs and twists around my feet if I stop for even a second wanting to be scratched on the belly. I think he thinks he is a dog.

There is nothing quite like the season of Christmas and who doesn't love the thought of Christmas in the country. Fresh cut cedar strung and red berries strung about the porches outside. Tonight the air was crisp and the stars were shining like diamonds in the sky. I was stopped in my tracks at the beauty of them as I looked up and thought about the real reason for the season...a baby that was born in manger, while the stars shown in the sky. Here's hoping that everyone spreads the love and joy of the Holiday Season.
                                     Merry Christmas!

Carolyn Westbrook Barn Sale

I just want y'all to know that you never know what you are going to find. There is a cast iron bathtub in one of the barn stalls, if anyone is looking for a tub. Too much to list...honestly.
Hope to see you here!

Carolyn Westbrook Barn Sale

This is a not to be missed event. Our Barn Sale is for
all that love antiques, architectural, furniture, old frames, prints,
paintings, home accessories, fabric, garden and just good junk.
Calling all bargain hunters, antiquers, and junkers!
RAIN OR SHINE
Come see us at:

The Oaks Plantation
3043 NE CR 1030
Chatfield, Texas 75105
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014
9am-2pm
 www.carolynwestbrookhome.com

Carolyn Westbrook: Autumn Party!

    The mornings are cool here now, but I am happy that there is still warmth in the afternoons. I do love fall, but not yet ready to let go of the fresh tomatoes from the garden. Anyone that knows me, knows that I love any excuse to decorate and that includes a party. My sweet daughter Victoria...her birthday is coming up. Since she was a child we have always thrown a huge Halloween party and weenie roast. This year, we add my darling son-in-law Jose Luis to the mix, which is Alex's husband. They are headed back from Wichita Falls, to come to the Autumn Birthday Barn Party. His birthday is first and Victoria's falls later, but we will have a dual celebration!

     I am so excited about the prospect of decorating and having a party in our huge barn. It was built in 1850 and is made from logs. The trees were cut from the property and numbered as they went up. Really amazing to see. Usually, are parties are held out in the field with a huge bonfire, but this time we are doing things a bit differently and having the party inside the barn. I made a trip to the market yesterday to buy pumpkins. We had pumpkins growing out in the compost pile, but the drought was too severe, so I had to resort to buying them. The party is not for over a week, but cannot start too soon.

I have already done the porches and this black and orange peeling paint French bistro chair, holds one of the Halloween pumpkin. Lots more to do and I will keep you posted.

                                                                         XO Carolyn

                                                                

 

Carolyn Westbrook: Happy Fall Y'all

Fall came barreling into Texas this Sunday with a mighty wind and rain. I do absolutely love the change in the seasons and always have. I remember back to my childhood, while playing outdoors on a warm day, when the first cool breeze came blowing in and I had to run home and grab my pancho. Panchos were the thing then...makes me smile to think about it. These are actually some vintage Halloween paper goods that we used to decorate with, that I simply could never part with. I adore vintage, as you all know. I had this idea to really set them off on the back porch wall, to frame them in antique frames to make them more special. Orange, Black, and Green Plaid cushions is what fall is all about.

I do not need much to have an excuse to redecorate, and the sudden change in the air was enough to set me off. Now it is all about plaids, velvets, pumpkins and sunflowers.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Carolyn Westbrook: Live from The Plantation

We are working on many new projects and we had a photo shoot to put together this week. This is our wonderful lab "puppy" Rascal. Nick found him on the side of the road one night, as his brother had been killed by a car, and he sat over him. We already had four dogs, as Victoria picks up every stray that comes along, but as he said, what was he supposed to do?  We all have big hearts when it comes to dogs and at the time he was only about six weeks old. He is all puppy and that means that he gets into mischief. You never know what you will find in the morning. One morning it looked like it had snowed across the front yard, as he had taken the pillows off of the outdoor furniture and torn the feather filling out across the yard.

This week...it was outdoors and it was of course, blazing hot. I always say, it doesn't really cool  down in Texas until Halloween. We had worked hard to get everything styled to perfection for the shots, and then we have to go inside, in the shade, to view them. The tabletop had a cake stand filled with croissants and homemade biscuits. While we were inside looking at photography, Rascal could not resist. We came out to find a transfer ware plate on the ground and a couple of croissants and biscuits missing. There Rascal was, laying on the porch looking fully satisfied. He turns and yawns and rolls up slowly, like "what?" You gotta love it!