Fondue Party!

As the winter seems to endlessly drag on and the battles with cabin fever rage (except for those of you in Southern California who can completely disregard this. We all know your weather is always gorgeous...) We all need something fun, unusual, and toasty to do. Why not have a fondue party?! I recommend cheese and chocolate which will each need their own pot, but you can have a hot oil pot too (I like peanut oil) if you want to include meat or chicken. Round up some friends, some pots, lots of stuff to dip and a few bottles of wine. Maybe request everyone wear ski attire... Put the fireplace DVD on the telly and you're all set!

While I'm all about skipping the salad, I also prefer to skip the Swiss cheese. It's one of the few cheeses I'm not completely down with. I prefer Cheddar and Beer fondue.
Here's a recipe I like-
Heat 3/4 c. of beer in a pot on the stove (drink the rest of the bottle while cooking). Dust 12 oz. of shredded sharp cheddar (I like Cabot Extra Sharp) with a little flour and add to beer. Add a chopped clove of garlic. When it's melted transfer to the fondue pot and keep warm with the flame. Dip french bread chunks, apples, broccoli - whatever else you want.

Here are some more recipes I haven't tried from the Better Homes & Gardens Cooking with Cheese cookbook 1966 (also the source of the above photo). I love the part about kissing someone if you drop your bread in :)

I love this pot - and the photo! $35 from Crank Heart Pony on Etsy.

This is another nice one - $32 from The Aviary on Etsy.

I would have driven my mom crazy begging for this if I had ever seen it! $40 from Fun in the Kitchen on Etsy.

I super heart Vera designs! This tea towel is perfect for fondue night. $19 from Friday Finds Mama on Etsy.

This is a great pair of tromp l'oeil trays - $18 from Eureka! A Found Life... on Etsy.

Of course if you want to do it up in true vintage style you'll need a selection of vintage recipes. This book is from 1968 and is only $5 from Missing Pieces on Etsy.

You can finds loads of recipes online as well. For dessert I like a semi-sweet chocolate fondue with apples, banana, pears and marshmallows.

Happy melting!
xo-
Lara

Friday's Finds

After weeks of being snowed in and a major case of cabin fever I finally dug out of the ice & snow and treated myself to a thrifting day. Shopping days are just about the only days I set the alarm clock. I grudgingly, but happily roll my butt out of bed way earlier than I would otherwise choose to do, down some coffee, and spend the next 9 hours or so losing myself in a treasure hunt. Here's a peek at some of my finds from this week...

Red - Yellow

The ice cream cone cookie jar is really fun!
The burglar is a decanter with a music box that plays "How dry I am".

I love these embroidered pieces. You sometimes don't realize how twisted children's songs are until you see them written down...

These drawings are great.

Blue - Green - Brown

I can't pass up a good frosted cocktail glass.

The mug has a little shelf to keep your 'stache clean.

That's all for now!
XO

I want to be a cowboy...

...I'm born to be a cowboy. Yup I have the Vandals song stuck in my head now
It's this one,
but you may also like this one if you're more into
80's dance music than punk.

I thought in honor of my latest western shirt update I'd do a cowboy themed post.
Being a girl from Philly I can't say I know many (ok, any) actual cowboys, but I did have the privilege of two-stepping at a for real cowboy bar in Tennessee once. I was warned by a local that it would not actually be a good idea for my friends and I to continue the party with the cowboys in the black hats back at the ranch. Apparently the cowboys in the black hats were notorious for being, shall we say, less than gentlemanly. Advice we heeded and to this day the mystique lives on in my mind... Anyhow, they were some snappy dressers.

I added new western shirts to the website here.

These are a few of my favorite vintage horse things I found on Etsy. I can't link each picture individually, but you can search by seller name - it's the lower line in grey.
The mugs says "Every family has one" on the front :)

Happy trails!
xoxo