Spring Baking! Easy Orange Rolls!

Spring Baking!  Easy Orange Rolls!

One of my guilty pleasures is watching some of the cooking shows on The Food Network Channel–not because I secretly wish I was a renown chef or baker, but because I’m truly enamored with the delightful creations the talented people on these shows can make!  I would love to have The Barefoot ContessaIna Garten, make me brunch…after all her food motto is: “Baking is sharing!”  (Did you know she was a White House budget analysts before she decided to follow her dream to own a specialty baking shop in the Hamptom’s!)

Food Network's Ina Garten www.mytributejournal.com

Ina Garten’s casual style and easy, down-home recipes make you believe that she wouldn’t even mind it if you pulled up a stool in her kitchen and snitched a taste!

Lately, it’s been fun to relax on recent Sunday evenings and get into the baking spirit while watching, “The Spring Baking Championship!” 

Food Networks

Seriously though, the amazing concoctions the contestants on this show come up with are beautiful works of art and look so delicious–wish they needed another judge! 

Watching this show made me think of our family’s Orange Roll recipe that I’ve often baked this time of year, since my mom’s birthday fell right after Mother’s Day on May 16th, and it was one of her favorite things to have at her birthday dinners!

Spring Baking! Easy Orange Rolls! www.mytributejournal.com

Easy Orange Roll Recipe! www.mytributejournal.com

So easy, right–and yet they look so fancy…your family will think you slaved over them all day!  Sometimes I’ll do half granulated sugar and half brown sugar for a lighter glaze.

Easy Orange Rolls! www.mytributejournal.com

Here are a couple of other quick tips: I ‘ve found that if I don’t stack the domino layers too close together, the inside of the rolls bakes evenly with the outer layers. 

Easy Orange Rools! www.mytributejournal.com

The rolls should be a golden brown when they’re finished baking, so about half way through the baking time, so I usually cover the top of the bundt pan with a piece of foil while the inside layers finish baking–if your oven bakes hot, you may only have to bake the rolls for 20-25 minutes, just check to make sure the middle is done. 

Spring Baking! Easy Orange Rolls! www.mytributejournal.com

This orange roll recipe is so easy you could make some for dinner tonight…and if they’re are leftovers, all you do is zap them in the microwave for a few seconds!

Happy Spring and Happy Baking everyone! 

What’s a special recipe that’s all about spring baking for you?

–Mary

Thoughts On Motherhood!

Thoughts On Motherhood!

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to pay tribute to my parents who were two of the most lovely and amazing people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and LOVING!  I especially admired my mom and the class act she was throughout her life and the ability she had to live so authentically.  She was such a loving example of equal parts finesse and kindness!

Thoughts On Motherhood! www.mytributejournal.com

I know it sounds cliché, but my mom was beautiful inside and out, and it seemed to come so effortlessly–she loved life with all her heart and taught me to love and cherish it!  My mother often told me…

“Each stage of life can be the most amazing adventure, Mary, but it requires some effort, courage and laughter to make it happen!” 

I think one of the best complements anyone can ever receive is to have someone say you lived sincerely and without guile or pretense!

Love quotes: "Love Without Pretending" www.mytributejournal.com

Many people told me after my mother’s death that one of the things they loved most about my mom was that she was one of the most genuine people they had ever met…that she loved with a tender forthrightness! 

Both my parents taught me the importance of getting a good education.  My mom graduated from college with honors in business and education and was her class valedictorian.

"Thoughts on Motherhood!" www.mytributejournal.com

 “A good education is another name for happiness!”  Ann Plato

My mother also taught me the significance of building loving friendships with other women and how powerful the force of caring women can be when we champion each other!

"Thoughts On Motherhood!" www.mytributejournal.com

After much coaxing by one of her good friends and our local chapter of the Kiwanis Club, my mom became a contestant in the “Mrs. Utah” pageant in the early 1970’s–in her keynote speech that night, she stated that:

“…women become so much stronger if instead of comparing ourselves to each other, we care for each other better and share genuine encouragement and support for one another.” 

I can vouch for the fact that my mother did indeed exemplify all of these traits during her lifetime and was a kind friend to her family members and all those who had the privilege of associating with her! 

(Mom won first runner-up to Mrs. Utah; a woman with twelve children won…but she and my mother became good friends!)   

My mother was the oldest of six children–and the only girl, so obviously she had a strong bond with her mother as she helped care for her five younger brothers.  I grew up watching the incredible relationship my mom and grandma shared, and luckily for me, they were both two of my best friends too.

"Thoughts on Motherhood!" www.mytributejournal.com

People loved my grandma and she was influential in helping me learn that I should try hard to do my part to spread love.  It always impressed me that people seemed to be happier after spending time with my grandmother!  I hope and pray I can leave a small portion of this same caring legacy for my children and grandchildren!

I adored how my father honored the role of motherhood!  My dad was my mom’s biggest cheerleader in anything she ever pursued; he also helped her through times of heart-ache and poor health.

"Thoughts On Motherhood!" www.mytributejournal.com

I remember very distinctly one particular morning when I was running out the door to go be with my friends, leaving the bathroom in a bit of a shambles, my dad caught me by the arm and told me that my mom had a lot on her “to do” list and that one of them shouldn’t be cleaning up after me! 

“There is no such cozy combination as a man loving a wife…or a father helping a mother!  Meander               

It’s been several years now since my mother left this earthly life, but the older I get, there is one thing I know for certain, I will always miss her deeply and long for her unconditional devotion and her loving hugs, but oh, how blessed I was to have had her as my mother!

"Thoughts On Motherhood!" Winnie The Pooh quote www.mytributejournal.com

 Happy Mother’s Day, everyone! 

I would love it if you’d share a little gem of advice your mother once shared with you!

–Mary

Creating Your Home Sweet Home! Going For The Gold!

Creating Your Home Sweet Home!  Going For The Gold!

Like me, I’m sure that most of you are loving getting outside, working in your yards, and enjoying the beautiful spring weather we’re having now!  Perhaps you’re even doing a little spring cleaning inside too; I always like to think that when we work hard to freshening up our homes for the season, it provides the perfect excuse to update a few décor items!  (I’ll admit, I have to convince my husband of the brilliance of my ideas sometimes!) 

Although I might not have “fessed up” to it a few years ago when the emphasis in house décor seemed to be any and all things silver, I’ve always loved warm jewel tones and the burnished gold color palette when it came to decorating my home.  However, now that my daughter, an interior designer, has informed me that the pendulum has swung more to the middle as far as the role metallic elements play in designing our homes–where even combining several, different metal features is acceptable, I can happily share with you some of the things I have come to love lately about decorating with gold!

Creating Your Home Sweet Home! Going For The Gold! www.mytributejournal.com I know, I know–you’re probably thinking, but decorating with gold tends to be so formal and can get down right gaudy…

Libeaces over-the-top home decor! www.mytributejournal.com

…much like the living room of the late, Vegas piano performer, Liberace, who was well-known for his love of lavish gold furnishings.  Liberace’s signature style at all his shows was to place a gold candelabra on his gold piano!  Wowza!

A Few Of My Favorite Gold Home Decorations:

  • This black metal side table in my daughter, Malia’s, home, along with the other accessories, captures perfectly the fun, eclectic look you can achieve when you pair various metals together.

Creting Your Home Sweet Home! Going For The Gold. www.mytributejurnal.com

 A bronze frame, a gold container and a black metal table–love it! 

(This gold container, from Pottery Barn, has even come in handy when my two granddaughters have needed a place to store a few doll accessories when they’re playing house!  Ha!) 

  • Circa 80’s suburban homes definitely paid tribute to the wallpaper craze of that era, so the thought of hanging wallpaper in my home tends to give me anxiety, but the new modern wallpapers available today are making me rethink my aversion to this decorating option!

Gold wallpaper from I Love Wallpaper www.mytributejournal.com

  If I ever did get brave enough to try wallpaper again, don’t you think this crazy pattern, aptly titled “Messy Trees” (by the brand, “I Love Wallpaper”) seems a likely choice that blends well my love of a little sparkle and my husbands love of the great outdoors?

Home decor using wallpaper www.mytributejournal.com

Okay, so this nursery is staged to show off the wallpaper more than it is the practical elements of a baby’s first room…but seriously, how cute is this–and it gives you an idea of how far wallpaper design has come since the “good old days” –believe, me I know!      

  • I love having framed pictures all around my home, but pictures in gold frames…..well, all I can say is “Hello there, gorgeous!”

Going for the gold in home decor! www.mytributejournal.com

My grandmother was of the mindset that having pictures of loved ones around helped you count your blessings instead of your woes–I couldn’t agree more!

  • Perhaps the next best thing to fun family pictures in gold frames, are beautiful quotes printed in gold that help inspire us to be our best!

Sparkle quote www.mytributejournal.com

You can get this quote as a printable download from the shop, PrintedTreasures on Etsy.com–and yes, this is pretty much gold heaven as far as I’m concerned!

"Love" in gold www.mytributejournal.caom

If a rustic flare is more to your liking when it comes to gold décor, then how about this wood “love” sign–from the shop, StackedMemories also on Etsy.com.

(With your own stencil, this might be a fun DIY project–I think it would be a neat wedding gift too.) 

  • The glazed gold light fixtures that are available today are definitely not your mother’s bright, bronze gold!

Chandelier light fixtures www.mytributejournal.com

This light fixture that hangs in my daughter’s bathroom combines an oil-rubbed bronze finish with just a hint of gold patina on the wood to make it a beautiful focal point above her claw foot tub. 

As a designer, my daughter, Malia, says people often forget about the impact that good lighting and decorative fixtures can have on your overall home décor–she’ll often advise clients to be sure and budget for these.

Light fixtures with gold www.mytributejournal.com

 I love all the new pendant lighting styles available today in various metallic finishes–and how great does that industrial light look in antique gold! 

A Few More Gold Décor Ideas That  Are Sure To Give You Star Eyes:

Going For The Gold In Home Decor! www.mytributejournal.com

  • There’s nothing quite like a gold, gilded mirror to enhance a room’s ambience and give it some depth.  The one pictured above is from Ballard Designs. 
  • My favorite way to add a little bit of whimsy to a room is with some fun throw pillows.  This darling metallic bird pillow from thebluebirdshop.etsy.com is just perfect for spring!
  • Thrift shops are a great place to find vintage gold accessories to add the perfect touch of gold to your home décor.  @aedriel on Instagram always provides beautiful design inspiration.  (My mom gave me this same set of gold deer several years ago.)
  • I love the gold flower vase that was repurposed from a candle holder!  You can find more ideas like this on oscarbravohome.com

No matter what’s trending in home decor, I think it’s always important to include things you love–because if it’s special to you, it never goes out of style!

IMG_452635784

I can’t help but be a little partial to this gold eagle figurine sitting by my son’s picture who is a dentist for the Army stationed in Grafenwoeher, Germany!  

Leave a comment and tell me what home décor colors and/or trends you are loving right now and you just might find yourself the lucky recipient of one of my favorite gold items!  

–Mary