I have a really good recipe that I use as a stand by when all of a sudden I need to make a great meal that almost anyone will eat. When people try it and say ‘wow this is so good!’ I used to say ‘I know, right?’ and immediately divulge my secret, but lately I have been saying ‘why thank you’ and wiping my brow like it took me forever and a day in the kitchen. But where is the fun in that?;) So here is my amazingly good, quick, easy and healthy recipe for

Spaghetti and Meatballs a la Mader.;)

Here is the original recipe and below follows my version.

* 2 24 oz jars purchased pasta sauce (I know, jarred sauce, the horror, don’t tell anyone!)
* 1 package ground turkey, I think they are 1.25lbs typically
* 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from whatever old bread you have lying around, the good stuff from the bakery makes the best crumbs
* 6 tablespoons purchased pesto, I buy mine at Costco
* 1 egg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1 lb spaghetti
* grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Spread 3/4 jar of pasta sauce over bottom of heavy large skillet. Mix turkey, breadcrumbs, pesto, egg and salt in large bowl. Using moistened hands, form mixture into golf ball sized meatballs. Place meatballs in single layer in sauce. Spoon remaining sauce over. Bring to simmer. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta; divide between bowls. Top with meatballs and sauce.

If you want to get all crazy, you can add sauteed mushrooms, peppers, onions, or roasted cherry tomatoes to the sauce. I also have been known to add a bit of the purchased pesto into the sauce while it is cooking. What’s the harm in that, I have the world’s largest container from Costco after all!

I serve this with some garlic bread and it is really good and really easy. I have even tried making it in my crock pot! It won’t work fast, but if you have all day, go for it, in 8 hours those babies have to be done, right?

Enjoy and you didn’t hear it from me.;)

Check out this eye-candy! This is from our latest jewelry photo shoot:

I am dying to get these new styles/pictures on my website!!!!!!!

I received the most wonderful gift for Christmas this year, a Keurig single brew coffee machine, IT HAS CHANGED MY LIFE.;)

Seriously. There are a whole bunch of reasons why this thing is so perfect, let’s discuss, shall we?

1) It makes THE BEST cup of coffee, piping hot, yummy, the BEST.

2) It is so damn convenient! You just pop in a coffee cartridge thing and push the button and you have a cup of coffee, and did I mention it was THE BEST coffee? See point 1.

3) It is so fast! As long as you have a clean coffee cup, you will have a cup of seriously good coffee in a minute! A MINUTE! No prep, no clean up, no coffee grounds. The only thing I have to do is occasionally rinse out my coffee cup as all the coffee cups in the house are dirty because all I am drinking lately is coffee.;)

4) The variety of coffee available is daunting! You have a bazillion choices in these little coffee cartridge thingees, they call them K-cups. You can do a cup of Kona coffee from Tully’s, or a cup of Hazelnut coffee from Gloria Jean’s, you can even to Hot Chocolate from Ghiradelli’s! And I just ordered some Jazzed Up Decaf Coffee from Emeril as there are a few people in the house concerned with my caffeine intake since receiving this lovely gift.;)

5) The marketing of this thing is brilliant. Marketing alone deserves its own bullet points, stay with me people.

a) First of all, you can buy one of these ANYWHERE. Fancy department store, Costco, drug store, office supply store, etc. I’m pretty sure you can even get one at your local gas station. They are everywhere.

b) The price point is so reasonable! I think the MSRP is $169, but who pays that? They have them at Costco for $149 with a boatload of K-cups included. And I just saw one at CVS priced at $99, and when you apply like 18 coupons and use your Extra Care Bucks (ECBs to those also addicted) you can get this thing for like $5 out of pocket, am I right people?!;)

c) Here is the REALLY brilliant piece of the Keurig people’s marketing scheme. The K-Cups. You start using this thing and you have to have more more and more K-Cups. Give me more, I must have more, I can’t run out, I need my fix… The brilliant people at Keurig get you to register your machine to join their coffee club which will give you discounts on the much needed K-Cups. Do you think my Emeril Decaf has arrived yet? Must check front door. Nope, not here yet. Back to the brilliance that is Keurig, so now the Keurig people have all your info and can recommend more stuff you ‘need’ and get this, you can set up an auto delivery of K-Cups, ensuring you NEVER EVER RUN OUT!!!!!!!!!

Keurig is German, right? Smart peeps those Germans, although I am just the teensiest bit worried as I can see this thing running the world some day.

Decaf is STILL NOT HERE!

Now. There is one big downside to this Keurig business. It is especially big for me as we live in Northern California and my children talk to me daily about how I should turn off the lights and not use as much paper and ‘mommy, that is compostable’ in any and all attempts to save the environment. And the people who made the inspiring movie WALLl-E (Pixar for those of you that live under a rock or in areas of the country where the lights are always left on) are right down the road. And some of those lovely and might I say brilliant Pixar people buy my jewelry, and, and, and well it is important.

The K-Cups are not recyclable. You can rip off the top and recycle the tin foil bit, you can pour out the coffee grounds and compost them or feed them to your garden. But the little plastic part that makes up the bulk of the brilliant K-Cup, NOT RECYCLABLE, not good. They include a self fillable K-Cup thing that you can fill with your own coffee and re-use. But then there goes some of that wonderful convenience.

To do my part (mommy, that is not good for the earth) I am coming up with ways in which to re-use the K-Cups. They are black and white, so the colors are neutral and easy to work with.;) My first project will most likely be some type of crazy disco ball thing made up entirely of white K-Cups. You think I am kidding, trust me, I am NOT. And when I am done, you will think it the most gorgeous thing. They would also make great little containers in which to store teeny tiny things, like gemstones;) or nuts and bolts or Legos! Projects number 2 and 3, a K-Cup organizer thingee for the man shed and a K-Cup sorter thing for my 7 year old’s ever expanding Lego collection!

As you can see the possibilities are endless. And I’m sure they have a completely recyclable K-Cup in the works. But until then, I have my glue gun in hand, OOOOH, and some glitter might really work on my disco ball!

Hubby is telling me I need to figure out where my Emeril’s Decaf is, NOW. So go run buy your own Keurig, the thing will change your life. You might want to get some Decaf K-Cups in the same purchase, just a suggestion.;)

Come see me! This is the debut of my new lines in San Francisco, the same lines that were debuted to press and buyers at New York Bridal Fashion week a month ago. Here is a sneak peek at one of my favorite necklace designs from the Martha Stewart Bride blog:

And here is the link from Amy’s website for all the juicy details.

It would help if I could get the word out more than a day before, wouldn’t it?;) This is a 2-day affair with lots of local artists at Daisy’s on Park. If you have never been you owe it to yourself to go. Barbara is a woman with an incredible sense of style and she always has THE BEST stuff for your house, she is always bringing in new goodies. She most definitely has an eye. If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out what the yelpers are saying, Daisy’s has a 5 star rating!

I am so excited to be having a trunk show this Saturday at Nouvelle Vogue in San Mateo. It is an absolutely exquisite bridal boutique, a must see for those brides who know who they are and want something both high quality and unique. Some of the designers they carry are Jenny Packham who does the old hollywood glamourpuss better than anyone, Cymbeline who is just so refreshing and French, and Sarah Houston out of Toronto whose work is just stunning. This picture does not do this gown justice, it is romantic and sexy at the same time… lined in blue! with a white lace overlay and it doesn’t stop there folks. We have oodles of sparkle in that skirt as well as feathers! Stunner.

I can’t say enough wonderful things about Nouvelle Vogue, some check it out on Saturday!

We are so excited to have been selected as one of Style me Pretty’s Little Black Book vendors. Abby has amazing taste if we do say so ourselves.;)

Check us out here. And check out the fabulous weddings Abby has on the blog here! Like this wedding, could this be more gorgeous?!

Next time I will marry a pilot.;) Or maybe just a guy who owns a plane.;) Or maybe Ethan can become a pilot AND own a plane and I could be mother of the groom at his fabulous aviation inspired wedding. snarf.

I’m doing a week long trunk show at Amy Kuschel’s flagship salon in SF this upcoming week from June 2nd through June 6th. I will be there through the week off and on, depending on when Uncle Paul can take care of my darling Scarlett. Or maybe I should just bring her with, she is really getting into bridal jewelry lately. On the other hand, best not to introduce her to the joys of the wedding dress at the tender age of 2, we will have to wait on that one.;)

This is why my husband will never read my blog. Ridiculous ramblings about silly stuff that nobody needs, but we all definitely need! Check this stuff out, the hair bumpit! We need this, right?
How many times have you teased the hell out of the back of your head to get a bump goin? I had a bump for my wedding do, I was channeling J Lo. Remember the Love Don’t Cost a Thing video? I needed that hair for my wedding hair.

What am I talking about, I need that hair today. Come to think of it, I might need to order 2 sets.

We don’t have any. Clearly we need to do something with our ‘garden’ if you could even call it that, but let’s look past that into the house color, shall we? Here is the unassuming front of the house:

Then the side down the driveway which is in desperate need of help as well, keep looking past, keep looking past:

Then the back, son in my cowboy hat from when I wrangled.;)

And now onto the deck, with my disheveled daughter saying ‘CHEEEEEEEEESE!’

I show you this last pic not only because she is ridiculously cute even when disheveled, but I ask that you notice the color of the sash in the window to the left. It is Evergreen from Marvin and it is staying. So all the sashes will be this green, the closest paint match I can find is Roycroft Bottle Green from Sherwin Williams.

So what color scheme do I go with? I like this, yellow walls, green trim with cream trim and a red door. But the door is so sunken you can hardly even see the color on it. And the doors in the rear are glass with cream colored trim.
This photo is courtesy of www.historichousecolors.com where he has some awesome photos of exterior color schemes for houses. Advice anyone? Bueler? Bueler?