French Onion Risotto

I LOVE risotto. Like love love it. I got hooked on it a few years ago when my friend Lisa sent me a tomato-sausage risotto recipe from Martha Stewart. Since then I've made about 10 different recipes and have yet to meet one I didn't thoroughly enjoy. Mushroom risotto, butternut squash risotto, roasted vegetable risotto with truffle oil, edamame risotto, red wine risotto....need I say more?! Rich, creamy, delicious.....and actually very easy to make!

Message Window

I kind of have a thing for putting unconventional decorations on my walls. Part of the reason is the difficulty I have finding affordable artwork I really like... and part of it is that I love the challenge of repurposing things I find at rummage sales, thrift stores, clearance shelves, or even my own house! I always feel like part of making a house a home is adding your own unique decorating touches... and being true to your own sense of style and innovation!

Cherry Cheesecake Breakfast Bundles

Before I was a mom of 3, and before I lived in my Lemon Tree Dwelling, and before I started blogging.... I had a whole other life as a Campus Minister at an all-girls Catholic high school. I led retreats, service projects, prayer services, reflections, social justice awareness activities, and community outreach programs for 600 high school girls....and I loved it! I put my heart and soul into my work and felt such a sense of purpose that, for a long time, it felt totally worth it.

Guest Posting Debut

Good morning, everyone! Or should I say lucky morning....!? It IS a lucky morning here....partly because the awful overnight snowstorm that had been predicted hasn't hit us (at least not yet....) and partly because today I am making my guest posting debut over at one of my favorite blogs - Just Us Four! It is both exciting and nerve wracking to post on someone else's blog....but for now I'm going to focus on the exciting part :) So thank you, Shannah, for the wonderful opportunity!! And thank you, lovely readers, for checking out my Lucky Mugs - made with my kids' fingerprints - at Just Us Four! For the full post, click here!

I'll be back later for more - hope to see you back later, too!




Thanks for taking a peek inside my Lemon Tree Dwelling!
I hope you feel right at home :)
-Cathy

Chicken Bruschetta Ravioli

Have you ever spent all night on a dinner recipe that you were really excited about? One that sounded so delicious you didn't even mind the fact that it had 27 ingredients and 18 steps and would take 5 hours to prepare? Yeah, me too. And more often than not, the end result is less than amazing....and definitely not worth the time and effort I put into making it!

Cinnamon S'more Blondies

I can't remember the last time we didn't have snow here. And I don't just mean on the ground.....I mean falling from the sky. It has been snowing daily for what feels like weeks now....so much that we can no longer distinguish our driveway from the rest of our yard or remember what the world looks like in color! I know that sounds dramatic, but if you could see out my windows right now you'd understand!

Chicken Spinach Artichoke Pizza

One of my favorite childhood memories is making homemade pizza with my dad. Maybe it's because it was the one meal he was always in charge of, or maybe it's because the whole family got involved in making it, or maybe it's because my dad would give us a little piece of dough to play with while he did the hard part..... but whatever the reason, homemade pizza nights were always something to look forward to!

XOXO Framed Art

Valentine's Day is less than 2 weeks away, and my house has already been decorated in red and white for a month. It's probably time for me to get over it and start thinking about something more important (like what's on the Super Bowl menu...) but my mind is still spinning with Valentine's Day ideas that I wanted to get to, meant to get to, or had no intention of getting to but am now too excited to let go of! So...before I switch gears to what really matters in life (aka Super Bowl menu) I wanted to share one last-minute Valentine's Day idea with you. It's super cute, super easy, and makes a great kids' project, too!