Living Room Upgrade

Table Lamps /Area Rug / Mirrors/Wall Art/Throw Pillow/Dark Throw Pillow/
Beacon sofa/Throw Pillow/Curtains/Bonsai Tree/Sequin Throw Pillow/Flooring/Reclaimed Coffee Table/Table 

We spent the better part of early winter, price quoting everything we wanted to do to our house. From fencing to basement installations, anything and everything was price quoted. One thing I put on the to-do list first was our living room. We still use the same furniture I purchased my senior year of college, and while it was a nice purchase five years ago, it has moved from four different locations in that time frame. Getting a little bumped and scraped in the process. 

Now that we're settled a bit more in our house, it would be nice to update our living room to reflect our personal style and taste. Currently our living room is very light and bright, but there is not much on the walls, and it lacks seating for when friends come over, making it awkward. To help alleviate that, we're going to actually purchase a couch and a loveseat, a chair and two poufs. We really fell in love with the Beacon Sofa at La-Z-Boy. It has the style that you love from Pottery Barn, but the comfort you expect from La-Z-Boy. Also, if you time it right you can get a descent deal on it. 

Best Spinach Dip Ever

Earlier this week I mentioned I did quite a bit of cooking over the weekend. One thing I made that was a huge hit at Easter was my mom's spinach dip recipe.  I have to say I was a bit thrown off by that it was cold, I usually eat Spinach Artichoke Dip that is warm, but my mother-in-law liked this so much she came over the next day to grab more.

Spinach Dip: 
1 C. Mayonnaise
2 C. Sour Cream
1 C. Water Chestnuts (drained & chopped)
1 Pkg. Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix
1 Pkg. Frozen Spinach (well drained)
1 Onion Chopped

Mix together & serve cold.

Enjoy!

Bacardi Rum Cake

When my mom passed over 15 years ago, one of the lasting momentos I received was one of her personal cookbooks. No i'm not talking about one from some random author, the one she wrote her favorite recipes in. Now my Mom was a fabulous cook, and she had many but unfortunately we could only find one (not even the best one!) Luckily, my Dad found it not so long ago, and I have discovered some really fun (random) recipes that i've been trying week by week. 

For Easter I actually made three of her favorite dishes, and one of them included the 1970's hit "Bacardi Rum Cake" while at first I thought this was some special recipe, turns out this is a recipe Bacardi famously included in all of their magazine ads for Mom's to make. So while it's not one of my Mom's personal recipes,  it was still fun to make and eat this weekend. 

Cake: 

1 C. Chopped Pecans or Walnuts (I opted out on this since i'm allergic) 

1 Pkg Yellow Cake Mix

1 3 3/4 oz Vanilla Pudding

4 Eggs

1/2 C. Cold Water

1/2 C. Oil

1/2 C. Dark Bacardi Rum 

Glaze: 

1 Stick Butter

1/4 C. Water

1 C. Sugar

1/2 C. Dark Bacardi Rum

Preheat oven 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10 cup bundt pan. Sprinkle with nuts. Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour over nuts. Bake one hour or until brown. Cool. Invert and prick sides for the glaze to stick. Then drizzle and brush evenly over top & sides. 

I personally sprinkled powered sugar to make it look a little bit prettier, and added fruit along the sides. 

Enjoy!