It’s easy to imagine yourself sitting front row at a fashion show when watching a video of a catwalk. Replays of designers’ Milan’s Spring/Summer 2024 collections along with many articles summing up what’s hot, what’s not, what’s wearable, and what’s barely bearable informed my latest article in the Spring 2024 issue of Elegant Lifestyles Magazine, Italian Inspiration, Fashion Forecast from Milan, Spring/Summer.
The publication of the February issue of Elegant Lifestyles Magazine was delayed, making it likely that my article Snow Much Fun, A Guide to Local Winter Activities will be more relevant next year! Time will tell if Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction is correct and Spring comes early this year.
Holiday Happenings, my latest article published in Elegant Lifestyles Magazine’s November 2023 issue, is filled with local town events that will help bring holiday joy to all ages.
Wishing you a meaningful holiday season with your family and friends.
Ray Charles added his own lyrics to America the Beautiful and, hon, it’s a beautiful tribute to a country that truly needs more majesty…and mercy…this July 4th.
America the Beautiful by Ray Charles
Oh beautiful, for heroes proved,
In liberating strife,
Who more than self, our country loved,
And mercy more than life,
America, America, may God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divined.
And you know when I was in school,
We used to sing it something like this, listen here:
Oh beautiful, for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties,
Above the fruited plain,
But now wait a minute, I’m talking about
America, sweet America,
You know, God done shed his grace on thee,
He crowned thy good, yes he did, in a brotherhood,
From sea to shining sea.
The second article I wrote for Elegant Lifestyles Magazine’s June 2023 issue, “Day Tripping, Summer Day Trips, Six Places That Will Make Your Day,” features places I’ve gone and places I’d like to go. I’ve hiked in Hacklebarney State Park, visited the Morris Museum and have been to Lake Hopatcong, but the other places are on now on my To-Go list! Hon, do you like the fun headers before each of the 6 summer day trips?
My second article published in the April-May issue of Elegant Lifestyles Magazine includes recipes and tips for batching cocktails. What are batched cocktails, you ask? Think pre-party preparation.
Interestingly, I learned that you can’t just multiply ingredients from a single-serve recipe because that doesn’t account for an ingredient that’s in most drinks–water! The water that results from melted ice needs to be accounted for, and the way to do that is to weigh a cocktail before and after dilution. Who knew?
Want to know more about batching cocktails in preparation for entertaining? Want to find out how to measure for the correct amount of water? Click Cocktails & Bars so that you can plan ahead in order to enjoy your guests in the moment!
Sources for the three batched cocktails featured in the magazine article:
Happy hosting, hon!
The 20th Mansion in May Designer Showhouse and Gardens is about to open and, lucky me, this week media is invited to the ribbon cutting ceremony and preview! In preparation for writing a feature article about this year’s MIM, the premier fundraiser of the Women’s Association for Morristown Medical Center I, along with two of New Jersey Hills Media sales reps, toured the “before” estate. Looking forward to seeing the “after” at the 9,000 square foot Three Fields where rooms and grounds will be filled with creativity, innovation, and design!
I love it when my nieces or nephew visit! My sister calls it “Camp Naomi” when any of her daughters stay over. Last winter, my brother’s daughter spent a few days in New Jersey, and we had a great time exploring the American Museum of Natural History, hand-building at a Visual Arts Center of New Jersey pottery class, and going on a trail ride at Seaton Hackney Stables in Morristown. Though I live in the ‘burbs and my town is a commuter-train-ride away from Manhattan, you don’t have to drive far to find horses. In fact, Watchung Stable is located in a neighboring county in the midst of the wooded Watchung Reservation.
Located in the Watchung Reservation, Union County’s Watchung Stable has a long and rich heritage. Owned and operated by the County since 1933, its goal is to provide the opportunity to learn how to ride, enhance equestrian skills or just enjoy the natural beauty of the 26 miles of bridle paths that weave through the Reservation, a 2,000-acre forest preserve.
My niece and I enjoyed the peaceful trail ride through Morris County’s Loantaka Brook Reservation. The stables have a low-key, friendly feel, and the staff and guide couldn’t have been nicer.
Hon, need an excellent tween or teen activity? This is it!
Stables near Essex County, NJ: Seaton Hackney Stables, Watchung Stable, Mortonhouse Farm, Silver Bit and Spur Farm
Thanksgiving is around the corner and that means recipes, recipes, recipes! My Sweet Potatoes With Marshmallows casserole is a family favorite, and the actual index card with the recipe is special to me because it was written by my Grandmother Ruth. It’s stained and yellowing and I keep it in a sandwich bag but, come to think of it, I should laminate it! For Thanksgiving, we prepare no less than three Sweet Potato With Marshmallow casseroles and, at the end of dinner and divvying “some to take home,” there might be about three quarters of one baking dish left over!
Happy holidays, hon!
Ingredients
Directions
Yield: 8
Prep Tip: A day or two before the holiday, prepare casserole (steps 2-7) but do not top with marshmallows, and refrigerate. On Thanksgiving, remove prepared dish from fridge about an hour before baking. Bake following instructions to dot casserole with half of the marshmallows, bake partway, add remaining marshmallows, and finish baking.
Have you heard of The Able Baker in Maplewood, NJ? It has the most delicious baked goods and the place I go to when I don’t have time to bake. Last week, I picked up a Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and wondered why didn’t I think of that? This easy and delicious recipe can only be made better by adding chocolate!
Happy baking, hon.
CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD (OR MUFFINS)
Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
3 1/2 cups flour (I used a combination of whole wheat and unbleached flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup water
1 cup chocolate chips, add more if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat first 11 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes or until well blended. Add 2/3 cup water and beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Or, add batter to muffin tins. Bake for 1 1/4 hours for bread, 35 to 40 minutes for regular sized muffins, or 30 to 35 minutes for mini muffins. Test centers with toothpicks and when they come out clean, they’re done. Cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
Note: Bread may be well wrapped and kept frozen up to three months.
Naomi M. Gruer 