THE BLOG IS MOVING!

I have debated this decision for months now, and I finally got up the courage to go ahead with it.

This will be my last and final post on Good Old Days.

I have spent a decent amount of time creating a new space for myself. One that is fresh and new. One that will allow me to want to blog again. I know it may not make sense to a lot of people, but there is just something about starting fresh. This blog has been with me for the last 4 years, and has seen me through a lot of life changes.

However, I feel that I am a completely different person now. It's a good thing. I am so happy that I will always have this blog to look back on. To reminisce. To relive those happy moments in life.

And now I have my new blog, Junk Drawer, to grow and become who I am as a blogger now because goodness knows that has certainly changed since I started blogging.

I hope this doesn't confuse anyone, and I hope you'll follow along on my new adventure here! Be sure to change your Reader/feed to the new one!

Thank you so much for your readership! I am so happy with all the friends I have met through this blog, and I just know I'll make many more in the future.

So head on over to my new blog to check out the first post!

xo eden

REUPHOLSTERED CHAIRS + A MESSY KITCHEN

Yesterday, out of pure boredom, I reupholstered our dining room chairs with some fabric that I purchased a while ago. I hadn't decided if I wanted to use it for a skirt or for pillowcases...so it became seat covers. It turned out great, and they look much better than the faded red fabric I had previously used. Some tips for choosing fabric and reupholstering seat covers (based solely on my personal experience):

// Choose a fabric that will not only match the decor in your dining room, but that pulls out the color of your table and chairs. I felt that the red fabric I had used before made the wood look really orange, where as I think the yellow fabric makes the wood look warm and more natural.

// Prewash the fabric no matter what. I had previously done the chair covers, but didn't prewash the fabric, and the color rubbed off in no time making the seats look faded.

// Iron the wrinkles out and make sure you staple it on nice and tight as it could stretch as people sit on them!

And now, onto the reason that this post is going to be short and sweet...I need to go clean this kitchen.

 

xo eden

MOM'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

First things first, cooking is always better with a glass of wine in your hand. So before you start this one, you may need to pour a glass. I'm not going to lie to you, this recipe takes a while to make, and there is very little downtime in the process. Everything is from scratch, which takes time, but it is well worth it. I'm also not going to lie to you and tell you that this recipe is good for your waistline because, frankly, it is not. But you guys...this recipe is so darn good. It is comfort food at it's finest, and is perfect for when you're feeling a little bit homesick or craving some of your mama's cooking.

Nobody makes this recipe better than my mom, but I sure did try. Here goes nothing...

Mom's Shepherd's Pie

>>Ingredients (for a single batch -- I almost always double it)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup baby carrots, diced small
1 lb ground beef
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into small chunks
4 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup flour
2-3 cups beef broth

>>Directions (The teacher in me wants to tell you to read through the directions before you start the recipe, as you can do several of these at once (i.e. boiling potatoes and sauteing veggies).)

>>Mashed Potato Layer
01 | Peel and dice potatoes. Cook potatoes in boiling water until fork-tender. Whip potatoes with electric mixer (or by hand with potato masher) until moderately smooth. Add 4 tablespoons of butter, cream cheese, and sour cream. Salt & Pepper to taste. Whip until mixed well. If potatoes are too thick, you can add milk to thin them out a bit.

>>Vegetable & Meat Layer
02 | In large pan, saute onions, corn, and carrots in olive oil until onions and carrots are tender. Remove from heat and set aside in a separate bowl.

03 | Brown ground beef in the same pan the veggies were in. Remove from heat, drain, and mix in veggies.

>>Gravy
04 | Melt 4 tablespoons butter in small pan. Whisk in flour. Slowly add beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over medium heat until gravy thickens. Stir constantly.

05 | Pour gravy onto meat/vegetable mixture. Stir until well combined.

06 | Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray casserole dish (I used our Dutch oven -- love!). Pour the meat and veggies into the bottom of the dish. Layer mashed potatoes on the top and spread until well covered.

07 | Bake for approximately 35 - 45 minutes (45 worked for me) until top is golden brown.

Enjoy! This dish can be wonderful with whatever mixture of veggies you want. I think string beans or peas would be wonderful too! Be sure when you're storing it that you don't mix the potato and meat layers together. It's much better if they stay semi-separate. :)

xo eden

WHAT SUNDAY MORNINGS LOOKS LIKE...

berry banana smoothies | glowing candles | giada's everday italian cookbook

I really like Sundays. I haven't always felt this way about Sunday, but lately I've been finding myself just loving them. 

I remember when I was a kid, and my best friend, Megan, and I would spend the entire weekend together (how we got away with that every weekend, I do not know). I have this memory of just hating Sundays. It meant the end of the weekend, and back to school the next day. I remember thinking that we couldn't do anything too fun because it would make Sunday go by fast, and then Megan would have to go home. I hated Sundays.

But now Sundays have a new meaning for me. It's a day to start fresh, to be productive, and to spend time with my loving husband. It's the beginning of the week and I just love those. I even love Mondays. What a weirdo.

Lately, my Sundays have looked a lot like the above photos show. Delicious smoothies, weekly meal planning, and pure relaxation. Today, we'll also be spending a good amount of time watching the few NFL playoff games that are on, and I'm making my mom's shepherd's pie recipe. It's a big hit around here, and I'm hoping to share the recipe this week.

Happy Sunday, and here's to a new and wonderful week ahead!

xo eden

ps. The smoothie is just frozen mixed berries, vanilla greek yogurt, and a banana blended well. We don't even measure!