Just~One~Donna

Chicken and Stuffing As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter here in the Northeast I find myself migrating toward recipes that are comfy, cozy and homey.  Chicken and stuffing as a name for this recipe really doesn't do it justice.  The chicken is moist, tender and very flavorful because it is cooked on the bone.  The stuffing is moist and filled with the flavors of herbs, onion and celery.  Bringing the two together is the mushroom and wine sauce made from that old standby, cream of mushroom soup.  Don't judge me, now!  You know you have some in your pantry for dishes just like this one. The great thing about a recipe like this one besides its homey deliciousness is that it can easily be scaled to serve a few more, or many more.  It takes about 30 minutes to prepare and an hour to bake.  That means it won't work as a last minute weeknight dinner, but consider adding it to your menu rotation for the days when you have a little ex...

Appetizers, little bites, hors d'oeuvres, tapas, small plates, antipasto, canapes, whatever you might call the tasty morsels you eat before a meal, are my obsession lately.  I've been on a quest to find the five to ten appetizers that can be prepared in a flash, but pack that burst of flavor I look for in my before meal bites. A Baked Cheese Appetizer Greek Inspired Baked Cheese One appetizer I have been making lately is a baked cheese appetizer inspired by the Greek bouyiourdi , a mixture of tomatoes and Feta cheese.  Served with crackers or a crusty bread, this is a perfect winter appetizer enjoyed in front of a fire with a glass of wine.  It also transfers just as well, to your backyard patio, sitting around a fire-pit, enjoying a summer evening. This recipe is not meant to replicate bouyiourdi.  You can do that by searching the internet starting with the link above.  It is meant to inspire you to think about combinations of cheese and aromati...

Public access to most of our local beach area is blocked by the National Guard, but this weekend I was able to walk a two mile stretch of the beach to see the Hurricane Sandy impact. Those of you who read Just One Donna regularly know that I love the beach.  I feel very lucky to live so close to the ocean's beauty and can't imagine ever living too far away.  We, New Englanders, are used to storms and the resulting beach erosion. It seems to come with the territory.  We check our beaches at the end of each winter to see whether or not we lost a significant amount of our precious beachfront to Mother Nature's fury.  Sandy was much more than our usual nor'easter.  The media dubbed it a super storm.   A storm of that magnitude was bound to wreak havoc. Sadly, many of the homes and businesses in the area sustained significant damage or were destroyed by Sandy.  Assessment of the full extent of the damage is underway.  Toda...

Are you contemplating painting a room or two in your home?  Recently, I went through the process of selecting paint for an entire house.  It felt like an overwhelming decision at first, so I thought I'd share some of my experience to help you when faced with making paint decisions. How to Select Paint Colors for Your Home The Beach-My Color Inspiration Step One:  Look to Your Favorite Things for Inspiration One of the first steps in the paint selection process is to decide on the color pallet you will be working with.  If you have existing furniture that you will be integrating into the room you'll want to use colors from the furniture to guide your selection.  In my case, I was starting with empty rooms, so I looked to some of my favorite things for inspiration. Step Two:  Find Inspiration Rooms The next step for me was looking for other rooms that were decorated using the same colors.  One of the first places I look for decorating in...

Have you selected paint to redecorate a room in your house lately?  My goodness, it sure can be overwhelming!  Just take a look in the paint section of your local paint store.  The array of colors to choose from seems endless.  How do you start?  It is even harder when you are thinking about painting multiple rooms at one time.  Coordinating a number of room colors just multiplies the complexity.   Where to Find Paint Color Inspiration Recently, I was faced with the challenge of selecting a color palette for our new vacation home.  The house was painted throughout in a peach tone, which just didn't float my boat. Peach Walls Throughout Start with things you love.  As you may know, I'm a beach lover and with this home being located near the beach I decided first to look to the beach for inspiration. My Favorite Beach Pull inspiration from the colors that evoke the feelings you want in your home.  The stone colored t...