Comments : 36

Hi friends, how are you doing this weekend? We have had a busy one, went to our first “Covid wedding” (outdoors) , had dinner with friends (at home)  and today finally is a day to unwind, relax and chill. A beautiful fall day that I plan on spending doing exactly whatever my heart desires, we all need a day like that!

We are super busy at the warehouse, got all our porcelain and chinoiserie presale orders out, the gift wrap arrived on Friday and ornaments arrive tomorrow! We have a very full and productive week ahead and we are ready. The Christmas spirit is already alive and well at Enchanted Home. I think many are anxious (we hear this often) to focus on something wonderful, happy, festive and uplifting I  know I sure am!

Onwards to my post this Sunday-

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1 OUR AMAZING GIFT WRAP IS IN AND A FEW NEW BEAUTIES! SO excited to have received our big shipment of our spectacular 2020 holiday gift wrap. Even more beautiful in person! We will start shipping our presale orders on Monday, in the order they were received and expect all presale orders to ship by Wed.So love that they are all reversible to an equally charming pattern, makes giving double the fun:)

The entire collection is now all available to purchase online, click here

Gift wrap above and our tissues below

 

Our beautiful new topiary gift toppers will be one of many offered on the ornaments/topper sale starting Tues morning

And in other shop news, these beautiful new painted lanterns on their way, I am in love with them!

These fabulous new hurricanes, etched glass (3 styles) on an elegant ant. brass base are en route! Will be holding  presale in a few weeks as a lot have asked about these.

2 A CARROT CAKE THAT IS OUT OF THIS WORLD! OK, first need to preface this by saying this is a double edged sword. Kind of wish I never knew about the recipe. Yes, its that good. However, there is a caveat. It is involved as in took me about 2 hours to make (remember I am a non baker).

Truth is the day I made it, I had not idea how much work it was and I was a little overwhelmed. Almost threw in the towel and sped to my nearest bakery but the OCD in me refused to give up. So I took the store bought grated carrots (which most bakers say NO NO NO to) and put them in my little Cuisinart to shred them even more and added a few tbsp of water and they were perfect!! The frosting is also amazingly good and that part was actually quiet easy.

I felt like a scene right out of I Love Lucy as the kitchen was upside down, I had cake batter everywhere including in my hair and the funny ending wasn’t having a toothpick to test if the cake was done, so used a wooden chopstick from my local sushi place, lol. It was such a fitting end.

However this cake DELIVERS in a big way. SOOOOO good, super moist, very dense and has the many wonderful flavors and textures you would only expect in a very good carrot cake. I mean if I had this in a restaurant, I would go back just for this cake. I did not frost the sides but you certianly can (it looks prettier to frost the whole cake).

Pardon  my super novice attempt at frosting this cake, but considering I am not a baker this was the best I could do. What it lacked in artistry it MORE than made up for in flavor. The family loved it and the best part? Having an ice cold slice the next morning…needless to say it didn’t last very long!

To self grate or cheat? I started grating one carrot then gave up and resorted to the bags of grated carrots I thankfully had bought as “backup”. So here is the good, bad and ugly:)

The cheating carrots being mixed (1st step)

Let the mess begin…..

A beautiful concoction of yummy ingredients

The chaotic scene on my kitchen counter top

This frosting was like a creamy, delectable bowl of goodness (and several pounds)!

Success! The cakes are out of the oven!

Don’t judge my frosting abilities, I promise what it lacked in artistic ability it more than made up for with flavor!

CAKE

  • 1 2/3 cup vegetable oil, or any mild-flavored oil)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 can of crushed pineapple (drained)
  • 1 pound finely-grated* fresh carrots
  • optional: 1 cup chopped nuts or 1/2 cup raisins (I used more of both)
  • coconut (optional, I used about 1/2 a cup)

FROSTING

  • 1 (8-ounce) bricks cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (or more, if needed to thicken)

 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour three 8-inch round baking pans.  (Or to save a step, you can coat them with baking spray, which already contains flour.)
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until combined and smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves) until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the egg mixture, and stir until smooth. Fold in the grated carrots and pineapple and stir until combined. If you would like to add nuts, coconut and/or raisins, stir them in at this time as well.
  • Portion the batter evenly into the prepared baking pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.  Transfer the baking pans to a wire cooling rack and let the cakes cool until they reach room temperature.
  • Meanwhile, to make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and stir until combined and smooth.  (You can either do this with a spatula, or with a hand or stand mixer.)  Gradually stir in the powdered sugar and mix until it is completely combined.  You want the frosting to be pretty firm for a 3-layer cake, so add more/less powdered sugar as needed to reach the correct consistency.

 

 

3 INSTAGRAMS OF INTEREST No surprise this weeks faves are loaded with lots of beautiful fall inspiration!

4 ONE OF THE MOST INSPIRING VIDEOS I HAVE SEEN IN A VERY LONG TIME! This so touched me, that I had to share it with everyone I know (thanks Dad). A beautiful life lesson. We need more people like inspiring Coach Buzz Williams in our world…MANY more!

5 WHAT A CHARMER!  Absolutely love this home. So beautifully done. I love this feeling for a country home. It is sophisticated, elegant but still so warm and inviting. Really love the soaring ceilings, the blonde woods and beautiful light from all the windows. A Stan Dixon homerun. Click here to find out more about this charmer.

 

6 J MCLAUGHLIN There a few brands I can always count on, J McLaughlin being one constant. Always very classic in their styling, they epitomize elegant, everyday chic dressing. I rarely go into stores but we have one locally which is small and it was me and 1 other person so it felt totally fine.

I took home a few new pieces and a pair of shoes, it was so nice to have an in-person shopping experience, almost forgot what it felt like! here are some of what I saw and loved (their furs are all faux but very good ones)! Click  here to visit their wonderful website.

These shoes are so comfortable and very good looking, wish they came in black too!

Isn’t this Persian lamb bag adorable!

Great belts too and love that they are reversible. Picked one up and the scarf below for a friends birthday gift.

 

7 SUNDAYS SURVEY Is it me and being in the wrong place at the wrong time lately or are people way more on edge than usual? I have witnessed, especially lately some really nasty encounters (thankfully I was not part of them) but saw them and they left me feeling really sad about the state of where we are. A few days ago I saw a man driving who nearly ran over another younger guy trying to walk to the entrance of our local market. The driver got out and started screaming hysterically at this passerby, it was really unnerving.

I also went to a dr appt and another woman started putting up a major fuss over the person outside the doctors office taking her temperature, telling her she was violating her rights, etc….I mean there is enough negativity and drama going around, I wish people could be a little kinder to one another. A friend went to her local nursery and when a guy not wearing a mask was told he could not enter, he “fake coughed” at the employee, scoffed and walked away swearing under his breath.

Seems everyone is very punchy and overly reactive…..there is a lot to be stressed about but we need each other and we really are all in this together!  I guess one reason why I don’t really venture out that much. I could go into hibernation for the next 3 months….easily! Curious, are you observing similar behavior around your neck of the woods?


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And that is a wrap for this Sunday. Anything here in particular get your attention? Always love to hear from you and appreciate you stopping in. Hope you have a fabulous day and a relaxing end to your weekend. I am looking forward to a relaxing day myself, with the busy holiday season at our doorstep, my Sundays have become a day I really look forward to:)

We were due to have our ornament presale last week but it was such a busy week with the shipments that arrived so we will start it this Tues morning, be sure to check back in, it is such a beautiful collection! Thanks for stopping by, until next time…..

PS Announced that we are now open to take your FALL LOVE CONTEST pictures! Click here for information (send 1-2 fall related pictures to [email protected]

PPS In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the entire shop is 20% off (except presale offers) and we are donating 10% of all shop sales to The American Cancer Society

Click here for shop

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Your Seven on Sunday was just what the doctor ordered beginning with the hilarious story about the carrot cake! So very relatable, including cake batter in your hair. I laughed out loud. I think we all have our tales to tell, and that one is close to home. Hope everyone has a good week.

I think New Yorkers are always a bit on edge! But all joking aside, COVID has hit NY so very hard, I understand why people are that way. I’ve experienced that but also extreme patience and kindness!

This week I had an encounter with a lady, that caught me offguard…we were the only two waiting for the elevator,(this is a medical building) and when it arrived, she stepped in first, then I started, when she told me she preferred to ride alone. Of course, I abliged and stepped out, and informed the next person that she wanted to ride alone, so we took the next elevator, socially distanced, etc. I thought to my self, is she over-reacting or maybe she was sick? Whatever her reasons, we need to remind ourselves we are living in strange times and we must be respectful and kind to one another.

Tina, this video of Buzz Williams was the most beautiful video I’ve ever seen! Thank you for posting it!
Our veterans deserve so much credit for their sacrifices than they receive. I pray all of our athletes will stand for the national anthem to honor each and every one of them. There are other ways to protest! ??

I do think some people are ‘on edge’ for whatever reason and I saw that more in the spring and early summer; now our area feels more ‘back to normal’ and I haven’t noticed it much lately.

I also witnessed very polite, solicitous behavior, particularly when traveling this past spring; it reminded me of traveling post-9/11.

Everything, including the recipe, was so very nice this morning but the video is the thing that really got to me-Tina-thank you so much for that-words fail-I can’t really tell you how much that meant to me.

As usual, a wonderful, beautiful post. Your comment about the cheating carrots had me laughing. You were brave to tackle that recipe.

Your survey did not give me the chance to say I see people being MUCH nicer than before. Kinder to store clerks, happier to be out and about, more likely to offer a nice comment. I see it everyday.

Thanks as always for your post! I feel people are very edgy right now and I wonder if we will ever go back to how life was now that social media is a huge part of lives, especially the next generation. I think it gives many a platform to say things that they would not say in person and to be so much ruder. It was never like that when I was growing up and we were taught to be respectful and accept things even if it did not go our way. I laugh to myself when I think of the elections in the late 70’s and one of my sorority sisters who wanted Carter put peanuts outside all of our bedroom doors. We laughed and laughed the next morning even though we were voting for different candidates. It sure was a different time!

Thank you so much for posting the video of Buzz Williams and the Virginia Tech players. It is so important lesson our young people are not being taught. I want to send this to every person I know. These young men are what America is! If you can’t live and respect our national anthem that some gave everything to defend then find another county that you can love and support. No more kneeling!

Thank you for posting the Buzz Williams honor of military veterans. My son went to Virginia Tech and I’m forwarding it to him. It is a poignant reminder in these troubled times. Thank you again.

There is so much to comment on here, this post made my day. I’ve already placed my gift wrap order, the prettiest papers I have ever seen!

Absolutely adore your new pagodas I cannot wait till you get them?

That video was incredible- gave me goosebumps and I immediately forwarded it to everyone on my email list as well as my sister who is a teacher for highschoolers!

That carrot cake looks divine, that is my husband’s all-time favorite dessert so I think I may need to attempt it also and I too am definitely not a baker! Or a cook for that matter haha

as far as people being on edge, yes absolutely agree that people are just way more uptight and quicker to burn their fuse. I think it’s the stress from Covid, being cooped up and fear for what lays ahead (Including a very tumultuous White House).. I try to be as courteous as I can, hoping to set an example. Sometimes a little kindness can go a long way! Thanks for this dose of happiness.

Thank you for the Buzz William video. I wish more young people had his influence in their lives. I salute our veterans, first responders, care givers, and volunteers who make our country great. This video gives me hope. Thank you for sharing.

Loved your fall pictures and cake baking experience. I can’t wait to try your carrot cake recipe and suppose the can of pineapple was the small size. I know your sweet family appreciated your cake effort. Can’t wait until my Christmas paper arrives. I’m so excited!

Loved your cake story. I have a similar recipe but with bananas added and we call that one hummingbird cake. I also loved the video because the coach was taking the time to help his players understand what the anthem means and how they should stand up and be proud young men. And as for people are acting in ways that are not so nice, and what can you do….keep your manners, it’s the way forward, not nastiness.

So many beautiful things to feast our eyes upon but that video though! That’s what this country needs so, so, so much more of!! You’re such an inspiration Tina, thank you and God bless!…just adore 7 on Sundays!

Beautiful post and your cake looked yummy! But GIRL! you need a KitchenAid mixer! They’re really great. Thank you for the wonderful video of the national anthem-well said!

Your Seven on Sunday was excellent! In these difficult times we need some positive input. Your cake was lovely and I’m sure a labor of love. The pictures are beautiful. The video of Buzz Williams is amazing and very heartfelt , his respect for the Military as well as his respect for the players goes above and beyond teaching a life lesson. Have a wonderful week and enjoy the fall.

Beautiful post as always Tina!! Nice to look through my November 2020 issue of House Beautiful and see (on page 112) your beautiful scalloped tissue holder advertised 🙂

Hi Tina–Firstly, thank you for the time you spend sending us such beautiful and thoughtful posts! Secondly, in your carrot cake recipe, with using store-bought shredded carrots, you said that you added a few tablespoons of water after shredding them. Just wanted to know what a “few” tablespoons were, and why you added the water. Many thanks for all you do for us out here in the ethernet!

Loved the Buzz William piece. I passed in on. Thankful to be an American, and thankful to those who have given so much for our freedom. I proudly stand with a grateful heart..

So proud of you for not giving up on that carrot cake! Can’t wait to bake it; my favorite dessert, bar none. The autumn photos were lovely. It is a magical time in nature with all the color. We in the South are cooling down, at last. Your survey question was timely. I have noticed that with older people there seems to be a level of fear. Went to our local plant nursery this week and engaged in conversation with a woman there. She actually said, “Oh, so you still have hope.” She seemed so resigned to be miserable. It became my personal mission to cheer her up. I told that great things were coming. That there will be wonderful surprises ahead for us all ( just wait ) and that this terrible virus will be conquered. We spoke of faith in God, trust in the good side of people and building character through hard times. I hugged her as we parted and she was somewhat cheered. I also asked her to stop watching the news! I believe that so much good is coming to our country and that people will be more hopeful and stronger than ever. Let’s have patience and faith and we can all get through this historic event. I pray that people will be truly thankful this year at Thanksgiving. I think that I will make that carrot cake for our turkey day dessert! Thank you, Tina.

One of my favorite cakes to make during the holidays is carrot cake (my moms recipe). Yes, shredding the carrots is a pain, but it is well worth the trouble in my opinion. It doesn’t last long at our house either! LOL

Yes, I have noticed the tension in the air as well. I think everyone is just so unsure of their future (their jobs, their health, their activities). Folks just want their lives back. They want to be able to visit their elderly parents, they want their children to have birthday parties, they want to run to the store and find the ingredient they need to finish that recipe… The other side of that coin is people are still dying. In my state we average 17 deaths per day from covid. It is still a serious situation. All we can do is practice safe outings and interactions with people until this pandemic goes away or is at least kept at bay by vaccine.

I pray for patience every day and I try to take note of the beautiful things that are still present in our lives. The Fall leaves bright red and yellow, the cool nights when I get to crack the windows, my 2 yr old grandson’s smile. There are still wonderful things to be grateful for.

I have been following your posts for several years now and it is another one of my favorite things 😉

Tina, this recipe for carrot cake sounds amazing. It calls for 3-8″ round cake pans, but the picture looks like only 2. If so, are those 10″ pans and if they are, what do you suggest for cooking time? Thanks!

Love the video of Coach Williams. Wish there were more role models like him in this country. Around here (Atlanta), I’ve noticed that people seem to be a little kinder these days. Hope it will last long after COVID is over.

My word Tina people are absolutely besides themselves these days. I mean I rarely go out. Yesterday was my first trip since the pandemic to Target and I ended up doing mobile drive up order. I can’t bare to be around people now. Angry is the word. Same incident at my Drs office. This lady was almost foaming at the mouth. She took her mask off and said cuss words I hadn’t heard before. I actually was frightened. I was called back so I didn’t see it play out. I asked the nurses when I was leaving they said her husband came in and pulled her out. They nearly had to call the police on her it was that bad. I try to treat everyone with kindness and sometimes I’m rebuked because of it. Thanks for sharing J. McLaughlin I wasn’t familiar with this retailer. I already see too many items I want lol

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