Dreaming of Paradise!

Victoria, our manager, just loves to paint. She was eager to start work on our next project, a bedroom sanctuary, inspired by our new bed linen collection from Londen which we have called "Paradis". We chose 2 coordinating soft neutrals from our new Simple Paint collection: "Llama" and "Cowhide". Not the most serene sounding names but the colours are fabulous and create the mood that we wish to create in our bedroom setting.

Since we were creating a bed around the theme of "Dreaming of Paradise", Victoria insisted that the bed had to be made with the jersey sheets from the Bergman Home Collection. She swears that these are the best sheets on the market. Soft and cozy to the skin, these fine linens are crafted in Portugal of 100% cotton. She was instrumental in bringing these quality linens to our customers, as she had bought a set for herself a year ago and loved them so much that she said we had to carry them in the store. We're glad we did!

Londen has created these wonderful headboards that can be slipcovered in one of their coordinating fabrics that match their bed linens or you can create your own with com fabric.

Making the bed is the fun part! To create a fresh, clean look, we choice the slipcover for the headboard and the matching coverlet from Londen's Picque collection. The white soft grommet curtains also from Londen drape softly at either side of the bed to complete the look by giving it a dreamy feel.

Another beautiful roomscape created around a soft neutral palette from our Simple paint line with bed linens from Londen. Both Canadian manufacturers which we are proud to carry at The Queensbridge Mill.

Sweet dreams!

Linda & Karen

Winter Comfort Food!

Whether you are curled up on the sofa watching the Super Bowl or the upcoming Olympics, a bowl of chili and a plate of nachos seem to be the perfect comfort food! We are happy to share our quick and easy recipes to be enjoyed as you gather with family and friends to cheer and celebrate or simply to savour a soulful spicy classic combination any night of the year.


Linda's Simple Savoury Chili Recipe
(made with lean ground chicken & 2 types of beans)

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean, ground chicken

1 onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbsp. of chili powder

1 tsp. salt

2 jalapeno peppers, minced

2 tbsp. of olive oil

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 green pepper, seeded & diced

1 can of diced tomato

1 can of tomato paste

1 can of red kidney beans

1 can of black beans

Brown ground chicken and onions in the olive oil until the meat is no longer pink. Add the chili, salt, garlic and jalapeno peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery, carrots and green pepper and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the red kidney beans and black beans. Blend all the ingredients. Simmer for 30-45 minutes until the sauce thickens. This is a great make ahead dish as it is even better the next day!

Serve in bowls with a dollop of sour cream to counter balance the spiciness. Soul satisfying!

Karen's "La Morenita" Nachos

(Karen discovered a wonderful Mexican Restaurant called La Morenita in Palo Alto, California over 8 years ago which serves these amazing nachos which looked like a blooming rose. She has been making them ever since.

Ingredients:

1 bag of round tortilla chips

1 can of refried beans

1/4 cup of salsa

1/2 can of sliced black olives

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes

1/4 jar sliced jalapeno peppers, drained

1/2 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Method: Spread the refried beans into the bottom of a round oven proof dish.

Spread the salsa sauce onto the top of the refried beans and place the chips in a circular pattern

into the dish.
The salsa/bean mixture on the bottom helps to keep the chips to stand upright to form the rose pattern.
Top with the cherry tomatoes, olives and jalapeno peppers.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a 375degrees Farenheit oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the bean dip on the bottom is warm.

Ready to serve with a bowl of salsa for extra dipping!

Time to dig in and enjoy the game!