Adding New Color to Your Home

Do you agree that you can use items already in your home? Children use watercolors in their artwork, women use colors for their eyes, everyone can use colors in life!

Why not try using your child's artwork by using a thin black frame and a clean white mat. You can create a look that is ideal to showcase color and art. You can develop multi-colored baskets or boxes that you can display in bedrooms, hallway, and dining area.

I tried a vibrant colored paint for my room and I was surprised by how it added vitality to the whole room. I used an orange color to give strong look in my usual living room and used a trick from a designer to leave strip of the original wall colors to soften the bold new color. The strips also act as a frame and add to the daring mood of the room.

To pick which color would work best for you and your home, consult magazines and decorating books for ideas. Focus on the color schemes used in the rooms featured and not the furniture. You want to choose colors that you like, so maybe you can pick one that also matches your furniture.


I think the secret is to think about the overall feeling you want to have in your home. If you want your living and dining areas to feel formal and sophisticated or inviting and casual to your guests, then opt for the neutrals, or if you want your sleeping areas to feel bright and more energetic, then go bright and vivid.

Fried Cauliflower

Do you hear people talk about dieting and how to lose weight? With New Year's comes some serious thoughts of cutting down, on the budget, on baked goods and especially on the calories. So we see folks trying to focus on change for the new year - some call this "New Years Resolutions"


If you're a newsletter subscriber for Your Smart Kitchen, you will enjoy their Fried Cauliflower that is so easy to prepare and surely be part of your New Year's resolution.

Fried Cauliflower

Ingredients

• 1 Head Fresh Cauliflower
• 1 cup Flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• Extra Virgin Avocado Oil
  (for frying)

Preparation:

Wash and chop the cauliflower into bite-sized chunks. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl whisk the milk, egg and light olive oil (you will want to use light olive oil to avoid an overwhelming olive oil taste). Mix the dry and wet ingredients together to create batter. Dip the cauliflower into the batter completely coating each piece.

On medium/medium-high heat a layer of Extra Virgin Avocado Oil in a stainless steel frying pan. Place the coated cauliflower in the pan and fry until golden brown (turn as needed). Drain the cauliflower on paper towels.