Elle Decor | Alyssa Rosenheck's Statement-Making Christmas Tree Decorations

I recently shared my secret weapon for an easy, elegant Christmas tree with Elle Decor: RIBBON. And while the beauty of a well-styled tree is undeniable, I am thrilled to share my Christmas tree styling tip for a few reasons. First, my tree represents love. Growing up Jewish, we never had a tree. This was the first time we brought a tree into our home, and to me it represents the warmth surrounding the season. Second, I love using ribbon because it is an easy, affordable way to elevate a tree without having years of ornament-collecting under my belt. I used vintage velvet ribbon for mine, which instantly adds a layer of softness to the space. To see my tip and 50-plus more ideas to make your season extra special, read the story here. 

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The New Southern | Grabbing Life By the Meatballs + Holiday Meal Prep

The New Southern is a movement grounded in cultural change where we are honoring and humanizing our differences through the lens of creativity. Today, lets honor a little comfort food that is great for the weekends or a holiday show stopper. This is a casual meal that goes beautifully with Austin Hope or Daou (Two of my favorite cabs) when we are entertaining guests. My mom spent the holdays with us a few years ago and to have her in my kitchen helping me cook was a gift (See the video). We laughed, we cried, we honored the moments that marinated with old family recipes. Growing up with both parents having diverse cultural backgrounds, our common ground in celebrating life and love was and is through food… so from my home to yours…. I am sending you health, happiness, connection and much love through this meal.

RECIPE | HERE’s TO Grabbing Life By the MEATBALLS!

(Serves arounD 4-6)

1 lb Ground Beef (I use 90% lean)
1/2 lb Ground VEAL
1/2 lb Ground Pork
1 White Onion (Finely Chopped)
2 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon of Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Milk (I use skim, but any is fine)
1 1/2 cups Bread Crumbs
1 cup Finely Grated Parmesan
1 cup of Fresh Parsley, chopped
1 lb Spaghetti or Penne
4 Jars RAO’s Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce

1. In a large glass mixing bowl whisk together the Eggs, Milk, Chopped Onion, Oregano, Garlic, Thyme, Salt, Pepper, Parmesan, Chopped Parsley and Bread Crumbs. Loosely stir the mixture and then add all the meat (Beef, Lamb, Pork) . With your hands, knead the meat and the mixture until it is evenly consistent and all combined.

2. With Extra Virgin Olive Oil evenly coat the bottom of the skillet (quarter of an inch) on medium to hight heat. Roll the meatballs into golfball sizes and fill the skillet. We want to sear the sides and get them golden brown. The meatballs won’t be cooked all the way through and we will bake them next.

3. Take a cookie sheet and cover with tin foil. Place all the meatballs on the cookie sheet. I normally only use one cookie sheet to do this. Turn the oven on bake or convection bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

4. While the meatballs are baking, warm up the Rao’s sauce on the stove (I use 3 Jars for this). And, if the meatballs are done… add a few of them to the sauce for extra flavor.

5. Pasta Time!! In a large pot bring water to boil on the stove and add a pinch of salt and some olive oil to the water. Cook pasta until al dente or to your preference and drain in colander. While pasta is draining, take the pasta pot and put it back on the stove over low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and 5 tablespoons of sauce. Stir this and then add all the dry pasta to this mixture. Combine pasta and mixture thoroughly.

6. Next, MANGIA and ENJOY!!!

The New Southern | One Stop Grocery Store Shop for Holiday Centerpieces

Simplification. . .the art of editing. . .a sense of ease. . .aspirations of intention and effortlessness. There is beauty in substance. As a creative, I gravitate towards clean lines, simple geometries and negative space. As an entrepreneur, I invest in being efficient without compromising life-giving moments. This is an all year round approach for me and simplicity with great substance is intuitive and a daily practice.

Due to this being a season filled with extremes—extreme spending, excessive schedules—I am wanting to share a little visual relief along with a simple centerpiece idea for you and your families for the holidays! You all do so much and I am talking a ONE STOP grocery shop for your centerpiece decor and holiday meal planning!!! Yep, it is that simple. No more Pinterest fails here, or complex inspiration holiday tables. For me and my schedule, keeping it simple, classic and achievable is KEY!  

My thoughts about holiday decor: I love organic elements and the best way to decorate for the season is through fruit and greenery. The middle of your table is an incredible opportunity for a beautiful flat lay in addition to candlesticks!!

Think about color and scale. My home is light, bright and airy; I love incorporating fun pops of color with art and florals. My grocery store had the most perfect shade of pink peonies and I scooped them up along with these beautiful clementines! Great color combinations for your table also include Bosc pears/greenery/with cut orchids….. I encourage you to experiment!! Also, think about scale and composition. For centerpieces, a visual high / low is important. Visually this keeps your eye moving around… the candlesticks on my table help achieve height while the greenery and buds ground the center of the table. The focus is on company and conversation and with my easy breezy centerpiece, it allows for some room to breathe and will not compete with our table talk!!

• Add this to your grocery list to achieve this look: 

Centerpiece INGREDIENTS (found at Whole Foods Market):

• 6 Satsumas or Clementines (with the leaves attached if possible)

• Filler—My favorite types of filler to style with for a flat lay are any type of fern leaves, seeded eucalyptus, Nageia Nagi, Jade Palm, Eucalyptus Silver Dollar. . .Hello Filler is the New Floral!!

Three Steps:

1. Arrange candlesticks first—the more the merrier.

2. Arrange the flat filler over and around the candlesticks to create a good base; stems go in towards the middle.

3. Sprinkle conservatively with fruit and flowers.

For a little extra extra, you can add fresh basil leaves or rosemary to appeal to all the senses.

The New Southern | Making the Holidays Your Own

The New Southern’s holiday approach is all about creating new and warm memories while living your best life right now. This is a concept that builds upon the things in life that are already bringing us joy, love, and warmth. I am compassionate and understand this can be a sensitive time of year for so many for so many reasons. For me, the holidays haven’t always been joyful, but, my husband and I are taking this season’s warmth into our own hands and are mindful in creating beautiful memories now with a fresh set of eyes. These are our building blocks for years to come and this is how we are making the holidays our own:

Top 3 Ways of Making the Holidays Your Own:

1. Start a New Tradition: For me this was an easy one, I haven’t ever had a tree until this year. I am Jewish and I am looking at it as more of a symbol of love and acceptance… Since this was our first tree and I do not have ornaments… I incorporated a very New Southern approach and made this tree our own! I love soft linens and silk velvet bows. I styled beautiful linen and velvet bows all over the tree…… HELLO RIBBON IS THE NEW ORNAMENT!!!! #TheNewSouthern - This was easy, economical and delightful while assembling with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga playing in the background!

2. Focus on Making Memories: Now that I am off the road for a few weeks, I hosted a soulful friend dinner with memory making at the forefront of my mind.. My chosen family is very important to me. I left my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma at 18 years of age and haven’t spent any real concentrated amounts of time there since leaving. Now, well into my adult life, I hold onto the people closest to my heart. I think it is so important to hold space for soulful authentic connections. These are the relationships that hold a safe space for your truth, these relationships are energizing rather than draining, and deeply supportive. May we all have life giving and loving relationships based on truth and connection. These are the relationships that will continue to support and expand our worlds in the most beautiful way. I created a night filled with Prossecco and Pizza in an intimate setting. I placed beautiful quotes around the dining room table and encouraged people to sit down with the quote they most resonated with. This set the tone for soulful conversations. Xx

3. Give yourself a Gift of Service…. This is being of service to yourself (Ask yourself what you need? More rest? More Relaxation? More time? and give it to your self… this is a form of love and you have my permission to give yourself the gift of rest or stillness if you need it) AND this is being of service to others! Connect with your local shelters / community youth programs and see how you can give your time and energy to another human who is in need of your love and warmth.

My Home Xx

Easy Decorating Tips Xx

Shop-able Links Below Xx

My First Tree Xx