{GHP} Braised Short Ribs recipe and Happy Halloween

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Halloween, Holiday/Seasonal cooking, Recipes

Since Halloween is on a Thursday night this year, I thought I would make Mr. B. and I a comforting meal to fortify us between the doorbell and goblins. I’m trying Braised Short Ribs from Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions. Doesn’t this look delicious? Jenny comes up with fabulous recipes and I’ve provided the link (above).

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Since it needs to cook some time in the oven, I’ll prepare them this evening and we’ll eat them tomorrow. That often enhances the flavors and makes everything taste even better.

I’m also including a few images I’ve gathered that might offer some ideas for last minute decorations…

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Do you get a lot of trick-or-treat goblins and princesses in your neighborhood?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

♥

I’m linking to Savvy Southern Style’s Wow us Wednesday

{Garden} Backyard birding and decor decisions

23 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Decorating, House and Home, Paint Color, Renovating

≈ 28 Comments

Tags

Master Bedroom

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I’ve wanted to paint our master bedroom since the first of the year. Selecting a wall color is always a challenge for me and I lean on my friends for votes when it comes to the finalists once the samples are in place on the wall. I’m really skilled when it comes to second guessing my own decisions. So after discussing dark paint vs. light with nearly everyone, I decided to go with a darker paint and that resulted in narrowing it down to 3 colors that I really liked, but which one would win the beauty contest? After discussion and a visual assessment, my friend Carla voted for the color I thought I liked best. Confirmation with Mr. B and we now have Benjamin Moore’s Alexandria Beige on our walls, and most importantly, we love it.

Before…the room was painted a Martha Stewart/Green Tea color…you can see the botanic pics above the headboard. They were a little tired and faded.

Inspiration…

{Atlanta Home [left] ~ House Beautiful [right]}

After deciding on a paint color for the walls I felt it was important to think about replacing the botanic prints that had been hanging above the bed for the past 20 years.

Sidebar: I bought Mr. B a bird feeder for Father’s Day. I know that sounds like it might be an odd choice but we love watching their antics, they’ve been very entertaining. Since birds have become such a delightful pastime for us, I decided to search for some antique bird prints for the existing frames. Not like we spend hours watching them but it is fun to go to the kitchen sink for a glass of water and see them carrying on.

…and Squirrel Nutkin visits regularly…

Back to replacing the botanic prints above the bed {focus, Karen}…I lucked out, an online store I had purchased my guest bathroom botanic plates from sent me an email indicating they were having a sale and I was able to buy 4 Dresser, hand colored plates of beautiful birds of Europe. Trillium Antique Prints offers a wide variety of antique plates from historic books. In the case of my birds, when I received the bird prints, they had included the description pages from the book that they were taken from.

{tumblr – Persephone’s Box}

Here’s the room with the new paint color and the bird-plates. I’m still working on finding pillow shams and a quilt to use at the base of the bed. The blue and white came from storage. We had purchased the Pottery Barn shams and quilt when he was working in Northern California. The jury is out on whether this is the best look for the room.

I apologize for the darkness of the photograph. It’s not the brightest of rooms in the house and my new white shades seem to throw a bit of glare in the picture. You get the jest of it though, right?

The bergere chair is covered in a bee fabric, I hope to find a pillow for that chair.

The lamp shades for our swing arm lamps are from Target. They are part of the Threshold line and very affordable. The shade is a white linen-look and I really like them.

Thanks for stopping by. The room is a work in progress, but then isn’t that the way with a home?

We leave for Austin tomorrow morning to babysit Olivia! I’ll be back in time for a post next week. Enjoy the rest of your week and have a wonderful fall weekend. ♥ Karen

{Home} Artist Introduction

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in House and Home

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

artist

Maui :: Napili Sunset
Photo by Ian Coble

I recently did a post on art in the home, but I was inspired to do this post a few short months later because of the news that my nephew (by friendship to his mom and dad who we have know for over 40 years) has started selling his art online. Ian is like a nephew to us having been born a few short months after our oldest son. He’s made a wonderful career for himself as a Commercial sports photographer, with clients such as Red Bull, Eddie Bauer, North Face, Brooks Running, Revo Sunglasses, and ESPN to name a few. His work has taken him to places that are unattainable by foot and he and his equipment has been airlifted into remote sites by helicopter for shoots.

Icicles :: Girdwood, AK
Photo by Ian Coble

Garden, Home and Party: Artist indroduced

Spines :: Terrace, BC
Photo by Ian Coble

Alaskan Tundra :: Mulchatna River Drainage
Photo by Ian Coble

Napali Coast :: Kauai, HI
Photo by Ian Coble

He recently decided to offer some of his art online and has set up a website. Ian has prints available in a wide array of sizes and printing options, ideal for a prominent spot in any home. His collection is divided into several themes…Mountains, Trees, Ocean, Rivers & Lakes, Textures, Panels and Panoramic’s, all breathtakingly beautiful. The textures images are probably some of my favorites, with the mountain photos, a close second.

I urge you to visit Ian, I think you’ll be wowed by the talents of this young man. I plan on keeping his work in mind for gift buying. I can think of a couple of people that would love to have one of these beauties, or other’s from his store, stretched and framed for their office.

Framed art in the home is such a personal thing. We all have favorite artists or styles that suit our individual tastes. Sometimes something will touch a chord and even though it may not be our usual genre of artistic expression, we love the piece and feel like it would make us happy to have it hanging in our home. Isn’t that what art in the home is all about?

Below are some rooms from my files that inspire the use of art in a home. I could see Ian’s work in a few of these rooms. I have one of Ian’s prints, a photograph from a few years back where he captured snow falling. It’s so magical to me it almost resembles an illustration from a book. As a winter enthusiast who rarely sees snow, this photograph makes me smile. My photography, sadly, doesn’t do the print justice.

Garden, Home and Party: Artist Introduction

Photo by Ian Coble

I have a still life painting in my kitchen that is similar to the painting on the right in this picture. The paintings adds so much to the room, and the blue and white accents are always welcome in my book.

The gallery of small paintings is such a pretty idea…I think this is a store display, I don’t have the source otherwise we could go buy a few of these gems.

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Contemporary art, such as the piece below, aren’t usually my personal preference but coupled with the more traditional trunk and chair, it provides a stunning piece.

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I love the black and white prints with black frame on the white paneled walls. Simple but striking.

John Jacob Interiors shows us how to use every bit of wall space to great effect.

{John Jacob Interiors}

The painting above my mantle is from a frame shop that sells student art. It was very affordable and although you can’t see the details in the photograph, it’s very well done.

I hope you’ll stop by Ian’s online shop, I think you’ll love his work. He also has a blog where he shares his treks in pursuit of the right shot. Do you have a particular type of art that you lean toward?

Coincidently I’m joining Ricki Jill for her Happy List at Art @ Home.

{Garden, Home} Backyard buildings

09 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Architectural elements, Cottages, House and Home

≈ 29 Comments

Tags

Backyard buildings

Backyard buildings, cottages, potting sheds, play houses and the like have always held great appeal for me.

Maybe a small brick structure to house the croquet set. 😀

Some years ago I worked for a home builder who participated in an annual event held for a charitable cause, where 5-6 home builders would volunteer their services to build “play houses” for auction. The builders were so creative and often these houses would auction for several thousand dollars. Below is an example…you can see why they were popular, there was no detail left undone.

I suspect Project Playhouse planted the seed but I’m not even particular about whether its a decked out playhouse or a chicken coop (which our city doesn’t allow, they allow the coop, not the chickens). I just love the idea of a structure in the backyard where I could sit and read, store a few small garden tools and Olivia and I could play tea party.

As I’m sure you are aware, chicken coops have hit the mainstream. Williams Sonoma even offers one.

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This coop rivals some homes I’ve seen…maybe my fair city would allow this one.

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Garden, Home and Party: Backyard buildings {source}

There isn’t any room in our back yard for a structure, not really. This is Southern California, many yards are the size of a postage stamp. But since I’ve always liked the idea, I’ve done what I usually do…set up a folder and saved images I find on the internet and blog sites. It’s like tearing pages from a magazine, only less clutter.

Wouldn’t you love a place where you could sleep in the backyard, in cool comfort during warm summer nights, yet feel like you are surrounded by nature?

There are coyotes in our area that are not shy about jumping fences, but with doors on my backyard retreat I think I’d be safe.

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This cottage structure looks like it may have been built finding salvaged items…I love the idea of building a little garden shed using old windows, hinges and doors.

{Inside Story}

Our Austin son build a structure in the ample backyard of their first home. He used to work from home so this offered the quiet of an off-site office with the convenience of close proximity to the main house. I don’t have a picture of the structure but this (below) reminds me of it…

Now, if I lived on a lake or some other body of water, this would be the “backyard” structure I’d be longing for…

Garden, Home and Party: Backyard Structures {tumblr – That Inspirational Girl}

This simple structure is probably more my speed…doesn’t it look cute?

{Inspiring Interiors}

…or even something as small and simple as this…

Garden, Home and Party: Backyard structures {source}

I’d probably only need enough room for a chair and a box of Olivia’s toys where we could pretend to cook and enjoy a snack.

When there is room for more, this is what I lean towards…my fellow garden enthusiasts will agree, wouldn’t this be wonderful?

{Photo by: Joseph De Sciose via Southern Living}

The truth is, it isn’t so much the structure as it is who happens to reside (pretends to reside, in this case) there…

Do you have a playhouse, garden shed, backyard cottage?

I’m joining in the fun at Art @ Home with my post…it makes me happy so it should qualify as My Happy List.

{Party} Tea time

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Drink, Entertaining, Food

≈ 19 Comments

Tags

tea

{Content in a Cottage}

I enjoy tea and wish I made more time for a proper tea party. I don’t like it to the exclusion of coffee, I find I’m firmly addicted to my 2 cups of coffee every day, but Mr. B and I enjoy tea after dinner. This time of year I could drink tea most any time of the day or evening.

A friend of mine buys all of her loose tea from France. She recently introduced me to Mariage Freres of Paris, and Fauchon tea and I think she may be on to something, it was truly delicious. I’m not above using a tea bag in a pinch, but if you have the time loose tea tastes so much better.

{A Toile Tale}

One of the best things about tea, for me, is the array of possibilities it offers for a) table settings, even a table for 2 with special mugs or cup and saucer, AND b) the snacks that can accompany a tea break. Those Brits know what they’re doing about taking time for tea.

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Who does’t love nibbles? I have often thought I could graze for each meal, you know, sample a bite of this and taste of that. Tea seems the ideal opportunity to delight the senses with both sweet and savory.

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If you’d like help with ideas for the menu when hosting a tea party, here’s a book that comes highly recommended.

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Although the U.K. has always been the country I think of when I think of tea, there are countries all over the globe that specialize in growing fine tea. I have a neighbor from India who wholesales premium teas from her homeland. Alton Brown, the scientist/chef from Food TV has listed his recipe for the perfect cup of tea. This is the technique Mr. B. and I follow when we brew a cup of tea.

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Ingredients
4 heaping teaspoons loose tea
4 cups water
Directions
Place loose tea leaves into a warmed tea kettle. Pour heated water over loose tea leaves. Let steep. Strain tea and serve.

Notes
*Note: For Oolong and Green tea, water should simmer at 200 degrees F. and 180 degrees F.

*For Irish and English tea bring water to a full boil.

*Black tea should soak for 3 to 5 minutes. Oolong tea should soak for 4 to 7 minutes. Green Tea should soak for 2 to 3 minutes.

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Years ago, when I was a stay-at-home-mom, Linda, Gretchen (two of my oldest and dearest friends) and I would have tea at one another’s home at least once or twice a month. The kids would play and we’d drink tea, munch on goodies and compare notes on parenting and such. Today we continue the tradition when Linda visits from her Bainbridge Island home. We alternate between Gretchen’s home and mine and most of our teas are morning teas so we always include homemade scones. My first post about my scone recipe, and how I came to obtain it can be found HERE.

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Here is my recipe for scones. No, they aren’t health food scones.

English Scones – Cranberry Orange Glazed

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¾ cup sugar

¾ cup butter (melted)

1½ cup Craisins or raisins (or diced pecans if making Maple scones)

¾ buttermilk

Glaze (optional)

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoon orange juice (or maple syrup for maple glaze)

½ teaspoon orange oil (or maple extract for maple glaze)

¼ cup butter, melted

2 tablespoons milk (more if necessary to make liquid spread easily)

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375° Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, buttermilk and *Craisins and mix until incorporated. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1″ thickness. Cut to desired size with cutter or knife. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (if using glaze, omit this step). Lay on parchment paper, Silpat or lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Top with Orange glaze or omit the Craisins and substitute maple extract for the vanilla and add Maple glaze

Do you enjoy tea? Do you fuss with loose tea or throw a tea bag in a cup of hot water. I do that sometimes and it’s okay. Let me know of any specialty teas that you are fond of, I’m always interested in trying new things.

Garden, Home & Party

~ My love of gardening, making home comfortable and entertaining friends and family.

Monthly Archives: October 2013

{GHP} Braised Short Ribs recipe and Happy Halloween

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Do you get a lot of trick-or-treat goblins and princesses in your neighborhood?

{Garden} Backyard birding and decor decisions

{Home} Artist Introduction

{Garden, Home} Backyard buildings

{Party} Tea time