Winter house vs. summer house

22 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in Decorating

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I’ve come to realize our home is truly more of a winter house than a summer house.  Don’t get me wrong, I change the accessories to reflect the seasons and I pack the wool throws in the closet once spring arrives but I still believe the overall feel of our home screams winter.  Part of the reason is that the family room is painted red.

Our family room mantle

My husband and I love cool weather.  We are both native Southern Californians but we often joke that we could live in the Pacific Northwest, rain and all, without a problem.

Our family room sofa and red walls.

My question is…do you think that since we prefer cool weather that I have subconsciously decorated for fall/winter?  What season does your home reflect?  Does it correlate with your preference for a certain season?

Side table in our red family room.

Does this room scream winter to you?

Is it fall yet?

20 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Dessert, Entertaining, Food

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When typing this title I had to smile because it reminds me of the classic whine of a child regarding lots of things but mainly car rides, “are we there yet?”  I feel a little like a child in anticipation of the upcoming season—fall.

So, this past weekend, to busy myself in an effort to make the time go by more quickly I decided to prepare a new dessert (new to me) that I found on Epicurious.  If you like to cook you will enjoy this site—one of my favorite features is that when you read a recipe if there are any reviews, and there usually are, you can find out what the other cooks found, tips, changes, etc.  The recipe was first published in Gourmet magazine in 1997.

Caramelized Upside-Down Pear Tart. (Full disclosure: This photo was from the Epicurious site.

Caramelized Upside-Down Pear Tart

Dessert  (Originally in Gourmet Magazine, November 1997)

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Ingredients – serves 8

1 pie crust (can be made or frozen; if frozen, thaw first OR you can use frozen puff pastry, thawed)

Filling:

  • 4 large firm-ripe Bosc pears (2 pounds total)
  • ½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation Instructions – Preheat oven to 425°

Peel and halve pears, the core (preferably with a melon-ball cutter).  Heat butter in a 9- to 10-inch well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then stir in sugar (sugar will not be dissolved).  Arrange pears, cut sides up, in skillet with wide parts at rim of skillet.  Sprinkle pears with cinnamon and cook, undisturbed , until sugar turns a deep golden caramel.  (This can take as little as 10 minutes or as much as 25, depending on pears, skillets and stove.)  Cool pears completely in skillet.

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round and trim to a 9 ½ to 10 ½ inch round.  Arrange pastry over caramelized pears, tucking edge around pears inside rim of skillet.  Bake tart until pastry is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.  Cook on rack 5 minutes.

Invert rimmed serving plate (slightly larger than skillet) over skillet and , using pot holders to hold skillet and plate tightly together, invert tart onto plate.  Serve tart warm or at room temperature.

This would be a great recipe to entertain with because you could bake it just before your guests arrive (what a wonderful scent) and then serve it room temperature.

A few more details on Napa Valley

18 Saturday Sep 2010

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I thought I’d add a few more of my favorite stops during our vacation in Napa Valley—

While the wine country offers incredible wine tasting, and I do enjoy a glass of wine now and then {ahem, smile}…our band of merry-makers enjoyed a farmers market in Napa, a delicious visit to Dean & DeLuca (an incredible specialty market that could convert anyone who visits into a “foodie”) and some charming shops in St. Helena.

Saturday morning we decided that since we were renting this wonderful house with a well-equipped kitchen we should pick up some food items to nibble on as well as suitable food for a dinner we planned to host for the grooms parents.  We headed into Napa thinking we would try to find a Costco (can’t beat their meats, produce and even their selection of wines).  Unfortunately, the closest location, according to the Costco website, was in Santa Rosa and the traffic (due to the holiday) made us decide we could make-do with Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s—if you call that “making do”.

We enjoyed breakfast at a delicious little cafe called Graces Table Global Kitchen,  and then stumbled upon a farmers market on our way to the car.

The farmers market near our home in Southern California has always been a go-to place for freshly picked produce of all kinds and varieties, and other novelties...the bakery is great too and Napa's Oxbow Public Market was no exception.

What is it about home grown tomatoes? We all nearly fought over them---we purchased these and some heirlooms that were mouth-watering good!

On Sunday we headed into St. Helena and stopped along the way at Dean & DeLuca.  This is a specialty market that carries artisan cheeses, every imaginable kind of coffee, tea, candies, condiments, breads, desserts, wines, beers—well, you get the idea.

This is such a fun market---even if you don't buy any of their slightly pricey goods you will enjoy browsing the aisles of this well-equipped "gourmet" market.

As we drove into the little town of St. Helena we were charmed by the age and architecture of some of the buildings.

The ladies in my group ducked into Napa Valley Vintage Home gift store and we were so happy we did! I wanted 1 of everything!

There was definately an old world influence going on here and so many of the items were French or English in design---my favorite! {sigh}

Napa Valley Vintage Home

It was a very relaxing vacation and I can highly recommend the region whether you enjoy wine or not!  What are some of your favorite vacation spots?

Wedding in the wine country

17 Friday Sep 2010

Posted by in Drink, Food

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As I may have mentioned HERE, we were invited to a wedding of the son of dear friends we’ve known since we were first married—37 years ago.  Have I mentioned I was a child bride?  {smile}.

There were 2 other couples (close friends)  invited to Jeff & Allison’s wedding and we decided to rent a house rather than stay in a hotel.  The wedding was over Labor Day weekend and we knew Napa Valley would be teaming with wine enthusiasts and other vacationers.

On the other side of the pool is Robert Mondavi vineyards.

One of the couples had stayed at homes found on VRBO and we put them in charge of finding a suitable house to rent.  Mr. S. delivered in spades…he found a 4 bedroom/2 bathroom home on a private drive in Oakville (just south of St. Helena).  The house called “Winemakers House”  has a view that’s amazing.  We found out that the home is surrounded by Robert Mondavi vineyards so the feeling of being in the wine country in our own home was wonderful.

The six of us decided to caravan in 2 cars packed with essentials we felt we needed for the weekend—we left at o’dark thirty (as hubby likes to say) on Friday.  We had decided in advance we had to make a stop in Oakland at Bake Sale Betty’s for Alison Barakat’s (owner/founder) famous fried chicken sandwich.  Worth the wait in line and the slight detour!

This is the view with your back to the vineyard---Winemakers House

Once we arrived at Winemakers House we worked on the centerpieces for the rehearsal dinner (a request by mother of the groom).  Fresh sunflowers and wonderful vineyard vases made for a great table decoration!

Centerpiece for rehearsal dinner

We then dressed for the rehearsal dinner, hosted at Tri Vigne—about 15 minutes from our home.

The day of the wedding we visited St. Helena’s lovely little main street.  {more details on this portion of the trip tomorrow} There are some wonderful shops and the weather was very comfortable—I believe it got into the high eighties but really felt perfect (maybe it has something to do with being on vacation).

Note:  We choose not to visit any wineries that day knowing there would be plenty of wine at the wedding and dinner that followed.

The bride's colors were plum and a sage green, it is only coincidence that this guest had on a similar color and happened to get in the picture.

The wedding was held at V Sattui.  I believe it’s a newer vineyard—in any case, the building was beautiful and the wedding was held outdoors in a stone courtyard.  Above we were surrounded with flower boxes filled with ivy geranium, hydrangea and vines.  I think this is one of the prettiest settings for a wedding I’ve ever attended.

This photograph doesn't do the flowers and vine justice, trust me...the setting was beautiful.

The reception was magical…it was held in a room with wine barrels on 3 of the 4 walls.  There was a stone floor and overhead were rustic, iron chandeliers that were lit with candles.  There were votive candle holders placed on the wine barrels at each opportunity and the effect was so beautiful.

On Sunday we visited one of our favorite wineries, Newton’s.  The back story for Newton’s is too lengthy for me to send here but the overall story is that Sir Peter Newton started this winery and even after selling to a larger company have kept it small and boutique like, producing less cases per year than most larger wineries.

The tour itself includes the grounds,  caves and a formal knot garden complete with fountain.  They finish the tour with a sit-down tasting in the dining room, which enjoys a 180 degree view.  Small plates of a variety of foods are presented with the various wines for taste-compatibility.

Monday we enjoyed a tour at Cakebread Cellers and Chimney Rock Winery.  Each evening we brought wine, cheeses and artisan breads home for our appetizer hour, followed by a simple meal we all chipped in to prepare.

More wine country details tomorrow...I'm going to go in and enjoy a glass of wine with hubby now!

Mention of Napa Valley and the region by The Style Saloniste stayed in Healdsburg in what sounds like an incredible place…see her account of a beautiful weekend in this amazing part of the country.

More tomorrow on a few of the retail spots we visited during our stay in Napa Valley.

Off to Austin

16 Thursday Sep 2010

Posted by in Misc

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I’ll be headed to Austin tomorrow morning.  I’m attending a baby shower for my daughter-in-law and GRAND BABY #1 for moi!  Can’t wait.

It’s also going to be fun for me to see Son#1 and his lovely bride’s new home—not brand new, but their first home that they own!  I hope to get some pictures for you—places to eat, things to see.  I’ll be back next week.

Meanwhile—I’ve scheduled my Friday/Saturday post on our trip to Napa Valley for a wedding.  Very fun.

Why is it I don’t travel for months and months and then have 2 trips within the month?  Go figure.

Have a great weekend and I’ll catch up to you next week!

Real men do eat quiche

15 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in Entertaining, Food, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

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When Mr. B and I got married I knew I wanted to improve my cooking skills (if you can call the spaghetti recipe and country style ribs recipe skilled cooking).  Mr. B had a vested interest in this goal as well.

The apartment complex we lived in brought in a cooking instructor and scheduled classes in our apartment club house.  I can’t remember her name but her cooking school was called Bon Ton.  A friend who speaks French said she thinks this might mean “good food”.  I’d love to know—any French speaking readers out there?  Let me know.

And despite the 1982 book authored by Bruce Feirstein, “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche” Mr. B loves this recipe.  I use a frozen pie crust, Marie Callendar and it is very flaky and delicious and EASY!

Yum...great with a mixed green salad!

Basic Cheese/Bacon Quiche

Eggs (Bon Ton Cooking School)

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Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 1 ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of nutmeg & pepper
  • 1 cup cheddar, grated (or cheese of choice)
  • 5 slices of bacon, cooked crisp, crumbled (more if you love bacon)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 9” pie crust (I used Marie Callendar’s frozen pre-made crust)

Preparation Instructions

Pierce pie crust and add pie weights or dried beans (to keep crust from puffing up).  Bake at 375° for 10 minutes.  Cool slightly; add other ingredients, dot with butter and bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

I’d love to live in a stone cottage

13 Monday Sep 2010

Posted by in Antiques, Decorating

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What is it about stone walls in a room that conjures up coziness?  I love the ‘look’ and have often wished I could live in a stone cottage or at the very least, have a stone wall in my home.

I found this stone cottage on the wonderful Brabourne Farm site.

I love the plate rack and pewter with stone as a backdrop. Image via Country Living

Stone can add to any decor, French, Italian or Western. Image via Country Living

A few years ago hubby and I added some stack stone to the front of our house.  You may have noticed that I’ve never included pictures of the front of my house.  The reason is that the 1968 architectural style (or lack thereof) is not my idea of what a cottage should look like.  I guess I fancy our smallish home to be a cottage and the exterior architectural lines of our house doesn’t comply.

A stone wall creates such a cozy ambiance, don't you think?

Just imagine how great blue/gray painted furniture would look up against a stone wall! Image via Country Living

I used to dream that one day I’d add a pitch to the roof on the left side (we have a flat roof on one side of the house) and dormers to the steep pitch that extends over the garage on the right side of the house.  That never happened so when I see photographs of stone rooms I immediately slip into ‘dream land’ and imagine a stone cottage in the Cotswold’s or Irvine, I’m not that particular!

Talk about "visualization tactics" ...I can see myself reading a book by the fire in this stone walled room! Image via Country Living

Do you dream of a cottage in the Cotswold’s?

Images via Brabourne Farm

Bloom where you’re planted

10 Friday Sep 2010

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Making the most of where you live is something I’ve never had trouble doing—maybe it’s the Nester in me (or the optimist).  I have enjoyed each and every place I’ve lived, but this became especially true once I was able to do what I wanted in the way of decorating.  My first apartment was a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom place on Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.  I shared the apartment with 3 other girlfriends who happen to work at Disneyland with me.  This only whetted my appetite for decorating my living space.

I soon moved into a 1 bedroom place on my own—it’s an only child thing.  One of my best friends, Linda, shared my love of creating a comfortable living space and we used to shop weekly for decorative accessories and items that might make a future first kitchen as a married lady (trousseau).

This was one of the first pans I bought and it has lasted me 37 years.

I must have been a child bride!

This is one of the items we used to shop for when my girlfriend and I were anticipating owning our own kitchens one day.

Having lived in my current house these past 28 years (which have flown by) I marvel that I can still think of things I’d like to do to the house but most importantly, I still love where we live.

Part of the reason I’m happy here is the neighborhood itself.  For a tract of houses the surrounding area has lots of rural charm.  There are plenty of sidewalks to exercise on (walk or jog) and bike trails but there are also some walking trails—Madison, our terrier mix, loves this route best.

Madison is telling me it's time for our weekend walk with Debbie and Jane.

Does she look impatient? Yep!

We have this little stream that runs through a community park---I've been told it's runoff from a neighborhood reservoir

I wonder who carved this chair from a tree stump.

We have fun getting our exercise in this community and I’m thankful I can make time stop to smell the great outdoors once in awhile.

I hope your life allows you time to get out and walk around the neighborhood, smell the roses or sage brush, as the case may be.  What do you like about where you live?

Moving the fountain

08 Wednesday Sep 2010

Posted by in Gardening, Maintenance, Outdoor living

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The other day I needed to do some cleanup work in the atrium (the fig ivy starts growing like it’s attempting an escape during the summer months).  After fertilizing and hosing off everything I sat down for a rest and the little gray cells started working on an idea—this only happens every so often so I need to capitalize on it when it hits me.

This vine was perfectly happy in the atrium but I felt it could branch out and grow even larger (be happier) on the patio where our fountain sits.

We have a fountain on our patio that I had purchased many years ago.  It’s been a bit of a disappointment due to the sound it makes when the stream hits the water bowl—it sounds like a little boy peeing in the pool.  How do I know this sound?  I raised sons.  If any of you out there in blog land can tell me how to fix this and make the stream sound more like water drops gently landing on a pool I’d be eternally grateful.

The fountain was something I thought would add to our dining enjoyment when we ate on the patio---unfortunately it really took up more space than we had and the sound was not as relaxing as I'd hoped. I believe it will be much prettier in the atrium.

Anyway—the fountain and the 2 large pots I had on either side seemed to crowd the patio a bit and it dawned on me (the day I was working on the atrium) that the fountain might look better in the atrium.  It would also stay cleaner since my gardener doesn’t work in the atrium so his blowing of dust and leaves wouldn’t be a factor.

One of the bower vines got a new home on the patio post with this angel doorknocker.

The birds in our yard actually use this birdbath (when it has water in it). I think one of the local sparrows has a crush on the iron bird that rests here.

I’ve moved the bower vines that book-ended the fountain—one is in the atrium and one is on the patio.  The calliandra (‘red powder puff’) vine that had been in the atrium is probably going to be a lot happier on the patio—that’s the goal, keep those plants happy.

See, doesn't this vine look happier on the patio?

Now we can listen to the splash of water all through the house.

Have you rearranged any planted items or changed the look of your garden lately?

A trip down memory lane…House Beautiful

06 Monday Sep 2010

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One of the first “shelter” magazines I subscribed to as newly-married homeowner was House Beautiful.  About the same time we purchased our first home JoAnn Barwick was brought on board as Editor of House Beautiful.

Isn't this a welcoming entrance?

Wikipedia says:  House Beautiful is an interior decorating magazine that focuses on decorating and the domestic arts. First published in 1896, it is currently published by the Hearst Corporation, who purchased it in 1934. It is the oldest still-published magazine in what is known by publishers as the “shelter magazine” genre.

It was launched in the UK in 1989, targeting Middle England. Is that anything like “middle earth”?  🙂

I was very sad when JoAnn Barwick left the magazine in 1991…I felt like a good friend had moved away and I would miss her musings and insights into hearth and home and all that accompanies that.  Those of us who share this passion for home I believe we get attached to those who share our love!

The other favorite I enjoyed during those Barwick years with House Beautiful was a feature that was always on the very back page of the magazine called “From Thornhill Farm” written by Dee Hardie.  Dee’s images and words about life on a farm were wonderful.  She and her husband, Tom, had 4 adult children (although I believe during her time with HB she lost one of her sons) but she shared the joy of children (and eventually grand children), gardening, cooking and family life with such enthusiasm it was like a breath of fresh air each month.

It was a happy surprise when I opened the July/August 2010 issue of Traditional Home to see a wonderful cottage owned by my “friend” JoAnn Barwick and her husband Fred.  Her style preference has always been Swedish (she has published a couple of books featuring this style of décor) although she is of Norwegian descent.  As you can see in the images, she keeps her rooms simple, understated even, but always warm and welcoming.

All images from July/August Traditional Home magazine.