Fall Forward

Two weeks ago I finally took down the fall mantel.

Today we are enjoying this:

The springboard for this mantel was the Vogue reproduction. That was the holiday card I sent 10+ years ago! Within the last couple years, I also purchased a similar authentic Esquire greeting card via ebay.

I think the holiday cards work well with the photographs of my dad's older siblings. They were taken in January of 1938 and February of 1945.

The mirror above the mantel was their household mirror. They got dressed for school looking into that same mirror in the 30s. It is fun to think that they're together again!

New to the mantel this year are the framed holiday postcards. The frame is one I picked up from the thrift store ages ago and painted.  I just mounted the cards on a piece of watercolor paper with painters tape.  One is postmarked from 1904! Another was dated 1908 and even addressed to a recipient, but never mailed.

New this year are also the holiday wreaths I made. One for the kitchen door and one for the front door area.

I just bought two wreaths from the grocery store. In addition to the ornaments, I attached sticks and Dollar Store greenery I painted with a brush (it is too cold to spray paint!). I secured everything with green floral twist ties also from the Dollar Store, so that it can all be easily removed and reused. The jury is still out on the spray snow. Perhaps I should have concentrated it more in some areas instead of a consistent application...?

Also new this year is a tree shape using hardware twine and Command Hooks to display holiday cards on the door leading upstairs.

Here is the dining room window. It is definitely a holiday favorite!

The window is especially pretty at night when the garland is lit up. Don't mind the sad hibiscus. It will be happier once spring makes its return and it is outdoors!

I didn't trust myself to take a Christmas tree down before Valentine's day. You know, with the baby's arrival and all.  :) So this is our tree this year.

And that's it for holiday decor here!

Merry Christmas to all!

Unlikely Curation

I bought a vintage paint by number when I bought the supplies for my entry into the Macklemore Challenge. I never would have considered adding a paint by number piece to my decor had I not seen a neat collection in a magazine.  Of course, I can't find the precise inspiration in print or online.  I did, however, find these:

 





Above source: Betsy Speert   

Left source:  At Home On the Bay

This blogger also has a nice assortment of photos.  



 Pretty neat and unexpected, eh?

I was confident I could restore this unique beauty.

First up, I needed to repair the scratch and hole with wood filler.











I also bought some matte medium, as I only had gloss, and thought I may need an additive to match the original paint.  Can you believe I still have some gloss medium left over from college?! I think I've mentioned that my stash of craft supplies is a hoarding concern. Anyway, I didn't need the medium after all.  The paint's sheen (or lack thereof) matched the piece. I will take the fifth on whether I returned the unused medium.

Once the filler dried, I applied more salve: straight out of the tube acrylic paint. 

 
I am very proud of how well I was able to match the colors, but think I should have used more filler on the scratch. 

From a distance, however, I think it looks pretty great.  You'll just have to trust me for now.





This ship is just about ready to set sail!

Stay tuned for other improvements- a matte, frame, and wall to hang. 

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend!  The weather was glorious and we were finally able to welcome spring!  

Someone was glued to the tv for March Madness, especially the Gator game, so we had to have our apps indoors.

But don't worry.  I enjoyed myself on the porch in between cooking times and as I shuttled Parker House roll dough to and from the car.  Did you know that a warm car is an excellent place for your dough to rise?  It's a trick I learned from my dad.  


This year's table (left) was only slightly different than last year's (right) ...

After reading an interesting New York Times article about the differences between a country and city ham, I tried to find my own country ham.  I wasn't so successful.  Part of the problem could have been I didn't go searching until the Saturday before Easter.  Ha.  Anyway, I did find a fully cooked, uncured ham that was free of antibiotics, preservatives, etc from Whole Paycheck Foods.  It was the last one and wasn't quite large enough - - I wanted this meal to enable us to have leftovers for days!   So I also bought a similarly sized ham from my regular grocer.  I thought it would be neat to have the two at the same time and compare them.  Well, the fancy ham was worth it.  It was so much more flavorful and even looked more appetizing.  It had more marbling and a more natural texture.  

I prepared the ham as I always do - with Ina Garten's Baked Virginia Ham recipe.

We also had:
Baked Pineapple Casserole
Whipped Sweet Potatoes - I just baked and peeled the potatoes, then added a bit of brown sugar, butter, and light cream.  Then I topped them with some toasted pecans.
Green Beans
Roasted Cauliflower - I just tossed the cauliflower and a few sliced onions with some olive oil, salt, and paper. 
Parker House Rolls - The cookbook with this recipe has a little blurb about the history of these rolls.  Did you know that Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh once worked at the Parker House Hotel in Boston?  

Of course, we also had some iced sweet tea.  The meal would not have been nearly as good without it!  Then, for dessert we had Blueberry Nectarine Buckle with vanilla ice cream.  

It was a great day and a great meal! 

Easter Mantel

 
This time last year we were lamenting how we didn't have much of a winter.  Of course, this year we are wondering when will we be rid of the snow once and for all.  I guess that's always the way, huh?



Perhaps that is some of the inspiration for this year's Easter mantel...  I don't think I've ever incorporated this many plants in a mantel.  I think I really wanted to see some green, life, and growth indoors since there sure isn't much outdoors.

The button Easter egg is also a new addition this year.  I was inspired by this I found on Pintrest.  It was also a craft I could make using materials I already have.  My original vision was to make the egg pink, but when I saw the pink with the blue frame, I was reminded that sometimes pink and blue is not my favorite color combination. 

 

I've made the eggs over the years. Those in the little egg cups are just modge podged tissue paper.  The blue and brown speckled eggs I made last year for our Easter dinner centerpiece.  I just painted them with acrylic paint and remain quite pleased with how they turned out. 

 

The embroidered Home Sweet Home was made by my grandmother Nellie.  It brings back fond memories of visiting her and my granddad in North Carolina. 








When I was in college, I worked as a cashier at a mom and pop grocery store.  One day a much older gentleman bought an Easter Lily.  He told me, "I've been buying my wife one of these for 50 years.  I can't stop now!"  Whenever I buy myself one, I think of him.


I just can't wait to welcome spring!

Mardi Gras ala Burlington

The other weekend we headed north to Burlington, Vermont for Magic Hat's Mardi Gras.  This was our second trip to Burlington for the festivities.  Our 2013 visit was just as fantastic as 2011 and our destinations within this great college town were also nearly identical.

Our stops:

Vermont Brewery 
Here we both had the Bombay Grab IPA.  Like many other on-site brews, the beer was not very carbonated but was so smooth and quite tasty.  We also had some of the best sweet potato fries we had ever tasted!















Penny Cluse Cafe
What an amazing brunch!  I also had one of the best Bloody Mary's I've ever had - the Penny Pickler.  We were starving when we got here Saturday morning, so we got an app - banana bread.  It was served with a walnut cream cheese and was out of this world.  And yes - that's Penny. The restaurant is named for the owners' pooch.  :) 

 Vermont State Craft Center - Frog Hollow  
The last time we visited the Hollow, I bought two prints by the same artist.  Since then, the artist has passed away.  I am so glad I have some of her work.  We enjoyed looking around this time, but left empty handed.


















Bennington Potters North Incorporated
This three story loft building is full of inspiration.  We love checking out the fantastic displays of handmade pottery and beautiful textiles. 





 
Adult Play Pens
There weren't any adult play pens the first year we went.  These were a wonderful addition!  We loved being able to enjoy a beer outside while we listened to the drum circle and people watched.  I also enjoyed the privilege of being able to drink a beer right outside city hall! 

The Parade
We thoroughly enjoyed the family friendly event.  We saw lots of eccentric folks, as well as families with small children and even a few four legged friends.  We caught a few beads, some chocolates, and even a cool beverage container.  I captured one of my favorite photos of all time the first year we went to Hat's Mardi Gras (left).  A different group of gals was outside this year and I got a photo of them too.

The Farmhouse
We had some cheese with our beer.  Who would have thunk it?  Anyway, beer and cheese is a delicious, unexpected combination.  We had blue cheese and sharp cheddar.  I later had the exact same dinner as I had the first time we visited - polenta cakes with mushrooms and kale.  Positively divine.  I also had some of the best beer I've ever tasted - Fiddlehead's Dog Eat Dog.  I am still dreaming about it.



Magnolia's
We stopped in here for breakfast before hitting the road.  We managed to beat the rush and even had some banana bread as an app.  Magnolia's serves their banana bread with a cherry cream cheese.  It was yum.  Our breakfasts were equally delicious. 

Just like the first time we visited, we stayed in downtown Burlington and did not use the car all weekend.  We loved seeing this great college town on foot.  I think this is going to become an annual thing for us. 

Specialty

My black beans and rice have been a signature dish since college. The first time I had black beans and rice, a friend who worked at the beloved (now former) Cafe Gardens prepared them with bell peppers and tomatoes. Later a gal from Miami, who also lived in Rawlings Hall, showed me how to prepare Cuban black beans.

Over time I developed my own recipe.  It became a favorite back then and is still frequently requested.

My recipe:

Large 28 oz can of black beans or 2 15.5 oz cans, partially drained

1 10 oz can of Rotel, partially drained 

1 medium to large onion, diced

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs black pepper

1 tsp cayenne 

4 tbs balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Combine all of the ingredients except the cilantro in a pot over medium heat.
Do not cover.

Stir occasionally.

When the onions have become transparent, add the cilantro.

Stir and warm the cilantro for about 3 - 5 minutes.

Serve over rice with cheese, sour cream, and chips.

Notes:

I feel old when I think about this dish. Is it possible that I've been making this for over 15 years? Yowzers.

When I partially drain the beans and Rotel, I don't bother with a colander. I just use the can lid to help.

In my dorm days, as well as time on 4th and 5th avenue, I used fresh tomato. I've come to realize that a can of Rotel yields the same flavor with less effort.

My measurements of the spices are approximate. I am able to judge by sight, but hopefully my estimates are helpful to you. Obviously the cayenne brings the heat, while the balsamic adds sweetness.

It is critical to allow the onions to cook until they are transparent. Otherwise they're a bit too overpowering.

Conversely, cooking the cilantro too much diminishes its flavor. A quick warm such that its color remains bright is perfect.

Black beans and white rice will never be as magical as MSG laden yellow rice. Black beans over white rice can, however, be pretty darn satisfying. I use whatever white rice I have on hand which is often either jasmine or basmati. 

Chips and sour cream are a relative new addition. Perhaps since I abandoned MSG yellow rice, I could replace it with some other indulgences.

Over all these years, I have remained faithful to my cheese: extra sharp white cheddar. 

Simply pureeing the beans yields a great dip or base for taco salads. 

Mantel 317

St Patrick's Day is around the corner!  It was time to get my mantel ready.

My framed An Irish Blessing is an oldie but a goodie.  I made it years ago.  I just typed the blessing in Word, printed it on resume pepper, colored the shamrocks, and popped it into a Dollar Store frame.

 A Wish for a Friend was made with the same method as An Irish Blessing.  The shamrock is new this year.  I started out by gluing a page from an old book to a piece of matte board.  Then I just hot glued three heart shaped pieces of felt, along with a piece of crafting wire, to the board.  I dropped it into a frame I already had.  I removed the glass, as I thought you could appreciate the texture of the felt and wire more without it. 


I had some bad luck crafting what I thought would be a great addition for this mantel. 

I thought adding three horseshoes to stained wooden plaques would be a nice addition.  What's St Pat's without some horseshoes?  They looked too grandparenty.  It was a major fail.  Oh well. 

I did manage to slip in one horseshoe.