Put Casters on It

This is a philosophy I developed for just about any piece of furniture I had at the shop—put casters on it.  That way, when the mood hit me to move things around—generally, just before closing time so Patty would walk into my typical chaos the next morning—I could move the large pieces of furniture by myself.

While I had become pretty adept at loading large pieces onto a four-wheel furniture dolly all-by-my-lonesome, the casters were much easier on the back.

Unfortunately, I didn’t come-up with this brilliant philosophy until I was just about ready to close.  I had thought of it for large pieces which, ironically, remained rather stationary—like my check-out desk.  But, especially on the pieces I had custom made, I started asking Jeff to put casters on those.  It made delivering those items easy and, should the clients desire, they could be easily removed.

So, when I went in search of a piece of furniture to fill a void in our newly renovated laundry room, I was surprised that it took me a while to figure out what to do. 

I had this space . . . and heaven forbid it just remain “space.”  So, the space was screaming for something to keep it company.  My first fix was this:

You can see (just barely) the almost ideal table—it is an absolutely darling little metal table (on casters) which I had at the shop and just couldn’t let go.  It’s made its way around the house and I am determined to find the perfect location in this house (or another).

In the meantime, however, it didn’t work here.  It was way too long to allow us to open the refrigerator door.  And, though it is on casters, I didn’t want to scoot it out of the way every time we need something from the fridge.

Then, while out shopping with my mom, sister and daughter, I came across this:

 

As you may have already inferred from the background—I brought it home.  It’s a large crate which had been divided into cubbies of varying size—which made it perfect for my junk of varying size.  (Did you notice that wonderful blue-green paint on the interior?)

As you may have also already inferred, it is too large for the space, too.  It is not as wide as the other piece, but it is close.  Yet this pieces had so much more to recommend itself for this space that I decided I must make it work.

So, I scooted it down as close to the door jam as I could and proceeded to load it with junk (those cubbies on the right are the perfect size for wine bottles).  The refrigerator door opened, but I couldn’t access the crisper drawer on the bottom, right-hand side.  Oh well—I could make do without it—this is, after all, our “bonus” fridge.

Then it occurred to me . . . put casters on it!  And that I did.

When you are adding casters, you need to make sure you get the correct size and construction for your needs.  This crate is fairly light weight, but with all of the stuff I planned to load into it, I need to consider the weight capacity.  I also decided on a rubber wheels, as opposed to plastic or metal, since it would be rolling around on our new, vinyl laminate flooring.

I emptied the crate and flipped it over to expose the bottom—picked off the mounds of dog hair which had already attached there—and began marking the holes for drilling. 

 

(This is one thing I have to make myself do—pre-drilling.  It is much like prep work for painting—a necessary evil.)

And here we have the final product—all loaded down with junk for storage (those wine bottles I mentioned and a portion of my cookbook collection) and display.  (I’ve gotta learn to control that flash!)

Bonus:  it is ready to roll out of the way to allow access to that all important crisper drawer!

Are you a fan of casters?  Have you found a unique use for them or a place where you could not do without them? Do tell!

Thanks for your indulgence,

Post Christmas Dinner

I promised the readers of my weekly column in The Leaf Chronicle a copy of our menu for Christmas Dinner (which wasn’t prepared until the following Saturday).  I love having the menus of tried-and-true meals, served by real people, for my own use, so perhaps you will find some appeal in this menu.  If you have offered the same thing on your blog (or elsewhere) I hope you let me know—I’d love to check-it-out.

The menu:

Rosemary Prime Rib

Brussels Sprouts

Bourbon Carrots

Barley Casserole

Almond-Citrus Salad

Rosemary Prime Rib

6 garlic cloves, pressed

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp crushed rosemary

2 tbsp olive oil

1 (7 lb) 4-rib prime rib roast, chine bone removed

1 c sour cream

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp prepared horseradish

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; rub over roast. Let roast stand at room temp for 30 mins.

Bake at 450 degrees for 45 mins on lower rack of oven.  Reduce temp to 350 degrees and bake 45 – 50 mins or until meat thermometer inserted into roast registers 145 degrees (medium rare) or 160 degrees 9medium).  let stand 20 minutes

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, and horseradish; serve with roast.

Southern Living 2003 annual recipes

(For the record, we prepared our roasts for 45 minutes in our oven, then moved them to the grill, which we had preheated to a medium heat.)

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon

4 slices bacon, chopped into one-inch pieces

1 lb baby Brussels sprouts, thawed

1/2 c heavy cream

1 tbsp cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat, remove cooked bacon.

Cook sprouts in bacon drippings until they start to brown; add cream, salt and pepper.  Cover cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes; add lemon juice.  Top with cooked bacon just before serving.

This is actually a conglomeration of a few recipes—not sure where it originated.

Bourbon Carrots

3 c water

1 1/2 lbs baby carrots

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp bourbon

Bring water to boil, add carrots, sugar and salt.  Return to boil and cook 5 minutes or until tender.

Melt butter and brown sugar in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Stir in  carrots and cook stirring occasionally, 2 –3 mins or until well coated.  Add bourbon and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 more mins.

Southern Living 2003 annual recipes

Barley Casserole

1c barley

1/4 c butter

2 medium onions, chopped

4 ozs. mixed specialty mushrooms, chopped

4 c chicken broth

Melt the butter in a sauce pan, add barley and cook—stirring frequently—until barley is browned.  add chopped onions and mushrooms to sauce pan; cook until tender.  Transfer to a casserole dish, stir in chicken broth.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Charlene Saunders Thomas (my mom)

Almond-Citrus Salad

2/3 c vegetable oil

2 tsp grated grapefruit rind

1/2 c fresh grapefruit juice

1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix

1 grapefruit

2 oranges

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

3 c torn spinach

3 c torn leaf lettuce

3 c iceberg lettuce

1/2 c sliced celery

1/2 c chopped green bell pepper

1/4 c Sweet-and-Spicy Almonds

Combine oil, rind, juice and dressing mix in a jar; cover tightly, and shake vigorously.

Peel and section grapefruit and oranges, and place in a large bowl.  add avocado and next five ingredients.

Add dressing, tossing to coat.  Sprinkle with Sweet-and-Spicy Almonds.

serves 8

Sweet-and-Spicy Almonds

1 c sliced almonds

1 T butter, melted

1 1/2 t sugar

1/4 t ground cumin

1/4 t chili powder

1/8 t dried crushed red pepper

pinch salt

Combine almonds and butter, stirring well.  Combine sugar and remaining 4 ingredients; sprinkle over almonds, tossing to coat.  Spread on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees  for15 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool.

(Make a double batch to use as an appetizer or hostess gift.)

Southern Living 1996 Annual Recipes

Summertime grilling

Not being a big fan of hot weather, there are a few things I do enjoy about the summer—not the least of which is grilling most of our meals.  In actuality, we are year ‘round grillers, but we truly step-up the game during the summer months.
Everything from chicken legs and hotdogs to beef filets and prime rib have been prepared on our grill.  I would like to expand my repertoire with regard to main dishes, but the accompanying dishes, as well. 
I’ve prepared the more obvious side dishes on the grill—corn on the cob, potatoes and vegies—but there are some many more opportunities to use the grill. 
I started thinking about this while I was preparing one of my family’s favorite appetizers last week—mango brie quesadillas (thank you, Stacy)—and committed to myself that I would start investigating the aisles at our local book store for grilling books.  (Yup—that means I’ll be buying yet another cookbook, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.  Don’t be a hater—it’s for my family for heaven’s sake.)

Truth is, as I typed that my mind went to Barefoot Contessa and Giada De Laurentiis cookbooks already in my collection.  They probably have a few recipes in there, but I am pretty sure Bobby Flay or another grilling expert would have it all neatly packed into one volume.  Again, this will require some exploration.
In the meantime, I wanted to share the recipe I came-up with the other night.  I had thawed some chicken breasts, but did not have a marinade planned.  Since I had the mango standing by for the quesadillas, I decided to use them in the marinade.  I actually buy mango in a jar—the kind packed in juice—because it is quick and easy to use for morning smoothies. 
Looking in the fridge and realizing we are heading out of town for a few days, I decided I needed to use the remnants of an open yogurt container.  A mango yogurt marinade started to formulate in my mind.  It’s loosely based on a recipe I got from my friend’s, Brooke’s, sister, Lynn. I usually use plain yogurt for marinades, but all we had was vanilla Greek yogurt—again, for smoothies.  Here’s how it played-out:
for six boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 c. of yogurt
1/2 cup of mango juice (from jar)
1 T fresh lime juice
garlic (I had to use powdered because I was flat-out of fresh—if was okay, but it’ll never happen again.  I used about 1 t, but will use 2-3 minced cloves when I make it again.)
chopped cilantro, about 3 T
2 t curry powder
3 T olive oil
I allowed it to marinade for about 1 hour, but will allow more time the next time I make it.  I grilled over medium-low heat.  don’t ask me how long—as I rarely do it the same way twice.

Do you have any favorite grilling recipes? Will you share them with me, please.  I enjoy cookbook recipes, prepared by people in restaurant-worthy kitchens, but the best ones come from real people in their real kitchens.
Thanks for your indulgence.

“that cilantro tzatziki-like sauce”

I made this sauce last summer and since then, my husband has requested it regularly.  I cannot remember what I served the first time I prepared it, but it seems to go with everything!

We call it “that cilantro tzatziki-like sauce.”

It requires:

32 ozs of plain yogurt

1/3 – 1/2 of a bunch of cilantro, chopped

the juice of  1 - 2 limes (about 1/2 cup)

4 cloves of garlic—pressed

 

I use the leaves and stems of the cilantro.

The limes exceptionally juicy—I only used 1 1/2.

Make sure the garlic cloves are a good size—mine nearly filled the the receptacle side of the press.

Combine all with the yogurt.  I prefer to do this a day in advance, but have used it as soon as 2 hours after I prepared it.

 

Tonight I served ground beef  browned with onions.  I added salt, pepper, marjoram and rosemary, then a can of stewed tomatoes (chopped).  I served the beef mixture over brown rice, then we topped it with chopped tomatoes, feta, olives (not me—can’t stand them), cucumbers and that cilantro tzatziki-like sauce.

I hope you try it—then let me know how you serve it.

Thanks for your indulgence,

free FALL, part one

my question is . . . why do we even have to mess with summer? 
sure, it feels good . . . for about a week—I enjoy the flowers, the green grass and the pool.  after about a week, though, the flowers start to fade, the grass goes brown and the pool is no longer refreshing.
but, ahhhhhhh, autumn!
the temps have dipped—ever so slightly—I am in full-on free FALL! 
I’ve decided to adopt a new rule of social etiquette.  not only will I not wear white shoes after Labor Day (well, actually, ever), but I will wear my cowboy boots beginning the day after Labor Day.  here they are—they make me smile!

but, the reason you’ve tuned in, however, is the home décor, right?

below is a pic focused on our signature mixed-pattern silver plate flatware, a Farmhouse soy wax candle and a celery vase filled with acorns.



 my new favorite cookbook, The Romantic Prairie Cookbook, our iron rooster napkin rings, and a favorite cheese dome on on  a willow tray.


the beautiful new, ironstone pitchers with wheat and ivy patterns are difficult to distinguish from their vintage inspiration.


I have a particular penchant for brown transferware . . .


one of our uncomplicated, but favorite displays—the dried hydrangeas in our beautiful urn along with vintage books in our French wire baskets and our embellished globe.


ooh, that cheese dome!  and the owl pitcher (anything cuter?); in  the background a reproduction sugar mold.


here, the hint of the door I painted in homage to the Café de Flore in Paris.


apothecary jars, a mouse and moss.


we hope these subtle changes throughout the shop will help you make plans for transitioning your home into this wonderful season. (there are more to come . . . thus, the “part one”)
now to get to work transitioning my own home . . .
thanks for your indulgence!

a romantic notion to do some baking . . .

About two weeks ago a few new books arrived at Hodgepodge, the one I was looking forward to the most . . . The Romantic Prairie Cookbook.  I immediately dropped my copy into my basket, fully intending to read through it that night.

Well, the reality is I am still reading through it, but I really like what I see so far.  The premise of this collection of recipes is a reflection of the prairie way of life.  Author, Fifi O’Neill has compiled recipes from the kitchens of those who value environmental harmony, as well as their family heritage. 

I don’t have my own garden, nor am I as dedicated to organic gardening as I should be, but this book—it’s delightful content of recipes, stories and photos—is sure to motivate me to do better. 

Often I wait for a special occasion to try new recipes.  Yesterday, I decided a Labor Day was enough of an occasion and I wanted to make something from The Romantic Prairie Cookbook.  I then commenced to cajoling my eldest daughter into spending time with me on my day off.  She agreed and came over to help me in the kitchen.

The recipe we chose was blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake.  It was very easy to make—the instructions were clear, the ingredients uncomplicated and readily available.  We decided to make half-a-dozen of the mini bundt cakes and we poured the remainder into a loaf pan.

When all was said and done, we learned that is is easy to overfill those mini bundt cakes and fresh blueberries make a better presentation than frozen, but the cakes were tasty and I will make them again.

There are more than 100 recipes packed into this beautiful book and I look forward to preparing many of the recipes I’ve already marked to try.  I will try to remember to let you know about my favorites.

One thing is for certain, this book will always have a place in my cookbook collection, just as Romantic Prairie Style has become one of my go-to books for home décor inspiration.

thanks for your indulgence,

Cinco de Mayo Salsa

It’s Cinco de Mayo and I’ve decided that my contribution will be to share my favorite salsa recipe with my readers.  It’s super easy and very tasty.  It’s adapted from a recipe my friend, Bellamy shared with me years ago when we were living in Georgia.
So here’s what you need:

3 cans of Mexican Recipe Stewed tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 small red onion
pickled jalapeños, to taste
sea salt, to taste
Step 1
Dump one can of tomatoes into your food processor or blender, along with the leafy ends (stems and all) of your cilantro
. 
Pulse until it looks like this:
Step 2
Empty first batch from the food processor into a mixing bowl.
Dump the second can of tomatoes into the food processor, along with the onion.  I usually quarter my onion before throwing it in.  Pulse until it is the same consistency as above, then add to the mixing bowl.


Step 3
Dump the last can of tomatoes into the food processor, along with a couple tablespoons of jalapeños.*  Pulse the food processor, then add to mixing bowl. 

* for a spicy salsa, add more jalapeños or some of the pickling juice; I also prefer fresh jalapeños (cored and seeded), but the pickled ones are usually on hand when I decide to make salsa.
Add salt to taste, but I usually don’t add any, as our favorite chips are pretty salty.

I hope you enjoy!  I know my family does.

Now, I think I’ll go paint something using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint^TM Barcelona Orange—I feel like painting with a bright color today!
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Thoughts on Thanksgiving

(My Leaf Chronicle article for Nov 20th)

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. One thing I’ve noticed as I get older, a survey of my peers results in the same opinion. Most of us prefer Thanksgiving over Christmas. Further, most of site the same or similar reasons—less hubbub! Not so much to do to prepare for it—just fix some dinner and invite the family and friends over. It’s almost like any other Sunday for many of us—just more food.

Some of us travel. Well, that’s an understatement, being that it’s the most traveled holiday, but as I am retailer, I gave up even the thought of traveling on Thanksgiving! I don’t have those crazy 3 A.M. sales at Hodgepodge, but it’s a busy weekend anyway, so I can’t imagine being away.

So, for the past nine years, Thanksgiving has been at the King Kompound and that makes me VERY happy. My sister, Kendall, and her family are always part of the day and for that I am grateful. Between the two of us, we whip-up some rather tasty dishes that generally leave us quite satisfied.

Every year we try to think of some new dishes to prepare, but we’re hesitant to give up the tried and true recipes that we all enjoy. So, we usually make them all! This has really become a problem, because we just keep adding to an already large menu. Desserts alone are numbering close to the double digits!

One year I ventured on the wild side and made a dish using baby Brussels sprouts. They were amazing—even my youngest went back for seconds. The problem is I have less-than-no idea where that recipe went. I have tried replicating it—with acclaims and adoration pouring forth from Kendall who happily attests, to those being subjected to my experiments, that the original recipe was truly delicious. It’s very frustrating.

Tonight I will sit down with my cookbooks. I’m going to find a new vegetable recipe—one that doesn’t involve Brussels sprouts, but I do want it to be unusual. I’d also like a different green salad recipe. I’m looking forward to perusing my extensive cookbook collection for something mouthwatering.

I also need to do a little preparation for our table setting. I think I’ve written about the fact that I use a painter’s drop cloth canvas for our tablecloth before, but this year I want to make it fitted. I hope to find the time to cut it apart and create the tablecloth I’ve always intended it to be. If it doesn’t get done for Thanksgiving—it will get done for Christmas—even if I have to pay someone to do it for me!

As I think about my plans for my table setting this year, I decided to look back at pictures from years past (Yes, I take pictures of my table settings—when I remember—they come in handy for blogs and newspaper articles.). I really did like the table last year. I used a primitive three-tiered display, loaded down with gourds, pumpkins and Indian corn, as my centerpiece. As mentioned last week, a length of burlap served as the topper on my drop cloth.

I have to say—this was one of my favorite settings. And, true to the nonsense I spew at luncheons and other meetings I’m asked to attend as the speaker, I used the same basic setting for Christmas. I only changed the centerpiece.

(Of course, true to my form of these past few months, I failed to take any pictures of this year’s table.  The place settings were almost identical, but my centerpiece was simple.  I just used my twelve hole sugar mold with my artichoke votives.)

I’d love to hear about some of you Thanksgiving traditions, trials and tribulations.

Thanks for your indulgence,

Cookbooks—one last word!

(This was my article for the Leaf-Chronicle on Sunday, May 29th.  It seems folks are pretty passionate about their favorites!)

 

This will be the last one, I promise! I hadn’t planned to write another article about cookbooks, but after meeting with the wonderful ladies who make up the Clarksville Country Women’s Club, I decided I would be remiss if I didn’t add this addendum to last week’s article about my favorite cookbooks. I completely ignored the locally produced cookbooks; those produced by church groups, women’s clubs and military family support groups. I spoke with a few of their members and we discussed how much we enjoy locally produced cookbooks. Actually, I also received several emails and a few facebook comments regarding the some favorites I failed to mention

The first one brought to my attention was the local Junior Auxiliary’s Linen Napkins to Paper Plates. I’ve carried this one at the shop and receive calls for it constantly, but they’re no longer printing it. Let this serve as notice the ladies of the Junior Auxiliary—there is demand for your product. After that, the mentions were community specific.

What I like about those types of cookbooks is that they usually contain the best of the best. Those who submit their recipes are usually very proud of their submissions. They only offer-up those recipes that receive highest accolades at family dinners, reunions and social gatherings. The recipes in these collections have often been handed down for generations. Don’t you just love it recipe calls for “oleo;” you just know that one is a few generations old!

I really like finding these types of cookbooks from 30 or more years ago. It’s like a history book. The cooking tips are priceless! The other thing I love is that they are full-on-fat-content-be-darned recipes! Rarely do you come across a recipe in one of these books that would be considered “light.” They speak of a different time in our American lives. They speak of days of activity and very little—if any—television viewing; definitely no games to be played on tv. Kid’s activities, as well as adult activities took place outside. These recipes are from the kitchens of ladies who prepared their dinners without “googling” menu plans on the internet. They shared their recipes through bridge clubs and church groups. You’ve got to love that!

My all-time favorite compilation of recipes, however was my own notebook filled with recipes. I started it one summer while we were in limbo between Germany and Georgia. I spent a lot of time traveling to see family and friends while Darren found us a house and got settled at his new unit. While visiting, I wrote down recipes for the dishes they prepared for us. I also took the opportunity to copy a lot of my mom’s recipes in her index card file. I had recipes from my aunt, grandmother and cousins as well as those of friends. It was a treasure!

You’ll note I used the past tense.

About two years ago, I took it with me to do my grocery shopping and accidentally left it at the check-out counter. I ran immediately back to the store, but we couldn’t locate it. It made me so sad to know I’d never be able to compile such an amazing collection I’ll never know where it went, but I hope someone is using it and enjoying as much as I did. If the new owner is reading this, be sure to try my mimi’s 1-2-3-4 cake—it is amazing!

Well, that wraps-up the cookbook series . . . for now.  Thanks for your indulgence.

Cookbook Confidential

(Here’s the article for this past Sunday.  I wanted to add some pics, so I had my daughter take a few quick pictures of a portion of my cookbook collection.  I don’t think she was into  it as they were all shot from her full-standing height—one shot each.  Let’s just say, she wasn’t into the composition of her photos.  Worse yet—I couldn’t edit them!  I wanted you to see the full truth of my addiction, but not the full truth of my poor housekeeping habits!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy.  Let me know if you can relate!)

As promised, here begins the true confessions of a cookbook-aholic and why I’ll never even try to recover.

Okay, first, I come by this honestly. (Yes, this is where I blame my mother, but I will note I publically heaped praise upon her just a few weeks ago, via a blog post!) Actually, I wouldn’t even call it “blame,” per se, as I don’t believe it to be a problem—unless, of course, I account for the expense. My mom brought me up to enjoy cooking, but her mother lived for it! My grandmother loved entertaining—big dinners or luncheons and everything in between. She thoroughly enjoyed cooking, eating and discussing food. We often joke about the fact that even though she wasn’t able to work in the kitchen in her later years, she would pore over cookbooks and magazines looking for recipes; the Food Network was her favorite station. My parents would find notes about recipes she had seen on a show, Paula Dean being one of her favorites, written on anything within her reach.

They both love cooking, but it was Mom who gave me a copy of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook when I graduated from college or was it when I got married? Anyhoo, it was my first basic cookbook—it was the one she used the most for her basic cooking and I’ve found that it’s still my “go to” book. Later however, my sister, Nikki, gave me The New Basics Cookbook by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins and I found my new love! I referenced that book for new twists on old traditions, but also for all of the great cooking quotes they included throughout its pages. In fact, I incorporated four of the quotes in a border I painted in my kitchen in Georgia. While in Georgia, I started receiving the Southern Living Annual cookbook as a gift from my Grandmother; she provided me with many in my collection, then my mother gave me several from my Grandmother’s collection after she passed. I’ve since decided to collect them for each of the years Darren and I have been married—I’m only missing a few!

I find that I often reference the seasonal menus you can find in the Southern Living books, which is a feature I enjoy in many other cookbooks, as well. I’ve found many of our “family tradition” recipes with this resource. Another favorite is Jane Brody’s, Good Food Gourmet, her black bean soup is fabulous and I used her Asian Coleslaw recipe for my basic peanut sauce recipe. One that I’ve purchased in recent years is Julia Child’s, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I love everything I’ve tried in this treasure—I should use it more.

My mother pointed out that Jane Brody’s book came at a time when cookbooks started to change. They became more of a lifestyle guide—meaning not just recipes, but also entertaining ideas and personal stories, as well. I think those are my favorite kind! I have a few selections at the shop written by Tessa Kiros; they are all beautiful!

I’ve purchased a few bombs, too. I know Martha Stewart is the queen of cookbooks and entertaining, but I rarely find a recipe I’d use a second time; her Carolina bar-b-que sauce recipe being the only exception. (Guess I can kiss any future endorsements from Martha good-bye!)

There you have some of my favorites, but there are so many others. They can be found in almost every room of my house—on my bedside table, in the stack on the floor by my reading chair and, of course, in the kitchen.

Now it’s time for true confessions—tell me I’m in good company! 

Thanks for your indulgence!