warning: this can become slightly addicting (living room mood board)

Now to find the button that pays for it all!

choo choo

There's a mild obsession in F's room at school with trains that has them requesting the same train book everyday, calling everything with wheels a "choo choo", and lining up the chairs to form their own train.  Yesterday afternoon I pulled out this train of E's that's been unused for a little while.  To say it was a big hit is an understatement.  We just got out a few pieces of it, but even the construction and deconstruction of the track was exciting.  The turntable blew her little mind.

chair lust

Thus begins the living room project.  I'll post photos as we go along, as well as some background, and some future plans.  For now, just bear with me as I show you the chair that I discovered yesterday.  More details on it coming later, as well as an inspiration board I'm working on.

first dibs

In the spirit of cleaning out I'm going to post a few offers over the next week or so.  The first is for these watercolor names.  These are samples of names I've used in the past in stores / auctions / etc.  I don't do many of these anymore, except for the occasional gift, and I don't need samples for those.  I'd love for these to go to a great home, so if you have a Coffman, Clay or Abigail and would like them (FREE!) then just let me know.  I'll send them to you for just the cost of shipping.  These are watercolor names, already drymounted and matted, ready for framing.   They are currently covered in cellophane to protect them, so none of the tape or the stickers that you see in the photos are on the actual piece. I can give you additional measurements if you are interested.  They look great in kids' rooms, especially over cribs or beds.  Please forward a link to this post to anyone you know who has a little Abigail running around.

First dibs to those who will use them, if no takers, then second dibs to those with an etsy shop who might want to sell them (feel free to name your own price there!).  Same deal, shipping only.

Thanks - and check back for more offers in the upcoming days.

friday finds

So this Friday finds us with a lot of sunshine - hooray!  It bounces nicely off the dresser that came last Friday and that we put together this week.  This is one of those furniture items that falls in the category of not-really-needed - we have lots of clothes storage already- but really wanted.  When our room isn't full of stuff that used to go elsewhere (computer, desks, etc.), it's a fairly simple room with just a bed and some wardrobes.  The Eames rocker that was a gift for this room currently resides in the nursery, and will probably stay in there for a few more years.  I've just been wanting a nice, simple piece for this area - a place to put a lamp, stack some artwork on, hang a few things over.  We've looked for years for just the right dresser, wanting something white, something simple, but all we ever found was a sort of traditional looking painted piece or something too industrial or trendy.  Or too expensive - I can certainly locate the "perfect" piece of furniture at a less than "perfect" price point.

This one worked out great - the perfect length for this area of wall between the windows, nice clean lines, simple drawers.  If I could change anything about it, I'd make it sit up another inch or two so that the Roomba could vacuum underneath it - but I guess I'll tackle the dust bunnies every once in awhile under there with a swiffer.

Not sure what will end up on this, or hang over it, but for now I have a few pieces that have been patiently waiting in back room storage to come out.  Just having this in here might inspire me to get some photos out of this computer and onto some paper and into a frame.  One good thing usually leads to another...

Other finds this Friday:  a gift for E's best friend who turns eight today.  These bath bombs from Lush have been a big hit around here - they are nice treats at the end of a long day of second grade!  Too expensive to be an everyday occurrence, but so fun to toss in every once in awhile and spend a little extra time next to the tub, chatting with E as she sits in foamy swirls of color and glitter.  The first Lush store I went into was on our honeymoon ten years ago in Vancouver - they are a nice treat every once in awhile for those that enjoy a nice long soak in the tub. 

The larger piece on the dresser is a compilation of the girls' artwork, scanned and reduced in size and printed out on glossy photo paper.  The empty spaces are for works yet to be done (mostly by the little one who has some catching up to do), and the frame opens and closes easily for rearranging.  The links to the original posts on this can be found here and here.  The smaller print was from a gallery on Sanibel Island, purchased by M and shipped to me as a surprise.  It used to sit on the desk in my studio space before said space became a nursery.  The shifting and settling into a house is a fluid thing isn't it?  Recapturing a corner again of it is a nice way to kick off the year...

...and in my mind, is much more enjoyable to look at than the corner below (the before shot).  Now... where to put that pesky computer?

What did you find this Friday?  (My dad found himself with a broken arm - let's hope you find yourself a little luckier this Friday!)

something shiny and glossy landed in our room

Pictures coming soon (after I stop jumping up and down).

whoooo whoooo

We have quite of few owls around, which would probably explain why this is a frequent sound heard around here.

Animal lover is an understatement.

snowy afternoon

I really love the way this hallway works when the buckets are out and the chalk and magnets are flying.  Since it's the stair hall, the little one doesn't get free reign yet - someone has to sit at the top of the stairs, but it is fun to watch the two of them work together on some sort of project.  Or watch one destroy the other one's.  Either way, harmony or strife, this hallway always has a burst of color and a slightly different look each week.

Which reminds me... I took a photo of the other side of this hallway too.  I'll go hunt for that...

Ahh, here they are.  It's like real-time blogging here.  In the midst of finding room for the new and shifting things from E's room that she's outgrown, into F's room, that she's not quite ready for, I've also been looking for places to house the books we own.  The art shelf in the hallway seemed like a great place to stash that library of paperbacks that are pretty popular around here which freed up a lot of space on the ledge in E's room.  We also shifted somethings around in her wardrobes, and set up easily accessible shelves for her crafty / projecty things like her sewing, knitting and art.  So far it seems to be working really well, and hasn't impeded a bit upon the Playmobil area - an area quite loved by both girls.  Organization.  What January is best for.

animal sounds after bath

and perfecting the elephant...

friday finds

Friday finds us with a lot of paper... or a lot less paper, since these are currently getting laminated at the printers.  New signs for around E's school.  I decided if I ever find myself out of a job and looking for something to do, I'll just go door to door in classrooms and ask if anyone needs any bulletin boards done.  I trained early for it.  (Ahem, mom... sis...)

no color adjustment required

It's amazing how bright and sepia-colored a pitch black morning, a lot of snow, and a single streetlight can be.  Here's me watching from my warm second floor window down to my cold husband shoveling a path to the cars.  There was a brief lull in the snow for a few moments, while he worked before it started up again.  Three hours later the rest of us ventured out to school and to work, and the path was covered, the car window-less again.  But we only sank in a few inches, and not many more, and we were grateful for early morning snow removal and a few good pairs of boots.

there's a system to these things: the proper hat

this should stand out on our street

This past weekend E got to attend the Detroit Auto Show with her dad and grandfather, who attend most years.  So far, the highlights relayed to me have been as follows:  Custom coloring her own car (see above), the Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, seeing Tron in 3-D, and miles and miles of walking, with a little hotel swimming on the side.

Sounds like a banner weekend to me.

when I wish there were more hours in the day

Oh, to stumble upon these places.  These hurt, they are so gorgeous.

To those friends we know that can do stripey socks, surely these gardens aren't that much more difficult...

a real love affair

we have a thing for monkeys

ice cream recipes, edition 3

To wrap up the ice cream recipes...here's the final batch.

S'mores Ice Cream

Cuisinart Recipes

1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

pinch salt

2/3 cup whole milk

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup marshmallow cream (e.g. Fluff)

2 full graham cracker sheets, crushed

2 ounces milk chocolate (1/3 cup chips), melted and reserved at room temperature

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugars and salt.  Add the milk and, using a hand mixer on low speed or a whisk, beat to combine until the cocoa and sugars are dissolved.  Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.

Freeze in the mixer until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.  Five minutes before mixing is completed, gradually add the marshmallow cream, one spoonful at a time.  Once mixed, add the crushed graham crackers and melted chocolate, one at a time, through the top and let mix in completely.  Store in a freezer safe container until firm, at least 2 hours.

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Williams-Sonoma

1 cup fresh pumpkin puree (if you're into that sort of thing, wink, wink) or canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

5 egg yolks

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of nutmeg

1 Tbs bourbon

In a bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree and vanilla.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 8 hours.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine 1-1/2 cups of the cream and 1/2 cup of the brown sugar.  Cook until bubbles form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, the remaining 1/2 cup cream and the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.  Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat.  Gradually whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.  Pour the egg mixture back into the pan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping the custard at a low simmer, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and registers 175 degrees.  Do not allow the custard to boil.  Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Place the bowl in a large bowl partially filled with ice water, stirring occasionally until cool.  Whisk the pumpkin mixture into the custard.  Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Transfer the custard to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.  Add the bourbon during the last minute of churning.  Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least two hours.

Peppermint Bark Ice Cream

Williams-Sonoma

3 cups half-and-half

6 egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 cup chopped peppermint bark

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the half-and-half until steam begins to rise from the surface.  Remove from the heat.

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until blended.  Gradually add the hot half-and-half, whisking constantly until fully incorporated.  Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula, until the custard thickens and a finger drawn across the back of the spoon leave a path, about 5 minutes.  Do not allow the custard to boil.  Custard should register 175 degrees.

Pour the custard through a medium-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl and stir in the vanilla.  Set in a large bowl partially filled with ice water, and stir occasionally until cool.  Refrigerate until cold.

Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze.  At the end of the freezing process, add the chopped peppermint bark and continue processing just until it is blended into the ice cream.  Transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

Brown Sugar-Balsamic Swirl Ice Cream

Bon Appetit, Gabriel Hamilton

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1-1/2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Combine heavy whipping cream, whole milk, and 1/2 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan.  Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean.  Bring cream to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until very thick, about 2 minutes.

Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture.  Return mixture to saucepan.  Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and thermometer registers 180 degrees - do not boil.  Strain custard into large bowl set over another bowl of ice and water.  Cool completely, stirring often, for about 15 minutes.  Cover and chill overnight.

Boil balsamic vinegar in heavy saucepan until reduce to 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes.  Cool syrup in pan.

Process custard in ice cream maker.  When done, spoon in balsamic syrup and churn 3-4 seconds longer to swirl.  Transfer ice cream to container and freeze until firm at least 2 hours.

.....

The last recipe I had hoped to make was dulce de leche ice cream, made with my own confiture de lait (which takes 2.5- 3.5 hours alone of cooking).  I never could seem to find a good time to start this recipe in the midst of everything else going on.  I'd still like to give it a whirl, and when I do, I'll most certainly post the results.  I would recommend any of the recipes in the series, and I hope that you'll kick off your new year with a pint or two.  Trust me, they're worth it.

a girl and her balloon

I'm not quite sure how she got this far in life without having her own balloon, but I do think this is her first one ever.  It's been a big hit, to say the least.

friday finds

I found this in my stocking a few weeks back, but just re-found it today as I cleaned the kitchen and organized the new with the old.  I saw this first in a shop in Thomasville, GA, and loved the way the olive oil forms different colored pools depending upon the depth.  I've heard that I hinted a bit for this, although that's not the way I remember it.  I just loved the simple, elegant design.  And perhaps I mentioned that a few times...

the girls had a pretty great Christmas, but Molly made out like a bandit

If you had to pick one person in our household who really "scored" this Christmas, it would have to be E's doll Molly.  She's now the proud owner of her own school desk (already filled with miniature homework papers by E), a violin, music stand and tiny music, clothing, a lunch box, her own bed, and even a camper for weekends in the mountains.  We've got everything unpacked now, and I swear it felt like I was setting up someone's Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right - only at 1/6 scale.

It's all getting some serious play action, and we've finally convinced F that she's just a smidgen too big to use this stuff herself, although she can almost wedge herself into that camper.  I'll try to get a photo of that.

big sister socks

And socks to match the little ones.

E and I have a long way to go on our knitting journey before we're turning out these!

biscotti emergency

Lately E's been doing a lot of research on one of the countries that she descends from.  (Can you descend from a country?  Country of origin is what I mean.)  She comes from a long list of native countries - as most of us do - but she had to pick one, and I convinced her to choose Italy (my personal favorite) over a nice red wine, some homemade pasta and cappuccino.  Not entirely true.  I think she just figured since I had lived there for awhile I'd be a good first source (easy source).

Today - before the snow kept us in - she was to present her country in a mock travel agency along with the other members of her class, attempting to "sell" a trip to her home country based on the features and highlights of the place.  She could bring in any manner of things to woo her potential customers, and biscotti was the one treat that seemed easy enough to share with other seven and eight year olds.  They frown a bit on red wine or espresso machines in the classroom.  So last night, as the snow started to blow, we got the ingredients out to make chocolate biscotti.  And then I discovered the missing ingredient - something this household is never without.  Baking powder.  My mind flashed back to the lemon pound cakes, and the endless tablespoons I dipped out of that container.  Tears flowed.  Wailing ensued.  Her agency was destroyed, and no matter what dried pasta or breadsticks I procured from the pantry, nothing else was going to do it.  It was biscotti, or die trying.

The happy ending came in the form of a chance phone call to the organist at our church - who conveniently lives around the corner, and even more conveniently was stepping out to the market to pick up a few things pre-storm.  She had baking powder, which she dropped off to me on the corner, with a grateful, tear-streaked girl waving from the window.  Biscotti was made, biscotti was tried, biscotti was packaged and ready to go.

And then it snowed, and we didn't need it after all.

.....

The good thing about chocolate biscotti?  It keeps for awhile, so it will be just fine tomorrow, served from a bowl I purchased fourteen years ago in Assisi and brought home for my grandparents.  And while the biscotti cooked, she studied that breadstick package and determined that it would work just fine - seeing that it had the Italian flag on it, and everything.  Of course.  Biscotti and breadsticks, and thankfully, no more tears.

ice cream edition 2

First round of Ice Cream Recipes at this previous post.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Williams-Sonoma

You may never eat store bought again. 

1-1/2 cups pecans

2 Tbs unsalted butter

2 Tbs plus 2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1-1/2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks

pinch of sat

1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times, just until they are coarsely chopped.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add half the chopped pecans and toast them, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.  Sprinkle the 2 Tbs brown sugar over the pecans and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and forms a glaze.  Scrape the pecans and all the glaze onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spread them out in a single layer.  Let cool to room temperature.

Place the remaining pecans in a dry saucepan over medium-low heat and toast them, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the cream, milk and 2/3 cup of brown sugar.  Warm the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved and steam begins to rise from the surface, 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let the mixture steep for 10-15 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and salt until blended.  Whisk in 1/2 cup of the pecan cream until smooth and blended, then pour the egg mixture back into the pan.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring slowly and continuously with a spatula, until the custard thickens and reaches 175 degrees.  Do not allow the custard to boil.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl; discard the pecans.  Nestle the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice and cold water and cool the custard to room temperature, stirring occasionally.  Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.

Stir the vanilla into the custard.  Freeze in the ice cream maker.  At the end of the freezing stage add the buttered pecans just until blended.  Transfer ice cream to freezer safe container and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Crystallized Ginger Ice Cream

Williams-Sonoma

2 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 cups heavy cream, chilled

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

In a saucepan over medium heat, brink the milk to a simmer.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the top pan of a double broiler off the heat, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and salt until pale yellow, 3 to 4 minutes.  Gradually add the hot milk, whisking constantly until fully incorporated.  Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan and cook, stirring slowly and continuously with a wooden spoon until the custard thickens and reaches a temperature of 175 degrees.  Do not boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cream and vanilla.

Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve set over a clean bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Freeze in an ice cream maker.  When half frozen, stir in the chopped crystallized ginger and complete the freezing process.  Transfer to freezer safe container and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours. 

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
Gourmet
I made two different recipes - the first (below) used Mexican Chocolate in it, the second was a base chocolate recipe with the spices added in.  I liked the first better - but it's sometimes hard to find Mexican chocolate, and the recipe becomes pretty expensive once you add it.  But the texture of the ice cream is better than when you add cayenne pepper and cinnamon to a base chocolate.  So if you like the heat of a spicy chocolate, this recipe is for you.

1/2 vanilla bean 
11 oz. Mexican chocolate (3-1/2 disks; preferably Ibarra), coarsely chopped
3-3/4 cups half-and-half
Scant 1/4 teaspoon salt

Halve vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into a 3-quart heavy saucepan.  Add chocolate and half-and-half and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking.  Remove from heat.

Lightly beat eggs with salt in a bowl, then add hot chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking.  Transfer custard to cleaned saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until custard registers 175 on thermometer, 1 to 5 minutes.  Immediately pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl.  Put bowl into a larger bowl of ice and cold water to cool, stirring occasionally.

Freeze custard in ice cream maker.  Transfer to freezer safe container and freeze until hardened, at least two hours.


Buttermilk Ice Cream
 smittenkitchen.com, adapted from Claudia Fleming's The Last Course

2 cups heavy cream

1-1/4 cup sugar

12 large egg yolks 

2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla or half a vanilla bean, scraped and simmered with the cream

pinch of salt

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the heavy cream and one cup of the sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.

Remove the cream mixture from the heat and drizzle a small amount into the yolks, slowly, and whisking constantly to keep the eggs from curdling.  Do this a few more times to warm up the yolks before pouring the yolk mixture back into the cream, whisking constantly.

Cook over low heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and registers 175 on thermometer.  Strain the mixture and whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla and salt.  Cool completely and freeze in ice cream maker.

Lemon Gelato
Williams-Sonoma

I chose this recipe in the hopes that I could put to use some of the leftover lemons from the lemon pound cake baking.  I was a bit disappointed in the results, and will likely try out some other lemon ice cream recipes, but if you like lemon, and a not-too-sweet cream, this one is worth a shot.

1 cup half-and-half

1 cup heavy cream

3 lemons

3/4 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

1 cup creme fraiche or heavy cream

In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine the half-and-half and cream.  Using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of 1 lemon in long strips.  This didn't work for me, I ended up peeling the lemon and removing as much of the white pith as possible.   Add to cream mixture.  Place over medium heat and bring just to a simmer.

Meanwhile, grate the zest from the remaining two lemons.  In a food processor, combine the sugar and grated lemon zest and process until well mixed.  In a bowl, combine the egg yolks and lemon sugar.  Whisk until pale and smooth.  Slowly whisk in the hot cream, then return the mixture to the saucepan and place over medium-low heat.  Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture visibly thickens and coats the spoon, about 4 minutes.  Do not allow it to boil or it will curdle.

Remove from the heat and stir for 1 minute.  Let cool for 15 minutes, then whisk in the creme fraiche.  Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 8 hours.

Strain the mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze.  Store in freezer safe container, and freeze until hardened, about 1 hour.

.....

I'll post the final ice cream recipe installment later this week.

 

"my do"

The phrase most heard now out of the mouth of this 1.5 year old...  "my do".  We hear you, loud and clear.

Camera phone pics while out celebrating her half birthday with some ice cream.

handmade gifts

Handmade gifts are some of our favorites, and I literally squealed when I saw these.  J made trivets for us, which are the perfect size when we set out all our hot dishes with food on Taco Tuesdays - way more stylish than the assortment of dishrags we usually set them on. 

and-a-half

Today it is nice to focus on something a bit happier than the sorrowful news of yesterday.  We're celebrating F's half birthday in the way that we do in our house.  A meal out together, and a quiet day spent as we like.  Since we haven't yet figured out which restaurant is her very favorite - she likes any place that serves food - we decided to go out for breakfast, which is probably her favorite meal of the day.  She did us proud.

She's also sporting some brand new, made for her socks by our friend J.  This baby loves socks, and was delighted to put them on.  When I took them off to photograph them she wasn't very happy.

Time flies by at a record pace, and the shoes she wore yesterday don't fit today.  Every month I pack away little clothes that have been worn by three girls in our family, and I know this passage of time never slows down.  One day I'll be packing these socks away, thinking of the way they looked, all snug and cozy over the toes of a napping little one.  

You are sweet beyond sweet, even in those moments of burgeoning independence and will.  We love you more than we know how to say, how to squeeze, how to hold.  Happy birthday, sweet one.