Calendar Girls ~ January 2012

Although there is no doubt that the autumn and winter months have their serious downsides they do have their silver linings. One of these is more leisurely internet browsing time which can yield new blogs to explore. Here are one or two that I have come across in recent months which are now becoming regular ports of call ~

The first is a blog with a delightful name which just rolls off your tongue ~ 'Wellywoman'. Hailing from wet South Wales, where wellies are often needed to wade through all the puddles, Wellywoman is a keen gardener and a fairly new allotmenteer who writes thought provoking, humorous and informative posts She grows from seed without the luxury of a greenhouse, has highlighted a few more books for me to read as well as sharing some tasty recipes. I am now addicted to butter beans and leeks! Recent posts have included observations on gardening as a career, hints and tips on growing sweet peas and a fascinating post on seaweed and its uses/benefits in our gardens and allotment plots.

My second calendar girl for January is Urban Veg Patch. Caro is one of The York Rise Growers from North London, whose "vision is to create a beautiful community space for growing herbs, veg and fruit". Again she is keen on growing from seed and shares some beautiful photography on her blog. Caro may well yet be responsible for leading me in the direction of another addition - that of Pinterest which she described in a most tempting fashion in a recent post.

If you have not already come across these blogs I urge you to visit as soon as you. I intend to make 'Calendar Girls' (or boys) a regular fixture from now on perhaps nearer to the start of the month. Have you come across any new to you blogs recently?

Prickly Chairs

By Mexican designer Valentina Gonzalez Wohlers . A cactus that you’ll want to sit upon just add your choice of multicolored Otomi upholstery.  Available at Bergdorf Goodman

Giambattista Valli Couture

Beautiful cocktail dresses , More here

Picture Of The Day

Though it wasn't created in-camera, this double-exposure photograph is, nevertheless, breathtaking. Montreal, Quebec-based photographer Michelle Karpman superimposed the two shots - one taken from winter and one from the summer - using Photoshop. She then called it Sunshine On My Mind. On a rainy or snowy day like this, it's just perfect!

You can purchase a 12x12 print of it on Etsy.

Just a thought….

What if...

I were to upholster these two chairs in

SWISS ARMY BLANKETS?

Yes...No...Maybe So???

Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients:

For doughnuts:

1¼ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup sour cream

1 large egg

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

Vegetable oil, for frying

For sugar glaze:

1½ cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 to 4 Tablespoons whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

First make the doughnuts by sifting together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, egg and butter.

Add the flour mixture in batches to the sour cream mixture, folding it in with a spatula until fully incorporated into a smooth dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 20 minutes.

Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface until it is approximately ½-inch thick.

Use a cookie cutter to cut out doughnuts that are 2½ inches in diameter. Re-roll scrap dough until all doughnuts have been cut out. Optional: Reserve the centers of each doughnut to make doughnut holes.

Prior to frying the doughnuts, prepare the sugar glaze by combining the sifted sugar, whole milk and vanilla extract in a small bowl.

When ready to fry doughnuts, heat at least 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until it reaches 360ºF.

Fry the doughnuts and doughnut holes in batches until they are golden brown.

Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the doughnuts to a cooling rack to drain. Let them cool just slightly before dipping them in the prepared glaze.

via here

Look Of The Day

A beautiful green dress from No.12 Pre-Fall collection. 
Photo: style.com

Celebrations, Presentations and Relaxation

Something happened to my post it seems so I'm reposting as I link up to The Tablescaper to celebrate Seasonal Sunday.  

 It was a wonderful week. It began with a celebration of my husband's 60th birthday.  He was born in the Year of the Dragon so he is convinced that the Chinese New Year Celebrations are part of his birthday celebrations. 

At work we enjoyed a special presentation and visit with Ken and Kathleen Powell.  Ken is a WWII POW and Kathleen is a Rosie the Riveter. 

Ken is holding the egg beaters he made while held as a prisoner using scrap metal. 

 Both Ken and Kathleen have amazing stories to tell and both are in their 90s so I was especially honored that they came to spend time with my workplace.   The egg beater Ken is holding is being fought over by two museums.  The detail of his handiwork is amazing but as he shared with the audience, "we had plenty of time on our hands."

If you are interested in learning more, you might be interested in the book that was written about Ken and his brothers,   Four Stars in the Window.

Tells the dramatic story of four brothers in one family during WWII who survived an Iwo Jima battle, a German POW camp, Omaha Beach on D-Day, and Army Air Corps cadet training.

I ended the week with a visit to a bed and breakfast that happens to be just around the corner from my house. 

 And so I enjoyed an afternoon tea with a dear friend in a lovely setting with a delightful hostess.

I hope you are enjoying the pleasures of the season.

The 52 Week Salad Challenge ~ January 2012

I could not resist when Veg Plotting laid down the gauntlet of growing and or/foraging "some salad leaves to to eat every week this year". Yet although it's still only January I can already hear that school report phrase "Could do better" ringing in my ears! I am somewhat slow at rising to the challenge. I think that some of this is down to the general January lethargy that strikes me most years so I can only presume that as the year wakes up so will I.

I'm rather conservative in some ways when it comes to food. I don't do hot and spicy or bitter. I also have an innate suspicion of anything with serrated leaves or sharp stalks. For some reason such greenery often gets stuck in my craw as I eat so violent coughing and sometimes choking ensues. I have nightmares of being carted off to hospital in need of surgery a la Queen Mother after her encounters with fishbones. I don't know if this peculiarity is just a family trait as my mother also suffers from it or whether other people have a similar affliction. So alas delights such as dandelions and hairy bittercress are strictly off the menu for me.

So what have I been up to? In the greenhouse my main activity some winter salad leaves have been sown. The greenhouse is unheated. The leaves shown were sown in a small unheated propagator on the 8th January. The lid has remained on throughout so far but I shake off any surplus moisture and open the ventilation shaft (not sure if this is the correct phrase) each day. I have not watered the compost but spray it with my trusty water mister when I think necessary. I do this regularly with small seedlings as I they are delicate and do not appreciate a deluge from a watering can. There is also more risk of things getting too wet at this time of year and using a mister makes it so much easier to control the volume of water seedlings get. I hope to be munching from this sowing in February and will be sowing again this weekend.

My brief flirtation with sprouting seeds back in the 1970s is about to be re-ignited. Buying the equipment locally was a challenge in itself but I now have a sprouting germinator jar and a small selection of sprouting seeds so am set to go. I will hopefully report on some harvestings next month.

What I have been enjoying this month is some finely chopped snippets of Babington's Leek (allium ampeloprasum var babingtonii) on salads and also as a chive substitute with scrambled eggs. You can see a photo above of some plants waiting for me to transport them to the allotment to join those already in residence. I took the photo in the greenhouse for convenience - the plants though have been outside all winter. This plant is native to Britain and can be found growing mainly near the coast. The leaves have a garlicy taste and although all parts can be eaten I have only munched young leaves up to now. The foliage disappears over the summer months. I grew my plants from seed obtained from Chiltern Seeds. I have a few spare seeds or to be more accurate bulbils to spare if anybody is interested.

My other activity has been the oh so most important and pleasurable business of perusing the seed catalogues for various salad ingredients. Some sowing is on the schedule this weekend Finally last night I came home from my local garden club meeting clutching two bags of seed potatoes - Belle de Fontenay and Ratte, both of which are delicious salad potatoes. I realise that the challenge is about mainly about leaves but you do need something to bulk them up. Mmmmmmmmm - my mouth is already watering at the thought.

Do visit the monthly round up of The 52 Week Salad Challenge over at Veg Plotting if you have not already signed up consider joining in the fun!

Whoops I did it again…..Lampapalooza.

Another trip to my local habitat store

and I found yet ANOTHER lamp I apparently needed.

This one is HUGE and HEAVY…and I have no clue what to do with it… sigh.

My first thought was to use it outside in our covered area by the pool

But in bringing it home, the shade was ruined…it was fugly anyway…but now another shadeless lamp is at our casa.

What would you wise and savvy folks do

hmmmm?

It does need a taller harp for sure

Half gallon of milk to give you an idea of size….

Ooooh….and do you love the Swiss Army blanket I picked up too???

I do!

So give a girl a hand…suggestions…ideas….ever seen a lampapalooza like this?

Lets skip down memory lane together and take a peek at the other Habitat lamp *finds* I have dragged home

shall we?

The above water bottle lamp was transformed last year…remember it here

…This not so little brass guy was rescued from Habitat

The guy above…hiding behind the paperwhites…just needed a new shade and some love. 5 bucks.

…Then there is this little lady.

Dayum…I have lit up the casa with some Habitat Lighting…

who Knew?

Support your local Habitat for Humanity

…go buy a light for Heaven’s sakes.

Quote Of The Day

L'Hotel de Vendome, Paris

Every afternoon at L'Hôtel de Vendôme superior gourmet coffee varieties are served according to the expertise of France’s Best Roaster of 2011, Antoine Netien, and Tom Clark, owners of Paris’s high-profile Coutume Café, and importers and roasters of vintage coffees. 

Enticing the coffee-drinkers to elevate their experience to a sinful level of indulgence are dainty carts full of mouth-watering sweet delicacies created with the supervision of Luc Debove, Chef Pâtissier of the Grand Hotel of Cap Ferrat, that belongs to the same group as 1 Place Vendôme. 

Wordless Wednesday ~ 25th January 2012.

~ growing in The Winter Garden at Dunham Massey ~ 23/01/2012.

The Perfect Schnitzel

Ingredients for 6–8 servings

For the marinade:

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 heaping tablespoons of good quality mustard
• 3–4 garlic cloves, smashed
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 pounds boneless chicken breast, very thinly pounded

For frying:

• 1 1/2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• fresh ground pepper and sea salt
• canola oil

For serving:

• 3–4 lemons, halved
• Good quality mustard (optional)

Preparation:

1. Combine eggs, mustard, garlic and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and mix until the chicken is completely coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, mix together the unseasoned bread crumbs and panko bread crumbs. Season with fresh ground pepper and sea salt.

3. Dredge chicken breasts in bread crumbs, patting slightly to help them stick.

4. Pour oil into a medium skillet to about 1 1/2 inches high. Heat oil on high heat until very hot and add chicken breasts, adding just two to three at a time (depending on their size). Do not overcrowd them in the pan. Reduce heat to medium and fry until golden brown on each side and chicken is completely cooked through. Repeat with remaining chicken.

5. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon and place on a serving plate lined with paper towels, until all chicken is fried.

6. Serve immediately with a lemon half and mustard.

via Design Sponge

Reflections

'Reflections' is a series of photographs by New York-based fine art photographer Ira Fox. Shot through the reflections seen in puddles on their ground, they show shadows of passers-by as they cross paths with Fox on a rainy day.

Tie-dye, Python, Florals . . .

From Elizabeth and James spring 2012 , click here.

360 Party Hub Grill Fryer

Blacktop 360 Party Hub Grill Fryer allows all party fellas to cook their favorite food such as; burgers, French fries, meat and fish etc around it without waiting. The Blacktop offers cutting board, deep-frying, warming plate, grill and skillet to give you all-in-one solution. It's portable, light-weight and need no assembly. Buy it here

Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman Spring 2012 swimwear collection