Gone Dutch

This delicious savory bread pudding was last night's dinner; a great way to use up that big loaf of French bread we never got around to eating, and of course, a perfect occasion to use our new Dutch oven.  

Cooking out of cast iron is becoming a bit of an obsession for me lately.  I love how heavy and raw the pans feel, and that you're not to use soap, but hot water and a nice scrubby brush for cleaning. I've even heard great stories about making bread in a Dutch oven and also love the idea of taking it car camping once the weather is a bit nicer out.  I can't wait for spring.  

Have a good one.

It's been a rough week, but it's over now.  Between the tragic loss of a truly wonderful old friend from my hometown, combined with the unrest in the Middle East and the earthquake in Japan, I'm tired. But, tonight I'm celebrating the comfort of the weekend ahead and the fact that I am healthy, employed, loved and that I am alive. What a gift that I so often take for granted.

I hope you have a good weekend.  And don't forget to tell someone you love them! xo

Smaller and smaller

Friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend. It's a smaller world than I thought, at least when considering all of my overlapping connections in South Africa.  There's such amazing craft and design there right now, it makes me want to go back in a heartbeat!  

Love

These little birds.  

Pure Magic

Potatoes, heavy cream, butter, salt and pepper.  Potato gratin.  There could not be simpler, more delightful dish out there.

Have you ever baked heavy cream before? Let's just ponder the pure magic of that thick, bubbly, golden-brown goodness that transforms in your oven over the course of an hour. When in need of a little comfort and a little magic, please- trust my gut and make this delicious potato gratin recipe. Serve with a filet of fish and a nice, big green salad; for brunch alongside poached eggs, or my recommendation- straight out of the pan while you watch girly movies.  Make it when all you have is potatoes and cream.  Just make it!

Did I mention this entire recipe calls for just potatoes, cream, butter, salt and pepper?  I digress....  Please, go make this for yourself and for someone you love.  Found here.

Have a Creamy, Brothy, Earthy, Hearty Weekend

My heart is mending.  And my taste buds rejoicing over these simple, perfect recipes.  Hope your weekend is cozy and filled with something warm and delicious. 

How many is too many?

I thought handmade this bag was just beautiful.  All the detail- multiple kinds of leather, chunky zippers, a thick, mahogany colored wooden handle and the use of asymmetrical lines...!   Love it.  

Well done

My mom must have been drooling as much as me at the sight of these adorable crumpets, so she went and made her own! Aren't they lovely?

weekend yum

Over the weekend, I spent some quality time in the kitchen. We were out of my much beloved bouillon, so I made a big, fresh batch, enough to have plenty in the fridge and freezer.  I even made a small batch that included fresh ginger and portabella mushrooms, for use in Asian recipes and in my new favorite soup, a lovely Spring Minestrone recipe from Super Natural Cooking.  I also tried my hand at making ghee (clarified butter), since I've only recently heard of it's health and cooking benefits.  If nothing else, it spreads on toast like silk and melts even faster than butter.  Next, I made a nice carrot soup, which was delicious served with fresh, plain yogurt dolloped on top.  

Sunday morning's inspiration came from the image up above and the discovery of this incredible blog.  I tried my hand at shirred eggs, but instead of using ham in the croquette like many recipes call for, I sautéed garlic and shitake mushrooms and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top.  Delicious, but coma-inducing.  Even though it was 11:30 AM, I considered getting back into bed thanks to the heavy cream baked into the eggs.  Luckily, Ryan forced me outside for an afternoon walk to get some fresh air and to walk off the many calories I'd gained from breakfast.   

A lovely few days off, indeed.  

Have a beautiful weekend!

Tonight, we're starting the weekend off right with pizza and our favorite Baltimore friends.  Somehow in the last few months, we've ended up spending nearly every Friday night with T & E celebrating the coming weekend by eating at a different restaurant each Friday night.  A Friday Supper Club, if you will.  The four of us have an equal love for eating, dining out and for beer, so no wonder the friendship works so well.  

Also, we saw A Single Man last night, a year or two late, but regardless- I was blown away.  What a gorgeous, heart-breaking film.  No detail was spared in the art direction of this film- clothing, set design, lighting, beautiful actor after beautiful actor... incredible.  Have you seen it?

Sending positive vibes out to you all on this Friday.  

take me

...to your leader!  How amazing do these buttery, wonderful crumpets looks with their slathering of raspberry butter? Drooooool...  And, they're from the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, in South Africa! 

{Loving Miss Moss at Cup of Joe this week.}

Bring it back

Oil paintings, particularly portraits, are such a brilliant way to freeze time.  Have you ever painted a portrait or been the subject of a portrait?  This project is awesome. 

Something bright

Last week on this day it was 65; today there are three inches of new snow on the ground.  Looking forward to spring color, as usual this time of year.  

Wall dreams

As I'm sure many of you know and feel, one of the bummers of being a renter is the nail-in-the-wall dilemma.  I've always wanted to buy up a bunch of different frames and hang them on a big, open wall, kind of like these gorgeous photos above show.  I've never gone through with it because I fear my landlord's response when he or she sees all the spots in wall when we move out.  Have you had this dilemma?

In the meantime, I usually just tack on a frame to the nail left behind from the last tenant.  It works; but I'm eager to put nails wherever I want.  As usual, I see this type of nail-in-the-wall dilemma as a microcosm of a greater existential desire to plant roots and create a safe, constant space for me and mine. Makes sense, I think. 

Dinner to lunch

Last night's dinner to today's lunch; this salad was a delight.  I love eating.