My Cozy Home

back from Portland, on to St. Louis - a stop in between at home

Portland was very nice even if I was there for work.  I stayed in a great old hotel, The Benson, and was able to get out and shop a little one night.  Anybody heard of Powell's Bookstore?  It's ginormous!  I spent some time roaming the isles and purchased several books and magazines for myself and Evy.  I also did a bit of clothes shopping which is always a good time.  I got home on Wednesday and am leaving again tomorrow for another work trip - this time for St. Louis.  Today Evy and I had an outing at the mall where we bought sparkly shoes (for Evy, but sadly not for me), and some fun clothes for the two of us.  I don't shop for clothes very much so it's fun when I do.  My favorite store is J.Crew (very often I realize that literally everything I am wearing (save for underthings) is from J.Crew. - this includes my coat and scarf).  I do love that store.  Anyhoo, I recently received a wonderful, and completely indulgent cookbook as a belated birthday present from my friend Boni, and at about the same time I purchased another cookbook  - nearly as equally indulgent - just  because it looked so good - "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" and "Cupcakes!" respectively.  Both have great covers, pictures, and recipes. 

 

"Sticky, et al" is by Jill O'Connor, photographs by Keigh Beisch.  "Cupcakes!" is by Elinor Klivans, photographs by France Ruffenach.   I wouldn't normally add who did the photographs, but they both do such a fantastic job that I had to mention them.

This is a picture from "Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey" as is the below picture.

A bit blurred, but you get the idea.  Those colors, the arrangement of the food...it's all so great.

 

This delightful photograph is from "Cupcakes!"

I recently updated the display atop the little chest of drawers in our entry.  I love old baseballs and like how they look in a silver champagne bucket.  If my friend Susan reads this she may recognize it as a wedding gift from her in-laws, which has yet to be used for chilling any sort of beverage in the 10 years we've had it.  It's been used for practically everything else though.  Also pictured is the new (old) clarinet that I recently got from an antiques store called Hunt and Gather in Minneapolis.

I think it's the combination of a classy, respectable looking champagne chiller filled with very old, beat up baseballs that appeals to me.  I don't like things to be too much of anything - it's the mixing and matching of old and new, glitziness and restrained elegance that gets me excited. 

And since it's almost Valentine's Day I am including a picture of the little hand-stitched heart that I made last February.  It's hanging in the Living Room right now, but normally resides in Evy's room.  Some of you who have been reading for awhile may remember when I made this humble little heart last year. 

Thanks to everyone who drops by even when I'm not so quick to update my blog.  I really do appreciate your comments and emails.  Thank you for always being so supportive, kind, and funny.  Talk to you when I return from St. Louis.

 

so can we wrap up this summer thing yet?!

I do love summer, but around August 2nd I get this itchy, twitchy feeling.  I sort of glare at the waning growth of the flowers in our window boxes, with color draining, looking a bit limp - more leaves than flower buds.  I think to myself that I would much prefer to rip out the summer flowers and replace them with mums, gourds, and pumpkins.  I count down the days to September 1st, as I do believe that is when I have free license to drag out all my fall decorations and plaids, pumpkins, gourds, and all things Halloween - including Halloween trees with ornaments.  Yes, September 1st has been dubbed (by me) the official day of autumn decorating.  Of course for one full month prior to September 1st I pull out every September and October issue of "Country Home", "Country Living", "Home Companion", and Martha Stewart "Living" I have.  My eyes drink in the delightful pages of rustic decorating, the beautiful fall colors, harvest tables sitting outside with pumpkins and apples adorning their tops.  Usually there are tartan plaid blankets nearby to throw over one's lap as the air turns crisp.  I yearn for open windows, cool nights, corduroy and tweed jackets, jeans, turtleneck sweaters in shades of oatmeal and charcoal.  I love the trips to the orchard where we pick out our apples and pumpkins.  We are almost there, I can just about taste it - and speaking of taste, what says "fall" better than pumpkin pie, apple crisp, pork loin, and a big pot of chili with cornbread.  Yes, it really is my favorite time of year.  And so, because I just couldn't stop myself, I made two loaves of wonderful pumpkin bread today.  I wanted to share the recipe and a few pictures of the process and finished product.

I wish you could have smelled it baking - so wonderful, warm, and inviting.

It was so good.  Below is the recipe.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Pumpkin Bread - makes 2 loaves

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cup water

4 large eggs

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 cups sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (8x5-inch) loaf pans.  In a medium bowl, beat pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. 

In a separate medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Gradually add to pumpkin mixture, stirring to combine.

Pour into pans, and bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in pans 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.  YUM!

And, just a few little Halloweeny things that I picked up at Michael's the other day - waiting for September 1. Okay, so the crow is already in our family room.  I can't help it.  He just looks like he belongs.  Hope you're all doing well!!