The Bombe Chest

In my house, nothing matches, but everything goes. It’s an eclectic mix of style, complementary colors and patterns where (I am told) people feel immediately welcome and comfortable – perhaps the most important thing to me. Considering my non-traditional style, it would come as no surprise that I like painted and unusual furniture, like this ruler chair, and have it scattered about my house.

One day way back in 2008, I was having a (very) rare bad day. I was heading to the market when I saw a sign for the Rose Tree Media Arts Festival. Well, thought she, should I make a right to the market (definitely dull) or a left to the festival (possibly pleasant)?

I turned left.

I’m so glad I did.

Immediately upon entering, my spirits lifted and I was drawn to a crafter whose tent was filled with fun, painted furniture and other pieces. After a brief chat, I bought this lovely cabinet from her. Knowing it would not fit in Tallulah, my Mini Cooper, the artist agreed to deliver it. We began to talk about commissioned pieces and I told her about an unpainted Bombe Chest that I bought many years ago still sitting (unassembled) in my mother’s basement. We chatted forever about it and several weeks ago, older daughter and I assembled the chest and the artist picked the piece up to begin her transformation magic. She asked me a few questions about my preferences, took a few photos of my house and after a few weeks, she delivered the metamorphic work of art (literally).

I am euphoric.

It includes many of my favorite things…a bumble bee, polka-dots, checkerboards, red, swirls, stripes, a little mouse house, and a fitting quote about rebellion from my historic idol, Thomas Jefferson! The knobs that I bought from Anthropologie replaced the traditional, brass pulls that came with the piece and I think they provide the perfect accent!

I placed this painted treasure in a spot immediately as you walk in my front door so visitors cannot miss it. It’s whimsical, colorful and quite lovely....exactly what I wanted! Now I have my mind set on transforming a mass-produced Queen Anne desk and chair.

You can follow the artist and see some of her other creative and fun pieces at Funky Furniture on facebook.

Some other photos:





I have linked this post to Metamorphosis Monday!

MERRY

Saw an inspiration piece in a holiday catalog.

These are letters I'm making in pottery class that I will glaze in a festive way this week. I found a font I liked in WORD then made the letters real big and cut them out to use as templates.

Stay tuned! It's going to be FAB!

Vegetable Quiche

We had an impromptu gathering at my house on Wednesday evening because Singer was unable to join us. I made vegetable quiche.

I snooped around on the Internet for a few recipes but nothing blew my skirt up so I threw together a concoction of caramelized onions, sautéed garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, arugula, with a hint of hot and a suggestion of savory.

First, I lined a pie dish with a pre-made crust from Immaculate Baking Company, poked a few holes in the crust (so the bottom didn’t get soggy) and baked for 12 minutes at 400°. While the crust was baking, I caramelized a medium onion, then added 4 garlic cloves and continued cooking for about a minute or two. Next, I added 8 ounces of pre-sliced mushrooms and let those cook down then added 2 bags of arugula and a tomato, roughly diced. I sautéed until the arugula until wilted then added ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes an ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. I removed the mixture from the heat to let it cool.


While waiting for the vegetable mixture to cool, I added 1½ cups of grated Comté cheese to four beaten eggs, ¼ cup of milk and salt and pepper to taste. Comté is a firm pressed cheese made from the raw milk of cows from the Jura Mountain region of France. The cheese, normally aged for 6-24 months, boasts many distinct flavors that contribute to its nutty and caramelized taste. Comté is great paired with dry white and light red wines, such as Beaujolais.



When the crust was finished pre-baking, I added the vegetables... ...

...then covered them evenly with the egg mixture.

I baked for 40 minutes at 350°. Let the quiche cool for 10 minutes before slicing, otherwise you will have a runny slice of quiche on your plate!

This quiche was delicious! Evenly baked and perfect served with a slightly spicy piece of cornbread, and a field green salad.

Comfort Food. Redefined.

Comfort food comes in different and amazing varieties and generally we think of meatloaf (yum), mashed potatoes (definitely), apple pie (of course) when we think comfort food. But I’d like to add something new to this little compilation… Butternut Squash Risotto.

I walked into Architect’s house on Wednesday evening and I knew we were in for a treat. The smells enveloped me and I could not wait to sit down to enjoy this confluence of sensory bliss.

I had to look confluence up to make sure it meant what I wanted it to mean in that sentence.

It does.

We had Butternut Squash Risotto and Skillet Braised Fennel Bulbs for dinner on Wednesday evening. Before I share the delicious recipes, a word about fennel. Fennel is very flavorful little aromatic bulb popular in Mediterranean cooking. It is packed with Vitamin C, Potassium, and Iron and has been used in holistic medicine to treat intestinal ailments, eye problems, and hypertension. Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, authors of The New Basics Cookbook, say “the taste does wonders for soups, salads, stews and sauces and because it’s aromatic and crisp, fennel is perfect served with potatoes and grains.” Buy fennel with firm stalks and bulbs, avoiding those that are brown-bottomed. Use the feathery leaves on the stalks as a garnish.


Both recipes are from Martha Stewart’s “What to Have for Dinner” cookbook…a lovely and practical book that assists with fancy meal planning!

Butternut Squash Risotto
1 medium butternut squash (most markets sell the cubes now)
5-6 cups of chicken stock (Architect made her own)
2 tablespoons of butter (you will use 1 tablespoon at a time)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 shallots, peeled and minced
2 cups Arborio rice
½ cup of dry white wine
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of fresh chopped rosemary
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Cut the squash into cubes and steam until tender. Heat the stock. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the olive oil and shallots and cook for 2 minutes, add the rice and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the wine, stirring until the wine is nearly absorbed. Stir in a cup of stock and the squash and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Continue stirring in stock, a ladleful at a time, until the rice is creamy and firm, about 20 minutes. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped rosemary. Stir in the remaining butter and Parmesan. Serve topped with a sprig of rosemary.

"Constant stirring give risotto its creamy texture." Martha Stewart

Skillet-Braised Fennel
4 medium fennel bulbs
1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
¼ orange juice
1 cup of water
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley

Trim tops of the fennel bulbs and cut in half, lengthwise. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add sugar and stir until melted. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add fennel, cut side down and cook until well browned, about 5-10 minutes. Turn the bulbs over and add the orange juice, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and reduce to low. Cover pan and cook until fennel bulbs are soft and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes, adding a little water if necessary. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

We also had a delicious “kitchen sink” salad that included fennel served in the lovely traveling salad bowl and the most exquisite desserts from Le Pain Quotidien
in Center City Philadelphia. Foodie worked on a hat that will be paired with hand warmers …I continue to work on the vest (what else is new)!



Photograph of fennel from Wikipedia.

Keep Calm and Carry Yarn

I have a new knitting bag. My sister sent me the link to this adorable bag..it’s from the website cafepress.com and it says “Keep Calm and Carry Yarn.” I LOVE this bag, with it’s witty spin on a classic graphic, ample room (15”x 18”) and sturdy straps, BUT I wish it had some pockets for gadgets.

Knitters have lots of tools and I keep mine in a not-so-fancy-but-functional zip lock bag.


In this bag there are knitting needles, circular needles, crochet hooks, measuring tape, thread cutter, scissors, stitch markers, cable stitch holders, yarn needles and...

... perhaps my favorite gadget of all, my row counter. Knitters use every single doohickey in their bags! What I may try to do is sew or felt something to attach on the outside of this great bag....a bag outside of the bag of sorts. Perhaps another piece of canvas. I’ll have to give this some thought.

Any suggestions?