Archive for December, 2009

Oma’s Peppernuts – (pfeffernüsse)

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

I’m not sure I told you but I’m part German. Actually I’m just a quarter if you’re counting. And if you’re German, you’re probably counting, I know I do. Anyway, for as long as I can remember my German Great Grandmother, Oma, always made peppernuts around the holidays. Some of my first memories involved my brother and I going over to Oma’s house. These weren’t exactly dreamy memories, we were terribly scared of our great grandmother. Oma had deep, deep wrinkles, sunspots and a thick German accent, Cazee, do you vant ze ppeffernuse? I wasn’t scared of her peppernuts and would bravely exchange a hug and kiss for one of these sweet, spicy, nutty, citrus flavored cake-like cookie. She knew she could win us over with sweets. Smart lady.

Over the years my granny took over the tradition after it became too difficult (read dangerous) for Oma to make the confection. Gran always had them on hand for the holidays. The recipes says they keep indefinitely and my granny would keep them indefinitely. We would eat them even if they were brick hard. Come to think of it, I’ve only recently had them fresh. We were always told to dunk them in coffee to soften them up a bit. After a few dunks in my sugar, milk coffee, mind you I was 5, I was able to break through the outer skin and get to the soft, chewiness inside. Not only was I growing a strong addiction to peppernuts, coffee was also high on the list. While the recipe says they keep indefinitely, I recommend keeping them in an airtight container for about a week, if they last that long. They are best when fresh out of the oven. I’ve already had two. Or maybe it was three, but whose counting? Wink.

My mom now makes them because Granny is losing her sight and her desire to spend time cooking in the kitchen. I don’t blame her. Plus, I would rather not eat her 6 week old peppernuts, with or without coffee, sorry Gran. Regardless of who makes peppernuts, we all love and request them. It doesn’t seem like the holidays without having half a dozen right out of the oven.

Ingredients:
4 small eggs
2 C sugar
1/4 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped citron
juice of 1/2  lemon with grated rind
7 TSP ground cinnamon
2 TSP ground cloves
4 C All Purpose Flour
4 TSP baking powder

Beat eggs and sugar for 15 minutes.

While sugar and eggs are beating, chop citron, grind almonds, grate and squeeze lemons. Sift baking powder, spices and flour together. Add dry ingredients to egg sugar mixture. Mix thoroughly to form a very stiff dough. Adding more flour if necessary.

Mom whipping up a few dozen pfeffernüsse

Scoop out a walnut size portion of dough. Roll dough in your hands to make a small ball. Roll them in more flour to keep from being sticky. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Will keep indefinitely in a crock in a cool, dry place. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen pfeffernüsse.

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i’m home

Monday, December 21st, 2009

For the first time in two years I’m home to Tennessee. It seems like it’s been forever. So many things have changed and yet everything is still very much the same. Here are some photos I came across yesterday of the farm. They are old. Maybe I’ll have some time this week to put together some more current ones too. For now, I’ll start at the beginning.

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last minute gift ideas

Friday, December 18th, 2009

digby-and-iona

I was recently introduced to a new to me line, Digby and Iona out of Brooklyn, NY. They are having a holiday sale through the end of the year. Enter the word “holiday” when checking out in the promo section and get 20% off the entire collection. Happy shopping!

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in the mood

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

steve allan

Problem : You have yet to get into the holiday spirit everyone else seems to be buzzing about. By no means are you a scrooge because you’ve tried the tree, the eggnog, the carols, the gift giving. Nothing’s working. Nothing.

Solution : A little something just for you. Something no one else has to know about but you… and well, Santa. This little number might get you in the mood? No?

You can find it here.

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gallery walls

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Picture 3

Via Skona Hem spotted on Design to Inspire. I could do an entire post on this home. It’s so perfectly imperfect. The Daines always get it right.

Gallery walls are a great way to showcase more than one piece of art, especially small scale pieces, in the home. I say art in the loosest of terms here too. Family photos, sketches done by the kids, music posters could all be showcased as long as there is one consistent feature. Maybe you have all black and white photos, or maybe it’s a handful of line drawings, even the same frame color works great. Regardless, for this look to feel cohesive, to me it needs this commonality to keep the wall from feeling too chaotic.

Over the years Jevan and I have accumulated a collection of small scale artwork. We have some of it hanging but a few pieces have yet to be framed. Since I’m not great at styling tons o’ stuff on walls, my style is way too symmetrical to pull this look off on my own, I began pulling images that could become a good source of inspiration.

I’m really loving the different sizes and frame thickness paired with the same frame color. This means I have a good amount of work ahead of me painting frames. We’ll see how ambitious I actually am when it comes down to it. Here’s my inspiration ‘board’.

gallery wall_nateDesign by Nate Berkus. Perfectly simple yet so interesting. Love the little jacket hanging on the wall.

gallery-wall-via-ffffound

Via ffffound. This is just a mish mash of everything and I kinda love it. Sadly, I don’t have a wall this large to make it work.

gallery wall_domino

Via the late great Domino Magazine. While I’m not crazy about the stripe wallpaper I do love the different scales and different types of art.

melanie acevedo_gallery wall

Via Melanie Acevado. I love all white. This is just dreamy.

mikael beackman_2008-18-1-residenceVia Mikael Beackman. Interesting way to look at dishware.

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brass is back

Tuesday, December 15th, 2009

Picture 1J.Crew Women’s Collection entry at the Upper East Side. Lonny Magazine

OK, hear me out. I’m seeing a lot of brass these days. I mean everywhere. From the Ace Hotel to the interior of the new J.Crew Collection store it all over the streets in some main stream places. I have to admit, I’ve never been a fan for brass. It’s so shiny and flashy and screams LOOK AT ME. I’ve always been a more brushed stainless kind of girl but I have a confession, it’s growing on me. When not highly polished it has a sense of warmth and comfort that steel can never offer.

I’m no expert but have a strong feeling brass is back because of the state of our economic situation. We are still at war, creeping through the biggest recession since war times, add in a little terrorism and it makes sense we would want our homes to feel more comforting and warm as opposed to the starkly modern homes of the last decade.

brass-beauty

[from left to right, top to bottom]

Fjällnäs Reserve, was built in 1882 as a retreat for Swedish royalty to experience the drama of what Fjällnäs calls “the eight seasons.”

The Stumptown Coffee Roasters at the Ace Hotel in New York. Brass shelving detail.

Fireplace and brass fixture photographed by Mikael Beackman.

Jenna Lyons’ bath in Brooklyn, photo by Melanie Acevedo.  See more of her home here.

brass-beauty_details

4.25-Inch Bronze Tetraxis Star : $20 and the 9-Inch Bronze Tetraxis Star : $60. This piece is bronze but still has the same look and feel of brass.

Brass A330S Pendant : $290 at Matter in Brooklyn. Originally designed by Alvar Aalto in 1939 the light was reintroduced in 2007 by Artek.

Brass fox door knocker.  $12.79.

Escutcheon NG square-metal plate fixture with porcelain socket : $280 through Vica.

These are just a few ways to incorporate the warmth into your home without making it look like Liberace moved in with you. Think I’m out in left field? Take a look at what’s going on in the fashion industry and actually look at what people are wearing. Interiors will soon follow, it’s only a matter of time. Still think I’m out in left field… I would love to hear why.

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less is more

Monday, December 14th, 2009

charlie-brown

Where the hell did the morning go? Come to think of it, where did December go? Can you believe it’s the 14th? I’m beginning to sound like my mom, I know. Not a bad thing, suddenly I understand what it feels like to be an adult. The majority of my childhood my parents were always wishing they had more time while I had the exact opposite experience. Bored. To. Tears. My childhood was so dramatic, I know.

The City Sage has some great posts on different styles of Christmas trees. You all know I have a thing for the Charlie Brown tree. They are spare, modern and perfectly imperfect. These styles showcase the tree and I kinda love that. Inspired by the post, I thought I would show you what my Charlie looks like (get your mind out of the gutter) along with some of my other faves I spotted on the City Sage. Happy half way through your Monday. I hope this makes up for my tardiness.

DSC_0001

DSC_0042

I made a pair of stockings this weekend out of some leftover fabric I had lying around.  Not too shabby, although don’t look too close at my monogramming. That’s a different story.

Photos: 1, 2. Inside Out Christmas 3. Bo Bedre 4. Martha Stewart. 5 and 6. K.I.D Collective

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walks with winston

Friday, December 11th, 2009

DSC_0027

Snow, snow, snow. It’s been so cold here this week. I’m talking below zero cold. Today was the first time it was nice enough to get outside without bundling up like an unidentifiable blob of down. I took advantage of it and brought along my camera. Winston was kind enough to pose for a couple of photos before getting distracted by the geese. I love how the snow makes even the brownest winter seem festive.

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I hope you have a wonderful weekend and it’s nice enough to get outside to finish all your shopping. If you’re in need of a few gift ideas, be sure to check out the blogger’s gift guides that ran all last week right here.

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the world effect – a day in the life 05

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Beau and Meggan of the World Effect aren’t new to this blog. I’ve posted about them here, here and even here. Meggan and I’ve known one another for 13 years and were immediate friends when we met. She’s like the sister I never had. Over the years we’ve argued, bickered and had more fun than two friends should be allowed. So when it came time for another ‘day in the life’ series, I felt like Meg and Beau would be the perfect finale to wrap up the year AND decade.

While this post won’t give you links to eat, drink or shop, what I hope it will do is encourage you to get out there and explore or even take a few photos. You never know, you might have that budding photographer within you. Meg and Beau started traveling back in April and haven’t been back to the United States since. Each day is different because they rarely stay in a location longer than a week, sometimes just a day. During their year long expedition they have encountered some incredible things all cataloged on their travel blog, the World Effect. Most recently they posted about Mount Everest but they also have posts on their 2 week ride along the Trans Mongolian, the Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda and Machu Picchu to name some of my favorites. They are due back to Colorado this Spring, if they don’t change their minds to stay longer. If you have a second, drop by their blog, check out their photos and wish them a Merry Christmas. Thanks you two for sharing your day and Happy Holidays!

7:45 AM
Beau:  Beep…Beep…Sweet, my Ecuadorian watch still works.  I think I will keep my eyes closed for a little bit longer.

8:00 AM
Beau:  Well Meggan isn’t moving.  I guess I have to get up first.  Shower time.
Meggan:  Beau’s up.  I have 15 more minutes to sleep.

8:20 AM
Beau: I need to do wash. I guess I will wear what doesn’t smell. Meggan is still in bed. Typical.
Meggan:  I have to get up. Beau is pacing. What country are we in anyways? Asian decor? Huh? Oh Thailand!

8:25 AM Beau:  Coffee… I need coffee.  I boil the water and then boil it again.  Just in case.  Instant coffee, what swill.  I guess it will have to work.  I power up the laptop and search for directions to the Vietnam Embassy.

morning
8:50 AM
Beau:  Are you ready yet Meggan?  Ready now?  Ok, ready?  Why are you just standing there staring at your bag?
Meggan:  I hate my clothes! Maybe if I stare at my bag long enough an outfit will pop out at me.  I wish I had my cute little black dress from Anthropology with me.  Why didn’t I pack that?  Ok I have to pick something.  What doesn’t smell?

9:20 AM
Meggan: Ready to leave. Beau found a great website with directions describing every step you need to take, including pictures of signage and landmarks to look for on your way there.  I love the world wide web!  Off to the skytrain.

morning train
10:00 AM
Meggan: We found the embassy and it was relatively easy with the great directions.  Beau and I fill out our required documents and wait in line.  After standing in line for 20 minutes we find out we need more money.  Off to find a 7-11. They always have ATMs and they seem to be located a block and half away in every direction here in Thailand.

vietnam embassy

10:35 AM
Beau: After waiting in line again we pay for our visas and intrust them with our passports.  The clerk gives us a piece of paper and says “you come back monday”.  Ok.

12:00 PM
Meggan: Exploring the streets has made us hungry.  We head to a recommendation from my mom, Cabbages and Condoms.  The restaurant is decorated with mannequins covered in condoms and slogans for safe sex.  After our phad thai, they give us two condoms. It beats after dinner mints I guess.  This is a restaurant with a mission.  The restaurant’s proceeds go to a population and community development program that helps educate on safe sex, AIDs awareness, and birth control.

cabbages and condoms sign

cabbages and condoms art-1

1:30 PM
Meggan: On the way back to the hotel, we stop at the third 7-11 we passed.  We load up on water.  I also grab some thai design magazines.  Yes, I won’t be able to read them but there are several great furniture and interior mood shots.

1:45 PM
Beau:  Time for me to shut down the grid.  I plug in our power strip and start charging our video camera battery, DSLR camera batteries, and both our laptops… the hotel lights dimmed and flickered.  I am send off a few emails to set up meetings with artisans.  Then I continue with my editing of the trans-mongolian video, downloading photos and writing a post.
Meggan:  Work time!  I start downloading my photos and write a post.  I sneak a look at facebook and my favorite design blogs every once in a while.  Then I move onto sketching some concepts.

7:00 PM
We can’t ignore our bellies any longer.  So we head to the Suan Lum Night Market for dinner.  We jump on two trains to get to the market and exit the train station right at the entrance of the market.  We begin to wandering through the maze of battery operated flashing t-shirts, globe shaped christmas lights, jewelry and fake purses and are surprised to find some cute shops.  There are several individually owned stalls with fashion boutique concepts and artisan furniture.  We were happy to see some stalls with personality and unique identities.

Suan Lum market

8:30 PM
Meggan: After being distracted by all the shopping, we make our way to the food section of the market.  Actually I should say beer garden with open food stalls.  There are too many options, we ended up picking the busiest stall.  Busiest always means freshest.  Beau got squid and chili curry and I got fried prawns.  After eating we decided it would be nice to relax, thai market style.

Suan Lum food stall

Suan Lum dinner


9:15 PM
Meggan: Beau and I indulged with a neck, shoulder and back massage for $8/hr.  Heaven!  Then we decided to be daring and throw away our concerns for hygiene.  We went to Dr. Fish to have little fish nibble at our feet.  I wish I could explain what it felt like.  All I can say is that it felt weird and I had a strange fear that i might accidentally crush one of the fish.  No fish were injured in this activity.

Dr Fish

10:30 PM
Fully relaxed we hopped back on the trains and headed home (the hotel).

11:30ish PM
We fall asleep watching a bootlegged copy of Che we bought in Kathmandu for a $1.

2:00 AM
Meggan:  What country are we in?

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notebook doodles

Thursday, December 10th, 2009

Picture 4

I have this thing for sketchbooks. My thing is, I can’t seem to get rid of ANY of them. I have stacks from high school, college and more recent times too. They are sentimental and I spend years filling them with thoughts, to-do lists, sketches and important notes. I’ve even had moments when my face turns flush because I thought I carelessly left such a private piece of me at a job site or in someone else’s hands. God forbid someone read my deepest, darkest notes alongside my grocery lists.

While my sketches don’t resemble anything like these, they are still, mine and they remind me of years past and all that I’ve learned. Yesterday, I came across Notebook Doodles. What I now love more than hoarding my own is looking at other’s sketchbooks. What fun. It’s such a rarity to see inside a sketchbook. So check out the blog devoted to sketches here and the flickr site here.

You can start your own collection with one of these. Hardback is ideal to withstand the abuse of months worth of notes and travels.

Picture 5[found on the very inspirational blog, Julia]

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