Making A Home: Flowers Help Add Warmth

I am making a home in the Pacific Northwest. While I used to call our style "Swedish Beach House" (oval back dining chairs, plate racks with dishes, blue & white furniture), our new style is evolving into what I'm calling '"New Nordic" (birch and wood, neutrals, lots of light). I know it might seem silly, but naming  my design aesthetic amuses me.

So far, the furniture from our old house looks great in our new place. Some friends have visited and not even recognized it. The walls are neutral, the floors are dark wood or light carpeting. Slowly but surely, I am getting a handle on where I want the lamps and which decorative touches work. 

My favorite question so far has been "Are those flowers real?" 

Yes, flowers are my oxygen and I try to have some in the house each week. When the farmers markets are rocking from May 1 - Oct 1, its easy. After that, the grocery store will do. This image (a gentle dahlia bouquet) was taken in the end of September. A month has pasted, but somehow my roses still have blooms for me to snip! I'm loving this new climate.

I will show you vignettes around the house as I decorate this holiday season. I have so many bits and bobs I can't wait to see what fits where.

Golden Fig: First Buy Cranberry Spices, Then Branch Out

Every time I reach into my cupboard and pull out one of my beloved Golden Fig enhanced sugars, I ask myself the same two questions:  

• Why don't more companies make sugar blends like these? 
• Why haven't more stores/people discovered Golden Fig, the maker of said sugars?

I initially found Golden Fig when I bought their "Cranberry Spices" mix in a cooking store while on vacation in Minnesota.  I can't find this heavenly blend on their website, but when I call, they usually have it and can mail me a few jars.  The "Cranberry Spices" is a blend of maple powder (see it sounds good already, right?), ground ginger, orange peel powder, thyme (totally the secret ingredient - it adds incredible depth), ground nutmeg, anise and cloves.  

The company intends for you to use this spice blend to make a cranberry sauce, which is delicious to be sure.  I want you to sprinkle this heavenly mixture over roasted acorn squash, roasted butternut squash, pureed squash - you get the idea.  It makes all of the harvest vegetables sing.  I joke that I'd sprinkle it in the bathtub if I could - it smells that wonderful.

First buy a jar of the Cranberry Spice, then once you're hooked, branch out to their other specialties.

I bought some of their enhanced sugars and I love them all.  They are a culinary indulgence; certainly not necessary for day-to-day living, but very fun to sprinkle with abandon when the mood strikes.

Making buttered toast? Shake on some "Cinnamon Orange" sugar.

Shortbread hot out of the oven? Sprinkle it with "Lemon Rosebud" and listen to the girls ooh and ahh

Non-fat Greek yogurt with berries for breakfast? Douse it with pink "Hibiscus" sugar 

Baking Christmas rolls?  They will be even better made with "Cardamom Sugar"

Fruit Salad need a little something? Sprinkle it with "Lavender Ginger" sugar
Honestly, you can't go wrong.  

I love my collection of special sugars from the Golden Fig. I reach for them all the time and feel like I am a sweet genius.

Party Season: Cheese Needs A Sidekick Like Roasted Grapes

If Ethel Mertz is the cheese in my anecdote: dry, reliable, comfortable. Then these roasted grapes are all Lucy Ricardo: fun, unexpected, engaging.

It may sound silly, but I've made these roasted grapes on many occasions and they always make a lasting impression. This appetizer gets requested and referred to more than any other I make and I want to encourage you to give this simple and delicious appetizer a try. 

Preheat your oven to 425-450 degrees (you decide how your oven responds). Place non-stick foil on a cookie sheet.
Wash and lightly dry your fresh, seedless grapes. Leave just a small artistic cluster still on the vine, and pluck the rest of them from the stem and scatter on the foil. You'll want the ones on the vine for artistic effect, but know that if you roast them on the vine, most of the flesh clings when you pull it off to eat. That's why we're plucking most from the vine before roasting.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I always use a specialty vinegar by Beekman 1802: Fig & Elderberry Blaak Drizzle. 

Keeping an eye on them, roast the grapes for 10-20-30 minutes until they split, sizzle, char and collapse. Sometimes it works faster than others, probably based on the sugar content.

Once they have cooled a bit, arrange them on a platter (with toothpicks nearby) with your favorite cheese and cracker bites. We're heading into party season - Enjoy!

Rumba: Tropical Restaurant in Seattle

When I think about Rumba in Seattle, I really have to lead with this image (above). The WHOLE fish really made an impression on us and I must say, Dan was in the right frame of mind and dove right in. It was summer and though the fish was fried, it tasted light and flavorful.

The restaurant has a "on board a pirate ship" feel and it really works with their extensive wall of rums from around the world.

Dan enjoyed a potent rum punch and I had an orchid-adorned pina colada.

I devoured my fish taco and pulled pork taco - they were the perfect size and full of great flavor. I would pop back into Rumba for dinner anytime, it was lively and the food was delicious.

Seattle Refined: I'm the Artist of the Week

 Buy this one-of-a-kind wood cigar box purse.

My favorite local TV show, Seattle Refined, has put me in the spotlight as their Artist of the Week! Isn't that great? The link takes you to a gallery of my cigar box purse designs and an interview about my creative life. 

#PNW #iloveithere #cigarbox #momentsofdelight #finddelight

Reclaimed Silver Pieces Shine

I have to write about this silver-plate coffee pot & creamer transformation! I snagged these treasures the end of September at the Faith Church annual rummage sale in Issaquah, WA.

Would you believe the coffee pot was marked $3? I saw the potential and knew that at the very least I could fill it with flowers. The hinge at the lid was bent and Dan is charged with bending/fixing it back. I found the matching creamer on the floor below the table and the church lady "threw it in" because they shouldn't be separated. Score.

Once home, I pulled out a container of Weiman Silver Wipes which I think I bought at the Container Store, but had never used. 

Um...boy do they work! I spent about 20 minutes rubbing, rinsing and buffing dry. Piece of cake! Wear disposable gloves and make your holidays shine!

Seattle Refined: Refined Reads Nancy Pearl's New Book

I had the honor of spending time with author and America's Librarian, Nancy Pearl last week in Seattle. I am a new member of an on-air book club hosted by local television program, Seattle Refined. I have chimed in during two episodes so far and I look forward to many more. 

Nancy Pearl is a gem. She was chosen Librarian of the Year in 2011 and is the person America and NPR turns to when they are looking for a great new read. 

I am still new to Seattle and have been asking people if they knew about/participated in Seattle Reads. A genius concept where the library chooses a book and an entire city is encouraged to read it at the same time. So cool! You know you thought of it and implemented this ground breaking idea? 

Yep, Nancy Pearl.

When it comes to all things reading, she is the king's pajamas. 

Nancy is currently on a book tour for her first book of fiction, George and Lizzie. I found her character-driven fiction to be very realistic and I joked that I wanted to drive to Ann Arbor (where the story is set) to straighten a few people out. I think that is the hallmark of good writing, when you get angry with the characters. Check out Nancy Pearl and all of her books at www.nancypearl.com