Concord Grape Focaccia with Rosemary

I love focaccia (and pretty much bread in general). I first remember eating fresh focaccia when I moved to NY in the early 90’s. This native Texan learned a tremendous amount about her Italian roots in a short time, and it expanded my horizons when it came to food, and eating in general .

There was a tiny Italian place around the corner on York, between  83rd & 84th, run by a chef-owner from Northern Italy. It was the kind of place where when your glass was half full, the owner would pour the last of the bottle into your glass gratis. I wish I could remember all the divine pasta dishes we had there, but I do remember the focaccia: fluffy, chewy, with a tomato paste on top. One night, my roommate and I were walking home from the gym and were starving. We popped in the restaurant to see if we could order some focaccia to go. It was close to closing, and the owner wrapped up a huge piece, almost half a pan, and would not let us pay him for it. Needless to say, we were very happy girls that night.

So when my friend posted her pictures of grape focaccia, I had to share the delectable results. The recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen and Katalin says it is a winner.

Before

photo credit: Katalin Eisenberg

A Room From My View

I am not a Monday-type of person. How I wish I could be one of those who spring from their beds full of energy and motivation. Instead, I force myself out of my bed, and try to get moving by savoring my morning coffee (which may soon be switched to tea, so very sad). However, hours go by, and I still find myself dragging about. Add to the equation that Monday is my laundry day, and I might as well go right back to bed, as folding laundry makes me very sleepy.

So, you can tell that forming a blog post full of intelligent thoughts, is not the easiest for me at the beginning of the week. Since I have been playing with my new camera, I thought I would share some of my photos, of some of my favorite objects. I took these with the standard lens, trying different settings. Each Monday, I will share  a collage of some of my favorite photos from the previous week.

Featured above, are our adorable dogs: Macy (lower left) and Sasha (upper right). Then various pictures taken in our bedroom, and close-ups of my lamp. I inherited that huge lamp; it was amazing how perfectly it worked into my color scheme. That punch of turquoise makes me happy every time I see it. I adore it and love the tweed around the shade, it adds such panache!

Here’s hoping that you all have a great (and productive) week. Now that the weather has cooled, I may start stripping some furniture; that should be interesting. Stay tuned…

Weeding Through More Wallpaper

   Nottingham

I must admit, my eyes are a little crossed after looking at the hundreds of wallpaper choices from Graham and Brown. Still gathering ideas for the kitchen accent wall. Do I want subtle, or bold? So many different looks, so little room.

Diva

 Boheme

Verve Stripe

 Chrysanthemum

  Sparkle

Rustle

A Bevy of Bar Stools

1006 Navy Bar Stools

As I work on updating our kitchen, new bar stools are on my list. My first choice were the Navy bar stools by Emeco, but at $650 each, a little more than I wanted to spend. There are cheaper versions out there, but make sure to read reviews, as many have been unflattering regarding the quality of the reproductions. However, these are great stools, so if they are in your budget, go for it!

Then I had a brief fling with the Kong Bar Stools by Philippe Starck, or the Bertoia Bar Stools, but at $1730 and $978 each, the affair was short-lived. 

So, I got practical again, and found some affordable options:

The Spin Bar Stools from Crate & Barrel got great reviews.

Spin Bar Stools

House Beautiful

Modern bar stools from West Elm have clean lines. 

Scoop-Back Bar Stool

Martha Stewart uses Lyon industrial stools in her own kitchen.

  Lyon Industrial Bar Stool

 Martha Stewart’s kitchen

If you are interested in the Navy, Bertoia, or Stark stools, make sure to visit Design Within Reach during the Seating and Dining Sale, for a 15% discount valid until September 28, 2010. This offer applies to orders of four or more specially marked dining chairs, stools and tables.

Friday Finds: FLOR, Bacon and Cashew Caramel Corn and Gray Malin Photography

FLOR: Love these new tiles, now to decide which one would be perfect for my entryway.

 Mag-Neat-O

 Sophistikat

Bacon and Cashew Caramel Corn: Salty-sweet caramel corn studded with cashews and bits of bacon. OMG!!

 
Bacon and Cashew Caramel Corn

Gray Malin Photography at One Kings Lane. I bought the series below, as I had credits to use. More reason to sign up and to tell your friends. Right now, you get a $15 credit for signing up.

 Walt Disney Concert Hall Los Angeles, series of 9 polaroids

Peach Shortbread

As long as there is seasonal fruit available, I will want to eat it! My friend Katalin has made peach shortbread from Smitten Kitchen twice and swears it is easy, fast and tasty. I may make some this weekend, if I do, I will let you know how it turns out.

photo credit: Katalin Eisenberg

Cerused Oak

House Beautiful

I have promised myself that this week, I am calling our painter to come and prime our kitchen walls. I may still use wallpaper in one area, but the rest of the West Indies print must go. It was great when we first moved in and our home was quite traditional.

Now, I am intrigued by the idea of cerusing (or liming) our oak cabinets. They are really nice, but I am tired of the warm stain on them. I thought about painting them gray, but I keep wanting something unique.

So, I compiled some examples for myself of cerused oak.

Above, there is cerused French Oak, in a cosmopolitan apartment designed by Andrew Halliday and David Greer. “The owner wanted cerused oak — that's oak with white paint rubbed in — like he'd seen in the great libraries of France.” 

Below, is a cerused oak wall unit in apartment for sale in SF. As you can see, it is a much lighter unit, perhaps it is cerused White oak?

 Cerused oak cabinets from Metropolitan Home

Elle Decor

Usually, white pigment is rubbed into wood that has an open grain, such as ash or oak. However, I think a light grey pigment could be used too. 

Here are some more examples of cerused oak pieces. Many of the pieces below are mid-century, as it was a popular treatment during the Art Deco period.

1st Dibs  

LA Times

Old Plank Antiques 

Stay tuned as I work through this kitchen renovation process, and share any thoughts, especially if you have any experience with cerusing or liming. And yes, bathroom renovation is still in progress, it just takes me a while.

Jill Rosenwald Ceramics

I first saw Jill’s work in the September issue of House Beautiful. Loved it, then closed the magazine, and forgot about it until I opened it again the other day. Then I had to share, because her work is amazing.

The collection I adore is the Hamptons link collection (shown above and below). Caviar and Slate are the two colors I am looking at if I buy something for my living room, maybe a grouping of vases.

However, all of her work is so unique and lovely.

Monogram Caviar Tray in Hampton Links Navy

  Large Bowl in Ferris Melt

 Mini Bowl Man Ray

Check out her etsy shop for more items.

photo credit: Jill Rosenwald on etsy

Hunter Wellies

Champery

What a wet week it has been! The large grouping of storms leftover from what once was Tropical Storm Hermine have moved northwest into Oklahoma. Now we are left with the tail-end of this storm system. A week which included two tornado warnings complete with sirens (while my husband was out of town), and massive rains which flooded yards, pools, rivers, etc.

Running errands reminded me how ill-prepared I am for inclement weather. When I lived in Manhattan, you had to walk in all seasons (just try getting a cab in the pouring rain), so I had to own gear for all types of weather.

After wading around massive puddles yesterday, I decided it may be time to invest in some weatherproof boots again. These wedge boots from Hunter are great looking and practical. They come in three different styles: Interlaken, Andora and Champery. While I am partial to black, the metallic silver looks like fun.

Andora

Of course, for you traditionalists, there is always the Original Hunter boot, available in a myriad of colors (Dark Olive shown below).