Posts from — October 2012

Our trip to California last weekend wasn’t all that we expected it to be. Several of the vendors we hoped to see were not there, including “the boys” Dustin and Christian who own Uber Chic Home, and Martin and Trinidad of Atelier de Campagne. Turns out they were at the Three Speckled Hens Antiques Show in Paso Robles. In addition to that, it was HOT! You know how I hate to travel away from hot Arizona to where it should be cooler and end up still being HOT somewhere else!

Although the Rose Bowl Flea Market was a bit of a disappointment this time around, Sheila and I still came home with plenty of happy finds. Some were found at the Rose Bowl, others at various shops along Main Street in Ocean Beach. Where, by the way, you can also find this sketchy Hippy Hostel, just in case you are looking for lodging,

On to the Happy Finds… (plus a fun bonus at the end of the post)

Four seriously awesome antique English crocks. These things are all the rage and often very expensive. Mine was a steal. The vendor told me that he has a guy who digs them up out of the River Thames. Seriously, it’s common practice. Read THIS little blog post to learn more.

I purposely picked out the most aged and crackly ones he had.

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Today the plan was to post all about the fun things I found at the Rose Bowl Flea Market on Sunday. Instead, I’m going to show you the super awesome things I bought at Sweet Salvage yesterday.  Yes, that’s right, I found more wonderful treasures right here in Phoenix than I found when we traveled 380 miles to California to treasure hunt. It just goes to show that you never know when and where the best stuff will be.

My #1 favorite find in all the time I’ve been shopping vintage?
The best thing ever?

By far, are these 10 sheets of vintage French ephemera!

I have been searching for such a thing for nearly two years, ever since I saw the same thing on Heather Bullard’s outstanding blog.

They are French receipts dating from 1909 to 1934.  I plan on framing several like THIS and creating an arrangement with framed vintage maps of France that I’ve been collecting.

So what are ephemera, you ask?

“Ephemera is any transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved. The word derives from the Greek, meaning things lasting no more than a day. Some collectible ephemera are advertising trade cards,  bookmarks, catalogs, greeting cards, letters, pamphlets, postcards, posters, prospectuses, stock certificates, tickets and receipts.”

These are all of the small items I purchased at Sweet Salvage this month. Well, not the plate of cheese and crackers or the glass of red wine.

Following are close-ups of a few of my finds…

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As you may recall, I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) from which I receive a bounty of farm-fresh produce each week. Last week there was something new and very strange in my bag that I did not recognize. It is called purslane. Upon research, meaning a Google search, I found that purslane is an edible weed. The leaves, stems, flowers, and seeds are all edible. It is harvested in the summer and it now turns up at farmers’ markets in the late summer months.

You can use it raw in salads; toss it into soups; boil it, or saute it. Purslane is best used fresh. But, if you must store it, wrap it in a moist paper towel and place it in a plastic bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator. Purslane may be substituted for spinach in any dish that calls for spinach, raw or cooked. And in fact, cooked purslane tastes exactly like cooked spinach. I doubt that even the most advanced palate would be able to taste the difference between the two.

As I said, purslane is a weed. It is the bane of many gardeners. And now that I know what it is… add me to the list of gardeners who curse it.  It has been taking over my flower garden for the past couple of summers now, and until I found it in my CSA bag, I had no idea what that damned weed was.  When I figured out that the greens in my bag were the same thing as the weeds in my backyard, I was so disgusted that I nearly tossed the bundle from my CSA into the trash! I HATE purslane!!! Just look at it in the photo above, it has choked out every flower that was near it. I can’t get rid of it. Google revealed that purslane is an especially hearty weed – NO kidding!

Anyhow, I finally took control of my emotions and packed the stuff into the ice chest I was taking over to Coronado. On the last day, we were there, I finally had the courage to cook with the weed.

Yes, I’m glad I did. I made a potato gratin with purslane, and it was delicious and it would have been a waste to throw it in the trash. I guess I’ll get out in the yard this weekend, dig out the purslane in my flower garden, look at it as a blessing instead of a curse, and serve it up.

Most importantly, I want to send a huge shout-out and many thanks to Sheila for a wonderful long weekend at her absolutely gorgeous cottage on Coronado! It was a joy to share such relaxing girlfriend time with you there. xoxo

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While Sheila and I are living it up here in Coronado, this healthy and hearty soup is served as our lunch one day and dinner the next. You do need to remember to soak the beans the night before, otherwise, it is pretty straightforward. Unlike yesterday, this time the photos nearly match how I describe to do it, nearly. I just had to use two baking dishes for the roasting of the vegetables, if you have a dish that is large enough, just use one.

If you have leftovers when reheating be certain to add a bit more water to thin out the soup. It thickens considerably as it cools.

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Not only did Sheila and I enjoy our Vootbeer Cocktails on Friday night, we also scarfed down some salty spicy-sweet little snacks … ummm … as our dinner.  Hey, we’re on a vacation shopping trip – do not judge!

Additionally, this is a “do as I say, not as I do” sort of recipe. We didn’t have any foil, or a rack, so the photos don’t exactly match the instructions. I had to make do with what was available in Sheila’s adorable drool-worthy cottage kitchen.

The kitchen is actually very well equipped, as Sheila is a fabulous cook, but things are sometimes just a bit smaller than I am used to. If you have foil and a rack, which I’m sure you do, then follow the directions and you will be set!

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Vootbeer. Isn’t that a great name? It is a cocktail made with Vodka and Root Beer. And from what I can find, it was created at the Boulder Distillery Home of 303 Vodka. Now, I’m quite certain that people had thought of mixing vodka and root beer for a long time now, but the name Vootbeer – now that is clever.

You know me, I’m all about the freshest and best ingredients you can find and afford.  So using anything other than real whipping cream may seem a bit uncharacteristic, but I couldn’t resist using spray whipped cream topping for this fun cocktail.  A dollop or big spoonful of freshly whipped cream just wouldn’t be as fun.  Believe me, this is the epitome of a fun cocktail.

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Around this time last year, Pottery Barn had the birdcage picture above for sale. It inspired me to find a big old birdcage of my own and to fill and display it similarly. This PB cage came with a hefty price tag – $199!

I searched high and low for just the right cage, found it, purchased it for $30, hauled it home, and have been struggling ever since with the right place to stick the darn thing!

Turns out it serves as a great vehicle for an ever-changing holiday display. Here is its current incarnation for Halloween.

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Earlier this week, Marissa sent me an email at 12:05 PM, asking me to make a pumpkin and lentil chili recipe for the blog.

By 1:17 PM, a mere 1 hour and 12 minutes later, I was sending her a text with a photo of the chili cooking away. Yep, that’s how I roll.

This pumpkin chili goes together quickly and there are very few dishes to wash – a chef’s knife, 1 measuring cup, 1 set of measuring spoons, a strainer, a spoon or spatula to stir with, and the pot it cooks in… not bad for 16 delicious and super healthy servings… for a crowd, a party, or a big family dinner. Plus, if it’s for a little family dinner, no fear, it freezes great!

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I went to Crooked Sky Farms last week to pick up corn stalks and pumpkins to decorate our front entry for fall.

There’s a bit of Halloween mixed in too. I showed you how to make the black feather boa wreaths last month.

I just adore the corn stalks… with plenty of corn still attached. Now I’m just wondering if the corn cobs will dry naturally, rot, attract bugs, or worst of all – attract the local roof rats. Time will tell.

The large pumpkin atop the urn is real, as are the little pumpkins in the lanterns.

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Today we are going to revisit a Halloween favorite around these parts – my Halloween Spiderweb Candy Cake with 7-Minute Espresso Frosting. Click the name of the cake to link to the very explicit directions on how to make this fun cake with many instructional photos.

I thought I would use this opportunity to remind you that there is the “Complete Recipe Index” over there on the left side of the page – near the top, under the “Pages” tab.

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