eggs

It is raining cats and dogs all day here, perfect day to stay home and cook. I looked at the almost empty fridge and eggs were pretty much it so deviled eggs and egg salad are on the menu over here. I took a few shots with my phone, which takes much more grainy photos than my last iPhone for some reason, the one I dropped into Lake Chautaqua last summer ;o( .

 I make the simplest deviled eggs with curry and lemon. The men in our family eat them immediately. Today I went heavy on the lemon juice and curry for my husband, he loves bold flavors. All I do is throw all these ingredients into the Cuisinart and pulse. I allowed it to remain a bit lumpy and runny today but smooth and thick is fine too and nicer for company of course. I add the mayo, lemon juice and curry to taste, don't really measure. I usually use the entire lemon and the  curry powder is bought in bulk from the Indian grocery. Hopefully Savannah or Charleston have one, Beaufort certainly doesn't. We need some fennel for the morning chai husband makes so will have to research.

Guests often mention they don't like curry but after tasting the eggs, they like them and eat several. The combination of lemon and curry are sharp and bold and then the mayo balances it and adds creaminess.

Deviled  eggs with curry and lemon

~hard boiled eggs

~light Hellman mayonnaise

~lemon squeezed

~ curry powder 

(freshest is from Indian grocery and also much less expensive)

~salt and pepper

~green onions, parsley and/or dill can be blended into mix or used as garnish

Have you seen this blogger's naturally dyed eggs on Pinterest? 

I think they are so beautiful.

And Martha's team came up with this pretty tabletop idea with eggs, combining moss covered styrofoam eggs, quince or crabapple stems and several sizes of brown eggs.

Martha Stewart

Are eggs a favorite food in your house?

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

things I like this week

1. Such an easy appetizer for entertaining or a simple lunch for hubby and me paired with a salad. Just drizzle olive oil, finely chopped herbs and red peppers, salt and pepper over a log of goat or feta cheese and serve warm with crostini.

2. Isn't this place setting by Tom Sheerer with grass mats and  pink seersucker napkins pretty? Wicker vases for candles (bought some of these at Marshall's a few years ago), monogrammed plates (Gracious Style sells them) and unique footed glasses compliment.

3. Sandal weather is fast approaching. Joie is a company that is new to me, saw these on Piperlime. Love the color added to a traditional thong sandal. A fresh take on a classic.

4. Isn't this little furry peanut adorable? I think Andy would love him (or her)!

5. Chunky table lamps are my favorite, Circa Lighting sells this pierced celadon lamp by Ralph Lauren that would look great in our house.

6. Who doesn't love the courtyard gardens of Charleston and Savannah? We have visited in the spring in the past (always trying to be nonchalant as we peer into the private gated gardens on our strolls) and are looking forward to being there this fall for a week to get youngest son situated in school but we have never been on a garden tour for up close access. Have you? Savannah held their tour of homes a few weeks ago. The Garden Club of Charleston held their tour last weekend. Historic Charleston Foundation's House and Garden Tour and Antiques Show is still going on. Visiting all of these on the same trip is on my bucket list!

7. Saw this striped bedding in a simply decorated room by Tricia Foley on Boxwood Terrace blog. Love the wicker table and glass lamp. We found a similar striped duvet at Ikea for older son's apartment that was surprisingly soft after a wash and dry with non scented dryer sheets. West Elm and Garnet Hill sell striped sheets that look great too.

8. Cut spring flowering branches extra long for a dramatic tall accent in a high ceilinged living room. While you are at it, add two bright pillows and who doesn't need a gorgeous modern painting like this one by Robert Rea? This is his Georgetown living room that was featured in Veranda a few years ago.

9. I think the artistry and technique of chalk artist Dana Tanamachi is amazing! Her work is often seen in New York City and Brooklyn where she lives. I love this message, a print can be purchased for $60 here.

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

things I like this week...

1. blue and white rooms are everywhere lately, love the trim and the fabrics on the pillows, club chair and blind mixed with the cream tones of the sofa, ottoman and walls and the natural rug

check out Maryann's blog Classic Casual Home for more blue and white inspiration, could not find the original source of this room but it reminds me of her fresh nautical style

2. this fat free method of popping corn works well, of course we still add melted butter and salt!

3. this dish is right up our alley being the cilantro, yogurt and potato fans that we are, going to try it this week

4. isn't this  Easter springerle cookie by Iowa bakers Farmhouse Gardens beautiful?

5. a simple bunch of fresh cut branches in a glass cylinder paired with white stacked books in front of a big window with white blinds looks so fresh and springy!

6. a large wicker tray packed with cheeses, crackers and crudites is always a welcome sight as guests arrive...yum!

7. we eat chick peas regularly, easily cooked in a crock pot during the day so I do not have to tend to them, will try this  chick pea and feta salad tomorrow

8. husband brought out the potted boxwoods from their winter protection in the garage to the front porch this week, need to shape them into balls like these once the temps get into the 50's later this week 

9.  Anthro Watercolor Petal plates are so pretty for spring!

What are you liking these days?

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

ginger dressing sockeye salmon and slaw

Last night I wanted to use the remainder of a bottle of Japanese ginger dressing I had bought last month. I ordinarily do not buy bottled dressings because it is so easy and much more delicious to make homemade dressing when needed and the ingredients are usually on hand. In fact, I made a caesar dressing a few days ago with white wine vinegar (in place of lemon juice that I was out of) that is so good I want to take a spoon of it when I open the fridge door and spot it! Back  to last night...

I made a slaw with cabbage, carrots and cucumber sliced on the thinnest mandoline blade (I use this one) and tossed with the dressing that is sold in my regular grocery.

Then marinated thawed Alaska Sockeye Salmon fillets (which is the prettiest pink color and supposed to have more nutrition) in the dressing for thirty minutes and grilled on the grill pan.  Used a bit to glaze the salmon at the end of cooking. Yum! Husband and I have lost 4 pounds each so far in preparation for the beach in a few weeks! Few more to go!

this week

 Here is what is happening over here....

 We are burning through the large pile of stacked logs sitting in the garage and eating lots of pistachios from the mega bag we bought at Costco. See the coffee table...brass leaf with nuts and a discarded shell bowl? Looks like we are almost finished but there is still the big bag with plenty more in the snack drawer. I need to stop going into the snack aisle at Costco, the bags are too big. Does this happen in your house? The day a new item is brought into the house, everyone is interested and takes their share but the following days, no takers. Oh well, new strategy...walk past the snacks, head to the flowers instead.

Found pretty tulips, lilies and alstroemeria last visit.

I remembered to take an Ina food photo! I made Asian Grilled Salmon from her Parties cookbook which I think is one of her best.

 I doctored the recipe though because it was too bland. The sauce consists of just olive oil, soy sauce and mustard. It needed bite and sweetness so I added honey and lime juice. Made it much better and the honey created great caramelization. This is son's plate, I sadly had one little scoop of mashed potatoes on my plate. See the black thing on the middle of the filet? He asked in a typical teenage tone what it was so I picked it up and ate it, yum, crunchy and delicious. Do you cook frozen broccoli in the microwave? It is so easy, I think I do 6 minutes covered. Then toss with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Costco does have the best frozen broccoli. 

I also made Parker's Beef Stew on Super Bowl and I did forget to take a shot, very delicious of course and not quite as rich as her yummy Beef Bourguignon recipe. 

I have been fooling around with some master bedroom changes. I change things in the house at this time every year, part of the hibernation process. I decided it should be feminine and light with touches of green and blue. I use our bedroom as my personal living room since I record shows on that television. Have now chalk painted the bedside tables, a baker's rack we brought down from a guest room and the armoire. The only brown thing left is an antique farmhouse chest of drawers. Will post some pics later once a sunburst arrives for over the bed. 

Here is the baker's rack which is now in place of a table next to my favorite chair. It houses favorite books, magazines and serves as my charging station and a nice place for a scented candle. I painted it in Annie Sloan Country Grey.

Loving our birds at the feeders. I will never get over the beauty of a cardinal in the midst of a bleak landscape. Mother Nature is so amazing. This beautiful boy was outside the kitchen window.

Ran out of personalized stationery so just ordered and quickly received this simple design from etsy seller Short Grass Designs. Can be ordered in lots of colors and comes with kraft envelopes. Would make a great gift.

What is going on in your home on these winter days?

this week

We finally have a rug in the dining room. The jute rug that was back ordered for months is now in place. Same style rug that we have in the living room, family room, kitchen and hallway. Much better, instantly quieter and cozier. Our friends brought the happy tulips. Florists finally figured out that  no one really wants bright foil plant wrapping. This one is made of kraft paper so no need to pot it into another container.

I refreshed the paint on the chandelier that came with the house with chalk paint and gold leaf paint. I tried it without the shades over the holidays but it cast strange light on the ceiling and it seemed unflattering to our faces. Some of the bulbs turned black even though they work so I put the shades back on, the light is softer with them.

One of the amaryllis is going to bloom soon! Took over two months, I planted both in mid November! I believe they are both Lemon Star amaryllis, it's been so long I forgot which ones we bought. Its sister is still just sitting there with just a few leaves, it feels plump and is green so I think it will eventually bloom. I am rooting some fiddle leaf ficus shoots in water and nursing a shoot that was rooted earlier and is now potted and doing well. Trying to get the kalanchoe plant on the left to flower.

I am continuing with my Ina Garten cooking. I made her Shrimp Scampi recipe from Back to Basics over the weekend when entertaining some friends. I forgot to photograph it secretly (no way was I going to whip out the camera in front of guests as it came out of the oven.) It looked just like the cookbook photo and tasted very good. 

source

Only thing- it called for way too much butter, a stick and a half! The shrimp were sitting in a deep pool of butter. One, it was a waste of butter and two, totally unnecessary. I would definitely make it again but cut the butter in half. Going to make my son happy and make her Penne with Five Cheeses next and make all of us happy by roasting a Lemon Chicken with Croutons which I have made before and it is delicious! 

What are you up to this week?

this week...food and books

 I made Ina's Blueberry Crumb Cake from her Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook. It was delicious, more like a coffee cake because it is not too sweet and has a thick crumb topping. Too much topping we thought, overwhelms the moist yummy cake below. Seemed like half cake, half topping.

Next time, will make much less topping. I used a springform pan to make releasing the cake from the pan easier.

We tried her Mustard Roasted Fish recipe from Back to Basics. Very tangy and good, everyone liked it. Much richer than our usual grilled fish. The color was kind of blah and unappetizing. The food stylist made the fish look prettier for the book. Made her Roasted Potatoes in the oven at the same time. Same method we all know for this dish. Used a separate plate for the salad, this would have been prettier with some green on the plate.

I have been receiving beautiful books in the mail. In January, I go though my Amazon Save for Later cart of book titles. I add them whenever I hear of a good one throughout the year. I then purchase several after researching for the best prices and narrowing down the list. Once they arrive, I ration them, reading through them very slowly to savor each one. It takes me months to go through them. 

I have just started Martha Stewart Entertaining, A Year of Celebrations that was published in 2011.This book is huge and gorgeous! It is the new version of her amazing first book Entertaining that is full of beautiful ideas and does not seem dated.

Each page is a visual treat.  Her gardens, her homes, her collections of every kind of tableware, glassware, etc. the presentations, the recipes, the serving ideas, it is all quite astounding! I am loving this book! 

I also purchased her Martha Stewart Gardening, a Month to Month Guide book which for some reason came without the cover but here is a page from it, equally as pretty as her Entertaining books.

 Here are a few others I bought....

And my husband was sweet to order Carolyne Roehm's Flowers and surprise me after seeing it mentioned on the blog.

These books will keep me company throughout the winter, simple pleasures.....