Decorating with Driftwood?

Martha suggests suspending a piece of driftwood underneath a kitchen shelf to use for dish towels and other light weight items.

Source: Martha Stewart

While I like the shelf and the natural tones she's using, am I right when I say this neither looks aesthetically appealing nor very functional?  Maybe for a beach cottage.  But, that's a big maybe.

Ali

Nut-job eh?

So, one of Martha's "good things" I wrote about in March was accent painting—painting the back of a medicine cabinet, inside of a desk drawer, or edge of shelves a different color.  I wrote about how I had already done this in our Master bedroom, but wanted to try Martha's suggestion of a medicine cabinet, thinking it would make me happy in the morning to open up the cabinet and find a cheery color inside.  Ali commented that I was, uh, what was the word she used again ... oh, yeah, a "nut-job."  

Well, now it's May and with Martha's current issue a little light on interesting projects (that's putting it mildly) I thought this would be the perfect month to attack the medicine cabinet. 

Is this thing in need of a makeover or what?

I decided to one-up Martha though and do wall-paper instead of paint.  I started my hunt for cool wallpaper on the Internet where I did find nice papers, but also ridiculous prices.  I needed a piece less than 2x3 feet and all I could find were massive rolls at $30-40 a pop and a minimum purchase of two!  Not ready to give up on the paper idea yet, I found an article on-line about using mod podge to line the inside of drawers with regular decorative paper and viola, one trip to my local Paper Source later and I was ready to go!  I struggled at first with so many options in Paper Source, but then I spotted it, an Orla Kiely stem print gift wrap.  Perfect. (I knew then Ali would regret her words.) 

At home with my supplies, I first tackled another medicine cabinet project that's been on the back burner for a while.  Months ago I bought new hinges but never got around to putting them on.  I tackled that first and after some trial and error because our medicine cabinet is not plumb, I got the new hinges on and the door swinging better than before—so what if I had to shave some wood of the bottom.

before ...

and after.  Looks better already.

Then, I emptied the cabinet and got to work installing the paper.  I cut the paper to size first by putting the paper in place and trimming the edges with a razor.  Worked perfectly.  I have never used mod podge before but followed what I remembered of the instructions I saw on-line.  I coated the interior of the cabinet and then smoothed the paper into place.  It looked perfect at first, but then a huge bubble appeared in the middle and a few others elsewhere.  I wasn't able to lift the paper up again because it was too stuck in some areas and the bubble wouldn't smooth out either.  I decided to spread the mod podge over the top of the paper and see if once it was all wet I could smooth it out.  Nope.  I just ended up getting it wrinkled.  So, I left it and came back later.  Well,  apparently the secret to mod podge is leaving it alone because when I came back the bubbles were gone.  Unfortunately, I was left with a big wrinkle, which I am sure would not have been there if I had just not attempted to smooth it.  It didn't end up really mattering because when the shelves in place you can't see the wrinkle at all.  I think it came out awesome and it does make me happy every time I open it. 

Without all our junk.

Still looks great even with our stuff - yes, I pared it down!

I loved it so much I decided to do my kids medicine cabinet.  It was much easier this time around in part because I already knew what I was doing from the first go round, but also because the kids medicine cabinet is wider and the paper fit exactly without cutting the width.  I only had to trim the bottom which is much easier because the shelf supports don't get in the way and one cut in much easier to do neatly than two. 

How cute is that?

So, what's the verdict Ali, nut-job or creative genius?

- Jacqui

________________

Ok Jacq - what chance did  I have?  You combine Orla Kiely design and paper?  You knew I'd love it.  Maybe in our next home. ;)

Ali

Look what I grew!

Martha had some pretty flower arrangements last month using items I have in my garden.  She used lamb ear, lavender, peonies and some other things I didn't have. I added salvia and chive blossoms to the mix.  Isn't it pretty?

I think I'm getting better at blog photography too.

  - Jacqui

Rhubarb Who?

To me, ripe rhubarb is a sure sign summer has arrived.   We've always grown rhubarb and I've loved it for as long as I can remember.  Stewed rhubarb over ice cream..  rhubarb crumble.. rhubarb pie... all so good.  I'm always surprised when someone hasn't ever tried it - no matter how I try to prepare them for what's in store, I always love their puckered face at its unexpected tartness.

A new recipe for rhubarb?  Martha, I heart you.  BUT, what on earth is a buckle??

It's very much like a crumble, but with a cake-like consistency as it's base and it is good!! 

Her recipe calls for you to divide the ingredients into two two 9inch pans.  Why?  I have no idea, so I ignored it and put everything into one 9x13 pyrex dish.  It was perhaps a little thicker than she had intended, but a little more in each serving couldn't be too bad, could it?

Rhubarb and just a little sugar

A baked buckle

Yum!

Try it, if you like rhubarb, you won't be disappointed!

Here's her recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/898912/rhubarb-buckle

Happy Mother's Day!

Ali
 
Update: I brought some over to a friend and her response was "Damn you!  That rhubarb thing is delicious and I've already eaten 3 squares!"

24 Eggs

Yes, two dozen.  That’s how many eggs I separated for Martha’s recipes last month.  The lemon curd and leek, cheese and herb souffle I wrote about previously were the culprits behind 11 of them and between the cake and frosting, Martha's Raspberry White Cake http://www.marthastewart.com/892739/raspberry-white-cake was responsible for a whopping 13!  I almost cried when the May issue arrived in the mail with Meringue Swirls on the cover.  Come on Martha!

The main cause of so much egg separation stemmed from a story in the magazine called "Divide and Conquer" that focused on recipes using either egg whites or the yolks, get it?  Unfortunately, Ali and I divided the recipes based on which ones appealed to each of us, rather than making sure each of us had a good complement of yolk and white recipes.  I ended up with a lot of white recipes and a lot of leftover yolks.

I made the Raspberry White Cake for my friend’s birthday at work.  The cake called for 4 egg whites and the frosting 5, but when the quantity of cake batter looked insufficient to get the three layers needed for the cake, I decided to make a second batch of batter to get one more cake layer (and use four more egg whites.)  I just thought the cake wouldn’t look as pretty with two puny layers and making another batch gave me enough batter for 6 cupcakes to appease my kids who were crushed that I was making a cake they weren’t going to get to try.  I think my son's exact words were, "why can't we just have a piece and you can take the rest to work."

Without the third layer that would have been a lame layer cake.

The cake had no butter or oil in it, just heavy cream, which I had never seen before, but it was really good.  The raspberries bled a bit, but I thought it still looked pretty.  I couldn't take a picture of the inside at work so you'll just have to trust me that it was lovely from the inside. 

The frosting was only ok though.  It was kind of fun to make, and was beautiful looking, fluffy and glossy, but I just don't care for meringue, so I couldn't get past that.  The kids loved it because I was able to pile it on really high on their cupcakes and stick sprinkles on them, but I think the cake would have been better with a cream cheese frosting.  I make a delicious one that would have been awesome with the fruity cake.  I sometimes eat the leftover cream cheese frosting on strawberries (or right out of the bowl.)  My other issue with the meringue frosting is that I wasn’t sure how to handle it after it was on the cake.  It looked pretty the next day when I brought it to work, but when the cake was cut the frosting consistency was more like normal meringue than the thick stuff I spread the night before.  Seems like meringue is an "eat it when you make it" kind of frosting. 



Do you think my kids were happy?

At the end of the day I had a pretty nice cake and a LOT of egg yolks in my fridge.  And the next recipe I was supposed to make called for 6 more whites!  Luckily, I happened to be talking to Ali, who happened to mention that she didn't feel like making the Cinnamon-Honey Creme Brulee http://www.marthastewart.com/892742/cinnamon-honey-creme-brulee she was supposed to make, which happened to call for 9 egg yolks.  Sold!  It took me all of one second to take that recipe off her hands.   Not only did I get to use up a huge portion of my yolk stash, I got a great recipe.  That creme brulee was so good and equally easy (how can you beat 15-minutes prep time for an inspired dessert?).  I highly recommend it and if you do make it, please invite me over.

After all the recipes I still ended up with 5 yolks left in the fridge.  What to do?  More lemon curd of course. 
-Jacqui

Martha's Mailable Baby Gifts?

Besides gift suggestions for moms, grads, and dads, Martha's May issue has an article dedicated to mailable baby gifts.  Yes, mailable.  I wasn't surprised to see some are my personal favorites featured in the article, but, the key word here is my, which didn't necessarily mean that Benjamin liked them even slightly. 

Poor Sophie the giraffe.  She's so cool in theory.  Oh, my baby won't be knawing on pure lead?  Check.  She's super cute?  Check.  She's made of natural materials?  Check.  Well, Benjamin never gave Sophie a second glance and trust me if wasn't for my lack of trying.  I mean, I paid 20 bucks for a teething toy and by gosh he was going to chew on it.  Nope.

Martha also features a book entitled, "This is New York" by Miroslav Sasekas.  We have the London and Paris editions, but since they have nothing to do with planes, trains, or automobiles, they've both fallen flat. *sigh*

Anyway, I did like one of her suggestions, but it's also something we've already done - making Benjamin his very own stationary.  You're not surprised, are you?  I heart stationary.  Martha's idea was NYC centric and mine, since we don't live in NYC, isn't.  As you now Benjamin is obsessed with all things that go, so we made train and firetruck stationary with card stock from the Paper Source.  It's for his little thank you notes for any gifts he might receive.  I ask, are you ever young to learn proper manners?

They're simple, the ink colors pop, and it was something that Benjamin and I could do together.

I was a little surprised that Martha didn't offer any ideas on handmade gifts.  I mean this is her forte, no?  Maybe she'd welcome one of my suggestions (perhaps not the most mail friendly, but very cute regardless).  I recently hosted a baby shower and as part of the mother-to-be's gift, I made this for her - intertwining heart-shaped maps of their home towns. 

 And just for fun, here are a couple of the favors I made for the shower...

Chocolate dipped oreo pops.

Handmade soaps with personalized clay tags

Ali

Salmon vs. Mrs. Salman

I made a lovely dinner last weekend by combining two recipes from the April issue, the leek cheese and herb souffle casserole http://www.marthastewart.com/892759/cheese-leek-and-herb-souffle-casserole and the roasted salmon from the salmon with cucumber-radish relish http://www.marthastewart.com/892685/salmon-cucumber-radish-relish.  I didn’t intend to make this combination; thought I would make the souffle as intended, for breakfast or brunch, but this thing took an hour and half to prepare which is too tough for a morning when kids are around. Also, I had planned to make the salmon two weeks ago on Sunday evening after a Saturday morning trip to Costco for a nice side of salmon.  Why didn’t I?  Well, the salmon died a second tragic death when my husband unloaded the groceries and accidentally put the salmon on a shelf in the basement instead of the refrigerator.  I know, don’t get me started, it’s been two weeks and I’m only now able to write about it. Anyway…

I was skeptical of this salmon recipe because the picture in the magazine looked kind of dry.

Photo credit: Martha Stewart
Am I lying - looks dry right?

Also, we make salmon a lot and almost always broil it and it’s always delicious, so I was doubly reluctant to change things up.  But, I’m glad I did.  The salmon was so good and so moist.  It was essentially the same preparation as broiling—salt, pepper, and a tiny bit of olive oil—very easy. 


Moist and perfectly cooked.

 My only compliant, and it’s not really a complaint, was that a lot of white stuff came out of the salmon (which I learned from Top Chef is called “albumen” and which Top Chef host and judge Padma says is a no no because it means the fish cooked too quickly.)  Whatever.  Quick is good and it was perfectly cooked, not even close to overdone, so I scraped that white goo off and served it. Honestly, I question the judgment of someone that attractive who would marry Salman Rushdie anyway. Yes, I know, they divorced years ago, but still.   



Photo credit: The Telegraph
I'm just sayin'

But, I digress.  Ok, on to the souffle.  It was a lot of work but it was really good.  Was the work worth the good?  Probably.  The recipe called for sauteing the leeks, making a parchment paper collar to help the souffle rise making the souffle base, beating egg whites, folding it all together, baking for 35 minutes, and voila!

I would definitely reduce the amount of salt.  Both my husband and I found the dish overly salty and I guess that’s not surprising when it called for salt in the leeks, another 1 tsp in the souffle base and another ½ tsp in the egg whites.  That’s just too much for a dish that fits in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Next time I’d leave the salt out of the egg whites or cut the salt in the souffle base to ½ tsp. 

My souffle didn’t puff up like the one in the magazine, despite my excellent parchment collar ...

but I attribute that failure to me accidentally turning off the oven mid way (I meant to turn off the oven light).  Oops.  No matter, I just turned it back on and it ended up still delicious and light and fluffy inside, just not as puffy.
-Jacqui