ornamental

great holiday installations at anthropologie this year. one of them inspired me to create this for the home. a little ornamental cheer for above my dining room table. holiday neutrals make it worthy to stay up all year?

bbq

pork. shrimps. green tomatoes. oysters. great labor day weekend :)

L+G engagement

thank you johnny for spending a beautiful day out in the trees and meadow for our engagement shoot :)

found items

As most of you know .. i've been spending most of my evenings and weekends elbow deep in "the bins" at my favorite store: GOODWILL. I've also been perusing all the vintage junk shops and have turned up with the following treasures I like to stare and smile at from my couch at home. Thanks g for indulging my ever-growing junk pile and craft stations ... this wedding is going to be a serious labor of love :)

a collection of "fancy" tarnished silver platters ..

as my adorable mom would say ... fancy cup & fancy tea

tippity type

a collection of different eras .. brands .. colors ..

I'm the proud owner of SIX HUNDRED pieces of silverware :)

My most prized possession: a beautiful set of silverplate passed down to greg and I from his parents

two parisienne bistro chairs I painted white for the bride + groom

and a stellar little shoe find to top things off ... it cost me a whopping fourteen dollars! gotta love buying vintage.

taco rollo

I loved the delicious little tacos at barrio filled with pork shoulder braised with ancho chillis and golden rasins. Haven't seen these savory snacks in a while .. so I figured i'd take a stab at re-creating this at home.

braised pork shoulder tacos 

for the pork

pork shoulder (typically come between 4-6 lbs)

2 tablespoons chipotle chilis in adobe (including peppers and sauce)

1 28oz can of whole tomatos

1 cup golden raisins

4 cups chicken broth

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

for the tacos

small tortillas (corn or flour)

chopped cilantro

chopped red onion

sliced red cabbage

lime wedges

guacamole or sliced avocado

Boil water. Pour about 2 cups of the boiling water over the golden raisins in a medium sized bowl and let the raisins plumpen. 

Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat a few drizzles of oil over med-high heat. While the pot is heating, season the pork shoulder with some salt and pepper. Brown all sides of the pork shoulder (until golden brown), and remove from the heat. Add one more drizzle of oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant (about 4 minutes, be careful not to burn the garlic).

Add the pork shoulder, chicken broth, chipotle chiles in adobo, raisins (with about 1 cup of the liquid), and both the juice of the canned tomatos and the actual tomatos (crushing and breaking the tomatos down in your hand over the pot, before you add them in). Make sure that the pork shoulder is at least half way emersed in liquid. If it is not, just add more of the raisin liquid or some extra chicken broth. Bring this all to a boil, place a lid over the pot and put it into the oven at 375 degrees.

The pork should cook for about 4 hours (until falling off the bone). Check on the pork every hour or so to baste the pork with liquid or flip the pork shoulder to keep everything moist.

When the pork is done, remove it from the oven and place on a stove top. Take 2 forks and slowly pull a part the tender meat and remove the bone. There should be enough liquid (about 2 cups or less) to keep the pork moist and create a nice sauce. If there is too much liquid, you can remove this with a ladle until you have a nice consistency. The pork can be served right away to make tacos or left to simmer a bit more with the sauce until you're ready.

This makes quite a bit pork .. so it's perfect for a dinner party.

three and a half months and counting ..

I've been terrible at updating lil ole nincomsoup and documenting all of the wedding crafts lately ... but it's not to say that i've been lazing in actual wedding prep. Here's a little sneak peak of what i've been up to in my craft-factory ..

bootie-near for the boys ...

Marigold felt beezlebub tags for the seating chart ... 

Little faces of family and friends ..  

Better late than never .. a HUGE congratulations to my two fellow brides to be :)

a homemade christmas

without any hand-me-down ornaments or decorations to put up .. monstie and I worked on our own little  crafty wonderland of home-made holiday goodness .. filled with "beezlebubs", cranberry garlands, wreaths and some delicious gingerbread mmmcakes

beezlebub bows

gingerbread cupcake + cream cheese frosting

adapted from Gramercy Tavern's Gingerbread Recipe

for the cake

1 cup oatmeal stout or Guinness Stout

1 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cardamom

3 large eggs

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

 
for the frosting
2 packages of cream cheese, room temparture
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups of powdered sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
 
instructions for the cake
Preheat oven to 350°F.


Bring stout and molasses to a boil in a large saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in baking soda, then cool to room temperature.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs and sugars. Whisk in oil, then molasses mixture. Add to flour mixture and whisk until just combined.

Pour batter into individual paper cups about 3/4 full and place cups on a cookie sheet. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out with just a few moist crumbs adhering, about 10 minutes. Cool cupcakes before frosting.

instructions for the frosting
Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and beat with a handmixer until the frosting is fluffy. Place the frosting in a pastry bag and pipe onto the individual cupcakes and top with a fun holiday sprinkle.

etouffee

I cannot wait for new orleans in april! in the mean time ... i'll enjoy a nice hearty pot of shrimp etouffee.

shrimp etouffee

adapted from a recipe by Rob Newsom

1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 sticks celery, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (one red, one green)
2 pounds of shrimp
2 bunches of green onions
1 stick of butter
4 cups of shrimp stock* (directions on how to make this below)

for the seasoning mix:
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme

Mix all of the dry seasonings and set aside. Peel the shrimp, and set aside in a bowl. Put the shrimp shells in 8 cups of water and simer them down to 4 cups of stock. This should take about 30 minutes.

For the roux .. heat 1/4 cup of vegetable oil in a cast iron pot. Stir in 1/4 cup of flour and stir continuously and vigorously to make sure that everything is combined and that the roux doesn't burn. Continue to heat and stir the roux over medicum heat until it develops a nice dark brown color. This can take about 15-20 minutes.

Once the roux gets to the desired color, stir in the onions, garlic, celery and bell peppers and stir for a few minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of the dry seasoning mix and stir well. Stir in 2 cups of the shrimp stock and one stick of butter and stir until melted. Simmer to reduce the liquid. About 20 minutes.

In the mean time, use the remaining shrimp stock for the water to make the rice. When the rice is 5 minutes from ready, add the peeled shrimp and chopped green onions to the etouffee pot. Slowly add the remaining seasoning (to taste) and stir. When the shrimp is done (about 3-4 minutes), pour the etoffee over the rice and serve with crusty bread.

gobbledigook

Some mocksgiving moments ...

yellowy billy balls

elpie setting the table

pomegranate momtails

...and the bird that unites us all

Roasted Turkey.. salt herb brined and cooked with tom collicchio's herb butter

apapted from two Gourmet recipes

For Turkey and Herb Butter

14-16 pound turkey

2 sticks of butter

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh rosemary + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh tarragon + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh sage + 5 sprigs

2 teaspoons, minced, fresh thyme + 15 sprigs

2 bay leaves, torn into small pieces

1 teaspon, freshly cracked black pepper

4 cups of chicken stock

For Herb Salt .. Dry Brine

1/3 cup of kosher salt

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

3 small bay leaves, coarsley torn

Brine Directions

24 hours in advance of beginning to roast your bird, rinse the turkey inside and out and pat the herb salt all over the inside and outside of the bird. Place into a roasting bag and refrigerate for 18-24 hours.

Roasting Directions

When you are ready to begin roasting the turkey, remove the bird from the roasting bag and rinse inside and out. Pat dry inside and out.

Mix 1/2 cup butter and all minced herbs in small bowl; season herb butter with salt and pepper. Transfer 2 generous tablespoons to another small bowl and reserve for gravy; let stand at room temperature.

Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 425°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Rub 4 tablespoons herb butter over breast meat under skin. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Sprinkle main cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place 4 tablespoons plain butter and all fresh herb sprigs in main cavity. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Rub remaining herb butter over outside of turkey. Sprinkle turkey generously with salt and pepper.
Place turkey in oven and roast 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Roast turkey 30 minutes; pour 1 cup broth over and add 1 tablespoon plain butter to roasting pan. Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with pan juices, then pour 1 cup broth over and add 1 tablespoon butter to pan. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast turkey until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting with pan juices and adding 1 cup broth and 1 tablespoon butter to pan every 45 minutes, about 1 hour 45 minutes longer. Transfer turkey to platter; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees).

Use the pan juices and homemade turkey stock to make a delicious gravy to accompany the bird.

Globble Wobble.

winter greens

The wet Seattle winter has arrived. The beautifully, vibrant mossy greens around the neighborhood inspired me to try a hearty winter greens gratin.

Winter Greens Gratin with Italian Sausage

adapted from a recipe in Edible Seattle

1/2 pound of spicy italian sausage

1 pound of kale (red or green)

1 pound of collard greens

1 pound of mustard greens

1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Rinse the greens and remove the bitter core from the center of each leaf. Cut the greens in 1 inch strips and set aside.

Remove the sausage from casings and cook in a cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Separate the sausage into small bits with a wooden spoon. Cook until golden brown. Remove sausage from the pan with a slotted spoon and set-aside.

Add the greens to the pot gradually. Continually adding more greens as the greens in the pot start to shrink and can allow for more room in the pot. Continue stirring the greens until all of the strips fit into the pot. Cover with lid and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, until the greens are tender.

Meanwhile, butter a gratin dish. Once the greens are tender, add the sausage back in the pot and stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the gratin dish. Drizzle the heavy cream over the top of the mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese, evenly and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

tarte aux pommes

a rainy saturday was the perfect weather for staying in, watching some football and baking an apple pie. a slice of americana ..

apple pie

6 large apples, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
pie crust .. basic recipe
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Add the fresh squeezed lemon to the apple slices in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients and toss to combine. Pour this apple mixture on top of the pie crust. Top with a pie crust. Cut 4 slits for vents and stick in the oven at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

wallula

spent the week in the midst of harvest. went to the always breathtaking wallula vineyard and hung out with the sheep :)