Cosmopolitans For A Crowd

Around the holidays, we make a pitcher of these. Just pour them in a shaker with plenty of crushed ice and you've got an instant party.

1 1/2 cups Vodka
1 1/2 cups Bacardi Limon
1/2 cup Cointreau
3 cups Cranberry Juice
1/2 cup fresh Lime Juice

For an added touch, you can sugar the rim and add a garnish of lime, orange, or cranberry.  Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Gorgonzola Dip

We make this dip every holiday season.  It's always a hit.

6 Slices of bacon, chopped 
3 Medium onions sliced thinly (use a mandolin if you like)
Sprinkle a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper
4 Large cloves of garlic
2 tsp of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
4 oz of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sour cream (Greek yogurt also works)
1/2 cup Olive Oil mayo
1/3 cup Gorgonzola, crumble
1/4 Cayenne
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Note: Reserve some bacon and onions for garnish.

Fry until the slices of bacon until very crisp in a skillet. Set aside. Drain, leaving two tablespoons of fat in skillet. Sauté onions in the pan over medium-low heat on the stove, scraping fond in bottom of pan. After about a minute, add a pinch of sugar. salt, and pepper.
Cook the onions until they have become soft and deeply browned, about 20 minutes. Turn off heat and add 3 clove of finely chopped garlic, thyme, and parsley. 

Mix softened cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo. Add warm onion mixture, chopped bacon, gorgonzola, and grate last clove of garlic. Add cayenne and Worcestershire. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with good kettle potato chips, corn chips or fresh vegetables. You can serve it immediately, but it's even better the next day.

p.s. It's great on burgers too!

Quirky Touches For The Home

We are always in search of affordable, quirky items for the home to fill the shop.  I was recently going through some old pictures and was amazed at all the funky finds we've had at the store over the years.  Here are a few of our favorite unique pieces in no particular order.

The first is a picture of our old location, but what I really want you to see is the gigantic, antique fishing net that was about 10 feet long.  We had three of these and they were one of the most unique items we came across. It offered a terrific opportunity to add scale and texture to a room without taking up too much space.

The old Humble Home location.  The gigantic, antique fishing net was one of my favorite quirky items.

The next item was small, but I loved its simplicity.  These could be used for anything.  It's the perfect combination of form and function, and it adds a shot of glam at just the right moment.

Vintage brass lotus bowls

The lamp below is so Jonathan Adler.  I did change the color to white and later added a black shade which made it pop all the more.  And yes, I have to admit to having a slight "Godfather" moment.

White horse head lamp.  

It was something about this trash can that really attracted me.  The knobby texture added an almost surreal quality.  It is glam and crafty at the same time.  Needless to say, it didn't last long in the store.

I was mesmerized by this unique, knobby brass trash can.

Words can't describe how much I loved this table.  The marble top just sparkled!  It was a lot of hard work getting it to look this way, but boy was it worth it.  It only lasted two days in the store, but it went to a great home.  Did a mention it may appear in a movie?  Well, that's another post.

Regency inspired marble coffee table...stunning.  It initially said 1970, but I say fabulous.

Little unique touches like these create a home that reflects you...your values, taste, and creativity. Your home should be the one place that makes you feel safe and content, surrounded by items that evoke memories and  hint at your dreams for the future.

How I Spent My Junkstock Vacation

I know we haven't posted for a while, but we were swamped with the preparation and aftermath of Junkstock.  Junkstock is a great bi-annual event where "junk-o-philes" get together to sell cool vintage stuff at an old dairy farm on the outskirts of Omaha.  There's plenty of music, food, a petting zoo for the kids, and tons of cool vintage stuff.  The event was expecting 15,000 people to attend.  It was a lot of work, but it's a great place to meet cool people, sell some stuff, and have a great time.

Since the epic storm of the June event, I decided to overcompensate and build a little structure this time around.  We already had plenty of lumber, old doors (thanks Brad!) and several windows (thanks David!) so how hard could it be?

What the h*** was I thinking?  The posts alone took all day in 90 degree heat.  But with the help of my father-in-law Cal, friends Elizabeth and Nathan, (not to mention my husband) we got it done.

And if I don't mind saying, it turned out pretty awesome!

Our Junkstock garden shed made with old doors and windows

Behind closed doors

Every window and door was measured and charted on graph paper.  Needless to say, a lot of drinking and cursing was involved.  

The building process 

Two bottles of wine later

The best part of Junkstock was spending time with my main man Nicholas.  Here he is at the petting zoo.

Nicholas at the petting zoo

Thanks Sara and Junkstock crew for all your hard work.  It was a great affair. (The American Pickers guy did not participate in our garden shed event but we're sure he'd approve.)

Refrigerator Pizza

Anytime Time Is The Right Time For Pizza!

Years ago when I owned a bakery, this was an easy and delicious recipe I developed for great tasting pizza.  Actually, it is the perfect dough for other other recipes we developed, but today it's all about the pizza.

Everyone has their own favorite flavor and style, but I love what most people think of as a California style pizza.  It's composed of a delicious, slightly chewy thin crust (but not too thin) with a crispy bottom and unique seasonal toppings.  This post is all about making a great pizza with what you have on hand.

I'm a firm believer in using what you have, so the picture above is a pizza topped with shrimp, bacon, and caramelized onions on top of bechamel sauce.  The cheese drawer had a little brie, mozzarella, and aged Romano, so they went on top.  It was delicious, but very rich.  One slice...okay two and a green salad is all you need.  However, feel free to experiment.

The Dough

There are so many schools of thoughts on pizza dough and everyone is a critic.  Some only use purified water, 00 bread flour, or cake yeast, but I say use what you have.  A simple all-purpose flour is just fine to use and makes a great crust.

Dough left in the frig for a day or two tastes even better.  You'll need:

2 cups warm water

1 package active dry yeast or 2 1/2 tsp of loose yeast

3 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 1/2 TBS of extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup semolina flour or corn meal is optional

3 1/2 cups floor plus more if needed and for dusting

pizza stone

favorite sauce and toppings

Use a stand electric mixer with a dough hook or a large bowl if made by hand.  Combine lukewarm water, yeast, and 1/4 tsp of the sugar and mix gently.  Let mixture stand until the yeast starts to foam for about 5 minutes.  

Then, add the remaining sugar, oil, flours, and finally the salt (salt retards the growth of yeast so that's why it's added last).  Turn the mixer on low and mix until all the flour has been incorporated.  The dough may be slightly sticky so add more flour if needed until the dough clings to the bottom of the bowl.  Increase the speed to medium for about 5 minutes.  

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until it's smooth.  I always say, it should feel like a baby's butt.  It should bounce back slightly when poked.  Form the dough into a round and place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn it over to coat with oil.  Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot until it doubles in size for about and hour. 

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 degrees or the highest temperature.  If you have a convection oven, use blower.

Once the dough has doubled in size, it's ready.  Remember, the longer it sits, the better it tastes.  Up to three days in the refrigerator is fine.

Roll out a piece (this recipe makes 2 large pizzas) of dough into a 14 inch circle about 1/8-inch thick.  Dust a pizza paddle (called a peel) with flour, semolina, or corn meal and slide it under the pizza dough.  Brush the crust with olive oil then add sauce and favorite toppings.

Slide the pizza onto hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

This simple vegetarian pizza was made with a brushing of olive oil and topped with fresh herbs in lieu of a sauce, grilled eggplant, onions, heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, and olives. It was the perfect summer pizza.  

Create your own signature pizza and send a pic!

Gold Is The New Black

With the reemergence of Hollywood Regency and its over-the-top glamorous designs, we are seeing a lot of bling in the way of gold.  In the 1930s during the great depression (let's not forget the 70s during the recession), gold was everywhere in home decor.  It would appear we're drawn to the glamour, sparkle, and drama of gold during tough times.  Besides, what says lavish and wealth more than gold?  It's logical.  We want to forget about the harsh times, add a little fun, and put a little fantasy in our lives.  What's so wrong with that?

After finding this gold, ornate mirror (above), I decided to add a chalkboard to incorporate a bit of irony to its serious heritage.  If you are looking for a gold statement piece, this is it!

Even though some of us are fighting these baroque beauties with a vengeance, many others (and you know who you are) are embracing these funky finds and incorporating them with modern, trendier pieces to create a style of their own.  Young designers like Anna Burke and Jonathon Adler go larger than life with their decadent gold accents.  Kelly Wearstler and Nate Berkus are incorporating gold bling to their designs without apology.

Kelly Wearstler Designs

  

Nate Berkus Designs

Here Nate added the two gold, bamboo chairs as a touch of the unexpected in a very casual room.  I love how the chairs are visually light by use of the lattice back, but still incorporate drama.  The room appears laid back except for that touch of gold.

Is gold a trend or is it here to stay?  Only time will tell, but for now let's indulge and have a little fun.  There is an old saying that goes, "He who hath the gold, maketh the rule."  Better yet, why not maketh your own rules!

Lovely Bones

Here at The Humble Home we're always looking at the bones of the piece to determine if it's right for us.  First we look at the shape and the condition of the piece.  We ask ourselves, "Is the piece worth saving?"  "Does it have potential?"  "Is the price right?"  If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, then we go further.  For example, the piece below is one of my favorites.

Hutch with metal accents

This piece had good bones, but needed some work to make it unique.  It met our criteria.

1. We loved the shape.  
2. It was in great physical condition.
3. It could be something special.  

And what really sold us was that the top of the hutch detached from the bottom.  So, the piece could act as a small buffet if needed.  SOLD!

The paint was matched from an egg I found at the farmer's market.  The color is a very pale blue-green.  Then, we accented two of the three shelves, the back of the hutch, and the top of the buffet with metal.  It gave it a modern-country look with a bit of industrial thrown in for good measure.  Finally, after days of searching, the two large funky door pulls were found on sale at a popular trendy store on discount.  We displayed it as a pantry to show customers that it had multiple uses.  It could go anywhere to use as storage like a kitchen or even a nursery.

Another great piece with good bones is the chair below.

This was an antique commode from the 1900's that was popular in institutions.  Even though I had the chair for four long years, it took four days of tedious work.  It was covered in lead paint, was missing a leg, and did not have a seat.  But boy did this chair have potential.  I'm really bad about taking before pictures, but the chair was a worse version of the following.  I love the transformation.

Antique institutional commode

Don't Fight The Funk

How many times have you come across a piece of furniture and loved the style and the lines, but didn't know quite what to do with it?  This is something that we struggle with all the time.  It seems that the more I try to make a piece fit into a specific aesthetic, the more it doesn't seem to work.  

There are two simple solutions for this.  

1. Stop fighting it!  Let the piece tell you what it needs.  Look at the lines, the period, and the condition of the piece and just go with it.  If there are minor dings and flaws, don't be afraid to let them show.  Just like people, these minor imperfections give character to the piece.  

2. Have Fun!  Stop thinking that every piece should look like it came from a museum.  The root word for museum is muse.  Let it be an inspiration to you and go for the funk.  

Remember, the more fearless you are, the better the piece.  

We loved the shape of this table and added some old maps and a glass top.  It went to a startup's office space.

Nap Repellant

Nap "Foiled" Again

This is Bosco.  Okay...I know he's cute. He has just been scolded for being on the sofa. Yeah, those sad eyes and ears back are a killer, but this little one is simply not allowed on the sofa.

He has access to three dog beds (one is French and has a faux fur cover, by the way), two actual beds (well, my other dog has claim to the entire guest room as his own), and a basement to lounge, play, and sleep. Now you tell me, am I being unreasonable to ask for just one piece of furniture to call my own?

After weeks of what I presumed was training, it turns out it was simply a small suggestion.  I came home one day only to find him laying on the sofa, flat on his back, dead asleep with his mouth open.  Yes, he was having the nap of a lifetime. He must have jumped 10 feet in the air when he was scolded for being on the sofa.

Reynolds Wrap and I have become very good friends.  There is a lovely large basket beside the sofa where I keep a long piece of aluminum foil when I'm home and the foil goes on the couch when I leave.  It is said that the noise and glare of the foil is distracting, so animals stay away.  Also, in true Pavlovian style, it has trained him not to use the piece even when I'm not around.

Now I think my girl Martha would say that this is a good thing!

Soothing Inspiration

Zero George Boutique Hotel

Inspiration can come from anywhere.  My husband and I love to stay at unconventional places when we travel.  It could be anything from a simple cottage to a quirky bed and breakfast.  So while traveling in Charleston, I happened upon this stunning boutique hotel that just opened last February.  It has already garnered praise from Travel & Leisure and Martha Stewart Weddings.  The only way that I can describe the atmosphere is southern elegance wrapped in warmth.

The luxurious fabrics, the plush down sofas, and cloud-like beds are traditional, but do not look granny.  Zero George mixes old with new to create their own style.  The sitting room (above) is right off the library and is crammed with alluring architectural and design books that are available to guests 24 hours a day.

I absolutely love this window.  It belongs to the boutique's common area which is flooded by light because of these transparent balloon shades...genius.

This window (above) was the inspiration for my living room.  The simple and elegant balloon shade gives privacy while allowing plenty of light to come through.

The first step was sanding, priming, and painting the fireplace and molding in our home.

Our Living Room Before

Taping off hundreds of corners (below) was made easy by using Avery easy-to-peel off  labels left over from a homemade beer project.  

Prep For Paint

 
Here is the final product of all the sanding, taping, priming, and painting.  The ceiling moldings were painted the same color of the walls to give the illusion of height.  I changed the wall color using a soft matte paint.  Finally, we decided to use a soft white on the moldings and a soft blackish gray on the actual window.

Instead of having custom shades, I opted for sheer shades I found on clearance at a discount store.  The result? The same look at a fraction of the price.    

Living Room After Painting

Humble Chocolate Turnovers

Humble Turnovers

Today, we're making chocolate turnovers.  The answer is "yes" and "yes."  Yes these are divine and yes they are easy to make.  

I first made them when I owned a small neighborhood bakery.  Later, I realized they are the perfect portable dessert for picnics.  They don't melt, they're great at room temperature, and can be placed in a simple wax baggie for transport...perfect.  You can really fill them with what ever you want be it sweet or savory.  I've done everything from blackberry and apple to even a creamy crab filling.  

Here's what you need:

Puff pastry (I like to use Pepperidge Farm )

1 egg

3 tablespoons of cream

1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2 bars of high quality chocolate (I like bittersweet, but use what ever you like)
Powder sugar for dusting
Heavy cookie sheet (cheap ones just burn everything)
A sheet of parchment paper
Rolling pin
Pastry brush

This is a super easy recipe.  The only thing to remember is to always keep the puff pastry cold.  Warm puff pastry does not rise.  

You can find puff pastry in the freezer department.  Pepperidge Farms has two sheets in each box.  Thaw over night in the refrigerator or on the counter, but you'll have to make sure it stays cold.

Have all items out and ready to use.  Make an egg wash by mixing the egg and cream in a small bowl.

Lightly flour your work surface and place one sheet of puff pastry on top, lightly dusting it with flour as well.  Keep the other sheet of pastry in the fridge (wrapped) to stay cold.  

Very lightly roll out your pastry.  You just want a unified thickness.  Now understand the less you roll, the more flaky layers you'll have...so be easy.  Next, cut the pastry into quarters.  First, in half from top to bottom.  Then in half from side to side.  If the pastry feels soft and gets warm, place in the frig for just a few to get cold again.  Remember, cold is the key.

Next, break pieces of the chocolate bar and place in the middle.  Brush the edges of the square very lightly with egg wash and fold one corner diagonally into a triangle...hence, turnover. Repeat to make all eight turnovers making sure they stay cold.

Brush the tops with egg wash.  Then sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar and bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees.  Note: for savory turnovers, you could sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or flake sea salt and pepper.

Place on wire racks to cool then dust with powder sugar.  Enjoy.       
   
Note: I've served them warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert during a dinner party.