Lunchables Party

Okay I'm a bit behind in posting a few things so I'm going to play a little catch-up here tonight. First up, we recently had a LUNCHABLES Party thanks to a website called, "HouseParty.com" that supplied almost everything. By this I mean I got the guests, the blankets and the space but they sent me the coupons for the FREE lunchables, $1 off coupons for each of the guests to buy their own,

A VISIT WITH EDDIE AND JAITHAN

Sister and I have just returned from a magical few days.

Our good fortune was to receive an invitation from Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar to spend time with them at their charming home in upstate New York. If you recall from our previous post we were excited and nervous...............nervous that we could make fools of ourselves. Guess what?
We did, both of us............but I am happy to report we are still friends!

Eddie and Jaithan are on the fast track to fame. While there, they received calls for TV specials, are writing a book and shared the photo's of an upcoming HGTV special, beginning on October 18th, featuring their skills at Halloween decor, on a budget.


One day began with this breakfast, all arranged beautifully. Take note of the presentation; fresh fruit in a cut milk glass pedestal bowl, just made 'coffee yogurt' with raspberries, blueberries and chopped nuts as a garnish. Note the coffee in a "French Press" that makes a full bodied coffee, European style.



Then onto sheer joy, antiquing! But this was no ordinary excursion. Eddie believes in re-purposing and seeing the potential in ordinary objects. My eyes began to search for the unexpected.
Too bad sister is hiding it is a really cute picture of her.



We dashed into his favorite, Goodwill. The treasures were numerous for all.



The Bottle Shop. Dirty, cluttered and a blast. I am now regretting not taking the giant trophy pointed out to me, worried about getting everything in a suitcase.




Even the higher end shops had room for digging. "If only I had a truck!"




Here are my finds;

• Bound black leather books from England, circa 1910 featuring stories on other countries.

• Small silverplate trophy

Goodwill

• Flax grain sack

Millbrook Antique Mall

• Vintage stencil numbers and letters
• Flower frog
• Series of vintage safety pins (No, I do not know yet what to do with them)

The Bottle shop



Sister scored! The hard to find 'Amarula' liquer, aka 'elephant juice'. see previous post




Breakfast day two, amazing. Notice the presentation. Let me share with you what I learned;

• Entertaining need not be overwhelming
• Eddie always uses table cloths and cloth napkins. When I asked about ironing, he said rarely. After washing lay everything flat, in layers, one on top of the other straight from the washer.
• Eddie's basement is filled with shelves of serving pieces collected over the years. All are convenient and ready for service.
  

The menu
Baked eggs, bacon, biscuits, sister's zucchini bread, homemade jam, orange juice and coffee

• Cook the bacon on a baking pan in the oven
• Take a small amount of the bacon grease and spread on the copper serving dish. Add the eggs, do not break. Slowly pour cream or half and half on the whites, avoiding the yolks, as they could break. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, snipped chives, salt and pepper.
• The biscuits were to die for and when asked how he had the time, Eddie said "simple!" Open a can of Pillsbury biscuits, lightly splash with cream and sprinkle with salt.

Sister's Zucchini Bread recipe

3 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
1 t. dried orange peel
3 c. sugar

1 c. vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. water
2 c. zucchini, grated
1 t. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients except for the nuts in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients; fold into dry, add nuts. Bake in 2 loaf pans 1 hour, or until toothpick comes out clean.







Food photography, Eddie Ross



Time to say good-bye. This is the view from their porch


Jaithan is gorgeous, with a gentle spirit, a voice for FM radio, a huge heart and smiling eyes
Eddie is cute beyond compare. A winning smile and very funny. Aren't we lucky?



Now it's time to carry on and enjoy a day of exploring the Hudson River valley.
Upstate New York was settled by the Dutch and the architecture, mostly strong and masculine depicts it's heritage.




I am "mad" for dry laid stone walls. The abundance of stone fostered this dwindling craft.


Strong colors of watermelon, sage green and mustard


Predominate was a white building with green trim. In this case a smart black/green.



Glorious barns, everywhere


The catskill mountains are visible at every turn. The Hudson river lingers nearby.



Country gardens are lush from the lack of unending heat and humidity


Thank you Jaithan and Eddie xxo


Biography

Eddie Ross

• Native of Greenwich, Ct.
• Founded own catering company
• Graduate of Culinary Institute of America
• Associate design Director in-house Food Network
• Associate Director Editor, House Beautiful
• Food editor, Martha Stewart
• Senior style editor Martha Stewart Living
• 2008 BRAVO Top Design
  

Jaithan Kochar

• Native of Milwaukee, Wi.
• Graduated Stanford University
• Graduate Rhode Island School of Design
• Co-founder of Eddie Ross, llc.

Follow their blog, EddieRoss.com, with inspirational tips and information on how to cook, craft, decorate and entertain both beautifully and affordably.


Special Note;
Eddie and Jasithan are considering a visit to Geneva, Madison and Chicago for a design workshop

Monarch Cats to Butterflies

Metamorphosis is a fascinating process. From an egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis to a butterfly, the life cycle happens quickly.

If you live in the migration path of the Monarch butterflies, you have an opportunity to provide a habitat so that you can observe this amazing miracle of nature.

Each day, I check the different patches of milkweed in my garden to see if more eggs have hatched. So far this August, there are seven Monarch caterpillars (aka "cats") in my garden. All are on the pink swamp milkweed, asclepias incarnata. I also have white swamp milkweed as well as the orange milkweed, asclepias tuberosa, to serve as host plants.

After the caterpillars eat the foliage on the milkweed plants, they move to another plant nearby as the chrysalis formation begins. The top photo shows a cat that has moved from the milkweed to a purple fountain grass. The grass is growing in a container about ten feet away from the group of milkweed.

Because the milkweed is poisonous, this serves to protect the cats (and butterflies) from being eaten by birds. If a bird takes a bite of a Monarch, it will make them sick and they learn to recognize the Monarch butterfly. The bright orange and black coloring of the Monarch butterfly serves as a warning to the predators. This coloring is a symbol for poison!


Photos and words by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; August 2009

Continuous Harvest

Commercial GreenhousesAugust 29, 2009The idea of growing edible plants indoors is not a new one. Archaeological excavations of Pompeii (79 AD) uncovered the remains of early greenhouses so they have been in use since at least that time if not earlier. The ancient Romans ensured the survival of vegetables and grapes by using greenhouses to protect produce from in-climate weather. They were the

Growing from Seeds: Asclepias Incarnata

The seeds of asclepias incarnata, as well as asclepias tuberosa, will self-sow in the garden if the pods are left on the plants. In other words, you can let Mother Nature sow more milkweed plants. However, because the milkweeds are late to emerge in the spring, it is easy to disturb or destroy the new plants while working in the garden. Even mature milkweed plant locations need to be marked. Here in my zone 7 garden, the milkweeds emerge in June.

Asclepias incarnata, or swamp milkweed is best sited in moist, even boggy, soil locations.

Any plant that self-sows in your garden is a good candidate for fall sowing. For example, I collected the seeds of echinacea 'Prairie Splendor' and purchased seeds of echinacea 'Ruby Star'. I sowed the seeds in October last year while sowing larkspur, poppies and planting allium bulbs. By late spring, the seedlings were showing in the garden. In the last week, a few of the plants started blooming.

There are some disadvantages to sowing seeds in the fall. If you mulch or add compost to your garden, then the seeds will be covered over with a layer of organic matter, making it difficult to germinate. Areas of bare garden soil are needed for direct sowing. Birds may also forage and pick seeds sown in the garden, especially the seeds of flowers that they love, such as echinacea. Some weed suppressors, such as corn gluten, will not only suppress weed seed germination, but also the good seed germination!

Asclepias incarnata (like other milkweeds) is poisonous, so always handle the plants and seeds with care. The flat seeds barely need to be covered with soil, whether sowing in the garden, winter sowing or starting indoors. Asclepias incarnata seeds require refrigeration if started indoors.

Great directions for starting milkweed seeds are available from Monarch Watch. If you purchase any seeds, the packets should always come with directions for proper sowing.

Since asclepias incarnata seeds need cold stratification, some gardeners refrigerate the sown seeds in the cell packs in a refrigerator. I don't have an extra refrigerator for starting seeds after sown in the soil, so I will fall sow my seeds.

Those who like to winter sow, can start their seeds in containers outside in late winter. Seeds can also be placed between moist paper towels inside a ziplock bag to be refrigerated before sowing out in the spring after danger of frost has passed.

Perennials sown from seeds may take longer, sometimes 2 years, to bloom compared to large size plants that are purchased in pots from a nursery. Sow your seeds, mark the spot and be patient! Pink swamp milkweed is a beautiful perennial that is beneficial to bees and Monarch butterflies.


Photos and words by Freda Cameron

Collecting Seeds: Asclepias Incarnata

Asclepias incarnata or swamp milkweed, is a great perennial wildflower for full sun gardens in zones 3-9.

While swamp milkweed can handle boggy soils, it can grow in regular garden soil with occasional watering. Growing to around three feet tall, it is a good plant for middle of a border.

The soft pink to mauve blooms are bee and butterfly magnets. Don't be alarmed if you see caterpillars munching the leaves as this is a host plant for the amazing Monarch butterflies!

Here are the steps for collecting the seeds from asclepias incarnata. The same seed collection method will work with asclepias tuberosa.







Words and photos by Freda Cameron

~* I Am Still Here *~

I thought I'd drop in and say "Hello" to let all of you know that I haven't flown the coop! This chick just hasn't had much to post about. I'm hoping that come September, I'll have some fall decorating to share.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

During my absence I celebrated my 43rd birthday...wait...I'm not 43....I'm 44...what am I talking about...LOL....also discovered my first gray hair!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thank you all for the comments you continue to leave on my blog...I really appreciate each and every one of them. On a sad note, Lil Mama, one of our sweet kittens that I wrote about on my previous post has disappeared...I am just heartsick...it's been almost two weeks and we haven't seen her at all. I'm praying that she'll come home safe and sound!

♥ Kim

Today in My Garden

I was anxious to get out and check the garden today after a day and half of rain. The garden weathered the rainy weather well with only a couple of the Sweet Millions tomatoes splitting. Given the amount of rain that fell I was quite surprised. There were a few tomatoes, peppers and peas ready for picking as well. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about the decreased levels of bees,

Wordless Wednesday: Lunchables Party

We were one of the lucky ones that got picked in HouseParty to host a Lunchables party, here's just one pic of the event. As you can see Little A likes his lunchable. More pics and a review will be coming but had to start you off with something for WW. Leave a comment if you'd like me to visit!

Book Review: Daniel X: Watch the Skies

MomCentral recently asked if my son, SoccerBoy and I would like to review: Daniel X: Watch the Skies. Of course I just had to say yes, I mean he got hooked after he read Dangerous Days of Daniel X back in August of last year. My son anxiously awaited fot the new book to arrive, which was kind of funny since he had been eyeing it for a few weeks while it was hitting the store shelves.Here's his

Heinz 1439 Tomato

Tomatoes are likely the first choice of any vegetable grown in home gardens and for good reason. Homegrown tomatoes are the best tasting tomatoes you can ever eat! They are simply the best fresh picked from the vine, still warm with the sun's kiss and moments away from a sandwich or salad. Most home gardeners will grow more than one variety of tomatoes usually chosen for a particular use.

Weekend With No Kids

On Friday the hubby called me from work and asked how I felt about going up to his moms. Now not that I'd care, but I had some MAJOR homework to do and it just wasn't sinking in. I knew I'd have to be hitting the books all weekend, "Probably not this weekend I have a ton of studying. You and the kids can go." He responded with, "Would you be okay with me taking the kids up there?" I was a bit

Free to See in Washington, DC

Museums, monuments, gardens and government buildings. As a tourist destination, Washington, DC opens the treasures of our country for all to see - for free!

No matter where you're from, you will pay no admission to visit the Smithsonian Museums, the United States Capitol building, the Library of Congress, the US Botanic Garden and other wonderful places.

The Capitol Building is a "must-see" for anyone visiting Washington. The guided free tour takes you into the halls and corridors that you cannot visit on your own. Outside of the tour, the exhibit that describes the Legislative Branch is well done and interesting. A cafe on the ground floor provides a variety of choices from grilled burgers and hotdogs to a large salad bar, sandwiches, and entrees with side dishes.

When you've finished your visit in the Capitol Building, you can take the tunnel connecting the building to the Library of Congress. When it comes to architecture, I love the inside of the Library of Congress. Marble, mosaics, art and artifacts give this building a palatial feel while touring the exhibits or using the library (with a pre-arranged visitor card). The interior is dramatic! I could spend hours studying the intricate details of the interior architecture. But, there are so many more places to visit.

The Smithsonian Museums line the National Mall on both sides. Admission to the museums is free, but special exhibits, such as IMAX theatre experiences, do charge a fee.

Children will love the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum. The Natural History Museum has a live butterfly exhibit (admission fee), as well as exhibits on mammals and ocean life. Gems, such as The Hope Diamond, are also on display. A cafe on the ground floor has many healthy and tasty choices for lunch. The sandwiches, such as turkey on a whole grain baguette, is large enough for two people to share.

The Air and Space Museum is filled with aviation and space fun! Lindberg's Spirt of St. Louis airplane is there as well as space capsules, early airplanes and loads of information. The IMAX and planetarium shows and the flight simulators may be enjoyed for a fee.

The United States Botanic Garden and Conservatory are also along the National Mall, near the Capitol. For gardeners especially, hours can be spent wandering through the paths of the native gardens, the butterfly habitat, the rose garden and the many sections of the conservatory. The Conservatory houses rare and exotic plants, orchids and jungle plants.

White House Tours require a six month reservation that must be arranged through a member of Congress. However, you can walk outside the fence at the White House that includes a view of the vegetable garden and bee hive on the lawn. President Obama and family were supposed to be leaving for a vacation to Martha's Vineyard. However, I snapped a zoomed photo (not shown here) of a dog crate being carried into the White House! Could it be that Bo, the First Dog, was inside that crate?

There is so much to see and so much to do. I could easily spend a week in Washington, but I was in DC for only two days as I was also taking in the Old Town of Alexandria, Virginia and George Washington's Mount Vernon.


Words and photos by Freda Cameron; Location: Washington, DC; August 2009

Tomato Hornworm

There have been several reports of late blight hitting tomato plants in the northeastern US states. Some home gardeners have reported late blight within 100 km of us as well so I have been on high alert watching for any signs. I am be especially careful to remove any damaged vegetation from both the plants and soil level. While I have had minor damage due to the storms that went through so far

Garden Bounty

This blog focuses on what grows in my garden so it isn't often that you get to see how I use some of my garden goodies. Today I thought I would share a couple of ways we use garden goodies. If you would like to see more ways we use the garden produce, please visit my cooking blog.Summer Garden SaladWe eat some type of salad almost daily year round so really look forward to fresh, home grown

Fluff and Stuff... Annuals in the Garden

Soft textures add an interesting dimension in the garden. As autumn approaches, late perennial grasses such as miscanthus and muhlenbergia begin to form tassels of fluff that are stunning when backlit by sunshine. If you don't have space to grow the perennial grasses, there are a few annuals that can be stuffed into small spaces.

Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum' (Purple fountain grass) is an annual in cold zones, but is a perennial in warmer zones 9-11. I use this grass as the main attraction in containers, but also squeeze these into tight spaces in the garden. The fountains of fluff and the deep purple and bronze foliage colors are stunning right now. I've not tried to sow this grass from seeds. I purchased small plants in four inch pots in early spring. The grasses are now around four feet in height.

Silver foliage and pink and purple blooms are great companion colors for purple fountain grass. In containers, I use purple petunias, pink gomphrena, and lavender lantana for blooms. In the garden, I've planted the grass among blue, pink or magenta blooms of salvia and agastache varieties.


Not a grass, but in the form of an annual bloom, celosia 'Flamingo Feather' attracts a lot of attention in my cottage garden. I sowed the seeds directly in the ground in spring. In fact, I had forgotten about them until a few weeks ago when the seedlings suddenly appeared, grew to 30 inches and bloomed! The celosia are soft to the touch, but remain upright among other tall companions of zinnias, agastache and salvias.

Last year, I purchased a few of these celosia in container plantings. I decided to sow them from seeds this year and am happy with the success rate. If you start the celosia seeds indoors, you will have earlier blooms. In my garden, I am happy with the fresh blooms for late summer so that they remain pretty until frost.


The soft, white lace blooms of amni visagna also appeared quite suddenly in the last few weeks. Again, if you like to start seeds indoors or "winter sow" you will have blooms sooner than later. Although I have not tried, the laceflower may be a good candidate to direct sow in the ground in autumn at the same time as the seeds of larkspur and poppies.

The laceflower can be mistaken for the wild Queen Anne's Lace, but it is a completely different plant. The variety that I have is supposed to be pale green, to white. So far, the blooms on my plants are white. However, they are large and bloom on strong, upright stems. I have planted these with red salvia greggii and salvia guaranitica 'Black & Blue' for a red, white and bloom color scheme. I think I like these together!

Adding a variety of annuals to the garden has been rewarding as they fill gaps among perennials while providing new textures and fresh color throughout the growing season.

Photos and words by Freda Cameron; Location: home garden; August 2009

Ringling Bros. Circus Ticket Giveaway (4pk)

Oh I just love the circus, I remember going as a child a few times. My favorite part of the circus was watching the acrobats and eating the sweet, melt-in-your-mouth cotton candy. What's your favorite circus snack? As for the animals? My favorite for the circus would have to be the elephant, just like my youngest daughter, BabyGirl. So she is going to flip out when I actually tell her I got

Crabapple Tree

It can be both frustrating and fascinating when you move into a home where you haven't planted the vegetation. In some cases recognizing the vegetation is quite easy but in other cases you may not know what is planted where until you do careful observation beginning in the spring. This is the situation we found ourselves in since moving here in 2007.Crabapple BlossomsWe have three gorgeous

Using Mirrors more creatively !

It is important that Mirror not only be used in bathrooms and bedroom but for decorating any space in the entire house !

It is specially useful to bring the light because of being reflective in nature and it create an impression of space. So whether its your balcony or hallway, over your living area..add it to any space and it will jazz it up in no time !!





Mirrors come in all shapes and size and its framing gives you the satisfaction of designing it according to your taste. Make it wooden, line it with shells and pebbles or use any metal...just go on and be creative.




Budget restraints ??!!?? Not to worry a simple assembly of mirrors can turn any stark corner into an interesting one !! You would love to look into it and admire :)




Put flowers or interesting nick knacks and the reflection will make the piece of decoration twice more beautiful.




Its sober as much as classy !! It speaks of style..get one for your room today and watch it transform.

It suits all age groups so just keep changing the layout and make it quirky !!

Plane Glass might be not enough so get some beveled and mix them up as shown below..

See how beautifully it reflects the light and adds romance to this simple setting !

Interesting framing and choice of color can be an easy way to effortless chic.

Use them in singles or get a group of them in different shapes and hang them on to your wall..They have the added advantage of being easy to dismount and keep rearranging at your will !!

So Classy !!

Uber cool and totally fun..such an easy installation.