Snow Day Baking

What can you do when the snow is thickly falling outside? You could spend a few hours reading your favorite blogs, catching up on the laundry or cleaning the house. Or you could invite the neighbors over for spaghetti supper and spend the afternoon making Buffalo Bolognese, Tuscan bread and Lemon and Almond biscotti.


Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon to finish
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs + 1 egg white to glaze
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped almonds


Method
Cream the butter and cup of sugar. Add the salt, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and whole eggs, beating well after each addition. Gradually stir in flour and almonds. Finish the mixing by hand and shape into 2 12"x6" rectangles.
Place these on a baking sheet 4" apart. Whisk the egg white until foamy and brush over the tops. Sprinkle the tablespoon of sugar over the dough and bake in a pre-heated 375F oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool on the tray for 1 hour. Then slice on the diagonal into 1/2" slices. Lower the oven temperature to 325F and bake for a further 10 minutes or so until drip and crisp.


Serve with espresso, or fruit salad with whipped cream. Or if your guests can't wait for the Fettucine to cook, they make an acceptable hors d'oeuvre!

Snow Gray?

No, he didn't go white overnight. That's simply a couple of inches of snow he gained on his head while walking the puppies to the beach and back.


Even Polly has a salt and pepper look. We're at 6" of white stuff, and counting.

Snow Day

The first proper snow of 2008. It's the right kind of snow, too: persistent, soft, large flakes; it looks like a fluffy, white blanket.

Two White Tulips

Leap into modern Long Island

On Leap Day, February 29 2008, Design Within Reach, Roslyn, Long Island will be offering a taste of modernism with the screening of Robert Altamonte's film “History Along the Turnpike: Levittown”.
There will also be an opportunity to win a George Nelson clock and a copy of Nelson’s book, “How to See.” Oh, and wine and cheese, too. It sounds like a must-do for lovers of mid-century modernism.
Contact DWR for more details.

No eBay, but some Ikea

To ease the pain of the eBay boycott I made another purchase at Ikea instead. A pink Stockholm throw to cover the scratch marks on the Harvey Probber sofa in the Great Room.


It's mostly mohair and extremely soft, which unfortunately, makes it irresistble to the cats. At least it cost a reasonable $29.99 rather than the $100+ that these things can sell for, so if it gets ruined I won't be too upset with them.

It's tropical

Inside the Cool House, that is. I'm sitting here in my bikini, sipping on a cocktail, skin glowing from the heat of the sun's rays. The strange thing is that outside it's a very chilly 38 F.
We knew there was a problem at 4:00 AM when we awoke to Hermes coughing up a hairball and found the temperature difference between our bedroom and downstairs was at least 10 degrees. Turning down the thermostat was no help, so we switched off the heat to the first floor. Gradually the temperature fell but it's still jolly pleasant here.
I don't know how much extra fuel oil we have used but I guess it was cheaper than a Caribbean vacation? And I jest about the cocktails. 4:00 Am was a little early to start drinking, even for me.

Willow

Willow in blossom. It's almost Spring.

A little restoration

I have been meaning to try to restore this table for, oh, as long as I can remember. It used to be the telephone table in my parents' house and I inherited it on the promise that I would bring the lustre back to the wood and replace the leather insert.


Apart from an occasional wipe over with Pledge I didn't do anything to this table because I was worried I would do more harm than good. Then I heard about Restore-A-Finish. Instead of stripping the table I could blend out the scratches and water marks while bringing back the color, restoring it without damaging the existing finish.


I lightly sanded the worst blemishes and applied the Restore-A-Finish with a white stain pad. It took no time at all. Then I wiped off the excess. The legs look a lot better. They're not perfect but they've been splashed with floor cleaner many times in the past so I don't know if they would ever be perfect.


The top is amazing. All the rings disappeared along with the scratches. What is left are the ink marks. These were caused by me doing my homework at the desk and filling my fountain pen (yes we had to use fountain pens in European schools, still do, in fact) there, against the express instructions of my mother. I guess that will be a permanent reminder of childhood.
All in all I'm happy with my attempt at preserving the table. It cost less tha $20 and I probably have enough Restore-A-Finish to go over all the wood trim in the house. I have yet to do anything about replacing the leather top, though.

Going Modern

Shiro Kuramata, 49 Drawers (1970), Museum of Modert Art, NYC.
We renewed our subscription to MoMA and as no-one has to work today we popped in to the city to see the Lucian Freud exhibit. Just the two of us and twenty million other people who wanted to see modern art on a warm wet Monday morning. It's really not possible to enjoy looking at anything with these crowds so we cut our losses and joined friends for a long (4 hour) leisurely lunch at The Modern.
The $55 pre-fixe was possibly the best meal we have had in NYC since we ate there back in 2005. Light and velvety lentil broth with foie gras flan, garlicky carpaccio of sea bass, crispy trout and the tart apple and pear dessert were the stand-outs. The service was impeccable and the amuse bouche and complimentary petits fours were greatly appreciated. My only tiny quibble is that MoMA offers a 10% discount to members dining in their other restaurants but apparently not in The Modern. Still, I can't think of a better way to spend President's Day. It sure beats shopping my way to poverty.

Fruitbowls: for rich and poor

Stainless steel fruit bowls to be exact.
I've been hankering for one for a while now but I'm not sure it would look right in my kitchen.


The NY Times featured this beauty from Ligne Roset. The Eplaff, in lacquered stainless steel, measures 23"in diameter and sells for a whopping $265.


For a whole lot less money, $29.99 to be exact, Ikea has Stockholm, a stainless steel bowl with a less gimmicky flower pattern. It's slightly smaller at 16.5 ", but that may fit better on the average person's sideboard. Not to mention their wallet.

Guest Blogging

I'm being unfaithful to the Cool House today. I'll be over here at Create my Event and here at 2 Modern Design Talk. Come visit me and check out these wonderful sites. And find out what this photo has to do with it.

Insporn: It inspires shameless longing.

Inspiration for master bath remodel, The sleek white look.


Inspiration for master bathroom shower. The sophisticated version. Via mtiwhirlpool


Tokyo hotel inspiration: everything just where you need it.

Taking Out the Trash: Finally

The last brick from the old barbecue we dismantled back in the summer. We saved the good ones in case we need another patio or path somewhere on the property. But we still had three large trash bags full of bits of bricks to get rid of. We reckoned if we put three half bricks into every sack of garbage we should have them gone by Labor Day. Hmm, that would require us to actually remember the plan, and act upon it.
Today, only five months behind schedule, Steven ceremoniously put out the last piece of brick and I recorded the moment for posterity.

My newest guilty obsession

Just to tide me over the ebay boycott next week I have been wasting many hours researching the wonderful decorative items for sale on Etsy.
I found this really cute glass dish from deSignSSglaSS. I'm going to use as a soap-dish in the girls' bath. The size is just right and it has a nice modern feel, plus it's unique. The weird thing is that the stripes are more sage green than pewter in real life.
Funny how the camera lies isn't it?

Valentine's Day: The modernemama Edition

Those who know me are aware that I came without the Romantic Gene. It was just a programming error, it really doesn't affect my life for 364 days a year. But on Valentine's Day I'm supposed to make an effort to be all cutesy hearts and flowers. It's tough, it's not me at all.
Then I found the perfect card for my Valentine.
Enjoy.

Valentine's Day: The British Edition

For all those homesick Brits, here's one more thing to crave on Valentine's Day.


Champagne with the black stuff? Mmmm.
Last year it was Guinness for St. Patrick's Day. I wonder what they have in store for 2009?
via Trendhunter.

An environmental dilemma

Redwood trees versus solar panels: Which is the more environmentally-friendly?
I caught this cautionary tale and moral dilemma about a neighbor dispute and a supposedly "green" law in California on story on NPR's Morning Edition. Listen to the podcast here.


I have a gut reaction to this. I'm on the side of the trees. Perhaps I'm biased, after all my house has redwood siding, a redwood ceiling and landing and this wood is now protected. I really appreciate the beauty and strength of the sequoia, all the more so because it's really difficult to get any if we have a siding disaster at any time.
Trees are inherently more eco-friendly than solar panels. They are, after all, living things not "public nuisance hazards". Imagine the global warming effect if every person with solar panels on their roof decided to use this law to force their neighbor to remove their trees. If we chop down all the trees to allow more sun to reach the solar panels we choke and die on the smog they absorb for us. Then there's the useful shade they provide, the habitat for birds and animals and the seeds...
Dr Seuss said it best
I'm the Lorax who speaks for the trees
which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please.
But I'm also in charge of the Brown Bar-ba-loots
who played in the shade in their Bar-ba-loot suits
and happily lived, eating Truffula Fruits.
NOW...thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground,
there's not enough Truffula Fruit to go 'round.

The Kitchen as Art

I a big fan of Leicht kitchens. I've had their catalogues for years. When we lived in Europe I lusted after one and I'd order one today if it were raining money. They're sleek, warm and generally not as expensive as other German and Italian kitchen manufactures.
But this Largo-FG Highline? What travesty of form over function is this?
Beautiful cabinetry, don't get me wrong, and I love the idea of a floating appliance wall but you see that box thing on the floor? Now imagine the scene: modernemama is carrying a large tray of dirty plates back to the kitchen after a fabulous meal. The guests are at the dining table waiting for their espressos and digestifs, when a crash resounds through the house. Guests rush into the kitchen to find modernemama out cold, surrounded by shards of broken glass and china (some of which have caused massive bleeding, possibly severed an artery) and the remains of the Pork Stroganoff with Three Mustards dripping from the walls and ceiling. All because she fell over that stupid piece of walnut "furniture art" in the foreground of the photo.
Beautiful? Yes. Practical? Not so much.

40th House Anniversary

It didn't hit me until I opened the New York magazine this morning but our house will be 40 in June. At least the blueprints that Andrew Geller drew up are dated June 1968. This is so exciting. We have to celebrate!
Any cool, swinging-sixties ideas how?