Gather and Nest

sungold

gather and nest — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:45:46 +0000

found: vintage sweater dress for the little miss

gather and nest — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:23:39 +0000

yum.

gather and nest — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:20:28 +0000

Deliciousness (pesto, mozzarella, tomato) wrapped up in a crepe-tastic package. Topped with fried egg and melted whipped butter. The Press Club is amazing.

broccoli bread

gather and nest — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:11:04 +0000

I was intrigued with this recipe from the moment I saw it in the Rose Bakery cookbook. Probably because it is a savory bread, but mostly because it just looked cool.

Broccoli Bread. Sounds healthy, right?

Guess again.

I figured there was no better time to make bread that involves FIVE sticks of butter and SEVEN eggs than the week that I started back at the gym.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Grease the sides of a 10 inch bread pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Cut 1 pound 12 ounces of broccoli into florets and blanch for three minutes in boiling water. Drain well and set aside.

Beat 2 and 1/4 cups of unsalted butter until very light and creamy and then add 1/2 cup of superfine sugar.

Add the SEVEN eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Mix together 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 rounded teaspoon of ground turmeric, a pinch of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of curry powder, and a half a teaspoon of salt.

Fold into the creamy mixture along with 3 and 2/3 C of all-purpose flour, sifted.

Mix well and spoon into the prepared tin.

Push the broccoli into the mixture. Be generous so that every slice has a good number of florets.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. This was just the time it took me to clean up my kitchen with a very “helpful” one year old!

Remove from the oven and cool in the pan before taking it out.

A few notes:

Use a 10 inch loaf pan. I used an 8.5 inch pan because that’s what I had and although it came out fine it did make a difference in baking time and how the outside of the bread cooked.

Don’t over cook your broccoli.

Really stick those florets down into the bread! As far down as you can. (I covered up my florets with the dough after I took that photo. I wish I had pushed them in even further.)

PUT A BAKING SHEET UNDER YOUR BREAD PAN while it is in the oven. I felt my arteries clogging and my pants getting tighter just watching the butter ooze out of the bread while it baked and dripped onto the cookie sheet. Yes, this could’ve been in part to the fact that I used a smaller pan than advised but I would rather be safe than sorry, burnt butter in the oven is not a pleasant smell.

How did it taste? Really interesting and good. Obviously moist. Kind of like bread you would eat for dinner.

Five sticks of butter and seven eggs. Now that’s a meal.

The real kicker is that the recipe states it doesn’t keep well and advises that you eat it all in one day!

sweet (and affordable!) wall art for your little one’s room

gather and nest — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:05:47 +0000

Thank you, Suzy Ultman, for creating Home Sweet Home: a collection of your cute and whimsical prints. Tear out the pages and put them in a frame for instant art to brighten the walls of your little one’s nursery. They are the perfect combination of modern and sweet.

I had a different idea. I wanted to sew some onto burlap to hang on the wall in our new studio space/room for Clementine to play.

I had this fond memory of those sewing cards that I used as a child. Remember those? The ones that had laces that could be woven through punched holes on a brightly colored card. I loved them. Anyway, that was my idea.

I decided to grommet the holes so that they didn’t tear. When I didn’t have enough grommets, I decided to just do the four corners and use this great wool yarn that my friend brought back for me from Iceland. It seemed so simple. Little did I know that sewing six cards onto a large piece of burlap would prove to be slightly challenging; flipping it back and forth, covered in burlap fuzz, trying to get it each one straight. I finished and hung it on the wall.

That’s when I decided I didn’t like it. It just wasn’t my vision. It did make me smile when Clementine walked in to the room and saw the prints hanging and let out a squeal and a big smile. Apparently she was pleased with my efforts.

Oh well, that’s how projects go sometimes. They evolve. I took down my wall hanging, chose three prints I liked best for the space, cut them out leaving the burlap as a mat and framed them in an ikea frame. I like the texture of the burlap and the crafty feel of the stitching. Now I can smile and squeal with Clementine when I look over at that wall.

(On a side note, my friend framed three prints for her nursery as well. She used white frames with a white mat. It looks perfect in her room, very clean and bright!)

things that make me smile: happy feet

gather and nest — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:11:32 +0000

eat at june

gather and nest — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:52:25 +0000

June. A lovely month. A great new restaurant on Burnside.

I know. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It was dark. Pictures of food with a flash are weird not to mention disturbing to other eaters.

The restaurant is cozy, the lights are dim, just imagine:

Fresh pasta galette. Pork sausage. Jus. Hen of the woods.

Perfection.

The leg of lamb was amazing. Ah, the sweet corn puree.

And then there was the home made Ding Dong…

I’m in love.

kitty egg crayons for baby

gather and nest — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:00:39 +0000

These cute little kitty crayons are handcrafted here in Portland. They are ergonomically shaped for baby’s little hands and non-toxic!

Yay for Kitty Baby Love!

sunday morning scotch eggs

gather and nest — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:38:00 +0000

Sunday morning scotch eggs at Fats. I think they’re pretty.

make your table a chalkboard table

gather and nest — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:30:14 +0000

I decided to give my butcher block work table a makeover.

I painted it with chalkboard paint.

I loved it so much, I decided to do a little table for Clementine, too!

All done!

Clementine’s table.

She can draw on it with giant chalk.

Older kids could play tic tac toe or hangman.

Dolls can play hopscotch.

As for my larger table…

Now there can be personalized (and erasable!) place mats.

Imagine a dinner party!

Photos for blogging can be labeled!

So could wines, cheeses, or food at a buffet. My brain jumps to how many ways this would be great for a party!

To do lists can be written right on the table!

The possibilities are endless.

And erasable.