Soup's On.................

Another chilly day so let's grab that apron again and head to the kitchen - time to get the soup pot simmering.

Does this combo look a bit odd? Good old Granny Smiths sidling up to rustic parsnips! This unusual combination of fruit and vegetable gives this soup an exciting, slightly sweet flavor - and you get a good helping of healthy food at the same time. It's quick and simple and my version of another recipe from Cranks, that now sadly missed English vegetarian restaurant.

~ Parsnip & Apple Soup ~

Serves 4~6

3 Tbsp. Butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 medium-sized parsnips, scrubbed and chopped

2 medium-sized Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. Herbes de Provence (mixed herbs)

3 cups milk

Sea Salt & Black Pepper

Dash of heavy cream to finish

Melt butter in large saucepan and saute vegs. and apple, stirring frequently, until onion is transparent, do not brown. Add stock and herbs, bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Cool slightly, add milk. Blend with a stick blender in saucepan until smooth. Reheat to serving temperature - do not boil. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding freshly ground black pepper and salt. Serve in warmed bowls with a swirl of cream and sprinkle with more chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Rustic and Refined ~ A Makeover

The romance of crystal chandeliers and painted wood.

'Fetch' ~ Hillsborough, NC.

When I read these words........let the rustic and refined rub shoulders ~ go for the gold and the bittersweet...............ideas starting jumping around in my head and I knew what I wanted for the little guest room. A country French feel with a touch of old European elegance.

I like to start a file and a story board when doing a room makeover. Snippets of fabric, paint samples, photos from magazines of rooms I love such as this quite simple one below.

The guest room will get its makeover in time for Spring ~ season of renewal, everything fresh and clean, full of promise. The painter assessed the scene today, will call with the numbers tomorrow..............and then, hopefully, we'll get started later next week. This cold and snowy weekend you know what I'll be doing ~ looking at magazines, decorating books and paint chips. If warmer and drier on Monday I'll head to the paint store. Things I have to start working with which I love include this chair, two aging mirrors from SuzAnna's Antiques, and a length of linen I purchased in Cortona, Italy. The bed, chest of drawers, nightstand and armoire all match ~ changes desperately needed here. Guess we used to buy like that - matching sets, suites. I must decide whether to paint all and keep, sell some and paint the rest, or sell all and start over with a bed such as this................

............old French twin bed at SuzAnna's Antiques ~ if only it was queen sized.

This room above speaks to me. It has everything I love.

This bedroom has the rustic feel ~ typically European with exposed beams ~ and that lovely bed and nightstand adding the elegant touch.

My color palette? Perhaps. Maybe a flying visit to France would help me decide.

Adventurous Women Travelers

"All of life is a journey.

Which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there."

~ Anonymous ~

This week I've read several blogs where the writer has been tagged and one of the questions responded to has been about the places they've been. I've learned that several women have visited places many of us would never dream of going to..................this has made me wonder why, and how, they got to see countries off the beaten track or rarely touted as vacation destinations.

In Barbara Hodgson's book she traces three hundred years of world travel by both celebrated and unknown women who endured bed bugs, scorching heat, exotic diseases, etc............all in the name of adventure. Globe trotting women tore down boundaries leaving as their legacy a world wide open for today's women.

Original pen & ink drawing of Fingle Bridge, Dartmoor, Devon

~ Edward Pemberton ~ c. 1935 (my Uncle)

My first real personal journey took me from the quiet Devon countryside of England across the Atlantic to the bustling city of Washington, D.C.

Starting in the 17th century, Barbara says, "the best reason to travel may have been no reason at all......................and British women, more than any other group, abandoned themselves to this passion................". Well I certainly kicked over the traces in a much later century. But why? Was it adventure or passion? Perhaps I'll tell you on Valentine's Day.

Vintage Images from Secret Leaves - go here to see their incredible offerings.

Stop dreaming and get on with it!

I have to stop thinking about the new decorating project. Even stop looking around shops such as this one where I took these photographs last week, and just get on with the job at hand.

Time waits for no man.................or woman, and the minutes are ticking away.

Catnapping is a nice pastime on chilly Winter afternoons.............but only if you're a cat and don't have walls to prep and paint.
Sitting by the warm hearth staring into the dancing flames, dreaming of what a room could look like......if you just get out of the chair and climb the stairs, and get to work on it.
Day dreaming is even worse..................thinking of sparkling beaches, warm sand, cool drinks while watching mermaids sunning on the rocks.Can pigs fly?

Don't think so. But I can still spackle holes, brush trim with the best of 'em.................. and wield a paint roller. Better get moving and go pick a color...........you know how long that part takes!!!

Stayed tuned............I'll get there eventually.

Keeping Warm

Morning arrived with boning chilling cold ~ but no ice to engrave with figure 8's here ~ just sunshine, blue sky and very low temperatures. Not complaining ~ a great day to work on things around the house ~ perhaps bundle up in warm knits later for a brisk walk.

Darn ~ knew I should have persevered with that knitting ~ need something warm to wind around my neck today.

Jessie Willcox Smith - The Little Helper

Once back in the warmth of home I will start planning the redecoration of the guest room. Paint chips at the ready (dh gets so nervous when he spies these!) ~ magazine pages strewn across the bed ~ books of inspiration with pages marked ~ fabric swatches stapled to the sample board. First to find a dry wall guy ~ ceiling needs a little work ~ then I'll be ready to paint the walls, the furniture, myself...................into a corner. Hope not!

Anyone else planning a room makeover soon? Let's get moving before Spring arrives and the garden calls.

Would love to hear about redecorating projects you may be be doing at your house.

Hot Pots

hort, dark days of January and February bring cravings for a bowl of tasty, warming food. Somewhere between soups and stews, there are wholesome one-pot dishes of Winter vegetables and beans..............quite easy to prepare, and no mountains of dishes to do afterward, lovely!

This vegetarian hot pot includes Winter squash, rutabaga, carrots, white beans................warming and healthy on a cold evening. So get out your sharp knife and chopping block, tie on an apron and let's cook!

~~~ White Bean & Winter Squash Hot Pot~~~

To serve 4
2 cans of Cannellini beans (or use white Northern Beans)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium-sized onion, finely sliced

2 carrots, scrubbed and sliced

2 sticks of celery, finely sliced

1 small rutabaga (swede to the Brits), peeled and cut into small chunks

1-2 small fresh jalapeno peppers, de-seeded and finely chopped

1-1/2 pints vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

3" piece of cinnamon stick

6 stalks of fresh cilantro (coriander) with root if possible

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 small acorn or butternut Winter squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into small chunks

1/4 pint heavy cream

1-2 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook onions, carrots, rutabaga and celery for 5 mins. Do not allow to brown. Add half the peppers and cook 2 mins. longer. Add the stock, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Cut the stalks and any roots from the cilantro and chop, add to the pan, reserving leaves for later.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 mins. Add the squash, stir and cook 10 mins., then add beans and cook another 5 mins. If still very liquid reduce it by boiling briskly for a few more minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Taste and add more chili pepper and salt and pepper to taste. Add cream, stir and cook for a few minutes over low heat. Chop remaining cilantro leaves and add along with the mint and stir. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Follow a dish such as this with a salad, cheese or fresh fruit...........and of course a piece of deep, dark chocolate.

My dishes but not my dining room unfortunately ~ perhaps the perfect Italian dining room to enjoy a meal on a grey Winter's day.

Bound......and Boundless Books

In the grand scheme of things, old leather bound books catch our eye and cause a gasp...................but remain on shelves, peppered with dust, unreadable, just resting in their glorious beauty, tempting but unattainable.

Beautiful books seen at a shop recently.
This is what I feel like doing today ~ I would be happy curled up on a sunny window seat, surrounded by my new gift books, a cup of warm herbal tea at hand.

Books in Winter ~ Jessie Willcox Smith.

What shall I read first? There are so many to choose from. A little book on Porches from my daughter - you all know about my love of the porch, that great American icon.

The dustcover notes state ~ "The porch is a bridge between the interior life of the home and the world outside - a place to quietly reflect on the day, sit with neighbors and catch up on their news, linger with friends, or be alone with your loved ones and your dreams." Perfect.

Provence Style. Mostly lovely photos to sigh over ~ houses, landscapes, interiors, details. I hope to return to Provence later this year - I want to take photos as lovely as these.

Two special books, tempting tomes - wished for over the past few months. Much too expensive, worth waiting for those discount coupons - Santa used them and left these wished for books in my stocking - guess I was nice after all!





"Freeing your life with words" ~ POEMCRAZY ~ this has to be the perfect book for bloggers, after all we love words even more than photographs, don't we?

"Jubilant . . . More than an instruction book for tapping the creative and beginning to write, Poemcrazy is also about being alertly alive. It is a field guide to imagination. Inspiring, short meditations on scenes or events . . . spark new ways of seeing." (Chico News & Review).


So...............to me this little book, and a great camera, should get one through this often complicated life.



If you've never read Marlena De Blasi's books you are really missing amazing stories of travel, cooking, romance and love. A Thousand Days in Venice and A Thousand Days in Tuscany are so enchanting - books I will return to again and again for their stories, and her earthy writing.

Her new book, a gift to myself, The Lady in the Palazzo, promises even more delicious reading as she, and her Italian husband, move on to Umbria, still searching for their true home.



And, last but by no means least, this tiny little book slipped from crumpled tissue in a large gift bag.........and changed my life! What a special gift from my special friend Su. Excerpted from the bestselling The World According to Mr. Rogers ~ yes, that Mr. Rogers, of "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood" ~ this is a book everyone should read, it's amazing. Fred Rogers has left an enduring legacy, be sure to read either version....and this tiny one will only take a little time if you are really, really busy.

Hope you are enjoying whatever you're reading these wintry days. Do you have a window seat? Perhaps you cozy up to the fireplace wrapped in a chenille throw..........or tuck yourself under the duvet and read before turning off the light at night. A book is a special friend at any time.

Transferware tidbits

See that blue bowl? Doesn't it look like English transferware?

Playing Mother ~ Jessie Willcox Smith (1863-1935)

From A Very Little Child's Book of Stories

Many of you are already collecting 'transferware' and probably know much more about its history than I do. A recent article in Country Living found me running to check my few pieces and in doing so I realized I want more.

In the mid-1700s, a new English transfer-printing process meant that patterns could be reproduced inexpensively compared to hand-painted goods coming from China. (Can you believe the stuff that came from China even that far back). Blue was the first color - still the most popular - followed by brown, black, purple,green, red, pink and yellow (the rarest). I like green and now have started collecting some red and pink pieces.

I was recently asked about my green Torquay patterned transferware below. This is a reproduction of an 1820 English pattern on earthenware, trimmed with matte gold. Made in England and available at retail, it's expensive, so I have just a few pieces that have been gifts from my husband. Why do I love this pattern? Torquay is my home town in England. The pattern depicts seashells and seaweeds found along the South Devon coast where I was born. I spent much of my childhood on the beaches hunting for shells and swimming through tangles of seaweeds.

Do I use it? Of course - in fact I'm off to make a cup of tea right now as it's teatime.

Edited: - For Sherry in answer to her comment. Here is the mark on the back of the dinner plate. This is the green version, it also comes in blue. Here is the link to Replacements Ltd. who carry quite a large stock of both colors.

Below are my red and pink pieces, a mix of styles and makers, and modern reproductions not antiques. These are what I will be hunting down at flea markets and yard sales, and of course I have the great gals at SuzAnna's Antiques looking out for me too.

I don't put sugar in my tea so find this the perfect quote ~

Downtown....the old and the new

Sunday afternoon...............visit to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.......the very interesting Dinosaur Exhibit showing recent new discoveries. Will now add 'Jurassic Park' to my Netflix Queue. This exhibit, viewed alongside a granddaughter, has tweaked more interest - I want to learn more about these long extinct creatures.

On leaving the museum, we walked through downtown. Surrounded by cranes and scaffolding hoisting steel and concrete, new skyscraper tall buildings rise from the pavements and squares. We searched for the old buildings, the brick walls, wood window frames, and lovingly painted trims. They are there, the ones that survived the wreckers ball.
Briggs Hardware Building - c. 1814

Fayetteville Street, Raleigh - 2008

We found a little restaurant inside the old, now extinct - like the dinosaurs, Raleigh Times newspaper building. The tin ceilings, mottled plaster walls and peeling wood remains - the character and history draws us in................we love the old.

Jasmin Against Old Walls - Raleigh Times Bldg. Raleigh 2008

Color Change Photo of chair taken by Jasmin in the restaurant.

Old or new?