The Hazel Bloom

Thrift Store Finds for November

It was a busy, busy month, but I ended up finding a little time to poke around a few thrift stores. The November verdict: Furniture was a big thumbs down, vintage glassware thumbs up.

I've already featured a few things in earlier stories, like the...

Formerly White Candlesticks

I painted them red. I absolutely love them.

Fireplace Tool Holder

I scored this for $1.29 and turned it into a giftbag holder. 

Here's some of the glassware. I also came thisclose to buying a stunning carnival glass apothecary jar for $15, and I'm kind of kicking myself for not - but I so didn't need it. It was gorgeous though. Okay, now I'm just kind of irritated I didn't pick it up. I'd better move on before I get downright grumpy about thew whole matter. 

Lidless Jadeite Sugar Bowls

These were $2.99 each at a Goodwill in Renton, Washington. I actually wasn't sure what they were supposed to be at first - other than jadeite. I love jadeite. I did some googling when I got home and found they were sugar bowls - sans lids. I'll use them as vases or matching pencil and pen holders. Or something else.

Hobnail Goblets

I don't think these are vintage, but I love their look nonetheless. $1.49 for the pair.

Ironstone Dishes

Yet another type of vintage pottery or glassware I'm gaga for - ironstone. These dishes - four dinner plates, two salad plates, two dessert plates, and four bowls - were $10 for all.

I totally didn't need them. 

But look at the pretty pattern!

I had to.

Sloppily Painted Yet I Love It Anyway Pitcher

This little pitcher is definitely an antique - but I know nothing else about it other than it was painted kind of sloppily. Some things just grab me anyway though. It was only a buck.

Oh, and check this next one out. I got it on shopgoodwill.com, which is completely addicting, I must say. 

Still Life

I had several moments of weakness and bid on some art items on shopgoodwill.com. I love this one, flaws and all, but unfortunately it's not quite fitting into our newly redesigned dining room, plus I'll need to get it framed, so I have no idea what we'll do with it. It was about $20 with shipping. Not too bad!

Check out the optical illusion above the two oranges. Is it a bowl? Is it a fish? It was hard to tell in a picture. In person, it's definitely a bowl and not a dead trout. *Whew*.

 

That's pretty much it for November! We'll see if December turns anything up... if I have any time!

Fireplace Tool Stand Made Gift Bag Holder

Have I mentioned how much I love taking someone else's castoff and reimagining it in a completely new way? It's a fun way for anyone to tap into their creative sides, and also do something cool on the cheap. Plus it's all in vogue right now and stuff (and hopefully forever) - reduce, reuse, recycle, revamp, really rad and stuff!

Recently I turned a fireplace tool stand into a gift bag holder. It works perfectly!

Today's episode of Trash to Triumph is brought to you (not really, they don't know I'm pimping them) by Goodwill, my favorite set of thrift stores in the Seattle area - they're relatively clean, packed to the gills with wonderful stuff, and reasonably priced. In this case, the fireplace tool stand I repurposed was reduced from its whopping (ha) $2.99 price tag to only $1.29 during one of their tag sales - all red tags were $1.29. It was already in my cart, so, double score!

The fireplace tool holder was simply a heavy wrought iron base with a pole and four hooks on top. No fireplace tools in sight. Didn't need 'em anyway. (Please ignore the shadows in the photo. I was having a bad camera day.)

At first, I was thinking that, spiffed up with a coat of bright spray paint, it may make an excellent holder for some of my long necklaces. But after further consideration, I realized it would work even better up on the shelf in the Craft Office, butlering some gift bags. It's a perfect way to not only keep gift bags from getting crumpled stashed away somewhere, but also to help add more fun color to the space - there are so many cute gift bags out there. (See it there off to the right?)

I just hang the large ones on the front and back, and the small and skinny ones on the sides. 

I may paint it someday, but it works just fine in plain ol' black, as far as I'm concerned.

Mulled Cranberry Cider

Me: "Oooh, I think today is a good day for Mulled Cranberry Cider!"

My guy: "Do you think we have the rum to support that?"

That's my guy - officer thinking all the way. (And yes, of course we did!)



I first caught wind of the idea of hot cranberry cider on a Martha Stewart Thankgiving Special. It was this episide - or one I caught around that time - where they showed a blooper reel and in one, she was cluelessly holding up two melons at chest level, talking very seriously about how to choose the ripest - apparently they didn't realize the, um, gravity of the situation until after filming the segment. You just have to see it, but it's hee-larious. I love that Martha can laugh at herself - especially because she just sometimes comes across as the type of person (as much as I love her) that can't. And that she's down with the whole Whatever, Martha! thing? Bless her. She rocks.

So anyway, Mulled Cranberry Cider. It's good stuff, especially for this time of year, and especially with rum. I like this better than hot apple cider, actually - it's a little easier to drink because it's not cloyingly sweet. Which actually can make this a little dangerous with rum - consider yourself warned! Here's my version.

(You can warm this on the stove top, too - I just love the Crock Pot for stuff like this.)

Mulled Cranberry Cider

Approx. 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 quarts Cranberry-Apple Juice (I get the bottle from Trader Joe's) OR 1 quart each cranberry juice and apple cider
• 1 orange, cut into wedges
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
• 5 cinnamon sticks
• 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, to taste
• 1/2 - 1 cup red wine (optional, I just find this is an excellent use for that last little bit of leftover red wine, plus it adds a nice little oomph)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to the Crock Pot, and cook on high for about an hour and a half, or low for about three hours. Switch the Crock Pot to the warm setting, and it's ready to serve when you're ready to drink!

Ladle the cider into mugs (leaving the fruit in the Crock Pot). I like to throw another cinnamon stick in there for good measure. Those nice long cinnamon sticks that double as a stirrer would work even better.

Oh right, the rum! Add a shot of rum to your glass before you ladle in the cider, if you are rum-inclined.

Cozy, warm, happy holidays to you! The holiday season is officially here.

---

Along similar lines (except cold) check out this recipe from Cooking Light for Spicy Rum Punch. I need to try this one next.

How to Get Those Darn Seeds Out of a Pomegranate

It's pomegranate season! And thank goodness for that. Because it's also cookie, pie, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potato season (and Happy Thanksgiving, by the way!). But when I pop a bunch of these succulent seeds into my mouth, I can feel a little better about all the other crap I've been eating.

Packed with vitamins and other good stuff, those little seeds (or arils) taste amazing, too.

But they can be a tad daunting to get to. Here's my method for getting from this...

To this! (It's easy!)
 

How to Seed a Pomegranate

Instructions

1. Choose a pomegranate that seems very heavy for its size.
   
   
   
2. Fill a medium to large bowl with water.
3. Cut off the top - this is the end with the part that sticks up, or the crown. Maybe that's the bottom, I don't know, but it's the only end that looks like that.
   
   
   
4. Make several slices - just through the outer layer - down the sides.
   
   
   
5. Place the pomegranate, cut side down, along with its top (or bottom!), in the bowl. Leave it in there, soaking, for about 10 minutes.
   
   
   
6. Place your hands in the bowl of water and, keeping the pomegranate under water, pull it apart.
   
   
   
7. Massage the seeds out with your hands (you don't really need to massage, just kind of prod - I just can't think of a better word. "Rub" seemed even less appropriate). The seeds will sink to the bottom, and the white stuff (pith) will float to the top!
   
   
   
8. Pick the pith out and discard it as you go.
9. Okay, now just dump your seeds into a strainer (preferably over the sink, unless you'd like a little kitchen adventure), rinse, and pick out any stray pieces of pith, and you're good to go!
   
   
   

Enjoy plain (mmmmmmm).

Or on a salad. Or over vanilla ice cream.

Or sprinkle them over some roasted sweet potatoes, even (it's good, see, doesn't it look good?)

Oh, and I heard someone somewhere say that they spit the little seeds inside the arils out, but I think that's just silliness. I think that's the exception. I, and I'm pretty sure most people, just chew the whole thing up.

Easy Thanksgiving Centerpiece

I know it probably says something a little weird about me, but the truth is, I love Safeway's floral departments. They've always got great arrangements, candles, and cool stuff on clearance. My cup of tea, totally.

The other night I was wandering around a Safeway floral department (it's not like I seek them out! I just gravitate when I'm there!!). I spied this great Thanksgiving arrangement in a large apothecary-type jar. Mini pumpkins and indian corn, and a bow tied around the base.

Better yet, their mini pumpkins and indian corn were on sale for insanely cheap - $1.50 for a whole bag of mini pumpkins! If you live near a Safeway, get thee there for cheap mini pumpkins and gourds.

So, naturally, I had to do a version of this for myself.

Unfortunately, the only apothecary-like jar I had, I sold at the fateful garage sale last summer. Fateful because I was in serious clean-it-out mode and since then, I can't count how many times I've been all, "Where's the... ?? Oh RIGHT. Sold it! Dangit!"

But anyway. No apothecary jar. But I do have a large clear glass footed bowl!

I just tore the husks off of the corn, and layered the corn with the pumpkins and a couple of gourds (facing out so folks can appreciate them when they're sitting at the table). I could tie a bow around the bottom of the bowl, but I'm enjoying it enough just like it is, in all its simplicity.

 

Hope every one of you is ready for a fantastic Thanksgiving. We're on vacation this week - staycation, really - and I'm on a home improvement bender, taking my guy along for the ride. Poor guy. But our dining room is going to turn out fabulous because of this, I just know it! (After painting the walls and the stools and the mirror frame and putting up the curtains and recovering the dining room chairs... oy!) This time I took a "before" picture, though - can't wait until we get to a point where I can share the makeover.

Happy Turkey Day Eve!

Butterscotch Pie

Not long after I posted the recipe for the sinfully delicious Butterscotch Pudding, I received a comment from the lovely jnine. "I'd like to try this in a pie for Thanksgiving!" she said and I paraphrase. She wondered about the adjustments needed to make that happen. And then, so did I.

I couldn't just let it be. I had to try it for myself.

Add more cornstarch - check. Find the perfect crust - check. Figure out what to top it with - check. Enhance the flavor of the filling even more with a touch of whiskey - check, check, check.

Butterscotch Pie was a huge hit with my official tasting panel - my guy and his buddy. Let's take a quick peek into the conversation, shall we?

My guy: "Mmmm. I want to eat the whole pie."

His buddy: "Can we figure out a way to just, like, intravenously insert it into our veins?"

My guy: "But, but, then you couldn't taste it!"

His buddy: "Oh yeah."

I'd say that's at least a couple grunts up from the panel.

Here's the recipe. Oh, a note about the crust: With the graham cracker crust, this pie is very sweet. For some people, that's a good thing. But I think this would be excellent on a pre-baked classic flaky pie crust. If you try it that way, let me know! I'm not sure I'll get away with using anything other than the graham cracker crust. My graham-cracker-lovin' guy's crestfallen face at the discovery would break my heart.

Anyway! The recipe!

Butterscotch Pie

Serves 8

The Pie Crust

• 1 sleeve of graham crackers (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar

The Pie Filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar or 1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar + 1 teaspoon molasses
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup 2 percent milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt plus a pinch more
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons scotch whiskey (optional)

The Pie Topping

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream (my apologies! this originally said 1/2 cup. fixed now!)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

1. First, the crust. Place the graham crackers in a Ziploc bag, and with a rolling pin, crush them. My guy always comes around when it's time to do this, and does it for me. I think he likes it.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar.
3. Add the melted butter, and mix well.
4. Press the graham cracker mixture into a pie plate, and refrigerate for about a half hour. I was VERY messy in the kitchen today.
   
   
   
   
5. Now, the filling! Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
6. Stir in the brown sugar (and molasses, if you're using it). Keep the heat low, and stir until the brown sugar is all melted and bubbly.
   
   
   
7. Add 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, and stir until the brown sugar and butter are dissolved.
8. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of the heavy cream, all of the milk, and the salt.
   
9. Remove from heat, and let cool until lukewarm. I find this only takes about 10 minutes.
10. Mix together the cornstarch and water, and pour it into the pudding mixture.
11. Reheat over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken. It'll thicken fast with all that corn starch!  
12. Turn heat to low, and continue to stir vigorously while keeping it at a good simmer for about a minute.
13. Remove from heat, and stir in the whiskey and vanilla. Whiskey wasn't in my original Butterscotch Pudding recipe, but I love the addition for this pie. Gives it a little extra somethin' somethin'.
14. Pour the pudding mixture into the chilled pie crust.
    
    
    
    Note the Glenlivet supervising this process.
    
    
15. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least two hours.
16. Ready for the topping? Whip the 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream with the wire whisk attachment on your stand mixer (you can do this by hand, but it would be quite the workout).
17. Add the sugar and vanilla to the cream while it's whipping.
18. It's ready when soft peaks form.
    
    
    
    Yum.
     
19. I'm stating the obvious, but remove the pie from the fridge and take off the plastic wrap.
20. Pile on the whipping cream. I like to spread it almost to the edges, but not quite - gotta give folks a glimpse of the actual pie yumminess!
21. If you want, garnish with a little shaved chocolate. I just took the carrot peeler to a Hershey bar.
    
    
     
    
22. Or leave it plain. Either way!
    
    

Enjoy!

---

Let me just take a moment here and assure you all, in case you ever thought otherwise, that I am the very opposite of graceful. If there is a kitchen accident to be had, I've probably had it.

The Butterscotch Pie Melting-Butter-For-the-Crust Incident was no exception.

People, learn from the clutzy one over at The Hazel Bloom. Never nuke your butter for longer than absolutely necessary!

Oh well. We needed to clean the microwave anyway.

Lemon Bars

While searching for a great lemon bar recipe, I found that people are very, very, very particular about theirs.

"Can't be too sweet!"

"Can't be too tart!"

"How in tarnation can a lemon bar recipe have so much flour in the lemon curd?! Blasphemy!"

Stuff like that.

Me, I just like a good lemon bar. And frankly, now that I think of it, I don't know if I've ever had a bad one.

But I got caught up in the lemon bar drama a little, admittedly. I had to find the perfect recipe! Luckily, I came across it pretty quickly. And I'm just going to stop here and call it good. I'll call it excellent, actually.

These lemon bars are dee-licious. Indeed, they are the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The shortbread crust has just a tad of chewiness that just gives them that extra little something.

Plus, they're just so cheery! A little touch of sunshine in the midst of this dreary gray Seattle winter. Tasty sunshine.

Here's the recipe!

Lemon Bars

Recipe by Joan's on Third, posted by the LA Times

Makes 9 large lemon bars

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

For the lemony-good stuff:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice (approx. the juice of two lemons)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• A little more powdered sugar to dust the bars

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter with the 1 cup flour and powdered sugar. Mix only until the dough comes together.
3. Press the dough into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan (Pam it if you like, I found it was okay without - but probably would have been better with!)
   
   
   
   
4. Bake the crust just until it starts getting golden - about 15 - 18 minutes.
5. Remove the crust from the oven, and let cool to room temperature.
   
   
   
   
6. Time to mix together the filling! Mix or sift together the granulated sugar, baking powder, and 2 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl.
7. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and add the lemon juice.
8. Pour the egg and lemon juice into the dry ingredients, and whisk until very well combined.
9. Pour the lemon mixture onto the baked crust.
   
   
   
10. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes, until the lemon is set. It can have a little give when shaken slightly, but it shouldn't jiggle.
11. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
    
    
    
12. After they're cooled, lightly dust with powdered sugar. I just throw some powdered sugar into my sieve and shake it over the top. Don't use too much, though! I've done that, and we have inhalation (causes coughing) or exhale-related (gets powdered sugar everywhere) issues when going to take a bite. Not good!
    
    
    
13. Cut into nine bars.
14. They'll keep for up to a week if they're refrigerated, but good luck getting them to last that long!

Hummus!

Hummus is a yummy, hearty, super healthy dip/spread that, along with carrots, cucumbers, or another veggie, makes an awesome midday snack. (I know, healthy?! I haven't been posting much of that lately.) Or, heck, add some pita wedges, and you've got a great lunch (or, like we had the other day, dinner!)

This is my favorite hummus recipe. It's so dang easy, and very much worth the little effort it takes to make.

Hummus!

Ingredients

• 1 can garbanzo beans drained, but reserve the liquid!
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)

Instructions

1. Throw everything but the garbanzo bean liquid into your blender or food processor.
2. Pulse, adding the bean liquid as needed to get things moving, until the hummus is completely smooth.
3. That's it! Scoop out and serve! I love it topped with a liberal drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.
4. Serve with pita wedges and/or cucumber slices and/or carrots and/or tomatoes and/or...... whatever the heck you want! This is your hummus! 

Overnight Caramel Pecan French Toast

This one is perfect for a holiday morning when time is tight and something special is in order. Put it together the night before, then just pull it out of the fridge and bake up a sinfully delicious breakfast while you're off taking care of other things.

We've also plopped a bit of vanilla ice cream on the top of leftover slices for a quick, almost bread-pudding-like dessert.

Here's the recipe!

Overnight Caramel Pecan French Toast

Adapted from this Oven Baked Caramel French Toast recipe from Terri B. on Recipezaar

Serves 6-7 (one slice each)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped
• 6 - 7 thick slices French bread (about 3/4 inches thick)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Grease a 9" x 13" pan.
2. Over low heat, combine the brown sugar, light corn syrup, butter, and whipping cream in a medium saucepan.
   
   
   
3. Keeping the heat on low (letting it get too hot is bad - and don't let it boil!), stir constantly until the butter is melted and the ingredients are smooth.
4. Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla.
5. Pour the warm caramel mixture into a 9" x 13" pan.
   
   
   
6. Sprinkle the pecans over the top.
   
   
   
7. In a large bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, salt, the other 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and cinnamon.
8. Dip the bread into the egg mixture, making sure each piece is well-coated. You want to soak up all of the mixture with your six or seven slices of bread.
9. Lay the bread in the pan, over the caramel and pecan mixture.
   
   
   
10. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Now get to bed and go relax. Git!
11. It's morning! Ready for some breakfast? Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
12. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the bottom is bubbling and the toast is golden brown.
13. Let stand for a couple of minutes, then invert onto a platter.
14. Eat right away!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I just wrapped up my very first giveaway here at The Hazel Bloom, and all I can say is wow! Okay, I can say more than that, clearly... lots more... but seriously. Wow.

More than 120 people participated in the $50 Sur La Table Gift Card Giveaway, and with the extra credit entries, we had 161 entries total! I'm thinking that's not too shabby for a rookie blog's first giveaway.

I'm so excited that so many people visited The Hazel Bloom.

The best part for me was reading everyone's comments, blog posts, Tweets, and Facebook links. I didn't realize when I asked for you to name your favorite story and link to the contest, that so many of you would have so many nice things to say. Talk about an ego boost! This is fun! I can't wait to interact more with y'all.

ANYWAY... how about a winner already, eh? For my first giveaway, I held a drawing for a $50 Sur La Table gift card (that I very much wanted to keep for myself). And the winner is...

Nanci!

Nanci said... "Your Halloween article was great. We made the marshmellowy eyes"

Have fun shopping at Sur La Table, Nanci! And thanks again to everyone who entered. I'll have to do this again soon!