Sneak Peak

I mentioned a few weeks back that I have been working on some things and I was not ready to reveal what it was...because it's taking me longer than I anticipated I thought I would let the cat out of the bag....I am re-branding my company.

I will keep my blog under Creme Fresh for the Home, but my interior design company will be renamed and a whole new package will emerge including a new card, website, promotional material and the like...In the mean time I wanted to take a moment to show you what I've been working on....

This client relationship started over 5 years ago...before you think it took 5 years to design and decorate one house, it's been a work in progress...we did the bulk of the work early on but with the addition of a baby; there was a bathroom redo, carpet to replace, girls bedrooms to be reconfigured, a place to do homework and manage new home base business. It has been such a pleasure to work with this great family and I look forward to what's to come.

I have over 5 projects that need to be photographed so that's no small feat, nor inexpensive so enjoy the photos and a glimpse of what's to come when the website is in full swing.

Hudson taking a moment to enjoy the living room.

Family Room with new paint, recovered chair and 2 new bookshelves.


Here is the custom designed media cabinet...it's not a light as it came out in the photo-the professional photographers really do earn every dollar in my eyes.

Living Room Fall Update

A few weeks ago I promised I would show you my living room that I just repainted and my fall decor. It took a bit longer to get the room painted and redecorated.

I painted the walls Farrow & Ball Terresa Green (25% lighter).


Normally I would use white pumpkins but this year I went for the traditional orange....it looks great against the the new soft green-blue. Enjoy the dollops of goodness.....









Wasabi Stopped moving for one second....she jumps up every time the flash goes off.

Sweet Sammy....

Friday Nights

I love doing something Friday nights, it makes the weekend seem longer. Last Friday I was feeling a wee bit exhausted, but my husband and I always try to make it to our friend Kurt and Kari's. They had a baby a little over a year ago and in the interest of keeping it simple we just head to their house and usually pick up take-out or throw something quick and easy together.

Again, for the sake of simplicity and utter exhaustion from the week we decided to do our own version of Iron Chef at home – which we’ll just call "Hidden Dinner"... Since I had already been to the market this week and had some fresh ingredients on hand, we said we would bring those to pair with what ever Kari had in her pantry. Did I mention Kari is a marketing director for Bon Appétit Management Co? Before we arrived Kari pulled out one of her cookbooks and opened a page to grilled chicken, potatoes and asparagus. She had no idea what I was bringing but thought we could pick up at the market what other ingredients we were missing....or we could cook something else.
I took one look at the recipe and almost fell over, because inside my bag were....chicken, potatoes, asparagus, thyme and some other random vegetables . The best part it was easy and we did all the prep and the guys did all the cooking on the grill.

Recipes and inspiration can be found HERE.

Here is our version.
You didn't think I forgot dessert did you.....My husband Todd made some amazing Cookies last weekend. The recipe came to me from a internet recipe exchange....

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

(Revised by Elle)

Makes 16 cookies. Published January 1, 2009. Yvonne Ruperti, Cooking Illustrated

Ingredients

1/3	cup granulated sugar
1 1/2	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)
3/4	cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1/2	cup dark corn syrup
1	large egg white
1	teaspoon vanilla extract
12	tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter , softened
1/3	cup packed dark brown sugar
	1 cup bittersweet chocolate , chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips ½ cup white sugar for coating individual cookie dough balls

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl. Whisk corn syrup, egg white, and vanilla together in small bowl.

2. 2. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low, add corn syrup mixture, and beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl once with rubber spatula. With mixer running at low speed, add flour mixture and chopped chocolate; mix until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Chill dough 30 minutes to firm slightly
(do not chill longer than 30 minutes).

3. 3 Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large (18- by 12-inch) baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Place ½ cup granulated sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate Divide dough into 16 equal portions; roll between hands into balls about 11/2 inches in diameter.. Working in batches, drop 8 dough balls into baking dish with sugar and toss to coat. Set dough balls on prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart; repeat with second batch of 8.

5. Bake, reversing position of the baking sheets halfway through baking (from top to bottom and front to back), until cookies are puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), 10 to 11 minutes. Do not over bake.

6. Sprinkle cookies with extra granulated sugar as needed and cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature.

Note: Cookie dough balls can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 weeks until ready to bake. These cookies are so good that refrigerating the dough (instead of baking the entire batch) enabled us to enjoy the cookies longer and eating fewer of them by baking them in small batches.

We hope we have inspired you to get together with your friend or family and try our version of "Hidden Dinner".

Happy Friday to everyone! Here's a little dollop of goodness for the weekend....great quick super delicious breakfast....

Puff Pancake
3/4 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup Milk
3 Eggs
6 Tbs. Butter (I know it sounds like a lot but you do need it to make it super delicious)
Sometimes I add a pinch of nutmeg and or a bit of vanilla....

Mix all together....in the mean time preheat oven 400.
When up to temperature place 12" oven proof pan along with the 6 Tbs. butter in oven
Melt the butter but don't burn
Add the batter and cook for 15 minutes

We then serve immediately with lemon juice, powdered sugar and maple syrup. Other options are fresh fruit or jam. Make it your own....


A few notes:
We usually use a Calpholon 12" (or 14" if we double the recipe) anodize omelet pan. You need something that can go in the oven, has sides and a handle.

I have been making this since I was a kid so I'm not sure where the original recipe came from. I have heard this referred to a Dutch baby or a Popover Pancake. One of my friends made it for her kids and they now refer to it as a "Puffer".

Enjoy and let me know how you like it....

Getting in the Fall Mood

Hi everyone-I'm a little behind on my postings. I've been really busy working on some of my design projects and some things I can't mention yet....

Anyway with the resent rain fall I've pulled out my boots and started to give some thoughts to fall and holiday decoration. I don't think I'm the only one because I've noticed many of my blogging favorites are also going on about the upcoming season.

I was planning doing my fall decorating of the "cottage" (my house) this weekend. I did not want to waste prestigious decorating time running errors on the weekend so I quickly ran in to Target today for the usual stuff like paper towels and laundry detergent when I ran across the Halloween pet costumes....I couldn't resist....

Moments later I was acting as if I was a world renowned photographer....well you'll see how I failed, but we all had a little fun.

This is Wasabi in the bee costume and Sammy in the Chicken costume...that Wasabi so quick.....

This is Wasabi now thinking Sammy is a Giant Chicken Toy-"I know there's a squeaker in here somewhere????"

Being a model is so exhausting! I need caffeine!!!

How cute am I in my Chicken Suit...I love dress up!!! (no seriously he does-weird)

Quick mom my heads going to exploded with excitement!!!

I don't even know what to say about this one....

I hope you enjoy seeing my little crazy's....Fall decoration next week...come back to check it out.

Birthdays are worth Celebrating!

Well summer is just about over…all though you wouldn’t know it as it is still about 100 degrees today in Southern California. Hopefully tomorrow it should be cooler.

I ran in to a few friends this last week who had asked what I had done this summer….."it was a big family summer, my mother’s 80^th birthday and my husband’s family reunion".

I thought I would share with you my mom’s birthday celebration….It was held at my sister’s who lives in the Napa Valley, where we grew up. Our inspiration for the décor was Carolyn Roehm’s table setting seen below from her book “A Passion for Blue & White” and featured in Veranda July/August 2009 issue.

Below you can see where we created our own version pairing the blue and white with the acid green to add a bit of a punch.

The menu consisted of Fillet of Beef, which my brother-in-law cooked on the barbecue; this was accompanied by a horseradish sauce, fresh corn nibs with a basil-lime rub, cold slaw salad with blue cheese from Ina Garten along with her coconut cupcakes for dessert…

Here are some of the recipes & links.

Horseradish Sauce:

Ingredients

1 Jar horseradish

1 pint sour cream

Directions

Mix together with salt and pepper

Fresh Corn:

Ingredients

Fresh Corn

1 Bunch Fresh Basil

1-2 Fresh Limes

½ Cup Melted Butter

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions

Cut corn into 2-3” pieces-Nibs

Cook corn as desired

Chop basil

Combined with fresh lime juice and melted butter

Toss with cooked corn nibs

Add Kosher Salt & Pepper and enjoy

Cold Slaw: From Barefoot Contessa At Home
Ingredients

1/2 small head green cabbage

1/2 small head red cabbage

4 large carrots, scrubbed or peeled

2 cups (16 ounces) good mayonnaise

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) crumbled Roquefort blue cheese

1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Cut the cabbages in half and then in quarters and cut out the cores. Set up the food processor with the slicing blade (according to manufacturer's instructions) and place the pieces of cabbage, one at a time, lying horizontally in the feed tube. (If they don't fit, cut them to fit lying down.) Place the feed tube pusher on top and turn on the processor. Don't push on the feed tube pusher or the slices will turn out too thick! Continue with the remaining red and green cabbage quarters. Transfer into a large bowl, discarding any very large pieces. Before you pour the dressing on the salad, save a handful of the grated vegetables to decorate for serving.

Change the slicing blade for the large shredding blade and cut the carrots so they also lie down in the feed tube. Since the carrots are hard, replace the feed tube pusher and press firmly with the food processor on. Transfer to bowl with the cabbages.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour enough mayonnaise dressing over the grated vegetables and toss to moisten well. Add crumbled blue cheese and parsley and toss together. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Coconut Cupcakes: From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredientsnocoupons

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

5 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting:

nocoupons

1 pound cream cheese at room temperature

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

You can also find the two recipes from Ina Garten on the food network website.

I hope you will try some of these dollops of goodness for your next party.

In Progress-Kitchen

My latest client remembered me from a sink I installed in the 2005 Assistances League Design House. I had designed the wine cellar and bathroom.

When she called my a few weeks back she just wanted to know where she could purchase the sink if still possible…so I left her a message that it was from Kohler and it was still available…I directed her to my local plumbing supply house and I thought was the end of that…..

A couple of weeks went by and another call came in-it was a request for a total kitchen remodel. Wow I wish every request for product information moved into a full blown project….

I guess I should tell you that my client has large dinner parties almost monthly, her and her friends call themselves the “bla bla group”. They get together and talk i.e. bla bla….

My client collects all kinds of dollops of goodness, like dishes, beautiful table clothes and linens, hotel silver you name it.

On one of her trips to Paris she saw two pieces of cut of marble on the side walk in the trash, she couldn’t help herself, and she picked it up and put it in her suit case and dragged them back home. This sums up how fabulous my client is....One of these great pieces of marble is going to be inserted in a piece of butcher block for a little interest and for her to remember her trip when she sees it in her kitchen.

Here are some before photos.....

During....

Here is a glimpse of some of the materials we will be using in the kitchen.

Calcutta Gold for the Counters, Medina tile from Ann Sacks for the backsplash, Cork floors from Expanko & Tin on the Ceiling....and lots of bead board for the cottage feeling.

We haven't finalized the paint or the fabrics yet so you will have to stay tuned.....