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Thumbprints

January 13, 2018

Many moons ago when I was studying agriculture as a farm apprentice I became close friends with my bunk mate Ian. Ian and I didn’t have much in common at first other than the desire to learn how to grow vegetables but we quickly realized that what we did both love was food.  When we weren’t out in the fields, we spent most of our time together in the kitchen. And when we weren’t in the kitchen we spent most of our time out in the fields talking about food. We spent hours chatting about our favorite family recipes and perusing through cookbooks, dog-earing new recipes to try. But what we spent most of our time together doing was baking.

We would make our tried and true favorite baked goods for each other and the other bunk mates to sample. We’d experiment and critique new recipes. I distinctly remember being so excited at making a successful batch of homemade fig newtons that year and falling in love with a sesame benne wafer. There were always fresh baked goods to nibble on in the farm house or wrapped up to pass out at break time in the fields. That year felt a bit like The Great British Baking Show. I never baked so much in my life and I learned so much from Ian.

Prior to the farm apprenticeship, Ian had worked at The Pink Rose, a tea room in Philadelphia that I had visited frequently as a child but has since closed. When he left he took with him his favorite recipes which he shared with me that year, my favorite being the Thumbprint. This cookie is extremely buttery (made with 1 pound of butter!), rolled in crushed walnuts and filled with your favorite flavors of jam, the perfect cookie in my opinion. I made this particular batch with raspberry and ginger preserves. I am especially pleased with the ginger!

Ian and I still keep in touch. We don’t see each other as much as we’d like but the recipes we shared and made together that year keep us connected. Today felt like old times at the farm as I pressed my thumb into the dough and drizzled in jam. Instead of  bunk mates I share them with you. Enjoy!

Thumbprints

1 pound of butter (yep, that’s 4 sticks of butter!)

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 cups flour

1/2 pound crushed walnuts

3 egg whites

Jam or preserves

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a mixer, combine butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add vanilla and flour. Roll into balls, dip in egg white and then roll in walnuts.

Place balls on greased cookie sheet and press thumb in gently. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown. Fill thumbprints with jam after 30 minutes of cooling.

This Week’s Vignette

March 16, 2017

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This week’s vignette or shall I say vignettes live atop my piano. I wrote about this piano a few years back and am happy to report I still love it here. I haven’t played as much as I would like to admit but it works beautifully as a place for vignettes. Because the piano is a centerpiece in our home I like to create little scenes on top that change throughout the  seasons showcasing some of my favorite things that I have either foraged or collected over the years.

Sitting to the far left is an antique silver ice bucket etched with the letter B for Boston (my mother’s maiden name) that was given to me by my mom. It holds a Tradescantia pallida ‘Purpurea’ plant that I overwintered from my window boxes. Next to the ice bucket sits a stack of books (two of Chris’s favorites) paired with an antique lamb which I found this summer while away at the lake. Next to the lamb sits a thrifted tiny studio pottery bowl which I use as a votive holder.

To the far right sits my handmade ukulele made by Chris. Next to it sits a mercury pedestal holding a foraged bird nest and feathers with blown out quail eggs. In front of it sits an antique pewter handled vessel which I adore. It is adorned with tiny pewter flowers, bull heads and horns and reminds me so much of this favorite story of mine. Inside sits a handmade beeswax candle made by a friend.

A stack of antique dishes and bowls that get used daily at meals also sits on top along with two prints- a pointillism drawing made by my mom in college and a watercolor titled “The Humming River” gifted to me by my mom.

In tomorrow’s post I will talk more about lambs, the month of March and spring inspired decor.

This week’s vignette

February 23, 2017

vignette

vignette

A bookshelf is the ideal venue for a vignette .  Each shelf acts as a little stage for props to be set up and designed on creating that perfect scene. It’s almost as if a little performance is about to begin at any moment!

This built-in lives in my kitchen and holds a variety of things, many of which get used daily. When creating your own vignettes I urge you not to shy away from things that get utilized on a regular basis. Little clusters or groupings of objects that are both beautiful and useful can make a room feel inviting and give purpose. Just grab what you need and after you are finished back into the vignette it goes!

The top shelf holds a basket of linen napkins that get used on special occasions. On each side of the basket sit an antique copper candlestick that gets used on my dining room table when we are seating a larger group and the leaf needs to be put in. A Tulip Poplar branch found on a hike sits on top of the basket.

The second shelf holds an array of well loved cookbooks. My Joy of Cooking, gifted to me by Chris on our first Christmas together as a married couple, is so ell loved it is held together by a rubber band. It’s my go to for baking. An antique English Adams farmer mug holding a cluster of wood handled steak knives acts as a book end. A white scalloped pedestal bowl holds apples. Leaning up against the books is an antique hay barn pulley  and a little watercolor I painted.

On the third shelf sit more cook books, pottery and utensils. A ceramic serving tray acts as a backdrop.

The fourth shelf on the bottom holds even more cookbooks, a Tiviola radio, and a pottery pitcher and chicken tile. On top of the radio sits a hand carved grouping of mushrooms made by a woodcarver friend. A wooden hand painted, floral serving tray leans behind.

As I have mentioned before vignettes are not meant to be permanent. These shelves are in constant flux. As the seasons change along with my mood so do the vignettes that live here.

 

I’d love to hear from you my friends. Let me know if you are enjoying this series and what other types of series  you might like to see!

 

Winter getaway

February 20, 2017

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winter get away

Winter getaway

February 19, 2017

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