Urban Comfort

Pumpkin Bars

It's fall!  And so begins my annual psychological turning of the seasons (the weather here won't follow suit for at least another month). Somehow it always starts with pumpkin and this year is no exception. I found this recipe from Paula Deen and it was my first step into the new season. They're called pumpkin bars, but it's really more of a pumpkin cake. They're impossibly moist (C'mon, it's Paula Deen, what did you expect?) and have a long shelf life. I've frosted them with cream cheese icing, but I can tell you on good authority that they're quite tasty without it, too. 

Have a great weekend!

Pumpkin Bars
Paula Deen

Ingredients: 

4 large eggs
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
15-ounce can pumpkin
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Icing:

8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter into a greased 13-x-10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Let cool completely before frosting. Cut into bars.

To make the icing: Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars. 

Hand Printing Fabrics

I've been interested in printing fabrics for awhile now, inspired by several books on the subject. But it was one of those projects that sat on my to-do list, maybe because I felt like it required a huge investment of time or perhaps it intimidated me a bit. At any rate, I finally got my feet wet and printed some fabrics for my DIY column in Family Circle.

I started with a more formal approach, using pieces of self-adhesive foam and creating designs on acrylic sheets. But once I got comfortable with that, I started getting freer in my expression and that's when I found out how simple it could really be. Want an intricate design? Composed prints (creating a large stamp) might be better for that. Want a more playful approach? Use what's in your house - corks, pencil erasers, rims of paper cups, bottle caps, rubber bands, pieces of sponge, string tied around wooden blocks...I am certain you can find more tools in your house than I could ever list here.

Napkins are an easy project to start with. Smaller pieces of fabric to work with, less expensive (muslin is perfect for this project and very affordable), and something that can be completed in one sitting. For other project ideas and detailed instruction on various techniques, I also recommend these three books. I found them very helpful and a worthwhile addition to my library:

 

This is the book that really launched my fascination with hand printing. Modern, fresh, and informative. This is where I learned about making foam stamps, useful for larger designs. It also covers rubber stamping, carved block printing, stenciling, and screen printing. The projects themselves are pretty, useful, and inspiring. 

 

 

 

 

Not a pretty, glossy craft book like some of the others, but full of real information and creative, original ideas. It covers relief and stencil printing, along with sun printing and image transfer. Start small by creating personal stationery or take it to the extreme by stenciling an aspen tree forest mural on a wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lotta Jansdotter has a very distinctive style and if you like her style, I think you'll really like this book. I love the simplicity of it, the organic nature of the designs, and the concise instructions. It covers rubber stamping, iron-on printing, leaf printing, stencil printing, potato printing, lino-block printing and screen printing.

 

Silhouette Plates for Halloween

I have one last project I wanted to share with you from Better Homes and Gardens. It's simple and you can easily pull it off in an afternoon. Even better, you can use dishes and serving pieces you already own, and because the silhouettes are removable, it can be temporary as well (though some motifs you might be inclined to keep up during the entire fall season).

To make them, all you need to do is cut a silhouette from matte, black Con-Tact paper (found in hardware stores and some craft supply stores) or matte self-adhesive vinyl (check Etsy.com). You apply it to a plate or tray, smooth out any air bubbles with your fingertips, and you're done. I love the way they dress up my rehabbed cabinet.

The silhouettes are available for download at bhg.com, along with downloads for the rest of the projects in the story.  See the links below:

Silhouettes 

Invitations

Lantern Silhouettes

Punch Card

Mustache Template

Halloween Poster

Bat Templates

 

A Cheese Plate

I think if I had to choose a last meal it would come down to sushi or a cheese plate. I suspect the cheese plate would win out in the end because really, it's just pure pleasure served on a plate. But I'm lucky that I don't have to wait for a last meal; I have a fantastic cheese shop within walking distance of my home.

At St. James Cheese Company, every employee is knowledgeable and passionate to the point you feel you're always speaking to the proprietor. I don't even bother making decisions anymore. I tell them I'd like a cheese plate (with three, five, or seven choices) and leave it in their capable hands. I've never been disappointed.

Last week, I had the luxury of a very long lunch of cheese, charcuterie, and wine and I wanted to share the selections they brought for us. Four of the seven were domestic cheeses (which I love!) and I suspect most of them can be found at reputable cheese stores (and if not, ask about them). 

 

Manchego (Spain) - A classic sheep's cheese from Spain (ours was a 6 month-old). Not a surprise for me, but always good. Instead of quince paste, they served it with fresh fig preserves and that was a new experience.

 

Weybridge (Vermont) - A cow's milk farmstead cheese produced by Scholten Family Farm in Weybridge, Vermont. It has a softened rind with nutty, earthy flavors and a tart finish. Semi-creamy with a denser center that contains citrus notes.  I also detected a delicate mushroom aroma to the cheese.  Very, very good! 

 

City of Ships (Maine) - This tangy, semi-hard, raw cow's milk cheese was absolutely delightful and I may never have it again unless I'm in Maine. Produced by Hahn's End Farm, this handmade small-batch cheese is only sold regionally, so I was lucky that one of the employees was visiting and brought some home in his bag.

La Jeaune Autize (France) - An aged, washed rind goat's cheese made in a style similar to Morbier. It's a tangy, earthy cheese with a line of vegetable ash running through its center. It was creamier than I expected it to be from appearance and not too sharp.

 

Green Hill (Georgia) - This soft-ripened cow's milk cheese may have been my favorite of the afternoon. Produced by Sweet Grass Dairy in southern Georgia, it was lush and rich with a buttery creaminess and a sharp tang that gave way to a slight bitterness in the rind. I could have eaten this all day. 

Blue d'Auvergne (France) - A creamy, moist cow's milk blue that was strong and pungent like most blues, but perhaps slightly milder than some I've encountered before. Very nice if you're a blue cheese lover.

 

O'Bannon (Indiana) - This fresh goat's milk cheese from Capriole Farmstead in Greenville, Indiana was a surprise for me, in the very best way. It was dense, almost fudgy, with an unmistakeable fresh, citrusy taste. I'm a big fan of goat cheese anyway, but this was something different. Perhaps it's the fact that they soak chestnut leaves in Woodford Reserve Bourbon before wrapping the cheese. Whatever it is, I'm buying it again!

Moonlit Halloween Playlist

Better Homes and Gardens asked my husband and I to come up with a playlist for the party featured in the October issue. It was a fun collaboration for us and this is what we came up with.  It's by no means a comprehensive list, but a sampling of songs to include. If you have any other suggestions to add, we'd love your input!

 

Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing  by Chris Isaak
Goin' Down South by R.L. Burnside

Lebanese Blonde by Thievery Corporation

My Moon My Man by Feist

Shake Your Hips by The Rolling Stones

You Did (Bomp Shooby...) by Chuck Prophet

Goodnight Moon by Shivaree

Shakin' All Over by Eileen Jewell

Get Up & Get Down by The Dramatics

You'll Be the Death of Me by Johnny Winter

Strange Love by Slim Harpo

Bad Things by Jace Everett

Glory Be by R.L. Burnside

Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater

Let the Good Times Roll by Ray Charles

 

Photo by Monica Buck 

**If you like the invitation shown above, you can go to www.bhg.com/moonlight and get the free download (they're available with and without a date).

Black Velvet Cake

My family is fairly obsessed with red velvet cake, so one year I decided to give it a new twist for Halloween. I took my red velvet cake recipe and simply swapped the red food coloring for black. Then I gave my cream cheese frosting a new flavor profile with fresh orange zest and juice. The resulting cake is enough like the original to satisfy my family, but different enough that it's become a yearly treat we look forward to. 

 

Black Velvet Cake: 

2½ cups sifted unleavened cake flour 
3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cool room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temp
1 large egg yolk, at room temp
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 oz. black food coloring (Note: It's possible 1 oz. will suffice, but only if it's a high quality food coloring. Otherwise, it might be more of a charcoal gray)
3 Tablespoons lukewarm water
1 cup lowfat buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly coat two 9-inch round cake pans with vegetable shortening.  Insert parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pans and lightly coat the paper with shortening, then dust with flour.

2. In a large bowl, sift together the cake flour, cocoa, and baking powder and set aside.

3. In a standing mixer, set on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla and salt.  Beat in the red food coloring, then the water, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until well blended.

4.  Using the lowest speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, for a total of 4 additions, ending with buttermilk and blending well.  In a glass measuring cup, dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar.  Pour in and beat on medium speed until just blended, about 10 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Do not overbeat.  Turn into the prepared cake pans.

5. Bake on the middle oven rack until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 30-35 minutes.

6. Let the cake cool completely in the pans on a wire rack, then turn out and frost with orange cream cheese frosting.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
            

1.  Blend the cream cheese, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla in a large bowl, using an electric mixer set at medium speed, until smooth. 

2.  Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and creamy – about 3 more minutes. 

 

Note:  There is a Black Velvet cake recipe that accompanies my feature in Better Homes and Gardens, but it is a different version that their test kitchen came up with. I will have to try their recipe. If I like it better than mine, I'll be back to let you know!

Tomorrow, I'll post a playlist of songs to accompany this type of Halloween gathering.

 

Title photo by Monica Buck 

 

Crescent Moon Cake Topper

 

Editorially, it's been a big Halloween season for me and I enjoyed the opportunity to creatively indulge both sides of my holiday decorating style. As much as I love the classic Halloween palette of black and orange, I'm also drawn to using black, white, and silver for a more elegant presentation, as I did for Better Homes and Gardens in the October issue. This feature was more personal for me as well, since it was shot in my home and my son made his editorial debut in the magazine. I'm biased, but I think he made an adorable addition to the story. 

One of the projects I made was this paper cake topper. It was one of those last-minute, spontaneous creations. It also ended up being one of my favorites. It's not particularly difficult to make, though it is easier and faster to make if you use a scoring board. You can also save and reuse your topper from year to year. Just place a round of wax paper under the rosette to protect it from frosting. Any frosting that might get onto the tips of the crepe paper can be removed with a damp paper towel.

To make your own topper, follow the directions below:

 

Materials:

Moon and Star templates (found here)
White cardstock
Silver crepe paper
Black construction paper
Book pages
Ruler
Pencil 
Scissors
Pinking Shears
Quick setting gel glue (such as Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue)
Scoring board and bone folder 
2 toothpicks
Hot glue gun (optional) 

 

1. Download the cake topper templates onto heavy cardstock and cut out.  

2. Using the templates as a guide, cut out two moon shapes from silver crepe paper and two star shapes from black paper.

3. Cover the cardstock cutouts on one side, gluing crepe paper to the moon and black paper to the star.

4. Cover the other side of the star cutout as well, then glue the star onto the crescent moon.  

5. Glue a toothpick to the back side (the uncovered side) of the crescent moon, then cover with the second crepe paper cutout, gluing it to secure.

To make the rosette:

1. Cut a strip of silver crepe paper that measures 2½ x 18-inches and trim one long edge with pinking shears. 

2. Cut a strip of black construction paper that measures 2 x 18-inches (attach strips of paper together with thin double-sided tape if your paper is small) and trim one edge with pinking shears. 

3. Cut a strip of book text that measures 2 x 18-inches (again, attaching paper together with thin double-sided tape if necessary) and trim with pinking shears. 

4. Glue the straight, long edge of the construction paper strip to the top of the silver crepe paper strip. 

5. Accordion pleat the crepe paper/construction paper strip at 3/8-inch intervals. 

6. Accordion pleat the book page strip at 3/8-inch intervals.

 

7. Glue the ends together to form a circle and add glue to the inner edges as well (you can do this with quick-setting gel glue, but a hot glue gun set on low is faster). 

 

8. Glue the book paper rosette on top of the larger rosette.  Stick the crescent moon cutout through the hole in the middle of the rosette and add a dot of glue to secure.  Stick the second toothpick underneath the rosette and secure with more glue (this goes into the cake).

Tip: If you like, you can use a skewer instead of a toothpick. This will allow you to poke the skewer all the way through the rosette with a few inches below to stick into the cake (with a little glue in the middle of the rosette to secure). However, I like the less visible silhouette of the toothpick, so I don't mind the extra step.

 

Resources:

Silver Crepe Paper from Castle in the Air

12x18-inch black construction paper from Dick Blick

Scoring board kit from Martha Stewart Crafts

 

Title photo by Monica Buck

 

**To see more of this feature, visit BHG's website at www.bhg.com/moonlight and pick up a copy of the issue at your newsstand. Tomorrow I'll post the recipe for the cake that this topper accompanied, my Black Velvet Cake that I make for Halloween every year.

Custom Colored Pickling Stain

I picked up this unusual chair during one of my treasure hunts. It was in an "as is" section due to a large split in the top of the frame. Otherwise, the wood was in good condition and it was an incredibly comfortable chair. I was drawn to its unique character, the mix of ornately carved arms paired with the more primitive style of the body and legs, probably a chair from the late 19th or early 20th century. What I wasn't so fond of was the color. Oak just isn't quite my thing. But I did love the grain of the wood and I wanted to preserve that.

After mulling over a number of options, I opted for a pickling stain. I wiped it on in its original state, right out of the can, and immediately decided it wasn't right. Too ashy and pale for this particular chair. What I thought it really needed was a much darker stain, but one that would keep the grain.

I brought the pickling stain back to the paint store with a paint swatch, a seal gray, and asked for it to be tinted. The container kept coming back to me, the kind gentleman telling me he didn't think he could match it. But then he'd change his mind and try again (I love those kinds of people!). Finally, it came back to me almost perfectly matching the swatch. The finish was tackier than the original pickling stain and it took longer to cure (several weeks before it wasn't tacky at all), but it was exactly the look I was going for. Also, it covered the wood filler I'd used to patch the crack, which I'd been a little worried about. The resulting finish allows the grain to show through beautifully and it didn't need to be sealed at all, which was an added bonus.  

In the end, I was glad I took the risk. But I wouldn't advise trying this on a pricey piece of furniture, as results can vary from piece to piece (this was the professional advice I was given). If you want to do something like this with an expensive antique, I'd give it to a professional.

Chair Before:

 

 

 

Chair After:

 

Grain Detail:

Coming and Going (plus Fried Catfish)

I was in Des Moines, Iowa last week working on a photo shoot for the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens. When I wasn't being wined and dined by the exceptionally lovely women of Meredith Publications, I spent the bulk of my time in their in-house photography studio, which was incredible! There were multiple shoots going on at the same time and it was a lot of fun to peek into the various sets. If I lived in Des Moines, I'd definitely want to be an intern there. 

I also had my first experience shooting video, which was fun and nerve-wracking at the same time. Now, at least, I can cross it off my "life's most dreaded experiences" list. I had a great team with me, which helped immensely. But the experience gave me a new appreciation for people who spend most of their time on-camera. It's not easy to hit your mark, remember what you want to say, keep smiling, look at the camera, and not look like a complete fool all at the same time.  

I returned home just in time to prepare for Tropical Storm Lee, which (thankfully) was mostly a non-event for New Orleans, and round two of super virus for my son, which he thoughtfully passed on to my husband and I.  Still, we managed to squeeze in a good meal before all hell broke loose. 

Fried catfish, potato salad, and blueberry pudding cake were on the menu. We have a deep fryer, which makes frying an absolute breeze, and I use the same type of fish fry that my grandmother always used - light as air, so that the coating is thin, delicate, and crisp.  I can't imagine it any other way. It doesn't get greasy and it's just as good cold.  The potato salad is my grandmother's as well. Nothing fancy, but supremely satisfying.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Fried Catfish:
(This recipe calls for filets, but you can also cut your catfish into smaller pieces or long, thin strips) 

Vegetable oil
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
Zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
8 catfish filets

1.  Pour oil into a large, deep cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, 350-360 degrees on a candy thermometer. 

2.  Meanwhile, put the lemon zest, 3 Tbsp. salt, and ½ tsp. peppercorns into a coffee grinder and grind together.  Combine cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt and pepper, cayenne, and pepper to taste in a large shallow dish, then thoroughly dredge catfish filets, gently shaking off excess. 

3.  Working in 2 batches to avoid crowding, fry catfish in the hot oil, without turning, until golden and crisp, 5-6 minutes.  Transfer filets with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain.  Season to taste with salt, if needed.

 

Potato Salad:
(most ingredients are to taste. Even better after being refrigerated overnight) 

12-15 red potatoes
8 boiled eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
Italian parsley
Dry mustard
Mayo
Vinegar (to taste - I use 2 or 3 tablespoons)
Paprika
Salt and pepper 

 

You can find the Blueberry Pudding Cake recipe here.