Urban Comfort

Honeybee

 

 
My husband was creating cocktails for a presentation recently and I asked him to create a cocktail inspired by a Sidecar, one of my favorite classic drinks. His interpretation is seasonal, made with fresh kumquats, and softened by Barenjager, the most delightful honey liqueur. There's a little bit of fresh mint muddled in and the surprise of lime juice, instead of the lemon juice I typically associate with these ingredients. It's smooth, balanced, beautiful, and destined to become one of my personal classics.

 
Honeybee

4 kumquats, cut in half
6 mint leaves
1/2 ounce Simple Syrup
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Muddle the above ingredients in a cocktail shaker to release the oils in the mint and crush the kumquats. Then add:

1 1/2 ounces cognac (We used Hennessy V.S)
1/2 ounce Barenjager

Add ice to the cocktail shaker and shake well. Use a fine mesh strainer and strain into a coupe or small martini glass. Garnish with a skewered kumquat half.

 

Simple Syrup:  Put equal parts sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Stir to dissolve sugar and remove from heat. Let cool before using. (Store in refrigerator and use to sweeten cocktails, iced coffee, iced tea, etc.) 

 

Make-Your-Own Valentine's Day Gifts

I love Valentine's Day. I love to craft for it, I love the unabashed use of red and hearts, the opportunity to be a little silly. And in my world, everyone's a potential Valentine, not just my husband and son. So it's one of my favorite gift giving times as well - a holiday that calls for small, thoughtful gestures in nice packages. 

That's the focus of my Valentine feature in the February issue of Better Homes and Gardens - making small, handmade gifts or upgrading traditional packaging (like giving a store bought box of chocolates a new look with customized wrapping). It's easy - and a lot more fun than being a Valentine cynic!

You can find all the projects shown here (and more!) in the February issue or online at BHG.com. (The link to BHG.com has a number of other DIY gifts in it as well - from various contributors.)

 

 Customizable, downloadable scratch-off card. 
 

 

Upgrade a standard drink carrier and fill it with a special selection of sodas or beer (look for shops that sell sodas or beers by the bottle so you can have an eclectic assortment).
 

 

Stamped muslin bags are a breeze to make and can hold all kinds of treats, not just candy. I like the idea of packaging them with vintage printers blocks, like XOXO and Love (I find wooden letters on Etsy and Ebay, as well as antique stores.)
 

 

I like to create inspiration kits for my girlfriends. I fill them according to their personalities and style, favorite colors, etc.

Decorative papers, ribbon, and cupcake liner flowers dress up traditional candy boxes.

 
 

I made these scrapbook paper candy bar wrappers for BHG a few years back, but I still love them. They're easy to make (especially if you have a paper trimmer) and the design possibilities are endless, allowing you to create a wrapper that truly reflects your recipient. 

 

Winter Butterfly Garden

 

Maybe there aren't that many people who put butterflies at the top of their Christmas wish list, but I've been a little obsessed with them over the past year. I'm not a collector - I don't care about perfectly mounted (and pricey) rare specimens, though I can certainly appreciate them. And I've been inspired by all of the butterfly projects I've seen on blogs and in magazines, but not inspired by the use of obviously fake butterflies.

What I wanted were butterflies I could incorporate into my personal decor but that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg. What I discovered is that it's possible. Butterfly collecting doesn't have to be pricey if you're willing to do the work of spreading their wings yourself.

There are reputable vendors online (and if it matters to you, you can email them and ask if their butterflies are ethically harvested, meaning that they're captured after they've naturally expired) and you can purchase folded butterflies housed in glassine envelopes. From there, you'll rehydrate them and spread their wings, pinning them to either a Styrofoam block or a mounting board for a couple of days. After you carefully remove them, you can glue them to twigs like I did or house them in display boxes, etc. (The one thing I would suggest is that you put them under glass. They're incredibly delicate.)

If you're squeamish like I am, it takes a little getting used to, handling the butterflies and squeezing them to open their wings. But after a couple of tries, it gets easier (see my link below for a clearly illustrated guide to wing spreading). 

While you need to be gentle handling them, I didn't find them difficult to glue. I used my favorite glue, Beacon 3-in-1 adhesive and put just a dab on the back side of the body before gently placing it on the edge of a twig. The glue dries very quickly so it only took a minute or two before I was able to place the twig under the glass. 

I had some left over after I'd filled my cloches, so I put a few of them in display boxes as well. I love them. Just looking at them makes me happy!

 

 

 

 

 

Now, if you're looking at this and thinking that you'll never in a million years spread butterfly wings yourself, there's another way you can go. I picked up this kitschy butterfly display at a thrift store for a couple of bucks and thought I'd try to take it apart. I removed the backing and found that all of the butterflies and moths were mounted to a single piece of paper. I used fine tipped scissors and cut around the butterfly bodies (so that the paper didn't show), but left the mounting paper under the body intact. I applied glue to the little sliver of paper that was left and then glued the butterflies down as desired.

So if you happen to find any amateur butterfly collections in thrift stores or antique shops, it's another option. But I wouldn't pay a great deal of money. Depending on how old the collection is, you might lose some as you work with them.  

Before:

 

After:

I purchased a sheet of mossy birch bark from a local florist and cut it down to size with floral scissors. I placed the bark sheet inside of this display box and glued the butterfly directly to the bark. I have it displayed on my coffee table.

 

I decided to camoflauge one of the moths, much as it would be in nature. It's in my display cabinet and doesn't pop the way the butterflies do, but if you take a closer look, then you see it. 

 

BUTTERFLY RESOURCES:

 

How to spread butterflies and moths shown here from Butterflies and Things.

Beginner Butterfly Kit (includes 5 butterflies as well)

A few of the companies you can purchase unspread specimens from are Leppidio, Butterflies and Things, and Butterfly Utopia

Glass shadow boxes from West Elm

Glass cloches and bell jars can be found at multiple online stores. I also see them in discount stores such as TJ Maxx, Home Goods, and Marshalls. 

 

Pot Roasted Short Ribs with Spinach and Potato Puree

 

This is one of my favorite dinner recipes. We make it maybe once a year, always in the winter, and I find it deeply satisfying every time. It's easy enough for a family gathering, nice enough to serve for a dinner party.

The short ribs get both roasted and braised, so you'll need a roasting pan and a pot that can go in the oven (we use a cast iron Dutch oven). The potatoes are also put through a potato ricer to give them a silky texture, which I find a nicer complement to the short ribs than just mashing the potatoes. Other than that, the techniques and equipment required are pretty basic, the results anything but!

Pot Roasted Short Ribs
(Serves 6-8)
 

6 to 7 1/2 pounds flanken short ribs
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef stock or broth, heated
1 bay leaf
3 fresh thyme sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pat short ribs dry and season with salt and pepper.

2. Arrange short ribs, meaty sides up, on a rack set in a shallow roasting pan and roast 45 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Transfer ribs to a plate and transfer 3 tablespoons drippings (augment with oil if not enough) to a 6-to-8-Quart heavy ovenproof pot, reserving roasting pan. Heat drippings over moderate heat, until hot but not smoking, and cook garlic, carrot, and sliced onion, stirring, until onion is golden. Reduce heat to moderately low. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups hot stock in a slow stream, stirring constantly until well combined. Add remaining 1/4 cup stock to reserved roasting pan and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up any brown bits. Add to pot with ribs, bay leaf, and thyme.

3. Put pot in lower third of oven and cook ribs, uncovered, 5 minutes. Turn ribs over, then cook, covered, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours more, or until meat is tender and pulls away from the bone. Let beef stand, covered, 15 minutes. 

4. Transfer ribs to a plate and keep warm, covered. Pour gravy through a sieve set into a saucepan and skim off any fat. If necessary, simmer gravy until thickedned, then season with salt and pepper.

5. Place short ribs on a mound of potato puree with a little of the gravy. Top with spinach and horseradish cream.

Potato Puree:

1 1/2 pound Russet (baking) potatoes
1 1/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Cover potatoes with salted cold water by 1 inch in a 6-8 quart saucepan. Simmer potatoes, uncovered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain in a colander and cool 15 minutes, then peel while still very warm. Heat milk and cream until warm in a large heavy saucepan over low heat, then force peeled potatoes through ricer into pan. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, stirring until incorporated before adding next few pieces. Season puree with salt and keep warm, covered.

Spinach:

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
15 ounces baby spinach

Heat oil in a cleaned 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shallots, stirring, until golden, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and saute, stirring, until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Horseradish Cream:

1/2 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon drained bottled horseradish, or to taste

Stir together creme fraiche and horseradish. Top each dish with a dollop of horseradish cream. 

 

 

Valentine Printables

 

You can find me on Momster today with a collection of free Valentine printables.

 

Handmade Crafters Label Branding Kit

 

My friend Cathe Holden, from Just Something I Made, is one of the most generous people in the blogosphere and if you're not familiar with all of her wonderful creative goodness, you should be! She's done it again with a Handmade Crafters Label Branding Kit, a set of fourteen free labels that are customizable and printable. They're available in four colorways and you can use them to brand your handmade goods.

Custom graphic design costs a fortune and if you don't have graphic know-how (like myself), labels like these can free you up for the stuff you are good at creating.  

Thanks, Cathe!

 

 

 

 

Monkey Cake

My husband requested a very Southern cake for his birthday, the Hummingbird Cake. I've eaten it numerous times over the years, but it's not in my baking repertoire, so it was time to take the plunge.

I made the cake layers from a traditional recipe and sensed right away that it would be drier and denser than what I wanted, which I confirmed after it cooled. It's possible that I baked it a couple of minutes longer than I should have, so I'll not fault the recipe. But it gave me an opportunity to make the version from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, which she calls Monkey Cake, having "monkeyed around" with the ingredient proportions of the traditional Hummingbird Cake.

I'm happy to say that it was a great cake. It had the rich density and moistness that I expect from the original, but in two layers instead of three. (I suspect that the Hummingbird usually has three layers because it needs the extra frosting to make the cake moister).  At any rate, enough already.  This recipe's a keeper.

 

Monkey Cake
Adapted from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread

2 3/4 cups (390 grams) unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups (350 grams) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (268 grams) canola oil
3 large eggs (150 grams - out of the shell)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (436 grams) ripe, mashed bananas (with small chunks remaining)
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice (not syrup)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans for the top (optional)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with rounds of baking parchment, grease, then dust lightly with flour. Shake out excess.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and stir briefly on low speed, to distribute the ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla until they are well combined. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed, just until all the flour has been moistened (less than 20 seconds).

3. Add the bananas and pineapple and stir briefly on low speed to distribute them evenly, about 20 seconds. Then add pecans and mix on low speed, just until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Don't overmix the batter or the cake will be tough.

4. Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans (pans should be about half-full). Place the pans on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 38 minutes, or until the cake is almost ready to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

5. Cool the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert them onto a wire rack that's been sprayed with cooking spray and lift off the pans. Cool them completely on the rack. Remove the parchment liner.

6. Frost with cream cheese frosting; then sprinkle the top with 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but allow it to sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving.

 

***NOTE: I weighed my ingredients when making this cake and I'm glad I did. I had to add extra egg and take out a little of the flour, both of which would have had an impact on the texture of the cake. I'll say it again - it's actually easier to weigh ingredients than measure and ensures better results. Check this previous post for a scale that's inexpensive and stores easily.

You can also weigh your pans when the batter's in them to ensure your layers are the same size and bake evenly.

One other note: It's not necessary to have a standing mixer for this recipe. You can mix it by hand, if necessary, as the traditional recipe calls for.

 

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:

1 lb. cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb. confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add half of the sifted confectioners' sugar and beat until well combined. Add the rest of the sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.

DIY Magnet Sets

I'll be back tomorrow. In the meantime, you can find me on Momster today with these easy DIY Magnet Sets.

 

New Year

New year, new deadlines.  I'll be back shortly...