Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES...

                 There are just so many good reasons to love this time of year! The air is starting to crisp up a bit here at the Jersey Shore and the Elms and Oaks are starting to drop some leaves. To me, this is the time of year that is full of promise and surprise. That the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah always comes in the fall as well really makes this week extra special in our house.
It is a custom at this holiday to dip apple slices in honey wishing everyone a sweet New Year. Tomorrow, we will have  family at  our house for dinner, so I decided to make things a little easier and set the table tonight. We will be having chicken soup first, so the Bennington soup bowls I have been searching the world for finally get a place on the table.
Instead of a floral centerpiece I decided to pile some very colorful and textural gourds on a vintage Wendell August hammered aluminum bowl with mini pumpkins and pomegranates. The Canterbury Arts vintage cake saver is actually protecting a round challah bread also traditional to the new year dinner.
One of the reasons we fitted our dining room with a 72 inch round table was because it could fit 6,8 or like tomorrow, 12 people. Even if we are a little scrunched, it's all good...we are family and don't get to see each other nearly often enough.
The fairies hanging from the chandelier are actually Christmas ornaments from dept. 56.
They were bought almost 20 years ago and can be found hanging in our dining room at different times of the year depending on the whims of our decorator (me).

All of the hammered aluminum in the hutch and on the table is vintage to the late 1930's and 1940's.

The dinner plates and bowls are vintage handmade Bennington to the 1960's.

The tablecloth with the rockin' pom poms is from Anthropologie.

Honey, apples and gourds from our local farmers market.

The honey pot is Goebel.

Now that the table is set, I have to get back to the cooking. On the menu will be the chicken soup I mentioned and a brisket. I have made brisket the same way year after year, but I decided to try a new recipe this time. It will be in tomorrows post if it tastes great or not.

Linking this post to Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.

♥, Susan

SUPER BOWL/WORLD SERIES ...YARD SALES

              Looks like the Yankees might just make it to the World Series again, and football games and tailgate parties are now the seasonal everything to some people. In previous posts I have mentioned the action packed sport of Yard Sales....you can read about it here, and here and here. Specifically a town wide yard sale...not for the faint of heart for sure, it takes patience, accelerated driving skills, and know-how.

            This weekend Red Bank held their annual town wide yard sale again. Although there was the threat of bad weather, most people on the map (there were more than 100) put out tables laden with just about anything you might have been looking for. Now, you have to go into the game with a strategy...mine being, find what you like and buy it! If I go out looking for something specific I am usually disappointed.
My first find was a group of perfect Williams Sonoma footed soup bowls. The price was 4.00 for the 8 of them...I didn't dare offer less. I also found a light blue Fiesta platter and at a separate sale three more pieces of Fiesta in cobalt. I found this Delft container at a fund raiser sale for the Girl Scouts...I always buy something from the Girl Scouts...they are the happy place/people from my youth. Really, I loved being a Girl Scout!!
I felt that I should buy this large milk glass vase not because it still had the original tag, but because I like to group the milk glass vases in threes and fill them with bright colored flowers.
One house had lots of chippy painted furniture which I passed on but not before grabbing this bright orange mid-century pitcher and then at a different house I saw a container full of depression glass. There were plates and bowls, and out of the corner of my eye I spotted the amber glass...just one prism glass and when I asked how much it was the nice...nice...lady said 5.00 for the set. Set??? How many did she have? Eight perfect tall prism glasses for one price...and that folks is why I will get up at the crack of dawn to treasure hunt. I also bought that beautiful biscuit jar with the glasses.
The pink sailboat pitcher was purely a spur of the moment, grab. At 50 cents, it was an impulse buy. The 3 unused Williams Sonoma kitchen towels were 25 cents, the books also ranged from 25 cents for the decorating books and paperbacks to a dollar for the Amy Tan book. Jenga was also 50 cents...which I thought we needed in the house..you just never know when someone will be up for a game of Jenga.

                So, this was my 2 and a half hour run around town...I didn't even get to the other side of the map! I left the house with fifty dollars and came home with 50 cents. It was lots of fun to chat with the once-a-year sales people, and a wake up call that I only lasted for such a short amount of time. Time for me to start working out and getting those yard sale muscles in better shape. 

This post is being linked to Smiling Sally for Blue Monday and Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

♥, Susan   

VIVID COLORS OF AUTUMN

               Some people are looking back longingly at those sweaty hot, sand and surf filled days of summer, but not me! No I am gazing happily at the leaves on the trees, just now starting to show at their very best. I am feeling the busier days and chillier nights. Ready to take out the quilts and sweaters that make this season so cozy. 
From a yard sale this weekend I found a set of placemats in pristine condition that are perfect for the season. From the farmers market, we have a dish of mixed variety apples. This cookbook was the go-to guide for the names of the apples.
There is something exciting about this time of year...the expectation of the harvest, the holidays that are just around the corner, and the colors that Mother Nature is saturating the northeast in right now...
It is the happy time when we decorate our front porches.  So glad we are to welcome what is coming next.
The farmers market was aglow with shades of orange showing off pumpkins aplenty! We brought home several to brighten up the front of the house. Do you decorate for the season? Gourds, Indian corn, dried corn stalks, and jack o lanterns?? Slowly our porch will turn into a scene from a rural farm stand with bales of straw and everything that goes with it. 

While we were having breakfast this morning, I noticed a few things in the kitchen. It struck me that so many products are marketed in a blue-centric way. Does the color blue help to see things better? Why are all of the pasta boxes in blue? Ronzoni, DeCecco, Barilla...now I am curious. 
We have quite a few blue items in our kitchen, yet if you asked me what color the kitchen is, I would describe it as neutral, black and white.
Even the predominant color on the cookbook wall is blue...a likable color for sure and one of my favorites, but I am curious to know if it is the best marketing color...I am assuming the braniacs on Madison Avenue did lots of testing on this concept and decided that blue was THE color.
Interesting, since I have always thought that orange is the happiest color!

Linking this post to Smiling Sally's for Blue Monday, Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, and Between Naps on the Porch for  Metamorphosis Monday. Thank you to all of these hosting blogs...they make the blog-world so much more interesting.

♥, Susan 

THE BIG DATE

                  Ah romance...it isn't easy to fit it in, especially when you have been parenting for 29 years...yup...29 years. The oldest child is on her own now and the two youngest are of college age, so we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
Being busy as the bees on this lovely Autumn Sedum, we have found that our favorite place to have a nice quiet dinner is right here
on the back porch. Dining al fresco in this cozy spot, lit only by candles...truth be told, we used to have a larger table out here and we would have dinner, weather permitting, with our children. It is more intimate at this little bistro table.

              My husband is an amazing chef...not kidding...he makes food so good that smacking your lips and eyes rolling back in your head are the norm. For the menu, we had jaeger schnitzel or hunters veal chops smothered in a creamy mushroom sauce. The green beans were fresh picked from the garden...second crop. He also made a peach pie for dessert...heaven...really!
The recipe for the jaeger schnitzel will follow at the end of this post. We shared a lovely bottle of Malbec with dinner...a luxury we are enjoying now that all offspring have their drivers licenses and can find their own way home.
The dinner delicious, followed by this pie really left me grinning. Maybe I'm a pushover for a peach pie with a heart on it.
or, no...I am definitely undone by this romantic gesture! All these years later and he still makes my heart flutter. I guess romance has many meanings or can be found in many ways...finding yourselves alone for the evening and making the best of it...now that is priceless!

                       HUNTERS VEAL CHOP...JAEGERSCHNITZEL

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 tsp   (red pepper flakes)

2 veal chops

salt and pepper

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 tbsps veggie oil

1 shallot diced

1 clove chopped garlic

1 cup mixed chopped mushrooms

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cold butter

preheat oven to 325 degrees

On the bone, hammer out the veal chops to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Season both sides well with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  dip in flour, then beaten eggs and then bread crumbs and add to a hot pan with the oil. Pan fry on both sides till golden brown and drain on a paper towel. Put the veal in oven on cookie sheet.

Drain the oil from the bottom of the pan leaving the tasty bits at the bottom. Add the garlic, shallot, and mushrooms and cook on high  stirring frequently. Reduce to medium and add the chicken broth, pepper flakes, and cream. Cook for about 7 minutes to reduce.  Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and stir in the cold butter. Remove chops from oven and cover with a big spoonful of the sauce.

Light the candles, pour the wine and enjoy a meal al fresco with someone you love...even your kids!!

Linking this post to A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday, Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, Miz Helens Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday, and Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.

♥, Susan   

SAME TIME NEXT YEAR

             Years ago there was a movie called Same Time Next Year starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. It is about a couple who meet up and have an affair once a year. Honestly, I don't remember much about the movie, but it came up in the back of my mind when I started thinking about annual rituals. My previous post seems to have become an annual ritual, a day to remember...not that I don't remember the events of 9/11/2001 every other day of the year.

                  On the Jersey Shore, there is a little town called Ocean Grove that I have loved for a very long time now. Some of my friends live here. Twice a year, no matter what the weather, my husband and I wake up at the crack of dawn and make our pilgrimage to Ocean Grove. 
Driving down Ocean Avenue through Sea Bright, to Deal, through Asbury Park and there is the blue and white sign welcoming us. All the anticipation is not for the beach 
although it was a beautiful day and the beach looked just so perfect. We were also not there to see the fantastic architecture
that never ceases to delight me. The fun colors of the Victorian houses mixed in with the classic sea shore colonials and the once grand hotels that may have seen better days.
We weren't even there to stop in at the lovely shops and restaurants that were preparing for those fun fall holidays. No, we were there to attend their bi-annual flea market.
Although I will say up front that we bought nothing, there was plenty of eye candy. Crazy amounts of mid-century pottery, and Christmas must have been on the dealers minds because there was a lot of seasonal cheer as well. I almost fell for that little winged piglet...too cute! The plaid quilt was at the show last year, still with its 250.00 price tag...much too steep for me, but boy is it pretty...maybe one day I will make one.
There was furniture of the shabby and chic variety and some nice pieces of old pine and oak as well.
And I found more than enough bling in the form of crystal dishes and chandeliers. I really liked the milk shake maker in the picture above along with the old wrought iron grates. If I had thought twice I might have bought the shiny bird Christmas tree ornaments...they were perfect. 

              The sun came out, full and hot, and we beat a hasty retreat empty handed knowing full well that we will be back in June for the next flea market and then again in September...same time next year. After the earthquakes and hurricanes, the terrorists and what ever else gets thrown our way it is just nice to do those rituals year after year. The same old, same old is looking pretty good to me right now.

            This post is being linked to Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, Smiling Sally for Blue Monday and Between Naps on the porch for the always inspiring Metamorphosis Monday.

♥, Susan

                    

ANNIVERSARY

                    Hoping not to make this an annual post, I have not written much in the last week or so because something has been on my mind and I usually write about what is on my mind. So I will get this out of my system and get back to life as we know it today.
photo borrowed from Google images

                       For most of us and most of the world, once upon a time this was just a view of New York City. The World Trade Center was just a group of building that housed business offices, restaurants and stores. It was a transportation hub connecting the New Jersey Path trains to the New York subway system.

                      Ten years ago on the 11th of September the unthinkable happened. There were very few souls on this earth who could have or would have thought that flying planes into the two tallest buildings might even be a possibility. We were naive, unknowing or unaware that there were people with the most evil of intentions. 

                     When I was a little girl I remember my mother telling me that being naughty would bring me only bad things. If you are what you think then the people who planned this attack were and are the lowest of the low. They got their negative attention and to this day they continue to writhe in the worst energy we can send their way.

                   Our innocence was honestly lost ten years ago. There is no going back, no getting it back. There is only moving forward, replacing the brick and mortar with another brick and mortar. What there is not, is replacing the lives that can only be memories today. Relatives, neighbors, friends, and a way of life that will never, ever come back to us. Because of this, we will never look up to the clear blue skies on a lovely day and admire the soaring plane and the view. We will be suspicious and anticipate the worst...  we will never forget!

♥, Susan

                  

TIME TO PUT AWAY THE WHITE SHOES

              The unofficial end of summer has shown up on our calendars again...Labor Day is here and we are lucky enough to be having a most uneventful weekend. After last weekends hurricane, we can only ask for calm winds and rivers that stay within their banks...if only we could send some of the flood waters down to Texas...would that we could!

             For some, summer is what life is all about...the sunshine, the surf, kayaking around a lake and working on a killer tan...for me, it is all about the Fall season. Fields full of pumpkins, leaves turning shades of gold, orange, red and brown... and the crisp, cool evenings. To start off the month of September we went to a bar b que at a friends house...
and enjoyed some very good food and company 
and had a lovely and most importantly serene day. A week ago our friends house was powerless, so having things be back to normal is just plain terrific.
This shot of the sun going down behind the river was taken yesterday from Sea Bright, NJ. It was a very quick moment in time that was snapped and gone in a flash. The community gardens are showing their end of the summer wear with a lot of wind damaged flowers and vines. Those giant sunflowers were knocked over courtesy of Hurricane Irene. 
However, that hornets nest that I have been documenting over the summer is still hanging in there and I will leave you with two groups of pictures...
the first taken a week ago and the second one taken today.
I hope to continue taking these pictures right through the  fall and if possible into the winter.

                 Linking up with Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.

♥, Susan