Archive   |   September, 2011

the joys of cooking with enameled cast iron

Posted by in collecting, cooking

lecruset

I’ve never been one for traditional cast iron – I just don’t have the patience for keeping it in tip-top shape. But ever since I splurged on my first piece of Le Creuset (on super clearance at Macy’s, if memory serves) a few years ago, I’ve been smitten with cooking in enameled cast iron. Expensive though it is, enameled cast iron is unquestionably my cookware of choice now, for nearly everything but crepes and fried eggs. It has just enough non-stick properties to make clean-up relatively easy, browns food beautifully, heats evenly and holds onto that heat well, and is so bright and cheery, it’s a joy to look at in my cupboards. Plus, the stuff is virtually indestructible. In fact, I still have two pieces of enameled cast iron my grandmother gave me years ago, that she had gotten from her mother. While there are a few chips here and there, they still cook perfectly.

Are you a fan of enameled cast iron? Do you have a favorite line? I tend to remain partial to Le Creuset, if only because there’s an outlet 45 minutes from my house (if you have one nearby, get on their mailing list – 30-40% discount coupons are prolific!), but I’m always curious about Staub, and some of the excellent vintage enamelware out there (all perfectly fine to buy, just make sure there aren’t any chips on the cooking surface). I recently found a piece of Dansk at Goodwill, and brought it home, but it’s incredibly thin, which means it’s screaming hot in a matter of seconds. Great for stir-fry, but not much else.

Have you tried enameled cast iron? Do you have a favorite brand? And if you collect it, I’m curious – do you stick to one color, or do you go for the rainbow effect? –Becki S.

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real life test kitchen: one-pan sausage broccoli rabe rice

Posted by in cooking, favorites

rice1

Nothing makes me happier than a dinner I can cook in one dish. So when I spotted a feature in the September Martha Stewart Living that showed a collection of skillet-based meals, I knew I would have to try one (or maybe all). This one, baked rice with chorizo and clams looks like an easy version of paella, but it also suggested an alternative with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe. As longtime readers of this blog know, I love just about anything with broccoli rabe, so this quickly got added to our weeknight menu. I am happy to report that the recipe was easy, the results were delicious and the clean up was a breeze. To make, you basically follow this recipe but replace the chorizo with Italian sausage, and the water with additional chicken stock. Instead of adding clams after cooking in the oven for ten minutes, add chopped broccoli rabe. I added a bit more wine than the recipe called for (1/2 cup instead of 1/14) because I found it cooked off quickly and I didn’t want it to be dry.

I was so pleased with the way this turned out, I am already brainstorming more things to cook this way — like a homemade version Hamburger Helper, perhaps? I will definitely try the Spanish chorizo one soon though. I love nothing more than a paella with a crusty rice bottom and I’ve always been to intimidated to try myself. This makes it seem easy and manageable. — Angela M.

Related links to check out:
Cold busting pasta with broccoli rabe.
One pan pasta with garlic

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steal this idea: garden plant organizer

Posted by in gardening

seedfile

Hey, what do you do with those little tag they put in nursery plants once you get them home? Perhaps you throw them away. Or maybe you have a system like mine: throw them in an old flowerpot in the shed until a year later when you’re trying to remember the name of what was planted where and how tall it might eventually be. Well, how about this idea from one of my neighbors: grab a simple binder, organize it by area of the yard, and just staple the tags in there along with any notes about plant care. Such a simple idea, but I admit, I was impressed! — Mary T.

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dining room inspiration: fence fungus green

Posted by in decorating

shelter2

shelter1

We spent the weekend carrying split rails from the driveway to the yard and replacing 70+ rotten rails. Not an activity I’d recommend if you want to be able to lift your arms over your head come Monday, but it’s good to have the project done and out of the way nonetheless. The other good thing? I think I might just have solved the color problem I was having with our dining room. I know I want a sage-y green, but all the colors I tried ended up having too much yellow undertones once I got them on the wall. Midway through day two of fixing the fence, it hit me that the green stuff growing all over the rails was actually pretty, once you got past the whole rotting the rails thing. Two pics later, the Benjamin Moore color app pointed me in a new direction. Top of my new list? Nob Hill Sage. It’s got cooler undertones (center top of fence photo) and when I pulled it up on the Benjamin Moore site, the complementary colors were close to the still life I want to get framed for the room. My second choice? Herb bouquet. It’s a little darker, but if we paint below the chair rail in a high gloss white, it might well be the winner. Of course, the real test will be getting some patches on the wall but for now, I’m excited about bringing the outside in. Just don’t expect me to be lifting a paintbrush for a few more days. — Sarah L.

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are bookshelves becoming a thing of the past?

Posted by in collecting, decorating, organizing, reading

This week I saw two stories about bookshelves suggesting they are going the way of the record player and rotary telephones. It seems that in the dawning era of electronic books (and I am the first to confess: I LOVE my Kindle) that bookshelves are becoming obsolete. Both Time.com and The Economist wrote about Ikea’s plans to remake its famous Billy bookcases to contain all sorts things besides books. The shelves are becoming deeper and they’re getting optional doors – all the better to hold things that aren’t books, like tsotchkes (and I am the first to confess: I LOVE tsotchkes).

In our house, we still have a lot of novels and other assorted paper products, like magazines, kids books, cookbooks, photography books. But it’s true that they are not the only objects that live on our shelves. When we staged our apartment to sell, in the photo above, we cleaned up the bookshelves so they contained very few books. Our realtor thought this would be more appealing.

These days, I find myself drawn more and more to old books and first editions. Is it the nagging sense that classic printed matter is becoming more precious? On our mantel is a first edition of EB White’s This is New York, a must have and read. I’m not buying fewer books now that I own a Kindle. Rather, now I am buying books that I truly treasure and want to have and hold and display. And for those, I need bookshelves.

What about your home’s future? Will bookshelves still have a place there? — Angela M.

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