Window Seats!!!

I adore these charming and useful window seats...I am always trying to make the most of the spaces I work on.  Sometimes turning a hallway into a lounging area is an unexpected surprise!

Perfect Popovers!

I have been making Popovers for over 20 years. They are always a must at all of our holiday dinners! Growing up and then raising my daughters in Los Angeles we all loved the Popovers at the restaurant at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.  Until today, I had always used a reliable Popover recipe from a friend.  Thank you Pinterest for many things but today I am thankful for providing an image of those  Neiman Marcus golden Popovers AND the recipe. Below is my finished product.  All I can say is they are "To Die For" and easily popped right out of the pan... My daughter was so happy to wake up to these with butter and jam.

Popovers

Recipe from Neiman Marcus Cookbook

Makes 12

3 1/2 C. milk
4 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
6 large eggs, at room temperature

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F

Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl.

Crack the eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn down the mixer to low and add the warm milk. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill the popover cups almost to the top with the batter and place the popover tin on a cookie sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside.

Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter.

Note: The key to making great popovers is having the eggs and milk warm before mixing. It is also important to let the batter sit for an hour before baking it. Popovers do not freeze well, and pre-made batter has a tendency not to work properly the next day.

The Inn at Blackberry Farm

I am swooning over Blackberry Farm located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

The Inn is known for being a luxury hotel but it's also well known for its cuisine.  I am dying to go as it looks like the perfect place for my family to unwind.  My daughters and I will spend a lot of time at the cooking school while my husband will bike in on the beautiful country roads.  

These biscuits pictured below are one of their well known specialties!  How incredible do they look? 

Blackberry Farm's Rolled Buttermilk Biscuits with Sorghum Butter
Serves 12

1¼ lb. White Lily all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. cream of tartar
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ lb. shortening
2 cups buttermilk
soft butter


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with your fingers, two knives, or a pastry blender.  The lumps will be very small, but still visible.  As soon as you feel the texture of the flour become coarse, stop.

Pour the buttermilk into the dry mixture all at once and combine. Incorporate the buttermilk as quickly and as gently as possible using a folding motion.  Adjust the consistency if needed.  The dough should be sticky, but manageable.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and work lightly (with the hands, use a folding and patting out motion) until the texture begins to smooth out.  Pat the dough out with your hands into a large rectangle (about the size of a baking sheet).

Spread 2/3 of the dough with soft butter.  Fold the unbuttered side onto the middle 1/3 of the buttered side, then fold the other outer 1/3 buttered side onto the top of the unbuttered dough.  Turn dough ¼ turn and repeat, buttering 2/3 dough and folding.  Repeat once more.

Pat out dough to ½-inch thickness.  May finish lightly with a few strokes of a rolling pin.  Use a 3-inch cutter (keep dipping in flour to keep from sticking to the dough) to punch out biscuits.

Place 6 by 4 on a  parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for approximately 14 minutes.  Turn once halfway through the baking at 7 minutes.  Tops should be a light golden brown when finished.  Brush tops with butter.


Muddy Pond Sorghum Butter
½ cup Muddy Pond Sorghum
1 cup soft butter, unsalted

Stir together and eat with lots of warm biscuits!  Lather it on thick.

The images below show how fabulous the interiors are!!! It's on my YES PLEASE I WANT TO GO LIST!!!

 

His and Hers

I designed these bathrooms below for a couple in Los Angeles. I love how feminine and warm the wife's room feels and how preppy and masculine the husband's does.

The floral wallpaper and the tufted chair make this space feel ultra feminine! And the green grasscloth and the chocolate ottoman plus the striped cafe curtains create a more masculine look for him.

Sweet Dreams!

I love designing bedrooms! How charming and inviting are these images below?