Fabulous Friday...........

The Cottage Journal cottagejournal@acemail.hoffmanm

I received my "Cottage Journal" in my email this morning from Phyllis Hoffman the Editor of Victoria Magazine I've included the link above...you know I LOVE.....Victoria Magazine......she has been a Grand Friend to me for more years then I can count...even during the years we all lived without her after they stopped publishing....I collected and saved every issue I ever laid my hands on...I still remember walking up to the mailbox in our Carolina Cottage... I believe it was in 2007....I reached in to grab the mail when  a card fell to the floor....it was an advertisement that said...."WELCOME  AN OLD FRIEND....VICTORIA MAGAZINE IS BACK...." I squealed so loud I thought I would scare my neighbors...anyway Cottage Journal is sort of like an e-zine extension of Victoria that comes a couple of times a month to my email...you can sign up for it on Victoria's web site as well the pictures in this morning's mail caught my eye because I can't think of a COOLER color palette than blue and white....add a little splash of yellow ...you have French Country Fabulous....so here are the pic's that soothed and cooled me as I first saw them this morning hope you enjoy....by the way the name of the recipe below is "Blackberry Semifreddo"....

3 large eggs 2 large egg yolks 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved 1 cup superfine sugar* 3 (5.6-ounce) packages fresh blackberries, divided 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 cups heavy cream Garnish: fresh blackberries and fresh mint 1. In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, combine the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla-bean seeds, and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until frothy, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Set aside. 2. In a medium bowl, combine 2 packages blackberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice. With a fork, lightly mash the berries. Fold the berry mixture into the egg mixture. Set aside. 3. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg-berry mixture. Set aside. 4. Line a 9-x-9-x-2-inch baking dish with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to hang over by 2 inches on each end. Scatter remaining blackberries in prepared dish. Pour whipped-cream mixture over blackberries. Cover with foil, and freeze overnight. 5. Using plastic wrap as handles, lift frozen semifreddo from pan. Remove plastic wrap. Cut semifreddo into 24 (1 1/2-inch) squares. Garnish with fresh blackberries and fresh mint, if desired. *Superfine sugar can be made by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor. To download this recipe, click here. For another summer dessert using fresh seasonal berries, click here.

3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved
1 cup superfine sugar*
3 (5.6-ounce) packages fresh blackberries, divided
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
Garnish: fresh blackberries and fresh mint

1. In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, combine the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla-bean seeds, and sugar. Cook, whisking constantly, until frothy, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Using an electric mixer at medium-high speed, beat until soft peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 2 packages blackberries, lemon zest, and lemon juice. With a fork, lightly mash the berries. Fold the berry mixture into the egg mixture. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg-berry mixture. Set aside.
4. Line a 9-x-9-x-2-inch baking dish with plastic wrap, allowing wrap to hang over by 2 inches on each end. Scatter remaining blackberries in prepared dish. Pour whipped-cream mixture over blackberries. Cover with foil, and freeze overnight.
5. Using plastic wrap as handles, lift frozen semifreddo from pan. Remove plastic wrap. Cut semifreddo into 24 (1 1/2-inch) squares. Garnish with fresh blackberries and fresh mint, if desired.

*Superfine sugar can be made by pulsing granulated sugar in a food processor.

To download this recipe, click here.

For another summer dessert using fresh seasonal berries, click here.

 

Lady's this is a pic of my Geranium....the color was so stunning to me....I pray you each have a Fun ...Fabulous...Friday...I will chat with you later.....bless you........Karena

Yard Sales....Gifts....Some of my Favorites....

SHARING SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

This scalloped planter is precious....It sits on my windowsill in the kitchen

Now this Advertising ephemera for "Hood's Sarsaparilla" was so sweet it caught my eye right away...I thought for sure it would be too expensive .....this was a  "SURPRISE" .......to be presented with these little angels as a gift from my sweetie....he shared that they only asked 1 dollar for it.......

This wonderful little oil painting was a gift from our youngest a few years ago....I have it hanging over our stove in this house it brings me joy to look at it...the roses are so thickly painted they are dimensional...

These depression glass salt and pepper shakers have a neat story...I've had them for over 30 years...they were a gift from a friend that DUG THEM UP in the mountains of Southern California....I was talking one day about how much I love depression glass...later in the week I was presented with these lovelies ....I love the "story"....I've treasured them all these years I still can't believe the lids were with them when they were dug up...a little torn around the edges...but the really amazing thing to me was....they weren't destroyed by the shovel or cracked during their stay under ground.......

I love red transfer ware....I found this at a yard sale a few weeks ago for 50 cents...the lid as you can see is not the original...but I don't care that it has issues I love it.......I hope you all have a COOL day today.......so many of us are HOT.....HOT...HOT the East Coast is going to swelter today.....I have plans to do some puttering in the house....read a little.....then I am going to indulge myself with a FAVORITE MOVIE FROM NETFLIX ......wish you could join me.....Prayers and hugs to you today girls.....Karena

 

 

A Passion for .....Ferns....

FERN WALK EUREKA CALIFORNIA

I found these beautiful Pic's at

redhillhouse.blogspot.com

Happy Wednesday Ladies...I woke up this morning ..jumped out of bed..to head outside ..I wanted to greet the day with my flowers...bushes.....and of course ..."FERNS"...I have a passion for this plant that goes all the way back to the 70's when I was a teenager..after I graduated from high school I spent some time with a friend in Santa Cruz...it was my first trip up to Northern California...  while there we took a trip further up the coast to Eureka to hike through the Redwood's. I was overwhelmed with the beauty we found there. The Redwoods are HUGE...so majestic...like giant soldiers standing watch over Mother Natures beauty...the ferns were growing everywhere....they looked so fragile and yet there they were popping out of rocks...fallen trees....under hills of leaves...next to streams...lots of them ....It was beautiful I don't miss much of the West Coast ....but the memory of that place lingers for me ...I would love to revisit it....I have it on my 'wish' list...I remember the air up there with all the trees...plants.....ferns...and water was overwhelming with a FRESH....CRISP.....CLEANSING .....quality ...that I can remember to this day....I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday........thank you so much for stopping by.....big hugs to you ......Karena

Our Guest Bedroom......

This is the painted etching on the clock we have sitting on the drop leaf table...I love it...this clock was made in the 1860's

As you walk into the room from the hallway....this window is straight ahead...the panel of stained glass is something we found in North Carolina....at.... BIG LOTS....believe it or not.......they had 4 different styles we kept a couple for us a sold the others...don't they look real.?.......

So here's the room as you walk in.....there is no bed in this room yet....we're planning on getting a sofa bed for it one of these days  we found a beauty.....it is an eight way hand tied ....kiln dried hard wood frame sofa....AND it has a fold out  tempurpedic mattress that would be heaven for anyone to sleep on......that purchase is in our future......we love to dream about it....

My Sweetie lived in Japan years ago ....he has some amazing pieces he brought back that we enjoy in our home... the cabinet this little guy is sitting on is a kitchen "Tansu".....(not sure of the spelling).....I just thought he  was too cute to ignore...I tried to take a picture of the cabinet....but the angle I was in couldn't capture the whole thing...I think I will wait to show you some of the other pieces from Japan in a separate post......

This drop leaf table is very old....we got it years ago from an antique dealer that use to come into our store in North Carolina

This is the top of the Tansu with some of our clocks on it.....I don't know if you can see it easily but in the front is a very cool wood measuring stick...it is not flat like a yard stick....it is 4 sided....so cool.....Well lady's that's our guest room ....thank you so much for strolling with me this morning.....I pray you each have a blessed Tuesday......Karena

Monday Musings

Good Morning Girls....happy Monday to you....do you feel like spending a few minutes with me ....I thought I would share some pictures of our "Cozy Cabin in the Attic"....This is an old "Sidelight" with mirrors added where the windows would have been originally.... from an old house in North Carolina ....we have two of these double hinged beauty's on either side of the window...I was noticing as I looked at it this morning it was a bit like "ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS"...seeing the reflection of things in the mirror....

This is a very sweet folk art corner shelf that we found ..It is only 3 feet tall ....so I placed it on an old crate we had in the corner of this dormer ......it looks fabulous.....we were so excited when it nestled perfectly in this space....

This sweet little chair is my "Posting Place" when I'm up here in the morning...it is a sweet 1940's chair with a slip cover on it...I fell in love with it because of it's size ....also because of the slip cover.....it reminds me of a Williamsburg Crewel pattern...

This is a shaker lamp holder next to the window casing....the pitcher is sweet on it....but the real reason I showed you this is ...we have fun making words with the scrabble pieces...( even though there's nothing spelled out here)....it's still special when we find a word someone left .......like a little surprise....

This urn sits outside our back porch ...we have one on either side of our railing...I wanted to share this with you to show the VERY COOL...garden lights my sweetie found this season at Wal Mart....they are solar globes.....when the sun shines on them through the day they charge up ....when dusk falls they are like GIANT lightening bugs in our garden so pretty.......Well lady's these are my musings for today........thank you for joining me....I pray you all have a MAGNIFICENT MONDAY.........bless you ....Karena