My blog has moved...

Hello my dear followers! Please note that my blog has moved. It is now La Maison by Karine at www.lamaisonbykarine.com. Please feel free to check it out, comment and let me know what you think.

Enjoy and thank you!

Furniture is back!

I was excited like a kid in a candy store. Upholstery by Jorge's came by yesterday at 4pm. Al and his son are terrific. I had a wonderful experience dealing with them, and the quality of the work is impeccable. I am in love with my new/old furniture and my grandma would be so happy!

It's that time of the year again...

I love braised meats. At the end of the winter, I can't wait to start summer cooking, but now, with the weather getting crispier and the leaves changing colors, I prefer my wines red and my meat braised. A whole bottle of red wine, preferably a burgundy, a few fresh herbs, garlic and a mirepoix added to a seared piece of chuck, and you're set for dinner.

My new book

Been trying to locate classic books for furniture and design and this one so far is not deceiving. Laid out like a dictionary with tons of pictures, it covers period and modern pieces.

À la demande de Véro, and for the pleasure of all... my bagatelle recipe!

Berries Bagatelle

Note that the berries in this recipe could be replaced with fresh and juicy peaches, or any ripe seasonal fruit of your liking.

Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shortening, soften
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder).

In another bowl, mix together the shortening, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs. Add the dry ingredients the the shortening mixture. Gradually incorporate the milk.

When well combined, pour in a 9x9 square baking pan, greased. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, depending on your oven, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

When cool enough to handle, remove from the pan and let cool completely on a rack. When cool, cut in cubes of about 1" x 1".

Filling and Assembling

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand)
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1 package (4 servings) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2 cups heavy or whipping cream, whipped
• Cake cubes
• 5 cups fresh berries
• Toasted almonds, slivered or sliced

With an electric mixer, mix the condensed milk and the water. Add the instant pudding package and mix well. Refrigerate until thickened, about 20 minutes. Delicately fold in the whipped cream.

Pour 1/3 of the pudding mix into a bagatelle serving bowl, top with fresh berries, cake cubes and repeat in order to get three layers, finishing with the pudding mixture, keeping a layer of berries and the almonds for decoration later. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Decorate with the rest of the berries and the almonds.

Hand carving in wood

Wood work is truly special to me. It represents so much, the artisanal side of furniture, the art of making something useful truly beautiful. A good friend of mine posted this video on my Facebook Wall and I had to share it here because it gives a good idea of what wood carving is. All individually made by hand, these furniture pieces, from Kindel, are really magnificent. Thanks Sonya!

Furniture getting ready for upholstering

I inherited my grandma's Queen Anne style furniture. She used to upholster the pieces herself when she was changing her décor, which was often. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. The pieces are in pretty good shape, according the the upholsterer and the job will be done easily, for a cost however. Upholstery is hard work, but nothing equals furniture that has history, and a story. Here are the before pictures. I still need to chose my fabric, which is a process you can't really rush.

I also love estate sales. Here is a find from a south side estate sale that will also get an upholstery treatment.

And finally the famous pink chairs! For those of you who have been to our house, you remember these. Some people suggested I should keep these Salvation Army treasures the way they are, but I finally made my decision. They'll get it done too! They are the most amazing find ever!

The "after" pictures will come soon after I find the fabric. The upholsterer is great and should be done with all pieces in 10 days after he starts. Stay tuned!