Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Meringue Cookies

I was a freshman in high school when I visited Paris for the first time. My mom planned a fabulous 3 week trip for our girlfriends, Katy Hawes-Houchin and Gayle Eby, that started in the capital city. The final two weeks we trekked through the countryside, staying at exquisite chateau B&B's and eating with the locals.

My memories of this holiday are vivid and clear. I was still at a very awkward stage-painfully skinny with a mouth full of metal. Above all, I was quite impressionable. Paris impressed me then and it fascinates me now.

I grew up with a sweet tooth-what kid from the 80's didn't? Big Chew gum, Bomb Pop Popsicle, Air Heads and Nerds were on the same level as the vegetables in MY food pyramid. I clearly remember the first time I walked past a local boulangerie in the Latin Quarter in Paris-the smell of fresh baguettes was pronounced, but the array of delectable sweets was BRILLIANT! I didn't know where to start-so I requested from the madame the only thing that was familiar to my Okie lexicon-"Je prend le meringue!" After all, my grammy made an ambrosial chocolate meringue pie!

It was over after that-I was HOOKED! Every town we stopped in Katy and I devoured meringues! We rated them and compared each to the last one we had. Each boulangerie had their own style-THE BIGGER THE BETTER! They were usually priced around 1Euro (then), so it was an affordable way to keep the teenagers happily saturated with sugar. We didn't complain.

Brian and I visited Paris in March. And yes, I was again infatuated with the fluffy little piece of perfection. Since our return, I decided that it was time to STOP dreaming and START creating! We had special company this weekend which made it a perfect time to give it a go and see if I could successfully satisfy my memories!

With any recipe, I think that there is ALWAYS room for creativity-don't limit yourself by what the recipe says. Be bold-don't stick to the confines of what someone else deems standard! I think that you could dip these cookies in chocolate, use any type of nut and make them any size to fit the need of your family or your event. Have fun with it!

I hope that you enjoy these charming cookies as much as I do-they are little piece of Parisian perfection! They are SUPERB for a baby/wedding shower, bachelorette party, a mid-day luncheon or an after-church brunch!

Meringue Cookies

To begin, set 3 eggs out long enough for them to come to room temperature. Using clean, oil-free utensils after they have come to room temperature, separate the yolk from the egg whites. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Break the pecans in to fine pieces.
  1. 1 cup of pecans
  2. 3 egg whites
  3. a pinch of salt
  4. 1 cup of granulated sugar
  5. 1 teaspoon of vinegar
Put the egg whites in to a stand-up mixer and add salt. Start the mixer on low and gradually increase speed for probably 2-3 minutes until the egg whites lightly bubble.

Slowly increase the speed to medium and gradually add the sugar. Once the sugar is added, slowly add the vinegar, gradually increasing the speed to high-continue mixing for 4-5 minutes.

Use a rubber spatula to FOLD (folding is a cooking technique to incorporate light batters into dense ones without deflating the mixture) the pecans in. Drop the batter on to a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper-this is very important so the cookies don't stick to the metal of the cookie sheet-Silpat would be adequate as well.

Put the cookies in to the warm oven-here's the key-TURN THE OVEN OFF! Go to bed and get a good night's sleep-when you come downstairs in the morning-you'll be delighted to find your cookies ready for you to indulge! If you still feel like they are too soft-let them sit in the oven for a few more hours to continue to dry out.

You should be able to make 12-24 cookies!

ENOJY!


Saturday, April 25, 2009

A Dream Bedroom

I absolutely LOVE this bedroom. It's the perfect combination of textures, color and comfort. The velvet pillows combined with the Sferra bedding creates a sophisticated look without being too fuddy-duddy. The coarseness of only ONE wall being painted, behind the bed, with faux gold tile makes the room pop-and one to remember! In fact, I've been thinking about this room since the first time I saw it when this article was published. 

Neutral colors are soothing, but can sometimes be dull. I think that the key to pulling off the neutral look is adding a splash of bold, vivid colors like bright pink, orange, green, purple and blue. Maybe you can do this in the rug, accessories, lamps or curtains.

The great part about it is that everything in the room can be recreated on a budget! You can find wonderful Sferra bedding at Tuesday Morning for more than 50% off the original price! Wrought iron beds, such as this, are typically much more affordable than the traditional four-poster wooden beds.

Take a look at the rest of the Montecito, California home: 
http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/christina-rottman-warm-colors?click=main_sr

**The wall pattern, painted by decorative artist Peter Bolton, is a play on Spanish tiles, and the iron four-poster was inspired by 18th-century Andalusian country manor beds. Gauffraged velvet pillows, table, and curtain fabrics by Sabina Fay Braxton. Celeste bedding by Sferra. Khotan carpet, Mansour Rugs.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Guests

Carolyne Roehm. She's the master of all things proper-home luxury speaking.

This thought is inspired by the visit of my wonderful mother and father-in law this weekend. We love to entertain, and it's especially wonderful when friends and family come to stay for a few nights.

Ms. Roehm has successfully reminded me that for the past year and a half that we've been hosting visitors as newlyweds, we've completely missed the mark to spoil our guests with sumptuous monogrammed toiletries, breakfast in bed, dupioni silk hangers and a fresh carafe of water to quench the midnight thirst. We're still on the newlywed budget, so it might be a while before those of you that visit might experience such extravagance (if ever), but at least we know what's befitting for our loved ones.

On any budget though, attention to detail is something that you can assure your guests. Maybe it's a little vase of flowers and clean, crisp sheets. In the end, you want to make sure your guests enjoy a wonderful night's sleep for the coming day so you can make the most of every moment together. After all, everyone, deep down, loves it when someone fusses over them.

Below are a few things that Ms. Roehm insists are necessary for any guest. Needle and thread for the occasional button that is loose, an alarm clock, pen and paper and any all-important toiletries that could have possibly be forgotten. She has a knack for making such simple items seem so necessary and so grandoise.



Wednesday, April 22, 2009

To Begin...

"Miami. We live in Miami."

I think this thought daily. Sometimes it's because I'm angry with the cultural division and the attitudes of the typical South Floridian. Sometimes it's because I'm in awe of the glitz and glamour that IS Miami. There's no doubt about it-Miami is everything that you see on TV. It's seductive, foreign, sexy, diverse, flamboyant, colorful, international, sinful and so dangerous. And for now, it's home-and I'm going to soak up each moment of this experience.

Growing up in Oklahoma was nurturing, safe and a wonderful place to develop a humble heart. When I graduated from the University of Oklahoma, the natural step placed me in Dallas, Texas. My girlfriends were living there, and it seemed like perfect 'next step,' as it held occupational and social opportunities for me that were endless. I was happy, fulfilled and challenged.

I loved living in Dallas. The town is beautiful and exciting, and the people are hospitable and generous. It fit all of the expectations that I had for a perfect town to plant my roots for years to come. By chance, fate and a blind date that was set up by a couple that wanted their best friends to meet-I met my sweet husband and my entire life 'plan' was drastically changed. We met, courted, were engaged and married in one year-from January 2007-January 2008. His job led us to South Florida-a WORLD from what I knew as home.

The cultural transition from Oklahoma/Texas to Miami was staggeringly hard. I was constantly faced with the question, "why do the people here want to be so aggressive and lack so much propriety?" Brian was gone 90% of the time, and the 10% of time that he was at home was usually spent eating and sleeping. So, I decided to make the most of that small time that we had together and delve in to the world of cooking. My goal was to make him the most nutritious, delicious food to help him through the life as a 2nd and 3rd year resident.

Cooking quickly became a creative outlet for me as well. When I missed home, I found myself cooking dishes that I recalled my mother making; using her verbal recipe and my five senses. As a newlywed, I was thrilled to use the new gadgets and All Clad pots that we received as wedding gifts. We lived in a tiny 825 square foot apartment on the 42nd floor that looked across the entire town. You could tell 10 apartments down if the the night's dinner was going to be a FLOP or a success--many of both occurred. I think there were a few times that dinner was coughed down by my Sweet One, but he always declared that it was the BEST eggplant casserole he had EVER HAD!

One of our favorite moments in life is at the end of the day, in the kitchen at my mom and dad's house in Tulsa; hors d'ouevres time with a $10 bottle of wine, an array of stinky, sinfully delicious cheese and various choices of crackers. It is the moment of relaxation, when everyone congregates in the kitchen and talks about things that have happened in the past day, week, 20 years. This is a nightly ritual that we enjoy in Miami now as well. Brian and I seem to frequently incorporate bits of home to our life in Miami, in every aspect.

The intention of this blog is to keep my family and friends stay updated with what's going on in our thoughts, in our home and in our kitchen. If I cook something fabulous and I want the whole world to try it too-I'll blog about it. If a wonderfully exciting moment happens in our lives--I'll blog about it. I want this blog to be an extension of the nightly hors d'ouevres at my parents' house-relaxing and catching up with an old friend-perhaps with a glass of vin rouge et fromage!