April Fool's Day FOOD

For some reason, we never really celebrated April Fool's Day until a few years ago.  Now we're having the best time with our "funny food."

This year, I'm serving "sundaes" for dinner....

Kiddo is going to be so disappointed when he realizes we are not having ice cream for dinner, but that it is, in fact, mashed potatoes and gravy. 

{To make things super easy, we're using instant mashed potatoes and jarred gravy.  I know, I know...not the healthiest, but I won't tell if you won't.}

And how cute is that "cherry?"  I was SO excited to find that jar of Peppadew peppers at the grocery store! I might have squealed.

Here are a few blasts from April Fool's past:

Mashed Potato Cupcakes...

{I think these are my favorite.}

Meatloaf Cupcakes (yes, those are meat cakes, my friends)...



Spaghetti & Meatball Cupcakes...


 I also love these ideas and am filing them away for next year:

Macaron "sliders" from One Vanilla Bean
"Grilled Cheese" from Family Fun (will be in kiddo's lunchbox tomorrow)
Candy-filled Fruit Cup from Come Together Kids
"Lasagna" from Food Network
Candy Sushi from La Casserole Carree (in French, oo-la-la)
Ducky Punch (not an April Fool's post, but I still think it would be great) from TidyMom
"Fakin' and Eggs" from Making Memories (sold by the name alone!)

Do you have any April Fool's FOOD ideas?  I wanna hear 'em.

IF MODERN IS YOUR THING ~ VIDAL SASSOON

Hopefully I will be back soon, but enjoy the home of the one and only Vidal Sassoon and his wife.

Vidal Sassoon and wife Ronnie designed this modern home with the help of interior designer Richard Neutra.  The home looks out onto the Pacific, downtown Los Angeles, the desert, and San Gabriel Mountains.  ENJOY!

To see more visit here.

For those of you that love modern furnishings, visit my sponsor, Spacify, here.

IF YOU MISSED~

Jinny Blom ~ Landscape Design in the Cotswolds

Carolyn Roehm ~  Springtime Tablescape and A Stylish Blogger Award

Frank Babb Randolph ~ Interior Design in Georgetown

Architectural and Interior Design in Buckhead

French Art Deco on Park Avenue

Spring Has Sprung in Houston

Roberto Bergero ~ Interior Design in Paris

See you soon,

Teresa

xoxo

Asparagus with Maple Tahini Dressing

Vegan maple-tahini dressing adorns the Queen of Spring: Asparagus.

Spring here in BoHo infused West Hollywood means trading in your Uggs for flip-flops. And hurtling downhill on your skateboard past midnight, apparently.  For four nights in a row now I've been startled awake by the rolling wheels of wild ones zooming past our bedroom window in the wee small hours of the morning. I suspect they are taggers, or teenage paparazzi on the hunt for misbehaving Melrose prey (there have been more helicopters lately). Sleep has been edgy and restless. The season of change is afoot. Or rather on a roll.

Which in an odd and sleep-deprived way, brings me to asparagus.

It's a welcome signal of warmer days (and nights!) when those bundles of slender green stalks are back, standing tall in elegant rows at the local market. Erect, perky little beauties.

My deep and abiding craving for asparagus is surprising for someone who never tendered a single bite of fresh asparagus until my third decade here on planet Earth. Yes, you read that right. Three decades. I admit it.

I was anti-asparagus.

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Bread : it's what's for dinner . . . Works for Me Wednesday

It occurs to me that I should be a marathon runner, not because I love to exercise, but because I am in a constant state of carbo-loading.

You guys....I LOVE bread.

Exhibit A: my "usual" at Panera.
 

French Onion Soup in a bread bowl with a side of baguette

Or as Mr. E called it this afternoon....

"Bread with a side of soup."

I admit it, I am smitten with bread...and Panera. And I LOVE than they give you the bread that was scooped out for the soup.  That chunk of bread is like a little piece of heaven. (Please tell me there is bread in heaven.)


Speaking of bread (and I can't believe I've never shared this recipe before)...this is the ULTIMATE white bread for sandwiches, toast, snacking (?). :) If you love bread like I do, I BEG you to make it.

{My pictures aren't great, but the bread....oh, it's incredible!  It's carbo-load time!}

White Bread 101 
{barely modified from The King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion }

3 c. all-purpose flour (you can subs. WHITE whole wheat flour here)
2 tsp instant yeast
1 & 1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 TBSP sugar
4 TBSP softened butter
1/4 c. dry milk
1/3 c. potato flakes
1 & 1/8 c. lukewarm water

Combine all ingredients together.  Dump onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth dough...about 10 minutes.  Add more flour as needed, but add sparingly as more flour equals a heavier, drier loaf.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour.

Transfer to a lightly greased work surface and shape into an 8" log.  Place in a lightly greased 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan.  Cover loosely with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise about 1 hour....or until the dough has risen 1 inch over the rim.

Preheat oven to 350.  Uncover and bake the bread for 35-40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 190 degrees. (Tent with foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking if it is browning too quickly.)

Remove bread from the pan and place on a wire cooling rack.  After 15 minutes, brush with butter.  Cool completely before slicing.

Makes a mean grilled cheese or PB & J sandwich! 

{This post about my love for "bread with a side of soup" is sponsored by Panera. My obsession with carbs, my love of French Onion soup and my extra 15 pounds are mine and mine alone.}

SICK DAY

A little under the weather today.  See you soon.

I am leaving a photograph from an advertisement for Stark Carpet that I have been in love with for some while.  I hope that you enjoy it.

IF YOU MISSED~

Jinny Blom ~ Landscape Design in the Cotswolds

Carolyn Roehm ~  Springtime Tablescape and A Stylish Blogger Award

Frank Babb Randolph ~ Interior Design in Georgetown

Architectural and Interior Design in Buckhead

French Art Deco on Park Avenue

Spring Has Sprung in Houston

Roberto Bergero ~ Interior Design in Paris

See you as soon as I can, friends.

Teresa

xoxo

JINNY BLOM ~ LANDSCAPE DESIGN IN COTSWOLDS VALLEY

To see more see the April issue of Veranda.

IF YOU MISSED~

Carolyn Roehm ~  Springtime Tablescape and A Stylish Blogger Award

Frank Babb Randolph ~ Interior Design in Georgetown

Architectural and Interior Design in Buckhead

French Art Deco on Park Avenue

Spring Has Sprung in Houston

Roberto Bergero ~ Interior Design in Paris

Fresh Grape and Champagne Sorbet

MYRA HOEFER ~ INTERIOR DESIGN IN CALIFORNIA

Steven Gambrel and John Toates ~ Design in Connecticut

See you soon,

Teresa

xoxo

CAROLYN ROEHM ~ SPRINGTIME TABLESCAPE AND A STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD

When Carolyn Roehm designs her beautiful springtime tables, she takes the flowers, her china, colored crystal, and the linen into consideration. Roehm also loves to set tables near her garden, and if inside, she likes to have the table looking out onto the gardens.

Isn't this a beautiful table?  ENJOY!

AND

Thank you, Tina, for the STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD!

Tina from THE ENCHANTED HOME  was kind enough to pass this award on to me.  Her blog is a must visit!  Follow along as Tina designs and builds her dream home, and I mean dream home.

I have been blogging since 2009, and I have met so many wonderful people in this small period of time.  How often can you do something you love and make others happy at the same time?  This is my goal for this blog, and I don't intend on letting you down.

Tina, I want to thank you, sweet friend, for passing this award on to me!

7 things about me:

1) I am the mother of a son and a daughter.

2) I was born and brought up in Montgomery, Alabama.

3) I am a former banker and stockbroker.

4) I have an undergraduate degree in molecular biology and a masters in law.

5) I am working on a masters in visual and liberal arts because I love the arts.

6) Most importantly to me, we are a Christian family.

7) I love design, art, cooking, needlework, and tennis.

And I would like to pass this award to these friends:

My Notting Hill

Inspired Design
Little Blue Deer
Being Ruby
eclectic revisited by Maureen Bower
Haute Lamps
A Place To Dwell
Brunch At Saks
Chattafabulous
Design Chic

After receiving this award you have to pay it forward and follow the rules:
#1) Thank & link back to the person who awarded you.

#2) Share 7 things about yourself.

#3) Award 10 great bloggers that you have RECENTLY discovered

#4) Contact those bloggers and tell them about the award

Thank you again, Tina!

Teresa

xoxo

IF YOU MISSED~

Frank Babb Randolph ~ Interior Design in Georgetown

Architectural and Interior Design in Buckhead

French Art Deco on Park Avenue

Spring Has Sprung in Houston

Roberto Bergero ~ Interior Design in Paris

Fresh Grape and Champagne Sorbet

MYRA HOEFER ~ INTERIOR DESIGN IN CALIFORNIA

Steven Gambrel and John Toates ~ Design in Connecticut

See you soon,

Teresa

xoxo

Veranda 2010

Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls

Fresh baked gluten-free dinner rolls- warm and tender.

We've been slurping lots of soup this Spring while the temperatures hover well below my chilly bones preference of 72 degrees. I hate to complain about 52 degrees, but, honestly. I'm shivering like a kitten in a Steve Martin movie. This is L.A. not New Hampshire. Where is my sunshine and technicolor blue sky?

Hiding its good humor behind wrinkled duvets of fuzzy gray clouds, that's where.

So we make gluten-free soup.

But the soup needs a companion. Our potage is lonely. And so I play matchmaker. I've been inviting gluten-free roll recipes to come and play. I've been flirting with their quirks and grainy idiosyncrasies, trying to be a good host. Coaxing their prickly little batters into behaving. As in, taste GOOD. And I've had some almost there success. But nothing to brag about. Nothing blog worthy.

Until today. These rolls are a balance of whole grain flavor and softness. Just crusty enough. These were tender and lovely warm from the oven. Not gummy. Not heavy. Not too grainy.

Just right.



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FRANK BABB RANDOLPH ~ INTERIOR DESIGN IN GEORGETOWN

When Washington lawyer and artist Robert Rae decided to purchase a Georgetown townhouse, he called on Frank Babb Randolph to help him design the interior. Rae found Randolph's home, previously owned by Henry Kissinger, inspirational.

Randolph and Rae shopped for antiques for the home in Georgetown that would compliment the beautiful stairwell, the tall french windows, and the bleached, wide-plank oak floors. What resulted is a stunning and elegant home that is a perfect place to showcase the lawyer's art. ENJOY!

Pick up your copy of the April issue of Veranda to read more about this beautiful home.

Two more images ~

These two images from Washington Spaces via Things That Inspire.

Robert Rae's Alabama roots are greatly responsible for the passion behind his work as an artist.
Find Robert Rae's paintings here.  Running is my favorite. Yours?

IF YOU MISSED~

Architectural and Interior Design in Buckhead

French Art Deco on Park Avenue

Spring Has Sprung in Houston

Roberto Bergero ~ Interior Design in Paris

Fresh Grape and Champagne Sorbet

MYRA HOEFER ~ INTERIOR DESIGN IN CALIFORNIA

Steven Gambrel and John Toates ~ Design in Connecticut

See you soon,

Teresa

xoxo