The Summer Garden

Did everyone have a happy 4th (and hopefully, a long weekend)? Adam and I tried to put a three-day break to good use. On Saturday we hiked 5 miles through a redwood forest, on Sunday we walked the rows at Alameda in 80º heat, and on Monday we could hardly get our exhausted, aching selves off of the couch! 

If you stopped by Maggie Rose to see my tablescape last week, you probably noticed (and perhaps oohed/ahhed over) the bunch of freshly cut flowers decorating my Mom's table. Gorgeous- and merely a sampling of what's blooming in the back yard. Now that I'm back to my weedy plot in Berkeley, I thought we might all enjoy a walk through my family's garden.

Ah, if only there was one more day in the weekend. I could use a relaxing afternoon in the shade to recuperate!

Today my Facebook and Twitter followers will get pictures of my favorites from the Alameda Flea... are you following?

Girl About Town: Bountiful Home

For those of you who missed this post in its Facebook album form while Blogger was down, enjoy! If you're not yet a fan of the Shock the Bourgeois Facebook page, head on over and click "like" for access to photos that don't make it on the blog!

I know, I've posted about Bountiful Home before. If it seems like I'm gushing, I am! Not only is this one of my favorite places to shop when I'm visiting in Washington, I'm also trying to convince Todd that he needs an assistant... (haha!).

Todd certainly has the knack for styling. Something rusty, something romantic, something a little kooky (just check out that mouse in the party hat!). Bountiful Home & Nursery is a visual treat indoors and out. The garden is lush with Spring blooms, the 100-year-old house is furnished with reworked vintage pieces, and every surface sparkles with mercury glass. I want one of everything.

Working with Todd to decorate my wedding has been an absolute pleasure. Thanks to his recommendation, I've selected Maxine's Floral for bouquets and centerpieces. Things are coming together beautifully- and I'm loving this opportunity to collaborate with such creative people!

Beautiful Bounty in Edmonds, WA

Here's a special Christmas shopping word to the wise for my Western Washington readers: try downtown Edmonds for nostalgia, twinkle-lights, and one of my new favorite shops.

Bountiful Home resides in a little old house just off of Main Street. If you pass through its arbor and down the garden path, you'll find yourself on a welcoming porch arrayed with potted plants and rusty finds. Once inside you'll understand how Bountiful Home gets its name. Special things sparkle all around.

The shop is an homage to all things old-fashioned and lovely, from vintage glass bottles and snail-mail stationery down to the creaking floorboards. Forget about just wanting to buy something- you'll want to move in.

Definitely the place to go for romantic holiday trimmings and memorable hand-picked gifts!

Blue Mood

No, not sad- I'm quite happily immersing myself in all the colors of the Northwest, especially the chilly blue of the Puget Sound.

 I wake up in this gray and blue bedroom, just the shades of the waves outside my window. 

(Doesn't my Mother have lovely taste? I'm tempted to make this a permanent vacation...)

These pale periwinkle hydrangeas were begging to be photographed in downtown Edmonds.

So much prettiness, and it's so nice to be home.

I promise I won't let the blog get too quiet,

Elizabeth

Dwelling in the Here and Now

I reminisce quite a lot about where I once lived, and daydream even more about where I'll be living "someday soon." Perhaps you're all wondering where I live now? Until I can join Adam (and my belongings) in Berkeley, I've re-inhabited my teenage bedroom at my parents' house. Here are a few snaps to satisfy or pique your curiosity...

On the board, far-fetched imaginings for a far-away apartment.

The fodder of many Dare to Dream posts in the future.

Where I blog from.

At least, where I sit whilst blogging.

This relic from my years of orthodonture serves as a paperweight for catalogues I've yet to sink my teeth into.

It's also an amusing place to stash business cards.

Though, it occurs to me now that the businesspersons on those cards might not be as amused as I am.

I've been feeling gloomy lately- getting mired in all that is not quite right in the bigger picture of my life. Last night I picked up my camera and challenged myself to seek out what was lovely and tangible in the here and now. I narrowed my focus and found the little things that made me happy- and I've found a better way to begin the week at Shock the Bourgeois. Look forward to more glimpses of the Here & Now each Monday! Here's to a new week... and a new mindset.

Under the Tree: Fit for a Queen, or Me.

I thought you might like to admire some more of the gifties that I got for Christmas... At the very least, I wanted to show them off!

I happen to know that these embroidered napkins were found at Anthropologie, and that they were a sweet deal. Very regal new additions to my decor menagerie. That freckly lion just does me in, he's so cute. Where shall I put them?

My Mom found the "E" necklace at a favorite jewelry store in Edmonds called Bluefish. Subtle sparkle, delicate leaf charms, an elegant capital E in antiqued gold... made for an Elizabeth who loves letters, right?

Thanksgiving Left-Overs

Such a busy Thanksgiving holiday!  Baking pies, watching the Dog Show, shooting guns, eating left-overs, playing with a new puppy, watching the Huskies thoroughly demoralize the Cougars, and most of all... smothering Adam with attention when he flew in for the weekend.

Move over, Faye Dunaway

Speaking of pointing and shooting: I had the special treat of borrowing my Mom's primo DSLR camera to document the events. Ugh, I'm hooked! I suppose if I abstain from coffee for let see... (I'm mathing here) ...the better part of a year, I can buy one of my own. Though I'm quite proficient with my vintage SLR, it's going to take a lot of practice to get me up to speed with this glorious technology.  So, let's go easy on the images and focus on my Mom's beautiful tablescape!

Some finds from the autumnal landscape.

A crisp fall day.

Great-Grandma's silverware shines on Crate & Barrel linens.

The feast!

Proof that I'm not the only one who leaves her Halloween decor up year round!

Feeling Low

This morning Adam got on a plane to California.

He's really in hot water now. (Okay, he's actually in Berkeley)

As of this morning, I'm a 20-something living at her parents' house with a resentful cat and a rapidly deteriorating car. Don't get me wrong, parents, I love you- but it's going to be a teeny-tiny bit weird to come home to my teenage bedroom and wait for a goodnight phone call from the guy I've seen almost every day for the last four years.

My sweet Mom has planned out some excellent distractions to keep me from moping about, but for the time being I'm rather stuck in the Doldrums. I find that a bottle of wine is an excellent distraction, but unfortunately I'm at work at the moment, where that sort of thing is frowned upon.

In lieu of whine, I give you Wine Country- the incredible (and unplanned) trip that Adam and I took in October (when our belongings failed to arrive on time leaving us with two days on our hands... no, still not ready to talk about this calmly).

Miles of vines between Napa and Sonoma, 80º weather, and a convertible.

The most amazing aromas of grapes and olive oil and earth all baking in the sun.

Glimpses of deer on winding country roads.

And, of course, wine tastings.

Adam, I miss you like crazy.

Adam Presents "The Catechism of San Melon Agua"

Who made me? God made me.

Was that his biggest mistake? Not quite (see Boy George).

Who made that excellent watermelon salsa? Oh yeah, I did.

What is salsa? Spanish for sauce.

What is a sauce? Great question. A food that is applied to the surface of another food. God made food, man makes sauce.

Can any food be a sauce? I don’t make the rules, but I know a sauce when I see one.

Who makes the rules? Other than God, Wikipedia.

Can any food be a sauce? Yes… As long as it’s made from food.

Can a sauce be made from watermelon? Yes, and I will tell you how.

Figure 1: The Appropriate Lime-to-Melon Ratio

Step one, select a melon. I really have no idea what makes a good watermelon. The most important thing is concealing my ignorance from my fellow shoppers. I usually touch three random melons, pick up a fourth and attempt to spin it on my finger, reject that one. I palm the smallest one I can find, fake a pass downfield. Then I put that one down and grab the first one that another shopper reaches for.

Next, find some limes. I use three limes for a small melon, five or six for a larger melon. I define a small melon as having a mass equal to or lesser than an obese newborn. A larger melon would require a seatbelt on the ride home. Thirdly, select an onion. One large white or sweet onion will suffice for a small melon. A very large melon may require two onions. Really, quantifying the ingredients for your watermelon salsa will be vague and subjective. These ingredients will also be cheap (and versatile if leftover). Ask yourself, "could I possibly need more?" If so, get more. Don’t forget a heap of garlic cloves, a bundle of fresh cilantro, and your pepper of choice (jalapeño for the prudent, habañero for the insane, bell pepper for the weak, unimaginative drones to be ploughed under when the revolution come). Also, salt and pepper.

Figure 2: Our Ingredients

Dice your melon into quarter inch cubes. This can be perplexing for the uninitiated. Most large melons can be cut in half, then decapitated and the rind cut off in large, curving parallel strips. Large slices of melon can then be cut away and diced individually. Do not try to execute three perpendicular cuts on fruit this size, it will get ugly. Break the task down into small parts, and the dicing will be easier and neater. Add salt (remember: season early, season often). Place the diced melon in a strainer and drain for 30 minutes. Watermelon is very wet, that's why they call it melon. We're going to soak it with lime juice, but to make room for that liquid, we need to get rid of some of the melon-water.

Dice your onion and garlic very finely. Zest the limes, then juice them. De-stem and chop the cilantro leaves. Peppers can be cut into long strips (julienne, alumette or batonnet from thickest to thinnest), small cubes (brunoise) or rings (Richard Starkey). When the melon is drained, add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well with a slotted spoon. Let the salsa marinate in the fridge for half an hour. Taste and re-season as needed. For a very intense salsa, drain the liquid again and add more lime juice and salt, marinate for another 15 minutes before serving.

Figure 3: Serving Suggestion

I don't want to ignore the versatility of this recipe, especially in the summer months. This is not just a Cinco de Mayo or Superbowl type chips-and-dip salsa. I can envision a watermelon salsa on blackened fish or steak, shredded or grilled chicken, or as a legitimate side dish. Watermelon salsa can keep for a few hours in cooler or fridge, and it stays cool due to high water content. This makes it more convenient and durable than salad greens if you are eating outdoors or packing a meal for a trip.

Figure 4: The Mouth-Watering Feast

In my experience, God is the subject of serious and sober discussions. I rarely joke about God, because although I am convinced that such a being would have a well developed sense of humor, God is much larger than I, and really should not be provoked. But I want to point out that the highest authorities in matters of cooking are the tastes and traditions of the individual cook. (Editor's Note: Go figure- no amount of prayer could save my last attempt at alfredo sauce...) Treating any cookbook as a holy text, adhering to a single regional style, or limiting oneself strictly to “home cooking” seems silly and kind of depressing. Food is very important: like religion, it brings people together. But ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques are neither moral nor immoral (I know a Jewish vegetarian who would disagree, but what can you do?). Cooking nomenclature should not be held to the level of dogma. Unlike religion, where a community is formed around precise and correct behavior, cooking is a friendly competition where points are given for originality (and plating, for which I have a soft spot). Strict adherence to a recipe does have its benefits (in baking, there is often an optimized biochemical process which must be closely controlled), and the single best place to learn about food is under the guidance of a more experienced cook, but persistent attempts to categorize food will only limit your experience. For example, in the “canon” of classic French cuisine, there are but five types of sauce.

Bechamel – A “white” sauce, incorporating a roux made from butter, flour, and boiled milk or cream.

Veloute – A butter & flour roux incorporating fish or chicken stock.

Brown or Espagnole – A “brown” sauce is based on a roux of flour and animal fat.

Hollandaise and Mayonnaise – An emulsion made by whipping oil or butter into egg yolks.

Tomato – Based on pureed or diced “love apples.”

While these are all great sauces that every cook should attempt to make, defining my watermelon salsa according to the old French tradition is tricky, and God cannot (or will not) help the situation. If I was a strictly French cook, I would describe it as a variation on a cold tomato sauce, with a watermelon substitution. But this dish really falls outside the accepted definitions. The ingredients are not the same, the execution is not the same, and neither is the taste and the appropriate food pairings. The language spoken between mouthfuls of watermelon salsa is not French, the music in the background has a strong rhythm, and the surrounding climate is probably hot and dry (or at least sunny). Think for yourself, question authority. With food, you might need to put yourself in an uncomfortable, even vulnerable position if you want to experience something new and amazing.

The definition of sauce from my catechism is pretty liberal. A sauce is any dressing, condiment or marinade. My watermelon sauce can be applied to any food with a permanent surface (this will include almost any solid food). Chips and tortillas fit the bill. Eat it with a utensil and I guess you could call this a watermelon salad. Wrap it in blueberry pancake and serve it in a bag of vegetarian chili... now that's what I call a taco.

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

Many apologies to my concerned readers- we didn't quite drop off the face of the earth, and we didn't melt (though it was a close call)!

Very close, in fact. On the day that Seattle hit an unprecedented 104º, Adam and I returned to our upstairs oven to find that my candles had been reduced to pools of molten wax, my plants had crumbled to dust, my cosmetics had curdled (this is perhaps not scientifically accurate, but there's no other word to describe the grossness), and food that I had thought of as non-perishable had, well, perished. Our survival instincts kicked in. We grabbed our necessities and our listless little cat, jumped in our air-conditioned car (this is when the little cat perked up), and made our escape.

For the next week, we literally chilled at my parents' lovely home in Edmonds. We couldn't take an official vacation, but (much to your dismay, clearly) we did take a vacation for our blogging obligations! We know you missed us, but we took lots of pictures and collected some souvenirs! We wished you were there!

I showed you a few shots of my parents' home before- it's gorgeous and so meticulously kept.

Staying there is like a complimentary stay in a 5-Star B & B. My Mom thinks of everything!

We took in the sights of Edmonds on a bright blue day.

The Edmonds Market features many of the same vendors we see in Wallingford...

And also serves as a weekly arts fair for local craftspeople.

I loved this creative display of redesigned vintage costume jewelry by Krissy Maier of Orange Box Jewelry...

and I loved some of the pieces just as much!

I was sorely tempted at one of my favorite decor stores, House Wares.

House Wares is always a source of inspiration- the owner, Robert has a gift!

That side table has taunted me from the pages of magazines for ages now... but where to put it?

Most of all, Adam and I enjoyed some down time with my family (and Matilda enjoyed some romps with her best doxie friends). And now, neglected friends, we have some catching up to do. I have some BIRTHDAY goodies and Craig's List finds to show off, and Adam's going to share our favorite summer treat...

Can you guess what we're making?

We'll start with that watermelon tomorrow, and we'll dish out the rest this week!