Raindrops Sound So Soothing, Until They Land On Your Pillows.

My heart jumped into my throat, then sank deeply when I walked into my top floor bedroom after the last big Nor'Easter. I'd had the roof re-done and the brick re-pointed, so W-H-Y was there a 2 foot wide sage green water balloon hanging off my wall? Though it looked kind of cool for a weird second, I didn't stop to take "before" pix---I was too busy getting a straight edge razor blade and some old towels. For the wall, not my wrists.

The wall, where it meets the molding/ceiling.

As if that was not enough, there was also a slow drip coming from a drywall seam, in the ceiling above my bed. My BED! There was brown water dripping onto my PILLOWS. The drywall/ceiling repair (damage pictured below) will be covered in my next blog post, "Drywall Repair: Taping, Floating, Sanding and Re-Painting."

The ceiling, with split drywall seam

The wall repair:
When the room was renovated in '03, I painted the newly sheetrocked walls with 2 coats of "Kilz' mildew inhibiting primer and 3 coats of water based latex...in a very soothing sage. Those five coats saved me from water cascading down the wall and wrecking the carpet as well. I was not overwrought, just alarmed when I saw the water balloon...so maybe there is something to the calming qualities of sage green!

If you think things through, these kinds of repairs are very straighforward. You CAN do it yourself!!

1. Drain out the water and let the wall/damaged paint dry out.

2. For this you'll need a straight edge razor blade and some towels. Lay one towel down at the floor level to catch any spills. Hold the other towel to the bottom of the 'water balloon' and make a SMALL slit with the razor blade. Press the towel against it until the water is absorbed. With firm pressure, blot the wall and the now-wrinkly paint 'dry' then let the air do it's job. You don't want to gouge or rip the sheetrock. (If the water sits for too long, it can cause the soaked sheetrock to bulge, and then it needs to be replaced.)

3. Have a glass of wine and gather your thoughts. You need to find and fix the source of the water before your repair the wall!

I called my roofer and after he carefully inspected the roof, he confirmed that his roofing and repointing jobs were holding up fine. Water can travel, so he had to look carefully at my roof as well as the roofs on the two adjoining houses for any split seams.

He found the problem---a crack in the mortar near the base of the living room chimney flue---that is situated on the roof, above my bed. He filled in the crack and while he was up there, he ran some caulk around a skylight, for good measure.

4. Now the repair can be done inside.

Tools needed:
Ladder
Wide putty (or joint) knife
Sandpaper, fine grade
Quick drying lightweight spackling
Paint + roller and a brush (I always keep a pint of leftover paint, for each room. It's handy for touch ups)

1. Scrape the dry, wrinkled paint off with the putty knife
2. Sand the area, including the undamaged paint edges...to make a smooth repair area

3. Apply an even layer of quick drying spackling to level the repair area. Let it dry for at least 20-30 minutes.

4. Sand the spackling til the area is smooth and there are no shadows cast--test this with a flashlight

5. Paint 2 coats of the room color. Feather the paint out a bit to fully blend the wall color

Like new!

Leaf Peeping in Long Island City...

 In our own rough and tumble kind of way.

A Rainy Night Out in NYC

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to an event tonight for http://www.food52.com/

food52 is a beta site that crowd-sources recipes, celebrating the serious home cook, with weekly recipe contests (52 of them, get it?!)  The end game will be a compilation cookbook to be published in 2010 by HarperStudio. The site is a treasure trove of original recipes and having met the catalysts tonight, Amanda Hesser, Merrill Stubbs and staff...I commend them for spearheading what is becoming a real community.

Amanda Hesser is the former food editor for the New York Times, and has authored a book, The New York Times Cookbook. Merrill Stubbs is a freelance food writer, recipe tester and collaborator.

Tonight, I was an interested, casual observer. I'm more of a baker than an original cook..so I am in awe of the folks I met tonight. They think outside the box, where I follow recipes and might add a minor flourish. I wing some dishes on my own and I'm getting more comfortable, having fun and trying new things like jicama and celery root, slow roasting and braising, but I still rely on a meat thermometer, rather than knowing "doneness" by pressing the meat.

My former housemate Jennifer Hess, who's blog I follow http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/ invited me, as her hubby Mike stayed home in Rhode Island with their ailing cat, Kali. Jen was a food52 contest winner this summer for a pork recipe that was featured with photos in no less a publication than the NY Times. Jen was asked to come down from Providence to demo her very cool summer cocktail, the Tom & Ginger, in front of a crowd tonight in a wonderful apartment in Chelsea, NYC. Who else would think to take some leftover liquid from pico de gallo and turn it into an insanely good DRINK?

Check out http://www.lastnightsdinner.net/ and http://www.food52.com/ 

Bonus for me...the Home Depot in Chelsea was a few blocks from the event..so I did a quick spin through and picked up a taping knife, mud pan and self adhesive drywall tape... stay tuned for my wall repair post in a day or so.

Simple Goodness

I bought some beets at the farmer's market last Saturday. Root vegetables say "autumn" to me. I've been in a cocoon-y mood on evenings and weekends as autumn kicks off. I'm all about reading, writing, DIY'ing, gardening, Netflix-ing, cooking, baking, 100 mile radius for travel, and having very low key get togethers.

Sauteeing red cabbage with apples, butter and a little brown sugar. Dressing up locally made kielbasa with fennel seeds, mustard and cardamon. Roasting pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and pine nuts. Baking cookies and breads. Braising short ribs. Mashing yukon golds with the wonderful, vintage potato masher that my cousins offered with a cookbook from my Aunt Kate's kitchen, after she passed away unexpectedly in September.

Tonight I felt like roasting a veggie, so I scrubbed the beets, sprinkled them with kosher salt and splashed them with a little olive oil.

Appealing, before roasting

A-peeling, after roasting!

After 30 minutes in a 375F oven, the aroma in the house let me know they were ready. I could have let them cool for longer, but I'm trying to train my fingers to be a bit more chef-like by holding hot foods. I swear I'm not a fugitive trying to burn off my fingerprints. (Too much CSI and Food Network) I'm not even close, so I was saying "ow, ow, ow, ow" as I peeled off the skins. The beets were so deep-purply and roasty. They put canned beets to complete and utter shame. Promise me you will not eat canned beets!

I might have quartered them and had beets with blood orange sections and greens with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil....but I did not have the 2 latter ingredients. Instead I sliced them, crumbled some goat cheese on top, gave the sel et poivre grinders a turn, and drizzled a bit of olive oil. So simple and so good.

What's In a Name?

What's in a name? That which we call a tag sale, would smell as sweet...    Apologies to the Bard.

Well, maybe not smell as sweet, but whether it's an estate sale, stoop sale, garage sale, swap meet, yard sale, rummage sale, street market, flea market, moving sale, lawn sale, white elephant, curb sale, bazaar, bric-a-brac sale, or the tres fancy sounding marche aux puces (the famous Paris flea market) I'm probably going to veer off to check it out.

Quite simply, it's an organized effort to sell unwanted items. I don't haul a crazy amount of other people's stuff into my home, and I never buy used clothing. If you've been reading this blog you'll know from previous posts that I am not opposed to carting home an interesting piece of furniture.

I pay full price for things that catch my eye in my impetuous moments...cars, Hermes enamel bracelets, the mango wood table and chairs (ooops, not at all suited for NY weather) etc...but I do like a bargain. I poke around for certain things I like...Victorian era watch fobs to wear as pendants, sterling silver napkin rings--I love to mix and match them,  postcards of old New York, unusual cookie cutters, etc...

I picked up the sterling silver fobs (at left) in 2007 on Portobello Road in London for about 10 pounds ($15) each. The bronze medal and the charm (2 sided with portraits of someone's ancestors) were found this summer for 5 euro ($7.50) each at a flea market I happened upon, on the outskirts of Cortona, Italy. They're known as mercantini, or "little markets."

I wear the medals frequently and I get to have interesting conversations about them. The bronze medal was very dark, and when I shined it up, I saw that the back is inscribed "Il Touring Club Italiano Al Benemeriti Dellacarta D'Italia MCMVII"  How neat is that? It's a commemorative medal from 1907. The Cortona mercantini, to me, is a wonderful memory of a really sweet Italian town that's gotten a bit too popular, since "Under the Tuscan Sun" was filmed there. (See throngs thronging in Cortona, left.) My cooking class (about 10 of us) was part of the tourist crush...

Aside from finding the flea on the edge of town, another good memory will be the fist-sized fig with mascarpone and honey that I had for lunch in the town square. It was crazy good, and it puts regular figs to shame!

Early this summer I spent a weekend out East with some like-minded pals. We were driving along and we passed a sign tacked to a tree. At the same time, we all yelled "Tag Sale!!"  I turned down a dusty road and there was a massive barn, crammed with all kinds of stuff. Lots of junk, but I guess that's my opinion. I don't "need" anything, I just like to look for the odd tidbit. This was not a store, and there was no attempt to organize things into categories. Pots and pans were stacked up next to books and baby toys, next to dusty raccoon hats, framed concert posters, boxes of old shoes and scratched furniture. We poked around for about an hour and the only thing that caught my eye was a red enamel, 4 quart oval casserole. It was very retro, with white handles. I cook with a round blue Le Creuset dutch oven, and this oval one would be a great size for soups, chili and stews for less than a crowd. The price sticker said $50. I flipped it over and saw Le Creuset...so I knew it was the real deal. There was a little ding in the enamel on the right side handle---my bargaining chip!

I had my 'totally disinterested in this dirty, old, chipped casserole' look on my face when I asked the guy what he'd take for it. He didn't even look to see the $50.00 sticker and he said, $25.00 I guess."  I happily forked over the dough and looked to see how Sandy and Shelley were doing. They haggled for a set of 3 pieces of unrelated art, and they were happy with that! We got into the car and I was laughing out loud at my find! I felt like I should peel out in a cloud of dust, yelling whoooo hoooo. But, I didn't. I wanted to, though!

Sooooo---

The other day I was reading the latest Williams Sonoma catalog--I have lots of kitchen stuff from there. I like their colors, tablescapes and recipes and also to compare retail prices to what I've paid at a wholesale supply store. I read a description for a flame red casserole that was "a heritage oval 4 quart cocotte inspired by a drawing in the Le Creuset archives."

Suggested price $290.00, on sale for $150.00. Here it is---looks a lot like mine, doesn't it? Life can be so dang rewarding.

"Sinko" de Mayo

I traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico summer of '08 for 10 days. It was a great mix of gorgeous, no-humidity-golf with stunning mountain vistas, taking long walks around the old section of the city where I stayed, and poking around towns like Tonala, Tlaquepaque, Ajijic and Lake Chapala with my guide. If you want to golf, off the tourist track, I highly recommend that you contact Chuck Kinder at http://www.golfinmexico.net/ so he can set up your rounds, lessons, hotel and tours. Gringas and gringoes should note that other than "resort golf" there is NO public golf in Mexico and you can't just call and get a tee time or walk on.

I took these pix with my phone...that's my finger in the photo of the little boy next to the chilies. Yeah, National Geographic has not called to hire me.

I took some breaks from golf and on a day trip, Lilli our Mexicana/German guide was able to bargain for us. Her blonde hair and blue eyes threw off the sellers, when she started haggling "for herself" in perfect, rapid fire Spanish. The pottery in Tonala was spectacular. I saw a hand-painted Talavera ceramic sink and some cute pottery salamanders. Lilli bargained them down to $40 for the sink including the wrought iron stand (WOW!) and $5 for the salamanders. (Talavera pottery is available in the US, with the sinks selling for $150-$250+ and the stands for$179.) The shop was off the "market day tourist path" and they did not offer shipping. The shopkeeper gave us some cardboard and tape. Lilli and I high fived back in the car--I felt like a criminal. I didn't trust that the pottery would survive the baggage handlers, so I wrapped the sink basin in bubble wrap and put it in my carry on bag along with the lizards. Not that it was contraband, but it felt like an "I Love Lucy" moment-- when Lucy Ricardo disguised the prosciutto as a baby, to get it on the plane from Italy to New York.

At the airport, there was no charge to check 1 duffel bag + a golf bag. Yay for small victories. But, the ticket agent wanted to charge me $100 for the additional "baggage" which was the wrought iron stand, wrapped in corrugated cardboard and bubble wrap. $100 for a package that weighed 2 pounds? My $40 sink was suddenly getting way more expensive. I was peeved! I stepped off the line to think and then I saw the solution--a guy in the terminal wrapping luggage, thickly, in plastic film, til it shimmered like silver. We had a chat. For $9 he wrapped the sink stand onto my rolling duffel bag...cut out holes for the bag's wheels and that, was that! I got back in line and tried not to smirk. Checking in 1 bag---no charge!

When I got home, I set about transforming my 1/2 bath into a May-hee-can el quarto de bano!

I had to have this sink, no? Si!!!!!

Ok, first I repainted the bathroom---it was formerly "farmhouse colors" according to my cousin, Chris. Deep green walls and a brick red gingham curtain. The decor was dated and the old porcelain sink was industrial looking and way too big.  After checking with my plumber for the right measurement, I ordered a brushed bronze faucet and drain set from an online wholesaler.  After he did the installation, I painted the pipes glossy black to match the stand.

All I needed for the existing medicine cabinet was a new knob, how simple! White switchplates were replaced with brushed bronze. I saw a little Aztec candle at Ikea for $1. Too cute. I moved a wrought iron sun/candle holder in from the kitchen, which is really more Mediterranean...and bought some hand towels in colors taken from the sink. I found a simple lace curtain in the 'discontinued' bin at a linens store.

The sun and the salamader are happy!

And for about $600 total, including sink, stand, towels, paint, plumbing + installation...a new look for a tired old 1/2 bath.

As an aside...they make 'commodes' too...they're $900 in the US. I don't think I could fit one in the overhead...but they're kinda fun! "Hey, Lilli.....!"

Open Storage

There's a quirky little extension off the kitchen, at the back of my house. In it is a 1/2 bath, laundry, storage shelves for entertaining  stuff...and a door to the yard. My "basement level" is livable space, and without an attic or a garage...that hall became a catch-all for years. Very dreary and cold. In my mind it's going to be replaced with an English conservatory with a stone base, wrought iron, gorgeous glass, heated tile flooring...    A girl can dream!

Til then...

I took the bull by the horns for an upgrade. I don't fool around with structural projects, so a contractor pal took down the old sheetrock, replaced loose and missing bricks with heavy duty cinder block, and re-sheetrocked. I had a nice bit of cleanup to do, then got to work on the "turd polishing."

Before

After

The transformation was messy but fairly painless. The contractor left Friday night and I was finished by Sunday afternoon. The main idea was to create a transition to the yard, so I chose garden-y colors and accents.

I prepped the area (swept, spackled, sanded, caulked) and used a sand textured sage green paint to mask the imperfect tape/spackle job where the new sheetrock met the old. A 95% smooth taping job was ok with me on a low impact job like this (hallway, not master bedroom!) as long as the common brick wall between houses was solid! I was not going to spend nights feathering out the joint compound for perfection and waiting for it to dry.

Because the brick is very old, and I don't want to tempt fate, I kept the old shelving up. I dressed it up by painting the hardware, wrapping the shelves all the way around in contact paper, and securing the seams with little nails called 'brads.' Thumbtacks would work, too.

I know, it looks crowded, but I seriously purged stuff before I re-loaded the shelves! OK, maybe I can thin out some vases.

I shamed myself into a further purge. Much better now!

Open storage is less preferable to a closed cabinet but there are very few available that are under 9" deep, and with glass fronted sliding doors. With the house NOT being level and plumb (!) I'd have to bolt the cabinets into the brick wall and that's dicey.  Open shelving keeps me a tad neater.

I covered the concrete floor with adhesive-backed carpet tile that I cut to fit, and rolled out a hooked runner that makes it more comfy underfoot. I picked up the doormat at Tar-jay, and I already had the hooked rug.

Two cabinets from the kitchen re-do had been mis-measured, so those went up over the washer and dryer. I measured for and ordered opaque glass in gray, which made sense with the gray carpet. Glass is easy to install---just squeeze out clear silicone around the inside, press and and the glass sits tight. I'd found 'garden themed' cabinet pulls in the sale bin at Restoration Hardware a few years back, and finally had the chance to use them. Adorable!

I had the old wooden door out to the yard and a pitted aluminum framed jalousie window replaced a year or so ago. The final touches were a wooden shade for the door, a sheer, flowy lace curtain for the window overlooking the yard, and doodads like garden shadowbox art and a ceramic thermometer. Now the hall is light and bright, and all the vases, wine glasses, linens and things are organized. A recent dinner party guest spilled red wine on her white jacket. Without missing a beat, we stepped in from the yard, treated the spot, threw the jacket in the washing machine, then the dryer and she was wearing it by the time dessert was served. Easy, breezy.