6/30/14

Roasted Corn Chowder with Shrimp



A couple years ago a good friend of my was parting ways with a few cookbooks she never really looked at, and knowing me as she does, (I tend to hoard collect cookbooks of all kinds) she asked me if I would like any of them. Trying my best to hold myself at bay, I accepted a few of her offered books and among them was a book all about cooking from scratch with various herbs and spices.

Well the first recipe that caught my eye was a wonderful corn and shrimp chowder served over warm mashed potatoes. Although I love the idea of the mashed potatoes, I decided to modify the recipe so it is better suited to eat during the summer months. I did this by omitting the mashed potatoes and then using fresh kernels cut right from the cob and pan roasting them.




Ingredients:

1 T olive oil (Extra Virgin if you have it)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup of homemade shellfish stock or an 8 oz bottle of clam juice
2 heaping tsp. of dill seed. NOT DILL WEED
5 ears worth of fresh cut kernels
one more T of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 lbs of medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails removed. If using large shrimp you can cut them in half.
3 T of fresh parsley


Heat oil in a large saucepan and then saute the onion and carrot over medium heat until onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, shellfish stock and dill seeds, bring to a boil and then lower the heat, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime heat another T of olive oil on low heat in a large frying pan, add the kernals and season with salt and pepper. Cook corn while stirring, for about 5 -7 minutes or until the kernels turn a golden brown. Watch the pan doesn't get too hot or you may find yourself ducking from hot popping corn.

Add all but about 4 T of the roasted corn to the broth mixture and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Allow mixture cool somewhat and then add all but about 2 cups of the liquid to a food processor or blender and puree in batches until smooth. (Be careful if you are using a blender and the liquid is still hot. Only fill 1/3 of the way to avoid the hot liquid spitting out of the top.) 

Add all of the mixture back to the saucepan. Add the shrimp plus 2 T of the parsley and simmer until shrimp are no longer pink...about 2 1/2 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the remainder of the roasted corn and parsley. 

Serve with a crusty bread and enjoy it with a nice cold glass of German Riesling. 

Wishing you a great start to your week!

XO
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6/27/14

Adding Architectural Detail to Your Home



If you know me you know I am a sucker for wood detailing in a home. I simply swoon over molding, casings, wainscoting, corbels, well you get the picture. I have often told Mr. RL that if I ever learn how to master the art of wood crafting he'd better watch out because I would probably cover every inch of our home with wood.

Here are 10 ways we have added some architectural interest or detail to 21 Rosemary Lane.

1. Crown Molding: Since moving to 21 Rosemary Lane we have added wood detailing to almost every living space in our home, and in 3 of our rooms the addition was in the way of crown molding. The latest addition was in our master bedroom.




2. Built in Book Cases: The fireplace wall in the living room has been through a huge transformation over the years. To give you an idea of what I am saying, here is what the living room looked like when we first saw our home back in 2002.




And here it is by the end of February of 2013 with the addition of bookcases and  shelving to flank the fireplace and mantel.




3. Adding a new Mantel: This brings me to the addition of a custom mantel and surround for the fireplace. The original mantel was nothing more than a piece of wood on top of the brick, not very substantial or deep enough for my decorating needs. The surround was actually bought pre-fab from Loews, then Mr. RL had to make a custom mantel to fit between the book shelves.




4. Painting a Mirror Frame: In March of 2013 I decided to paint the black frame of the mirror white. Painting the mirror frame to match the wood of the mantel definitely added some architectural detail by making the mirror seem more like a window.




5. Wainscoting: Another way we added interest to our walls in the dining room was by incorporating some wainscoting under the existing chair rail.





6. Bead Board Back Splash:The kitchen received a new bead board back splash to liven up the room. This was an incredibly inexpensive project costing just under $50 for all materials. 




7. Window Shutters: I have always loved the look of window shutters in the home. Even before the new back splash was installed I had Mr. RL hang these on my kitchen windows.




8. Over the Door Shelf: In our kitchen over the back sliders which lead out to the screened-in porch, Mr. RL put a shelf up using wood drapery rods as the brackets for the shelf. Then I just slipped the rod through the holes to hang my drapes.



9. Hang a Shelf:  Just last week Mr. RL hung yet another shelf for me, this time in the entry way over a mirror. This gives the wall some 3D interest and another place for me to decorate!




And yes there is more wainscoting in the entryway!




10. Louver Doors: Finally the last way we have added some architectural interest to a space was in the guest bedroom. I know I know I haven't shared this room with you yet, but soon very soon I promise. Any how we have this one wall in the room which is just closet space and I wanted the doors to be more that regular old double doors which slide back and forth. Mr. RL installed bi-fold louver doors to add some interest to the long wall.

Aren't they pretty?



So those are just a few ways we transformed our mid-century kind of boxy Cape Cod into a much more interesting and cozy place to call home.

Wishing you a wonderful fun filled weekend!!!

XO

6/21/14

Summer Entry



This year things got a little bit mixed up due to the fact that in the process of redecorating both the master and the guest bedrooms (no I haven't revealed the guest room just yet) I have had to do some re-figuring as far as the placement of the furniture in the house. So the cedar chest which once sat at the end of our bed before the master bedroom makeover, no longer fit in the room, therefore it had to find a new place to live.



I then brought down the large mirror which was hanging in the upstairs hallway and placed it just above the chair rail. The cedar chest was topped off with a pretty turquoise Portuguese pitcher, a farm basket to hold some of my favorite magazines...




...and in the center of the chest is a large pitcher I picked up at Home Goods last year filled with faux hydrangea.

Don't hydrangeas just scream SUMMER? 




But the wall still needed something more so I dug out of the garage a shelf which had once hung in the kitchen, spruced it up with some white paint, and Mr. Rosemary Lane hung it for me just above the mirror! 

Jokingly he asked me how long it was going to be before it comes down. I had to laugh because I LOVE the idea of one more surface to decorate, so my answer was simply..."Not for awhile."



The shelf has a groove for plates so out came these beautiful turquoise blue dishes, another Home Goods find from a few years back. Some green glass items were added along with my thrift store swans that I love so much.




I think the pops of turquoise against the soft yellow walls really makes the front entry of our home feel very summery.



Have you lightened up your decor for the summer months? Better hurry since the solstice is tomorrow!

Wishing you a relaxing weekend and a beautiful first day of summer!

XO
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6/18/14

For the Love of Turquoise



OK...it is almost here, just a few more days! The kids are practically done with school and the heat has begun to roll on in. You know what I am talking about...the lazy hazy slow things down and just relax season of 


SUMMER!

And the color which screams SUMMER to me is the beautiful yet tranquil color of

TURQUOISE!!

So over the past day  or so I spent some time pinning pics to my new pin-board titled Turquoise. Here is some of what I have pinned




According to Wikipedia...
 Turquoise /ˈtÉœrkɔɪz/ or /ˈtÉœrkwɔɪz/ is the name of a greenish blue color, based on the gem of the same name. The word turquoise comes from the French for Turkish, as the gem was originally imported from Turkey. The first recorded use of turquoise as a color name in English was in 1573.














Feeling a little turquoise inspired???

XO

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6/14/14

Refreshing Watermelon Lemonade!

I first shared this recipe on my other blog TheBigGiantFoodBasket in August of last year. It was so delicious that I decided to share it again here at 21 Rosemary Lane.


So what do you get when you cross some bright tart lemons... 


...with some sweet and cool watermelon?


Why you get watermelon lemonade of course!!



Ingredients for this super cool and refreshing lemonade.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 cups cold water
4 cups of watermelon, cubed
lots of ice cubes

Heat 3/4 cup of water with the 3/4 cup of sugar, cook until sugar is completely dissolved in the water, about 3-5 minutes. Add the 2 cups of cold water and the lemon juice, and set aside.

Puree the watermelon in blender until smooth. Strain the liquid through strainer.  Fill glasses with ice and spoon about 3-4 teaspoons of watermelon on top of the ice. Pour the lemon mixture over the ice and serve. 

(If you want to enjoy this as a big girl drink add 2 oz. of vodka or a spiced rum to each glass.)



Makes approximately 6 cups.  

XO
This recipe was adapted from allrecipes.com 

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6/13/14

Guest Bedroom Yard Sale Dresser Makeover



About 3 years ago my sister Kim and I were out on a beautiful Saturday morning in spring hitting the garage sales down in her neck of the woods, Bucks County Pennsylvania, and we came across this dresser with mirror. The asking price was $75, but in pure Kim style she bartered it down to the nice round figure of $60.

To read Kim's rules for successful garage sale-ing, click here.




 Now I knew that someday this piece would end up in the main bedroom of the house which is on the first floor. This is because at the time, and actually up to about a month ago, the room was the playroom/toy room for the kids.




Although Mr. Rosemary Lane liked it the way it was, I thought the dresser was a bit blah and dated looking. My original thought was to paint the piece in a two tone medium sand and off white, but as I began working on the room I realized that the color combination may be too light for the direction of the look I was headed in.

I was going to need some DRAMA!




So I pulled off all the hardware and sanded down the drawers and the doors and using Krylon's black paint and primer, I sprayed on the new color.  After the paint was dry, I went over the drawers and doors with a light coat of the Minwax which I had bought to use on the top of the piece. This made the wood grain appear much more prominent.




 Then the front of the dresser was sanded down while the piece was lying on it's back. Once the sanding was done again I sprayed on Krylon's black primer and paint in a satin finish.





 Next I stripped the finish off of the top with a sander and some 60 and 100 grit sand paper, and then applied 2 coats of Minwax in a satin finish of Bombay Mahogany.




The drawer pulls and handles received a coat of Krylon's gold spray paint. This made them really pop adding a beautiful accent to the entire piece. 




I also made some pretty scented drawer liner using essential oil of lavender and coordinating wrapping paper. 
(To read how this was done just click here.)




And now the dresser and mirror make a beautiful statement in my freshly painted newly decorated guest bedroom.




There are a few more touches I want to add to the room including replacing the old white ceiling fan the kids broke with a nice wood grain fan. I also would like to add a few more accessories and I may do something a little avant garde with the room's  rather large closet.

Well it looks like father's day in the northeast is going to be a beautiful one weather-wise. Hoping you all have a great weekend and happy Father's day to all of your wonderful Dads and Misters!

XO

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