Off The Counter: Hearts Of Palm Salad

 My mother-in-law introduced me to hearts of palm [in a salad] almost 24 years ago when we first met.  She would combine them with coarsely cut tomatoes, peppers, and red onions, and often serve this summer staple with a baguette (for those of us who wanted to soak up every bit of its delicious dressing).  Needless to say, plenty of chilled wine accompanied the salad and the rest of the meal.

For some reason the salad disappeared from our culinary repertoire for many years, but recently it resurfaced.  In a big way.  Just last week, I stopped by Natalia's place and she made me my very own hearts of palm salad.  We reminisced about the salads of the past and their unique, refreshing flavors.

I was so delighted to have been reunited with the "palms", that I've began making this salad myself.  Take a look and read all about the ingredients below:

Ingredients:

Hearts of palm, tomatoes, peppers, red onion, olive oil, lemon, cilantro or basil, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

Thinly slice the red onion and let it soak in olive oil (this helps take the bite out of it).  Then coarsely cut the remaining ingredients and add them to the onions.   Drizzle with a little more olive oil (if needed) and freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Add the herb of choice.  Natalia adds cilantro, basil or parsley, whatever she has at hand.  I've been using Thai basil.  Any of these herbs add a unique twist to the salad.  Salt and pepper it to your liking and enjoy.  Don't forget the baguette! 

Treading Softly

This image sets the tone for how I feel at the moment.  With the children's school schedule already in place, I am enjoying more alone time and exercising a softer approach to my own new beginnings.  Letting go of some erratic, self imposed stresses and tackling projects in a calmer, more organized manner.  I'm scaling down on smaller interior design commissions, taking on instead fewer but much larger ones.  I'm also preparing for a design event in a local Lafayette art gallery where I will be a guest speaker/stylist.  On top of this, I am almost ready to launch the Cass Clutch, a vintage-inspired handbag I've designed.  All very exciting and rewarding endeavors.

As a result, I've lessened the amount of blogging a bit, but do look forward returning to it with a renewed energy in a more consistent manner and without any self inflicted pressures. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work as I do.  

Thanks so much for following along thus far.  I hope you all stick with me for the rest of the way!

Here's to treading softy...

Before And After: Closet Makeover

Since our move into a Mid-Century home 3 years ago, we've undergone just one major renovation:  our kitchen and dining room.  Now it's time to begin working on a few other areas that need updating, spaces like closets, bathrooms and guest rooms.  I recently tackled our children's closets.  Original to the home's 1953 construction, the closets for both bedrooms were not making use of all the available space nor accommodating all the current things kids own nowadays.  Striving to keep some uniformity throughout the house, I hired the cabinet maker who worked on our kitchen to build something similar for our children's rooms.  The final result is a refined storage area that fits our home's design and addresses the needs of our children now and well into the future.  Take a look:

Anthropologie's brass and leather knobs add a bit of masculinity to the boys' room and coordinate with other brassy fixtures throughout the house. 

By removing the paneled doors in each room, we gained more usable space both inside and outside the closets.  The larger cubbies are outfitted with adjustable shelves for toys and rods to hang clothes as needed.  

Zoe's dresser hardware ties into the greenish hues of the concrete floor and adds an elegant earthiness to her room.  

For the first time in almost 10 years our twin boys have their own dressers and display shelves!  As for Zoe, she now has plenty of room for her ever growing collection of stuffies and...shoes.  

Botanical Inspiration: Cattails And Pomegranates

On a visit to the SF flower market earlier this summer, I came across bunches of cattails.  Clearly they were put on my path to become an inspiration for a botanical arrangement.  I balanced the velvet-like plumes with pomegranate pods, pistachio berries and seastar fern stems for added softness.  My bedside table never looked this good.  Sometimes, a girl needs to treat herself.  Right?!

Take a look:

The Way We Live: A Haverhill Mansion

While on the East Coast, the children and I had the opportunity to visit a friend whom I met 15 years ago, when Cocoon (the store) first opened in Boston.  Having stayed in touch all these years, it was a real treat to finally see his new home.  Its grandness took us all for surprise.  Filled with a lifetime of memories, this historical house balances New England tradition with a healthy dose of creative flair.  As the kids and I toured the house (almost getting lost a few times) we were not only taken by its size, but with number of family furnishings and objects that have remained so dear to its occupants throughout the years.  Pairing pieces from their individual pasts with items from their present, created an inviting and eclectic atmosphere.  One I just knew had to be a feature in The Way We Live.  

Many thanks, MV, for your friendship and for sharing your beautiful home with us.