Feng Shui and the Energy of Art in the Garden.

Last week, I promised to talk about art in the garden. Well, one thing lead to another. There was my Ghurka bag's brush with death and my brush with jail, the gully washer, a project I needed to work on yesterday STAT and Voila! It's Friday, already!

Let me tell you about how Feng Shui affects my work. Let there be no question. I am not an expert on Feng Shui. I do have my moments of brilliance as a designer. I've worked on projects where the client brought in a Feng Shui expert. Fascinating.

This is my distillation: Feng Shui is about placement; it is about order; it is about having the things around you in good repair; it is about banishing clutter; it is about having room to breathe and room to think; it is about movement of energy. Certainly, there are cures but, if you keep the first four in mind, you are probably 90% there. Is any space perfect? No. And, it doesn't have to be to be successful.

Let's chat about the fifth element ~ the movement of energy. Again, my distillation. Energy wants to flow. If it blows past you at 100 miles an hour? Not so good. If it gets trapped or blocked? It gets stale and keeps good energy from coming in. Really bad.

In the garden, having three dimensional art and large pots billowing with life allows the energy to flow and slows it down so energy bringing you good things can do so. It allows the stale energy to be moved on to be replaced by good energy. Imagine a Cecil B. DeMille movie (he who is big on mists and "Voice of God" clouds). Imagine energy is a mist you can see. Then, imagine it floating softly around your garden, around your three dimensional elements. Imagine it moving. That's how I think of Feng Shui in the garden. Coming upon a piece that causes you to pause and enjoy (as opposed to stop and be blocked) is likely to be good Feng Shui.

For elements that guard and protect, I like pansies. They look like little ferocious lions. I often have a pot of them by my front door. I have four guarding sculptures ~ one at the start of my driveway; one at my back door, one at my living room door and one at my garage entrance. At my front door, I have my marble angel. Will it stop a person with an AK47? No, but that is not the point. The point is positive energy.

Let me show you ~


                                  
                                  stone column from Music Hall Theater
                                  in Seattle below head of a young hero.
                                  The minute I saw it, I had to have it.
                                  It looks so like The Bear.
                                  Impossibly handsome. Clear-eyed.
                                  The beauty of youth.

Brass rubbing of Robert the Bruce from

the 1891 monumental brass in the floor

of Dunfermline Abbey, Fife, Scotland

I think my little drum major is supposed to be filled with moss and planted. Now, he just lounges at the top of my driveway near the lilac hedge. Not very intimidating. Probably as frightening as the pansies by my front door!

The lesson here (if there is one) is to bring three dimensional art and containers filled with life into the grounds surrounding your home. Think of allowing an energy river of goodwill to flow all around your house. You want it to ebb and flow. You want to have islands of beauty; areas of peace and a clear passage to your front door ~ a way filled with cared-for, living things.

Just outside my front door, I have my little fragrant kitchen garden and gold fish in a low jardiniere of still water. Is it world peace? No, but it is peaceful.

Day 20 Everyday Grateful ~  A perfectly ordinary Seattle day
rain, sun, clouds, breeze. And, that's just this morning!

Wonderful new project. Excellent! And, very happy!

Food of the Gods ~ Breakfast!

OK, OK, it has taken me three days, but, I finally have a supply of my wild smoked salmon for breakfast again. I get kindah anxious when my stash gets low. (You will recall ~ I am a repeat eater.)

My colleague, Ramses, is happy as well. We have an agreement. He gets the salmon skin and the last bite of each half. A nice way to start the day ~ everyone happy.

Day 9 Everyday Grateful ~ a lovely warm sunny morning, my favourite breakfast with my favourite hound. Heaven!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Salmon Part Deux

The wild salmon has marinated covered in my refrigerator for about 36 hours. In preparation to the next step, I covered my maple butcher block counter with cut-up kraft grocery bags.

Then, I put the grates from my smoker on the counter just before I took the large enameled roaster out of the refrigerator. It's a good idea to spray the grates with oil (I don't always remember which is one of the reasons I smoke my wild salmon with the skins on.)

Once I have the marinated pieces placed on the grates, I turn on the fan.

There are several keys to successful smoked fish. First is fish worth smoking ~ fresh, fresh, fresh and wild, wild, wild. Next is your marinade. I've posted a link below for a site I used at the beginning of my wild smoked salmon journey. The final next step before putting the fish in the smoker ~ form the pellicle. This glaze or film helps the smoke adhere to the fish.

Don't make the rookie mistake and smoke your fish without this step. There are several ways to form the pellicle. I usually put the salmon pieces on the racks and turn the fan on them for at least 2 hours. You can go longer. Don't worry, the salt protects the fish. Doing it in the house means fewer opportunities for flying insects. But, I must remain vigilant. Ramses can surf the counters without even raising his head.

You can also allow them to dry outside on a breezy day. When I do that, I cover the fish on the grates with cheese cloth from my giant cheese cloth roll I have that I have no idea when or why it arrived in my studio. Now, I use it when I smoke my fish.

While the pellicle is forming, I start soaking the wood chips.

Now, into the smoker. I have three racks. I've rigged two additional smaller racks to hang under the top two racks. I really had a lot of fish this time. I was a little worried about adding the extra racks so I called Byron. He assured me the smoke would get to all the fish and I could make use of the space between the factory installed grates. I'll let you know.

The key is to put the thinner pieces on the top rack. In about an hour, I'll start checking the fish on the remaining racks for doneness (is that a word?) It's OK to remove fish from the top rack if it is done and leave the lower racks which have thicker fish on them. Do keep checking them often. It's easy to overcook. They will still be delicious, just not as moist as you might want them.



Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

My client called to ask about some handmade tile. I asked her to come by for dinner since she was coming from so far. Let's mange, OK. With that decided, it's off to the store for fresh romaine and other salady things. Mmmm, maybe some risotto to go with the Smoked Salmon Caesar. Back on a flash!

OMG ~ almost done.

Oh, yeah! We have lift-off! Meet you in the kitchen.

The dinner party that started out with one, ended up with six! The picture is less than to be hoped for but the Smoked Salmon Caesar salad? Divine! You know it is good when people offer to help empty the smoker. Then, they crowd around as you bring out each layer and take a piece to munch on as they go back to the kitchen. Oh, that makes me feel so good!

Wild Salmon is a clean and elegant food. Smoked Wild Salmon really is the food of the Gods.

Here is another capital "T" truth ~

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Hank Shaw has excellent step-by-step instructions. Between he and my friend, Byron, I  gained the confidence to try this amazing process. The truth is ~ it really is easy. Sure, it's time consuming, but . . . oh, the results! Heavenly

http://fishcooking.about.com/od/smokebrine/ss/smokingfish.htm

Day 8+ Everyday Grateful ~ friends over for dinner and eating freshly smoked wild salmon. Oh, dear ~ how wonderful is that!

Food of the Gods ~ Wild Smoked Salmon

For about fifteen years, I've been a vegetarian. Well, there is the whole "I do eat fish" thing, but, meat? Not so much. In fact, almost never. In the olden days, I really, really craved steak. Steers feared me. When I stopped eating beef, chicken, and pork, etc., I thought I would really miss it, but, I didn't. Quite the little surprise.

Several years ago, my friend, Barb the gourmand, called me to say she had read an article about the four or five types of eaters. Going over the list together, it was clear ~ I'm a repeat eater. I like knowing what my breakfast is, what it's going to taste like. It feels like a calm start to the day. Over time, I found I prefer savory to sweet and because I live in Seattle (I suppose) ~ fresh ground dark roast coffee prepared using a French press with whole milk. I like it best when the resulting colour matches, say, the "Moroccan Sand" paint chip I might have hanging around. Delicious and no surprises.

I started having smoked salmon with my fresh bagel, sliced tomato, capers and cream cheese many, many years ago. I used to buy Jensen's smoked salmon literally by the case at my local market. Their smoked wild salmon was delicious, well-priced and I liked supporting a local company. Then, they had a falling out with my market and I was left fending for myself.

While searching for a replacement, I found out there is some very bad smoked salmon on the market. Sheesh!

Now, here are the two capital "T" truths about smoked salmon: First, it must be wild caught. Farmed salmon is filthy and very, very bad for the environment. Second, no preservatives. The smoking process is the preservative. If the smoked salmon you buy has any of these two no-no's, don't buy it.

My own smoked wild salmon journey stated innocently enough.

Last spring, I was having a meeting with one of the members of my board at his home on Capitol Hill in Seattle. We sat at a small round table in his fully restored 100 year old kitchen and had fresh coffee and a small plate of smoked salmon. OMG ~ it was utterly delicious. When I asked him where he bought it, he said he smoked it himself. "It's not hard to do, you know."

Thus began my quest for perfect smoked salmon. Gawd, I'm such a little over-achiever! Researching ~ reading ~ talking with experts. After gathering all the information I could, I jumped in the deep end of all things wild salmon, but since, times are, in fact, tough, I started out with a used smoker on Craigslist. $40.



Four months later, a vacuum sealer from Craigslist. In the next few months, I'll get a small chest freezer for the garage. But, as I gather all my equipment, I keep smoking salmon. Batch after batch, I work on perfecting my marinade. Trial and error.

Last Christmas, I smoked eight wild salmon and gave smoked wild salmon for presents.

Today, I bought four wild Sockeye and brought them home. They averaged around 7# ~ bigger than I've been buying. So, I'm up to my eyes in marinating wild salmon. On Wednesday morning, I'll put them in the smoker. (It makes my mouth water just thinking about it.)

This year, I'm looking forward to buying directly from the tribes. My friend, Byron, buys 100# at a time, smokes it, seals it and has it for months from the freezer. He's going to take me to his special location to buy it directly. Can't wait. I'll keep you posted.

I'll post pictures of the salmon in the smoker so you can see how wonderful it is.

Day 6 Everyday Grateful ~ being confident, capable, resourceful ~ acquiring new skills, trying new things

If you care about the future, protect wild salmon. Everything our children need, wild salmon need ~ clean air, clean water, abundant food and a healthy place to live.

For more information ~ www.greatwildsalmonrun.org

Easter Sunday Brunch

My friend, Barb and I spend most holidays together. I spent Sunday with her to celebrate Easter. The first thing you should know is she is my best friend. I've known her for forty years. Holy Cow! That sounds like forever.

The other thing you should know is she isn't just a great cook (which she is), she an inspired gourmand. From planning the menu to shopping to preparation to presentation, this girl can jetté and pirouette around the kitchen like nobody's business. Everything she touches turns to culinary gold.

If you were lucky enough to dine at Barb and Rico's lakeside cottage, the first thing you would notice is that the kitchen is the center of their home. And, posted on the front of the refrigerator is the menu for the evening. I mean, really, how cool is that!





This is what we had on Sunday ~

Easter 2012

Appetizers

Triple Crème cheese with honey and crackers

Sushi with horseradish

Green olive tapenade, cream cheese and French bread 

Assorted marinated olives, mushrooms

Salad  Course

 Mixed lettuces, baby heirloom tomatoes,

Crumbled blue cheese ~ Jicama and egg

Homemade Salad Dressings

Honey Mustard Dressing ~ House Balsamic Dressing

 Entrée

 

Teriyaki salmon fillet    Standing Pork Rack

Mashed potatoes and cauliflower ~  Roasted asparagus

Yams whipped with maple syrup and shallots

Artichokes, grilled with aioli and pesto

Applesauce     Pork Gravy

Dessert

Pound cake deluxe with sliced strawberries,

whipped cream and custard in chilled glasses

Drizzled with semi-sweet chocolate

 

Drinks

Gin and tonic with limes

Gin and juice with oranges

Screwdriver ~ Bloody Mary ~ Whiskey Sour

Sparkling ciders

The entrées were wonderful. I don't eat meat but the standing pork rack looked wonderful. The salmon fillet was fantastic. And, oh so beautifully presented. I know, I know ~ there are no photos of the entrée. We were too busy eating, laughing and talking to stop for pictures.

Look at Barb's use of the darling orphan tea cup saucers for the butter. This is a fun and fanciful way to include a lonely saucer missing its cup in the festivities.

If you look closely at the brie, you will notice what looks like honey has been drizzled over it. Don't get scared! Barb and I learned about drizzling honey on brie from The Bear. Barb is Logan and The Bear's godmother. The Bear had just returned from spending the year in Florence when Barb and I traveled to Boston to see the boys. Before dinner, we had DOC Prosecco, brie and a baguette. After The Bear set the cheese board down on the coffee table, he drizzled raw honey over the brie. I have to say ~ my eyebrow nearly flew off the top of my head. And, then we tasted it. Heaven! Try it ~ it's so simple and delicious you may never eat brie plain again.

 

Also, the other thing I do want to mention is Barb is famous for her "tiny triples." Don't even think of signing anything after she hands you a drink.

When we come over to eat at Barb's, we know we will be bringing our appetites and our sense of adventure. Every meal she prepares is brilliant! And, when it is over, we will have spent an evening we will talk about for years.

Day 5 Everyday Grateful ~ dinner with those that I love.

Beautiful Goddess of the Garden

To paraphrase the great Rodgers and Hammerstein . . . Spring is Bustin' Out All Over

I was walking on my back deck between rain showers this morning and stopped to examine my pink dogwood. It's getting ready to bust!

Ah, dogwoods. Their beauty?
It's a mystery.

Beautiful goddess of the garden.
Translucent petals full of light.
Delicate. Elegant. Graceful.



They have no fragrance, look pretty dismal in the winter and are prone to breakage. And, don't even think of pruning them. When Joyce Kilmer said, "only God can make a tree," he should have mentioned, "Only God should prune a dogwood."













But, in the spring? Glorious when they bloom.

 

Oh, yes . . .

I have complete confidence pink dogwoods

line the path to Heaven

~ eternally in bloom.

The Impromptu Dinner Party

The first of last week, a client of mine came over to approve some handmade tile for a project. As we were chatting to coordinate the visit, I invited her to dinner.

"You are coming a long way. Please stay for dinner. It will be no big deal ~ homemade macaroni and cheese, Caesar salad, a baguette and some red wine."

As we lingered over dinner, she mentioned that her birthday was next week; that she was not looking forward to it and could she spend it with me.

"Absolutely," I said. "Let me work out the details and we'll set it up." In the interim, a friend of a friend sent me an email ~ Heidi – why am I only now discovering your blog? It’s fabulous and I’m subscribed so I can get all your decorating secrets. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the kitchen cabinet fix up! Someday I want you to invite me to come see your house so I can copy all your brilliant ideas.  XOXO  Liz

All week long as I met with friends and close colleagues, I invited them to come for dinner. I invited Byron on the way back from the Elwha Dam removal documentary. I called my friend, Audrey, on Bainbridge to see if she was going to be in town. Then, Karen and her husband, Ron. In my brain, it started out as four and, as the week wore on, it ended up with eight.

What to fix? Comfort food. It's been raining like hell all week. Beyond drizzle. As I watched the rain sheet down the windows, I thought ~ potato soup with celery and artichokes with maybe some freshly smoked salmon crumbled on it, some crusty bread, some brie, wine.

I went to the store and bought a whole wild-caught Sockeye salmon, had it filleted, brought it home and grilled it on a cedar plank. Pink and smoky. Oh, yum! The potato soup was easy. While I don't consider myself such a red-hot cook, I do have lovely dishes and they just don't get out enough. So, I brought out the demitasse, the liqueur glasses, the Majolica cabbage soup tureen, the linen napkins ~ the whole shootin' match.

Byron brought an apple strudel pie just warm out of his oven. Laura brought a wonderful chocolate number and a couple of quarts of nice ice cream. Everyone brought a nice bottle of wine. And, we celebrated not just one but two birthdays ~ Laura, my client and Audrey, my dear friend.

At the end of my shopping trip, I had stopped at the store and bought everyone a lottery ticket and tucked it under each plate. Much hilarity ensued. We might be dining with a multimillionaire. What would you do with the money?

The impromptu dinner party? A group of strangers met for dinner and left as friends. At the end of the evening, we were discussing a monthly dinner party. I've always wanted to do that. I'll keep you posted.

Isn't a refrigerator just a refrigerator?

Stars and Standouts ~ pretty much when you’ve seen one refrigerator, you’ve seen them all. Sure you need to decide on price and features and door panels vs. painted finishes but mostly a refrigerator is a refrigerator is a refrigerator except when it’s a . . .

Smeg ~ www.smeg.com Ultra cool, retro refrigerator. Perfect for your mid-century classic, your 1930’s bungalow, your 1914 Craftsman, your 1932 brick Tudor or your wonderful Victorian. Loads of darling colors. Don’t you need a celadon refrigerator? OK, OK, how about poppy red? I especially like the fact that all the model numbers start with FAB!

At about $2000.00, it’s a lot of bang for your designing buck. If you need a big honker, this is not the refrigerator for you. But, if you need a show stopping design element for your kitchen remodel, it is way less than that $20,000 French enamel stove you’ve been lusting after. I mean really, when was the last time your friends said, “Wow, what a cool refrigerator?”

I'm staying with my rich cousin in the Hamptons. Tell me about his refrigerator.

The fully integrated refrigerator/freezer is the “rich cousin living in the Hamptons” of the built-in refrigerator. This is best suited for the custom, bespoke kitchen. It is completely flush and hidden behind full height cabinet doors.

It’s perfect for the right project and the client with the dough . . . lots of dough. And, staff would be nice.

Manufacturers include: Dacor, Electrolux, GE, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Liebherr, Northland, Thermador, Viking

Deciding on a built-in refrigerator / freezer?

The built-in refrigerator/freezer is the ultimate in luxury. It is also the most expensive of the refrigerator styles. You can expect to spend several hundred to several thousand dollars more than a comparable free-standing unit. As more and more of you are investing in the construction and aesthetic details of your kitchen, you are choosing built-in models for your refrigerator and freezer. For years, the design professionals’ choice was Subzero. With the boom in luxury construction of the past two decades, other manufacturers have entered the market.

Built-in refrigerator/freezer units blend with the custom cabinets. Because their depth was designed to be shallower than free standing refrigerators, the built-in units align with the cabinet faces and make a more seamless appearance. Because of the custom nature of this refrigerator, it has the widest range of interior options available.

Besides the extra costs involved in this purchase, keep in mind that should a replacement become necessary, cabinets may have to be retrofitted making the costs much higher than the replacement of a free-standing unit. Other than that, go enjoy your new sexy refrigerator!

The widths range for 36” to 72.9” + custom. The depths range from 22” to 25.9” + custom depths. The heights range from 69” to 84.9” + custom.

Tell me more about the freezer on the bottom refrigerator.

The bottom freezer style is the third type. It solved the “large tray” storage problem and puts fresh food at eye level. It is most like the built-in look of the more expensive brands like Subzero.

The freezer section is available in door or drawer configurations. You can expect better energy efficiency with a bottom freezer compared with a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer. Depending on the model and manufacturer, it is available with ice makers, ice/water/light in the door and various bins with adjustable temperature and humidity and lots of other bells and whistles.


The widths range for 19” to 48.9”. The depths range from 22” to 35.9”. The heights range from 63” to 84.9”.

Manufacturers include: Amana, Bosch, Dacor, Electrolux, Fisher Paykel, GE, Hotpoint, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, LG, Liebherr, Maytag, Northland, Samsung, Thermador, Viking, Whirlpool

What do you need to know about a side-by-side refrigerator/ freezer?

The original style side-by-side refrigerator/ freezer available in both standard depth and counter depth was next. Depending on the model and manufacturer, this style is available with ice makers, ice/water/light in the door and various bins with adjustable temperature and humidity and lots of other bells and whistles. It is the preferred replacement model of choice as people transition from the top freezer model. Unfortunately, it continues to be a problem for storing large platters.

The widths range for 30” to 72.9”. The depths range from 22” to 35.9” + custom. The heights range from 63” to 84.9” + custom.

Manufacturers include: Amana, Bosch, Dacor, Electrolux, Fisher Paykel, GE, Hotpoint, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, LG, Liebherr, Maytag, Northland, Samsung, Thermador, Viking, Whirlpool

The Classic Top Freezer Refrigerator

Generally, there are four major configurations preferred by American consumers. The original classic top freezer refrigerator was first produced by GE after the war continues to be the staple of the mass market American kitchen. It is an excellent value. It provides the largest amount of storage in the least amount of space at the lowest price. It is now available with many features found in more expensive configurations, such as: automatic ice makers, ice and water in the door and bins with adjustable temperature and humidity, gallon door storage, dual interior lighting systems, up front or illuminated temperature controls, ADA compliant.

It is the least expensive of all the refrigerator styles.

Depending on the model and manufacturer, upscale versions of this style have adjustable glass shelves, humidity controlled crispers, freezer baskets, deli and snack drawers, “supercool superfreeze”, wine rack, hidden hinges, full extension drawers, interior or exterior filtered ice and water, icemaker, adjustable door bins, electronic controls, custom overlay panels, self-closing freezer door, ADA compliant, gallon door storage, door alarm.

The widths range for 19” to 41.9” + custom. The depths range from 18” to 31.9” + custom. The heights range from 18” to 84.9” + custom.

Manufacturers include: Amana, Avanti, Danby, Estate, Frigidaire, GE, Gladiator, Hotpoint, KitchenAid, Marvel, Maytag, Northland (pricy), Smeg (who? See future post!), Whirlpool, Woods.