Summer Fizz
Friday, May 13, 2011
Want a fizzy fix? Pick up a 2 liter of club soda. Make a simple syrup of 1 cup of water & 1 cup of sugar. Heat the simple syrup until sugar is dissolved, let it cool. Add a tablespoon or two of syrup to a glass of club soda. Since I had strawberries on hand and an abundance of mint leaves, in the glass they went!
Be creative--fresh squeezed lime, basil leaves or anything else that floats your boat this summer........
{Way less calories than regular soda and good for the kids too!}
Oh, and the simple syrup will keep in the fridge for a month--
xo
k
Posted by McMaster & Storm at 12:52 PM 2 comments
Labels: Good Eats
Ice cream!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
It is the dog days of summer------head to the freezer section and grab some pints of dairy delights! {a current fave, pistachio ice cream at meijer}
Grab some vintage music sheets and wrap around containers.....tie with pink ribbon.......
Signage, bowls and wooden spoons to serve.........
Garnish with mint and this is sure to hit the spot, spot today...........
Posted by McMaster & Storm at 7:18 AM 5 comments
Labels: Good Eats, inspiration
Visions of Sugarplums
Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Posted by McMaster & Storm at 5:26 PM 5 comments
A Grey Kitchen
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A grey kitchen, let's peek inside! Homeowner went from an out-dated kitchen with white metal cabinets to a kitchen of English design in which she was inspired by English Home magazine. She collaborated with a very talented kitchen cabinet maker that "understood" & got it when she told him she wasn't into a kitchen that looked too "new". The house is early 1900's and the kitchen needs to fit with the architecture. Many people shuddered at the idea of her grey cabinets, but after it was all said and done, the color is a winner. {homeowner wanted grey cabinets for a very long time}The kitchen was completely gutted and the cabinet maker was talented enough to be the contractor for the entire kitchen. From start to finish, he was there to the end!






















Countertop: {vintage marble on island} Caesar Stone
Posted by McMaster & Storm at 5:50 AM 6 comments
Labels: antiques, Good Eats, House and Home, Magazines, Remodeling, Sneak Peek, Supplies
Dining Al Fresco
Wednesday, July 1, 2009








Posted by McMaster & Storm at 7:27 PM 4 comments
The Shop Girls Cook
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
We love to cook, main dishes that is but we actually made a fruit crisp as well. All this web-site building has made us well, pretty hungry. Also, we have never met a sauce we didn't like. We sell cookbooks every now & then at the store. We love' em!
I discovered this gal in our House Beautiful,
Susan Spicer a chef out of New Orleans. So we decided to tackle this main dish by her.
Enjoy!
*I added peach crisp recipe @ the end
Herb-Roasted Lamb Loin with Goat Cheese and Zinfandel Sauce
Serves 4 Prep time: about 45minutes
{*We subsituted a flat iron steak for the lamb loin.}
Goat Cheese Filling
3 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
1/4 pound pancetta, diced and cooked until crisp
2 tablespoons diced marinated sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence or fresh herbs of your choice i.e. rosemary, thyme or basil
1 garlic clove, minced
This filling can be made one day in advance. Using a fork, combine goat cheese, pancetta, tomatoes, herbs, and garlic in a small bowl. Chill the mixture for a few minutes to allow the flavors to meld. When ready to use it, let the cheese mixture soften slightly at room temp.
Zinfandel Sauce
1 cup Zinfandel or full-flavored red wine
1 medium shallot, finely minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary, or a combo
2 cups lamb stock (or substitute chicken stock) I used canned
2 tablespoons butter, cut in four pieces
salt and pepper
Place the wine, shallot, and herb in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup of liquid. Remove the herb sprigs.
Whisk in the butter, 1 piece at a time. The sauce should be glossy and slightly syrupy (but not so thick that it sticks your lips together; add a tablespoon or two of hot water if it gets too thick). Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Lamb (or a flat iron steak in our case)
1 1/2 pounds boneless lamb loin,
cut into 4 ( 6-ounce) portions
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
Goat cheese filling
Zinfandel sauce
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Sear the lamb on both sides for a minute or so, to brown, and then reduce the heat and cook each side 3-4 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and rest. You may serve the loins whole or sliced, with equal portions of the goat cheese mixture crumbled along the top and Zinfandel sauce spooned over it.
Fresh Peach Crisp
Yield: 12 Servings
Crisp
5-6 cups peeled and sliced peaches (about 6 large) ok this is March in Ohio and there is no peaches around so I found in the canned section freestone peaches, now my mother goes ga-ga over these in the summer and when they come up from Georgia--she loves this variety of peaches. I thought this was a good pick & used two large cans of these.
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup dry cooking oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks margarine, melted
Vanilla Creme Fraiche
1 8oz. container sour creme or creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place peach slices in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan. sprinkle w/ sugar
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add margarine and mix well. Spoon evenly over fruit.
Bake 40-50 minutes. Serve warm with Vanilla creme fraiche or icecream
To make Vanilla creme fraiche, place creme fraiche in a medium bowl. Add seeds from vanilla bean. Stir in sugar. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or up to 3 days. Serve w/ fresh fruit or fruit desserts.
Posted by McMaster & Storm at 4:32 AM 3 comments
Labels: Good Eats
Monday morning coffee
Monday, February 25, 2008
Kara loves coffee, but early morning coffee in her cup requires creamer. Darcy can have hers black with a little bit of sugar. Kara is out of creamer this cold Monday morning, ---sigh. Some random pictures to warm us up!
Posted by McMaster & Storm at 4:44 AM 6 comments
Labels: Good Eats, Pretty Packaging