My Latest Thrift Shop Find

I found this large basket last week while thrifting.

The scale is perfect for my farmtable.

It took a while for me to find the perfect spot. I just bought this lovely handmade basket because I liked it. Actually it has resulted in being a catchall for all the junk that is usually spread all over my table and I don't see how I ever lived without this big, deep basket. The $10.00 price was right too🥰

I cleaned it out yesterday after one week and threw out 90% of what had collected. It was mostly grocery store circulars and junk mail. I am thrilled with this great "find" and more thrilled with having a neat table!!!! xo

I don't think this was a commercially made basket but possibly one of a kind. I just found this maker's mark or signature -- JPS

Hunt Board & Art Wall in My Kitchen's Nook under Attic Stairs

I am standing in front of the door that opens into my kitchen off the vestibule. The Dutch door for my office/pantry is behind me. You can see a corner of my farm table in lower right corner. The shiny thing on right is my refrigerator. This little nook is another favorite area in my cottage that evolved over the years. The sideboard was my mother's and was in her apartment downstairs until she died in 2012. We bought it together at an estate sale in Madison,NJ. We toured the sale, I bought a few things, and when we got in the car I asked her if she wanted the sideboard for her room with the sliding glass door and she immediately said YES. We rushed back and bought it ($100.00) just in the nick of time before another person said she wanted it but we were already in negotiations and had paid!!!!!! My mother used it in her sitting room and loved it. I love it too! It's just the right scale for this nook with a low ceiling. The back wall is clad in old wood that was attic flooring salvaged when the roof of my kitchen was raised during the renovation. The lamps with blue silk shades came from a local estate sale. 

I have been gathering things all week for a Girl Scout Textile Drive at a nearby elementary school. I cleaned out stored linens and blankets and used clothing. The girls were young and very enthusiastic about the volume I collected. They were going to sort for the homeless and donate the rest for textile bundling to be picked up and made into rag rugs. I hope they do this again next year. Such a worthy cause and so easy to drop off. This is my favorite kind of recycling and donating.

Have a great weekend. xo

My Kitchen and Presidents' Day

This is one of my favorite photos of my kitchen. A few things have changed -- there is now a microwave on the counter to the left of my tall case clock. The electrical outlet behind the artwork on an easel was faulty and I finally had an electrician fix it along with a few others outside a while back. My kitchen table was a mess all weekend but I finished my taxes and am in the process of clearing it off again. 

Washington’s Birthday by Charles Baugniet, 1878 

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Read an interesting article in this link 

WHY WE HONOR GEORGE WASHINGTON 

When I was in school, we celebrated George Washington's and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays separately but now they are grouped together for Presidents' Day in order to have a long weekend.

George Washington February 22, 1732

Abraham Lincoln February 12, 1809

Have a great Monday.

xo

Sunday Morning around My Cottage

Filtered sun streaming in my windows.

Try as I may and try as I might, I simply cannot stop myself from piling things on my farmtable. This half is opposite my vestibule which is unheated. I always take of my shoes and start dumping at this end.😂

I took this photo late Saturday just before sundown. I liked the way my kitchen polished chrome sink faucet shines but nothing else shows.

My birds keep me busy refilling their feeder. All perches are occupied and a little chickadee patiently waits his turn.

Enjoy your Sunday.

xo

First You Chop an Onion

This system never fails me. I made the most delicious pot of soup yesterday. I always roughly chop a big onion and see where it takes me. Then I chopped two stalks of celery, half a red bell pepper, peeled and diced a sweet potato, and sautéed these items in avocado oil in my heavy soup pot.  While that was going on, I dumped a large can of whole peeled tomatoes in juice into a mixing bowl. I roughly chopped the tomatoes into chunks using kitchen shears. Yes, I actually picked up each whole tomato and cut it into chunks with scissors! I had been stirring the veggies too. When I finished the tomatoes, I added them to the pot plus a can or two of water. When that came to a boil. I added 1/2 a bag of frozen cut okra. I love okra in vegetable soup but I don't always have it on hand. The last batch I made didn't have it and it was good too. I added two bouillon cubes and a generous amount of Worcester Sauce and sprinkled a lot of Goya All Purpose Seasoning on top. I filled with water almost to the top and brought it up to a boil. Then I put a lid on top and simmered it for a while until the sweet potatoes were done. I sat down with a big bowl and went back for seconds for my dinner last night. I will have it for lunch today and dinner too. You can use any vegetables you want. And keep adding more when the volume goes down after a few meals. I might add a big white potato cut into chunks tomorrow. I have frozen peas and frozen corn I could add also but for now I love the current mix of veggies I used yesterday. Are you a soup lover too. I usually have to add a little salt to each bowl to get it seasoned perfectly for my taste. 

I heated it up this morning.

I got this small Le Creuset Dutch Oven at a garage sale long ago for almost no money. It was missing its lid and needed a good scrubbing. I thought I had a glass lid at home that might fit and I did! This is my GO TO soup pot.

Now I can't wait until lunch!

I shouldn't have heated it up so early.

The house smells delicious.

xo

Still Life Saturday in My Kitchen

A grouping of some favorite things on my kitchen counter.

A French Faience lamp with a shade I made.

A Dutch bulb forcing pot.

A white lidded container found while thrifting.

A rosemary cutting rooted in water, just repotted.

Have a great weekend. xo

Dish Towel Dryer Christmas Tree

It was an afterthought to hang ornaments from my vintage dish towel dryer in the kitchen.

I think it will become a Christmas tradition because I love it.

🎄🎄🎄

New Kitchen Counter Arrangement in My Cottage

Sorry I missed my daily posting yesterday. I was busy scrubbing down the full bathroom in the basement. I did a lot and haven't finished quite yet but it looks amazing. I had an office meeting this morning and when I got home my electricians appeared just a few minutes after returned home and I parked my car. 

I had a list for them and they efficiently solved all of my problems in an hour's time. I had two GFI outlets in my kitchen that haven't worked for ages and I am thrilled to have them back. I had to completely rearrange the counter space to the left of my sinks and I am very pleased. I haven't had outside lights for almost a year and I kept putting off the repair. That was all fixed too. 

My basement door is just around the corner from the portrait you see on the left. The rest of my living room leads to the hallway for two bedrooms and a full bath. I am feeling good about my productivity this week and it's only Tuesday afternoon. xo

Huntboard Nook in My Kitchen

This is a corner of my kitchen, snapped this morning, that backs up to my attic staircase. My refrigerator is to the right and above that is a lookout window from my attic into the kitchen below. There are interior shutters if I want to close it off for any reason but I usually leave them open. It helps with the airflow when the central air is running and in the winter, the rising heat helps keep it warmer up there. Last night's rain from Henri wasn't too bad and for that I am so very grateful. Be safe if you are in the eye of the storm today. xo

My Kitchen This Morning

I took this photo of my kitchen standing in the doorway next to my attic door and this viewpoint shows my ceiling beams and lighting fixture as well as the shiplap boards. This was 2 rooms (a dining room and small galley kitchen) when I purchased my cottage in 2001. The attic space above was too low to stand up so I decided to incorporate it into my country kitchen. These beams are old floorboards from that space and I have never regretted this decision. The cabinet top over my stove in the corner was the old ceiling height and if I had not vaulted the ceiling I wouldn't have been able to stand my tall case clock anywhere. This was a happy accident. August is half over and I still have so much to do. Onward and upward! xo

Click here for Other views of my kitchen showing the ceiling.

Soaking My Black-eyed Peas for New Year's Day

I am soaking my black-eyed peas for a traditional New Year's Day meal with collard greens and cornbread. It looks like it will be enough for an army, doesn't it? This is a pyrex 8-cup measure and just one bag of beans. Looks like plenty will go in the freezer and that's a good thing. Enjoy your New Year's Eve. xo

Missy Went Home

Missy went home in the pouring rain yesterday but I still have her crate in my kitchen. Weather permitting, she will be back this weekend. I think the only real downside to having a dog again is the deer tick situation at my house and maybe being forced to go outside in really bad weather. I am happy for now just being a dog sitter for a good dog like Missy.

Are you a picture reader? Did you know I always add the photos from my blog to Pinterest? Take a look here. If you see a photo you like, click on it and it will take you to the blog post. My Pinterest name is contentcottage because they limit the number of characters you can use.

Happy December! xo

Sourdough Breadcrumbs

My 1973 Cuisinart is still working perfectly and made wonderful sourdough breadcrumbs for casserole toppings.

I never throw away glass jars and here is my breadcrumb stash to prove it. Pay no attention to the sprouting onion in the background.

Baking Sourdough English Muffins

I baked sourdough English muffins yesterday and they were easy and good but way too small. They look pretty normal in the photo but the are more like sea biscuits in real life, but good. The recipe called for a 3 inch cutter and that's what I used. My mother used to use tuna cans with the bottoms cut out. They don't make the cans that way anymore and you cannot cut out the bottoms. I just transferred the muffins from the griddle to this pan for the photo. To see more photos, go to my Instagram where I posted three photos. Use the forward arrow on a computer or swipe on phone or iPad. The jonquils were planted by my mother and I love seeing them sway from my kitchen window in a new garden where I transplanted them. xo

Oatmeal Muffins Using Minimum Ingredients

Here is a photo of one of my oatmeal muffins on a cupcake stand, a Christmas gift from Stacey Snacks long ago. Here is the muffin recipe I found online. I really like it because it is so flexible for these times. It uses a minimum amount of sugar and oil and there are numerous substitutions if you are out of anything. Uses no baking powder, only baking soda. Almost all of the ingredients you will probably already have on hand plus there are many add-ons too for variety. This is just the basic recipe and my muffin is a basic one too, but delicious.

Ingredients: start preheating oven set to 425°
1 cup milk (almond, soy or rice milk works great too) I used my homemade soymilk yogurt.
1 cup quick-cooking oats or 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (off-brand works perfectly and they are no different from the name-brand) I used old-fashioned oats
1 egg (or 1/4 cup of mashed banana or 1 tablespoon ground flax seed mixed with 2-3 tablespoons of water) I used an egg
1/4 cup vegetable oil or 1/4 cup canola oil I used Avocado Oil. Otherwise I would have used oiive oil.
1 cup all-purpose flour (or wheat flour) I used whole wheat flour
1/4 cup white sugar I used organic sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon I also added 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°f (220°c). Grease or spray 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. I just oiled my muffin pan with avocado oil and a pastry brush.
In a small bowl (I used a 4-cup pyrex measuring cup), combine milk and oats. Soak for 15 minutes. I used this same cup for the other wet ingredients after the 15 minute soak to save dirty bowls.
In a separate bowl, beat together egg and oil; stir in oatmeal mixture. In a third bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients, just until combined. I never sift anything but stir with a wisk. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups until cups are 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated 425° oven for 15-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. 20 minutes was perfect in my oven.

Still Life Saturday

Still life with raspberries and cherries
Eloise Harriet Stannard (English 1829-1915)
via

Still life at my kitchen sink.
Posted on Instagram here.
*Baby pilea plant.
*Antique opera glasses for looking out my kitchen window in style.
*Antique porcelain funnel.
*Old one-cup porcelain coffee filter.
*Happy Easter rabbit dish picked up at a resale shop.

Happy Saturday and have a great weekend. xo

My Kitchen Today

I had some good sunlight shining on my farm table after lunch today. I had three pots of rosemary plants overwintering on the counter where my TV used to be but they died from neglect during the Christmas season. Thankfully, I still have a giant plant that is thriving in my pantry. Yesterday I moved some cookbooks to that spot and I'm loving the new look. I had an old wooden bookstand that I could never find a use for -- until yesterday and I'm so glad I didn't donate it. I moved all the cookbooks I reach for first to this location and I'm going to make pumpkin muffins with raisins later today thanks to the new area. Click photo to enlarge.

New year, New look.

Windsor Chairs Around My Farm Table

This is a previously posted photo showing the old bentwood chairs around my farm table. They came with my cottage and have served me well. I recently found a set of 4 handmade windsor chairs and I snapped them up. I had two more in a different style for the two ends.

This is the same view as the first photo only for some reason I had my phone's camera set on square. The Fan-Back Windsors on either end were already in my collection. I was friends with the man who made them. The new chairs on either side of my farm table are the thrift shop finds.

I had the overhead lights on for this view. Don't my new Bow-Back Windsor chairs look fabulous against my wide board floors and with the black hardware on my cabinets? They look right at home with the two chairs I already owned. I cannot imagine why anyone would get rid of these authentic reproduction windsor chairs, handmade in New Hampshire, but I am glad they did. 

My mother moved in my cottage full time in the summer of 2003 and I moved in after selling my old house in mid-winter 2004. It has taken me 15 years to get my kitchen just right but patience is my super power. Have a great Labor Day. It is a rainy day here at my cottage and I am thankful to get to stay inside all day long and take it easy. I have been on a cleaning/organizing tangent (again) and the insides of my cupboards are finally the way I want them. I still have to deal with my basement before Thursday when my new washing machine arrives. But today I shall watch movies and do fun things inside. xo

Unboxing My Surprise Gift from A Blog Follower

An antique English Ironstone soap dish and two mystery boxes tied with bunny ribbon.

A natural bristle nail brush and a bar of Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Soap. It is infused with rosemary, sage and time and has fine pumice to gently clean my gardening hands.

The verse on my card is sweet. "It is often difficult to tell if a hedgehog is ticklish. If you try, you're more likely to find him pricklish."

I rearranged the cleaning supplies I leave in plain view on the counter behind my double farm sink and now I am ready for spring garden cleanup too. I always wear gloves when I work outside but I also manage to get my hands very dirty when I take them off for fine work. I already had the Gardeners Hand Scrub and my old nail brush was too embarrassing to leave out. I am fanatical about clean nails and I adore this new brush. Thank you, Katherine for such thoughtful gifts in appreciation of my blog. I am also impressed that you were able to find my address at the office. Some of the associates at my meeting yesterday wanted me to open the gifts right away but I decided to wait and open them for you and my other faithful blog followers and friends after I got home. Today's post was fun to prepare and present. xo

Christmas Decor on My Farm Table

I bought these pomegranates several months ago at an estate sale with this arrangement in mind.

They are artificial but they look pretty real and they are frosted too. In person, they look as if they are sprinkled with fine sugar. Last year I had a table top tree in the center of my table but I like this arrangement much better. It is simple but effective and it only took five minutes. Yay!