From Breakfast Room to Boudoir, Penthouse to Pool House…and everything in between!

A sampling of the Lafco "House and Home" Candle Collection

(l to r: Master Bathroom: Marine, Game Room: Blue Bamboo, Media Room: Spike Lavender)

How you doing on candles? Let me guess – you’ve got a few choice ones scattered around your place? A couple on the mantle for decoration, your new favorite one on the coffee table, a few votives near the bathtub (because you envision yourself taking baths by candlelight)? And then a drawer or cabinet full of the ones you’re currently sick of. Something like that, right?

You may even go through phases with candles. I know I have! Discovered them initially for my college apartments. Then I went on to work at Pier 1 Imports for a while. And let me tell you – the last thing a candle-loving 21-year-old needs is an employee discount on candles. Let’s just say I amassed a collection! Then on to Party-lite candle parties. . . It was out-of-control there for a while. And then I lost interest in candles.

Sure, I’d still sniff every candle in a store (and still do), but for the longest time, nothing “wowed” me. “Practical E” was always in my head telling me I had plenty of candles at home to light and love.

Then along came the “House and Home” Collection by Lafco.

Before I commence with the love fest, I should get this off my chest: these were part of Oprah’s “favorite things” last year. And I got a little uppity because I figured everyone would think that I jumped on the Lafco bandwagon because of Oprah. No people, no. In the most immature, obnoxious way, I’m here to say, “E discovered them first!” But thanks, O, for agreeing with me. :)

Annnnywayyyyy….the candles! You know I’m going to say they’re great and worth every penny! They are soy-based wax candles, with a natural cotton wick, housed in a wide hand-blown glass jar (approx. 4” x 4”) that’s pretty just sitting there doing nothin’. A 16oz candle will yield about 90 hours of burning. Retail is $55. I currently own “Kitchen: Cilantro Orange.” I tend to move a lot and it’s made sense in every kitchen I’ve had it in. And you know why it makes sense in every kitchen? Because it was designed for the kitchen; it’s in the “Fragrance Floorplan.”

Yes! You heard me! There is a Fragrance Floorplan! And let’s pause for a moment to discuss the Fragrance Floorplan, shall we? Um, it’s F-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! I need you to picture me reaching through your computer screen, grabbing you by the shoulders, and sticking the Fragrance Floorplan in your face. And then I’d tell you to take a good long look at it, concluding that yes, it’s the coolest thing you’ve seen all week! (Link to the coolest thing you’ve seen all week – when you’re done reading this – below.)

I’m going to go ahead and put this Fragrance Floorplan up near the tippy-top of my “loves.” Other companies may woo you with fragrance and packaging (which, don’t get me wrong, will often work for me), but Lafco doesn’t stop there. The Fragrance Floorplan gives these beautiful candles a story. They were thought about and planned for. They were incorporated.

As if all of this weren’t enough, a sub-group of the “House and Home” Collection is the “Dream Home Candles” Collection. Oh yes, a candle for your ski lodge, a candle for your beach house, a candle for your ranch house, and a candle for your treehouse (yep!). On and on the options go…..

So, buy yourself a Lafco candle. Buy one for a friend. Lafco candle(S!) would make a GREAT housewarming gift - - you could buy for several rooms of the house and put them in a great basket! Or, best of all - - buy a TON of them for a wedding gift. I am waiting for just the right people to get married so I can gift them a boat-load of room-specific candles, setting the tone for their blissful, tasteful, beautiful, Lafco life together. (I’m corny, but I’m serious!)

The very least you could do is follow this link so you can see the Fragrance Floorplan in all its glory, hovering over all the rooms, then moving on to see the “Dream Home” collection. Look. And Love.

The "Fragrance Floorplan": http://www.lafcony.com/hh/floorplan.php

- E

p.s. If you find yourself in New York City, visit the Lafco collections at Santa Maria Novella on Lafayette St. in SoHo. It’s a beautiful store full of beautiful things!

PB + J [J is for Justin]

Oh, Justin - - you and your nut butters! You and your squeeze packs!

Take any kind of food. Divvy it up and make “travel-size,” “to-go,” “snack-size,” or “minis” and I’m probably going to buy it. Why? Well, because it’ll probably make my haphazard lunch-packing easier. And they make portion-control, well, happen….

So there I am, about a year ago, taking my time in the aisles of a giant, clean, quiet, Whole Foods store near my new home when I get to the peanut butter section. Keep in mind that I force myself to buy the organic, natural stuff now because I’ve been convinced, but I remain annoyed that I have to keep the stuff refrigerated (I don’t like how it hardens and isn’t as easy to spread). And I turn a sour face every time I have to stir a layer of oil with ¾ of a jar full of what amounts to dry nuts. But I digress. Back to Whole Foods, circa July 2010. I find these:

That’s right - - little packs of nut butters. Multiple flavors. Squeeze ‘em instead of stir. Fridge not needed. Justin – you rocked my shopping cart that day! And for the past year, I’ve never not had a box of Justin’s Nut Butter in my cupboard!

I’ll skip past the convenience factor; I’m sure you get it. Instead, let’s get to the flavors. (By the way, the company’s high standards mean the highest quality, locally sourced, natural and organic ingredients for you.) The Almond Butter is available plain, or with chocolate, honey, or maple. The Peanut Butter is available plain, or with chocolate, honey, or hazelnut. I’ve tried them all and can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t do the same! My favorite is Honey Almond on toast. But I also really enjoy Maple Almond on a banana. I was reading about “Team Justin” on the company’s website. Lance Gentry (President of the company) likes to put Maple Almond Butter on cinnamon rice cakes. Now that I know cinnamon rice cakes exist, I’m going to hunt them down so I can try this!

And it turns out I am going to belabor the convenience factor. . . How great that you can throw one of these in your bag, along with a banana, apple, rice cake, crackers, etc. and go?! As soon as I reach my desk in the morning, I forget that I have food shoved in my bag so things that won’t spoil on me are great! Remember how I said I hated having to deal with the oil/nut separation? Well, herein lies the genius of the packets: I give that little pack a few squeezes and done! Moms – this is a no-brainer. Picnic-goers, same. Portable protein; it’s perfect! Ooooh, and here’s an added tip – when you’re at the grocery store and you see the little boxes on display that the packets come in, I don’t know how the grocery store people feel about this, but I shuffle packs around and leave with an actual box full of the packs I want. Easy storage/display for you once you get home!

Individual 1.15oz packs retail for about $1 each, and I always find them at Whole Foods. For those of you who enjoy a good old jar of peanut butter that you can dig a spoon into every once in a while, Justin’s got you covered. Sixteen-ounce jars range from $6 to $10, depending on the flavor. I see the jars at most mainstream grocery store chains these days.

Time for some links:

#1 On Justin’s “Nut House” page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and take the very brief survey they link to. YOU COULD WIN A CASE OF NUT BUTTER!!! I think it would be really cool if one of my readers won because not only would they enjoy their prize, but it would prove that people read this blog of mine and actually follow links. Let’s see who’s actually still with me! [insert smiley face]
http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/nuthouse.php

#2 Here’s a link to “Nuts Near You”:
http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/shop.php

#3 Here’s a link to the Justin’s e-store (where I discovered that they now carry Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups!!!):
http://justinsnutbutter.elsstore.com/

Ok, you know what to do! Enjoy!

- E

Handwriting, Ink.

LePen

Before the dawn of big “office stores” and online retailers, there were independent office supply stores. Growing up, I loved tagging along with my dad when he’d go to “the office supply store.” The place smelled like fresh paper and just-vacuumed carpet. And I loved the pen aisle. Gobs and pens and markers to choose from and a large piece of paper on which to try them all out.

Today, if I’m in an art supply store, I’m in the pen aisle! I smile at the sight of those honeycomb-like containers playing host to a rainbow of color options and an array of tip styles. But I will always leave the store with a LePen. These delicate little pens are narrow and extremely light. The ink doesn’t bleed beyond the lines I draw. It knows its place. A LePen provides just the right amount of ink per stroke when you’re addressing an envelope. Superfine writing at its best!

And believe me, I use LePen(s) a lot. I may be an email machine during the day, and check in on the Blackberry at night, but when it comes to communicating something special and sincere, I appreciate hand-written notes…..more than you know! A medium-sized box on a bookshelf houses special cards and notes I’ve received over the years. And a long buffet drawer in my living room holds a collection of stationery and carefully selected greeting cards I will one day send. Altogether it’s a testament to my belief that there is something very dear in the classic pen*-meets-paper way of communicating. (*Pen, of course, being LePen.)

Aside from art supply nuts and parents with young kids (and thus plastic bins full of thick markers), not a lot of adults branch out beyond Bic and Sharpie. But maybe you should.

Eggs-actly Right!

Last week, a friend asked me for suggestions for things she could take to a weekend picnic. The first thing that came out of my mouth: Deviled Eggs. Funny that I’d say that since I’ve never made deviled eggs for a picnic. But I do know they’re always a hit. My mother makes them for potlucks year-round!

So between that picnic discussion and the egg salad I ate all last week (thanks to a sudden inheritance of a dozen eggs that were going to go to waste), eggs were top-of-mind.

And the smart thing to do is to share with you my go-to, never-fail, perfect-every-time “recipe” for making hard-boiled eggs. Devil them up, chop ‘em up for a salad, or just add pepper . . . whatever the end-result, here’s how to start:

(Oh, and ALL credit goes to Martha Stewart! This is all Martha, from the indispensable reference book that is “The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics,” p. 571.)


PERFECT HARD-BOILED EGGS

The foolproof method will ensure that you have bright-yellow yolks with no darkened edges, which is a sign that the eggs have been overcooked:
• Place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and place over high heat.
• Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat, and cover. Let the eggs stand for 13 minutes.
• Drain, and place in cold water until cool.
• Peel.


Oh, summer picnics and summer salads. So nice!

- E
(I promise to be back to an actual “product” next time!)

Ode to Farmers' Markets

A little heart tomato.

I heart farmers' markets. Especially of the Saturday morning variety.

I love the little white tents. I love the friendly, smiley vendors. I love all the people who come out to support "buying local." From the eye-catching displays at the market tables to the visual and edible feast I enjoy at home, it's all so good and gorgeous.

Today, simply a visual essay: At Home with the Best of Today's Market Goods

Yes, I spent $28 on heirloom tomatoes!

Two types of kale.

A crusty Italian baguette. I see Sunday morning French toast in my future!

And finally, poppies!

Shop local. Love farmers' markets!

-E

Giving Toothpicks a Run for the Money

Crest 'Glide To Go' Packets

Again, so late with my post this week. But here’s why I’m late with it: I was going to write about something else, and an hour or so before I was going to sit to type up that other review, I was at the pharmacy and found this floss. And this floss was on my initial list of “things to review/blog about” but I was not finding the product in the stores and feared that Crest no longer made it. And what’s the point of recommending something to you that you can’t actually get your hands on, right? Anyway……Crest IS still making this stuff, so - YAY – I get to tell you about it after all!

Now, to know me is to know that I’m a “bag lady.” I’ve always got a bag or two with me. You just never know what you’re going to need while you’re out and about, or what you’re going to need to pick up and cart home with you. So I’m always prepared. And some days I think I’d make a great contestant on Let’s Make a Deal because of how much I’ve got in one of my bags. Who’s got a French jazz CD? Who’s got a magenta Sharpie? Who’s got a chocolate chip granola bar? Me. Me. Me.

This is just to say that in addition to the household goods, pantry items, and websites I’ve been telling you about, you better believe I’ve got some goodies for you “to-go.”

I’ve carried Crest brand ‘Glide To Go’ floss packets since they were invited. Floss is great to have on-hand. And not that a little box of floss takes up that much room, but when “travel-size” [anything] came to market, you ditched the full-size products for the minis that you could pack to-go, right?! Same applies here.

So there’s that. And then there’s also the fact that the girl with the big bag full of random stuff is often asked, “Ooh, do you have some more gum?” Or, “Got a pen?” Or a passive comment like, “I wish I had some floss!” Back in the day when I carried the regular little box of floss, no one asked for “a few inches of floss.” But now they can totally ask for floss. And I’ll gladly hand over one of the little single-use packets I’ve got in my bag of tricks.

What’s that you say? You don’t carry a bag? Uh, do ya have a pocket? One little packet is no bigger than a one dollar bill that’s been folded, then folded, and folded again. If you can carry a buck, you can carry a little floss packet!

And for about four bucks ($4), you’ll get a box of 30 single-use packets.

So keep your eyes peeled in that floss section. You’ll thank me when you’re heading out of a restaurant with clients or a date, you need to clean your teeth, but there are no toothpicks in sight. You’ll reach into your pocket – OR BAG! – and voila!

Be cool; carry floss.

- E

p.s. The bag featured at top is a Laced Julia bag by FOLLIS. A really great line! Check them out here: http://follisny.com/

Sorbetto.

Talenti's Roman Raspberry Sorbetto

Sorbetto.

Sorbetto. Period.

I wish I could stop there knowing that you would automatically understand and appreciate the admiration I have for Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto. . . the way you “know” the taste of ice cold beer on a hot summer day, or chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven.

But I fear you may not know of this love of mine. So, I will do my best to make you crave it. . .

Before June 2010, I did not give ice cream much thought. Growing up we went to Dairy Queen once in a while or had sherbert on a rare summer day. (Remember sherbert? That sad little mix of lime green/pale orange/light pink?) Anyway, so a year ago I moved to a new city. One of the few things I knew about this new city in advance was a little ice cream shop that had a cute name and great ice cream. I went for ice cream within my first week in town. Turns out, I love [GOOD] ice cream.

So how did this one little shop convert me? Simple – and it goes along with the theme of this blog – this place makes REALLY GOOD ice cream. Really good/ well-done/ best-of . . .bingo!

The shop is not in my neighborhood, so I don’t go that often, but knowing that I was now into ice cream, I started spending time in the ice cream aisle. I’ve tried just about every brand available. There’s some tasty stuff out there, but none of it holds a candle to the frozen goodness found at my nearby ice cream shop. EXCEPT FOR Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto!!!!! Thank goodness this stuff is widely available because you’re going to want to add this to your grocery list!

First of all, there may be something wrong with you if you’re not floored by the color of this stuff. Talenti makes many flavors and you may have a variety of gelato and sorbetto options to choose from. But the deep red raspberry color of the Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is a treat for your eyes!

And then wait till you get home and grab a spoon!

The flavor is deep. The creaminess and “raspberry-ness” live deep within every lick, bite, and swallow. It is rich. It is beautiful. (If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out Talenti’s ingredients and attributes on their website. “No details are ignored and no shortcuts are taken.”)

It may be because it’s so rich and flavorful that you will be satisfied with a sophisticated, small amount of it. Remember the scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts is with Richard Gere and his clients at a fancy dinner and she is offered a small dish of mint sorbet to cleanse the palate? That’s the size I’m talking about. (And if you don’t follow my reference, we’re talking the size of a little clementine, if that.)

Natural. Kosher. Gluten-free. Pure this. Fresh that. Real. Good.

Before you head out for your grocery shop, do check out the Talenti website to make sure you hit a store that carries the line. (http://www.talentigelato.com/StoreFinder.aspx ) And while I don’t think you’d be disappointed with the brand’s other flavors, the Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is what you’re looking for!

And now for a little bonus: you can order Talenti products online! While putting this blog entry together, I learned of IceCreamSource.com: http://www.icecreamsource.com/ . Holy cow – you’ve got to check it out! In addition to Talenti, you can order Babcock Hall ice cream, (a little shout-out to University of Wisconsin readers!), among other fantastically named and possibly equally delicious brands.

On IceCreamSource.com, Talenti’s Roman Raspberry Sorbetto is $7.99 per pint. I scored it at my local grocery store for $3.99 per pint last week!

Hip hip hooray!