Pumpkins & Gourds at The Arbour

It all started last Sunday.  Rain was falling, the leaves were turning and Patti decided it was pumpkin and gourd day.  We piled into her car and headed north, rain coats and Wellies in tow.  Then all of a sudden, just outside of Everett, the clouds parted and there was the sunshine!  What seemed like a bad idea at first because of the weather, turned into a glorious day filled with good food and pumpkin gathering.

Our first stop was in La Conner for lunch at Seeds, a great little restaurant owned by the more well known Calico Kitchen.  A charming spot with a fantastic, inexpensive menu and amazing fries, Seeds is a must on a trip north.

After lunch, we ventured to one of Patti’s favorite shops ever, Go Outside.  Their book selection is unrivaled, as well as their little gift items and garden supplies.  You can even find Barbour jackets and vests.  The most inspiring part of the shop is how it is all presented and the friendliness of the people who work there.

Next stop, Christianson’s Nursery.  If you love Wells-Medina, you will love Christianson’s.  It’s almost never ending…

Then it was on to finding a great mix of interesting pumpkins, gourds and squash.  “The uglier, the better” is Patti’s motto when it comes to selecting them for the shop.  At one farm, they had stacked various sizes and colors of pumpkins and gourds on top of each other.  I could almost see the lightbulb over Patti’s head.

Voila…Pumpkin Topiaries at The Arbour!  Decide on your desired height and composition of pumpkins, drive a metal rod (the one we used is about ¼”in diameter) through the pumpkins one at a time using a hammer, starting with the one on the bottom, then slide them all on the rod.  Leave the stem attached to the one you want on top and push onto the rod.  Easy as can be!

Jen

Apples + Fall Recipes at The Arbour

I started cooking several years ago and have been slowly building a repertoire of original recipes.  Design and cooking are very interrelated, and I was told once in school that a good designer should be able to cook well.  When you think about how design and cooking interact with our senses, it makes complete sense.  Fall is also a very sensory related season with all of the beautiful colors, crisp air, and the ability to see our surroundings literally change in front of us.  It’s The Arbour’s favorite season!

Speaking of cooking, Patti has an apple tree in her backyard and for some reason this year, it has yielded a TON of apples, more than she can eat, so it was up to me to come up with a recipe that would store well and use up a lot of apples.  Applesauce is an obvious choice, but instead of just the basic sweet variety, I decided to try to come up with a savory version.  After a few misses in my quest, I came up with the following recipe.  It’s delicious with almost any meat and can easily be made vegan instead.  I know it sounds strange, but try it!

Jen’s Savory Applesauce

-1 generous tablespoon olive oil

-1 medium red onion, finely chopped

-1½ teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

-pinch red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on your taste)

-5 cups peeled, cored and diced apples (the fresher, the better)

-½ to 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock

-salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil over medium-low heat in heavy, lidded pan.  Add onion and a large pinch of salt.  Cook (don’t brown), stirring often until soft, about 7 minutes.  Add thyme, freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes.  Stir and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Stir in apples and mix well.  Add ½ cup of stock, cover and cook over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  (During cooking process, if the applesauce isn’t “saucy” enough, add more stock until desired consistency is achieved.)

Makes about 3 cups, enough for 6 large servings.

What are some of your favorite fall recipes?  Email them to me at jen@thearbourbellevue.com.  I’ll try all of them and post our favorites on the blog!

Jen

Juliska at The Arbour + A Special Offer

Starting this week, I will be writing a feature blog on one of our vendors.  It’s a chance for you to know more about the lines we carry at The Arbour and gives us a little refresher course, as well!  Yesterday we got in a shipment of Juliska, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to write about one of our top five favorite lines.

Juliska’s tagline is “Possibly the most beautiful tableware in the world” and I would have to say that it’s not just possibly, IT IS!  Since they have worded it so perfectly, the following is the information provided to us about their company:

“Juliska is a dynamic, design-led company committed to bringing European elegance into the modern home.  Our extensive collections of glassware, ceramics, linens and lighting reflect our strong philosophy of historical styling imaginatively updated to suit today’s demanding lifestyles.

The word ‘Juliska’ has now become synonymous with an entertaining and living attitude – enduring, romantic and always effortlessly chic.”

Our favorite thing about the Juliska ceramics line is that it can go from a freezer to a 500° oven and it’s dishwasher and microwave safe to boot.  Truly incredible and makes it just about the most useful line of dishes ever created.  Last year, Juliska introduced a metallic glazed stoneware collection that offers the same features as the regular.  Metal in the microwave?  According to Juliska, it’s a groundbreaking technique and looks great layered with any other Juliska you already have.  I’m really looking forward to starting my collection in the future.

Come into The Arbour and check out all of our fabulous Juliska pieces or put in a special order for pieces you want to add to your collection!  Starting today until October 15^th, we are happy to offer 15% off any Juliska purchase, including special orders.  If you’ve always wanted it, now is a great time to start collecting!

Jen