Wild Cosmos, Meatballs & Polenta

This week a friend dropped off the happiest little vase of cosmos from her garden on my doorstep. A neighborly gesture like that after a very long week was deeply appreciated. The little things make the world of difference.

Ok, I LOVE this recipe. It hits all the notes: complex savory meatballs, balanced aromatic tomato sauce and creamy comforting corn polenta. This one is a classic in our family, and great to make ahead. Layer the polenta, meatballs and sauce in a deep pan and then bake when ready to eat. Read here for the full recipe.

And Now, Some art for the walls…

Wild Cosmos

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Purchase wild cosmos

Sunflowers & Brooklyn Bolognese

This deep and saucy meal has all the elements of nourishing comfort food. A combination of inspiration from a trip to Italy and the Italian food in Brooklyn, this meal is the epitome of “watch and learn” and “do what the Italians do, and don’t ask questions.” My Brooklyn neighbor says good pasta has a ton of cheese, so don’t skimp on the parmesan. Marrying the noodles with parmesan, salty pasta water, and sauce is the key to making a glossy sauce. If you don’t salt your pasta-water, don’t even bother. The noodles will be BLAND, no matter how hard you try. And the x-factor is 100% the garlic confit. This complex addition makes the sauce stand apart from the rest. Trust me, try it, and you’ll never go back. Finishing the pasta with a drizzle of garlic oil, fresh basil and a scoop of ricotta is reminiscent of the way they serve it at our all-time favorite Brooklyn trattoria. The colors and textures all together just sing.

“Any NJ resident needs a go-to Italian meal, and this is mine.”

I make this meal every few weeks, and it always brings “mmmmmm’s” and “I love this one” at the table. Any NJ resident needs a go-to Italian meal, and this is mine. When I get nostalgic and miss cooking in my kitchen, this is the meal I dream of making. A labor of love and a joy to serve.

Brooklyn Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, diced

• 3 carrots, shredded

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed

• 2 lbs ground beef (80/20)

• 10 ounces mushrooms [optional], sliced

• 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes

• 2 TBSP tomato paste

• A good bottle of wine

• olive oil

• black pepper

• plenty of salt

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• fresh basil

• 1/2 c. parmesan, grated

• 1 small tub fresh ricotta

• 1 pkg interersting noodles

Method:

Coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and set on medium heat. Sauté onion and carrots with plenty of salt until soft and slightly caramelized. While sauteing, add chopped thyme leaves and black pepper.

Meanwhile in a small pan, add garlic and a few tablespoons of oil and simmer on low heat for 30-40 min. This is your garlic confit.

Once the veggies are cooked, remove from the pan. Generously salt ground beef and add it to the hot pan with a little more oil. Turn the heat up to medium-high and brown the beef on all sides until its crispy and caramelized. Don't rush this step. Lots of dark color = lots of flavor.

[optional: while meat is browning, brown mushrooms in a pan with oil and black pepper. After mushrooms are brown and crisp on the edges, toss in salt. Then set aside with the veggies.]

Onces the meat is browned, return the veggies to the pan and stir in tomato paste. Finely mince and add the garlic from the garlic confit. Then add a few glugs of wine to deglaze the pan. Let the mixture simmer and reduce. Then add San Marzano tomatoes and about half a can of water to the pot.

Simmer on low while noodles cook. Add a little bit of water to the sauce if it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Cook noodles according to package directions in salted water. Always salt your pasta water.

Once nooodles are cooked to "al dente," grab about a mug-full of water from the pasta pot then drain noodles. This starchy cooking water will help "marry" the noodles to the sauce. Immediately add the noodles to the sauce, along with the starchy cooking water, fresh basil, and parmesan. Stir to combine until cheese is melted and noodles are evenly coated with sauce.

Use tongs to twist individual portions of pasta into wide bowl.s. Garnish with a scoop of fresh ricotta, a few turns of black pepper, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of garlic oil from the garlic confit.

Delightful.

And now some art for the walls…

autumn sunflowers

With the September air blowing in, and the school supplies flying off the shelves, it’s time for some fall-flavored art.

Purchase Autumn Sunflowers

Poppies & Pozole

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This week’s art for your walls is a painting that hangs in my very own kitchen, and one I just love for all it’s liveliness and color. It’s the type of painting that looks to me like it was fun to paint, because it in fact was. Celebratory, splashy, vibrant; I love this one so much. Furthermore I have it for your consideration in two different ways. One, order a print here! Two, sign up for my emails and receive a digital download of a printable file. Then you can print this one from your very own home and hang it right up:)

Poppy Glory

8x10” print of an all-time favorite painting

purchase

And now for some food…

This pozole is a special one for me. It’s so deep and earthy, and it serves a crowd easily. If you need a southwestern feast, start here.

Growing up in Arizona, I definitely had my fair share of delightfully authentic Mexican food, and I never grew tired of the simplicity and homeyness of the cuisine. This meal has deep, smokey spice and that feeling of complexity that only TIME can offer. It’s a great display of the versatility of corn, with both hominy and corn chips creating texture variation and interest. Braising the pork shoulder makes the meat tender and the broth complex. It adds those deep Maillard-reaction flavors and fills the kitchen with mouth-watering aroma. Finishing the soup with a drizzle of green sauce balances the earthy stew with bright, creamy flavors.

Pork shoulder is a great cut of meat for entertaining because it won’t break the bank, it’s very forgiving, and it gets better and better with time. Not a pork person? Easily sub stew beef. The other big win with this meal is that it’s naturally gluten free, so anytime I have someone coming over with this restriction, this meal leaves us wanting nothing more. The green sauce can also easily be made dairy free, by substituting the sour cream with a dairy-free yogurt like cashew yogurt or even just doubling-up on mayo. The cotija can be substituted with nutritional yeast and a little extra salt. So this meal is a complete win if you happen to have gluten-free and dairy-free restrictions. Restrictions or not, it’s such a crowd pleaser. You can also braise the meat the day before a gathering, and then just simmer the stew with the hominy and black beans about an hour before serving. In fact, making it ahead of time makes the flavors all the more vibrant. I love love LOVE this one.

Speaking of get togethers, this recipe will be a part of my first gathering release, where I will share a collection of recipes along with a few fun tid-bits for bringing people together in your home and around your table. Keep an eye out! The first gathering will be Friday, September 1.

Zinnias & Countdown Curry | a peak inside

Before I get cozy sharing art, recipes, and home inspo, I thought I’d take you on a little tour of where the magic happens. I am a total homebody and look forward to getting home every day, no matter how short or long I’m away. Welcome, stay a while.

Come ON in, it’s safe, comfy, & hopefully a little inspiring

As an artist, friend, and mother I see my identity reflected the moment I walk in the door. Having a home that says, “come on in, it’s safe and comfy, and perhaps even a little inspiring here” is always the goal. A plush sofa with lots of pillows and one of my handmade colorful quilts welcomes you right inside the door. Kick off your shoes and go no further after a busy day.  The living room, though small is grounded and centered on the hearth. The tv is tucked in a corner where it’s perfectly comfortable to watch while not feeling like “the point” of the room. Everything is thoughtful but nothing is too precious. Baskets keep toys and shoes tucked away but always at hand. Art fills the walls, the majority of which is my own and some of which I’ve slowly acquired over the years. Danish design pieces like candle holders and vases are tucked all around to bring some sculptural reflective light and a bit of modern to such a classic home. Plush, one-of-a-kind Persian Shiraz rugs lay on solid oak floors and ground the otherwise mostly neutral furniture. The walls are simply white and create a sense of freshness and brightness that draw light inside. My goal is that all who enter find light, comfort, warmth, good food, and company. They inhale, exhale, and walk away feeling lighter. 

Veer left from the front door and find yourself in the sun room which serves as an art studio, a play room, a library, and the perfect spot for the Christmas tree. It just pulls light from outside and makes for a space that is bustling and busy. There may be toys on the floor, paintings on the desk, a quilt taped to the wall, a bunch of books half-read in a pile, and an armchair with a cup of coffee beside it, but all of that together is why I love it.

Venture into the dining room to the right, which is always ready for all kinds of food, and filled with yummy smells.  A hutch-full of sparkly wine glasses, cloth napkins and serving platters—a go-to place for all the necessities for entertaining—sits in the room with alongside dining table and a perfectly pink armchair.

Beyond the dining room is the kitchen, the action hub of the home, where I’m usually doing dishes or cooking, and from where all the snacks and drinks constantly flow. I have multiple loves in this kitchen, not least of which is the perfect little nook where we typically squeeze in for casual meals. You know how a booth is always more comfortable than chairs at a restaurant? That is exactly the case here. This little nook with a cozy half-circle booth is perfectly quaint and welcoming. It sits across from the coffee counter and dry storage shelf, where all of my flours, sugars, and bulk ingredients are meticulously labeled and lined up like little soldiers. The visual of glass jars full of ingredients is so inspiring to me.

While the nook and coffee area are indeed endearing, the kitchen itself makes my heart full. Just this past year, after my constant non-subtle hints about “facelifting” the kitchen, my husband surprised me with starting the project while I was away for ten days (a super-smart choice considering we have small children who needn’t live in a construction zone). Whenever I walk in, I feel the level of detail my husband has poured into my primary workspace which makes it feel like his daily love letter to me. Not to mention it turned out gorgeous! Evergreen fog beadboard, warm white cabinets and shelves, and dishes both modern and vintage make the kitchen necessities always at-hand.

Where to begin with making home, homey

The first question I would ask is, what is home to you, when you close your eyes and go home, what do you imagine? Then make every design choice based on the goal…or more likely goalS.  Is it solace and quiet? Is it a bunch of friends? Is it mom’s food? Is it comfort? Work from there. Every piece of furniture serves the purpose of the home. Is the goal rest and solace? Go for neutrals, quiet colors, space to breathe. Is it the bustle of friends? Fill the cabinet with elegant glassware and stock the kitchen for cooking. Is it comfort—find the couch you can sink into and fall asleep happily on. Give it a warm blanket and have slippers nearby. Is it a bit of all of those things? Then let each thing serve its purpose. Fill your home with things you believe are useful and that inspire you. And for heaven’s sake, please have good lighting! 

And now, for some food…

Easy to remember and craveable, this curry is DELISH. 5,4,3,2,1, Go make this! :)

This Week’s Art for your walls

Florence’s Zinnias

Zinnias grow beautifully in our garden. Florence and Mikey help plant them from seeds every year. Florence has this painting hanging over her bed and it feels very much like her.

Purchase "Florence's Zinnias"

Welcome To LHJ

Well, here I am, writing a blog and I’m jumping in all the way. I hope this is a place where you are inspired to hang some art on your walls, put delicious food on your table, and most of all share that beauty with your neighbors. Opening the front door, gathering together, and loving the people right in front of us are joyful endeavors, and efforts not lost. “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” My home, my table, and the people I welcome into it are simple starting points for nurturing life. I often see little instagram vignettes of idyllic homes and wonder how I myself can create that, or why it feels out of reach but here I hope to give valuable, tangible insights to you for actually enriching your home and your life, one small detail at a time.

Art for your walls

I am an artist and I am creating something every day of my life—whether it be a meal with little bits-and-bobs of color/flavor, a painting of blossoming flowers and textures, a geometric quilt with which to snuggle and read books to my children, or a total rearrangement of my whole house to improve the function and form. When I’m creating, I feel such liveliness and energy. But THEN, when I am able to create something to share, something to bring light to someone around me, that is when I am invigorated and motivated to keep going. We were meant to make, create, and enliven the world around us. We were meant to nurture the gifts in our hands. SO here I hope to offer some inspiration for you to do just that.

As an artist, I will release weekly prints for you to consider framing for your own home. Aren’t we always in search of little beautiful things to look at and enjoy? Well, here you can always find a little happy painting and perhaps one of them will speak to you and find its way into your home.

Food for your table

As a mother, the food that I set in front of my family is so important. It’s a tangible way I can nourish my family and energize my own body. Furthermore, I have always loved the way food can create memories, can inspire creativity and can simply satisfy. I have concrete memories across the table from my husband, enjoying mouth-watering food and deep conversation. We have traveled together and had our “minds blown” by the food we have found along the way. Those journeys and trips have expanded my delight in the flavors of the cultures I observed. Roman pasta unlike anything I’ve ever tasted, Smorrebrod with more than a dozen layers of flavor, Spanish tapas fit for a party, couscous to feed a Friday crowd, and a tribal stew that fueled me enough to climb a mountain. I am so in love with the memories around food that I have, and how it has inspired my creative mind.

In college I studied ancient languages and found that language was a window into the world of the writer/speaker. Similarly, I have found that food tells a story and allows us to learn and to understand places and people different than us. We are all human, all in need of simple sustenance, and all carriers of the memories of our own cultural flavors. If I say “dunkaroos” to a certain crowd, I would unlock a smile, a small chuckle, and immediately take them back to the playground where everyone coveted such snacks. If I say “Nonna’s Pasta Pot” or “Grandma Bobbie’s Mashed Potatoes,” some of us feel certain memories well-up, or smells, and a sense of comfort. From here gratitude often follows. It can be as simple as a snack, or as complex as those Christmas tamales, days in the making. Food is a window into the world and a joy to learn about. It breaks down barriers when shared with others, and allows people who are acquaintences to become friends.

Here I will share some of the food from my own table, and hopefully inspire you to try some it if and create some flavors of your own.

inspo for your next gathering

Whenever I have experienced such memorable foods, works of art, or travels, often the very first thing that comes to mind is, “Gosh, I wish I could show this to my sister,” or “Oh, my mom and dad would love this!” Often what I learn I bring home and try to emulate so that I can do just that—share it with those I love. After a few months in Morocco, I came home with my own silver teapot and sought to make mint tea just like my friend in Al Hoceima taught me. I gathered my three closest friends around the living room and served them tea while I shared about all that I had learned. If I could bottle up a little cafe in Rome, or the smokey open fire in PNG just to share its joy with my family, I would.

I also have found that many people feel quite a bit of pressure or stress about having people over for a meal, even if its a meal they know and love. In my early twenties, I often invited people over but found it difficult to use my imagination with what to cook. I had one good chili recipe, and it was my main go-to for gatherings, especially because it was easily dairy-free (and gluten free!). I tweaked this and that, starting with combining two handwritten recipe cards into something that was my own, then slowly added ingredients as I cooked alongside my friends. Now, I think I’ve had enough chili to last a lifetime. You could say I’m on a “chili break.” But at the time, it was tried-and-true, and I needed something I could count on. Similarly in my early twenties, I remember feeling a little silly whenever I would add little touches of fancy to a gathering. I didn’t want to come across showy, and felt that a laid back approach was more welcoming. In any case it usually is, however there was a part of me that wanted to dote on my friends and make a simple night something fancy, just for the fun of it.

A glimmer of candlelight and a humble handful of fresh flowers is like the little black dress of evening get-togethers. An earthy stew, or an elevated steak dinner, or even just a platter-full of chocolate chip cookies suddenly feels like a something intentional when a few candles are lit, and some lovely flowers grace the room.

All that being said, I hope this is a place that inspires you to create a space full off warmth and hospitality, no matter the occasion. I hope I can give you some fun tools to make gathering a little more easy, with a little more flair.

A Little Light

All of this to say, Welcome to my Little House in New Jersey. I am glad you’re here. Whether you’re looking to welcome others into your home, or you find yourself weary and needing to be welcomed yourself, I seek to inspire you and welcome you in. These lyrics are often on my mind and they ring true for what I hope to do.

Lost and weary traveler
Searchin' for the way to go
Stranger, heavy-hearted
Longin' for someone to know

May you find a light
May you find a light
May you find a light to guide you home

There are weary travelers
Searchin' everywhere you go
Strangers who are searchin'
Longin' deeply to be known

May you find a light
May you find a light
May you find a light to guide you home

May you find a light
May you find a light
May you find a light to guide you home

-John Arndt, David Gungor