Groupies

How about a set of Wrought Iron Flax Combs, a pile of 19th Century Cutlery Boxes or a Collection of Wooden Printers Exclamation Points?  Yes, Please! (Exclamation Point)  All from East Market Street Antiques, New York.  Or vandm.com.

Military Sexy

Trying to figure out an excuse for owning one of these.  Wish they made these when I was in scouts.

Sounds Funny

Can't tell what I like most about these speakers: how they update borrowed elements from old music machines or how the dramatic horn shape instantly calls attention to itself. I also hear they make some good noise.  I'll take the white set.

Mood Music

My 6 favorite downloaded holiday tracks for 2009.

(Guilty pop pleasures)

1. It Snowed « Meaghan Smith
2. Christmas at Sea « Sting
3. Mistletoe « Colbie Caillat
4. Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love) « Aretha Franklin
5. The Christmas Song « Catherine Feeny
6. Christmases When You Were Mine « Taylor Swift

Watch Me

Wanting this Bell & Ross timepiece inspired by 1940's military aircraft instrument panels.  Classic, inspired and well-made.  More good looking ways to tell time here.

Wintery Daydream

The light whispers of snow in the air today had me daydreaming of cozy retreats.  Like this one by Ralph Lauren Home titled Indian Cove Lodge.

Cooking Looking Good

Bought this new English version of a French classic for a friend's birthday.  Forget the recipes, this book is too pretty for the kitchen.  The illustrations are frame-worthy and that's what I crave.  That and some succulent beef bourguignon.  (FYI: Was a deal at Costco if you can find one there.)

Tea Time, Always

A simple pleasure made simpler.  Love this tea cup.

If Everyday were an Emergency

Emergency Whiskey Gift Box by Jamie Oliver.  It may be necessary to have one in every room.  (In case of emergency?)  More info here.

Job Envy: Anthropologie Buyer

Came upon this new show chronicling an Anthropologie buyer shopping the world.

Hot, Hearty Soup

Try this super simple squash soup to warm up a cold fall night.  It worked for me.  Really filling, too.

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded & chopped
3 leeks, chopped
3 carrots, peeled
3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. (each) butter & extra virgin olive oil

In large saucepan, saute vegetables with butter & oil for 15 minutes, until slightly softened.  Then add several sprigs fresh thyme & sage and enough cooking stock to cover vegetables.  Simmer until soft.  Remove any hard thyme stems.


In batches, puree in blender or food processor.  Add plenty of pepper, then salt to taste.  Garnish with herbs and/or parmesan if you're feeling fancy.

*I added toasted fennel seeds to the mixture before I pureed for added depth of flavor and complexity.

Travel: Hard Bound

Just finished editing and uploading my book "PARIS 2 ROME." It's mainly image based, but with excerpts from blog posts as well as a daily travel log. You can preview the book and its contents by clicking my blurb.com badge.

PARIS2ROME WES...

By L. MATTHEW TROTTER

Book Preview

Duck Night

3 days following the duck hunt, I gathered a few friends and a few more duck for a fall duck dinner.  Basically, we just filled the seasoned cavity with onions and apples alongside a few lemons, carrots, sage & thyme and roasted the waterfowl with a bottle of wine in a roasting pan for a couple hours.

Once it was cooked, we let it rest before carving it into thin slices.

Then it was served with some Mushroom Risotto and Parmesan & Bacon Sauteed Brussel Sprouts.  The sprouts were a hit (no kidding, they were cooked in bacon drippings).

Bacon & Parmesan Sauteed Brussel Sprouts:

Cook sprouts in boiling stock until tender.  (I used the leftover stock as the liquid in the risotto)  In a saute pan, render chopped bacon until crisp and browned.  Drain bacon and reserve drippings in pan.  Add cooked brussel sprouts to hot drippings in medium-high pan until browned and carmelized.  Season to taste.  Toss with fresh Parmesan and serve immediately.

Duck, Duck, Food

Took the gun up again this year for a second year of opening day duck hunting.  Not that I hadn't done this sort of thing before but that its significance has changed.  Sure I've prepared many a bird from the store and called it a meal, but the process of claiming it and making it my own is what drove me to do it again this year.

I only shot at one duck - early, maybe 9:30 - and that was it.  I spent the rest of the time relaxing in what peace the marsh offers when the background is filled with muffled gunshot.

I didn't miss any opportunities to document the event - something I'd grown up around but never considered for its interesting moments of accessible beauty.  And so often overlooked.  But I plan to carry that sense of beauty into the duck meal I share with friends tomorrow.  Can't wait.

My Ware on MyWARES

Was invited to join this site today.  Good stuff.

Travel Merchandise

Image for new product: available at holiday preview show.

I'll be here

Travel-themed 4X6 postcards, 5X7 and 20X20 framed art all available for purchase. Click here for a complete list of vendors.

Cozy by the Oven.

The first chilly, gusty fall evening of the season called for some warming up. Cookies were deemed too demanding, but I thought I could still use the ingredients from my favorite cowboy cookies to whip up some satisfying granola for a little snack tonight and a quick breakfast in the morning.

To 3 cups of old-fashioned oats, I added chopped walnuts, almonds, cinnamon, salt and a little shredded coconut. I stirred in a good amount of agave nectar, mixed it up and toasted it golden in the oven at 350' stirring 2-3 times. About 20 minutes later, out of the oven, I grated some dark chocolate over the hot oats, mixed in some flax meal and repeated with more chocolate and flax until it was coated to my liking. Serve at room temperature with plain yogurt, mixed berries and a little drizzling of agave nectar.

The lingering warmth of the toasty oat & cinnamon will keep things cozy until morning.

I Got the Beet

So many beets I've had this year - especially in the last week. Roasted & Peeled, like these:

Foil-wrapped and in the 400' oven with oil, garlic & rosemary. Peel, slice, serve. Tastes like dirt. Yum.

Split Rail

I like the way the line seems to reproduce - peeling away from the center rail. I think this is our departure from Centraal Station in Amsterdam. It's much nicer without sound (or play your own music).

Fox Cities Shopping Event

My first time as a vendor (fun!)- I'll be participating at this Holiday Charity Shopping Event in Menasha. Check it out: Fox Cities' Special Shopping Event Benefits Charities

Amazon Adventure

Been working on an Amazon.com webstore at work for nearly a month now. It's been a bit slow coming together as I had to research the outfit and then work on it's inventory and products. It's been an adventure - if not just completely frustrating but today I had an "Ah-ha!" moment with the program and I feel as though I now really get it. As a reward (not sure if for me or the site) I spent some time today jazzing it up with this graphic I created:

Then also spent a minute filling in some of the other site information. Definitely some work to do yet, but I like where its headed. Check it out in its entirety here. And check back because it'll be updated lots in the next coming weeks.

Oh, Martha

Although only six ingredients make up this stripped-down version of Roast Chicken, every detail is carefully considered - including the Brioche Stuffing. It's like roast bird for purists. This aired on Martha's Season Premiere courtesy of Eleven Madison Park (NY Times Four Stars) executive chef Daniel Humm.

While you may not find my name on their reservation list just yet, you may find me in the kitchen stuffing a chicken and roasting beets for Humm's simple, yet slightly exotic Beet Salad.

Don't miss this either.

Eating Again

I had nothing to do with the preparation, but this Sunday meal turned out just gorgeous. And delicious. I hate the term, but this was some mean "surf & turf" if I've ever had any. Just don't ever call it that while I'm eating it.

Autumn-ness

Okay, so I staged these leafs but on a whim. I loved every element - the colors, the scratched paint and the rusty screw heads. Almost inspired me to make some leaf prints.

Fall is nearly here, isn't it?

50 Posts + 1

Just realized the last post was the 50th. Time to celebrate? Not yet. But here are some images I "stole" from the walls of the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome.

The "Barn" Inside

A few weeks back I posted photos documenting the resurrection of an antique barn structure within a modern shell (with all the modern amenities) at my friends farm. Here are some updated pictures of the progress.

Here you can see where the old meets the new - the old beams butt up to the new architecture and windows. The beams themselves had to be sandblasted once in place before they were sealed up. The sandblasting revealed a gorgeous honey patina that should really warm the space up even more.

This is the original 19th-century ladder - there are 2 - the other on the background post. The views from the loft offer views of green countryside. Quite remarkable - can't wait to see some of the interior finishes.

View up the drive - quite a contrast to the earlier photos. The place kind of sticks out of the hill right now, but thats part of the process. Inside, at this point, you take for granted the void of nearby trees that allow for such sweeping views of the land.

Words on Canvas

In my junk room in a vacant apartment I have some old canvases unfinished from years ago. Every so often I visit them and rework them a little. These two contained remains of stencils - glued on and painted (who knows what I was thinking). Somewhat deconstructed, marked up and embellished with buttons - this is what they looked like when I left. The one on the left reads: "30 Men & Woman Wearing Diamonds" while the one on the right simply reads: "2 of Us." The content was determined by the random stencils that had once been in place. The buttons are not yet permanent...think I'll stitch them on. Until then, there they wait.

Signed, Stamped, Delivered...

Had some fun embellishing the outside of this envelope for my sister's birthday card. She's 30, but I ran out of stamps. The little illustrated stamps were to make up for that.

Sunday Junk

Took a drive north of Sheboygan along Lake Michigan and stopped at a couple inconspicuous "antique" shops which ended up being more shelters of the used & abused than destinations for collectables. One had some great Red Wing stone wear, which I always adore, but other than that it was nothing more than glorified permanent garage sales in dilapidated buildings. That aside, I took a liking to the way these chairs were displayed.

As well as these dolls amongst some china and other serving ware.

And a well organized grouping of lighting fixtures - from lanterns to table lamps - all in a row along the wall of an old school house in an unspecified location in the country-side.

A charming day it was.

1, 2, 3...

Lots of good "otherwise trash" at threepotatofour. Interesting finds - mostly vintage - and imaginative photo styling. Check it out, if not for a little nostalgic inspiration.

A Study in Rust, Wood & Grass

I found some rusted buckets and machine parts and combined them with a mix of grasses to create this late summer vignette. It sort of has a nautical, ship yard feel to it.