Nana's Kitchen

in

basket of breadWhen the time rolls around for me to serve up lunch for the gang I always go back to the days in Nana’s kitchen. She cooked every Saturday and Sunday for the entire family… and let me tell you, that was a lot of people. It was a ritual I later found to be the one thing I loved most about my childhood. The menu was pretty basic for a Latin household: Spaghetti with meatballs and sausage, Arroz con Pollo, Boleche with Black Beans and Rice or if you were lucky, Spaghetti and a whole crab! This time around there was a request for my Nana’s Meatballs so to make things more interesting, I dug deep into the family recipe book to find the perfect dessert to go with the famous meatballs:  Natilla. Most Americans call it Cornstarch Custard, not nearly as romantic as Natilla. So for the record here’s Nana Lea’s Natilla:

3 tablespoons cornstarch 6 tablespoons sugar 1/4 tsp salt 3 egg yolks 2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla Lemon extract Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add enough cold milk to make a smooth paste. Then add rest of milk gradually. Add vanilla and about 4 drops of lemon extract. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Add well beaten egg yolks. Cook for 3 minutes more.

Pour into pudding bowl half way and add Nilla Wafers. Top off and sprinkle with Cinnamon and chill.

They really like us! really!

in

San Francisco Decorator Showcase houseWe’ve been selected to participate in this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase!  Needless to say, we’re really excited and can’t wait to unveil our fantastic design, Modernism Talks Back, to the world at large. By the time we’re finished, we’ll have transformed a traditional and rather lack-luster bathroom into a space that proves that modern design doesn’t have to be serious or severe.  Stay tuned to track our progress as we race against impending deadlines, resolve decorating emergencies and coordinate the work of all of our friends in the trades who will help this room come to life.

Lunch Time!

in

The tradition of Monday lunches started when Michelle and I were tired of making meals just for one.  To make our lives easier, we decided to cook larger meals and trade off with anyone in the office who wanted to join in on the fun. Of course, everyone jumped on board and since then we have been successfully making and enjoying Monday lunches. Lets be honest, some worked out, while others didn’t.  It figures that when we decided to do this blog the launch date landed on my lunch week, so I had to step it up.  No more last minute buying burgers or using frozen turkey meatballs which end up tasting like rubber. So for this wonderful and tasty meal, I took my inspiration from my recent trip to Australia where at every restaurant there was pumpkin risotto on the menu.  The salad and dessert are personal favorites of mine, which pair nicely with the risotto and look impressive in a photograph.

To Start : Pear & Goat Cheese Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

Main Course: Pumpkin Risotto with Goat Cheese

Dessert: Molten Lava Cakes

Gingerbread Extravaganza

in

Carrying over a tradition from earlier in his career and always looking for a reason to throw a party, Gregg rallied the troops and reinstituted the Holiday Gingerbread Extravaganza given for the kids who reside at Edgewood Children’s Home.  With our superior project management abilities and propensity to decorate anything that isn’t moving, we spring into action every October to ensure that no detail is left unchecked.   Transforming ourselves into Santa’s elves, we construct many, many (about 40) gingerbread houses, recruit  generous volunteers, provide every type of candy under the sun and let the kids loose to create their own vision of what a cookie house should look like.  While it’s something we truly enjoy putting together,we get the most pleasure hearing that our little decorating party is something the kids look forward to every year.