Photo of the Day

Photo of the Day
Baby's Nursery

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Barmbrack - An Irish Halloween Tradition

Barmbrack is the center of an Irish Halloween custom. The Halloween Brack traditionally contained various objects baked into the bread and was used as a sort of fortune-telling game. In the barmbrack were: a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a small coin (originally a silver sixpence) and a ring. Each item, when received in the slice, was supposed to carry a meaning to the person concerned: the pea, the person would not marry that year; the stick, "to beat one's wife with", would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes; the cloth or rag, would have bad luck or be poor; the coin, would enjoy good fortune or be rich; and the ring, would be wed within the year. Other articles added to the brack include a medallion, usually of the Virgin Mary to symbolise going into the priesthood or to the Nuns, although this tradition is not widely continued in the present day. Commercially produced barmbracks for the Halloween market still include a toy ring.

Usually sold in flattened rounds, it is often served toasted with butter along with a cup of tea in the afternoon.
Here is how to make it:

Barm Brack
  • 1 Lb. of flour
  • 6 oz Sugar.
  • 1 lb. of mixed dried fruit.
  • 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
  • 1 Egg.
  • 1 Tsp. of All - Spice or
  • mixed spice.
  • A pot of hot Irish Tea
The trick to making a Barm Brack is soaking the fruit over night in the tea. While this makes the dried fruit softer and more appealing in general, one must be careful when mixing the dough not to over knead or the rehydrated fruit will break up and speckle the cake. Add the sugar and egg to the fruit mix the next day. Sift in the remaining dry ingredients. Mix gently. Use a 7" round baking tin at 350°F for 80 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve with hot tea.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Vintage Halloween

BooooOOOOOooooo!

Are you ready for a spooky Halloween? At my house the decorations are up and the countdown has begun.
I have tall glass holders filled with eyeball bubble gum, candy corn and m&m's. Two pumpkin topiary adorn the front porch and vintage Halloween postcards images make festive art. There are so many fun ways to decorate for Halloween...I took some ques from potterybarn and added my own style. I can't wait for Halloween to come, when I can add embellishments to the front porch, like my "enter if you dare"sign! Any decorations with an aged look add to that creepy feeling.
I will be posting photos from my home that will hopefully inspire you! Check back daily!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Kaas Glass plates!

Burgdorf Goodman's next to The Plaza hotel in NYC did an entire window display of glass plates this fall. Little shops in my area have started selling this wonderful pieces of art you can use as wall art, jewelry trays, serving plates...the list goes on.
I fell in love with Kaas Glassworks on Perry St. in the East Village. Mary, the shop owner is super sweet and can take any paper product (an invitation, menu, playbill...you name it) and turn it into a beautiful plate/tray.
My sister Meg, above, poses in the little shop, packed with beautiful images on plates. See the Sea Horse on the chair next to her? I want that for my own collection. The only things I collect are Belleek china from Ireland and Since a little over a year ago, Kaas plates!
Check out their website at: http://www.kaas.com/

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Equine Inspired Design

From handbags, to boots to leggings and accessories, our friend Mr. Ed, the horse has a big influence in design this fall. Equine inspired design is timeless and can be interpreted in many ways. You can have the literal big, bold horse print hanging on a wall in your home or the more subtle metal accents on a hand bag or shoe that hearken a horses hardware. Any way you slice it, our friend the horse is a fastionista!
My equine finds : A pair of Frye boots, a Michael Kors bag and quite literally some old horseshoes I have for luck!