Ice Chest

Over the Veteran's Day weekend we took a trip up to my parents cabin in Northern Wisconsin. We try to get up atleast once a season and this was our last chance before the snow set in.... or so we thought.

Thursday was sunny and windy. Friday was filled with Antiquing and clouds. We had decided to take the plunge and get the beautiful Antique turn of the century Ice Chest we had seen in Hayward area (a 30 min drive north) on our last trip to the cabin. We would get up early, walk the dog, drive up and *hopefully* it would still be there, purchase it if we could get the right price, and make it back in time for the Iowa Football game.... or so we thought.

Saturday morning it snowed.

A big snow storm that left us wondering if making the slippery trip north, which would take us much more than 30 minutes, was worth it.

I have to say I think it was :) I'm super excited to have my Ice Chest! Yes the roads were slippery, we almost went off a few times. Yeah, we missed some of the Iowa game, but they were horrible this week and ESPN went out because of the snow anyway.

But we now have this!

The chest was built in Eau Clarie, WI some time before 1910. It has the original hardware, kick board on the bottom, inserts, and was refinished by the Antique dealer we bought it from after he purchased it in an auction in Northern Wisconsin. He said he drug it out of an old basement where it had been sitting for who knows how long.

It's in our 4 seasons porch right now. I'm planning on storing serving platters and other kitchen items in it after I finish cleaning the inside and airing it out a bit.

I read that coffee will help remove any of the musyness from the wood. Hopefully it helps a little bit. I think it must have sat in that basement for awhile!

Recycling Hearts

This past weekend we took a great weekend trip to visit my sister in Murfreesboro, TN. And although it snowed 3 inches, shutting down most of the southern, well everything… we were still able to go a nice bit of antiquing.



Among the new items were a cast iron frying pan, two German steins, Christmas tree skirt, and a hand-stitched quilt.

Unfortunately it doesn’t match anything in our house. So I decided to make up a new Valentine’s Day decoration to bring in some of the orangey yellows and bright blues.

I recycled a cheap drycleaner clothes hanger and some old fabric scrapes from hemming I had done earlier in the year. By cutting up the fabric into long strips and tying them onto the wire heart shape, a new pattern of colors emerged. The knotting mirrored the quilting and the colors are starting to warm up the house already.

Any left over fabric pieces could be used like this, in any color combinations. A little love for the earth, as Valentine’s Day gets closer.

A lot like Christmas

Oh yes, it's begining to look a lot like Christmas around our house. The stockings have been hung, the snow is falling, the tree in a box has been opened and the pine scented candle lit. Now ofcourse I would love to have a real tree, but our holiday schedule and the stay at home puppy just does not allow that.

The synthetic tree does have it's advantages. If that akward shapped ornament just won't fit between the branches, well bend the wires a little bit and now it does. Clean up is also a breeze. There aren't any annoying little needles laying around poking your slipperless feet. We still get to put lights up and hang all the decorations.

Christmas decorations we are not short on. Most of which I will admit are stolen from my mother. This year when I pulled out the boxes I was very surprised to realize how many there were. Each box brings a smile and a little excitment when it gets opened.

The Christmas house collection by Dept 56 is always fun for us to set up. The little elf houses have so much detail and cuteness that we just sit and stare at them, listing out our favorite peices. The new bookshelf that we had installed is a perfect place to showcase them.

The little pupy Madison wasn't quite sure what she thought of all the new items or the moving of all the furniture around. Like other dogs she believes that anything under 3 ft belongs to her and should not be meddled with.

She should enjoy the decorations. I've been collecting different Reindeer items now that we have a house to set up. Historically Finnish Lapphunds were bred to hunt and herd reindeer, but somehow they are just less interesting than the real deal.

The antique sleigh bells are slightly more fun since they make a fun noise and so do I when she noses them.

Now the next thing to make the holidays even closer are all the cookie exchanges.... bring on the sugar rush.

Onion Soup - Antique Style

There aren't many things more comforting than a nice warm cup of soup on a cold day. And when you combine a steamy rich broth with melty cheese and crispy bread crumbs it just warms you up all over.
Onion soup is one of those dishes.

Shopping at a local antique store on near my parent’s farm is always a weekend visit must. There are new treasures on every visit, many of them from the rural Wisconsin farm community, passed on through the generations.

Scanning the shelves packed with dishes I spotted these little soup cups. There was a set with listing recipes for Chicken, Cheese, and Onion Soup. I scooped up the Onion's and waited through the summer till fall.

Finally the weather cooled down and a request for more heart-warming dishes rang in the kitchen. The canning season which was just completed came in handy for that cooked all day taste.

We fired up the stew pot, simmered the onion broth till the house smelled in each room, roasted homemade bread crumbs, melted the cheese, and tried to resist burning our tongues on the steamy soup pulled from the broiler.

It might be the nostalgic soup dishes, but it warmed us to our toes regardless.

Onion Soup

6 medium onions, sliced thinly

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

4 tbsp flour

3 cups chicken or beef stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp rosemary

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup milk

Toasted bread crumbs

Mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot heat the onions with the oil till soft. Add the flour and allow to stick to the onions. Add stock, bay leaf, herbs, salt, pepper.

Let simmer for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hrs.

Add cream and milk. Let simmer till thickned. Removed from heat and spoon into oven safe dishes, leaving 2 inches from the brim.

Place toasted bread crumbs on top of the soup. Pile Mozzarella over the bread crumbs. Place on a tray and broil till cheese is lightly brown and melted.

Remove and let cool slightly.

Goes well with sandwitches, salads, or as a side starter.

Decorating for the Season

The little hints of orange and yellow and infused our house with the Halloween spirit. The pumpkins have been carved, the holiday nuts have been roasted, and the leaves have fallen (not to mention a little snow!) Thankfully my collection of signed and special cookbooks matches the autumn colorings. But I wonder, will it go with the winter? Hopefully we won’t have any more snow so I can put off worrying.

The decorations hold a little of the antique, as does our normal décor. There are witches and ravens, sliver leaves and orange ribbons; all mixed in with our permanent collection. My parents have always been avid antique coinsurers, most likely coming from the local historic items found in my grandparents farm and the neighboring estates. They especially hunt for Redwing crocks and stoneware. These large containers were made to hold anything from butter, to water, to cured meats. While many in number there are few without cracks or blemishes. Our home holds only one small crock (used for magazines at the moment), however our collection of coffee grinders and tins continues to grow. Besides the resident coffee aficionado’s obsession with grinders, my husband has also blessed the purchases of an antique pizza flipper, the occasional wooden spoon, and my personal fetish, trivets.

Ofcourse there is always the cross generation handed down crystal from my cousin and the, get this, dish that I was baptised in. All in all, our home is a timeless mixture of old world charm and modern conveniences, or at least that’s what we strive for!