Portrait of the Holiday Open House

We just had a weekend sale that was filled with beautiful weather, albeit it a bit cold. Cold is good...cold rain is not. We were ecstatic with the sunshine and we were even more so by the guests who came to visit Willowbrook Farm and to shop at Life's Patina. They were greeted by festive Holiday music, the scent and taste of warm mulled cider and yummy treats and a wonderful selection of merchandise.

After starting the morning with our first HOT Holiday coffee of the season delivered by a thoughtful friend, we were fueled to help the many shoppers pick out their treasures. I thought I would post photos of the scenes in which they could pick their treasures from. As we like to say, "If you can't find something to take home with you from the barn... than you must not have opened your eyes."

Here is a visual story board of the scenes that awaited our guests.

A feast for the eyes.

 I hope that I captured some of the feelings that the vignettes convey. We like to capture them as soon as they are composed for many of the items went home with new owners and are not to be seen again in this venue...such as our cute little red and grey plaid deer. 

We love this particular time of year for it is always festive and a visual treat. We hope that those of you who made it out to the barn found something special and for those of you who missed it this time around, we are doing it all over again the first weekend of December with lots of new goodies added!

We hope to see you then!

All the best as you get ready to hear the music this Holiday season~

Meg

Martha Stewart's American Made Summit 2014

Having just attended the Martha Stewart American Made Summit in New York City this past weekend I am still in awe of the passion, creativity, innovation and dedication that the small business owners who attended and presented displayed. All of their companies are based on American made product, utilizing the workforce here in the United States. Some of them revitalizing communities that are in dire need of this kind of interest and assistance to reinvent themselves. Some of them bringing to life an idea born of a passionate hobby. Some of them displaying incredible levels of excitement and energy born out of a desire to change their every day environment and lifestyle. To control their own destiny so to speak. In order to do that though, they all agreed, that they have never worked so hard in their lives and have never enjoyed that work so much!

The Summit was held in the Martha Stewart Omnimedia Headquarters in New York City which was fascinating for me to see. I have to confess that I have followed Martha Stewart since the late 1980's, reading her books, watching her television specials on entertaining and crafting and then subscribing to her magazine as she broke new ground in elevating the art of "keeping a home."  Being newly married and a creative soul, there were very few personalities at that time who celebrated "Home Keeping" in a stylish and beautiful way that was do it yourself and could be accomplished all by yours lonesome and in your own home. I was hooked, through all five children and tried to elevate the "everyday" steered by Martha's ideas. She really was the one who propelled me to create more of my own ideas and integrate them into my family's life.

The workspaces of Martha Stewar'st Living every day operations were shrouded in huge white shades that rolled down from the high warehouse ceiling above.

The space was light filled and all white, perfect for highlighting the design, decor and products of the finalists and winners of the American Made Summit.

Of course, the opening reception the night before the event was done in true Martha fashion with each part of the country being represented by food and beverages indigenous and symbolic of that region. 

(That is our neck of the woods!)

Inventive ways of displaying the food was the norm and and creative ways of mixing the flavors was even better. I do have to admit that nibbling never really fills me up so afterwards I did find myself drawn to one of the many open diners to enjoy an omelet, solo at 10:30 pm. LOVE NYC for you can ALWAYS find food at any hour!

After a yummy breakfast of Chobani Greek yogurt, fresh fruit and homemade granola served in compostable bamboo bowls, we were treated to a day long seminar composed of various panels of experts in their fields; recent winners of the 2014 contest, business owners and executives, social media gurus, shop owners, company founders and many more. A wealth of information was disseminated from a white stage clothed in white and punctuated by the large silver map of America that hung behind the stage.

The founder of Alex and Ani spoke to the topic of Building a Brand - From Dream to Reality. She gave her story of how she revitalized the jewelry capital of Rhode Island by utilizing the talented labor force who had been silenced in that area due to companies taking their business overseas. 

We met successful business owners who started their companies from a passionate idea and have persevered to bring these companies to fruition and run them successfully today. Included in that panel was the Executive Editorial Director for the Crafts Department of Martha Stewart Living, Hannah Milman.

We were treated to Words of Wisdom from three of ten award winners this year, Floret, Detroit Dirt and Clark's Botanicals. Rachel Shectman told her story of the founding of her hugely successful and unique store in New York City named Story, whose business model is anything but the norm.

Martha interviewed her friend and neighbor who also happens to be the actress Blake Lively on her new venture as CEO and Creative Director for the online site of Preserve.us.

We then broke for lunch which was creatively served in bamboo trays and dishes that are again compostable. Me being the recycling tyrant at Life's Patina, LOVED those trays!

The salad was delectable with grains, kale, sweet potato, dried fruit, pepitas, pears and an unknown dressing that I will be sure to try and replicate. I cleaned not only my plate but my entire tray. It really is all about the food you know!

We were treated to a variety of topics in the afternoon sessions from Show Me The Money: Financing Your Business in Today's Market to Crafting a Brand to Social Chatter and the Role of Social Media in Building Your Brand to an Ask the Expert Panel at the closing. Entertaining panelists were sprinkled throughout and some even kept us laughing, such as the large personality of Barbara Corcoran, Founder of Corcoran Group and Investment Shark on Shark Tank and the well spoken and also humorous Charlotte Beers, a Speaker, Author and past CEO of Ogilvy & Mather in New York City. My brain was on overload taking in all of the pertinent and valuable information as well as processing the inspiration and ideas that kept pooping up in my own head as how to add to and change some of Life's Patina mission. 

How can I encapsulate the event and what I took from it? Wow, tough question, but I would have to say that it was truly inspirational to see how people, just like you and I, took a dream that they truly believed in and took a risk by leaping into bringing that dream to fruition and are doing what they longed to today. 

The atmosphere...

The concept...

The products...

The food...

and the originality, all combined to create an event that helped me to refine some of the goals and the direction in which I hope to move Life's Patina. I certainly hope that I will be as fortunate to attend again next year. 

Maybe the weekend's perfection was in part due to the fact that I got to then met up with my college friends of thirty years...ahem...not sure how I have known them that long since I am only thirty nine but that is for you all to figure out! We had a killer time catching up, hitting some cool places in the city and laughing until our sides hurt. Now that is what I call a perfect weekend!

New York City is such a city of contrasts.

The old,

the new, 

all blended into one seamless city.

 It is kind of like a friendship of thirty years, cemented in the  shared experiences of the past but enriched by the newly made experiences of the present.

Thanks girlfriends and Martha for giving me two enriching memorable experiences this past weekend!

I will be following up this blog with a highlight of the vendors who will be participating in this coming weekend's barn sale. All of whom are AMERICAN MADE!

~ Until then~

Meg

Amazing Zucchini and Pumpkin Bread

I had received a few requests to post the recipe for the pumpkin bread that I had put on my status before Halloween. This recipe is from my sister in law who happens to make the best pumpkin roll ever, as well as this pretty tasty pumpkin bread. I packaged this bread up this year to send to my kids in college as well as to give for little Halloween gifts. I have to caution you in that it is incredibly moist, yummy and  most likely you would be better off if you just smeared it on your thighs instead of sneakily, guiltily ingesting it for the week and then slowly but surely, have it reach your thighs in the long run.

Here it is anyway:

PUMPKIN BREAD

4 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. canola oil
6 eggs
1 large can of pumpkin (not pie filling)
5 1/4 c. sifted flour
1 c. milk
3 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Grease and flour loaf pans (above recipe makes 5 loaves)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients together in the order above. Pour batter to 3/4 full in each pan. Bake for approx. 45 mins and then check loaves with a knife inserted in center. Most likely will have to leave in oven for another 15 mins.  Take out of oven once knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Since I am tempting you with sweet treats I thought I would include this recipe as well. I found it when I was searching for a good zucchini bread recipe to try and use up the overabundance of zucchini I had from the garden this year. ALL of us LOVED this one and I made it with the half oil, half applesauce version. A little more healthy, although the streusel topping most likely cancels out the health benefits. DO NOT make without the streusel! Let's face it, once you have tasted it, a zucchini bread without the streusel is like...Christmas without snow or summer without swimming or fall without  the smell of burning leaves. One of my sons, who does not like zucchini, asked where was it in the bread for he did not taste it or see it. Mission accomplished!

 Definitely double up on this recipe to make 2 loaves.

Award-Winning Zucchini Bread and Muffins

This award-winning zucchini bread gets an upgrade with buttery oat streusel, brown sugar, melty chocolate chips, and lots of sweet flavors like cinnamon and vanilla. No wonder it won first place!

Yield: 1 loaf or 10 muffins (can be easily doubled)

prep time: 20 MINUTES

total time: BREAD: 1 HOUR, 10 MINUTES MUFFINS: 40 MINUTES

Ingredients:

BROWN SUGAR OAT STREUSEL

• 2/3 cups (60g) old-fashioned or quick oats
• 1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (16g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold
• 1 Tablespoon (10g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

ZUCCHINI BREAD & MUFFINS

• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (I used canola and it was great~ heard that you can also use melted coconut oil but did not try that
• 1 cup grated zucchini (about 1 large)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour (careful not to overmeasure)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (135g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional (or use pecans or walnuts) or use both but try not to skip the chocolate chips if you love chocolate!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 9x5 (or 8x4) loaf pan with nonstick spray. If making muffins, preheat oven to 425F degrees and spray a 12-count pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Make the streusel first by combining the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the cold butter with two knives or a pasty cutter (preferred) - or you may use your hands. Mix until the streusel resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the beaten egg, brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, zucchini, and vanilla until evenly combined. In a large bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and chocolate chips together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing.

Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake the bread for 20 minutes at 350F degrees. Remove from the oven and top with the streusel - press it down into the top. The reason you are adding it after 20 minutes is to prevent it from sinking to the bottom of the bread as it bakes. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I covered the bread loosely with aluminum foil after 35 total minutes to avoid the top from getting too brown. Allow bread to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan and serving.

If making muffins, fill 9-10 muffin cups all the way to the top. Press the streusel into the tops of each muffin. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F degrees and, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350F degrees and continue to bake for an additional 13-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.

Bread and muffins stay covered tightly at room temperature or refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bread and muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Recipes may easily be doubled, tripled, etc and baked in batches.

Recipe source: Quinn family recipe

*Healthy bonus: I tried swapping half of the oil with applesauce and didn't notice much of a difference as far as taste and texture goes! However, to avoid a rubbery texture, I would not swap any more than half of the oil for applesauce. 

Bon Appétit'~

Meg