We were at dinner the other night with Craig Wiebe, one of our oldest and dearest friends, and he had a little story to tell…he asked if I remembered that he had given our Measuring Cups and Spoons to one of his best childhood buddies over 20 years ago. And, of course I did! We were still relatively new in business back then and I had probably personally delivered those pieces to Craig.

This buddy recently moved and the very first thing that he put up in his new kitchen were his Cups and Spoons. He was so excited that he immediately sent a photo to Craig – who then shared it with us, of course.

Here is what I love about this photo:

-his Measuring Cups and Spoons were the FIRST thing to go up in his kitchen (notice there is nothing in those cupboards or on that counter NOR has he finished painting – witness the stripped window trim)

-he found a way to fit them in a narrow space

-he has FISH spoons and CELTIC cups – things don’t always need to be “matchy-matchy”

-he obviously enjoys the warm patina that they have developed over the years (since he has opted to NOT polish them or send them back to us for our “spa treatment”)

Also please note: Back then, the Cup bowls were much thinner with a copper core!

Vintage Spoons and Cups

Needless to say, it makes me really proud to see that these Cups and Spoons are still being loved and used 20+ years later.

If you are traveling in Oregon and looking for a great place to spend the evening….look no further!

King Estate Winery is about 45 minutes outside of Eugene but, when you get there, you feel like you have arrived in Italy.

King Estate Winery - spectacular!

There is an outside terrace where you can enjoy the spectacular view, try their wines and have some dinner.

We headed out there last night for my Dad’s 90th birthday. I only hope that someone will take ME to a place like that when I am his age. And I hope I will still be wanting to sample wine and try new dishes.

Birthday Boy

I had an incredible beet salad – which I immediately dove into. I quickly realized that I should have stopped to photograph it first! The waiter graciously took my camera back into the kitchen where the chef took multiple photos of the next beet salad that he assembled.  (Out of the dozens of pictures of this beet salad, I will just select one to share here!)

Beet Salad

My husband tried the charcuterie plate:

Charcuterie Plate

My Dad – always willing to try something new – had the Seafood Sampler: dungeness crab and scallop terrine, confit spot prawn, and smoked trout.

Seafood Sampler

A number of years ago, we made some custom wine coasters and key chains for King Estate. They must have sold out because I didn’t see any out there in their gift area.  I guess we better give them a call.

But, in the meantime, I hope you will stop in! You surely will be glad that you did!

4th of July Shortbread

I got up, went for a walk, and then headed right to the grocery store to get fresh fruit. Back to the kitchen I went and got started on my contribution for the party that we are invited to tonight.

Using my Fleur de Lys Measuring Cups – of course! – I scooped in and out of my Bisquick and sugar and….using my Fleur de Lys Measuring Spoons – of course! – I measured out my vanilla. And voila! my mini short cakes were done.

I know I know it looks like one big flag – but it’s actually made of individual little shortcakes!

Happy 4th of July!

As in many cities, Portland’s home builders like to showcase their newest homes for a few weeks each summer. In Portland, it is called the Street of Dreams. I headed over there last week to check out one of the homes that was staged by Candace White, a local decorator.

She chose to place our Vineyard Canister Set and matching Super Post Set (Measuring Spoons and Cups all on one post) in the kitchen of the home that was called “Con Amore”.

We were honored to have our products in this lovely kitchen.  Check out the photos!

I couldn’t wait to go on the tour and see how everything looked.

I joined my daughter, Petrel, and her husband, Jacob, along with his wonderful parents.

I'm not really sure why I felt the need to pose with all of our products - I guess because I was so excited!

It was really nice to meet Candace, as well. She is the one who pulled everything together.

Dragonfly Measuring Spoons on recycled wood

Here is my little secret…while I am really proud of our current line of products, I love our ongoing Studio Sale and get nostalgic each time I look through it!   I know it sounds crazy, but there are some real treasures in there!

Since we are always introducing new products, we frequently have to drop our older designs – which results in over-runs and discontinued items that are usually in perfect condition!  It’s just too inefficient to keep track of hundreds of molds and thousands of products. So, rather than wasting these beautiful pieces, we offer them at a significant discount to our customers.

But we also have something new and pretty cool in our sale. Our woodworker, who lives in a small town out in the Oregon woods, came across some old fencing that he was able to recycle into spoon and cup strips for us! Since he only has a limited amount of this, we have decided to offer them in our studio sale – rather than in our main collection.

The wood is medium to dark brown with a bit of silver shimmer. Needless to say, each piece is different. As our woodworker told us, “The silver, almost white, on the wood is NOT paint. I call it sun patina, similar to the sheen on driftwood. The extra holes in the wood are nail holes.”

We think that this vintage wood looks fabulous, when paired with pewter, and it’s also a great way to get a set of our Measuring Spoons and Cups at a great price!

Dragonfly Measuring Cups on recycled wood

The Blackberry is our State Flower. I don’t think too many of us Oregonians care about the flower but we get pretty excited about the berries!

Blackberries grow all over Oregon. In fact, they’re actually a bit of a weed. They grow where you want them but they also grow where you don’t want them – and they are virtually impossible to get rid of. They thrive on both sides of alleys, they scramble over tool sheds, they crawl through your vegetable garden.

The solution? Just keep picking the berries and be happy!

Last night I made Chicken with Oregon Blackberries.
It was loosely based on a Moroccan recipe. Who knew they had blackberries in Morocco?! – considering it would be hard to find a climate more different than ours.

Chicken with Oregon Blackberries

Chicken with Oregon Blackberries

½ cup dry white wine (measured with your Crosby & Taylor Pewter Measuring Cups – of course!)
1 T. olive oil
4 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces (breasts and/or thighs)
3 T. combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, & basil
(or ½ tsp. of each, dried)
2 tsp. sweet Hungarian paprika
salt & pepper to taste
½ cup chicken stock
2 T. light brown sugar
2 T. mashed blackberries
2 garlic cloves – smashed and minced
2 T. white vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
½ cup whole blackberries for garnish

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Pour ¼ cup wine into a large glass or porcelain baking dish.
-Rub chicken pieces with olive oil and arrange in the dish, skin side up.
-Sprinkle liberally with herbs and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
-Bake for 35 minutes, adding the ¼ cup wine and then the chicken stock to the pan as the juices evaporate.
-Occasionally baste chicken.

-While chicken is baking, combine brown sugar with mashed berries, garlic, vinegar, and remaining ½ tsp. paprika.
-Spoon this mixture over the chicken and continue cooking for 10 minutes, basting occasionally until the juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.
-Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

-Pour the cooking juices into a saucepan and boil over moderate heat until reduced to half (about 2 minutes).
-Season with salt and pepper and spoon over the chicken.

-Garnish with whole blackberries and enjoy.