Being in the retail and design business we are often very busy at this time of year.  As our business and children were growing up and time was at a premium, Aaron and Jake began to question “if” and what kind of tree we would have.  Traditionally it was always a live tree, sometimes collected from a local tree farm or the local Jaycee’s lot.  In 2002, having waited until the last minute, I rushed to Wildwood Nursery in search of a live tree.  They were too large, too tall or too expensive, so I had to re-group.  Wondering through the nursery I spotted a Pom Pom Topiary Juniper.   It was not very big but had a very interesting shape.  Could I make this work as a Christmas tree?  I am always up for a challenge!  My youngest son, Jake, at that time, always arrived home for Christmas late in the night from NJ.  I had promised him a real tree!  So, he first laid eyes on this tree while everyone else was sleeping.  In the morning he said, “Mom, what have you done?  You decorated a “broccoli” tree for Christmas! Thus the saga of the potted Christmas trees began.  Here is the pictorial version of the saga from 2002 to today, http://bit.ly/vFOmDz.

2002 "Broccoli" Tree

So this past weekend once again we set out on the quest for a tree.  Again Wildwood Nursery was able to oblige.    We found a beautiful potted ‘Carolina Sapphire’ Cypress tree about 5’ tall.  This type of Cypress is a very airy looking tree with aromatic, pale blue-grey foliage.  Because the foliage is so wispy, developing a decorating scheme took some thought.

The beginnings of the 2011 Sherwood Christmas tree, a 'Carolina Sapphire' Cypress

I began with the lights placed close to the trunk.  Tulle mesh ribbon in three colors, white, red and turquoise, and lime stretchy ribbon was added for the garland.  Last but certainly not least, an assortment of light weight glass ornaments created the finishing touch!

Added sparkle and shine with light weight glass ornaments to the 2011 tree.

Carolina Cypress 2011 Christmas Tree

Glass baubles and lights for the mantel!

Added a touch of turquoise this year.

An art glass lamp even gets some Christmas adornment

Yes, we do have a tree and a few other Christmas baubles and bangles.

Thank you for reading this story!  It helped me remember how precious these holiday memories will always be in our lives with the people we love.

Enjoy your holidays wherever you may be.  Make some memories!

The Sherwoods visiting the LA Museum of Modern Art, Christmas, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Here are a few facts about this ministry and the items they particularly need.

The Bethlehem Food Pantry

Traci, Autumn and Mary will be busy painting pink pumpkins. Ribbon, paint, and markers will be available for you to decorate your own pumpkin if you like. The small pre-painted pink pumpkins or the pumpkins you decorate will be sold for a $10 donation to Susan G Komen for the Cure.  We will even have a special pink pumpkin filled with lots of MSLL goodies to be raffled off to raise more contributions.

One other item we’ll have available is Say I Won’t Beat Cancer t-shirts. This company is owned by Brett Walker, Joyce Walker’s son. (Yes, our Lake Gaston Weight Watchers lady) His company routinely supports good causes like this. We will have a very limited supply on hand. If you would like to pre-order a t-shirts or tank for $15.00 in your size please contact us.

Don’t miss the fun!

Saturday, October 15, 11 am – 3 pm.

You might take home the special pink pumpkin!

What a beautiful Labor day weekend!  We hope everyone is begining to recover from the power outages, downed trees, structural damage and spoiled food.  With this in mind we want to do something to help a local agency.  This may not relate to the Hurricane Irene disaster but it does help with an often silent domestic crisis.  Everyday women and children are searching for a way to escape domestic abuse and violence.  Hannah’s Place, a non-profit shelter in Roanoke Rapids, is there to help.

Our event “Hope Filled Handbag Exchange” will benefit Hannah’s Place.  When a woman arrives at the shelter they receive a handbag filled with personal toiletries.  Our goal is to collect and fill 30 or more handbags to donate to Hannah’s Place.

To kick off our efforts please join us for wine and appetizers from 5 to 7 PM, Thursday, September 22.  A representative from Hannah’s House will be present to tell us more about this worthy cause.

To thank you for your “nearly new” handbag donation to Hannah’s Place you will receive a $10 MSLL gift card to use towards a new fall handbag or fashion accessory of your choice.  We will also collect toiletries to stock the handbags.  A list of the needed toiletries is below

We hope you will join us on September 22 for some fun and socializing to support a worthy cause.

Mary

Click here to check out our video:     MSLL Girls-Out with the Old…In with the New!

Hope and Handbags!

What is so fishy?  There are a number of strange “albino fish” in our warehouse crying to be embellished!  When will these fish be ready to start making appearances all around the Roanoke Valley?  Read on to learn more.

Albino rockfish desperately needing some color!

On Saturday, August 13, at 11 AM watch these fish be transformed by two very talented artists, Traci Watson (yes, our staff member) and visiting artist, Madison Latimer, after the 7^th Annual O’Sail Crossing event.   Join us for fun, food, art and more!!!!

Traci Watson is a talented artist exploring many aspects of the decorative arts.  She is skilled in decorative painting, murals, faux finishing, furniture painting and custom art work.  Her love is shabby chic and re-purposing of materials.  By day she is our showroom sales and merchandising coordinator.   By night she is an artist mom, interior design student and home restoration handy woman.  With her busy schedule it is hard to image she has time to paint but painting is her passion. Here are a few examples of her work.

Lake Gaston's Frequent Visitor-The Great Blue Heron

Colorful rainbow fish!

Madison Latimer, Patsy and I crossed paths many years ago at the Virginia Beach Boardwalk Art Show.  We were so excited about the color and energy in her art.  We both had to have some pieces for our showroom and our homes.  Patsy designed her kitchen renovation around the guinea hen art.  I have two of Madison’s bar art in my home.  We recently reconnected because of Facebook. J  She is still painting, loving her garden and farm and driving her “chicken” truck to art shows all over the country.  We are so pleased to have her join us for the The Roanoke Valley Rocks Rockfish Painting Demonstration.  Look for her huge chicken truck and funky art.

The chicken truck and her cargo!

Cocktails, anyone?

Saturday, August 13^th is going to be an exciting day of non-stop events for Lake Gaston.

8:15        Join the “Waking Red” MSLL team at our shop to walk across Eaton Ferry bridge in the O’Sail Crossing.  The Crossing registration  is required. http://bit.ly/pWNTz5.

The Crossing 2010 "Walking Red" MSLL Team

Team members are asked to wear something red. There will be a  special gift for  joining the MSLL team

9:00        7^th Annual Lake Gaston Crossing fundraiser presented by non-profit organization, O’Sail.  Swim, paddle or walk across Lake Gaston.  Beginning at Morning Star Marina and finishing at Watersview Restaurant

11:00      “Roanoke Valley Rocks” fish painting demo at Mary Sherwood Lake Living. Meet the artists, purchase their art and have lots of fun, food and drink.  LIKE US on our Facebook Page:  http://on.fb.me/n92KR6 and you will see all the latest at MSLL.

1:30        SUNNY, the O’Sail’s rockfish will be released at the O’Sail Lake Gaston kiosk in the Food Lion shopping center, 2455 Eaton Ferry Road, Littleton.

So things are very fishy around Lake Gaston this weekend.

“The Rock the Roanoke Valley”  Rockfish campaign go to:  http://on.fb.me/ovTwaz.

Can’t wait to see you on Saturday!

Strawberry Wedding Cheesecake

Each recipe make 2 1/2 cups.  In a 9″ springform pan this makes a 2″ high cake including crust.

To adjust height of cake add more batter and increase cooking time.

You can calculate the different amount of batter needed for various size pans by using a ratio.

9″ pan -2 1/2 cups

8″ pan-2 1/4 cups

6″pan-1 3/4 cups

These amounts are rounded up to make it easy to measure.

There are three key elements to making a perfect cheesecake:

1.  Spray the springform pan very well with Baker’s Joy so cake slides easily off of bottom of pan

2.  Use low heat, 300 degrees, to prevent the top from browning.

3.  Cool gradually as suggested in recipe

Good luck with this!

Cheesecake with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

Adapted from Cooking Light, May, 2006

Approximately 16 serving with sauce

CRUST:

1/4 cup sugar

8 graham cracker rectangles

Dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons of butter or canola oil

Cooking spray w/flour (such as Baker’s Joy)

CHEESECAKE:

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 (8-ounce) blocks 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (4 ounces) regular cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dash of salt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon of grated lemon jest

4 large eggs

2 egg whites

SAUCE:

4 cups sliced strawberries (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 cup strawberries, cut in half

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cheesecake crust, place 1/4 cup sugar, graham crackers, cinnamon and dash salt in a food

processor; process until mixture resembles sand.  With the processor on, add 2

tablespoons melted butter through food chute, processing until blended. Generously coat pan with cooking spray with flour.   Firmly press mixture into bottom and slightly up sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes until just golden brown; cool completely on a wire rack.

Reduce oven to 300°.

To prepare cheesecake, combine 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, and a dash of

salt in a large bowl. Add softened cheeses; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed

until smooth. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add vanilla, 1 teaspoon juice and lemon zest;

beat just until combined. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating after each addition

just until incorporated.

Bake at 300° for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until center of cheesecake barely moves when pan is touched. (Oven temperatures vary.  Cooking time may need to be adjusted).  Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake in closed oven 30 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven. Run a knife around outside edge. Cool on a wire rack. Gradual cooling is important to prevent cracks in the cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate.  Can be frozen up to 3 months in tightly sealed aluminum foil and a zip lock bag.

To prepare strawberry sauce, reserve 1 cup strawberries, cut in half.  Combine 4 cups sliced strawberries, 1/2 cup water, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, pressing lightly with a spatula; discard solids. Return mixture to pan. Combine 1 tablespoon water and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer mixture to a bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in 2 teaspoons lemon juice.  Embellish top of cheesecake with strawberries, cut in half.  Spoon 1/2 of strawberry sauce on top.  When serving, drizzle each slice with a little of reserved sauce.

The most popular desserts in the Sherwood household are brownies and strawberry cheesecake.  Many years ago, when traveling from Lake Gaston to NYC to meet our other son’s (Jake) in-laws, I carried a frozen cheesecake by Amtrak train only to have it totally thawed and strawberry sauce dipping all over as I presented it to our host.  It’s hard to make a good first impression when your perfect cheesecake is soooo less than perfect!  When Aaron and Kiori requested a cheesecake wedding cake I began to research how to construct this cake, store until needed, transport from NC to NYC and assemble in Central Park.  It was quit a challenge.  I won’t bore you with all the details but I would like to share these pictures.

Graham cracker crust made for the all the layers at one time in spring form pans

Cheesecake batter blended until very creamy

Baked cheesecakes on cooling rack. Yay...no cracks!!!

Blue rolling cooler packed with cheesecakes and dry ice waiting with other supplies to enter Central Park

Removing spring form pans and assembling the frozen cheesecake layers

Layered cheesecake starting to be embellished.

Strawberries with drizzles of strawberry sauce and a perfect pink hydrangea flower on top

The finished wedding cake complete with baby's breath!

Aaron and his Japanese bride, Kiori cutting the wedding cake

First Bite!!!

The "after" with only the "less than perfect" bottom layer left over. Whew!

This was quite a challenge but mission accomplished!

Like us on our Facebook fan page to see the recipe

Mary Sherwood Lake Living,  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Sherwood-Lake-Living/106936857237

Please tell me your best and worst cheesecake adventures!

Mary Sherwood Lake Living…working with you to create your lifestyle at Lake Gaston and beyond!

Paul has had enough!

Mary and I are staying with my sister Anne and her husband Val who both appear to be stars in NBC. Maybe you might be interested in what’s happening to my sister.

Twenty-five years ago, Anne hired on to NBC as a temp in the clerk pool. Today she is a full Vice President in charge of Affiliate Marketing. As such she gets some VERY cool opportunities.

Take, for example, the Royal Wedding. She is in charge of NBC’s affiliate support of the wedding. As such she developed part of NBC’s website for the wedding, http://nbcroyalwedding.com. If you find a page with some dinner ware (in the Royal Wedding etiquette section) you’ll be looking at my sister’s actual china and silver used in a shoot at NBC studios in Rockefeller Center. Anne’s staff did the research for all you find under all the different tabs. On top of that (and this was pretty cool) we’re sitting in her living room watching the event (on NBC’s Today show of course) and she’s reading us e-mails she’s getting from NBC reporters, producers and technical staff on site live at the wedding. Even now she’s sitting there sending instructions to her staff to update photographs and copy of the gown and the wedding cakes and the tiara. Check this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishmonarchy.

In the past I’ve known her to have command of the NBC corporate jet to travel around the country promoting programs.

So what about my “little” sister do I like the best? Well, two years ago she and I did a motorcycle ride through the Adirondacks in upstate New York. We rode 750 miles and saw some of the most beautiful country God has seen fit to create! It was a marvelous, nostalgic, tour of the area in which she and I vacationed as children. I was emotional during much of the ride and made the comment to her about how this was a “once-in-a-lifetime”ride. Her response, “Why once??” We’re currently planning another ride…where? Well, we’re not quite sure yet. Wherever it turns out to be…it’ll be magical.

I love you, Sis.

Paul and his sister, Ann

After viewing the fabulous array in Philly I was not satisfied with my few healthy, re-blooming Phalaenopsis orchids and a few other orchids that looked very pitiful.  Local resources for orchids are limited.  So as Paul’s birthday present to me we embarked on an orchid trail.  We already had plans to rendezvous with Paul’s brother in DC for his birthday so we plotted our trail from DC to Lake Gaston.  Somewhere on our way back home we were going to buy my birthday present.  As luck would have it, our first stop  in Vienna, VA was a winner.  Orchids For You,  a cute little orchid showroom, was tucked backed in a retail/commercial  office district, which seemed an unlikely spot for an orchid greenhouse.  As we walked in I was amazed at what was inside.  After discussing my home environment with Tom, the knowledgeable owner, we decided Phalaenopsis (the easiest orchid to grow) was definitely my kind of orchid.  It likes bright light and “semi-attention”, that is, watering only when it is almost dry if it is potted in a bark/moss medium.  Paul and I began to make our selections.  Paul, being color blind, reacts to flowers so differently than I do.  I never dreamed I would be orchid shopping with Paul.  Over the many years of our partnership in life we have each come to respect each other’s interests.  No, I am not ready to travel on the back of his motorcycle but I do enjoy our discussions about his next motorcycle trip or his next motorcycle gadget (to some degree).  As well he has come to appreciate and enjoy my love of flowers and gardening.  So without further ado I present the treasures of our orchid trail adventure.  Needless to say, we never stopped at the other greenhouses on the trail.  We’ll save them for another day. Hope you enjoy!

Harlequin Phalaenopsis-My First Choice

Kaleidoscope Pink/Yellow Phalaenopsis-Paul's First Choice

Epidendrum Max Valley-had to try this red one!!!

Lady Slipper, Paphiopedilum Supersuk Eureka Raisin Pie, getting ready to open

My orchid family and a few spring blooms from the garden!!! They look pretty happy so far!

Send me your favorite orchid pictures and stories.  Let’s continue this orchid trail!

Mary Sherwood Lake Living…working with you to create your lifestyle!

If you are as old as I am you may remember a lemon flavored, sponge cake cookie made in shell shaped molded pans called madeleines. These cookies are easy to prepare and perfect for a light luncheon dessert or an accompaniment to a raspberry sorbet. Sometimes these cookies are partially dipped in chocolate ganache for extra flare of flavor.  In the 50′s they were frequently served at department store tea rooms and at  ”ladies’ luncheons”.

Madeleine's made in molded pans

Shrimp Cocktail Aspic is an updated version of the traditional tomato aspic of the 1950′s.  With V 8 juice and the right amount of spice this recipe made a tasty cold soup (similar to a gazpacho).  With the addition of more gelatin you can create a variation of this recipe which can be poured into a mold or loaf pan and congealed before serving.

Savory Shrimp Cocktail Aspic

The favorite recipe of the class was Smoked Gouda Cheese Fondue. Reflecting back to the days of the fondue pot this recipe adds a new twist. The fondue is prepared on the stove top and served in individual small boules created from whole wheat, crusty dinner rolls from the grocery bakery. Topping the fondue with bacon bits and toasted, sliced almonds made this recipe the winner.

Warm and Savory Smoked Gouda Fondue Boule

Smoked Gouda Fondue

Ingredients:

8 ounces Gruyère, shredded

1/2 pound, about 6 ounces, smoked Gouda, shredded

1 rounded tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 large clove garlic, smashed away from skin

2 tsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup dry white wine

6 slices thick cut bacon

1/4 cup smoked almonds, coarsely chopped

Individual hard rolls, the top third cup off to form a cone shape in the inside

Directions: Make the fondue: combine cheeses in a bowl with flour and set aside. Rub the inside of a small pot with smashed garlic then discard. Add wine and lemon juice to pot and bring to a bubble over medium heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and add cheese in handfuls. Stir constantly, melting the cheese in batches. Stir in a figure-eight pattern with wooden spoon. Transfer the fondue to the rolls and top with chopped bacon and smoked nuts.

50′s cooking trivia was a big hit with the class.  The Betty Crocker Cookbook was the bible of the 1950′s kitchen and the “in” way to find recipes. Do you know the first Jello flavor?  What was the most frequently prepared food?  What popular snack food was developed from a crop by Fred Mennen in 1959?  What brand of doughnuts were introduced in 1950?

Send us your answers.  Add your own 50′s trivia.

Upcoming Cooking Classes…  Mark Your Calendar!

April 16 Bruschetta is not just an Appetizer presented by Yvonne Hoffman (just back from an Italian Cooking School)

June 4 Cranking Up the Heat with Grilling Flare presented by Gene St.Clair

Mary Sherwood Lake Living working with you to create your lifestyle at Lake Gaston and beyond!