Dresser Dress-Up

I have two large bureaus in my bedroom that belonged to my grandparents in the 1960s. The drawer handles have become very worn and tarnished over the past 40 years, so I removed one and took it to the hardware store in hopes of getting advice about metal polish.

The hardware store employee showed me the dull, black backside of the handle and informed me that they were lacquered "pot metal," and could not be polished. I asked him for other ideas and he suggested spray paint. I removed all of the handles, sanded them down so the paint would take to the surface.

The paint worked beautifully. A nice facelift for my family heirloom.

A Spring Quiche

Last weekend I attended a clothing exchange brunch with a wonderful group of ladies. It's an event we plan a few times a year to purge our closets and bring home crazy new fashions we otherwise wouldn't have the guts to try (hilarious highlights from this exchange included a two-headed dress, a floor-length satin queen of hearts dress, and I came home with a vintage juicer!)

For the brunch, I wanted to find a quiche recipe that could include some fresh tarragon I had in the fridge (tarragon is also really good in egg salad). I added asparagus to this goat cheese leek quiche recipe from Whole Foods. I'm really picky about pie crusts, ever since I started to make my great grandmother's pie crust recipe (below). So I substituted my crust for a store-bought one. I usually keep these balls of dough in the freezer to be thawed and rolled out as needed.

Don't be grossed out. This is the quiche before it went into the oven. The cooked-quiche pic came out blurry.

Alterations to the quiche recipe:

I cut up several spears of asparagus and simmered them with the leeks, then proceeded with the recipe as directed.

My Great-Grandmother's Pie Crust Recipe

*Makes enough for 3 double pie crusts

3 c. flour

1/2 lb. chilled lard

1 tsp. salt

10 Tbsp. COLD water

1 egg

1 tsp. vinegar

Using pastry knife, cut the lard into the flour. Add salt and thoroughly combine into a fine meal. (Be patient). Then add cold water, egg and vinegar. Combine. Separate into 6 equal balls and roll out with flour. Crusts can be frozen between sheets of plastic wrap for later use.