I’ve already introduced you to Eva Solo (and you can see a huge variety of her spectacular products here and here). Especially since Easter and Mother’s Day are nearly here, I think this is a perfect time to tell you about Peggy Karr.
I first saw Peggy Karr Glass when I was in a specialty shop that carried really nice home decor and entertaining products. Most of the stuff in the shop was unusual and a little artsy. From across the room, I saw some serving platters and plates with colors and designs that simply knocked me out.
Of course, I bee-lined my way to that area of the shop and learned about the designer. Peggy Karr s not exactly a household name. But her glassware can be found in many households across the country. Many people collect her glass work, and I can understand why. Not only is it beautiful, but it’s practical and affordable, too.
Peggy Karr started her business in 1987 in her home in Morristown, New Jersey. She had become enamored with the process of enameled glass and set out to master the technique. Since that time Peggy Karr Glass, Inc. has grown to be the largest enameled fused glass company in the world and all “Handmade in America.”
The glass is cut by hand into over twenty different shapes and sizes to support a wide product line of display pieces, ornaments, dishes and serving trays. The company employs artists to create the designs, then use computer to print a line drawing. One of the things that makes Peggy Karr Glass, Inc. unique in the industry is that they formulate and produce their own colors using a combination of finely ground glass and ceramic pigments. The artists apply the colors to the glass using tiny, hand-held sifters. It is a delicate and intricate process. Layers of color are added to each piece using stencils that are computer generated. Although the actual designs are duplicated, each piece is handmade by the artisan with subtle variations of the depth of color and texture. Each piece is unique.
After the artisan has finished adding all the layers of color, a second piece of glass is added on top, ensuring that the design and colors will never fade or be chipped away. The two pieces of glass are then placed in a ceramic mold which will give the piece its final form and adds a distinctive pebble finish to the back of every piece. The molds are placed in a kiln that has been designed by Peggy Karr especially for her glassware. The kiln heats the glass to 1600 degrees, causing the twp pieces of glass and to fuse together, forming one solid piece of glass with the design and color sealed within.
The final pieces are highly functional as well as beautiful. The design and colors are protected from washing away or being scraped by knives and forks. Each piece is inspected and only those that are judged as perfect get the marking of ‘PKG’ for Peggy Karr Glass, followed by the year.
Her designs cover a wide variety, from traditional fruits and flowers to abstract and geometrics. You’re going to use these pieces over and over, get tons of compliments on their beauty, and you can pass them on to your kids. I think they make great gifts, too, especially since the prices are very reasonable for something handmade, functional, long-lasting and really attractive. You might still have time to Order For Easter Delivery
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Ends March 31 → 2 Free Mini Exotic Candy Bars when you spend $50 at Vosges Haut-Chocolate
Great timing from one of my favorite chocolate makers. Vosges makes some wonderful chocolate for grown-ups and the exotic candy bars are a great way to sample some of the flavors that you haven’t tried yet. Hell, you probably haven’t even imagined these flavors yet!
Black Pearl – Ginger + wasabi + black sesame seeds + 55% dark chocolate
Red Fire – Mexican ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon dark chocolate
Gianduja – Almonds + caramelized hazelnut paste + 45% deep milk chocolate
Naga – Sweet Indian curry + coconut + 41% deep milk chocolate
Creole – Chicory coffee, cocoa nibs and 70% Sao Thome chocolate
Barcelona – Hickory smoked almonds + Fleur de Sel sea salt + deep milk chocolate
Oaxaca – Oaxacan guajillo + pasilla chillies + 75% Tanzanian chocolate
Woolloomooloo – Roasted & salted macadamia nuts + coconut + 45% deep milk chocolate
Matcha – Japanese matcha green tea and 45% deep milk chocolate
There’s no reason the kids should be the only ones with chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs. Act quickly and get your order by Easter – Order Here
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Jay loves beef. Hamburgers, meat loaf, beef stew, prime rib (okay – no argument there), pot roast, tri-tip, whatever. If it moo’d at some point in its life, that’s probably what he wants for dinner. Plus, we live in Arizona where most households find that firing up the grill is more frequent than sex. We have two grills. One standalone model with a rotisserie unit and infrared. That thing is probably the single best purchase I’ve made in years. We also have a built in grill, as part of our Margarita Bar. That’s the one we use for steaks. It gets hot, really really hot, and sears that slab of meat like it was being cooked at Morton’s or Ruth Cris. For Jay, this is the Holy Grail of home steak preparation.
As you can imagine, we eat a lot of steak. Which means we end up with leftover steak. Never enough for an entire meal, and if I leave it in the fridge too long, Jay will piss me off by wasting expensive prime beef on steak and eggs. Over the years, I’ve learned a couple of ways to stop him from doing that (and, more importantly, avert a quarrel about something pretty stupid like what to do with leftovers).
One thing I do is ask him to leave the stuff alone, that I’m going to use it for dinner. The effectiveness of that is somewhat dependent on the size of the carving knife I’m holding at the time the threat is issued. Then, I usually hide the leftover steak in some hidden corner of the fridge, hoping that he’ll forget all about it. That works pretty well if we’ve had a bottle of wine with dinner or a couple of cocktails.
It’s gotten easier lately to get away with this, primarily because I’ve found some really tasty ways of using up the leftovers. Sure, steak sandwiches with arugula and blue cheese dressing are always an option, but I thought I’d share a couple of the beef salad recipes I’ve developed. Let me know what you think, or better yet, add your own to the comments!
Grilled Steak Salad With Peppers and Pickles (trust me – this one is REALLY good)
For salad dressing:
3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
3 – 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red or yellow bell pepper, diced
2-3 tablespoons dill pickle, preferably garlic dills, diced
2-3 scallions or shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and chopped lightly
4-8 hot cherry pepper slices, chopped (Mezzetta 
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, oil, and sugar. Stein in remaining dressing ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste (go light on the salt). Let stand about 30 minutes to blend flavors and get to room temperature.
For the salad:
Leftover steak, sliced and cut into bite sized pieces. About one cup.
Romaine or iceberg lettuce
Mound lettuce on two plates. Put steak pieces on top of lettuce. Spoon dressing generously over steak and lettuce. Top with fresh ground black pepper to taste. Serves two.
Yum Nuah (Thai Beef Salad)
Ingredients
Leftover steak, sliced thinly (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped
1⁄4 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup tomatoes, sliced (optional)
1⁄4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tablespoons sriracha sauce (preferably Huy Fong Sriracha Chili Sauce
Putting it together
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Serve alone or on a bed of iceberg lettuce or with steamed rice. Garnish with additional cucumber and carrots, if desired.
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