Laurie’s Cobalt World Blog

You love the look of individual cobalt glass pieces. You are in love with a cobalt vase. You want cobalt dishes for your kitchen. But how do you bring it all together in your interior design scheme?

We’re extremely fortunate in this modern and contemporary era not to be limited to specific colors.

Remember the 1970’s? Harvest gold, avocado, and poppy pop into mind. Remember the 1950’s (or saw enough in movies to have an idea)? Pink and turquoise should come to mind there. In the 80’s we had Williamsburg blue and raspberry sherbet, which flowed into southwestern decor.

Today, we’ve learned about the problems of putting pink ceramic tile lined with black into a bathroom. We shy away from appliances unless they are in a neutral color. We buy big ticket items in shades of brown and beige or safe colors like blue.

If we have to put today’s look in interiors a sweeping category, we would probably have to say that it is neutral: white, cream, taupe, and browns. What a perfect backdrop for our cobalt pieces!

Cobalt is a strong color that can be overwhelming if used in excess. Unless you are going for the bold statement, you’ll probably not be painting your walls cobalt (though mine are just a few shades lighter, I admit).

Here are my favorite color schemes with cobalt:

• White and cobalt - clean, refreshing color coupled with an uncluttered design is so refreshing - a great combination for bedrooms and kitchens.
  
• Light yellow and white, with cobalt - this is a similar combination, but the cobalt is reserved as an accent and not the main decorating color.
  
• Medium blue and white with pink and cobalt accents - okay, I admit that this was my bedroom for many years. This color combination lends itself to a charming countryside design with handmade white lace, fancy cobalt pieces, collectible glassware, and pink flowers.
  
• Neutrals with cobalt - lots of wood, black, brown, cream, and lots of cobalt accents - works well for dens, offices, living areas, and lofts.

You can easily see how my tastes run. But there are other worthy cobalt color schemes.

You can use a color scheme generator to get other combinations. The trouble with those is you usually have to know the code for cobalt blue to even get started.

Either the generator will require the red-green-blue code (try 29, 0, 176) or the hue-saturation-light code (try 176, 255, 88) or the html code or hex number (try #1D00B0).

Here are come scheme generators to try out:

• Site Pro Central: Colour Scheme Chooser
• Color Schemer Online
• Color Wheel by Antone Roundy

You don’t have to change your whole decor to add a few cobalt pieces to your home. A decorative bowl on a table by the door can stand alone and be absolutely gorgeous. A cobalt vase can add depth to your display of glass. And your favorite glass coffee mug just might be made of cobalt glass!

Laurie

I’m not sure who gets more excited when a delivery truck pulls up me or our Chihuahuas. They bark out their enthusiasm and run to the door. So do I - run, that is, not bark. I love receiving new cobalt pieces. It feels like Christmas. You’d think that I get to keep it all for myself!

Yesterday, we received two new items. My husband and I were delighted with both, but Andrew clearly favors the large coffee glass mugs. I think he exclaimed something like, “Now we’re talking!” I don’t drink coffee, so I can’t really relate, but he was beaming and said he wanted some of them. I just loved the dark cobalt color and the feel of the mug in my hand.

I reminded him of our deal - nothing from Laurie’s Cobalt World goes into the kitchen and nothing from my kitchen or dining room goes into Laurie’s Cobalt World. He replied, “That rule pertains to you, not me.” Hmph. We’ll see about that!

I may let him have his glass coffee mugs because he has actually been in search of large ones for quite a while. And I have my eye on the new cobalt blue cosmopolitan glasses (what’s good for the goose . . .). I don’t drink cosmopolitans, but these unique glasses are also perfect for serving dessert. I do dessert. Definitely.

As soon as I saw them, my mind started categorizing all of the things that would look gorgeous served in those glasses. Since I’m on a diet, I first thought of a fruit salad. That’s nice, but I quickly moved on to ice cream. Any ice cream would be lovely, but our family favorite would complement the color so well, I think they were just made for each other.

Our family favorite homemade ice cream recipe is made from an unlikely ingredient. In fact, when we have guests, we ask them to try it before we tell them the flavor. Virtually always we are given a look of disbelief. But even months after the visit, friends will recall how much they enjoyed the ice cream.

I’ll mention just one last thing before I tell you what it is. If I told my family that I was making homemade ice cream and asked them what flavor they wanted, they would all ask for this one. There would be no quibble (just a little disbelief that I would be getting off of my diet again so soon after Christmas).

If I asked my extended family for a flavor, they would choose this one, but they would add mashed, sweetened peaches. That’s good, too, but we like it just as it is.

• 2 quarts of whole milk buttermilk
• 2 pts. of half-n-half
• 4 cups of sugar
• 4 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of milk

Mix all ingredients, making sure the sugar is well mixed. Freeze in an ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve either soft-frozen or ripen in the freezer.

Yes, I’ve made this with low-fat buttermilk and it turns out well. I’ve made it with fat-free buttermilk, fat-free half-n-half, and Splenda instead of sugar. It’s not as good as the real thing, of course, but as a fat-free, sugar-free dessert, it’s a wonderful treat.

* * * * *

For those of you who could actually like to drink a cosmopolitan from a cosmospolitan glass, here’s a cosmopolitan recipe from Emeril.

Laurie

A good number of years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to host my family for Christmas dinner. Before that time and ever since, our tradition is to go to my parents’ home for Christmas. Somehow I managed to get the family to travel to Atlanta, where we lived at the time. I can’t really remember how we did that.

We were very excited about this meal. I researched recipes for weeks in advance. We ordered a standing rib roast. I tried out recipes to be sure they weren’t flops before the “big day.”

When the time came, my family was a bit dismayed that we weren’t having turkey and dressing as always. It was a bit difficult to win them over, but course by course, they changed their minds and began to enjoy the qualities of each dish.

I have to say that of the approximately 17,000 meals I’ve had in my lifetime, that one is a definite standout (don’t get out your calculator - I’m 46).

One of my favorites from that meal was Potato Gruyere Gratin. It was not difficult to make, but it made a big hit with my family members, who were expecting mashed potatoes instead.

We made a recipe that served 12, but I’m going to post a version that serves two so that you don’t have to wait for a large crowd to enjoy it.

• 1 medium baking potato, about 8 oz., peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 red potato, about 4 oz. , unpeeled and thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. of fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or a scant 1/4 tsp. of dried
• 1/8 tsp. of salt, slightly rounded
• pinch of coarse ground black pepper (slightly more if you are a fan)
• 1 1/2 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp. of butter, softened

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease or spray a 12 oz. au gratin baker or au gratin dish or other shallow baking dish.

Spread half of the potato slices in the dish. Mix the garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, and cheese and spread half over the potato slices. Top with remaining potato slices, overlapping, for an attractive top. Pour broth over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese mixture. Dot with butter.

Bake 30 minutes. Tilt pan to spoon up broth to baste potatoes. Bake 30 minutes longer or until top is browned and potatoes are tender. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Whether or not you purchase your au gratin dish (rarebit) from me - although I hope you will - I would love for you to try this recipe and hope enjoy it as much as we do.

Laurie