Post by Alison Hein.

My husband, Kevin, really enjoys homemade cream soups, so I make them fairly often. Some of our favorites include just-out-of-the-shell lobster bisque, creamy asparagus soup, and potage St. Germain made with fresh spring peas. (Don’t worry – no breakfast soup recipe follows this story). To add a little kick, particularly for mild vegetarian soups, I add a dollop of sour cream mixed with a touch of horseradish. Then, for color and texture, I garnish the soup with fresh chopped parsley.

As I mixed a bit of horseradish cream recently to spice up a couple of bowls of vichyssoise, I realized that this combination would be delicious on an omelet. The crunch of fresh parsley would also be nice, but perhaps not quite crunchy enough….thus – bacon. Serve your omelet with a side of hash browns, or lovely, ripe fruit – all ingredients conspiring for a kicked-up, colorful breakfast in bed.

Ingredients
2 strips bacon
¼ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon cream-style horseradish
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Cook bacon strips slowly over medium heat until browned and crispy, turning once. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. When cool enough to handle, crumble into very small pieces and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix sour cream and horseradish cream together. Set aside.

Melt butter in small, heavy pan over high heat. Break eggs into small bowl and whisk until mixed. Add eggs to heated pan all at once and swirl to evenly cover the pan. Tilt pan slightly, and every few seconds, use a jerking motion to pull the pan towards you so the eggs move away as they begin to cook. When the eggs begin to set but are still very soft in the center, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.

Lightly spread the horseradish cream over the eggs and sprinkle with bacon. Retain some bacon for garnish, if you like. Return the pan to the stove, and continue the jerking motion, this time holding the pan at an even higher angle, until the omelet begins to flip over onto itself. Give the eggs a little push with a spoon or spatula if necessary. Turn the omelet out onto a plate, garnish with fresh parsley, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Breakfast, Charles, family, Horseradish Cream and Bacon Omelet, Recipes

Post by Laura Cheng.

I am a sucker for anything headlined with “million dollar”. Probably because I hope at some point my salary will fall into that range.  Until then, there’s HGTV’s newly launched show, Million Dollar Rooms, which offers a glimpse inside some of the most extravagant, high-end rooms across the globe. One of the most recent episodes featured a million dollar boat house and another featured a two million dollar pool in the middle of a living room.

One home has not been featured on the show (yet) but deserved a blog for its million dollar price tag. In fact, it is currently the world’s most expensive 1 bedroom apartment listed at $21.8 million (1.8 billion yen) with Japan Sotheby’s International Realty. The apartment is located in Minami-Azabu, one of Tokyo’s most affluent and wealthy neighborhoods. The spectacular price is supported by its spectacular square footage for a 1 bedroom apartment. At 4,434 square foot, it is larger than the average single family home in the US.

Source: http://theultralinx.com/2012/04/worlds-expensive-1-bedroom-apartment-218-million.html

As expected, Japanese style abounds in the “Ryotei” style dining room where the chef can serve the guests directly from the gourmet kitchen.  There is original, hand painted artwork by Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju located all around the apartment.

However, the home is also an international design showcase.  All the furniture in the apartment was custom designed by modern Italian company, Cecotti Collezioni. The walls, flooring and doors are also made from the highest quality Italian stone and wood. A custom designed kitchen is outfitted with top of the line French La Cornue appliances. The Parisian-style terrace off the casual dining room overlooks the peaceful Arisugawa Park.  Just as couples of different races generally produce attractive offspring, this is no exception.

The bedroom hosts a 60 inch television and what appears in the picture to be a high tech lighting/sound/window/temperature control system. The bed arrangement looks a bit odd – like two queen sized beds put head to head. Perhaps this home was purchased for the 2 dogs pictured and this is their master suite?

The bedroom also has a generous walk-in closet but my favorite feature is the entrance down the closet dedicated completely to shoes. The walls in the hallway open up as a massive shoe storage unit that shelves up to 200 pairs of shoes. This pricey apartment has surely inspired me to save up for this sole reason.

Source: http://theultralinx.com/2012/04/worlds-expensive-1-bedroom-apartment-218-million.html

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Design, Million Dollar Room

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Cold Cereal by Adam Rex.

When Scott (whose unfortunate full name is Scottish Play Doe) has to move with this mother to the town of Goodborough, N.J. he thinks that he’ll just have to deal with the usual issues of trying to fit in in a new school. Who knew that he would find himself embroiled in cereal-related conspiracies? Or that a Clurichaun (similar to a Leprechaun) would be indebted to him?

These are just some of the incredible circumstances that sixth-grader Scott finds himself in the midst of. Adam Rex, who has written some strange and hilarious books for all ages, from children’s poems about monsters to a story of a vampire who is trapped forever in the body of a chubby adolescent. This newest release is weird, funny and interesting. As fellow children’s author Jon Scieszka states, “Cold Cereal is the only novel I have ever read that combines Celtic folklore, cryptozoology, Arthurian legends, codes and puzzles, Freemasonry, dragon biology, TV cereal commercials, Shakespeare, and a rough outline for the musical version of Huckleberry Finn.” Yup. That about sums it up. Full of illustrations by the author.

Tags: Adam Rex, bed, bedroom, bedtime stories, Charles P. Rogers, Children's book reviews, Cold Cereal

Post By Kyle St. Romain.

With our most recent feature in Westchester’s spring edition of its Home magazine, it’s hard not to notice Charles P Rogers products; they’re popping up everywhere. However, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Charles P Rogers is, after all, the oldest American bed manufacturer.

If you happen to pick up a copy of Home, pay special attention to page 16, where you’ll find a handsome, white leather, Poole headboard sitting above a simple, but sophisticated bedroom arrangement. If you like what you see, you may be glad to know that, our Poole headboard comes in a number of options: plush ultrasuede or a classic leather finish in either cream or dark chocolate, or white or vintage brown, respectively.

Having one of our headboards featured in Home magazine is a nice introduction to one of my upcoming posts on nothing other than headboards. First used as a form of primitive insulation, headboards have come a long way. Today, headboards are more about great design than necessity, and they provide an easy way to add a big splash of style to your bedroom.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more great products from Charles P Rogers popping up. You never know where you’ll find them.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Design, Headboards, poole headboard, Westchester Home

Post by Alison Hein.

My poor, poor dear friend Rosie… one week before long-delayed rotator cuff surgery, she twisted both her ankles while hiking on a steep mountain path. We’ve been friends forever, so I knew it would be torture for an active person like her to be confined during the healing process.

Rosie was a sorry sight indeed when I picked her up after surgery, reduced to the use of only one good limb. ☹ I took her home and helped her settle in. Then the doorbell began to ring, with one cheerful gift basket arriving after the next. “Take some of this stuff home,” she demanded. “Or I’ll be fat as well as miserable.” Unable to refuse her command, I helped myself to a petite jar of honey hot mustard, two lovely organic D’Anjou pears, and a package of French chèvre.

The end result: a slightly sweet dough, topped with a rich, spicy filling, then layered with fresh pears and dusted with cinnamon sugar. A sweet and savory custard kuchen, full of surprisingly delightful flavor twists and turns – one bite spicy sweet, the next spicy hot. Just right for a recuperating patient, and a surprisingly delightful breakfast in bed.

Update: As of this writing, Rosie is well on her way to full recovery and busy planning her next exciting outdoor adventure.

Ingredients
4 ½ ounces chèvre goat cheese
2 eggs
3 tablespoons honey hot mustard (Harry & David’s is a good choice)
1 ¼ cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon plus 1 ½ teaspoon sugar
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon butter
2 D’Anjou pears
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation
In small bowl, mix together goat cheese, one egg, and mustard. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°. In large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Sift a few times to lighten flour. Set aside. Pour milk into separate small bowl. Add the remaining egg and mix together. Set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small pan over medium heat and allow to cool.

Peel, core, and cut pears into thin slices. Set aside while mixing dough.

Add melted butter to milk and egg mixture and stir well. Pour into flour mixture and mix by hand until just dampened, but not smooth. Turn batter out into greased 8×8-inch pan. Using the back of a wooden spoon or spatula, spread into a thin, even layer. Gently spread goat cheese filling on top of batter.

Arrange pear slices evenly on top of filling, pressing into the dough lightly when finished. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and drizzle over pears. Mix remaining sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle evenly on pears. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Breakfast in Bed, Breakfast Recipes, Charles P. Rogers