ICFF: Meeting Herman Miller

Admittedly, I was SO VERY EXCITED (all-caps excited!) to visit the booth at Herman Miller at ICFF last weekend. It's such an honor to be able to blog for one of my favorite brands every week, and stopping by to see the team was great because it was the first time I got to meet them all in person. I was especially happy to meet face-to-face with my lovely editor Cerentha Harris, who I've had an ongoing email conversation with for four or five months now. (Ever done that?)

Cerentha blogged live from the event, and the Lifework homepage was displayed on a TV and a computer screen in the booth--which meant that my little digital head shot/photo was up at ICFF for several days. And don't think for a minute that I didn't purposefully stand close to those screens in case, you know, someone wanted to recognize me or give me prizes or something.

Here are just a few shots. Try to find me and then witness my fame in all its teeny-tiny, itty-bitty glory.

Mom Feezor’s Red-Velvet Cake Recipe

When my friend Nichole at Little Brown Pen wrote about her discovery and new love for the very southern White Lily Flour, I popped her an email to tell her to keep some left over so she could make my mom's unbelievable Red-Velvet Cake recipe. And she did--see her version in cupcake form here (gorgeous!).

This cake is a beloved tradition in my family, particularly around the holidays. We CRAVE it; both my brothers even request it for their birthday cakes each year (that's what I get for not living near home...). I asked my mom about the recipe, which is more than 60 years old. Here's what she had to say:

"When I was growing up, this cake was always a special Christmas treat made by Edna Shuping, a friend of my mother and dad's. After I got married, I decided that I wanted to learn to make it myself (especially since I always loved to bake). I wanted to have it as a tradition in our family as well, so my mom got the recipe from Edna for me and the rest is history."

"I really like the flavor and the color--don’t be intimidated by the amount of red food coloring, as it simply helps create the very lush red. It’s also one of the few cakes you put vinegar in; it counteracts the cocoa and the buttermilk. They all work well together."

And here's the bonus: "I love sharing the recipe. That’s what cooking’s all about."

That said, here you go folks. Enjoy! (And thanks, Mom...)

RED VELVET CAKE RECIPMOM FEEZOR'S ASTONISHING RED-VELVET CAKE

1 cup Crisco                                           1 ½ cup sugar

2 eggs                                                      2 oz red food coloring

1 tsp vanilla                                            1 tsp soda

2 tbsp cocoa                                           1 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk                                    2 ¼ cups cake flour

1 tsp vinegar

Cream shortening. Add sugar, eggs, food coloring and vanilla; cream again. Sift flour and add other dry ingredients. Sift again. Combine with sugar mixture along with buttermilk and vinegar. Bake in 3 greased and floured 9" pans for 20 minutes at 350˚.

When cake is cool, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

 CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 lb package confectioners sugar                  8 oz softened cream cheese

1 stick margarine (softened)                           1 tsp almond flavoring

Combine butter, cream cheese and almond flavoring. Cream well. Add confectioners sugar gradually. If mixture is too thick, add a small amount of milk.

ICFF: Umbra’s Oh-Chair Artwork

If you asked my friend Jorge's (very well-behaved) five-year-old about her favorite part of the 2010 ICFF at the Javits Center, she would undoubtedly say it was the Umbra booth (although the animal crackers she and I shared at snacktime might come in at a close second). (Sidenote: When I asked her what the lion cookie tasted like, she said, "A hippo." I mean, duh, Amy.)

I was lucky enough to accompany Jorge and his little lady to the show over the weekend (thanks for the pass, Dea!), and as soon as we hit the Umbra section, the markers were out and it was time to color to your heart's content (every kid's dream, no?). In addition to displaying work from an Umbra/Pratt design competition, the booth showed artwork drawn on different Oh Chairs--and then left most of the wall open for passersby to leave their marks. Total fun-ness.

Lovely accessories from ICFF

(Just a little taste...)

Textiles by elasticCO

Void lights (a series of lights that reference the Olympic medals) by Tom Dixon

Accessories by Jonathan Adler

Tripod lamp by Blu Dot

Ceramic collection designed by Hanna Tonek Bonnett