Antiquing: Olde Towne Antiques Mall, Pleasanton, CA

Oodles of Poodles down at the Olde Towne Antiques Mall in Pleasanton, CA

I wouldn’t describe myself as an avid antiquer.  

There’s a certain creepiness factor when milling about an assortment of previously owned bric-a-brac.  I think it's safe to assume that most of what I see is all the odd bits and pieces of stuff no one wanted to keep once grandma and grandpa retired to the funeral home.  It doesn’t help that so many Antique shops maintain that pungent old-folk smell.  While part of me loves buying a few cute odds and ends, a huge part of me recoils at the general funk of ages that tends to accompany any antique shopping excursion.

I’ve grown more and more fond of that period of time once known as the 50’s and 60’s, now labeled as “mid-century”.  It’s the era my parents were born into, and its residue lingered on into my own childhood, as much of the stuff I find now behind glass counters and for sale on card tables could have once been out on my grandma’s coffee table.  Half the time spent looking through these discards sends me back to memory lane, the other half of that time I marvel at all the utter crap people use to own.  A lot of crap has been manufactured throughout the decades, and a lot of people kept that crap in their homes.

Someone at sometime bought this piece of crap because they liked it

One place that really drives that point home is the Alameda Pointe Antiques Faire, which I plan on writing about in the future.  The fair is so ginormous, it probably warrants a few blog entries.  Unfortunately its held every first Sunday of the month and I’ve failed to make it into Alameda for quite a while.
So when I’m hit with the desire to look through some old stuff, I have to venture elsewhere.

I visited the Olde Towne Antiques Mall in Pleasanton, California this weekend to help curb my craving for an Antiquing fix.  While certainly not the size of a Mall, there’s still plenty to look at.  And this place is remarkably free of the eau de old-fart that permeates so many other antique shops.  For the most part everything is arranged in a way that best shows off what they have for sale.  However there were a few corners where I found a heap of stuff that either hadn’t been organized yet, or may have been forgotten about.  

Just look at all that stuff.

On this trip I was hoping to score some old Ladies’ magazines, such as Ladies’ Home Journal or Good Housekeeping, but was disappointed to find no real collection of that genre of publications.  I would have preferred it if their books and magazines were better organized and given their own separate section, instead of being randomly strewn amongst the hundreds of other little things they had for sale.

I’ve only visited here twice.  I haven’t attempted to haggle down the prices on something I was really interested in, as I have at the Antique Pointe Antiques Faire.  My first visit only procured one purchase, which was my awesome 1950’s handbag, which cost about $15.00.

My AWESOME 1950's Handbag

And while I didn’t score the magazines I was hoping to find on this trip, I did walk away with a few items.  The gold-toned lipstick holder was an item I spied on my first visit.  It was still there this time around, and without a price tag.  They let me walk out with it for $12.50, which was less than what I was willing to spend for it. 

AWESOME lipstick holder.  And it works!

Another purchase was this cookbook published in 1973 titled Trader Vic’s Book of Mexican Cooking.  After just seeing the title, I knew there was no way I was leaving without this book.

Trader Vic's?  Mexican Cooking?  Are you kidding me?

My last purchase I found by accident.  While I was waiting for one of the ladies working there to find the price of the lipstick holder, I noticed that a display of cards had fallen down on the counter.  Lifting the cards back up, I found this AWESOME ashtray which was priced at $23.00.  Normally I wouldn’t “splurge” this much on an ashtray, but I loved the color and art deco design.  It’s too beyond awesome, and deserves its own blog.

My gorgeous new ashtray.

And I would like to leave you with this little piece of advice: If you fall in love with something, BUY IT.  Many antiques and collectables are one of a kind, or at least can be very hard to find elsewhere.  I know all too well the heartache of finding something wonderful, but for whatever stupid reason you talk yourself out of the purchase and spend the rest of your days kicking yourself for being so stupid.

The Old Towne Antique Mall is located at 3440 Stanley Boulevard in Pleasanton, California.  Open seven days a week!  I highly recommend a visit if you're in the area. 

Click here for Olde Town Antiques Mall Website!

Retro Beauty: Cold Cream!

That smooth, clean skin.  That dewy complexion.  She's only 85.

If you thought cold cream is some ancient beauty relic, you would be correct.  Cold cream has been around for a couple of millennia, and the basic ingredients used almost 2000 years ago remain the same today.  Water, oils and beeswax are emulsified to produce that greasy glob used by women (and men, no doubt) for centuries.  So why stop using it now?

If you walk into any Target, Super Market, Drug Store, you may have to look a little harder for a jar of old fashioned Cold Cream.  Only the most expensive lotions and serums are kept at eye level.  But look down at foot level, and you may find jars of some inexpensive, but no less impressive products.

A jar of this stuff probably sat on every lady's vanity table 50 years ago.
Unless of course she didn't own a vanity table.

The one big con going against Cold Cream is the grease factor.  You may feel more like you’re rubbing Crisco all over your face, and it will certainly look like it.  But a little goes a long way, even to remove makeup.  And don’t mistake the shiny residue left behind as something that needs to be removed.  Cold Cream is a great moisturizer, leaving the skin on your face nice and soft without any special extracts, acids, chemicals and what-not.

Modern Day jar of Pond's Cold Cream.

To remove make-up, I recommend shmearing a nice dollop of cream(a teaspoon’s worth to start with) all over your face, and your neck (depending where you apply your daily makeup) but avoiding your eyes.  Let the cream sit for a moment and then gently being to wipe away with a soft tissue.  There is no need to rub your skin, like you’re washing it.  Just gentle wipes until you’ve removed the cream, and it’s all on your tissue.

 

After you’re done with your face, take another dollop of cream, rub it between the fingers on both hands so you have an equal amount on the right and the left, shut your eyes tight, and gently smear the cream on your eye lids.  Again, let the cream sit for a moment with your eyes shut, and take a fresh (and ready) tissue and gently wipe one eye, and then the other.  When you feel it’s safe to open your eyes, you may still see eye liner or mascara smudged around your eyes, but a gentle wipe with a bit of tissue can help remove that.  The main thing to remember is the need to be gentle with the eye lids.

I’ve gotten into the habit of removing my makeup as soon as I get home from work, rather than waiting until I hop in the shower to wash my face.  Because I’m not using soap or an astringent to remove the makeup, I don’t experience the dry-tight sensation on my face that I feel after washing my face the old fashioned way, warranting the immediate application of lotion!

Cold Cream doesn’t have to replace your favorite facial treatment, but it can certainly help supplement it, and extend the life of your more expensive lotions and serums.   And who knows… if you get into the Cold Cream habit, you may end up throwing that more pricey stuff out.

Great Ad for Cold Cream out of Good Housekeeping - 1949

Full Pond's Ad from Good Housekeeping - 1949.
I bet that Countess hasn't aged a day, thanks to Pond's.

For the Love of Beans

I was raised eating beans; Pinto beans, to be exact.  Growing up I ate beans by the bowlful, loaded up with all the goodies one can pile on beans.  Cheese, tomatoes, black olives, radishes, taco sauce, chili, sour cream… each bowl tailored to one’s own bean fancy.   A bowl of pinto beans is like that simple little black dress; stunning by itself and magnificent with some accessories.

25 lbs of Beans from Costco.  Cost about $13.00.  Best deal on the planet!

My love of this little legume is no secret.   Sure, I hear the familiar, worn out cracks about flatulence made by those gringos who assume my high consumption of beans makes me a permanent gas bag.  Truth be told, I’ve had far worse gas from eating falafel than from any pot of pintos I cooked myself.  My gut knows what to do with them, and never gave me or anyone else grief out the back end.

Pinto beans are ridiculously stupid to make.  They’re the perfect thing to put on the burner when you know you’ll have a stretch of time to keep an eye on them.  I don’t believe in soaking.  Others may do it, but I don’t.  A nice cozy Sunday afternoon is a good time to cook up a pot for that evening.  Or cook some up in the evening, and enjoy for the next day.  Beans are always better the next day.

Onion, Garlic, Red Chili Flakes, Salt and some Olive Oil

You’ll need…

1 ½ cup – 2 cups Dry Pinto Beans

½ of a medium sized Onion, Chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

6 – 8 cups Water

2 – 3 teaspoons Salt

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Red Chili Flakes

What 1 1/2 cups of dried pinto beans look like.

Total Cook Time: 3 Hours

Spread out dry beans on flat surface and look for any “objectionable” beans and rocks and remove them.  Throw beans into a large pot and add cold water to rinse the beans.  (Stick your hands in and swish them around for a bit)  Drain water (leave the beans) and add pot to the stove.  Add the first six cups of water to the beans and crank the heat up to high.

Everything in the pot! (minus the salt)

Let the water to come up to a boil without a lid.  Add the Olive Oil, chopped onion, minced garlic and a couple pinches of Red Chili Flakes.  But hold the salt!  Once the water comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and place a lid on the pot.  If the lid doesn’t have a vent, place the lid on the pot slightly askew to allow steam to escape and prevent boil-over.

Beans at a good rolling boil.  Turn down the heat and put a lid on it.

After 1 ½ hours, add salt.  Don’t add salt in the beginning!  I use to add salt in the beginning, but have read that you shouldn’t do that.  I couldn’t tell you what difference it makes with the final product, but I’ve decided maybe others know better than I do and I bowed to their will.  So I’m telling you now… add salt halfway through, not at the beginning.  Let the beans simmer with the lid on for another hour.

At the 2 ½ hour mark, take the lid off the pot and crank the heat up to medium.  If water has gotten too low, add a ½ cup to a cup of water into the pot.  But not too much at once.  This is the point where you want the water to reduce.  This is also a good time to taste the broth and determine if more salt is needed.  Keep in mind that the more liquid that is reduced, the stronger the taste will get. 

Beans mid-way.

If you want your beans a little more soupy, make sure you keep adding small amounts of water at a time for the final half hour.  If you want less broth, don’t add as much water, but keep a very very close eye on the beans to make sure they don’t burn.  And stir regularly to keep beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

Keep those beans from burnin'!

After three hours are gone, you have a pot of beans!

1 ½ cups of dried beans will make roughly 4 servings.  2 cups will make 5-6 servings.

The finished product.  Good color.  Thick broth.  Did I mention the gorgeous smell filling the kitchen?

Serving Suggestions!

Beans are great on the side with your favorite Mexican dish!

Beans in a bowl!  Add your favorite toppings and eat like a soup.  I love cheese, sour cream, fresh chopped tomatoes, sliced black olives, sliced radishes, shredded lettuce, and my favorite taco sauce.

Beans with my Fake New Mexican Chili sauce!  (recipe to follow shortly)

Beans with tortillas, corn or flour, or sopapillas! (recipe to follow shortly)

Beans topped with my Fake New Mexican Chile!  And Sopapillas to soak up the goodness.

Beans as a side to my Veggie-burger tacos, served with Spanish Rice.

Beans will keep for five days or so in the fridge.