Connecticut Country House
There once was a girl from Nantucket
She was the first piece of “real art” I had ever acquired. She was a gorgeous nineteenth century little girl beautifully painted in rich pastels – and at the time…
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Cape Cod garden tour
Back from our annual pilgrimage to our beloved Cape Cod – the place where our family really kicks back and relishes every minute of keeping it simple. Lots of beach…
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Pretty pastel iced tea
Approximately every six weeks, Connecticut Country House has become a destination meeting place for a beautiful group of Mary Kay consultants. The ladies have officially, and affectionately, named it “The…
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Oh beans!
One vegetable from the kitchen garden that always gets rave reviews, especially from our teenage son Conor, are the string beans. Now that’s saying something! He loves them freshly picked,…
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The collector: seashells
To me, decorating is about storytelling. And nothing tells a story better than a collection. A collection immediately communicates who you are, and how you like to live. It adds…
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Mid-summer garden tour
Our mid-summer garden tour is full of perennials, like our many varieties of day lilies, that keep blooming like crazy – heat or no heat! The roses are stressed right…
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Really ripe raspberries
I’m always looking for new ideas for my kitchen garden – and planting raspberry plants a couple of years ago was a good one. It was mid-summer, and I was…
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Glorious Gooseneck Loosestrife
Years ago, before we moved to Connecticut Country House, we lived in a sweet little English cottage-style house – our first house. There we created our first rose, herb, and…
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Erin’s Zucchini Bread
I love to collect recipes. I think it’s an addiction with me. When I was nine years old, I got my first cookbook – Betty Crocker’s – from Santa. Ever…
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A refreshing summer salad
This is no ordinary potato salad. It’s light, and served chilled – very refreshing. I like that it has no dairy ingredients, so it holds its own at any hot…
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Parlor games
This house was built in 1767 by British citizens (probably poor farmers) and this parlor must have been “the best room” in the little house. To me, it’s authenticity has…
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If walls could talk
For the past two months, Connecticut Country House has been a big work in progress. Our “resident” craftsman and friend, Mark Kornhaas, has been plugging away at a punch list…
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Decorating the 4th
Today at Connecticut Country House it’s all hands on deck in decorating the exterior with our collection of flags. Each area around the house gets its own unique flag –…
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A milestone for the Murphy’s
A celebration is on the way at Connecticut Country House – our 25th wedding anniversary! Hooray us! Rick and I were married twenty-five years ago today – a rainy Saturday…
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Rainbow trout for supper
Fishing on the Farmington River, on a beautifully sunny – lightly breezy – blue skied day is my husband Rick’s idea of a nearly perfect day. And catching the biggest,…
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Early summer roses
Happy summer! And here at Connecticut Country House the gardens are a – bursting! What better way than to kick-off the summer with the attention grabbers of the week, the…
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Rustic Strawberry Galette
I’m on a strawberry roll. After finishing up the fool the other day, I still had quite a bit of super ripe strawberries left, just sitting there all washed, gorgeously…
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Everybody’s Fool
A fool, buckle, crumble, cobbler, grunt or slump, pandowdy, and a betty – just some of the centuries old desserts with funny names that have always intrigued me, and just…
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Making an entrance
First impressions are key. And the first step into my home is not just about looking good, it’s got to feel good. The most traffic happens at the back door…
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Mid-spring garden tour
You know, it’s funny – every week, from spring through the fall, I think I don’t have much in bloom in the gardens until I take a pair of clippers…
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A perfect little vinaigrette
Tender spring greens are in season, and when they are gently tossed with this simple vinaigrette – magic happens. Really. Some time ago, I found this beautiful little vinaigrette recipe…
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Quick – give me a quiche
As of today, I’m promoting a quiche revival. My hay day of quiche making was back in the late eighties when I was newly married; it was quick and easy…
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Holy guacamole
Every single time I take a scoop of ‘Rosa’ – inspired guacamole with a perfectly salted corn chip, I think I faintly see a halo-like glow hovering over our lava bowl!…
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A daffodil is just a daffodil
Just when I thought the daffodil season here at Connecticut Country House was over, these late bloomers have proven themselves to be no ordinary daffodils – I am now definitely…
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My first time
I was seven years old when I stepped foot into my first Connecticut country house. It was a small white quintessential Cape Cod-style house perfectly tucked behind its gracious manse…
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