bluehouse Weblog

Never misunderestimate the power of pie. My coworkers and customers alike have been singing the praises of our new pies from Dangerously Delicious for days now. Indeed, the chorus has grown so deafening that I’m beginning to think that some clever marketing person has paid them off.

Which is fine, because they’ll then have more money to spend on our new spring products.

On the shelves now are Gardens in a Bag: beautiful, simple, and inexpensive packages that contain everything you need to start a windowsill garden as the weather starts to heat up. (You can also transplant it into another pot or into an outdoor garden, if you like. Just because they start out in a bag doesn’t mean they have to stay there. Imagine.)

Also here are designer organic personal-care items for mothers-to-be and newborn babies. These sets of milk bath, stretch-mark oil, baby lotion, baby shampoo, baby wash, and other products make the ideal gifts. And no baby should grow up without a handmade animal-printed pillow from our Salvor line. That would be just too cruel, too cruel.

The last goodies I’ll tell you about today arrived Friday afternoon and aren’t even on the showroom floor yet: intricately wrought candleholders from Metal Urges. Made from partially recycled materials and available in three sizes, they resemble nothing so much as thickets of petrified reeds. Available to accompany these (or on their own) are beautiful white beeswax candles with a honeycomb pattern. I have it on good authority that not only are these far healthier for your indoor air than plain old ordinary candles, their light of truth and justice has been known to ward off vampires, crooked politicians, and hormone-injected cattle.

bluehouse . . . we try harder.

Good morning, Baltimore! Are you eating enough pie?
From now on, our cafe staff will be. Dangerously Delicious Pies has begun dangerously supplying us with pies of both a sweet and savory nature. The pies come in crusts, and the crusts come in both vegetable-based and traditional varieties.
The pies are reasonably priced for the pie experience they offer. It is advisable to eat your pie as early as possible, in case someone else swoops in and eats your pie before you do.

Oh, dear bluehouse customer . . . the things I do for you. Scouring the world in search of the best products to enhance your life, I ended up a couple of weeks ago the New York International Gift Fair, where wholesalers the world over gathered in a gaudy shantytown that overflowed the massive Jacob Javits Center into three long piers and other city venues.

It’s hard to describe if you’ve never been to one of these things: row upon row of salespeople, their wares in colorful configurations designed to lure you into their booths . . . and then they pounce. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if they learned this technique from an exotic species of spider, you wouldn’t think that such an environment would have much to do with the natural and healthy products we set out to discover. But there were little gems here and there, and our buyer, Luana, especially liked to ferret them out. Getting up at the crack of dawn every day, she would hit the Dean & Deluca in the hotel lobby and dash over to the convention center, where she would find ten great products before I even dragged myself out of bed. Thanks to her, we’ve got a great spring season lined up for you.

Some hints on what’s coming: recycled steel planters with gorgeous clean lines and an oxidized patina for interior and exterior placement; the most amazing line of refurbished steel desks and shelves—even gym lockers—in some surprising colors; a much-coveted line of organic personal-care products for babies and expecting mothers; festive strings of indoor/outdoor lights made from treated leaves of the bodhi tree (the tree under which the Buddha was said to have become enlightened) . . .

Already arrived are: natural and fair trade soaps and body products from Tibet; an all-natural air freshener strong enough for a landfill but made for your home; indoor/outdoor strings of lights with woven vetiver shades that emit relaxing aromatherapy; a new menagerie of handmade animal pillows (these flew out the door during the holidays) . . .

You all better come in and buy some of this stuff.

On Sunday, Bluehouse was closed due to a potent snowstorm that severely restricted the mobility of most of our staff. We would like to extend a heartfelt apology to those of you who struggled through the whipping wind and freezing snow in hopes of finding sanctuary in our cafe. Our hearts are struck through with sympathetic pain as we think of how you must have felt when you realized that on this day, there would be no warming bowl of vegetarian-friendly soup, or rejuvenating cup of flavored coffee, or steaming mug of hot chocolate. That there would be no bathing in the toasty springs of our wireless Internet access. That on this day, no pastries would be consumed, nor bagels toasted, nor muffins heated.

Tonight, our uneasy dreams will be filled with the images of your faces pushed forlornly up against our storefront windows, your hands rattling our doorknob, your eyes searching the darkness in vain for a glimpse of one of our friendly, knowledgable and remarkably attractive employees, the icy hand of fear gripping your hearts as you began to contemplate the idea of a day without Bluehouse.

Stand strong, Baltimore. Monday will be a new day.

The soup of the day is Vegan Lentil Onslaught. The name may
intimidate the poor in spirit, but the soup itself will warm the
hearts and bellies of those who dare to lunch. Lentils tend to get a
bad reputation among many of with taste buds, because some cooks think
that lentils are best served as some kind of bland slurry. Obviously,
this is slander to the noble lentil, a legume which deserves to stand
proudly shoulder to shoulder with the great beans of the world.
Humans have been cultivating lentils since the neolithic. Can you
imagine? Early man found the time to bash dinosaurs on the heads with
rocks, gnaw giant lumps of meat, and draw on the walls. All the
while, they made space in their busy lives to cultivate lentils.
We could could take a lesson from these cavemen. Lentils are full of
fiber and iron and they’re busting at the seams with molybdenum. Are
you getting enough molybdenum? ARE YOU???
If you’re like me, you’re asking, “Is this a dream? Can I finally get
enough molybdenum without sacrificing flavor?” The answer is a
resounding yes. Vegan Lentil Onslaught includes carrots, potatoes,
and spices. It’s hearty nature and pleasant, savory taste will leave
you in awe of the brilliant cavemen and wonderful cooks who, working
together across space and time, have allowed you to have a nice bowl
of soup on a cold day.