the little house in the city

Momofuku at Williams-Sonoma

2012-01-24T08:46:00.000-05:00

I love flipping through the Williams-Sonoma catalog and fantasizing that money is no object and I have a kitchen approximately the size of our apartment in which to store pots, pans and dishes. Yesterday, I was surprised to see that the company is now carrying a line of Momofuku-branded products. There are two cooking sauces and three cookie mixes.

I was surprised because Momofuku seems like such an independent enterprise and David Chang isn't exactly the Barefoot Contessa and is known to be a bit of a rogue. As a consumer I was also a little shocked at the prices ($16.95 for the 16 oz. jar and $16 for a mix that yields 12 cookies), but I suppose that's a lot less expensive than a trip to New York to taste Momofuku and Momofuku Milk's delicacies in person. If the recipe for corn cookies in Lucky Peach doesn't work out, I might just have to try that mix myself.

On a side note, Williams-Sonoma is selling something they are billing as "mac-and-cheese starter," which just sounds vile to me. Do you agree? I know people are busy, but how hard is it to make macaroni and cheese? If you're pressed for time, Annie's Shells & White Cheddar is pretty delicious and a fraction of the price.

Best Interior Design Pinners to Follow on Pinterest

2012-01-23T14:06:00.001-05:00

Want to know who to follow on Pinterest? Yeah, me too! I'm not sure when it happened, but Pinterest no longer suggests pinners to follow, which I am sure must be frustrating if you are new to the site. For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest, it is a virtual bulletin board where you can share inspiring images. I usually find people to follow when I see that someone I follow is re-pinning images from someone else, but it's hard to search for new people to follow.

I love gathering inspiration from other pinners on Pinterest, so I figured I would make a list of my top ten interior design pinner to follow on Pinterest. In no particular order, here are my favorites:

Brick House Much like her blog, Morgan Satterfield's pinboards are full of mid-century modern design and spare, clean interiors, and she's definitely got a California cool vibe that I admire.

Grant K. Gibson Named a designer to watch by ELLE DECOR magazine, Gibson's style was described by the magazine as "eclectic, livable and easy on the eyes." (Pssst... Here's his San Francisco apartment in the New York Times.)

West Elm Seriously. This retailer is great at pinning inspiring images of interiors and creating interesting themed boards, and I feel flattered every time West Elm repins something I posted.

Katy Elliott A self-described "blogger renovating an old house in New England," Katy's style is timeless and would appeal to many people, especially those interested in the decoration/restoration of older houses.

Lindsey Herod. An interior designer at Kemble Interiors, it's no surprise that Herod picks interesting things to pin to her boards.

Emily Henderson Who doesn't adore this blogger and host of Secrets From a Stylist? Personally I love seeing what inspires her, both for the home and for fashion.

Cowboys & Cadillacs I always find myself re-pinning images that this blogger posts to her Pinterest boards. Perhaps I am drawn to her since she's a fellow organized bibliophile? (We both have boards labelled 'Libraries,' 'Offices' and 'Organizing.')

Jordan Ferney, with more than 160,500 followers, the woman behind Oh Happy Day hardly needs my endorsement, but she's definitely one of my faves. I especially love her party- and entertaining-related pins.

Jessica @ Black. White. Yellow. Jessica and I both have a thing for black and white interiors. If you do too, you'll be sure to find inspiration in her pins.

Erica Reitman The author of several blogs, Reitman wins points for volume: At present she has more than 3,000 pins! Her blog, Design Blahg, is often snarky, but that doesn't stop her from pinning lots of pretty snark-free things.

BONUS: ME (aka LittleHouseNYC)! I pin all sorts of things that inspire me, and if you've read this whole post through, you should definitely follow my boards! Okay, your turn: Who do you follow for interior design inspiration on Pinterest? Leave a comment to let me know.

Have You Seen Lucky Peach?

2012-01-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

Lucky Peach is a new magazine being published by McSweeney's and Momofuku’s David Chang. I read a post on Ruth Reichl's blog in which she praised the publication, so I made a note to check it out. Shortly thereafter, I saw a copy for sale at Greenlight, our beloved, local bookstore and decided to give it a whirl.

It's a very odd little magazine. Reichl calls it, "fearless, irreverent, well-written and brilliantly art-directed." I'd agree with her on almost all points except the art direction -- the look of the magazine doesn't really appeal to me (sometimes it seems like the editors at Lucky Peach are more interested in grossing you out than getting you excited about food). However, I loved the articles I read, and I would definitely pick up another issue in the future. There's also one thing about this magazine that made it worth the hefty cover price: The recipe for Momofuku Milk's corn cookie! This is THE BEST COOKIE EVER; if you haven't ever had one and you live in New York City, head directly to the bakery and buy yourself a corn cookie. For those of you who don't, I will dutifully make the recipe and report back to you about my results.

Loving Winter Salads

2012-01-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Do you tend to cook different things in the winter than you do in the summer? I sure do. It's pretty rare that we eat red meat in our house, but with a snap of cold weather in New York City, we had lamb loin chops on Sunday and a nice steak last night. To accompany the lamb chops I made some couscous and two winter salads inspired by Melissa Clark's Cook This Now.

The first was a simple salad of sliced oranges, and you really don't even need a recipe. Simply cut off the peels and slice several citrus fruits (I used 1 navel orange, 1 blood orange and 1 clementine for the two of us). Lay them on a plate and drizzle with a little olive oil, sprinkle on coarse salt, ground pepper and just a bit of chilli powder, then top with chopped black olives and herbs of your choice (I used cilantro).

The second was a great winter salad with a simple, but delicious cheese-and-walnut-spiked dressing. I altered the quantities a bit, but basically followed Clark's recipe.

Winter Salad with Fennel Radicchio, Walnuts, and Parmesean
Adapted from Cook This Now
Serves 2-3

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 fat garlic clove, finely shopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
about 1 oz. Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 large head radicchio, quartered lengthwise and cored
1 endive head
1 small-ish fennel bulb, fronds removed

1. In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic. Whisk in the oil. Use a Microplane or other grater to finely grate the cheese into the dressing Whisk walnuts into the vinaigrette (it should be fairly thick).
2. Thinly slice each radicchio wedge crosswise and transfer to a large salad bowl. Thinly slice each endive crosswise and add to bowl. Trim the stems from the fennel and remove the outer layers. Cut the fennel bulb in half from top to bottom. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, shave the fennel into paper thin slices. Add to the salad bowl.
3. Pour half the the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. If it seems dry, add more dressing.

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread

2012-01-15T17:08:00.000-05:00

This recipe is a Christmas favorite in the Fenton family, but it would be good any time of the year that you can get your hands of fresh cranberries. The recipe hails from an old copy of Betty Crocker’s Christmas Cookbook, which is the source for quite a few of my mother's holiday baked goods. She notes that sometimes she doubles the recipe, which then fits in five small loaf pans. I made a batch just before Christmas, and just thawed the remaining frozen bread, lightly toasted with or without butter, it's a lovely morning treat.

Cranberry-Orange Nut Bread
From Betty Crocker’s Christmas Cookbook

2 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp baking soda
¼ cup softened butter
1 Tb. grated orange peel
¾ cup orange juice
1 egg
1 cup chopped cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350, and grease the bottom of a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients and then stir in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
3. Stir in the orange peel, orange juice, and egg just until all of the flour is moistened.
4. Stir in the chopped cranberries and walnuts and pour (or spread) into the baking pan.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Loosen the side of the loaf from pan and remove from pan. Cool before slicing.

2012 Foodie Reading List

2012-01-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

I read a lot. In addition to the many newspapers and magazines I read each month, I usually take in ate least two full-length books, and I wish I had time to read more. Reading about food is a favorite pastime, and I will even sit down with a cookbook and read it like a novel. So, I would love to add more food-related tomes into my rotation this year. Here are a few titles I have bookmarked as ones to-read:

The Sweet Life In Paris
My parents sent this to me before my trip to Paris, and instead of tearing through it by myself, I decided I would read it out loud to my husband on our trip, so we could both enjoy it together. I had no idea how slowly we'd move through it (we are nowhere near to done), but it's been fun to share this book.

The Apprentice: My Life In The Kitchen
Jacques Pepin, let me count the ways in which I love him. I gave this book to my mother for Christmas, and I'm hoping she might lend it to me to read after she has finished.

The Table Comes First
I fell in love with Adam Gopnik as an undergraduate reading the New Yorker. The "Paris Journals" were wonderful, and my heart nearly broke when he came back to the States. (It occurs to me that surely, David Lebowitz has read Gopnik's collection of essays from that period.) I got over it when I realized how much I enjoyed Gopnik's writing about New York. I'll read pretty much anything he writes, and if it's about food, all the better!

Best Food Writing 2011
Growing up my parents always got the best short fiction collections of each year. Starting with 2011, I'd like to get into the habit of purchasing the best food writing.

What about you? Have you read any good food-related books recently? Do you have anything to recommend?

Japanese Whale Knives

2012-01-11T16:11:00.000-05:00

How adorable are these Japanese whale knives? I spotted them in a recent issue of Time Out New York. Apparently, EN Japanese Brasserie, the restaurant, has launched a small boutique selling artisanal Japanese household crafts, including these artisanal knives ($48 each). EN Japanese Brasserie, 435 Hudson St at Leroy St (212-647-9196).

A Word About Ricotta

2012-01-10T12:37:00.000-05:00

Good ricotta makes all the difference. While I feel mildly insane paying $7 for a 16 oz. tub of ricotta, when I could pay half that, I know that it's worth every penny. I picked up this "Renaissance Ricotta" from the Narragansett Creamery at our local gourmet food shop, The Greene Grape Provisions. It is heavenly. The kettle heated, hand-dipped, un-homogenized ricotta is thick, smooth and creamy.

I used it in the Ricotta and Chard Tart I made (delicious!), and was left with a good half a container of this glorious stuff. So, I spread it on some toasted baguette and topped it with chopped cherry tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper for lunch yesterday. Today, I'm trying to figure out what I can put it on, so that I don't resort to eating it directly out of the container with a spoon. If you find this at your local market, buy it, trust me, it is really worth it.

Chard and Ricotta Tart

2012-01-09T11:35:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting dessert for you to try: A chard, raisin, pine nut and ricotta tart. I recently made this recipe from David Tanis's The Heart of the Artichoke and was pleased with the results. While chard may sound like an unlikely candidate for a dessert ingredient, Tanis revelas it is a traditional ingredient in sweets in the South of France and Italy. Sure enough, my sister who spends each summer in Nice, immediately identified this unusual tart as similar to a traditional Niçoise dish.

The pastry puffs up quite a bit making it more cake-like than what I would normally label a tart. Overall it's not too sweet and it tastes just as nice the day after as it did the day I made it, making it a perfect mid-morning treat with some coffee. Tanis recommended serving it with mint tea, which I did for our guests.

Side note: I couldn't resist photographing it on these Provençal linens from Williams-Sonoma, which were a wedding gift from my sister and her boyfriend. Aren't they lovely?

Chard and Ricotta Tart
From David Tanis's The Heart of the Artichoke

Ingredients:
For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
Grated zest of ½ lemon

For the filling:
1 large bunch Swiss chard, trimmed, ribs discarded, and cut into ½-inch-wide strips (about 4 cups)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
Grated zest of ½ lemon
¼ teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
½ cup golden raisins, soaked in warm water until plumped
¼ cup pine nuts

Directions:
1. For the dough: In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the flat beater, mix the dry ingredients on low speed. Add the butter and mix for about 2 minutes more, until crumbly. Add the egg mixture and the lemon zest and mix another minute, or until you can pinch the dough together. Turn the dough out and form 2 balls, one twice as big as the other. Chill for at least an hour.
2. For the filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the chard for 1 minute; drain well. Let cool, and squeeze out any liquid.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, egg, sugar, lemon zest, and spices.
4 . Dust a pastry cloth with flour and roll out the larger dough ball into a circle 2 inches larger than the diameter of your 9- or 10-inch springform pan. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin, then carefully unroll it over the pan and gently press it into place, so that it comes about 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Expect the dough to be pretty soft; if it tears, just press on a scrap to cover any holes.
5. Drain the raisins, mix them with the greens, and spread over the dough in the pan. Pour the ricotta mixture over the greens and smooth out. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the ricotta.
6. To make the lattice top, roll out the second piece of dough into a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle. Cut the dough into ¾-inch-wide strips. Fashion a lattice top by alternating crosswise and lengthwise strips. Leave a gap of ¾ inch between strips running in the same direction. Fold the edges of the bottom crust over the ends of the lattice strips.
7. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool on a rack before serving.

Where I've Been

2012-01-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

Why, hello again! It's hard to believe it's already January 9th. I've had a glorious two weeks off from work. My husband and I travelled to France and Belgium for a belated honeymoon trip. It was an amazing trip and I feel recharged and ready for the New Year. I've got lots to post about, so stay tuned.

Penguin Books' Great Food Series

2011-12-23T16:31:00.000-05:00

I wish I'd known about Penguin Books' Great Food series when I was shopping for Christmas presents. The series include works by classic food writers like M. F. K. Fisher and Alice Waters, to interesting sounding relics like A Dissertation Upon Roast Pig & Other Essays by 19th-century essayist Charles Lamb. With pretty covers and a price of just $12 each, they'd make great hostess gifts. It's too bad the full collection isn't currently available in the U.S. I wonder if Penguin plans to release them eventually?

Monte's Ham

2011-12-21T21:17:00.000-05:00

If you were to look up photos of me on Facebook, you'd come up with a shot of a severely cooked ham, and you might wonder to yourself why I left a photo of a ham tagged as me. Well, ladies and gentleman, it wasn't just any ham: It was Monte's Ham. After requesting the recipe, my friend Nathaniel had tagged the ham as me in tribute to my sharing of this fine, fine ham recipe.

I first had Monte's Ham at the home of a food writer somewhere out in Queens at a house warming party. Afterwards, I begged my friend who'd brought me to the party to find out about the ham, and in turn, she introduced me to the recipe for Monte's Ham. I lived in a teeny, tiny apartment for several years and never wheeled out the recipe, but every year since I moved to Brooklyn I've made it at Christmas parties. It is perhaps the most well-loved thing I cook (Marcella Hazan's bolognese lasagna is a close contender). Monte's Ham has become a holiday tradition.

When I went to look up the recipe on Saveur's website (it was originally published in the magazine's pages), I was greatly dismayed to see that the text from the Saveur Cooks Authentic American cookbook was absent, so I'll share it with you here. Monte's explanation of the ham is a good part of why I love this recipe so much -- because really aren't all recipes better with a story behind them?

Note: New Yorkers, can anyone tell me where I can find a cheap 15 lb. ham? I've had to resort to much smaller specimens because I haven't been able to find one as big as Monte suggests?

"When I first moved to New York City," advertising copywriter Monte Mathews told us [Saveur], "a friend gave me two pieces of advice: First, if you wear an expensive watch, you can wear anything else you want; second, when you have a lot of people over, buy a cheap ham. I already had the watch, but the cheap-ham tip threw me, and my friend did not elaborate. Not long afterward, at one of my first big-city parties, what should I see center-stage on the buffet table but a giant ham, bone intact, brown as could be. And what a ham! The mingled flavors of brown sugar and orange permeated every bite, and there was a faint hint of spice in the aftertaste. Guests hovered over it, and as the evening wore on, it became unrecognizable – thoroughly picked over. My hostess, flush with the triumph of having entertained so well, was effervescent, and I, feeling particularly close to her that night, offered to stay behind and help clean up. As she washed and I dried, I begged, ‘Please talk to me about your ham’ Almost conspiratorially, she instructed me to buy the cheapest ham I could find, glaze the hell out of it, and cook it for a long time. ‘You can feed 30 people for $6.99!’ she exclaimed. I admit that I’ve never been able to find a bargain quite like that, - but 20 years later, I still swear by cheap ham and a great glaze. I trot one out several times a year, and it’s always the hit of the party."

Monte's Ham
From Saveur Cooks Authentic American
Serves about 30

15-lb. smoked ham on the bone 1 1/2 cups orange marmalade 1 cup dijon mustard 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 1 tbsp. whole cloves
1. Preheat oven to 300°. Trim tough outer skin and excess fat from ham. Place ham, meat side down, in a large roasting pan and score, making crosshatch incisions with a sharp knife. Roast for 2 hours.
2. Remove ham from oven and increase heat to 350°. For glaze, combine orange marmalade, mustard, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stud ham with whole cloves (stick one clove at the intersection of each crosshatch), then brush with glaze and return to oven.
3. Cook ham another 1 1/2 hours, brushing with glaze at least 3 times. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. Carve and serve warm or at room temperature.

Photo: André Baranowski

Party Perfect: Smoked Salmon Dip

2011-12-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

My mother has long made a smoked salmon dip for parties. A casual recipe, she chops up smoked salmon and stirs it into softened cream cheese with chives, lemon zest, salt and pepper. So when I saw a recipe for a smoked salmon dip in the December issue of Bon Appetit, I immediately thought of my mother's dish and decided to give BA's version a try. I am glad I did: It was delicious. I made the recipe to the letter, using a wild smoked salmon from Costco (which gave it a very salmon hue). The flavor of the spread improved quite a bit after sitting for a while, letting the flavors meld. I'd make it the day before a party, or at the very least a few hours prior, and I'd stir some of finely chopped zest into the dip to give it some lemon lift. We served the dip with Stacy's "Simply Naked" pita chips, which made for a nice, neutral based for the salmon-y goodness. Also, note that this recipe makes a lot of dip!

Smoked Salmon Dip

from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
2/3 cup crème fraîche
2/3 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
4 teaspoons Horseradish (white)
1 pound thinly sliced smoked salmon
2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives plus more
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon
Pumpernickel toasts, flatbread crisps, or bagel chips

1. Whisk first 3 ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. Place salmon in a food processor; pulse just a few seconds at a time until salmon is reduced to pea-sized pieces. Add salmon and 2 tbsp. chives to crème fraîche mixture; fold to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 3 days ahead.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from lemon (yellow part only). Cut lengthwise into thin strips. 3. Garnish dip with lemon zest and 2”-long pieces of fresh chives. Serve with pumpernickel toasts.

Swoon: Cabin 7 Alphabet Blocks

2011-12-14T14:52:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend Jen, co-founder of Cabin 7, has just launched the first collection of exclusive Cabin 7 gilded alphabet blocks. Cabin 7 has offered gilded vintage blocks for some time now, but this set was custom-made in Michigan for Cabin 7 and hand-gilded by Jen and her co-founder. I know she's been working on this a long time, so I was so thrilled to see Jen post about it on her blog. As she mentions, these alphabet sets are a limited-edition collection, so pick one up now!

(Almost) Perfect Water Bottle

2011-12-13T19:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spotted this great-looking water bottle at Whole Foods. I am fond of a similar water keeper that I own. With its bamboo top and shiny metal sides, the Klean Kanteen Reflect Stainless Steel BPA Free Water Bottle is almost handsome enough to justify the $30 price tag, but why, oh why must it be emblazoned with a large-ish Klean Kanteen logo? Note to manufacturers: If you're appealing to aesthetes, make your logo teeny tiny or invisible. Trust me, we'll love you for it. Besides, the best designs don't need a logo: They'll be identifiable all on their own (think Moleskine notebooks).

Re-Post: Butterscotch Eggnog

2011-12-13T09:04:00.000-05:00

Last December I made an insanely delicious twist on a traditional eggnog from Melissa Clark's "A Good Appetite" column. Clark intriguingly described her nog, "The smoky Scotch made the eggnog more complex and gave it a savory taste, which went nicely with the caramelized flavor of the brown sugar." She more than delivered on her promise: It was delicious, heavenly, smoky and rich, but light--you could eat it with a spoon it was so wonderfully thick. Give it a try this holiday season!

Note: When I halved the recipe it still made much, much more than we needed to serve five people. Since it is such a rich, concentrated dessert, you can definitely serve more than a dozen people with the recipe below.

Butterscotch Scotch Eggnog
From The New York Times

12 large eggs, separated
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus pinch
2 cups whole milk
1 cup smoky Scotch whisky
1/2 cup brandy
2 cups heavy cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Grated nutmeg

1. In a large bowl, combine the yolks, brown sugar, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using an electric mixer beat on medium-high speed until thick and dark golden, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and slowly drizzle in the milk, Scotch and brandy. Transfer to the freezer to chill while preparing the rest of the eggnog. (Or refrigerate for at least 2 hours before completing.)
2. In a medium bowl, whip the cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Set aside. In another medium bowl, using clean beaters, whip the egg whites and pinch of salt on medium-high speed, adding the sugar by tablespoons until soft peaks form.
3. When ready to serve, pour the yolk mixture into a large punchbowl. Fold in a small amount of whipped cream to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream. Fold in the egg whites. Generously dust the top with nutmeg; serve immediately.

Yield: 12+ servings

Photo: Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

The Famed Life-Sized Gingerbread House

2011-12-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

I've had a lot of nutty assignments over the years, but when my editor at ShelterPop called me last year to ask if I'd be willing to help her build a life-sized gingerbread house, it was definitely a unique challenge. Of my many projects for ShelterPop, helping to help plan and build a life-sized gingerbread house that was donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital was my favorite. We had a ton of fun building it, and it was even sweeter knowing it was for a good cause. If you're curious about how we built it, check out this video.

I made the gumdrop wreath in advance, using a styrofoam wreath form and a LOT of gumdrops. To secure them to the form, I spiked each drop on a toothpick, covered the bottom in hot glue and pressed it into the wreath.

Editors brought in their kids to help. It was lots of fun "working" with the kiddos.

Quick Bough Door Decoration

2011-12-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

In order to get our tree into it's stand, it was necessary to remove the lowest branches. We were left with three boughs, which I wired together and hung as a door decoration. The lovely green ribbon is recycled from Williams-Sonoma's gift wrapping, in which many of our wedding gifts came wrapped. A trio of shatter-proof ornaments are wired together to add a bit of sparkle.

Our First Christmas Tree

2011-12-08T08:38:00.009-05:00

Weston and I picked up our first Christmas tree on Sunday night at a sidewalk tree shop here in Fort Greene. It cost a whopping $50 (including the stand), but I have to say it's the happiest $50 has made me in recent memory. We had a few ornaments and I'd picked up a bunch of vintage glass ornaments last year at a thrift store, so we had plenty of things to fill the tree. A few bows added a touch of red and a larger bow was our substitute for a star. Here's Weston below carrying our tree home.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Pasta

2011-12-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Last night was a cook-what's-in-the-fridge kind of night, and I ended up making a pasta dish with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. The dish was inspired by Nate Appleman's method for preparing cauliflower from A16: Food + Wine, and the results were pretty tasty. However, if I were to make it again, I might add some chopped, fresh parsley for a brightness of flavor and a touch of color. Here's a rough recipe for the dish:

Cauliflower and Chickpea Pasta

1 head cauliflower
1/4 c. olive oil (divided)
1 medium red onion
1/4 c. capers
1/2 t. red chile flakes
1 15 oz. can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1/2 lb. orecchiette
Kosher salt
Pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Core the cauliflower and separate into florets; cut smaller florets in half and quarter largest florets. In a bowl, toss well with 1/8 c. olive oil and season with approximately 1 teaspoon Kosker salt. Spread out on baking sheet and roast for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, set a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
3. Rinse the capers and pat dry. Thinly slice the red onion. Place the remaining 1/8 c. olive oil in a small pot over medium heat add the onion, capers and red chile flakes to the pan and stir. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions have softened.
4. Generously salt pasta water and cook pasta according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1/3 c. pasta water.
5. Return pasta to pot, and add toss with onion-caper mixture, chickpeas, and pasta water. Season with salt and pepper and additional red chili flakes to taste.
6. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

Brilliant: Stump de Noel

2011-11-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

I had a little chuckle two years ago when Food + Wine magazine featured a "stump de Noël" (a cheeky twist on the classic Bûche de Noël). The stump cake had been made for a feature by the folks behind the Brooklyn bakery Baked. So, when I saw a Stump de Noël Bundt Cake Pan in the Williams-Sonoma I knew exactly where they'd found the inspiration for the cake mold. Upon closer inspection, I saw that Williams-Sonoma is also offering a cake mix from Baked to make their version of the cake. I was pleased to see that they'd given a nod to original creators of the stump de Noël.

I am planning to make my own classic Bûche de Noël this year, and I even swore to myself that I'd attempt the meringue mushrooms -- I'll let you know how it goes!

Sweet Potato, Quinoa, Pepper and Chickpea Salad

2011-11-22T13:26:00.000-05:00

Another quinoa recipe? I know, but sometimes I'll decide to make a dish because I have a leftover ingredient on-hand to use up. Last night the challenge was a sweet potato that we'd peeled, but not cooked. I cracked open Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian and found a nice recipe for Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad, which made use of a bunch of things I already had in the pantry and fridge, including some quinoa leftover from the acorn squash recipe. I followed his recipe closely and added some red pepper flakes, for a bit of kick.

Today, for lunch, I reheated the salad and added chickpeas and crumbled feta to make it a full meal on it's own -- this was a perfect lunch: Filling, flavorful and healthy. It would be a good lunch to bring to work, since it would be good at room temperature. If you want to serve it as a lighter side, stick to Bittman's original formula and leave off the chickpeas and feta.

Sweet Potato and Quinoa Salad

Adapted from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian

approximately 4 servings

3 cups cooked quinoa
1 large sweet potato
Salt
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
Freshly ground black pepper
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic, sherry, or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes (optional)

1 15 oz. can chickpeas (optional)

1/4 crumbled feta cheese (optional)

1. Cook the quinoa according to package instructions (1 cup dried quinoa will yield approximately 3 cups cooked). Drain in a strainer and rinse. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potato and dice it into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces. Cook it in boiling salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes; drain well.

2. Toss together the potato, quinoa, bell pepper, onion, red pepper flakes and chickpeas; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Whisk the oil and vinegar together and toss the salad with the mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with the parsley and crumbled feta and serve.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios

2011-11-16T12:30:00.001-05:00

I made this Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios recipe from Whole Living on Monday night. We ate it as a main dish, so I ended up making half the stuffing recipe and filling only two acorn squash halves with it, instead of the four it should have filled. All in all it's a simple, tasty and healthy recipe that I would make again. One note: Don't be shy about salting and peppering the squash halves before they go in the oven -- they can use a very liberal seasoning.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Pistachios
From Whole Living
Serves 2

- 1 acorn squash, halved and seeds removed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup feta, crumbled
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted, pistachios, chopped
- 1 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- pinch red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Brush squash with 2 teaspoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast cut-side down on two baking sheets until tender and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring quinoa and 1 cups water to a boil in a small pot. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender and water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Let cool, then fluff with a fork. In a large bowl combine quinoa, parsley, feta, pistachios, remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Divide filling among squash.

Photo: Whole Living

Spotted: Walker Zanger Ashbury Mosaic Tile

2011-11-08T09:06:00.001-05:00

While flipping through a recent issue of Better Homes & Gardens (yes, I'm a subscriber), I spotted the unique tiles in the kitchen above designed by Milk and Honey Home. Unfortunately, the magazine didn't give any information about the tile, but a quick email to Milk and Honey Home revealed that the tile is Vibe Mosaics Ashbury by Walker Zanger ($19/square foot; 877-611-0199; walkerzanger.com). A little googling turned up some additional images of this awesome tile. Don't you just love it? Thank you to Julie at Milk and Honey Home for sharing the sourcing information!

The New York City Marathon

2011-11-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

I ran the ING New York City Marathon for the second time yesterday -- and it was amazing. Finishing 26.2 miles was more exciting and much harder than I remembered it to be. Luckily, Sunday was the perfect day for a race with clear, blue skies and temperatures in the low- to mid-50s. Plus, the nice weather meant that the crowds were robust along most of the course.

I'd trained by myself (without a team or a coach), and usually I would head out for my run without a real sense of how fast I was running: I was just getting in the miles at my own speed. A few weeks ago, I'd planned to run the Staten Island Half Marathon as a testing ground for my marathon pace, but shin pains made me decide to skip the race and go easy on my ailing legs. So, when I lined up at the start yesterday, I didn't really have a sense of how fast I would run.

In 2009 I'd finished my first marathon in 4:00:56, and in the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to break four hours, but I honestly didn't think I was ready to do it. However, when it came time to race, I gave it my all and found myself with a finishing time of 3:56:59. It was a lot of work, but I am thrilled to have broken the four-hour barrier -- even it might have been an easier afternoon if I'd kept the pace a little slower. I owe, many thanks to my husband for all his patience with my endless training and to all my friends who came out and cheered for me: Thank you!

Two Sources for Affordable Framing

2011-11-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

Many of my framed prints and photos reside in Ikea's affordable frames, but sometimes and IKEA frame won't fit the piece you wish to mount. So, I wanted to share two sources I have recently discovered for affordable framing:

I recently purchased an odd-sized print for my sister. When it came time to find a frame, I realized that there weren't any off-shelf options that would fit the print, so I went to a framing shop here in New York to get a quote on framing the piece. When I was told it would cost $160+ to get a simple, birch frame, I quickly decided to do a little more research. I ended up ordering a frame from FramesByMail.com, which cost just about $40. While it has plexi instead of regular glass, the frame was otherwise not all the different from the model that would have cost me four times as much as the mail order version. It would still be cost-effective to have ordered the frame and get a piece of glass cut to fit it. I should note, you can't see or feel the frame you'll be ordering, so you can't be super-picky.

Another option for your photographs is Plywerk, a company that mounts photographs onto eco-friendly bamboo panels. I've seen a Plywerk-mounted photo up-close, and I am super-impressed with the quality of the product. At about $35 for an 8x10 print, this is a pretty affordable way to frame photos, and I think it would be a great option for artists mounting a gallery show. Above and below are two shots of the Plywerk panels, to show you what they look like.

My New Desk

2011-11-04T11:30:00.000-04:00

When Weston moved in, I began renting office space, so we wouldn't be too cramped for space at home. However, after a year of renting (in three different locations), I decided that I'd rather save the money and work from home again, especially since he's rarely here during the week. After two months of using the dining table as my "desk," we decided to look for a piece of furniture that could act as my workspace.

I found this little oak secretary on Craigslist for $200. We had to drive up to Greenwich, CT to get it, but it was well-worth the trip. I'm thrilled to have a workspace that I can close up when company comes over, and it's nice to have a "real" piece of furniture, not just something from IKEA. I'm still using a dining chair as a desk chair, but that's fine by me.

Oh, and the amazing painting over my desk? It was the best wedding gift we received. It is a painting by my grandfather, which my parents generously gave to us as our gift from them (after I not-so-subtly asked for one). Every time I look at it, I am thrilled to have it in my home. Thank you again for the amazing gift Mom and Dad!

Makeover for Working Mother

2011-11-02T15:14:00.000-04:00

A lot of the work I do for magazines takes place in studios. We'll set up a scene, shoot it and then break it down. Occasionally, I get a chance to work in real people's homes for makeover stories. While these stories are inevitably more complicated (and often more stressful) than the make believe world of the studio, they are ultimately more rewarding -- at the end, you've made someone very happy.

A few months back I worked on a project with Working Mother magazine and Target to makeover the bedroom of a little girl in New Jersey, who is the daughter of -- you guessed it: A working mother. The little girl wanted a pink bedroom, and boy, did we give it to her! Seeing little Olivia's face when she saw her new room really made this one of my favorite projects so far this year.

BHLDN Dresses

2011-11-01T12:08:00.000-04:00

My bridesmaids were my sister and Weston's brother's wife. I told them that they could wear whatever they wanted, as long as it wasn't white or black (we told Weston's brothers they could wear whatever kind of suit they liked, as well). My sister purchased the Beribboned Dress from BHLDN, the new special occasion and wedding dress site from Anthropologie, and my sister-in-law decided she wanted to coordinate with her -- they both looked great!

While I didn't wear the dress myself, I queried the gals and here's what they said:

My sister loved the details (pockets, bows on the shoulder, the pouf in the skirt). She also noted that the fabric was beautiful, but it did wrinkle easily.
My sister-in-law said the dress was large in the top, so she had to have it altered. Like my sis, she loved the twirly skirt; however, she said she's not sure she'll keep the bows.

Both ladies said they enjoyed the shopping (and returning) experience with BHLDN, and they both claim they'll wear the dress again, and since I'll be seeing them for years to come, I'll be able to see if it's true. All in all, I think all three of us would recommend BHLDN's Beribboned Dress as a bridesmaid dress.

Going to California

2011-10-27T20:25:00.000-04:00

By the time you read this I'll be up in the air on my way to California. Weston and I are headed west to celebrate our marriage with the family members who couldn't make it out to the east coast for the wedding. In addition to a party at my parents' house on Saturday, we'll be making a day trip to Napa on Sunday and stopping for lunch at Mustards Grill. It should be fun! I'll be back to posting next week.

The Best Cake Ever

2011-10-27T08:23:00.000-04:00

My little sister asked me and I were chatting about making cake the other day, and I was reminded of the best cake I'd ever made, it was a recipe from the A16: Food + Wine cookbook, and it was hands-down the best cake I have ever made. Yes, I have eaten more divine confections from bakeries or restaurants or other more able bakers, but this is the tastiest cake I ever managed to whip up myself. It's flavor is sophisticated and not-to-sweet, and it is criminal that I didn't blog about it when I made it!

A word about the recipe: Both times I made it the cake needed to cook longer than the allotted time in the recipe, so be sure to check with a toothpick to make sure the center is fully cooked before pulling this one out of the oven.

Pistachio and Almond Cake with Orange Salad
From A16: Food + Wine

Cake:

1 1/3 cups unsalted shelled pistachio nuts

1 1/3 cups blanched whole almonds

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar

3 lemons

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon "00" flour or all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Citrus Salad:

3 blood oranges

2 Valencia, navel, or blood oranges

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

Unsalted shelled pistachio nuts

1. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 300°F. Butter a 4-by-8-inch loaf pan. Then, using a sifter or a fine-mesh strainer, dust it with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. In a food process, combine the pistachios and almonds and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.

3. Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Grate the zest from the lemons directly into the bowl. Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Mix in the vanilla just until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the nuts and mix just until incorporated. Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated. Stir in the flour and salt and mix just until incorporated.

4. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then, run a paring knife around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake sides, invert the cake onto a plate, and lift off the pan. At this point, the cake can be served warm or allowed to cool completely before being sliced and reheated.

5. To make the orange salad, cut a slice off the top and bottom of 1 orange, stand the orange upright, and cut downward to remove the rind and pith in thick strips. Cut the orange crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, capturing any juice. Repeat with all of the remaining oranges. Set the oranges slices aside until needed.

6. Gently heat the marmalade in a pot over low heat for about 3 minutes, or until syrupy. Add any captured orange juice along with the lemon juice to the marmalade. Remove the pot from the heat and add 1 to 2 tablespoons water to think the marmalade to the consistency of a vinaigrette. Let cool.

7. To serve, preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the cake into generous slices and place on a baking sheet. Bake the slices, turning them over once, for about 5 minutes, or until warm and slightly toasted on both sides.

8. Place 4 or 5 orange slices on each plate and drizzle generously with the marmalade syrup. Place the warm pieces of cake next to the orange slices and top with a dollop of yogurt and a few pistachios. Serve immediately.

Mary Kate's Emerald Studio

2011-10-26T08:48:00.001-04:00

I was delighted to discover my sweet friend Mary Kate's apartment in the most recent home design issue of Time Out New York. I love Mary Kate's style and I am in awe of how much of it she managed to pack into such a small space. (When I lived in a studio of similarly diminutive proportions, I wimped out with a white-on-white-on-white scheme.)

Perhaps she was able to be so bold because she had a little help with the design from designer Nick Olsen. I've often wondered what it would be like to work with a decorator, and the results of Nick and Mary Kate's collaboration seems to be the perfect testament to working with a pro. Don't you agree?

Photograph: Jessica Sokolowski for Time Out New York

Black And White (And A Bit In Between)

2011-10-25T12:28:00.003-04:00

A while back I had the privilege to interview Celerie Kemble about her new book Black and White (and a Bit in Between) for Family Circle magazine (see below). First, let me say that both times I have interviewed her Celerie Kemble is the nicest, most pleasant designer to interview--and highly quotable too!

There was one piece of advice that didn't make it into the story that I loved. She suggested photographing colorful rooms in black and white to get a sense of the various gradations at play. Kemble noted that it it’s an excellent way to assess whether the colors are too middle-tone or too stark/high-contrast -- taking away the distraction of color helps the eye make a quicker judgment about other elements.

After speaking with Kemble, I was even more interested in Black and White (and a Bit in Between). This is not a book of Kemble's work, rather it's a collection of the work of other designers that she admires. Included are many rooms I had seen before and loved (hello, Thomas O'Brien, I'm talking to you!) and others that were new to me. Kemble said that she wanted to explore the limited palette of black and white because it is such a far cry from the color-on-color interiors for which she is best known. Kemble wrote the book to learn and explore, and it make the book all the more interesting. If like me, you love a simple palette and timeless interiors, you'll enjoy this book* and likely find a lot of inspiration within its pages.

(*Confession, I haven't seen the book itself, but rather a pdf of its pages.)

My Sister Has A Blog!

2011-10-25T11:23:00.000-04:00

My little sister has started a blog! Anne is writing about all things food-related on her new blog Eat What You Believe. I am very excited to read her thoughts about food -- whether it's the politics of eating meat or a particularly good cookie recipe. Pay her a visit and add her to your list of blogs to follow.

Good Find: Everything-Free Crackers

2011-10-20T11:23:00.001-04:00

Like any good hostess, I always try to accommodate my guests' food preferences and allergies. Lately it seems like everyone is allergic to something, which can make planning a dinner party tricky to say the least. Recently, we picked up these Ener-G crackers, which are gluten-free, wheat-free, milk-free, lactose-free, egg-free, cholesterol-free (that's a lot of frees, no?). While I wouldn't say they are delicious, these crackers are certainly acceptable, and they meet almost every food requirement I know of. (However, they do have yeast in them, do strict vegans eat yeast?) If you're like us and you find you've got a lot of allergies to plan for when you entertain, I'd recommend keeping a box of these in your pantry.

The Philip Johnson Glass House

2011-10-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

The weekend before our wedding we visited Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, CT. (We'd bought the tickets in the winter before we'd even gotten engaged, which is why we ended up visiting at such a hectic time for us!) Seeing the Glass House and the other structures on the property was certainly very interesting, but I wasn't sure what to take away from what we saw.

It was amazing to see this architectural icon in person, and I was surprised by how humble it felt. The heroic photos of the house and its Barcelona loungers always seemed like a luxurious, mid-century setting. However, the house itself has brick floors, plain wood cabinetry and the furnishings all have the patina of age that comes from having been used and loved. The kitchen is remarkable ordinary with the simplest of faucets on the plain stainless sink and a four-burner electric range that may be original to the house (it is clear that Johnson was not cooking here).

I was also struck by how silly it is to think of the Glass House as a real house. There are dozens of other structures on the property, including a house for Johnson's staff, a structure for his office/studio, not one but two large structures devoted to housing his art collection. You can only live in the Glass House if you are wealthy enough to have several other houses for your belongings and to do many of the things you'd do in a regular home (like oh say, cooking or laundry). It is stunning nonetheless, and it made me want to go home and clear away the clutter in our apartment. However, I love my books, photographs, dishes and cookware -- I couldn't live without them.

If you have a chance, the Glass House is definitely worth a visit. If you've already been to see it, I'd love to hear what you thought of Johnson's masterpiece.

Cook This Now

2011-10-17T18:10:00.000-04:00

Recently my sister, my husband and I ventured over to the Greenlight Bookstore to hear food writer Melissa Clark talk about her new book Cook This Now: 120 Easy and Delectable Dishes You Can't Wait to Make. I've long been a fan of her column in the New York Times, and it was great to get to see and meet her in person. My sister and I both left with a copy of the book and I've already tried a few recipes. From the few I have tried so far, I feel confident in saying that this one's a keeper.

I like the book so well because these are simple, everyday recipes, but Clark suggests flavor combinations and methods I never would have thought of myself. For example, on Friday we made her Raw Kale Salad With Anchovy-Date Dressing and the Butternut Squash Risotto With Pistachios and Lemon. An unusual combination, the anchovy-date-citrus-peel dressing was a great dressing for hearty kale (and thanks to the kale's tough leaves it was even good the next day, which salad almost never is). Clark suggests grating the butternut squash and cooking it right along with the rice, which results in the squash almost melting into the risotto -- anchovies and lemon added zing to the otherwise mellow flavor of squash.

Raw Kale Salad with Anchovy-Date Dressing (serves 6)
From Cook This Now

6 to 8 large medjool dates, pitted, smashed, and finely chopped
6 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 2 oranges
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp red wine vinegar, more to taste
2 large or 3 small bunches Tuscan kale, ribs removed
Coarse sea salt, if needed

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the dates (use more dates if you like a sweeter salad and fewer if you prefer a less sweet salad), anchovies, garlic, orange zest, and lemon zest. Stir in the olive oil and vinegar.
2. Wash and dry the kale leaves; stack the leaves and slice them thinly cross-wise. Transfer the greens to a large salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Add salt and more vinegar if needed.

We Made The Police Blotter

2011-10-14T14:38:00.000-04:00

Not every bride can say that her wedding made the local police blotter, but I was tickled to learn that mine had! A dear family friend gifted us a full-blown fireworks display at the reception (more about that later). I'd been fearful that the police would come when we were setting the firecrackers off, but they did not. We thought our display had escaped unnoticed by the authorities, but apparently not:

8mm Vintage Camera App

2011-10-13T10:13:00.000-04:00

Videography was not in the budget for our wedding, and frankly, I didn't think we needed it. However, our good friend photographer Tony Stamolis, shot a bunch of short videos with his phone on our wedding day and they are so wonderful. I am so, so, so thrilled that we have these mini-videos -- they make me smile and capture the day in real time in a way that no photograph ever could. The footage of our first dance will be something I treasure forever. So, thank you Tony!

Tony shot the video with his iPhone using an app called 8mm Vintage Camera, which gives the video a faux vintage quality. 8mm describes the effect as "old-fashioned 8mm movies." My iPhone is on its last legs due to one too many incidents in which it was dropped, but as soon as I get a new one, I'll be downloading the 8mm app, and I'll definitely be shooting videos at special events from now on. Have you tried the 8mm Vintage Camera app? If so, what do you think of it?

It Takes A Village

2011-10-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

A word about DIY weddings: They're a lot of work! I was tempted to title this post "This Is What A DIY Wedding Looks Like...," but decided that "It Takes A Village" better described the post I was about to write. Because, trust me, it takes a village.

While we were fully committed to DIY-ing much of our wedding, I definitely underestimated how much manpower would be needed to get the whole thing off the ground. I'll share some of the wedding photos in a future post, but first I thought I'd give you a behind the scenes look at how our wedding came together. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my friends and family who helped make it happen (and to my cousin Judy, who snapped all these shots).

Two days before the wedding: Here I am sweaty as can be moving boxes around in the garage. Our host and floral designer Susan Armstrong is busy creating arrangements and my father and uncle are in the background screwing lightbulbs into the string lights we ordered.

Here my dear friend Elizabeth and I are trying to sort out the table arrangements and the menu place cards.

In this shot my father and uncle are assembling our matchbook and sparkler favors. Across the table out of the shot you'd find my dad's cousin and my husband's brother's girlfriend assembling place cards and rehearsal dinner favors.

My then-fiancé (now husband) and his brother hung the string lights in the tent -- thankfully, his brother was tall enough to reach without a ladder.

My little sister is hard at work folding napkins around the menu place cards and flatware (and my friend Elizabeth is working on another stack in the next room).

The day of the wedding: We hung the Mexican paper flags, assembled tables and chairs, linen-ed and set the tables -- my father, mother, sister, aunt, and my mom's best friend from high school are among the helpers with tent set-up

In the kitchen, limes are being squeezed for margaritas (by my sis, her boyfriend and family friend Sacha) and fresh avocado is being mashed into the store-bought guacamole. Yes, that's a bucket they are filling with lime juice.

These shots don't capture half of the work that went into the pre-wedding prep, which also included tree stump removal, patio furniture moving, outdoor lighting design, many trips to Costco, an epic liquor store run, hours and hours of printing programs, place cards and the like, and a whole lot more. It was a little stressful, but I was also glad to have my family there helping me make it happen.

Mr. and Mrs.

2011-10-10T16:58:00.000-04:00

DIY Fabric Bead Necklace

2011-08-19T08:49:00.002-04:00

Here's a fun DIY project for your weekend: A fabric and bead necklace. It's easy to make an it's a great summer accessory. To make the necklace above, you will need the following supplies:

1 piece of thin fabric measuring 5" x 44"
2 1-inch wooden beads
3 1.25-inch wooden beads
thread
sewing machine

Step 1: Hem each of the short ends of your length of fabric.

Step 2: You will sew the length of fabric into a tube with the wrong side of the fabric facing out. Place one of your larger balls in the fabric to measure how narrow you should sew your tube.

Step 3: Pin the length of the fabric and then sew it.

Step 4: Pin a safety pin to one end of the tube; you will use this to turn the tube of fabric right side out.

Step 5: Start pushing the safety pin throught he fabric tube until it comes through the opposite side and keep pulling until the tube is fully reversed.

Step 6: Place one of the 1.25-inch beads into the fabric tube.

Step 7: Push the wooden bead until it reaches the center of the fabric tube.

Step 8: Tie tight knots on either side of the bead.
Step 9: Put a 1.25-inch bead in each side of the tube (on either side of the first bead) and tie knots to keep them in place.
Step 10: Put a 1.25-inch bead in each side of the tube (on either side of the three 1.25-inch beads) and tie knots to keep them in place.
Step 11: Sew the two ends of the fabric tube together.

Roasted Black Sea Bass with Tomato and Olive Salad

2011-08-16T16:39:00.000-04:00

Last week, we hosted a dinner party for my mother's birthday. With ten guests, it was out biggest sit-down dinner party to date, and it was a huge success. I cooked a menu out of one of the last issues of Gourmet, which included this fantastic pairing of sea bass and a tomato and olive salad.

Black sea bass was wildly expensive (and not ocean-friendly) so we opted for local, wild striped bass, which was delicious. I skipped the recipe's instructions to sandwich the fillets over the onions and oregano and simply roasted the fillets with the onions and herbs on top -- they turned out just fine.

The tomato salad is just delicious: It's requires a little more effort than my usual simple, tomato salads, but it's definitely worth the work. The use of anchovy paste in the vinaigrette was a revelation to me. You could serve this as a side dish for any number of summer menus. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Roasted Black Sea Bass with Tomato and Olive Salad

From Gourmet magazine

For salad:
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound grape tomatoes (preferably mixed colors), halved if large
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes (preferably mixed colors), quartered if large
12 Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped oregano

For fish:
4 (6-to 8-ounce) black sea bass fillets with skin, any pin bones removed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
6 (3-to 4-inch) oregano sprigs

Make salad:  Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in anchovy paste, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in oil. Toss with remaining salad ingredients. Let stand, stirring occasionally, while fish roasts.

Roast fish:  Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Oil a 1 1/2-to 2-quart gratin or other shallow baking dish.
Rub flesh sides of fish with 2 teaspoons oil (total) and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper (total). Divide onion slices and oregano sprigs into 2 portions and sandwich each portion between 2 fillets, skin sides out. Tie with kitchen string crosswise at 2-inch intervals and transfer to baking dish. Score skin on top in several places with a sharp knife and drizzle with remaining 4 teaspoons oil.
Roast fish until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cut off string and cut sandwiched fillets in half crosswise. Serve topped with salad.

Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives

2011-08-11T13:16:00.000-04:00

Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day is winning me over: I made her Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives earlier this week using some red pepper raviolis from Fairway, and it was pretty darn great. However, I think this recipe should really be called Ravioli Salad with Pepita and Cilantro Pesto. Swanson is the queen of creative pesto and the combo of cilantro, lemon and toasted pepitas was a nice twist on the usual herb-and-nut combos. Note that we had 14 oz. of ravioli and were left with extra pesto afterwards.

Ravioli Salad with Pepitas and Black Olives
From Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
Serves 4 to 6

1/3 cup s pepitas, toasted
1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus more if needed
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fine-grain sea salt
16 ounces fresh or frozen ravioli
1/2 cup oil-cured black olives, pitted and torn or chopped

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. In the meantime, make the cilantro pesto. Combine most of the pepitas, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice and a splash of the olive oil and blend with an immersion blender (or in a food processor or standard blender) until smooth. Continue blending as you gradually drizzle in the remaining olive oil, until the pesto comes together into a vibrant green sauce. 2. Taste and add salt or more lemon juice, if needed.
3. When the water boils, salt it generously, add the ravioli, and boil until they float and are cooked through, usually just 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Drain immediately and, while still hot, toss with a big spoonful of the pesto. Allow the pesto to soak in a bit. Then add another 1/2 cup of the pesto along with most of the black olives. Toss well, but gently, and then decide whether you want to add more pesto.
5. Turn everything out into a large bowl or platter and sprinkle with the remaining olives, pepitas and flowers. Serve warm or at room temperature. Reserve the remaining pesto for tossing with leftovers.

An Interruption in Programming...

2011-08-02T13:32:00.000-04:00

The next two weeks are going to be hectic! (And not because of wedding planning!) My parents arrived on Sunday for a two-week visit (they are staying in my sister's empty apartment while she is out of town, not here in our teeny one-bedroom apartment.) My future sister-in-law gave birth to a little girl last night, making me an almost-aunt. We we are going to meet this evening and I am so excited. As a result, my fiance's parents are high-tailing it to New York this weekend to meet their granddaughter and to take a quick trip out to Shelter Island to see where we will be married. Oh yeah, and one of my best friends from college is getting married next weekend and my fellow and I are both in the wedding party. AND it's my mom's birthday on August 10, and it's MY birthday on August 14.

On top of all that, work's pretty busy, and I'm working on a personal project that's eating up some time. So, I apologize for an what will likely be a quiet few weeks of blog posting. I'll be back soon enough with more details about our wedding plans.

In the meantime, you should all go out and buy David Tanis's The Heart of the Artichoke -- it's a keeper. On my parents first night in town we made most of the recipes in the 'Spices for a Summer Night' menu. All were absolutely delicious and easy to prepare.

Pasta with Asparagus Pesto

2011-07-26T13:24:00.000-04:00

Last night, I made an asparagus pesto recipe from Gourmet. It was an interesting spin on a traditional pesto, with a subtle and unique flavor. I adapted the recipe slightly, cutting the quantities in half, since I was cooking for two. However, I did not halve the asparagus; instead, I started with a full pound of asparagus, from which I removed the woody ends, leaving me with closer to 3/4 of a pound. I also reserved the asparagus tips to add to the pasta at the end, for a little more of a veggie-feeling to the dish (it could have used even more veggies added to the sauce).

As per the suggestion of a commenter on epicurious.com I added a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice and just a little zest to brighten the pesto's flavor. You'll also want to season this with lots of fresh pepper and salt to taste. While you may be tempted to add more garlic, don't. Asparagus is so much more subtle than the strong herbs with which you'd traditionally make a pesto that 1 to 1 1/2 cloves will be plenty to give you a good garlic-y flavor.

Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
Adapted from Gourmet

1/2 pound pasta
1 pound asparagus
1/8 cup pine nuts lightly toasted
1 1/2 medium garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ounce freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper
Scant zested lemon peel
Squeeze lemon juice

1. In a 6- to 7-quart kettle bring about 5 quarts salted water to a boil for pasta.
2. Have ready a bowl of ice water. Trim woody ends from asparagus. Cut asparagus stalks crosswise into 2-inch pieces, reserving tips. In a steamer set over boiling water steam stalks, covered, 5 minutes. Immediately transfer asparagus to ice water to stop cooking. Drain asparagus well in a colander and pat dry. Repeat with reserved asparagus tips and steam, until just tender, about 1 minute.
3. In a food processor pulse pine nuts and garlic with salt until finely chopped. Add asparagus stalks, lemon juice, lemon zest and oil and pulse until asparagus is coarsely chopped. Transfer pesto to a large bowl and stir in Parmigiano-Reggiano.
4. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta, asparagus tips and reserved cooking water to pesto, tossing to coat, and season with salt and pepper.

DIY Inspiration: Sombrilla

2011-07-25T14:12:00.000-04:00

When I go to the beach, a sun umbrella is a must. When I was in my early 20s I could spend a day in the sun, but now I prefer to enjoy the beach while sitting in the shade slathered in SPF 45. In fact, this past weekend, we had two umbrellas working in tandem for an even larger shaded area on what was one of the hottest days of the summer. So, I was delighted when I spotted the Sombrilla, a beach tent, on Pinterest. How cute and clever are they?

Manufactuered by an Australian company called Hollie and Harrie, these beach tents seem like a great alternative to a beach umbrella. For one, they would be much less awkward to store and you wouldn't have to worry about a wind kicking up and uprooting your umbrella. I also love that you can adjust the strings to change the position of the canopy as the day goes on.

Sadly, the Sombrilla is a little pricey at $150 plus whatever international shipping would cost. However, I think this could be a great DIY project: Don't you?

Cutting Wedding Costs: A Dress from eBay

2011-07-25T09:01:00.001-04:00

A lot of women will be horrified by what I am about to write, but I hope many others will read my words and take confidence from them. I bought my wedding dress on eBay. For $99. That's right: My dress was less than $100 off the internet and I am thrilled about it. Now, mind you, I am not a clothes horse, nor am I the type of gal who had her ideal wedding dress picked out long before marriage was every a question. I just wanted a tasteful dress.

I found my dress by googling "J. Crew wedding dress;" it was a model from a past season, which Real Simple had deemed the choice "If you're tall.." which I am at 5'10" (don't you dare, click that link Mr. Wells). When I realized it was no longer available, I checked on eBay, and there were multiple listings for the dress. Not sure what size to order, I consulted J. Crew's website, which, of course, left me more confused. However, searching for the dress name and the word "forum" lead me to a super-helpful thread about the sizing of J. Crew dresses, which lead me to opt for the smaller size.

I also went to the J. Crew bridal shop in New York, because even at full retail J. Crew's dresses are much, much cheaper than almost everything else on the market. I fell a little in love with one of their current dresses (don't look at that link either, just in case!), but just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on a $575 dress. So, I went back to eBay, where sure enough, the dress was listed for sale by multiple vendors. On a whim, I made a low-ball bid on one in my size and ended up winning it, as well. I love both dresses, and frankly, I feel like I beat the system getting a dress for so little. (Note that most wedding planning sites tell you to allocate 10% of your budget to attire!)

I am 99% sure, I'm going to go with the first $99 dress, but I've got another month to decide, at which point I'll bring the winner to a tailor for some minor alterations. I'll sell the other one on eBay, and post-wedding, I'll plan to sell my dress, as well. because really, I'm not ever going to wear it again, unless, of course, I had it dyed...

For the Love of Pistachios

2011-07-24T08:20:00.001-04:00

You know the routine: Costco lures you into trying new things with its low, low prices. Among my recent discoveries through Costco are Everbody's Nuts Salt & Pepper Pistachios. A long-time pistachio lover, the addition of pepper to a traditional, salted pistachio is nothing short of genius--I am not exaggerating when I say that these are incredibly addictive.

I'd also like to share a word of love for pistachios, in general. I think they're an ideal food to keep on-hand in the event that you need to serve your guests a little nibble before a meal (or late night after cocktails). They require zero preparation, snapping open the shells keeps guests hands occupied and a big bowl of nuts gives you a real sense of abundance. Another thing I love to do with pistachios is de-shell them and put them into salads, as they're a little less expected than a walnut or a almond.

Wafarers, I'm In Love

2011-07-22T13:15:00.000-04:00

With the exception of a pair of prescription sunglasses I had for a summer in junior high when I played tennis and still did not yet have contact lenses, I have never owned a decent pair of sunglasses. A month or so back, my fiancé's brother left his Ray-Ban Wayfarers at our apartment. Naturally, I wore them everywhere until we say him next. By the time I returned his glasses, I had fallen in love.

So, just before Fourth of July weekend, I treated myself to my first pair of grown-up sunglasses. I opted for Ray-Ban's "New Wayfarer" in a tortoise frame, which are slightly smaller than the original Wayfarer frame. I adore my new sunglasses and I only wish I'd decided to take the plunge and buy some decent sunny specs sooner! Here's a snap of me in my new glasses at a friend's field day-themed birthday party last weekend (I've got a 1st place ribbon because my team won!).

Cutting Wedding Costs: Cake

2011-07-21T09:09:00.001-04:00

While I'm on the subject of cutting costs, let's talk about cakes. Neither of us felt strongly about having a wedding cake, and we had vetoed the idea of cutting the cake and feeding it to one another at the reception (it just seemed a little silly to us). So when I found out that even a simple wedding cake would cost $450, I decided we'd forgo the traditional cake and opt for cupcakes instead. A local baker has said they could do the cupcakes for just $27.25/dozen, which would put us at $220 for eight dozen.

Now the big question is: Do we need to rent small cake plates ($.075/plate) or can we just have our guests pick up a cupcake and a cocktail napkin? What do you think?

Cutting Wedding Costs: Flatware and Plates

2011-07-20T08:09:00.000-04:00

Despite my best efforts, it is incredibly hard to find ways to pare down the budget for our wedding: Many things simply cost what they cost, like a tent, rental tables and chairs, the church fee, etc. So, I'm trying to find creative places where we can cut back.

I'm debating opting for disposable bamboo flatware and plates for the meal. Renting plates costs only $0.75/plate and buying the bamboo ones is about $0.70, so we wouldn't save a huge amount there, but the flatware is $80 for all the forks and knives we would need. Whereas these Greenware disposable forks and knives are only $6.49/100. What do you think, would they be acceptable for a wedding?

Bookshelves Up High

2011-07-19T12:57:00.000-04:00

I loved the little Greenport, NY house featured in the New York Times last week, and it came as no surprise that the original owners of Three Lives & Company bookstore have devised clever ways to store all of their books. My mother has been suggesting a high up book shelf all around the perimeter of our living room, like the one below. Seeing these pictures, it seems like an excellent solution for a household overrun with books.

Our DIY Wedding Invitations

2011-07-14T15:49:00.001-04:00

The prospect of spending hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on our wedding invitations was not an option for us, but we still wanted to create something that was personal and tasteful. We turned to Paper Source, Staples and eBay for the materials for our invites, which ended up costing just over $175. Here's how we did it:

The invitations are the Scallop Laser Cut A7 Printable Party Invitations (20 for $18.50), for which we designed the text layout and then printed at home on our ink jet printer.

For the reply card, we got a little crafty. We purchased a vintage postcard from our wedding locale, Shelter Island, NY, on eBay for $12. We then scanned the front and back of the card and re-sized them to fit onto Staples® Inkjet Postcards, 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", Matte (which I happened to have on-hand leftover from another project). We added text about the wedding to turn the vintage card into a reply card, and once again we printed them out on our home printer.

The envelopes are A7 Pool Envelopes (10 for $4.25). We also ordered a custom return address stamp (Ampersand Flourish Custom Stamp - PS design, $39.95) from Paper Source for the invites, but I'm not including it in our wedding budget, since we'll be using it long after the wedding is over.

For postage, we went with one of the LOVE stamps and an herb-themed one for the post card. I used a Kuretake Zig Memory Writer Marker that I had on-hand to write out the addresses.

In total, we ended up spending about $177 on the stationary and postage -- not bad, right? Here's the cost breakdown, with the items we either already had or plan to use after the wedding in brackets:

Invitations: $74
Envelopes: $38.25 (including ones I messed up)
Vintage Postcard: $11.98
Postcards: [$17.99]
Postage: $52.81
Marker: [$2.65]
Return Address Stamp: [$39.95]

Total: $177.04 [$237.63]

We're just starting to get the reply cards back today, and it's very exciting to see friends and family members' handwriting telling us that they will be attending out wedding! Hurray!

Heidi Swanson's Little Quinoa Patties

2011-07-08T13:52:00.001-04:00

A while back I wrote with excitement about Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Every Day. I've been cooking out of it off-and-on since I purchased it, and so far, I've been a little disappointed (possibly because I had such high expectations for it). However, last night we tried the Little Quinoa Patties and they were a sure winner; it makes me eager (and happy!) to keep trying more recipes from this book, despite having started off on the wrong foot.

The batch makes A LOT of patties. We cooked three small ones for each of us to go with a big salad, and I cooked another four today for lunch and there's still a good amount of quinoa patty batter in the fridge. Having cooked them the day after, I highly recommend preparing the mixture at least a few hours in advance, if you have time. My day-after patties stayed together much more nicely than the fresh ones last night. Also, please note: Your patties will look nothing like the ones in the photo above. They will be messy, misshapen and very handmade. Don't worry--they'll still taste great.

Also, I used fresh basil instead of chives and panko breadcrumbs instead of whole wheat ones because that's what we had on-hand and they were delicious -- I bet most herbs would work well. Also, the patties were a little dry on their own, so we whisked some mayonnaise and Sriracha together for a simple spicy sauce to dab on top (perhaps not so "super natural," but super tasty).

Little Quinoa Patties
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day

2 1/2 cups/12 oz/340 g cooked quinoa*, at room temperature
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup/.5 oz /15 g finely chopped fresh basil
1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup/.5 oz/15 g freshly grated Parmesan
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup/3.5 oz /100 g panko bread crumbs, plus more if needed
Water, if needed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the basil, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes (or several hours!) so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch/2.5cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

*To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups/12 oz/340 g of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa with 3 cups / 700 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues. (NOTE: I halved this and had exactly the right about of quinoa for the patty recipe.)

Cy Twombly

2011-07-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

I was saddened to hear of the death of Cy Twombly. I only discovered a love for Twombly's work in December of last year when visiting my fiance's family in Houston, TX. While there we visited the Menill Collection, an incredible art museum, which has a separate gallery devoted to Twombly.

Somehow with all my classes in modern and contemporary art at NYU, Twombly was not a name I knew, but I immediately liked his work. The canvases at the Menill gallery are hung so that they feel like landscapes that you can enter. They have an almost dream-like quality. I meant to look Twombly up and learn more about him, but I didn't. It was only upon seeing the headline about his death that I read more about this American artist.

The photo of Twombly above (from the New York Times) shows him in one of the galleries there, and you can see just how large these photos are. Funnily enough, I took a similar quick snapshot in front of the same painting of my fiance and his father in front of the canvas. I hope to re-visit the gallery the next time I am in Houston and spend more time with this incredible work.

Fun Find: Unison Home

2011-07-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

Today a catalog called Unison arrived in our mailbox. It is a surprisingly appealing collection of table linens, bedding, pillows, throws and a few selected home items. The products themselves are very straight forward: Striped and solid prints, made from natural fibers, primarily cotton. Most of the linens seem to be made in the United States and the bedding in Portugal. Plus, the photographs are nicely lit and elegantly styled (apparently shot by Francois Robert and styled by Dana Renninger and Ricki Hill -- the catalog has production credits). Design-wise, it's nothing ground-breaking, but these simple, tasteful things are often impossible to find -- trust me, I've looked. I wish I knew more about who is behind this unfamiliar brand. Does anyone know anything about Unison Home?

Purl Bee's Nautical Flag Napkins

2011-06-28T09:39:00.001-04:00

It's pretty rare that I am overcome with the urge to sew, but these absolutely adorable nautical flag napkins are very inspiring. Sadly, they look like they might be just a wee bit beyond my sewing skill set. It's especially clever that each family member can remember whose flag is whose and napkins can be reused several times. Thanks to my friend Elizabeth for pointing them out on the Purl Bee blog -- I love them!

Hooray for New York

2011-06-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

Hooray for New York! I am so proud and pleased that my state passed the same-sex marriage law on Friday night. I am especially proud of Governor Cuomo for getting this passed (albeit by a very thin margin). I thought this photo of Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan, who were wed during the notorious "window" when same-sex marriage was legal in California, was an accurate depiction of how happy I feel to know that New Yorkers are free to wed whomever they choose.

Three-Ingredient Cocktails, Yes, Please!

2011-06-24T11:33:00.000-04:00

Did you see the New York Times article about three-ingredient summer cocktails? I was thrilled to read it because everything sounded delicious and do-able. Limiting bartenders to just a few ingredients (plus staples like seltzer, citrus and simple syrup) means that these are drinks you might actually make. I'm thinking Friday night might call for a test drive of the Guadalajara Sour. What do you think? Do you have a favorite summer cocktail?

Guadalajara Sour
from the New York Times

1 3/4 ounces blanco tequila
3/4 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
3/4 ounce chilled rosé.

Combine the tequila, lemon juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker, fill with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over fresh ice. Hold a spoon with its back side facing up on the surface of the drink and slowly pour the rosé over it.

Yield: 1 drink.

Essie's Potato Fields

2011-06-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

I'm not in the habit of writing about beauty or make-up, but I feel compelled to share my love of Essie's 'Potato Fields' nail polish. To me it the perfect barely-there nude color--in fact, it's practically clear. Until last year I was a devoted fan of 'Fed Up,' a similar hue from Essie, but I've come to love 'Potato Fields' so much that I bring my own polish to the nail salon with me to ensure that I'll be able to get my favorite color (yes, that sounds fussy, I know). I'm planning to wear it on both my fingers and toes for my wedding day for a super-subtle look. Sadly, Essie's website says the color is "currently unavailable;" I hope this doesn't mean it is being discontinued.

Lobster Roll Northside

2011-06-21T08:55:00.000-04:00

Lobster Roll (aka Lunch) on the Napeague stretch between Amagansett and Montauk is an institution. If you want a lobster roll on the far East End, it's the place to go (though I could rarely afford to go when I lived in Montauk). I've often driven by this second Lobster Roll location on my way to various points on the North Fork and wondered about it, not sure if it was THE Lobster Roll or just a similar-looking establishment.

On Saturday we were on our way out to Shelter Island to run the annual 10K race and to do a tiny bit of wedding preparation. Feeling hunger pangs, we decided to stop and see what this northside lobster shack was all about. It turns out this is, in fact, the second home of the Napeague Lobster Roll: A little over a decade ago, the founder of the original Lobster Roll set up shop in Baiting Hollow, the town on the North Fork of Long Island where he had grown up. Luckily, the classic lobster sandwich did not disappoint. However, I would rather have a really great pile of potato chips than the sub-par, straight-from-the freezer french fries we were served with our rolls. Don't you agree? It would have been nice with a nice, cold beer, but since we were on our way to a race, we skipped the brew in favor of ice waters. Definitely make a pit stop on your way out to the North Fork, if you get a chance.

Paul Bernier's Clever Details

2011-06-20T09:02:00.000-04:00

A lot of the time Dwell magazine leaves me cold: I have trouble relating to the super-pristine homes of architects and other design elite, but this house by Paul Bernier was a different story: I loved almost everything about it, from the vines he has trained to the exterior of the house (lovely, right?) to the simple, wall-mounted bedside tables. Check out the full slideshow on Dwell.com to see more of this amazing house. Here are some of the details I liked best:

The addition to the house is quite small, but it adds much-needed space without eating up too much of their outdoor ares. I love how there's a wall of windows and sliding doors to open the room right up to the garden in warm weather.

The green roof kills me! I love the way it makes the house's courtyard feel even more garden-y. Plus, most green roofs seem to be planted with succulents or other low-growing, non-leafy plants. I like seeing something lush instead.

Sure, it's probably not that practical, but I love the light mounted on an old-fashioned pulley. And could that nightstand get an more minimalistic? I think it's a super-smart solution to a small space, and I can't helping thinking how easy it would be to sweep/vacuum under.

The simple cabinetry is super-appealing, I love how Bernier simply cut out holes and rectangles on many of the drawers and cabinets in lieu of pulls or handles. I also like the combination of close cabinets and some open shelving.

Cannellini Bean Salad With Shaved Spring Vegetables

2011-06-18T10:31:00.000-04:00

I am thrilled that David Tanis now has a weekly column in the New York Times food section. I am a big fan of both of his cookbooks The Heart of the Artichoke and A Platter of Figs, and his recipes are the kind of food I want to cook (and eat) daily. I like that the new column is focused on cooking in a small kitchen, though I have never not made a recipe because my kitchen was too small. In fact, I can't imagine how having a larger kitchen would change my cooking habits, but who knows, I've never had a large kitchen.

Last night I cooked a variation on Tanis's first recipe for the Times: Cannellini Bean Salad With Shaved Spring Vegetable. I was prepared to follow his recipe to the letter, but it didn't work out that way. First, I forgot to get a bulb of fennel when I was at the market (and I was too lazy to go back). And second, I just couldn't bring myself to mandolin the vegetables. I own a mandolin, and on rare occasion I have actually used it, but frankly, I hate the thing. I don't know why I detest the mandolin so much, and I recognize that it is, in fact, the best way to get thin even slices of vegetables.

So, instead of carefully mandolining the veggies, I sliced the radishes as thinly as I could and I chopped the asparagus into 1-inch pieces and blanched them for about two minutes in hot water, figuring that they would taste a little better that way. Also, I used a whole bunch of asparagus, since I'd forgotten to get the fennel. The salad was delicious, and the vinaigrette had a wonderful, complex flavor with the anchovies and fennel seed. We served it with pan seared arctic char and a simple salad of baby arugula that I tossed with the remainder of the dressing. I'll include Tanis's recipe as he wrote it, but feel free to adjust as you like -- I certainly did.

Cannellini Bean Salad With Shaved Spring Vegetables
From The New York Times

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or as needed
Finely grated zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
4 to 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed and chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE SALAD:
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained
Salt and pepper
Pinch red pepper flakes
6 to 8 large, fat asparagus spears, snapped and peeled
6 radishes
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed
1 small sweet spring onion, or a few scallions, finely chopped
Chopped parsley, basil or dill, for garnish

1. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Adjust lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.
2. To assemble the salad, place the beans in a large bowl. Pour half the vinaigrette over the beans and toss lightly. Season with salt, pepper and
red pepper flakes.
3. Using a sharp mandolin — and a hand guard — carefully slice the asparagus spears lengthwise to about the thickness of a penny. Slice the radishes and fennel to the same thickness. Lay the shaved vegetables and chopped onion or scallions in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and dress them very lightly with a few spoonfuls of vinaigrette, turning gently to coat.
4. Spoon the beans onto a serving platter or individual plates, then cover the beans with the shaved vegetables. Add a little more vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, basil or dill.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Love: Eric Therner's Diamond Light Bulbs

2011-06-18T10:11:00.000-04:00

I gather this has been blogged to death, but it's new to me, so maybe it will be new to some of you too. How amazing is this Diamond light bulb? Swedish designer Erin Therner gets a big thumbs-up from me for designing something that is both playful and elegant at the same time. I love it. Can a New York City shop please stock it? I nominate the Future Perfect.

Go See Midnight in Paris

2011-06-17T12:01:00.000-04:00

Have you seen Midnight in Paris yet? If not, I can't think of a better thing for you to do this weekend. Really. We went last Saturday and it was such a treat, it's like a cross between The Purple Rose of Cairo (one of my favorite Woody Allen movies) and Vickie Christina Barcelona, but it's set in Paris -- and better still, much of it takes place in Paris of the 1920s. Le sigh.

The caricatures of all the 1920s artists Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and best of all Hemmingway are just plain fun to watch. My fiancé was particularly amused by the Hemmingway character's monologue about making love to a woman; I died over Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein.

Plus, the film is a huge success. The New York Times reports that Sony Pictures Classics plans to increase the number of theaters showing “Midnight in Paris” to 1,038 screens, which is apparently the widest release of any of Woody Allen’s films: Wow, right? It makes me pleased to hear that Woody Allen's genius is being appreciated by a wider audience than ever.

Urban Roof Deck by Douglas Fanning

2011-06-17T08:46:00.000-04:00

When thinking about outdoor spaces in the city, I always dream of a brownstone's backyard, but this roof deck designed by Douglas Fanning might be a sound argument to settle for a roof deck. (It was in New York magazine a while back, but I just came across it again.) The humble 200 square-foot patio was nothing to look at before Fanning got his hands on it. The new deck, built-in benches and planter arbor are all made from a steel beam base with cedar boxes to hold the dirt and plants. I love the simplicity of the design and how completely it transforms the space, don't you?

Inspiration: Hollow-Core Doore Upgrade

2011-06-16T08:28:00.000-04:00

I find Jenny Komeda's blog, Little Green Notebook, endlessly inspiring. She's always making and DIYing things in her home in a way that seems doable with results that are incredible looking. One of her latest projects was adding molding to the hollow-core door of her daughter's bedroom. Above is a shot of the final project, and it looks pretty authentic to me -- a serious improvement over a lame, Home Depot door for sure.

We have two hollow-core doors and I am inspired to invest in nicer doorknobs and add trim to both for a more polished look. What do you think? Worth the effort?

Rhubarb Strawberry Compote from Food52

2011-06-15T16:09:00.000-04:00

A while back, I'd bookmarked Food52's recipes for Rhubarb Strawberry Compote, and last weekend, I was inspired to pick up some rhubarb and strawberries and finally test it out. This recipe couldn't be any easier, you put the ingredients in a pot and cook and stir. I only cooked mine for about 25 minutes, so you may not need the full 45 minutes recommended by Food52. I ended up with about three recycled Bonne Maman jars worth of the compote and I've been eating it stirred into my yogurt each morning with a sprinkle of granola -- it's delicious.

Rhubarb Strawberry Compote
from Food52, makes about 2 cups

- 3 cups rhubarb (4 large stalks), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound frozen or fresh strawberries
- 6 tablespoons raw (turbinado) sugar
- Pinch salt
- Peel from 1/2 large navel orange
- 3 tablespoons rosé or white wine

1.Combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan and add 1/4 cup water. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook gently, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the mixture seems too dry. You want the fruit to cook through and soften without completely losing its texture.
2. Cool and serve over yogurt or ricotta, with ice cream, or on its own.

Here's everything tossed into the pot about to cook.

A few minutes later the sugar has dissolved and the fruits are beginning to soften.

Fun Find: Picnic Basket Cooler

2011-06-14T15:20:00.000-04:00

How cute is this picnic basket cooler? I love the combination of the classic basket silhouette with the practical insulation of a traditional cooler. It's definitely a more practical present that your usual picnic basket.

Ice Master, $49, Peterboro Basket Company.

Surprise Strawberries

2011-06-09T17:29:00.000-04:00

Walking home from my office I noticed some strawberries growing in the side lawn of a brownstone. They were clearly volunteers and not something that had been intentionally planted. I thought it would be a nice surprise to discover berries growing in your lawn, and wondered how they'd ended up growing there.

Etsy Pop-Up Shop on Governor's Island

2011-06-08T11:51:00.000-04:00

Did you know that there's any Etsy pop-up shop on Governor's Island? Well, there is! My mother and I were wandering around on Sunday and discovered this lovely little shop. It was very well curated and I saw lots of things I would have loved to own, including a necklace made from vintage beads, which I ended up buying.

When my sister and I went to visit Governor's Island two years ago I wondered what they would do with all the buildings on the island, and I am glad to see them being used in a way that supports independent craftspeople. I also loved it that the shop felt very down-to-earth and genuine, and the ladies manning the shop that day were super-friendly. Be sure to stop in, if you visit the island.

THE Dress

2011-06-07T13:24:00.000-04:00

I'd like to share some thoughts about wedding dresses. First, I'd like to say that the whole wedding dress industry is a bit of a racket. It makes me crazy that a dress made from the same amount and quality of fabric that is not a "wedding" dress is inevitably cheaper than a bridal gown. It also seems criminal that the $400-$1,000 dresses sold by companies like J. Crew and Ann Taylor are considered "affordable" -- that's a lot of money to spend on something you will wear once.

When I set out to find my dress, I didn't have strong opinions about what kind of wedding costume I would like. I knew I wanted it to be simple and elegant -- and truly affordable. So, I went ahead and bid on a J. Crew dress from a few season's past on eBay. I won it for $99 and it arrived looking great. The dress fits me fairly well: I could wear it as-is and be fine, or I could have slight alterations to make the bust fit a little better. I was pretty sure I'd wear this dress, as I liked it and I relished the idea of telling everyone I'd worn a $99 dress from eBay.

However, everyone said: You must go try on dresses, you'll regret it if you don't, this is your one chance, etc. etc. So, I booked an appointment at J. Crew. I tried to do the same at Ann Taylor, but they only sell online. My attempt to contact David's Bridal made me very certain I did NOT want to buy a dress there. My mother hearing of the appointment and of a sale on Jet Blue plane tickets booked a flight to NYC to see me try on dresses. So, suddenly, it was an event.

I went to J. Crew with my mother and sister on Saturday. I told them what my price range was and we started trying on gowns. The first few left me feeling confident that the eBay number was going to win, but then I found a few I liked a bit more. And then there were two dresses I really liked -- one of which I really love. But my gosh, it's $575 dollars (before taxes!) and that's more than 1/20th of my whole budget.

On the one hand, I feel like I should just go for it: I love the dress and in the grand scheme of things it's really not that much money, and well, it is my BIG day, right? On the other hand, we set a budget and I am determined to stick to it. If we start making decisions to spend just a little bit more on this and a little more on that, the overall budget will quickly escalate. I want to save money for our future house more than I want to wear that dress on my wedding day. However, I also want to look and feel great and I don't want to look back and regret not buying a dress I really loved. I know every woman will say buy the dress, but I am not sure that, that is the right answer. I could find a compromise and try to buy the dress on eBay for less than the marked cost, but I'm still uncomfortable with racing out to spend more money when I do have a dress that I like that cost only $99.

BAGGU Nylon Backpacks

2011-05-25T09:36:00.000-04:00

My fiancé and I have been riding bicycles all over Brooklyn the last few weeks, which is a wonderful joy. However, neither of our bikes have baskets yet. This nylon daypack from BAGGU would be a great solution for carrying a few belongings while cycling. It's super-lightweight and it folds up into a pouch, so if you only need to transport something one way, you could fold it up for the ride back. Also, I'm a sucker for stripes, so this hits on a weak spot in my scope of desires.

Love: 99 Thank Yous Cards

2011-05-24T14:12:00.000-04:00

Oooooh, I love, love, love these 99 Thank Yous cards from Kate Spade's stationary line. Aren't they just the sweetest? They're $20 for ten cards and envelopes.

Pasta With Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil

2011-05-23T08:13:00.001-04:00

Friday night before running the half-marathon, I wanted to eat some healthy carbs, and I figured it would be a good excuse to try out a new recipe. (Plus, we were having friends over, one of whom is a vegetarian.) Back in October I had clipped an article from the New York Times about whole wheat pasta, but I'd never gotten around to trying any of the recipes from the article.

We tried the Creamy Pasta With Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil and it's a winner. I doubled the recommended lemon zest and the almonds, and added a sprinkling of fresh, chopped basil on top. I might add even more of all those things next time to boost the flavor.

Creamy Pasta With Roasted Zucchini, Almonds and Basil
Adapted from the New York Times

2 medium zucchini, cut into
1/2-inch cubes (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons slivered almonds
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 sprig basil, with leaves and stem
3 tablespoons goat cheese
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti or linguine
4 tablespoons fresh, chopped basil

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees. Toss the zucchini and oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Arrange zucchini on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
3. Simmer the cream and basil sprig in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 7 minutes. Lift stem out of sauce and remove the leaves from the stem and put them back in the sauce.Whisk in the goat cheese until the sauce is smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and keep warm.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Toss the pasta with the cream sauce. Serve topped with the zucchini, almonds and fresh basil. Add a few grinds of fresh pepper to taste.

Yield: 2 servings

Brooklyn Half Marathon

2011-05-21T12:15:00.000-04:00

Today I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon. It was the longest I had run since I ran the New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009, and it felt great. Or rather, it hurt, but it was the best kind of hurt. I wasn't super-speedy, but I'm really happy with how fast I ran considering how much training and preparation I had done for the race (which was almost none).

I'm planning to run New York again in the fall, and today gave me a taste of what it will be like to be training again. A few months back, I interviewed Mark Bittman for a story about running and he told me, "I run marathons to train," and I knew exactly what he meant. The race itself is icing on the cake. The training is the part that is deeply gratifying, that rewards you little by little each week. The tiredness that comes from long, endurance running is the best kind of calm I know. I love it. I wish I'd spent more time running long distances in the last year and a half, and I'm ready to get back into the habit.

And yes, for those of you wondering, I am going to plan a wedding and run a marathon at the same time. Training for the race won't be too much extra time on top of my usual running schedule (the long runs each weekend will add a few hours, but that's not much), and I looked at the calendar and our wedding date will fall a prefect amount of weeks out from the race to make it a rest weekend, so I won't have to clock 15+ miles on my wedding day -- though let me tell you, I will run on both the morning of our wedding day and the day after.

Wedding Postage

2011-05-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Okay, this is my first official post about wedding planning. These days brides' wedding details obsessions includes not only the invitations themselves, but the actual stamps you place on the envelope. I know many brides opt to create personalized stamps for their invites through companies like Zazzle, but it seems like this costs almost double what it costs to buy a regular 44-cent stamp, so that is out of the question on principal alone. The U.S. Postal Service has also graciously created some wedding-themed first-class stamps with either white roses or a pair of godl wedding bands, which frankly, make me want to barf.

So, what to use? I'm currently working through my stock of Katherine Hepburn stamps for my mailing needs, but it seems weird to use a stamp commemorating a person or an event for a wedding. Right?
Then there are the love-themed stamps, which are decidedly less puke-y than the wedding ones. Both the king and queen stamps above and the flower love stamps below seem like palatable options. There are also some very simple, tasteful pine cone stamps (bottom) that I believe must have been a holiday offering. It's not seasonally appropriate, but our location is sort of woods-y and the reception will be outside, so these seem somewhat fitting. What do you think? Which stamps should we use?

Dorothy Draper on Weddings

2011-05-19T16:06:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe I have not mentioned it before, but I adore Dorothy Draper's Entertaining is Fun!: How to be a Popular Hostess. I believe this cheerful tome offers advise that is often surprisingly relevant today, despite having been written in 1941. Plus, reading about 1940s entertaining is a hoot. With my impending nuptials on the horizon, I decided to re-read Ms. Draper's thoughts on weddings and other special occasion. Here are some gems:

"A wedding in the family -- your own, your sister's or your child's -- is a very special sort of occasion. For one thing, even in these practical times, a wedding gives you a perfectly good opportunity to be as sentimental as you like. It allows you to satisfy all your love of romance." Permission to be a sap -- I love it!

"If you're having a dancing party whatever else you may decide to economize on don't let it be the music." What would Dorothy Draper think of an iPod loaded up with all our favorite songs? I suspect she would approve.

"It's entirely a matter of personal choice. Which one you choose depends on the size of your house and of hte church (if you plan to be married there) and on the amount of money you are willing to spend on a wedding. You also have to take into account the size of your family and his and the number of friends and relations you decide must be invited." Must is the operative word here. My fiancé and I had originally drafted a list of 80 people who must be invited. After consulting with our parents, that number quickly grew to more than 100.

Photo Campagin for Chance

2011-05-19T13:26:00.005-04:00

Chance is a new brand designed by Julia Leach, who was the creative director at Kate Spade for many years. I love the simple clothes (I'm always a sucker for a striped t-shirt), and I really love the photographs that Chance commissioned of the line. If anyone knows who the photographer is, please let me know. The vibe of these shots is the perfect amount of nostalgia without turning into a caricature -- and the light, oh, I love the light.

Bookmarked Recipes: May

2011-05-18T09:07:00.000-04:00

Two springtime recipes I have bookmarked to try are this Chickpea Cake with Fava Leaves and Arugula Salad from Gather restaurant in Berkeley, CA, from Sunset magazine and a Rhubarb Strawberry Compote from Food52. I'll let you know how they turn out once I have made them!

Going to the Chapel...

2011-05-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

I apologize for my long blog silence, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of work, out-of-town guests and some big news. I've been debating whether or not to mention on this blog that my boyfriend and I are engaged to be married. Ultimately I decided that yes, it's something I might like to blog about. While I feel that our wedding is a very private matter, there's lots about planning a wedding that I would love to share.

First, I'll say that we are having a short engagement. My lovely boyfriend asked me to be his wife a month ago and we are planning to wed at the end of September. Many people have seemed shocked (truly: Shocked!) that we intend to plan a wedding in just a few months. I know many people who spend more than a year planning their weddings, but for us, we wanted to capture the excitement of the moment and not drag things out for months on end. Plus, in the end, it's just a big party and there's no reason it should be that hard to pull together.

Second, it was my turn to be be genuinely shocked when I discovered how much my peers spend on weddings. My mother always said that we could plan a wedding for $10,000, which, frankly, sounded like an awful lot to me. I've since learned that many women spend that much on a dress and that the average wedding in New York costs more like $40,000. That is a LOT of money, and I can't imagine spending it on one day. I'd rather pinch my pennies on the wedding, and save to buy the house I hope to someday own. There are some costs that are unavoidable: Food, wine, a tent, but there are many that can either be eliminated entirely or cut down to the bone.

Now don't think I am a wedding Scrouge. I am so thrilled and ecstatic to be getting married, and the idea of a party with all my nearest and dearest to celebrate the occasion is nothing short of thrilling. I just know that there's a way to do this that keeps costs to a minimum and still leaves us with a beautiful celebration to remember for the rest of our lives. I'll tell you more about it as we plan.

The Gardens at the Cloisters In Spring

2011-05-04T17:45:00.001-04:00

On Good Friday my family and I made a late afternoon visit to the Cloisters. I hadn't been up to the museum in more than a decade, so it was almost like going for the first time. While the art was, of course, impressive, I was most captivated by the gardens, which were just starting to show signs of life.

It makes sense that the gardens are stunning, the word 'cloister' actually refers to an open-air courtyard surrounded by covered passageways in a monastery. The museums name essentially means "the gardens." Plus, the museum's literature notes that the gardens were one of the main attractions when The Cloisters opened in 1938. If you get a chance, it is well worth a visit. Here are some of my photos from the day we visited.

This unusual flower looked like it could be some rare kind of tulip.

A view of one of the gardens and the covered walkways beyond.

Another unusual flowering plant growing in the cloister.

A young espalier tree was just beginning to bud when we visited, and its older counterpart was more fully abloom.

This espaliered tree is just about the most amazing things I have ever seen in a garden. Ever. Really. It floored me.

A closer detail of the tree's blossoms.

One of the garden's quince trees is surrounded by a medieval style wattle fences.

I loved the brickwork in this garden and the upright bricks as edging -- major inspiration for my imagined renovation of our front garden.

A wider view of the wattle fences and brick pathways.

An attractively groomed shrub (I believe a box tree) that reminded me of something out of Doctor Seuss.

Ideal Hook: Anthropologie's Parentheses Hook

2011-04-27T22:11:00.001-04:00

I spotted this adorable red hook in the laundry room of Nicole, of Making It Lovely, and immediately fell in love. I'm thinking it might be the ideal hook for our entryway, and at $8 per hook, they are not too expensive. The big question is red or navy?

Drawing Nature With Jill Bliss

2011-04-25T11:55:00.000-04:00

When Chronicle Books asked if I would host a stop on Jill Bliss’s virtual book tour for Drawing Nature: A Journal, her new interactive drawing journal, I immediately said yes. I became acquainted with Jill Bliss’s work when I worked at Budget Living magazine. Jill was profiled in the “Why We Love” section of the February/March issue for her online crafts collective Blissen. Today, Jill is still deeply involved in the world of craft and the handmade. In recent years she has moved to Portland, taken up teaching and scaled her Blissen operation back to just herself.

Drawing Nature is the latest of Jill Bliss's collaborations with Chronicle Books. If you used to draw but haven’t in years, it’s overwhelming to get back to drawing on a daily basis; this journal is a nudge to get back into the habit. I caught up with Jill last week to talk about Drawing Nature and the pleasures of drawing.

The journal had a long journey to production. Jill says that she went through five iterations of the journal trying to figure out the best way to structure it. In an effort to translate her drawing classes into a book, she admits that she put her graphic design students at Portland State through a “drawing day” using exercises from the draft of book. “They didn’t know they were my guinea pigs,” says Jill. She also notes that her copy editor and other non-artists at her publisher were a huge help because they didn’t know anything about drawing. “I had to back down and use everyday words,” says Jill, who realized terms like “blind contour drawing” might be intimidating to novice artists.

The book itself was designed to be portable and to open flat for easy drawing – Jill even tested dozens of paper before settling on the final pick. To encourage would-be drawers none of the pages are completely blank, with Jill Bliss’s signature drawings at the perimeter of every page. The beginning of the journal features individual drawing lessons, while the latter half is mostly comprised of (nearly) blank pages with inspirational notes at the bottom of each page.

Here Jill Bliss shared her thoughts on drawing:

Anyone can draw. Jill had been teaching classes on drawing nature in Portland for some time when she set out to teach her mother and a bunch of her friends to draw one summer. “They were adamant that they couldn’t draw,” says Jill. “But I was equally as adamant that they could. I ran them through a couple of exercises, and we all realized it was possible.”

There’s no right way to draw. Jill says she doesn’t force one way of drawing or another onto her students, but rather prefers to observe how people approach drawing and help them fine-tune their own way of looking and drawing. “It’s sort of therapy,” she laughs.

Seeing is the hard part. “I feel strongly that everyone can draw,” says Jill. “It’s the seeing part that is hard.” Learning to see something for what it really is can be challenging. For example, if you say, “Draw a leaf,” someone will sketch the cartoon-ish ideal of a leaf, but if you actually put a leaf in front of them, it is much more complicated to render. Then you draw another leaf and you begin to see how very different each natural object is from another. Jill says this is when you start to really look and realize what you’re seeing.

Nature is a forgiving subject. Jill’s choice of nature for the journal is no accident. She notes that we all know what a chair looks like, so if a sketch of a chair is not quite right we immediately notice its flaws. “With a leaf, we don’t have that same perception,” says Jill. “It’s okay if it’s not the way it looked in real life -- we’re never going to notice.” Plus, Jill hopes drawing nature will help people embrace and appreciate their natural surroundings.

Putting pen to paper is meditative. “It’s definitely a practice that makes you slow down and consider your surroundings and think about what you are doing,” says Jill, who compares drawing to journaling or meditation.

Drawing will open your eyes. If you take up a daily habit of drawing, Jill says it will change your day-to-day experience. “I think you’ll be a notice a lot of little details that you wouldn’t have noticed. You’ll start looking for things that would be interesting to draw. You’ll be a lot be a lot more cognoscente,” she says.

Just do it. “You’ll surprise yourself,” promises Jill. As with anything, she notes that a lot of what determines success is your attitude: You need to have a positive outlook that you can do something, whether it’s drawing or fly-fishing.

Jill Bliss’s Drawing Nature: A Journal is available for $16.95 from Chronicle Books and is available in bookstores nationwide.

Drawing Nature Blog Tour
April 18 AOL ShelterPop
April 19 Creature Comforts
April 20 Mint Design Blog
April 21 UPPERCASE
April 22 Pikaland
April 25 The Little House in the City
April 27 Wit and Delight

Lemony Asparagus With Walnuts and Parsley

2011-04-20T23:15:00.000-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am going to try harder to record the things I cook. It's hard to remember to measure things and take photos, but I think it's worth the effort -- I love to share when a recipe is a success. We cook most nights and it's rare that we're cooking from a recipe. For example, tonight was a very simple meal: Salad, leftover pita bread, scrambled eggs with fresh herbs and some sautéed asparagus.

The asparagus is worth writing about -- it was a simple, but delicious side dish. First, I will say that I have always peeled asparagus because my mother did. My boyfriend thought I was nuts the first time he watched me peel each stalk, but after he ate them, he agreed that it was a task worth the effort (especially for thicker stalks). I've also discovered that Oxo's serrated peeler is the ideal tool for peeling asparagus. (Note: I never would have bought a serrated peeler, but received it as a gift and have found it useful for certain tasks like asparagus or fruits.) Here's how I cooked the asparagus:

Lemony Asparagus with Walnuts and Parsley

3 T. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (approx. 1/2 cup)
1/4 c. red pepper flakes
1 bunch asparagus peeled
1/4 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 T. chopped parsley
salt and pepper

1. Cut woody ends off asparagus, then cut stalks into 2-inch pieces.
2. Heat pan, add olive oil when pan is hot. Add onions and red pepper flakes to pan, stir and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add asparagus to pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add lemon zest, parsley and walnuts to pan, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Calypso + Target = Boho Chic on the Cheap

2011-04-20T17:53:00.000-04:00

Today I was fortunate enough to get to stop in to a pop-up shop to introduce the new Calypso St. Barth for Target line to the press. Calypso has teamed up with Target on a collection that spans women's clothing and accessories, home wares and children's clothing -- and let me tell you, it's a winner. I've always admired the casual-but-chic style of Calypso, but I'm yet to be able to afford it for myself. Thank you Target for bringing the brand down to price points for the rest of us! The line hits stores on May 1, but here's a little sneak peek at what's to come.

Target had commissioned event designer David Stark to create a temporary interior to showcase the products. (Stark has long worked with Target and they are very wise to hire him -- he makes everything look amazing with clever displays that highlight the items without upstaging them). When I walked in I was greeted by this adorable set-up of products in a mini-sailboat, which I must say looks suspiciously like the boats that we used to serve the raw bar out of when I worked as a caterer.

The dressing rooms had these adorable curtains in the patterns from the line, but they aren't actually for sale. However, I couldn't resist snapping a pic -- so cute, right?

A wall of the home items included dinner plates ($3.99) and pillows ($24.99 each).

I was drawn to the punched metal candle holders (small, $7.99; medium, $24.99 and large, $29.99) and took a bunch home with me. Visions of summer and margaritas were dancing in my head.

I spied quite a few fellow bloggers and editors leaving with a pouf in silver ($59.99), including the adorable Amy of ShelterPop.com and Erica from PS I Made This, to whom I was delighted to meet briefly. I'm lucky they didn't have the gold version in stock or I might have been tempted to grab one myself; after all, I've been contemplating a pouf.

Apartment Evolution

2011-04-15T15:38:00.000-04:00

My parents arrived for a visit this morning, and it made me realize how much my apartment has changed in the last year. For one, there's an additional tenant, my lovely boyfriend, (and his belongings!), but there are also many major changes we've made together. My folks coming over in a few hours for dinner and I am excited to hear what they think!

This photo of the dining area is a perfect example of how the apartment has evolved. The space was always the dining area and I always had a mismatched hanging of photos and prints. However, the table and chairs are both Craigslist finds from the last year, which replaced the table and bench set I had before (now in my little sister's apartment). While the wall art is a 50-50 combination of my things and the boyfriend's things. The changes have been gradual, nothing crazy, but when added up, things are decidedly different around here.

I'll give you a proper photo tour of the whole apartment next week -- I promise.

Worth a Visit: Olanna

2011-04-15T07:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday's New York Times included an article about preserving the "viewsheds" in the Hudson River Valley, and mentioned in particular Olanna, the home of Frederic Church, a celebrated Hudson River School painter. I had the good fortune to visit Olanna two years ago, and I would encourage anyone visiting Hudson, NY or the neighborign towns to make the journey, as well. In addition to the tremendous views mentioned in the article, the hosue itself is stunning.

You are not allowed to take photos of the interior (though here are a few of the exterior), but it remains much as it had in Frederic Church's day. The interiors are inspired by Chruch's travels, particularly in the Middle East. During our visit the docent told us that Church's unusual Persian-style home influenced Mark Twain in the design of his Hartford, CT home (also worth a visit, if you are ever in the area!). One thing that left an impression on me was the room where Church painted. A handsome room with high ceilings and a view out into the valley, I was shocked to see that he had painted over an antique Persian rug! The rug is covered with paint spots and splatters from his work. Who needs a drop cloth?

I was curious to read that Olanna has recently undergone some improvements, and I will plan to make another visit this summer to see this inspiring home again.

Super Natural Every Day

2011-04-14T08:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have been sparse with my posting lately: Work has been busy, which is a good thing. Earlier this week I stopped by Borders to use up a gift card I had been given (I figured I better make use of it before all the stores close!). I usually don't buy myself new cookbooks, rather I buy them used or am given them as gifts. However, when I saw that Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day was in stock, I decided it would be the perfect thing on which to spend my credit. For the last two nights, I've been reading the introduction and recipes, and I already know that there are lots of things I'll be cooking from this book. It's the kind of healthy, honest food that I do make every day, and Heidi's ideas for simple, vegetarian meals are inspiring. I'll let you know which recipes I try!

Pan-Baked Lemon-Almond Tart

2011-04-03T10:11:00.000-04:00

My little sister also made this super-simple dessert (also from the New York Times). It was a nice, light finish to the meal -- not too sweet and not too rich. Mark Bittman titled the column about the recipe "Cake, Tart, Frittata: Call It the New Baking," which was an apt description for this hard-to-categorize dessert.

Pan-Baked Lemon-Almond Tart Time
From the New York Times

4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup sliced almonds, more for garnish
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoons butter
Powdered sugar, for garnish.

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, salt, ground almonds, cream, sliced almonds, lemon zest and juice.
2. Melt butter in an 8-inch ovenproof skillet over low heat; when foam has subsided, add almond mixture to pan, tilting pan to distribute batter evenly. Continue to cook tart on stovetop until edges just begin to set, then put pan in oven and finish cooking, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
3. When tart is done, put it in broiler for about a minute or until just golden on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and sliced almonds. Serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

Tagine-Style Lamb Stew

2011-04-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last night my sister cooked dinner at my house for six people (myself included). She made this delicious Tagine-Style Lamb Stew recipe from the New York Times, and after seeing how incredibly easy it was to make, I would definitely add it to my own repertoire. I love the easy method of a no-browning stew and the flavor was just as rich as a meat stew that had been browned.

I made a sort of Moroccan-inspired green salad with fennel, black olives, mint and red onion, garnished with grated ricotta salata and orange slices.

Tagine-Style Lamb Stew
From the New York Times

2 pounds lamb shoulder
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, grated (about 1/3 cup)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 20-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Cooked couscous, for serving.

1. Trim excess fat from the lamb and cut into 1-inch cubes.
2. In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the lamb, onion, garlic, pepper, salt, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, apricot preserves and vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until the aroma of the spices is strong, about 5 to 7 minutes. (Do not allow the meat to brown.)
3. Add chickpeas and stock, bring just to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently until the lamb is very tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
4. Add the raisins and continue to cook, uncovered, until they are nicely plumped, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in the parsley and lemon juice, and serve with couscous.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Read and White Quilts at the Armory

2011-03-31T10:02:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday night my friend Elizabeth and I went up to the Park Avenue Armory to check out the "Infinite Variety" exhibition of quilts. The show was an exhibition of 650 quilts that were being show as a gift to the city (admission was free) by Joanna S. Rose -- her collection is nothing short of remarkable and Thinc Design's clever exhibition design showcased them in a surprising and delightful way with quilts suspended from the rafters of the huge armory space. It is my understanding that the quilts will ultimately be donated to the American Folk Art Museum.

I'm so glad we went to see the show, as it was incredibly inspiring. I was humbled by the thought of the hours of handiwork that went into creating these quilts. We were both also struck by how graphic and modern-seeming many of the designs were -- you can almost imagine some being sold at CB2 or Design Within Reach (especially the running brick style design below!). Take a peek at some of the photos I snapped at the show:

Anthropologie, Booksellers Extraordinaire?

2011-03-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

Has anyone else noticed the arrival of many more books than usual to Anthropologie stores? The last few times I have been into an Anthropologie location, I noticed that there were tons of well-chosen titles for sale -- and not necessarily new books either. At the SoHo location, I spotted Annie Leibovitz At Work, which is more than two years old and hardly a best-seller (it is an excellent read, by the way, buy yourself a copy!). Likewise, the Domino book was a not-new-but-always-wonderful tome for sale. I'm thrilled to see Anthropologie selling books, and I hope that this trend continues.

Another clue that Anthro is serious about their book selection is their exclusive on Holly Becker's new book Decorate: 1,000 Design Ideas for Every Room in Your Home, which is available exclusively through Anthropologe until April 20th. I can't recall another time when a decorating book was launched with a limited release like this, can you? It's an interesting development, and I applaud Anthropologie for selling books in this increasingly digital age.

DIY Inspiration: Dip Dyed Sheets

2011-03-29T10:24:00.001-04:00

I love the look of these Indigo Modern Tie-Dye sheets from Ralph Lauren, which are a sophisticated and almost minimalist take on a tie-dye pattern. While I wouldn't shell out big bucks for these particular sheets, it got me thinking that you could easily recreate the look with white sheets and a dip-dye technique. Martha Stewart conveniently has directions for how to get the dip-dyed look on her website.

Julia Child's Gigot a la Moutarde

2011-03-28T22:22:00.000-04:00

I am sorry I've been delinquent with posting -- work's been busier in the last couple weeks and weekends have been filled with errands and events. The last time I posted I was about to host a dinner party, and it was a smashing success. We had such a nice night, and the food all worked out perfectly.

At my mother's suggestion, I roasted the lamb following Julia Child's recipe for Gigot a la Moutarde (Herbal Mustard Coating for Roast Lamb) from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is a very simple and very delicious way to prepare a leg of lamb -- it got rave reviews from our guests and my boyfriend and I were both thrilled to have leftovers for the rest of the weekend. Give it a try the next time you are preparing leg of lamb. I promise you won't be disappointed.

Gigot a la Moutarde
Adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking (Volume 1)

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tb soy sauce
1 clove garlic mashed (I used 5!)
1 tsp ground rosemary (I used more)
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 Tb olive oil

1. Blend the mustard, soy sauce, garlic, herbs and ginger together in a bowl. Beat in the olive oil by droplets to make a mayonnaise-like cream.
2. Paint the lamb with the mixture and sit it on the rack of the roasting pan. The meat will pick up more flavor if it is coated several hours before roasting.
3. Roast in a 350 degree oven, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, for medium rare or 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours for well done.

Notes:
- I bathed the lamb in the sauce several hours before cooking it and then removed the lamb from the fridge two hours before putting it in the oven.
- I roasted my boneless leg in a roasting pan with no rack (I don't own one) following Alice Waters instructions: Heat oven to 375, roast 30 minutes on one side, flip the roast and roast 20 minutes on the other side. Turn again and finish cooking until the internal temperature reaches 128 degrees. Let rest for 20 minutes in a warm place.

Dinner Party Tonight

2011-03-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

Tonight we're having our biggest dinner party yet, and I am so excited. It's a ten-person group of both old and new friends that we're thrilled to be hosting. We've got a great menu planned and thanks to some prep work last night, I'm in such good shape that I'm typing a blog post instead of madly trying to get the meal ready. Hurray!

With cocktails we'll serve:
- Sliced apples, almonds, aged cheddar
- Goat cheese with herbs and foccaccio
- Cured meats

For dinner:
- Roasted Leg of Lamb marinated according to an old Julia Child recipe
- Parsnip, Potato and Leek mash from the big yellow Gourmet cookbook
- Roasted Asparagus with Feta from the big green Gourmet cookbook
- Mixed greens salad with chopped herbs and vinaigrette

To finish things off, there's dessert, of course:
- Lemon Curd Mousse with fresh raspberries from the big green Gourmet cookbook
- Coffee

Window Film for Privacy

2011-03-10T10:33:00.002-05:00

Four years ago, I installed decorative window film on the lower half of my bedroom windows for increased privacy. At the time, I meant to add plain, frosted window film to the living room windows, as well. Somehow four years managed to pass before I finally got around to it. However, after much delay, I did finally get the living room windows covered, and I am thrilled with the results. As you can see in the photo above, the film offers and incredible amount of privacy, without sacrificing light. I picked the simplest, frosted option from Home Depot.

Here's the window before the film was installed--any passerby could see right into the apartment when we had the curtains pulled back.

The first step to installing window film is to cut it to size. Be sure to measure your windows very, very carefully. You'll want to cut your film about 1/8-inch smaller all around than the actual window size, so you can fit it into the frame. I used a T-square and a rotary cutter for straight lines. When cutting, press down hard, as the film is thick enough that you need to apply some pressure.

The sealant on my windows isn't perfectly square at the corners, so I trimmed every corner of the film into a rounded corner, so it would lie flat and not touch the sealant.

Make sure your windows are very clean. Fill a pray bottle with water and a few drops of dish washing detergent. Spray the windows so that they are completely wet. The manufacturer doesn't instruct you to do this, but I found it helpful to pre-spray the back of the film itself in addition to spraying the window.

The final step is to place the film on the window and smooth it into place. Use your hands to position it and then take a credit card (or in this case a Starbucks gift card) to smooth out all the small air bubbles beneath the surface. It's important to be patient with this step for the best-looking results.

Paella Night

2011-03-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight we're having a small dinner party, among our guests are a vegetarian who eats fish and her boyfriend who eats meat, but doesn't like fish and a pregnant woman and her gluten-intolerant partner--talk about a tricky crowd for which to cook! After debating the merits of several dishes, we finally settled on a paella as our main course. I plan to make a hybrid of this Mixed Paellea recipe from Saveur and a seafood paella recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook. I'll use a combo of vegetable broth and shellfish stock, and I'll plan to cook the chorizo and chicken in separate pans. Then I'll separate out a fish-only portion for our vegetarian.

Hopefully everyone will be happy. I'm excited to cook paella for the first time; I'll let you know how it goes!

Gabrielle Hamilton's Blood, Bones and Butter

2011-03-03T11:15:00.001-05:00

Last night, my sister, my boyfriend and I met up at Powerhouse Arena Dumbo to hear chef Gabrielle Hamilton talk about her new book Blood, Bones and Butter, which was officially released two days ago. Long-time fans of her restaurant Prune and new admirers of her writing (the New Yorker excerpt from the book was beautiful, if you can get your hands on it, do), we were all excited to see her speak.

Unfortunately, moderator/interviewer Peter Meehan wasn't the world's greatest interviewer (in fact, he was terrible and didn't manage to ask any concrete questions the whole night, which was sort of shocking). Luckily, Hamilton was so charming and guileless that the talk was captivating even without structure.

Hamilton said many things that rang true to me as a writer, a former catering cook and a home cook. Among them, she said that the food she serves at Prune is a way to bring people together. She said she hopes the first few bites delight and maybe even surprise the diner, but the food ultimately just recedes as a delicious background to conversation. Hamilton said that when she looks out at her restaurant and sees people talking, laughing and enjoying themselves, she knows she has succeeded as a chef. Sharing this anecdote was actually a way to talk about her writing, that the author should recede, but the story should entertain.

After the talk, the line to buy a copy of the book was too long for our tastes, so we headed out without copies. However, I plan to stop by my local bookstore this weekend and pick up this book--I can't wait to read Blood, Bones and Butter.