I suspect that the universal adoration of Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, has something to do with her gift for making us all feel like everything is going to be OK. These are the lessons of reading her cookbooks and watching her show: if you roast a chicken for your husband every Friday, the weekend [...]
I love going to the grocery store just as the seasons change. I am thrilled to see watermelon, peaches, cherries, piles of artichokes and asparagus, and, for a few short weeks, rhubarb. Someone needs to use this pretty stalk in a flower arrangement. Tyson loved his grandmother’s rhubarb pie. I love Tyson. And so Sunday [...]
We’ve been enjoying small symbols of spring at our house: an Easter supper, flowering branches, eggs everywhere — and a bottle of Zyrtec omnipresent on the counter. A peek inside: I piled together this textured table setting for our Easter dinner for two: eggs, mini vintage terracotta, slubby linen and a sprig of green. [...]
I get grumpy about Easter. In Arizona, it marks the end of all the nice weather. The days of sweat and suffering are on the way. Also, I’m expected to wear pastel clothing. I get grumpy about that, especially. But homemade popovers with Neiman Marcus strawberry butter? This could mitigate the email I received from [...]
I’m in the mood for a weekend of family, creativity, and general joy. These egg crafts are tempting me to invite my niece over to help. She will eat jelly beans and chatter. I will make obsessive-compulsive Easter eggs. Behold, the contenders: These calligraphed eggs from Oh Happy Day are made with tattoo transfer paper. You [...]
Valentine’s Recipe: Strawberry Pavlova with Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream There exists a dessert named after a tutu and somehow it escaped me. The Pavlova — an airy puff of meringue filled with whipped cream and berries — was created by a chef in Australia in honor of a visit from ballerina Anna Pavlova. It’s gorgeous. [...]
V-Day: I’m into it. I believe in heart-shaped dinner plates and leaving presents from Cupid on the doorstep. I send Valentines in the mail and make ridiculous desserts. I love Love. What the holiday has looked like at my house, thus far: Eat-your-heart-out-fudge. Vintage peek-a-boo glasses that won my heart from across the store. My [...]
It was bad enough when I told the checkout guy at Trader Joe’s that I loved the TJ’s frozen lemon bars because they were pretty. ”Pretty doesn’t matter,” he said. ” I like them because they taste good.” Uh-huh, sure, whatever you say, I mumbled. But I think this might be a higher achievement in nuttiness: at [...]
My girlfriends like to come over and spend the night at my house, because they know that in the morning, there will be lemon crepes. Recipe: In a bowl with a pouring spout, mix: 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 2 tablespoons sugar (I use stevia), 1/4 [...]
I dreamed of numbered napkins available only through H&M in Europe. Humph. So here’s how to make our own: The inspiration: It wasn’t THAT bad, although I will admit that on number six I was cursing myself for not telephoning Sweden and having them sent to me instead. Here’s how: First, gather the supplies: black fabric paint, a [...]
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