a prune prelude

okay so even though i'm not into sardines, doesn't this plate seem like the perfect bar snack? well that's what it is at downtown restaurant prune. and maybe it's the perfect prelude to prune chef gabrielle hamilton's recipe for braised chicken legs with shallots and vinegar.

 i love how both dishes seem to blend savory and tart, salty and sweet, deftly and with confidence. dare i say i might try sardines in this iteration.

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speak up

good morning sweet readers! 

first, i want to share with you a good discovery from the weekend - dramatics nyc hair salons. it's a chain, and they have a deal where if you're willing to walk in for your appointment and walk out with wet hair, a cut is $19.99. works for me. so after meeting my lovely, pregnant college roommate for coffee and tea here, i popped in to the 74th and Columbus location of dramatics where lulu cut my hair. she did a great job and it was, sure enough, $19.99. greatest new nyc discovery ever.

but what i really want to talk about this morning is the temperature of the water when electra washed my hair (p.s. electra was a lovely girl who couldn't have been older than 17 or so, and she was wearing very thick rimmed glasses with no lenses in them. but i digress...)

it's not so much about the temperature of electra's water, per se, but more those moments we all encounter when the water is too hot or too cold or too whatever...and it takes strength and self-respect to speak up. my mind always goes back to a lesson my mom taught me a long time ago of never being afraid to speak up for yourself. the two examples she used are ones i'll always remember because, in one form or another, these situations arise day after day throughout our lives.

1. babysitting money - never be afraid to ask for money you worked for. when my mom said it, it was about being paid $5 an hour for watching a kid who never stopped crying or asking for soy milk. today, it's about any number of things and no matter how hard you know you work or how generously you know you lent, asking for money isn't easy, is it?

2. the water at the beauty parlor - my mom taught me not sit and wince through a too-hot shampoo...it's your head and your body and you need to make sure that you're being good to it. well, that lesson has a lot more history and baggage for me, and is something i'm still learning every day, and is even more complicated, to me, than the money one.

but this time when i sat down, i told little electra just what i needed. i said "i usually like the water pretty cool," and she made the water nice and cool, checking in with me so it was just the way i liked it.

i felt proud in that moment that i spoke up comfortably for what my head and my body needed and i felt thankful that my mom taught me that lesson good and young, even though i might first be learning it for myself now.

do you feel awkward speaking up in money or hot water situations?

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bow wow

spotted at the farmers market this week while i gathered a beautiful bevvy of root vegetables and fresh herbs for thanksgiving centerpieces and decor, pictures of which i'll share next week.

i hope you had a wonderful day yesterday, filled with all the things you love, and most importantly surrounded by all the people you love who love you in return.

see you back here next week.

a fall bounty

a couple weeks ago, my sister molly and i met our friend rebecca at the farmers market near our office at about 8 am. it was so beautiful to be there first thing in the morning on a cool, crisp fall day, and the morning sunlight streaming in created a totally different feel than i've felt at the farmers market before. it was like an otherwordly light filtering through all the layers of beautiful greens and colorful shapes.




as we perused, we talked about the ways we shop for produce and how to minimize waste and maximize the use of seasonal produce when it's at its best. just a few days before that, rebecca had emailed me to pose this question for discussion:

do you have a game plan when you go to the farmer's market? like, do you go there looking for particular things or with a recipe in mind? or do you just go and see what's there and figure out what you will make with it as you go along? it's just so hard to resist the beautiful things that they have there, especially when you don't know if it will still be available the following week.

so we walked and talked about this conundrum that i think a lot of people feel in some form. my personal thought is that it's a great idea to have a plan B for everything you buy at the farmers market. for example, you might see some beautiful squashes and peppers you want to try - interesting colors and shapes, and you have lofty goals of sauteeing or grilling them, drizzling with some herb-infused olive oil, blah blah blah. and that would be lovely. but if it doesn't happen, for whatever variety of reasons make things like that not happen, then you can have a plan in the back of your mind to make a big pot of chili on sunday to use up the things that never made it to their culinary promised land.

and about the idea of not knowing what will be available next week making it hard to pass over something particularly interesting, i say ask the sellers. one of the best things about farmers market shopping is that you're buying directly from the source (which is so nice in so many ways). they've known that huge eggplant since it was this big. so they'll gladly tell you when things will be available and when they won't, even when they're at their peak. and they can also give you ideas of how to prepare each specimen if you're not sure.


one of my favorite things at the farmers market is seeing vegetables in their full, uncut form. it totally makes them more exciting to use, though it can sometimes be a little intimidating. seeing them (and buying them) that way makes me feel even more connected to the true source of this goodness, and that's really something to feel good about it, especially in a food world that we know is over-processed and so very disconnected from its source and its intended form.

i was happy to see all the gnarly and huge heirloom tomatoes (the uglier the better, right?) after last year's tomato issues. these are the kind of tomatoes that just sliced on a plate are a showstopper.


what have you been buying at the farmers market? and do you have a system or strategy to share?






some more honey living farmers market posts:

fresh ideas
local harvest
on the grid
good and green

vintage HL: keep it green

one thing i learned from my wedding florist is that mums require a HUGE amount of water. so it's not surprising to see that many of the most beautiful displays of mums are starting to look dried out and tired. as a result, i've been feeling a special appreciation for the businesses and homes which passed on the colorful yet short-lived temptation of fall mums and have instead maintained a consistent green look since summer. one such business is the cinema cafe which i pass on my way to work which has several moveable "window boxes" full of a really pretty mix. i suspect they bring them in over night so that these plants, mostly considered "tender perrenials" (otherwise known as "annuals" in my world) are not subject to frost.

by making use of hardier plants like sweet potato vines (love love love) and different types of coleus and ivy, the mix stays vibrant and fresh looking even in late fall, a welcome respite in a landscape of shedding or soon-to-be-bare plants. i especially love that at closer inspection, i noticed some lavender in there too, a fragrant and unexpected addition to the mix.

what's especially nice about the coleus here is that it introduces some autumnal color in with the green. i think a similar impact could be achieved by having some spots within the boxes for potted mums when the season is perfect, and then replacing those holes as the mums dry up with a hardier specimen like the ones already used here. to me, that would be be the best of both worlds.

i think it's so important to take the time and notice these kinds of details as a source of ideas, inspiration and joy. also, because people spend a lot of time (and often money) to make their homes and storefronts attractive and seasonal, and i appreciate that. nothing turns me off more than a place that doesn't take any care to be pleasing. the converse is that it's such a pleasure to walk through a neighborhood or down a street where people have clearly taken pleasure in their own surroundings, because it's something one does not just for themselves, but for everyone. i find it to be one of those "we're all in this together" moments, and i find it touching. to me, it also speaks to the taste and goodness of what's inside the doors.

originally posted 11/12/09

a mind of their own

on my way to work each morning, i pass by a row of planters full of beautiful, wispy pink tulips. i love the way their openness looks - so sort of blase and relaxed.

but what i love most is that there are two that just don't want to conform. they are different- no matter what.

i'm glad they have each other.

stay the night (or forever)

my visits to the emerson resort have introduced me to a feeling of...how should i say it...never wanting to leave the hotel i'm staying in. yeah, that works. and so when i came upon a few pictures of the crosby street hotel right here in new york, i felt phantom "never want to leave" pangs, even though i'm not staying there (but i SHOULD be).

i just had to share with you how gorgeous every space in this boutique hotel is. here is how firmdale hotels, the british company which owns the crosby, puts it: "hotels should be living things, not stuffy institution... kit kemp [one of the owners] has designed all of the interiors in a fresh contemporary english style. her mixture of colour and texture, modern and antique together with an impressive art collection, has combined to create a unique look and style."

TRUE THAT.

the common areas of the hotel include the lobby, a bar where all-day afternoon tea is served in the english style, a private garden, a drawing room where one can also enjoy their tea, private meeting and event rooms, a screening room and a gym, all impeccably appointed in the most non-hotel hotel style i've ever seen, and one of the first LEED certified hotels in new york city. to me, a place like this being green makes it infinitely better.

i'd be pretty thrilled if i arrived on a soho street (best neighborhood for shopping and dining in nyc, many would say) and checked into this lobby. you?

and the rest of the guest common spaces are just as interestingly appointed. what's nice is that the whole hotel gives the vibe of a very cool home - collected over time, not out of a single catalog page like some decor can be - especially hotel decor.

and then, and THEN...the guest rooms. there are 96 rooms and suites, each uniquely decorated with such whimsy and charm that i just feel like i want to stay in every room. here are a just a few...

now of course, this kind of style doesn't come cheap, but i know you could have guessed that. so especially if you live in new york, and winning the lottery isn't an experience you've had, you might not end up staying here. i feel you.

but i will definitely be keeping the crosby street hotel in mind for something like a small-scale baby or bridal shower - like a lady's tea or brunch. (i wasn't crazy about the way their wedding ceremonies or receptions looked and they're probably mara lago kind of money anyway).

all photos from www.firmdale.com