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.

all images

warm and toasty

i for one am extremely happy that the temperatures are cooling and fall really feels upon us. isn't it amazing how our moods change with the barometer? one of the most changeable spaces in our lives is what we eat and drink, i find. all spring and summer, nothing pleases me more than iced coffee, but around this time of year, all i want is the spreading warmth of hot coffee, extra points for steamed or frothed milk.

the yogurt i've been enjoying for months (greek with sugar free jelly and roasted almonds) is starting to feel and taste too cold...so a warm bowl of oatmeal seems just the thing. i found this delicious sounding recipe for apple pie oatmeal i wanted to share, which makes use of warming fall flavors, including the best of fall's fresh produce (i think pears would be a perfect addition to or replacement for the apples). it seems so easy, and so adaptable according to your tastes and dietary needs.

i even love the idea of having an oatmeal brunch for a small or large crowd. it would start with strong coffee, glasses of ice cold water and milk, stacks of pretty, mismatching bowls and a large urn of piping hot oatmeal. brunchers would have a choice of many toppings and flavors...chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, salted peanuts, maple syrup, berry flavored jam, sliced apples, pears, roasted cranberries, warm figs, ripe banana slices, chunks of fresh melon and seedless grapes (maybe frozen!), even shreds of chocolate and coconut. wanna come? this would be a simple, inexpensive and unexpected brunch to host, don't you think?

is there anything autumnal coming out of your kitchen?

first image; second image

a tomato state of mind

i've been doing lots of reading and watching on local, organic and just otherwise quality food, and i've come to really appreciate foods like tomatoes, which aren't always in season, though our industrial food system would have us believe it doesn't matter. as i learned from the first few moments of food inc., the tomatoes we find in our supermarkets in non-summer months, and even some of those which are present in the summer, are very often ripened in trucks and by ethylene gas, rather than by time and nature and sunlight as they should be. 

so it's good reason to celebrate that the time for tomatoes on the east coast is here, as they start to finally appear at farmers markets and local produce outlets. my very own tomato plant given to me as a wee thing by my green-thumbed father is starting to bear fruit. for now, it's small, green fruit, but it's only a matter of time and of august heat before they ripen and blush and appear in my late summer salads.

i saw a great tomato idea on rachael ray the other day that i thought was so rustic and sweet and it was sort of, though not exactly, like this...she roasted large, halved tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and kosher salt and in the roasting pan, she tucked full cloves of garlic still in their "jackets" as she called them...when the whole pan was hot and gooey and roasted through, she hatched the little cloves out of their skins and spread the mild paste over ciabatta bread. then she smeared a warm tomato half over each piece of bread and that was that. 

here is a terrific article with all kinds of tomato recipes i thought you might like, and the gorgeous photos that accompany them (and the perfect one at the top, from hali bey) really illuminate how perfectly simple and simply perfect a tomato can be.

cool and fresh or warm and roasted, tiny and round or mutated and bumpy, mixed with fresh pasta, tossed into shrimp and fresh herbs, or all by its lonesome from a bowl on the counter directly into one's mouth, they're pretty close to perfection, don't you agree?

sweet stuff from the weekend

did you enjoy the weekend? i did!

 

for my grandmother's birthday party, i doctored an angel food cake in a new and different way and it was a hit! i sliced a sugar free angel food cake (my grandma can't have sugar) in half the long way (so there was a top half and a bottom half). then i spread sugar free cool chip in between the layers and placed some sliced bananas in there. then i topped it with the other piece of the cake and covered the whole thing in sugar free cool whip, sprinkling sliced almonds and banana slices all over it. done! i had kept the cool whip in the refrigerator overnight and then out on the counter for a few hours before prepping the cake. that made it soft enough to spread but not so soft that it drooped or dripped.

in other sweet news, i made sugar water over the weekend for the hummingbirds and put it in my feeder...now i just wait! i dissolved a few tablespoons of sugar in hot water and added red food coloring. here birdies!!

then yesterday mitchell and i sat on our town's dock and watched the canadian geese and swans make their way across the water. it was overcast and a little cold, but we had a sweet time anyway.

what did you do over the weekend?

top image , hummingbird feeder image, dock image

a pretty glow

looking for a great potion for your reveling? try this pear, pomegranate and prosecco cocktail - festive, beautiful and delicious. to prep ahead of time, mix the pear nectar and pomegranate juice beforehand and keep chilling in a pitcher. then add the bubbly right before serving for crispy carbonation.

other new years eve options include cranberry spice champagne, spiced hot apple toddy, and mistletoe margaritas.

make whatever libation you serve look as lovely as possible, because people feel light and fun when the drinks are pretty. and swap out your regular lightbulbs for soft pink ones since everyone looks alive and happy in blush light. and pretty, happy people make a party spectacular.

funny girl (and she cooks!)

i'm kind of loving jessica seinfeld these days. gone are the days of being accused of stealing the fruit puree idea, and here to stay is her fab personality and great, healthy ideas. when i was home from work for a few weeks, i joined the oprah-watching world and there jessica was - comfortable, self-assured, and much-adored by jerry, her proud, watchful and totally not overshadowing husband.

in today's goop, jessica and her new book are featured. watch the video gwyneth links to - one of many short, supereasy looking ones on jessica's new website, originally shot for jessica's friend who wanted to learn to cook. and also read the short interview with jessica for some excellent tips and a glimpse into her world.

i love how in the video, jerry is just hanging in the background looking like a hungry husband wondering what's for dinner. nary a close up of his face nor a peep out of his hilarious genius of a mouth.

want the book. for me and for gifts. want her to be my friend. and jerry too.

image from seattle times

vintage HL: what could be bad?

one of the nicest summer pleasures is a simple, rustic dinner, especially one enjoyed outside and on vacation, as this one was for us. using whatever was around the house that felt summery and outdoorsy (bowls of apples, vases of fresh herbs, bottles of wine), i set a simple table on the deck of our house and we had a wonderful summer meal with music, family and friends. as ina garten would say, "what could be bad?"

taking ina's lead, i made a barbeuce sauce that we used on butterflied chicken breasts on the grill. we also had sausage, potato rolls, corn on the cob, grilled zucchini and mushrooms and prosecco, red wine and beer. using the barefoot contessa barbecue sauce recipe as a guide, i made this sauce which was perfect for about three pounds of chicken the first night, and liberal use on sausage and anything else not nailed down the next day for lunch.

the chicken was marinated in about two thirds of the sauce this recipe yields. you can tweak the amounts as your pantry allows, or your tastes dictate. because we were on an island where groceries are outrageously expensive, i used what we had, which in some cases meant supplementing, skipping or substituting. most of my changes made the sauce thicker, which really worked nicely. next time i make it, i think we'll try it on turkey meatloaf and i'll make a double batch of this sauce to keep some in the fridge.

ocean road barbecue sauce (by way of ina garten)

one and a half cups chopped yellow onion
one tablespoon minced garlic
half cup vegetable oil
half cup tomato paste
half cup ketchup
one cup cider vinegar
half cup honey
half cup worcestershire sauce
one cup dijon mustard (trader joe's dijon mustard is amaaaaaazing)
half cup soy sauce
half cup hoisin sauce
half teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
half teaspoon curry powder
half teaspoon smoked paprika

in a large saucepan on low heat, sauté the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for ten to fifteen minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. add the rest of the ingredients. simmer uncovered on low heat for thirty minutes. use immediately or store in the fridge.

what could be bad?

originally posted 7/20/09

champagne photo from wikipedia, chicken photo from www.smartmeals.com

stars and stripes forever

do you have anything patriotic planned for the weekend? i know sometimes it can seem like a chore, but i've come across some truly easy ideas to celebrate our nation's independence with what you serve and how you decorate. and i really do mean easy.

sometmes, it's just about going simple instead of fussy, and choosing certain colors for things you already plan to use or serve to create an americana vibe and it adds so much to the visual experience, which i always think translates to the emotional experience. if possible, use white servewear and dishes so that you can punctuate with patriotic colors elsewhere and they're not competing with a busy mish-mosh of patterns and colors. if you're in the market for a basic white set, see this post for some ideas of where to buy.

and if red, white and blue feels too kitschy for your taste, go red and white or blue and white - they're both appealling and cheerful summer color stories and allow so much room for personal touches everywhere. to me, the trick is to limit the bold patterns to one or two items and go monochromatic (in your color scheme for the rest).

here are some thoughts.

one of my favorite bloggers jackie fo posted this stars and stripes cake among other great ideas here, and although above is a betty crocker recipe, it could be easily accomplished with a store-bought sheet cake and some berries. doesn't it pack a lot of visual punch considering how easy it is?

and there isn't much simpler than this berry and yogurt parfait (i think i'd sub in fat free whipped cream for the yogurt) - totally communicates a love of america sweetly, doesn't it?

this recipe for icebox cheesecake looks a little more...involved than i'd be game for, but i love the idea of topping a pre-made cheesecake with abundant red and blue berries. so pretty!

and the simplest of all summer desserts is the idea of basic angel food cake (either slices or individual shells)topped with berries and whipped cream.

the variation below looks more involved than it is...just cut an angel food cake into squares and toss in a clear bowl with berries and whipped cream. so easy!

for more crafty and delicious ideas, check out jackie's post - seriously, you'll thank me. she's awesome. now back to me...

i'm not normally a fan of bright red solo cups because i think you can do so much better for the same price with clear or craft colored paper goods, but for a festive 4th, or really any patriotic barbecue-type vibe, i'm a fan. and a red and white checked tablecloth, either a fabric one like the one below or a disposable one, can communicate lots of relaxed summer feeling in one punch.

if you're out and about, look for these good buys, or similar items at your local drugstores, big box stores, etc.

from pier 1, i think these rattan stars are really nice, and even when you're not going red and white blue, you can use each color separately to add interest to many tablescapes or room decors.


and i love these little pinwheel picks - perfect for appetizers and other finger foods, while their larger counterparts are perfect for sticking in the grass or arranging in a vase for a festive and different centerpiece. by choosing the red and blue versions, you automatically get some 4th of july patriotism into your decor.

if you'll be passing by crate and barrel, consider their sparkle picks and star plates and napkins.




if you'll be in the vicinity of target, their metal oval beverage tubs are on sale for $9 each and come in red, white and blue, among other colors.

and i adore these very classic, very americana velvet bows. don't they evoke such a feeling? place one on your front door, or one on each corner of a buffet table for maximum impact.


but of course, nothing evokes more of an americana, classic vibe than laughter and time well spent with people you love. have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend and i'll see you back here on tuesday.

top image from country living, all other images from linked sites

bottoms up!

for summer entertaining, i think we all love the idea of serving really festive drinks, and its an added bonus if the drink accoutrements are festive too. even if you're not doing your own entertaining, fun summer barware makes a welcome hostess gift, especially in conjunction with a bottle of something good! just in time for the 4th of july...

i think it's best to start at the source - with the drink dispenser. one idea, and the simplest of all, is to just use simple glass bottles (as shown in country living, below) or carafes like the vinny from crate and barrel.


it's amazing what a wow factor a pretty summer drink in a large, clear cooler can have - your guests will immediately ooh and aah, and be dying to taste your special mix. slice in some fruit for added visual appeal.

for simple, clean lines in glass, i love the glass drink dispensers from pottery barn and the cold beverage jar and stand from crate and barrel.


i also like the agua fresca jug and the mason jar drink dispenser from pottery barn for their playful twist on the standard glass option.


if you're concerned about breakage, there are some great acrylic options out there, specifically from pottery barn in two sizes and bed, bath and beyond's 3 gallon beverage dispenser with cooling cylinder for ice to keep your drink cold! (i've seen this one in action and it's a keeper).


and if you're a fan of options (and why not), check out the del sol double beverage jugs, a terrific value ($30 at bed bath and beyond).

okay so now that we have that part straightened out, on to the glasses. if something jazzy feels right to you, i have some great options to share.

from crate and barrel, how about the zazz and frida collections? love all the colors on both.



if you like the frida above, then i think you'll like pier 1's spring confetti and regular old confetti collections below. i totally love how, in all cases, it looks like paint was poured in and allowed to dry in whatever shapes it fell.

and their kaleidoscope stemless goblets and stemless margarita glasses are extremely pretty too, aren't they?



if you want to go in a totally different direction, check out the very subdued and elegant bennett collection from pottery barn, hand-blown and available in green, blue and clear.

a simple and pretty acrylic option (great for kids and drinking grown-ups alike) is west elm's hammered acrylic set, available in green or clear.

and for some reason, i can't stop eyeing the recycled glass options below. i love them. like, a lot.

i love the heft and chunkiness of the miguel barware from crate and barrel, made from rustic, mexican recycled glass, and the warpy-looking waves of west elm's recycled glass option.


so now the only thing left is what to drink. you might remember my fizzy peach and sangria recipes from last summer, but take a look if not. they're both easy to make and great for a crowd.

i also came across these wonderful looking variations on the southern living website - a site filled with so much decorating, entertaining and lifestyle eye candy, it's hard to contain one's excitement.


cava sangria (cava is spanish sparkling wine)


raspberry beer cocktail


watermelon mint margaritas


cool lavender lemonade (non-alcoholic)


berry splash (non-alcoholic)

bottoms up!

all images from linked sites