Kiss the Cook! (Swiss Cheese Fondue)

Monday, February 18, 2013

One of the great consolations of winter –from people who know a lot about winter– is Swiss cheese fondue.  It’s so simple –really just good cheese melted into wine– and yet it’s one of the most outrageously delicious and completely satisfying things I’ve ever eaten. And it’s a festive dish: the fragrance from the communal […]

Julia’s Window Box

Sunday, February 10, 2013

It was bound to be a cold, snowy, mostly indoor weekend for our outdoors-loving daughter, and so I thought I would brighten up Julia’s room with an early Valentine’s treat.  On Friday morning before the first flakes flew, I went to New York’s flower district (28th street, mostly between 6th and 7th Avenues) to get […]

Valentine’s Gifts for Guys

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Coach Alligator Wallet.  The texture and durability of genuine alligator in a color that doesn’t take luxury too seriously. Arne Jacobsen Martini Pitcher.  Designed by the Danish modern master and impeccably manufactured by Stelton, this is a tool he’ll use –and love to use– forever. Junghans Max Bill watch.  A strong but sleekly modern timepiece […]

Hung Up

Monday, February 4, 2013

Sometimes it’s the little things –both that bring great satisfaction, and that drive you crazy. Just inside the door of our New York loft is the entrance to our home office, and it’s there that anything we’re carrying –mail, packages, keys, glasses, phones, and our bags– tends to land.  Mostly, this works as our desks […]

Take Five: Summer Somewhere

Sunday, January 27, 2013

I suppose I should be posting about five great wintry things, but it’s just too cold in New York even to think about it.  This week I’m going with denial. Sydney Opera House.  Designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and built between 1957 and 1973, this expressively beautiful building has become a much loved […]

Fennel Soup Gratin

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Has anyone ever been disappointed to get a bowl of French onion soup –topped with crusty bread and bubbling melted cheese?  I never have.  Soup is good food –warming, comforting, virtuous– but it’s rarely something I get excited about eating.  For me, though, a good French onion soup is a special event. Here’s a nice […]

Take Five: Alhambra

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

The Alhambra, in Gradada, Spain.  The perfect fantasy on a cold, gray, drizzly winter day. Here, the sun-drenched Court of the Myrtles. Brooks Brother’s Cashmere Cardigan in Pea Green.  Cashmere like it should be –soft and thick– in a color that will take you into Spring. Agricole Tremontis Mirto.  A delicous Sardenian liqueur made from […]

Everyday Paella #3: Wild Mushroom

Monday, January 14, 2013

After all the roast birds and beasts of the Holiday season, I think it’s nice to slip a few more vegetarian dishes into our menus in the New Year.  Although a bit lighter than my other “everyday” paellas (chorizo and olive and marinated chicken), this one feels far from austere.  The warm, earthy flavor and […]

Refreshing the Southampton Living Room

Monday, January 7, 2013

Last summer we refreshed the decoration of our Southampton family room, mostly due to wear and tear on the upholstery.  In the fall, we turned our attention to the living room, but for a different reason.  We had moved a favorite piece of furniture, a vintage leather Arne Jacobsen Egg chair, to help furnish our New […]

Cookie Factory 2012, Part 2

Sunday, December 23, 2012

All of our Holiday cookie packages have gone and, I think, have also been received, so our slightly crazy annual cookie project is done for another year (apart from some gingerbread I’ll bake tomorrow for our gingerbread tree .)  Gingerbread is still Julia’s and David’s favorite, and my grandmother’s Date Nut Rolls are still mine, but […]

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