Bon Appetite

For years I was very wary of kitchens. My mother was a perfectionist and her kitchen was almost completely off limits to little hands making large messes. My step-mother badly needed a distraction for my father's high energy while she tried to prepare dinner. Together we stayed out of her way, intensely bent over the backgammon board for at least two pre-dinner bourbon on the rocks. In Kenya our cook Paul was intent on keeping "his" kitchen to himself. The only time I was actually welcome was after agreeing to teach him how to make popcorn with a bit of oil in a pot over the stove.

I have always loved to eat, and so I would cook (order out more than cook to be completely honest, but occasionally cook as well). But only recently have I discovered that the kitchen is first and foremost a place of creativity. Now I can't stop cooking. It goes without saying that I can't stop eating either. I'm like Julia Child's character in Julie & Julia, diving into whatever dish I've just made, each bite resulting in more enthusiasm than the last. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the movie (I was disappointed with Julie's character - she didn't seem to really enjoy the fruits of her labor) it has changed my life. Julia Child was so right on the money (and money she did make) when she decided butter is the secret to culinary bliss. I have never so completely agreed with someone on any matter. Unfortunately, besides making everything better, butter also makes something else bigger. So, my new found love affair also means a new membership at the "Y".

I recently made these dishes and they were absolutely scrumptious compliments to each other. Each recipe encompasses all that is wonderful about food and autumn to me. Sweaters and blankets, crisp, cool evenings, lazy Sunday afternoons (is that football I hear in the background?), and yummy, yummy eats. Thank you W.T. Harris for borrowing $1,500 in 1936 to open the very first Harris Teeter in my lovely adopted hometown of Charlotte, NC and for this delicious spaghetti squash recipe 73 years later (I snagged it from a recipe suggestion card in the produce section!). And thank you Chef Donald Bariskman of Charleston's Magnolias for years of birthdays and brunches, and this heavenly version of whipped potatoes.


Spaghetti Squash Au Gratin

1 (2-lb.) spaghetti squash, cut, seeded and steamed

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

pinch of salt

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.

Scrape cooked strands from the squash into large bowl. Fluff with fork. Preheat broiler.

Add onions, basil, salt and pepper to squash strands. Toss well. Place mixture in a 1-quart oven-proof baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Broil 4 inches from heat for 2 minutes.

serves 6


Butter-Whipped Potatoes

6 cups large roughly cut peeled russet or boiling potatoes (I used red, and left the skin on)

6 cups cold water

2 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. fine sea salt

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup half-and-half

6 tbsp. butter

white pepper

Put the potatoes, water, and 2 tbsp. salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

Place the cream, half-and-half, and butter in a small saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Reserve warm.

Drain the liquid off the potatoes and return the pan to the burner. Steam dry the potatoes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and put the potatoes through a food mill with a fine screen or a potato ricer.

Carefully blend the warm cream mixture into the potatoes. Season with the remaining salt and white pepper to taste. Using a whisk or a mixer with a whisk attachment, whip up the potatoes.

Makes 5 cups

Vivre

I accidentally took a lengthy hiatus from writing. I think life requires them sometimes. In this case however, it was more than a break, it was more like a spiritual sabbatical. My soul very much needed time to refresh and rejuvenate, to just "be". I think it is very telling that I chose the quote in my last blog entry before signing off for a bit.

I am very appreciative for the now simple (and I stress "now" because this wasn't the easiest concept to grasp) understanding that I simply won't always understand. This wonderful, beautiful state of self understanding, acceptance and appreciation has been a direct result of the adventure life has created for me. Although sometimes filled with just as many "downs" as "ups", it is worth every beautiful breath.

I chose this picture by Abby Sharp because of nothing more complicated than the fact that I love it. If I could capture the feeling life inspires in me in an image, this is what it would look like. It makes me smile. It's how I feel on the inside. I am so grateful for who I am today, and am looking forward to becoming the person I will be tomorrow, ups, downs and everything in between.

"The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become."
-Ben Herbster

Into The Deep Blue Sea

www.saksfiftheavenue.com

As a young girl, I often dreamed about being a mermaid. All grown up, I admit that sometimes the image of being free as can be, swimming under the deep blue sea, playing endlessly with other exotics is still an attractive alternative to the daily grind.

Although I made a resolution to be more economically minded, Roberto Cavalli’s silk halter dress can certainly remain an inspiration. At the beginning of May I will head south to Montego Bay to celebrate my step-bother’s wedding at the incredible Round Hill Resort. Don’t I wish I were packing this little number for one of the weekend’s dinners and dances

Going To The Chapel

The blissfully happy couple.


Fresh, and simply elegant flowers: a key ingredient to
making sure your wedding isn't (gasp) overdone!


An outdoor seating lounge that I personally would enjoy
have at home.


I loved that most of the seating near the dance floor were
bar stool height, making it easy to chat and catch-up
with other wedding guests.


Hanging lanterns from the plantation's live oak trees
added a bit of extra magic to the evening.


Love is in the air. Although October is now famed to be more popular than the month of May to say "I do", wedding bells have already begun to ring. One of my oldest and, most certainly, dearest girlfriends just made a trip down the isle in Charleston, South Carolina. Spanish moss, the gorgeous grounds of Lowndes Grove plantation, and beautiful weather (despite sleet and chilly temperatures only days before), made for a truly perfect day.

If asked what the secret to such a wedding is, I feel certain the bride would answer her wedding planner. Kristin Newman, of Kristin Newman Designs, her right-hand lady in waiting, Morgan Young, and their entire crew were lovely. Always busy securing each exquisite detail in the background, but never making their presence fully felt, they are the epitome of true professionalism. Not one single worry was left for the bride, groom, their families, nor their friends.

Making a lifetime commitment to one man may be easier than sifting through all the event planning firms available today. If you happen to live in the south east, give Kristin a call. If she can't personally help you, I'm sure she would be more than delighted to suggest someone who can. http://www.kristinnewmandesigns.com/

Colors Everywhere

I wish I could include a few of Sally King Benedict's paintings on my blog. So full of color, movement and energy, I have been pleasantly thinking about little else since browsing her work. A delight and inspiration, you too may find yourself moved. Frustrations of all frustrations -her website won't allow me to copy her paintings' images. I promise the effort & time is worth giving the visit: www.sallybenedict.com.

www.pearlriver.com

I love to read. I love to get lost in an author's world, transported to a completely different place, all the while snuggled under a cozy blanket (or poolside under the warm, golden sun!). I constantly found myself in trouble as a child. Ditching whatever homework, or chore I was supposed to be doing, I would hide for hours with Nancy Drew, or some other mystery.

Today, if asked what my most prized possession is, I would reply that, other than my family photographs and heirlooms, my most favorite thing is my collection of books. Reading a book is like acquiring a friend. You are on a journey with the story, have spent hours getting to know the ins and outs and details of its existence. When the journey ends I have never been able to bare giving my new friend up. Over the years, as one might imagine, my collection of books has grown. One day I hope to have a room covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, so that all my "friends" may find comfort. This day has yet to come. In the meantime I think these turquoise Foo Dogs would do an excellent job of guarding my most prized collection, and make wonderful bookends while doing it. Available at Pearl River, they suggest a story all their own.

Breathless

www.ashesandsnow.com



My brother took me to Gregory Colbert's Ashes and Snow exhibit at the Nomadic Museum on my 28th birthday. The experience left me breathless. I keep the exhibit's program opened and pinned to this image at the very top of my inspiration board. If this photograph is any clue to what the rest of his video and photography exhibit have in store, you must go given the chance.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

www.millyny.com

We can always count on designer Michelle Smith to brighten our day! Never have I needed it more than right now. With March 1st right around the corner and damp, cold rains threatening to turn to snow, Mother Nature seems to be snoozing on the job. I think my sanity would be instantly restored with just one palm tree - just one! Alas, no tropical foliage in sight (at least not until my trip to Charleston next weekend!).

Milly's cheery, bubble gum colored Carnival dress may just chase my case of the drearies away. It's no wonder Michelle was the first American to be sent from fashion house Hermes to intern in Paris.

Champagne Dreams

www.saksfifthavenue.com

Normally, anything “marquise” gives me a strong case of the willies. Stephen Webster is so talented however, that he has taught this girlie a new trick. They can indeed be glamorous if incorporated into one of Webster’s edgy designs. His 18 carat champagne quartz marquise is over the top. Brilliantly set over mother-of-pearl, this pendant is so sexy I’m envisioning it with an unbuttoned safari-inspired silk button down and nothing else. Casual cool has never been so wickedly hot.

Spring '09

www.tenthousandvillages.com

With our new president, and new awareness has come a new era. Lifestyles of the American people are changing (and if they aren't, they certainly should be). Excess and unnecessary expense is not the desired path anymore (I know this statement is going to get me into trouble in some future blog post, but for now, I'm trying to make a point). And, as our First Lady has already demonstrated, one thing that shouldn't be effected - despite a more than turbulent economic time - is our sense of style as a nation.

This morning I found myself sitting under the dryer with enough tinfoil on my head to be mistaken for a U.F.O. communication devise, and a divinely thick (roughly eight inches if I had to say) stack of Hearst Publication's finest. Salon day has become my magazine catch-up day. With every turn of the page the same trend in accessories stared back at me; geometrics, geometrics, geometrics. While I won't be dedicating my entire spring to one style, I have fallen in love with this brass necklace from the Bombolulu Workshops in Kenya. Available from the uber socio-conscious website, Ten Thousand Villages, this necklace was created by blind and physically disabled artisans in Mombasa. It is so beautiful, I wish I had designed it myself.

Why Not?

I've been searching, and on the look out for an inspirational quote. Something that will keep me thinking, without the cheese factor (and one does have to be careful when displaying quotes - there is a very fine line with all the quote paraphernalia on the market these days). The reason for my quest being that I have a wall in my little house that is bare. Bare and just begging for something wonderful. Once I find my quote, why not get a bit creative and paint it in huge black letters, I thought? Well, one night while reading the NY Times online and procrastinating going to bed (one of my guiltiest pleasures), I found it. It doesn't matter what it is (I like the idea of it being a bit private, and my own personal inspiration despite the idea that I originally planned on having it out in the open, plastered across my largest wall, for all to see). What I ended up doing, out of lack of ginormous canvas & enough black and white oil paint to cover said ginormous canvas at three in the morning, was grabbing my favorite blood red nail polish (the one I don't have the cojones to wear) and painting my new found quote on the wide, floor length mirror in my bathroom. Mind you, to the outsider, it may look ridiculous, but to me it is perfect, and although I didn't know it, exactly what I had in mind. So, in the end, my self taught lesson is, why not step out of the box, color outside the lines, get creative and see where it leads us?