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Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

A FULL MOON PARTY

Posted in Decor, Exterior Design, Food, Garden Design, Home, tagged , , on March 31, 2011| 2 Comments »

The party took place at a friend’s house–a wonderful Tudor style home perched on a small hill in a very cute neighborhood. Candles placed in silver tins lined the pathway leading to the garden and the faint sound of jazz could be heard as you passed through the garden gates.

Karla, Ella and I

The hostess, Karla (food stylist, amazing cook and plant lover), and I started work on the garden about a month before the party.

Tree stumps were repurposed as small cocktail tables. A mirror hung on a wall reflecting the roaring fire. Old pieces of driftwood were turned into lamps. And a table, made by Karla’s husband, became the perfect place to set the wine and appetizers.

 The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The smell of bacon-wrapped jalapenos filled the air and forty guests enjoyed a jazz quartet under a full moon.

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LOVE ITALY

Posted in Food, Travel, tagged , , , , , , on October 14, 2010| 3 Comments »

Back Camera

Hilltop garden in Tuscany

As I had mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been able to travel a bit this summer and my absolute favorite trip this summer was to the beautiful country of Italy. I remember an eight-course meal in Florence, a wonderful market in the village of Poppi and a beautiful garden on a Tuscan hilltop.

There were nine total in our group, so a long table with friends around was easily provided. I’m already looking forward to next year! Below are some of my favorite snap shots from the trip.

A Campari & Soda at the Four Seasons, Florence

After a long train ride from Milan, a Campari & soda at the Four Seasons sounded too good to pass up.

Tuscany, & the village of Poppi

A castle in Poppi
Castle in Poppi
food truck at the local market
a gorgeous sunflower
A beautiful garden
A boy with a pet hawk
another lovely garden
another small Tuscan town

Cocktail Hour on the rooftop in Florence

This was such a wonderful hotel in Florence and every evening cocktails on the rooftop made it even more amazing.

Our stay in Florence

a quiet side street
a tourist took this picture, not sure why so tilted?
love the little coffee shops
Lydell & Karla
want one of these
gorgeous

Food & Drink

Of course, the food and drink was amazing. My favorite restaurant was in a small village near Poppi. Once we found it we had to return every night.

Tuscan steak
Antipasto
Gorgeous pizza
An amazing pasta dish
Steak Chianti
Italian espresso

IMG_7610

The group in Florence

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TODAY’S MENU: GARBURE

Posted in Food, tagged , , on March 10, 2010| 2 Comments »

 

image from gourmet magazine (may ’04)

Sometimes when it’s cold outside all I want to do is make some amazing comfort food and call it a day. I’ll sit around the table with good friends and hash out the day or curl up on my favorite chair and watch a great movie. One of my favorite things to make when it’s cold outside is “Garbure”, the hearty soup from southwestern France and the very essence of Béarnaise cooking. Because this soup is eaten all over the southwest the ingredients vary. What people add due to what’s available seasonally might change as well, but like so many dishes, it boils down to personal taste. Because this area is famous for their foie gras and pates, some believe in adding a little confit to the soup at the end. If you choose to do so let me know what you think. The version I usually use is from Gourmet Magazine (May ’04). The only thing I changed was that I used ham shanks instead of ham hocks because there is usually more meat on the shanks. Another tip, which most of you might already know, is to use green cabbage instead of purple, or you will end up (like I did) with purple soup. Another wonderful version is by chef Daniel Boulud. Enjoy it with a thick piece of country bread and slither right into bed or curl up with a good book!

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