3.19.2013
delicate creatures
This spring's designs boast some of the most beautiful looks I have seen in a long time. Beautiful, airy lace Valentino and Emilio Pucci concoctions, babydoll appliqué Shoshanna dresses, blush Herve Leger bandage dresses embellished with delicate beading all speak to our inner female. Accent with a demure pair of chiffon Louboutins, or lace Jimmy Choo sandals. Below, some of the best of the best.
3.11.2013
perfect roast chicken, asparagus, herb pilaf, and traditional vanilla custard
Last night I cooked my fiance a meal that included two of his favorite things: roast chicken, and traditional vanilla custard. People always say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and this dinner will be sure to get you his heart, or come pretty darn close!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 - 5lb chicken
asparagus
Near East Pilaf
kosher salt
pepper
head of garlic
Preheat oven to 425 degrees farenheit.
Rinse and pat dry chicken. remove any feathers and giblets. Liberally salt and pepper the interior cavity of the chicken, then put a head of garlic cut in half in the cavity. Put in the oven and cook for an hour and a half.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Snap the asparagus where it bends naturally. Toss with EVOO, coat with kosher salt and pepper. Put in oven for 15 minutes at 425 (at the tail end of cooking the chicken).
The rice I cook according to directions on box and will take more or less the same amount of time as the asparagus. Combine, serve, and enjoy!
For the vanilla custard, whisk together three eggs and 1/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt. On the stove heat 1 1/2 cups whole milk until just steaming. Slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture, and then whisk in one teaspoon vanilla extract.
In the meantime butter 3-cup souffle cup and then dust sugar over the butter. Pour the mixture into the sugared cup. Put the souffle cup into a pan and pour boiling water in the pan up to halfway of the cup. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top of the souffle. Put in the oven for 45 minutes at 325 degrees farenheit. Take the custard out of the oven and let cool for thirty minutes. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 1/2 - 5lb chicken
asparagus
Near East Pilaf
kosher salt
pepper
head of garlic
Rinse and pat dry chicken. remove any feathers and giblets. Liberally salt and pepper the interior cavity of the chicken, then put a head of garlic cut in half in the cavity. Put in the oven and cook for an hour and a half.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the asparagus. Snap the asparagus where it bends naturally. Toss with EVOO, coat with kosher salt and pepper. Put in oven for 15 minutes at 425 (at the tail end of cooking the chicken).
The rice I cook according to directions on box and will take more or less the same amount of time as the asparagus. Combine, serve, and enjoy!
In the meantime butter 3-cup souffle cup and then dust sugar over the butter. Pour the mixture into the sugared cup. Put the souffle cup into a pan and pour boiling water in the pan up to halfway of the cup. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top of the souffle. Put in the oven for 45 minutes at 325 degrees farenheit. Take the custard out of the oven and let cool for thirty minutes. Enjoy!
3.04.2013
ladies who lunch
In my book ladies who lunch actually means ladies who work really, really hard during the work week and like to relax on the weekend by having lunch with some friends. Given that, on Saturday I asked a couple girlfriends to come over and catch up, and I made them lunch in the process.
To set the mood for such an occasion, I like to take a visual sweep of my home. Everything should be put away, and all surfaces should be clean. Next up is creating the mood. I do this by grabbing a couple bunches of flowers and putting them in various spots. Never underestimate how much ambiance something like a simple bunch of tulips can add to a room. I also like to light a nice candle or two and keep them out of the way - they can go in the guest bathroom, or maybe in the kitchen.
Next up is the food. I always like to have a half hour or so to catch up with the girls before serving the actual meal. To tide people over, I arrange an appetizer tray. Not only does it look great, but it tastes great, too. In this circumstance, I arranged some cheese, hummus, and two types of crackers on a marble lazy susan I got from Boxwoods here in Buckhead.
When serving food to guests, I try and be aware that many people are trying to watch what they eat, so rather than serve a big casserole I like to go lighter and give people options. I ended up serving a French Mache salad mix tossed simply with olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar. I then gave the girls a choice of putting the chicken salad or quinoa on top. As a side, I offered sliced fruit tossed with honey and a little bit of cinnamon. Honey and cinnamon are two food items I like to use often. Honey tastes great, and cinnamon has excellent health properties.
To set the mood for such an occasion, I like to take a visual sweep of my home. Everything should be put away, and all surfaces should be clean. Next up is creating the mood. I do this by grabbing a couple bunches of flowers and putting them in various spots. Never underestimate how much ambiance something like a simple bunch of tulips can add to a room. I also like to light a nice candle or two and keep them out of the way - they can go in the guest bathroom, or maybe in the kitchen.
Next up is the food. I always like to have a half hour or so to catch up with the girls before serving the actual meal. To tide people over, I arrange an appetizer tray. Not only does it look great, but it tastes great, too. In this circumstance, I arranged some cheese, hummus, and two types of crackers on a marble lazy susan I got from Boxwoods here in Buckhead.
When serving food to guests, I try and be aware that many people are trying to watch what they eat, so rather than serve a big casserole I like to go lighter and give people options. I ended up serving a French Mache salad mix tossed simply with olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar. I then gave the girls a choice of putting the chicken salad or quinoa on top. As a side, I offered sliced fruit tossed with honey and a little bit of cinnamon. Honey and cinnamon are two food items I like to use often. Honey tastes great, and cinnamon has excellent health properties.
We ended the meal sipping mimosas (dash of orange juice and a bit of prosecco with a cherry for garnish) and catching up. All in all, a great Saturday!
3.01.2013
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