entertaining
photo: sally schneider
Recently, Lynne Rosetto Kasper of public radio’s The Splendid Table asked Sally to come up with some ideas for decorating the holiday table. (On December 21st, you can listen to a packed 6 or so minutes of ideas). Sally went right to her local farmer’s market to “forage” for visually beautiful, of-the-season items she could put right on the table, to create an instant still-lifes in lieu of, or in combination with, flowers. For Thanksgiving, she found fragrant quinces (above), apples and tiny seckel pears. The secret of their charm: Sally carefully picks through the crates to find fruits with their leaves still attached which evoke farms and orchards… (After the meal, they can be roasted or braised.)
And playing on an idea we posted some time ago of flower-and-vegetable arrangements, Sally plunked single radishes with their leaves in glass beakers and vases, for a suprising vegetal bouquet: read more…
11.20.12 |
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in celebrations, cheap + great, copy this!, d-i-y, elements, entertaining, nature |
photo: sally schneider
Years ago, we used to scour flea markets for oversize damask napkins that were once a mainstay of early 20th century tables. They’d range anywhere from 20-to-36-inches square. Putting one across your lap at table felt incredibly luxurious: like being tucked into bed while sitting at a wonderful feast.
Over the years, the look of table linens has become seriously deconstructed: we’ve woken up to the beauty of unironed linen, and linens with unfinished hems, because few fabrics look better in their natural state than linen. Now we like to make our own oversized napkins by ripping or cutting big swaths of heavy linen (often bought on sale). The method is simple: read more…
11.19.12 |
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in cheap + great, copy this!, d-i-y, diy, entertaining, housewares, resources, soft |
photo: pamela hovland
Inspired by designer Pamela Hovland‘s hand-drawn place settings, we’ve just ordered a 48″ x 200′ roll of kraft paper
($26!) for the holidays. Pamela unrolls a long swath of paper to act as a tablecloth, then draws each persons place setting, with their name, right on it (taking care of seating arrangements in one fell swoop). At the end of the meal, she hands out pens so that guests can write on each others “plate”, like a high school year book — at Christmas, they write the imaginary gift they would give.
In the days after the party, Pamela cuts out the plates, attaches mailing labels and sends them to each guest, so they’ll have big memories of the wonderful day. read more…
11.15.12 |
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in celebrations, cheap + great, copy this!, d-i-y, elements, entertaining, family + friends, materials, resources, strategies |
photo: christopher hirscheimer
With Thanksgiving soon upon us, the debate about whether to brine or not-to-brine the turkey before roasting rages on. We’ve long been a fan of brining, having found it the foolproof method for insuring a moist, well-seasoned bird. Until recently, when two things made us question our belief.
Yesterday, on Serious Eats’ Food Lab we read a very long post documenting the wonderfully-obsessive J. Kenji López-Alt exploring and testing our brining works like a scientist. AND in Canal House Cooks Every Day
, the swell prize in our current book giveaway, we read Christopher Hirscheimer and Melissa Hamilton’s use of the dry-brine technique — simply salting the bird 3 days ahead — pioneered by chef Judy Rogers in her great Zuni Cafe Cookbook.
We trust Christopher and Melissa’s sensibility SO much that we’re publishing the recipe below. read more…
11.14.12 |
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in celebrations, entertaining, family + friends, food, gifts, recipes, resources books + zines |
We’ve long been fans of Canal House Cooking
, the groundbreaking cookbook series created and published by Christopher Hirscheimer and Melissa Hamilton. We are totally smitten with their latest effort: Canal House Cooks Every Day, a bright red, 385-page tome documenting a year of cooking from Canal House, based on their popular daily lunch blog. The book offers many levels of pleasure: great REAL do-able recipes by two women who cook for themselves daily, evocative photographs and illustrations AND a no-nonsense, simplepleasure-centric philosophy of cooking. Perfect. Check out a preview here.
We’ll be giving away a copy to the lucky winner of a random drawing (see details below). read more…
11.07.12 |
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in celebrations, entertaining, food, free + flea, gifts, kitchen, resources, resources books + zines |
Just about everyone we know is beside themselves with anxiety about this election (we find ourselves checking Nate Silver’s 538 polling blog compulsively for comfort). On the eve of the election, we offer our ‘improvised life’ survival guide: cocktails and easy-to-whip-up treats to help assauge anxiety no matter which candidate you favor.
The first order of business are alcoholic beverages. Wine-Spirits-Food writer Josh Eisen suggested a cocktail based based on the most American of spirits: bourbon and/or rye whiskies (Rye is especially fitting because, eons ago, early Ohio’ns — that BIG swing state — unable to grow wheat, grew rye instead…and of course, made whisky from it.) Josh found a simple formula for a Manhattan in Jim Meehan’s The PDT Cocktail Book: The Complete Bartender’s Guide from the Celebrated Speakeasy
: read more…
11.06.12 |
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in entertaining, family + friends, recipes, resources, strategies |
photo: manny howard
Yesterday had us jumping all over the web checking out reports of Hurricane Sandy, including the startling report on Manny Howard‘s startling FB page about a Brooklyn chicken coop being mauled by the storm. (As you may remember from My Empire of Dirt: How One Man Turned His Big-City Backyard into a Farm
, Manny’s fledgling chicken coop was obliterated by a tornado that picked it as its place to land in Brooklyn.)
While we were poking around Manny’s page we came across this photo of the aftermath of an al fresco dinner party — Manny is the master of fabulous impromptu, out-of-control parties. We post it as a relief from the dire reports of Sandy’s havoc and a reminder of other days to come, of ease and joy.
Thanks Manny!
Related posts: …after the storm…
summer tubing party: out-there al fresco entertaining
stout + ice cream floats (for grownups)
smoky, bacon-infused spirits for holiday cocktails
‘what’s not wrong?’ and other ways to start your day
10.30.12 |
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in celebrations, entertaining, inspiration books + zines, nature, outside, people, sightings |
These balloons bearing the message “Sorry I am such an asshole” are meant as a slightly humorous and generous apology. They made us think of how great it would be to be able to buy balloons with all sorts of messages beyond, “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations!” or “Get well,” like: read more…
10.01.12 |
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in celebrations, entertaining, materials, quotes, signs, stores |
photo: jonathancohen/flickr
It’s lonely being a writer. Sometimes I go for days without seeing another human being except my husband or the barista at the local coffee bar. When I’m deep into a book project, I try to remain focused. My phone calls with friends are, “Can I call you back? I’m in the middle of searching for the right adjective.”
Although some days, I send an email to my friend Rick that goes something like this, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take. My client in Chicago is driving me bonkers. And my feet are burning from stomping out ten other fires. Meet for cocktails at 6? Signed, Miserable in Manhattan.”
Rick responds, “You betcha. I’ve been testing recipes for a diet book since 5 a.m. and writing a book proposal for a supermarket chain. Heading out to buy more groceries for testing. Later.”
At precisely 6 p.m., as I’m pouring some cold vodka into a glass and adding some olives and olive juice, the phone rings. When I pick up, I hear Rick’s voice and the clink of ice cubes going into a glass on the other end of the line. Time for our ritual end-of-the-day phone cocktails: Phone-tails. read more…
09.19.12 |
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in celebrations, cheap + great, copy this!, entertaining, family + friends, strategies |
photos: sally schneider
Over the past few month’s public radio’s The Splendid Table hosted by Lynne Rossetto Kasper has featured an illuminating series called Key 3: a series of discussions with great cooks (not just professional chefs) about the three recipes or techniques they think everyone should know. In a break from traditional radio, Kasper and her team made videos in the cook’s kitchens so you can get an in-depth lesson – and the thinking behind – their Key 3′s. So far the stellar line-up includes Daniel Boulud, Lydia Bastianich, Andrea Reusing, Isaac Mizrahi, Andy Ricker and…
…Sally Schneider. Just before Sally moved out of her old apartment, Lynne and her team stopped by to film her talking about her Key 3 which will air launches Friday evening. They include Perfect Roast Chicken, Essential Chocolate Cake, and Fragrant Herb Salt. We’ll post the video once it airs, along with the recipes.
But meanwhile, we recommend starting with Daniel Boulud making his fabulous Aioli, a rich Provencal garlic sauce. (Lynne filmed him right before coming to Sally’s and brought some of it with her, so we know for sure it’s swell.) His easy-to-make aioli is a perfect summer sauce for many reasons:
read more…
07.27.12 |
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in entertaining, food, how-to, people, recipes, resources blogs + sites, video |
photo: ellen silverman
We got SO many good ideas from reader’s entering our giveaway of Salads: Beyond the Bowl: Extraordinary Recipes for Everyday Eating
that we could put together our own potent little pamphlet of salad ideas. The randomly chosen winner’s idea proved to be an especially charming one:
There is not much I won’t put in a salad, I love to add nasturtiums if I’m having company or the need to eat flowers.
And here are a few more favorites, including an idea we never thought of:
recently discovered the incredible delicousness of grilling heads of Romaine, including melting a little grated parmesan on one side. I would never have thought of grilling salad, but it’s now my favorite!!!!
and a saladic sort of poem: read more…
07.19.12 |
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in community, entertaining, food, gifts, recipes, resources books + zines, strategies |
photo: ellen silverman
There’s one week left to enter our giveaway, Mindy Fox’s Salads: Beyond the Bowl. Summer is the perfect season for this book, though there’s a ton of ideas for all year (think Shaved Brussel Sprouts, Olive Oil, Lemon and Peppered Sheep’s Milk Cheese, or Shredded Celery Root, Manchego and Pistachios…).
To enter the giveaway, leave us a comment telling us what goes into your favorite salad. On Tuesday, July 17th, we’ll randomly pick a winner to receive this beautiful book.
This evening, we’re going to try Mindy’s Blueberries, Feta and Mint recipe, Mindy’s riff on the classic ever-surprising combo, watermelon and feta cheese: read more…
07.11.12 |
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in entertaining, food, inspiration books + zines, people, recipes |
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Like all things, tableclothes come with a notion that there is a right way to use them: ironed, placed symmetrically, covering the whole table PROPERLY. We found these pictures of alt-clothed tables secretly liberating: tableclothes all used with defiant and beautiful little shifts on the norm, the vision of stylist Hans Blomquist.
We love the unironed cloth with a crisp runner being placed askew, above, and… read more…
06.20.12 |
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in copy this!, entertaining, housewares, inside, materials, resources |
