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read the directions, or not

prepping for the osso bucco

slicing these things yourself is better

Spent a week on the west coast, San Diego and San Francisco, and now doing the every day on the east coast. Cooking and dressing.

First morning home ran out to the grocery for supplies and Williams-Sonoma for a new knife. That west coast food culture can sure inspire. Not that I cooked any west coast fare, simply saw a gorgeous knife in a wine | home | decor store and wanted to replicate. Would love a full set yet starting slow, kind of like a good wardrobe, one beautiful piece at a time.

cooled coffee, salad dressing, cake, gift, and flowers before cutting

3 small arrangements, black linen napkins

spinach, walnuts (toasted), mushrooms (sautéed), and goat cheese

forgot to garnish with the gremolota last time we made this

it can be a blur, keep calm

bread and butter is love for Ethan 🙂

For husband’s sixty-second birthday again cooked up some Ossobuco, one of his favorites, and the cover cake of this months Food & Wine. I always pretty much read the directions, yet sometimes the following can get a bit blurry. Thought it was going fine yet simply overlooked the first step, to tie the shanks. Oh, well, keep cool and move on. Last time I cooked this off forgot the gremolata garnish just before serving so thinking things kind of even out. It’s food, and we usually get to do it again in about three or four hours.

picked up these little sparkly candles in San Diego

baked the Food & Wine cover

The cake has almond flour, and coconut sugar, and was advised to simply whip the cream with some cinnamon. Tasted the cake, tasted the cream, and then added some good old white sugar and a teaspoon or two of real vanilla.

black biker and white denim on the beach

professional image | Worth New York Spring 17

As for the clothing thing, wore white denim in San Diego yet not in San Francisco, feel the mood. Black denim biker leather in both locales. Once home, after cooking all day in husband’s button down and an apron, slipped on a little one shouldered cashmere number to sit down at the table in.

Every day dress, read the directions, or not.

Couple of footnotes: started this blog five years ago when working corporate, kind of as a recruiting tool. Have since left corporate, yet still styling, so keeping the blog. Professionally we dress women in beautiful clothing, personally we like nice clothes, nice places, and to cook for and feed others. Passionate about all. Spring trunk show coming February 14th to February 28th, I’ll have that little leather biker number in black and pink. Choices. xoxo

we’ve been cooking

pork tenderloin, onions, celery

add a couple of glasses of burgundy 🙂

pork, sprouts, sweet potato puree

fish, asparagus, tomato, super quick go-to

wine and bread, yes, please. no detox going on here

standard issue caesar, as good and solid as denim in the wardrobe

I’ve always got two pans going, want those things to cook, not steam

honestly this tastes way better than it looks

no need to buy frozen fries, slice those babies up and add kosher salt, cayenne, and olive oil

asparagus in the wok, yes, please

real cheese only, pasteurized need not apply

gotta love the two pot technique for the home cook

it’s winter, let’s cook

Already mid-January, and after last months shenanigans we’ve barely left the house. We’ve been cooking, and cleaning, and organizing exciting things like the spice cabinet; actually every single kitchen cabinet.

Family meal time has become kind of sacred, and now no-one is in any hurry to leave the table. Even when the man is away we’ve made simple things for the three of us like penne Carbonaro instead of calling for take-out. Add a glass of wine and life is beautiful.

Yeah, we’ve been at the studio showroom here and there, yet we’re really doing what feels right now and knowing the style stuff will kick in. Besides, it’s kind of dark outside for outfit photos, and we’ve been in dress down mode lately. We know the ultimate combination is a great meal, a great outfit, a great setting, all in the company of those you love. Spring is just around the corner, and we’re simply trusting ourselves to get there when the time is right.

Every day dress, we’ve been cooking.

eighteen

Fifth child, third daughter turned eighteen Sunday, New Year’s Day.

She’s not crazy about her birthday, I think she thinks it’s kind of not special, especially after all the holiday hustle. One year- she and I will never forget it- completely fried, I asked her if it was okay if her cake didn’t have frosting, never again.

So now I pace myself, and make sure there’s enough juice to celebrate properly. Birthday’s around here are most often a family dinner, at home. Cooked up a bunch of batches of Bolognese, a big caesar salad, and baked off two cheesecakes, each in a large tart pan as the springform pans went somehow missing, and cooled them off quickly outside.

She’s worn the same paper crown for five years now, kind of like a good outfit, when it works simply hit replay. We picked that up in Northern CA at a little french gift shop while in wine country.

Today, three days into the new year, the house is completely picked up and cleared out. We’re ready for all the freshness each day brings with it.

Happy birthday, Lizzie. We love you more than you’ll ever know.

Every day dress, and now eighteen. xoxo

just like that

Indoor garland down, white poinsettia rotated to white tulips, and the Christmas morning ham is transformed with red split lentils, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves and thyme into soup, just like that.

Christmas dinner roses now on the kitchen table, small changes, always moving towards a new day, and this week a brand new year.

Gotta keep moving. xoxo

the afterglow

prosecco and OJ? yes, please

let’s add an extra hot bloody too 🙂

prepping the beef, lots of rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper

jewel cookies by me, baklava by EJ

Cooking, dining, celebrating and serving have been the theme the last few days. We’ve covered the table with newspaper for king crab legs and mac and cheese. Ham and eggs, with a bloody on the side. Tenderloin and mashed too. Flowers, totally simple: a big bouquet of red roses bought at the grocery Christmas Eve day and then cut down into 3 small on the rocks glasses. Of course white votives, and branches of greenery laid down too. Do it yourself.

As for gifts? This man of mine never knew thirty or so years ago that he’d become a collector of fine handbags, yikes. One of our first trips together took us to a Caribbean island and of course I had to get a new bag to go with my swimsuit, which at the time was a little one-shouldered number. I took that bag on small little boats and held it overhead when we walked to shore.

Now at Christmas he gifts the five women in his life a brand new bag, Santa Baby indeed. Thank god he’s a really excellent lawyer. 🙂 We use them all year-long, and years after that, and they’re often traded around. The afterglow continues.

a feathered ornament, with cash!

cloth lobster bibs from sister in CA, how cool!

my phone on the table, how rude!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year week to all. With these holidays on a Sunday this year it feels like three straight weeks of hustle.

mini and me in off the shoulder

yes, there really is a Santa

Every day dress, and wishing you all a continuous glow.

xoxo

gift it away

Yeah, we’ve baked for days and have pretty much gifted it all away. There’s been outfits, and parties, and travel.

Took a break from social media for a bit, know the holiday season even in the best of times can be trying and filled with emotion. So needed to hit pause, for myself and maybe for you.

It’s Christmas Eve day, and I’m tucked in with good food stock and wine. This man of mine I’ve been with for over thirty years has taught me to give and go beyond. So give and go we do.

Market run early this morning was fresh, and colorful. We’ll continue to roast, and bake, and celebrate. In the spirit of abundance, let’s all now gift it away.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas.

xoxo

we’re all getting there

Holiday production mode moving into higher gear for everyone.

We’ve been trimming trees, hanging small white lights, and decorating with natural material and things we have on hand. You know we like the glow of small white votives, and pine cones and greenery can spruce up anything.

Started some baking detail today, and this huge spool of red and white twine is just the thing to wrap small loaves in parchment for gifting.

Day by day, we’re all getting there.

Special heartfelt prayers for families and friends that really need love, strength, and a warm glow.

three small steps

No staff here, nary even a committee. We believe, yet getting there can feel huge.

Yesterday, wore some new red shoes to the office.

Today, picked up a pair of white poinsettia to bookend the fireplace and a pair of ivy topiary for the countertop of home central. White and green, we can do that all season long.

Three small steps, and so it begins.

No gift guides here, simply some amateur photography, peace and good will.

Happy Friday everyone. xoxo

coconut cake with tea lights

Monday night, 6:15 pm, and wickedly procrastinating about putting together some dinner. Long weekend was a food and drink fest, always serving in the double digits. Second daughter turned twenty-four Sunday, and as usual we celebrated with a dinner at home.

Food is looking robust, night before we were doing cocktails and champagne, thank you Gabby and Danny.

Love the balloons.

Stuffed some chicken breasts with local herbed chèvre and basil leaves, stove top roasted tomatoes, peas, and quinoa.

Cake was homemade, four sticks of butter with the cream cheese frosting, butter is love. Found we were out of candles and couldn’t bear another grocery visit so simply stuck a red rose on top and surrounded the platter with tea lights.

We did pick up some new dishes, grey, and grey linen napkins. Dishes are french, and like the ones we’ve loved and used for years, simply a new color.

It’s always double Monday after a long holiday.

Happy Birthday Booie. xoxo

(couldn’t get the post up yesterday, way too exhausted).

Okay, Tuesday night, 7:24 pm, and waiting for the teens to get home to have pan sauteed scallops and sugar snap peas and they are now looking pretty sorry.

When you’re the one that makes the house hum you’ve just gotta go with it- coconut cake still sitting around yet those scallops can’t wait.

Every day dress and coconut cake with tea lights. xoxo

some new makeup

We like some makeup, not a lot of makeup. In fact, it’s kind of our ethos here: put on some makeup.

As we’re living with two teens and a make-up loving young adult, our kit is usually MIA, really can never even find mascara. Went out and picked up these things here, all Bobbi Brown. We like her mojo, ‘The secret to beauty is simple: be who you are.” And, she wears lots of denim. Natural looking makeup and a lipstick that looks like lips, count us in. Bobbi, thank you.

It’s eve of Thanksgiving eve and if you’re wondering this is what our kitchen really looks like. xoxo