April 2013
1 post
4 tags
Spring Break Treasures.........
February 2013
1 post
Pick me up......
Its finally cold outside. Winter waited till the last minute to hit us with actual winter weather and frankly its a little late in my book. Now its going to seem like its just dragging on. But heres the thing, madeleines make it all better. A cup of tea and a madeleine and you almost don’t mind that the ground hog saw his shadow…………..
Orange Cardamom...
November 2012
7 posts
7 tags
Storm King
On Black Friday we decided to skip the nightmare of shopping or running errands and spent the day with good friends. We ended up at Storm King, the sculpture park in New Windsor, NY that is about an hour north of the city. The weather was warm and the day was perfect. Storm King is the dream museum visit, it’s both filled with (mostly) great sculpture and kids can run and be free and you...
6 tags
The Jerusalem Artichoke thats no choke.
I’ve seen these around quite a bit and had them in restaurants here and there but never actually cooked any myself. Upon buying them at the farmers market a few weeks ago, I did a little research so I could understand the nature of the beast. First of all, they are not artichokes but a tuber and member of the sunflower family. Easy to grow and quite invasive if not contained, these are...
3 tags
5 Things to do BEFORE Thanksgiving.....
I love the holidays and I love all the hoopla surrounding them but on the actual day I like to have a little free time to hang with my family as well, not just cook. So I’ve been trying to be uber prepared this year so I can have plenty of downtime. This of course means you’ve got to do a little bit here and there before the cook off begins. So here’s a few things I’ve...
4 tags
1800's House Plus (or what to have in a...
Ok so I was one of the lucky ones who was not really affected personally by Sandy. We are in a flood zone but somehow we were fortunate enough that it didn’t flood in our neck of Brooklyn. I like to think that we are a fairly “Macgyver-esque” household and could pull from our daily arsenal of stuff to get through the lack of heat and power. But I got to thinking we could...
4 tags
Home-Dried Verbena Tea
Again drying your verbena is a last minute salvage from the garden if you haven’t already been trimming off small stems throughout the season. I like to watch them get big and bushy so I leave it till the end of the summer (or in this case fall!). Last weekend I trimmed back my verbena plants in the city garden and laid them out to dry.
Simply spread the washed (and dried) sprigs on a...
5 tags
Sorrel Soup
We’ve been growing sorrel in our garden for about 4 years now. I planted it on a whim and it never went away. It can be hard to find in the market but its at the farmers market now. It’s frost hardy and and I often find it growing in the garden in winter surrounded by a light snow. With all this chilly weather coming our way and our brief snow fall, I wanted to take advantage of...
6 tags
Garlic planting 101
With all the mayhem on the east coast right now, this might not be at the top of your list but if you were lucky like we were, you might have a few spare moments to plant some garlic cloves for next year. I picked up some heads of garlic at the Hudson Farmers Market from some of our favorite growers up there (Scarecrow Farm and Fog and Thistle Farm) and cleared a spot in our rather scrappy...
October 2012
1 post
4 tags
a little country wedding......
I’ve been off my postings. Life got away from me and one of those distractions was a wedding we hosted at our house upstate for the Miller’s youngest brother. It was a lovely affair and I thought some of you might find a bit of inspiration (for those of you who actually get married!). It was a very homespun affair, all produce and hors d’oeuvres were made from the local...
July 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Weekend Washi
Imogen and I had a little washi tape decorating moment in her room upstate and since tape is one of her obsessions of the moment, I think it went rather well……..
4 tags
Kickin' it old school on the fourth......
Orange sherbet reminds me of my childhood. Actually, it reminds me of eating “pushups” after school on a hot day. So when the weather finally turned to summer I decided it was time to make a big girl version of my old favorite. I found this recipe from Alton Brown which was both simple and delicious. Insanely refreshing on a hot day……just made a few tweaks for my...
June 2012
5 posts
5 tags
Beat the Heat Tea
In preparation for a hot weekend to come (90+ degrees!) I made a batch of what might be called an “Arnold Palmer”. I used fresh mint leaves to make the tea and then added fresh squeezed lemons (aka lemonade). I must say I did have to add some sugar (though I’m not normally a “sweet tea” kind of gal despite my southern roots) to sweeten the deal……..
...
4 tags
Black Cap Raspberries
We have loads of black cap bushes all over our land upstate that run wild and we pick some for snacking every summer. This year I managed to pick enough to can AND Imogen didn’t eat them all (although she tried). I just found out they are a heritage fruit and difficult to find- at least in some parts. At any rate, I managed to capture the flavor of these and this recipe worked like a...
3 tags
Basic Banana Bread
I know it’s a bit boring perhaps but I (and Imogen) love banana bread. It serves as a quick breakfast or snack and it makes me feel better about not having to throw away more spotty bananas that no one got to. I believe this recipe was originally from “The Silver Palette Cookbook” but not entirely sure as it’s been written on a scrap of paper and sitting inside my copy of...
3 tags
And Here Is A Cup Of Chamomile Tea......
A cure all from Madeline’s Rescue. We harvested this chamomile from the garden this weekend. I cut it back in hopes of getting another round.
3 tags
Rainbow Recycle
Giving old homespun sheets new life for the summer with a bit of Rit Dye. I did these a while ago but they look even better as they start to fade. They make a great summer tent, picnic blanket or table cloth.
May 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Hudson Farmers Market
It was the grand opening of the Hudson Farmers Market on Saturday May 12th and I think they are stepping it up this year. I found a number of new vendors and some lovely baked goods. Produce was a plenty and standard fair for the season…..rhubarb, radishes and ramps.
my favorite, yummy bialys
a simple victorian cake
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Ramps!
Rhubarb :)
a touch of spring
April 2012
8 posts
5 tags
Hudson-BURG
Summer is coming and so is a bevy of food trucks to Hudson, NY. This weekend I had the pleasure of sampling the new pizza truck that opened on a lot just off Warren Street. We had a margherita pizza and the ramps with fresh ricotta and corn grits special. All I can say is that I was a bit of a cranklepuss until I had that special pizza and the day got a whole lot better….
4 tags
Puppy Love
My dog Hank was very ill this week. He’s not a young buck anymore and I am reminded of his fragility. Luckily he’s bounced back and while a little worse for wear, he’s hangin’ in there (with the help of a hefty hospital bill). Here’s a little slice of Hank and all his sweetness……(his magazine portfolio tk).
6 tags
Growing Up Green
Imogen and I are on on Martha Stewart’s “At Home in the Garden” blog- “Growing Up Green”. And our garden in the May Issue of Martha Stewart Living with some outtakes from the story below.
7 tags
The Payoff
It took a week to get to it but I promise its worth the wait. The final installment in the roasting pit/Easter weekend/ Steven’s birthday series. Starting with the pit covered with the traditional cross (since it so clearly looks like a grave) and the unveiling of the meats.
The pit is covered with dirt to retain heat.
Beneath the dirt is a piece of corrugated metal, both help...
7 tags
Bonfire
On Saturday night before Easter we fired up our newly formed pit. We had a BBQ and roasted some marshmallows whilst getting the coals ready for the overnight cooking of our beast of lamb……….
Ciro was rather serious about his marshmallow roasting.
Imogen eats a much needed hotdog.
The pit in full force as we get enough coals burned to cook our lamb shoulder through the...
5 tags
Easter Hunting and Gathering
4 tags
Easter Barbacoa Day Uno
This year Easter happened to fall on my significant other’s rather important birthday so we made an event of it and had a few friends up to celebrate and help build a long desired BBQ pit. The digging and brick laying took all day. Both men and kids were exhausted after the project was complete but looking forward to Saturday nights BBQ and prep for the Greek barbacoa that was to cook...
4 tags
spring tat
March 2012
2 posts
3 tags
City Park, Country Play
Just a Saturday afternoon in the woods via Prospect Park. And an impressive shelter built by Imogen and Ciro……(and Immie’s dad of course).
4 tags
Miami Mini Moment
I was in Miami last week working. Not my favorite place- lets just say we have a stylistic differences and leave it at that, BUT while I only had say a few minutes of free time each day I managed to find a few inspirations in the moment.
Your basic palm moment but I can’t resist.
The pool at my hotel (The Surfcomber), not that I ever got to get in it. I had a fantasy of swimming...
February 2012
1 post
6 tags
Flora Love
I was in San Francisco last week and we finished shooting a bit early so my lovely and talented stylist pal Helen Crowther picked me up to do a little propping with her. First stop was FLora Grubb Gardens which was like a fashion garden shop (and that’s the owners real name- who knew!). I was in love….here’s a few moments of inspiration.
Loving all things yellow.
wall mounted...
January 2012
2 posts
3 tags
Party on....
Today my daughter Imogen turns four. Yesterday we had a blowout 12 kid party in our house- complete with lunch, crafting and cake. Today I feel like I need a vacation. But it was fun and it was worth it and she got everything she wanted in that party because she was a very happy camper today. It was the first party I felt she will remember and I hope we made it a great memory. Thanks to all...
4 tags
Beets A Plenty
I have been remiss in my postings. The holidays and traveling have kept me from my posts but I’m getting back on that horse and here goes!
Beets and all things pickled are always present in our house. I keep a regular stash of them in our fridge to add to salads or as a side for that veggie in a pinch. Just use a 1-3 ratio of vinegar to water and then add a variety of bits to it-...
December 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Goodnight Santa
Happy Christmas to all and to all a goodnight……..
4 tags
Paris (a new view)
I’ve been to Paris many times, some for work and some for pleasure but I wasn’t quite ready for this trip to Paris. This trip to Paris came with a whole new perspective on travel that didn’t quite hit home to me when we went to Mexico or Fire Island. Those vacations go something like this “should we go to the beach or the pool?”, no real stress or continuous...
November 2011
4 posts
2 tags
The Cloisters on Sunday
Today was almost a perfect fall day. My friends invited us to head up to the Cloisters with them (which is daunting to me on my own, so much driving). We sold it to the girls as a “castle” and the boys were older and didn’t seem to need any explaining. The kids actually looked at some tapestries, sculpture and there were some questions about the sarcophagi, not sure I dodged...
4 tags
Roasting Episode 2 and Counting.....
This one is easy and the rewards are yummy. Just toss the brussels sprouts with olive oil, pecans, garlic and lots of crunchy salt. And if you like you can grate a little pecorino on it for extra flavor. I roasted these at 350 degrees and they were small so maybe they took about 20-25 minutes. I’m on a roasting tear and broccoli is also good this way, I tossed in pine nuts instead and...
1 tag
Quiet Time....
The rest of today was crazy busy but this morning there was this magical moment where everyone was quietly doing their own thing. As it should be…….
3 tags
Let the roasting begin: Episode 1
Fall is upon us (well it may be 60 degrees this week but it really is fall) and out come all the root vegetables, the roasting pans and some heartier salads. Below is one of my favorites from one of my favorite cookbooks- “Sunday Suppers At Luques” by Suzanne Goin. And it has some of my favorite ingredients in it- roasted beets, fried chickpeas, nyons olives and ricotta salata. And...
October 2011
3 posts
2 tags
Postcard from Arizona
It’s true that while it sounds so good to go to a spa, it’s not as good when you’re working as it might be when you are just chillin’. But if you’ve gotta work, you really can’t complain that your job is to shoot the spa. So here we are shooting the much anticipated cookbook for Miraval Spa in Arizona and I’m not complaining. It’s warm, it’s...
6 tags
Kitchen Love
It’s been a long haul but we finally did it. We put a kitchen in our greenhouse so that we can rent out the downstairs apartment. I will say that while change is hard, this kitchen looks pretty damn good and all because of the hard work of the Miller. So marvel at his labors and the beautiful countertops he made by hand (via leftover wood from our stairs which came from Antique &...
2 tags
Penn and space
My life is a little upside down the last few weeks as we prepared the first floor of our townhouse to be a rental unit. Yuck, that sounds awful but then again it sounds like a college fund.
Since I’m barely keeping my head above water and only producing pictures for work (and the realtor!) right now, I am going to share some of my favorite pictures from the fabulous Mr Penn as October 7,...
September 2011
4 posts
4 tags
I'm not ready.....
to give summer up. I feel cheated (thanks Irene) and need one last summer weekend. Please………:)
2 tags
3 tags
In Season Now
Here they come, my favorite, the asian pear. Just about ready for the picking and extremely easy to grow- you just need 2 trees for cross pollination. Other than that, no mold or worms and the one crop we have that comes through every year……
5 tags
A Visit to the Assemblage
We were in Oak Hill, NY this summer to catch up with Norman Hasselriis’s daughter Connie and see how the gallery that is Norman’s legacy has survived. It was just the same as ever (much to my relief and delight) and it felt as if Norman were still there plugging away making his dadaesque sculptures and working in his garden. This time I also got to go upstairs to his living quarters...
August 2011
6 posts
3 tags
When I get old(er).....
I’ve been a swimmer all my life. I had a swimming scholarship that I turned down for college to (thankfully) go to art school instead and be on track for who I am now. It was the right decision and I’m glad I went with it. But I remember seeing this elderly woman at my practice when I was a kid and she came and did laps everyday with her long silver locks in a giant braid wrapped...
3 tags
Goodbye Fire Island.......
Last night we had to cut our vacation short and leave Fair Harbor in Fire Island. We were all very sad that our holiday was cut short but the evacuation was very civilized-for a bunch of New Yorkers anyway……..a little beach time goes a long way.
3 tags
I'm going with it....
On Sunday we decided not to let a little rain get in the way of our outdoor fun. We spent the morning making water balloons and playing in our backyard “water park”.
3 tags
Garden Booty
We are just starting to get a little return on our vegetable garden. Unfortunately, a critter got in there (a ground hog I think!) and topped all our greens but the tomatoes and cucumbers are hanging in there.
5 tags
the (not so) happy clown
We went to “The Happy Clown” this weekend for our late evening ritual excursion when we discovered that it will be closing for good (unless they move down the road) from it’s long standing location just outside of Hudson, NY. The Happy Clown is being replaced by a giant grocery store- don’t see myself going there for a little soft serve and some last minute play time for...
