Entertaining Friday: A Year of Parties

At the beginning of every January, my friends and I start worrying that we don't have anything planned. Having just come off of a busy Christmas/birthday season, somehow it feels like we've got this vast expanse of time in front of us, and like we're never, ever going to see people socially again.

So we start planning. And that is how we, invariably, end up with every weekend from January to April booked up. That's fine with me - I like having plans - but I think it might be smart for us to give it more of a long-view approach. Plan way ahead. Decide, roughly, on the best excuses for a party every month and go from there.

So that's what I'm going to do - right here:

• January: Chinese New Year celebration (costumes! Chinese food!)
• February: Valentine's Day wine tasting (prizes!)
• March: St. Patrick's Day (obviously. In our house, this involves more than one weekend.)
• April: Maybe the return of the Sunday all-day brunch? Grilled cheese party?
• May: Memorial Day! Last year we spent all day Sunday at Boordy, then came back to our house to grill steaks at night. I think that's a good way to kick off summer.
• June: Our annual beach trip!
• July: Fourth of July - parade and cookout
• August: This past year, we had a boys/girls weekend at the end of August. The boys played poker at Jen and Bill's and the girls and kids came over here for a sleepover. It was great.
• September: Labor Day (at the beach). Plus, Dixon's birthday.
• October: This year, it'll be Tom and Cail's wedding in New Orleans. But maybe next year we'll revive the barn party, which was so much fun.
• November: Mock Thanksgiving (plus real Thanksgiving, of course)
• December: The double-birthday (Kit and Cooper) and Christmas parties, of course.

Tired yet? No. I'm not either.

Thursday Links

It's been a random sort of week:

• My brother just sent me this article about a ridiculous, hilarious and awesome letter somebody sent to Richard Branson re: the quality of Virgin Atlantic's food. A sample: "Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat their with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.
  Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this." Oh yes.
• Absinthe. It's kind of over.
• I'm going to a Chinese New Year party this weekend. One that involves a costume contest (that Cooper and I are so going to win. Pictures to follow.) If I'd had my act together, maybe Jen and Bill would be getting a cool hostess gift, like one of these.

Old School Thursday: Dairy Highs and Lows Edition

Ha! National Corn Chip Day in the US falls on the same day as National Salt Awarness Day in the UK. It’s good timing for both, what with the Super Bowl coming up and all. And I’d say that I’m usually pretty aware of salt when I’m eating corn chips.

In other news, today’s all about the beginnings and the ends. Today in 1878, George Lester was awarded the first patent for a glass milk container (seems amazing that it took that long to think that up, doesn’t it?) And a generation later, in 1924, Carl Taylor received a patent for the first US ice cream cone rolling machine, which sounds very specific, but I’m guessing it’s pretty useful.

Unfortunately, in 1978, ice cream got a little sadder, at least in Sweden, when the country banned aerosol cans, thus effectively ending the reign of Reddi-Wip topping. And, I guess, the reign of teenagers doing whip-its.

Artsy Wednesday: From Altar to Easel to Oven

About 10 or 15 years ago, my brother picked up this book on a remainder shelf someplace. It was called The Eighties: A Reader - just a collection of essays written during the '80s that sort of summed up the decade.

There was one essay he was always after me to read. It was called "The Worship of Art," and written by Tom Wolfe in 1983. The first time I read it I was probably just out of college, fresh off all of my art history classes and full of important thoughts about the Role of Art in Society.

To sum it up simply, the essay's thesis is that, by the '80s, art had replaced religion in the lives of the chattering classes. Wolfe makes a good argument, giving concrete examples of how art usurped religion in the home and in business, and how curators picked up what priests left behind. He's somewhat scornful, but not entirely - it's not exactly a judgmental essay, more observational.

Because I'm a pretentious art criticism snob, the essay stuck in my mind. Sometime last year, I started thinking even more about it...and thinking that it was outdated (it is, after all, over 25 years old). Because now, isn't food the new art?

The core of Wolfe's thesis is that traditional religion was, originally, a signifier of cultural pedigree - it was the shorthand society used to understand where people belonged. Eventually, art relieved religion of this role. If you appreciated the "right" art, collected, understood, etc - that signified that you were of the "right" class.

I think that still exists, to some degree, but not on the same grand societal scale that it used to. Art has shrunk back down into it's own community. Food, on the other hand, has blown up.

Reservations at French Laundry, or at Alinea. Trips to San Sebastian. Knowledge of where to find the best, most barely legal raw milk cheeses. These are the things those chattering classes brag about today. Ability to speak the foodie language is the cost of entry into a certain segment of society - the signifier that the speaker "belongs."

And isn't it annoying? I'll answer my own question: Yes, yes it is. But I wonder, is it annoying to chefs? Was it annoying to artists in the '80s?

I also can't help but wonder, what's next? How long does the light shine on the food world before shifting to something newer and more exciting? And what happens to food when it's back in the dark?

Fanta Pants

Come on, Batali. Don't be so sensitive. It's funny.

Ideabook Tuesday: Vive la France!

It's been more than three years since my last trip to Paris (taken right after I started this blog!) - and I'm feeling it. I'm totally ready to go back, though I'm sure I won't get the chance for a while (I've got a mile-long list of other places to visit, too).

So in the meantime, I'm trying to keep myself happy by bringing little bits of Paris to me. Which is definitely what brought on the inspiration for this ideabook:

Vive la France: Embracing Gallic Style

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Traveling Kit

When my grandmother and grandfather traveled, they took a little cocktail kit with them. Scotch, bourbon, soda and all the mixing tools you could ever need (most of which would no longer make it through airport security). For cocktail hour, they were prepared.

I figure that it's easy enough to find a bar that will pour me a decent glass of pinot, or whatever, so I don't really need a fancy cocktail kit. But you know what would be helpful? This Mobile Foodie Survival Kit . Libby emailed it to me this morning, just saying "too cute" - and she's right.

OK, so maybe I haven't found myself in a ton of situations in which I absolutely needed wasabi right then. But you never know. It's like a foodie MacGuyver kit. Because you really never know what you'll need tomorrow.

Entertaining Friday: Art Is What You Can Get Away With

Yesterday, Cail sent me a link to the CB2 Warhol appetizer plates, including one with the above quote, that I've been coveting for at least six months. They're only $1.50 a piece, so I'm not really sure what's holding me back.

Because don't they perfectly combine my art-entertaining-food-design interests?

Maybe I'll have a Pop Art themed party, just to justify the purchase.

Thursday Links

My sister just got back from two weeks touring the architectural wonders of Egypt and she and her friends seem to have spent most of their time back posting pictures - like above photo of super-organized nuts - on Facebook.

In honor of Erin's safe return, here are some Egyptian-ish links:

• Hummus and feta sandwiches from the Feb 2009 issue of Bon Appetit
• Nadia and Claudia Roden's fabulous Egyptian-themed party
• Eat like an ancient Egyptian
  

The Myth of the French Woman

Is it just that the grass is always greener on the other side?

Yes, to a certain extent. But I also think it has to do with the way they wear scarves.

(Thanks, Discovery Doug!)

Old School Thursday: Lawyers, Cows and Wine Edition

Today is the Feast of St. Vincent, patron of wine growers and vinegar makers. I like wine. I like vinegar. This is a saint with a feast that sounds like fun.

It’s also National Blonde Brownie Day, once again confirming that everybody has a lobbyist.
In terms of history, today is pretty random. It’s Francis Bacon’s birthday (1561). He was a lawyer, not a chef, but his name was Bacon, so he must have been a pretty good guy, right?

Fast-forward a couple of centuries, and today marks the 117th anniversary of Coca-Cola’s incorporation – the beginning of one of the big capitalist fairy tales of our time. Then, closing out today in spectacular fashion, today is the 21st anniversary of Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport opening a departure lounge just for cows. That’s right. Cows.

So how to celebrate? Maybe with a nice bottle of wine, a green salad with vinaigrette, and some type of bacon-wrapped filet? Oh, and the Coke. I don’t know, work out some type of Top Chef-like product placement tie-in for dessert?

Artsy Wednesday: Color Theory

Yesterday, Apartment Therapy had a post about the new color trends for 2009. Back in my advertising days, I remember getting very excited about the Pantone announcements and, well, I still think they're pretty cool.

According to the post, bright yellow is the color of the moment, and I can't say I'm terribly surprised. I love bright yellow and I've liked seeing it everywhere from Dwell to J. Crew to on my feet, especially when it's paired with dove gray.

Reading all about color got me thinking, too: Do color trends influence food trends? Are we about to see a lot more saffron-infused dishes on our plates? More sunny side up eggs? Bright cheeses?

I'll keep an eye out.

I hope, though, that any yellow I see on my plate is not paired with gray. Something about gray food just doesn't appeal. Oddly enough.

*Photo by tarotastic.

Ideabook Tuesday: Cozy Spaces

Today in Baltimore, the high temperature is 29 degrees and there's a chance of scattered flurries, which will only layer on top of the pretty, powdery white snow that's covering the yard right now.

Yesterday, I counteracted the elements with several cups of tea and a lot of peaceful gazing out the window (that was after I got home from my harrowing trip to Target). Today, I plan to do a lot of the same.

So it's only natural that I'm in the mood for some cozy spaces:

Protected from the Elements: Great Cozy Spaces

more home design ideas on houzz

Trendy Monday: Inaugural Food Links

It's a big week for Washington, huh? And not surprisingly, that's trickled over into the food media, which is all about the parties and the food and the balls, among other things. Here's just a little smattering:

• Obama soda? (that's just the tip of the Obama iceberg over at Elizabeth Large's blog)
• White House Chef Wars
• Inauguration party menu
• Obama's favorite recipes
• Obama eats DC

Entertaining Friday: Wine Cellar!

Cooper and I have just started the next project in our never-ending stream of home renovation: the wine cellar. The cellar - or cave, as my Frenchy self is planning to call it - is actually a 5 1/2 x 10 1/2 room in our basement, just underneath where our front porch is upstairs.

Cooper's friend Michael, a contractor, had some free time so he and his business partner came over yesterday and started (and nearly finished) framing out the space. All of this has happened very suddenly - I wasn't expecting to get to the wine cellar for another couple of years at least. But I'm excited. We don't have a ton of "saving" wine, but we do have a couple of cases of 2003-2005 Bordeaux sitting in our laundry/work room that I'm eager to get into some decent shelving in a correctly humid and cool environment.

So now, we need to make some quick decorating plans for the space. It won't really be an entertaining area - it's more of a straight-up storage space, really. But that doesn't mean it can't look pretty, right?

Over at Houzz, I'm soliciting advice from anybody who will give it. If you have some to share, please PLEASE leave a comment here or over at Houzz (where's there's more technical information). Here's the ideabook (it's a combination of current construction shots and images that I like):

Help Me Design My Wine Cellar - Please!

more home design ideas on houzz

Thursday Links

Ugh - it's only week #2 and already I'm forgetting to write the links post? In my defense, I've been very busy today and am just now (at 11:15) finishing my work. So since I'm not going to be able to fall asleep soon anyway, here are some Top Chef recap links:

• Max Weiss, the Baltimore Magazine reporter, on her personal blog
• Kathy the minx, minxy as usual
• David Dust, dusty as usual
• Best Week Ever, besty as usual?

Old School Thursday: Really Random Edition

Well, happy National Soup Day. In the UK, at least, though it certainly would be appropriate in the US – not only is it freezing outside, but today is also the 19th anniversary of Campbell’s producing its 20 billionth can of tomato soup. I wonder what that number’s up to now.

But for those of us in the US, it’s actually National Strawberry Ice Cream Day. I like strawberry ice cream quite a bit, but I think the ice cream lobby maybe should have pushed for a day in the summer, don’t you?

In other news, today is full of random bits and pieces. It’s the birthday of William Prout (1785), who first classified food into carbohydrates, fats and proteins. A hundred years later today, in 1889, American Daniel Johnson was issued a patent for a Rotary Dining Table for ship use – the table and all the chairs rotated so the server could stand in one spot and the table would move so each person could be served. Not something you see every day.

Possibly most randomly, today in 1919, there was a “Great Molasses Flood” in Boston, when a storage tank burst and the city was flooded with 2 million gallons of molasses. As funny an image as that might be, 21 people died in the flood, which took six months and millions of dollars to clean up.Oh, and just to cap it off today in 1986, Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn came on the market.

Big day, huh?

UPDATE: And this is interesting. I just got an email from my friend Brad (the one who works for Ocean Spray) - he lives in Boston and said that sometimes, on hot days, you can still smell molasses in the North End. Crazy. I can't believe I'd never heard anything about this before!

And Speaking of Drama...

Discovery Doug dropped this on me the other day:

Did I ever tell you i walked right by Molto Mario and Bourdain in the lobby about 6 months ago?

No, he hadn't told me. And yes, Mario was wearing the crocs.

Seriously, that's the kind of celebrity sighting that would almost definitely make me hyperventilate.

Artsy Wednesday: Julia the Dramatic

Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake.

That's my favorite quote from this Esquire "What I've Learned" with Julia Child. It ran back in 2000, when Child was 87, but I read it for the first time this morning - Cail sent it to me last night.

Between Dixon and me, my days (and, as a result, my food) are pretty drama-filled. It's nice to hear that Julia would approve.

Ideabook Tuesday: Books as Design Elements

Read All about It: Books as Design Elements

more home design ideas on houzz

Today's ideabook is all about books. Not surprisingly, I love them. Also not surprisingly, we have way more books (and magazines) than our meager storage can handle. Lately, I've been looking for storage spots anyplace I can find them.

To read more of my thoughts on these images, click here to go to houzz.com.