Some fantastic friends sent us home with homemade jam last week.  That oily fingerprint on the kumquat & strawberry label?  It’s mine, not theirs.  I know this because it matches the one on my keyboard.   Lest you worry about the sanitation of homemade jam.

So I’ve been devouring the strawberry kumquat which is the perfect sweet, not too, with a little sour and the occasional jelly soft kumquat rind surprise.  I love it.  It got me thinking.  How do you like your jam?

Can’t go wrong with good bread and butter.  But I like jam best when paired with something savory, like in an open-faced grilled cheese.  This time last year, Lydia and I prepared a baguette sandwich with grilled pork tenderloin and strawberry chutney, which I think is among our very best recipes.  My favorite, though, is strawberry jam or cranberry sauce (fruit + sugar+ citrus = jam!) on one slice of multigrain bread, Grey poupon on the other and a nice stack of  roasted turkey breast, havarti cheese and watercress in the middle.  That’s my mom’s special order and my sister and I think it’s the you-know-what.

So, tell me please, how do like your jam?

Have a happy, happy Memorial Day weekend, my loves.  We’ll see you Tuesday.

xx Sarah

All Pictures by Anjali Prasertong

The guests were welcomed with two drink stations

A Bloody Mary Bar with assorted Rick’s Pick’s pickles

a Prosecco Bar with Peach-Thyme Puree, Orange Juice and Strawberry-Vanilla Puree

Pink Prosecco, Pink Straws, Pink Nails

and pink diamond stamped cocktail napkins (paper napkins + stamp pad + stamp)

The house all dressed up

Candles at noon on a sunny day screams “Houswives”

Paper Topiaries made by our genius designer friend Sandra

The guests all dressed up

The lunch table was strewn with gems

The Bride had a special cup that fits a whole bottle of wine and a tiara of course. The place cards were tied to ring pops on each place setting.

MOB and MOG both had tiaras too (just like Pandora gave to Lisa on her wedding day)

Even the salad was hot pink, Beet & Quinoa Salad with Mint by Anjali

An A&O signature Broccoli & Cheddar Quiche

I made Spinach, Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Frittata Cups topped with little pictures of Niki’s beloved doggie Mabel. Beth spent hours making these little Mabel signs affixed to toothpicks.

More Mabel on the donut holes.

Sandra turned her ribbon bouquet into a piece of art (the secret here is a glue gun during the gift opening, serious business ladies.)

And finally the pièce de résistance! A collaboration between the the bride’s mom and Baskin-Robbins. A mint chocolate chip ice cream cake all dressed up for the special occasion. All kidding aside it was a love filled afternoon, one none of us will soon forget.

 Simply fabulous darlings,

Lydia

Martha Stewart has a line of office supplies at Staples and you are going to want to buy every single item.

I grabbed:

a robin’s egg blue shagreen binder

pastel plastic dividers

araucana egg-colored file folders

pastel paper tags with blue and white striped thread

CHALKBOARD labels (!)

kitchen labels like the French roast label above

multiple pads of sticky notepaper

I’m not going to lie, my office has been a much more fun place the last few days.

What am I going back for, you ask?  Shagreen boxes in blue and white as a more elegant counterpoint to my other favorite storage containers.

What can’t you wait to use?

xxSarah

Presenting my newest obsession, Lay Baby Lay.  Designer Joni Lay creates themed inspiration boards for nurseries that are every bit as charming and fun as we’d like our big girl rooms to be.  She mixes real (i.e., adult) pieces from stores like West Elm and Crate & Barrel with vintage finds and etsy discoveries to create sophisticated nurseries that last well beyond babyhood.

Joni also suggests paint colors.  A woman after my own heart!

When I was convinced I was having a boy, I loved this nautical theme with the rope lamp and oversized whale.

What do you think? Is Joni making nursery inspiration the natural follow up to wedding planning for the pinterest set?

xx Sarah

 This is my go to healthy breakfast or afternoon snack, in fact  I’m getting almond butter on my computer as I write this post before I rush off to work.

When fresh fruit can not be procured in the wee hours of the morning, SQIRL Jam is an excellent substitution (Kumquat Marmalade pictured above.) Below is all my favorite brands if you want to try this “recipe”. I use Gluten Free bread because that is the bread we keep in our house and I just don’t miss the gluten in this instance.

Toast with Almond Butter and Fresh Fruit

2 slices whole wheat bread (I like Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread)

2 tablespoons Almond Butter (I like raw, creamy, unsalted almond butters)

Fresh fruit thinly sliced (strawberries, banana, nectarine, peach, plum, apple, pear or just a pile of berries)

Hope you love it too!

Lydia

Photo: Flickr

We’re heading to a wedding in Carmel Valley this weekend. These sun scorched rolling hills and oak trees that lean to one side remind my of where I grew up in Marin.

Photo: Flickr

Can’t wait to toast the happy couple in this beautiful setting.

What are you doing this weekend?

xo,

Lydia

Invite in true Miami colors

Thanks for all your kind words yesterday, my friends.  Both me and my little GIRL are feeling very loved!  Here are some pix from the pop-up baby shower my mom, sister, aunts and cousins threw for me last weekend in Miami.

My aunt Nancy pawed through hundreds of antique baby block beads to make us all an adorable name necklace.

I got three: one for me, one for Baby Lagro Fletcher and a bracelet to bring home for Angus.  They’ll look cute layered over the corner of a family picture in the baby’s room!

Poufs, baby bottles filled with candies and amazingly good sugar cookies.  The girls brought everything with them to Miami and transformed the restaurant table in minutes.

Shamrock tissue paper covered an Irish sweater

…exactly like the one Angus wore in 1977.

Happy cousins.  Katie on the left is responsible for actually getting me to the party.  I wanted to sleep through what was supposed to be a family cocktail hour (pregnant ladies are tired!), but she texted my sister, who was about ready to kill me for ruining all their hard work, that Martha Stewart was in the bar.  I was only about 10 minutes late and very surprised to see a party and, alas, no Martha. Clever girls.

Thank you, ladies, for such a beautiful and thoughtful surprise!  I loved it!

xx Sarah

Well, my loves, my little secret is out! And getting less little by the day, I might add.  Angus and I are expecting a wee one of our own this Halloween.

(Don’t let the photo confuse you.  We find out today if this chubbub is a boy or a girl.  I just happen to be holding a pink pouf.)

We’re throwing around words like happy and excited in completely non-ironic ways on a daily basis.  Familiar things?  They now seem magical.  We’ve had the baby’s first pancake, first bite of pineapple, first plane ride, first Bruce concert, etc.  The list goes on and on and this tidbit has yet to draw breath.

I’m going to drive everyone nuts once he or she is here, guaranteed.

The best part, though, is wondering what firsts the baby will love.  Will this little person play sports? Be able to sing?  Build things?  Prefer strawberry to mint chip?

Will this babe even like to read?

I can’t begin to fathom the surprises in store for Angus and me.

Off to the doctor now. Can’t wait to share what I’m having.  In the meantime, tell me, what aspects of baby planning would you like me to share?

Tomorrow, images from my “pop up” baby shower in Miami last weekend.

xx Sarah

Watch, Learn, Take Action.

xo,

LEH

Friday afternoon I took my mom and Grandma for blow outs at Dry Bar!

Then we joined the 5:50pm queue outside of Son of a Gun restaurant to get a seat at the communal table. We had an excellent meal, this is a great restaurant to take LA visitors.

My Grandma bought me a pink and white boucle Jackie Kennedy mini dress and it fit perfectly! I’m all set for summer lady functions now.

We spent Saturday at my Aunt’s house playing Game of Things and having deep talks about French Bulldogs and celebrities.

Sunday we gathered for Mother’s Day brunch at Grandma’s. She entertains with her wedding china, crystal and silver which makes everything feel extra special.

A brunch in the sun.

Gram is a fan of shift dresses too.

Hope you all had as lovely a weekend as we did!

Love,

Lydia

… spoke to my inner prep, had to share.

xo,

Lydia

Did you dust off your Where the Wild Things Are yesterday?

I revisited Really Rosie and the Nutshell Kids. I loved them when I was little!  Rosie’s delusions of grandeur still crack me up.  She’s so believable and her world is so beautifully textured that it’s no surprise Sendak was writing about a girl who bossed him around their Brooklyn neighborhood.  I wonder what happened to the real Rosie?

What’s your favorite Sendak?

We toast you, Maurice. You were a great, big deal.

xx Sarah

P.S. Forward the movie to 1:42.  It’s a slow starter.

P.P.S.  Sendak remembers his favorite (and most appropriate!) piece of fan mail.

This is what we served:

Bloody Mary Bar

Bellini Bar- Strawberry-Rhubarb-Vanilla Bean Puree and Peach-Thyme Puree

Iced Tea

Broccoli and Cheddar Quiche

Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche

Mini Sausage, Spinach and Sweet Potato Frittatas

Quinoa and Beet Salad

Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Pine Nuts

Donut Holes

Mint Chip Ice Cream Cake

more to come…

xo,

Lydia

via

The James Beard Foundation handed it out medallions for excellence in all aspects of the food and bev industry this past Saturday in NYC.  Congratulations to all the winners! We’re thrilled that some of our favorite food writers, recipe developers and editors won.  Ladies, we read and admire you all.

Focus on Health
Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen
by Heidi Swanson
(Ten Speed Press)

Writing and Literature  
Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef
by Gabrielle Hamilton
(Random House)

Publications of the Year
Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs
Food52

and

Darra Goldstein
Gastronomica

Here’s the complete list of winners.  Anyone you’re especially excited to see?

xx Sarah

This video is of Jeanne Kelley, author of the new cookbook Salad for Dinner.  I just ordered the book and can’t wait to pour over each page. I hope my future self washes her lettuces outside and then reuses the water to nourish the growing garden and drinks wine out of cafe glasses. Oh and keeps port figs handy in her fridge.

Happy Weekend,

Lydia