dinner party

on laura

2012-05-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

I don’t have a sister, but if I did, I would choose my friend Laura. I love everything about Laura, her enthusiasm, her smarts, her ability to make people feel at ease, her sense of humor and her lighthearted nature. If we were sisters, I’d get to see her over the holidays, and on family trips and we’d call each other on the regular. Although there would also be the typical in-fighting and

a note fromm mabel

2012-05-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Mabel heere. A teep frum me too yu. Wen yur mammee and daddee hav peeple ovr and yu dont wont to hav a partee (be-cus they dont ask yu) fynd a gud plas to hyde lik thee londree bas-kut. No won wil no! And thee kloths smel gud, a boneus. Sincereely, Mabel ps: Mammee ses I hav an arkive now, whutevr that is.

rhubarb upside-down cake

2012-05-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Isn't it pretty? Let me tell you, though, this cake is a shape shifter. I was expecting the traditional upside-down cake, which usually tastes like a basic yellow (or vanilla) cake with caramelized fruit. Somehow, probably because of some ingredient tinkering on my part, it was dense and moist, like a rhubarb upside-down cheesecake. Which is nothing to complain about! The rhubarb, which had

springing forward

2012-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

In spite of tormenting tree pollen, in spite of the warm-cold-freezing-warm-cold weather, in spite of April showers, I love spring. I can't help it. The leaves on the trees outside of our apartment came back this week and I can't stop looking at the bright tangle of yellow-green filling our front windows. When Dan and I walk Mabel around the neighborhood, I routinely force him to stop and

weeknight dinner: kale-ricotta pasta

2012-04-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, I hiked up the front steps of my friend Adrienne's house and rang the doorbell. Somehow I was right on time (I always seem to be too on time), in spite of a late train and lugging a ton of stuff. My arms were loaded down with my purse, a tote bag full of cookbooks -- if you're a friend, you're getting cookbooks from me whether you want them or not -- and another bag with wine, a lush

what's cooking

2012-04-10T09:00:00.026-04:00

Sorry, folks. I have not yet fully come out of dinner party hibernation. I blame my horrible spring allergies. The flowering trees are so pretty but being hit over the head with pollen does not inspire socializing. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been at my stove, sniffling, cooking, and wondering whether it is smart to mix wine and Allegra. Living dangerously! In the meantime, here are a few

one-pan wonder

2012-03-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted much lately because, frankly, there haven't been very many dinner parties to write about. We've been holed up on the couch with the dog, ordering in take out, having friends over for a drink before having dinner out somewhere. And having our usual weeknight eating-in-front-of-the-TV suppers. But warmer weather is here, which always renews my enthusiasm for being social.

past and present

2012-03-19T09:00:00.006-04:00

Dan and I were in Florida a few weekends ago visiting family. Whenever we go home there is a family dinner of some kind. Lucky for us, our parents live in the same city -- and even luckier, they get along -- so everyone gets together for a meal at one family's house or the other. This time, my grandparents were in town visiting, so it was a large gathering: parents, grandparents, great uncles and

giveaway! win a copy of the 'joy the baker cookbook'

2012-02-28T09:00:00.010-05:00

Hi all! Today I'm giving away a copy of the brand-new, just-released-today Joy the Baker Cookbook! It's full of delicious-looking photos and even more delicious-looking recipes -- it definitely deserves a place on your bookshelf. Unless you hate butter and sugar. And if that's the case, we can't be friends. To enter, please leave a comment here. I'll pick a winner by 5 P.M. E.S.T. Good luck!

what's for dinner, joy the baker?

2012-02-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

Oh, Joy the Baker, how I admire you. You have such a breezy, charming blog, you've got a talent for making anything made with butter and sugar (and other things as well), and you have this great looking, sunshine-filled life in California. At least that's how it seems to this reader, anyway. If you haven't discovered Joy's blog yet, do yourself a favor and click on over there. And once you've

a note fromm mabel

2012-02-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Mabel heere. Woh, look at me. I am soo sleepee. Mommee tuk thes peechtur after thes peeple-dog cam to my haus. They colled it a baybee. Wot is this? I thot. It loked like a leetle peeple but crowled on the flor and stol my toys lik a dog. And it beet Mommees fingur with its shorp teth. Wot was this theng theenking? Onlee I can do thees to Mommee! The other peeple care-eed peeple-dog into

link-o-rama, valentine's day edition

2012-02-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day, but I love any excuse to make something sweet. So if you're looking for last-minute treats to make for your valentine, or friends, or co-workers, here are some fun ideas. Food + Wine's most beautiful desserts [via F+W] Two-ingredient chocolate mousse [via Food52] 15 easy dessert recipes for Valentine's Day [via iVillage Food] The Kitchn's best chocolate

sleeper hits

2012-02-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Another weekend, another brunch. Maybe I should change the name of this blog to Brunch Party? Thankfully, this brunch was more successful, food-wise, than the last one. There was also a bottle of prosecco involved, which makes everything taste better. Our friend Julie came over to meet Mabel (and see us, of course) so I made a sausage and chard frittata, a pretty winter citrus salad with

bad news brunch

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Cute baby strikes again! Cute baby (Aya, to the rest of the world) and her parents came over for brunch last Sunday and I had a very nice menu all planned out. And then they arrived and Mabel went a little nuts and I was so bewitched by Aya’s cuteness that I overcooked the fancy baked eggs. I bought special ramekins to cook those damn eggs, and they ended up being practically hard boiled. D’oh!

crostini with pears, goat cheese, thyme and honey

2012-01-26T09:00:00.002-05:00

Is really, really good. You should make it now. And don't skimp on the black pepper. That is all.

the vegetarian question

2012-01-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Vegetarian dinner guests are often met with a mixture of disdain and contempt. Many chefs outright loathe people who don't eat meat. Vegans? Forget about it. All this hatred is so misguided. Vegetarians, in my experience, are downright apologetic about their lifestyle choice. "Oh, don't go out of your way," they'll say. "I'll eat around the meat!" I found myself saying this when I was

what's for dinner, sarah schiear?

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

People, I found someone who likes to throw dinner parties as much as me. Or possibly more! Sarah Schiear, food editor and author of food blog 20something cupcakes, is a dinner party machine. Food Network, give this woman her own show! Whether she's hosting a cocktail party, a boozy brunch or a fancy dinner for two, she's an expert at crafting delicious menus (and cocktails, lots of cocktails).

dinner party inspiration for 2012

2012-01-09T09:00:00.008-05:00

I put up our new calendar in the kitchen last week. Nothing makes you feel more aware of the possibility and uncertainty of a new year as a blank calendar. Leafing through our 2011 calendar, I noticed all of the dinner dates and parties written on so many little white squares. What will this year bring? What friendships will be forged, which farflung friends will pay us a visit, how many precious

a note fromm mabel

2011-12-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Mabel heer. Mommee told me wot a creest-mas is, so i wont to weesh you a mery creest-mas with manee bones and kookies and tumy skreetches and leezards and al the theengs you wont. And laying on the bak of the cowch as much as you wont. And if you dont have a creest-mas at your hous, I hope you get manee treets aneway. Hapy new yeare! Sinseerlee, Mabel

how i learned to stop worrying and love ham hocks

2011-12-19T09:00:00.005-05:00

Throwing a dinner party is like learning to ride a bike. With practice, you get over that initial shakiness and stop worrying about crashing and (literally) burning. I have plenty of practice, so it's not often that I am wracked with uncertainty about dinner parties. But then my friend Casey and I made plans for dinner on a Wednesday night and I had no clue what to serve. Casey is one of the

a salad for all places

2011-12-19T09:00:00.003-05:00

Maybe you’re expecting a detailed account of everything I cooked for Thanksgiving. If so, I am sorry to disappoint you. My mother-in-law hosted and made a lovely spread and I hardly cooked at all. Between writing about turkey for a solid month straight, traveling with an excited little dog, and being plain exhausted, I fell short in the cooking department this year. Of course I tried—I had a

italian pickled vegetables

2011-12-15T09:00:00.001-05:00

It’s holiday gift time! Like you, I have joined the bleary-eyed mob, searching for sweaters and scented soaps and anything that seems remotely “gift-worthy,” as the lady mags say. While it can be fun picking things out for people, all of this consumerism gets to me and I have to counteract it with some made-from-scratch presents. I’ve made pepper jelly and mustard and candy and always make

a note fromm mabel

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Mabel heer. Peepel hav askt me to rite agen so I wil tel you my doings. So Mommee and Daddee put me in a smoll bag, very ruff-like, and we went in a noysee thing to a werm gud-smelling place calt floreda for theenks-geeving. I stil dont know wat a theenks-geeving is, but manee peepel wer ther. I jomped on them to say hello and sneefed the fud but did not eet any becuz I am gud now. Mommee and

link-o-rama, turkey day edition

2011-11-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm taking off for Thanksgiving, but not without several links to help you firm up those last-minute turkey day menu plans. This year, my mother-in-law is doing the honors, but I am bringing my cranberry sauce and a dog who may or may not behave. However you're spending Thanksgiving, have a great one! 55 side dishes for Thanksgiving [via iVillage Food] 5 ways to dress up boxed stuffing [via

sweet potato ravioli with cheese broth

2011-11-14T09:00:00.001-05:00

As my furry correspondent reported, dinner did not go so well the other weekend. You know, biting and all. But it was her first dinner party so I chalk it up to nerves. It was still fun, however. We drank many gin and tonics and listened to the new Wilco album (very good) and celebrated some great news and marveled at the cuteness of Mabel and ate one of my favorite dishes in all of Brooklyn: