dinner party

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:

a note fromm mabel

2011-11-11T09:00:00.066-05:00

Mabel heer. I know I am just a dog but I need to tell you peeple what hap-end. Most nites, I stay with Mommee and Daddee. They eet their fud on the grownd and I sneef and sneef and they say, "No, Mabel!" but I can smell what they are eeting. And then we sit on the couch very klos and it is so nice and I fall a sleep. But the other nite, two more peeple came in my house. One was very loud,

a better brunch

2011-11-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

Friends in town for the weekend usually equals brunch. For cooler folks, I guess it equals drinks and maybe dancing on tables, but for various reasons, Dan and I are brunch people. The thing is, I don't like going out for brunch. I don't like paying $10 for eggs. I don't like waiting in line. I don't like being rushed through my meal. And I really don't like those cheap, "bottomless" mimosas.

dinner in doggieland

2011-10-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

So there’s a new guest at our table. Well, under our table, I guess. Or sometimes on the couch when she is good. Dan and I adopted Mabel about three weeks ago and I have to say I haven’t given all that much thought to cooking. I’ve baked a few loaves of pumpkin bread, tested some recipes in the great new Jamie Oliver cookbook, made many cups of coffee and tea. We’ve eaten, and eaten well, but I’

pumpkin bread

2011-10-18T09:00:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again, folks! Time for the annual dusting off of my favorite pumpkin bread recipe. It has been proven to win over friends, loved ones, and co-workers alike. Hope you enjoy (again)! Fall is here. The leaves are starting to turn and drop onto the sidewalk. I traded my sundresses and sandals for long sleeves and boots. And we finally put our air conditioner unit in storage,

jamie oliver on cooking dinner

2011-10-13T09:35:00.004-04:00

I don't get starry eyed over too many chefs, but Jamie Oliver is an exception. I've been a fan of his recipes since those weird early "Naked Chef" days and have been constantly impressed with all of the work he's done since then, from his London restaurant that employs at-risk teenagers to his efforts to end childhood obesity here in the U.S. His various projects are more than good P.R.; I think

baby brunch

2011-10-10T09:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not the type of person who coos over babies on the street. I'm a dog person. Nothing pleases me more than passing a cute dog on the sidewalk. I'm like a horny dude in that way. Except it's not women in short skirts I'm drooling over, it's well-groomed brussels griffons. (Swoon!) With few exceptions, babies don't have the same effect on me. And then I crossed paths with an especially

dessert math

2011-09-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

File this under "totally no-brainer," but when you're pressed for time, this is the simplest, fastest dessert idea. Or dessert equation, if you will. One part seasonal fruit: Fall: pears, Concord grapes, apples, Asian pears, figs Spring: strawberries, apricots Winter: Apples, dates, dried figs, citrus Summer: berries, peaches, plums, cherries Plus one part store-bought cookies Plus one part

reconnecting

2011-09-26T09:00:00.001-04:00

So maybe my last post seemed a little sad. A close friend moving away IS sad! But one of the upsides of having friends spread out all over the place is that occasionally they visit and reconnecting with them is pretty wonderful. Knowing you have limited time together creates an urgency that makes everyone talk a little faster, laugh a little more and stay up way, way later than they should.

good riddance

2011-09-21T09:00:00.002-04:00

Another month, another friend leaving New York. Over the past few years, we’ve watched our friends take off in different directions – Vermont, Washington D.C., Austin, San Francisco, Anchorage(!) – for new jobs, homes, cheaper rent and a different sort of life. Living in New York is hard. It’s expensive and can wear you down, and for those reasons and others, our circle of friends is getting

hi there

2011-09-19T08:45:00.000-04:00

I'm back! Did you miss me? I made you these deviled eggs to apologize for my absence. (I'm sorry if you were expecting cookies.) I didn't intend to be away for so long. But sometimes you go on vacation, and then the computer dies, and then you get really busy with work. Which means not a lot of blogging, not a lot of dinner parties. To be honest with you, my new job has been keeping me even

link-o-rama: labor day edition

2011-08-30T09:00:00.006-04:00

This weekend is summer's last gasp, so time to live it up, folks! Okay, there's actually a few more weeks of summer before fall actually starts, but Labor Day marks that bittersweet end-of-summer feeling, at least for me. I always feel a little pressure to have big fun before fall comes and we all have to get serious and eat root vegetables again. Or something. With that in mind, here are links

avocado-yogurt dip

2011-08-25T09:00:00.000-04:00

Avocados are one of my favorite foods, period. I like to think it's because I'm from Florida, but I prefer California-grown Haas avocados to the bland and strangely sweet varieties grown in my hometown. My not-so-secret shame. I love avocados so much that when I think dinner party, I think guacamole. No matter what's on the menu it's my go-to, no-brainer appetizer along with deviled eggs. But

what's for dinner, andrea hubbell?

2011-08-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

There are pretty food blogs, and there are pretty food blogs. Andrea Hubbell's Bella Eats falls into the second category, living up to its name. Not only does she have a knack for curating recipes, Andrea is a professional photographer and stylist, and her talents shine through every luscious image on her site. Her work would not look out of place in any food magazine, which is one of those

the easiest summer dessert

2011-08-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

Summer's almost over, but it would be a shame if you let the next few weeks go by without making this uber-simple dessert. It is made with just three ingredients: prosccco, sorbet, and macerated fruit. In this case, I used ginger-peach sorbet (from Ciao Bella), diced strawberries mixed with a little sugar, and a cheapy bottle of bubbly from my local wine shop. You simply layer the fruit and