Wednesday January 05, 2011
Mark Kurlansky is truly a renaissance man but it is his writing and his food writing that have resonated with me. Mark shares that he was an adventurous eater as a kid - a true omnivore and became keenly interested in food writing when he worked with Waverley Root in Paris at the International Herald Tribune. Food writing could be literary, witty, historical and more. Mark has proven that food writing is all of those and more!! I highly recommend his books Cod, Salt, The Food of a Younger Land and his latest book, Edible Stories. All are great reads. Mark was also a wonderful radio guest. Thank you Mark!!
Tuesday January 04, 2011
By now you may have figured out that I am chicken obsessed - both live and representations!! This tabletop is all about chickens. 
From the runner that I've bragged about in the past with great fabric from England called "Feather and Egg," to the mugs and napkin holders I found on eBay a few years ago. It's fun to have a collection of items and a theme for your tabletop.
What are your favorite tabletop themes?
Monday January 03, 2011
I am using the restart of our seasonal spring as a symbol and metaphor for the new year. Afterall, it started on the 31st which I thought was quite telling.
The water is pure and delicious!! And so should the food that we eat. I am also starting a bit of a diet - although I hate that word. We are revising our intake. As 2011 gets off to a start, I want to offer you a little more content each week. I am also going to start putting up weekly menus so I can help all of you move toward the pure and delicious. I will let you know how successful I am at trimming down and I hope that you will let me know how you are doing!!
One of the things that I find works wonders in the winter is soup. It warms your tummy, satisfies your hunger and is generally really healthy and lower in calories. So, I will make up batches of soup with my spring water. I just started some onion soup....
Look for this week's menu later today in my menu section.
Sunday January 02, 2011
Icelandic horses and Scottish Highland cattle seem to live for winter!! One would think that they'd head for the shelter of their barn but instead they stand facing the wind, bangs blowing, snow piling on their backs in complete peace with nature. It's a magical sight!
I'll remember this in the middle of summer when they are miserable - they hate the heat, and they hate the flies more.
Sunday January 02, 2011
Saturday Evening Toast 1/1/11
Perhaps today’s commentary should be dubbed “Sunday morning brunch with toast! Not the most auspicious first entry for 2011 but, alas, I persevere even with the reminder of last night still plaguing me a little bit!
The new year brings along with it so many hopes, wishes and possibilities. I am of the firm belief that one should drink copious amounts of sparkling wine all the time yet we seem to drink it only on special occasions, why? I have no good answer for this as in every sparkling wine making region in the world, Champagne in France, Penedes in Spain, Santa Catarina in Brazil, all over Italy, they drink the “bubbly” all the time. Sparkling wine, especially those that use “method champanoise”, which adds a “dosage” makes people happy, gregarious and quite talkative. A dosage is an addition of either sugar or yeast to cause a second fermentation in the bottle.
When I worked for Perrier-Jouet Champagne in Epernay, France, at the very beginning of my wine career we drank Champagne all the time. I found this strange but, of course, went along with it. The Champanoise, people who come from the Champagne region of France, say: Champagne makes women’s eyes sparkle and men fall in love”. Pour me another glass!!!
This year we ushered in 2011 surrounded by great friends, delicious food, perfect wine and lots of bubbly to keep all of us sparkly and in love. We talked of the events of the year gone by and, privately, about our individual hopes for the coming year. Ever hopeful, I enter into each year with vim and vigor knowing it will be at least as great as the out going year.
I, personally, had a great 2010. I made new friends, met a perfect partner to share my life with and launched my private label wine…I consider myself blessed in many ways. I must drink not only to the new year but to the past year and all the years that came before that have allowed me to get to this point in my life.
So, despite my inauspicious start this year(it is still the first day of the year and Saturday) I toast each one of you with a glass of something bubbly, be it Champagne, Cava, Proseco, Spumante or whatever tickles your fancy, makes your eyes sparkle and allows the love to flow! My first recommendation for 2011 is to drink sparkling wine at least 3 times per week. I am positive that there is something that each one of us can celebrate, at minimum, 3 times per week. Sometimes, I like to have a glass of bubbly because I know that I have completed all of my tasks for that day…that, in itself, is a reason to celebrate! Life is a celebration, make it a “resolution” this year that celebrating life is as important as washing your hands.
CHEERS!!!!
Alex