January 2013

Take Five: Summer Somewhere

January 27, 2013

I suppose I should be posting about five great wintry things, but it’s just too cold in New York even to think about it.  This week I’m going with denial. Sydney Opera House.  Designed by the Danish architect Jorn Utzon and built between 1957 and 1973, this expressively beautiful building has become a much loved […]

Fennel Soup Gratin

January 23, 2013 · 2 comments

Has anyone ever been disappointed to get a bowl of French onion soup –topped with crusty bread and bubbling melted cheese?  I never have.  Soup is good food –warming, comforting, virtuous– but it’s rarely something I get excited about eating.  For me, though, a good French onion soup is a special event. Here’s a nice […]

Take Five: Alhambra

January 16, 2013

The Alhambra, in Gradada, Spain.  The perfect fantasy on a cold, gray, drizzly winter day. Here, the sun-drenched Court of the Myrtles. Brooks Brother’s Cashmere Cardigan in Pea Green.  Cashmere like it should be –soft and thick– in a color that will take you into Spring. Agricole Tremontis Mirto.  A delicous Sardenian liqueur made from […]

After all the roast birds and beasts of the Holiday season, I think it’s nice to slip a few more vegetarian dishes into our menus in the New Year.  Although a bit lighter than my other “everyday” paellas (chorizo and olive and marinated chicken), this one feels far from austere.  The warm, earthy flavor and […]

Last summer we refreshed the decoration of our Southampton family room, mostly due to wear and tear on the upholstery.  In the fall, we turned our attention to the living room, but for a different reason.  We had moved a favorite piece of furniture, a vintage leather Arne Jacobsen Egg chair, to help furnish our New […]