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Last week Julia walked into our bedroom wearing a plastic kitchen funnel on her head and singing “Happy Birthday.” Two of her buddies have had their second birthdays in the last couple of weeks, hers is just around the corner, and she’s way into the concept. The party hats seem to have made a particularly [...]
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Simple, almost obvious. And yet I’d never seen it before. Last weekend our friends Visnja and Franck visited us in Southampton and brought gifts for Julia and for us. They didn’t attach gift cards or tags, but, under the wrapping, they wrote a message for the recipient directly on the box. (The seam in the [...]
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Yesterday Julia and I were at our place in San Francisco, having returned the night before from our second annual Easter weekend in Palm Springs. (My partner David had to return to New York Sunday night.) Last year we rented a great midcentury modern house, but this year we were guests of our friend Keith [...]
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When I was in college in the mid-1980s, I took a course in rural economics at an institute out in the country outside of Bangalore, India. It was a beautiful place. Our simple but comfortable quarters had private bathrooms, but no running hot water. Each morning, I would carry a large bucket to a central [...]
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At 17 months, Julia already has a posse. Vivian, Charlie, Charles and Tess all live either in our building in Chelsea or very nearby, and the kids have regular play dates. Most days at around 5pm there’s a stroller convoy in front of one of our doors. To celebrate Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d make [...]
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One of the many unexpected benefits of having a child has been remembering some of the pleasures of my own childhood. Brownies, for instance. As I searched for the brownie of my childhood, though, I found that a really good one is hard to come by. Some were dry and chewy and tasted only vaguely [...]
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There was a time where the whole concept of Valentine’s Day irritated me. Of course, it’s a perfect example of a Hallmark Holiday; that is, a day that seems to have no genuine cultural purpose other than buying gifts. And even its ostensible purpose is unclear: it seems to be a celebration of romantic love, [...]
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If you’re as old as I am, or if you’ve been watching Mad Men, you may know that in the middle of the last century there were ashtrays all over the place, for obvious reasons. They weren’t just utilitarian objects, though. Many were beautifully crafted, and no coffee table tableau was complete without …
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Here’s a fresh take on cooking, entertaining, decorating and other domestic arts and sciences from a real daddy living in New York and San Francisco. I’ve always had a strong domestic streak, but since my partner and I had our daughter Julia last year, I’ve learned to keep my projects simpler, faster and more fun. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned, and I’d love to hear your ideas too.
An Homage to Hospital Jello: Minted Pomegranate Lime Jelly
Chicken Breasts with Mint, Capers and White Wine
Cow Hollow Cooler
Painting Stripes
Sunny Bedcover for Julia's Room
Turkish Coffee Chocolate Creams