We eat around 3 meals a day, not including snack time, and for most of us – especially now during COVID – that means around 800 of our 1100 eating episodes are spent at a table of sorts. Whether we entertain for one or for the masses, the sometimes sloppy work of putting food in…
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Elevate your Table Settings with new Linen Dinner Napkins
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No doubt it’s an interesting time around the world right now. With everyone in quarantine, we’re having to focus sharper inward while still standing strong with the city / country / world we love. If there’s a silver lining, for me, it’s an opportunity to genuinely celebrate HOME. We are lucky. VERY lucky. We more…
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Better late than never! This was last weeks ‘Quarantine Eating’. I’ve been so busy cooking, I’m behind! I’m as stubbornly determined as ever to make my way through at least one of our freezers and the pantry. I feel like it’s a losing battle, trying to eat our way through this COVID-19 quarantine. Yesterday I…
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It’s not surprising at all that Cooking can relieve stress. The therapeutic actions of cutting, chopping and stirring combined with the bright colors and interesting textures have long benefited my own mental health. What could be a better way to relax and breathe during the current pandemic quarantine, especially when time currently isn’t as big…
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That is the strangest title I’ve honestly ever written! But – so relevant. Not just for the current Coronavirus, but really any kind of local or global happening that could have a similar effect on our human way of life, bringing us to some sort of quarantine. Good thing I’ve got some tips for you…
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Needing some food ideas / tips for this crazy, quarantine time-out? It just feels strange writing that… But this is our world as of March 2020, I suppose. I’m very fortunate in general – I have a warm house to seclude in, work I do from home, and 3 freezers worth of food to get…
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Do your “open plan” spaces sometimes feel a bit TOO open for intimate dinners? Feel like just being cozy for a night? I have just the solution! Sometimes my house is too full of LEGO and Nerf Bullets and I really don’t want to clean it ALL just for one dinner, or I’m just too…
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Learning how to adapt your favorite proteins into every seasons fresh fruit and veg is a HECKYEAH! If you’ve been reading (and I SEE YOU all clicking that ‘follow’ button!! Heeeeey!!), you know I love cooking with Duck Breast. I love the taste, I love that ducks are infinitely more sustainable than cows as far…
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One of the reasons I’m planning to go all-out for my big 5-0 next year is that I know that the decade after that will be chock-full of engagements, weddings, babies, and other big life markers (not necessarily in that order LOL) from my own daughters, I’m sure, to my younger friends such as my…
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The essence of modern = simplicity, clean, defined, precise.The essence of vintage = storied, slightly damaged/chipped.Seemingly at odds… So how do we best mix these two styles in our own Homes + Kitchens? I have a vivid memory of biking through the rivered Dordogne region of Southern France, past all the old, white-stone houses set…
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Are you a menu-planner, or a wing-it kind of person?I’m definitely somewhere in between – I start out all plann’y, but always end up winging it. Sometimes it works, but sometimes I could have used a little more planning LOL. There was no rhyme or reason for Sunday’s dinner for 10 – just things I…
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Who doesn’t love a bit of INSPIRATION now + then?! As part of the KBIS’ (Kitchen Bath Industry Show) national convention recently in Las Vegas, I attended as many of the show floor talks as I could, hoping to learn what I could about Kitchen Design and the coming decade of this Industry. Topics ranged…
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It isn’t every night a world-famous Artist of proud Mexican heritage offers to teach you an authentic dish! Ok, so it happens this is our third such meal, but who’s counting?! Bring.Em.On. After the lovely Miriam Aroeste had led previous dinner crowds through Tortilla Soup (and yes, we crisped all the tortillas ourselves!) and Pozole,…
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Some days you just KNOW you need as much iron as possible, and this was one of those days. I’ve learned over the years to listen to my body – to when it’s extra EXTRA fatigued and tired, especially. I tend to be low in two things – hydration (DUH) and iron (also duh). I…
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For colleagues, some of the things that might be NEW to me as I start this Kitchen Designer journey might not be so new to them, but it was definitely fun to check out some real stand out products amongst the 600+ booths at the latest KBIS Conference! I’m excited to learn more about Fisher-Paykel,…
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WELL, that was M A S S I V E to say the least! My venture out to KBIS (Kitchen & Bath Industry Show) in Las Vegas last week to learn whatever I could about Kitchen Design definitely embarked on a complete sensory overload experience LOL. In addition to it being my very first visit…
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Recently I’ve begun switching my work/career focus on the whole HOME to include my personal obsession passion – the Kitchen. Which is leading me to contemplate – what makes the KITCHEN, usually, the most important room in your Home? When designing and planning a home, there are typically (and very generally) two zones – the…
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WTHECK is ‘Activated Charcoal’, and why would I EAT it?!Those were my first thoughts… BUT in prep for my Feb ‘Dîner en Noir‘ dinner coming up with some of my fave foodie friends, I started scouring the internet for ‘black-coloured food’ and this particular gem came up repeatedly. APPARENTLY, Food Grade Activated Charcoal is coconut…
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I mean, not to brag or anything. BUT I’m not a Ramen person, so it literally was the BEST Ramen I’ve ever had! LOL. Ramen noodles tend to be too heavy for me – I prefer the lighter vermicelli noodle in Pho, but that said, last night I SLAYED on a table for 10, hot-pot-style…
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