Indian Summer

Dear Blog,
I have been neglecting you. I'm sorry. I've just been so busy with my day jobs and getting new art ready for my art show on November 21st. Suddenly, I'm so busy! I haven't even had time lately to stop in for a lazy cup of coffee at any of my favorite haunts. My days are filled with meetings and task lists and calendars while my nights are filled with art-making and planning --not a bad balance. Unfortunately though, I just don't have a lot of energy left over for thinking up interesting ideas to post or even seeking out artists to interview.

For now dear blog, you might have to go on the back burner. Luckily though, the weather is still lovely as we greet November. I have plenty of wildflowers still growing in the yard with which to decorate the house in pretty bouquets. The leaves are at their crimsony, gold, orange and rich brown peak. Yesterday, D and I went to the pumpkin patch and picked out 2 winners!




This picture just says fall to me: it's a loaf of Challah that I baked myself -- In what little spare time I have-- I like to experiment with recipes!


Here's hoping to a bit more free time to talk to you, blog.
xx, Lauren

One of the most impressive things I saw this summer....

...does not have to do with the usual things I write about in this blog. It has to do with PORK!

Last Saturday D and I had a day immersed in nature. We drove to Ohiopyle State Park and rented bikes. We rode 9 miles along the Youghiogheny River, ate lunch in Confluence and then headed back. When we arrived, we checked out the little town, some of the hiking trails, the waterfall and the small festival along the river. It was there, behind a food cart that we happened upon 2 huge barrel cookers, one of which was billowing a roasty pork smell. A man was standing there looking in charge so we asked him, "what's in the cooker?"
As he lifted the lid a huge billow of white smoke wafted out and then.... we saw this.........



An entire pig being roasted! It was quite a sight, and being the nice Jewish girl that I am-- one that I have never before set eyes upon. In general, I try to stay pork free but D is known to indulge from time to time.....
Luckily, he was able to see this pig, and get a sample too.

Happy 4th of July!

We welcomed Independence Day with brunch on our lovely deck this morning. Coffee, smoothies, and scrambled eggs with an array of vegetables, oh my!

Happy Independence Day! and a very Happy Birthday to my most wonderful friend, Honey!!

A trip to the City of Brotherly Love

Douglas and I took a road trip to Philadelphia this past weekend to visit his family. We rolled into town Friday afternoon and went to the Museum of Art. They were celebrating Japan night with live music, cocktails and snacks. We wandered amongst the French Impressionists. We feasted our eyes on Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Degas's pastels paintings of ballerinas and various Picasso's.

(photo: This beautiful dress was decorated with moss and sedums.)

We found a quiet cute little sushi restaurant. Instead of sitting at a table or the bar- we opted to sit in one of the booths where you take your shoes off and sit on the floor on a tatami mat. We had a delicious assortment of sushi, tempura spider roll, and instead of California roll- we asked for a chef's choice-- he made an eel roll wrapped in avocado slices with a sweet sauce, sprinkled with salmon roe and little greens that melted in my mouth! We shared a bottle of cold sake, and for dessert, tempura green tea ice cream -- SO delicious! We had the cutest waitress on the planet!

(Photo: Whimsical horses made from steel and recycled materials grazed in one of the gardens)

Saturday was devoted to the Italian themed flower show. We saw all kinds of crazy garden displays. Unfortunately, they weren't the kind that you could walk into on little paths (to keep people moving) as though they are little escapes into mini Utopian gardens. My favorite garden was a Tuscan vegetable and herb garden that had a distinct do-it-yourself feel....it was tucked behind tall cone shaped cypress bushes, nestled in between flowering shrubs and low growing plants. (Photo: Another amazing dress constructed from various dried straw and stick materials)

The highlight was the fashion/Milan section where designers created shoes, handbags and dresses out of all sorts of floral materials. There were some very beautiful accouterments.

Then came the individual plant prize winners, amazing for the sheer variety of plants, colors, textures, shapes and sizes. I have no idea what the criteria are for judging and how they chose 1st, 2nd or 3rd place but it's just really neat to see all the different types of plants and flowers that grow and how they take on funny persona's according to their looks.

Photo below:
Me, Douglas, Bruce and Martina having another impeccable meal- this time Thai. Too many delicious dishes to list and describe here-- it was all so delicious!!

Spotlight on.....Kimberly Belle

I'm pleased to present this interview with the food maven herself, the lovely and talented Kimberly Belle of The Dinner Belle, a boutique catering business in NYC. Kimberly and I walked the same halls in high school but never really knew each other. I just recently rediscovered her and her fabulous food blog, Midnight Eggs, through our mutual friend and another Spotlight interviewee, Amy Luraschi.

(photo above: Kimberly Belle by Kyle Dean Reinford)

First, can you talk about how your career unfolded? How did you become a chef with your own catering business?
I just jumped in. I was working a desk job and felt uninspired. I needed a return to some sort of artistic expression, but I knew traditional paths toward the fine and performing arts weren't for me. I loved cooking. Cooked all the time, was a regular hostess to my friends, and one day one of those friends asked if I would cater an event she was throwing at the United Nations for a Live Earth awards ceremony. She had like "no budget" and needed someone to step in to do the whole thing at cost. I believed in her and the event so I accepted her invite and haven't looked back since. I later asked Erin, my best friend and seasoned cater-waiter, to join me and The Dinner Belle was born.

You have a really interesting website that mixes eating and drinking, recipes, one part fashion, travel, a dash of life in NYC, topped off with some glamorous photos, as told from your point of view as well as that of 4 of your girlfriends. How did you land on this style of writing? How did the webisodes come about? Do you think your writing will evolve into something else? A book? A cooking show?

Fingers crossed on all fronts! We're developing a television concept right now that's a sort of outside-the-box food and lifestyle TV series, and I would personally love to publish a cookbook someday. Midnight Eggs was born from this same desire to use my passion for food as a vehicle for creative expression, to bring something new to the food blogging landscape. I wanted to do something that was fresh, hip, edgy and made use of all my gorgeously talented, food-forward girlfriends. New York was a given of course, that's been true since I moved here 12 years ago.

I noticed the disclaimer at the end mentioning fact and fiction-- any comment on that?
I think the comment speaks for itself: "Midnight Eggs is an inventive interpretation of a group of real friends, presented here in a somewhat fictionalized manner." We are big fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm if that's any help.

Can you predict some flavors or ingredients that will be hot this year?
Comfort food is the new black! Luckily for The Dinner Belle, that's exactly what we do. We're sort of a fusion where gourmet meets girl-next-door. Economic realities and cold winter nights are pushing diners and chefs alike toward comfort foods that feel homey and satisfying without over-indulging pocketbooks or palettes. The same is true of hot-ticket trends like offal, vegetables, peanut butter, eggs, American wines, craft beers, farmers' markets, pickled anything, and pork belly. Consumers want food they can feel good about buying; this means buying local ingredients, organic when possible, and shopping at affordable neighborhood markets. Let's hope it doesn't also mean a return to fast food...that's my biggest foodie fear in these tough times.

How do you prepare a menu for a catering event? Is there a conceptual angle to the ingredients you pick as well as a practical angle, like what is in season....?
We custom tailor every single menu we write to suit the client, the event, the environment, the audience, the season. We rarely repeat a dish unless asked to. We started this business in an effort to find creative outlets, and we continue to tackle events that challenge us to create anew and to keep learning. Our favorite clients are those who propose the impossible, like a lingerie store we partnered with last Valentine's Day to create a black-themed menu for their customers. Black food isn't an obvious choice, but we made it work with conceptual dishes like Midnight Crackles, Black Coffee Braised Short Ribs, and Black Truffle Parmesan Tuiles.

What are you working on now?
Pitching the TV show, filming a new series of video webisodes to post on our blog, and planning a Brazilian themed Carnaval dinner party.

What is your dream event/dinner/catering gig?

My dream isn't singular. I sort of want it all. I am lucky enough to live in New York and have dining experiences of note regularly, whether they are at some village newcomer with a hot, talented chef, or dishing round my coffee table with a big bowl of pasta and my Tribe of girlfriends. I'd like to see all my creative projects take off as a cohesive brand such that I might one day be able to sit back, relax, pick fresh herbs and vegetables from my garden and cook dinner for some future husband and the future babies we've made together, maybe on a piece of land we've bought out in Northern California. That sounds dreamy to me.

What inspires you?
Cheese. Joy. Excellence. My friends and family. Love.

What books, people, mentors, or other foodies have had the greatest impact on you?
New York is fodder for all things food. The press, the markets, the chefs, I adore the whole of the Mario Batali empire, and live in walking distance of three of his restaurants and his brownstone. I'm an untrained chef who taught myself to cook by reading books and magazines (I subscribe to every rag out there) and watching PBS and The Food Network. I take my inspiration wherever I can get it.

What is your personal philosophy of food and fine living?
Feel. Touch. Hear. Smell. Taste. Use your body's sensory capacity to lead you toward excellence in food and in life. You'll never let yourself down if you follow your instincts, though you may need to find comfort in a bottle of red on occasion.

And of course, last but not least, the camera loves you! Do you have any beauty tips you'd like to share?
Know your angles! The camera loves good lighting and well lined eyes, but more importantly, it has a cunning ability to capture phony expressions. I think happiness is eternally beautiful (and easily caught on camera). The best beauty tip I could give anyone in any circumstance would be to do as our forefathers asked of us and pursue happiness.

(Above: L to R: Amanda, Erin, Kimberly Belle, Celest, Sara, photo by Amanda Rose Rowan )

Kimberly Belle resides in Manhattan and is the Owner and Executive Chef for The Dinner Belle, a boutique catering business she started alongside business partner, Erin Fritch. Chef Belle, with a little help from her friends, writes a fabulous foodie blog called Midnight Eggs: Chronicle of a Food Life where she dishes out a spicy-sweet mix of restaurant reviews, recipes, webisodes, and tales of life in the big apple.

Thanks Kimberly!

the sun has risen on a new day

Inauguration Day Breakfast

oh happy day oh rainy day

I am listening to a concert by My Morning Jacket streaming off of NPR. Honey (hi Honey!!) introduced me to them a while back and then, I had the pleasure of seeing them live with Wilco at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo NY in what was the first Rockin at the Knox concert and it was Rockin my friends-- I was proud that it happened in my city.
Sadly, I haven't listened to too much music of late. Living with a musician makes it difficult because his studio is the living room and when he's playing the piano or writing music that takes up all sound space. But, I can't say I'm complaining since he's quite entertaining whilst working things out at the piano.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I'm baking some chocolate chip cookies right now. I used the brand spankin new Sunbeam mixer my Mom got me for Hannukah!! It's a champ! yum.
I went to Knit One today to get moral support on ripping back my dress one panel so that it isn't gigantic anymore. I think it's gonna work. While I was there I found a great little book for 13 bucks so I bought myself another book present. It has very fun looking chunky knits in bright colors. That pink wrap sweater is calling my name.

yummy spring treats

the girls are coming over for brunch on a saturday morning and I'm going to make ginger scones!

Here is the recipe I found:

1 Cup all purpose flour

1 Cup cake flour

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/2 tsp dried ginger

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cream of tartar

4 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into pieces

2 oz. chopped crystallized ginger

3/4 Cups milk

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tsp cold wash to make egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. You can mix by hand or with a food processor or mixer, but be careful not to over blend the dry ingredients. If you over-blend, your scones will be tough and chewy. Put the 7 dry ingredients in a bowl and add the cubes of butter. With your fingers, or with 2 knives, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a course cornmeal. Some large pieces of butter should remain, this will make your scones light and fluffy. If you are using a processor, pulse briefly. Stir in the ginger bits. Add the milk and work quickly with a fork to incorporate. The dough should be soft and lightly moist. Again, don't over-mix. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gently pat down until it stands about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 12 triangles with a dough cutter or a knife and put onto an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Let cool briefly.

Happy Belated Valentine's Day

Ok so this was the spread at a gig we went to in New Martinsville, West Virginia for Doug and Daphne's concert. I ate a lot of sweeties.

yummy stuff

I have been loving this tea lately! It smells divine and no matter how long you leave the tea bag in- the flavor just keeps getting better. They have a really cute website too!

I feel very professional and accomplished today! I ordered brand spankin new business cards and put all my finances in order and even made some calls I've been putting off for awhile. It is so nice to have a day off and catch up on stuff. I had a good night's sleep last night which is always helpful too. I decided I need to update all my art related business stuff-- new press kit, new postcards, etc etc. New year- new stuff.

Tonight, I'm exciting to see and hear D perform at this event

I have been knitting this really cute jumper from the Holiday 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting, forever. Everyone at work is asking when I'm going to finish it so they can see it on me-- and I'm so close to finishing. I have the top and bottom hems and sewing all the pieces together. Almost, almost.

Here's to a happy and productive weekend y'all!

Yesterday's breakfast. Today, the girl's came over for brunch and we had a lovely time with scrambled eggs, croissants, mimosas and feisty conversation. Still admiring the yellow walls and today we hung up two of my framed artworks.
I finished two pastel drawings yesterday-- and even signed them to deter me from going back to do little things. Which I have been doing for 2 weeks already. I will take some photos tomorrow. One of the these days I will update my website again too!

My Mom and I made the Chocolate Ginger Tart featured in Gourmet magazine. It was so rich and velvety and delicious. Yum. D and I are getting ready to take a road trip tomorrow to Washington DC for a few days. We are very excited!

Happy New Year to All!!

would you like soup with those two whole garlics?

or more adventures in the kitchen with lauren. So, I made a roasted acorn squash and garlic soup. I cut the recipe in half and used 1.5 squash and 2 heads of garlic. I roasted everything in the wrong kind of pan (heavy cast iron-- got too hot) so many of the cloves burned, then I blended all ingredients in the blender and it came out a roasted orange garlicy pulpy concoction. So, tonight's mission was to doctor the soup and make it yummy fall fare. I added a a few things including some stock to thin it and then I added maple syrup and put it back in the blender. It is much improved!

I totally exhausted myself today running errands and then re-potting some plants that had outgrown their original housing. Don't ask me why I felt the need when fall is around the corner. The beautification process never ceases! Also, I really wanted to get some yellow mums for the front porch- which I accomplished today. Yesterday I planted some bulbs in the garden.

Things I love about fall:
sweaters
leaves changing color
pumpkins
cool evenings
hot drinks
the halloween edition of Martha Stewart's holiday magazine

Other things I am loving right now:
3 tiered cake plates
ice water with a twist of lemon
cupcakes
gourmet cooking
fresh flowers
cooking with fresh herbs
a slice of pear with blue cheese
a cool refreshing shower after a hot sweaty day

Today, I took D for a treat. A mid afternoon chocolate crepe and cafe au lait at our favorite creperie- Crepes Parisienne.
I love it! It's so decadent.

ah time for bed

ps: last week I volunteered at a party for work. Mostly, I ate the hors d' ouerves and wandered around the unbelievable 2.5 million dollar private home where the party took place. It was UNreal. It's called the Smart House and is a U or V shaped home perched on top of Mt. Washington with an amazing view of the city. One leg of the inside of the V is entirely made of glass. When you're on the patio on the 4th floor you look out to see the backyard complete with infinity pool, koi pond, fire pits, garden, the cityscape beyond, and all the incredible views into the house. It's a voyeur's delight. Every bathroom had a designer bowl sink. There was a dance floor, dj booth, workout room, sauna, gigundous walk in closet along the lines of Oprah's and a laundry room to die for-- not to mention all of the fancy furnishings and lighting fixtures.
Remind me to describe more of this later!!

Day of Domesticity

My favorite thing to do on Sundays...read the NYTimes at a coffee shop with a hot frothy coffee beverage in my hand. I didn't do that today though-- I made some pasta salads from Martha Stewart Living magazine recipes and cupcakes and now I'm doing laundry. It's a rainy grey day- the kind that is good for watching a movie.

Yesterday turned out to be a great studio day. I have begun making some pastel drawings. It took awhile but the studio is feeling more comfortable and gaining a creative and colorful vibe. I'm excited to see what is going to happen next. The creative process is so strange and mysterious- one minute a blank page stares back at you- the moment you make the first move, you enter into this conversation and the thing you're working on just keeps morphing and becoming new and different and guiding you.

Ahhhh Morning coffee

I'm at the cafe on this fine morning. It's a glorious day and the first of September!

We had a lovely breakfast on the deck outside. The weather is perfect. I love this time of year. It feels like there is an energy in the air-- school is starting up, fall is rolling slowly in. I feel like my brain is turning on and the creative juices are beginning to flow.

Here is Murray, standing on four legs
and finished. I must say, he is pretty cute!

New Work

Hello, here is a sneak peek at a new project I'm working on. It's in the beginning stages....but something I have wanted to start for a looooong time.
I have been looking at a lot of design websites- especially design*sponge. It has led me to all sorts of interesting diy types, which interests me.
I've been pretty inspired while visiting the burgh-- Today, D and I went to Lulu's Noodles for lunch and then to this really cute Crepe Parisiennes-- they don't have a website or I would link it. We ate a dark chocolate crepe topped with whipped cream and walnuts. It was divine. We also had delicious coffee -very rich. I made some changes in my website-- so please check those out too!

Self-Transformation

Hi!!
Isn't it nice to start a new year?! I used to dislike the New Year's celebrations because I saw it as a loss of the old-- instead of focusing on the clean slate of the new. This year for New Year's eve- Douglas and I watched Audra McDonald sing on PBS and drank a bottle of Champagne, in Pittsburgh, after a long weekend of fun in NYC and a wedding in New Jersey.
Anyway, for the new year I decided I would like to reinvent myself-- a la Madonna. I bought 2 new lipsticks and Douglas surprised me with a fantastic pair of new spectacles-- which I really don't need- but they are a very fun accessory. I feel very intellectual and chic in them. THe lipsticks are in colors I am not used to wearing-- one is a tangerine color with gold flecks while the other is a bright Bold pink. I still can't decide if I like it or it's a little too Barbie doll gone bad- but it's fun and exciting to try something new for a change. Let me tell you about the wedding of my cousin Sandy and her new husband, Pierre. They are both foodies! He is a chef and she is a pastry/chocolate chef. The ceremony was held at a restaurant in NJ and the food was something! Here's the menu:
A delicate Lobster Soup, Duck Confit-that is shredded duck on top of some type of chip laying in a squash sauce, Braised Ribs with sweet potato puree and string beans, and for dessert, a luscious Lemon tart that I could only eat half of due to its tarty sweetness- and then yummy chocholatey truffles with booze and assorted cookies . It was a fun evening and Congratulations to the happy couple. Douglas and I stayed in a hotel that night and early the next morning- we took a bus into Manhattan. We checked in at the Ramada East and went straight to the MoMA. There is just too much to see at MoMA, the art, the people, the building, its very easy to get saturated/ information overload- so of course, our first stop was the cafe where we shared a portobella panini. Then we started from the 6th floor and worked our way down. There were a few things that really stood out in my mind and one thing in particular I can't stop thinking about. A Cezanne still-life. The web image doesn't compare-- this painting was so gorgeous and luscious in the use of reds, oranges. I wanted to pluck the apple from the table and bite into it because it would have been just the right combination of crunchy and sweet. WOW-- it is a magnificent painting!
Other highlights include a video installation by Jane and Louise Wilson-- two adjacent screens in opposing corners of a darkened room. The films show objects and a woman levitating and/or moving very strangley through a space. This scene alternates with the view from the floor of a lift elevator where you can see out beyond the guard gate into the hall as you move up and down. It was very eerie and atmospheric.



Last but not least New Photography by Barbara Probst. This was very clever work! Probst uses multiple cameras set up from different angles and focused on the same subject. The cameras are synched to take a picture simultaneously. In one image a girl is seen jumping in a Swiss Alps setting. In the next image, we are looking down on a NY rooftop with a view of the city. At closer inspection, we see that two people are holding a large print of the swiss alps- and the girl is jumping in front of it.

Later that night, we ate a scrumptious meal at the Orchard-- recommended by Honey! and it was delish! We ate the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare, Sliced Lamb Tenderloin, and the best--Butternut Squash Agnolotti. WOW- it was good! It just melted in your mouth, and in combination with the lamb, Magnifique!

Saturday, Douglas and I first went to visit his Aunt and Uncle who live in this gorgeous penthouse apartment across the street from the planetarium. Douglas's beautiful Aunt works at the Guggenheim and has a spectacular art collection- when I first walked in the door- there was a large James Casebere photograph in the hallway! I was knocked on my socks! It wasn't this image below- but here's an example. Anyway, this apartment was beautiful with plenty of art to boot. We also went to visit with my Aunt and Uncle for a nice 2:30 tea break!
We had 8 o'clock tickets to see the Drowsy Chaperone
and it was super!
(more later!)