Monthly Archives: January 2012

23Jan / 2012

Dinner for 8

 

Those of you who follow me on Twitter know that putting my dining room to good use in 2012 tops the priority list.  This past weekend, I threw my first dinner party of the year and could not have had more fun!  With a fire blazing, out came appetizers, cocktails…and a lively discussion about who to root for in the playoff games.  Loyalties declared, we headed to the dinner table and didn’t get up for the next few hours.  Here’s why…

The Menu:

Lemon Creme Fraiche & Smoked Salmon atop Salt & Pepper Potato Chips

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Moroccan Spice-Rubbed Chicken

Green Bean Gremolata

Roasted Cauliflower with Golden Raisins & Capers

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Chocolate-Coffee Gingerbread Cake with Hazelnut Poached Pears & Coffee Whipped Cream

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I’m already bouncing ideas around for my next spread!

 

Photography by Barbara Franceski

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18Jan / 2012

Head-Turning

It can happen so suddenly.  You are out with friends, walking into a place you’ve never been, and BAM! it’s love at first sight.  Case in point, this gorgeous fixture Meshelle Armstrong hand-picked and imported especially for PX Lounge in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.  It caught my attention a few years back and still has my devotion.  As does the historic nod of the whole decor.  If you haven’t seen this head-turning beauty in person, I suggest a stop here before or after you dine at any of the local restaurants during Alexandria Restaurant Week 2012 going on now, January 13-22.

Image via here.

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10Jan / 2012

Let There Be Light

There are times when my soul is aesthetically nourished.  When everything–to me–is in perfect harmony.   I instantly apprehend it deep inside, intensely appreciate it, and am inspired.  You can say a light bulb goes off inside or you have an Aha! moment.  The moment I saw each of these photos in the Il Vetro dei Dogi catalog is such an experience.

A quote from one of my favorite books The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery further explains:  ”The timeless nature of the consonant form: Allows us to feel the power of objects and of the way they interact, to hold our gaze the way they work together and the magnetic fields that attract and repel them, the ineffable ties that bind them and engender a force, a secret and inexplicable wave born of both the tension and the balance of the configuration.”

Images from Il Vetro dei Dogi

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