queretaro, mexico : scene three

We cooked lunch at home and my momma taught me her mean enchilada recipe. Hot damn!

happy birthday ! julia child

My aunt, Jennifer Wolcott, had the lucky task of interviewing Julia Child over lunch in 2006 to discuss her book, My Life in France. Here’s the article, “One simple, perfect meal changed her life” as it appeared in the Christian Science Monitor.

paperfinger for sunday suppers : with la tartine gourmande and nicolette camille

I always love working with Karen of Sunday Suppers and it’s a real pleasure to see the final results after providing her with calligraphy goods for one of her special Sunday gatherings.

For this supper, she hosted Béa Peltre of La Tartine Gourmande, who led the group in preparation of a summer dinner: Verrines of Fresh Crab, Apple, and Avocado with Lime and Ginger; Pea Risotto with Grilled Prosciutto, and Basil Oil; and Strawberry Blanc Manger en Verrines with its Strawberry Salad & Brown Butter Pistachio Financier.

The gorgeous floral arrangements were done by Nicolette Camille. I really like how she used cherries or garlic scapes as a part of the place setting.

I used soft white Arturo paper for its luxurious texture and torn edges. I wrote in black ink the place cards and thank you notes that were tucked inside vintage berry baskets holding some beautiful market treats.

All photos by Karen Mordechai. Recipes for that menu at La Tartine Gourmande.

spring dinner { part 4 of 5 } : the meal by michael stuart NY

This was SUCH a good meal by Michael Stuart NY. And a really fun experience. The “Ode to Salt” was a nine course tasting menu. Each course was a small and delectable treat, accompanied by a distinct salt pairing, which we sprinkled onto the bite ourselves. It was interactive, educational and so so so so delicious.

More beautiful images by Jen Huang.

Passed hors d’oeuvres were served on salt slabs.

Shell Co served yummy mini doughnuts and cake pops for dessert.

All photographs by Jen Huang.

color gradient : birthday cake

How pretty is this! A gradient cake made by food and coooking blogger Not Without Salt, complete with a tutorial video!

(*via Mint Design Blog)

making japchae : a favorite korean dish

This is the start of one of my favorite Korean dishes, japchea (pronounced like “chop-che”), a mild noodle dish packed with veggies and beef.

I documented the recent preparation of a big batch — really helps to work with a giant bowl — so you can get a sense of the steps. And here’s a good recipe. It’s not too tricky, but a bit time consuming since all the veggies need to be precooked and chopped before mixed in with the Vermicelli noodles. Mix all that in with soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and sesame seeds and serve room temp. So so delicious!

summer travels : mccall, idaho

To celebrate my dear bud Angie‘s birthday, I made a trip out to McCall, Idaho in early June to visit her family’s cabin along with a few other friends. The cabin was a remote and cozy home base (it was cold out there!) for lots of cooking and eating, cocktails*, and admiring the view of Payette Lake and the snowcapped mountains behind. We went morel mushroom hunting, which was a really fun outing — we picked eight pounds! — and cooked up the mushrooms that night to serve with grilled steak and veggies. Incredible.

Please note that on this trip I discovered the “minature” setting on my Canon PowerShot so there are quite a few that feature the blurred effect. Just couldn’t help myself.

* And I’m now a huge fan of the “Old Pal” — rye, vermouth and campari. Such a good warming drink and the campari balances it all. Try it out!

mud pies and other recipes : by margaret winslow

Happy Solstice! This felt like a fitting post for today.

The New York Review Children’s Collection recently reissued this incredible children’s book, Mud Pies and Other Recipes. I’m in love and not so sure if I encountered it as a kid, but either way, it’s simple and brilliant. A “cookbook for dolls” is how the author, Marjorie Winslow, describes it. Here are some sample pages to give you a sense.

I think this is a perfect gift for any imaginative soul!

photo essay : how we make a greek feast

As I mentioned on Tuesday, the annual tradition at my parents’ house is to make a huge spring feast of Greek food for the extended family. No one is actually Greek, but whatever. We do it right. Here’s how it goes down, as documented last Sunday.

Yassou! (to your health)

(Hope I spelled it all right, Momma!)

the geometry : of my weekend

This past weekend was the traditional Greek feast that my parents host every year. No, we’re not Greek. But my parents lived there for a couple years when they were first married, so we’ve adopted the culture somewhat — and with this food, who wouldn’t?

I’ll be sharing images from the weekend with you all week. To start, a birds-eye view of some of the goodies.