Last Wednesday this rice story I shot for The New York Times took the front cover of the dining section! Very cool. The story included four recipes, one for basic white rice, one for mexican rice, rice cakes and red beans and rice. All were super tasty and my house smelled amazing from simmering the red beans and sausage all morning. If you're looking for a quick side dish or even a main, give these recipes a try.
The Holiday House Hamptons presented by HC&G (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens) showhouse this year was something really special. It took place in an 1881 historic Watchcase factory in Sag Harbor, NY. The home itself was split into 3 buildings: a loft, a bungalow and a townhouse. The designers did such a great job of creating a summer/beach inspired palette of rooms, here are some of my favorites (see more photos and read more about each space in my article for Houzz):
Campion Platt:
Huniford Design Studio:
Tamara Magel Home:
West Chin Architects & Interior Designers:
Bjornen Design:
Scott Formby:
Elizabeth Dow Home:
Studio MRS:
Brady Design:
Jen Going Interiors:
ID Creations by Iris Dankner:
And of course some beautiful Hamptons scenery:
Have you ever had ginger and orange together? It is a magnificent combination that I don't think I use often enough at all. When I found this recipe I knew it was going to be good as soon as I saw the fresh ginger and "garnish with orange slices". And sure enough, I was right.
I'm normally not a tea drinker but I do make some exceptions for a few different iced tea flavors. I go for peach, raspberry and lemon but other than those three, that's it. A lot of times I make things for this blog that I'd rather photograph than eat (I'm a little bit picky!) but I love when I find a recipe that I end up really liking too and this ginger sun tea is one of them. If you're having a BBQ or picnic you should definitely make a pitcher of this to serve your guests, it's a perfect summer drink!
This couldn't be any easier to make and not to mention so much better than store bought iced tea! If you're worrying about how the fresh ginger will make it taste, don't. It adds just a light hint which makes this tea ten times more refreshing. And when you put those orange slices in... oh is it delicious! I put a lot in my tea and let it sit there for a little to really let the flavors combine, the citrus perfectly compliments the ginger.
A nice glass of iced tea wouldn't be the same without cookies to go along with it. My choice of cookie to accompany my tea drinking are these chocolate chip bars. They're so simple and it's the perfect snack that reminds me of picnic baskets, plaid blankets and sitting outside in the green grass with blue skies and puffy white clouds above.
I used 4 Tablespoons of sugar because I wasn't sure if it would be sweet enough for my liking (I don't do well with unsweetened tea) and it really was perfect for my taste. But if you don't like very sweet tea then I'd put 2 or 3 Tablespoons in.
Enjoy!
Ginger Sun Tea recipe from: Gooseberry Patch, Patchwork Potluck
This past winter I photographed Dana Worlock's home for the current issue of Pure green Magazine. Everytime I go to Dana's I leave feeling so inspired! Her home is bright, creative and fun. She decorates with pops of color and always has her children's sweet artwork displayed in each room. Dana is also a floral designer and I simply love what she can do with some fresh blooms. You should definitely pick up a copy of Pure Green to read about the Worlock's home and the article is in good company- there are so many great stories and photographs amongst these pages!
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VII.
A cup of honeysuckle tea, dashes of honey
Poem: Carol Ann Duffy's "Virgil's Bees"
Virgil's Bees
Bless air's gift of sweetness, honey
from the bees, inspired by clover,
marigold, eucalyptus, thyme,
the hundred perfumes of the wind.
Bless the beekeeper
-
who chooses for her hives
a site near water, violet beds, no yew,
no echo. Let the light lilt, leak, green
or gold, pigment for queens,
and joy be inexplicable but there
in harmony of willowherb and stream,
of summer heat and breeze,
each bee's body
at its brilliant flower, lover-stunned,
strumming on fragrance, smitten.
-
For this,
let gardens grow, where beelines end,
sighing in roses, saffron blooms, buddleia;
where bees pray on their knees, sing, praise
in pear trees, plum trees; bees
are the batteries of orchards, gardens, guard them.
I love pansies.
They were one of my grandma's favorite flowers and she would plant them every spring. And so, it became somewhat of a tradition for my mother and I to plant them in our garden as I was growing up. The beautiful colors and delicate nature of pansies inspired me to make this cake. It's very moist, light and chocolate-y. The purple frosting just seemed fitting for the pansies! And I definitely had to incorporate some edible dirt in there by crushing up Oreos and chocolate chunks.
Edible flower care:
-Eat only flowers that are grown naturally without pesticides or other chemicals.
-To keep flowers fresh, place them on a moist paper towel. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 10 days.
-Placing the flowers in ice water can revitalize them as you are assembling your cake.
For the cake:
2 sticks margarine/butter/or substitute
3 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, melt margarine, cocoa and water and bring to a rapid boil, then
pour boiled mixture over sugar, flour, and baking powder. Mix together.
In a separate bowl add the baking soda to the buttermilk.
Add beaten eggs, vanilla and buttermilk/soda mixture to the flour-cocoa mixture.
Pour in two greased 8-inch round cake pans.
Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees F or until done when tested with a toothpick.
For the frosting:
4 cups confectioner's sugar
4 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 Tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
red and blue food coloring
In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and beat until smooth and fluffy. Combine red and blue coloring to create desired purple color.
Top cake with crushed Oreos and edible pansies.
Happy Spring!
A year ago I worked with two very talented ladies to put together a perfect spring brunch! Dana Worlock created the blooms and let us kindly use her home and china to put this all together. And Willa Kammerer filmed a fabulous video of the whole process. Our brunch was featured on Style Me Pretty Living last week for the frist day of Spring! Take a look over there to see the DIY steps on how we created the table scape, our inspiration for the styling and to take a peak at Willa's video. Also, get the recipe for my minty melon salad featured in this brunch on SMP Living right here.
Happy Spring!
