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Sometimes one or two pieces can inspire and set the tone for the entire party. In this case, the pieces were the table fabric and the vases. The vases were just something I fell in love with but had no idea when I would use them. I just had to have them. I found the […]
Everyone raved about the rosé I served at the Moroccan Feast. The flavor was delicious and of course it was pink. I wanted to make a specialty drink for the Baby Shower using this fabulous rosé. I came up with a Strawberry Rosé Spritzer which was perfect for a luncheon. STRAWBERRY ROSÉ SPRITZER EVENT: […]
When I was growing up, my mom made chicken that we lovingly called “crummy chicken”. She cut up a whole chicken, bathed each piece in melted butter and coated it with a mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. I later saw recipes that called this Parmesan Chicken but I will […]
There was an Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills, now closed, that served a shrimp appetizer on a bed of shaved fennel. This was such a distinct and refreshing way to the start of an Italian meal, I always admired it. The restaurant closed so I had to make it for myself. This salad combines the […]
At breakfast in Morocco recently, I was drawn to row after row of lipstick-red mini tagines. I lifted the lid on one and to my delight saw eggs that looked like they had been basted, nesting in a bed of luscious tomato sauce. After the first bite, I decided that I had to make these. […]
When I was a kid, my parents always had a New Year’s Day brunch. The menu featured lots of Jewish deli food, bagels and cream cheese and lox (which we now call “smoked salmon”), corned beef, pastrami, potato salad, cole slaw, other cold cuts, lots of pastries and of course my mother’s blintz souffle. It […]
My Moroccan Feast had me wistfully thinking about my trip to Morocco so many years ago, and wondering how it had changed since my visit. I decided to take a quick trip to Morocco between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Now, there is no “quick” way to get to Morocco from Los Angeles, but it’s well worth […]
The inspiration for the table setting came from many different sources. The first piece I found was the beaded fuchsia sari. Saris are not completely beaded but I thought I could cut it apart and put it back together for the top of the table. It worked and you can see the result. For the […]
This is nothing like the American version of generic pistachio ice cream which usually tastes like vanilla ice cream with a few chopped nuts and a bit of green food coloring. This is a serious rich, deep pistachio flavored wonderfulness! I would expect nothing less from Melissa Clark, one of my favorite food writers. This […]
For this party, we started outside in the garden, in a beautiful but completely casual setting. As the sun went down and we finished our cocktail hour, we moved into the dining room for an elegant sit-down dinner. The table setting reflected the fact that the meal was more formal, with everything plated in the […]
