You don't have to have an actual garden to grow your own veg. I find that even in pots you can maximize yields by underplanting. Here, I've got a San Marzano tomato (still a juvenile) in a strawberry pot. Underneath it, I thickly sowed some mesclun mix. I'll get several batches of salad greens out of it (each batch is enough for 4 good-sized salads) before the tomato takes over.To harvest, just give the greens a snipping with some scissors. They'll set out new leaves in a few weeks.
Nothing can replicate the smug satisfaction of kneading dough. A springy, warm mass of flour, water and yeast beneath the hands feels homey and right. Perhaps that's why I bake so much. When making pizza dough the other day, I was struck by how beautiful it was. Maybe it's just me!
The recipes in The Italian Baker by Carol Field are a must for bread-making fanatics.
My favorite centerpiece ideas involve mismatched vases on every table, as shown in these pics from Martha Stewart Weddings. The concept works especially well when the vases stretch out over rectangular tables. But, clusters of small mismatched vases look just as good in the center of the classic round.
One, not surprising, reason I love using different vases is that they free you from having to buy a set of new matching ones. Instead, you can reuse vessels you already have or buy secondhand vases from thrift stores and garage sales. It's so much better than using our limited resources to produce new vases and transport them long distances (e.g., most glass vases are shipped over from China).
This weekend, I'm going vase hunting at garage sales around town. In order to keep the outing organized, I inputted all the sales at www.garageMaps.com. It lets you print out a map with all the start times and details on the page. My fingers are crossed that I turn up some white milk glass, like the below compote I picked up a couple weeks ago.
Since I've been obsessing about clean, uncluttered environments of late, the work of Matali Crasset, a French designer, holds much appeal. I picked up a compendium of her spaces from 2000-2007 and snapped a few shots of my favorite pages.
The above restaurant would translate well into a home kitchen.
Here's a beautiful communal kitchen built in 2004.
And I'd love to replicate the foam house chairs and amorphous light fixture above in my own space!
For his early-birthday present, the hubby received "La Nez du Vin," a compilation of the 54 scents (organized in handy little vials) found in wine. It invited a wine tasting, complete with a smell-off to determine who had the most discerning nose. I wired and strung out a big Japanese lantern over the lawn and hauled out the dining room table and chairs. Combined with plenty of tea lights and tapers set into wine bottles and candlesticks, we had plenty of light. And since we enjoyed a surprisingly warm last day of February, an outdoor party was completely comfortable!
Simple Decorations
Keeping track of glasses
Cheese labels
Usually the palm fruit sold at the flower mart is used as accents to flower arrangements. After all, it wholesales for about $6 per 10 strands.
