An Italian Dinner

It was a moment's decision.  I was sitting next to a friend who happens to be a gourmet cook and has traveled extensively throughout Italy.  We were at a fundraising meeting and someone asked if anyone could donate an "experience" to the silent auction.  I whispered to my friend, why don't we cook an Italian dinner for ten.  At my house. Without missing a beat - she is always game for a culinary adventure -- she said, ok...should be fun.  And that is how she and I ended up cooking an Italian dinner for ten on Saturday.

Next came the question, what had we gotten ourselves into?  After the panic subsided, we knew that if we approached the task methodically, it could be done.  The first job was to figure out our menu.  We went through our favorite Italian cookbooks and came up with one that we liked.  Our goal was to make this dinner very special for the couple who bought it.  And, at the same time, to create an evening that would take everyone away to Italy for one night.

The Menu:  

Appetizers:  Bruschettas, Parmesan Crisps (Frico), and Rosemary Cashews

First course: Radicchio, Pear & Arugula Salad with Foccacia

Second Course:  Veal Marsala with mushrooms served with Risotto with asparagus, Roman style artichoke hearts, and Swiss Chard with pancetta

Dessert:  Trio of gelato served with Biscotti and Torta della Nonna

My friend would bring some fabulous Italian wines and her husband would prepare Luce del Sol, an Italian cocktail. Done.

Flowers from Holly Flora

Next was the table.  I asked Holly from Holly Flora to do the flowers.  She arrived with a big container  overflowing with beautiful flowers.

Linens would be from Heather Taylor Home.  This is the White Flower pattern.

Holly began to make the flower arrangements

As she ran them down the table, it began to look like a spring meadow

The table is set

Biscotti dipped in white chocolate

Next was the food.  We each had our own assignments; mine was to make the biscotti.  

Also the risotto, here is the asparagus sauteed for Risotto with Asparagus

Bread toasted and ready for bruschetta toppings

Tomato and basil bruschetta

We picked up freshly baked Foccacia Bread from Osteria Mozza

Luce del Sol, the signature cocktail for the night

Bread sticks, rosemary nuts, and chickpea dip

Menus at each place setting

My friend made the menus, she did such a beautiful job!

First course:  Radicchio, Pear & Arugula Salad with Foccacia Bread

The moment before everyone sat down

The best experiences, like the best recipes, are often made up of new and unexpected ingredients.  That night we made new friends, had some great conversations, and got a chance to cook some exciting Italian food.  Donating an experience like this to a charity event is so rewarding.  For the cooks, we got to do what we love best, cook!  For the guests, they enjoyed a culinary adventure.  On this cold and damp February night, we were transported to the "wisteria and sunshine" of Italy.  And for all of us, it was a night to remember!

Here is the recipe for Luce del Sol, the Italian cocktail that we served.  My friend's husband created this recipe, inspired by a cocktail he had at Oenotri Restaurant in Napa, California.

3-4 parts Vodka
2 parts Aperol
1 part Cherry Brandy
1 part Blood Orange juice
2-3 parts Prosecco
Luxardo Cherries

Muddle 2-3 cherries in the brandy.  Add cherries and brandy to the other ingredients and shake everything together with ice in a martini shaker.  Rub the rims of martini glasses with an orange rind and pour mixture into glasses.

Love these cards!

It is often the little things in life that make us happy, such as finding a beautiful note card or the perfect piece of stationary for writing to a friend or loved one.  I have a thing for stationary and I am in love with the cards, stationary, and other paper products from  Rifle Paper Company.  They are witty and whimsical and their colorful, nostalgic, and cheerful designs make me smile.  These cards will make you want to write handwritten notes to everyone you know. They are made of thick and beautiful stock and are so charming that they could single-handedly bring back the custom of handwritten notes.  Give me a stack of good stationary or cards, and I will gladly write handwritten notes rather than emails.  There is something so generous and thoughtful about staying connected to others in this way.

When I bought these adorable cards pictured above at Anthropologie,  I looked to see who they were by and realized that I have been buying cards from Rifle Paper Company for years.  Anna Bond is the founder of the company which is located in Winter Park, Florida.  Her whimsical designs include hand-painted illustrations and lettering that create a style that feels both nostalgic and timeless.  If you are a fan of handwritten notes and like classic and witty designs, you will enjoy the cards and stationary from Rifle Company.  You can go here to see the entire collection.  Here are some of the products they offer:

Note Cards:

Calling Cards:

 Valentine's Day Cards:

They also carry old-fashioned Postcards:

E.M. Forster wrote "Only connect" in his 1910 novel "Howards End" and the need to connect seems more urgent now than ever before.  These cards and papers by Rifle Paper company will make you want to forget about writing that email and sit down and write a proper note or letter instead.  The warmth of a handwritten note is always in style.

The Inner Things

"In a way winter is the real spring, the time when the inner things happen, the resurgence of nature."

--  Edna O'Brien, Irish writer

Livaria Lello Bookstore in Porto, Portugal

This is the time of the year when we tend to stay inside or go to indoor spaces that nurture the "inner things."  Recently I have spotted some beautiful places and writing that take us there.

 Bookstores

Shakespeare and Company in Paris

All of the book lovers out there (and I know you are one) can enjoy this inspiring article about the twenty most beautiful bookstores in the world. These spaces are truly stunning.  The only one I have been to is Shakespeare and Company in Paris where I fell in love with its bohemian beauty.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to visit the others?  Go here to see them all.  While many of us have been lamenting the closure of independent bookstores, an article like this gives us hope that at some point bookstores will be back.   And it is inspiring to know that these bookstores are valued and cherished. 

Museums

A visit to the museum is always enriching; it is one of those experiences that feeds the soul.  Right now the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has an exquisite exhibition of paintings by the 17th-century artist Caravaggio -- "Bodies and Shadows: Caravaggio and His Legacy" -- along with paintings by other European artists who were influenced by him.  I did a little research and discovered that Caravaggio was kind of a rock star; he had a big impact on an entire generation of painters throughout Europe in the seventeenth-century.  This exhibition includes more than fifty paintings, including many by Caravaggio, which have never been shown in California.  I feel good when I make the effort to see some art and am really looking forward to seeing this show.  

Dance

This scene from the ballet "Serenade" as performed by the New York City Ballet caught my eye the other day.  There is so much beauty and grace in this image;  I am always in awe of the beauty of ballet.  Go here to read more about "Serenade."  However, if we can't make it to New York, we can try to see a ballet performance in our own city.  Check your local paper to see what is playing nearby.  Many of the big ballet companies such as the Joffrey and the American Ballet travel around the country and perform.  Right now the Joffrey Ballet is touring with their spectacular production of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" -- it premiered in Paris in 1913 to a shocked public --  and I was lucky enough to see it this weekend!    

A favorite writer

One of the most rewarding and challenging writing projects (it requires discipline!) is keeping a diary.    Virginia Woolf used hers as a creative outlet -- "The habit of writing thus for my own eyes only is good practice.  It loosens the ligaments." -- as well as a journal for documenting her activities.  At the same time she was experimenting with a new form for the novel.  Books and words were her passion.  Here she writes about the kind of diary she would like hers to be:

"What sort of diary should I like mine to be?  Something loose knit and yet not slovenly, so elastic that it will embrace anything, solemn, slight or beautiful that comes into my mind.  I should like it to resemble some deep old desk, or capacious hold-all, in which one flings a mass of odds and ends without looking them through.  I should like to come back, after a year or two, and find that the collection had sorted itself and refined itself and coalesced, as such deposits so mysteriously do, into a mould, transparent enough to reflect the light of our life, and yet steady, tranquil compounds with the aloofness of a work of art.  The main requisite, I think on re-reading my old volumes, is not to play the part of censor, but to write as the mood comes or of anything whatever; since I was curious to find how I went for things put in haphazard, and found the significance to lie where I never saw it at the time."

It is not too late to start a diary for the new year!

   

 Inspiring Blogs

Some of the best bloggers open our eyes to what is going on in other parts of the world.  These bloggers (below) are taking us to some beautiful places.

Ben Pentreath shows us how beautiful London looks in the snow.  Go here .

Designtripper takes us to some special and rustic "cave" hotels which are located in the small, medieval hilltop villages of Italy.  The owner is attempting to save the dying hill towns in southern Italy and has worked with historians to revive them, adding these fascinating small hotels.  The interiors are decorated with an emphasis on traditional crafts such as textiles.  The coverlets and other linens are all produced locally by women who use ancient techniques.  These hotels are amazing!  Go here.

Sous Style gives us a peak into into the beautiful world of carnations.  We learn that even though carnations do not have a great reputation, they are actually one of the most respected and oldest cultivated flowers in the world.  And the most beautiful!  As long as you stay away from the typical colors of pink and red, they make stunning floral arrangements.  Go here.

  Food 52,  Amanda Hesser's exquisitely beautiful food blog, creates a "Downton Abbey"- inspired menu that starts with a creamy mushroom soup.  There are sage scones involved as well.  Go here.

And here is a terrific interview with Lesley Nicol, the actress who plays Mrs. Patmore on "Downton Abbey."  I would love to spend some time in her kitchen cooking the menu from Food 52!  As you read the questions and answers, be sure to click on the two videos that spoof "Downton Abbey."  They are very funny.

Put on the kettle, have a cup of tea, and enjoy.  There are so many places to go on a February day!

Flowers for February

Yesterday the weather was so warm and beautiful in Los Angeles, that it felt as if it was spring.  More cold weather and rain are on the horizon, but for now everyone is basking in the lovely weather.  I wanted to share with you this charming image from Botany Flowers, my favorite neighborhood florist.  I was walking by their delightful Paris-inspired shop yesterday and snapped these photos.  The weather was warm and gorgeous and Botany was filled with some enchanting arrangements.  The heart is made entirely of of red roses and hangs in their front window.

When the the two young women who work there saw me taking the picture of the rose heart, they invited me inside to see the giant bouquet they had made.  They were understandably proud!  After I took this shot, they told me to be sure to see the side view.

Isn't this fabulous!  Flowers, valentines, and bouquets...February is a very sweet month indeed!

"The simple flowers
 of our spring are what I
want to see again."
-- John Keats

Wishing you a lovely weekend!