C'est Inspiré is simply that - what is inspiring. Where the words end, images continue to speak. Seeing all that is around us, we seek some aspect of something that is life enhancing... something that you would like to be reminded of - to revisit. Something to capture and bring into your world, not leave behind... . That is why I take a camera everywhere; have spent countless hours organizing images in scrapbooks and pouring over them later to revisit the place, the people, the memory.
So, C'est Inspiré may be a single photo - or it may be 50, it may mean one thing to me, another to you - the meaning isn't important. Did it inspire? Did it make you smile? Did it bring back a pleasant memory? One or all of the above will do.
During a brief period of his life, the legendary art historian Bernard Berenson kept diaries where he wrote about how to see - and what he saw. These diaries were published under the title The Passionate Sightseer and edited by Raymund Mortimer.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime can be a passionate sightseer - just look.
A screen door slams. A porch swing creaks melodically. The occasional whack of a fly swatter. A boisterous neighborhood crow squawks in the distance. And the gentle tinkling of an iced tea spoon in a fresh glass of tea.
This is the music of summer in the South, the season we all look forward to. To celebrate its arrival, we introduce a new southern cookbook.
Screen Doors and Sweet Tea by Martha Hall Foose, the second cookbook of Ms. Foose to appear in A Flair for Living.
We like Martha’s books for a number of reasons, among them are; naturally, they are about southern food, because you know we are partial when it comes to this subject. Another is the way that she personalizes the recipes with experiences, anecdotes and humor. Cookbooks are however, not just about food, they are about people, sharing, coming together, hospitality and above all enjoyment.
So grab a mint julep, feast your eyes on some recipes for your own southern gathering this summer – wherever you are.
Who could turn down chili lime skirt steak, homemade slaw and stuffed tomatoes polished off with something called Darkness on the Delta.
Yes ma’am, we’ll all be there.
Visit Martha Hall Foose’s website at marthafoose.com
Screen Doors and Sweet Tea is published by Clarkson Potter.
May 9, 2012
When I was in Charlottesville, I went to see ex-opera star, Phyllis Hunter, aka The Spice Diva. Her store is situated on a small corner on Main Street Market. The shelves are filled ceiling to floor with exotic salts, rubs of all kinds, numerous herbs, herbal teas, and paprika for cooking and as condiments. As I made my list for Phyllis – she ships everywhere by the way- I was thinking ahead about how each spice might be used this summer, some lemon grass tea in the afternoon, a rosemary garlic rub for lamb chops on the grill, and a Turkish paprika mixed with homemade mayo as a vegetable dip.
For more information check out the Spice Diva’s website at www.thespicediva.com
Spices – a book given to me by a good friend. It is actually two books in one. The first is a book about the history of spices; the second focuses on flavor. This has become my easy supreme guide on spices.
April 17, 2012
As the Hellebores give us their last blooms, we ease into spring with all the floral assurances…daffodils, cherry blossoms, crocus, and more. This is about the time that all gardeners start to pray….pray over the seeds they have been nursing this winter, pray what was new in the garden last year comes back, that the roses they ordered arrive TOMORROW! And that they get to the nursery to view new shipments before everyone else.
Speaking of that…gotta go…more later…
April 5, 2012
Fried Chicken and Champagne – two southern staples not often combined into one meal, yet, they make the most delectable and decadent dinnertime feast.
Lisa Dupar’s recent book, Fried Chicken and Champagne, is a delightful compilation of recipes and images from her personal archives. Her collection of recipe cards from her grandmother’s kitchen are dotted throughout and remind us of our family traditions.
Speaking of family, Lisa and her chef-husband, Jonathan Zimmer, opened their restaurant Pomegranate Bistro in 2005 that combines “hometown and haute” cuisine. Next time we are out west, we’re putting it on our “must-visit” restaurant list. Yum!
February 14, 2012
