Look at these Perfect Palettes:Sweet September from one of our favorite design blogs Coco+Kelley. Fashion inspires interior design palettes for this talented lady the way fashion inspires table decor for us!
red, taupe and chocolate brown
dusty coral, tan and coppery brown
plum, cream and deep teal
I love these color palettes for fall outfits, table settings, room furnishings, flower arrangements and even wedding decor palettes. Inspiration is everywhere!
xo,
LE
The ingredients—pudding mix, cake mix, creamed sherry—are decidedly un-A &O. But the resulting cake is completely our style. Easy to make, pretty but humble with a fantastic home-style taste. This was my grandmother’s signature cake.
I’ll make it to the end.
xoxosl
Poppy Seed Cake
Makes enough for one 12-cup bundt cake pan
Ingredients
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup cream sherry
1/3 cup poppy seeds
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease the pan.
Combine all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a handheld mixer at medium speed for five full minutes, scraping the sides as needed. You will notice the batter thickening. Gently fold in poppy seeds.
Pour into pan and bake until golden brown, about 55-60 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan.
Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.
Enjoy!
For you
Image: Garance Dore
For your table
Pantone Mug in Oxblood
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Jasper Conran Navy Fringe Plate
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A single creamy magnolia makes the perfect centerpiece
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Heath Ceramics Casserole Dish in Redwood
Dear Jasper Conran,
Yanks will LOVE the navy fringe pattern.
Anxiously awaiting its arrival stateside,
xoxosl
I must preface this post with a disclaimer: this is not the “proper” way to make tomato sauce nor is it the right way to “put them up” for winter. Proper tomatoes sauces call for removing the skins of the tomatoes and sterilizing jars and other such respectable actions. This is a fast and dirty way to eek some of that magical sun drenched summer produce into my winter meals. If you have an abundance of tomatoes in your garden or purchased a load of beauties this weekend, cracking with ripeness and begging to be used immediately, then this recipe is for you.
Fresh Tomato Starter Sauce
10 lbs ripe tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped (multi-colored heirloom tomatoes pictured)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6-8 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
10-15 leaves fresh basil, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
Wash the tomatoes and remove the cores. Roughly dice and set aside. Mince the garlic cloves while warming the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium low heat. Add the garlic to the pot and stir for 2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir until well coated in garlic and oil then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Allow the tomatoes to simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until completely soft. Add the chopped fresh basil and allow to simmer covered for 10 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely. Pulse the tomatoes with an immersion blender or in an upright blender until a chunky-smooth texture is reached. Pour into freezable containers in single dinner portion sizes (pasta sauce for 2 people requires about 1-1 1/2 cups of sauce.) Label and freeze.
For the next 6 months when you need a little hit of fresh tomato flavor you defrost the sauce in the fridge (pull it out of the freezer the night before you need it), add it to a pan with some sauteed onion and any extra seasoning you may want. Toss it with whole wheat pasta or spread it over roasted eggplant slices, top with mozzarella cheese and call it dinner.
Simple, healthy, and ecologically responsible as you will not be buying as many canned and shipped tomatoes this coming winter with this sauce in your freezer.
xo,
LE
Veggies for roasting
What we’re making our clients this week. Inspiration from this month’s Bon Appétit, Food and Wine and our own fall favorites.
Monday
Lunch- Carrot soup with half a veggie sandwich (tomato, sprouts, lettuce, avocado, mustard and cheddar) on Whole Foods’ Seeduction bread
Dinner- Mushroom-based individual veggie pot pies with bitter greens and Basic Vinaigrette
Tuesday
Lunch- Grilled ginger soy chicken over mixed greens and miso soup
Dinner- Steamed shrimp dumplings and steamed vegetables with dipping sauce
Wednesday
Lunch-Turkey burger served animal-style with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, avocado and pepper jack cheese
Dinner-Moroccan-style roast salmon with eggplant and golden raisin caponata
Thursday
Lunch-Grilled chicken fruit & nut salad with apples, grapes and walnuts
Dinner-Beef, shiitake and snow pea stir-fry over black rice
Friday
Lunch- Mini chicken soft tacos with a jicama and spinach salad with citrus vinaigrette
Dinner- Roasted fall vegetable and quinoa salad with grilled shrimp skewers
xoxosl
What are you up to this weekend friends?
Sarah and I are both catching up on dates with friends and our lovely, hardworking partners. I’m going to snatch up many pounds of heirloom tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market and cook them down for our winter freezer stash of tomato sauce starter.
Why don’t you do it along with me? So simple. Buy your tomatoes, some garlic and fresh basil this weekend and I’ll post the “recipe” on Monday.
Saturday I’m going to brunch at Canele to discuss wines for our wedding with the talented Jessica!
The football widows and I are trying to decide what we should do this Sunday for a ladies date? Scubs at Natura Korean Spa?
Or a tasting of French wines at Silverlake Wine? Decisions decisions.
Happy Weekend y’all!
xo,
LE
Sarah and I are big fans of the Martha Stewart color palette and I love how she translated her signature colors into an everyday kitchen staple. These pretty Robins Egg Blue, verdant Sage Green or dusty French Grey bowls make me smile each time I grab for one.
Super functional as they don’t take up much space in your cupboard, very durable and reasonably priced at Macy’s. They are pretty enough to tote a big salad to a pot luck or pile with fruit on your counter. I think they make a lovely shower or hostess gift. Don’t forget the same colors come in mini prep bowls as well!
Happy first day of fall!
I thought you’d enjoy pictures from the wedding Angus and I attended in Vermont this past weekend. The brides’ attention to detail and they and their loved ones’ enthusiasm made for a day full of love, sunshine, flowers, poetry, farm foods, fire and song. I wish you all could have experienced it with me.
The brides’ friends hosted the ceremony and reception at their farmhouse outside of Middlebury. The leaves were just beginning to change.
In the days leading up to the event, friends gathered to bake and decorate. They collected wildflowers from the fields which we arranged in vintage blue mason jars.
The rest of the glassware was clear and the raw burlap tablecloths neutral to highlight the natural elements — flowers, sky and the lion-colored fields beyond.
Heaters placed in-between the picnic tables were wrapped in brown fabric to blend into the scenery. One of the bride’s fathers built a frame for the cafe lights and trimmed it with mossy twine.
Which we used to hang freshly-picked nosegays.
Bridal bouquet #1 riffed on the nosegays. It was an elongated cascade of bright blooms.
The surrounding fields of swaying flowers and grasses inspired bridal bouquet # 2 — a spray of wild, waving pom-poms stemming from magenta pine-like base.
Using our hostess’ platters, we arranged an incredible Vermont cheeseboard that included Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Willow Hill Farm’s Alderbrook semi-ripe sheep’s milk cheese, their gloriously nutty Tomme, Orb Weaver Farm’s Cage-Aged cow’s milk cheese and plain, peppered and herbed fresh chèvres from Blue Ledge Farm— all carefully chosen by one of the brides, a dear friend I met when she was cooking at Babbo.
I’d have thought it impossible to improve upon such exquisitely made and lovingly selected cheeses, but raw honeycomb, chili pepper jam and the hostess’ homemade mostardas added even more love and deliciousness.
We ate family-style. Cassoulet made from local duck and chicken plus these beautiful veggie pot pies, each baked in a different dish.
For dessert, friends baked 18(!) pies from fruit picked at nearby farms, using one pal’s just-salty-enough dough recipe. My favorite was the apple with a crumble topping. Angus was partial to blueberry with vanilla ice cream.
I was too busy eating pie to take a picture of pie.
We had two huge pieces each.
Our host ended the evening by building a bonfire that seemed to touch the stars. We stood for awhile in awe of the flames then filled the night sky with guitar chords and song.
xoxosl
A few weeks ago Drew’s cousin Chris visited town and we celebrated the flavors of the late summer Farmer’s Market with an all vegetable dinner. Armed with our vegetable bounty and kitchen staples like good salt, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, garlic and a very hot oven, we made magic.
Roasted eggplants in assorted varietals (Japanese and Chinese) and radicchio drizzled with olive oil, chopped garlic and fresh basil.
Fresh yellow cherry tomatoes halved and dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh basil.
Colorful bell peppers roasted in the oven and peeled then sliced and tossed with olive oil, a splash of vinegar and salt and pepper.
The feast of roasted vegetables served alongside an arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette and shaved Parmesan.
Figs and Cypress Grove Midnight Moon goat cheese for dessert!
