Tommy Hilfiger Fall  2010

For your table

Tartan

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Tortoise

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Camel

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Orange & gold

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Dark Cherry

xoxosl

]]> http://applesandonions.com/table/the-look-9/feed/ 0 http://applesandonions.com/library/the-kitchen-is-closed-2/ http://applesandonions.com/library/the-kitchen-is-closed-2/#comments Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:58:53 +0000 Sarah Lagrotteria http://applesandonions.com/?p=2966

Image: Christopher Baker

We’ll see you all tomorrow.

xoxosl

Image: The Sartorialist

Lydia and Drew are celebrating a friend’s wedding in Colorado.

We’re taking our new surfboard to Laguna

Where we’ll grab fish tacos at Taco Loco

After all that sand and sea, I’ll need a fresh mani/pedi.  OPI Big Apple Red always looks happy, classy and bright.

I’m lusting after modern chairs in the same candy apple hue.  Wouldn’t these be fun around an old farm table?

Also red(dish), Leanne Shapton‘s lovely bit on peaches and color for T Magazine

On to Monday’s grill time with family and friends.  I’m making Southwestern quinoa salad (without chicken) as a side.

Would you go vegetarian for a Meatless (Labor Day) Monday?  This meat-lover is giving it his best shot.

I may join him.

xoxosl

We hope you enjoy the new layout designed for us by the amazing team at Creative B’stro! These are the same lovely folks who designed our beautiful website almost 4 years ago and helped us launch our business back when all we had were big ideas and a pair of tongs.

Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. Each happy comment on a picture of a flower arrangement or praise of a recipe makes our day.

xoxoxox,

LE & SL

Monday
Lunch- Grilled vegetable salad topped with tuna salad and balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner- Moroccan Chicken with green olives and lemon over red quinoa

Tuesday
Lunch- Southwestern chopped salad with black beans and crisp vegetables
Dinner- Miso glazed cod with charred eggplant in a mirin dipping sauce

Wednesday
Lunch- Caesar salad topped with grilled salmon and roast cherry tomatoes
Dinner- Summer vegetables and white fish in a light carrot curry over brown rice

Thursday
Lunch-Grilled chicken and fruit and nut salad
Dinner-Mango shrimp tacos on corn tortillas

Friday
Lunch-Mache salad with roasted chicken, avocado and tarrgon vinaigrette
Dinner-Baked halibut in a tomato and olive sauce

It’s the unofficial last weekend of summer so we plan to enjoy it! I’m going to a Malibu beach bbq tonight and can’t decide what to bring as a side dish? Heirloom tomato salad with goat cheese and basil like the picture above? Or maybe a savory watermelon salad with feta and mint?

Fortunately I know what I’m going to wear tonight so that helps clear my mind of what to cook.

My Grandma bought me this AMAZING sparkly silver metallic beach cardigan yesterday at J. Crew! My Gram embodies classic style done with a “tasteful” twist, so I talked her into this fab vintage bateau neck striped shirt to add to her collection.

She said she’s going to wear it with her skinny jeans and pearls this weekend. Sounds like a great outfit. I enjoyed read Garance Dore’s closet staples a few months ago, what are yours?

Los Angeles has a chef who embodies classic style too, Suzanne Goin! Sarah and I adore her restaurants Lucques, Tavern, AOC and her husband’s restaurant The Hungry Cat. Local food bloggers are talking about where they would choose to eat their last meal in LA, mine would for sure be at Lucques.

Her cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques would certainly be in my top 50 fav cookbooks of all time along with some of these new ones. Happy Weekend!

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The place cards doubled as favors, a duet of Sprinkles cupcake flavors in little boxes! No cake was served but each guest left with the promise of something sweet.

Pale pink dahlias and wide open tulips in a pretty blue tin. Using a mixture of different flowers and colors keeps the arrangements from feeling stuffy or too “done.”

I ordered the tea tins from PearlRiver.com, just remember to order short ones so your guests can visit over the finished arrangements.

Hot pink and soft pink play so well off this Kelly Green colored tea tin.

Stunning red tulips in a red tin! While I usually am a fan of contrasting yet complimentary colors, sometimes a monochromatic look  really pops.

Magenta roses in a forest green tall tin look elegant!

Wow this one is really strong.

Deep red roses grounded the frothy pink and white tones of the other blooms.

Sweet and chic.

I’ve already shared my favorite comfort food (Peanut Noodles!), and I just learned that my uncle’s fave is, of all things, meatball pizza.  You can take the boy out of Cleveland…

I haven’t perfected my meatball pizza recipe (though I bet it would be good grilled), but I love this one for baked turkey meatballs.   They’re so moist and flavorful that you can forgo the pasta completely and bake them in a bed of our favorite tomato sauce.  Just add a crispy romaine salad and you have a satisfying, healthy meal– no frying necessary.

I can’t claim that these are particularly Italian–they’re don’t taste anything like the veal/pork/beef meatballs we made as kids– but they have an addictive flavor all their own.

Mini Turkey Meatballs
Makes about 50 1-1/2 inch meatballs

1 small onion, grated*
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 pounds ground dark turkey meat

*Whether you grate your onion by hand or in the food processor, be sure to use all the liquid the onion releases in the meatball mixture.  The onion juice ups the taste quotient and keeps these particular meatballs extra moist.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, eggs, bread crumbs, ketchup and parsley.  Stir in the turkey meat until just combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  Using your hands or a mini ice-cream scoop, make small meatballs, about 1-1/2-inches each.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Chill the uncooked meatballs in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.  This step ensures that they’ll keep their round shape while baking.

Bake until lightly golden brown and cooked through, about 12-15 minutes.  Repeat process with remaining meatball mixture.  Enjoy hot or at room temp.  I even like them cold.

xoxosl

Katie Holmes mixes earth tones and coppery pink for J. Crew

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Chanel Les Khakis de Chanel

For your table

Handmade ceramic dinnerware in shale

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Copper chargers and linens in flax

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Crystal champagne flutes in topaz for smoky pink sparkle

So looking forward to fall

xoxosl

Monday
Lunch-Cold lentil salad over baby spinach and Dijon vinaigrette
Dinner-White Fish Piccata with roasted summer vegetables

Tuesday
Lunch-Miso cod rice bowl with vegetables
Dinner-Grilled shrimp over zucchini “noodles” with fresh pesto and roasted tomatoes

Wednesday
Lunch-Summer fruit and nut salad with grilled chicken, nectarines and almonds
Dinner-Cornmeal-crusted trout with sliced tomato salad and roasted corn salad

Thursday
Lunch-Chopped La Scala salad with roast turkey and turkey bacon
Dinner-Roast fillet of beef tenderloin with summer vegetable ratatouille and green salad

Friday
Lunch-Cold Vichyssoise–summer zucchini and potato–soup with half a no-mayo chicken salad sandwich on brown bread
Dinner-Summer squash stuffed with ground chicken and seasonings with a side salad and roasted tomatoes

We’re working!

Which means I’ll be living off of PB & fruit.

Do you have a favorite hard-at-work food?

Here are some great reads–new & old– for your weekend pleasure…

We’d like to design our own cloth cocktail napkins. Until then, we rely on these beauties.

I mean, really.  There are no other words.

Do you baggu?  Read this

The Guardian made a 50 top cookbooks list

Let’s make our own

Suggestions?

xoxosl

P.S. We’ve a surprise coming next week.  Hope you like it!

Quinoa and White Nectarine Salad

serves 4-6

Quinoa is high in protein and gluten free so this is a very hearty and healthy salad perfect for lunch or a fresh new BBQ side. Omit the feta and it’s also vegan!

Ingredients-

2 cups of dry quinoa cooked according to the package instructions

1-2 Persian cucumbers, diced

1-2 white nectarines, diced

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans

3 tablespoons red onion, minced

10 leaves of fresh mint, finely sliced into ribbons

5 leaves of basil, finely sliced into ribbons

1 cup crumbled feta (optional)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, juiced (about 1 large lemon)

3 tablespoons good olive oil

salt and pepper

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts for topping

Directions-

Cook the quinoa per the instructions on the package. Fluff and allow to cool to room temperature. Juice the lemon and add a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper to the juice and set aside so the salt can dissolve in the lemon juice. Dice all the fruit and vegetables and toss into a bowl with the cooled quinoa. Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil into the lemon juice and dress the quinoa salad in stages checking as you go. You may not need all the dressing or you may need a bit more. Toss in the fresh herbs and the feta if you are using it, mix well and then season to taste. Serve room temperature or chilled topped with toasted pine nuts. I served it on a bed of arugula as a lunch salad with extra dressing on the side for the greens.

Aren’t the cabins beautiful? We had a king-sized bed,  fireplace, soaking tub, kitchenette, and a wide porch perfect for reading.

Glamping, my friends, is utter relaxation.

Here’s what I packed for food prep (from L-R)

My moka for grill-top espresso (you can just see the tip of the spout in the upper left-hand corner)

1 bag ground intelligentsia black cat decaf espresso

1 bag Maldon sea salt (the best!)

2 deck towels for triple duty–as tablecloths, porch blankets and beach towels

A moleskin journal and my Penguin Classics clothbound copy of The Odyssey

Hershey bars, graham crackers and marshmallows for lots of you-know-what!

1 bottle of olive oil and my dependable Mario Batali pepper mill.  Mine is the design prototype from my days with the man himself and has served me well for 8 years now.  I highly recommend them.

1 chef’s knife, 1 pair tongs, 1 fish spatula, 1 regular spatula and two tenugui cloths for napkins.

My carryall is a Reisenthal collapsible market tote which Lydia and I use every single day for carting groceries to our clients’ homes.  They’re also amazing for road trips and days at the beach.

Next time I’ll bring a cutting board as well.

Here’s our cook-top.

The first night we had delicious charred corn with grilled salmon and asparagus.  Simply drizzle the corn with olive oil, add salt and pepper and place directly on the grill until the kernels blacken, turning occasionally for even cooking, about 3-5  minutes depending on the heat of your fire.

Our second night was really special.  We grilled store-bought pizza dough and and topped it with a smear of goat cheese, grilled eggplant slices and heirloom tomatoes.

To grill the eggplant, we followed the same steps for the corn but left it on the grill for about 8 minutes per side until it was charred and soft and smoky.

We didn’t have a rolling pin and my olive oil bottle is square (a round one works in a pinch) so we simply ripped hunks of dough from the ball and stretched it by hand into mini rounds.  We daubed the dough with olive oil, sprinkled it with sea salt and laid it flat on the hot grill.  Grill until the first side is marked, about 1 minute, then flip and place your toppings on the cooked side.  Continue grilling until the second side is marked and your cheese melts, about 1 minute more.

We tore fresh mint leaves to cut through the smoky richness of the eggplant and goat cheese and ate standing up, anxious to get our next mini going as quickly as possible.

Doesn’t a burning fire make everything taste better?

Note: grilled pizza is best when followed by lots of s’mores.

Read more about glamping at The Red, White, and Green

xoxosl

For your table

A burlap table runner adds the requisite texture to a suitably relaxed farm table

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Recycled aqua wine punts for color

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Leather folding chairs for that butterscotch softness.

xoxosl

Menu August 16-20, 2010
Monday
Lunch- mixed greens with crisp vegetables, grilled chicken, pine nuts and carrot-miso dressing
Dinner- Composed Nicoise Salad- seared ahi, poached eggs, steamed green beans, boiled potatoes, tomatoes and olives over butter lettuce with shallot vinaigrette

Tuesday
Lunch- Quinoa and garbanzo bean salad over arugula topped with seared chicken strips and crumbles feta
Dinner- Rosemary Swordfish kabobs with assorted grilled vegetables and whole wheat cous cous

Wednesday
Lunch- Lemongrass Ground Chicken lettuce cups
Dinner- Baked Pasta- tomato sauce, ground turkey, whole wheat penne and roasted vegetables with green salad

Thursday
Lunch- Shrimp Spring rolls with dipping sauce
Dinner- Steamed cod with Green Goddess dressing and grilled corn and tomato salad

Friday
Lunch- Brown rice with miso tofu and eggplant and seaweed salad
Dinner- Spiced grilled chicken breasts with mango salsa and Asian coleslaw