Pink of Perfection

Since we began the week with cookies, it seems only fitting that we should continue on to ice cream. No, I am not single-handedly trying to wreck any resolutions you have for healthy eating. I think of myself more as the Ambassador of Pleasure, reminding you that every day should have its moments of unadulterated delight, whether that should come in the form of a quiet snowy walk, a tea date with a friend, or, you know, ice cream.

And what’s better than a bowl of ice cream following supper? Since you ask, I can say with the utmost certainty the answer is ice cream drowned in espresso and topped with whipped cream. My better half and I ate this on New Year’s Eve when we knew our energy reserves would be running dangerously low for the ball-drop. (Little did I know then that J. Lo’s sheery spangly catsuit would jolt me right awake.)  Coffee fiend that I am, I expected something delicious. But I did not suspect that I would be struck dumb, awash in the saporous delight of my absolute new favorite dessert. The espresso tempers the sweetness of the ice cream and the whipped cream is just to be ridiculous. It play its part well.

Continue reading “Chocolate Hazelnut Affogato” »

I say salty because that’s what catapults these rich cookie bars into another stratosphere. Without the salt these sweet rectangles would be cloying. With that lick of savoriness, a layer of butter cookie topped with a salted chocolate caramel and sprinkled with sea salt becomes otherworldly. One guest proclaimed that these knocked chocolate chip cookies out of her favorite cookie spot.

I say salty also because as filled with as I am with hope, goals, dreams, and expectations for the new year, I’m sure those dark days will come: we’ll get caught in the rain (but not in a romantic way), stay home sick (but not in that mental health day kind of way), and fine ourselves beset by the blues (and not necessarily in a creatively rich Dorothy Parker kind of way).

Just today I woke up with the world unexpectedly softened by snow. At first, it seemed magical in that Christmas morning kind of way. And then I thought of the treacherous streets, worried about someone I love moving from one office to another, just today turning the page on one life chapter. Perhaps the best we can do is notice the flip side of life, and then turn that coin right back to the bright side. That is the art and challenge of living well, no matter how fat your bank account.

Whenever I talk of moving to some fair city and starting anew, a friend reminds me, “Wherever you go, there you are.” The same certainly can be said for money. Sure, some of life’s problems can be banished by waving a wad of cash at them. But the heart of what it means to live fully, ecstatically, confronts rich and poor alike everyday: What is truly meaningful to me? How can I create a daily life that contains my deepest values? What (gulp) is the meaning of my life? And what’s for dinner?

As we approach a new year and the fourth (!!!) anniversary of Pink of Perfection, I want to thank all of you for coming to this site, reading, hanging out in the forum, and most of all, leaving your insightful, funny comments. I have always loved this blog as my creative place; the unexpected joy has been watching it become a gathering spot to the wisest, loveliest blog readers out there. I take great comfort in this community, and I hope you do, too. Here’s to another year of asking the big questions and savoring the smallest pleasures. Happy New Year!

Continue reading “A Sweet (and Salty) New Year” »

Though my means may be reduced from the days of whole sides of salmon and a digestif of chocolatey brandy, my love of entertaining has not waned. And why should it? A party can still be a be a kick-up-your-heels affair when guests are served bowls of chili, they just might not be as inspired to don a plaid strapless number, or pair their seductively low-cut red silk with pearls. Serving a dinner that seems a little special requires a bit of scheming, but it’s not impossible. A magician may pull a rabbit from a hat, but a clever hostess can extract 3 courses for 8 people out of $50. Some general tips for a thrifty affair:

• Have your guests bring the wine. When people ask what they can bring, be specific. Guests love assignments! Let them know that the party’s bar will be stocked by the guests and to bring what they want to drink. And no, this does not seem cheap. You’re serving forth a multi-course dinner, you don’t need to quench everyone’s thirst, as well. A bottle or two stowed in the fridge just in case might put worry-wart hostesses at ease (and provides the opportunity to take a nip of something before the guests arrive).
• Go easy on the appetizers. As much as I love cheese — and believe me, I mean I love cheese — people, ahem, have a tendency to overdo it when a creamy wedge of brie is plopped right in front of them as they’re tossing back drinks. You wouldn’t want your lady guests wishing they bought their green off-the-shoulder frock one size large this early in the evening. Pre-dinner nibbles should whet the appetite, not sate it. Olives and cheesy breadsticks always seem to go over well.
• Make vegetables the stars. Instead of relying on a pricey roast to steal the show, put super fresh seasonal vegetables in starring roles in beautiful salads, soups, and side dishes. A $2 head of cauliflower and precious little else can become a delicate and creamy soup that starts the night off on a high note.
• Let the sales guide you. It’s easy to plan a menu when the sky’s the limit — it takes resourcefulness to think about what’s in season and what’s on sale to come up with courses that complement and enhance one another. Think of it as a challenge!

Continue reading “Dinner Party on a Budget” »

Even before I was invited over to a friend’s house for the world’s best beans and rice (holy ham hock!), these cookies had been on my mind. Cool air makes me think of oatmeal. Strike that, cool air makes me want to bake, and nothing gets me back into the baking swing of things than cookies. So wickedly wholesome, so perfectly portioned, so associated with all that is good and innocent and simple in the world. But if oatmeal needs a friend, I confess raisins just don’t get my heart pumping. Chocolate chips, you say? Now we’re talking.

When I discovered, however, that I was out of brown sugar, my powers of improvisation leapt at the idea of making these cookies with maple sugar (white sugar mixed with, of course, maple syrup rather than molasses). I thought the maple flavor would kick up the fall feeling of these cookies. But to my dismay, the maple ended up being a silent accompaniment to the batter. Now I find myself wondering how far a little extra maple syrup would have gone… It’s important to ask the big questions on Monday morning.

Continue reading “Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies” »

Sometimes it’s fun to be a cliché. Like when you are feeling especially tender and emotional and decide to put on your pajamas while the sun is still high in the sky and dunk hot, double chocolate cookies in a glass of cold milk while beginning at episode 1 of Sex and the City and vowing to work your way through to the end (even though Carrie’s frizzy brown hair and the way she addresses camera in that first episode never fails to make you cringe). As they say, there’s a reason why a cliché is a cliché, and in my world this holds especially true when it comes to rom-coms and chocolate. In this particular case, the coziness of fresh baked cookies and a nightgown, coupled with a glamorous fantasy life of endless cocktails (but no hangovers), endless shopping (but no buyer’s remorse), and the tidy tying up of loose ends every 26-minutes is a wildly comforting concoction. And the cookies, a little chewy, very chocolatey, really do help.

Continue reading “Double Chocolate Cookies” »

There are some nasty consequences in having a birthday right after tax day. As you are planning the party, perhaps you are envisioning oysters and minionette followed by steak tartare and a never-ending river of champagne. But then you write a couple checks to the government and you realize lasagna it is!

If there’s one thing you can say about lasagna and layer cake, though, it’s that they are crowd-pleasers. Have you had a party and served lasagna recently? Strangely, one of the unknown secrets of the universe is that guests will go nuts for lasagna! Who knew?

A real source of inspiration for this dinner, though, was my pen pal friend Sara Rose. She had lots of ideas about how to make special, yet budget-friendly twists on the menu. The starter, for example, was her idea and a hit (roasted asparagus and broccoli, tossed with lemon juice and toasted pine nuts upon their exit from the oven), and she also suggested I dress up my plain jane birthday cake with some orange zest. Duh. How did I not think of this myself, as chocolate and orange is one of the most heavenly combinations on earth? Thank heaven for friends, both the ones who will come and wish you well as you blow out the candles and those who kindly advise from afar. I felt so lucky, in fact, sitting around the candlelit table, full of cheese and good cheer, that when it came time to make a wish, I honestly couldn’t think of a thing. So I spent my wish on someone else.

I think 27 will be a magical year.

Continue reading “Birthday Cake” »

A few weeks ago, Sebastian held a “party with a purpose” for a creative project he’s working on. He is making a feature film (!) and the actors and crew were coming over for a script reading. I couldn’t wait to dazzle everyone with canapés, salty nibbles, and some ridiculously extravagant dessert. Perhaps secretly, I wanted the food to steal the show.

Well, what happened instead was this: the night before the party I was still clueless about what to serve and feeling sort of spread thin and uninspired in general. So there, in the eleventh hour, I turned to my beau and said, “Do you mind if we go back to Plan A? Pizza and beer?”

He didn’t, of course, and I decided to just make cupcakes for dessert.

Here is the lesson: even the best intentioned hostess doesn’t always have the energy or inclination for pulling out all the stops. Sometimes, we only have it in us to offer one personal touch to a party, and the rest will be store-bought and delivered. And I just want to say this loud and clear: that is okay. Guests would rather have you in a good mood than your miniature beef wellingtons.

Magazines and entertaining “experts” just don’t say this enough, in my opinion. The atmosphere of a party is influenced so much more by the host’s attitude than what’s being passed on the hors d’œuvre tray. I can honestly say I have never felt underwhelmed by the food and drink at a party if the host keeps my glass filled and keeps the night convivial and lively.

I truly love designing menus for parties, especially if it gives me a chance to try recipes that seem a bit too special for an ordinary Tuesday. But the older I get, the more I realize that the food at a party is secondary to the people and to the vibe of the night. Sometimes, nothing says “party” like chocolate cupcakes, pizza and beer.

Continue reading “Chocolate Cupcakes, Pizza and Beer” »

In what seems like another lifetime, I studied art for a semester in Florence. At twenty, I thought it was the beginning of many more adventures like it. Seven years later, I’ve been back to Europe once, which only leads me to wonder why experiences like that wasted on the young. I mostly remember just walking, walking, everywhere, my loneliness clutched around me like a blanket, my heart heavy with the beauty of the place.

I’ll never forget what it felt like once the air turned from crisp autumn to damp winter. Though I was a transplant from college in Minnesota, I had never felt cold like this. The air was so humid, the cold sunk right through my clothes and into my bones. On one particularly cold, bright, wind-whipping day, my classmates and I stood in the Piazza della Signoria listening to presentations on the Fountain of Neptune, the Rape of the Sabine Women, and Judith and Holofernes. I remember standing, my hands thrust deep into the pockets of my velvet blazer, wanting so badly to run inside somewhere, anywhere. But in an act of generosity and whim that really made an impression on me, our program leader waved her gloved hands in the air and suggested we drink hot chocolate rather than stand in the cold.

However many of us there were — 20? 30? I’m not sure — filed into a bright, elegant cafe where hot chocolate was ordered for all of us. As the cups were filled, we passed them through the throngs until each of us standing in the middle of the black and white tiled floor was holding a cup and saucer.

I’m not sure if the hot chocolate would today win for my favorite, but at the time, I had not ever tasted, nor could I ever imagine tasting, anything as delicious. It was the perfect thing at the perfect time. And come to think of it, that’s probably why charmed events like this happen to young, clueless girls of twenty.

Since then, I’ve tried every kind of hot chocolate that crosses my path, and happily spent most nights last winter in bed, sipping at something warm, and reading the very best string of books ever. But I think the search for the perfect make-at-home hot chocolate ends here. When I took a sip of this last night, after a disappointing dinner, I literally cooed. All was redeemed. I sat down with the new book — one of your many fabulous suggestions — and called it a night.
Continue reading “Like-A-Dream Hot Chocolate” »