It’s a NEW YEAR!

I have to be honest, I'm kind of OVER the holidays now, aren't you? I sort of wish I could twinkle my nose and all the decorations and hoopla would magically be gone. Don't get me wrong, We had a great NYE and New Year's Day…

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but I'm almost too exhausted to recap it. I'm all about the start of a fresh New Year.

It's time to look forward now.

With, that spirit in mind, let's play a game! A dear friend (Thanks K.R.) recently sent me a email with this challenge, passed along by one of her friends:

"Pick a word that gives you inspiration for the coming year

Fun in the Sun…Valley.

A few years ago, err like 20 to be exact–my parents took my brother and I to St. Anton, Austria to celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary over Christmas. The spot was chosen as they took a ski honeymoon in Austria following their wedding. So it was very befitting as they are about to celebrate their 40th Anniversary this year, that we took another family vacation to a ski destination that reminds me very much of the Austrian villages and ski slopes we visited 20 years ago, to Sun Valley, Idaho.

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Photo Credit: Rob Insinger

There is so much to love about Sun Valley. The aptly named, sunshine for one. The charm, the hill, the town. I could go on and on. And speaking of anniversaries, Sun Valley celebrates its 75th this season, and it simply couldn’t look any better.

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No wonder The New York Times featured 36 Hours in Sun Valley recently. And perhaps stole a bit of my thunder in scouting out special spots, ah cest la vie. Maybe they should just pick me up as one of their travel correspondents? 🙂 No need to reinvent the wheel, right?

I concur with all mentioned in the article–especially the vintage consignment shop, The Gold Mine, as a major find. Talk about a MA-JER source for a retro ski party. Hellooo one piece–I can hardly wait to don a super attractive belted number complete with moon boots and host one of these theme parties!

Anyhoo, I did manage to discover some personal favs. and highlights not included in the article, like naturally heated swimming pools and hot tubs as part of the Sun Valley Inn and Sun Valley Lodge where a cocktail server will take your order pool/tubside, as you simultaneously drink in the cool mountain air.

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And speaking of the Sun Valley Inn, this was the departure point for a simply magical Christmas Eve sleigh ride that we took to a mountain-side cabin for dinner. It was complete with cozy Pendleton blankets on board, carollers at the restaurant and a visit from Santa. Can you say complete perfection for our kids? Though the return trip through a field of snow and a glance to that star-filled sky is a permanently engraved memory etched into my mind.

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One of my favorite cozy and delicious spots for an early morning to late afternoon bite is the The Kneadery.

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Rob Reiner was dining there, one of the days we were there. And as much fun as a celebrity sighting is, people in Sun Valley and Ketchum really do a good job of leaving them alone. As it happens many celebs. frequent this relaxed town (Demi, Ashton, anyone?).

The actual skiing was top notch and Dollar Mountain, may be the PERFECT hill to teach little munchkins how to make “pizza turns” with their skis and progress into “french fries”. As for Bald Mountain, I was in LOVE. The views, the terrain, even the lodge boasted touches of luxury, complete with over-sized leather chairs for lounging and a touch of glamour with gorgeous chandeliers.

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Ahhh, it was such a dream. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Almost 40th A&R!

A Homemade Christmas

In an attempt to avoid random retail rip-offs this year, we decided to go the route of thoughtful and homemade gifts.

First up, Gift #1: My husband’s hobby du jour: Pickling. I fully embraced this concept as a gift, especially as classic Ball Jars (that the goods come in), are so cute. They can be used as drinking vessels,as vases,for organizing kids art supplies, for pickling, and on and on.I can’t get enough of them.

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The actual pickling, he says is easy (my part is more like color coordinating the ribbons as a final touch)

The recipe is made to taste based on your palette, but basically: One part water, one part white vinegar, handful of salt, boil it, let it cool. In the pickle jar, add one crushed garlic clove, peppercorns, pinch of chili flakes, dill weed, refrigerate for 24 hrs. and voila. We made pickles, pickled carrots, pickled fennel, pickled green beans, and can’t wait to pickle some more.

Gift #2: Ever since, high school, I have loved cutting paper (mostly from magazines)and making collages. Along the way, this craft has morphed into the art of decoupage. I’ve applied this technique to so many objects over the years, lamp shades, light plates, boxes, buckets, etc. This year it was photo frames. My favorite “varnish” is made and sold by Nantucket artisan Leslie Linsley.

Gift #3 Shadow shell boxes.  I was inspired to make these after seeing something similar at Gumps in San Francisco.


Sweatermas 2010

Wow, I can’t hardly believe it’s the end of December, almost the end of the year. And not much posting. VERY VERY sorry. I will make it up to you with some juicy material from this point forward. It’s a promise.

First up Sweatermas.

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Or in my case, hideous Christmas Dress’mas.

Now we have closed in on our 3rd Annual of this kooky holiday tradition. And I have to say, the guests did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, folks really took it to the next level.

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Some of the flavor (literally) of the night included a meat tree, see below.

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Think Hickory Farms meat sticks, hunks of bright orange cheese, cherry tomatoes,  gherkins, etc.on this bad boy. Cousin Eddy would really be proud.

Of course we always have a big ass ham, as David Letterman would say. Furnished by Costco. It’s just not a Christmas party without it.

Then there are prizes for the best dressed, best couple and down right weirdest costume. This year, I really loved the 3 dimensional reindeer that protruded from the front to the back   sweater. Urban Outfitters has a good variety of strange, but funny gag gifts. Like the Santa outfit beer koozie, that the guys were really positioning themselves to win. Good things.

More holiday fun to come.

Top 20 Food Trends for 2011–Like Small Plates, Big Taste.

As we approach a New Year, it is time to look ahead for exciting food trends. Oh Yeah.

Here's the full list of Top 20 Trends For 2011:

By Nation's Restaurant News

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood
2. Locally grown produce
3. Sustainability
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. "Hyper local," such as restaurants with their own gardens and chefs who do their own butchering
6. Children's nutrition
7. Sustainable seafood
8. Gluten-free food and being food allergy conscious
9. Simplicity/back to basics
10. Farm/estate-branded ingredients
11. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
12. Locally produced wine and beer
13. Smaller portions for smaller prices
14. Organic produce
15. Nutrition/health
16. "Culinary" cocktails, for example ones that have savory or fresh ingredients
17. Newly fabricated cuts of meat such as the pork flat iron and the beef petit tender
18. Fruit and vegetables as children's side items
19. Ethnic-inspired breakfast items, such as Asian-flavored syrups, chorizo scrambled eggs, and coconut milk pancakes
20. Artisan cheeses

This week I hit a new Seattle restaurant that covered a good 50% of the above list.

La Bete? You bet!

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This place rocks. I'm always on a quest for exactly this type of dining experience. The atmosphere is chic and comfortable. The dishes were memorable with a gourmet spin on simplicity, see #9.

The food tastes like farmers market to table. I love the concept of the menu. Large one-note entrees, please be gone. Life is about tastes, and this is the place for that. See #13.

I was fortunate enough to be treated by a dear friend for a birthday dinner this week. Thank you, K. L. The menu is designed for sharing, as the food is served family style.

We delighted in:
Chickpea Fritters
with Mint, Cucumber and Yogurt
and
Red and Gold Beet Salad
with Walnut, Apple and Horseradish
and
Mushroom Bread Pudding
with Carmelized Onion, White Beans and Gruyère
*this was my favorite dish
and
Poached Duck Egg
with Duck Fat Potatoes, Chanterelles and Lardons
Drool…
Happy Almost New Year–Bon Apetit and Bon Nuit!

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