Blogspot - Recipe Scratch Rusia

And just like that, we're not spending the day baking donut cakes in the kitchen.  Emma's at school and here I am in a quiet house working on my computer.  This scenario seemed impossible just last week.  There were points in the summer that I would've gone to great lengths to have a quiet morning sitting at my computer with my entire brain to work with.  And now that it is here, I'm wishing it was still summer break and the only thing on our agenda was going for a bike ride and heading to the pool for lunch. The other side of the story is that I love my work.  Last year when kindergarten started, I reclaimed a real workweek for myself that I hadn't had since she was born.  I truly enjoy my time working alone at home and after a breezy summer I'm glad to be at the grind again.  I also love the routine of the school year. This morning after Mr. Darcy and I went on our long, leisurely stroll, I sat down to my desk brimming with ideas for the new season....

Last weekend we hosted a dinner at The School House.  My Aunt and Uncle were visiting, so we treated everyone to a dinner (mostly) from our garden.  Dinner at the school house is a unique setting - it feels sort of like a country house, but also a little like a store.  We had plenty of wine and music and a delicious fresh menu that tasted like summer. It was mostly adults (except for Emma and her baby cousin), so I took the opportunity to set a pretty table using the new linens from the Classic Collection - Navy Fleur Block Print . I took these photos in the afternoon, but we didn't have dinner until 8pm, so you'll have to imagine the candles flickering and the sun setting over the field against the huge wall of windows. I design all of the runners in my store to be extra wide and extra long.  I love big, rustic farmhouse tables - I love to see the patina and character of the wood.  I'm not much of a placemat person, so this extra long, extra wide runner provide...

The Spritz This became my favorite cocktail after seeing it in the Barefoot Contessa's Cooking for Jeffery Book a couple of years ago.  It is a fresh, crisp, not too sweet, not too strong, citrusy Italian cocktail.  I feel like I have to document it on the blog because it has become a sort of legend amongst our friends this summer. Our friends who lived in Italy for a couple of years served them at their annual Masters Party this year.  Even (especially!) the guys are going crazy for the Spritz.  Then we went to Vail with the same group of friends for a wedding - the Spritz became the official drink of the wedding.  It is the perfect drink for an afternoon cocktail and so refreshing on a hot day/evening.  Now, they've become a staple for all of us at the pool, during a round of golf and before (and after!) dinner.  We're hooked! There is a bit of controversy amongst us on what is the best recipe.  The guys tend to like it a bit stronger (more Aper...

When I'm having some girlfriends over for a drink before dinner, or maybe we're having an afternoon playdate this has been my go-to snack.  It is a little different than a typical cheese board - a little more simple.  It is homemade parmesan biscuits (Barefoot Contessa), shards of white cheddar (also very Barefoot Contessa), blue berries and Boursin covered in honey (so good!).   I present them all of a big pine  Bread Board  to make it feel rustic and casual.  It is a very help yourself sort of presentation.  This large board is part of a  Set of 3 Aged Pine Bread Boards  in my store - they've just been restocked.   I have the boards all over my house - not only in the kitchen, but also in my mudroom.  I use them for staging photos for the store, a tray for drinks and, of course, cheese boards. When we moved into our kitchen, it felt very brand new (which was great) and I wanted to give it a little bit of rustic aged charm.  J...