this is a page for

Monthly Archives: August 2016

General

Fur Shoes for Fall

posted on : August 24, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment
As I have been flipping through fashion magazines for Fall and reading Fall fashion blog posts, the one trend that keeps showing up is fur embellished shoes.  I love the fur slides.  The Puma ones have been sold out all summer but I also love the clogs and slipper look in bright velvet colors.  They definitely keep you thinking out of the box with your fall footwear.   Fur Shoes for Fall

Aquazzura high heel shoes
$945 – neimanmarcus.com

Monique Lhuillier vintage shoes
$890 – shopbop.com

Gucci slip-on shoes
$890 – neimanmarcus.com

Gucci leather shoes
mytheresa.com

Aquazzura self tying shoes
$780 – brownsfashion.com

Eugenia Kim pointy toe flat
$255 – brandoutlet.borderfree.com

Loeffler Randall sandals
$480 – bloomingdales.com

Eugenia Kim pointy toe flat
brandoutlet.com

Puma strappy sandals
bergdorfgoodman.com

General

Scenes From The Hamptons

posted on : August 23, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment

This August we were so happy to, yet again, spend time in the Hamptons….we really had an amazing trip.  We are so lucky to have elegant beach living such a short distance away.  Here are some snapshots of  well-spent summer days!!!

General

Book Club Monday

posted on : August 22, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment

Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, recently shared her favorite cook books on Instagram.  I was fascinated.  In my book, Ina is the cream of the crop.  All of her recipes are wonderful so I am really excited to see where she gets her inspiration!!!!

image Barefoot Contessa

A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes by David Tanis

Image Amazon

For six months a year, David Tanis is the head chef at Chez Panisse, the Berkeley, California, restaurant where he has worked alongside Alice Waters since the 1980s in creating a revolution in sustainable American cuisine. The other six months, Tanis lives in Paris in a seventeenth-century apartment, where he hosts intimate dinners for friends and paying guests, and prepares the food in a small kitchen equipped with nothing more than an old stove, a little counter space, and a handful of wellused pots and pans.

This is the book for anyone who wants to gather and feed friends around a table and nurture their conversation. It’s not about showing off with complicated techniques and obscure ingredients. Worlds away from the showy Food Network personalities, Tanis believes that the most satisfying meals—for both the cook and the guest—are invariably the simplest.

Home cooks can easily re-create any of his 24 seasonal, market-driven menus, from spring’s Supper of the Lamb (Warm Asparagus Vinaigrette; Shoulder of Spring Lamb with Flageolet Beans and Olive Relish; Rum Baba with Cardamom) to winter’s North African Comfort Food (Carrot and Coriander Salad; Chicken Tagine with Pumpkin and Chickpeas). Best of all, Tanis is an engaging guide with a genuine gift for words, whose soulful approach to food will make any kitchen, big or small, a warm and compelling place to spend time.

The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Image Amazon
Ripe seasonal fruits. Fragrant vanilla, toasted nuts, and spices. Heavy cream and bright liqueurs. Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate. Every luscious flavor imaginable is grist for the chill in The Perfect Scoop, pastry chef David Lebovitz’s gorgeous guide to the pleasures of homemade ice creams, sorbets, granitas, and more.

With an emphasis on intense and sophisticated flavors and a bountiful helping of the author’s expert techniques, this collection of frozen treats ranges from classic (Chocolate Sorbet) to comforting (Tin Roof Ice Cream), contemporary (Mojito Granita) to cutting edge (Pear-Pecorino Ice Cream), and features an arsenal of sauces, toppings, mix-ins, and accompaniments (such as Lemon Caramel Sauce, Peanut Brittle, and Profiteroles) capable of turning simple ice cream into perfect scoops of pure delight.

The New York Times Cook Book by Craig Claiborne

Image Amazon

 (the book is out of print but preowned copies are available on Amazon) 

Since it was first published in 1961, The New York Times Cook Book, a standard work for gourmet home cooks, has sold nearly three million copies in all editions and continues to sell strongly each year. All the nearly fifteen hundred recipes in the book have been reviewed, revised, and updated, and approximately 40 percent have been replaced.
Emphasizing the timeless nature of this collection, Craig Claiborne has included new recipes using fresh herbs and food processor techniques. He has also added more Chinese, Indian, and foreign recipes and more recipes for pasta, rice, and grains. Additional fish recipes, new salads and bread recipes, and an exceptional chili dish enhance this edition, which contains traditional American recipes and selected recipes from twenty countries. All the recipes are clearly presented and suitable for many different occasions, ranging from a wide variety of family meals to the most formal dinner party. The author also covers sauces and salad dressings, relishes, and preserves. And there are countless old favorites and those wonderful desserts.
Complete with essential cross-referencing, a table of equivalents and conversions, and an index, the revised edition of The New York Times Cook Book is a superb new cookbook to give, to own, and to use for years to come.

Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells

image amazon
 Bistro is warm. Bistro is family. Bistro is simple, hearty, generous cuisine-robust soups and country omelets, wine-scented stews and bubbling gratins, and desserts from a grandmother’s kitchen. Researched and written by Patricia Wells, author of The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris and The Food Lover’s Guide to France, together with over 220,000 copies in print, here is a celebration of the no-nonsense, inexpensive, soul-satisfying cuisine of the neighborhood restaurants of France. BISTRO COOKING contains over 200 scrumptious bistro recipes made lighter and quicker for the way we cook today. Warm Poached Sausage with Potato Salad. Benoit’s Mussel Soup. Guy Savoy’s Fall Leg of Lamb. Beef Stew with Wild Mushrooms and Orange, Chicken Basquaise, Pasta with Lemon, Ham, and Black Olives, L’Ami Louis’ Potato Cake, Provencal Roast Tomatoes, Pears in Red Wine, and Golden Cream and Apple Tart. Throughout, lively notes and sidebars capture the world of bistro owners in the kitchen, les grands chefs, and more. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. Winner of the 1989 IACP Seagram Food and Beverage Award. Over 166,000 copies in print.

Union Square Cafe Cookbook by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano

image Amazon
Union Square Cafe serves some of the most imaginative, interesting, and tasty food in America. The restaurant and its owners, Danny Meyer and chef Michael Romano, have been lauded for their outstanding food and superb service by Gourmet, Food & Wine, the New York Times, and the James Beard Foundation. Now its devoted fans from down the block and across the globe can savor the restaurant’s marvelous dishes, trademark hospitality, and warm decor at home.
Offered are recipes for 160 of Union Square Cafe’s classic dishes, from appetizers, soups, and sandwiches to main courses, vegetables, and desserts. Hot Garlic Potato Chips, Porcini Gnocchi with Prosciutto and Parmigiano Cream, Grilled Marinated Fillet Mignon of Tuna, Herb-Roasted Chicken, Eggplant Mashed Potatoes, and Baked Banana Tart with Caramel and Macadamia Nuts are some of the all-time favorites included in this long-awaited collection.
Union Square’s recipes are easily mastered by home cooks. They call for ingredients that are widely available (mail-order sources are listed for those few that are not), employ familiar techniques, and take a reasonable amount of time to complete. Amateurs and pros alike will find the dishes here as accessible as they are irresistible.
Beyond just providing recipes, The Union Square Cafe Cookbook inspires confidence in home cooks by sharing Michael Romano’s tips for success. Readers learn that soaking baby onions in warm water makes them easier to peel (in the recipe for Sweet Peas with Escarole, Onions, and Mint); that the Corn and Tomatillo Salsa served with Polenta-Crusted Sea Bass also goes well with barbecued chicken or pork; that leftover Sautéed Spinach with Garlic makes a great sandwich filling; and that yesterday’s sourdough bread should be kept for such soups and salads as Ribollita and Sourdough Panzanella. Danny Meyer’s wine suggestions, inspired by the restaurant’s remarkable cellar, accompany almost every recipe.
The Union Square Cafe Cookbook does the rare job of capturing the bustling energy and ebullient enthusiasm of the restaurant itself and the spirited personalities—those of Danny and Michael—that drive it. Folks will still go out of their way to eat at Union Square Cafe, but this cookbook—filled with the restaurant’s vitality, warm artwork, and tempting recipes—ensures that its pleasures are as close as your bookshelf.

Cold Weather Cooking by Sarah Leigh Chase

Image Amazon

Whether your winter blows with snow and rain or is just a sunbelt state of mind, a trove of delicious, soul-warming fare awaits in COLD WEATHER COOKING, from the author of The Nantucket Open-House Cookbook with over 214,000 copies in print.
Guided by a sense that winter is the season for seasonings-from ginger, garlic, and rosemary in Mixed Winter Squash Provencal to the cilantro and walnut crust on a dazzling Roast Rack of Lamb-this gifted cook and author provides dishes that are even gutsier than her summertime favorites. She pays special attention to the late harvest, helps cooks make the most of fall fruits and vegetables, offers chapters on winter grilling and cooking over the hearth.
More than 300 recipes range from bracing drinks for the first sign of autumn to glorious spring dishes for an Easter celebration. Warm Tomato Pie. Wild Rice, Mushroom, and Oyster Bisque. Pasta with Gorgonzola and Spinach. Plus Scallops in Sweet and Hot Lime Sauce, Deviled Beef Ribs, Broccoli with Toasted Hazelnuts and Pancetta, Sweet Potato Pancakes, Pumpkin Bread Pudding, Chestnut Mousse Cake, and Christmas Truffle Tart. Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club’s HomeStyle Books. 112,000 copies in print.

All titles are available on amazon.com

General

Setting the Summer Table

posted on : August 16, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment

I love summer table settings. There are so many good examples on Pinterest and Instagram. Summertime is the perfect time to experiment with bright colors and to mix and match. I really like the look of hydrangea with the blue and green ikat. The purples are so lovely too and who can resist an alfresco candlelight dinner or a lobster bake in August?  Happy Entertaining!!!!

image southernliving

image foodchics.com
image oscarbravohome.com

image entertainingiseasy.com
image housebeautiful.com

image betweennapsontheporch.com

image 1decor.net

image pinterest

 image theentertaininghouse.com

image Lucy Sykes

General

Book Club Monday

posted on : August 15, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment

I just started reading an incredible book, The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware!!  OMG!!!  I am having trouble putting it down.  It’s the perfect summer read.   Here is the story:

In this tightly wound, enthralling story reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

With surprising twists, spine-tingling turns, and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another taut and intense read in The Woman in Cabin 10—one that will leave even the most sure-footed reader restlessly uneasy long after the last page is turned.
Summary Amazon.com
For more information or to order, click HERE.


image Amazon.com

General

When Its Just Too Hot To Think

posted on : August 13, 2016 posted by : nicolesteinthal 0 Comment
The heat wave here in the Northeast is getting unbearable.  Even with my air conditioning full blast, it feels like 109 degrees.  It is hard to focus on doing much of anything much less cook.  I was wandering around the web and I found this refreshing, easy yet completely delicious recipe that I thought you might like to try.  It is a three-ingredient pasta and it’s the perfect thing to make when it is so hot you just cannot function.  Enjoy!!!!

image delish.com

Three – Ingredient Spaghetti



1 lb Spaghetti
kosher salt
juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 c parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper (optional)


In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook spaghetti according to package directions, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of boiling water and drain.


Return spaghetti to pot and mix with lemon juice, zest, and parmesan.  Season with salt and pepper as desired.