Rainy Days

It's raining in New York today and will be for the next few days. I think I would be less annoyed if I looked as chic in it as they did in these photos from the 1960's!

A Picture And A Quote

When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will respect you.

                                              -Lao-tzu

Bon Weekend!

There is so much fun stuff going on this weekend that I just had to share it all. Saturday is another One Kings Lane Tastemaker sale and this time it features Windsor Smith. That's her work above. I had the please of meeting Ms. Smith in LA and she couldn't have been nicer or more stylish so I'm sure her picks will be very chic!

Also on tap is the Los Angeles Antiques Show which runs through Sunday. I really wish I could pop on a plane and check out this fabulous event. I heard nothing but wonderful things about it while in LA!

If you're in New York, I highly suggest you check out Bergdorf Goodman's awesome Beauty Gift Card Event. The gift card entitles you to $25 off a $100 beauty purchase through Sunday. Not quite as good as the $25 off a $50 purchase which is what the event used to be when I first moved to NYC but I can't really complain. Any discount at Bergdorfs is a good discount! I for one will be stocking up on my favorite Bronze Goddess self tanner from Estee Lauder!

After you load up on beauty products at Bergdorf's, you can head down to MoMA and check out the Henri Cartier-Bresson photography exhibit! I might see you at both!

It's supposed to rain Sunday so I ordered my copy of The Young Victoria on DVD to watch while I hibernate inside. I loved this film and can't wait to see those beautiful costumes again. And of course handsome Rupert Friend too!

If you want to add something fun to your cart after ordering The Young Victoria, then let me suggest the humorous new book Classy by fashion journalist Derek Blasberg. I like to think that all of my readers are already classy so feel free to send it to those less fortunate. Bless their hearts.

Last but no least, start sucking up to all your well connected friends so you can snag a reservation at the soon to open new restaurant, The Lion (62 West Ninth Street at Sixth Avenue). The preview dinner last week brought out Ashton and Demi as well as every other fashionable New Yorker since the chef, John DeLucie, is also the chef at another no number listed restaurant, The Waverly Inn. Haven't heard if truffle mac & cheese will also be on The Lion menu but I did hear that Barbra Streisand performed in the same space in the 1960's. If she was there today, I bet she'd be singing Big Papa Can You Hear Me? Bonne chance and bon weekend!

Flower Girls

After you have Queen Quills Calligraphy address your wedding envelopes, you can hire the lovely ladies of Saipua to create all your flower arrangements. I found these photos of a wedding they designed this past weekend at The Bowery Hotel on Milk and Mode and couldn't help but want to also post them. They are beyond gorgeous! The illustrations on the menus, table numbers and programs are by Rifle Design. These resources are definitely going in my future wedding file. Now if anyone knows any eligible bachelors, send them my way!

Letter Perfect

My computer troubles have me longing for the days of pen and paper. I love technology and all but there is nothing like discovering a hand addressed letter in my mailbox to make my heart sing. I would probably be singing very loudly if I ever received an envelope hand addressed by Queen Quills Calligraphy. Some of the styles remind of something Jane Austen would have sent out in her day but yet they also look fresh and modern for today. They are beautiful works of art that are perfect for parties and weddings and even better for love letters! Just make sure you choose your recipient carefully! You definitely don't want to waste this prettiness on just anyone!

Technical Issues

I jumped out of bed this morning excited to post about a myriad of fun topics but my computer had other ideas. Actually, it wasn't completely the computer's fault. An update from McAfee essentially ruined the operating system. (We will not be using them ever again.) Lucky for me, my friend Jessica's husband Josh recommended NYC Tech Guys. I want to give them a big shout out because one of their techs was at my apartment an hour after I called them and they got us back up and running! They couldn't have been nicer and didn't leave until they were absolutely sure they had fixed all my problems. I highly recommend them to anyone in NYC needing technical assistance! To paraphrase their tag line, they make IT work!

Its Delish! Vanilla Kumquat Marmalade

A few Sundays ago, my family went to my mom's house for dinner. She has the most beautiful back yard, and in the middle of it is a huge kumquat tree.

Isn't that a beauty! So I thought I would get the kids out there and pick some kumquats. And boy did they come up with a huge bounty!

Mason, my older- more serious son, loves to pick fruit, so he was very competitive.

Toby, my younger goofball son, was perfectly happy to squeeze the kumquats so the juice would squirt right in your eye.

Between them and their two younger cousins, they picked a HUGE bowl full of kumquats. So I decided to make kumquat marmalade.

First, I got my tools out: 1 bowl for seeds, one large measuring cup so I knew how many kumquats I had cut, a cutting board, a knife and a towel to wipe my hands off with.

Then I began to slice the kumquats and reserve the seeds in the little bowl. You will use the seeds later, so be sure to save them. Plus, you don't want hard seeds in your finished marmalade.

This is what 3 pints (6 cups) of sliced and de-seeded kumquats look like.

And this is what the seeds look like from 3 pints of kumquats.

Put the seeds in some cheesecloth and tie a string around it.

Then put the kumquats, seeds, and 8 cups of water into a pot and bring to a boil.

There it is, boiling away. Once it has come to a boil, let it run for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and let the kumquats, water, and seeds soak overnight.

The next day, bring the pot with the kumquat mixture to a quick boil. Then add 6 cups of sugar.

Bring it back up to a boil and then lower the heat to low and let simmer.

While you are waiting for the mixture to come to the second boil (after you add the sugar), you should split your vanilla bean in half lengthwise.

Then use your knife to scrape out all the seeds, otherwise known as 'vanilla caviar'. Add the seeds and scraped pod to the pot.

Here is what the mixture looks like once everything is in the pot. Notice how high up the mixture comes in the pot.

Here is a close-up of the marmalade. Can you see the brown specks of vanilla goodness? Now let the marmalade cook until it is ready. How can you tell if the mixture is ready? Put a metal spoon in the freezer so it gets really cool. Then, you put a few drops of marmalade on the spoon and stick it back in the freezer for about a minute. If you push on the drops and they wrinkle, the marmalade is done.

Here is what the marmalade looks like when it is ready for canning. Notice how far down the liquid is in the pot. This took about 1 1/2- 2 hours. Turn off the heat and skim the white foam off with a spoon. Let the mixture cool while you prepare the jars.

I went out and purchased 12 half pint jars. I only ended up needing 6 of them for this recipe. I unscrewed the caps and put the tops in boiling water for about 5 minutes.

Apparently this softens the 'glue' that will help seal the jars.

Then I carefully filled the jars (after I had washed them with soapy water and rinsed in hot water) to about 1/8 inch from the top. Then, using tongs I placed the hot tops on the jars and sealed with the rings.

The filled jars were then placed in a pot of boiling water. I thought I was supposed to have the water boiling 2 inches from the tops of the jars. It turns out I was supposed to have the water 2 inches above the tops. After boiling for 15 minutes I carefully removed the jars and let them cool. As each jar cooled I could hear the tops *pop* which meant the canning was successful.

And there we have the finished product!

I like my marmalade on toast with cream cheese, but you could also use it on muffins, or even throw it over brie and bake for 30 minutes and then spread it over crackers. Yum!

Hope you enjoyed my little foray into making and canning marmalade. If you really decide to do some canning of your own, please don't follow my directions, as they are somewhat imperfect. I would just google it and read a few bloggers who are experts on the subject.

Thanks dolls!