In “Belle In The Big Apple,” I write:

Twenty-five, twenty-five…there was something that made it the year of singular beauty and opportunity. It was supposed to be the time when my profession, my sentiments and my social circle formed a flawless sphere–a shape as perfect as a hen’s egg.

Boy was I naive.

Flash forward to the present–I’m obsessing about eggs but only because my 1 year-old daughter loves them and they keep her from having an afternoon melt-down…

New York Daily News: Full Plate

A moment like this gets me through the rainy Wednesdays…

We didn’t make it to Cannes this year. Parker says she prefers the Winkles to Woody Allen, Rainbow Bright to Ridley Scott.

So while we’re homebound (…tied to the apartment, tethered to three dozen plastic toys and bottles of chilled Vitamin D), I’m watching Euro-based movies On Demand (”8 1/2,” “To Catch A Thief,” “French Kiss”)  and eating our delicious, Mediterranean-inspired h.o.d.’s.  My and Jamie’s Dip Duo: Feta & Sundried Tomato Tapendade and Roasted Eggplant, Tahini and Basil Dip. 

These are going in the book, so I can’t list them here. Email me if you’d like the recipes!

Enough with this work stuff, why can’t we go back to the beach??

My ideal beachside dinner menu…

Fried Grouper Fish Tacos w. Greta’s Tex-Mex Green Goddess Dressing
Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad
Jamie’s Ultimate Guacamole and Chips
Key-Lime Margaritas

I adore the newly revamped Taste of the South magazine (as helmed by the sweet-and-savvy Brooke Michael Bell). Like I said in the New York Daily News, I think it’s younger and feels more fresh than any of the other food glossies that I subscribe to. Most importantly–the magazine feels honest.

What do I mean? There’s no filler, no fluff, no white bread. The magazine is as meaty and delicious as my Mamma’s meatloaf. It’s cover-to-cover recipes that are straightforward and delicious. (Ad pages and giveaways can be fun, but they’re not helping me turn out dinner for 3 by 6pm!)

Two weeks ago, Jamie and I had a lovely time shooting a feature spread with Taste of the South. It’ll hit the newsstands right when our cookbook debuts. More importantly for y’all, on the photo shoot, I loved learning a few tricks and tips from the test kitchen and prop stylists. A random assortment:

• A final brush or drizzle of olive oil makes almost every protein look more delicious
• Milk bottles make fun, fabulous, rustic flower vases
• Do serve your iced, house cocktail in a simple, clear glass pitcher. The ice presses the sliced lemons and other fruit against the pitcher making for a very pretty pour.
• Hostesses, wear a fabulous outfit in your best color! This will distract from the upper lip sweat and dark under circles–the true sign of exhaustion! (Even though Jamie and I had a 3:45am wake-up call, I still looked decent bc of my royal blue jumpsuit (…and a pot of under-eye concealer).

“Next time, let’s make it dinner. Your place or ours?”

Check out Jamie’s $30,000 dinner here!

Okay, I’m going to announce a trend…

Private chefs are the hot, new bachelorette party accessory.  Who needs strippers when you have truffled fries and a case of wine???

New York Daily News: Full Plate

Pictured: Hubby and I acting as private chefs at Studio B. (Photo by Colleen Duffley)