Fabulous SoHo Neighbor (decked out in his usual Paul Smith/Prada ensemble): “Your book is out so soon, darrrrling–congratulations! Tell me a little bit about it.”
Me (sporting not-so-fabulous gym gear): “Well, ‘BELLE’ is about a small town Southern girl who moves to New York City…”
Fabulous Neighbor: “Hmmm… And do you know who was the original small town southern girl who chronicled her move to New York City?
Me: (A sigh. An almost audible prayer that said girl didn’t publish a book last month…)
Fabulous Neighbor: TRUMAN CAPOTE!
Aleksandra Walker in September’s BOOKLIST says:
“Belle has decided to leave Alabama and the family newspaper to become a ‘real’ journalist in New York City. With help from Granddad, she moves into a cozy Soho studio and nabs a job at a conservative cable news channel. While she is befriended by a female broadcaster and wined and dined by older men, she realizes something unsavory is happening at the channel. She sneaks out evidence while putting together an unassigned story on the Democratic presidential hopeful—and readies for the eventual blowup.
Although she has abandoned her red-state roots, Belle remains tied to some traditions, especially oldfashioned Southern cooking; accordingly, each chapter offers corresponding recipes. Add to that a surprising setup by her family, which leads to love with an aspiring chef who is ready to leave the South for New York’s competitive kitchens. Food, love, and politics mingle in this lively chick-lit debut.’
And a very savvy producer just emailed me this:
“Belle’s a sharply defined heroine… I loved that her bubblegum veneer conceals hidden intelligence and emotional fortitude.”
(Picture at right: As bubblegum as it gets.)
“It’s choice–not chance–that determines your destiny.”
~Jean Nidetch
When was the last time you lost yourself in a garden?
Wild flowers become squash blossoms, shiso leaves perfume the air and berry brambles share the brown earth with wild garlic. A silver pond shadows the horizon. Lost in a garden, lost in the weekend…
It was our first Hudson Valley escape and we didn’t know our roles.
But soon enough, I became head photographer, assistant cook… and professional porcelain tub goddess. Jamie and our very generous host swam with the trout, while I lay in a bath of bubbles, sipping wine, reading. 
I liked to watch them float in the pond. I liked to watch them move in the garden. Idle, warm days punctuated only by meals and the next bottle of rose’…
A Few Plates:
-Roasted Chicken Stuffed with Corn, Cinque Epices
-Foie Gras and Stewed Fig Terrine
-Roasted Yellow Carrots and Onions with Honey, Lime and Habanero
-Farfalle with Squash, Eggplant, Jalapeno and Parmiggiano
-Summer Berry Compote with Toasted Pouncake
One last sunset and we returned to the city. But something in the sky told us we’d be back.
I could get used to Don Imus’ (ex) 46th floor aerie in the CBS studios… Floating above Times Square and the Hudson River, I had a grand ol’ time recording a promo for Belle in the Big Apple. John and Charlie, the most handsome men in the Simon & Schuster digital empire, came at me with an Inside the Actor’s Studio arsenal of questions.
An amuse bouche:
Handsome S&S men: What are your five most important books?
Me: Play It As It Lays & Slouching Toward Bethlehem (Didion), The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald), Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Anita Loos), The Sun Also Rises (Hemingway), Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell). Yep, that’s a weird mix (and that’s six).
Handsome S&S men: What is your fantasy profession?
Me: To be a vigneron. I want to work the vines, get paid to sample exquisite grape juice.
Handsome S&S men: What’s your advice to young women thinking of making their own moves to the Big Apple?
Me: Move to New York with a dream bigger than yourself or a one year plan.
(Note: I call the this pose my “Shadowed Barbara Walters”)
On summer weekends, we cook side by side. There’s more elbow room and the ocean breeze asks us to linger.
The city can wait.
He juices a watermelon and then infuses it with tequila and lime. I stuff little buds grown in Uncle Jay’s garden until they’re flowering—bursting with fresh mozzarella. We light the grill, sear the sirloin burgers, char the greens.
One last sunset and a picture before we resign ourselves to the roundtrip portion of our ticket. (Does it really have to end?)
The food we cooked this weekend was simple, satisfying–everything that a summer meal, or moment, should be.
Banana Pepper Poppers
(homegrown banana peppers stuffed with monterrey jack, cheddar, smoked paprika, coriander)
Fiori Fritti
(zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh mozzarella, anchovies)
Fancy Fabulous Burgers
(ground sirloin, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil)
Charred Swiss Chard Stems
(Aunt Mary Jo’s Tip: Treat the leaves like lettuce, the stems like asparagus)
Watermelon Margaritas
(fresh watermelon juice, tequila, triple sec, fresh lime juice)
