All Fall Down

We weren't planning on taking the tree down until Sunday but it had other ideas. I'd just finished cleaning up from New Year yesterday morning when I heard the crash. No animals were anywhere near the tree when it fell to the ground so we can't blame them and I closed off the room pretty smartly so they wouldn't get cut paws from the shattered ornaments. Lessons for next year: Make sure the tree is centered before you decorate it and keep it well watered; the poor thing was bone dry. Surprisingly though, it had lost hardly any needles until it hit the floor; it looked as fresh and green as did when we dragged it in two weeks ago. The tree ornaments, however, didn't fare so well. In the end we lost most of the hand-blown icicles, all the red glass ornaments and a couple of the hand-painted ones. I was amazed the whole lot didn't smash but we'll still be looking at a couple of dozen replacements next year.


We removed the rest of the decorations at the same time. The house is pretty bare now but the Satellite bowl looks good in its new home.

Beer, deer and chocolate

I'm kicking off the New Year with beer. Not "hair of the dog" style, not to drink at all. I'm more of a wine/gin girl but I love to cook with beer. Today it's Vension Shepherd's Pie, hot and comforting after last night's celebrations, and especially appreciated in the arctic blast that has enveloped us since yesterday. It's a standard Shepherd's Pie recipe plus a teaspoon of cumin, another of allspice, two tablespoons of Trader Joe's Spicy Tomato Chutney (yep, still working through those leftovers), and 3/4 bottle of dark beer, I used Negra Modelo because that's what was in the 'fridge, but any dark beer will do. I also threw in the remaining spoonful of the Tapas Tomatoes as there simply weren't enough to serve as a side dish. Because venison is very lean I made sure all the olive oil, and the garlic clove, from the tapas dripped into the meat and vegetables. How good is it on New Year's Day? Perfect. This dish even smells comforting.
If you can't get your hands on some venison and straight up Shepherd's Pie doesn't do it for you, another great meat and beer recipe to keep out the winter chill is Nigel Slater's Braised Beef with Beer and Onions from The Guardian last weekend. Simple and soul-warming.
Incidentally the best quote from 2008 comes from the first paragraph of his article "I can't bear to think of a day without (just a little) chocolate. Not that I need much. But a tiny square or two is necessary if I am to retire with a feeling that my day was something." I think that's my New Year's Resolution: 2 squares of chocolate to validate every day.

Tomato Tapas

To welcome in the New Year I need something hot, sweet, zesty and good-looking, even if it's just a humble tomato. Here's my favorite from last night. Happy 2009!

Tomato Tapas
1 box Grape Tomatoes
Clove Garlic
Thinly sliced lemon zest
Couple sprigs fresh Rosemary
Pinch red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper
Spanish Olive Oil

Put ingredients in a shallow dish. You'll need enough olive oil to come a little way up the tomatoes - say 2 tablespoons or so. Bake in a 375F oven until the smell drives you crazy or 20-30 minutes.
Serve with chilled Fino Sherry, or Champagne on New Year's Eve, or as a side dish to Vension Shepherd's Pie on New Year's Day.
For real recipes go over to Simmer Till Done. Marilyn has some of her best posts of 2008 in a round-up edition. Enjoy!

Outdoor Dog

Polly spent another night outside. Even though it was just about freezing she absolutely refused to come in. So The Guy has issued a fiat: if the dog wants to be outside, she will have her own house. I'm now searching for a modern dog kennel. So far I like this one and this one, as they have sloping roofs and similar lines to the house. Anyone else got any better ideas?

American Idle

How young can you be to have lived a life worthy of a memoir? And new memoir? Does that mean he's written one already? Seriously, Sanjaya? Isn't he like twelve?

Changing the Axis

I got madly bored on Christmas morn and switched the bed around. AGAIN. This is a better configuration in every way except one: The Guy has a lot less room between the bed and the window, which is apparently challenging when negotiating the room in the dark! For me - I can honestly say I have slept better than I have in months. Perhaps it's because the bed is now on a north-south axis rather than east-west? Anyone else feel this connected to the earth or is it just me?

Renaissance Porn

A literal Testa de Cazi or dickhead from the profane section of the Met Museum exhibition Art and Love in Renaissance Italy. We stumbled upon this gem of an exhibition quite by accident. After viewing the Baroque Christmas Tree we wanted to see some European art to complete the old world feeling. Somewhere past Caravaggio's Denial of Saint Peter we wandered through the exit of the exhibition and were entranced by the images of the Bella Donna and Venus. It was entrancing. All aspects of love, marriage, family, platonic, as well as sensual both heterosexual and homosexual, are covered by works on paper, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, glass, jewelry and furniture. Other standouts are the maiolica childbirth plates and the wedding rings, including a beautifully ornate Jewish ceremonial ring. The curators have provided a thorough explanation of the imagery employed in these works of art. Let's just say I will be looking at keys, birds and vegetables in a totally different way from now on. And it gave us a new insight into the holiday windows at Bergdorf Goodman that we saw later that evening.
The exhibition runs until February 16th and, brilliant idea this, accompanying lectures are available on the youtubes.

Shout outs

We caught the Young Rebel Goombas - or a portion of them anyway - at Black and Blue on Boxing Day the day after Xmas. And we got a shout out for letting them use our house as a location for their video. Their yet-to-be-finished video. (No pressure, Jake!) I also got complemented by a random person in the ladies room on the bright red silk shirt I was wearing. That, despite the stain on the flounce (oops, must learn not to drop sauce down me) and the sleeve (thanks to our server Caitlin who dropped the apple garnish on me). And thank you Caitlin for mentioning in a voice loud enough that the entire restaurant could hear, that we were such a cute couple. Apparently we were holding hands while simultaneously attempting to set up our iPhones (mutual xmas presents) in a zone with cell service. I know. We failed at so many levels of etiquette. But it's the holiday season, and there were cocktails involved so we feel no guilt.

Knock Out

Nothing says holidays like a couple of polar bears sparring. From the best holiday windows in New York this year at Bergdorf Goodman. The full fantastical selection is here and here. Enjoy!

Satellite Fruit Bowl of Love

The Satellite Bowl designed by Carlo Contin for sale at MoMA. The simple, geometric and uniquely modern fruit bowl I've been lusting after for a long time. The one The Guy drove all the way into Manhattan two days before Christmas to get for me.

Xmas Buenos Aires Style

From the famous Galerías Pacífico, a shopping mall in a Beaux-Arts building in Buenos Aires. More photos of the murals and spectacular glass roof here.

Merry Madness

The thing about having your end-of-year celebration at Solstice is you forget other people still have a few days of crazy left before their Happy Holiday moment. I ran to the pharmacy and was amazed to find four cars in front of me fighting over one space that was partially blocked by a UPS truck. When I got into the pharmacy there was a line. Trust me in the backwoods of Long Island that pretty much never happens. I couldn't understand what was going on until the pharmacist handed me my purchases and wished me a Merry Christmas.
I never, even back in the old days in the old countries, understood this manic urge to get out and join hundreds of others stockpiling essential supplies. After all, the shops will be open again on the 26th, won't they?
Anyway, it's cold again and we've had the big blowout meal so I've made an enormous pot of Split Pea Soup with the leftover ham bone, with that and the dried fruits we'll be good until normality returns on Friday. Merry Midwinter!

Incredible Inedible Gingerbread House

I sent out all the Gingerbread House cards to friends with children and a couple of big kids I thought would appreciate them but secretly I really regretted not keeping one for us, I wanted to play with stickers, too. Well, thanks to a kind neighbor we received one of our very own and as I didn't have a five-year old handy I decorated it myself. I don't think you can tell, can you?

First Casualty of Winter

I looked out of the back door this morning and was surprised how light it was. Then it occurred to me that I wouldn't normally be able to see my neighbor's house from this angle, now I could see that, and a portion of the back yard as well. Hmm, yesterday we had an 8' holly bush outside the door but the combination of a heavy snowfall and ice temperatures have bent it into a 2' bush. I can't get out to see if it has snapped off or whether it will bounce back but I don't suppose it will be the last yard-related loss this season. Surprisingly the fence is still standing!

The Aftermath

There are no good before shots of the decorations and certainly no during photos - too busy greeting, eating and drinking - but sufficient to say we had a rollicking good time, and I hope the guests did too. I snapped these afterwards while The House Elf, aka The Guy, was collecting glasses and bottles from various corners.


The baked ham, sliced venison (a gift from a guy with a gun) and Swedish meatballs disappeared, the salt and pepper prawns were a hit. We did serious damage to the seasonal cheeses: Stilton with walnuts and dried fruit, chevre rolled in cranberries and honey drizzled blue cheese. The ice cream and half the Solstice cake vanished, too. Friends brought more food, choux pastry puffs, shortbread, cookies, dried fruit and a white chocolate and banana gateau.


Although I make a lot of the food myself, to make life easier I outsource the finickety things. Trader Joe did sterling work as always. A few of the favorites: Spicy Almonds, Cheese and Ham Puffs, Raspberry Brie Filo Rolls and on the sweet side, Belgian Chocolate and Almond Tart, Fruits of Fancy (Turkish Delight with Walnuts) and Snowflakes (yoghurt covered pretzels). One non-edible product got a big thumbs up - Trader Jacques' French Liquid Soap, a little whiff of French perfume for less than $4 a bottle. You can't beat that, can you?


I've spared you the worst of the clean-up, the glasses, empty and half-empty bottles and plates on the sink side of the kitchen. Those bottles on the island are gifts from the partyers and in the big Le Creuset, the remains of the gluhwein we drank to keep out the fast-falling frigid air.
This morning we breakfasted on wonderful leftovers - awesome curried prawn puffs (courtesy of the Awesome Designer) and Buckwheat Salad (from our Buenos Aires-loving South African friends) - while resisting the temptation to heat-up the leftover gluhwein. It's 13 F out there but it's still a work day.

Snow Scene

It snowed a lot yesterday, luckily the good kind of snow: plentiful, soft and white. It's looking picturesque enough for tomorrow's Solstice Party and The Guy has shoveled the paths so whichever way people come (unless it's down the chimney) they should be able to make it to the door unimpeded.

Solstice Tree

Sometimes I can be a tad sarcastic about life in the 'bay but I can't fault our local firefighters. Knowing we would miss the annual tree sale while in BA, we gave them a handful of dosh and asked if they'd pick out a 7'-8' tree and deliver it. When I got home there was a huge tree hidden around the side of the house (in case of tree thieves, I suppose) but I didn't realise how fantastic it was until The Guy came home from Sao Paulo and we were able to erect it. Thanks Halesite Fire Fighters.


We finally decorated it this morning. Yes. I know it's leaning left but don't you think that's appropriate in this house? Anyway it's very festive, just don't call it a Christmas tree!

Leash of Shame

We sprung the animals yesterday and Polly was so delighted to be home she spent most of the night outside rounding up the kitties and asking us to let them back in. As a result we got next to no sleep. Tonight she will be wearing the "leash of shame"!

Unique Flower

There have been (verbal) comments that this blog has become more political of late, and I guess the last post won't have helped but I think it still skews more "uniquely modern" than leftist. Anyway, back in Buenos Aires (and don't get me started on the politics there) there was another sculpture, a more modern (2002) but equally unique piece that took my breath away. Designed and paid for by architect Eduardo Catalano, Floralis Genérica sits on a reflecting pond in the Plaza Naciones Unidas. Using hydraulic mechanics, the petals of the huge (60') metal sculpture open in the morning and close with the last of the sun's rays.
Catalano also built the famous mid-century modern Raleigh House in North Carolina, a unique structure with a hyperbolic paraboloid roof that was named "House of the Decade" in 1955. Sadly, the house is no longer standing, it was bulldozed in 2001. Let's hope for a better fate for the metal flower.

Jesus Christ on a Jet Bomber

Buenos Aires is a city of art: sculptures in the parks, paintings in cafes and fantastic museums including MALBA. It was at the last that I saw a work that has haunted me ever since. La Civilización Occidental y Cristiana (Western-Christian Civilization) 1965 by León Ferrari hangs at the end of the exhibition space on the second floor and is as profound and valid today as it was when Ferrari made it to protest the Vietnam War forty years ago. Exploiting religious beliefs to make a case for war or imposing democracy on a country is arrogant, imperialistic and costs thousands of human lives; it doesn't work. I doubt if we'll ever learn this lesson from history, maybe art as arresting as this can make the case.