A Bunch for Brunch

Sunday, a few friends came over for brunch.  What's not to love about brunch? The food is good yet inexpensive and no one is expecting Julia Child cooking techniques.  My glitch was this little old thing called "a budget".   See, I don't buy expensive shoes or go crazy on clothes but I do throw caution to the wind (as well as my wallet) when entertaining.  Armed with determination to make Susie Orman AND my inner control freak "everything must be fantastic" hostess happy,  the menu was kept simple.

Mimosas
My trick was to splurge on fresh orange juice.  The inexpensive Cava was $8 at Trader Joe's and added the perfect bubbles to the drink. It's a universal truth that the "nice" stemware always breaks WAY before the cheapies.  I found these basic flutes at  cb2.com to give guests so it's fine if they break yet I still like the look.  At $3.95 a pop, they are one of my favorite finds.

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Guests were greeted with a platter of sliced coffee cake and my trusty French Press full of hot, Italian roast coffee.  Add a tray with whipped cream and frothed milk and your guests will think Starbucks is in the house.

I swear by Bodum's press. It's a classic.  

Ina Garten's Herb Baked Eggs (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herbed-baked-eggs-recipe3/index.html) served in Lodge's preseasoned individiaul cast iron dishes added some panache and protein to the menu.  With a slice of fresh melon and some buttered brioche bread lightly toasted and the meal was complete. http://www.lodgemfg.com/

Lodge Tableware Round Mini-Server

If you live in a small spot and might not have a proper dining room table, these old school rattan trays do the trick.   Pier 1 sells these for $5 each but I found mine at the fantastic Hospital Thrift Shop on Nantucket for .25 each.  

I had to kick the guests out which is always the best sign of a good party.  Added pleasure, my wallet still had something in it.

Frances turns Frugal (well, for a week anyway)

I have a confession.

Being frugal is not my thing.  I hate left overs and shopping sales. Yes, I read the WSJ and know about the global recession and I'm not a spendthrift but when it comes to food, I pay up. Friends use me as a Zagat Guide and I follow chefs like some girls do rock stars. But after one too many $18 drinks and $40 entrees, it was enough to put this otherwise happy girl into a bad mood. The real kicker was when I got "check out shock" at Whole Foods picking up things for a dinner party. I realized that I could have taken my guests out to dinner for what it cost me to entertain. Something had to change.

I started thinking about favorite suppers made with a song and remembered when food writer/chef, Sarah Copeland (edibleliving.blogspot.com), crashed at my apartment for a few weeks and offered to cook dinner one night.  My refrigerator had dismal offerings yet somehow she made one of the best meals I have ever had.  I still dream of the fruit dessert she conjured somehow up.  As a life rule,  I don't even eat non-chocolate desserts but this was exceptional.  She raided the dusty cognac bottles in my bar and poured on ripe clementines with a touch of sugar and vanilla bean.  Mouth watering delicious....

My mother is also a serious frugal at heart.  While fondly called the Queen of Mold after Ruth Reichl's (ruthreichl.com) description of her own mother in her book, Tender to the Bone,  Mom makes the world's best vegetable soup tossing the week's leftovers into a pot. And I mean everything. It's always a bit different but soooo good.  I know, I know... a lot of amazing/favorite dishes are made from old food-the Cuban dish rioja vieja, bread pudding-the list goes on... I love to eat them all, it's the making that somehow gets me.

Inspired by both these ladies, I decided to raid my ice box and fridge and not visit the awfully alluring "Garden of Eden"or  Whole Foods  on my nightly walk home from the subway for one week. For inspiration, I  used a few blogs when faced with defrosting the many bags and containers in the freezer that no longer represented anything worth eating.

Maybe they'll help inspire you too:

inpraiseofleftovers.com  (how GREAT is that name!!  Thanks for passing this along, Jordan)

thefrugalchef.com

thepioneerwoman.com
101cookbooks.com

food52.com

I am hosting a few friends for Brunch this weekend and embracing my new found frugalness.
Will report in on menu + how it went.

Stay tuned.

Autumn in New York Playlist

Grab a cocktail at the Carlyle Hotel.  Don some pearls and high heels and Jackie O dress.  Be a good old
fashion flirt.  These songs have me whistling down Madison Ave. with a swing in my hips.

Autumn in New York by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Sunday in New York by Bobby Darin
New York, New York by Frank Sintra
Manhattan by Rod Stewart & Bette Midler
Take the "A" train by Ella Fitzgeral & Duke
Chelsea Morning by Judy Collins
New York Skyline by Garland Jeffreys
Brooklyn Bridge by Frank Sinatra


Enjoy!

Taking it up a notch

Lately, I have been inspired by folks who are living out loud.  They are making artful self-expressions, leading me to think about how beige my life had become. These folks kicked my fanny to take it up a notch. Maybe they'll bring you a smile as they did me.

The Dominican Biker     I heard him before I saw him. Walking up the street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, last Saturday I heard this fantastic latin music blasting from an old school boom box. I mean, I can't tell you when the last time I saw one of those.  So, this guy is apparently a neighborhood staple, cruising the streets on this decked out bike with a fridge attached.  Sometimes it's his business and sometimes it's simply his mode of transportation.

A Knit Nut This guy (or girl?) was outside the greenmarket at Union Square.  Clearly protested something that no one could figure out.  How long did it take to make this body suit?  What guts to actually wear it!

Spray paint madness  This fabulous truck greeted me as I stepped out from my building this morning. I became kinda obsessed with graffetti as art when traveling to Paris with Steve Mackenzie of Larson-Juhl (larson-juhl.com) who took me to the Marais to hit several art galleries featuring the work of street artists.  Makes me want to pick up a spray can and go at it.

Love.

Belated Halloween Happy Hour

Last Sunday, friends came over and mini Lady Apples dipped in caramel were the treats.  The size was perfect and a lot easier to eat than the normal Granny Smith version.  

Here's a closer close.  Takes literally 5 seconds to make and guests give a "oooohhh" when they see.

Enjoy!