@IslayMacTavish has passed out.

I had to pull over my car and photograph this.
Tidying up I found a number of masks. Put them on the wine rack. Experience tells me they go well together.

Cocktail Hour
Homemade butter sprinkled with porcini salt, fresh farmer’s market radishes. Spread the butter on the radishes, and pop into your mouth. Cocktail within arm’s reach.

Ricotta, some fresh herbs, salt and pepper.
Mix up and stuff (delicately, you hear, my dear) the blossoms.
Dip in some egg yolk. Dip in some panko (the Japanese sort) breadcrumbs. And fry gently in oil.
Delish. And, very soon, history.



Same cove, different times of day. One of my favorite swimming holes, it’s about a mile down a steep, rocky trail that is surrounded by wild blackberries.
Elba is worth a visit. If you want an away-from-all-Americans runaway, this is your island. Elba is a small island off the Tuscan Coast, and a favorite sunning spot for Italians, Benelux folks, Austrians and Germans. Napolean was exiled to Elba in 1814 though he did eventually escape. But he made good use of his brief time there making all sorts of infrastructure improvements. Good for the visitor, the road system is great which means you can zip from side of the very mountainous island to the other quickly.
Good swimming, excellent sailing, fabulous hiking, seafood galore, and so accessible by car from the mainland with ferries going hourly from Tuscany.

Layering up for foggy summers.

Ancient Joie cashmere cardigan coat. Forever 21 dress (such that there is of it! Wee bittie bit see through). Ash sandals.

www.Forever21.com
www.AshFootWearUSA.com
www.Joie.com

This little salad takes about 5 minutes to make. With all the tasty asparagus in the markets these days, there’s no excuse to NOT make this! Delish. Plus, it’s a good opportunity to use that asparagus dish you have in the back of the cupboard you never use. (You probably don’t even know you have it.) Perhaps you even have asparagus tongs. Fancy pants.
Given there’s not much here to disguise crappy olive oil, use the fancy olive oil someone gave you as a house present. In this dish you’ll really taste the difference between cruddy, burning motor oil, and that of olive oil squeezed by delicate, tender hands on an all-organic, certified family farm of heirloom olive trees.
Right then.

My friend Oliver game me this eccentric, curved plate.
You’ll need a bunch of asparagus; shaved parmesan; olive oil; lemon zest; juice of half a lemon; salt and pepper.
Steam the asparagus til they’re al dente. Lazily, I do this in the microwave. Fast and less dishes.
Make a dressing of olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with some salt and a dash of pepper. Pour over the asparagus.
Top off with shaved parmesan. If you have vegans in the house, hold the cheese.

Yummy! Including Pigweed, otherwise known as Purslane amongst foodies.

Cool Temperley sundress with pockets. Kate Spade sandals in bright fuchsia.

My friends invited me to a pig roast at their house on the Hudson in Saugerties so I made some drinkies to go with the piggy, and some mustard fruit (great side to have in the fridge for meaty bits.).

The pig was delicious, as were the views, company and conversations.


Two Smart cars smooching in Pacific Heights on my street.