easy easter.

Easter dinner was supposed to be easy peasy, until I showed up at Honey Baked an hour after it closed at noon. 

Panic and frustration hit hard. no doubt i went off on a rant about their poor business sense for closing early on the one day of the year people actually buy a ham. 

After this got me nowhere, and no ham, i headed to Whole Foods for an organic pig with no glaze. 

Who knew a glaze was so simple, and fatty (other than Julia Lake). 

Just pour a bunch of syrup, honey, and brown sugar all over the ham and bake, then baste, then bake, etc.

It’s always nice to pair a late afternoon of cooking w/ some drinking and cheesing.

That morning i baked an almond creme tart w/ blueberries a la Valleybrink Road. 

The table was thrown together by Zoe & Lauren. It kept evolving. 

Thanks to Lauren Ross for being my drinking buddy, remembering to take photos, and bringing NOVA along. 

Honey Baked, i still love you and always will. 

Little Ina’s.

My dear friend Anna Banana and I like to fancy ourselves, “Little Ina’s.” 

We used to live together in LA, spending weekends paging through Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, discussing the “Jeffrey’s” in our lives, and preparing serious meals.  

We always have tons of fun together and share a lot of love.

So when she came out for a visit in February, we couldn’t help ourselves but to prepare a Valentine’s Day dinner for friends (sorry Peen). 

For apps we served caviar & smoked salmon on blinis w/ creme fraiche and a generous cheese board.

Glasses were filled w/ Rose Champagne and raspberries. 

We went w/ Ina’s Spaghetti & Meatballs (extra fluffy!), which we served on a plate for two, Lady and the Tramp style. 

Noodles get couples kissin!

The table was romantically set w/ silver candelabras and pink candle sticks. 

For dessert Anna made Ina’s a m a z i n g Double Chocolate Layer Cake, and we purchased S’more kits for everyone from Clementine to roast by the fire. 

Like every party of mine usually goes, the boys end up watching sports on TV and the girls DANCE. 

Cheers to my Valentine(s) this year, Home Team.

an undie party.

my favorite underwear is designed by one of my favorite people, (daph)ne. 

so when she was coming to town around the holidays, we dreamed up this girly afternoon of shopping undies, eating cookies, and drinking juice (all color coordinated of course). 

I first met daphne on a photo shoot for Band of Outsiders a few years ago,

and now she’s a friend and a friend of the brand. 

Her line TEN is a collection of 3 styles that I find to be perfect in every way.

simple and flattering shapes, beautiful quality fabric, and inspiring colors.

I also adore her packaging and totes, which became party favors for everyone to take home. 

(be sure to check out her newest collaboration w/ A Détacher). 

TEN girls are all smiles at this party.

special thanks to Lauren Ross for taking these pics, pressed juicery for the delicious juice, Cissy for making the undie cookies, Geronimo for the balloons, and Refinery 29 for the coverage.  

chrismukkah

for our 2nd annual holiday dinner with Jacob’s family, I took a cue from this guy

and married the two food group traditions from christmas and hanukkah. 

apps: Chipotle and Rosemary Roasted Nuts, cornichons, vegan spinach hazelnut dip w/ green & red peppers, cheese board w/ grapes. 

drinks: Champagne (the good stuff).

mains: Matzo ball soup, Roasted Turkey Roulade w/ Hallah stuffing, Apple-Potato Latkes (or pancakes as i used to call them) w/ Cinnamon Sour Cream, Maple-Dijon Roasted Winter Vegetables, Bibb lettuce salad w/ Thomas Keller’s House Vinaigrette.

the table: kept it cozy w/ candlelight and eucalyptus branches in bottles. around the holidays I use everything I own that’s gold or silver. 

For dessert (and party favors) I made my first batch of chocolate chip rugelachs.

Like last year, i made gifts, instead of buying them. Everyone went home w/ some roasted nuts, rugelachs, and a weck jar of persimmon butter. 

we warmed our souls with Baijiu and bodies by the fire and in the hot tub.

cheers to the hosts, mr & mrs peen !

and our man of honor this year, Sammy. 

thanks to hanners for taking the (iphone) pics. my phone was busy being the ipod playing mariah carey’s christmas pandora station (the best).

(friends)giving

we hosted our first Friendsgiving (or #peensgiving as we liked to hashtag it) 

for 16 of our closest friends in Los Angeles, a week before the real holiday. 

it required 2 tables…

… and 2 turkeys.

I couldn’t have asked for a cozier LA evening 

as you walked in the door, it began with apple cider brandy/bourbon cocktails

and Sofia bubbly. 

apps were kept simple with a round of Tete de Moine (a food memory I keep close from parties past at Esser Vineyards)

and crudite w/ spinach and artichoke dips (made by my friends La & Ty). 

Since this was my first time preparing a Thanksgiving meal, I kept to the classics.

and recruited my friends to prepare a few sides like cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and biscuits. 

I brined organic turkey(s) w/ herbs, made sourdough stuffing w/ sausage, apples, onions and black currants (soaked overnight in whisky), mashed potatoes (extra loads of butter & creme), and sauteed brussels sprouts with onions and bacon. 

For dessert we didn’t F around. My best friend Charlie picked up apple and pumpkin pies from Trails Cafe. 

Table setting is my favorite part (and my secret talent apparently).

I kind of love seat assignments, but you can only really get away with them for special occasions. Since Friendsgiving is all about friends, I wanted the name cards to reflect something about each person. 

I used stamps. 

The best part about being this age is your friends start having babies, and those babies join the party and do cute things to make us all laugh and feel happy.

The night ended as it always should, by jumping in the pool.

thanks to Sous Style for featuring, and miss Lauren Ross for snapping pics. 

house(warm)ing

we’re going on a 2-month heat wave in LA and the only way to beat the heat is to swim. 

luckily, we’ve recently moved into a house with a pool. 

so we did what any good friends would do, invited people over. 

and what do you want to eat when you’re half naked in a swimsuit?

a slab of BBQ Baby Back Ribs.

and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. 

and other super skinny stuff. 

photos by Lauren Ross. see more on Sous Style. 

cotton candy, sweet and low, let me see that lobster roll

Sous Style recently featured me hosting a dinner party for friends at home.

Since it was the beginning of summer I thought it was time to boil a few lobsters, melt a ton of butter, and drink some rosé.

To start, I served Zucchini Cakes w/ Smoked Trout, paired w/ Champagne. 

To keep the Lobster Rolls company, I served homemade coleslaw and store bought potato chips (the good kind). 

For dessert I leaned on my friend Paul, who made baked peaches w/ an almond butter crumble served with vanilla and pistachio ice cream.

The table was all gingham and sunsets. 

Photos by Nick Walker. 

it’s a…?

well now we know, it’s a boy !

but back on this day in january it was chicks only.

me and my two girlfriends (zoe & mariana) headed north to Ojai to throw a baby shower for our dear friend La. 

their house is a dream

so the rest was a piece of (cup)cake.

the other baby-size food was made by ty’s mom julie.

we asked everyone to bring their favorite children’s book

and a special piece of fabric

little did we know that one of the guests had already made La a beautiful quilt.

the other gifts weren’t too bad either.

and it wouldn’t be a baby shower without tie-dyeing some onesies.

everyone left with a slice of Ojai, a bag of pixie tangerines. 

all photos by Lauren Ross. 

it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

For the last few years Christmas has been spent in various cities (and climates), but the Holiday is where the heart is, so I hosted a dinner for my family-to-be (Jacob’s).

Since we’re getting married in Italy soon I thought the best menu would be

Italian Wedding Soup.

Also on the menu…

To start: My mom’s famous Spinach Balls & Crab Dip

No photos unfortunately. Both of these dishes taste way better than they look anyway. Filled with delicious Mid Western ingredients like butter, bread crumbs, and cream cheese.

Main: Along with the soup, I made garlic ciabatta bread, an onion tart, and a butter lettuce salad with pomegranates.

Desserts were made by Jacob’s mom Patti and sister Hannah. Only one photo remains because everything else was eaten either last night, in the middle of the night, or this morning (coffee cake and coffee really is a match made in heaven!)

What to give those who have everything?

Ina knows the answer (TO EVERYTHING).

Home made gift baskets! 

I was really in the mood to have a domestic weekend so I made the Barefoot Contessa’s

Cherry, Almond and Cinnamon Granola

Cranberry Harvest Muffins

Hazelnut Truffles

I also threw in a Mast Brothers chocolate bar.

Setting a table is probably my favorite part.

Clean-up is not.

meatballs.

Band of Outsiders hosted a summer movie night

at The Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

we played the movie Meatballs

and served meatballs.

first came drinks + passed apps at sunset.

pork rillettes/pickled vegetable aioli, heirloom tomato/feta/beets/puslane/olive crostini, buratta crostini/new olive oil/flake salt, fried zucchini/parmesan/marinara.

cocktails by Dewar’s, food by Animal.

paper straws purchased on etsy.

blankets, rugs, and pillows purchased at ikea, wood crate tables on ebay.

buckets of beer, water, and RC cola on ice, just a reach away from your blanket.

come movie time everyone grabbed a box.

in the box: classic meatball sub, provolone, tomato sauce, homeade pasta salad in deli cups, bag of chips.

guests grouped together, got comfy, and enjoyed the movie and meal.

added bonus- bags of caramel corn from Wild Flower Patisserie were passed around for dessert.

all photos taken by John Shearer.