Cooking Research - What We're Reading

Revving up the cooking in our test kitchen. Don't know about you, but we like to test-out new recipes without the fate of hungry guests - even family! - hanging over us.

We're lucky to have a great kitchen to cook in - as well as access to some of the world's finest MUST-have cooking tools from Epicurean, Joseph Joseph, and Kyocera through our SavvyHostMarket.  Doing a little homework before entertaining showtime isn't such a chore ;-)

So where are we turning for recipe inspiration?

Kicking off a Health-FULL 2011 with #FNIchat

How's your pantry? Ours still holds remnants of preparing too many batches of holiday cookies, so many snacks for those last-minute drop-in guests, and enough fixings to make a few amazingly over-the-top GoodFood Gatherings...

We're shifting gears now that the new year is in swing.  We're looking at getting back to a more healthy regime in our kitchen and our pantry.

Where to begin?

Seasonal Hospitality: Chapter 1 - Causes We Support

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. 

 ~ Charles Dickens

In the midst of all of the chaos that accompanies every holiday season - from travel, busy party schedules, end-of-year business, and, of course, the ENDLESS ads encouraging us to BUY everything in sight - it is inspiring to observe true hospitality in our community of friends, family and business colleagues.

Hospitality ~ the quality or disposition of receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly generous way ~ is key to our lifestyle, and a trait we value in others.

We highlighted a lifestyle mindset of entertaining hospitality before - peek at The (Louisville) Art of Hospitality for a refresh.

For the next few weeks, please share some holiday spirit as we shine a light on the hospitality that we see around us this season, and the hospitality we wish to share with special friends.

8 entertaining essentials

The Savvy Host believes that entertaining is most simply gathering people together in enjoyable surroundings ~ offering good food & drink ~ to share stories, ideas, & laughter,...life

The Savvy Host’s 8 Entertaining Essentials© will inspire entertaining of all types - dining in or out, gourmet cook or not, large party or intimate dinner.

Packed with creative ideas, budget conscious hints, and time-saving tricks, 8 Entertaining Essentials© can save a little of your sanity - and a few of your hard-earned dollars! Inside you'll find a step-by-step guide with easy-to-use checklists, interesting resource references and recommendations from Savvy Host.

Discussing Good Food Pantry Essentials with Robyn Webb

Have to introduce you to the delightful and ever-so-savvy Robyn Webb, and her blog, Fabulous Food Finds.

Her creativity in cooking - her knowledge of nutrition - and healthful food preparation - have been a go-to resource for our entertaining.

We have the pleasure of discussing Good Food Pantry Essentials with Robyn today as a featured guest on her blog, Fabulous Food Finds.

Following the wisdom shared by Julia Child, 

you don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients, 

we explore 12 essential pantry items to have on hand to play up the freshest of ingredients, ensuring the mouth-watering success of many Good Food Gatherings.

Go-To Gifts for the Season | Holiday Workshop

Fusion Lumieres

And what is The Savvy Host offering in the way of holiday entertaining know-how?  Read on...

Go-To Gifts for the Season
Mid-October through early January, there's seldom a few extra minutes to spare.  We always like to be prepared (yes, there is Brownie-turned-Girl-Scout training in our past).  Not that this happens regularly enough - no we're not THAT good - but isn't it an alluring concept?

With so many dinner parties, cocktail events, family gatherings and holiday merrymaking, it is hard enough to coordinate schedules, hosting details, and sassy attire!!  Often overlooked - and then a source of discomfort - is how best to prepare for unexpected or last-minute gift-giving needs.

This is not a lesson in the etiquette of gift-giving (see Don't Forget a Gift for the Host!).  Instead, we offering our list of Go-To Gifts to keep on hand to ensure that WHEN (never IF unfortunately) you unexpectedly need "a little something", YOU are PREPARED with an appropriate gift for the host, teacher's gift, special co-coworker, Secret Santa, ... remember last year?

Six Go-To Gifts - along with savvy tips to help budget while you stock up -  can be pulled together whether your budget is $100 or $15.

Save yourself a little bit of frantic this season - keep a few tucked away in a "gift closet" (or pantry - or guest room...)

AND, the best way to make any gift a true success is to customize...even just a little bit.  MAKE IT SPECIAL with special accents or pairings to create an interesting, tailored gift-set.  Highlights the savvy-ness of the giver.  Brings an appreciative smile to face of the giftee. Take a look...

1. Wine

An ever-traditional host or thank-you gift.  Red, white, pink or SPARKLING champagne, we always enjoy receiving a special selection to enjoy around the holidays.

Napa Vines Spreaders

SAVVY TIP - Now's the time to watch the store specials to find an extra-special VALUE you'll be proud to share.  Buy a set of 6 or more and often you'll save an additional 10%!!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - Feeling festive? Add an ornament or other seasonal decoration tied around the neck with holiday ribbon.  Prefer functional? Wine charms, champagne stoppers, or other specialty wine tools add a little something extra.

2. Spreaders
Ever-so-useful for any entertaining occasion!  We love the diversity of styles, colors and shapes of cheese and other spreaders.  Use for spreadable hors d'oeuvres or to pass with the butter or to serve certain condiments at the table. 

SAVVY TIP - Often packaged as a set of four, look for sets that you can break into pairs, perfectly appropriate to have on-hand for a Go-To Gift (and allows you a little budget to make it special!)

MAKE IT SPECIAL -  Add a specialty mustard - preserves - or even jam to a package with two spreaders for a unique pairing.  Trader Joe's, iGourmet and Gourmet Delights are all offering wonderful gourmet additions to fit any budget.

3. Salt Server or Condiment Bowls
Something a little elegant, we love the trend to serve fine sea salt, or other specialty condiments, from specialty serving dishes.  Salt pigs, salt servers or specialty condiment bowls are a unique gift - often made of stone or olive wood.


SAVVY TIP - Keep your eye out for those servers and bowls that include a matching spoon. Typically at no additional cost, the tiny spoon is quite a value-add!

MAKE IT SPECIAL - As a starter, complete the set by adding a package of Fleur de Sel. Or specialty salt - we love Secret Stash Salt's Lavendar Rosemary and Bloody Mary Salt.  Or, consider adding another favorite - Truffle Salt.

4. Specialty Serveware
A special serving pair - soup spoons - cheese knives - or pasta tongs - elegantly boxed and tied with a festive bow, will fit the Go-To Gift occasion (whatever that may be!). 

High-Heel Cake Server

SAVVY TIP - Keep your eye out for serveware items already pre-packaged in box, saving you the trouble of trying to box and wrap.

MAKE IT SPECIAL - There are so many unique serveware items - consider investing in a decor theme that is meaningful to you in some way - or buy a few MUST-haves that you wouldn't mind having at your entertaining disposal.  Need a really creative idea under $20?  High-Heel Cake Servers (see left) never miss the mark in Decadent Diva - Gourmet Glam and so many other styles.  Also love gourmet cooking MUST-haves including NexTrend Garlic Twist Mincer and Sous Chef.

5. Tea/Coffee Service
A tin of gourmet tea or package of specialty coffee beans are an energizing treat! Added to a special cup & saucer, or demitasse set - this will forever be an afternoon break in your honor. 
SAVVY TIP - Buy a special roast or leaf in bulk - and then package in smaller portions for your Go-To Gifts.  Similarly, find a set of tea cups or mugs - and package individually or in pairs!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - There are so many new shapes, sizes and styles of coffee and tea service - seek out unique demitasse cup sets or glass coffee cups that work for both coffee and tea.  Design conscious pieces will pair well with a small portion of specialty tea or coffee to make a wonderful impression.  Take it up a notch by adding flavored sugar spoons.

Rondo Cappuccino and Espresso Sets

6. Votives & Candleholders
Hard to go wrong with a lovely glass or crystal votive or decorative candleholder.  Opt for something seasonal if you like or stick with an all-occasion style – be it contemporary, traditional or glitzy.  Perfect decorative element for dining décor - for the powder room - or bedside, your recipient will enjoy this special touch.  We find beautiful options at a full range of budget pricing.


SAVVY TIP - There are enormous savings to be had in buying sets of the candles in bulk - and then being generous enough to include more than one candle with your gift!


MAKE IT SPECIAL - If you are crafty (we're not), creating custom candleholders is a way to make it personal and unique - often on a very limited budget!  We rely on Martha Stewart for these types of how-tos. Another way is to include specialty candles. We love Oak Forest Designs festive square glitter tapers or the unique soy-based scents from Colette Candles. Another alternative is Bright Endeavors – beautiful candles that offer a special chance to support a great cause!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

May you remember to give as you would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation; for there is no grace in a benefit that sticks to the fingers. ~ Seneca

We are thrilled to be part of this season's Holiday Workshop hosted by the ever-charming Housewife Bliss!  Drop in to pick up all you need to know to prepare for the holidays from some these favorite savvy resources!!

2010 Holiday Workshop - 10/6 Sessions

• Mindy Lockard Tips for Holiday Tipping
• Pemberley Collections The front door: Make a statement
• The Entertaining House
• Lily Lemon Tree Cracking the Code: The Blissful Guide to Dress Codes for Holiday Parties and otherwise...
• AB Home Interiors Holiday Survival Guide- 5 tips for effortless decorating
• Tatertots and Jello  Creating inexpensive and beautiful feminine gifts
• Lucky Life Parties Invitations 
• The Daily Basics Plan Ahead Hand-Made Gifts
• Housewife Bliss Planning the perfect gathering

Mark your calendar to check back next week to gather the insights from our fellow Holiday Workshop participants! 

Back to Basics | Abby Dodge Shares Dessert Magic in 4 Ingredients

Desserts 4 Today ($17.95, 188 pages)

Wow! Take a look at that photo. Are you salivating?...if not yet, we promise you WILL be ;-)

We have been test-driving the simple, yet ever-so-delicious ideas from Abigail Johnson Dodge in her latest culinary creation, Desserts 4 Today.

And we're ready to RAVE about her recipes.

First, an admission.  From the albeit limited virtual interactions we've had, we already find Abby to be a savvy host in her own right.  She's approachable and engaging. She's enthusiastic and willing to share secrets to success from her kitchen.  Her motto? Baking the world a better place one recipe at a time. (And, we ask you...so far...what's not to like?)

Baked Eggs by Any Other Name | NO-FAIL Brunch Idea

Shirred eggs...baked eggs...Oeufs en cocotte...no matter which name you prefer (or think sounds most delicious), we must share our new favorite NO-FAIL brunch dish – Baked Egg Cups.

SO versatile, SO tasty, SO presentable, and so EASY to make.  Just a few basic ingredients and then let your creativity take over!

Dress them up with brie, chevre, asparagus, chorizo, prosciutto and fines herbes…OR keep them casual with cheddar, bacon or sausage, and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.  Serve individually - at table - or from a buffet.

This is one dish that has become a permanent replay in our brunch repertoire.  And we're sharing this recipe for brunch success!

Eggplant. Scorpacciata. GodBlessYou. Good Food Gatherings (Menus #18-#20)

Scorpacciata.

Don’t get offended – we didn’t just invoke some old Sicilian curse.  As we learned from friends at Eatocracy – and as Chef Mario spoke of today on CNN - scorpacciata refers to consuming large amounts of a particular local ingredient while it's in season. (Jill Billante, Scorpacciata – Farm Stands, Eatocracy). 

Good Food Gatherings starring ZUCCHINI (Menus #15 - #17)

Maybe we’re the last to know, but zucchini is one vegetable that gets around!  From savory to sweet – from brunch to dinner – we’ve decided to focus an entire Good Food Gathering feature – including 3 new GoodFood Menus (#15 - #17) - on this veggie that has a pizzazz of its own.

Think we’ve wandered a little too far off into the vegetable patch with our enthusiasm?

"Sterling Cooper and You” How to Throw a 1960s Mad Men Inspired Party

We have the great pleasure of introducing a very special guest contributor.  Embodying the perfect mix of class, savvy & sass, Auntie Carrie's Speakeasy offers a spot-on perspective about entertaining.  Read on to enjoy her take on the quintessential 1960s "Mad Men" themed party.

Unless you are like Auntie and I, who run our own Speak Easy, (no address given. So please don’t ask), the theme of 1920s is so done. But what’s sexy right now? An equally inebriating decade: the 1960s. Throwing a 1960s Mad Men themed party will make you the talk of the town. This is how Auntie Carrie’s Speak Easy would do it: Of course, our simple “How to a Throw Party” rules apply.

1. The Classic Cocktail: Familiarize yourself with the drinks of the times. Unless you have a head for bartending, just learn how to make three Classics (proportions courtesy of Drinks Mixer. We would suggest a Martini, Tom Collins and a Manhattan. The Mad Men Site has a wonderful collection of drinks from the period. However, I take issue with their listing vodka as the primary ingredient in the Martini. Do have vodka as an option but do be prepared to make a classic Martini. Also, make sure to have a healthy supply of scotch, champagne, garnishes (cherries, lemons, straws, umbrellas, plastic monkeys) and a top notch looking bar.

Martini

75ml (or approx 2+ 1/2 oz) Gin

15ml (or approx 1/4 oz) Dry Vermouth

1 green olive OR a twist of lemon peel

Tom Collins

2 oz gin

1 oz lemon juice

1 tsp superfine sugar

3 oz club soda

1 maraschino cherry

1 slice orange

Manhattan

3/4 oz sweet vermouth

2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey

1 dash Angostura® bitters

1 maraschino cherry

1 twist orange peel

2. Party Punch.We believe every party should have a signature drink. Sometimes your friends have no idea what they want. Why waste time deciding when they should be drinking? We suggest a Brandy Punch:

Behind the bar at Foodies' Night In (8/9)

At a local haunt, there's a tradition of ringing an old bell promptly each day at 5p.  The context for the tradition is that when the neighborhood was an old meat-packing district, the locals would listen for the bell to know it was time to join together to raise a glass with good friends and colleagues to toast and give thanks to the completion of another day's work. 

We like the tradition of a cocktail hour - and highlighted it in 10 Trends in Savvy Entertaining.  as a chance to transition from the hectic work day into a more personal mode and lifestyle.  Whether your libation is beer, wine, or mixed cocktail, we think that it's a valuable time of day to take a breath, and to enjoy exchanging a few ideas, swap a few stories and sharing some laughs.

Perfect topic for our friends - old & new - joining Foodies' Night In - It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - on Monday, 9 August.

This week's Sponsor happens to fit well into our cocktail hour gameplan - Crispin Cider.  We're big fans of cider - and have had the pleasure of enjoying almost all of the Crispin products this summer!  A little about Crispin -

Classically refined, but not styled as a traditional "sweet beer" beer alternative, Crispin ciders are crisp and clean, not sweet and sticky and never sacrifice superior quality refreshment satisfaction for overbearing complexity.  Always true to the apple, Crispin Hard Ciders are naturally fermented using apple juice, never from apple juice concentrate, from a premium blend of US West Coast apples, with no added malt, grape wine or spirit alcohol. Crispin’s unique flavors are smoothed with pure apple juice or from natural sugar sources like oragnic honey or organic maple syrup, and contain no added colorants, sorbate or benzoate preservatives and are filtered cold for crisp refreshment. Crispin ciders are all Gluten Free for the wheat-intolerant person.

We're looking forward to learning more from them about how they enjoy happy hour - and what interesting signature cocktails can be made with cider.

Adding Saucy to your Entertaining Style

Versatility is a secret weapon we use to combat dreary, dull entertaining in so many ways.

While traditions can be wonderful, it's the "same old, same old" ho-hum that needs to be avoided at all costs.  We're going to explore versatility in dining decor, in Good Food Gatherings, in cocktail basics, and in holiday hostessing more in the coming weeks.

Today, we're suggesting a delicious way to accommodate diverse tastebuds and add a little zing at the table.  When our menu for a simple Good Food Gathering includes a traditional favorite such as Roast Chicken, grilled meats, turkey meatloaf, chili, or hamburgers, we add a few extras to the table - enter CONDIMENTS.

Eco-Entertaining: How Green is Your Coffee?

Introducing a very special guest contributor in the Savvy Experts in Entertaining series - Christopher Burke of Morning Glory Coffee & Tea Inc.  A savvy host or hostess understands the important role that coffee or tea plays in capping off an exceptional gathering.  


The Savvy Host is a big fan of the coffee and tea traditions supported by Morning Glory Coffee & Tea and proud to share this interesting perspective.

Specialty, gourmet, single origin, organic, shade friendly, fair-trade, the list seems to be endless, but where do the coffees we love, actually come from.


A new shipment of green (unroasted) coffee arrived at our location in West Yellowstone, Montana yesterday. Receiving a shipment always seems tantamount to a miracle considering the distance and intensive labor it takes to grow, process, cup, grade and ship coffee. Almost every day and especially days when we receive a shipment of coffee, I will be asked the same simple (with a complicated answer) question. “Where do you get your coffee?” I am sure that every coffee roasting company in the world will at some point be asked this question. 

Initially, I will smile and say “from around the world” hoping that this will suffice and the questioner will enjoy a cup or purchase a bag and move on. Unfortunately this is not the answer that most people are seeking and I then must do my best to shrink the entire coffee industry from tree to cup into a few sentences that will most certainly not do it justice and at the same time confuse and confound my customer. So having said that, I will now try and explain where we get our coffee without getting into too much trouble.

Do you know Chuck? 3 Recipes Worth a Taste

We don't believe that exceptionally delicious tastes only result from very expensive ingredients.  Admittedly, there are foods and drinks we enjoy that are both extraordinarily tasteful AND pricey (we'll leave this to your imagination...the list is too long...BIG sigh).

But there are also very expensive foodstuffs that we wouldn't offer a penny for - in fact, you might need to pay us a GREAT deal to even get close (happy to share that we're thinking sea urchin here...got the picture?).

Some of the most mouth-watering, satisfyingly delicious comfort foods require a minimal budget.  You have your favorites...we know...good simple foods that speak of a simpler time without frills or extravagance.

The next time you're pulling together a good food gathering, keep in mind that the WOW taste factor is not dependent on whether expensive ingredients were used to pull the meal together.  Let's all get back to the basics of finding flavor and culinary fulfillment without a predisposition to cost (as was the unfortunate trend at the turn of this century).

Time to introduce our good friend, Chuck Roast.

With a large extended family coming to dinner on Sunday after a full day of activities, we wanted to offer something that would give the entire crew a chance to sit together, fill up hungry mouths, and appeal to tweens as well as adults.

First thought was pasta, but the male contingent wanted BEEF.

Steaks were out of the question - didn't need to take out a loan to feed this crew.  Hamburgers got a turned up nose from another decision-maker.

Taking Your Coffee in Style

We love our morning latte.  Okay, we also love our afternoon macchiato and our evening doppio...even the mid-meeting French press is enjoyable.

It's not (just) the caffeine jolt that is addictive.  It's the ceremony of the coffee.  The ritual we associate with the serving and the sipping of the bean.

One of most social experiences is to share a coffee and a chat - whether at Starbucks, in the corporate break room, at the corner coffee shop, or al bar in Roma.  How diverse can a "coffee break" be? Take a look at 5 Unique Coffee Traditions from Around the Globe - not sure we can check the experience box next to more than two of these traditions.

We also find the offering of coffee to be a significant part of any gathering - whether during brunch or after a luncheon or with cognac following dinner.  There's a trend to get back to basics in our lives - and this means making the time to enjoy the simple things, including each other.

Moral to the story?  Don't underestimate the significance of offering - and taking - your coffee in style.   Add this facet to your plan for organized entertaining.

How you serve and take your coffee is an opportunity to communicate style - do you like oversized ceramic mugs?  Is there a corporate brand on your cup?  Stylish espresso cups & saucers?  Demitasse spoons?  Turkish style in copper pots?  Fine china?  French press?  Carafe?

Flower Power (enough to make you smile)

Following Mother's Day, into graduation season, adding in a few spring/summer birthdays, and you might be able to understand why we're under the spell of flowers.


Floral arrangements have always had such an impact - the colors, the perfume, the textures.  As we focus on getting back to basics in entertaining, using flowers in a creative ways seems to us to be a natural priority.

Flowers add value as a get well gift, a show of appreciation, to celebrate a special occasion or simply to brighten someone's day.  It has been a longstanding tradition to bring flowers to the host or hostess, and while flowers are not mandatory this basic guest etiquette is an important entertaining essential.

Flowers have also played a significant role in our entertaining decor throughout the home - not only on the dining table, but in the entranceway, in the guest bathroom, and accenting the dessert tray.

Take a look at some of the flower power we've been experiencing.

Good Food Gatherings: in the Beginning...(Menu #1-#4)

So many of you have asked about what we cook every week – whether we’re hosting a small gathering, family dinner/brunch or an impromptu dinner party.

Overall, our focus is simply good food (#goodfood) ~ straightforward recipes allowing us to take advantage of the best flavors of the season.  We also like to allow for flexibility ~ to be creative, to deal with last-minute mishaps, or to permit us the short-cuts sometimes necessary (if only to maintain sanity).  Lastly, we're planners (or try to be ;-) so we set out a plan for the menus each week to stay focused and take advantage  of limited time and opportunity to get to the market.

From Rooftop to Table

Whether you appreciate the local food movement (we do), or think organic is important (we do), you must agree that the fresher the ingredients, the better the taste.  Whether from a farmers market, roadside stand, or your very own garden, the smell and taste always seem to be more intense.

In our personal style of entertaining and cooking, fresh ingredients are a must.  They offer a more healthful as well as tasteful foundation for cooking.  We think emphasizing the fresh ingredients is part of getting back to the basics of what makes food good.

But is planting and tending to your own garden necessary?  Of course not!!  But we thought we'd share a little of our zeal and enthusiasm for creating our own "rooftop to table" local food movement...

We didn't have to start an edible garden.  We're lucky to have Green City Market a mere 10 minutes away.  We belong to a most delicious CSA program through Simply Wisconsin (so delicious in fact that we purchased memberships for our extended family to make sure they got a chance to enjoy!).  And, our family has a home along Lake Michigan in Indiana with access to so many delicious farm produce throughout the summer.

But if you enjoy a little dirt under your nails, if greenery is visually appealing to you, and even from a budget standpoint, investing the time in event a small garden of herbs, vegetables, and fruit can yield much fun and produce.

One of the main reasons we bought our current loft was the private rooftop deck and what it offered ~  entertaining al fresco, space for masterful grilling, and a rooftop garden.  Please understand that we're the type to get jazzed about picking the tomatoes and basil just a few minutes before we craft an-ever-so-fresh Insalata Caprese!

Being city dwellers, we don't have the backyard option that many do.  We considered working with one of the shared garden projects, but weren't sure that we would have the time to get there to take care of it regularly.  Our rooftop provided the best option.

(We'll save the landscaping, furnishing & decor part of the rooftop beautification story for another post.)  

In terms of vegetation selection, we start with a few rules of the house:

1. Must be produce we use regularly in our cooking.
2. Can't require special handling (this is a hobby, not a full-time occupation).
3. Must tolerate the existing conditions - hot, dry, full sun and lots of wind.
4. Must yield enough to make the effort worthwhile.

Based on a few years of experience, here's what's growing upstairs and regularly available on our dining table:

Tomatoes - believe it or not, many of the heirloom varieties do VERY well - Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, and Brandywine as well as Yellow Teardrop (image top left), Red Pear and Cherry Super Sweets (image above right).  Be forewarned that we've gotten the best results with fairly large containers, giving the plants room to take root.  Tight on space? The "Patio Tomato" containers available at most garden stores yield amazing results! 

Swiss Chard - (image to the left) such a beautiful, bright leafy addition to any garden, we also like the Rainbow version.


Kale - both Lacinato and standard love the conditions and grow well all season.  We frequently harvest for our Summer Minestrone, and the plants just keep growing all season long... 


Peppers (Bell, Jalapeno, Banana, Thai Chile and Habanero) - they didn't like the long cold Spring this year, and did need a little special attention. But they are already producing the buds that should make for a nice first crop of the season.

Zucchini - we LOVE having months of the baseball size orange blossoms available to us for frying, stuffing and quesadillas - such a delicious treat.  And, this plant requires so little effort (as long as it's in a BIG container... it has an extensive root base,)

Strawberries - (image to the right) a truly perfect container plant, the bonus is that ours come back EVERY year!  These plants propagate quickly during the season, so be sure to have a good, medium size container to accommodate growth enough for jam!

Raspberries - both a Golden and a Ruby Red grace our rooftop (see image below left).  These are a wonderful container bush that also returns each year.  Some types bear fruit early in the season, some are late-blooming.  From the number of blooms thus far, we're looking at a bumper crop!

Arugula - why pay for this at all during the summer when it grows and grows and grows on its own?  We love our "field of arugula" in its container box.

Lettuce - (image below right) it's so easy in any size space to grow your own lettuce.  Our garden includes Red Leaf and Green Leaf, along with Romaine.  The sweetness and flavor of the leaves is not to be missed.  Starter container kits are even available at Home Depot!  Imagine salads full of fresh baby greens every night of the week with only a little watering effort required...

Cooking Herbs - (image near top left) this is really a no-brainer - especially when the small packages of cut herbs are $2-$3 EACH at the store.  You can purchase starter plants - or even full-size plants - for $2-15 each and you'll have fresh herbs all summer! A small container of whatever cooking herbs you prefer can sit on a windowsill, or even a small balcony... At a minimum, grab some basil, dill, marjoram, thyme and parsley and enjoy the benefits!

Looking for some how-to's to get started?  A few expert sources we rely on to stay savvy are...

~ Growing a Greener World including Joe Gardener. Download his 27pp ebook, Abundant Harvest: Your Guide to the Home Vegetable Garden - it's FREE!

~ The Yarden, "spreading the edible word" has a wonderful post about teaching new gardeners as a part of the historical Peterson Garden Project in Chicago.

~ Get in the Garden, "sowing a better world...one garden at a time" has a great section on Vegetable Gardening 101.

~ Herb Garden Plants offers the best of both worlds - indoor and outdoor information to help your herb garden to thrive.

~ Organic Authority's 7 Easy Steps to Get Your Organic Garden Started details starting out in containers (which may be where you decide to stay put if you don't have a yard!).  Also read 111 Herbs, Vegetables, Edible Flowers, & Fruit to Plant in Your Garden.

~ Join the tweet-up "Garden Chat" (#gardenchat) on Monday evenings.  You can also follow @JoeGardener,  @TheYarden, @getinthegarden, @HerbNut and @OrganicAuthorit for regular tweets to help keep things growing. 

If we've inspired you to try your own hand at growing a little local food, please share your adventures.  We'd love to know what other savvy hosts are sowing as favorite edible garden crops ~ whether backyard, balcony or rooftop!

ABCs of Tabletop Decor

Entertaining misses the bulls-eye without an eye to tabletop and presentation.  It is the “main stage” for the event after all.  But, we don’t necessarily have all the time, money or training to be Preston Bailey (well, maybe once in a while we come close, or at least think we do, but…)


So where to begin?   Keep in mind styling a tabletop isn't just about decoration ~ it's equally about function.  Let’s start with what we'd like to communicate to guests about our gathering through the tabletop style.