Going on a fabulous holiday in the Greek Isles? No? Well, just do as the Romans do (or in this case, Italians in general), and make it up. Apparently over 3 million Italians have been found to fib about a phantom holiday. Embarrased, ashamed- whatever, Italians feel pressure to lie about their vacations, or lack thereof, to keep up appearances. If you can’t afford to take one, just make one up. Fake it ’til you make it? Hmmm. I came across this while reading Joanna Goddard’s Cup of Jo. The Guardian article is from 2003, I can’t imagine much has changed. Read the article here.

Better yet. Who needs a swim in Santorini? Well, ok- who doesn’t, but as a very wallet friendly alternative, just plan a mini stay-cay with all things Greek.

Pick up a bottle of a Santorini white (Sigalas is my personal favorite but just look for the Assyrtiko grape) to start your holiday. I am loving the volcano these days. The mineral notes from the volcanic isle of Santorini along with hints of fresh lemon peel and sea salt may just make you want to jump up and do the Tsamikos. Prepare yourself a lovely feta, watermelon and mint salad and you’re good to go. Joy the Baker’s recipe here includes sesame seeds, a nice addition. Lay on the moussaka if that doesn’t satisfy, it is February after all and you may need a more stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Netflix yourself some Summer Lovers-a hilariously cheese-filled romp through the Greek Isles starring a very young Peter Gallagher and Daryl Hannah- or better yet the Harry Hamlin Clash of the Titans which never disappoints if you are into cheesy 80s special effects and Burgess Meredith. I must have seen Clash of the Titans at least 100 times. Growing up, it was a favorite in our household. I later did Chicago with Lisa Rinna and had Harry sign a vintage Titans poster for my little bro. Maybe the best present ever. I mean really, who wouldn’t want Perseus’ John Hancock? But, I digress… Would you, or have you ever faked a vacay?

Ok, I know we’d all rather be frolicking at the Acropolis- especially alongside Jackie O.- but this is not a half bad alternative for a random Tuesday night in February.

{Image Credit: Infinity pool shots in Santorini, Perivolas Resort; Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad by Joy Wilson, Jackie O. at the Acropolis from Russ Considine‘s private collection. }

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My friend Teri posted this photo of the rosé aisle at her local wine shop in St. Barts. She and her hubby spend 4 months a year in paradise, lucky girl. On this bitter cold and snow-covered January morning, I’m taking a lovely little couch trip to this magical place where there lives an overabundance of rosé and a seemingly endless amount of joie de vivre. Nothing cheers up the winter blues like a splash of the pretty pink juice and visions of white sand, stylish people and a clear blue sky and sea. A girl can dream.

My pretend suitcase contains: (well- all except for the Tempier rosé, which I will later imbibe on my couch while visions of seashells dance in my head).

1. Kevyn’s Aucoin’s Forever Matte Lipstick- this stuff is brilliant, I love the bold and vibrant matte finish. 2. I’d pack Hemingway’s Islands in the Stream both because I’ve never read this posthumously printed novel set in the Caribbean and  because I love the title. Who doesn’t love Dolly and Kenny’s version, especially on a good karaoke night. 3. This little Tibi jacquard dress is a splurge but this is a couch trip so whatevs. 4. Movie star worthy Elizabeth and James shades. 5. It’s a good thing this is a couch trip because my post-bebes body is not ready for a bikini. But if it were, it’s got to be: pink fringe- because it’s St. Barts, not Vero Beach. Calypso St. Barth.  6. Kate Spade’s Harrison Street passport case- it’s just so snazzy. 7. Calypso’s chiffon tie bracelet. 8. The Bardot sandal by Rebecca Minkoff.  9. J.Crew’s Farmer’s Market Tote- affordable and classically cute. 10. Oh just the best damn rosé I have ever had. In my top 10 wines. Not cheap for a rosé but unbelievably complex with chocolate, spices and red fruit, a real beaut. Domaine Tempier Bandol rosé. 11. An ombre scarf that goes with everything. A little pricey but I’m quite sure I’ll wear this everyday on this pretend getaway, not to mention all spring and summer long. 12. Don’t you love this cover art redesign! Dr. No is Caribbean appropriate seeing that much of the action takes place in Jamaica. I loved Casino Royale and look forward to reading this one, everyone could use a dose of vintage Bond in their life- especially on pretend vacation. 13. La Sardinia Lomography camera- just because it’s pretty and old school. I used to carry around my Holga, but I like this one better. Bon Voyage!

{Image Credit: Miles and Aisles of Rosé photo by Teresa Reyes}

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A few scenes from my recent holiday in the Lone Star State.

Not the original Dr. Pepper recipe from Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, TX., but a Dr. Pepper made with Imperial Cane Sugar- still pretty darn good. As of last year the original recipe is sadly, no more. The factory sold its rights to the recipe to Dr. Pepper/Snapple after much litigation. Read the New York Times story here. The Dublin bottling co. now makes its own sodas, cola’s take on the craft beer, sold at hipster restos and bars in Austin. A happy ending to a sad tale. I wish I had a stash of the original stuff. I just saw a case up for auction on ebay for $9,999.00. Wowzers. $400 a bottle? I don’t know, I might opt for a bottle of Cheval Blanc instead but there are certainly Pepper fans out there who will pay top dollar for the original sauce. 

No trip to Texas is complete without a meal at Joe T.’s and this church sign is just too great.

I love the Greenwood. We threw my mom a surprise 60th here in the tiny town of Bluff Dale.

A coffee shop- Austin style. I took a road trip to visit my brother and sis-in-law in Austin and stopped at the Thunderbird on my way out of town. We went to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Les Miz and to Sway for dinner. Both aces. The Alamo is the only way to see a movie. I had a craft beer and ginger soda cocktail and a Tex-Mex pizza with my Jean Valjean. I can never go to a regular movie theater again. Good thing they seem to be taking over the world. With Alamo Drafthouses opening all over the country in the coming year, soon you won’t  be able to go to a regular movie theater ever again either. And Sway is a must for anyone visiting Austin, excellent and inventive modern Thai food. A serious yum.

And my 1st attempt at making cream gravy- a Success! I’m a longtime devotee of this gravy of the Gods but my mom’s always made it. Turns out, I can turn out a pretty mean serving.

Homemade fried pies? Gotta be in Texas. And here’s mother nature just blatantly showing off again. Sunset at my mom’s ranch- pretty spectacular. Thank you and Adios Texas!

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RIP Huell Howser. You brought your viewers much joy and I secretly wanted to be you.

For those of you not familiar with dear Huell’s work, he was the longtime charming and folksy host of California’s Gold- a love letter of a travel show to California’s beauty and people. As a former Los Angeles resident, I loved tuning in to watch Huell tour the great Eureka state. His sweet Tennessee drawl always charmed the pants off of even the surliest of Californians as he led us through small towns, natural wonders and the quirkiest of landmarks with a wide-eyed, child-like exuberance.

This was not a flashy, race to the finish travel reality show. This was a travel documentary in slow form airing on PBS for 18 years, all 18 of seasons produced by Huell himself. This was a guy who really knew how to stop and smell the roses, we can all learn a lot from Heull.

I admired his love for the land and the people, and that he took us on his journey- at times a bit hokey, but truthfully that’s what I loved about it. I love Huell’s travel tales as much as Charles Kuralt’s, Bill Geist’s and now Mo Rocca’s. Not many outside of the Golden Bear State know about Huell, but to us Californians, he is a true treasure. Thank you Huell, you are missed.

Huell Howser above, in the Antelope Valley and all its glory. He passed away of natural causes on January 7, 2013 at the young age of 67.

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I love this page from Jack Kerouac’s notebook. I especially love his thoughts on so-called Beat pal, Ginsberg.

We are off to NY to workshop a show we’ve been working on, so I’ll be off for the next week flexing my creative juices in the dance studio- what fun! I’ll make a pit stop to see Pacino in Glengarry, Glen Ross- seriously can’t wait to see that, see some friends and stroll the bebes down Broadway. It looks to be a beautiful week in NY, I hope you all have a beautiful week wherever you are.

I look forward to getting back to posting soon, as I have some fun photos, tasting notes and recipes to share from my Texan holiday. Ciao for now and as always, Cin Cin.

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We just spent a magical week in Santa Fe where the babies saw their first snow and snowfall and spent time with family. The Southwest is a beautiful place any time of the year, but at Christmastime, it is so unique. Santa Fe glows at night with its farolito-lits rooftops, this is truly the Land of Enchantment. I love the big blue open skies where you swear you can see one of John Ford’s cowboys riding into the sunset. I always buy a bag of piñon coffee to drink in the morning, make a point to stroll the Santa Fe plaza, have a green chile something or other (enchiladas usually) with a salty margarita, and hit the road. There’s nothing like a long drive in the Southwest. We didn’t get to Madrid this year (pronounced MAD-rid)- a quirky little mining town on the Turquoise Trail, but I managed to snap a photo of its exit. Madrid is home to a hilarious little theater, open in the summer, and the great Mine Shaft Tavern which bills itself as one of the last great roadhouses- talk about people watching. If you find yourself in this part of the world, do not miss Madrid.

This trip, my Uncle Craig and Aunt Vermelle turned me on to Bobcat Bite. I’d never been and we swung by to see where one of the world’s greatest green chile cheeseburgers is made, according to the Bon Appetit, Gourmet, the Food Network, etc. It’s a great little roadside stop just down the highway from Harry’s Roadhouse, another favorite.

We got married in Taos so I have an extra affinity toward this part of the world and am always so happy to return. Thanks for the memories once again, New Mexico. See you again soon.

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I know it’s pretty last minute, but here are a few fun ideas to throw in those stockings:

Tom Dixon Candles- expensive but oh so pretty!

D.S.& Durga Brooklyn-based scents- Cowboy Grass (my favorite) – a beautiful blend of American sagebrush, white thyme and prairie switchgrass. Irresistible.

AFAR- simply the greatest travel mag out there. A subscription is that gift that keeps on giving.

A colorpop locket for pics of your love or your minis from Anthropologie. You can pick your chain separately.

Butter Yummy Mummy nail paint- no icky toxins, beautiful colors, this one is a particularly flattering neutral.

Une Bobine iphone tripod- great for recipe reading while cooking.

Crosley Songbird Radio- I love the orange, they come in a few other great colors too.  Just cute.

Jayson Home Farmer’s Market Baskets made of glossy bone china. Cuteness in the kitchen.

A mini 1/2 bottle of delicious Gruet rose sparkling wine. Who wouldn’t want to pop this open Christmas morning!

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Ahh, the West, can’t wait to get out there. We leave this week for 3 weeks of holiday tidings- seriously the most wonderful time of the year- thank you Andy Williams, R.I.P. And it’s my Minis’ 1st Christmas- so special.

We start in Texas with a side trip to Austin to see my brother and sister-in-law, with a stop at Vino Vino’s Oodles of Bubbles Champagne Tasting on Saturday. I haven’t been yet but have heard great things. Bring on the bubbly.

Then we’re off to Santa Fe to spend time with more family and soak in the Southwest scenery. Love that town at Christmas. I am looking forward to hitting Harry’s Roadhouse for some blue corn turkey enchiladas and maybe do some tequila tasting. Maybe we’ll take the twins on a walk down farolito-lit Canyon Road and definitely stroll the Plaza. Jackalope is a must for last minute stocking stuffers. I will definitely do a getaway post, post trip. I’ve been going to Santa Fe for years with my family and hit the jackpot when I married a man whose sister lives there & added bonus: I have an aunt and uncle that live there too. Great reasons to go back, and as often as possible.

Then back to the ranch where we’ll just relax, cook, eat, drink, bake, watch Christmas movies, play charades, watch bad movies (one of my all-time favorite things to do with my brother who is a master at Mystery Science Theater-speak) and REPEAT.  Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Lonesome Dove- Tim Love’s highly rated Fort Worth restaurant. I have not yet been and looking forward to a meal there this year.

William-Sonoma’s Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail recipe. I made this last week for a cocktail party without the Grand Marnier (because I didn’t have any) and it was a big success- my simplified version below- I look forward to making it again, this time with the Grand Marnier. They key to this is, just a few pomegranate seeds, they are sweeter than you think.

Coronaritas- what a great invention! The Exhausted Mom’s recipe here.

Ina Garten’s Fleur de Sel Caramels. I’ve never made caramels and am salty-sweet crazy, so I look forward to attempting the Contessa’s recipe.

The Ref. If you have not seen this movie- netflix it, order it, download it- whatever, IMMEDIATELY. Hands down my favorite Christmas movie EVER. Denis Leary, Kevin Spacey, Judy Davis and Christine Baranski are all brilliant. Seriously- what a crazy cast. The mother from Mary Poppins, Glynis Johns, even makes an evil appearance. So many great one-liners that I find myself repeating year round- “Slipper socks… Medium.”

And of course, Christmas Vacation. The holidays just wouldn’t be complete without the Griswalds. “Squirrel!!!!”.

My mom wants to tackle an easy seafood paella recipe. She’s got a bottle of Domaine de Cabasse Rose de Marie Antoinette that should go great with it. Mas de Daumas Gassac Rose Frizant would be killer with seafood paella too.

I’ll attempt to read 2 books, Where’d You Go, Bernadette and David Nasaw’s new Joe Kennedy biography. This is slightly ambitious as I just finished Gone Girl after 4 months of reading basically, 1/2 a page every night. That’s about all I can stay awake for these days with the twins still not sleeping through the night, so we’ll see how this plan shakes out.

Here’s my easy peasy Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail recipe:

Totally foolproof, this couldn’t be easier:

1. Fill your glass almost 3/4 full with Cremant (I use this as opposed to a champagne as it is very tasty and a lot less expensive)

2. Drop in 5 pomegranate seeds (no more as they infuse more sweetness than you would think)

3. Add a tiny splash of POM juice (because that stuff is potent)

And, Voila- a foolproof Christmas Cocktail (or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or whatever- everyone will like this little diddy)

CIN CIN!

{Image Credits: Farolito-lit by Diane Brumberg, Fleur de Sel Caramels by Gimme Some Oven)

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1. A classic leather luggage tag for your bags. No more flimsy paper tags that tear off mid-flight.

2. The Analogue Guide Books for London and NYC. More are in the works. Disclaimer: 1/2 of the writing team is a good friend. These books truly guide you to an authentic experience. Sorted by neighborhood as opposed to category (food, drink, etc.), this guide allows you to wander and explore neighborhoods like a local. Find yourself patronizing quaint bookstores (yes, there are still a few), coffee houses, yoga studios, etc., not to mention the biggies (museums, historical sites and the like) but on a local’s level. As a New Yorker for 15 years, I dig everything in this book.

3. A die-cut globe made from chipboard. Fun for a physical mood board.

4. Gorgeous David Klein TWA Africa poster. Who wouldn’t love this? My brother gave me Klein’s TWA New York poster as a gift a few years ago. Wow, what a cool gift.

5. Vintage Air France tin. A fun little resting spot for mail or keys.

6. St. Christopher -patron saint of travel- medallion. I’m not Catholic but I have a thing for saints.

7. Scratch Map. What a fun idea. This would be great hanging above a kitchen table or in the kids’ playroom. Just as fun for adults as it is for kids.

8. Oversized Square Scarf . I’m always looking for the perfect sweater or hoodie to bring on the plane. With that, any iota of style ends up  out the window. Stay awesome and bring the style- this little number is perfect.

9. Crumpled City Maps. How cool- just crumple up this piece of fabric into a ball and cram it in your pocket. Super thin, rip-resistant and waterproof. Of course you could just use your smartphone, but this is so much more fun.

10. Metallic Passport Cover. Because how fun to whip this out at customs. Stamp me, please.

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A few swanky snapshots circa 1973 of my friend, Toni Wellhausen, at the Braniff Hostess College. LOVE the Pucci fight attendant uniforms. Seriously amazing. She had a Halston uniform too but alas, no photos. How fun to saddle up to the baby grand with a dirty martini surrounded by Pucci-clad stewardesses at 35,000 feet.  Those were the days- not that I was around for them- but one can wax nostalgic anyway.

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