irish breakfast

in my favorite house in ireland, the kettle is always on, the aga is warm, and soda bread is baking...
photograph by jeff mcnamara

sunday lunch

love using shades of brown and black with crisp white plates and linens on a formal mahogany table...a friend brought a white ranunculus in a white pot, which was the perfect thing for the table...dark brown leather placemats, vintage brown stemmed glasses mixed with brown tumblers from ikea,  serving pieces and plates from jasper conran for wedgwood look good with the polished silver forks and vintage wood handled knives... a frittata, herb roasted potatoes, arugula salad and carafes of red wine, and it's  ready for friends to settle in for a relaxed afternoon !

white lunch in the studio

white dinnerware, white quince, white cheeses, white wine...

happy valentine's day!

white buffet

photo by jeff mcnamara

pizza night

having friends over tonight for pizzas... love making a few different ones and sharing them...
caramelized red onion/goat cheese/black olive/thyme  is my new favorite...all white cheeses( ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan) with herbs and a bit of lemon zest is another...pesto with ricotta + mozzarella and a classic margarita are on the menu, too, with a big arugula salad (slivers of parmesan, toasted pine nuts with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon)... 
I have a stack of old bread boards that I use  and sprinkle a bit of cornmeal on them to assemble and then use to cut and serve on...a few little dishes of red pepper flakes, oregano, toasted pine nuts are ready for toppings ...simple and delicious!
photo by jeff mcnamara

washing glasses

on these rainy days at home, its a good time to wash a shelf at a time of my glass collection!
i love to have a "wardrobe" of glasses, from fine crystal to flea market finds  to artisanal hand blown glass to pull from in setting the table ...