La · Cour · des · Miracles

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p.s. i really want to start posting regularly again. life has just been so busy and confusing lately, but i miss the time for beauty and reflection this space offers.

I adapted Nigella Lawson's recipe:

http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=249

and made lamb shanks with onions, a can of Cento chef cut tomatoes, carrots, and red lentils last night, with a lot of turmeric, cinnamon, fenugreek, cardomom, and the juice of two little clementines. It was excellent, the lamb falls off the bone, and easy to make, just remember not to put the lentils in until 25 minutes until you sit down to eat.. You could do it in a crockpot after you brown the lamb. It's a good way to add a healthier less expensive cut of red meat to your diet, and the stew has a lot of Vitamin A.

I started a monthly gourmet group with my Houston area friends on Facebook.

Eat adventurously
Try new things, new countries, new cultures.
Dine at a dinner hour, lunch at leisure.

Share your dish with others.
Savor, don't bolt.
A bite of this won't kill you, try it.

According to St. Anthony Bourdain, Tuesday through Thursday are the best nights to dine - best for chefs and fresh food (especially fish) and Sundays are the best day to lunch.
Fridays and Saturdays are for dates, romance, and weekends in the countryside.

Wine is a food.
Strive to eat sustainably and seasonally.
Be open about your "finds" - a successful restaurant helps families sustain themselves and prosper, and encourages other restaurants to get better and provide good value.

Eat together like a family and split checks evenly, because separate checks or nickle and diming at the end of a meal is a crashing boor. If you don't drink alcohol or eat a particular animal protein, then order an extra vegetable dish or another dessert to try.

Thou Shalt NOT Flake. If you can't keep your dinner commitment you short everyone else of a round of dishes to sample. The very least you can do is send a replacement or perhaps a call to the restaurant to put a sample of dishes on your tab for the others to try. (I'm not kidding about this.)

Thou Shalt NOT Be Late. On time means 5 minutes early actually. If you're over 15 minutes late you owe everybody a bottle of wine or a couple of appetizers or desserts. (I'm really not kidding about this.)

Thou Shalt NOT talk about work or weather in depth unless you are a Super Spy or Super Vilain, or the weather includes hurricanes or rains of frogs.

Thou Shalt NOT be so high or tipsy that you fail to be charming or attentive. No dozing or fisticuffs at table.

Dinners are scheduled to last 2 hours. Sunday lunch 3 hours. No bolting your food and twiddling your thumbs for the check. Gourmets do not rush.

No icky facial expressions - if you do not appreciate Tail of Jabberwocky keep your distaste politely private.

We expect to be seated with 2/3rd of a party has arrived.
We expect to tip 20% for service in restaurants in the USA or other countries where waiters can not rely on being paid a professional salary, unless the waiting is absolutely egregious.
We expect that the chef would enjoy making something especially creative for us all, if we ask politely.

Couples should ideally be separated at table to provide more interesting conversational gambits, perhaps a bit of intrigue, smouldering looks, and harmless flirtations.

October came and went. I uploaded some new photos.

Would anyone in the New England area be interested in participating in a Wu Wo tea ceremony, particularly in or near RI? I was thinking about trying to organize one, and wanted to see how many people would be willing. 

Hi everyone! I just joined this community and so happy to be here! I have loved tea for many years, but am now beginning to drink it instead of coffee, so i'm looking for new recommendations. more specifically, I'm looking for a spicy chai. I love chai, but most that I've tried is very mild. i like strong flavors and the more kick, the better. does anyone have any spicy chai favorites? Or any strongly flavored tea in general?
thanks and have a great Sunday!

Here's a picture from the Fantasy Ball held two weeks ago.

So, I am in need of a good Earl Grey as it is delicious, but I need to be able to shove it in my pocket and go to a dinning hall. 
While I do like loose leafs much more, what is in your opinion the best bagged Earl Grey? 

just ordered a kindle. I can still cancel in the next few hours I think... I'm having that "I just bought something really expensive I've wanted for a long time and I'm not sure if I regret it yet" feeling. On the one hand, I think it would be great not to have to worry about what reading material to bring on to BART. On the other hand, the two periodicals I actually do read on BART are not yet available for Kindle (Harpers and NYRB). Then again, NYT and The Nation are available. Nation is more political and less snarky, and I've often enjoyed it but didn't want yet another paper publication in my house. I'm also looking forward to getting free ebooks from Project Gutenberg. Poetry in my pocket!