Paolo Buffa created such an abundance of furniture designs that he is thought to have reconstructed the very history of Italian twentieth century furniture.
Category Archives: Blog
17
Jan
Jan
There are more abandoned blogs floating around the internet than NASA has hardware in space. I’m embarrassed to say I deserted a blog called cooking good and easy.
Before I abandoned it I had written 74 posts about easy cooking, with nutritional posts thrown in. It was my first blogging effort. If you can look past the typos, grammatical errors and issues with searches, its got good stuff in it. For instance when I wrote this recipe for making roast chicken I made sure to explain how you clean a chicken.
Beyond mid-century modernism, art and architecture, I’m passionate about cooking and gardening. I cook simple, tasty, healthy fare. When we’re not talking modernism, Good Design’s gallery director, David and I talk about cooking and gardening. It’s our second language. Our mutual fascination with food and entertaining is one more way for us to immerse ourselves in culture and history. We’re the folks who wax euphoric over the quality of veggies at the farmer’s market.
Growing up, Friday night suppers were usually about a great roast chicken with pan gravy, a side of rice and some vegetables. Our recipe came from my grandmother, Pearl, whose cooking was renowned. A tiny elegant woman from Belarus, she cooked like nobody’s business. My best Jewish recipes come from her.
This fool proof recipe results in a crispy skinned chicken that’ s always moist. Roasting a bird gives you more than one meal. You start with classic chicken and gravy and after that you have the basis for salads, sandwiches or stews. The roast chicken recipe is on cookinggoodandeasy.
The basis for its garlicy rub is schmaltz. If you’ve never heard of schmaltz, It’s rendered chicken fat flavored with onions. Michael Ruhlman’s The Book of Schmaltz, published by Little Brown, pays homage to this forgotten fat. My recipe for how to make schmaltz is on the blog. I’ve been buying Carolina Gold Rice from Anson Mills for quite a few years. This rice is thought to be the gold standard of American rice. In fact everything they sell is truly first rate. I prepare it according to their recipe. It’s worlds away better than other rice.
13
Jan
Jan
Back in the 70s, I was dealing in 18th and 19th century American antiques. I was fortunate to live in Columbia County at a time when six or seven couples, all up and coming Americana dealers, were living there, too. Every one of them went on to become prominent dealers. Back then, we were all learning from each other. It was school. Continue reading
01
Jan
Jan
New Year’s is upon us and with it, the opportunity for a fresh start. It’s the time of year we say goodbye to the past; hello to the future. A new year is mysterious—you never know what’s coming, only what’s been. The turn of the year, and entrance into the next phase of our lives is filled with anticipation. I’ve always felt that entrances carry that same sense of mystery and promise. They set the tone of a place and of what’s to come. Entries say, “THIS is what to expect. THIS is what I’m about.” The design, color, size and forms all speak to us. So, the beginning of 2016 seemed a perfect time for a blogger like me, whose interests are art, design and architecture, to consider doorways and entries, the first thing we encounter when we come to a place. Continue reading
20
Dec
Dec
On November 21st, The New York Times reported a robbery at the Castelveccchio, museum in Verona Italy. Seventeen masterpieces by Tintoretto, Mantegna and Peter Paul Rubens were taken. The incredibly amateurish robbers, after demanding the keys to the car of the single museum guard on duty, used it to make their getaway. Italy has long suffered from inadequate funds to protect it’s treasures. Often I’ve found myself alone in rooms full of priceless masterpieces wondering, “where’s the security?” The museum, itself a masterpiece, designed by Carlo Scarpa,(1906 Venice-1978), is quite frankly exquisite. Everything there, including the architecture and display are pure Scarpa.
Continue reading