Yet Again

Barely a week after I swore not to neglect you ever again, I realize I'm going to have to beg forgiveness (again) and break that promise.  I'm headed for foreign shores until after the July 4th holiday, and will be taking a break from posting while I'm away.

But in the meantime, a few things I've been enjoying lately:

1)  The British Larder:  A gorgeous food diary (aka blog), all of the recipes on which I have the desire to eat, about a third of which I have a desire to make.  Regardless of the feasibility of the recipes for the average home cook, the photos are consistently mouth watering, and given the hot and sticky weather, the ice cream and sorbet recipes are terribly hard to resist.

2)  AllSaints Spitalfields:  This British retailer recently opened a US outpost in Soho, and this weekend, while wandering the streets of downtown Manhattan, the store and I were properly introduced.  An odd cross between Vivienne Westwood, Rick Owens and Osklen, I loved virtually everything.  And shockingly enough, I didn't find anything to be inordinately expensive.  Certainly a spot to revisit upon my return, when I am perhaps in a bit more of a shopping mood.

3)  The Cooking Channel:  Ah, real cooks cooking on TV again.  I DVRed loads of shows I'd never heard of and came up with a few winners.  Bill Granger, who I'm sure has become passe in his native Australia by this time, makes what looks to be light, tasty and easy food in a beach house setting.  His sunny humor, handy tips and appealing recipes have endeared him to me enormously.  And Anjum Anand, on her show Indian Food Made Easy, lives up to the title.  She knows a ton about the cuisine, and her recipes look not only delicious but are also considerably less work than those of my beloved Madhur Jaffrey.  And, in addition to introducing me to entirely new TV chefs, this channel allows me to indulge my love of old Nigella episodes to my heart's content.  Along with a few old Julia Child episodes and a Galloping Gourmet here and there (Ms. Child has held up much better than Mr. Gourmet I must say) the network has a bit of something for everyone.

Until after the holiday...enjoy yourselves while I'm away!