Feel Good Oldies

Everyone has seen It's a Wonderful Life, Gone With the Wind, and Casablanca, but there are so many great movies that came out before a lot of you were born (back before the world was in color), that it can be hard to know where to start. Thanks to Netflix and Turner Classic Movies, these flicks are easy to find, and a lot of them have been digitally remastered so they are nice to look at, too. My taste runs to witty dialogue and romance, as well as a little suspense, and the occasional song-and-dance flick. So next time you're in Blockbuster, trying to decide between Speed Racer and The Love Guru, head for the Classic section, and rent one of these, instead. What's old is new again.

Duck Soup (1933): My favorite of the Marx Brothers movies has fresh, light, comedy that still feels totally relevant and modern.
The Thin Man (1934): A mystery is solved by a high-living, sharp-witted couple with perfect chemistry (and a great dog named Asta).
It Happened One Night (1934): Charming, flirtatious banter between Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Silly and romantic.
The Awful Truth (1937): A couple's divorce has surprisingly hilarious consequences. And the dog that plays Asta makes a reappearance! I absolutely love this one.
Bringing Up Baby (1938): Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant shine, while shooting barbs at one another and raising a leopard.
You Can't Take It With You (1938): A worst-case scenario of "meet the in-laws" when the family turns out to be totally screwy. Fun.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): A naive country bumpkin is appointed to the Senate, and shakes things up.
The Philadelphia Story (1940): Another Katharine Hepburn/Cary Grant charmer about a love triangle. Or square, I guess.
The Shop Around the Corner (1940): A cute story about a couple who are in love as pen-pals, but hate each other in real life. You might recognize the story from the remake, "You've Got Mail".
The Great Dictator (1940): One of Charlie Chaplin's very best: it's political, it's got sound, and most of all, it's really funny.
Palm Beach Story (1942): Another divorce-based comedy with a lot of great sets and costumes. And great dialogue.
Double Indemnity (1944): A romantic film noir that will actually surprise you.
Harvey (1950): Jimmy Stewart befriends a six-foot rabbit.
An American in Paris (1951): A great musical, with show-stopping song and dance numbers. Much better than High School Musical 3, I promise.
The African Queen (1952): Adventure, romance, Bogie... what more do you want?
Roman Holiday (1953): Audrey Hepburn is lovely as a princess on vacation in Rome. Romantic and sweet.
Rear Window (1954): The very best (in my opinion) of the Hitchcock films- suspenseful, romantic, and Grace Kelly's clothes will make you swoon.
Some Like It Hot (1959): Humorous drag comedy starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.
West Side Story (1961): God, I love the singing and dancing in this film. Be prepared to sing along.
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963): A goofy group of people race to find stolen cash. Light escapism at its best.
Take the Money and Run (1969): A less-seen Woody Allen film- it's a mockumentary about an incompetent thief.

Cool Collars and Luxe Leashes

During the time leading up to our adoption of Skipper, I wasn't sure what breed or gender or color of dog I wanted, or even what size. All I knew for sure was that, no matter what kind of dog we ended up with, I would never be one of those dog owners who dresses their dogs in tutus and carries them around in a designer handbag. A dog is a dog, I asserted, not a doll with which to play dress-up.

But then we brought Skipper home with her standard-issue plain-Jane Petco nylon leash and collar, and suddenly, I found myself wanting more for her. We had given her a new lease on life, why not a new leash, too? After all, she's a Manhattan lady, now, and she deserves to sport something a little more stylish. Don't get me wrong, I'm not painting her toenails hot pink right now or anything (she wouldn't hold still long enough for them to dry, anyway), and I still believe that a dog is a dog (If there is something disgusting on the ground, she's going to roll in it whether you have her in an Ed Hardy outfit or not), but I don't think there's anything wrong with giving your pooch a leash and collar with a little pizazz. So, like many first-time pet owners before me, I have stumbled unwittingly into a whole new world of merchandise, and found it very appealing. Fittingly, I have recently purchased Skipper a "Sailor's Knot" (get it? Skipper? Sailor?) collar and leash. And I am sure she will look paws-atively fetching.

From top: "Lucky Horseshoe" and "Eco-Sport" leashes (made from %100 recycled material), $24 each, matching collars are $18 each, from Mascot; "Agra" collars, $14-18 each, matching leash is $22, from Harry Barker; "Sailor's Knot" leash (this is the one Skipper will soon be modeling), $42, matching collar is $38, from Mascot;"Deauville" collars $16-18 each, matching leashes are $22, from Harry Barker; Braided leather collar, $55, matching leashes are $65, from Canine Styles.

Go Fish

I love to eat fish, but what with endangered populations, polluting fish farms, high mercury levels and all of the other concerns surrounding seafood these days, it can be very daunting making a trip to the fishmonger or ordering off a restaurant menu. What's healthier for me and the environment- wild Salmon or farmed? And what's the deal with Chilean Sea Bass? (Answers: wild Alaskan is best, and avoid the bass- it's endangered). The Deadliest Catch, indeed.

Luckily for all us pescatarians, Monterey Bay Aquarium researchers have fished around and culled together a definitive guide to what fishies you can eat safely, healthily and guilt-free. Check it out at: www.montereybayaquarium.org
And in case you don't usually carry your laptop with you to Le Bernadin, they also make these printable guides (click here to download the general one or visit the site for more specific regional guides) which you can carry around in your wallet and whip out while the waiter reads the specials. Maybe just don't do it on a first date.

So now you can go back to worrying about more important things... like creme brulée or chocolate soufflé?

image credit: current.com

Wild for Wallpaper

My Childhood Bedroom

Growing up in a bedroom like this, it seems I was destined to either abhor or adore wallpaper. During my wild youth, it was the former, and I tacked up posters and ironic velvet paintings in an effort to cover the pattern (Ha! Nice try, younger me). But as I have gotten older, it has turned to the latter, and now I am a certified wallpaperphile. I love an all-over floral pattern, a bold stripe, or even a modern trellis. If it wouldn't seriously lower the value of our apartment (and likely give us both chronic headaches), I would plaster it up in every room in the place. As it is, we have wallpaper in the "master" bedroom, and I have been on a nine-month search for the right one for our entry hallway. Wallpapers can be expensive, but a little goes a long way- try papering just one wall in a room, your half bath (don't wallpaper a room with a shower or bath) or the inside of a closet. Make sure you request a sample and tape it to your wall for a while before you buy- you might be surprised (pleasantly or otherwise) by the scale or colors when you seen them in context.
Here is a great wallpaper calculator from Lowe's to help you figure out how much you'll need to buy (make sure you account for the length of the repeat on a big pattern, and be sure to find out from the seller whether they are selling single or double rolls).
You can relatively easily put up a small pattern or stripe yourself, but if your walls are tricky (lots of windows), or you are using a large pattern, you should hire a pro, which isn't too expensive (I found my guy on Craig's List).
Many of the designers of the most beautiful wallpapers only sell to the trade, meaning that if you aren't working with a decorator you are simply out of luck. But I have found some sneaky ways to get around those rules, and some websites that sell gorgeous papers to regular Joes like us. Wallpaper to the people!

Beautiful Wallpaper Sites:
Walnut Wallpaper
Farrow & Ball
Pierre Deux
Cole and Son
Ferm Living

Vintage Wallpapers:
Secondhand Rose
Hannah's Treasures

Designer Wallpapers to the Public:
Eades Wallpaper
Decorator's Best
Discount Decorator
Decorati.com
Designer Fabrics Outlet

It's a Wash

I don't want to make presumptions about your life- I mean, for all I know, you could be way better at doing laundry than I am. You might be the Lord of the Laundry. The Sultan of the Spin Cycle. The Professor of Permanent Press. The Dean of Dryer Sheets... But if you're not, here's a primer on my processes and the products I prefer.

Five Steps to Perfect Laundry
1. Get Sorted. Unless you have never watched a sitcom in your life, you should probably know that mixing red clothes and white clothes in the washer will result in pink clothes. I sort clothes by color (darks, brights, whites), and by type (towels together, delicates separate). I have a hamper with different sections so I can sort things as I use them.
2. Pretreat Her Like a Lady. The surest way to never get a stain out of an article of clothing is to wash and dry it without pretreating. I use Oxi Clean Spray Stain Remover, $5.50, from Amazon.com- I think it works better than Spray 'N Wash, and even better than messy, damaging bleach. Spray it directly on a stain and rub the fabric against itself. It's good to let it sit for a few minutes, but don't leave any laundry product on your clothes for more than a couple hours as it will damage the fibers. The other day I spilled half a glass of red wine on my white dress, and this stuff got it out easily- I felt like Billy Mays.
3. Brighten Up. In addition to regular detergent, I always add a brightener to the wash. I like Biz, $5, best, but you can't buy it in New York, so I use Clorox 2, $7. I find they really work to keep whites from getting dingy and keep bright colors from fading. And they also work at getting out stains.
4. Dry a Little Tenderness. I tend to set my dryer to "Light Dry" to prevent the dryer from cooking my clothes. I'll pull out sweaters and t-shirts and jeans, smooth them out and let them finish drying in the air (which keeps them from getting deep-set wrinkles), but I'll let towels and such dry all the way.
5. Get Into the Fold. Not to sound like your mom, but your laundry isn't really done until it's folded and put away in your drawers. If you fold your laundry while it is still warm from the dryer, you can smooth out most wrinkles before they set, but if you let your laundry sit in the dryer until it cools, you ain't never getting those things out.

Follow those steps, and you'll be the Swami of Suds. If you weren't already.

Laundry photo credit: Martha Stewart

Raising the Bar

Admit it: at one point or another we've all imbibed a cocktail or two made from the disparate (and desperate) remnants of a less-than-fully-stocked bar. I recall a particularly repugnant Jagermeister, peach schnapps and cranberry juice cocktail, the memory of which still triggers my gag reflex. The part of me that used to happily put back those types of cockamamie concoctions — as a "pre-game" on a Tuesday night, usually with a paper due — retired after college (but reserves the right to make cameo appearances at my friends' bachelorette parties).
Now I prefer a more civilized libation, like the "first Gin and Tonic of the Spring" (with extra limes) that my husband and I shared on our terrace at sunset last night- heavenly.
Even if you aren't much of a drinker yourself, now that we're grownups in the Real World it's time to channel the Chairman of the Board and get yourself a real, grown-up home bar (in case I come over and want to mix something up). With these selections, you will be able to make almost any cocktail your little boozy heart might desire. While alcohol don't come cheap (and if it does, I recommend avoiding it), the good news is that it never goes bad, so this is a one-time lump investment that will only require occasional replenishment. So, without further ado, I present to you:

The Charmed Guide to Home Bar Essentials

Liquor:
1. Vodka. No need to go super high-end unless you drink it straight. Stolichnaya is good, reasonably-priced option. I keep it in the freezer.
2. Gin. I like Bombay Sapphire, but Beefeater or Tanqueray are both decent.
3. Light Rum. Like Bacardi Gold.
4. Dark Rum. Like Myer's.
5. Tequila. I'm comfortable with Cuervo or Sauza, but Patron is noticeably smoother.
6. Bourbon. We like Maker's Mark. And by that I mean, my husband likes Maker's Mark.
7. Scotch. I'm not a Scotch drinker, but usually keep a bottle of Johnnie Walker or Chivas around for guests.
8. Rye. I've only ever had Old Overholt, but it does the trick.
9. Sweet and Dry Vermouth. For the Sweet we have Punt e Mes, and for the Dry we buy Martini & Rossi.
10. Triple Sec. Essential for a deelish Marg — any cheap store brand will do. Don't use up your extra cash upgrading here.
11. Cognac. You know, Hennessy, Remy Martin, Courvoisier... in case you have Busta Rhymes over for drinks.
12. Cointreau. An orange liquor. You could sub Grand Marnier instead- they are not exactly the same, but similar enough to stand in for each other in a Cosmo or dessert recipe.
13. Campari. Necessary for Negronis. Yum.
14. Bitters. Like Angostura's or Peychaud's.
15. 2-3 bottles of each of the following:
Red Wine
White Wine
Champagne (you never know when you are going to have something to celebrate!)
16.Beer. I always keep at least six bottles in the fridge.

Garnishes:
1. Fresh Lemons, Limes and Oranges. These are also helpful for warding off scurvy.
2. Cocktail onions. For the "Gibson" variation on a Martini.
3. Olives.
4. Maraschino cherries. Keep these in the back of your fridge. They make a nice snack when you are truly out of groceries (at least they beat the mayonnaise).
5. Celery. I make sure I have it in the fridge if I suspect Bloody Marys might be on the horizon.


Mixers:
1. Soda.
2. Tonic. I really like Vintage brand, but that might just be a New York thing. Canada Dry is also fine.
3. Ginger Ale.
4. 7-Up or Sprite.
5. Coke or Diet Coke or both.
6. Tomato Juice (I like V-8, ever since I found out Clamato has MSG in it)
7. Peppermill
8. Tabasco
9. Worcestershire Sauce
10. Ice.
Frozen Minute Maid cans of the following, kept in the freezer:
11. Cranberry juice.
12. Orange juice.
13. Limeade.


Bar Snacks:
1. A can of nuts.
2. Some dried fruits.
3. A bag of fancy potato chips.

Tools:
1. Ice Bucket and Scoop.
2. Stirrer. A tall spoon will do in a pinch.
3. Shaker. You'll need it when James Bond stops by.
4. Bottle Opener. The one on your key chain doesn't count.
5. Corkscrew. You don't have to spend a million dollars on a CO2-fueled one, but don't cheap out, either- the inexpensive ones tend to break easily.
6. Strainer.
7. Shot glass. For measuring, not downing Kamakazes.
8. Cocktail Napkins. Get some cute paper ones.
9. A Nice Glass Pitcher.
10. A Bartending Guide.

Bottoms Up!



photo credit: Pottery Barn