I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! My vacation ended yesterday and as such I am easing back into work and to blog posting.
This time of year is the time for lists and reflection, so it seems only fitting to look back at some of the most popular Rex & Regina posts over the last year. These popular posts reflect the three main categories regularly featured on the blog: weddings, social events, and at-home entertaining.
1. First on the list is the series dedicated to Julia Child and the release of the movie, Julie & Julia. The series included my humble review of the movie, information about Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian, Julia-themed party ideas, and other Julia resources.
photo via www.foodandwine.com
2. Serving trays are entertaining essential. This next top post featured fabulous trays for everyday entertaining.
lucite tray from Dabney Lee At Home
3. It’s always helpful to know the Do’s and Don’ts when bringing wine to a party.
"Cheers" wine gift bag, available from The Craft Pantry on Etsy
4. Napkins are a perennial topic for entertainers. This two-part series looked at eco-chic entertaining with napkins. The first post talks about the beauty and practicality of napkin rings and the second looks at just how cool cloth cocktail napkins can be.
Leontine Linens RIley Cocktail Napkins
5. Cupcakes were all the rage in 2009, but artisan chocolates were the new dark horse in sweet treats.
Fleur de Sel Chocolates from Recchiuti
6. A good host is always prepared for overnight guests and the tips in this next post provide a good checklist.
Silver Bamboo Clock from Williams-Sonoma Home
The final four popular posts on the list are all wedding-related.
7. I get a lot of questions about children at weddings — whether to invite them, how to entertain them… This post provides some helpful tips on the subject.
Photo courtesy of Karine Aigner Photography
8. Another question I regularly answer is the difference between escort and place cards — an important distinction.
Escort cards, photo courtesy of Baltazar Photography
9. Weddings are a great time to collect wishes and advice from friends and family. This post provided some creative ways to do just that.
Wish guest book; photo courtesy of CB Photography
10. A great way to extend hospitality to your wedding guests is to offer them a gift bag upon arrival at the hotel. This post outlined the elements of the ultimate gift bag.
City Out-of-Town Totes available at Blissweddingsmarket.com
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photo by Getty Images via Harper's Bazaar
I’ve only read a few biographies in my life. If there was ever an argument to start reading more of them it would have to be An Appetite for Life: The Biography of Julia Child. I read it years ago and it remains one of the most inspiring books in my library. With each page I turned, it was as if Julia was standing in front of me, her tall frame planted firmly and her fists in the air like a boxer after winning a fight, urging me to live life. To drink it up. To make the most of every minute. And above all, to eat and cook well.
An Appetite for Life, available at Amazon.com
Julia Child was a remarkable woman (even if an easy target for shows like Saturday Night Live). Independent. Sharp. Bold. I remember being floored to learn that she once worked for the OSS, the precursor to the CIA.
Perhaps it was Child’s dynamism that led Julie Powell to choose one of her cookbooks for her yearlong cooking-challenge-turned-into-life-lesson adventure, the Julie Julie/Julia Project.
Powell, a young, married, government worker decided one day to cook through Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year. As Powell notes in her very first blog entry where she lays down the gauntlet, “365 days. 536 recipes. One girl and a crappy outer borough kitchen.”
Powell later turned the blog into a book. After sharing with him that I might want to read it, my husband included a copy of Julie and Julia in an Amazon order he placed earlier this summer. From the time it came in the mail, I could not put it down. Powell’s writing is good, but the concept behind it all is even better. What would happen if you set out to accomplish a culinary goal of working your way through an entire cookbook? What would you learn along the way (besides how to poach an egg or make aspic)?
The book became a movie which is due out this weekend (August 7). In honor of the movie and Julia Child, whose birthday, August 15, is just around the corner (more on that in future posts….), I am starting a countdown to the movie starting…. now.
There’s a lot we can learn from Julia Child — and a lot, I think, that we can learn from Powell through her culinary adventure. Stay tuned! It’s going to be a great week!
And in the words of Julia Child, Bon Appétit!
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