I love cooking in cast iron and have used my Le Creuset dutch oven to make everything from slow-braised osso buco to thick, rich bolognese. The problem is that my trusty little pot, while still in great shape, is too small to hold dinner for a crowd. So I was thrilled to find this beauty … Continue reading Cast Iron Cooking
Author: Wendy Franzen
What to Wear: Traveling in Style
One of my closest friends is traveling to China this week with her husband and three young boys (yes she is a brave soul!). This morning while we were discussing trip details over coffee, the conversation turned to the best thing to wear on long flights. Below, the short list: 1) A great pair of … Continue reading What to Wear: Traveling in Style
Where to Go This Weekend: The Glencoe Grand Prix
This Saturday the Sixth Annual Glencoe Grand Prix will take place in scenic downtown Glencoe, Illinois. Experience the thrill of pro cyclists flying by, have your children participate in activities created just for them, watch the Chicago Sky's McDonald's Fly Kids tumble, enjoy great food and drink, and dance the night away at the block … Continue reading Where to Go This Weekend: The Glencoe Grand Prix
A Day Off in Chicago
Yesterday our family played hookie and became tourists for a day in our own backyard. We visited famous landmarks, cruised along in a double-decker tour bus, took a ride on a giant ferris wheel, and got in everyone's way while taking a million pictures. Our first stop was Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). We took … Continue reading A Day Off in Chicago
Mother Nature
Last evening the most breathtaking cloud formation undulated over our rooftop and across the sky on its way to the lake. The motion was unlike anything I had ever seen and the brilliant color changed from moment to moment. If only I had taken a video! All photos via the aesthete and the dilettante
What to Bring: Mini Carrot Cakes
Memorial Day is almost here, so I've been working on what I will bake and take to a barbecue this weekend. My mother makes the best carrot cake on the planet. A cake so mouthwateringly perfect that you cannot resist cutting a thin slice and popping it into your mouth sans plate each time you … Continue reading What to Bring: Mini Carrot Cakes
Memorial Day Picnic
cashmere sweater, $188 Melissa Odabash striped bathing suit, $190 7 For All Mankind low rise short shorts, $180 Aubin Wills canvas tote bag, $110 Wicker Picnic Basket, $350 click on image for links to recipes and photos
The Top Ten (May Edition)
Ten things I am loving this May...1. The gorgeous color and heady scent of lilacs in bloom.2) Nars Super Orgasm Illuminator. I have never been a big make-up girl, but when I tried this and saw the nice (ahem) glow it gave me, I was sold. 3) My Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Attractive it is not, … Continue reading The Top Ten (May Edition)
dining al fresco
This spectacular weather has me ready to move it outside. Who's in? click on each image for photo credits and recipes
A Mother’s Day Love Letter
My mother has been sick for almost as long as I can remember. But the truth is, I did not consider it as much as I should have growing up. She never allowed her physical limitations to define her, so I saw her through the lens that she held up for herself and it did … Continue reading A Mother’s Day Love Letter
the aesthete and the dilettante 