The Naughty Socialite ~ Hermes 24 Faubourg

 

 

Co-Founder, creator and artist of A Dozen Roses, Sandy Cataldo, signing bottles

I am a very naughty socialite.  I play the game of society my own way and I love being the rebel. My mother was quite the opposite and was brought up to be incredibly well to do until her family lost all of their money in the middle of the great depression. She had grown up in Urbana, Illinois, the granddaughter of one of the fine gentlemen who brought the University to Champaign, and had been utterly and completely spoiled for the whole of her young life!  When her parents decided that they needed to move to Shaker Heights, which was/is a lovely city just east of Cleveland my mother was appalled. There wasn’t enough help as far as she was concerned and she was forced to go to a “completely horrible” school named Hathaway Brown, an all girls prep school that is still one of the most fashionable in Cleveland. She had to live with her grandmother, a woman who could out chill the Queen. There was no longer enough china or sterling and definitely not enough imported French soap or perfume. My mother was completely miserable. 

 

I guess that within a fairly short amount of time my very patrician grandmother decided that she’d had enough of my mothers moaning and groaning so one day she dragged her kicking and screaming to the nearest soup kitchen.  “Barbara” she said, “You are going to spend everyday working here after school and you WILL come to see just how good your life is."   Of course she did as she was told and the rest is history. She told me when I asked her about her passion for charity work that it was the children that she met in the soup kitchen that completely changed her life forever.  She stopped complaining when she saw just how happy they were with such little means.

 

She stepped into her power at that moment and became heavily involved in rebuilding the foundations of our city.  Make no mistake, she was always the proper princess even until the day she died. In all of the years that I knew her, I never saw her use the wrong fork or glass and there was never a hair out of place. The moment that she woke from quadruple bypass surgery she begged me for her lipstick, pearls and Shalimar. She bathed in beautifully scented oils every night and she had complete disdain for showers. She could tell a wickedly dirty joke and she absolutely loved them. They just don’t make broads like that anymore; she was just so wonderful! 

 

My mother eventually became the President of many of the organizations she served but until the day she died her heart belonged completely to The Cleveland Orchestra, probably because she was completely tone deaf and she longed to be able to play an instrument.  She served on The Women’s Committee of The Cleveland Orchestra Board for decades and of course because I was her daughter I was forced to serve on many boards as well and protesting all of the while.  I’ll never forget the day that I was kicked out of the Junior League because of my refusal to go to noontimemeetings. You’d have thought that I’d robbed a bank by her chilly response.  The night that I ditched my Assembly ball date to go smoke pot with the cute preppy boys at the party was the final straw. She put her pretty foot down and demanded that I become a fully functioning member of high society. 

 

I must admit to loving the fashion shows and the glitz and glamour that go along with beinginvolved in quite a few top shelf organizations, but until recently I’ve never stepped up my role to be anything other than a volunteer. I received the call from the nominating committee from the orchestra shortly after she died. “You’ve been nominated to be the President.  We hope that you’ll say yes”.   Well, I can tell you right now that after saying no for the 4th time that all of my familial guilt crept in.  So taking a deep breath I said "yes" to the persistent voice on the other end of the phone and then I did what any red blooded perfumista would do after agreeing to take on such a daunting task. 

 

I went sniffing!

I knew that I needed a new fragrance, something that suited this Herculean role that I’d stepped into and that I could charge like a talisman to help me feel glamorous, powerful and sophisticated. I knew that I needed to find a fragrance that would allow me to feel like I belonged. So for a month I danced with the Serge’s and jitterbugged with the Creeds. I tangoed with the Bonds and waltzed with the Fords but nothing would do until I met Hermes 24 Faubourgand it was love at first sniff.  I knew instantly that it would be perfect.

 

Hermes 24 Faubourg is a very beautiful perfume.  It’s named after the flagship store in Paris and we all know the richness and luxury that can be found behind those doors. Hermes scarves are legendary and when I was a child I coveted an Hermes saddle, a beautiful thing that was built by hand out of the softest sweetest leather.  It makes sense that a fragrance bearing the name of such a beautiful legacy would encompass so many of its aspects. Theminute that I put it on I felt relaxed,  fabulous and dare I say it, completely grown up!

 

24 Faubourg is sweetly floral with lots of Jasmine and ylang ylang but it also has a very indolic quality that lends a subtle sexiness that reminds me of my favorite riding gloves.  There’s even a mineral quality to it smells like sun warmed gold and sea glass.  I think that 24 Faubourg is classic and very French and is ultimately one of the most womanly fragrances that I’ve ever worn.  It’s just right for this period of my life with its emphasis on striding into my own power. These days  you’ll often find me tying on one of my mothers Hermes scarves and donning her pearls and sapphires in preparation for a board meeting.

 

One strategically applied spritz of 24 Faubourg and I begin to feel up to the challenge of leading the most remarkable group of women thatI’ve ever known. 2 sprays and I’m more than prepared to tackle the new world order.

 

I bought my bottle of the EDP at Bergdorf Goodman’s, but I’ve also seen it at Neiman Marcus.  Do promise me that you’ll definitely splurge on the 24 Faubourg Body Cream and the Shower & Bath Cream. They're impossibly luxurious and if my mother were still alive she’d be finding it in this years edition of her Christmas stocking.

 

Hermes 24 Faubourg is a beautiful perfume and I know that you'll enjoy it. Spray a bit of it on your wrist and let it warm to your body. You'll be amazed by the sweetly amber'd nuances and wowed by the one-two punch of the citrus. Try it and let it help you create the life you've been dreaming of!

 

Originally published in The Perfume Magazine

 

Pearls Perfumes and Passions ~ Naughty Secrets from the Women who paved my Way

 

From The Women Who Paved My Way....

My mother's natural blue gray pearls were actually her mother’s pearls and her grandmother's and great grandmother’s before her.  I inherited them when she died 3 years ago and they are beautiful, longer than opera length and even when wrapped in three strands they fall fluidly way beyond my breasts. These pearls are the loveliest silvery blue, the bewitching shade of the sea before a storm.  Because they are natural pearls and at least 130 years old there is a whole other lineage of women that I'm linked to through them, Japanese free divers who often risked their lives to obtain these coveted beauties.

 

There was no other way to collect pearls before the 20th century and sometimes the divers had to go as deep as 40 to 125 feet into the sea and because of the extremely fickle nature of natural pearl growth, any pearls found were extremely rare. To harvest the pearls that I now call my own women that I've never met had to brave uncertain tides, dangerous creatures and hypothermia. More important even than the stories of these pearls are the untold stories that I will never know, but that I can feel. Women who had no other way to feed themselves became pearl divers and were probably paid what amounted to pennies to fashionably adorn my family’s bosoms and as glamorous as they make me feel I cannot wear them ever without acknowledging their true cost.

 

In 1983 on New Year’s Eve my mother let me wear them to a fabulous Black Tie dinner dance because she thought that they went beautifully with my silver-toned crushed velvet dress. Somewhere in the moments between the last dance and dawn I was seized by a bit of nostalgia. I picked up one of the strands, lifted them to my nose and inhaled their sweet/salty perfume. Surprisingly these pearls have never needed to be restrung and even though they are so very old are lustrous still and perfumed with the essence of all of the women who have treasured them before me.  Sandalwood, violet, jasmine and rose and my mother’s Shalimar, which she wore until the day that she died. Maybe it’s my imagination but I’d swear to you that they still smell of the bottom of the sea. Even though I’d heard about all of them for so many years it was the evening that I truly met all of my maternal grandmothers for the very first time.

 

 

My maternal grandmother Frances died before I was born and was known to have loved rich oriental fragrances like sandalwood, patchouli as well as single Florals like violet , lilac and rose.  She is the one that I am said to resemble the most in looks and spirit. She was a painter, one of the original artists in a notorious and somewhat scandalous Greenwich Village colony at the turn of the century, beautiful  and very provocative, at least until she married my grandfather, a terribly sweet gentleman farmer from Champaign Urbana who was probably a very settling influence on her.  Somewhere in all of my trunks and treasures there exists a worn and incredibly provocative and sepia photograph of a woman that I could recognize as myself wrapped naked in a bearskin rug, smiling and holding a long cigarette holder.

 

Taken over a century ago she is draped in yards of pearls that I recognize as my mother’s pearls... my pearls. As I fall backwards through time the distinct fragrance of her attar of violets, sandalwood perfume and tobacco seems to linger alongside her throaty laughter as she makes herself known to me through this delicious photograph. Her long auburn hair is swept up in gorgeous combs made of  sandalwood, mother of pearl and 18 karat gold and is surely scented with the simple single floral perfumes of jasmine and rose that she preferred, nothing too heavy. I am told that she always knew just the right moment to undo the combs, letting her gorgeous hair cascade magically down around her face bringing with it a cloud of soft sweet scent. She must have been amazing.

 

My mother taught me to do this with my own long hair. Just one spray of a single floral note warmed in the hand with a drop of olive oil and then finger combed through from the temples back. Then take some beautiful hair combs and twist your hair up or back in a chignon, pull the front pieces back; whatever you like, but keep it simple, two combs maximum, one is the best. Then at the right moment, just smile, tilt your head, release your hair and toss it gently while never breaking your gaze. It’s an old fashioned sleight of hand but I promise, he won’t know what hit him. The simple floral perfume keeps it from seeming too obvious; your hair should just smell clean and pretty, not drenched with scent.

After she died, my mother inherited most of her mother’s jewelry and delighted in wearing the beautiful pearls as often as she could. She would always wear them draped against gray silk and satin, nestled against her   chest. When I miss her the most I go to my jewelry box and put them on. They still smell a bit of her sweet almond soap and Shalimar perfume, a wonderful fragrance that’s lighthearted and giddy; the scent of a woman who was always the belle of the ball. My mother was quite beautiful and more than a little bit bewitching to my father who was quite besotted with her. I still remember watching the magic that passed between them as they’d leave the house together, excited for a wonderful evening out. My mother was one of the original Yardley English Lavender girls so she’d been taught that fine fragrance was a magic spell that needed to be wielded powerfully. She had many delicious secrets and her ritual for applying perfume was one that I still use to this day; one spray on the nape of the neck, one spray at the point where the soft flesh of the breasts meet and depending upon what she was wearing one spray at the ankles.  “Remember darling” she’d say “Only just enough perfume to be enjoyed by the lucky fellow who is close enough to kiss you, never so much that it tosses you head first  into the room.” 

 

I loved all of my mother’s beauty rituals and over the years I’ve made most of them my own.  To her and all of the women who came before her, baths and dressing rooms were the place where the glamour that they were known for was created. My mother took it all very seriously, this business of beauty. She took baths in lovely oils, forever eschewed showers and she always had scented candles burning in her bathroom. She loved floating feminine hemlines and she would always be sure to put a few drops of her perfume on them so that there was just a subtle scent when she moved through the room.  It was she who taught me the easiest trick I know; that a few drops of vanilla mixed with a bit of fragrant bath oil rubbed into my breasts has the effect on any man of creating almost instantaneous and lasting hunger. She taught me how to apply my lipstick perfectly without a mirror, a nifty little trick that has never failed to disarm any man who just happened to be watching. When I married she gifted me with a sterling and tortoise shell comb, sable brush, mirror and instructions to never allow my husband to see me looking ill even if I felt like I was dying, advice that I've almost always heeded to this day. Her own husband rarely saw her without lipstick and even when she'd just woken up from open heart surgery. Her first words to me that moment were a breathy “Your father can't see me like this, did you bring my hairbrush, lipstick and perfume?"  And of course because she was my mother I'd known that she'd want it immediately. He had to stand impatiently outside of the ICU until I'd made her up to her satisfaction, barely conscious she still had that sense of herself. She was a pretty smart woman. Some of you may be reading this and completely disapproving, but my parents were pretty happily married for 67 years. She definitely knew what she was doing!

 

Someday, I hope to have a granddaughter of my own with whom I will share all of the intimate secrets that my mother taught me. I will love those moments and share all of the family stories with great pleasure, especially the really wicked ones! Continuing the tradition started so long ago one day the lovely pearls and combs will be passed down to her , along with my collection of perfumes that I hope she will treasure. She will hopefully be blessed as all the women in my family have been with a wicked sense of humor and a penchant for naughtiness but if not the pearls will probably still fit her like a custom made glove. I don't wear them at all the same way as my mother did, she preferring blouses of flowing silk and I am most comfortable in Ralph Lauren.  Yet I remember my mother wearing them once when I accidentally walked into my father’s studio late at night...she was lying naked on the couch draped only in the pearls and a soft cloud of Shalimar, as sensual as a beautiful odalisque in a museum. He was painting her and the canvas was fairly glowing with his adoration. I still have that painting, I've never forgotten that moment and I don't think that the pearls have either,  immortalized as they were in love, linseed oil and canvas.

 

I know that it sounds terrifically romantic but I promise that it wasn’t the martinis. Those of us who are truly mesmerized by perfume can attest to its abilities to conjure visions at the deepest level of the soul. That was the moment that I became obsessed with scent as the catalyst for memories and began looking for other ways of wearing it, ways that were more meaningful to me as a woman than simply just spraying on the latest perfume that was currently in vogue.

 

 

Those pearls are among the most sensuous pieces of jewelry that I own, probably because they are forever imprinted with the souls of the women who wore them before me. My grandmother's were beautiful and worldly women with lavish tastes and hearty appetites for life and their men adored them. They had all sorts of wonderful tricks, seductive ways that kept their husbands enchanted with them for decades. Violet pastilles to keep their breath sweet and rose scented lip balm, leather gloves that were perfumed with precious oils so that every touch from their hand was as soft as petal and smelled just as sweet, orange flower and rose waters that were not only good for the skin but perfumed so that a cheek offered for a simple kiss became a soft pleasure for the lucky gentleman. 

 

Many of the wonderful Indie perfumers that I’ve met are exploring this concept, recreating and bringing back age old traditions of scented waters and lip balms, exploring the connections between smell, memory, scent and sensuality in a way that is completely familiar and captivating. These days you can walk into almost any store and find a suitable bottle of perfume, but to me that’s just the beginning. Beautiful fragrance is made to be worn, not the other way around. My interest lies in finding new ways to accessorize myself with scent that are perhaps not quite as obvious.

   

Tomorrow evening I will take them dancing in Manhattan to the black tie wedding of a dear friend and because it is not yet New Years Eve I will still be wearing my beloved Caron Nuit de Noel. My dress is long and sewn of flowing black velvet, full sleeved and adorned with a faux sable collar that floats all around the top of the dress which is worn off the shoulders. Because it is such a romantic dress I have brought the combs for my hair and I am happy, almost giddy with anticipation of a wonderful evening spent in the arms of my boyishly handsome husband. As I write this somewhere my mother is smiling...She would most definitely approve.

 

 

Authors note: If you have lovely pearls of your own please remember not to put them on before you apply your fragrance because it’s not good for them to come into direct contact with the fragrant oils or hairspray. The little bit on your skin or clothes will be just fine.

 

Originally published in The Perfume Magazine

Can a wife be a mistress? An Olfactory Primer of Passions!

Can a wife be a mistress? I’m convinced that the two don’t have to live separately, that they can live within the same woman. I’m lucky enough to be married to a guy who refers to me that way and I take that as a real compliment. The thought of having that kind of sexual and sensual power has always been a real aphrodisiac for me. My mother was that sort of woman too, and my father was absolutely enchanted by her. My mother had many rules, but five of them are legendary in my family. I call them “Barbara’s rules for a long and happy marriage” and because it’s Valentine’s Day soon and I want you to have the best and bawdiest evening possible, I’m going to share them with you. You can thank me later!

 

My mother was an excellent wife and a serious contradiction; a hardcore feminist before her time but as far as she was concerned making my father happy was the most important thing that she ever needed to do and fortunately for me she passed the knowledge on. She taught me to cook well, dress well, entertain and love well. She relished being the “Lady in the drawing room, mistress in the bedroom” and fortunately for me she gave me “The Rules” the day that I married my husband although if you asked him, he’d say that he was the fortunate one and he was forever grateful for her generosity! She pulled me into the bedroom and said “Remember darling, you can support yourself so whatever he gives you, wear it to bed, even if it’s a toaster!”

 

That is rule number one and by itself could have been the best piece of advice that I ever received from her, but there are four more!

 

My mother was married for 67 years before she died, and she was still stunning even at the age of 87. She had gorgeous skin and she swore that love kept her young. I’m inclined to believe her because when people ask me why I still look at least ten years younger than my age the answer I give is the same as hers. Never stop learning, never stop primping, and never stop making love. Great sex never fails to make your skin glow! Great food never fails to bring a smart man to his knees and neither does a wonderful fragrance so for God’s sake, don’t smoke. Nothing masks your natural musk faster than a cigarette.

 

My mother had an absolutely wonderful time being a woman and she was very strong playing successfully in a man’s world. She taught me that there was no glass ceiling in the boardroom or bedroom and she used every bit of her femininity to her advantage. She always said, "Apply your perfume dear, wherever you want to be kissed" and then she'd dab a little bit of Shalimar on her very ample cleavage, making me blush and grin at the same time. My mother was always full of good advice when it came to matters of the heart and I inherited my love of fine perfume, men and fashion from her, as well as bubble baths, sex, champagne and caviar although not necessarily in that order. 

 

 

She taught by example and she had a beautiful closet for us growing up, a “dress up” room filled with all kinds of wonderful things that she’d outgrown like velvet capes and gorgeous high heels, shawls and scarves and hats! My friends and I would play for hours and when we’d put together the perfect outfits she’d whisk us into the bathroom and fix our makeup, always finishing with just a touch of her perfume.

 

I loved the whole ritual, especially the black and burgundy velvet cape that I would always flounce around in, but I’ll never forget her Shalimar. I loved it and still do because it lingers on the flesh like a kiss from a fabulous man, the one who loves you but is at the same time completely fascinated by what he can’t ever know about you. When I talk to young girls these days I’m so baffled by how they tend to spill all of their secrets so quickly and then they wonder why sensual and sexual satisfaction eludes them. It’s as if they treat love as a purgative or therapy session instead of with well deserved reverence, as a delightful and thrillingly slow discovery of each other.  Where’s the mystery, where’s the fun of seduction, the thrill of the hunt? What about delight and enticement? Scented letters that offers an implied promise of pleasure or a long slow kiss that doesn’t need to go anywhere?

 

What about soft sheets that you’ve taken the time to perfume or a bed tray that’s set with 2 cups, a French Press, buttery croissants and the Sunday New York Times or fresh mango that you've dipped in honey and fed to your lover one piece at a time, to say nothing of the simple pleasures of a bowl of freshly whipped cream. 

 

Speaking of which, don’t you think that you owe it to yourself and your husband to make your bedroom ready for love? Give him an office, but make your boudoir an affaire de coeur.  Fresh flowers add one dimension of scent, beautiful linens yet another. I’m currently in love with my new micro fleece sheets, because they feel so incredibly soft against my bare skin.  Taste is another important element that shouldn’t be ignored so don’t forget the Kama Sutra Honey Dust.  It comes with a feather duster and smells like fresh flowers and raw honey.  Dusted in all of the right places and kissed away, Honey Dust is a delicious preamble to all kinds of possibility including a lovely perfumed bath after which you can wrap each other in large soft bath sheets and fall back into bed. Softly scented candles are a must and music is essential. The more feminine the room the more masculine you'll watch him become. Never apologize for the obvious and whatever you do, don’t forget the toaster!

 

Rule Number Two? If you return the gifts he selects for you, remember that the next wife will undoubtedly love them!

 

I’ve always kept a bit of mystery in my marriage and preparing myself for an evening of intimacy reconnects me with the ancient tales of the sacred prostitutes of Isis who spent hours preparing themselves in their temples to receive the passions of strangers who were coming to worship them. I am fascinated by the stories of those women and I can easily imagine myself spending hours brushing my hair, bathing in cream with rose petals and sacred oils, perfuming and preparing myself for that sort of wanton passion. I’m presently the keeper of many wonderful bottles of perfume, but Shalimar is still one of the sexiest that I own followed closely by the hypnotically spicy Opium, another of my old and glamorous “go to” perfumes. Both are wonderful and neither will ever fail to arouse when used with a certain je ne said quoi.

 

Shalimar always seems to captivate anyone standing within six feet of me and I’m pretty convinced that it’s because it smells like freshly baked cookies, breast milk or melted chocolate. It’s full of vanilla, bergamot and benzoin with hints of buttery leather and the strangely sweet seductiveness of orrisroot. I love that when I wear it I feel absolutely gorgeous and ready for love.  Shalimar is edible in the most carnal sense of the word.

 

Truly when you think about it, the best places for perfume are the places where we are naturally warm, a little bit here, a little bit there. I will let you use your imagination, but remember that because heat naturally rises, perfume will happily create a veil around you that is subtler than if you just grabbed the bottle without care and sprayed it everywhere. That’s what it’s meant to do! There’s nothing that bothers me more than when someone walks past and their fragrance fills my nostrils for at least a minute afterward.

 

Beautiful fragrance is expensive and should be applied with care, because it’s pretty sacred stuff in my opinion.  If you use it sparingly and intentionally you will not have to use nearly as much and it will last ever so much longer and be that much more enticing. Think of a beautiful spring violet whose perfume isn't noticed until you lay in the grass and inhale deeply.  

 

This process applies for men as well and both sexes should think ankles, thighs, breasts, wrists and definitely on the pulse points just behind your ears. I love putting just a bit of vanilla on my hairbrush, leaving my hair softly scented. I think of perfume as the only accessory that I can't ever leave the house without, (perfume and Chanel lipstick to be more accurate) but I love that only I can know exactly where I’ve spritzed it, tantalizing to be sure, like wearing a gorgeous bra and garters that peek coyly from underneath your very businesslike suit. Beautiful perfume is meant to be shared, but remember that it should always be used subtly. Try wearing your perfume as an invitation instead of an announcement and I think that you'll be very pleased with the result that brings! Which brings me very quickly to Rule Number Three!  Never start something that you’re not going to finish!

 

Perfume isn’t meant to cover up your natural scent, it’s meant to enhance it.

 

Too much strong perfume will confuse a man, because he’s looking for you and to really know you he’s inhaling you and tasting you through all of his senses, which brings me to Rule Number 4.

 

A gorgeous and very well paid lady of the night told me once just how much a man is willing to pay for pleasure, because so many of their wives refuse. Learn to give as good as you get is my motto! If you’re the squeamish type , don’t be afraid to ask him to wear a cologne that you love or take a bath or shower with him.  A man who smells simply wonderful is his own best aphrodisiac! This same lady told me that bathing together was another ritual that a man really loves but that they told her that their wives didn't want to be naked in front of them.  Kissing too…it's amazing how many men paid her to just make out with them. I was amazed. For the record? Perfecting a delicious striptease will give you tons of body confidence and make both of you very happy. Trust me! You CAN do this!

 

Last but definitely not least is Rule number 5, involving the mature gentleman who may need a little coaxing and a bit of extra persuasion from time to time. If he’s tired or stressed then the thing to do is offer a seductive bit of distraction.That’s where the bubble bath comes in and a gentle massage with a warming vanilla oil and a demitasse full of chocolate mousse. 

 

Learn to say scandalous things in French using your sexiest Deneuve accent. Forget the champagne and instead feed him the mousse with your fingers. Things should progress very quickly after that and those silly little blue pills need not apply. 

Trust me…. In his 80's my father was still a very happy man.

 

Originally published in the Perfume Magazine

Winter Solstice ~ ADVENTure Ahead

 

By Beth They say that spring will come again No one knows exactly when. Still the sun’s a long lost friend On the longest night of the year. We stare into the firelight While December beats outside Where the darkest hearts reside On the longest night of the year So keep me safe and hold me tight Let the candle burn all night Tomorrow welcome back the night It was longest night of the year I used to think the world was small Bright and shining like a ball Seems I don’t know much at all On the longest night of the year We press our faces to the glass And see our little lives go past Wave to shadows that we cast On the longest night of the year So keep me safe and hold me tight, Let the candle burn all night, Tomorrow welcome back the light. ‘Twas the longest night of the year Make a vow when Solstice comes: To find the Light in everyone Keep the faith and bang the drum On the longest night of the year The longest night of the year – Mary Chapin Carpenter This moment marks Midwinter or the day known as the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, the time when the earth moves farthest away from the sun . You can imagine in times past as the days got longer and colder and darker, the fear that our ancestors must have felt, wondering if the warmth and light would ever return and when it finally did, the joy with which it would have been greeted . Centuries later we still have reason to be thankful as the earth begins her long trek back towards the suns warmth and the eventual greening of Spring. Every year to celebrate the wintry Solstice eve, my sister Ellen and I throw a raucous gathering at her lovely home , a 19th century log cabin nestled deep in a beautiful forest womb. The Echo Glen sits atop a very high ravine and far below it the Chagrin River cuts a deep swath through the ancient native lands. Many Solstice evenings ago when my son and nephew were very small I used to take them out into the glen to look for owls at midnight. We’d wander through the woods and see deer as well as the occasional fox or raccoon. I wish that I could bring you those wonderful smells, pennyroyal mint crushed underfoot and the snow drenched pine mingled with hot chocolate and the sweet smell of excited children who have been reveling in sugar cookies and gingerbread. Suddenly, the three of us would be taken by surprise by a great whoosh of wings overhead, sudden and unearthly quiet. Tor those of you who may never have seen one in the wild, the owl is a silent flyer who is usually only seen when he’s passing swiftly by. We’d stand very still, huddled warmly together and we’d wait for the hoots to begin! In those shared moments, I learned that magic is truly possible when allowed to bubble away happily in the cauldron of your heart. We three had so much fun stalking the wild things ever so quietly under the midwinter moonlight and trimming the trees with homemade pinecone ornaments of seed and peanut butter for the winter birds! Alex and Michael are grown and we now celebrate Solstice eve with a marvelous party, filling the old century home with our friends and a feast , featuring a groaning board of casseroles and salads, fresh cheeses, roasts and hams and homemade desserts. Huge pots of soup simmer on the stove and I make spicy bourbon soaked eggnog covered with clouds of freshly whipped cream! Out will come the guitars and the drums and the fragrant bayberry and beeswax tapers are lit , infused with all of our intentions for a abundant year. The kitchen in my sisters home is rustic and beautiful, with a huge maple table in the center and a glorious hearth that spans almost the entire length of the space. As I lay the fire in the simple brick hearth Ellen unwraps the last bit of the Yule log that she’s saved from the year before and we all touch it , making our wishes for the coming New Year . We then put it in the center of the fire , light the kindling and lift our glasses, hugs and kisses and shared memories all around. Our guests stay for hours cocooned in this beautiful space and just enjoying the magic of being together once again. Many we only see this time of year, but it is always as if we’d never parted and although there are those dear to us who have passed beyond the veils of this present life they make themselves known on this most magical of nights. Many times during our party last year I could sense my mother, whose laughter was present all evening along with the sweet fragrance of her Shalimar perfume. There’s so much to do and as I write this, my sister , Michael and his darling girlfriend Molly are dipping homemade cookies and dried fruits in dark chocolate and the fragrant cinnamon and applesauce Christmas tree ornaments that I’m baking in my kitchen smell incredible. On my counters dried fruits, fresh citrus and cinnamon sticks macerating in large jars filled with spiced rum and crystallized ginger are waiting patiently to be made into presents and fancy cocktails! Tomorrow I will make pomanders of fresh oranges and clove to tie with ribbons and hang from the tree and clove studded lady apples to simmer in apple cider, red wine and ale for a traditional wassail bowl. My dog Gabriel is sleeping quietly in the corner by the warm stove and my cats are curled up by the fire with not a care in the world and totally stoned on fresh catnip sent by a friend . I’m filled with the peace of another year gone by, sitting here watching the snow falling softly outside my kitchen window with Loreena McKennit ‘s “Midwinters Night Dream “playing on the stereo. Life is very very good and I am most grateful for it all . ( and right now I’m especially grateful for the vintage bottle of Carons lovely Nuit de Noel that’s coming my way way soon! Thank you Donna!) I wish all of you a warm and cheery Solstice, a very Merry Christmas and a bountiful New Year filled with love, peace , joy ,marvelous perfumes and everything else that you could desire and more. I feel so blessed to have all of you in my life. Thank you for reading my words and letting me know that they’ve touched you. It means everything to me. I am so thankful to Roxana Villa and her darling husband Gregory Spalenka for inviting me into their utterly fabulous world and making this incredibly vibrant Advent calendar possible. Please enjoy all of the other wonderful entries. And finally, to our darling Marina without whom this wonderful place called Perfume Smellin Things simply wouldn’t be....I feel so blessed and incredibly honored that you have given my words a place to call home. Thank you for it all. See you all next year!   Originally Published on Perfume Smellin Things

Winter Solstice 2012

 

By Beth   The longest night of the year is upon us and once again I’m throwing with my sister our annual Winter Solstice bash. Will it be the end of the world? Will there be more snow? Will I have enough food for all of the friends we're expecting? Enough Champagne to toast the New Year? Enough of Caron's Nuit de Noel to carry me through to the end of the year? I’m truly not sure about the whole “End of the World “ thing ,  but I’m definitely hoping that it’s the end of an era. You’d have to be tucked somewhere in the deep dark wilderness to have not been affected by the tragic news this week.  It seems that America is experiencing her own longest night and I must admit that it’s difficult to not give in to the sadness.  I knew that somehow I needed to honor the little angels whose lives were lost last week in Newtown, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. Then very unexpectedly came an invitation from my niece to join a Facebook group called "Random Acts of Kindness".   Random acts of kindness are certainly not a new concept, but this one had a twist.  The founder of the group, a young mother herself, probably not older than 25 asked us each to do 27 random acts of kindness in honor of each of the lives that were lost last Friday.   She writes “I know that the tragedy in Newtown, CT touched many of us and are unable to give back like we would like to. But I proposethis! In remembrance of all the victims that we do our best in carrying outRANDOM acts of kindness! It could be as simple as opening the door for an elderly person, or buying lunch for the homeless...anything. Just remember more acts of kindness will only promote other people to want to do the same! This violence in this country needs to be put to an end and the only way we can put a minimum to that is being kind to one another! So, lets prepare to carry out 27 RANDOM acts of Kindness in remembrance of all the victims that lost their lives all too young!”   What a simple yet brilliant truth. You don’t have to have a lot of money to perform a random act of kindness, just the desire to make a difference. Random acts of kindness can be well thought out or they can be spontaneous! They are precious in that they are gifts of yourself, something that this world seems to need now more than ever. So on this Solstice eve I propose that we follow her example and think of something we can do that doesn’t necessarily cost a dime yet would make all of the difference to the receiver. Half the fun of doing this is to perform these acts towards someone who has no clue who you are or if you’re going to do something for someone you know don’t let them see you. I love the idea of writing 27 Christmas cards and putting them on anonymous car windshields like she did, who knows? The possibilities for kindness are endless! So I thank you Nicole Canales for although we have never met, I am so grateful to you for reminding me of the difference that I can make in this world. I encourage you to visit her group on Facebook simply called “Random Acts of Kindness”.  You’ll be very glad you did.   To you my dear readers once again we have reached that spoke in the wheel of the year where I get to tell you just how much I appreciate you all. This funny little world that we inhabit together, this place where gorgeous perfumes and yummy foods blend to make the most sublimely passionate prose is one of my happiest places. I always wish that you could be at my Solstice Party, where I would feed you cups of luxuriously boozy and spicy eggnog and platefuls of the most glorious desserts that you’ve ever seen, some fruit, some chocolate… all splendid. Mostly I wish that I could just once wrap my arms around each of you and give back to you personally what you have given to me. As I light the fragrant Noel candles and the Yule fire this year I will be thinking of you all and making a wish for the most wonderful 2013 to come. As corny as it sounds, in the eternally sappy words of Jerry Maguire,  ”You complete me”. The comments you leave and the emails I receive let me know that from my little desk in my little corner of the world that I’ve made a difference to you and that’s not a little thing for a wordsmith like me.   Wishing you all a Very Merry Solstice and I’ll see you all on the other side of 2013!   Beth Schreibman Gehring   Originally Published on Perfume Smellin Things

Foodie Sunday: My mother's Easter dinner, Mandy Aftels "Honey Blossom" and a fabulous prize draw!

 

By Beth   When I was a kid Easter dinner was something that I really looked forward to because my mother pulled out all of the stops. I think that she really loved the holiday ; as a young woman growing up in the small town of Champaign in Illinois there wasn’t much in the way of a Jewish Community so she had the distinct pleasure of being able to celebrate any of the holidays that she wanted. I think that they always celebrated Passover but that was about it for the Jewish traditions and if you’ve ever spent anytime at all in a small town, you know that the communities live for their holidays. My mom used to talk all of the time about the 4th of July parades and the door to door Christmas caroling, but what she loved the most were the May Day baskets that she made for her neighbors and the huge Easter dinners that her mother would prepare complete with colored eggs, hidden Easter baskets and her famous floating Island pudding!   My mothers Easter dinners were every bit as lavish as her mothers and absolutely beautiful. When I’d wake up on Easter morning fresh daffodils, honeysuckle (my mothers favorite!) and lilacs would be everywhere and she’d be standing in the kitchen slicing fresh garlic to tuck into the leg of lamb. The scent of her house was always amazing and her windows would be thrown open to let in the fresh spring air. The table would be already be set with her mothers lovely white and gold Haviland dishes and a flowered cloth and her sterling would be gleaming and laid out on the sideboard ready for me to set it into order along with the sparkling water and white wine goblets that were waiting alongside. I always knew that she was happy because she’d be humming old show tunes……a sure sign that she was relaxed and enjoying herself! The dinner itself was always completely delicious, lamb, potatoes and fresh asparagus, fresh pickled beets and hard boiled eggs and usually a chilled pea and fresh mint soup or a fresh carrot soup in honor of the Easter bunny that she’d scented with a bit of lemon, parsley and ginger!   After I’d peeled the hard boiled eggs for her pickled beets I would run off happily to find my Easter basket which she always hid in the most ingenious places. My mother loved games and she was quite good at them! After about a half an hour of hunting I’d finally find it. Her Easter baskets were legendary! She always filled mine with the newest Breyer horse model and lots of chocolate and spice (never fruit!) jelly beans. She always picked the black ones out. That was our game ! She loved the black licorice ones and I hated them so If I saved them all for her then she’d be sure to give me an extra helping of the purple clove scented ones which I adored.   And then there was the lamb cake!   We had a very famous bakery in town until about 20 years ago called The Hough Bakery. Native Clevelanders are known to get tears in their eyes and wax nostalgically over the thought of a Hough Bakery birthday cake. In this era of Food Network stars and fancy bakeries and cakeries there still isn’t anything quite as good as a Hough cake. I don’t know what it was that made them seem so special, but special they were. A Hough birthday cake was the perfect combination of almondy , fluffy moistness with sugary crunchy frosting, nothing like those funny whipped frostings that seem to be the only things that you can buy these days. They personalized everything and if you gave them pictures or ideas they would replicate entire scenes on their flat sheet cakes. I remember one particularly satisfying birthday when my cake was a managerie of all of my animals from my ponies to my cats with a huge “Happy Birthday Beth” on the blue ribbon fluttering gaily on the ponies bridle! Such is the stuff that wonderful childhood memories are made of.……   Aside from the most amazing mushroom pie that I’ve ever tasted to this day, Hough Bakery made several wonderful confections for Easter like almond and honey scented petit fours in the shape of eggs and decorated with that delightful sugary glaze frosting and sugar flowers as well as a spring basket made of a wonderful white cake and covered with huge mounds of colorful frosting flowers. But, as all Cleveland kids of a certain age know, the most luscious treat of all was the sacred Easter lamb cake!       The Hough bakery lamb cake was delicious and definitely shaped like a lamb, covered with mounds of fluffy white frosting. It was a constant thing on my mothers table and year after year lay peacefully on its bed of shredded coconut, tinted green to be grass with yummy sugar flowers in it’s pasture and jelly beans galore! My mom put it on her mothers lovely silver tray and placed in the center of the table, the guest of honor at her lovely Easter dinner! It smelled incredible, just like butter almond , honey , spun sugar and violet pastilles.   I have many memories of those days but the most wonderful would be the day that she hid my Easter basket underneath the Honeysuckle bush that was in full bloom that Easter. I fortunately wasn’t allergic to bees, because that bush was covered with them, but it was huge and fragrant and I was little enough to still believe in flower fairies (well I still do actually!) and I spent the whole morning laying underneath it’s boughs , galloping my plastic horses around and gorging on spicy jellybeans and chocolate until I was almost sick!   That treasured memory came rushing back to me the other day when I received a sample of Mandy Aftels absolutely gorgeous Honey Blossom perfume. I carried Mandy’s first book, Essence and Alchemy around with me for days after I read it, loath to put it down and later on when I became even more involved in the world of natural perfumes I began to seek out her fragrances. Honey Blossom is my favorite to date and the transcendent Linden beauty lingers on my skin like a sheer caress of spring wind. I adore Linden fragrances and Honey Blossom is absolutely that , but really so much more. When I wear it I get swept away by the linden but then I fall madly in love with the orange blossom and what seems to be something altogether magical like jasmine , but a fairy kissed jasmine which is almost a bit sugary and devilish , like jasmine that’s just dripping with a white truffled honey.   Afteliers Honey Blossom is an exquisite blend of alchemy and high fragrance art . It is beguiling and utterly flirtatious but oddly comforting too. It instantly returns me to the memories of the home that I grew up in. My parents had gorgeous gardens that they created themselves and they were always bit wild , a little untamed. Honey Blossom IS the scent of those gardens and my version of Dorothy’s ruby slippers. Three drops and I am aloft in the springtime winds, landing gently at the base of that beautiful honeysuckle from so long ago.   This year, Mandy Aftel has been nominated for not one , but THREE FiFi awards in the Consumers Choice Niche Perfume Category. This is a fabulous honor not only for Mandy but all of the incredible perfumers who inhabit my beloved world of Natural Perfumery! Honey Blossom is one of the distinguished finalists and this is the first time ever that one natural perfume let alone three has ever been nominated for such a prestigious award! For more information and instructions on how you can vote please click here! http://fifiawards.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/the-2011-consumers-choice-award/#more-2278   Now for the fun part! I have a wonderful Easter present for one of you. Mandy has generously sent me a beautiful sample of Honey Blossom and three of her incredible Chefs essences, Ginger, Black Pepper and Litsea Cubeba! The ginger is magnificently gingery yet a bit floral and just one drop enhances my mothers recipe for carrot soup to perfection. I also like it mixed into a bit of sparkling water and agave nectar for a delightful home made ginger ale! The black pepper essence is a sensory delight, a savory yet spicy fresh pepper that I tried in my recipe for Bordeaux poached pears. The result was a pear that melted I my mouth with the right bit of zing, not heat. Served over fresh vanilla bean vegan ice cream it was was incredible! The Litsea Cubeba is lemony and spicy all at the very same time. One drop stirred into a glass of Iced tea is sublime , but one drop of the essence stirred into a vinaigrette and laced over an arugula and raw goat cheese salad is absolutely and ridiculously delicious. Mandy tells me that she searches the world for the very best quality essences and with one taste you know that she’s completely serious about it. These are incredible and my darlings please remember …only a drop because they are strong. These bottles will last a long time if you keep them in a cool dry place.   If you want a chance a this incredible prize draw just leave me a comment and share with me one of your favorite Easter (or Passover) memories!   One last thing….. The winner of the luscious lavender syrup for The Springtime Cocktail Party Foodie Sunday is Katherine! Just contact Marina at the address on the right!   Easter Basket cake photograph courtesy of Archies Lakeshore Bakery. Honey Blossom perfume images used with permission of Mandy Aftel. Honeysuckle Fairy Image courtesy of flowerfairyprints.com   Originally published on Perfume Smellin Things

Harrods Rose ~ Bond 9

 

When I was just a young girl I went with my parents to England. We spent lots of time there visiting castles and palaces and strolling in the beautiful gardens that usually accompany such splendid digs. I loved London the best though, it was the late 60’s and everything was so hip and fashionable. Mini skirts and Mary Quant makeup were the look of the day and you couldn’t go anywhere near Piccadilly Circus without seeing a Mick Jagger lookalike poking his head around the corner with a very chic Gitanes dangling from his or her lips. We went to all of the museums and took high tea everyday at the most wonderful hotels and then there was Buckingham Palace. I loved trying to make the guards move or blink while they were on their watch. I tried everyday and never even got as much as a grin. That was such good fun!

 

We shopped and ate and did everything that a tourist could and should do in that utterly fabulous city and then came the day that my mother dressed me up in my little navy and white houndstooth coat with the matching navy hat. I knew instantly that this meant that we were going somewhere very special, a place where we were going to be “seen”. It was also interesting to me because we were leaving my father to his kippered herrings and toast while we were going off to have some sort of great adventure. Little did I know then that we were going to partake in the ultimate mother /daughter bonding moment. That was day that I first discovered Harrods.

 

Harrods of Knightsbridge, London is quite possibly the most famous and definitely the most luxurious department store in the world. There simply isn’t anything to rival it . They will still hand deliver for special occasions which is an absolute dream come true. There are food and wine halls, fine crystal, silverware and porcelain, beautiful clothes and fabulous jewelry and Harrods is a perfumistas dream come true with every scent imaginable for you to discover. The moment you walk into to Harrods you know that you are someplace special. The service is impeccable . We spent the whole day there just the two of us , shopping and laughing the whole time and we finished the day with a lovely high tea at The Georgian on the 4th floor.

 

Loving Harrods as I do it comes as absolutely no surprise to me that I have fallen in love with Bond No. 9’s newest fragrance, the absolutely luscious Harrods Rose. Billed as the “First Transatlantic rose blend” Harrods Rose is totally gorgeous and I’m wearing right now, I just can’t seem to resist it. This Bond No. 9 is a perfect understatement of luxury, yet it’s as bright and sparkling as a glass of Veuve Cliquot Rose and every bit as tasty. The impact of this perfume is instant for me and the luscious narcissus, sultry white rose and tuberose are delightful yet fairly quickly everything relaxes into the base of musky ambrette seed and cashmere wood turningHarrods Rose into a sensual dressing gown of a fragrance. I think that this is one of those perfumes that deserves to be enjoyed at least once with a sassy little bit of Aubade and nothing else.

 

Bond No. 9’s Harrods Rose is pure genius, a quiet bombshell of a fragrance and after all no one does the naughty weekend better than our friends the Brits so they deserve to be honored with such a fabulous perfume. Of course the flacon is gorgeous, the way that all of Bond No.9’s bottles are and the best part is that it’s only available at Harrods or any of the Bond No. 9 stores in New York which makes it more precious than pink diamonds to a girl like me. Harrods Rose is also available at Harrods.com and Bondno9.com, but I had so much fun walking into the store on Madison and asking for a spritz of it. Bond No. 9 stores are fun, colorful and so very modern, yet they have the feel of old world elegance accented with a sexy little bit of Moulin Rouge. A bottle of Harrods Rose is filled to the brim with color and gorgeousness, but also with the verve of New York. It’s the perfect blend of two worlds , one old and one new. I usually don’t kiss and tell but I don’t mind sharing this one , thats half of its fun. I just love it and if you like a beautiful rose perfume with a lot of class AND a wee bit of sass, then this will be the Bond No. 9 that’s been made especially for you!

 

Harrods Rose will be sold exclusively at Harrods London and at Bond No. 9’s four New York stores, online at www.harrods.com andwww.bondno9.com. 

 

This was originally published in The Perfume Magazine

Foodie Sunday - Foodie Alchemy

 

By Beth   Happy Foodie Sunday! The first and best news is that since we were last together is that I’ve lost 7 pounds! Yes you heard me! 7 glorious pounds! I’m learning so much about the way that I eat and I will admit that it hasn’t been without its ups and downs. I woke up in the middle of the night just now realizing that I’d been hiding from the world for the last 9 years under all of this belly fat. I haven’t accomplished yet many of the things that I want to in this lifetime and I’m 52. Peeling away this layer of armor is exposing all of the tender places and I’m scared, but I’m definitely ready. I’m definitely trying to figure out who and what I’m going to be when I grow up! Any thoughts? I'm willing to listen to all suggestions!   Like I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I’m not using any particular cleanse. For years I’ve tried everything, but not with any lasting results. I’ve decided to create my own lifestyle, using a combination of the French techniques that I love, Asian foodie wisdom and a bit of alchemy. Alcohol is definitely on my mostly avoid list because I’ve discovered that it actually holds my weight in place. We’re using one night to splurge, which is a tremendous amount of fun! One night doesn’t destroy the diet but I must admit that I’m always happy the next morning to go back to the plan because now that my body is used to eating smaller portions of really good food I always feel a bit bloated. Thank goodness for my amazing husband. I just don’t know that I’d keep this up without his support. He’s convinced me though that I’ll like the end result even more than he will which keeps me going even when I’m this terrified. Did I mention that I even worked out by myself last week? That’s huge for me! Jim had the flu and I went anyhow. I can’t believe how hard that was to do, but my reward was a soak in the whirlpool and some time in the steam room and that was heaven.   Herbs and spices play a huge role in this diet and this particular way of cooking serves them well. I use herbs and spices not just for flavor, but for their healing properties and actually one little known part of my life is that I trained for over 10 years with one of the most amazing herbalists I’ve ever known, the classic “good witch with the cottage in the woods” , a wise woman named LaWanna Rine.   La Wanna taught me that food IS medicine, long before it became chic to think that way! Everything brewing in her kitchen had a purpose and she wildcrafted most of it, just as do I to this day except when the snow is flying. In the heart of winter, that’s what Penzeys herbs and spices are for and if you’ve never tried them, they’re absolutely wonderful. Their spice and herb blends can make a decent cook out of anyone, even those who thinks that they can’t cook. A trip to the Penzeys store is a fantastic experience and I take people there to teach them about herbs and flavor. Everything is incredibly fresh and just like the glass cloches that are currently so popular in fine fragrance or candle stores, when you lift the lid on a Penzeys jar you’ll get the pure , fresh perfume ofperfectly stored herbs.   I do use supplements but my tastes prefer my herbs as close to the origins as possible so when I can get them that way that’s all I’ll use. Real food is live food and that’s what I believe that you need to create real wellness. Right now I get up every morning and pretend that I’m at a lovely spa. I make my cup of Earl Grey tea and flavor it with a delicious and creamy raw honey. Sometimes I have juice and sometimes I have fresh oatmeal that I prepare with almond milk, cinnamon and fresh berries. My husband was the every day bowl of cereal type and now I’m experimenting with all kinds of foods for breakfast, like smoked salmon with fresh dill instead of bacon or vegan breakfast burritos with fresh citrus salsas and guacamole. It not only has to taste good, but it needs to look and smell wonderful or we all know that I’m not going to eat it and instead start binging once again on bacon and brie!     I’ve discovered that the key to success here is to cook our food myself. Going out is always lovely, but there are several things that I’ve discovered. For starters it’s true, unless you have someone to share it with the portions in this countryARE way too big. Secondly and even more important to the success of this program is the fact that even good restaurants accentuate flavor with all sorts of added naughtiness like too much butter, cream and a bit of sugar here and there. That’s fine for splurge night but not for everyday fare. I’m enjoying the challenge of preparing good food, with great ingredients and fabulous natural flavors. For me cooking is alchemical, much in the same way that many of the natural perfumers that we love create their fragrances. A bit of sage, a pinch of fresh rosemary and a few lavender buds stewed with a bit of white potato and leek turn a simple chicken breast into a fragrant and soothing dish that settles my stomach easily.   That same chicken breast, piece of tofu or fish when it’s quickly stir fried in my Le Creuset Wok with a bit of bok choy, sweet potato, onion, minced garlic, chopped peanuts , cayenne, cinnamon, ginger and allspice turns into a very warming dish that doesn’t need anything extra in the way of carbs and is completely satisfying on a really cold evening without any of the bloating side effects. For anyone allergic to peanuts I’ve discovered spicy tamari pumpkin seeds; these are so satisfying for anyone with a groundnut allergy.   Fresh butternut squash baked with fresh sage, ginger, a bit of Earth Balance “butter” and a bit of maple syrup relaxes me completely and makes me feel like I’m eating dessert! You can take that same squash recipe and puree it with some coconut milk and pour the whole thing into an ice cream maker. Serve it with crystallized ginger sprinkled on top and if you can find it, some fresh mochi. If you can’t find fresh mocha, whole foods has a terrific prepared mochi (a pounded rice paste) that comes in a pack and is ready to use. Just slice into bite size pieces and bake according to the directions. Dust it with a bit of Chinese 5 spice powder and a bit of “Butter “ and some honey. This is one of my sweet secrets, absolutely delicious, fragrant and so good for you!   For me, the final piece of the puzzle is presentation. Make it beautiful , make sitting down at the table a feast for the senses! Make sure you sit down to eat, put everything on a pretty plate, use a cloth napkin (so much better for the environment) and treat yourself well because you’re worth it! Buy a crystal goblet or two and use them for everything, even water! Turn on somemusic. Chew and breathe ; as my mother used to say "relax and make every day into a day for candles and wine"! Dress up a bit and dab on some fabulous perfume, today I'm wearing Tom Fords utterly luscious Tobacco Vanille which is the equivalent of dessert in a flacon. This is about having a real relationship with your food and allowing it to nurture and love you back. If you’re joining me on this journey, please leave a comment and let me know how you’re doing! It’s great to have such good friends to share this with and I’m thankful for you all!   Eat Well, Be Well, Live and Love well!   Beth   Penzey's can be found at penzeys.com     Originally PUblished at Perfume Smellin Things   Labels: Beth, foodie sunday

Foodie Sunday: Happy Mothers Day and a yummy prize draw!

 

Today I’m thinking about my mother, who died three years ago but is still very present in almost everything I do. I hear her voice when I’m cooking and can’t find the right spices and I cook her specialties regularly. I totally miss her mashed potatoes, a secret that she took with her to great test kitchen in the sky. She was a really great cook , nothing fancy, just simply gorgeous food and she WAS the Barefoot Contessa long before Ina Garten even thought about picking up a chefs knife. She could throw a party for 50 without a fuss. My mom was a working woman but it was her way to have dinner every night at the dinner table, with candles, wine and cloth napkins. By the way did you know that if you want to use clothnapkins but dread ironing them that all you need is a brick? This was one of my mothers best tricks…she kept a brick right by her dryer and when the napkins came out she’d fold them while still warm, stack them and then place the brick on top leaving her with perfectly pressed, ready to use napkins at anytime! My mother is the reason that I can cook and I loved watching her in the kitchen. She could throw a dinner party on a moments notice because she was always prepared to entertain. She had one part of her freezer and pantry stocked especially for such occasions and always kept her bar ready for drop- in guests. I still do too because you never know who’s coming through the door and for me just like my mother before me, Food= Love. She taught me that entertaining well didn’t have to do with how grand a spread you put out, but everything to do with how welcome you make your guests feel. A wedge of runny Brie with some crackers and a tin of smoked oysters and a bowl of camponata were her staples, she always had them around as well as a loaf of thin white Pepperidge Farm tea sandwich bread. A simple tomato bisque, usually from a can, enriched with a touch of cream, flavored with sherry and served in her mothers demitasse cups, became another great conversation starter. When you have an entire roomful of people who don't really know each other well, talking about the different cup patterns really does work as an ice breaker! She also always kept a bag of frozen shrimp which she could thaw in an instant. Take those shrimp, mix them up with about 1/2 a cup of Hellmans mayonnaise and a 1/2 a cup of sour cream, add about 5 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives and season with cayenne, Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir and serve with little forks or toothpicks and buttered toast points. Those 5 things, arranged graciously and set on her coffee table with pretty little plates a good bottle of wine or champagne and a vase of flowers were simple, delicious and satisfying. If you don’t have flowers, walk out into the garden , scoop up a few posies that you’ve planted dirt and all and repot them in some pretty tea cups. I promise that they’ll never notice that they’ve been gone for the short time that you’ll have them inside! When I’m teaching people to plan simple parties I always encourage them to have a signature cocktail that they can throw together at the drop of a hat. Mine is a delicious mixture of things that I always have around, lemon soda, Crème de violette (this is succulent heady stuff all you perfumistas!), limoncello, citron vodka, peach bitters and blackberries, fresh when in season, frozen when not! Just take a tall glass, fill with ice and a few of the blackberries. Then pour a jigger of citron vodka into it, and a tablespoon each of the crème de violette and limoncello. Top off with the lemon soda, a dash of the blood orange bitters and garnish with some fresh thai basil. That’s all! A signature drink that you can whip up in an instant kicks off the conversation on a surprise evening beautifully! I guess that I’m saying all of this because to me it’s more important with whom you’re eating than what you’re eating and I want you to always feel comfortable having people in your home and enjoying their company. My mother had tricks that made it easy to entertain well and she was always prepared to use them. I think that we miss a lot of opportunities for relatedness because we’re so concerned more with what it looks like instead of simply just enjoying ourselves and life’s just too short. The world is spinning faster than ever before and now more than ever we need to sit down , break some bread together, drink some good wine and really talk about what matters. Don’t be intimidated, just try it! Trader Joe's is a great source for appetizers that you can keep in your freezer and serve at a moments notice. Go to TJ Maxx and get a few good glasses, some pretty little plates and some napkins. Keep it all in a special place and don’t touch it except for occasions like these. You’ll thank me, I promise. Happy Mothers Day to you wherever you are and whomever your with. All of us are mothers to something or someone. If you’ve ever given birth to a great idea, or a project you’re a mother. If you’re gay and you have a child , you’re a mother. If you’ve got a dog, cat or even a chicken you’re a mother. You don’t need a uterus to be celebrated today, just a whole lot of love. I love you all and hope that you have a wonderful Mothers Day! How are you going to celebrate it? Send me your signature cocktail recipe in the comments and I'll choose my favorite and send the lucky winner a bottle of my favorite blood orange bitters! Photo of Crème De Violette from www.thekitchn.com Photo of Camponata from www.wellonwheels.blogspot.com Photo of Family from source unknown  Originally published in Perfume Smellin Things

 

 

Foodie Sunday ~ Neighborhood Cocktail Parties & Estee Lauder’s Very Modern Muse!

I live in a wonderful neighborhood. It’s filled with little kids , lots of laughter and although my husband and I are a couple of the oldest kids on the block we seem to fit in well.  My wonderful “Over the fence” neighbor Michelle decided at the beginning of the summer that every Friday night we would have a neighborhood happy hour and we’ve all taken turns hosting it.    The food is always fabulous because everyone brings something yummy to share, the cocktails are always perfectly chilled and the camaraderie always goes late into the evening, probably because we all just like each other so much. There are gates between every home so we let all of the dogs and the kids run from yard to yard without worry. Late in the evening the firepits get lit and the Sinatra comes onto the stereo.  It’s always a warm and friendly evening that's fairly close to perfect!   Last night was no different and by 7:00 we were relaxed and sipping wonderful wine and enjoying Michelle’s delightful zucchini fritters, homemade eggplant tapenade and spicy green tomato pickles.     In walked my adorable neighbor Nicole who  waved and said  “Come here Beth and smell my neck”, which of course I did.  She was wearing Bronze Goddess, that wonderfully coconut, gardenia, and vanilla  skin oil that completely screams Hurricanes (the rum drenched kind!), sunshine and white sand!  I’d forgotten all about it and found myself at the Estee Lauder counter this afternoon thinking that I might like to try it again. I got into a casual conversation with one of the nicest sales associates that I’ve met in a long while, a lovely young woman named Anna (she's at the Beachwood, Dillards for all of you Clevelanders!) who was thrilled to show me a wonderful new EL launch called “Modern Muse”.   I have to note here that it’s been quite  a long while  since I’ve worn any Lauder  perfume with the exception being Private Collection's stellar Tuberose~ Gardenia.  I loved Cinnabar, Aliage and Spellbound in my late teens, but I truly haven’t paid much attention to the line since.   That is definitely about to change.   Modern Muse is the first serious launch by Lauder in over a decade and it’s pretty fabulous. Modern Muse is an absolutely beautiful perfume dripping with jasmine, lily, mandarin and drenched with tuberose and a thoroughly Southern honeysuckle.  It’s not supposed to have a dry- down  which is one of it’s chief selling points but on me it definitely did. When my husband sniffed my neck a few hours after I’d applied it he practically bit me!  I smelled my wrist and realized why. There’s a delightful layer of sweetness in this scent and my skin really pulled it out. It’s sexy and almost edible…a bit like a wonderful vanilla latte’  but softened with sweet woods and a lovely sheer musk.   Modern Muse is going to become an overnight classic for Estee Lauder and it’s a perfume that I would even feel comfortable giving to a young girl.  It’s also quite reasonably priced, which made me pretty happy.  My readers are always asking me for wonderful perfumes that are less expensive than our industry average but that don’t smell cheap.  I feel very comfortable recommending this one. It’s current without being trendy and it’s very very pretty. A little black dress, grandma's pearls and a lovely nude pump is all that it truly needs, but while you’re at it some lovely patterned stockings might wear beautifully with it too! Modern muse is sweet , smart and a trifle naughty in the nicest way,  much like the sort of woman who inspired it.  It’s glamorous without being pretentious and I really like that in a perfume!  Give  Modern Muse a twirl around the dance floor and let me know what you think.    I think that you’ll love it!   Originally published in Perfume Smellin Things