EDDIE ROSS

Entertaining on Twitter: A Vegetarian Lunch for Six

It was January when Jaithan and I took the leap, moving north, to the country and to a vastly new way of life. Sirens turned to snowdrifts and with them came the eerie quiet of winter—and of solitude. Well, the land has long since thawed, revealing, among other things, friends and colleagues from the city, who themselves lept and landed closeby. Among them: Margaret Roach, former editor in chief of Martha Stewart Living and creator of A Way to Garden; Dan Shaw, New York Times writer and co-founder of Rural Intelligence; Susan Schneider, a fantastic lighting designer in Millerton; and Jennifer Holwell, a lifelong friend of mine from culinary school. This afternoon, these are my guests for a casual, vegetarian lunch for six. On the table, I'm doing an eclectic mix of vintage servingware and linens, inspired by a cherished set of blue transferware plates from the flea market. The flatware is antique bone with a scrimshaw monogram, while the gingham cloth I made from a fabric remnant I found at Stormville last spring.  

To accommodate the needs of all my guests, the menu is entirely vegetarian. It's always a challenge to do a vegetarian meal that's inventive and flavorful, but I love it! Here's what we're having...

Guests arrive at 12:30 ET, so follow me on Twitter and join the party (and preparation!) as it happens...

Best In Show

If you're in my neck of the woods this weekend, furry friend in tow, join me at the Harlem Valley Festival of Dogs here in Millerton, New York. There's dock diving, flyball and frisbee, together with show classes designed to fit any dog, including my own personal favorite, Twins at Heart, in which dogs will be judged on the resemblance to their handlers. How fun is that? Oh and here's the catch—or should I say fetch? I'm one of the judges on Saturday! For details, click here. Hope to see you at the show, everyone! 

Happy Fourth!

If you want to celebrate the holiday with something sweet, here's a classic drink with plenty of patriotic appeal. Even Teddy Keber knows he's in for a treat.

Combine a fun, fizzy cream soda like this with good vanilla ice cream. Serve it up in something vintage, like these 1940s red, white, and blue glasses I picked up at a flea market in Florida.

Happy Independence Day, everyone, and as always, thank you for reading!

A Country Barbecue for Six

As we all ready our patios and porches for the Fourth, firing up the grill and mixing up margaritas, mojitos,  or perhaps even my no-fail sangria, here's a country barbecue I hosted at the house, hoping to inspire your own creativity this summer.     

For the table, I wanted it to feel like a classic country barbecue with a cool, vintage vibe. The tablecloth I made from inexpensive fabric and Stitch Witchery from Jo-ann's, topped with a mix of repurposed servingware and linens, collected over years. The oval plates are ironstone platters, perfect for holding multiple sides, while the yellow gingham napkins are dishtowels from the 40s, never before used. I found them at the Rose Bowl in March, after a spin through the market with readers, California-style. The glasses for water are simple cut crystal while for wine, pressed glass with a railroad etch. Finally, for the flatware, it's my grandmother Dottie's red Bakelite set with an Art Deco handle I love.

For the buffet, I used an old farm table, salvaged from the street, while the red gingham tablecloth I found shopping the Goodwill in Milwaukee after a lake front walk in June. It was used and loved when I found it, yellowing in spots, but nothing a bit of Lestoil and lemon couldn't clean. The shasta daisies grow wild in the fields around our house and for the vessel, it's an antique ironstone pudding mold with a wide opening, perfect for a spray of white on the table. This was a menu of simple recipes, some my own, others passed down through the family: boursin-stuffed burgers, good organic hot dogs, sliced barbecue chicken breast, Dottie's macaroni salad and my mother Margie's creamy, comforting potato salad. Finally, for the condiments, skip the bottles and opt for something pretty. I used a few of my creamware bowls with silverplate spreaders from the flea market. Good presentation, I find, is all in the details.

Finally, for dessert, an American classic with a twist: individual pound cakes made in a muffin pan. To the batter, I added both lemon rind and lemon thyme—it grows wild in the stone wall behind our house—then topped each cake with a simple confectioners sugar glaze. The result was a savory-sweet, lemony-delicious dessert and the perfect finish to a summer barbecue in the country.

All this talk of food is making me hungry! What are you serving for the Fourth?

My No-Fail Sangria

Have you seen the Outdoor Party Guide in the July issue of Country Living?

It's full of fun, clever, and useful tips for outdoor entertaining. There's even a recipe of mine for a no-fail sangria, just in time for the Fourth!    

Back in my catering days, I made it up one summer for a party. Turns out, the recipe was such a hit, everybody kept asking me what was in it! Of course, I was a little embarrassed at first, but when I realized how delicious and fast it is—and that anybody can make it—I knew I had a hit!

And so this holiday weekend, amid all the backyard barbecues and country cookouts, why not mix up a drink that's as easy as it is beautiful? It might even look something like this... 

A special thank you to all the editors at Country Living for including me! Cheers!