Elizabeth Stuart Design » Food

Where have I been?

Muffie — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:58:08 +0000

I just went to Zia Taqueria and what I want to know is where have I been? Que Bueno! It was so good! So I have to come from Mt. Pleasant. Big deal. It was really good and the margarita is not just the nasty mix you get at so many places. Go for the Patron. It’s fabulous! Then on to the movies two doors down. Cyrus…we will see.

Mary had a little lamb…

ESD — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:47:09 +0000

Easter is just around the corner. Here are two great lamb recipes for you to try. One from House Beautiful and the other in ELLE DECOR. Enjoy!

Lamb with Easy Tzatziki from The Barefoot Contessa

Chef Daniel Boulud’s Rack of Lamb

Ina’s go-to dish

ESD — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:29:27 +0000

I am sure you have all heard of the Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten has written 6 cookbooks full of delicious recipes and tips. Her recipes have been featured in House Beautiful numerous times. This month she shares one of my favorites- chicken with goat cheese and basil. Ina says that we should all have a go-to recipe. This is one of mine.

Click hereto read the Barefoot Contessa’s archives in House Beautiful.

Buy local week

ESD — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:36:30 +0000

November 30-December 6th is Buy Local Week in Charleston. This is a national awareness campaign that emphasizes the importance of our local independent businesses on our local economy. Click here to see a line up of events. Have fun buying local this week!

Hummm…

Muffie — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:39:00 +0000

In my front lawn, off to the side of my driveway, is the vegetable garden. It began as a kitchen garden which was, if I must say, well designed my moi and because it was in the front yard, it always looked “perfect” and beautiful. It was “designed.” Just the right amount of herbs and flowers and symmetry…of course. Well, last year, I decided to raise it and design brick beds so the soil would be good and the design more prominate….perfect if you will. It was finished in the fall and I was pleased. I anxiously awaited the cool weather….plotting and planning the design and the layout. All I needed was a week or two of cooler weather and I was set. About that same time I went to the NC mountains with a friend to cut down trees for the Christmas window at the store(This year I was ahead in the game). It also provided a great excuse to get away and spend time just “being”. The weekend was a blast. It was filled with off the cuff times like one early evening, at sunset, we all took a bottle of red wine, a blanket, and went to a beautiful field by the house. We talked and laughed and were real. As the sun slowly set, the light ran across the field. With each shift in the light, we pulled our blanket a little further. Each time a shadow fell upon us, we ran from the sunset. Finally we ran out of field and it was time to trek home and cook dinner. I digress you say but really no. The time in the field was so real and so not planned. I came home that night and my husband and my daughter called with great excitement!!! They had been to Lowe’s and had planted the vegetable garden…all of it. So excited, my daughter told me how they planted broccoli, poppies, daffodils (for me since the are my favorite), hyacinth, carrots, peas and the list went on. It took me a while to gain composure. So telling of how tight my grip was. What a gift their garden has become. The messy garden to the right when you drive in is my lesson in real time. Like chasing the light across the field with friends I love moments not planned and things or times do not have to be sketched or “perfect”. Each time I ride my bike out of the drive something new is now poking its head up (all different planting times thrown in together) and each time I smile. Well done…she loves the garden and it was perfect to her. So my fancy and expensive garden is a hodge podge of everything….it makes me smile and isn’t that the point?

“Cracker up”

Muffie — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:27:27 +0000

Crabbing on the dikes of a rice field. I am told to pick the crab, get some softened cream cheese, pat the crab into it, add a little lemon and cocktail sauce and “cracker up baby”…. Fresh from my crabbing adventure!

The best hues of brown

Muffie — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:51:28 +0000

I just got back from the Bahamas and it was lobster season. My children speared lobsters (I don’t like to kill anything) and look at these shots of the lobsters! Every color of the brown paint wheel is here. The texture and colors are amazing and I have to say they weren’t all that bad grilled!

Purple Everywhere

Muffie — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:14:19 +0000

The gardening on the mountain sides in Amalfi is insane! There are rows and rows of lemon trees espaliered on trellises. The color choice of bougainvillea is purple….my favorite color! Everyone has their own house garden and the little road side restaurants as well as the hotels here grow much of their own food. I remember my Dad saying when he took us to Club Med, ” we have to eat AGAIN!?!” I hear ya dad…. I have eaten my way through Italy!

Fresh Tomatoes and Basil

Muffie — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:17:40 +0000

Hello from my favorite seaside restaurant tucked in a cove on the coast of Amalfi. Squid and mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and basil. Red wine and blue sky. I dare say that I am happy and all is right in the world. This is a place we came to three years ago and it is just as fabulous as we remembered. Maybe better since I have longed to be here.