ask-lea

Behind the Blog

Why do you write a blog? Several people asked why I write this blog.  I think people need to be reminded to be kind to each other. That sounds pretty preachy, but if you put it in the context of manners or etiquette, the specific rules seem to be more acceptable to some people than the reasons behind them. I’ll take the kinder, gentler any way I can get it. Secondly, we are learning so much now about how what […]

food

Columbus Day Gnocchi

Today I’m delighted to offer a Columbus Day recipe from chef Roberto Grazioli, executive chef to the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Claudio Bisogniero, and his wife, Laura Denise. The Italian Embassy is a very popular place in Washington; people are eager to be invited to enjoy Italian delicacies, great wines, and good music.  Claudio and Laura Denise are frequent and gifted hosts, whether at the embassy or at their residence, Villa Firenze. Villa Firenze is a grand estate […]

flowers

Quiet Entertaining

Last week we had two couples over for a quiet dinner. It was a spontaneous invitation and there wasn’t much time to plan, so I used the simplest china, linen, silver, and glassware. For flowers, I found some pale green zinnias, seasonal and not expensive, and spread them down the table in a series of different-sized glass vases. The china and glassware were from Crate and Barrel, but the napkins were vintage linen with a big embroidered “B” on them. […]