The Fro Fro Blog

Mark Your Calendar, Carrie!

SJP's fashion line, Bitten, hits U.S. stores on June 6: http://showbiz.sky.com/showbiz/article/0,,50001-1263594,00.html

(courtesy of Britain's fantastic celeb site, Sky Showbiz.  Better news, better photos, better humor than People, Us or E!)

UPDATE: Reliable (but not quite as humorous) sources are now reporting that the launch date is actually June 7.  www.bittensjp.com

Saturday Morning with Martha

This morning I decided to make oatmeal and and have breakfast with Martha.  Her May issue just arrived, and it's particularly gorgeous this month.

But first, the oatmeal.  It's about as simple and old-fashioned as you can get, and I love it when it's prepared as follows:

Fro Fro's Basic Oatmeal
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
Dash of kosher salt
3/4 cup Quaker Oatmeal (the regular kind, not the quick-cooking kind)
1 heaping Tbs. brown sugar (preferably Hain's Organic)
2 tsp. Wheat Germ
Optional toppings: bananas, strawberries, raisins, etc.

1. Heat the milk, water and salt over med-hi heat until it's just boiling.  Keep an eye on it because it can overflow all of a sudden if you don't watch it.
2. Add the oatmeal and simmer, stirring occasionally until it's the consistency you like.  I personally like my oatmeal "well done," meaning the overall consistency is creamy but the oatmeal itself is ever so slightly al dente.  (Not cold and soupy like it was at JoVino the other day, btw.)
3.  Stir in the brown sugar and wheat germ, and optionally top with fruit.

As I enjoyed my oatmeal, here's what I found of interest from Martha this month:

Special delivery for jewelry
"Giving  Mom earrings on her big day?  For an unusual presentation, pin them through a beautiful, fresh green leaf that can double as your gift card.  Choose a large, dark variety -- one from a hosta, a lily of the valley, or an iris, for example -- and write your note with a thin-tipped paint pen in a light color."  You know, Martha gets a bad rap for doing things that are too impractical for normal, busy people.  This is such a simple idea and if I can remember to do it next time, it'll make my gift that much more special.

Natural plant markers
"Unsightly sticks and flags look like tresspassers in your herbs.  Instead, make them tags that appear as though they belong in your landscape.  Find several flat, smooth stones, and label each one with the name of a plant using alphabet stamps and dye-based (permanent) ink, both available at craft stores.  Then nestle each stone near its corresponding plant."

Spectrum of sweetness
I adore bright colors, and this was Martha's "Color Issue."  The entire issue was gorgeous, and this feature in particular.  It's pages and pages of desserts in bright hues like red, yellow, blue, green and purple.  You have to see it to appreciate it.  As much as I adore the Web, in this case, nothing beats the gorgeously printed page.

Coming up oranges
All about plants in one of my very favorite hues.  There's a two-page spread of flowers with an accompanying glossary which will be very helpful when I want to tell my gardener what I want.  (Yes, I have a gardener.  I love Martha.  I don't want to be her.)  My favorites are the Ace Summer Sunset Dahlia, the Summer Trumpet Creeper, the Rosa Austamora and the Impatiens Fusion Sunset.

Now that I've finished my breakfast I'm off to pack for a weekend in Napa.  Come back on Monday to read all about it!

Fro Fro Finds: Get Well Soon Edition

God forbid you're ever laid-up for an extended period of time, here's what I recently learned are the Top 10 must-haves:

1) Terrific friends and family who care and are there for you.  (Sounds obvious, but you should count your blessings all the same.)

2) The latest issues of all the trashy gossip rags.  Now that you're sick you don't need to hide them.

3) Netflix.  Duh.

4) A hot water bottle.  I'd forgotten how comforting these things are, especially when they've got the cute little hot water bottle sweater on them.  The one I got from Church Street Apothecary is my new best friend.  While you're there, you might as well pick up some Bach Rescue Remedy and New Tree Tranquility Chocolate, or any of the other gazillion wonderful things they've got in that place.

5) Gourmet prepared food delivered to your doorstep.  If you're lucky, those folks in #1 might even get it for you!  I  enjoyed both Jessie et Laurent and Wally's Food Company.  Both offer delicious, easy-to-reheat, easy-to-freeze items including soups, salads, sides, mains and desserts.

6) Amy's Kitchen Frozen Meals.  Not just when you're sick, but any time you want an all-natural, healthful meal in under 5 minutes.  Everything is made with fresh ingredients -- organic, no preservatives, additives or GMOs.  I keep a stash in the freezer at work and pop them in the microwave at lunchtime.  You can buy them in most markets in SF: I've bought them at Safeway and Whole Foods, but Real Foods tends to have the largest selection.  In NY, they're harder to come by, so when I'm there I order from FreshDirect.  My favorites are Pesto Tortellini, Cheese Ravioli, and Macaroni & Soy Cheeze (Try it.  Seriously.)

7) Whole Foods' Dark Chocolate Raisins.  Whole Foods specificially because theirs are made with molasses.  My friend Yvonne brought them to me and as soon as I regained my appetite I was inhaling them.  When I ran out, I bought some from Real Foods and they were not the same.  The molasses is magic.  Accept no substitutes!

8) Medicine.  Yes, that kind.  But did you also know that "medicine" is another word for ice cream?  It's true. Ask my dad, who always brought it home whenever I was sick growing up.  This time I tried Ben & Jerry's Americone Dream, the new Stephen Colbert-inspired flavor.  Vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate-covered waffle cones.  It was good, but even better with a few grains of kosher salt.

9) Nice delivery people, 'cause those #1s are going to be sending you lots of stuff.  DHL has the nicest, followed closely by UPS.

10) Flowers.  Not only do they cheer you up, but they make the place you're now spending every waking minute in look nice and smell pretty.  If you're the one sending the flowers and you're in SF, Piñon Design and Michael Daigian do a wonderful job.  If you're sending flowers across the country, FTD.com is a great option.  The bouquet I received was well-packed: each gerbera daisy even had its own little protective sleeve.  Most amazing was the fact that the beautiful arrangement lasted over a week.

If you've got other suggestions, please share them!

Fro Fro Find: Valerie Confections

As my dear loyal readers know, I adore savory/sweet combos, especially those of the salty chocolate variety.   Jacques Torres Chocolate Corn Flakes are a long-time fave, and Vosges Barcelona bars were a  delightful recent discovery.  But my very latest obsession (as of 8:30 this evening, in fact) comes from L.A.-based Valerie Confections. 

The beautiful photograph in this month's Bon Appetit (p. 78) immediately drove me to Valerie's website to place an order.  Who can resist "a toffee-like, nutty treat dipped in milk or bittersweet chocolate...tied with an elegant grosgrain ribbon?"  Certainly not I!

Along with the Peanut Assortment highlighted in Bon App, I also ordered the Almond 2-piece box. It included an Almond Toffee and an Almond Fleur de Sel Toffee, which I tried tonight.  I hate to say it, but, "Hit the road, Jacques!"

Valerie Confections
www.valerieconfections.com
(800) 706-1408

Not So Desperate After All

Eva Longoria opened the world-famous annual Harrods sale today in a truly fabulous get-up: 

"I hope you're ready to shop!"

This is how I always look when I get out of bed.

Underneath that gorgeous Jasmine di Milo coat, Eva wore a Dolce & Gabbana LBD and Christian Louboutin stilettos.