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We are deep into lemon season here in California (it lasts until about May) and our trees are bowing under the weight of all the beautiful, bright citrus prime for the picking. What to do with so many lemons? Make the best lemon pie of your life of course!⁠
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A while ago I heard about a lemon pie, a North Carolina lemon pie, that changed my life. Well not really but I wanted to get your attention. It is that good. “A North Carolina Pie That Elicits an ‘Oh My God’ Response” ran on NPR’s All Things Considered’s Found Recipes series courtesy of Katie Workman, who is fab. She says the Atlantic Beach Lemon Pie from Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC, is the best pie she’s ever had. Crook’s Corner Chef Bill Smith calls it the easiest recipe in the world.⁠
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You do not have to tell me twice. Even Rancho La Zaca Chef Stephanie Valentine loves it, which is saying something. So check the recipe on my site and grab those lemons!⁠
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One nice thing about spending so much time around the house is noticing how the light moves around it. At about midday the sun beams through the skylight in our great room and makes this bold graphic pattern on the floor and illuminating whatever flowers or foliage are on the table, almost making them look lit from within. This scene, when i catch it, brings me out of whatever distraction I am no doubt in, and into the present moment, and I feel grateful for everything in it. .
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#rancholazaca #homesweethome #gratitude #orchid #hughnewelljacobsenarchitect #prettylight #stayinthemoment

No place in the world takes color so seriously as Jaipur. Deep, rich and full of life…they approach a hue with gusto. The fabled Pink City is woven from a rich tapestry of color, craft and heritage. Bar Palladio, captured here by @lucylaught. She gave @Vogue all of her tips to taking in the magical city and I am taking notes! See them all through the #linkinbio

We may not be traveling anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we can’t escape. Reminisce with me on a visit to a vineyard and beautiful luncheon outside Florence.⁠
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“About an hour-and-some out of Florence, we turn up the little dirt road leading to Fattoria Resta, the home of Annalisa Tempestini and her Martin del Nero wine…..” Tap the #linkinbio for more!

While we couldn’t gather as we once planned…celebrate we did this Easter weekend. I made one of my favorite dishes for this time of year, Green Spring Vegetables from my latest book, California Cooking & Southern Style.⁠
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Chopped fresh herbs highlight the bright green flavors of spring in this dish. We’ve used asparagus and snap peas here but you might also try pea shoots, peas, julienned zucchini, escarole, watercress, snow peas, haricots verts, or any combination thereof. Head to my stories for the recipe and enjoy! And let us know how you spent the weekend?

Easter Day 2020. 1. Lupen in full bloom on the ranch and everywhere 2. The church was decorated beautifully and remains open to any and all, keeping distance and 3. Our low key Easter dinner, which we nevertheless dressed up for and used the china and silver as we do always anyway, and I hope you do too because what are you saving it for…. but a far cry from last year’s lunch for 45 in the olive grove… I hope yours was happy and chocolate…

As we keep the Easter vigil in our hearts today, a snippet of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s Good Friday sermon – We are one human family, united in love. A few more bytes in my stories… See/hear in entirety at website of the Church of the Heavenly Rest, NYC @churchoftheheavenlyrest @pb_curry

Some cuttings from the yard, plus a little creativity goes a long way in creating a simple centerpiece that will get you in the Easter spirit. Here I sprinkled oak foliage, butterflies, eggs and a nest from the craft store, amongst brightly hued arrangements and a tablecloth that is an un-sewn (lazy, I know) bolt of cloth from a discount fabric store.⁠
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#traditionaldesign #florals #californiapoppies #florist #homestead #mybhg #habitandhome #mydomaine #dwell #ggathome #theeverygirl #anthrohome #rshome #veranda #flashesofdelight #entertaining #entertainingathome #archdigest #elledecor #departures #acolorstory #floraldesign #easter #eastercenterpiece #tablescape #francesschultz #quarantaining #floraldesign #centerpiece #easterflorals

A few years back I wrote my thoughts down on what we can do when it seems there is nothing to be done. And, while the tragedy that spurred those thoughts was quite different, the sentiment remains the same. Head to my link in bio…. And while you’re there, the more recent March 14 post still applies as well. Blessings to you all.

Music is fine, but BAKING soothes the savage breast as well as anything I know. Here’s the perfect, scrumptious, super-easy dessert, an easy berry cobbler. Seven ingredients, melt, mix, pour, bake, boom. The recipe hails from friend Alex Hitz and his super-fab My Beverly Hills Kitchen cookbook. Julia Child herself declared it the best strawberry dish she’d ever had. Head to my #linkinbio!

The bank of aloe striata blooming on the border of our olive grove is beautiful. Their bright cheerful orange augurs optimism and assurance that spring is on the way. Whether it is spring as we know it, or spring as only nature knows it, it is a re-birth in any case. The aloe plant is prized also for its soothing and healing qualities. Let us aspire to re-birth, to blossom, soothe, and heal like these aloes, as best and brightly as we can, and to bring our best and brightest to others, to heal ourselves, one another, and the planet. Amen.⁠
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#rancholazaca #aprayerforhealing #aloestriata #thoughtoftheday #quarantineprayer #orange #aloe⁠

When Hollywood decorator Billy Haines re-modeled Winfield under the auspices of Ambassador Walter Annenberg and his wife Lee ca. 1969, the Green Room was considered his piece de resistance. The wallpaper gobsmacks you, and then the other exquisite begin to register — like the window pelmets and gilding, the curtain trim, the Haines-designed rug. Take a tour through my #linkinbio