At Home

Keri Glassman's Nutritious Life Tip: Stress-Less Hostessing

July 20, 2012

Every other week on Hamptons-Magazine.com, I’ll focus on one pillar of a Nutritious Life, and give you a Nutritious Life Tip (NLT) Hamptons-style. Last time was all about Drinking Up, now we’ll focus on how to Stress Less...especially when hostessing a party.

Stress Less: So, you planned on celebrating summer in style with an outdoor soiree for you and a couple friends? That all sounded good and fun until you started to hammer out the details—you have to become a critically-acclaimed chef, transform your dining room into looking like it belongs in the pages of Hamptons magazine and get yourself gorgeous all before you can sit back and enjoy your company (and a cocktail).

Don’t panic! Your problems can be simply solved with one of my favorite very special kitchen staples—lemon. This tiny, vibrant fruit can pose as a beautiful centerpiece, a fancy garnish on each plate, and the standout flavor of your meal. So what are you waiting for? Head out to the market, grab a bag of these bright yellow party savers, and get ready to throw a dinner fête your friends will be raving about till Labor Day.    

NLT Hamptons-Style: Lemons add a citrus kick to any dish you squeeze them over, and they also enhance the flavor of other ingredients, nixing your need to add salt. Lemons aren’t only useful in the kitchen, they can also be part of your beauty regimen with enough vitamin C to repair skin and keep wrinkles away. Lemons can take any dinner table from drab to fab with their vibrant yellow hue. Once you’re done using them in the recipe below, the leftovers can be used as part of your tablescape—here’s how:

Simple Lemon-Infused Halibut Recipe: Place halibut, or any fish, in a foil-lined broiler pan. Blend a pinch of thyme, tarragon, and pepper with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Spread this mixture over the halibut and place in a preheated broiler for 3-5 minutes. Turn the fish over, and bake another 3-5 minutes, or until flaky and lightly browned. This recipe serves one person. Each fish is cooked individually in its own foil packet, so multiply the ingredients by the number of guests to figure out how much of each you need. That whole process takes only about 20 minutes, so no need to waste the entire day cooking.

Lemon Garnish: Slice leftover lemons until you have enough to place about three on each plate. Put the lemon-infused fish on each dish, between your slices. To add a little more color to the mix, take some of the herbs used in this recipe and sprinkle over the entire plate before serving.

Lemon Name Tags: Placecards make any dinner table a touch more elegant, but who has the time to buy, cut, and decorate little tags? Grab as many lemons as there are guests and write their full names or just their initials in script over the skin in a black Sharpie marker. Voila—in no time at all you made thoughtful place cards while adding a little lemon flare to your table.  

Lemon Mason Jars: There’s no reason why you have to spend tons of money purchasing special centerpieces to fancy up your dining table. Just buy a bunch of mason jars, slice up enough lemons so each jar has about ten. Then add water and close the lid. If you have time, pick up some bright yellow flowers to turn these mason jars into vases.

Lemon Fresh and Clean: Lemons even take the stress out of cleaning! Squeeze a lemon into a spray bottle and wipe down your countertops. It works beautifully to remove grease without chemicals.

—KERI GLASSMAN, MS, RD, CDN

Live by Keri Glassman Nutritious Life’s eight pillars for a healthy, happy summer:

Drink Up, Eat Empowered, Exercise Steady, Pamper Thyself, Sex Ed, Sleep Deep, Stress Less, Your World

Keri Glassman is the founder and president of Keri Glassman, Nutritious Life, a nutrition practice based in New York City, and Nutritious Life Meals, a gourmet, healthy, daily diet delivery program available in major markets in the United States. For years, Keri has been a leader in advancing a “whole person” approach to health and wellness. She has dedicated her career to creating services and promoting education through her brand.  

Keri is a member of Women’s Health Magazine’s board, and has authored three books, the most recent being Slim Calm Sexy Diet (Rodale, March 2012). Keri’s expertise is regularly featured on several national television programs including NBC’s The Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, Access Hollywood Live, The View, The Talk, The Chew, Dr. Oz, The Doctors, The Wendy Williams Show, MSNBC, The Fox News Channel, and CNN. She is also the nutrition and health contributor for NBC’s New York Live. Keri hosts an original series called “A Little Bit Better” which will be featured on Youtube’s LivestrongWoman channel. She is a spokesperson for national brands that align with the Nutritious Life mission, and is a prolific writer and commentator for numerous publications, such as OK! Magazine and Hamptons Magazine. Keri also regularly contributes articles and recipes to several websites including Equinox, Martha Stewart Living, and Youbeauty.com.

 

Design Detail: Jay Strongwater's Sea Motif Centerpiece

July 20, 2012

Atlantis coral reef base bowl, Jay Strongwater ($1,950). London Jewelers, 2 Main St., East Hampton, 329-3939; 47 Main St., Southampton, 287-4499.

While marine motifs accent many East End interiors, a true statement piece with nautical components can offer an air of opulence often lacking in supplemental housewares. Jay Strongwater’s Atlantis coral reef base bowl from his Grotto collection does just that with its hand-enameled and hand-placed Swarovski crystals. “It is jewelry for the home; it is a couture object,” explains John Barman, a Sagaponack resident and interior designer with projects throughout the Hamptons. Its luxe materials and artisan craftsmanship combined with ocean blue body and coral base make the centerpiece perfectly at home in the Hamptons. “It is elegant, yet since it incorporates elements from nature, it would work in a country house setting,” says Barman.

Barman deems the piece a work of art with “height and presence” that can be used for either decoration or function with a variety of arrangement options. “This magnificent bowl would be as stunning left empty as it would be filled with moss or seashells or filled with water to float small flowers and votives,” the designer proposes. “But why not use it for a practical purpose and serve caviar in it?” Any way it’s filled, the bowl instantly adds a dash of style to a dining table, coffee table, or console.

—ALLISON POLSTER

 

Elegant Ways to Update a White Sofa

July 19, 2012

A white slip-covered sofa is a Hamptons design staple, and with good reason. Its neutral palette and sleek, clean lines create the perfect blank canvas for a myriad of stylish summer accoutrements. Channel your inner design diva and create a look that is singularly yours by incorporating a dashing pair of pillows into your design scheme.

—BARBARA PAGE GLATT

Hampton Hostess, a lifestyle blog by interior designer Barbara Page Glatt, explores the latest in home design, travel, and entertaining, with a specific focus on the Hamptons. Stay tuned for Barbara's weekly blogs on décor, entertaining, and more in the Hamptons.

 

Mary Giuliani's Small Bites, Big Stories: Dinner and a Movie Re-imagined

July 18, 2012

During our summers spent in the Hamptons, my favorite family ritual was Sunday night movies at the EH movie theater. As all the cars headed west, we headed into the cool theater; and that’s where my little imagination would take off.

Movies were how I traveled, learned about relationships, developed my sense of humor (thank you George Carlin AND Grandma Lucille for the free HBO in your Montauk hotel) and in many ways, where I learned how to cook.

One very easy way I could make movies or TV shows come to life was by making the food from them over and over during those summers at the beach.  

If the little boy in Kramer vs. Kramer made French toast with his Dad, I was going to do it, too. When Daryl Hannah ate a whole lobster in Splash, I begged my parents to take me to Gosman’s Fish Market so I could learn how to cook and eat one (with the shell on, of course).

So, you would think that as the years went on, I probably outgrew this silly little obsession.

No way….

When my husband asked me how I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday in Montauk, I answered, without hesitation, that I wanted a The Jerk-themed birthday party.

What’s that, you ask?

It’s when everyone invited is asked to come dressed as a character from the Steve Martin film, The Jerk (my favorite flick). We screened the movie outside on my back lawn (a projector and a white sheet tied between two trees). All the food we served was taken verbatim from the film. Things like pizza in a cup, corn dogs, and escargot. To me the more outrageous the film, the better the party.

So, you can imagine how thrilled I was when I found an amazing enabler named Andrew Saffir. Talk about a dream client! Andrew kindly allowed me to cater many of his AMAZING Cinema Society events here in the Hamptons. How lucky I have been to think up and execute some really fun, creative food and drink menus to be served at his film screenings.

Here’s my list of a few great Hamptons summer films that you can screen, along with some ideas on how to make them all come alive!

—MARY GIULIANI

Mary and her husband Ryan launched marygiuliani.com in 2005, based on their shared love of entertaining, food, and hospitality. The figurehead of the company, Mary creates parties and mingles with the absolute crème de la crème of the Hollywood and fashion scenes. Her clients look to her to break the traditions of entertaining norms and to provide them with party ideas that are one of a kind, out of the box, playful experiences.

Her schedule is jam packed from morning to night when she’s on the party circuit. Mary is the exclusive caterer for J. CREW, Madewell, and Christie’s. Her client roster includes: The Rolling Stones, Bradley Cooper, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Portman, Sephora, Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., Stella McCartney, Warner Brothers, Universal Pictures, and many more. In 2011, Mary executed 27 events in one evening across Manhattan for Vogue’s Fashion’s Night out and her company produces over 600 events a year. Biz Bash also honored her as “Caterer of the Year” in 2011. Follow Mary on Twitter: @mary_giuliani

 

Stephen Fanuka's 5 Ways to a Kid-Friendly Backyard

July 17, 2012

Summer is here and it’s officially time to shift your focus outside and ensure your backyard design is ahead of the curve. Contractor to the stars and host of DIY Network’s Million Dollar Contractor, Stephen Fanuka, has five ways to make your outdoor space kid-friendly.

Trampolines – get a safe one with an enclosure net and place it on a flat and open spot. Toysrus.com has a good selection.

Table games – an outdoor pool or foosball table is a no-fail way to entertain older kids (think: teenagers). Outdoorpooltables.com even sells a conversion kit to change your pool table into a ping-pong table.

Treehouses – the classic has gotten a facelift. Danielswoodland.com offers treehouses that come with a real tree, Internet, swings, slides, and monkey bars. Picture a treehouse with a house or houses on it and a bridge to cross in between, plus other cool features—your kids will feel like they have Disneyland in their backyard. 

Cooling mists – keeping children cool will also keep them cool-headed. A micro cool mist system is a pressurized spray that releases 1000 pounds per square inch of water from overhead nozzles. Now here’s the best part: the droplets are so small that the mist evaporates into a fog. Check out Aeromist.com, but be sure to have a professional install.

Inflatable screen and projectors - for something that will amuse both young and old, set up an outdoor movie theater. A giant inflatable screen and projector, like these options from Amazon.com, is sure to make everyone’s evening special.

—STEPHEN FANUKA

Stephen Fanuka has built himself an unsurpassed reputation among the leading decorators, architects, and elite clientele as the go-to guy for high quality general contracting and luxury interior renovations. He was driven by a passion for his family’s business and has grown it from a small father-son custom cabinet shop into the prestigious firm it is today, Fanuka, Inc. Fanuka, Inc. works with some of the world’s top designers and architects such as Francois Catroux, Jacques Grange, Eric Cohler, Thom Filicia, Nancy Bozhardt, Philip Gorrivan, Gordon Kahn, and Christopher Maya, as well as celebrities such as Bethenny Frankel, Beyonce, Lindsay Lohan, Rosanna Scotto, and Tony Bennett.

Stephen’s first television series, Million Dollar Contractor premiered in October 2011 on the DIY Network and in April 2012 moved to HGTV. M$C will debut it’s second season this fall on October 16th on the DIY Network. His book, co-written with Ed Lewine titled What’s A Homeowner to Do? was published by Artisan Books in November and is available on Amazon.com and independent and chain booksellers across the country. Catch more of Stephen's tips on Twitter @StephenFanuka and on Facebook: Stephen Fanuka, "Contractor to the Stars."

 
Digicover_hamptons_spring_2013
Facebook RSS
Receive the Monthy Insider Newsletter: Signup
featured video
VIDEO
Hamptons 35th Anniversary Memories
Longtime friends and partners share favorite Hamptons magazine memories with publisher Debra Halpert.
 
Aspen Peak Magazine Boston Common Magazine Capitol File Magazine Gotham Magazine Hamptons Magazine Los Angeles Confidential Michigan Avenue Magazine Ocean Drive Magazine Philadelphia Style Magazine Vegas Magazine