This item came across my computer screen in the form of a press release, about a month ago.

I’m not sure why I still find the idea of a $590 spring roll appetizer so compelling, except, perhaps, that it was a spring roll appetizer that cost $590.

At the Taste of London Food Festival in June, Amoy, a producer of Asian sauces and frozen foods, sponsored a Taste of China section within the Festival. The company hired renowned chef Felix Yu, of Dragon Castle in London, to create the appetizer.

Here’s what was in the spring roll, along with the ingredient costs, converted from Pounds Sterling to U.S. Dollars.

• Wagyu beef–the most expensive meat on the market: $447 per pound.
• Abalone–the world’s most expensive shellfish: $179 per pound.
• Sand fire seaweed–”served fresh rather than dry:” $18 per pound.

Having never tasted Wagyu beef, abalone, or sandfire seaweed, it’s hard for me to imagine that particular combination of ingredients being worth $98 per bite, regardless of who does the combining, or how.

By the same token, I can’t imagine what could be worth the $790 million that it supposedly will  cost to buy the penthouse of the new Trump International Hotel & Tower on Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.

What’s the old expression? “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it?”

Thanks. I think we’ll share the Caesar salad.

Image source for Wagyu beef: Asakusa Imahan

Image source for abalone: Landline

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If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you already know that we adore sharing celebration experiences. Here’s one that really made me smile–the photo and note that I just received from Annie Bell (center, in the back), winner of our Father’s Day photo contest.

As a reminder, for the contest, readers were invited to share a great picture of Dad and the kids. The prize was $250 to “Take a Great Dad” to dinner.

Annie, of San Antonio, Texas, sent in a fabulous photo of her husband, Kevin, and their 4-year-old son, Adam. Celebrate with Style readers chose the winner.

Here’s the note that Annie sent along with the photo, after she, Kevin, and their parents celebrated at Paesano’s, a restaurant in San Antonio. Hope the note and photo make you smile, too.

JoAnne,

We had such a great dinner at Paesano’s last Saturday night - we had no trouble spending the $250 - appetizers, entrees, dessert and wine can add up quick!! And did I say wine? Like I mentioned before, my mom drove in from Houston (about 3 hours) to help us celebrate and Kevin’s parents joined us too (from New Braunfels, about 30 minutes away). We had a fantastic time…it’s not too often that all 5 of us get to spend time together as “adults” (our usual time spent together generally involves some sort of half-hearted interrupted conversations that take place while we are chasing kids, wiping noses, preventing falls, protecting fragile household items, resolving conflicts, applying band-aids, etc).

It was so fun and exciting to win the contest…and it was extra great to celebrate w/a night on the town…with some of my favorite people and delicious food and wine. We really enjoyed ourselves! The food and company were great…and did I mention the wine? tee hee.

Thanks for such a fabulous opportunity! Kevin, Adam, my mom and my in-laws send their thanks as well!

Annie

P.S. I’ve attached a picture of us in one of the wine rooms at Paesano’s. From left to right: our waitress; my mom, Franny; Kevin’s mom, Susan; me; Kevin; and Kevin’s dad, Kenneth.

Filed under: Fun party ideas, Great gifts, Uncategorized, family | 1 Comment »

Normally, I wouldn’t consider admitting to–much less writing about–two days of total overindulgence. But this past weekend ended up fulfilling all of my July 4th food fantasies. And I loved every bit of it.

I was only half joking when I told my brother, Bob, and sister-in-law, Arline, that on this much-needed weekend escape (nicknamed the “Fun Tour”), I wanted to escape dietary good sense, too. As mentioned in my last post, the list of fantasy foods included fried shrimp, Margaritas, Mexican food, and a hot fudge sundae.

Oh, yes–there was a single sensible request: a fruit smoothie. We had just done a feature on delicious smoothies, and I really wanted one. Arline and Bob had bought a smoothie machine recently. So being the wonderful brother and sister-in-law that they are, they went out and got all kinds of fresh fruit–strawberries, blueberries, bananas, mango. I was so excited.

Despite that one foray into healthful eating, I managed to consume more calories and fat grams in two days than I normally eat in a week.

It will probably be another year until I indulge in such fabulous forbidden treats as fried shrimp and fried onion rings. And even though both were the best I’ve ever tasted, there’s no way we’ll go back to the famous Clam Box, in Essex, Massachusetts, on the Fourth of July weekend. (From the time we got on line outside to the time we sat down with our fried everything, 1 hour and 25 minutes had elapsed.)

Still, it was great. All of it.

And I almost forgot: The fireworks were spectacular. We were as close as we possibly could be to where they were launched.

What a perfect “Fun Tour!” Franny and I both had a great time. Thanks so much, Bobby and Arline!!

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I love the Fourth of July! Each year, we spend the weekend with my brother, Bob, and our sister-in-law, Arline.

While always lots of fun, this weekend is disastrous in terms of sensible eating. All self-control disappears as we seek out fried clams or shrimp and French fries, ice cream with hot fudge, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and all manner of fabulously wonderful, awful-for-you treats.

But for me, even more enjoyable than temporarily tossing self-discipline aside is that every Fourth of July weekend, we watch fireworks–wherever and whenever we can. There’s nothing as exciting as the whistle in the dark that precedes an explosion of dazzling colors, followed by the enormously loud bang that comes just long enough after the sky lights up to be just out of synch.

I don’t know the names of the different types of fireworks. But I do know which one is my favorite. It’s the one that starts out with a single, enormous round explosion of champagne-colored sparkling light that then cascades down one or two more times, like a waterfall–pouring millions of tiny twinkles downward .

I could look at those for six hours straight. But even without the champagne cascading waterfalls, I’ll be thrilled with any fireworks that we do see. There isn’t a kid alive who gets more of a thrill from Fourth of July fireworks.

Enjoy your Fourth holiday weekend. Hope it’s happy, safe, gives you the opportunity to enjoy at least one or two forbidden treats, and makes you feel like a kid again, too!

Filed under: Holidays, Uncategorized, family | 1 Comment »

If you’re hosting or attending a July 4th celebration here’s an idea for a beautiful patriotic flower arrangement from the Flower Promotion Organization. It’s easy. Just follow the instructions below to create a very festive party decoration.

Materials:

• 1 round watermelon
• 1 6-inch clay pot
• 6 water tubes
• 3 stems of each of the following: pinkish/red alstroemeria, stargazer lilies and lemon leaves
• 1 small American flag
• Floral clippers, large sharp knife and floral preservative

Instructions:

1. Cut off one-third of the watermelon and preserve it for eating.
2. From the larger portion of the melon, cut a triangle wedge from it.
3. Set the large portion of the melon on top of the pot, fruit side up.
4. Fill the water tubes with water that has been treated with preservatives.
5. Cut the flowers and foliage to approximately 4 inches in length and insert them into individual water tubes. Insert the water tubes into the triangular potion of the large melon and insert the American flag.

Photo courtesy of Flower Promotion Organization

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We’re really excited to announce our first gift giveaway, a free contest in which you just look at the online stores of participating designers, and indicate which items you like!

That’s it! One person will win all of the lovely gifts shown above.

Long well known to members of the design community, gift giveaways may not yet be familiar to you. We’re hoping to change that–and that you’ll be looking forward to more free gift giveaways in the future!

Remember, it’s free: No purchase necessary (although you’ll surely see handcrafts that are great for hostess gifts, or presents for upcoming birthdays, bridal showers, or other celebrations!)

So relax for a couple of minutes. (You deserve it!) Enjoy looking at some gorgeous handcrafts. Then enter for a chance to win all of those featured above–right now.

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While looking for some of the hottest flavor trends this summer, I noticed many of the latest dishes and signature beverages are made with citrus fruit flavors. If you are preparing a Father’s Day menu, this may be a great idea for your celebration. You can easily add a touch of summer to any chicken, meat, or fish dish by choosing a recipe that uses citrus fruit flavors.

Here is a recipe, adapted from Sunkist, that puts a great citrus twist on what would have been an ordinary grilled chicken dish:

Grilled Chicken with Orange Salsa
Ingredients
4 small half chicken breasts (about 2 pounds per 4 breasts), remove fat and rinse
2 Tbs. orange juice
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. white pepper

Directions
1. In small bowl, combine orange and lemon juices, garlic and pepper.Brush about one-half of the juice mixture on both sides of chicken.
2. Cook chicken in preheated, lightly oiled non-stick ridged grill pan. Or barbecue on lightly oiled grill 4 to 6 inches above glowing coals (MEDIUM setting of gas barbecue).
3. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes, turning and brushing occasionally with remaining juice mixture, until chicken is no longer pink near bone and juices run clear when pierced with a fork.
4. Serve fresh orange salsa over chicken (see recipe below). Garnish with parsley or cilantro, if desired.

Orange Salsa
Ingredients
2 oranges, peeled and cut into small bite-size pieces
½ cup red onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. cilantro or parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 small jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced
1 medium clove garlic, minced

Directions
1. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients.
2. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to blend flavors

Photo courtesy of Sunkist

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On Tuesday, we’re going to announce the winner of our “Dad & the Kids” Father’s Day photo contest.

The response we got to the contest was fantastic! Selecting the 10 finalists plus 25 runners-up to display was probably harder for the judges than was selecting finalists for any of our past contests.

In some cases, the decision simply came down to the quality of the photo–too dark, too blurry, etc. There’s no doubt that the dads and kids were adorable–we just couldn’t see them clearly.

What we did see, however, was an abundance of wonderful images such as those above–kids doing just what Dad was doing. In each case, the kids were intensely focused on the job at hand–whether it was mowing the lawn, getting ready to hit a golf shot, preparing to shave, playing the guitar, or chilling out in a canvas chair. “Just like Dad” was a recurring theme–including a number of images of Dads sound asleep, gently holding the sleeping babies on their chests.

We all absolutely loved these shots. And dozens of others that readers (mostly the proud moms) submitted.

Check out the winner of our $250 prize, as selected by our readers. And thanks to the many hundreds of you who sent in photos, and who voted for their favorites!

Filed under: Holidays, family | 1 Comment »

Choosing an eye-catching floral decoration is a great way to set the mood at your next warm weather celebration. Intricate floral designs inspired by the handcrafts of tribes across the globe are especially trendy this season. This trend combines vibrant and earthy colors with handcrafted elements to create highly sophisticated, yet simple natural party décor. See our newest flower feature highlighting this top floral trend, “the Nomad.”

We found this elegant and eco-friendly centerpiece at Vivaterra.com, an eco-conscious retailer dedicated to offering customers stylish and eco-sensitive products. The Twig Flower Centerpiece creates drama with only a few long stemmed flowers. We especially loved that this piece allows a renewal of creativity with each use; you can choose a combination of flowers or the same type, as shown above.

Photo courtesy of VivaTerra

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My friends know how much I enjoy spending time outdoors during the summer, whether I’m at an outdoor barbecue, on the beach, or boating. They all especially know all about my love for good seafood. On Sunday afternoon, I got a call to meet up with friends for an early dinner by the ocean. They were extra excited about Jordan Lobster Farms in Island Park on the south shore of Long Island. Although I had already been on the beach earlier that day, I was curious to know what the big fuss was about. It didn’t take too long to figure it out.

The menu had many appealing choices and the food was just delicious. We ordered clams, shrimp, crab cakes, lobster bisque, clam chowder, and, of course, lobster. After we finished I found out that Jordan Lobster Farms isn’t just a lobster-bar on the water. It is actually also a gourmet seafood market that offers catering services. Among its specials are fresh lobster, fish, homemade soups and sauces, and homemade oven-ready prepared dishes.

We loved the lobster dishes so much that I was inspired to look for super-easy lobster appetizer recipes (that I could actually make!). Here is one, adapted from the Maine Lobster Promotion Council, that sounds delicious and simple for summer entertaining.

Maine Lobster Mango Salad (on Biscuits)
Ingredients
1 lb. lobster meat, dry, cut into 3/8” x 3/8” chunks
½ cup mango, ripe, medium dice
½ cup red pepper, fine dice
½ cup onion, fine dice
½ cup celery, find dice
¼ cup cilantro, chiffonnade
2 jalapeño peppers, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
mayonnaise, to taste
Miniature biscuits, as needed
Romaine lettuce, as needed

Directions
1.Combine lobster meat, mango, pepper, onion, celery, cilantro, jalapeño and salt and pepper.
2.Add mayonnaise to taste.
3.Mix just before serving.
4.Serve on mini biscuits with Romaine lettuce.

Tip: lobster salad can also be served on toast points or crackers. It also makes a great dip and an alternative for a lobster roll.

Photo 1 courtesy of Jordan Lobster Farms and Photo 2 courtesy of Main Lobster Promotion Council

Filed under: Entertaining, Festive foods, Fun party ideas | 1 Comment »