The only thing that makes me happier than spring passing on into summer is that New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles is able to properly document it now that we are a quarterly magazine.
No matter how much people joke that there are no seasons here, there are, and this issue goes all out to celebrate the sweaty, lazy joyfulness of a humid Crescent City summer.
First, the recipes: Food writer Robert Peyton gives us recipes for a slightly exotic and entirely delicious meal that lets you eat well without heating up the kitchen. Grilled marinated beef short ribs cook up quickly on the grill, and served alongside coconut rice, a different take on cold spinach salad and rum-and-vanilla-laced grilled pineapple, they scream of summer. And let’s not forget The Alfieri, which just might be the perfect hot-weather beverage: a festive, fizzy, sweet-and-sour vehicle for tequila, with the super-food benefits of pomegranate
(in liqueur form, true, but still). If you want even more recipes, Margaret Zainey Roux offers up Bobby Flay’s
San Diego-style fish tacos, which will transport you from the Bayou State
to the Golden State.
Speaking of California, our loss is their gain as our longtime TrendWatch photographer Patrick Salisbury leaves New Orleans and returns to his home state. But he didn’t leave without saying goodbye; his last TrendWatch is a beautiful tribute to this city and our uneasy love affair with the water that surrounds – and sometimes threatens – us. Patrick, you will be missed, but I know you love our city fiercely and will continue to love it from afar.
Miranda Lake, our featured homeowner, is another New Orleans transplant who is passionate about the city. Writer Lee Cutrone takes us into Lake’s Jena Street home, which is full of whimsical vignettes, nautical and equestrian themes and tons of her own artwork. She also has a lovely, shady garden with her trademark lighthearted design touches everywhere you look.
Also in this issue, Pamela Marquis explores how best to care for bromeliads, low-maintenance plants with a high visual impact; Laura Claverie gives tips on how to incorporate vintage furniture into your décor without going overboard; Sarah Ravits takes a close-up look at our cocktail culture (just in time for Tales of the Cocktail this July, a festival that has become a true summer highlight); and Peter Reichard takes on trim work, explaining what works and what doesn’t from floor to ceiling.
In addition to all of our usual content, we’re pleased to be partnering with the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans on its 2011 Parade of Homes. On the parade this year is the St. Jude Dream Home; funds raised from the raffle of this home benefit the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Fighting pediatric cancer is a cause that is close to everyone’s heart, but St. Jude’s has now taken on a personal component for me: One of my daughter’s best friends just finished up a course of treatment for acute myelogenous leukemia at St. Jude’s, and the treatment protocol that hospital developed improved her odds of survival dramatically. The HBA is honored to support this cause, and we are honored to partner with the wonderful builders who compose the organization.
We’ve done our part to kick off the city’s sweatiest season with a bang – now it’s time for you to get out and sink your teeth into summer. And when summer gives way to fall, please know that we’ll be celebrating that, too. Any time is a good time to be a New Orleanian!
