I am 'Never Ever' getting that horrendous song out of my head

Is Taylor Swift's new song the worst musical event of all time? I'm taking suggestions on anything that can rival it. T Swift poses some fierce competition. 

Oh, Baby

My mom is in town (and my dad and aunt arrive today!), and I drank too much red wine last night. Mr. Fonty always gets on my case, because I do this on every vacation or fun weekend. I come out of the gate way too hot and then spend the rest of the vacation nursing a hangover. Let's hope my coffee can work some magic this morning. 

 

I saw the cutest nursery from the LeSueur Interiors Blog on Pinterest the other day. (This blog is sort of insane too. I've added it to my blog reel, so be sure to check out. I want this gal to do my whole house!) I love that this nursery is not crazy-baby - in fact it could even be a cozy office in another life. I never thought of doing super dark walls in a baby's room, but it makes total sense - this is a place for sleep. I may need to continue my love affair with Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue when Baby Fonty enters the picture (which is not 9 months from now, mom).

Julian's Nursery

The cute mom/designer and even cuter bebe

Swoon....

Mambo Italitano!

Dinner last night: Gnocchi with spinach and parmesan cream sauce

Gnocchi is one my favorite foods of all time. When I studied abroad in Florence, I (no joke) would order gnocchi for my first course and risotto for my second course every single night. I am crediting my 20-year old metabolism with not looking like a beached whale. 

Last night, I brought a little of Florence home with me, and I made homemade gnocchi. Gnocchi is Italian potato dumplings that melt in your mouth, and you can top them with any sauce your heart desires. My brother is a chef, and taught me how to make gnocchi a few years ago. Nothing like having a Michelin star chef give you a cooking demo! I can now scoff at those rubbery vacuum sealed versions in the grocery. There truly is nothing like homemade. 

I know gnocchi can be scary to a lot of people - nothing like spending an hour on dough only to have it evaporate when you drop it in the water. But I think I have a fool proof method (and they can successfully be made in 2 days in advance). However, your kitchen will look like a bomb went off. 

Gnocchi

(Makes 10 servings)

3 lbs Russet Potatoes (it's important you get russet. They have the proper starch content)

2 cups flour (with at least 1 cup extra)

1 XL Egg

1/2 cup Canola Oil

pinch of salt

Boil the potatoes with the skin on for 45 minutes. Remove the skins (yes, it will be HOT!)

Pass through a potato ricer (if you don't have a potato ricer, the sausage grinder function on a Kitchen Aid will work, a food mill, or passing it through a fine mesh sieve - but trust me, you don't want to have to do it this way)

Boil 6 cups water and make an ice bath with 6 cups water. 

Make a well in the center of the potatoes. Sprinkle with the 2c flour. crack an egg in the center of the well and sprinkle with salt. 

Use a fork to scramble the egg and incorporate it into the flour and potato. Once incorporated, knead the dough until it forms a ball. Then knead an additional 4 minutes or until the dough ball is pretty dry. Slowly add more flour if your dough is too wet. 

Cut dough ball into eighths. Take each portion and roll it out into a thin log. cut 3/4" pieces. Roll on a gnocchi board or use a fork edge to create an indention. 

Boil in water. When the gnocchi floats to the top, it is ready. Use a handheld strainer to remove the finished gnocchi. If preparing for the future, put in ice bath. Once chilled, remove and toss in canola oil. The gnocchi will be good for 2 days - which is about how long it takes to clean the kitchen up. 

*If your gnocchi evaporates when you put it in the water, it needs more flour. So it is important to test your dough as you cook. 

The potato ricer keeps the potato light and fluffy. It's great for mashed potatoes too.

 Egg in the well

 Adding the egg

 Dough ball

 Dough log

 Chop it up

 Roll it out

 Boil it up

 ENJOY!

Tunesday With George: White Violet

Pick this week:

 

White Violet -- Hiding, Mingling

 

unrelated video:

AAA Radio Conference re-cap:

Work conferences aren't usually anything to get excited about, but the annual AAA Radio Conference is an exception (for the most part). First and foremost, it's in Boulder, CO each year...which is hard to beat when it comes to conference locations. Sure, there are plenty of boring, same-old-topic-every-year panels, and even more awkward, paid-for (but not paid attention to) performances by artists. But mixed in, there is always some solid talent and a few nice surprises. 

To avoid being unnecessarily negative, I'll skip over anything I didn't like or didn't care for (with one exception).

Wednesday afternoon I arrived at the St. Julien hotel just in time for the cocktail-hour performance by Cat Power. This is the type of industry-laden showcase I would imagine she usually turns down, but I'm glad she didn't! After the panels, meals and cocktail hour each day, they have shows at the Fox Theatre (both inside, and outside in the parking lot across the street - so they can cram as many bands as possible into the fold). That night I caught solid sets from Heartless Bastards (outside) and Trampled By Turtles (inside). Unfortunately, the original headliner that night, Passion Pit, had to cancel their set.

Thursday morning, barely awake, I was pleasantly surprised by the foursome of young sisters from Alpharetta, GA called von Grey. While I wasn't overly impressed by the lyrics/ songs themselves (which is excusable, since they range in age from 13 - 18, I think), their musicianship, melodies, and harmonies were excellent. 

Fast forwarding to the evening, Lafayette, LA's Givers started the show at the Fox. I thoroughly enjoyed their set, they have a Reptar vibe with some New Orleans flavor mixed in. 

The biggest joke of the week came later that evening, when Fun. headlined. It was just downright awful, they seemed like a modern day reincarnation of the Mickey Mouse Club...it had all the feel of a boy band with instruments, assembled by some corporate fat-cats and playing songs that were written and tailored for them. To make it worse, they were playing to pre-recorded tracks and the singers' voice was quite obviously being auto-tuned the whole time.

Friday afternoon, New West sponsored the cocktail hour...we had Normaltown artist White Violet and New West artist Max Gomez on the bill (both of whom were amazing, of course), as well as friend-of-the-label Charlie Mars.

My biggest regret was not getting to the Fox in time on Friday night to see Allen Stone, word on the street is that he was awesome. Later that night, the always-solid Alabama Shakes closed out the evening with the final set of the weekend.

Hello, Lonny

Sorry for the radio silence. Things got a little busy in Fonty land. 

Ever since I was a wee tween-ager, I've loved spending hour pouring over magazines. To this day, monthly, my mailbox is filled with glossy pages, only my tastes have grown up a bit from my days of YM and Seventeen magazine. Domino was one my favorite shelter magazines (along with about a million other women). Since it's sad demise, the new electronic magazines have filled the void for me. My favorite of these is Lonny

This month's issue features a home designed by Hollywood stylist Estee Stanley. While homes in these magazines are always beautiful, I always gravitate to the ones that look like a human actually lives there. This house is a perfect example of that. 

Comfortable elegance: 

Love the kilm blanket on coffee table:

Rustic + Modern Master:

Teen Bedroom: 

I love this nusery. It is modern and fresh, but still youthful. 

Be sure to check out this month's issue and all of Estee's tips on interiors and fashion.