Hello, Daily Connoisseurs. I am back from my summer break! It feels wonderful to be back. I always miss the blog when I leave. We have had such a nice summer. We have thoroughly enjoyed our "staycation" at home with the baby. He is so snuggly and cuddly and delightful, I am enjoying every single moment with him.

My oldest daughter is back to school and we are back into our routine again. The baby is very happy to go along for the ride.

While I was away from the blog, I shot this video, showing you one week of dinners in our house. This is a typical week for us, full of many family favorites.

Here was the week's menu:

Sunday: Turkey meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccolette

Monday: Pasta marinara, spinach avocado salad and bread rolls

Tuesday: Turkey and spinach tacos on corn tortillas with salsa and guacamole

Wednesday: Cottage Pie with steamed corn and tomato salad

Thursday: Rotisserie chicken with sautéed squash and spinach

Friday: Furikake salmon with brown rice and broccolette

Saturday: Chicken nuggets with mashed sweet yam and sweet corn

Be sure to check out this week's video to see all of the meals. If you are unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel (and be sure to subscribe!) at www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

News
I am featured in the BBC's article called, Meet the people with almost nothing in their closets.

Comment of the Week

Jen M writes:
Hello Jennifer, It would be a year ago that I watched your Ted lecture on the 10 Item Wardrobe. I was fascinated and loved the idea, so I bought and read your first book, and have been working on incorporating so many elements that you present in my daily life since then! What a joy you are! I love your honesty and transparency in your weekly messages and feel each time like I am catching up with a dear friend! Thank you Jennifer for being a voice of common sense and elegance. I am looking forward to reading your other books and hope that your message of everyday beauty continues to spread!

Dear Jen, Thank you for your kind comment. I enjoy hearing from the people who find the ten-item wardrobe via the TEDx talk. Welcome to The Daily Connoisseur community!


I am so excited for this new season of The Daily Connoisseur. I have many videos coming up that I know you will enjoy.

I would love to know what your favorite family dinners are. Did you enjoy this video? Would you like to see more videos like this? Let me know in the comment section below. Also, if you have any requests for the upcoming season of The Daily Connoisseur, please leave them below as well.

See you soon!

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I'm pretty good about not snacking. This hasn't always been the case. I used to be a chronic snacker. It's like I was afraid of hunger so I never allowed myself to get to that place.

I love the quote that YouTube viewer, Sassylarita, brought to my attention, "Hunger is the best seasoning". The quote originates from Socrates, who actually said, "The best sauce for food is hunger." And it is so true. How many of us dull our appetite by snacking too much before meals? Since dropping my snacking habit I have started to enjoy my meals a whole lot more.

I'm not completely cured of my snacking tendencies though. Lately I've noticed one very curious habit of mine, which I discuss in this week's video, Not Snacking. If you're unable to see the video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

News

♥ The Daily Connoisseur is celebrating over 1 million visits this week. Thank you! I never imagined when I started this blog in 2008 that we would come this far. Thank you for reading my blog and for being a part of this important community where we celebrate elegance, dignity, class and, of course, all of the aspects that help us to live well! Thank you, thank you, merci, thank you :)

♥ The Independent Florida Alligator picks Lessons from Madame Chic as one of Five fashion books for the smart and stylish (although please someone explain to me that line about sharing soup— I don't get it at all!)

♥ I'll be appearing on Smart Creative Women TV with the lovely Monica Lee (more on that to come). Monica has featured Lessons from Madame Chic on her blog this week. She even planned a luncheon around the book! You can check out the article here.

This week I would love to know... what are your snacking issues?


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I was recently given a set of antique china that belonged to my great-grandmother. The set is Syracuse China in the Briarcliff pattern, which was made in America, and dates back to the 1940s.

Because this set belonged to my great-grandmother, and then my grandmother, it is very special to me. We dined off of the china on Christmas day and have actually used it almost every day since. I love the delicate nature of the plates.

Immediately when I started to use the china, I noticed something very curious about the dinner plates. The area for food is much smaller on the antique plates, especially compared to my large, modern-day Pottery Barn dinner plates. Back in the 40s, plates were smaller and more delicate. Food portions were a lot smaller too.

This week's video shows you the difference between the antique china and modern-day earthenware plates and discusses the various unexpected merits of using your china daily. If you are unable to see my video above, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

This week I would love to know... do you have a treasured set of china in your family? If not, what type of set would you one day like to have?

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Before this post begins I have a few very special announcements:

♥ I am going to be a regular contributing writer for Huffington Post Style! It's a major honor for me to be aligned with such a prestigious publication. Here is my first article, sharing my DIY, cost-effective fruit decorations for the holidays.

♥ Huffington Post Canada has picked Lessons from Madame Chic as one of the best fashion books of the year! To read the article, click here.

OK I had to get those out of the way because they were too exciting not to mention first :)

I've received a lot of requests recently to discuss overindulging with food over the holidays (how not to, specifically). So that is what I am discussing in today's YouTube video.

You know me, I don't like to deprive myself of anything... but this comes with a few caveats. Watch my video to see how I make this philosophy work for me. If you are unable to see the embedded video, click here, look in the sidebar of this blog, or visit my channel: www.youtube.com/TheDailyConnoisseur

I would love to know... what are your tips for not overindulging over the holiday season?


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Ahh, the French dinner party. That intimate affair: the subtle interactions, the amazing food (the wine!), the ritual. If you have an opportunity to attend an authentic French dinner party- go, I tell you, allez!

Famille Chic threw at least one dinner party a week. This still amazes me. In America, dinner parties are a rarity (So many diets to take into account. So many allergies. So many picky eaters!). Staying in France really made me appreciate the art of a dinner party. It is, in my opinion, the most intimate type of party one can have.

The format for Famille Chic’s dinner parties were very formal. We would always dress up (no jeans, s'il vous plaît) - the men would wear jackets and ties (or for the most casual of dinner parties- a sweater with a collared shirt). Madame Chic would wear a skirt (but then again- she always wore skirts. I never saw her in trousers- even on the coldest of days). We would all sit in the salon for a little aperitif beforehand. The aperitif would range anywhere from a kir to whiskey to tomato juice. (I am quite a lightweight so when we had whiskey as an aperitif- it really became a party for me!)

Classical music would ooze from the record player. After the aperitif we would all move to the table. Madame Chic would disappear to the kitchen (how on earth she managed to create 3-5 delicious courses, mingle with her guests and not be a slave to the stove was beyond me) where she would roll out the tray containing the first course (the kitchen was not adjacent to the dining room, remember). The first course would often be composed of a soup, savory tart, salad or delicate slices of cured meats. The women would always be served first starting with the female guest of honor, then me, then Madame Chic (on non dinner party evenings, I was always served first- without exception), then the men served themselves last. It was like this for every course. At first all this etiquette following and pomp and circumstance felt very daunting to me (I come from the land of outdoor BBQs remember) but I grew to love this following of tradition and always feel slightly disappointed when the protocol isn’t followed aux États-Unis .

After the starter, Madame Chic would disappear into the kitchen again and roll out the main course on the trolley. This could range anywhere from lamb, to fish to roast chicken- and was always served with fresh vegetables and usually a gratin of some sort. And then the same thing would happen with the dessert- either a selection of delectable cheeses eaten with bread or a homemade apple or strawberry tart, a cake, crepes or fruit drenched in Grand Marnier.

**Sigh** I am getting depressed just writing this. I miss those dinner parties so much. I loved their formality- the ceremony involved- the pomp (the circumstance!) The different courses- the different wines. I long for that here in California… I suppose the only way to stave off my culinary depression is to throw a little dinner party of my own comme les Français . Now all I need is a little bit of courage…


The Dinner Table by Henri Matisse is pictured above