Old Meets New

(from pinterest.com)

To get this look:

Molded Chair by Verner Panton (1967)

Eiffel Chair by Eames for Herman Miller

Italian Chandelier with Vintage Murano Glass Crystals by

disegno Karina Gentinetta

You provide the crumbling walls.

Poland

Have you discovered the beauty of Poland lately?

Mierzecin Palace Hotel in Miercezin, Poland

Hotel Royal Baltic in Ustka

Gdynia

To my friend, Ewa, who follows my blog from her seaside city of Gdynia, Poland, this post is for you and for your beautiful country and people.

Powinniście być dumni z tego dziedzictwa piękne i kraju.

Milanesas de Pollo

Did you ever noticed that people who are creative or who have a passion for homes, interiors, and design tend to be foodies? My dear friend, Frances Russell and I were talking about that not too long ago as she and I have discovered that we are both food aficionados and in addition to our love for design, we exchange recipes (have you checked out her post on Austin Leslie's Southern Fried Chicken which recipe I sent to her and which she, so lovingly, made in her home in Australia?) Frances, you gave "Southern" Fried Chicken a whole new meaning!

Both my husband and I love to eat and to cook and we wake up thinking about what we will do for dinner. But then again, we also live in New Orleans where amazing food surrounds us every which way we go. I think New Orleanians find any reason to eat and eat well. And the amount of garlic and seasoning we use in this city should be a crime. Although after Hurricane Katrina many contemplated moving away to other cities, their love of good food kept them here.

Being from Argentina, I have grown up eating Argentine food which is basically Italian food. I think I seduced my husband into marrying me with my osso bucco and homemade gnocchis. He, on the other hand, tends to cook more eclectic foods, having worked under some of the best chefs in New Orleans, including John Harris of Lilette Restaurant and Emeril Lagasse.

AJ and I hardly ever go out to dinner and choose instead to cook at home with the kids and have family dinners which may range from something very easy and simple to something quite sophisticated. This is the thing that has kept us together especially through the difficult times after Hurricane Katrina.

So I thought that from time to time, I may share some of my favorite, family recipes with you. There will be no formal ingredients or quantities as I tend to improvise with "a dash of this and a dash of that." But just email me if you have any questions.

On Saturday, AJ and I took the kids to an afternoon matinee of Puss In Boots. If you haven't seen it, it is so cute and that Antonio Banderas still makes my heart skip a beat, I tell you.

We got home close to dinner and we had not really planned on much since the kids and AJ (and me) have had a horrible cold for the past week which makes us all just want to take long naps and pass the tissue box around.

But it was Saturday night and I was determined to have a nice family dinner - cold or no cold. And comfort food was the name of the game.

So I made one of my all time favorite Argentine dinners which I grew up with -- Milanesas. "Milanesas" gets its name from "Milan" and are essentially Italian (or Argentine) wiener schnitzel, or panned veal cutlet. In Argentina, we make Milanesas with very thin beef instead of veal (Argentines use beef in everything!) but sometimes, if you are fancy, you will make them with chicken which I love.

Soooooo, I decided to make Milanesas de Pollo (or Chicken Milanesas).

And here is the recipe:

Take boneless and skinless chicken breasts and slice them in half lengthwise so that you get 2 thin chicken cutlets from one breast. You can also cut this step by buying thin chicken cutlets.

Setting aside the chicken, finely chop some Italian parsley and a couple of cloves of garlic together.

Add this mix of garlic and parsley to a bowl with two eggs and beat the mixture together. Add the chicken cutlets and let marinade for an hour or so in the refrigerator.

Anything for me??????

Take one chicken cutlet at a time from the bowl(making sure that not too much egg mixture drips off when you take them out) and bread them with seasoned Italian bread crumbs.



Take the breaded cutlet and fry it one at a time in about 1/4 inch of olive oil until they are golden brown on both sides.

I love mine a dark golden brown.

Once they are fried, place them on a plate with some paper towels so that any remaining olive oil drains off.

At this point, I squeeze some lemon juice on them and keep them warm in a low oven while I fry the other cutlets.

Once they are all fried, you serve them up with a side dish. In Argentina, it is customary to serve them with mash potatoes (Milanesas con Pure), but on Saturday, I served them with Angel Hair Pasta that I tossed with some fresh basil pesto sauce and with some whole garlic cloves which I had roasted in olive oil (did I mention we live in New Orleans????)

The garlic not only does wonders for a cold but it also wards off vampires. So we killed two birds with one stone. No vampires were flying by our house on Saturday with all the garlic we ate, I tell you!

Sprinkle a little Parmesan on the pasta and here you go!

Milanesas de Pollo with Basil Pesto Pasta and Roasted Garlic

Unfortunately, we still have our colds, but at least we ate well and went to bed happy.

Where in This World Does This Post Find You?

My father had a passion for cultures and origins. Invariably, when he met someone (whether he or she be the newspaper boy, or nurse, or cab driver, etc.), he would always ask them their name. Last names fascinated him and so when a person would give him his or her last name, he would ponder for a while and say, "You must be English" or "That is a very German name!" or "Your ancestors must have been Italian." From there, he would go on about the virtues of that culture. He never passed judgment or brought up politics when he inquired about your ancestry.

This went on all of my childhood and adult years. Even during his last 2 weeks in the hospital until he passed away, my father asked everyone their last name and then proceed to tell them about their origins.

My mother, Dora Hada Zazzetta, as a young child (second from the left, front row) was the youngest child of Italian immigrants, Atilio and Aida Zazzetta. They moved to Argentina during Mussolini's reign.

My father's passion was passed onto me in a way in that I love to find out where people come from. When I hear someone with an accent, I immediately ask them where they are from. In doing so, I have found that some people are very proud of where they are from and gladly share their origin or birthplace with me. But, sadly, other people hesitate even when they have a heavy accent that inescapably gives them away. I say sadly because for the most part, I have found that those people are from countries such as Mexico (who may fear being thought of as "illegal immigrants" just by virtue of being from there) or Russia or one of the Middle East countries. These people, I find, are scared or embarrassed to acknowledge their birthplace for fear that they may be associated with or thought of as embodying all the negative aspects of their countries.

Well I for one know what it is like to be an immigrant and all the hardships and personal sacrifices that go with that choice and for me, if you have moved to this country in search of a better life and are working an honest job and are a good person, then you should not carry the political baggage associated with where it is you happened to be born. Afterall, we do not choose our birthplace. I always tell my kids, if you happen to be born in a country that is free and rich in resources and opportunities such as the U.S. or one of the European countries, then you have already won the lottery in life.

But I digress (as I'm always fond of doing!).

All of this monologue on my fascination and respect for cultures and ethnicity is just a background for what I'm about to ask....

I have recently discovered by way of Google analytics that although I'm not one of those super popular blogs that have thousands of followers (I'm so envious!!!), I do have a widespread and diverse following. And that fascinates me!!!!

Today, I saw the following countries represented in my readership:

United States

Argentina
Australia

Brazil
Germany
Romania
Canada
United Kingdom
Italy
Poland
Russia
France

Wow!!!! Romania! Germany! Poland! Russia! I cannot tell you how excited this is for me!

So I want to hear from all of you, please. I want whoever happens to read this post and is from a place outside of New Orleans (yes, I want to know how many people in Iowa are reading my blog) to leave me a comment or email me as to where you are from. It would certainly make my day and I know, it would have made my father's.

Come on, I want to know where this post finds you!!


I'll start:

"Hi, my name is Karina, and I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and am writing from my home in New Orleans, Louisiana."

Now, it's your turn.....

Miguel Flores-Vianna

As we are on day 3 of my home's magazine shoot for Southern Living, I'm appreciating the talent and hard work that goes into creating that perfect interior shot. What looks casual or unstaged may actually have taken hours to prepare and achieve. Perhaps that is why we all love looking at magazines such as Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Veranda.... we all want that look in our own homes. You can get it!!! Just make sure that in addition to your interior designer, you also hire a stylist, a photo editor, a photographer and a prop person (all of whom are in my kitchen as I type!).

One of my all time favorite interior shots come from Miguel Flores-Vianna who does a lot of interior shots for Elle Decor, The World of Interiors, Domino, Architectural Digest, 1stdibs, House & Garden and Veranda. And what do you know???? Miguel grew up in Argentina (perhaps we were childhood neighbors). A former editor-turned-photographer (not to mention artist/global nomad/bon viveur), Miguel embraces life with an ardor that spills over into every corner of his existence.

Here are some of my favorite shots that he has captured. Pay close attention to the small details in the photos that may go unnoticed but were so carefully placed there.

Miguel at work.

You can view more of Miguel Flores-Vianna's work and interior shots here. And stay tuned for my Southern Living Magazine debut this Summer!

Back to Work (and a little Sneak Peak)

Yes, in between hanging out with celebrities :) and raising children and dogs, vacuuming the house, making dinners and school lunches, and beds and travelling back and forth to my showroom on the 1stdibs floor at the New York Design Center, I've actually been working on some fabulous new old pieces that I hope you all will love. As many of you know, it is a slow and painful process to bring back an antique to its original beauty but nothing can be more rewarding seeing it once it is complete. My upholsterer, Clarence, so succinctly put it upon finishing up that little Louis XV Giltwood Chair everyone has fallen in love with (click here to see it), "When you brought this old, chippy chair to me, it was like you had brought me a homeless person. Then you brought me this beautiful fabric and it was like taking that homeless person, giving it a bath and dressing it up in beautiful clothes. All of its complexion came alive and now, it is beautiful and dignified again."

When I hear comments like that, it makes my work worthwhile. So just because you don't hear about my work in a while, don't think I'm not laboring behind the scenes.

So here is a sneak peak at several pieces that I have finally finished and will be unveiled this Wednesday on 1stdibs when it releases its "New Listings." They are already loaded on my 1stdibs storefront in case you want to get all the details on them. But I'd thought I've give you all a quick and private peak.

Louis XVI Giltwood Settee (c. 1860, France) in Silk Taffeta.

Pair of Magnificent Empire Walnut Chairs with Cast Bronze Ormolu (c. mid-1800s)

19th c. Italian Walnut Coffee or Cocktail Table with Inlaid Marquetry.

19th c. Louis XV Giltwood Chair (c. 1860s)

19th c. Louis XV Walnut and Mahogany Game or Card Table.

Set of Six (6) Fully Restored Queen Anne Chairs with White Cotton Sateen Upholstery and French Brass Tacks.

All of these pieces will be released tomorrow on 1stdibs. Now, I'm back to vacuuming the dog hair in my house for the Southern Living photoshoot this week!

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Can we talk????

So I was having just an ordinary day here in my home in New Orleans when I get an email from a friend, who got an email from a friend, who got an email from a friend of Joan Rivers that they were both coming to New Orleans for just 24 hours for a wedding and had a couple of hours to spare and could I recommend a couple of good restaurants, museums, etc. I love it when people from other places come to visit our lovely city and so I'm always happy to oblige. So one thing led to another and what do you know????

No, seriously, that's Joan Rivers and me. Look closer.

She came down with the handsome and talented, Scott Currie, Elie Tahari's Global Communications VP. Joan wanted to see some New Orleans sights and visit some real New Orleans' homes. So I made a couple of phone calls....

I met them at Commander's Palace where they had a lovely Sunday brunch outside in the courtyard.

As I spotted the all too familiar red carpet hostess who has made a career out of telling it how it is, I didn't know what to expect -- Was she going to be an intolerable diva???? Would she be rude, self-absorbed and Mommy Dearish-like???? Was she going to ask me "who I was wearing" in a way that made me want to run and hide and get therapy for the rest of my life? I mean, we've heard all the stories, right?

Well, I tell you, she was one of the sweetest, most gracious, most approachable and most appreciative people I've ever met and the same, of course, goes to Scott. She obligingly posed with countless of tourists who immediately recognized her and then, like a child in a candy store, ran across the street after brunch to peer through the gates of Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, which is the cemetery directly across from Commander's Palace and most often used in films made in New Orleans. Side note: I never really understood tourists' fascination with New Orleans' cemeteries as I see them on a daily basis driving around, until I stop and realize that ours are the only ones above grounds due to the necessity of burying our dead above the water level of this city. In the photo above, Joan and I are standing infront of Lafayette Cemetery -- see the tombs behind us? Some are 250 years old! But I digress...

Moving on --

From there, I promised Joan that she could see the insides of some gorgeous New Orleans homes, rich in interior design and history. So one of the places I thought of immediately was New Orleans developer Sean Cummings' mansion on Esplanade Avenue. Sean has been a dear friend of mine for many years and when I called him to tell him I was bringing Joan over, he graciously opened his doors (and considering he had had a wild Halloween party the night before in his home, I felt doubly honored that he would do so).

Sean's house is absolutely magnificent. Take a look for yourselves:

The waterfall Swarovski crystal chandelier in the entrance hall was flown in from Austria and I'm always mesmerized to see its magnificence. I think Joan wanted to bring it home with her.

The music room, with an ancient fertility bed on the forefront (don't ask).

The Audrey Hepburn room. Sean is good friends with Sean Ferrer, Audrey's son with Will Ferrer.

A touch of modern antique (as I like to call it).

The bar room, one of the only rooms that Sean left untouched during his entire renovation of the house.

The chandelier in the master bath above was originally hanging in the entrance hall when Sean bought the place from Nicholas Cage. I think the waterfall chandelier makes a greater impact, don't you think? But Sean kept it and moved it to the corner of his bathroom.

Media room above and conference/office below (all in the same room).

End of tour.

Stunning, right? Joan and Scott were truly blown away.

From there, we were supposed to visit Julia Reed and John Pearce's gorgeous 1847 Greek Revival house on First Street in the Garden District. John was a former law partner of mine and mentor and he and Julia most graciously agreed to share their home with Joan. Unfortunately, a snow storm in NY delayed Joan and Scott's arrival in the Big Easy and so all our plans had to be cut short and we were not able to make that part of the visit. Maybe on your next trip, Joan?

So that was how I spent my Sunday afternoon today. I'm now home in my pajamas and fuzzy slippers blogging away on my laptop while Liam and Roma are sound asleep and ready for their big Halloween trick or treating tomorrow. I better get some sleep.