Mrs W says....

The perfect wife knows how to mix the perfect martini.  Cheers!

Casablanca

This week I watched Casablanca.  I love old black and white movies.  Everything seems more romantic, more dramatic, more elegant.


What I learned:

1) I want Ingrid Bergman's waistline.    

She's long and lean, but she still has a defined waist, which is unusual (and admittedly might have been accomplished through a girdle and cinching).

2) Women should wear suits outside the office.  

What about a lovely dinner suit?

Love the sharp shoulders on this garment.

3) Everyone looks taller in black and white.  Humphrey Bogart was only 5'8" but he looks like a giant in this movie.

4) People should still drink champagne from those old squat glasses.

I love all things old, but old movies especially make me nostalgic and dreamy.  Sigh...

Boeuf Bourguignon

Yesterday we had yet another snowstorm.  I'm trying to get worked up about it, but at this point it's rote.  Boo-hoo, lots of snow, bad driving.   

Every time we get hit with snow, I make something hardy.  So before the snow began, I scurried out to the grocery store and picked up the ingredients for Boeuf Bourguignon which is basically fancy beef stew.  Julia Child pioneered the recipe for this French staple, but I used Ina Garten's version, from Barefoot in Paris, a cookbook that has never done me wrong.  I'm sorry to be sacrilegious, but Julia Child's original recipes have steered me wrong more than once, which is harder for me to bare than it is for you, Julia, trust me.  

First saute the bacon...

Nothing quite so retro as an enormous slab of red meat, yes?

Best part of this recipe was adding a half cup of cognac, then lighting it on fire.  Mr. W warned me that if I set the house on fire, the firefighters probably wouldn't make it through the storm to put it out.  

I'm happy to say it was a great success.  Mr W declared it his new favorite meal.

This morning Mr W got up at 4:30 to snowblow the driveway.  I offered to do it myself, but I'm not allowed to operate heavy machinery...anymore...

Oh hey there!

Welcome to Mrs. W Knows Best!  I am Mrs. W, your hostess for this experiment in exploring my somewhat sheepish draw to the culture of years gone by—meatloaf, monogrammed towels, cocktail hour, the hourglass figure—while still enjoying the benefits of being a modern woman—a satisfying career, home repairs, tabloid gossip.  This blog will be a combination of the following features: recipes, fashion/style, lifestyle, gardening, home decor, and general frivolity.  I am both irreverent and sincere, campy and classy, traditional and modern.  Let’s enjoy the ride!