Infusing grandeur into otherwise drab Mondays with five things/ideas/events for the week:

I.   What’s better than a combination of tart apple, cinnamon sugared oats, sticky honey, and smoky bourbon held together by melted butter? Nothing. That’s why I’m making my Brown Sugar Bourbon Baked Apples tonight for dessert. This is the recipe you want to try if you’re a novice in the kitchen. All you have to do is cut an apple in half, core it, mix the ingredients in a small bowl, place on top of each apple half, and bake. The results are to die for, particularly when paired with the nicest neat glass of bourbon in your cocktail cabinet. 

II.  With my inbox overflowing with invitations to Halloween parties, dinner parties, holiday cocktail parties, and every other kind of party you can imagine (well, maybe not every…), I’m running out of hostess gifts faster than I can buy them. One of my favorite things to incorporate into interior design has been a symbol of hospitality since the American Colonial era - the pineapple. Legend has it that ship captains would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside their homes to let their friends know of a safe return from sea. The pineapple was an invitation to visit, share food and drink, and listen to tales of their voyage. Carrying on the tradition, I’ll be giving out these adorable white ceramic pineapples to all of my hosts this season. 

III.  I’m a complete sucker for a gorgeous view. The second I got my driver’s license, I spent almost every sunset in high school up in the Oakland Hills, where abandoned lots from the 1991 Fire left sweeping unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay. The pink and orange sky never failed to give way to the twinkling lights of the Bay Bridge and Financial District high-rises, giving me a sense of excitement for what the future held. Whenever I travel, I make sure to ask a local where to check out the best views in the city. Most of the time, I get a much better answer than the tourist books have to offer. Along similar lines, a recent article in The Chronicle offers the best spots for incredible views in 15 cities worldwide. Time to renew my passport!!

IV.  I can’t recommend highly enough a new holistic deodorant called Agent Nateur. Created by an incredibly chic girlfriend in Los Angeles, the brand is devoted to making high-end deodorant so natural you can eat it (but please don’t, ew gross). Most drugstore options contain aluminum, a heavy metal that mimics estrogen, and is linked to alzheimer’s, parkinson’s, dementia, autism, and likely breast cancer. The few that are aluminium free are either ineffective or make you smell like a lumberjack. Comprised of organic cocounut oil, beeswax, sodium bicarbonate, avocado butter, sunflower butter, castor oil, raw organic honey, and other essential oils, Agent Nateur is a must for your beauty routine.

V.  I hope you’ll join me at the San Francisco Fall Antiques Show this year. Running from October 22-25 at Fort Mason Pavilion, the show is the oldest and most prestigious of its kind on the West Coast. The exhibition features items ranging from antiquity through the 20th Century both for sale and your viewing pleasure. Whether you’re into art, interior design, fine jewelry, or rare books, the show is not to be missed. My favorite part of this event is the Opening Night Preview Gala on October 21st, tickets available here.

Have a wonderful week! xx tt