A visit to the William Haskell House in Gloucester, MA

A visit to the William Haskell House in Gloucester, MA

This past October, my birthday was spent sleeping in a first-period colonial home that was once owned by my husband's 9th great grandfather and some of his other ancestors. The below link will take you to my new blog where you will be able to read about this amazing experience.


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Beacon Hill residents really know how to make a great first impression

It never seems to fail.  When I think I am going to have plenty of time to share tons and tons of photos with you, along with a lot of text, the sky opens up and I get inundated with work, but that's a good thing! So if I may, here is a small selection of photos that I would like to share with you.  They are unedited (some of the edited versions can be seen on my instagram page - newenglandfineliving), but I thought you would still enjoy seeing some of the streets and homes I was able to enjoy during a quick walk between appointments. 

When it comes to first impressions, in regards to your home, the front door can set the stage when greeting guests.  It also gives company a little insight to the homeowners personality.  With door after door, on Beacon Hill, I was able to see that there certainly are a lot of different personalities and design styles in the neighborhood. 

I love that the lanterns on Beacon Hill are on and glowing even during the day. 

New England is for preppies

First let me share that in the 80's, when I was a teen, dressing preppy was so cool and the "in" thing, but I never seemed to fit into that category.  I tried to carry off the look, but I never felt quite right.  I felt prudish and stuffy and could not understand why girls were wearing pearls with their polo shirts.  I think that is when my own fashion style kicked in.  I was a bit preppy, a bit punk, and a little bit of pretty, pretty princess. To this day, I love to blend styles or wear a fun yet classy outfit, but you will never see me in a pair of khaki chino's, loafers, button down shirt, and a single string of pearls tight around my neck. Blech!  I am jealous of those who look great dressed that way.  

So just a little background on the New England preppy fashion.  It started around 1912 and become very popular in the 1960's then again in the 80's.  Today, we are seeing a resurgence of the class preppy looks that originated from the collegiate lifestyle of New England Ivy League schools such as Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. Other styles are reminiscent of our New England upper-class leisure activities which include equestrian, yachting, sailing, rowing, tennis golf and rugby (like you will see in the cute spoof video below).

The epitome of a New England Preppy... President John F. Kennedy 

Photo via 

I finally had some caviar and liked it!

 Caviar Photo from New England Fine Living

My first introduction to caviar was years ago when it was passed to me on a perfect little wafer crisp.  It wasn't very intimidating, so I tried it.   Not so bad.... Hmmm.   My next official introduction to this odd little treat, was at a wine tasting event many years ago.   Now, I was intimidated.  In front of me were little jars of red, black, gold caviar that were available for mini tastings.  Along side the jars were bowls of cracker crisps.  Huh???  There is no one to serve me?  What if I take too much and get my hand slapped?  The only person available is talking to someone else and the line was backing up behind me.  Panic!  How do I put it on the cracker and how much can I take?   Do the different colors taste different? What kind of fish produced these?  I wanted to know. Oh but please don't tell me how the eggs are taken from the fish while I eat it.

This situation, is one of the many reasons I started New England Fine Living.  To share my  information with you.

Here are a few tips on eating caviar. Geeeeeesh,  I wish I knew this before the wine tasting event.  If you want to find out more about where caviar comes from and some of the nutritional facts, you can read more HERE on my caviar page, but some of the tips are here below that I found.

Caviar Etiquette: 

   Serve cold out of a non-metallic bowl.

   So as not to ruin the flavor of caviar, scoop it out of the container using mother-of-pearl utensils.  If necessary use a wood or plastic spoon.  NEVER  use a metallic spoon metal oxidizes the eggs), which will create an unwanted metal flavor.

Don’t dig deep and mush the caviar while you’re serving yourself or others.  Caviar should be scooped from the container vertically from top to bottom to avoid crushing the egg.

   If caviar is passed to you in a bowl or crock, with its own spoon, serve a teaspoonful onto your plate.  Many times it is passed with just toast points, but if it is followed with accompaniments, use the individual serving spoon found in each containter to take small amount of minced onion and sieved egg whites and yolks, as well as a few lemon slices and place on your dish.

    Assemble a canapé to your taste with a knife, then use your fingers to lift it to your mouth.

   If you're at a cocktail party or reception, where prepared caviar canapés are being passed on trays, simply lift one off the plate and pop it into your mouth.

   When served caviar as an hors d'oeuvre, no matter how much you might be tempted by its luscious flavor. It's considered bad taste to eat more than an ample serving of about two ounces, or about two spoonfuls.