It was January when Jaithan and I took the leap, moving north, to the country and to a vastly new way of life. Sirens turned to snowdrifts and with them came the eerie quiet of winter—and of solitude. Well, the land has long since thawed, revealing, among other things, friends and colleagues from the city, who themselves lept and landed closeby. Among them: Margaret Roach, former editor in chief of Martha Stewart Living and creator of A Way to Garden; Dan Shaw, New York Times writer and co-founder of Rural Intelligence; Susan Schneider, a fantastic lighting designer in Millerton; and Jennifer Holwell, a lifelong friend of mine from culinary school. This afternoon, these are my guests for a casual, vegetarian lunch for six. On the table, I'm doing an eclectic mix of vintage servingware and linens, inspired by a cherished set of blue transferware plates from the flea market. The flatware is antique bone with a scrimshaw monogram, while the gingham cloth I made from a fabric remnant I found at Stormville last spring.  

VegetarianTable

To accommodate the needs of all my guests, the menu is entirely vegetarian. It's always a challenge to do a vegetarian meal that's inventive and flavorful, but I love it! Here's what we're having…

VegMenu

Guests arrive at 12:30 ET, so follow me on Twitter and join the party (and preparation!) as it happens…