Just when the weather in New York was looking particularly dreary, I got the chance to hop on a plane and travel to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, to stay at the historic Jamaica Inn. When you arrive, the first thing you notice is the resort’s happy cornflower blue exterior, kept bright with the help of frequent touch-ups. The color is called “Jamaica Inn Blue,” and many guests take home paint chips to bring a little piece of the Inn back with them.

No matter where you stay on the 48-room property, you are guaranteed a view of the Caribbean. Some of the rooms are literally on the beach, steps from the water. So close, you are lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves. Check out that gorgeous view… Although you can eat breakfast in the dining room, many guests wisely choose to savor their morning meal on their private porch.

Eric, who owns the property with his brother, describes the hotel’s secluded location inside a small cove as “a pair of arms hugging you close.” Unlike most crowded, bustling resorts, the Inn feels incredibly private, as if you have the place all to yourself. Fittingly, the staff greets every guest by saying, “Welcome home.”

For those who prefer the shade, there are plenty of spots on the beach under leafy trees where you can put your nose in a book for a few hours. There’s no need to pack up your things when you get hungry–lunch can be served right at your beach chair, the ultimate in laid-back luxury.

I was lucky enough to enjoy a massage at the property’s Kiyara Spa. Outdoors, right on the water, a perfect breeze…you can’t help but doze off. Rather than generic spa music, the only sound you hear is the waves.

Each evening began in the open-air dining room, where we sipped on cocktails and ate the Inn’s addictive baked coconut chips by the handful along with other complimentary hors d’oeuvres. A self-diagnosed carboholic, it’s no surprise that the most memorable part of every meal was the bread basket–the selection of rolls is baked fresh daily on premises. My simple, grilled butterfish on the first night was a close second.

We also took a day trip to visit local Jamaican artist Laura Facey‘s studio, about half an hour away up in the mountains. Her workspace and home are in the midst of a working cattle and vegetable farm that her husband runs. We stopped for cold lemonade and gingerbread fresh out of the oven, and took in the lush green landscape as we ate.

Much of Facey’s artwork is made from trees she finds on her sprawling property. The Jamaica Inn has a few of her pieces, like this gorgeous wood installation on the right-hand wall that greets guests at reception. It was there that we said our goodbyes to the Jamaica Inn, and boy was it bittersweet.

Until next time, Jamaica Inn!

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We were lucky enough to sample a few homemade snacks from Jane Coxwell, Diane von Furstenburg’s personal chef. We fell in love with her healthy avocado bread and breakfast in a jar–not only were they delicious, but they kept us full throughout the busy work day. Jane believes in simple, low-key recipes with unique ethnic flavors. Many of the recipes in her new cookbook, Fresh Happy Tasty: An Adventure in 100 Recipes, are influenced by her travels around the globe with DVF.

Fresh Happy Tasty is on bookshelves this month and we can’t wait to pick up a copy. Doesn’t her quinoa, packed with pomegranates, nuts, and herbs, look like the perfect summer side or light lunch? Jane was kind enough to share the recipe with us…

Pomegranate, nut, and green herb quinoa

{ Serves 2 }

This is the first quinoa I made for DVF. I remember being nervous about cooking for her, but she loved it—she has a wonderful appreciation for bold, vibrant food.

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1⁄2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 1⁄2 tablespoons Hummus

Maldon or other flaky salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 to 2 lemons

1⁄2 cup macadamia nuts, toasted

2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1⁄2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

1 1⁄2 cups pomegranate seeds

1 handful fresh dill, roughly chopped (no big stems)

1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1 small handful fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

1. Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions.

2. While the quinoa is cooking, combine the onion, garlic, olive oil, and hummus in a large glass bowl.

3. Drain the quinoa and put it back in the pot. Stir it over low heat for a couple of minutes to steam off some of the excess water.

4. Add the quinoa to the glass bowl, season with salt and pepper, and add the lemon juice.

5. Loosely cover the mixture and let it sit until it comes to room temperature. If you are not serving immediately, refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.

6. When you’re ready to serve, mix the nuts, pomegranate seeds, and herbs, with the quinoa and toss with your hands. Check the seasoning. Remember, when food sits for awhile, especially in the fridge, the cold tones down the seasoning, so add a bit more lemon, salt, or pepper if you need to.

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“Life is too short to not do what you love.” Or so, the saying goes. For some this might merely be an aspirational adage, but for designer Meg Galligan, these words served as a call to action. After working in online advertising at Google for four years, Meg made the gutsy decision to abandon the corporate world and pursue her passion full time: developing the Margaret Elizabeth jewelry line she launched when she was a student at Boston College. One thing’s for sure: Meg’s got gumption! The brand has grown significantly since her first trunk show, which she held years ago in her Vanderslice dorm room. Today, Margaret Elizabeth jewelry is available for purchase online, as well as in select stores in seven states.

From earrings and bangles to rings and necklaces, here are some of our favorite statement pieces:

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These metallic sandals from Zara are flattering on everyone and can easily be dressed up or down–wear them with jeans as well as skirts and dresses. (Basic metallic tone sandal, $36.00, zara.com).

Late May and early June in most regions of the country are still a little unpredictable weather-wise. This denim shirt from Madewell is the perfect light weight throw-on when a sweater is too much and a long sleeve t-shirt not quite enough. Throw it on over a sundress, roll up the sleeves and wear it with a pair of bright red or white shorts, or double-up on denim and rock it (references to Canadian tuxedos be damned) with your favorite slim fitting jeans. (Western Jean Shirt, in Dessert Willow Wash, $88. madewell.com.).

This vintage cotton t-shirt from J. Crew is as soft as it is flattering. The fit is perfect–just tight enough while still being incredibly comfortable and not at all clingy–we’ve ended up sleeping in ours a time or two… A great layering piece that you’ll want to order in several other colors. (Vintage cotton tee, in heather blueberry, $29.50, jcrew.com.).

We’ve started getting both our prescription and sunglasses from Warby Parker and are huge fans of everything this conscientious company does. We love that the price point is about one-third of what we used to spend at boutiques or department stores on frames and that for every pair of glasses they sell, they donate a pair to someone in need. (Rafferty sunglasses, in Revolver Black, $95, Robinson sunglasses, in Olivewood, $95, warbyparker.com.)

And, of course, a bag to get you (and your new finds) to your destination and back home again. We love the simple shape, the manageable size, and the classic color scheme of this weekend bag from Everlane. (The Weekender, in Grey, $95, everlane.com.)

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It’s no secret that here at Living we thrive on discovering unique and small businesses, and that we’re constantly combing the country to see what makers of all types (crafters, artists, farmers, chefs, restauranteurs…) are up to. Recently, I was given the opportunity to experience a little home away from home right here in New York City with a “Taste of Massachusetts.”

At The Culinary Loft, an events space in Soho, I quickly returned to my New England roots and felt right at home while sampling some of the state’s best seafood and local produce. If you ever head to the Bay State, don’t miss the following:

The first stop on my tasting adventure was The Red Lion Inn of Sturbridge, MA, where Chef Brian Alberg, who’s worked there as head chef  for nine years, served up delicious sweet corn and stinging nettle pancakes with roasted beets, Berle Farm cheese and smoked almonds. “What sets the Red Lion apart,” states Alberg, “is that while it has deep historical roots it also recognizes the importance of being current and relevant in both food and lodging.”

My next tasting stop was Island Creek Oyster Bar, which is located in Duxbury, Massachusetts. When you visit the actual location, you can take a tour of the oyster skiffs with a mollusk expert as a tour guide. Bonus–all visitors leave with fresh oysters. Although I have yet to take the tour, I’ve tasted the oysters, and this stop is definitely on my ‘to do list’ the next time I’m home visiting the family. It’s a must if you’re a seafood fanatic like I am!

After some oysters, the logical stop was to try a few wines from the Travessia Urban Winery, located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where owner Marco Montez grows his own grapes. I sampled his Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Vidal Blanc, and Pinot Noir, all of which were delicious and paired perfectly with the food. Even if you’re not lucky enough to be heading to Massachusetts anytime soon, you can still order a few bottles (or a case!) of Travessia’s wine here.

Additional sites on the “Taste of Massachusetts” event- Tower Hill Botanical Gardens, Zoar Outdoor, Peabody Essex Museum, Barrington Stage Company, New England Brewery Tours, Bully Boy Distillers, Alden & Harlow

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Start off your weekend with this decadent cinnamon roll, perfect for two.

Shelter Co’s camping service offers luxury tents furnished with real beds, cozy Pendleton blankets, and lounge seating. Count us in!

The perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon: roaming through Orly Genger’s magical rope installation in Madison Square Park.

Give your basic plant pots a makeover with gold leaf and pink paint.

Zelda Fitzgerald-inspired ice cream to go along with our latest book club read.

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Last year, we had a blast at the annual Kutztown Folk Festival and can’t wait to go back this year (June 29 to July 7). We thought we’d pique your interest and share a few of our photos and a video as we ate, danced and shopped our way through this nine-day celebration of the Pennsylvania Dutch way of life. With demonstrations of traditional crafts and folk music, the largest quilt sale in the nation, regional cooking, hay mazes and d.i.y. mural paintings, this festival has something for everyone and is a sweet harkening back to a simpler, slower time.

Click on the video below for a few our favorite moments from last year’s festival.

Shot by Gabriel Rhodes. Video Editing by Judith George.

In addition to the amazing gallery of quilts, don’t forget to check out the other craft and folk art offerings.

Wear loose pants! The food is divine–you won’t want to miss the sarsaparilla and birch beer, handmade pretzels, fresh squeezed lemonade, grilled local sausages, kettle-fried potato chips, and homemade pie and strawberry shortcake!

If you’ve never had bread baked in a 19th century oven, you may want to grab a loaf or two.

It’s a great place to browse for antiques and shop for gifts (or a keepsake for yourself)–pick up a jar of local honey, a hand-stitched bonnet, or the quilt that will become the next family heirloom.

Carve out time to take in the music and clap along while watching traditional square dancing.

See you next year!

Photographs by Gabriela Herman

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Mary MacGill in her studio in San Francisco.

Mary MacGill, founder and creator of Mary MacGill Jewelry, has created an inspired line made from 14K gold-filled wire and semi-precious stones and pearls. MacGill’s ties to nature, specifically her coastal New England roots, are reflected in the colors (soft blues, greens and grays), lines, and textures (hand-hammered metal and highly polished stones) of her extraordinary pieces.

In order to get the unique texture, MacGill hammers all wire by hand, using a metal block for support.

MacGill on her inspirations: “I was first introduced to jewelry making through a dear family friend, the late Kazuko Oshima, a jeweler who sold her work at Barney’s. Kazuko really took me under her wing when I was very young (14!) and opened the world of gems to me. Like so many, I am in awe of nature and find so much of my work and tendencies are informed by it. I grew up on Block Island in the summers and the ocean, grasses, and open sky are very important to me (I gravitate towards oceanic color palettes 9 times out of 10). I also find so much inspiration in fine art–growing up the daughter of an art dealer and a photographer, I have been surrounded by artwork my entire life and always refer back to my roots for inspiration. Some of my favorites include Matisse (especially for his line quality), Irving Penn’s still lifes, and Calder’s jewelry.”

Bangles and "Kazuko" Cuff, made with gold-filled wire and gemstones. (from left to right): Bangles: Grey Pearl, Black Pearl, Green Beryl, and Aquamarine.The "Kazuko" Cuff: Baroque Pearls, Tourmalated Quartz, Moss Aquarmarine, Cloud Aquamarine, and Labradorite.

Earrings (from top to bottom) Lepidochrocite Hoops, Lemon Citrine Drop Earrings, Aquamarine "Kazuko" Earrings, Aquamarine Pebble Hoops, and Cloud Aquamarine Drop Earrings.

You can see more of Mary’s earrings in the American Gems Story in the March issue of Martha Stewart Living.

Paisley Gem Drop Earrings (from top to bottom)Carnerlian, Chrysoprase, Aquarmarine Pebble, Cloud Aquamarine, Lemon Citrine, Fire Opal, Prasiolite, Aquamarine Pebble, Chrysoprase, and Cloud Aquamarine.

14K gold-filled Bangles (from left to right) Lapis, Green Aventurine, Chrysoprase, Ruby, and Nevada Turquoise.

MacGill exhibits online and at trunk shows, click here to learn more about MacGill and to see more of her stunning work.

All Photos © Mary MacGill.

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From the publisher:

When beautiful, reckless Southern belle Zelda Sayre meets F. Scott Fitzgerald at a country club dance in 1918, she is seventeen years old and he is a young army lieutenant stationed in Alabama. Before long, the “ungettable” Zelda has fallen for him despite his unsuitability: Scott isn’t wealthy or prominent or even a Southerner, and keeps insisting, absurdly, that his writing will bring him both fortune and fame. Her father is deeply unimpressed. But after Scott sells his first novel,This Side of Paradise, to Scribner’s, Zelda optimistically boards a train north, to marry him in the vestry of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and take the rest as it comes.

Everything seems new and possible. Troubles, at first, seem to fade like morning mist. But not even Jay Gatsby’s parties go on forever. Who is Zelda, other than the wife of a famous—sometimes infamous—husband? How can she forge her own identity while fighting her demons and Scott’s, too?

Check back throughout May and June for updates and, as always, don’t forget to let us know if you’re reading along!

Paulie Dibner is the assistant managing editor of Martha Stewart Living. She has perfected her oatmeal-chocolate-chip cookie, but is on the hunt for a puff-pastry recipe to knock her socks off. Follow her on Instagram @matinauxsaules.

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Just as the grillerati claim there are no good BBQ spots in NYC, it’s even more incontrovertible to state there are no cheap Korean BBQ joints. By their nature, like steakhouses, Korean BBQ restaurants are expensive. They deal in premium cuts of cloven hoofed animals peddled to ravished customers, bleary eyed from shoju and beer, and when you’re dealing with predominantly raw meat a certain base line level of quality is not only expected but hygienically necessary.

Our destination as discovered by our researcher-in-chief (whose efforts extend no further than posting queries on Chowhound message boards) came about through a desire to find affordable Korean BBQ.  As I mentioned in the paragraph above, this is basically an impossible endeavor. Sure, there are great places throughout the city, but dinner at one of them is guaranteed to set you back at least $80 bucks (unless you fill up on 99 cent pizza slices before hand).

When Mr. Researcher-in-chief came back with BBQ Village as the only fruit of his endeavors, we were skeptical. Besides being located deep in the subway-less reaches of northern Queens, it is also an all you can eat buffet. ‘All you can eat buffet’ is a dubious proposal at best, offering a promise of abundance at the outset and the inevitable guarantee of a guilt ridden bellyache upon completion. Now couple that with DIY grills set up on each table, eight starved and besotted young men, and disaster is just waiting to strike.

All of my suspicions not only turned out to be unfounded, but patently contrary to the events that unfolded. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the lovely staff were used to customers like us (‘starved and besotted’) and calmly guided us through the meal like veteran triage nurses. The restaurant itself was spacious, comfy, and discreet–our conversations, often carried out at a decibel level more suited for a North Sea oil rig than a restaurant, did not receive any disapproving glances from the other patrons. And aside from the occasional placing of raw cuts of meat adjacent to cooked meat on our table top grills (which, to be fair, annoyed no one but me), the dinner proceeded without so much as a hitch.

It’s worth noting that the buffet table that dominates the center of the restaurant needs to be navigated with care. I imagine this advice goes for every all you can buffet, but it is critical to avoid certain selections on offer–head over to the specialties of the house and put all other dishes out of your mind.  For BBQ Village, that meant avoiding the various precooked meat, seafood, vegetables, and noodles and heading directly to the raw meat section where  thin slices of beef brisket and short rib, thick cut pork belly, marinated skirt steaks, and piles of head-on shrimp glistened under the fluorescent lights.

Still unsure of ourselves as we took our seats, over laden plates of protein in our hands, we glanced suspiciously at the conical-hat grills that lay dormant in front of us. As the hostess reached over our shoulders to light the grills, the empty spaces of the table filled up with large bottles of beer, dishes of kimchi, and plates of green lettuce leaves piled high. With a glance around the first one of us took the plunge and before we knew it the sizzling hiss of protein meeting a hot implement competed with the heady smell of grilling meat to dominate our dulled senses. And that’s why Korean BBQ is so darn cool: you cook your own food, you have some agency in the whole endeavor, instead of being a passenger in the normal run-of-the-mill restaurant experience you at least have the illusion of shaping the outcome of your meal.

As for the taste of the food itself? It was delicious. Nothing was needed except for the aforementioned meats, a little kimchi warmed up on the grill, some spicy red sauce, and those large leaves of impossibly green lettuce. A surprisingly healthy meal in retrospect and one that digested very well. If I was pressed for my favorite, it would have to be the marinated skirt steak and the thick cut pork belly. But in reality, the simple succulence of fresh-off-the-grill, highly seasoned meat swaddled in a blanket of crisp lettuce with a little dollop of sour, fermented kimchi is all that needs to be said; take the menus away, we’re cooking for ourselves this evening.

The best thing about all this?  The price after 10 pm reduces to a jaw dropping, cheek palming, $19.99/person.  To repeat: $19.99/person.

157-26 Northern Blvd, Flushing, NY 11354 718 321-2770

Calder Quinn is a fearless gastronome exploring New York City one restaurant at a time—he’s also the eldest son of Lucinda Scala Quinn, Living’s executive editorial director of food. Here’s what he has to say about the origins of  Mensday Wednesday: “Being located in New York City gives us the opportunity to sample a wide array of food. After all, there are over 20,000 restaurants here, and in a huge city, built on the contributions of operating to meet everyone’s taste, as disparate as those tastes may be. There are no set requirements as to where we dine, but a sort of tacit set of rules have emerged: Price is important—the final bill should never cause us to wince; “international” cuisine is preferred; and in the event of a debate, BYOB is the trump card.”

Follow Mensday Wednesdays on Twitter @mensdae.

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