Newsletter Archive

Holly’s “Secret” Lemon Chess Pie Recipe

July 27, 2026

For those occasions when impromptu guests arrive or you spontaneously invite friends over for lunch or dinner and need a quick dessert, I have the perfect recipe. It is one that both men and women savor, and you will most likely have all the ingredients on hand. So, what is my tried-and-true “SECRET” pie recipe? A Lemon Chess Pie! It is one that you can whip up easily, especially if you have a pre-made pie crust, along with two lemons. You will likely already have the other ingredients in your kitchen: butter, eggs, and sugar. The Lemon Chess Pie has a long heritage in England. It is similar to the English curd pie, dating back to the 1600s. It was adopted here, in New England and Virginia. A version of the recipe was even in Martha Washington’s cookbook. As a young bride in Richmond, I was given the recipe by

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A Simple Slice of Summer: Easy Recipes at Fox Hall

July 20, 2026

Simple and Summer go together like peas in a pod! Nothing is better than the taste of summer. Endless gifts from nature are ripe and ready, especially in August. Short on time? Just serve a few slices of ripe tomato, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few basil leaves on top. So heavenly! And, in the same breath, nothing can top a summer BLT with Bibb lettuce, farm stand tomatoes, and crisp bacon. My Virginia friends stress that only Duke’s mayonnaise will do, while my Connecticut friends swear by Hellman’s. Or, how about local corn on the cob, shucked, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and some butter, and fresh herbs, wrapped in foil, and grilled outdoors? A simple lobster roll with a buttered grilled bun? Dreamy! With my grandchildren visiting us from Berlin, Germany, I was inspired to make my secret recipe for strawberry shortcake with my granddaughter, Felicity,

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Party Etiquette: Photographing in a Private Home is a No-no!

July 13, 2026

What could be more divine than being invited to a party in a private home and celebrating with friends? However, in a world where just about anything and everything is captured on cell phone cameras, I want to shed light on an important, forbidden faux pas! It is a major no-no to go around someone’s home and photograph their private interiors. Think you are capturing something pretty? In a civilized society, it’s not yours to take! Interiors are deeply personal and private. Taking the liberty of taking photos inside someone’s house for your own pleasure is tantamount to capturing an “intimate” portrait of them without their permission! Has this ever happened to you? One’s interiors are exclusive and should remain privy to the owners. A photograph becomes a permanent record—one over which the homeowner no longer has control. From hidden security systems to precious art and antiques, there are facets

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A Charming Dinner Party Seating Plan: The Secret 2-2-2 Method!

July 7, 2026

When it comes to a dinner party seating plan, we all know the traditional rules of how to seat guests for table diplomacy: 🌸 There is the old adage that “six seats itself,” in which the host and hostess anchor the ends of the dining room table, allowing the other two couples to easily mix. 🌸 For dinner parties of more than six, we traditionally rely on alternating gentleman-lady placements. 🌸 There is even what is informally called the “Quaker style”—seating all the gentlemen on one side of the table and the ladies on the other, which can be an amusing technique for very large banquet tables, such as one we experienced atBallyfin Demesne, a stupendous Irish Country estate. BUT now… I have a brilliant new “2-2-2 seating technique” that I learned from my dear friend Kathy Maxwell. It is absolute perfection, especially for guests who may not know one

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Polo Match Etiquette: What to Wear and Serve Tailgating!

June 29, 2026

Hold your horses; it’s polo time! Attending your very first polo match? It will be an absolute delight… provided you are properly prepared for what to wear and how to tailgate. Polo is a thrilling piece of living history dating back over two thousand years. Its noble heritage serves as a gentle reminder that your apparel and hospitality should always honor the legacy of the turf. The secret to field-side chic is effortless simplicity- think elegant daytime country club attire with a touch of cinematic romance… Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman at the polo match! A longtime polo attendee, who has witnessed newcomers inadvertently revealing their naiveté, recently asked me to share a few essential etiquette secrets. Consider this a definitive guide for first-timers to understand the field’s secret de rigueur. What to Wear for Ladies The style for polo is refined and classic- a direct nod to the sport’s

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Hostess Etiquette: Taking the Mystery Out of the Dress Code

June 22, 2026

The golden rule of hosting is simple. We want our guests to feel entirely at ease and enjoy themselves! Yet, even the most seasoned hostesses can make a dress code assumption, which can lead to a rather awkward, yet entirely well-intentioned, mishap. A dear friend of mine recently invited a group of ladies for a lively late afternoon of tennis at a private club, followed by dinner. She had envisioned a beautiful evening in the formal dining room, naturally assuming her guests would know to bring a change of clothes. The guests, however, assumed dinner would be a casual affair poolside because no mention was made to them that dinner was arranged for the formal dining room. The result? They had a wonderful time, but they dined outdoors in their athletic wear. My friend felt simply terrible, lamenting, “It was entirely my fault. I assumed they would know what my plans

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