Some nights call for takeout and some nights call for a little something special. With the season change comes the daylight change. Sometimes on a chilly, dark Tuesday night, it’s nice to make something that’s warm and luscious, yet herbaceous and bright all at once. This chicken is spatchcocked, or de-backboned, for a quick cook.

For most of the year, the sleepy, rural community of Round Top, Texas is home to 90 residents, a dot on the map halfway between Houston and Austin. But during the legendary bi-annual Texas Antiques Week, 100,000 people and 2,500 vendors cram into every field, barn, and dance hall in the tiny Texas town for a raucous spree of “junk therapy.”

With no empirical evidence to back up my theory, I’d say that fall is the most beloved of all seasons. It’s magical briskness has a way of charming even the most prudent cold weather hater – it’s certainly the most romantic of the seasons.

Our thoughts continue to be with everyone during this exceptionally difficult time. It’s hard to believe that what started more than a week ago, in the late evening hours one Sunday night in Northern California, is still affecting us drastically. We’re so grateful for the heroic efforts of all of the first responders that have come to save our wineries, homes, businesses, vineyards and so much more.

This past week has been exceptionally difficult for so many, and I truly hope this message finds you and your family well.  A natural disaster of epic proportions has hit our beloved home, and it’s hard to focus on harvest when so much is uncertain. 

I think that when a lot of people think of lamb, they think of celebrations, the holidays, etc. It is my opinion that lamb shouldn’t be something reserved for a special occasion. It is a marvelous meat with a grassy flavor.

Dessert is an exceptionally important part of life. It gives you a way to indulge once in a while and this cake really does the trick. It’s a mix of two of my favorite desserts, tarte tatin and sour cream cake. Where a more traditional tarte tatin would have you caramelize your fruit and cover it with a layer of puff pastry, I’ve found that covering the fruit in this sour cream cake produces a great lemony tang to balance the ubiquitous sweetness of the fruit.

With autumn’s arrival, we welcome crisp air, golden foliage, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, salty oysters, warm apple pie and a bevy of wine and craft beer offerings. Why not plan a weekend around fall’s harvest? Below, a sampling of festivals to usher in the season.

Shakshuka is one of those meals that is so easy you can’t believe how delicious it is. It’s a perfectly simple meal for a weeknight dinner or a quick way into a warm weekend lunch. It’s filling, comforting, sweet and spicy.

From leafy jungle to tranquil turquoise sea, landing in Central America is the best of both worlds. Welcome to Belize, home to natural beauty, sleepy local villages, ancient Mayan ruins and teeming with wildlife (just ask the resident howler monkeys and scarlet macaws). And now, there’s a new 8-day winemaker’s trip to The Family Coppola Hideaways, starting at Blancaneaux Lodge (3 nights) and ending at Turtle Inn (4 nights). 

Few coffee table books can sustain a reader’s interest for the duration of a cross country flight. Then again, Strong is the New Pretty isn’t your average coffee table book. On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Boston, I found myself captivated for hours by the striking photography and charmed by the brave and vulnerable quotes from the girls featured on each page.

The last few weeks of summer are so precious; you want to take it all in. Get in that last lake swim, one final camping trip, and probably one more al fresco dinner party - the kind that lasts from late afternoon to well past sunset, consists of multiple bottles of wine and lots of things to nibble on.

No matter what time of year, camping around the United States is pitch perfect for tents, vintage Airstreams and RV’s, s’mores over toasty bonfires and the occasional camp song (preferably with a banjo in hand).

Ah, September. The month that asks you to return your white pants to whence they came and implores you to pull out your well-worn sweaters and boots. The month that lends itself to cuddling up with a good book and a divine glass of red wine.

Summer colds are the absolute worst. They come on quick and force you to spend precious summer daylight under the covers, binging on shows you’ve seen one hundred times.

I’m a big believer that all summer adventures should include dessert. There are certain desserts that just seem to make sense in summer and not at any other time of the year. Desserts that pair well with salty hair and sun-kissed skin.

Wow. That’s all I can really say about our time at the Newport Folk Festival this year. For those of you that don’t know, the Newport Folk Festival is a music festival taking place over a long weekend at Fort Adams, which is right on the harbor in Newport, Rhode Island.

Pesto – one of the tastiest, easiest, most versatile ways to spice up just about anything. First of all, it’s bright green. Second of all, it tastes like cheese and basil, which are arguably two of the best things in life.

The magazine staff is thrilled to announce the release of the Summer 2017 edition of Zoetrope: All-Story, designed by Jeff Bridges, the Oscar-winning actor, producer, musician, author, social activist, and artist.

The Family Coppola Hideaways’ Blancaneaux Lodge in Belize is excited to offer a truly unique dining experience where guests can partake in a “convivial dinner” offered twice weekly in the property’s organic garden.

What better way to celebrate summer and Shark Week than with the Director’s Great Movies Jaws Chardonnay. Credited as the original summer blockbuster, Jaws swam into theatres in 1975 and has held a special place in our hearts ever since.

I like to think that through food and wine you can be wherever you want to be whenever you want to be there. As we move through life, lots of things change, responsibilities get greater and you can’t always jet off to your favorite place in the world on a moment’s notice.

The surname “Coppola” has, over the past five decades, become associated with legendary American filmmaking. In Hollywood, the Coppola family name is uttered with certain reverence by those working in the film industry. In all, five generations of the Coppola family have thus far been involved in aspects of filmmaking, from acting to directing to composing music for films, creating a monolithic presence in the crowded Hollywood environment.

Summer seems to be a season when every ounce of time is planned. Warm Saturdays and Sundays are for weddings and boat trips and pool parties. Everyone wants to get the most out of the fleeting days and create memories to get them through the colder months. Listen, I love a good picnic, pool party and beach day, but I also love a warm summer day spent on my own with things that I love.

Summer in the city: humidity radiates from everything, and somehow even the most powerful A/C doesn’t hold up to the pudding like coating that you acquire when you walk down the street in July.