c+potion

2012-02-02T11:55:00.000-08:00

(Jenn's favorite salad.)

Well hello there! Hope you had a nice holiday and happy 2012 and year of the dragon to you! Thanks for stopping by.

It's been a little busy chez c+potion. My poor little blog has been completely neglected. But I keep thinking about it meaning to update. Right now I'm literally trapped under a 16lb baby - he just doesn't seem to nap very well unless I hold him - trying to type without waking him. So updates have been a touch difficult to keep up with. I'm still cooking (there were a few awesome meals I mean to share here that I never got around to), not knitting as much sadly, mostly just enjoying the day to day of motherhood to two - which while fascinating for me doesn't make for good blogging material.

I did get around to spiffing up the blog banner since that last one was so old. And I'm on pinterest more regularly than I am here. I think I might have mentioned that before, but I'll put it out there again. So check me out over there.

And here's a recipe for jenn's favorite salad. Incidentally: I really feel like I've posted this already but my blogger account tells me that's not so. If I'm mistaken and I have indeed posted about this salad previously, my apologies.

I think the salad was introduced to us by our dear friend Nathan. And we were so in love with it that we made it all the time and then jenn had the caterers make it for her wedding. So I think of it as jenn's salad. She loves that it's easy and tasty and you can substitute the cheeses, add dressing or not (I might be mis-quoting you there, jenn). It's the wonder-salad of salads!

Jenn's Favorite Salad
romaine lettuce washed dried and torn into salad size pieces
toasted walnut pieces
dried cranberries
blood oranges peeled and sectioned and pieced into large-ish chunks
goat cheese (I think you can go with feta instead)
balsamic vinaigrette dressing (or the dressing of your choice)

Arrange all the ingredients on a plate and serve. You can add as much or as little of each ingredients to suit your tastes. Enjoy!

2011-11-21T10:59:00.001-08:00

M's been doing a lot of cooking lately. Yes, I am a lucky girl!

Last week he made this pot roast (pictured above) - to make, it was so simple and basic but it tasted as though it required some fancy skills and ingredients. He got the recipe here. The only change he made was to use beer instead of red wine. Divine, I tell you!

I plated it on a bed of polenta and threw a sprig of thyme over it to make it all fancy like the restaurants do. He insisted that I photograph it. Which means he wanted me to blog it.

In other news: jr. is here! Labor was quick (2 hours of contractions and 15 minutes of pushing) though of course it felt like it took much longer to me. The doctor and nurse were duly impressed. Of course they should be. A very handsome fellow entered this world in all his 10lb and 6.8oz of glory. Anyone would have been impressed at the sight of him. We are all doing great.

2011-11-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

While waiting for a baby to be born (mine), it appears that I need to start new craft projects*. Leftie is always asking to use my oven mitts when she cooks in her kitchen. So I thought it was high time she got a pair of her own.

I'm sort of feeling badly for her that her mommy is a bit out of commission and can't really play or take her to the park. These are sort of guilt-mitts, I guess. I wanted them to be quick and dirty. They fulfill the latter but not the first (I was hoping to avoid using my seam ripper). The sewing is really quite awful. I figured a 20 month old wasn't going to be discerning. And even embarrassingly sewn oven mitts are pretty freaking adorable when they are as diminutive as these.

Leftie couldn't have been more pleased. I slept in this morning, but m reported that she made a bee-line for them when she woke up. Also she's been toting them around in her little bag along with her other precious cargo (sunglasses, necklace, a plastic bag stuffed with diaper covers - don't ask, I have no idea). Always a sign of approval.

-------
*I'm finishing off a pair of secret mittens and have a few zipper pouches that I'd like to crank out for leftie before I'm off to deliver the new baby. Also last night, while waiting to see if the contractions I was experiencing were the real or practice ones, I thought it might be a good idea to start yet another set of secret mittens and mentally planned out how they would be knit up. It's a sickness, I tell you.

2011-11-01T09:49:00.000-07:00

I wish I had trusted my instincts and chosen the other light setting for this photo. Anyways...

I have been on a dutch baby kick since reading this post by Amy. Wow. I haven't looked at hers since that post first came out and now I have dutch baby envy. Hers looks so awesome! But I enjoyed mine all the same.

I pretty much followed her recipe/directions but enjoyed mine with maple syrup and cut up bartlett pears. So good! In fact, if I think about it too much, I might have to make myself another one right now.

2011-10-31T07:20:00.000-07:00

leftie's minimalist Halloween costume (you can't see her tail here and she'd refused the mask)

easily the best costume at the parade

We took leftie to a neighborhood Halloween event yesterday. It's the annual Pumpkin Stroll. I wasn't sure if I'd still be pregnant with jr. or not so I was a little underprepared for Halloween. Leftie's still a little young to understand what all the fuss is about so I didn't feel badly about it. Also, I wasn't sure how she'd feel about getting in a costume so I kept it simple with some kitty cat ears and a tail.

I had some childhood flashbacks with this kitty costume remembering how the whole effect gets a little diminished when you have to bundle up covering up nearly all the costume. Or how you have a great costume but then you only have sneakers to wear which, again, ruins the effect. My plan had been to dress leftie head to toe in black and add the ears and tail and a mask I made her to kitty it up. Sadly the temperatures dropped considerably with a crazy nor'easter that hit our area. We got about 3 inches of snow the night before! So instead she wore lots of layers and even my scarf when I realized that her wool jacket wasn't keeping her warm enough for the parade.

I was super into Halloween as a kid dreaming up costume ideas as early as May (much to my mother's dismay). I lost my enthusiasm for it after college and never really got back into it. I can feel the Halloween crazy settling into me again though. Walking home from the Pumpkin Stroll yesterday I thought about next year's Halloween and how I'd better get started early if I wanted our costumes to look as cool as I was envisioning them. Yes, I plan to participate next year. Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

M cooked dinner tonight. It was oh so good. He got the recipe (Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder) from America's Test Kitchen after he found out that this cut of pork was on mega-sale at our local market. The roast gets a dry rub of salt, pepper and brown sugar (I think that's it) and sits in the fridge overnight. It's so crazy easy and crazy delicious! The brown sugar is subtle and lends such an awesome glaze to the outer edges/skin. I took a bite and thought: pork cracklin's!

The original recipe called for a peach sauce to go with it, but we went without and I have to say I did not miss it. I do wish we had thought to defrost and bake some of the baking soda biscuits that I have in the freezer. But I guess neither of us really need the carbs and butter, so going a night without was probably not such a terrible thing.

Even our esteemed food critic leftie requested that we keep the meat coming. That's an indicator of how good this roast was!

2011-10-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

I finished a new pair of mittens for leftie the other day. And I've also been digging around the bags of her old clothes (from when she was born right up until recently) searching out the gender neutral infant pieces in preparation for jr.'s arrival.

I found these pink little bits of mitten-y things. They were the first things I ever knit for leftie. I was a bit wound up and weird in the way that pregnant women get just before giving birth. I'm pretty sure I cast on for these the night before I was to be induced. I remember laying in the bed in the labor and delivery room working on these thinking how they would be done in no time (I was wrong). I didn't much feel like knitting once the major contractions started. And I didn't much feel like knitting after leftie was born. But somehow I managed to finish them before we left the hospital. I remember washing them in the recovery room sink and laying them out near the window to dry and pulling them onto her tiny little hands before we left our room. I have pictures of leftie slurping on these from last spring while in her stroller walking around Cambridge and Somerville. The one on the left shrunk a little because m put them in the wash with the rest of her laundry. I was annoyed at the time but looking at them now, they look okay.

These I knit for leftie to wear last fall/winter. The strings attaching them together helped from losing them, but weren't much success in keeping them on. They sure were cute though.

I just remembered the long stripey pair that I knit as the solution to this problem. (I can't pull them out for this photoshoot because they are in leftie's room and I'm trying to get her to nap.) She never got much wear out of them but they sure were cute.

One day, I'll have a whole parade of hand knit mittens on show for each kid. And they sure will be cute.

NB: leftie's reaction to the Hello Kitty mittens are to greet them every time with an enthusiastic "HI KITTY!"

2011-09-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

My absolute favorite snack these days. Nonfat vanilla yoghurt (I favor the Brown Cow brand. Go for the full fat version if you want extra creamy decadence.) + raspberries + wild blueberries + toasted slivered almonds.

I tasted my last scrumptious strawberry several weeks ago. So sad. I probably won't have another good strawberry for another six months. Luckily there are raspberries and blueberries to console me for a few weeks longer. And then what?

2011-09-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

Roquefort stuffed pork chops + potato and onion casserole + chopped salad

What a terribly yellow-y blurry photo! I assure you the meal tasted better than this sorry photo indicates. I have two recipes to share. The first is for the roquefort pork chops. I've made this a few times now and it's become a family favorite. It's a bit of work to slit the chops and stuff them but every thing else is super quick and easy. I prepped everything during leftie's nap and then just cooked everything up to have it in time for supper.

My few changes would be to use panko breadcrumbs as one of the reviewers suggest. I use only one TBSP of butter when sauteeing the mushrooms and onions and just add it to the breadcrumbs. Makes it a little less rich and faster since you're skipping the step of cutting up the bread and toasting it. This time around I also sauteed some figs in the pan drippings. Yum. I think figs+pork are a combo made in heaven. Pork really works well with cooked fruit in my opinion. The fruit gets all caramel-y and the pork responds so well to that sweetness.

The second recipe is for the potatoes. More my notes than a recipe. It's one that I grew up eating as a kid. It's kind of time consuming to make so I'm surprised that my mom made it as often as she did. She didn't have a food processor so she did all the prep work by hand. I think it's a southern dish mom picked up during our stint in Louisiana. I made a few changes which I think still honors the flavors without giving in to the can of cream of mushroom soup that gives the dish it's creamy flavor.

Potato + Onion Casserole

6 medium sized russet potatoes peeled and sliced 1/8"
1 and a half medium onion sliced very thinly into rings and then separated into individual rings
1 cup of beschamel or white sauce (I made mine with butter, flour, lowfat milk and a little onion powder)
a few sprigs of fresh thyme leave pulled off of the spines (optional - we have a lot of thyme in our garden this year)
french fried onions to garnish (optional - mom used Durkee's, I've found a version at Trader Joe's (?) I think and often I've gone without)
salt + pepper
finely grated hard cheese like parmesan or gruyere (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Butter a 9x13 baking dish. Add a layer of onions to the dish and then top with a layer of potatoes. The onions should lace the bottom of the dish and the potatoes should lay on top without overlapping each other. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Repeat with the rest of the onions and potatoes sprinkling each potato layer with salt and pepper until all the ingredients are used up. End with a layer of potatoes. Add the thyme and pour the white sauce evenly over the casserole, it should seep through the layers. Sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese or french fried onions (I've never tried both, but if you do, you should let me know how that turns out).

Bake covered (aluminum foil works just fine) in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour or until bubbling and the potatoes are fork tender. Finish by taking off the cover and letting the top brown lightly. Serve hot.

2011-09-14T09:10:00.000-07:00

I finished this back in March but never got around to photographing it. It's a hat. For me! I think that this will be the last project that I'll be knitting for myself for some time. There's a lot of baby knitting in my future. The hat is a basic pattern from some lovely drapey wool. My first time working with tweed? I love the results. I'm considering adding a girly embellishment to it like knitted flowers or maybe a snowflake?

More details here.

2011-09-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Finally finished this blanket I started the first time I was pregnant. It was meant to be for leftie but now jr will get more use out of it. Then again, when I showed it to leftie she immediately snuggled it against her face. And when I draped it around her shoulders she walked around the house hugging herself pleased as could be. When the blanket fell from her shoulders she immediately came to me asking that I drape it over her again. Probably the best reaction I've ever received to my knitting.

Ravelry details here.

2011-09-12T09:52:00.000-07:00

The city girl contemplates the fruit.

m and leftie

leftie prefers gathering rocks over apples

We went apple picking over Labor Day weekend. It was warm and muggy and the mosquitos had a field day with my bare arms and legs. But I'm glad we went. The orchard we went to also had raspberries ripe for the picking. That's where the mosquitos got me. Our raspberry experience wasn't so great. The trade-off for organic/pesticide free food is that sometimes you have to share it with critters. In the case with the raspberries, I decided to let the grubs have my share (shudder. grubs.).

The apples are another story. We picked half a bushel and bought another bushel of "drops" at half price. I have ambitious plans to make tarts and pies and the like. And eats lots and lots of orchard apples with peanut butter and a glass of milk (or herbal tea) which is my favorite way to eat apples.

If you're in the Boston area, I'd recommend Old Frog Pond which is the orchard we went to. It's a modest establishment but the only organic orchard close to us so we're thankful that they keep it running. I've noticed that apple picking has become a popular fall activity for families with small children. And I'd like to take leftie and jr to one where they feature hay rides and corn mazes and cider donuts (the donuts are for me, not necessarily the kids :) but as far as apple eating is concerned, it's strictly organic or nothing at all. We'll be back to Old Frog Pond later in the season to pick more apples to keep us going through winter.

2011-09-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Nahant Beach is lovely. It's clean, the waves are gentle, the parking fee is modest and we've enjoyed ourselves both times that we've been. An added bonus is that it's a little closer than the other beaches we go to.

Our first trip there I kept seeing what I thought were plastic discs in the water and sand. I tsk-tsk'ed a few times thinking about how sad it was that such a pretty beach could draw such irresponsible polluting visitors. I wasn't wearing my glasses. Upon further investigation it turned out that the grey disks were tiny sand dollars. How thrilling! For me, finding a sand dollar on the beach feels like finding a twenty dollar bill on the road. Of course I got all grabby and scooped up as many as my pregnant belly would let me bend over to scoop. Sadly these sand dollars were super fragile and I ended up breaking as many as I collected. I'm guessing that they are grey because the sand is grey?

We went back last weekend and I don't remember seeing any sand dollars this time. How mysterious...

Nahant is basically an island, by the way. Connected by a long bridge. Does that still constitute as being an island? Here's what google maps shows:

After the beach we circled back down to the Porthole Restaurant in Lynn, Ma (just at the Lynn and Nahant border). Going to the Porthole makes me feel like I've gone back in time to a restaurant with my parents. The menu, the decor, the bar, it all reminds me of seafood restaurants I went to as a kid with my parents. The food was surprisingly very good. (Is that snooty? I had low expectations. I was tired.) And very affordable considering that it's a seafood place. We were so impressed that we went back after our second Nahant Beach trip. It's basically a package deal now so if we go to Nahant Beach, it's pretty much expected that we'll have dinner at the Porthole.

It's been cooler lately. So much for September beach weather. So we'll probably have to save our next Nahant Beach trip for next summer. See you there or after at the Porthole.

2011-09-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

(miette sweater: front)

(miette sweater: back, with button detail)

I was lucky enough to get a commission to knit up a special sweater for a special gal whom I've been following online. The commission was a copy of the sweater worn by a character in one of my favorite films. And so the Miette Sweater came to be.

It was a fun challenge trying to copy a sweater from screen shots of a film. The majority of it was easy (lots of stockinette stitch knit up in the round). The tricky part came when I had to copy the neckline which I thought had a pretty edging where the collar meets the body of the sweater. After a few false tries, I had to abandon the standard procedure for knitting up collars and knit the collar separately and sew it into place. I'm pleased with the results. And pleased to report that the recipient was pleased with the sweater.

Knitterly details here.

2011-09-08T07:44:00.000-07:00

left: Fig + Italian Chicken Sausage + Bleu Cheese
right: goat cheese and butternut squash

top left: Italian Chicken Sausage + Mushrooms + pesto
right: mushrooms + onions + kalamata olives + pesto
bottom left: Fig + Italian Chicken Sausage + Bleu Cheese

left half: Fig + Italian Chicken Sausage + Bleu Cheese
right half: Cherries + Italian Chicken Sausage + Goat Cheese

We had "gourmet" pizzas for dinner the other night. I prepped the ingredients in advance and bought a bunch of ready made crusts from Iggy's our favorite local bakery (Aside: their croissants are really quite good. I was pleased to find that they are comparable to croissants I had in France). Once I had a buffet of toppings to choose from, it was fun to mix and match and come up with some tasty combinations.

The Fig + Italian Chicken Sausage + Bleu Cheese quickly became a favorite for me and m, hence the repeated iterations. When I had one last pizza crust left to work with he requested that I make the fig and sausage one again. I didn't have enough toppings to make a whole pizza so I improvised and came up with the cherries and goat cheese version. Happy tummies all around.

Some notes for future pizzas:
I might make the pesto pizza with a thin smear of tomato sauce as the base, add the toppings, bake AND THEN drizzle some pesto over the finished pie. Baking the pesto really takes away from the flavor as it's a sauce best served uncooked.

The butternut squash + goat cheese pizza was lacking something. In the future I might roast the squash or sautee it with some savories like garlic or onion. Also would have been nice to add a few sprigs of fresh thyme before baking.

2011-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not supposed to talk about this as it upsets m, but wow! It's already that "back to school" time of year, isn't it? Not that anyone in my house is going back to school this week (or this fall for that matter). But m just gets sad thinking about the end of summer. We shouldn't be so greedy. We've had a lovely lovely summer. I've enjoyed so much our little trips like the one to Portland, ME and the smaller day trips to explore different parts of New England.

The above is a photo from a day spent at Arlington Reservoir Beach. The Boston Globe named it one of the best swimming holes in Massachusetts. It's basically an outdoor pool meets a lake as the water was chlorinated and there were flocks of geese and ducks swimming the perimeter - probably wondering who the heck these annoying humans were taking over their home.

One of the best things about the reservoir is that it's a 15 minute drive away from where we live. If we want to get to a nice beach we have to commit to an hour drive either north or due south. I like the reservoir but it could have been a bit cleaner (lots of feathers) - couldn't one of those life guards have put a skimmer to the water? And since it's a reservoir the water is calm and so leftie could sit comfortably in the shallow end and sort rocks (her favorite beach activity these days) without getting pounded by a beach tide.

We've also been to Crane Beach up in Ipswich and Nahant Beach (just south of Ipswich). I foolishly forgot to pull out my camera the two times that we were at Crane Beach which is too bad because it's so pretty there and probably my favorite beach we've been to in New England. Nahant Beach was also nice - I'll save my review of it for another post.

Thank you New England for providing us with such a pleasant and enjoyable summer. It's not over yet. I keep hearing how the best beach days are in August and even all the way through September. Here's to a few more days of sandy toes and sun-kissed shoulders.

2011-08-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

This was meant to be a sweater for the past spring but I got sidetracked by other projects and so the lovely bundle of pink yarn lay waiting. Luckily I'd thought to size it up generously so leftie should be able to wear it this fall and winter as well. Lucky too that she's a skinny kid - I wonder if I might be able to get an extra year of wear out of it? I intend to cuff the sleeves until she grows into them.

Such a sweet and clever sweater pattern. I love the use of buttons for the eyes. More details+photos here.

2011-07-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

I love that we live in one of the densest cities in the US but have easy and close access to so much green space including lots of farms! We went to Chip In Farm some weekends ago, maybe the 4th of July weekend? It was nice and quiet (no crowds). There's a small petting zoo where you can feed the animals scraps for free.

The general store (first photo) is very charming and old-timey. We picked up a dozen of their eggs which seemed to be the more popular item in the store as the handful of other patrons came in solely for the purpose of buying their eggs.

There were a few chickens running loose out on the grounds. One in particular (3rd and 4th photos) who seemed to know the drill even if we didn't. I eventually ran back into the store to pick up some scraps for an offering.

And that baby cow was just about the cutest thing ever.

I'm thinking of making this farm a part of a regular weekly activity for leftie. For her first trip to a petting zoo she was a little nervous - there was a rather demanding goat that made us all jump. But she did enjoy watching me feed the bunnies. No photos of that since I'm the family photographer and m was in charge of baby-wrangling.

2011-07-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Chicken Breasts with Sauce Supreme.

Here's a dish that I've been making since 2003 (according to my notes). I'd sort of forgotten about it and so it hasn't been a part of my weekly dinner rotation. It's pretty easy to make but does turn out a tasty and rather elegant meal. I served it with steamed broccoli and leftover penne. I would have preferred it over a nice thick noodle like fettucini or pappardelle but in a pinch the penne worked out. I'd think this would also be delicious with the sauce spooned over mashed potatoes. The recipe came from here.

My only changes are that I used chicken cutlets so that the cooking time for the chicken was shorter. Also I feel like the cutlets made for a more tender dish. Also I like mushrooms so I add a whole carton of sliced mushrooms instead of the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for.

PS. Finely chopped onions can be used in the place of shallots - I haven't had much luck in finding organic shallots at my local market.

In unrelated news: I've been hanging out a bit over at pinterest. Their format makes it faster/easier for me to share stuff that I used to do more of over here (graphic design stuff with links and credits, etc.). Come and take a look.

2011-07-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

Photographing my meals is getting harder. When my meal is ready I'm often hungry and tired and the lighting is poor and I'm negotiating an 18 month old in my arms and around my distended belly. I've got at least 6 meals that I cooked and savored and wanted to share recently but do not have any photos to post. Alas.

Tonight I lingered a bit too long at the market arguing with aforementioned 18 month old who was screeching at the top of her lungs while we cruised the produce section. Yes, shoppers of the Fresh Pond location Whole Foods, that was us. The acoustics are excellent I am happy to report.

At the last minute I grabbed one of the store's rotisserie chickens and also the fixings for a greek style salad. Suddenly all I wanted was a greek style salad. I don't know why I don't make one more often I really enjoy them when I get them as a side to my meal at greek/mediterranean restaurants. So easy, so tasty. I added the roast chicken chopped up to the salad and mmmm'd my way through the rest of the meal (in between reading to leftie who insisted that she perch on my lap with a stack of board books on the table before us).

I don't want to forget even this very basic salad so here are my notes: My greek style salad consists of large chopped pieces of romaine lettuce (which I've been favoring in my salads lately because it's so easy and quick to wash the leaves). Added to the lettuce was cubes of a luscious heirloom tomato and cucumber, a handful of kalamata olives, lemon juice, dried oregano, crumbled feta (yay for cheeses made from pasteurized milk!), salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

I think the vinegar I use really makes the difference in this basic oil+vinegar dressing. Years ago I bought a bottle of a brand called Napa Valley Naturals red wine vinegar at a fancy organic market. It brought such a wonderful flavor to my salad dressings that it's the only red wine vinegar I ever use anymore.

Oh and I add a bit of onion to the salad as well. Finely chopped though. I enjoy the taste that raw onions impart on salads and such, but I don't like biting into a raw onion. I wonder about that though. How come so many dishes come with red onions these days? Are they more special than regular onions? (I usually buy yellow but have also been known to use white when I want a mellower flavor.) Are they supposed to be fancier? Cheaper? Prettier? I certainly enjoy the color but I feel like restaurants are getting a little unoriginal when they add red onions to every dish on the menu.

I tossed everything together adjusting the seasonings to suit my tastes and added the chopped up chicken at the very end.

Yum yum.

2011-07-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

me (at 23 weeks) + leftie + jr. on Peaks Island, Me

daddy + leftie at Fort Williams Park near Cape Elizabeth, Me

We took a long weekend up to Portland, ME last Saturday through Tuesday. It was wonderful! I've always wanted to explore Portland because so many blogging artists/designers whom I admire live in the area. And after spending a few days there I can see why they do.

Unfortunately having so much fun while juggling a toddler left me with few photos to show for my trip. I finally remembered on our last two days to pull out my camera and snap a few shots. Some of my favorite moments - alas - are left undocumented. I made a list of them though (I feel like I'm forgetting some):

Watching and playing with m and leftie in the hotel pool.
The charming sleepy downtown in Bath, Me. I think we got there on a slow weekend. Nearly everything seemed closed.
The lovely beach where I wish we had worn our bathing suits at Ferry Beach.
All the amazing food we ate.

To wit:
Duckfat in Portland which is basically a pressed sandwich joint but oh do they make the most amazing fries! I could have eaten all my meals there.

Ditto The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth. The best breakfast I've ever had. Ever. Leftie was surprisingly uninterested in the freshly baked (in-house) blueberry muffin we ordered for her so m and I ended up splitting it between the two of us. Even though I was stuffed to the gills. Stuffed, I tell you!

I also need to make special mention of the beans (called "Lisa's Beans" on the menu) that came with m's Maine Guide Breakfast. I would love to get a recipe. As I type this I am contemplating the 2+hr drive it would take for us to get there from Cambridge so I can enjoy another meal. We only got breakfast, imagine what their other meals must be like!

Solo Bistro Bistro in Bath which had a wonderful sounding prix fixe menu which I now regret not ordering. I opted for their miso glazed cod instead and wowsers! It was love at every bite.

Gilbert's Chowder House in Portland (on the waterfront) where we enjoyed clams three different ways (in a chowder, fried and steamed). I also ordered a lobster roll. I was on vacation. It felt necessary.

Lois' Natural Marketplace in Scarborough where I picked up the best tasting mediterranean "mezze" plate. M's Thai peanut chicken wrap was also quite divine.

We need to go back to try more food and take more photos. M still laments that we did not make it up to Maples where they make organic gelato in small batches. We might be able to console him with some local ice cream this weekend.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

2011-06-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

(l - r: beckett - crosby)

(l -r: huxley - thatcher)

winston

Just back from a trip to Portland, ME and I'm really too tired to be doing anything. Even pretend shopping for new glasses. But look how I wasted the last half hour of my time! Which do you like the best? I'm leaning towards huxley or beckett. Or winston. Or definitely beckett. Glasses from here.

2011-06-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

A little tea party set up for fairy guests?

Of course daddy is always invited.

Hope you all had a nice father's day!

2011-06-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

I've discovered a new way of making green beans. I discovered this back last September when vacationing with friends in Ithaca, NY. I saw some green beans at their local organic market and they looked good so I bought a bunch intending to make them up the usual way. I got back to our rental cottage and realized that I was short a few key ingredients so I improvised. What a yummy serendipity! M prefers this new method and I've only made them this way a few times so I'll probably stick to this new method for a while longer. Can't wait till the beans in our garden make their appearance.

Jean's Green Beans

1 lb of fresh green beans trimmed of their ends and cut (if desired) into 1"-2" pieces
1 TBSP of unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic crushed

1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes quartered or 1 medium ripe tomato chopped
1/2 tsp of dried oregano

Add the first three ingredients to a pan sautee on medium high heat until the garlic gets nice and rendered. Add the tomatoes and continue to stir until the tomatoes cook down. Add the oregano, stir and cover pan for a few minutes. Keep cooking covered until the beans are tender (about 10-15 minutes). Serve and enjoy!

NB: I usually trim and rinse my vegetables before I cook them so there is always a bit of water clinging to them when I add them to the pan. If you've bought pre-prepped veggies or did the work yourself and the beans are dry, add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan so that the beans and garlic don't burn.

2011-06-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

A little catching up.

Above are the elbow-length mittens I finished some time ago (back in April?) when elbow-length mittens were still (sometimes) a necessity. Leftie always managed to pull off her other mittens and so I figured that if these were long, she might be able to pull them loose but not successfully pull them off.

A friend of mine suggested extending these mittens to include an attachment to a hat. But thankfully leftie's always been good about keeping her hat on.

Knitting details on ravelry. Just realizing that I never posted about the original mittens. Those details (and photos) are here.

More catching up:

Wool pants for those cold New England nights. I've been calling 'em "yarn pants." Leftie was snuggled up in these well through April - we have some heating issues in our home. I was so pleased to be able to use up scraps to make these. The yarn held up better than these photos show. After a wash in the delicate cycle all that pilling disappeared. Next winter I'll plan ahead and knit up a few pair for her and her brother. Details here.

2011-06-15T07:41:00.000-07:00

Random stuff I am into lately:

Peppermint. Mostly I want to smell it all the time. So refreshing! I bought what I thought was a peppermint shampoo earlier this year but it ended up smelling more like dandruff shampoo than peppermint. Disappointment! When my friend nathan came to visit back in April he'd leave the shower all peppermint-y smelling. I asked him what he was using and he said it was Dr. Bronner's. I tried that once but I don't like the way it leaves my hair+skin feeling. Maybe I'll just use it as a cleaning agent for my bathroom/kitchen.

Weddings. Well yes of course I still dream of re-doing my wedding. And one of the funnest parts is dreaming up what my dress would be. This designer is really quite heavenly. Usually I don't find such well designed wedding apparel on etsy, but wow! Check out her sold items (on the left column) for some more of her designs.

Cottage chic. I don't want to decorate my home with beach cottage-y things, but I'm sort of longing to be surrounded by this look. Maybe what I need to do is buy a beach cottage. Somewhere in northern California. Hah! I dream of white painted wood slat interiors, wicker furniture, sea glass and shells scattered artfully around the home. Wide windows with views of the water. The smell of salt in the air. Ah....

Sewing my own clothes. This is an obsession that never leaves me. If only I had the time... I've been busy with a few other things you see.

This is from about 10 weeks ago. We've been calling him "junior." And yes, it's a boy.

2011-04-04T16:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the blog silence folks. I've had some computer troubles resulting in me having to buy a new computer. Exciting! But unexpected for the ole budget. I'm still trying to get my workflow back in order. And there have been other going-ons in my personal life that have made blogging a bit challenging lately. More on that later. Hope you are all well...

2011-03-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Goofing around with braids...
Am I late the party again or have braids become hip recently?
Or am I too old to mess around with this look anyways?

2011-03-08T08:03:00.000-08:00

I loved this color (it's called Azul Profundo. Profundo indeed!) and bought the yarn to make a cardi for leftie. Then decided that the color was too grown up for such a wee thing. Whoops. New circular scarf for me. It's wonderfully soft and warm and I love wrapping it around my neck. And how handy that I never had to worry about it slipping off of my neck? Knitterly details here.

2011-03-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Am I rhapsodizing if I say that the lighting looks Scandinavian?

2011-03-04T07:50:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share a useful tip I figured out. I picked up a bunch of great children's books at the thrift store and wanted to clean them up. I used a bottle with a spray top that mists and filled it with rubbing alcohol. I mist the covers and even the pages with alcohol and fan them out to dry. Ta-dah! Germ-free books! (Most of those books will be saved for when leftie is old enough to read her books instead if destroying them.)

In a similar vein, I keep a bottle of alcohol free hand sanitizer in my diaper bag. When I need to wash leftie's hands but don't want to grapple with a yucky public restroom I spritz her hands with hand sanitizer, rub in and then wipe off any residue with her baby wipes. This way I figure I get her clean of germs but can feel okay if she decides to stick her fingers in her mouth (inevitable).

2011-03-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

This wasn't as confrontational as it appears.

2011-03-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Lunch: cheryl's zucchini squares and chopped salad. Recipes and notes at the bottom of each post.

2011-03-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

W.F.K.
a.k.a.: pop-pop
a.k.a.: meathead
a.k.a.: Mr. Kenny

We miss you meathead.

2011-02-28T08:51:00.000-08:00

2011-02-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

Those red wool jersey leggings get a lot of wear around here. I bought them from Catherine's shop. They are so well made! I've washed them in the machine with M's work shirts and trousers. I've layered them under jeans and cords. No pilling, no fading, they are great!

2011-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

The Och enjoying her morning constitutional.
The little paw prints in the snow are the best.

2011-02-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Why yes, I have had a little free time lately.

Seamless raglan sweater based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's method.
I'd like to add a pocket maybe and patches at the elbows.

2011-02-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

Exploring our neighborhood.

It was a very foggy day.
Photos taken at Walden Pond just after the start of the new year.

2011-02-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

More knitting.
Details here.

2011-02-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

I've been busy at the needles lately.

Sweater details here.
Hat details here.

2011-02-17T08:23:00.000-08:00

Packaging so cute I almost bought these cookies.

2011-02-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

My go-to mac'n'cheese recipe these days.

My go-to lunch these days.

2011-02-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Croque Monsieur and butternut squash soup.

Gratuitous sammich shot.

This croque monsieur recipe is what I used. I'd omit the salt for the sauce as the cheese and ham were salty enough.

The butternut squash soup was something I improvised based on a soup I had at (of all places) Au Bon Pain. I took butternut squash, an apple, an onion, half a pack of bacon (really nice stuff - the kind that is thick sliced, center cut, etc etc), rosemary and roasted it all on a rimmed baking sheet until everything is nice and soft and roasty and the bacon is rendered. Then I dumped everything into a big stock pot added enough water to cover all of it. Brought it all to a boil and then pureed it with my immersion blender. Then a dollop of heavy cream stirred in at the end. Next time less apples or possibly no apples.

2011-02-02T07:52:00.000-08:00

Troublemaker.

Even more diabolical for his cute little mug.

2011-02-01T07:47:00.000-08:00

New socks. So cushy squooshy I wear them nearly every day. My other socks must be jealous. More info here.

2011-01-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

Pretty ice. Makes it hard to dread the upcoming storm.

2011-01-18T19:35:00.000-08:00

Well hello there. Yes it has been a long time, hasn't it? I'm trying to think of where I'll go with this blog. Parenting has taken up all my time and energy and I find that I don't have time to browse my favorite sites or write about them. All I seem to talk about lately is poop. And how little sleep I am getting (though the last has gotten better thankfully).

We're having another storm here in New England. I'll cozy up with leftie and the cats while M is away for work. I'll knit, play with the baby and steal moments away to cook something yummy and comforting. And maybe I'll be able to take some time to reflect and think about how I want to pick this blog up again.

Till then stay safe and happy new year.

cool hobby

2010-07-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Have you seen Mila's Daydream's? My long-distance roommate jenn put me in the know. Adele, the mastermind behind this blog describes it as her maternity leave hobby. I'll leave the photos to do all the explaining.

This one's called "Up."

This one's called "Space Odyssey 2010.

I particularly enjoy her sense of color, use of every day materials, and of course the creative compositions. See more here.

nice

2010-07-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

Just got wind of this decorator's online magazine called Laura Day - Making Rooms for a Living. Beautiful, thoughtful content (eye candy galore anyone?). Haven't had a chance to read any of the articles - I'll be back though.

But what really caught my eye was the creative and fun navigation of the website. There's a lot of information on each page but the it's laid out so well that they successfully crammed a lot of info into a fluid manageable way. Just super. Creative, good flow. Well done.

Unrelated: I am sort of obsessed with that deep berry colored background of the website.

my brother cracks me up

2010-07-06T14:34:00.000-07:00

He's got new, um, business cards. Check 'em out.

On a frustrated day in L.A. years ago, I actually had a similar idea - but with bumper stickers. He pointed out that bumper stickers would cause damage. How true, how true.

Amazing drawings.

2010-06-14T07:52:00.000-07:00

Yes! Drawings! By Swedish artist Gunnel Wåhlstrand.

See more and read the story here.

today I'm thinking about

2010-06-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Red Velvet (cup)cake(s) - and whether I can find a better solution for the food coloring than crushed beetles or FD&C Red Dye #40.

Jimmy Cliff - I really like his music.

Cool posters - I broke down and bought two. He's having a sale and dudes! I love his work!!

Sprinkles - wondering when they are going to open their Boston location. And if they will ever release a book with recipes. I'm in love with their peanut butter + milk chocolate frosting cupcake.

Hockey - I'm convinced this song was in a movie that I saw back when I was watching movies...

And roman shades. No link and more on that hopefully soon.

Happy Sunday all!

bookish

2010-06-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

What cute book jackets + bookmarkers designed by graphic designer and illustrator Igor Udushlivy.
Take a look at the rest.

fruit slice notepads

2010-06-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

My brother james has been culling interesting stuff over on his blog. Check out these cute pads of paper shaped like fruit. The packaging they come in is also clever.

(saw this on flowerpoop)

cute wedding!

2010-05-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

I just had to come out of blog hibernation to mention this. Such an adorable wedding theme. I wish I had the guts to be as creative as these two. Check it out.

I love this photo

2010-04-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Found it on the Sartorialist's site. Please go take a look and read the story behind the image. Or stare at it for a few minutes to pick out the awesome details. Like that glass of milk at her side. Or the gentleman in the mirror taking the photo (obscured by the flash). Or the jeans she's wearing - apparently they are men's jeans and women from small towns simply did not wear men's jeans. Love it!

shameless

2010-04-13T20:02:00.000-07:00

I've been spotty on the posts for the past three months with a few skimpy recipes to show for it. And now here I am shamelessly using the blog with the hopes of winning a contest. Not just any contest, though. I want to win this organic mattress for leftie's crib. Have you heard of the Green Baby Guide? I can't remember how I stumbled upon it but I am so stoked that this site exists. Reading it makes me feel normal. Like, these are my people.

So here's the link to the giveaway. You should take a look at their site if you don't already know about it. They have lots of great ideas and tips for green (and cheap) living. These gals totally get me.

and also candied walnuts

2010-03-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

I used to make these all the time to add to salads. Then I think m asked me not to because they were making an otherwise healthy item (walnuts) unhealthy. He'll probably deny this if asked.

Anyways, I keep forgetting the measurements for each ingredient so here it is for posterity. I really ought to make up a cheat sheet like Amy from angrychicken does with my go to food stuffs.

Candied Walnuts

1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

Large pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups walnut halves

Combine first 4 ingredients in another heavy large skillet. Bring to boil, whisking. Boil 1 minute. Add walnuts; stir. Toss until syrup forms glaze on nuts, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to sheet of foil and quickly separate nuts with forks. Cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

chocolate pudding

2010-03-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

I keep making this and looking up the recipe each time is a pain in the buns. So here it is:

Chocolate Pudding

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large egg yolks

3 cups whole milk

5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).

Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. Cover surface of filling with a buttered round of wax paper and cool completely, about 2 hours.

Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.

i had a baby!

2010-02-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Little leftie is here at last!

She was born on January 14 at 4:24 pm. We've been home recovering and getting acquainted with one another.

She is made of awesome.

I've sort of missed this blog. I think of all sorts of interesting (to me) stuff to post about, but when it comes down to it, it's all about the baby. And I'm not sure how much I want this to be a baby-oriented blog. I feel a little weird even posting this but I can't just jump back into posts about graphic design and cooking without some acknowledgement to the little wonder that is now the center of our life, now can I? Maybe I just feel weird about it because of the hormones. How long do I get to blame stuff on the hormones? Because I am getting a lot of mileage out of that one.

Let's hear it for the hormones!

I'm making diapers... on my soapbox

2010-01-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the cutest little diaper you ever did see?

I've been pricing cloth diapers and boy are they expensive! I know that the up-front costs are higher than going the disposable diaper route, and that overall disposables cost more than cloth diapers, but sheesh!

Disposable diapers really aren't an option as far as I'm concerned anyways. I do have a few on hand just in case (thanks, jenn!). And it's not just the cost that I'm concerned with, but the impact they have on the environment and I get creeped out thinking about how all that plastic and chemically treated petroleum product is so close to the tenderest parts of my baby. Just not gonna happen.

So cloth diapers it is.

The cloth diapering world has come a long way since when I was a baby. Not that I remember much about my cloth diapers, but you know, I've seen them on tv. There are so many options too! You can get folded diapers, pre-folded diapers, fitted diapers, all-in-ones (AIOs), etc. It's a little dizzying to get through all that information. I did a lot of research and finally decided on fitted diapers with wool covers. This option covers all of my parameters (I'm going to use bullet points, and I'm going to use them incorrectly):

There are no polyester parts (I know that Polyurethane Laminate (PUL) is supposed to be BPA-free, but I still try to keep the petroleum products to a minimum in my life). I need the area around baby's bum to be able to breathe. Less chance of diaper rash that way. An all-in-one diaper would have been so much easier because it works like a disposable diaper but instead of throwing it out once it's soiled, you throw it in the wash. But that means I'd have to use some sort of PUL material in the diaper and I really didn't want that.
So I decided to go with a fitted diaper and thought about making them with a layer of wool for soak-control.
Incidentally, did you know that wool is an awesome material for this? Most people think wool and they think scratchy sweaters, but as a knitter I know that there are Lots of different kinds of wool - some can be scratchy, yes - but there are also some that are dreamy soft and some in-between.
Wool is a great material to work with because it's environmentally sustainable and no sheep get harmed in the production of wool,
Wool can be thrown in with the wash (yes! it's true! You CAN machine-wash wool!),
it has naturally low flame-retardant properties unlike petroleum based products - I'm talking about YOU polyester!,
it's self-extinguishing,
it's hypoallergenic,
it will keep you warm even when it gets wet,
and it's a great material for things like mattress pads and diaper covers because it can absorb almost one-third of its own weight. No wonder it was the fibre of choice for celtic fisherman who knit their own sweaters. No wonder it's used in fire-fighters' and soldiers' garments.

Fitted diapers are a lot like disposable diapers but without the plastic covering. I made mine out of 100% birdseye cotton. I needed the diaper to be as easy as possible for M and grandparents and other babysitter types. So nothing with diaper pins or snappi's or any other type of fastening accessories. They fasten with velcro tabs (I just learned that the generic word for this is "hook and loop." You know, like "bandages" instead of band-aids or "cotton swabs" instead of Q-tips, etc.) which makes it easy.

So fitted diapers it is. But without the plastic cover, pee will just leak out (not to mention what happens when there's a #2 going on). That's where the wool covers come in. I originally thought to make an all-in-one diaper with a wool cover, but let's face it. I'm going to want to wash dirty diapers in hot water. And as miraculous and wonderful as wool can be, it does have a few small drawbacks (it shrinks in hot water - sometimes not a bad thing if you're a crafter, and it's not moth-repellent). So I decided to sew fitted cloth diapers and knit wool covers out of my surplus of yarn.

I sewed a test diaper last night from a pattern I bought on-line. (I'm too much of a wimp to link to the source. Because to be honest, I don't think the pattern is very good so I can't recommend it. Email me if you want to know. I'm a little annoyed at how poorly the pattern is written (so confusing!) and there's errata that hasn't been corrected (the pattern is dated from 2004). The website is confusing to navigate and after lots of searching I finally found the errata page and was annoyed again to find commenters noting the errata from back in 2007 and the pattern is still being printed without any indication of the errors.) It wasn't too hard to sew and not too time consuming either. Now that I've got one made, I'm going to make the rest assembly-line style and crank these puppies out.

And now enough of my blah, blah, blah. Here's a photo of the newborn size diaper with the Och for scale. Hee hee. Newborn stuff is so teeny!

best of 2009 - book cover design Part III

2010-01-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

(I skipped over part II because none of the covers featured there jumped out at me. You should go over and take a look though.)

Here are my favorites from the post at The Book Design Review.

Cool compositions and collage-y style:

(both designed by Gregg Kulick)

This one too:

(no designer credit listed on my source site)

This book is called: The Interrogative Mood: A Novel? Don't you just love it??

(design by Alison Forner)

Love the type treatment and illustration of this one:

(design by Jaya Miceli)

So much to love about this one, the limited color palette, the use of negative space, the hand-lettering in the title. Mmm...

(no designer credit listed on my source site)

And of course this one caught my eye with its Russian Constructivist type treatment. I love how the designer used the staircase for the angles and also the overhead framing of the image.

(no designer credit listed on my source site)

Here is the full post from The Book Design Review. Check it out.

about those cookies

2010-01-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

In my last post I mentioned something about being susceptible. And cookies. Yeah, these cookies.

I heard words "peanut butter" and "chocolate chip" and immediately fixated on cookies. Problem with cookies (much like my problem with chocolate cake and an entire pie) is that with just the two of us, it's too easy to end up eating all the cookies between the two of us. Incidentally, why don't I fixate on going to the gym when I hear the words "treadmill" or "stationary bike?"

So I needed to make cookies. And I wanted to find a recipe that wouldn't yield something crazy like 4 dozen. And then there were some other personal considerations to fulfill. The cookie itself had to have a peanut butter flavor studded with chocolate chips. The cookie had to be just slightly crispy on the outside and soft and just a little chewy on the inside. Sort of like my ideal chocolate chip cookie. But instead of regular cookie dough, it would be pb-flavored cookie dough. This proved to be a harder task than I'd imagined.

I finally settled on a recipe I found on Martha Stewart's website. It yielded 14 cookies and the ingredients looked pretty similar to my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. A few changes would need to be made but I felt like I could get them to work.

I increased the vanilla to 1 teaspoon (instead of the 1/2 tsp it called for) and added 1 tsp of coarse salt (it really adds something to the sweet flavor, believe me). And instead of coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate, I used Guittards semi-sweet chocolate chips (fair trade AND organic, Shazam!).

I usually can't wait for cookies to cool completely before I've got my glass of milk ready. I like the chocolate chips to be a little melty when I bite into the cookie. And oh my! Peanut-buttery, melty little chocolate chips, tender cookie with just the right amount of crisp on the outside edges. Yummers!

I do like to make my cookies a little small-ish (that way you don't feel so bad about having two or three~ hee hee!), so the yield was more like 26 cookies. Well, I never hit the yield in my baking endeavors anyways.

I baked nine cookies and rolled up the rest of the dough into balls which I set on a baking sheet and chilled in the freezer. Once they set I put the cookie balls in a plastic tub for future use. Once the nine cookies were et, I could just bake one or two cookies at a time in the toaster oven (about 20 minutes at 400 degrees). This way I don't feel compelled to eat all 26 cookies all by myself. I mean with M.

Yes folks, this one's a keeper.

I should add that once the cookies cooled, I tried one cool instead of warmed and it was more of a crumbly, sandy consistency. Hm.. not so fantastic. But I stuck those in the toaster oven and hit "light toast" and they went back to being soft and chewy with the melty chocolate chips. Perfect-o!

did I mention there was a dessert too?

2010-01-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

Not the best photo...oh wells....

This is sliver #3 in case you were wondering.

This pregnancy is killing me with the sweet tooth. See, I was never a sweets eater. That's M's department. I'm more of a savory kind of girl. Tart, salty, savory, garlicky, yum!

But during the pregnancy even the mere mention of something sweet will get me going. If I see someone eating cake on tv, I suddenly have to have cake. M said something about peanut butter last week and so I had to bake peanut butter cookies. See how that works?

So during Thanksgiving this year (only the second one that I've spent with my in-laws), I learned that chocolate pudding pie is one of their dessert traditions. It gets made once a year and that's at Thanksgiving. And M loves chocolate pudding pie. And once you say pie enough times I really need to eat a pie.

So I found a nice looking chocolate pudding pie recipe, gathered all the ingredients and made myself a chocolate pudding pie the other night.

Wow. Homemade pudding is so awesome! I don't think m will ever go back to the jello pudding packs (the ones that don't need to be refridgerated?? Hello??) after this.

I used this recipe with some minor changes. I didn't have a fine mesh strainer (note to self: buy a fine mesh strainer!) but used a regular strainer instead. I was worried about lumpiness but it turned out okay taste/texture-wise. I think the fine mesh strainer would make it look smoother which I'd prefer. I thought the chocolate pudding+chocolate cookie crust was a bit too much chocolate so I substituted with a graham cracker crust instead. Of course I should have looked up a graham cracker crust recipe. Say like the one used for this recipe? But instead I substituted graham crackers for chocolate crackers and used the pudding pie measurements. Not one of my smarter moments. Also, I didn't have unsweetened chocolate on hand so I measured out just under 2 ounces of Green+Black's chocolate powder (which I use for making hot chocolates) and added a splash more of the milk.

And lastly, when we were done with dinner M was ready for dessert. But the chocolate pudding hadn't cooled yet. He argued that it wouldn't matter. The man has no patience when it comes to his chocolate. So I spooned the just chilled pudding into the pie crust and tried to cut it up into neat triangular wedges. Not so pretty. But damn, that's a fine tasting chocolate pudding pie! We ate our mounds of chocolate pudding sprinkled with graham crackers in that quiet sort of way one does when one is wholly absorbed in an activity.

I put the rest of the pie in the fridge to let it chill to its proper potential (at least 6 hours) and it's held up its shape for cutting a lot better. I had just enough heavy cream to make whipped cream for each pie ~~slice~~ mound. But as pretty as the whipped cream looks in the photo (see the recipe link) I don't think the pie needed it. It's already so creamy, dreamy delicious the addition of another creamy layer is unnecessary. Unless of course you love whipped cream. It's your call.

I'm thinking the pudding portion of this recipe could be revisited as just plain chocolate pudding (what an understatement) or the pudding portion of Death By Chocolate. M and I agreed that I should not go down the road of making a Death By Chocolate. Not for just the two of us. We agreed to save that kind of decadence for a day when a crowd was present to save us from our own weaknesses and impending folly. You heard it here first folks. Now I will stop saying Death By Chocolate so I won't feel compelled to break this pact.

dinner: it looks better than it tasted. mostly.

2010-01-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I had the culinary revelation that chicken parm is not that far from chicken katsu. I've never made chicken parmigiana (I can't even spell it according to my web browser's spell check) but I've made chicken katsu plenty of times. Pound some chicken breasts, bread it, fry it and you've got chicken katsu. Add sauce and cheese and broil it and you've got chicken parmigiana, right?

Well, maybe (I'm too lazy to look it up right now). But last night's efforts didn't turn out so great (don't let the flashy photography fool you).

What's up with that wooden spoon handle right in the middle of the photo? Let's call it an arty composition and go with that.

I think the error of my chicken parm came from the fact that I did not have any sauce in the house, just a large can of crushed tomatoes which I didn't doctor in any way before I spooned it atop the lovely little fried chicken fillets (by the way, pounded, breaded, fried chicken breasts cut up into thinner strips = chicken tenders when served with bbq and honey mustard sauce. Ta-dah!). Back to the chicken parm snafu...

Then after I spooned my lame excuse for sauce on my chicken breasts and covered them with cheese, I stuck them in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes. Instead of hitting them with the broiler. So the sauce made the fried chicken breasts all soggy. Sigh. It was getting late, I was tired and distracted.

I served this with some store bought gnocchi and the sauce. By the time the chicken was in the oven, I was able to remember to do something to the sauce so that it wasn't just crushed tomatoes heated up and spooned over gnocchi. Still meh, but better.

Oh and in case you think that I served this meal with no vegetables in sight, there's some steamed broccoli under that plate on the right of above photo. And I served Cheryl's zucchini squares (pictured again below) which really can't count as a vegetable because it's more like a savory cake or tart or something (4 eggs! and really zucchini is a squash and squashes are a starch and not a green vegetable despite the color of their skins, right?). But oh, I do love Cheryl's zucchini squares and finally got the recipe from her so I had to make it last night. Of course, tired and distracted as I was I managed to fudge this dish as well. Not that you can tell from the photo, right?

It was supposed to be baked in a 9"x13" pan instead of this 8" (8"? or maybe 9") square dish I used. So the squares aren't as flat as they're supposed to be and so the middle didn't cook as thoroughly as it should have done. Nothing that a quick trip through mr. microwave can't fix. But still.

Also, the recipe calls for 1cup of bisquick which is something that I don't ever carry in the house. I think I did okay figuring out a substitute for it though.

Also, the recipe calls for 4 eggs and I didn't realize until it was too late that I only had 3 eggs in the house and no time to run (waddle) out for more eggs. I tried to fix it by adding about 1/4 cup of whole milk to the batter. That's a wild guess. I didn't even measure it out but just poured until the batter reached a consistency that I guessed was right. What the hell was I thinking? I'd never made this dish before. How was I supposed to know what "correct consistency" meant?? Might have been too much milk. I would know this if I had used the proper pan that I was too lazy to dig out because maybe the slightly undercooked middle had to do with too much milk and not the size/aspect ratio of the pan. Are you still with me?

Also, the recipe calls for grated parmesan and I used pecorino romano (yum!). That wasn't an f-up. I liked the flavor with the different cheese. Same with my omission of seasoned salt, snipped parsley and additional pepper to taste - whoops! Seems I forgot to read the recipe carefully.

Also, and this is a personal thing: the recipe calls for 1/2 cup of finely chopped onion which I thought gave the dish a fine flavour. I ate like 4 squares last night at dinner. I had two for breakfast. M had one. He's not a huge fan of onion. I'm thinking next time around I'll just use 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion or thereabouts. I think it'll still taste good.

The thing about this recipe is that it's very forgiving. So even if you use different herbs or omit some of the seasoning, it still turns out great.

Cheryl’s Zucchini Squares

3 C of thinly sliced unpeeled zucchini (about 4 small ones)
1 C of Bisquick

(or sub with 1 Cup of flour
2 1/3 tsp of baking powder
2/3 tsp of salt
2/3 TBSP of sugar)

1/2 C of finely chopped onion (dried can be used)
1/2 C of grated parmesan
2 TBSP snipped parsley (or dried equivalent)
1/2 – 1 tsp seasoned salt (regular salt is fine)
1/2 tsp dried marjoram or oregano (can use some of each) or dried rosemary (which is what Cheryl used)
pepper to taste
1 clove garlic finely chopped (dried can be used)
1/2 C olive oil
4 eggs lightly beaten

Heat oven to 350. Grease 13”x9” pan. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Lightly whisk eggs and oil together in a small bowl and then add egg mixture to the bigger bowl. Add zucchini and onions. Mix to combine. Spread in pan and sprinkle the top with more parmesan cheese and rosemary. Bake until golden brown about 25-30 minutes. Cut into squares of any size you desire. Can be made ahead, stored in refrigerator and warmed in oven, microwave or served at room temperature.

xmas duck

2010-01-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

I forgot to wish my readers (all 12 or so of you - according to google analytics) a Happy New Year.

Happy New Year! I hope you all enjoyed a pleasant holiday and that 2010 is filled with great many things for all of you.

M and I aren't big into Christmas being neither terribly religious or gifty. We do give each other gifts but just not on days that card and candy companies suggest that we do. (I like to think that M gives me presents all the time whether it's a great new place he's found to go for a hike that he wants to surprise me, or fun dvd he's been saving up for the perfect evening that he knows I'll enjoy.) We like to keep things simple and Christmas is no exception.

Then again, the one thing that I've been consistent with for Christmas nearly every year is cooking an elegant meal for the two of us. Ahem. Yes. I like to cook something complicated on the day we dedicate to keeping it simple. That's me.

This year I had grandiose plans to cook a herb-rubbed tuck with a tart cherry sauce. I've only cooked duck once before. It came out pretty good I thought. But the recipe I had in mind to make for Christmas was pretty fussy and involved (3 hours to make a stock anyone?) and at the end of the day, I was too tired and pregnant to take on said duck. But there it was sitting in my fridge. It had to get made. So I looked for a simpler recipe and cooked it for our Christmas meal. The sides are also sort of hodge-podgey. A medley of things that I had left in the fridge that needed to be cooked up or thrown out. Somehow, it resulted in a pretty decent meal.

I gotta say that I'm still not a huge fan of duck. I always thought it was because whenever we order it at a restaurant, we go for the budget-foodie version. Meaning we don't order duck from some fancy french restaurant (we rarely eat out at fancy french restaurants). We order it from the divey chinese joint in our neighborhood. Some people will argue with me but I can tell the difference in taste when I eat an organic free-range hormone and antibiotic-free locally farmed chicken versus a Big Poultry company bird.

I'm a firm believer in eating the best quality foods that you can afford. Sometimes I go a little over budget with my food budget because I want the best quality food item, budget be damned. So I always figured that the duck we ordered at restaurants weren't always the best quality (wild, freshly harvested, heritage duck anyone?) and that this might contribute to the taste.

But the bird I got for Christmas was a pretty good quality bird. And I think I did a decent job of cooking it. And I'm still not won over. The sauce I could get behind. And so a sliver of duck meat with lots and lots of sauce is the only way I was able to enjoy my duck. Regardless, it was still a nice meal. And my Christmas gift to M. He loves duck. He loved Christmas dinner. We had a good time.

Random: Looking at this photo I'm thinking that I should look for cream colored dishes with less graphics on them. When I plated the duck, I lamented how the pattern on the plate took away from the presentation.

The recipe for the duck I made is here. I made a few changes like I didn't have prunes so I used the dried tart cherries I'd bought for the other recipe instead. Also, I've always heard that the best thing about a roast duck is the crispy skin. I had a beautiful crisp skin going on with my bird but the directions told me to flip it over and let it sit breast (crispy) side down for 20 minutes. Of course once the 20 minutes were up the beautiful crispy skin was all soggy. Bummer!

Here's the duck I was gonna make if I had more time and wasn't so tired.

our sort of coup

2010-01-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

I realise that this isn't going to be as significant if you don't live in my home and know these two as intimately as M and I do.

But anytime these two are caught snuggling is a rare-ish event (admittedly less so these days in their first experience of a New England winter). And this is only the second time maybe that I've ever seen them in the basket together. The basket is sometimes a coveted, fought after spot.

Case in point (photo circa two years ago):

the battlecats

But the significance of today's photo is that Pekoe (the orange tabby) was already in the basket. And the Och (chubby white tabby) is the one who approached him and squeezed her ample rump in beside him. Unheard of! I don't think the Och ever got over being usurped as the only cat. She never took too kindly to the arrival of the smaller younger kitten who eats her food and tries to play with her at any ole time of day. It just lacks dignity, I tell you.

I think she's pissed that she has to get body heat from him, of all people. Er, cats.

see how I grow

2010-01-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

Or: I am freaking huge.

me + leftie at 39 weeks

My progress:

me + leftie at 30 weeks

me + leftie at 23 weeks

me + leftie (and the och) at 18 weeks

any day now...

sunday night supper

2009-12-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

Sort of without meaning to, I whipped up a supper last night that was really cozy.

I baked a whole chicken. I wanted to make roasted potatoes in this new way that I learned from my mum-in-law, but I decided at the last minute to combine the potatoes with the chicken.

It was a good move.

While the chicken was cooking, I made up a batch of baking powder biscuits (the recipe is all the way at the bottom). Served piping hot with three different kinds of fruit spread (blueberry, strawberry and some of the cranberry jelly leftover from the last time I made a batch). And put together the ingredients for a build-your-own salad.

The build-your-own salad featured baby lettuce, goat cheese (with pasteurized milk, yeah!), toasted walnuts, steamed broccoli, dried cranberries and a raspberry vinaigrette. I made the raspberry vinaigrette the other day and can't stop eating it. I like it best in a simple salad of greens+goat cheese+toasted walnuts and the dressing drizzled over it. Love, I tell you. Pure love. That hunk of peccorino romano is there just for show. I forgot to remove it from the table.

Man do we eat good around here.

Recipes for the potatoes and the salad dressing below. Is it really worth it since they are so easy? Oh, what the heck...

my mum-in-law's roasted potatoes
half pound of potatoes (I used mini yukons so I didn't need to cut them up) cut up into big chunks. leave the skins on 'em
1 small onion quartered
6 cloves of garlic or more depending on how garlicky you like things. don't be afraid, you really can't over do it with the garlic in this recipe
salt+pepper to taste
2-3 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.
In a big baking dish combine all the ingredients and toss to coat evenly with the olive oil. Cover with lid (my mum-in-law uses a aluminum tray and covers it tightly with aluminum foil) and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Don't touch the suckas during this time. Your house will smell nice and garlicky and roasted oniony. After the 45 minutes/1 hour has passed, open up the dish and check on the potatoes. They should be fairly cooked through. Give them a good stir and remove the lid/foil and let cook for another half hour till they get nice and brown and caramelized.

Raspberry Vinaigrette
2 tbsp raspberry preserve
1/4 cup toasted walnut oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Try to use the best quality ingredients you can afford. It will really make a difference. Combine all ingredients into a blender or a tall container and blend. I used my immersion blender and gave it a good whirl. The dressing got nice and creamy/emulsified. Store in a sealed container. Keeps for 1 week (or longer, depending on how anal you are about such things).

can I get an "amen?"

2009-12-21T09:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday for lunch M and I went to Wilson's BBQ. It was awesome.

We heard about it from that show on the Food Network Diners Drive-Ins and Dives (I could watch this show all day). And how convenient that it's just a few towns over from where we live. Convenient? Or dangerous??

This was our third trip to Wilson's. The first time we got there at 6pm on a Saturday night and there was a line out the door. Granted the place is tiny. Just a handful of places to sit. I'm guessing that the outdoor patio gets better use when it's not 35 degrees outside with a refreshing wintry breeze to boot. When M and I finally made it into the joint we overheard the cashier mention that they were all out of beef and pork. What? What's the point? Sadly M and I turned around and went back to our car to figure out what to do about dinner.

The second time we went to Wilson's we got there at 4:40 or 5pm (they're only open Thursdays through Sundays from 11:30am to close - whatever that means) and managed to squeeze in and secure two stools at the bar. We ordered pulled pork sandwiches and fell in love with eastern Carolina bbq.

I mean, damn.

Can I get an "amen?"

The pork is tender and juicy.

They include this awesome slaw in the sandwich which acts as the perfect crunchy, tart counterpoint (NB: the slaw doesn't have the traditional creamy dressing.)

And it comes with a side of potato salad and pickles. The pickles were also awesome.

Sorry for the blurry photos, but I wanted to get a shot of this. It was meant to be focused on the bottle of sauce. Not the local soda. This sauce is boss.

When we went back yesterday, we ordered the pulled pork sandwiches again. I mean why mess with a good thing, right?

first snow in Stamford, for reals

2009-12-21T08:50:00.000-08:00

It snowed here in Stamford over the weekend!

I can't help but get excited. I thought it was beautiful. Here's what it looked like out our living room window.

Compare to what it looked like a few months ago:

I'd heard we'd just be getting a few inches, but at the end it turned out to be closer to 6. Maybe even a foot??

The och didn't seem to notice. Or I couldn't tell if she noticed a difference. She's got quite the poker face. She must notice how different her world looks.

Another comparison shot from a few months back:

Who knows what goes on in the mind of this one?

M and I went for a walk in the falling snow around our neighborhood. We live across the street from a park and it was cool to walk around it deserted for once. It was just a mite too windy so that there were flurries in your face when we walked into the wind. But it felt refreshing.

And totally unrelated: a beautiful sunset from last night.

my teeth hurt and sort of unrelated: I feel lame

2009-12-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

Lots to catch up on. Here we go...

I feel like I spent most of last week baking. That's probably not entirely accurate. But that's what it felt like. Two Sundays ago, I did my holiday baking. I usually make something edible to give as gifts. Which works out handily for people like my father-in-law who is notoriously difficult to shop for.

This year's edible gifts were supposed to be two different kinds of biscotti and something I've been calling Christmas Crack(ers). Well, I have a confession to make. Three Sundays ago, I realized that I was running short on time. Somehow I was behind schedule and the holiday cards (which I like to handmake every year) were not coming out the way I'd sketched them out. I was on the brink of a crafting meltdown and very very grumpy. It ended up being a very unproductive weekend which only made me grumpier.

So the following day I made a decision that I was not going to let this ruin Christmas (the irony of the situation was not lost on me). I was going to cut myself some slack. So the cards weren't started on time. So the baking was delayed. So I'm pregnant. Like 35 weeks pregnant (that's almost 9 months pregnant for those of you who follow this sort of stuff in the traditional way of counting). So I'm going to cut myself some slack. I decided to do just enough baking to get presents out the door that go to family. The ones where you know that if you don't have a present for them, it would be just so wrong that you wouldn't be able to forgive yourself (I'm not a complete, total and utter slacker after all.). This consists of just a few family members so the holiday baking that it would entail wasn't going to kill me. And I'd figure something out for the cards to go along with those presents.

And the rest of the world? The folks who are on my holiday card list and the folks who are on my edible gifts list? I was going to assume that they would understand that this is not a normal Christmas. And that I am 35 weeks pregnant. And that if I skipped a year of sending them a card or edible gifts, they would understand and not remove me from their holiday card list. I felt a little lame about this (it just feels so un-Christmas-y!!) but I resolved to live with this decision.

So sorry friends who would normally get edible gifts from me. Am I making it worse by posting photos of what you would have gotten had I got my act together sooner? Not that I think all these friends read my blog anyways...

Let's move on.

This year's Christmas baking consisted of cranberry+pistachio cornmeal biscotti. The recipe came from that Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies mag. I was a little doubtful about the cornmeal. But it ended up being wonderful! The cornmeal adds a nice extra crunch at the end that makes this biscotti special. And aren't the red+green of the cranberry+biscotti pretty? So colorful! So seasonal!

I hit a few glitches with the first batch (pictured above are photos from my second batch). I did a little research and found that someone else in blogland made these (quick, go over to her blog and check it out. Gorgeous photos, reviews of recipes and a personal goal to bake very last cookie in the Martha Stewart's Cookies cookbook-which seems to have a lot of the same recipes as the Holiday Cookies mag). She seemed to have run into different issues with her batch. But it gave me some ideas as to how I might improve upon my methods. I have more notes here (in the comments) if you are interested in learning about the trials and tribulations of this recipe. In a nutshell, the center of the cookie loaf is slightly undercooked-that's okay. Let the loaf cool completely (takes longer than the recommended 15 minutes) and then use a really really sharp knife to cut the loaf into biscotti slices (I have tips on the cutting method in my notes) before the second baking.

Next up in my holiday baking was Christmas Crack(ers). They're really called Chocolate Caramel Crackers. I found the recipe on Sally's blog (of Shim and Sons) who got it from Smitten Kitchen. (Recipe and method in the Smitten Kitchen blog.)

Holy crack! These are dangerously easy to make and easy to eat. I used matzoh crackers and added a little sea salt. I don't understand how anyone can eat more than one little square of these. My teeth hurt. I'd been on a major sugar binge lately (I blame the pregnancy hormones). But I do believe that these little shots of candy crack have cured me of my sweet tooth. Seriously. I just don't want dessert anymore. M had a piece and he called them unholy. Nuff said.

Last up in the holiday baking are the chocolate biscotti. I used this recipe. I made a few modifications like omitting the white chocolate chips (not a fan here) and then dipping them in melted dark chocolate (Green & Black's 70%). So they are still triple chocolate biscotti but in a different sort of way. The batter was pretty incredible. It looked more like cake frosting than cookie batter. I learned in the early years of being with M that I'd better save a nice bit of raw batter for him to eat or there'd be hell to pay.

One tip I want to remember is that it helped to moisten my fingers with a bit of water and then smoothing the logs of biscotti batter before sitting them in the fridge for a chill.

I had a taste test of the biscotti before I dipped them in the dark chocolate. Heavenly! I can only imagine how wonderful they'd be with a cup of coffee.

M is surprisingly not a fan of chocolate biscotti and passed. But it's chocolate, I kept saying. In the end, when he saw that the finished product included a dip in melted chocolate, he decided it was worth a try and then gobbled up the last few pieces that were leftover. Heh heh heh.

also in knitting news

2009-12-14T19:14:00.000-08:00

I made this for my niece. (Again, I'm going to assume that I am safe posting this here because none of the concerned parties will read this.) For Christmas.

Why is it that when you slap a Hello Kitty image on anything you get instant cute? I think kitty is powerful in that way. You just can't resist her.

This was pretty quick and easy to make. I especially enjoyed making the pom-poms. More on my ravelry page.

And I lined the inside with some pink fabric. Maybe a bit of pink overkill? Well, I was really trying to work with what I already had in my fabric stash instead of going out and buying a bunch of new materials.

Actually I think my niece will love it. I'm probably over-thinking the pink thing.

poor pekoe

2009-12-11T06:31:00.000-08:00

snicker, snicker...

avgolemono

2009-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

...soup.

It's become one of m's favorites. Lots of restaurants in New England seem to offer it on their menus and he orders it whenever he sees it.

The other night I made a roast chicken intending to use the left-over bits for a soup. And I decided to make avgolemono instead of my usual matzoh ball or chicken vegetable deals.

I used this recipe. It was so quick and easy. I followed the advice of one of the reviewers and used the juice of two whole lemons instead of the recommended 3 tablespoons. I think it was a little too lemony. So I tempered it with a little butter. Next time I'll try sticking to the amounts as stated in the recipe. Served with grilled cheese it was a light but tasty meal.

weird but compelling and cute

2009-12-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

I can't get over how weird and cute these photos from Grand Old Bestiary are.

Ack! I just noticed the bunny on the right is nibbling on a carrot. That's too much!

If I look at them too long, they sort of creep me out just the tiniest bit. But then I flip-flop back and love them again. See more at the etsy shop.

(All images from Grand Ole Bestiary)

goat+mutton

2009-12-09T07:02:00.000-08:00

We had goatchops for dinner the other night. That's right. GOAT. It was pretty darned tasty. I admit I was just a touch hesitant. But I figure goat probably tastes like lamb, right? Either that or it will taste like chicken.

M found this great recipe for the chops but I didn't read it carefully and forgot to get some of the herbs. So I did a work around with dried mint (not enough of it) and dried rosemary and lemons figuring that those are commonly used herbs/flavors with lamb. And goat is probably going to taste like lamb, right?

It's hard to see what the chops look like in these photos. In retrospect, I probably should have let them cook uncovered in the oven for a bit longer (maybe under the broiler? to get a bit of char?). That would have made for a better presentation and cooked off some of the fatty bits better. Oh and there's a few shitake mushrooms draped across them which makes them hard to see as well.

I served the chops with rice pilaf and a build-your-own salad. I've been doing more of these build-your-own salads lately. I used to make up a nice big salad, dress it and toss it and everything. And then end up throwing out about half of it after dinner because I made too much or one of us wasn't in the mood for salad that night. What a waste. Build-your-owns are better. That way I can load up on the tomatoes and olives which m doesn't care as much for and he can load up on the chinese noodles or meat which I use less of and we each end up with a salad that we enjoy a lot more.

Oh, but about that mutton.

This spring when we first came to New England, I drove past a farm with m's parents up in New Hampshire. Upon closer study we found out Riverslea Farm raises sheep and goat, sell the meats from each and also sell their wool. Fantastic! M and I finally made it up there this fall and browsed their market (such as it was) and walked away with a nice chunk of mutton (for stew) and some goat chops. I didn't make off with any wool. I wasn't into the colors they had on offer, though I will keep these folks in mind for the future if I'm ever in the need of some roving.

A few weeks ago m turned the mutton into this amazing stew. I am so bummed that I didn't take any photos. The meat was tender and juicy. And there was no gaminess to it - which I was sort of expecting. I'd always heard that mutton is tough being that it's meat from an older animal but the mutton we had was anything but. So delish!

Similarly with the goat, I was expecting a gaminess to the meat but it wasn't like that all. It just tasted like really good red meat. Very tender and juicy. Yum!

type love

2009-12-08T10:34:00.000-08:00

I am so in love with these dropcaps designed by Jessica Hische. I just read about her new site over at swissmiss. But I didn't get too far in because I fell in love with these. Wouldn't they look great all on one poster?

(All images by Jessica Hische)

Must go back to her site to see more.

too cute!

2009-12-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

I love most of the stuff on Erin Jang's website. (her wedding invitations are so awesome!). So it comes as no surprise at how tickled I am with her latest project.

Her husband loves rootbeer, so for his birthday she bought a vintage soda crate and filled it with all sorts of different root beer for him to try. The topper is this adorable card she created to describe each root beer. Sort of a tasting menu guide.

(Image from Erin Jang)

I think it would look fabulous framed and hung to enjoy for longer. And what a sweet reminder it would be of such a cute and personal birthday gift. See more of Erin's work here.

basically I want to dress like an 8 year old

2009-12-07T10:10:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting around to reading the latest issue of small magazine. I started reading it well before I got pregnant because it's so well designed. And because I love children's clothing. More specifically, when I flip through a children's clothing catalogue/magazine I love all the little girls' clothes and I want to wear them myself. Is that weird? If so, I'm okay with that. I mean look at these cuties from french designer rose desbois:

I could so rock this look.

I wear something similar to this already.

This might be a borderline look. Where I look juvenile instead of cute and chic.

And the rest of these I'd get for leftie. The last two I think only a little girl could pull off.

I love the way mini dresses+boots look.

I want that cowl.

(All images from rose desbois.)

amy's salmon

2009-12-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I made Amy's Salmon for dinner. Damn it was good.

(hers was prettier)

I have a confession to make. I'm not really a fan of salmon. I don't know if you read this Amy, but I hope you won't be upset by this reveal. Especially since I'll follow it up by saying that I've only enjoyed salmon twice that I can remember in my life. Once was with Jenn and NIL at a charming place (despite it's odd name) called By Th' Bucket. And the other time was at Amy and Ian's home when we stopped by for a visit during our cross country move. Amy made dinner for us one of the nights we stayed with them and served us this awesome salmon dish. Oh and I think maybe the very first time I tried salmon when my dad brought some home and my mom fried it up in oil (everything tastes good fried) in a Korean style sort of way and we all ooh'd and aah'd over this amazing fish we'd never tried before. So red! So tasty!

But somewhere in my travels I lost the taste for it. I don't know why that is. Maybe it's because it's offered to frequently on most menus. You never know if the night you order it at that restaurant, it's going to be good. (Similar to our current conundrum with Italian restaurants and our new town. They are everywhere! And you just don't know if the one you pick to try out that night is going to be a good one or not.)

So normally I'm not a fan of salmon. I won't likely order it at a restaurant, but I'll eat it if it's served to me at someone's home. And boy am I glad I did that night at Amy and Ian's. It was so good I asked for the recipe. I've made it before, but I keep forgetting to take photos of it. Until last night.

I served it with steamed rice and a side of sauteed soy bean sprouts Korean style. And a simple spinach salad (just fresh spinach with some ponzu based dressing that I've been obsessing over these days). It was so good that I had it again for lunch today.

Thanks Amy!

Amy’s Salmon
Ingredients:
2 pounds salmon filets, with skin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinch ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Directions:
1. Make several shallow slashes in the skinless side of the salmon filets. Place filets skin-side down in a glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, pepper, onion and sesame oil. Pour the liquid over the salmon, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Remove cover from salmon, and bake in the marinating dish for about 30 minutes, or until fish can be flaked with a fork. Serve salmon over steamed rice, and pour sauce over.

the cosiest

2009-12-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

I think I am safe in revealing this on my blog because none of the concerned parties will see this. I wanted to share the Christmas gift I made for my mum-in-law. When m and I were visiting this summer, we were having dessert after dinner one night and she pulled out her big metal teapot that she got from Ireland (M has a smaller version of it. When we were dating I discovered it in his cupboards one day because I wanted a pot of tea and I'd never seen the guy drink so much as a teacup of tea. And I thought to myself: man, if we ever split up I am so going to make off with this teapot. I know, I'm shameless.).

She pulled a tea cosy over her teapot and someone asked about it and she lamented how she could never find any cute tea cosies. (Auntie) Bonnie has tons of cute tea cosies, but my mum-in-law could never find any. So of course that got me thinking.

A quick search on ravelry revealed a plethora of tea cosy patterns. So I made this striped one:

And this silly one with tu-tu ruffles:

They're sort of ill-fitting on the teapots here. I made sure to measure my mum-in-law's teapots and hers are much taller than the ones at my office. But the lighting at my office is so much better for photography than what I get at home so I had to make do with what I had.

And while I was working on the green tea cosy of course I had to have a little try-on with the kitties. Doesn't the Och look lovely? Really goes with her eyes, right?

I can't imagine any practical purpose for a kitty to wear a capelet (heh heh) but for my amusement. I can't wait to get a shot of Pekoe wearing the cosy. HAHAHAHA!!!

chonie gets ziggy

2009-12-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

The ziggy-est. Isn't he the cutest? And look how great he looks in the sweater I made for him.

I do think that the blue in the sweater does great things for his eyes. Or do his sparkly eyes bring out the color in the sweater?

knitting details at my ravelry account.

and now I'm hungry

2009-12-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

How have I not been to Jennifer Causey's wonderful blog Simple Breakfasts yet?

(photo by Jennifer Causey)

Every morning she takes a photograph of the breakfast she eats. The photos are beautiful, the breakfasts look wonderful. I love seeing her collection of plates and cloth napkins. Sometimes you get a peek at what she's reading/browsing during her meal. And I love the variety of healthy breakfasts she features. What an inspiration! And it makes me crave eggs over easy which I can't eat right now because I'm preggos. But don't let that stop you. Go on over there and check it out.

PS. She writes a description of the breakfast in the comments.

Notes on Thanksgiving 2009 (photo-less)

2009-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

I haven't written about my Thanksgiving yet. How could that be?

It might be because I was so busy partying it up that I forgot to take any pictures. Not a single one. Not a photo of all the family gathered 'round my sister-in-law's home -- all 30 or so of us. Not a single photo of the kids (nearly all 13 of them) beating up cousin Jay with plastic light sabres (my nephew R seems to have an unlimited collection of them). Not a single photo of the beautiful young ladies (who are the daughters of the cousins) who could have stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine -- goodness were they pretty! And not one single photo of the a-MAY-zing dessert buffet set up after the meal. I kid you not. Let me say this again: Dessert. Buffet. There were pies and cakes and cookies and brownies and ice cream. Store bought fancy stuff and luscious homemade ones. (Not-so) Little Michael M made fudge that was to die for. He's 12 (I think). He was pretty noncommittal about it. I say, keep up those fudge making skills, my friend and you will have the ladies flocking when you've grown and begin to woo.

I made a carrot cake based on this recipe. And I can't believe I didn't take any photos of it! I made a few changes like using only half the recommended amount of vegetable oil and subbing the rest with applesauce (didn't miss it, the cake was moist and fabbo). I prefer golden raisins to regular SunMaids and whenever I bake with raisins, I like to soak them in rum first. It's a habit I picked up from when I was an exchange student in France. The recipe called for 1/2 cup of raisins, so I put that in a small saucepan and fill with rum just to cover the raisins. Put it on the stove and let it simmer until the raisins soak up all the rum.

The golden raisins I picked up from the market were huge. Really they looked like dried grapes instead of what you'd expect when you think raisins. That sounds weird, I know because raisins are dried grapes, but I think you get what I mean. Since they were so big and plumped from their rum hot tub, I chopped them up before adding them to the batter. And for the icing, I only used 2 1/2 cups of the powdered sugar (instead of the recommended 4 cups) and it was plenty sweet for me. Oh and I used one bar of neufchatel and one bar of regular cream cheese to help keep the fat content down a bit. I think it might have affected the consistency of the frosting as some reviewers claimed. But after I was done frosting and decorating the cake, I put it in the fridge for about an hour and it seemed to work out fine.

Another change from the recipe that I made was to toast the pecans as some of the reviewers suggested and also for decoration I added toasted chopped pecans to the sides. I would have loved to pipe a little carrot or something to decorate the top with but I didn't have the tools for something like that. Next time...next time.

The next time I make this cake (oh please! when can I make it again??) I'd make a few changes:

I think 1/2 cup of raisins was a bit much so I'd go down to just 1/4 cup.
I grated the carrots by hand on the small holes of a grater and 3 cups might have been a bit much. Maybe go down half a cup?
If I do the same kind of decoration (which I think is a good idea because the cake is prettier with the chopped nuts on the side) I won't add the pecans to the batter because it was a bit much. I might sprinkle some on the frosting that goes in between the layers. With that and the nuts on the sides of the cake, I think the nuts to cake ratio would work better.

This cake recipe was awesome. Hit the spot since I'd been craving a carrot cake for about a month. But I've cut back on the baking since I'm trying to watch my pregnancy weight. I did let myself cut loose a little for the holidays though.

Also, one last random note: The cake batter looks... well, sort of pukey. But don't let that turn you off. When it comes out of the oven it looks awesome, smells great and tastes fantastic!

I think I need to bake this cake again soon if for no other reason than that I have this post with my notes and no photo to go with it. And that's just something I can't have happen, now. Can I?

best of 2009 - book cover design

2009-12-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

Over at The Book Design Review Joseph's posted part one of a series of best of's in the world of book cover design for 2009. Be still my heart.

The Book of Fathers cover is fantastic as is the illustration for the Bronte redesign. But the stuff that's won my heart over is the redesign of all of Nabokov's work. I would buy each and every one just to have in my home to admire the covers every day. Here are some of my favorites of the 18 covers. Though really, they are all wonderful.

Hop on over to take a look.

today I am obsessed with art

2009-12-02T07:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been going on longer than just today. But today I saw this piece on poppytalk and I really want it.

(Dancing by Matte Stephens)

After typing this, I clicked through the rest of then artist's etsy store and WOW! I love all of his paintings! They are so charming and reminiscent of another time. I think they would look great in your living room or kids room. The titles on some of them are also fantastic. Brings a smile to my face!

I've been wanting to start a print and art collection. Our walls are bare and it's sort of sad and I really don't have any artwork anyways. I wish I didn't want so much stuff (right, mish? :).

jars and other kitcheny stuff

2009-12-01T11:08:00.000-08:00

(Edited to add: PS. Their tea towels are also to die for.)

I just found out about this cute online shop that sells awesome porcelaine jars with wooden lids. How I'd love to have a few of these in my kitchen!

I also love these oil and vinegar carafes. I would use them as budvases as well.

And isn't this pasta spoon the best? It would go so well with the Alessi Juicy Salif citrus squeezer I plan to own one day.

(All images from Huset)

I sold a shirt

2009-11-23T11:58:00.000-08:00

And it tickles me no end...

So I earlier this year I wanted to make a shirt for m or someone as a gift. It was too complicated to try and figure out how to do a diy version at home so I went with the promotional sites to see what they had to offer. Then I got sucked into hours of setting up an account and designing shirts and picking models to model the shirts and on and on. And when I was done I thought: Hey, I have a bunch of other shirts that I designed a while back. How cool would it be to finally have a product shot of those shirts?? So I loaded them up to my account and picked models and so forth. And then I left them up on the site and sort of forgot about them.

And then on Sunday I got an email from the site saying that I sold a t-shirt. Shazam! Really?

It was one of the shirts I designed for my dad's business. Dad's an 8th degree blackbelt in tae kwon do with his own business and I redesigned his logo and business materials a few years ago.

I'm not sure why this pleases me so much but it does. I do have a few issues with the promo site and their limitations (of course I do) but oh well. I guess sometimes you have to let it go. And now someone out there is wearing one of my dad's shirts. Designed by me. Coolness!

I only wish this site would let me thank my purchaser like the way etsy does. Feels like a kinder and gentler way to run a business that way. Don't you think?

If you're interested in checking out the shirts, you can look here.

And I don't normally promote my business much (much? ever?) on this ole blog, but hey man, what the heck? If anyone from my small number of readers is interested in hiring a graphic designer, I am always interested in putting together a bid for you. T-shirts aren't the only thing I design. My portfolio (designed by me, coded by my talented brother James) is here.

my chocolate lover

2009-11-19T07:21:00.000-08:00

I call M my chocolate lover (hee hee). He loves chocolate. And yesterday was his birthday. We were both able to take the day off to enjoy it together. We ran errands (dr's appt for leftie, a stop at Target),

(my chocolate lover does not wish to be photographed)
ate an elegant lunch downtown

(I loved that chandelier)
watched An Education (please go see it, I found the trailer to be misleading. It's not as cheesy looking and esoteric as I thought it would be. It was actually quite good.)

And then I baked him a cake.

(I am a towering presence of chocolate)
It's become a birthday tradition. I offer to bake him whatever he wants for his birthday. Usually it's chocolate cake. I found an amazing recipe for one that was a white or yellow cake with a milk chocolate frosting. I wanted to make sure that was okay with him. But then he got to ruminating. Because I told him that the milk chocolate frosting is not a ganache frosting. Which is a frosting I've used more frequently in the past. And he decided that he wanted a cake with ganache. Because that's a fun word to say. So ganache it was. I followed this recipe to the letter (except I subbed a rice syrup that I found at Whole Foods instead of the corn syrup). It. Was. Amazing.

(I look innocent, but eat me and I will have you climbing the walls)
Probably should have doubled the recipe for the ganache. I couldn't help but sample it (again and again) as I was making it. While it was still warm and gooey it tasted like a really rich and heavy chocolate mousse (in the very best way). In fact, I might just make that as a dessert on it's own in the future. A-may-zing!

Anyways, I loved the ganache so much I would prefer more of it with the cake, which is not my normal reaction to frosting. But this isn't just frosting after all. It's a ganache. And it's a fun word to say. I just might have to get more supplies for another batch to go with the rest of the cake.

Recipe here.

oh. my. god.

2009-11-17T12:47:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how long I have been waiting for something like this!!

(saw this on Poppytalk)

Here's some more info regarding customized plates (scroll down the comments to read what Michelle the LifestyleCrafts creator has to say).

I checked out the website to get more info. And at $149.99 it's pretty affordable. Although I'm hesitant to shell out the bucks until I can get my paws on some customizeable plates. Between this and gocco (or the other offshoots of home screenprinting that have sprung up in the last few months) I could open up my own printing+design studio! Or dream about it at least for now.

out the door

2009-11-13T14:30:00.000-08:00

Finally got these out the door!

My aesthetic with sock bands favors handwritten/drawn ones over ones I could design on my computer. It feels right being that the band is encircling handknit goods.

I try to make the cover personal.

I always include care instructions and fibre content.

And with these socks I decided to include some Fun Facts.

Unrelated: I just discovered that blogger has a new post editing template. Fancy-schmancy! I'm still trying to get the hang of it. So far, it is annoying me. Which is strange for a google product. Aren't they supposed to be like Jedi mind readers or something? Doesn't "google" really mean "intuitive?"

Also I want my images to be as big as possible (without getting really obnoxious) and my classic blog template is messing with that. Sigh. The images are getting cut off on the right. Probably has to do with the width constraints of this template. For now you'll have to click on the image to get taken to the full image. Guess I'll have to sit and monkey around with the code for awhile to figure this all out. Stay tuned.

plain-janes

2009-11-13T05:52:00.001-08:00

(~~Trying something new: blogging via flickr. Let's see how this goes...~~ I can't figure out how to make the photo bigger so I gave up. Grrrr...)

Did I mention that I knit a pair of gloves?

I started these last Friday while waiting for dinner to be done. A pleasant way to spend a quiet Friday night on the couch with m, watching reruns of The Office (the American version), a kitty or two tucked in between us.

I was done with one glove by the time we went to bed. How awesome is that?? I love you worsted weight yarn.

For now they are functional and pretty in a plain-jane sort of way. I have some thoughts to embroider the backs with a yellow snowflake inspired by something I saw in an old issue of Martha Stewart Living.

The best thing about knitting your own gloves is that you can get them to fit just so. Seems I have kinda big hands and long fingers. Most gloves do okay on the hand-fit but the fingers are always pathetic. Kind of like when you wear tights and the crotch hangs down between your thighs? The finger-crotches of my gloves always hung out lower than they ought to have. But with handknit gloves, no more!

I'll leave you with that thought.

(Ravelry deets here.)

progress

2009-11-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

The och looks positively terrified. But I assure you that this is her normal facial expression.

me, leftie + the och

Every time I take a progress shot of my tummy I think "sheesh I am HUGE." I looked back at my previous progress shots and thought "look how much smaller I was back then..."

me+leftie at 30 weeks

It's all perspective you know.

chimichurri

2009-11-06T12:27:00.000-08:00

M and I used to eat semi-regularly at this chain Argentine steakhouse that was just down the street from where we lived in LA. I'm not sure how authentic the food was but it was good, conveniently close by and very reasonably priced. Most of the stuff on their menu I bypassed in favor of something healthier (yowsers but do they like to deep fry! add a side of cheese with that too). One thing that we both really liked about that place was the dipping sauce they served with the basket of bread. I learned later that it's called chimichurri sauce and so easy to make.

I used this recipe following it more or less faithfully except for the bread part. I served the flank steak as the main course with the sauce on the side for additional drizzling or for dipping the bread (untoasted). Last night was the second time I made this dish and M couldn't stop talking about how much he enjoyed it. He even went as far as to say that it was the best meat dish I had ever made. Shazam.

I should note that I consider myself a mediocre (red) meat cook(er). I'm still learning how to work with red meat. I've overcooked it a few times and was so bummed that I tend to undercook meat most of the time figuring that it's easier to fix an undercooked piece of meat than an overcooked piece. Most nights I stick whatever I undercooked into the microwave for about a minute and a half and we're good to go. I'm sure there are chefs out there who would tear their hair out if they heard this, but shhh... let's just keep it between us, k?

I think that probably the problem is that I don't have optimum tools to work with (a grill, a stove top that sits level so my pans/oils/juices don't tilt/run all to one side) and also I need more practice cooking different cuts of red meat. But since we try not to eat too much of it I don't get the practice I need. Ah well. It's a learning curve.

With last night's meal I served the flank steak with mashed potatoes and I sauteed some kale in chopped garlic and olive oil with a teaspoon of chicken stock paste. At the last minute I added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and covered the pan to let the greens cook down to tenderness. It was really good! I've been sort of bored with my cooked greens lately. Feeling like they all sort of have the same drab but nutritionally good for you taste. I mean I love vegetables and greens, don't get me wrong. But I was getting bored. Last night's kale renewed my interest in leafy greens. I'll have to remember what I did with them.

Also I baked some bread to go with the chimichurri sauce. Had to or there'd be hell to pay. I've had some better luck with my bread baking. Although the very first half loaf I tried was the best and last night's would have taken a tepid second place. Let's not even discuss what happened with the second batch I tried to bake a week or two earlier.

I'm thinking though that bread baking is best done all in one go. I'd made up the dough the previous night letting it get one good rise before I'd punched it down and rolled it up and packed it in some plastic wrap for a sleepover in the fridge. I'd left my plastic bundle of doughy love to rest on top of the brita water filter and yesterday evening when I reached for the dough I found that it had overflowed out of the plastic and poured itself out over the filter and cascaded down next to a can of soda that was sitting behind the filter. It was kind of funny and amazing and grotesque. Go yeast! I guess. I had to pull out the filter, dough and can of soda all at once in order to carefully disengage everyone from each other. I set the clean dough aside on a baking tray after I shaped it so that it could have a second rise. But it seems that the dough had pretty much risen as much as it was interested in rising. I'll have to think about that and figure out where I went wrong.

The bread was good. But perhaps a little too doughy? And not crusty enough. The recipe I used instructs you to put a pan of water at the bottom of the oven while it's preheating and leave it in there while the bread bakes. I forgot to do that when I baked the best loaf. I remembered to do so last night and I think the crust suffered for it. Ah well. Learning curve I tell you.

turkey stroganoff, sort of

2009-11-05T17:57:00.001-08:00

I made turkey stroganoff for dinner the other night. I used to make this all the time and then I sort of forgot about it. It shows in this meal above. Tsk, tsk, so many things I did wrong.

The recipe is something I whipped up one night and I've been calling it stroganoff but it's probably not a real stroganoff. I've never cared enough to check or correct that.

I sautee chopped onions and mushrooms in olive oil and then add some ground turkey meat to the pan and get that nice and cooked too. This last time around I used very lean ground breast meat and I think that was where my trouble lay. Next time around I'll get a small package of dark meat and sautee that up with the breast meat. I think this dish needed a little more fat in the animal kind of way. If you know what I mean.

And once the meat is mostly cooked I add a dollop of light sour cream and give it a good stir. I just keep adding more sour cream until the consistency is where I like it (runnier than a cream sauce). Then some herbs and seasoning: crushed garlic, dried thyme, paprika, a bay leaf some salt and pepper. This last go I added some dried oregano and rosemary but probably that wasn't the best idea. It was okay. But not the direction I wanted the flavor to go.

Meanwhile I had a pot of water going for the pasta. Again, I used a pasta that I'd not normally use for this dish. I think it works better with a spiral pasta or a wide noodle like parpadelle or fettucine. Oh well. It still tasted fine. Just not what I was intending. I get the pasta at not-quite-al-dente and drain. I add the pasta to the pan with the meat sauce and stir it up. If the sauce is a little thick, I'll add some of the pasta cooking water which thins it out some but not as much as adding water or milk. The glutens from the pasta will bind the sauce so it stays creamy. And at the end I added a tablespoon of chopped up tomatoes (leftover from something else I was making) and frozen peas.

So, like I said. The dish didn't turn out the way I'd intended or usually make but it was still a good dinner. Served with a side of steamed broccoli.

the walk home (fall)

2009-11-05T06:26:00.000-08:00

Lots of changes around my office. Lots less green and a little more color these days.

The evening after I took this photo there must have been quite a bit of wind. The following morning most of the branches were bare.

You can see a lot further through the woods now with all those nekkid branches.

My camera batteries kept dying on me making photography a little trickier. Also I had a bus to catch that I didn't want to miss.

Otherwise I would have spent a lot more time trying to capture this guy on film.

socks, socks

2009-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

and one more pair that I forgot to photograph... dammit.

modified "Conwy" for cousin T. I have got to get these in the mail.

And manly velvet plum anklets for my favorite circus artist. I have to wash these and get them in the mail too.

Ravelry details for the green socks here and the purple ones here. You have to be a ravelry member to see 'em (it's easy and quick to register!).

tutti frutti

2009-11-05T06:15:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a great poster?

If you click on the image to see the bigger version you'll see at the bottom right that it finishes off the line of the song by Little Richard.

It's a hand printed limited edition screenprint by Phil Abel, Nick Gill and Rosa De Carlo available at the Keep Calm Gallery.

I think this would look great in our home... If I collected all the awesome art and posters I wanted I'd quickly run out of wall space.