Tartlet

Moving Out

2008-09-19T22:09:00.001-06:00

Hi friends! I'm moving. Actually, I already moved. Come and see me (and update your RSS feeds, too)!

xo!

Today's Special

2008-09-18T17:00:00.004-06:00

Hee hee hee!!! This makes me so excited. When I first got hired as the cook at the sorority house, I immediately had this vision of having a big chalkboard on which to write the nightly menu, like a swanky cafe or something. I've also had a can of chalkboard spray paint that's been sitting around, unused, for like three years. At least.

The board I finally bought is not very big, but it can sit on the buffet table without being ostentatious. I just sanded it, gave it two coats of chalkboard paint, and rubbed the entire surface with chalk a few times.

Check out Martha's awesome chalkboard paint ideas here. R and I definitely want to give the bottom half of the kitchen wall (in our future permanent home, that is) the chalkboard treatment.

Okay. It is time to go make dinner, and L was supposed to be sleeping for the last 20 minutes, but instead, she was screaming. That should make dinner prep a breeze. Wish me luck!

Grocery Bags I Will (Hopefully) Remember to Use

2008-09-17T10:30:00.005-06:00

I'm working on a theory that goes like this: Pretty things are not essential to sustain life, but they do make it much more enjoyable. Lately, I've been applying this theory to one of life's definite non-essentials: grocery bags.

For a while, I was using bags made from old t-shirts. They are serviceable, but not pretty, and they also tend to confuse grocery store checkers, who usually tilt their heads questioningly when they see what appears to be a pile of rags coming down the conveyor belt. I am also really bad at remembering to put them in the car when I go shopping, and if I do remember to put them in the car, I forget to bring them in the store.

So! Last weekend, on our way to the State Fair, we made a pit stop in Bountiful to visit Kim's mom, a.k.a. Mama Muffin, who can frequently be found at the heavenly Quilter's Haven. I picked up some luscious Anna Maria Horner, Joel Dewberry, and Heather Bailey prints (meanwhile, R and L wandered the shop with great unease, but were such good sports!). Since then, I have been a sewing FOOL.

I made these bags with Spool's free Grocery Tote pattern. It is so easy, and they would make great gifts! The last bag comes from the scraps left over from my apron project. I wanted that bag to be a little more special, so I added some interior pockets (which took me blasted forever to figure out), thereby upgrading the bag from a grocery tote to a small-ish diaper bag. Wahoo!

R and I recently decided that our apartment could use a little sprucing up. We've lived here for a year and will most likely be here for another 6-9 months, so we might as well make it look nice. More projects coming down the pipe!

Breakfast and Singing

2008-09-14T20:17:00.004-06:00

I love slow mornings -- the kind where you say things like, "Would you want some waffles?" or "How about some tea?" and where you think to step outside for a few flowers from the yard, just because they would look pretty on the kitchen table, even if some of them might be weeds.

Anyway, we did not have waffles on Friday morning, but we did have Pop-Up Pancakes, a.k.a. the easiest thing ever, and way tasty. No special ingredients, either -- just flour, eggs, milk, butter, and salt.

Okay, so about the choir! We've only had three rehearsals, but truly, it has already been one of the most wonderful and exciting musical experiences of my life. We already knew that Craig Jessop is a genius, but dudes, The Man Is A Genius. As a conductor, his style is impassioned yet efficient, loving but with high expectations, and so clinically precise. He makes you want to give him the very best you can. He is an amazing teacher -- and really, you'd have to be in order to manage 275 singers at once (the size of the choir, at last count).

This semester, the choir is performing a Veteran's Day concert as well as the Mozart Requiem (we will perform the latter with the USU orchestra). The Veteran's Day concert will feature lots of patriotic pieces, including an unpublished arrangement of "God of our Fathers" by Mack Wilberg (nyah, nyah!).

It is so fun and invigorating to be singing in a really great choir again. The only thing that makes me sad is that I know we'll be gone in another year -- so I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

State Fair

2008-09-13T22:13:00.004-06:00

Tub Dreams

2008-09-12T08:42:00.001-06:00

In addition to all the jumble and tangle of new-school-year craziness, R has a new work schedule: Thursdays and Fridays, 4 or 7 pm until 2:30 am. Ouch. For both of us. He is such a trooper, though; I’ve never known anyone who works so hard, yet has the innate ability to keep everything in such proper balance.

Last night was the first night of the new schedule, and I had myself slated for a whole lotta sewing, but when it came right down to it, I just didn’t want to. Instead, I drew up a mind-numbingly hot bath with my favorite lavender bath stuff, lit candles (I haven’t done that for years), and read Francis Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun (the most wonderful piece of armchair traveling) by candlelight while munching on some day-old ciabatta, rich aged gouda, and a perfect, honey-sweet nectarine.

The soak lasted a generous, beautiful hour – and the water was still warm at the end. It was so quiet; nothing but the crickets, the occasional car, and muffled bumps and conversation from the other apartments. Soothing.

I have a daydream, and it goes like this: Every summer, R and I pick a new place to explore and settle in for a few months – Normandy, the Swiss Alps, Tuscany, a quiet Norweigian fjord – and in the winter, we amble back to some funky and picturesque town on the California coast – Berkeley or Carmel, maybe. And every Sunday, R asks me, “Which night would you like to eat at Chez Panisse, my dear?”

Happy Things...

2008-09-09T21:32:00.007-06:00

Tyler Florence's pulled pork sandwich recipe minus the mustard sauce, a.k.a. dinner tonight (I used normal bottled BBQ sauce). I am vaguely considering sneaking back into the sorority house for a midnight snack of...a pulled pork sandwich.

The babe is starting to sign a teensy bit more. In addition to "milk," which has been her all-purpose sign for many moons, she now also does "nap" and her own version of "all done," which involves her throwing her cup off of her high chair and putting her left hand over the left side of her face. Then today, I caught her looking at a picture of a dog in a book and doing the sign for "dog"!!! It was so exciting.

I'm singing again! It's been a looooong time and it took a fair amount of courage to go through with the audition, but I MADE IT and I'm totally stoked to be singing for none other than Craig Jessop (formerly of the MoTab) in the new American Festival Chorus! The choir is huge and sounds great already, and Jessop is honestly a genius. More on that later!

More than anything, the big happy thing is that life is good. God is good. I don't wax religious too often on here, but if there's one thing I know, it's just that -- that He knows us and loves us. Honestly.

Anthem to Summer

2008-09-07T18:46:00.003-06:00

Cooking at the sorority house has been a great gig thus far, but there is one gigantic drawback: no leftovers. And in our house, that's tantamount to a cardinal sin.

So today, my big plan was to make a huge casserole that would give R and I lunch at least through Wednesday. But dudes, I don't think this bad motha' is going to make it past lunchtime tomorrow.

I've been wanting to make this casserole for a couple of years now, but I only seem to come across the recipe in the dead of winter -- not the best time for a dish featuring distinctly summertime produce. But today, I made it, and our tastebuds sang and danced to the tune of the Macarena. Okay, not really.

The casserole consists of penne pasta, pan-seared summer squash, sweet little cherry tomatoes, and copious amounts of basil and parsley, all bound together with a silky yet light garlicky cream sauce and topped with crispy bread crumbs. Honestly? You must make this essence-of-summer dish before summer disappears altogether.

See? Even L thinks so.

Baked Penne with Summer Squash, Tomatoes, and Basil
From Cook's Illustrated: Cover and Bake

Topping
4 slices sandwich bread, torn into quarters
2 T butter, melted

Filling
1 pound zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Kosher salt
3/4 lb penne
4 T olive oil
6 medium shallots, minced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c flour
2 1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c cream
2 oz Parmesan, grated (about 1 c)
3/4 c chopped fresh basil
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
Pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1. Process the bread and butter in a food processor until coarsely ground; set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degree. Toss the squashes with 2 T kosher salt and place in a colander to drain for 30 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; stir in 2 T kosher salt and the pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain; return to the pot and toss with 1 T of the oil. Set aside.

3. Blot the squash dry with paper towels. Heat 1 T oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Add half the squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly charred, 5-7 minutes. Add the squash to the pasta and repeat with the other half of the squash.

4. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the now-empty skillet. Add shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and cream; simmer and cook, whisking often, until lightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan, basil, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Add the sauce and tomatoes to the pasta and squash. Stir to combine, then pour into a 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until topping is lightly browned and the sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Food for My Little Yipiyuk

2008-09-06T13:20:00.006-06:00

R and I like to refer to L as "my little yipiyuk" in reference to the Shel Silverstein poem (really, you must listen to his performance if you never have) -- in an affectionate way, of course. And when she started eating solids, I was totally gung-ho about making all her baby food myself: fresh, seasonal, and local where possible. That lasted for about six months, at which point I burned out.

Last week, though, at the Gardener's Market, I met the lady behind Logan's own First Foods. She makes baby food from locally grown and organic foods and freezes them in glass jars. I bought a few, and they were so delicious that I wanted to eat them myself (I can't say the same for anything you can buy at the store)! L was also way more willing to eat her veggies.

So, while it probably wasn't her intent, she got me excited about making my own baby food again. I hauled home a ton of fruits and veggies from the market today and have so far made peach-carrot and potato-squash-corn blends. I still have chard, spinach, more potatoes, some pears, more squash, and peaches to play with.

Like a lot of other things, I always forget how easy it is to make baby food: chop, steam, puree, and freeze. That's it. But in the event of a memory lapse, First Foods is going to be available at Sweet Peas this winter. Hooray!

And now for my little yipiyuk in action:

Brigham City Peach Pie

2008-09-05T13:03:00.003-06:00

This might be my favorite part of summer: the nights and mornings get just chilly enough for tea and slippers, the afternoons turn golden, the students head back up the hill to school, and the peaches are ON! When we got our first bag of peaches this year, R and I stood over the sink, letting the juices fall from our chins, and we looked at each other, nodded, and said, "Yup. It's that time of year again."

I made four peach pies today (four!) for the sorority girls. 32 slices, 25 girls...hmm, what to do, what to do...

It's definitely time to stop hating on the pre-fab pie crusts. The hardest and most time-consuming part of piemaking for most people (that includes me) is the crust, and while you can't beat homemade, daaaaang, Pillsbury comes kinda close.

Brigham City Peach Pie
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated: The New Best Recipe

1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts
6-7 medium, ripe peaches
1 T lemon juice
1 c plus 1 T sugar
Pinch each ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
5 T Minute tapioca, ground for a minute in a food processor

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl filled with with cold water and ice cubes. Score a small X on the bottom of each peach. Blanch and shock the peaches by boiling them for 1 minute, then plunging them into the cold water bath for 1 minute. Peel the peaches and cut them into 1/2-inch slices.

2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a pie plate with one of the pie crusts. Toss the peaches with the lemon juice, 1 cup sugar, spices, salt, and tapioca in a medium bowl. Turn the peaches into the pie crust and top with the remaining pie crust; crimp edges. Brush 1 T water over the top and sprinkle with the remaining 1 T sugar.

3. Lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the top begins to brown, 25-30 minutes. Rotate the pie and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees; continue baking until the crust is deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes more. Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before serving.

Stitch Geekery

2008-09-04T11:29:00.002-06:00

If I had kids in school, or if I needed to pack a lunch every day for myself, I would definitely need to make these:

Kits are available from Spool. Tack it up on the list for "someday"!

Big, Hairy Men and Other Stories

2008-09-03T12:15:00.003-06:00

Kim and I love our men, and this is why: they are big, hairy, and loud. We especially love them when they get together because they get to drink mate, go bezerk on the Wii, and talk politics together -- and it makes them so happy. (Smiley face!)

For Labor Day, R, L, and I visited Kim and Ben in SLC. We took a field trip to Liberty Heights Fresh for some schmancy cheese (Humboldt Fog -- we all sat around moaning as we ate it), bread, and sodas. Then Kim cooked us some tasty chili and cornbread, we played Ticket to Ride, and yes, the Wii.

Meanwhile, L chased/poked/pulled/ran away from Kim and Ben's two dogs, Tally and Sir Reginald (Reggie for short). Paired with constant munchies supplied by mom and dad, L was entertained and happy for a record SIX HOURS before we had to pack up and go home.

Thanks for a great Labor Day, you two!

HB to the L!

2008-08-31T20:05:00.003-06:00

YAAAAAAY, L IS ONE YEAR OLD!!! And maybe it's just my imagination, but it almost seems like her first birthday pulled some little trigger, and now all of a sudden, she's way more grown up than she was before. Suddenly, every little cuddle, every little love, every time when she reaches for mama or grabs hold of my leg while I'm trying to do something in the kitchen...suddenly it's all so much more precious and fleeting than it was before.

We celebrated the big day with a trip to Bear Lake, where we swam and sunned and read (I finished Breaking Dawn, but that's a rant for another day) and played. Once we got home, we had chicken curry for dinner (much to our surprise, L loved it!), presents, and banana cake (it seemed like an appropriate flavor for our little monkey). Shortly thereafter, L crashed (we thought) for the night, woke up 10 minutes later (we're presuming) from the sugar high, cried for 10 more minutes, and crashed again, this time till morning.

The past year has been the most beautiful in my life out of all the others. I never could have imagined such a capacity for love in my heart, and L still manages to push its borders further and further every single day. Yay for family -- they're everything to me!

Stuff I Like, Lately

2008-08-29T10:24:00.003-06:00

Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Fig. Because who doesn’t love Burt’s Bees in the first place? (My sis in-law Amber gave me a bottle of their Milk & Honey lotion for Christmas once, and I felt pampered all year long.) I’m not a big fan of gooey, shiny, sparkly lip glosses, so this fits the bill perfectly: it’s their normal lip balm with just enough color added in.

Heather Bailey’s Hooray for Headbands pattern (a free PDF!). I made one from some of my apron scraps in about half an hour, and it is so much fun to wear. Except that I feel like I can’t wear it with my apron because it would be too matchy-matchy. I meant to make one for L during naptime today, but, well, you know how that goes.

The Greek Gods Yogurt, pomegranate flavor. It’s too pricey and too fattening to be anything more than an occasional treat, but daaaaang, it’s good.

And speaking of pomegranates, The Full Spectrum has a beautiful silkscreened pomegranate tunic in her Etsy shop. (Other favorites: goldfish, jellyfish, pelican. A girl can dream, right?) Me likey.

Socks. I’ve been wearing them to bed the past few nights – a sure sign that change is in the air. It feels nice to snuggle down at night and drink tea in the morning again, even though the prospect of losing summer is a bit of a sad one.

Goldfish tee at Circular Accessories

That One Time We Tried to Go Up the Canyon

2008-08-26T22:08:00.003-06:00

On Saturday night, we were so excited to go have a campfire, complete with K&B-style peanut butter cup S'mores, in the canyon. Thanks to the fact that A) we tried to leave shortly before L's regular bedtime and B) I forgot to bring a bottle, L's blankie, AND a pacifier, it only lasted for about an hour -- possibly less. And the s'mores-eating occurred not in the usual, relaxed way, but in a "DUDE we have to leave NOW, quick, make your s'more and EAT IT! FASTER!!!" kind of way. Still, it was fun, and L got to do a lot of exploring.

Fuzzies

2008-08-26T21:48:00.005-06:00

Aww, thanks for all the loves and encouragement, guys! I have to say that your comments definitely make a difference to me. :)

To answer Dominoe's and Jentry's suggestions -- I would like to post recipes some of the days, I'm just not sure which days. But it makes me feel so happy that you are interested!

Day Two went really well, although dinnertime had to be postponed for half an hour due to some initiation ceremony that occurred behind a closed door in the basement. And they were all wearing white. I asked one of the girls about what initiation involves, and she was oddly evasive about it...maybe it's better to just stick with questions of the "How was school today?" variety.

Along with tonight's quiche, salad, and garlic bread, I set out a survey about the girls' likes, dislikes, and what they're willing to try. Pasta and potatoes came out on top of the "favorite foods" list by miles, and apparently, if I want to kill them, I should feed them fish.

So lemme ask you, then -- if you were them, what would you want for dinner?

Day 1, Accomplished

2008-08-25T21:47:00.002-06:00

Made enchiladas. Forgot to set out sour cream and lime wedges, but did get dinner on the table promptly at 5 (a miracle). Girls raved. Felt happy. Went home. Husband made brownies. Gorged. Now headed for a blissful coma-like state of slumber.

Tomorrow, a.k.a. Day 2: Quiche Lorraine, using pre-fab pie crusts. Should take considerably less time and effort than said enchiladas.

New Apron, a.k.a. Good Luck Charm

2008-08-23T16:02:00.006-06:00

School starts on Monday -- and that means dinner for the sorority girls starts, too! R was so kind to go to Sam's Club with me yesterday AND push the cart containing our antsy child and the ingredients for next week's dinners ($230 -- and I haven't bought the produce yet!) I've met a handful of the girls, and they are all really friendly.

While L and I were in California, my mom and I wanted to do some kind of project together, so we put our heads together to make the Sunday Dinner Apron from Vanilla House Designs. Extra bonus: I got to keep it! You're the best, Mom!

We found the goods at The Quilter's Inn and In Between Stitches, both absolutely incredible fabric stores with a dazzling array of luscious, modern fabrics. I love all the fabrics in this apron and have some great scraps left over -- the only problem now is deciding what to do with it! Any ideas for cute, small-ish things to make?

Really, It's My Fault...

2008-08-20T10:41:00.004-06:00

...Because L woke up this morning before I had the chance to take a shower and get dressed. And because we're having a yipiyuk day. And because L can't be in the bathroom while I get ready because the cat box is also in there. And because I put on a come-what-may attitude and shut the bathroom door while I got ready. And because honestly, L needed a bath, anyway.

(Why we still have this plant is totally beyond me.)

A Good Week

2008-08-17T22:31:00.005-06:00

L and I have had a mighty fine time: played with family (and welcomed a new nephew into the world!!), spent time with friends, ate good food, visited amazing fabric stores, watched the Olympics, and just really enjoyed being here altogether. The air is thicker here, and a little bit damper. You can smell things growing when you breathe deeply, and it fills me up with life and freshness.

L, Grandma, and I went to feed the ducks at Oak Hill Park yesterday. Things went pretty well with the little bird brains until the Canadian geese showed up and started hissing at us, at which point I grabbed the stroller and fled. Check out the hairdo on the little guy to the right.

My sister gave birth to her beautiful fifth child this week (and like an idiot, I took no pictures of said beautiful child). All along, they thought it was going to be a girl. As the baby was being born, the doctor turned to my brother in-law and joked, "Ah, it's going to be a boy!" Then the baby was born and hey, presto! It really is a boy! Now she's trying to figure out what to do with all the cute new baby girl clothes she bought, washed, and put away...

There is a profusion of AMAZING fabric stores in the Bay Area (and of course I can't remember any of their names now). I snapped up some delicious Anna Maria Horner prints and am almost finished with a tasty little apron for cooking in next week. It makes me feel...yummy. (Hee hee!) More pictures when it's finished!

After L went to bed last night, I got to go play with Nicole and Dave, two old and dear friends. There was much eating of chocolate (Moonstruck is so lovely) and talking about deep things on the moonlit balcony at good old San Damiano until late-late.

I also got to (finally!) try Pho, the iconic Vietnamese noodle soup, at the lush Le Cheval, thanks to my big bro (muah!). It was TO DIE FOR, and if you're a Bay Area dweller, you should really really pick some up.

Tomorrow, we go home. I could stay another few days -- loving family, fluffy towels, and tasty refrigerator contents are hard to leave behind.

Not Much to Report, But...

2008-08-12T23:17:00.003-06:00

L and I have landed in California, and R is at the trailhead in Glacier with his brother, all systems go. My sis is on the verge of labor with her babe #5, Michael Phelps is about to swim his potentially historic 200 butterfly race, and all of this expectancy makes my heart feel, well, expectant. Waiting.

And yet, my baby sleeps in the darkness of the late dusk, oblivious to the tension and turmoil of the world around her. A blankie, some milk, a lullaby and some snuggles -- a reminder that yes, life really can be that simple.

I am loving the Olympics. I haven't seen them for a lot of years, and suddenly, so many of the olympians are my age -- and younger. It's a little bit bizarre.

Twenty-five years ago tonight, my mother went to sleep, exhausted from caring for three kids all day in the intense August heat, making fifty-point turns in bed to attempt to get comfortable, then awoke in the small hours of the morning to the unmistakable throb and pulse of labor. Two hours later (yes, TWO), I slid into the world. And here we are!

I was going to post a cute picture of the Miss, but Blogger is being a booger. Happy Olympicizing, friends!

A Few of the Babe

2008-08-06T17:02:00.004-06:00

Sing hallelujah! Tonight is my last night ~~telemarketing~~ making survey calls! On Saturday, R and I are going to celebrate (the end of my job as well as our anniversary and my birthday) by spending the day in Bear Lake, then getting a babysitter while we go to a late movie (Dark Knight or Wall E? We can't decide). Maybe we'll even get some ice cream...

The View From Here

2008-08-03T09:49:00.003-06:00

Finders Keepers

2008-08-01T11:19:00.004-06:00

Happy August, everyone! It is going to be an exciting month in the lives of A, R, and L. In two weeks, R is going backpacking in Glacier with his brother Evan while L and I visit Grandma and Grandpa in California, and we will celebrate L's 1st birthday, my 25th birthday, AND our 4th wedding anniversary!

Yesterday was my first official day of work at the sorority house. I don't start cooking until the 25th, but yesterday I spent five hours organizing, de-junking, and cleaning the kitchen and pantry (and it's not even halfway done yet!). I found packaged food that expired in 2004. Yech.

On the bright side, there was an enormous pile of clothes in the basement that my boss told me was just going to the DI and I could have whatever I wanted. And let me just tell you, castoffs from girls who pay $700 a month in rent/dues (granted, it includes food and stuff, but for comparison's sake, I paid $125 a month in rent when I was single) can be pret-ty excellent.

I made out like a bandit with four shirts, three sweatshirts, a pair of gigantic movie star sunglasses, a messenger bag with Bob Marley screenprinted on the front, AND a two-DVD History Channel documentary on Pearl Harbor, for R.

Happy weekend!

Aarrghh! Craft Envy is Eating Me Alive!

2008-07-30T20:41:00.004-06:00

Lately my bookmark folder for "Stuff to Sew" has been bursting at the seams (really, no pun intended...but it would have been clever if I'd intended it, no?). There is just so much cool stuff out there -- tutorials, ideas, fabrics, and especially the talented people who make them all! A smattering:

Aprons Galore - Genteel Little Animals - 5-Minute Skirt - Fabric Flowers - Patchwork Belt - Napkin Set - Reversible Purse - Maternity Skirt - Simple Card Wallet - Post-It Note Quilt - Pot Holders

Gotta go. R and I are brushing up on Batman Begins before we go see Dark Knight.

Mama Merit Badges

2008-07-28T07:57:00.004-06:00

I think I found some new decor for my diaper bag.

A New Threshold

2008-07-27T18:42:00.002-06:00

I think I've crossed into foreign territory: I have a newfound passion for crossword puzzles.

Before Saturday, I generally avoided crosswords. I never understood the clues or could divine any of the solutions. Or if I could, it was only one or two words out of a whole puzzle. But apparently, I have enough life experience now to make sense of at least some crossword puzzles.

Yesterday at work, though (forgot to mention that -- I'm making survey calls most evenings for a little extra cash before school starts -- I assure you that the joys of repeatedly being hung up on are manifold), we were doing a survey about newspapers with NYC-dwellers. People who live in NYC do not take kindly to survey-interviewers (because we aren't telemarketers, after all), and at the end of two hours, I'd logged two completed surveys.

That's about the time I asked the guy sitting next to me if I could borrow his newspaper -- and if I could work on the crossword puzzle he started. I shocked myself with getting 1 Across AND 1 Down right off the bat, and me and the guys on either side of me spent the rest of the day on that and another crossword puzzle.

I enjoyed myself so much that, on Saturday night, I bought myself a Penny Press book of crosswords to keep me occupied at work for the next two weeks. And I'm really, really looking forward to doing them.

Does this mean I'm old now?

Bird Seed Skirtiness

2008-07-25T15:24:00.002-06:00

Look, how sweet!

More Sewing, More Learning

2008-07-23T15:34:00.002-06:00

The bias tape battle has been won! The proper usage of bias tape always eluded me until I found Angry Chicken's fabulous video tutorial. I even made my own with a bias tape maker I got from Red Rooster the other day!

It doesn't look totally great on me, but I learned so much making it and am excited to wear it anyway. It hides, as Angry Chicken likes to say, my "empty baby house." (Which is apparently quite prominent. Someone asked me yesterday if I was pregnant. When are people are going to realize that you should Never. Ask. That. Question. Ever?)

The pattern is Simplicity 4111 with cap sleeves. The altering went pretty well, but I think next time I will make the cap sleeves a little longer. The appliques on the bottom are ironed on with Pellon Wonder-Under (they will fray on the edges, but will stay put).

Tomorrow is Pioneer Day (a state holiday in Utah), so R, L, and I are hitting up the Scout's pancake breakfast in the early AM and hiking the Jardine Juniper Trail. Happy 24th of July, friends!

A Foe Defeated, A Friend Made

2008-07-22T16:15:00.003-06:00

Baby sleepeth. Must be swift.

I succumbed to two of the gorgeous fabrics at Red Rooster today. The top one is for sleeve bindings and other pretty things on the shirt pictured below, and the bottom one is for a little skirt for Little Miss.

I have a (growing) list of sewing hurdles I want to defeat: buttonholes, bias tape, hemming, properly preparing fabrics, etc. I checked off one of them today: sewing on buttons. Granted, I haven't yet sewed on buttons to match buttonholes I actually made myself (there are no buttonholes here), but I think that counts as a separate list item, don't you? This is a shirt I am working on and will hopefully finish tomorrow.

Finally, thanks to Jentry, who unloaded the contents of her freezer on us before moving to Nebraska, I have a new ~~guilty pleasure~~ excellent reason to eat more vegetables: frozen quartered artichokes. I am of the drown-me-in-butter, hold-the-mayo school when it comes to artichokes, and these are no exception. Yum.

Baby waketh. Must run!

Picture of Innocence

2008-07-20T18:33:00.002-06:00

Full Frontal, With Mud

2008-07-20T18:26:00.002-06:00

Bear Lakin' It, Again

2008-07-19T21:10:00.003-06:00

On the July 4th weekend, R and I bought one of those big canopy things to give us some shade on the beach. We got a good deal on it, but we figured that since we have it, we better use it, right? So today, we made the drive through Logan Canyon to Bear Lake (so beautiful!) and spent the afternoon on the beach.

L absolutely LOVED the water -- kicking, splashing, crawling, eating sand, and she even voluntarily stuck her face in the water twice! This bodes well for our mommy-and-me swimming class we're starting on Monday (wahoo!).

Thinking Happy Thoughts

2008-07-18T11:37:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again: the official death count so far in my fruit fly trap has risen to eight. I'm on the war trail.

Yesterday at Voldemart, L was screaming her brains out, and in the midst of my shooshing and bribing-with-crackers, I caught sight of a snowy-haired woman snerkling to herself about it -- in a kindly way. She said to me, "Ohh, I'd forgotten about that." I immediately thought -- and told her so -- that I'm glad there comes a time in life when you CAN laugh about that!

Also at Voldemart, I found some beautiful dusty-plum lightweight (or is it just cheap?) jersey fabric for $2 a yard. I also picked up some patterns at JoAnn yesterday (all their Simplicity patterns are on sale for 1.99, yee haw!) and am going to make this shirt with this alteration. It's my first time altering anything that radical, and I'm kind of nervous about it.

Happy things from Etsy, here, here, and here:

Cosima Cardigan

2008-07-17T11:47:00.004-06:00

I really wish I were still a knitter, because this is droolably gorgeous.

Discovered via Not Martha.

In Which My Zigzag Stitching Skills Need Some Serious Attention

2008-07-15T15:49:00.005-06:00

Note to self: until further notice, completely avoid complicated appliques with details such as teeth, claws, shoes, hair, or anything other than straight or slightly curved lines. Noted.

I have been drooling about this project since before L was born, but, well, you know how it goes. Then I found this amazing website with tons of free stencils, and three of L's onesies finally got their long-awaited facelift. It was really fun and fairly quick (and cheap!), but I really do need to work on my zigzag stitch...the T-Rex turned out okay, but the hippo and Elvis need some re-stitching. A little ironing would probably help, too.

L has been a yipiyuk lately. And the dog downstairs has been taking afternoon dips in the baby pool (which belongs to the girls downstairs). Summer rolls on.

Clafouti Me This

2008-07-13T21:08:00.002-06:00

Big changes today in the life of A. Well, one big change.

In the LDS Church, there is no professional clergy; all positions -- or "callings," as they're called -- are filled by members of the congregation. So, every time you move to a new ward, or every few years, you can count on getting a new calling, whether it's teaching Sunday School, (wo)manning the library, or conducting the music. There isn't any vying for positions; the bishop prays to know where you should serve, asks you to do so, and you're free to accept or decline (although of course we believe it's good to accept!).

I've been serving in the Relief Society (the women's organization) for the past two and a half years, and have loved it. Today, the bishop called me in to issue a new calling: Young Women's advisor (laugh it up, Jentry)! I will miss Relief Society a ton, but I am so excited to be part of the YW again. It's going to be such a party.

We had Cherry Clafouti tonight for our Sunday night dessert. Neither of us had ever had clafouti before. Apparently it's a traditional French dessert, half custard and half cake. I made four individual clafoutis, and am currently debating whether I should indulge now or have my second one for breakfast in the morning...

Happy Weekend

2008-07-12T22:18:00.002-06:00

Fifteen bucks worth of Gardener's Market goodies, a finished zip pouch, a backyard barbecue with buddies, and a Saturday well spent.

Friday Night Goodness

2008-07-11T21:27:00.003-06:00

L is in bed and R just zoomed down to the store for some strawberry ice cream (what a man), so I am browsing Etsy and loving the vinyl wall decals here (she's even a Utah artist!).

Is It Just Me?: A Matter of Perspective

2008-07-06T20:31:00.000-06:00

Here: a beautiful post about being a homemaker -- difficulties, joys, frustrations, and all.

Is It Just Me?: A Matter of Perspective

El Cuatro de Julio

2008-07-04T21:26:00.006-06:00

Happy Fourth of July! We have been here, there, and everywhere these past few days. We're zonked and the day isn't even over yet!

Yesterday, I hit a major milestone: I sewed my very first piece of clothing from the ground up that is actually wearable! It's Simplicity 3835, and I am *so* excited to try more variations the pattern offers (see a ton of amazing ideas for the pattern here). I made mine a little too small, but will know better next time. And I love this fabric.

Yesterday evening, we had a little barbecue at Kim and Ben's campsite, some rollicking rounds of Settlers and Ticket to Ride, then booked it up the hill just in time to catch the fireworks (they do the fireworks here on the 3rd...don't try to figure out the logic behind that one because your head might explode). We put L down for the night at 8:30 but woke her up and put her in the stroller for the big booms at 10. Much to our surprise, she absolutely loved the fireworks and went straight back to bed without a peep!

This morning, the four of us loaded up at our Scout troop's annual Fourth of July breakfast (actually, Kim, Ben, L and I ate while R flipped hash browns for four hours), then drove to Bear Lake for the afternoon. There was much monkeying with styrafoam noodles and eating of sand.

Back home for showers and more games, then Kim and Ben left, and now R and I are winding down in preparation for a happy Saturday. I love three-day weekends.

Doggy Treats

2008-07-03T11:23:00.006-06:00

I am ga-ga over Amy Karol's new book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing. So many fast, adorable projects! And her blog (Angry Chicken) is a continual source of inspiration and amazement.
So anyway, Kim and Ben (our BFFs) are visiting from SLC for the weekend. And because we're such hospitable and excellent hosts, R and I were already asleep when they rolled in last night, so they pitched their tent on our front lawn and called it a night. Rock on. Before all of that, though, I made some dog collars for Kim and Ben's two dogs. The project was in the above-mentioned book and seriously took like 15 minutes. Because really, who could pass up this fabric?

Coming soon: a makeup bag in the same fabric, only with a hot pink bow, lining, and zipper.

That's My Girl!!

2008-07-02T08:17:00.005-06:00

This child is obsessed with books. Sometimes, when cooking dinner, I can sit her down with a stack of board books, and she is good for at least twenty minutes. Except for when she decides the potted bird of paradise is more interesting and cruises on over for a little snack of dirt sandwich. Which happens every day. It's rad.

Later today, I am going to Aeropostale to take back two shirts I bought maybe two months ago which are now, quite literally, falling apart. Boo. So after I get my cash back, I'm going to go get this pattern that I am in love with:

...and make a pretty shirt. I've been spending way too much time lately on Etsy and crafty blogs and am so excited to make more of my own stuff!

A Shot in the Evening

2008-06-29T10:28:00.003-06:00

Last night we went to an EQ (church) activity. And boy oh boy, you mention guns, and the entire ward shows up. Our membership is seriously armed to the teeth! Anyway, it was a beautiful evening in Providence Canyon; the boys shot guns and the girls chit-chatted around the campfire, for the most part. I was kicking myself for not bringing the camera...instead, we're stuck with this shoddy cell phone picture. It's a good thing L is so darned cute.

Grosgrain Goodness

2008-06-27T07:23:00.005-06:00

Enter the amazing Kathleen, a phenomenal seamstress and mother of two little girls, who looks at J. Crew children's clothes and thinks, "Hmm, I could make that" -- and DOES! I absolutely love her sense of little-person style, and she's having weekly giveaways of stuff she makes. Someday, I would like to be this good. Go on over and check it out (click on the title of this post)!

She's Got the Moves

2008-06-26T09:57:00.003-06:00

The Babe has been practicing her moves lately. Right now, as I type in the bedroom, I can hear her little hands going smick-smack on the kitchen floor, on her way to find out where mama went. And so it begins!

And now, for your amusement...

One For Me, One For L

2008-06-23T13:26:00.003-06:00

I got my sewing machine deep-cleaned a couple of weeks ago, and have been in stitchery heaven ever since I got it back. There's something really hypnotic about the rhythm of machine sewing. Rumble, rumble, clip. Rumble, rumble, clip.

I have a bunch of long patchwork skirts that I used to wear a lot in high school. I don't wear them much anymore because they're long and narrow and generally awkward, but then I was thinking last night about how I wished I had more knee-length, light, breezy skirts for summer. And the more I thought about it, the more I thought, yeah, I can do that! So this morning I took some scissors to one of those old skirts, cut some triangles out of the bottom, and sewed them in. Voila! Knee-length, light, breezy skirt for summer!

And on Saturday, I made a new sling for L. I have a Moby Wrap that I used when she was teeny-tiny, but it's too hot for summer and the older-baby positions don't work very well for us, anyway. So I made a Hotsling knockoff (instructions here). It's more lightweight and really easy to make, and no, it isn't 100% comfortable, but it works. ANYTHING works with L as clingy as she has been lately. And as you can see, she's pretty stoked about the new arrangement.

More projects on deck! Washcloth baby bibs, layette gowns for the ward humanitarian project, more skirt alterations, an apron (I want to use this pattern because it reminds me of my Mom's apron, which is both cute and utilitarian)...so much cool stuff to make!

Out of the Closet

2008-06-22T22:26:00.009-06:00

I wasn't going to blog about which presidential candidate I prefer (and, having said that, I do reserve the right to change my mind). But after discovering this T-shirt, how could I resist sharing the love?

Been Dreamin' Dreams...

2008-06-19T18:23:00.005-06:00

Last night, I had a dream that I was eating a bar of Hershey's Cacao Reserve with cacao nibs. Only I wasn't really eating it, per se -- more like snarfing it in, breathlessly shoving it down the hatch in a wildly desperate way. Then, in my dream, it was the next day, and I did the same thing. After the second bar was gone, I ran into a Costco and was searching like a madwoman for more chocolate. I couldn't find any.

Who can guess what I bought at the store today?

A Warm Breakfast is My Happy Place

2008-06-19T08:18:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my mom sent me a recipe for breakfast: Combine an egg with 1/4 cup milk, pour it over a slice of bread, sprinkle on some ham and cheese, salt and pepper to taste, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I made it this morning, and it's awesome. Only I used cubes of a stale baguette, and we didn't have any ham. But all the ingredients were local -- milk, egg, cheese, bread, salt -- everything but the pepper and the fruit I ate it with. Rock on, locavores!

Bring On the Calculus, Sucka

2008-06-18T19:50:00.007-06:00

So there I was, casually browsing the goods at the local DI (that's Utah's chain thrift store, owned and operated by the LDS Church). I didn't go for anything in particular -- L and I were just hot, bored, and in serious danger of contracting cabin fever.

As we cruised past the toy section, my eyeball stopped on a two year-old kid, clutching a wooden abacus that was, as my friend Sheri likes to say, "way-dang cool." His mom wasn't paying too much attention to what her kid was doing, and I wondered whether she intended to buy the toy or not.

With the feeling that it might be tacky to walk up and ask, "Hey, are you gonna buy that?", L and I cruised on past, casually making the circuit through regrettable sewing patterns from the 80s, handbags your grandma might use, racks of tired shoes, and glassware from bygone eras. Every once in a while, I covertly looped back to the toys, hoping to find the mother-child duo gone, abacus still there.

To make a long story short -- they took forever to leave, but I got the abacus -- and it only set me back a buck. Booyeah!

Our Little (Angry) Aggie

2008-06-16T07:35:00.004-06:00

Last summer, while I was THIS BIG, one of my co-workers gave me a pink USU sweatshirt for the (as yet unborn and unnamed) baby. It doesn't quite fit L yet, but I just couldn't wait anymore.

I also wanted to show off L's "I'm mad" face. She does this while breathing really loudly through her nose. Lately, though, she's been half-laughing while making the face, because it makes R and I laugh so hard whenever she does it that I think she's coming to think of it as a bit of a joke.

Night of the Flaming Marshmallows

2008-06-14T12:40:00.007-06:00

We took L on her first camping trip last night -- hooray! We went up Green Canyon -- just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from home -- so that if things went south, we could make a speedy exit. She did extremely well, though, all things considered (though I'm not sure how much sleep R and I got, since the three of us were smashed into our tent that used to just barely hold the two of us). So, now we are starting to think about a longer family camping foray...Yellowstone, perhaps?

Our entertainment for the evening involved flaming marshmallows and a slow shutter speed...

The Hardest Thing

2008-06-06T14:41:00.001-06:00

First, a preface: I’ve been wanting to do this post for a long time, but haven’t – too personal? Too much? But I’ve also worried that sharing all of this might hurt the feelings of others who have – or have not – been involved here. So let me tell you this first: I love you! I post this in the hope that, out of my (obviously vast) readership, someday it might help someone, somehow.

The first days of L’s life were among the most surreal, beautiful, and spiritual days of my own life. She was a sweet and even-tempered baby from the beginning, R and I had little trouble adjusting our marriage to include our little one, and my own recovery was quick and relatively easy.

Perhaps it was the inevitable newborn two-hours-or-less-at-a-time sleep schedule; perhaps it was the way nursing just wasn’t working out for us; perhaps it was poor diet or hormonal imbalance or the gravitational pull of the moon; a few days later, I got sad.

Recognizing the infamous “baby blues,” I tried everything I could think of to crowd it out. I exercised, tried to eat right, visited with friends, slept when I could, took time for myself, prayed, read my scriptures, and counted my blessings. I did a great job of convincing both myself and my family that all was well – except, perhaps, for R, who always seems to know when I’m upset even before I do.

But as time passed, I found myself crying more every day, dreading the time when R had to leave and I would be alone again with L. Frightening thoughts and images found the cracks in my mind and wound their ways into my consciousness. Those thoughts were too terrible to share then and are too terrible to share now.

I think the most awful thing, though, was that as I held L in my arms every day and every night, I knew that something beautiful and sacred and miraculous was happening right there, and that somehow, I was missing it.

It was only a few weeks, but it might as well have been a year. That was about the time when L’s pediatrician said to me, “She’s fine; it’s you I’m worried about.” That night, after honest and revealing conversations with both R and my sister, I decided to get help.

The next day, I called my doctor’s office and couldn’t think of what to say, so I cried and said, “Um, I think I’m depressed?” The nurse assured me that it wasn’t my fault, that things were going to be okay, and that yes, they could see me that day. Later, they talked with me, listened with incredible compassion and understanding, and told me that things were going to change – with some help from a tiny blue pill.

I took Zoloft for almost three months, and while others might worry about the effects of chemical emotional regulators, I couldn’t be more thankful for them.

Would I have gotten through it without the medication? Probably. But at what cost? Whether the depression was only going to last another day or for an entire year, I didn’t want to miss any more of my baby’s life. I wanted to be L’s mama, heart and soul, for all of it.

Life is moving along these days – a little too quickly sometimes – and I am happy. L is the greatest blessing I could have hoped for! But along with the blessings, the Lord invariably gives us challenges, too. Post-partum depression might be the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through – but it doesn’t happen to everyone. But if writing and talking about my experience can somehow help just one person, maybe someday it will have been worth it.

Breaking the Barrier

2008-06-05T14:15:00.003-06:00

This week, I broke a barrier.

For the longest time, I successfully resisted (most) of the little knickknacks that can be found in scrapbooking stores: stick-on rhinestones, chipboard embellishments, cutesy rub-ons, intricately designed ribbons, paper flowers – you know what I’m talking about.

Not so this week. After a long day of dealing with an intensely teething baby for whom Orajel, Tylenol, and an arsenal of chew-toys was just not working, R came home and, after dinner, sent me off to the scrapbook store for an hour of respite (Ain’t he great?!).

I love the scrapbook store. It is a wonderland of color, texture, and design; the paper-crafting possibilities are endless, and inspiration lies around every end-cap.

A new collection called “note{worthy}” from Making Memories caught my eyeball within the first two milliseconds of perusal. And though I cruised the entire store, slowly, at least twice, the note{worthy} gravitational pull was not to be lain aside so lightly.

The damage: patterned paper, designer ribbon, and a box of those BLASTED PAPER FLOWERS, all coordinated to match each other perfectly – and a stack of some of my most favorite cards I’ve ever made!

Mark Bittman, My Hero

2008-06-03T12:24:00.002-06:00

Dinner this week is coming mostly from Mark Bittman’s new work of genius, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. The book is 907 pages of (meatless) chop-lickin’ recipes, smart how-tos, and great serve-with suggestions.

Bittman goes way beyond the basics to include inventive (but decidedly non-weird) recipes for all meals of the day, as well as a boatload of traditional vegetarian dishes from around the world. The ongoing instructional narrative is conversational and decidedly friendly – like your favorite uncle showing you how to make his special guacamole.

My favorite part of this cookbook, though, is the vast compendium of charts and lists scattered across the pages. A smattering: 10 Great Leftovers to Turn into Quiche Filling. 15 Alternative Toppings for Pasta. 5 Ways to Serve Cooked Meatless Meatballs. 5 Ways to Vary Spinach Salad. 5 Things to Do with (Slightly) Stale Bread. 6 Fruit Combinations for Chutney. 8 Ways to Flavor Whipped Cream. And there’s a table spanning three pages for ice cream/sorbet/ice milk flavors, which includes such intriguing flavors as Star-Anise Ginger, Horchata, and Chamomile-Tangerine.

Bittman is pretty relaxed about cooking; he encourages his readers to be creative and to trust their instincts. Meat-eater though I am, Bittman’s book is enough to get me to eat vegetarian almost every day of the week.

So far, we’ve tried Naked Tamales, Lime Tapioca Pudding, Pineapple Fried Rice in Lettuce Cups, and (last night) Mushroom and Asparagus Pie with Phyllo Crust. The flavors were substantial yet light, the shatteringly flaky crust provided great contrast to the meaty fungi beneath, and the whole thing was a springy, seasonal delight. R and I loved it. L was not so appreciative.

Bittman calls for 8 ounces of mixed mushrooms along with a handful of reconstituted dried porcini, but I used a package of reconstituted dried wild mushrooms and made up the difference with some extra veggies. Here’s my (slight) spin on Bittman’s pie.

Mushroom and Asparagus Pie with Phyllo Crust
Adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

4 T butter, melted, mixed with ¼ c olive oil
½ medium onion, sliced thin
1 package (I think it was 1 ounce) dried wild mushrooms, reconstituted
1 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper
½ bunch asparagus, chopped, boiled for 1 minute, then shocked in ice water
1 c frozen peas
1 c grated provolone
12 or so fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Put 3 T of the butter/oil mixture into a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in asparagus, peas, provolone, and basil.

Brush a pie dish with some of the butter/oil. Keeping the other phyllo sheets covered, remove one sheet at a time and brush it with butter/oil and lay it in the dish. Repeat with three more sheets, turning each one slightly in the dish.

Spoon the veggies into the dish, then layer the remaining sheets on top, brushing each one with butter/oil and slightly turning it. Tuck in the edges to enclose the pie, brush more butter/oil on top, and score the top into squares or diamonds. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Mega-Update

2008-06-01T19:42:00.003-06:00

To be brief:

On Saturday, R, L and I went on a massively wonderful (and easy) hike on the Temple Fork trail up Logan Canyon. I love easy hikes...and it was so beautiful. Besides, all three of us were wearing tie-dye. How much cooler can you get?

On Friday, I had a jolting reminder of how precious life and our families are when a bad accident occurred just outside our house. The woman in the passenger side was okay -- mostly shock -- but may have had a broken hip. The firemen had to saw the door off of the car to get her out. My heart ached for all involved, as well as their families.

And today, L got her FIRST PIGTAILS!!! It was so cute...even though she had wings (R called them devil horns) when I took them out after church.

In the Grass

2008-05-26T14:18:00.001-06:00

May's Card of the Month

2008-05-26T14:15:00.001-06:00

The Big Girl

2008-05-22T10:52:00.003-06:00

Reasons why L is a big girl:

1) She now wears two-piece pajamas -- sometimes.
2) She has two teeth.
3) She bit her mommy's nose with her two teeth, very hard, in the doctor's office on Monday.
4) She can sorta-kinda-not-really crawl.
5) She sleeps with her butt in the air.

House Domburi

2008-05-20T16:10:00.005-06:00

This might not look like much, but it's my new favorite fast food: it has both broth and substance; veggies, protein, and starch; and lots of flavors that complement each other nicely. It's a fusion of two recipes I discovered last week: Kombu Stock with Dried Mushrooms from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and Domburi from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World. Both books are totally brilliant and definitely worth owning.

If you make a batch of the stock and a pot of rice in advance, both will keep for a week in the fridge, so you can whip this up in no time. Also, kombu is a type of dried kelp -- I found it at Shangri-La, but Sweet Peas also has it. Don't worry, it doesn't make the soup taste like seaweed. I've had seaweed soup before, and it was an extremely unfortunate experience, but that's a story for another day.

Kombu Stock with Dried Mushrooms
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 (4- to 6-inch strip) dried kombu
¼ c soy sauce
2 t sesame oil

Shake the mushrooms in a strainer to loosen any dirt, then put them in a pot with 7 cups water and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain the stock, but keep the mushrooms to use in the soup.

Domburi
1 c Kombu Stock
1-2 t miso
1 shiitake mushroom cap, sliced
Cubes of tofu or cooked chicken
A few spinach leaves
1 egg
1 scallion, chopped
1 c cooked short-grain rice, warmed in a bowl

Bring the stock to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk in the miso, then add the mushrooms, chicken or tofu, and the spinach. Beat the egg and scallion together in a small bowl, then slowly pour into the simmering soup. Let it cook for a minute, then pour the soup into the bowl with the rice. Another note -- this is kind of a whatever's-in-the-fridge recipe -- I think the only really essential parts are the stock, the rice, and the egg. But the miso makes it really nice. And it's pleasant to have something green in there, too.

Herculean Effort

2008-05-18T03:58:00.003-06:00

This girl is trying soooooo hard to crawl. She can get into this position, but can go no further, and it makes her so incredibly mad. For some reason, though, the other morning, she was being a total ham! I took about a million pictures, and she looked at me and grinned for every single one. I love my little girl!

A New Leaf...Err, Bean

2008-05-16T08:41:00.003-06:00

Dear Tofu,

I never liked you much.

You were, after all, the indisputable villain behind The First of the Two Dinners my excessively non-picky husband Would Not Eat – which, admittedly, was our first time trying you out.

Tonight, though, was different. It happens every time I want miso soup, because I have to buy an entire pound of you just for a few measly cubes to put in the bottom of my soup bowl. We had the miso soup last night and enjoyed it immensely, but tonight there was almost a pound of your big, flabby, white self, just sitting there in the fridge, staring at me.

After doing a bit of reading on how to make you as inoffensive as possible, I cubed you up, tossed you with some soy sauce, and seared you in a scorching-hot pan. Like magic, the sugars caramelized, you became dark golden brown and crisp around the edges, and my heart began to soften.

With something akin to affection, I nestled you into dinner bowls among leftover rice and microwaved green beans, spooned some peanut sauce over you, and sprinkled you with scallions. You were, by this point, looking Very Tasty Indeed.

R and I tucked in, and to my everlasting astonishment, our eyebrows raised in an expression of surprised delight. We switched from chopsticks to forks in order to eat you faster. You were delicious.

I’m excited to see how other sauces suit you. And I’m thinking we can work something out, so long as you stay extra-firm. Just don’t try any of this “silken” business on me.

Love,
A.

On Mamahood

2008-05-15T13:45:00.002-06:00

Two or three years ago, about this time of year, I was visiting with a girl in our ward who had recently had her first baby. She was about my own age, and she invited me inside for a minute.

We got to talking about motherhood. Although she was usually a quiet person, she had no reservations about making sure I understood just how difficult motherhood is. She advised me, in no uncertain terms, to enjoy my freedom while I had it, because after my first baby came, I would never have any time to do anything I wanted to do, EVER. AGAIN.

Her words rattled me. She was a mother herself; she obviously knew what she was talking about. If she was right, how could I ever possibly become unselfish enough to be a mother? If she were right, how could I ever want to have children in the first place?

Now, a few years of marriage and one baby later, I can say that she is so completely and unequivocally WRONG – and her sentiment – the “enjoy-it-now” theory – has become one of my HUGEST pet peeves. I have really come to believe that, despite its unpredictability, life is precisely what you make of it.

I may not be able to do exactly what I want to do, exactly when I want to do it, or as quickly as I’d like to do it – and I know it will get more challenging as we add more children to our brood. But I CAN still do things I want to do; since L was born, I have taken a drawing class, read a sizeable stack of books, cooked a lot of fun stuff, traveled, scrapbooked, stamped, walked, browsed, and done a lot of other really cool stuff – and much of it has been with L in tow. For the rest of the time, I have been blessed with an amazingly supportive husband who understands my need to have time to create, to think, to play – that and naptime, of course.

At the same time, I can’t discount the strange things mama-chemistry can do. When I had that conversation with my new-mama friend, I did not think of babies as fun creatures to hang around. I do now, though. While it’s always nice to have a little break to go peruse Borders, solo, my heart’s desire lies with my little one now: to play with her, to watch with wonder as she learns and grows, and to love her with all the heart I have to give.

By the Sea, By the Sea

2008-05-10T00:10:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, last night's Fenton's expedition was a no-go. Today just about made up for it, though; R, L and I spent all day in the vicinity of Monterey Bay, a.k.a. one of my most favorite places in the world (so far).

We got a late start this morning, so we headed straight for the Carmel beach to eat our picnic lunch. It was really windy and cold, though, so we ate quickly, then window-shopped downtown Carmel.

Then, the main attraction: the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where we hung out with the delightful and mind-boggling array of marine wildlife. On the whole, L was nonplussed with the whole experience and was happy to be done with it. Me and R's favorites were the jellyfish and the million-gallon tank with the sharks and tuna. Did you know that a bluefin tuna can accelerate from 0 to 50 MPH in three seconds? Sheesh.

Afterwards, we drove to Pacific Grove for dinner at The Fishwife, a fab seafood restaurant where I ate mixed seafood fettuccine alfredo and R had spice-rubbed tilapia with black beans and rice. We also splurged on dessert: the densest chocolate torte with raspberry coulis I could have dreamed about. It's not often I say things like this, but I'm glad we were sharing. I think I would have overdosed on my own (is that possible?).

Before we headed home, we stopped in Carmel one last time, where the winds had calmed down and we took a long walk down the beach in the light of the setting sun. It's always a little bit hard to say goodbye to the ocean.

Muir Woods (And Getting There)

2008-05-08T20:45:00.006-06:00

R, L, and I took a field trip to the Muir Woods and Muir Beach today, located just north across the bay from San Francisco. And as they say, getting there is half the fun.

After seven years of living in Utah, I'm a little out of practice as far as big messes of freeway interchanges go. We were on Highway 24, and I think we were trying to get to 101. Somehow, we found ourselves on Highway 80, on the verge of getting onto the Bay Bridge, which is NOT where we wanted to be.

So we were frantically telling each other that we needed to get OFF of the freeway -- on the one marked "LAST OAKLAND EXIT" -- so we exited -- only to find that we had not exited, but had in fact gotten into the "BUSES ONLY" lane that was STILL headed for the Bay Bridge, which goes AROUND the toll lanes and never stops to pay the bridge toll. So, we started freaking out -- HOLY CRAP WE BROKE THE LAW WE'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT WE'RE GOING TO GET PULLED OVER WER'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY A MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! (Which we probably will.)

We proceeded to go over the Bay Bridge (because it's not like you can turn around), after which we proceeded to try to get through the city to the Golden Gate Bridge without a map, because we thought we didn't have a map of San Francisco in the car (which, in fact, we did). So of course we got lost. I finally decided to call my Dad:

Me: Um, Dad? I need you to put your San Francisco brain on.
Dad: Got it.
Me: We're at Fourteenth and Lincoln. How do we get to the Golden Gate Bridge?
Dad: [silence]
Me: Dad? Fourteenth and Lincoln.
Dad: Um...You're on your own on that one.

Shortly thereafter, we discovered our San Francisco street map, found the Golden Gate Bridge, and made it to Muir Woods.

It was so beautiful! The air was so cool and lush, and everything was so verdant. After we cruised the 2-mile paved trail with L, we drove to Muir Beach to eat our picnic lunch. It was L's first time at the beach, and she absolutely loved it. She thought the waves were hilarious, for some reason. All in all, it was a good day, navigational troubles and all!

And A Good Time Was Had By All

2008-05-08T20:34:00.002-06:00

They're back!

My parents landed in San Francisco (by way of Frankfurt and Bangalore) on Tuesday afternoon, returning home after 18 months of LDS missionary service in Coimbatore, India. We are SO HAPPY to have them home!!!

Believe it or not, I haven't taken any pictures. Getting out the camera has seemed like such a waste of time when there's so much fun to be had with the good-ol' parental units. What I can tell you is that, when he left Coimbatore, my father weighed one hundred and sixty-five (that's 1-6-5) pounds. It's not like the man exactly had much of a reserve on him in the first place!

So, in order to remedy the situation, we are taking a field trip tonight to Fenton's. I am definitely getting the black and tan: a mile-high sundae consisting of toasted almond and vanilla ice creams, hot fudge sauce, and whipped cream. And a cherry.

Our next priority? In-N-Out, baby.

Elsa Mora

2008-05-04T23:55:00.004-06:00

This blog is giving me serious infusions of itchy-jumpy-excited creative energy.

A Big Bang

2008-05-02T19:30:00.003-06:00

Last night I awoke from a deep and dreamless sleep to the sound of an enormous explosion. Then car alarms. Then sirens.

Whether that incident had anything to do with a large rectangular burn mark in the middle of a nearby intersection and the charred remains of a sofa in the gutter has yet to be ascertained.

Since When?!

2008-05-02T12:17:00.005-06:00

I'm kind of out of the loop. I just barely found out that, in 2010 and 2011, Peter Jackson & co. will release a new film version of The Hobbit -- and a sequel to it. I am thrilled beyond expression, especially by the fact that Sir Ian McKellen will once again play Gandalf. I read The Hobbit a long time ago and loved it, although I must admit that, like Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, I'm none too excited about the part with the giant spiders.

It's Yogurt! And Challah! And California!

2008-05-01T10:50:00.000-06:00

I did it! I made yogurt. And although I managed to screw it up on my first attempt (which was last week), the procedure is simple and (mostly) foolproof.

First, you heat however much milk you want in the top of a double boiler until it hits 180 F, which kills off any unfriendly-to-yogurt bacteria. Then you cool it to 115 F and stir in a little plain yogurt -- two tablespoons of yogurt per cup of milk. After that, you pour the concoction into a sterile jar and keep it at 110 F for 4-6 hours. There are a lot of ways to do that...I stuck the jar in a cooler full of the hottest tap water my faucet would give me. I changed the water halfway through, and it stayed at the correct temperature the whole time.

My other kitchen love affair, lately, has been challah, which may just be the tastiest kind of bread on the planet. It's an egg and butter-rich bread, traditionally made for the Jewish Sabbath. It makes killer egg salad and sprout sandwiches.

We're taking off for California tomorrow to welcome my parents home from their 18-month LDS mission to Coimbatore, India. It's going to be a big huge family bash, and we are STOKED!

Hangin' Tough

2008-04-29T11:44:00.003-06:00

L cracks me up when she does this. It's not like she's doing it to hold on for dear life, but more like she wants to emulate the image of a late-70s/early-80s person who is really, really bad. As in the Michael Jackson song.

Alfresco, Finally

2008-04-28T18:38:00.008-06:00

The weather on Monday was PERFECT: temperature in the 70s, light breeze, sunshine with nary a cloud in sight...it was a beautiful day. Therefore, we grilled: Thai chicken skewers, cabbage and carrot slaw with peanut sauce, and grilled coconut-caramel bananas over vanilla bean ice cream. We threw some blankets on the lawn and had dinner outside -- and savored every moment!

And speaking of food (although when am I not talking about food?), I am REALLY excited to announce my new job, which starts in August and will run through the school year: private cook for one of the sorority houses near campus. I'll be making dinner for 20 some-odd girls every Monday through Thursday...I make the menus, they give me the credit cards, I become supreme empress of the kitchen. I get to bring Lizzy with me (hellooooo, 20 free babysitters!) AND R is invited to dine with us every day (so that we can be "a good influence" on the girls). Yippee!!

I'd never been inside of a sorority house before our interview there, so I can't say I had any first-hand knowledge of what a sorority is like (I say "our" because R and I originally interviewed to be the house managers...they liked us a lot, but can't have babies living there). I loved it; the house is beautiful, the girls are bubbly and friendly, and it seems like a good environment all-around. Plus, according to one of our interviewers, the girls are not picky eaters, enjoy trying new foods, and love international stuff.

I've never cooked for a group this large single-handedly, so this will be enormously challenging (in an exciting way). I've been scouring cookbooks for recipes that will multiply well, concocting interesting menus, and dreaming about how fun this is going to be.

Progress

2008-04-27T11:45:00.005-06:00

In order for my vast readership to fully appreciate my graphite-related accomplishments of late, it is necessary for me to embarrass myself by posting my first attempt of my egg drawing.

It's sad, I know. THIS, however, is my second attempt, completed last Sunday.

Not bad, eh?

Goat Cheese and Sparkling Water Make Me Feel So Bourgeoise

2008-04-25T23:20:00.005-06:00

We did, in fact, make it out of the house, so on Thursday night I treated myself to a smorgasbord of choice nibbles: a Crumb Brothers seeded baguette, mixed Greek olives, goat cheese, Genoa salami, pear slices, and lemon-flavored sparkling water. I also got stuffed grape leaves from the Macey's deli, but they were gross, so they don't count.

While I had every intention of making a pear and berry crumble for dessert, something else (click here) caught my eye before I could get to the berries in the frozen foods aisle. I've never had anything like it. I really enjoyed it (and am continuing to do so, periodically), but am not sure that I'd buy it again.

And so I put L to bed, spread my smorgasbord before me, and took a trip down memory lane with a viewing of Disney's The Sword in the Stone. I love that movie so much.

Lately I've been really into Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Most of her recipes are incredibly simple -- so much so that I find myself wondering whether something so simple could really be worth making. The answer is definitely yes! She puts me back in touch with honest food -- basic, beautiful flavors that work together naturally and don't need much embellishment. Both lunch and dinner today came from her book, and both were serious treats: green salad with goat cheese croutons and pear slices for lunch, and lentils with spinach, caramelized onions, hard-cooked egg, and toast for dinner.

Friday night, after I put L to bed, I snuggled up with the newest movie adaptation of Sense & Sensibility (thanks, Jentry!!), and, after satiating my Jane Austen valve, dove back into Twilight. I stopped reading when the plot turned to an enemy vampire waiting for the protagonist in her empty home. Because that'd be a really great thing to read about when I'm...you know...home alone. Shudder. It's a good thing that's nothing that unbeatable tag team, Haagen Dazs and Jane Austen, can't fix.

The Day of Refrigerator Reckoning

2008-04-25T10:21:00.003-06:00

Does this ever happen to you? Or are we the only ones that are this wasteful?

It's The Day where you Finally Decide that you are going to clean out the fridge. And so, you get out all the tupperwares containing last week's stir-fry, pasta from the week before that, a smattering of veggies from who knows when. You bravely stack them up next to the sink. You pull the garbage can over to the sink, and as quickly as you can, without breathing through your nose, dispose of the tupperware containers' contents, fill up the empty containers with hot water, and book it for the outside trash bins.

The aroma is still clinging to the insides of my nostrils. Gross.

Okay, Okay, Fine...

2008-04-24T13:11:00.006-06:00

After an unending stream of defensive gushes from other people ("It's about this girl who falls in love with a vampire...BUT IT ISN'T A PSYCHO VAMPIRE STORY, I SWEAR!!!") I started reading Twilight yesterday, and let's just say that I'm on page 286 already (whew!).

It's a really good story -- quite engrossing -- but I have a few complaints. I can't blame Bella for falling hard for Edward. If I were 16 (or is she 17?), I'm pretty sure I'd have done the same thing. BUT HE IS A TOTAL CONTROL FREAK! It really bugs me when he commands, orders, insists, etc., sometimes almost to the point of fulfilling the abusive teenaged boyfriend stereotype. Not good. I also have to admit that I'm not much of a fan of Bella herself. She's kind of boring. I know that's really snotty of me, but hey, it's true.

My final complaint has to do with the way the melodrama gets over the top sometimes. There's only so much an author can write about longing, desire, tension, etc. (although she does it quite well) before it starts getting a little old.

Still, that hasn't ripped my eyes from the pages (yet). It's a good, mostly brainless page-turner for, say, a weekend when your husband is out of town and it's basically blizzarding and you're home with the babe, who, although mostly cheerful, has a nasty case of diaper rash and desperately wishes she could crawl.

That aside, L and I are gearing up for a wild weekend. I checked out a stack of DVDs from the library, and if the snow ever lets up to a point where I feel like walking out the front door, we are going to the grocery store to get some mezze goods: olives, salami, bread, cheese, and just for good measure, the ingredients for a pear and berry crumble. With vanilla ice cream.

When Milk Becomes Cheese

2008-04-22T10:46:00.005-06:00

I didn't have the patience to roll it into perfect little balls like you get from the grocery store, but it worked -- and it was so easy! It's pretty much just heating, draining, and kneading. I used Ricki Carroll's 30 Minute Mozzarella recipe (click here) and got great results. Half a gallon of whole milk made half a pound of cheese.

I also learned something really exciting this morning: ricotta is made from whey, which is the liquid left behind when the heated milk solidifies into curds. So I saved the whey from this morning, and I'm going to see if I can get some ricotta out of it tomorrow. Unlike making your own butter, mozzarella ends up pretty cost-effective...you get half a pound of mozzarella and a (for now) unknown quantity of ricotta for the price of milk -- which, with Rosehill, is $1.69 for a half gallon.

Now I'm all excited to try other cheesy stuff, like yogurt, cottage cheese, and feta. I love learning about this stuff -- little skills that I'm guessing were once widespread, but are becoming rarer as time goes on. For now, I'm stoked for lunch.

Sunflower Sprouts + Spicy Hummus + Cucumbers + Roasted Red Peppers = Yum

2008-04-21T11:45:00.009-06:00

Some sprouts have been hatching on my kitchen counter over the last few days. We scarfed them down for dinner with the above mentioned ingredients on homemade sandwich bread. Yarrrr. I started a new batch of sprouts today: a mix of broccoli, alfalfa, and radish seeds. It's going to be awesome.

Also today, I bought citric acid and liquid rennet in preparation for my first-ever attempt to make fresh mozzarella. The milkman is bringing a extra half-gallon of whole milk in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, and all I've been able to think about are mozzarella-roasted red pepper-pesto panini.

R gets to eat at Hamilton's for free tomorrow night with the PolySci bigwigs, and I get to come for $10! It's a set menu, but I hear it involves halibut (overnighted from wherever it's caught) and creme brulee. Not the most environmentally sound plate of food in the world, but hey, at this stage in the game in this land-locked no-man's land, I'm willing to overlook that particular principle for a plate of good fish. Anybody want to babysit?

And then R leaves for three days to go to a PolySci bigwig conference in SLC. It will be me and Lizzy's first time alone overnight (indeed, for two nights), and I'm a little nervous, but I think things will be okay. Bring on the chick flicks!

But I'm...Not...Tired!

2008-04-19T17:55:00.001-06:00

Good Morning, Sunshine!

2008-04-19T17:54:00.001-06:00

Little House in the Big Suburb

2008-04-15T21:37:00.005-06:00

Remember Little House in the Big Woods, when Laura and her sister churned butter and Ma let them drink the buttermilk? I don’t actually own the book, but I do remember what Laura Ingalls Wilder said about that buttermilk: “It was very good.”

I must admit that I was always a little jealous of Laura for getting to churn butter and drink fresh buttermilk. Maybe that’s what drove me to today’s kitchen experiment.

Instead of a churn, though, I used my Cuisinart. And, lacking Bessie out back, the cream came from the store.

I did finally get to use Ramona’s little animal molds, which I was lucky enough to inherit when Ramona moved from her home to assisted living.

I didn’t pack the butter in quite tightly enough, so the butter pats didn’t turn out perfectly, but next time I’ll know.

Wanna try? Pour some cream into a food processor (alternatively, you can shakeshakeshakeshakeit in a jar). Run the food processor for a few minutes, during which time the cream will thickenthickenthicken, then suddenly break down and reform itself into a big clump of butter and a big splash of buttermilk. Take out the butter and, in a bowl, mash it with a spoon under cold running water until the water runs clear. Pack it tightly into molds and freeze for an hour, or leave as is.

And the buttermilk? It was, indeed, very good.

A New To-Do

2008-04-15T16:24:00.003-06:00

Make stuff from this site.

(For some reason, the Pyzam template I'm using doesn't make hyperlinks show up unless you drag your mouse over them. So drag your mouse over the words "this site.")

Going on a Mushroom Hunt

2008-04-15T08:57:00.007-06:00

Strike One

2008-04-14T18:28:00.003-06:00

No morels, but we found a few treasures worth smiling about. Lizzy enjoyed observing the world from her new kid carrier. We tried putting a hat on her, but she decided that taking it off and throwing it on the ground is her new favorite game.

We spotted several tiny mushrooms on a big mossy tree next to a creek, but no other signs of local fungi. Maybe we're a little early, and it's a good thing: mushroom hunting is my new favorite hobby. It has all the pleasures of hiking, but without the vigorous effort.

My favorite find (maybe more so than the mushrooms) was an (I'm assuming) abandoned bird's nest. I will post more pictures tomorrow...the connection isn't so hot right now. Muah!

It Happened to Me

2008-04-14T10:43:00.004-06:00

It's every RS Education Counselor's worst nightmare, and it happened on Sunday, just before Relief Society meeting was going to start:

RS Pres: Hey, who's teaching the lesson today?
Me: [Openmouthed, wordlessly fumbling for a name, any name]
RS Pres: [Waiting expectantly]
Me: Uhhhhh I... um.
RS Pres: Oh. Tell you what. You teach, and I'll make lots of comments.
Me: [In a daze, nods, still openmouthed]

So it happened that I taught the lesson in Relief Society yesterday. It was the one on baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost -- fundamental, straightforward doctrines, which made it a little easier to handle.

I can't take credit for the lesson going well, but I think it did go well (the Spirit's a grand thing, ain't it?). The sisters were paying attention, following along, and making LOTS and LOTS of comments, for which I have never before been so grateful.

I've also never been so grateful for the manual. I didn't exactly have time to draw up a complete lesson on baptism and the Holy Ghost from scratch, so every quote and every question came directly from the manual. And it was good stuff. We have the manuals for a reason; I really believe it's inspired material, and it's there for us to use and learn from.

Let's just hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon.

On My List

2008-04-12T17:10:00.003-06:00

In my journal, I keep a list of things I want to do, whether today, tomorrow, or "someday." A smattering:

Choose to be happy every day
Truly feast on the scriptures
Learn to paint
Make cheese
Consistently stick to a lower food budget
Learn about massage
Play croquet
Grow a successful garden
Eat at Chez Panisse
Make and fly a kite
Take a pottery class

What's on your list?

A-Moreling We Go

2008-04-12T16:52:00.005-06:00

Ever since I read the chapters in The Omnivore's Dilemma about mushroom hunting, the wheels have been turning in my brain. So tonight, R and I are going to go get our long-awaited Kelty kid carrier, and on Monday, Lizzy and I are heading up Logan Canyon in search of Morels (which I have never tasted or seen, but I hear they're great).

I hear mushroom hunting is difficult to learn all by your onesie, but I don't know any mushroom hunters that can show me the ropes. We'll see what happens. If nothing else, we'll have a nice walk in the woods!

And if you want to come (or know a mushroom hunter I could follow around), let me know.

The Devil Wears Prada

2008-04-08T14:00:00.003-06:00

I absolutely LOVED this movie!! R had a late night at school last night, so I borrowed a couple of DVDs from the girls downstairs. Perfect night for a chick flick, too -- L went to bed and I popped some popcorn (bring on the butter, baby). The movie alternately gave me the giggles, broke my heart, and maybe sometimes made me the teensiest bit jealous.

It was like this weird window into this alternate universe -- this foreign sphere into which many of my high school friends disappeared after graduation -- a few hours of "this-could-be-you-had-you-chosen-differently." Talking to old friends now is often a strange experience, as much as I still love them. They have real jobs; they fall in love, move in, and break up with boyfriends; they go to clubs and bars to dance and drink and meet people.

My perception is that that's reality for most people my age. It really brings home the well-known phrase of "a peculiar people." I think we (talking about young married mamas here) are a bit of an oddity in that sleek, sexy twenty-something crowd. But you know, when I really think about it, as tempting as that fashionable, fun, carefree place out there seems sometimes, I wouldn't trade what I have for all of that. Not in a million years. I can't imagine not gazing in wonder at my daughter's tiny hands while she sleeps at night. I can't imagine watching her in amazement as she learns and grows every single day. I can't imagine not having R for my companion, my friend, and my love. I love the place where I am -- there's no real or imagined circumstance I'd trade it for.

Still, a new handbag never hurts.

Behold the Granola

2008-04-07T18:04:00.003-06:00

Making your own granola bars has always seemed like a good thing to do -- until today, I just hadn't gotten around to it. L took two XXL naps today, though, so I had some extra time to kill.

They are really, really good. Nutty, toasty, oatey, fruity, and just this side of sweet. I used some raw local honey (Sweet Peas sells it in bulk) and some particularly delicious dried cranberries (from Smith's Marketplace) -- the two ingredients I think made them so tasty.

The remaining ingredients were the usual suspects of homemade granola recipes: rolled oats, slivered almonds, wheat germ, sesame seeds, coconut, butter, and brown sugar. You can find the recipe I used at Mother Earth News -- just search "granola bars."

In other news, I finished The Omnivore's Dilemma today. It was...outstanding. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It has changed the way I look at and think about food and eating -- maybe forever. Go get it!

Mother Earth News (Oh My)

2008-04-05T18:50:00.003-06:00

I discovered a new (to me) Earth-Mama source today...and funnily enough, it's called Mother Earth News. I found it because I was looking for instructions for next week's kitchen alchemy project: cottage cheese (find the instructions I'm going to use here). I think I'm also going to try making yogurt sometime (recipe here). Rock on, Mother Earth.

Holy Huevos

2008-04-04T10:23:00.000-06:00

Last night, as I walked into drawing class, it was pretty obvious what we were going to study: our teacher was putting eggs underneath a bright lamp.

I never had any idea how complex and nuanced such a simple thing as an egg can be. Nor did I know that the darkest part of a round object, lit from one end, is its middle. I had never taken the time to notice how a shadow isn’t just a shadow – rather, it gets darker or lighter, sharper or hazier. And I certainly didn’t know how to use a blending stump or a kneaded eraser – until tonight.

Difficult? Yes. Given about 45 minutes, I didn’t come close to finishing my drawing of three humble eggs (no, I’m not going to post it). My teacher kept coming up behind me, guerilla-style, drawing in darker scribbles where I was too timid to do so.

This drawing class is changing the way I look at what’s around me – especially trees, for some reason. While I haven’t gotten around to busting out my pencils outside of class time, I’m hoping to do so soon. There’s a particularly gnarled and beautiful tree branch outside our living room window, and it’s been calling my name.

April Card of the Month

2008-04-03T17:29:00.005-06:00

...The idea for which I swiped from a magazine...and the materials for which I swiped from Heather. I can use the scissors and glue really well, though.

Check It, Brotha' Brigham

2008-04-02T22:13:00.004-06:00

In a section on thrift and industry in our book we have of Brigham Young's teachings, President Young says something to the effect that, when a woman sews a dress, he should be able to hold the leftover scraps in the palm of his hand.

Okay, so it wasn't exactly a dress. Actually, they were baby shoes. BUT STILL, the scraps fit in the palm of my hand...that has to count for something.

Once I figured out how the pieces fit together, they were pretty easy to make (find the pattern here). I know they kind of look like little sacks on her feet, but I am dang proud of them, so I don't care!

News on the Local Food Front

2008-04-01T11:29:00.005-06:00

Yesterday at Sweet Peas, I picked up a flyer with info about the Sun River Farms CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The deal is, you pay $250 up front (that gets you a 1/2 share, which feeds 2), and you get a box of sustainably-grown local produce every Wednesday from mid-June to late October. Sign me up!

If you're a Loganite wanting more info, there are flyers at Sweet Peas, or you can contact Sun River Farms at (435)787-1182 or sunriverfarm@yahoo.com.

An addendum: If you are a non-Loganite and are thinking to yourself, "Gee, I wish I had that around here," you are probably in luck! Go to www.localharvest.org and type in your ZIP code. You can click on the "CSA" button to make it only search for CSAs in your area. How cool is that?

Pupuseria El Salvador

2008-04-01T11:01:00.004-06:00

It's a truth I learned at an early age: The best kind of restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall type joint. When the decor is sparse but the place is clean and crowded, you can bet it's going to be a good meal.
Such was the case on Saturday night at Pupuseria El Salvador, where R and I dove into our first pupusa experience with great gusto. It was 8:30 at night, but the place was still doing lively business with the local Hispanic population. Pupusas are kind of like little fried pancakes with fillings inside, about the size of a teacup saucer. And at $1.50 a pop, we went ahead and tried pupusas with pork, cheese, bean, and green flower fillings. All of them were delicious, but the bean and cheese were definitely the best.

Logan's Pupuseria El Salvador is sort of out of the way and really easy to miss (there's another one in Providence, by the way) -- but Loganites, if you have the chance, I highly recommend it.

WOOPITY WOOP!!

2008-04-01T10:58:00.002-06:00

One of the benefits of living in a high-density population area is that wireless networks abound. Since we don't have the Internet at home, it's a pretty big deal that I just discovered a wireless network in our bedroom. Now why didn't I think of this before?

Martha Delivers

2008-03-29T18:45:00.005-06:00

There's nothing to cure a case of crafter's block like a visit to Martha. Methinks we are going to have an incoming herd of cloth critters around here in the near future: felted finger puppets, rag dolls, and glove bunnies, oh my!

My inspiration today has been such that I made a new list of links (see right): my flock of projects to-be.

Since reading about how much corn is in our diets, corn has found its way into much of me & R's conversations...e.g., "Would you like some chocolate-flavored corn on your ice cream?" Or, in reference to root beer, "Just drinkin' my corn." Ah, corn.

The update on The Omnivore's Dilemma: The organic food industry isn't everything it's cracked up to be. It does a lot of good -- namely, it reduces the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, etc. But as organic produce companies grow bigger, they're using just as much oil and energy as conventional produce companies. Big organic companies are also more apt to turn to monoculture (i.e. growing just one crop), which is, let's say, less than ideal for the environment.

The ideal, then? Local food, baby. (One more month until the Gardener's Market starts up again -- I'm counting down!)

Blockin' It

2008-03-25T15:50:00.004-06:00

There's Corn in my Cool Whip

2008-03-25T15:14:00.005-06:00

This Valentine’s Day, R called all the flower shops in town – only to discover, to his horror, that they were all maxed out and couldn’t take his order. Having already purchased the requisite box of Bluebird chocolates for his beloved (that’s me), he turned to the next best thing: Borders.

And so it was that on Valentine's Day, I received a box of Bluebird chocolates and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Pollan’s objective is to examine the food we eat in America – and to answer the question the omnivore’s dilemma poses: What should we have for dinner? And according to Pollan, that’s a loaded question.

I’m about to finish Part One: Industrial Corn. Apparently, the modern food industry is (nearly) nothing BUT corn, which leads, in surprising ways, to excess oil dependence, horrendous pollution, and health problems (like our so-called epidemics of obesity and Type II Diabetes).
Still to come: examinations of the organic food industry, as well as of foods we hunt/gather/grow ourselves.

This book may be the most renewably romantic Valentine’s Day present I’ve ever received, as it continually leads to late-night pillow talk about the food industry. Talk about the gift that keeps on giving.