December 2011
30 posts
5 tags
Holiday Greens
We’re back! We’ve actually been back for the better part of the week, but seeing as the landlord took the week off, I did too. We ambled, shopped, ate, drank, ate and drank some more, ate and drank even more… you get the picture. It was a fab week off (and a wonderful visit at home with the fam) and I’m feeling rather refreshed and looking forward to getting back...
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Aztec Slippers
I snagged these for my mother and grandmother. For two women with chronic “popsicle toes,” these were the perfect gift. Bright, cheerful, and lined with the softest fleece. I couldn’t resist.
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Churches and Cathedrals
I randomly came across Churches and Cathedrals and was instantly drawn to it. It’s a big coffee table book, loaded with pictures of churches and cathedrals across the world. It discusses different periods and styles of architecture, and shows both aerial views as well as close-ups of detailing. It’s beautifully executed.
My sister immediately came to mind. She loves Jesus...
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Merry Merry
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Jewish Apple (Cake) Bread
One of our friends throws an annual holiday party with a Jewish theme. Last year was Jewasia. This year was Jewspaña. The idea is to bring food that involves both Jewish and Spanish/Latin American cuisines. For example, there were jalapeño latkes and brisket tacos. It fosters creativity and is a ton of fun.
Many people (like us) bring something that is representative of one cuisine, ...
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'Tis the Season to Be Toasty
Hi my name is Taco and I wasted no time diving headfirst into this fleece-lined sweater vest. Meee-yow!
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Rosemary Sage Garlic Salt
The landlord’s mother gave us a Cuisinart for Chrismukkah. So naturally I’ve been running around shrieking “WAHOO!” ever since.
I christened the Cuisinart on Friday with a batch of Christine’s magic salt. I don’t usually give my aunts and uncles presents, but I was drawn to the salt. It’s easy (and affordable) to make and is a practical gift — ...
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Holly Jolly
Cue silence, because I’m not one for Christmas music.
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Vindication
Yesterday I got a call from a prospective employer out of the blue. The highlight of our conversation went as follows:
Prospective Employer: How long did you work at [enter company name here]? Me: Thirteen months. Prospective Employer: Who did you report to? Me: [Enter boss name here], the Chief Executive Officer. [Enter long pause in which I check to be sure we weren’t disconnected.]...
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Kongjaban (Korean Sweet Black Beans)
Kongjaban is one of the many banchan, or small plates, put in front of you at a Korean restaurant before your meal. I remarked on the multitude and tastiness of banchan several times during my travels, although I didn’t yet know its proper name. Similar to bread at an American restaurant, banchan doesn’t need to be ordered and can be refilled many times at no expense to the...
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Preemptive Detox
Romaine, carrots, cherry tomatoes, purple cabbage, hemp seeds, and shaved raw gouda tossed with Meyer lemon olive oil and champagne vinegar. My attempt at combating the one too many drinks I’ll likely have at a friend’s birthday bash this evening. I hope my body remembers this tomorrow morning.
Huge, crunchy, satisfying. I should have made two.
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Gift Guides 2011
I put together a couple of gift guides for FamousDC in an effort to save the world from another prepackaged perfume set or neck tie. Coming from a long line of horrendous gift-givers, I figured it was the least I could do.
Check ‘em: buying guides for special lady friends and gentleman callers.
Selbu handknit mittens via JCrew
PS — I deliberately kept the landlord’s...
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How to Win Frank's Loyalty
This is the face Frank gives the landlord to keep him in line. It says: “No I don’t love my owners equally, how could you even fathom as much? Have you SEEN the chicken breasts she cooks for us? And the scraps under the dinner table? She gives me first dibs every time. I’m Meggie’s for life.”
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Simply Salmon
I made salmon for dinner the other night. First I fried some capers and then seared the salmon in the briny goodness. It may have been the best piece of fish I’ve ever made.
Dinner in minutes, and beyond delicious. Something tells me we may be having salmon for dinner again tonight.
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Ode to Our Love Fern
I bought the landlord a basil plant last summer. It was thick and bushy and added a pop of color and a bit of life to the apartment, in addition to smelling fresh and delicious. Potted herbs do every kitchen a world of good.
In the eighteen months since, it’s been whittled away to not much more than a few sparse twigs with leaves clinging on for dear life. Mostly this is due to use,...
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Pardon the Interruption
I’ve been cooking and writing up a storm for two projects I’m currently working on. (Please forgive the ambiguity; details in due course.) Which means this here blog has taken a back seat the past few days. I will amend as much tomorrow. Promise.
In the meantime, it’s time for some damn shuteye.
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Monday Zen
Starting the week off right.
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Chai Tea Lattes
I finally made homemade chai tea lattes. I’ve made chai tea lattes for years, but my pseudo-homemade version involved store-bought chai teabags. Today I officially graduated to full-blown homemade. Welcome to the big leagues, baby.
I used BGSK’s recipe as a guide, except I omitted both the sugar and the honey. I prefer soy or almond milk in my lattes (coffee and chai both), as...
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Daddy Longlegs
Frank’s wingspan is something like eight feet. You should see his slam dunk. He’s got Taco beat at hoops with one paw tied behind his back.
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Luke... Give Me a Boost, Would You?
TGIF, motherfuckers.
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New Dishes
Look who got new dishes!
That was only what, eleven months in coming? At this rate we’ll get a new couch in 2014.
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Roasted Cauliflower and Potato Soup
This soup was made out of necessity. A couple weekends ago I was working at a farmers market and was sent home with two gigantic heads of cauliflower. One is still waiting patiently in the fridge. The other immediately became soup.
I consulted a few different recipes for flavor suggestions and made mine a hybrid of all three: anything I had was added, anything I didn’t was not. It...
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Punnykins
Today is Pun’s birthday. She’s none too thrilled about it. In the spirit of ugly round numbers, she’s drinking herself silly on Islamorada with her sisters for the weekend. If there’s anyone who knows how to party, it’s my mama. “You should celebrate the highs as well as the lows in life so you’re always celebrating.” Sound advice.
While...
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Chrismukkah
Every conversation we have lately goes something like this:
Me: “What do you want for Christmas?”
Landlord: “I don’t celebrate Christmas.”
M: “You do if you want presents.”
L: ” … “
M: “Fine. Suit yourself. I’ll pick something atrocious for you then.”
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Costco Asparagus
Last weekend at Costco the landlord somehow talked me into a five-pound bag of asparagus. I drew the line at five pounds of Brussels sprouts, but asparagus didn’t seem out of line. We eat the stuff at least twice a week as it is, what’s a mere five pounds of rapidly expiring produce? Think of the savings!
Which means I had asparagus for lunch and dinner for three days in a...
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Evening Siesta
Shhhhh. Food coma in process.
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Charity Gone Awry
Yesterday as I was walking into Giant to grab a few things a boy standing near the entrance asked me if I could help him with my groceries. I immediately declined, apologized, and walked past him. It’s what I do in every situation when someone asks me for money. I’ll gladly handover leftovers or food any day, but money rubs me the wrong way. (I know there are a zillion...
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Gotcha!
This is Taco’s “oh shit” face. I caught him just as he was about to spring onto the stool. Oh yeah baby. Guess who didn’t see that coming.