Happy Year of the Snake

Happy New Year!  Here's our baby's first lucky pocket money!  Thanks Auntie Vicky!  Gong Hay Fat Choy!!!

We can't wait to meet our little boy but right now, we can only speculate what his personality is going to be and whether he'll look more like mommy or daddy... but it's always fun to read his Chinese zodiac horoscope:

People born in the Year of the Snake are reputed to be thoughtful and wise and to approach problems rationally and logically, seldom instinctively. Such people are complex beings, they are clever and men of few words from their birth. Their business is always going well, but they are stingy very often. They are sometimes egoistic and conceited. However they can be very active in their friends’ life. They are often too active, not believing other people and relying only on themselves. Snakes are also very insightful and naturally intuitive. If anyone has a sixth sense, it's those born in the Snake year. This is partly what makes them so mysterious.

Snakes come in all varieties of colors and patterns. And maybe that's why people born in the Snake year love to appreciate beauty. People with the Chinese zodiac snake sign are very stylish, fashionable and have exceptional taste.

The 2013 year of Snake is Water Snake, Water Snakes are lucky with finances, they always seem to have money flowing their way. They are adventurous spirits and love to take risks. They are also very intelligent and often a wellspring of creative ideas. Water Snakes love to socialize and meet new friends. They are proud of their achievements, and also very thoughtful and considerate of others.

Whatever his personality, we will love him with all our hearts.  And we wish you and your family a wonderful new year!

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon (& Michael's birthday)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We are so grateful for good food, good friends, and wonderful (and growing) family.  Today we're going to our friend's annual Thanksgiving potluck and we were tasked to bring "a green side dish that did not include peas."  Thanks to Food & Wine, this is what we're bringing and it is as delicious as it sounds!

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise
6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice (6 ounces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
20 vacuum-packed peeled whole chestnuts, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup Turkey Stock

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the brussels sprouts and cook until just tender, about 7 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the butter. When the foam subsides, add the brussels sprouts and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chestnuts and season with salt and pepper. Add the Rich Turkey Stock, simmer until heated through and serve.

NOTES: If you prefer to roast fresh chestnuts instead of using vacuum-packed ones, cut a slit in the shell of each chestnut with a serrated knife. Roast the chestnuts in a cast iron skillet in a 400° oven for 20 minutes or until tender. Peel them as soon as they are cool enough to handle. If you have difficulty peeling them, reheat them for 5 minutes to further loosen their skins.

Michael's parents came up last weekend just in time for Michael's birthday!  We had a DELICIOUS dinner at one of our favorite restaurants BlackSalt.

We also took advantage of the gorgeous late autumn weather to drive up alongside the Potomac River into Maryland among the horse farms and civil war sites.

And last but not least, we had a beautiful hike through Rock Creek Park in DC to see the last of the autumn leaves.

So much to be thankful for...

3rd Annual Garden Party & Bonfire

It's that time again!!! Let us know if you can join us!

Sorry I've been slow on posting lately.  This summer is just flying by!

M+M On The Web



Hello!  Sorry our posts have been a little sporadic lately.  Between having friends in town, "cramming" for our trip to Istanbul this month, and keeping up our social lives... our M+M Blog has been neglected lately.

Fortunately, we're supplementing this blog with a few other online tools to keep our interests organized and to share them with you (if you're at all interested).

First stop: Flavors.me
This compiles posts from this blog, my linked in profile, our Instagram photo feed, my goodreads profile, and our Picassa photo album (which I really need to update since our photo albums on me.com have gone the way of the Dodo bird.)

Next stop: Pinterest
Beware: Pinterest is addicting!  It doesn't look like much at first, but then you get the hang of it and then you download the app on your phone... and now there's no turning back.

Last stop: Tumblr

We're trying to post a photo a day (it's turning out to be more like 5ish photos per week) to make it like a photo diary, but Tumblr is also a great tool to organize links!  We re-post links on museum exhibits we're interested in going to, links to articles and blogs in Istanbul, and random stuff we find on our Tumblr dashboard that strikes our fancy.

We will continue to post our favorite recipes and personal updates on this blog for our friends and family, but we just wanted to let you know where else you can find us on the web.

Spring in DC with M-C + Pat

Our long weekend with Ming-Cee and Patrick was too short, a little exhausting and absolutely WONDERFUL!  It's been about five years since they've come visit but we hope it won't be another five years until they come again.

As you can see, we just had the most perfect weather this weekend!  The tulips and cherry blossoms were in bloom in the Bishop's Garden at the National Cathedral...

The sun was shining at the National Arboretum...

The fish were smiling at the Arboretum too...

And most importantly, we were all smiling at the Arboretum...

Then Ming-Cee and Patrick struck a pose with the Chinese panda near the Spanish steps...

And of course we couldn't let them go without seeing the Library of Congress...

Cherry Blossoms hit their peak this weekend... two weeks ahead of schedule...

And lastly, it's a crime to walk around the tidal basin without stopping by the frequently-missed FDR memorial.

Ming-Cee and Patrick are also frequently missed by us!  Can't wait until we see them again soon.

How to Buy a Present for an Architect

Michael's boss just sent me this link and I thought it was hilarious... and eerily true in most cases!  I hope all of you that have had the pleasure of purchasing a gift for Michael will find this as amusing as I did.

Asheville

Michael and I frequently discuss how lucky we are to go "home" to two of the most beautiful places in the country: Northern California and Western North Carolina.

It's a North Carolina Christmas this year and, coincidentally, I just read two things today that reminded me of where we'll be spending the holidays... in the mountains, cozied up by the fire, and spending time with friends and family.

I just saw on Facebook that Good Morning America selected Asheville as one of its most beautiful place in America (in addition to Point Reyes).

Then I opened up my email and American Life in Poetry featured a beautiful poem about the Blue Ridge (even though she refers to the Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge, the imagery she describes reminds me of NC).

American Life in Poetry: Column 351
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE, 2004-2006

In many of those Japanese paintings with Mt. Fuji in the background, we find tiny figures moving along under the immensity of the landscape. Here’s an American version of a scene like that, by Stanley Plumly of Maryland, one of our country’s most accomplished poets.

Off A Side Road Near Staunton

Some nothing afternoon, no one anywhere,
an early autumn stillness in the air,
the kind of empty day you fill by taking in
the full size of the valley and its layers leading
slowly to the Blue Ridge, the quality of country,
if you stand here long enough, you could stay
for, step into, the way a landscape, even on a wall,
pulls you in, one field at a time, pasture and fall
meadow, high above the harvest, perfect
to the tree line, then spirit clouds and intermittent
sunlit smoky rain riding the tops of the mountains,
though you could walk until it’s dark and not reach those rains—
you could walk the rest of the day into the picture
and not know why, at any given moment, you’re there.

Holiday Cards!

We just ordered our holiday cards EARLY this year from tinyprints (above is the back of our card... you'll have to be surprised by the front and inside of the card when you get it in the mail, of course). 

We've been extremely happy with tinyprints the last 2 years but after seeing this review of minted on joyus, I may be considering another stationary company next year.  I just LOVE these return address labels!

If you can't tell, I'm already looking forward to the holiday season!