How to Fold a Fitted Sheet

Definitely doing this. Thanks apartmenttherapy.com!  I wish I knew how to do this 10 years ago.

Can you tell it's been a slow day at work?

The Office Holiday Party

I subscribe to American Life in Poetry where former Poet Laureate Ted Koozer sends out emails featuring poets from around the country (and occasionally from around the world).  This isn't Shakespeare or Thoreau.  Koozer selects poems that capture everyday, simple emotions in short, little stanzas.

I thought I'd share today's poem because sometimes I feel like the annual holiday office party is a strange beast.  There's usually decorations, games, music, dancing, drinking... all the elements of a great party... but then you're forced to hang out with a bunch of co-workers that you would never hang out with outside of work.  I never really thought much about it before, but this can bring up some insecurities... as presented in this installment of American Life in Poetry:

At any given moment, there must be 100,000 of us trying to fit in, and finding it next to impossible. Here’s a wonderful portrayal of that difficulty, by Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz, who lives in Astoria, New York.
At the Office Holiday Party

I can now confirm that I am not just fatter
than everyone I work with, but I’m also fatter
than all their spouses. Even the heavily bearded
bear in accounting has a little otter-like boyfriend.

When my co-workers brightly introduce me
as “the funny one in the office,” their spouses
give them a look which translates to, Well, duh,
then they both wait for me to say something funny.

A gaggle of models comes shrieking into the bar
to further punctuate why I sometimes hate living
in this city. They glitter, a shiny gang of scissors.
I don’t know how to look like I’m not struggling.

Sometimes on the subway back to Queens,
I can tell who’s staying on past the Lexington stop
because I have bought their shoes before at Payless.
They are shoes that fool absolutely no one.

Everyone wore their special holiday party outfits.
It wasn’t until I arrived at the bar that I realized
my special holiday party outfit was exactly the same
as the outfits worn by the restaurant’s busboys.

While I’m standing in line for the bathroom,
another patron asks if I’m there to clean it.

Strawberry and Rosemary Scones

My co-worker Liana made these scones a few months ago and I wasn't sure if I would like them.  Well, I was wrong.  Strawberry and Rosemary compliment each other surprisingly well!  They are really good and perfect to serve at brunch (or a BYOCraft party).

Instead of a heart cookie cutter, I just used a biscuit cutter because that's all I had.  It worked fine but it would be fun to get cute cookie cutters and try this recipe again.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup strawberry jam

Glaze:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
2 cups powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons water
Special equipment: a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter

DIRECTIONS
For the scones: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor (see below for hand-mixing instructions), pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, salt, and butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/2-inch thick, 10-inch circle. Using a 3-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out heart-shaped pieces of dough and put on the prepared baking sheet. Gently knead together any leftover pieces of dough and roll out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut the dough into more heart shapes and add to the baking sheet. Using an index finger or a small, round measuring spoon, gently make an indentation in the center of each pastry heart. Spoon a heaped 1/2 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer the cooked scones onto a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes.

For the glaze: In a medium bowl, mix together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. Gradually add the water until the mixture is thin enough to spread. Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the scones. Let the glaze set for about 30 minutes. Serve or store in an airtight plastic container for 2 days.

Cook's Note: The dough can also be made by hand by stirring together the flour, sugar, baking powder, rosemary, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Gradually stir in the cream until the mixture forms a dough.

Easy Sausage and Egg Casserole

This has been my go-to recipe for while now.  I'm looking at my stained printout from epicurious.com dated 2/12/2004 and think of all the brunches where I've served this casserole.  And it was (again) a hit at my BYOCraft party today.

You can make the meat portion of this recipe the night before so it's great for parties because you just stir up the egg mixture an hour before everyone comes over, pour it in the casserole dish, and throw it in the oven.  That easy!  It's a pretty heavy dish so leftovers can be eaten for dinner with a green salad and it's still super delicious.

INGREDIENTS
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

5 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 cup half and half
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sauté sausage in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of fork into small pieces, about 10 minutes. Add shallots and garlic and sauté 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons parsley; stir 1 minute. Spread sausage mixture in prepared dish. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Whisk eggs, egg yolks, half and half, whipping cream, 1 1/2 cups cheese, and salt in large bowl to blend well. Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture in dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley over. Bake until top of casserole is golden brown and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

London and Paris Photos

Our photos from London and Paris are finally posted on our website here.

Thanks for your patience... I told you it would be a productive weekend!

Make Your Own Pie Crust!

This year we brought two of pumpkin pies to Thanksgiving!  We used my daddy's award-winning variation to the classic Libby's pumpkin pie recipe AND I decided to make my own pie dough this year too!  It's so easy!  Make the dough up to a week ahead of time, keep it in the fridge, and then just roll it out right before you mix up your filling.  It turned out so good!  I will never buy frozen pie crust again!

Recipe and pie crust tutorial found on smittenkitchen.com.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 pie crusts)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces, 16 tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold

DIRECTIONS
Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside.

In a large bowl — I like to use a very wide one, so I can get my hands in — whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt.

Dice two sticks (8 ounces or 1 cup) of very cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch pieces. Get out your pastry blender.

Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and begin working them in with the pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly. When all of the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas — this won’t take long — stop.

Start by drizzling 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes, if there are any left!) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You’ll probably need an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there Gather the disparate damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.

Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

DADDY'S PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE (makes 2 pies)

Basically, just take the recipe on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin can and zest a medium sized orange into the batter.  I don't think this is actually a secret recipe, but it's delicious.

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 (29 oz.) can Libby's solid pack pumpkin
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
2 (13 oz.) cans evaporated milk or 3 1/4 c. half and half
2 (9") unbaked homemade pie shells with high fluted edge

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine filling ingredients in order given; divide evenly into pie shells. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45 minutes or until knife inserted near center of each pie comes out clean. Cool and serve with freshly whipped cream.   mmmm....

Maple-Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans

This year, we stayed in DC for Thanksgiving.  Elizabeth invited us to her friends Lolly and Jay's home out in Vienna, Virginia.  There were 16 guests (8 per table) and we brought pumpkin pie and maple-ginger roasted vegetables with pecans.  Both were a big hit and we found a great new recipe in Food & Wine!

As always, we're very thankful for good friends and good food.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups pecans
4 medium carrots (3/4 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
2 large parsnips (1 pound), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick on the bias
1 medium head cauliflower (2 1/2 pounds), cut into 1-inch florets
1 small butternut squash (2 pounds)—peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup pure maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 425°. Spread the pecans in a pie plate and toast until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots, parsnips, cauliflower, squash and brussels sprouts with the olive oil and nutmeg and season generously with salt and black pepper. Spread the vegetables on 2 large rimmed baking sheets and roast for 30 minutes, until the vegetables begin to brown.

Scatter the pecans and ginger over the vegetables and drizzle with the maple syrup; toss well. Continue to roast the vegetables for 25 minutes longer, until they are tender and golden. Scrape the vegetables into a bowl and serve hot or at room temperature.

To make in advance: The roasted vegetables can be kept at room temperature for up to two hours before serving.

Definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Our Souvenirs

The last couple weeks have been super busy so I'm sorry for not updating the blog for a bit.  And although I had to work today, I am thankful that I have this Thanksgiving weekend to catch up with stuff!

Most of you know that Michael and I did not purchase formal china for our place settings.  We decided to collect place settings from our vacations so each of our guests could share a little memory and a little story at our dinner parties!

This place setting was purchased at Astier de Villatte.

Astier de Villatte ceramics are entirely handmade in Paris, France. Made of black terracotta clay, the pieces are extremely durable yet surprisingly light to the touch making them perfect for everyday use. The namesake tableware collection is inspired by 18th and 19th century designs and is glazed to create a milky white finish.

We LOVE it.  But unfortunately for us, we apparently have expensive taste and were not happy with any of the other place settings we saw at other stores in Paris.  Isn't it so unique and refined?  So pretty!  Can't wait to put it to use.

Ok, enough about the place setting.  We also got something much more practical for everyday use: Peugeot salt and pepper mills!  Rue de Rennes has fabulous little boutiques and we got a great deal on this salt and pepper mills.  Michael put them to use as soon as we got home!

And last but not least, we brought home a tub of Edmond Fallot mustard.  That's right... a TUB!  Mmmm... that's delicious mustard.  It's really THAT good... cross my heart.

So you've probably figured out by now that this will not be our last trip to Paris.  Can't wait to go back!

Incredible Last Meal for our Last Night in Paris

We just got home from the most amazing dinner of our trip.  Le Reminet is a cozy little restaurant around the corner from our flat.  We had the chef's tasting menu and it was totally worth every penny.  Two starters, two main courses, cheese course, and then dessert.  They even comped us a couple glasses of delicious champagne and I finished it all with a "day-cah" espresso.  And the ambiance - perfect.  We were even one of two couples left in the place and attempted to have a meaningful conversation (us with our broken French and them with thier broken English) and they were having us try their special plum wine or brandy (or something) from the southwest of France.  It was wonderful.  We really cannot wait to come visit Paris again and come back to Le Reminet.

And here are our other recommendations if you ever get the pleasure to visit The City of Lights:
Laduree - The famous macaroons are not overly hyped and well worth the wait (in the rain for us).  Just try not to eat them all before you get back to the hotel.
Jean Charles Rochoux - Do you LOVE chocolate the way Michael LOVES chocolate?  If so, this is the place for you.  They not only sculpt amazing chocolate, it's also amazing to eat.  It is expensive though... we got a few gifts for friends/family but also bought a "fresh" chocolate bar that had fresh pineapple in it that HAD to be eaten within two days (twist our arm a little, huh?) and yes, it was as delicous as it sounds.  Didn't even take us an entire day to finish it.
Astier de Villate - Expensive and beautiful china along with some other stuff.  We spent WAY too much money on a place setting here for our collection, but that's the price for one-of-a-kind.  Plus, it's right next to the Louvre so you have no excuse but to check it out.
G. Detou - Mustard.  Buy the most delicious Edmond Fallot brand mustard (for a reasonable price) and smuggle it home.  We're bringing a 2 pound tub home.  It's that good.
Rue de Rennes - good boutique shopping without the hassle of the Champs de Elysee or Les Halles.  In the neighborhood of Jean Charles Rochoux too but lots of cute home good boutiques, tea shops, and other chocolatiers without a huge mark-up.  We picked up a nice set of Peugeot salt and pepper grinders at a shop on this street at least 15 euros less (each!) than previously spotted.

That's it for now.  We need to get packed and back to London in the morning.  We'll be staying at the Landmark for the night before heading back to DC.  Hope it's all that it's cracked up to be!

Gavottes

Michael went to the market yesterday and made salmon, mushrooms in wine sauce, and sauteed green beans with lemon zest.  Sounds delicious, right?  So what did I contribute?  Dessert.

Gavottes Crepe Chocolat Lait.  In a box.  From the supermarket.  And they are SO YUMMY!!!!  We're bringing back a few boxes of these and I hope we don't eat them all on the plane ride home.

And just for the record, Michael's dinner was even MORE delicous than I described... but wait until you try these cookies!  mmmmmm....

Parisian Mystery Wine & Cheese

We're having a huge issue in Paris... drinking cheap, delicious wine and eating expensive, delicious cheese with no way of buying it at home!

Michael picked up a couple bottles for dinner last night at our neighborhood wine store around the corner and I fell in love with this Horeau-Beylot & Co. Bordeaux 2008 (Appellation Bordeaux Controlee - whatever that means) that I cannot find anywhere on the web!  I don't even like Bordeauxs usually... but love this 4 euro bottle.

We also picked up some cheeses at the cheese stall (right next to the wine store and the yummy boulangerie) and will probably never have that authentic gruyere cheese or that leaf-wrapped ooey, gooey mystery cheese again!

The only thing that I am not a fan of is the tea.  Paris is most definitely a coffee town and I do miss the delicous black tea in London.

Touristy Highlights:

Yesterday we did Notre Dame, Point Neuf, Sainte Chapelle (which was closed for renovations), and most of the stuff within walking distance of our flat.

Today we did Montmartre (and even walked up to the top of the dome... amazing), Eiffel Tower, Esplanade des Invilades, Musée du Quai Branly and a bunch of little things along the way.

Tomorrow we'll be spending a rainy day the Louvre or some other museum... we haven't decided yet.  Our vacation is turning out pretty random depending on the weather but it's still been great so far!

Bonsoir!

Brasserie Balzar

We arrived a few hours ago in Paris and checked into our super fabulous and authentic flat and decided to venture out and grab something to eat.  Brasserie Balzar was in our Eating & Drinking in Paris guide and seemed to be bussling with locals so we decided to check it out.  Here's the run down:

Wine: Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes Hermitage “Les Jalets” (Michael picked the perfect wine for our meal - we love their Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45 in the states, but hadn't yet tried their Crozes Hermitage. Glad we did tonight... Yum!)
Appetizer: Escargot - Très bien!
Main course: Michael had steak and fries; I had roast chicken.  Both were good, but very expensive and on par with our favorite french restaurants in DC.
Dessert: Some sort of éclaire-like dessert with delicious chocolate sauce and I had a decaf espresso (oh, so good!)
Notes: Mustard!  We must find some of this french mustard to bring home... it's the most delicious mustard we've had to date!  Also notable was the cost.  It didn't look very upscale but cost us close to €100.  Yikes.  We'll be hitting the market tomorrow and scaling back on the food costs!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

You have to be living in a cave if you haven't heard of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series.  I heard so many great things about the books and I needed a few more things to throw into my Amazon.com order to get free shipping so... I bought the first two in the series sometime last summer.  They sat on our bookshelf for a few months and then Michael picked up The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

He could not put it down.  Loved it.

Then he started reading the The Girl That Played with Fire and couldn't put it down.  Loved it too.

He's saving The Girl That Kicked the Hornet's Nest for the flight to and from London... but I'm sure he'll love that one too.

I, on the other hand, have mixed feelings about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I'm probably not going to read the next two books.  I don't know... it's not that it was bad.  It was a very enjoyable book, even though it was slow setting up the series during the first 200 pages, but I literally could not put it down the remaining 400 pages.  Read two thirds of the book in 2 days!  But, the subject matter is disturbing and I don't think I'm a fan of uncomfortable subjects like sexual deviancy.  I mean, it wasn't THAT bad but it was a little uncomfortable and because of that... I'm giving the book at 7 out of 10.

I'm sure Michael would give it higher marks though and I am VERY happy that he likes the books so my purchase did not go to waste!

Au revoir!  Our next post will probably be from Paris!!!

Wine Glasses

Just read this post in Apartment Therapy on the best wine glasses of 2010 and thought it was worth a post.  Our friends Roger and Martha work at the Australian Embassy and get AMAZING deals on wine and wine glasses.  They got us 12 fabulous Reidel red wine glasses last year for our wedding and it's been a pleasure sipping from them.  Unfortunately, we only had three champagne glasses and desperately needed a new set since sipping champagne from a red wine glass is like drinking malt liquor from a brown paper bag!

The embassy got a Reidel shipment in a few weeks ago and so Roger picked us up a case of champagne flutes (Ouverture, I think) AND a case of white whine glasses too!  How proper are we?!?!  Now, we're not sure where to actually store all these wine glasses but we'll work those details out after we get back from Europe.  I'm just excited that we have the proper wine glasses for our dinner parties... I feel so grown up!

Cheers!

Raspberry Deliciousness

One of the things that I'm going to miss about summer dinner parties is Raspberry Lambic.  It's technically a beer, but it's sweet and bubbley and so delicious.  So refreshing during the hot, sticky summer.

Although, I am enjoying this cool, crisp autumn weather we're FINALLY getting.  Feels like Halloween!

The Little Tercel That Could

This weekend, my car hit 100,000 miles and she's still going strong.

It was Easter weekend 1997 when my parents bought my cute, 2-door, silver Toyota Tercel.  It was a last-minute purchase to replace the beige/brown, hand-me-down 1984 Toyota Corolla, which was parked in front of our house and totalled by a drunk driver who had his license suspended (prior DUI), a concealed weapon in his car, and no car insurance (of course).  Fortunately, no one was hurt and I got a new car!

Since high school, me and my little Tercel have lived in 3 states and the District of Columbia; we've driven cross country with daddy from Moraga to Chapel Hill; and shared so many memories together.

She's not fancy and a little rough around the edges.  She doesn't have power locks, windows, or ANYTHING actually; she doesn't have cruise control; she accelerates best when you turn off the A/C button; she's missing a front right hubcap; and I have to replace the bulb in the back middle brake light... but it's what's on the inside that makes her so special to me.

She's the little engine that could... and I hope to be blogging when she makes it to her 200,000 mile marker... I think she can, I think she can, I think she can...

Romaine Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing

If you're bored of caesar salad, here's a delicious alternative from Food & Wine (of course)!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise with the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Plate the lettuce, drizzle the dressing over, then sprinkle the cheese on top. Enjoy!

First Day of My Fourth Decade

The day is finally here.  I'm 30.

We're just about to head over to dinner at Nora's and I'm sporting my beautiful new earrings Michael got me.  He has such good taste - I'm a lucky girl.

Overall, today has been a wonderful and low-key birthday.  Let's hope that sets the tone for the beginning of my fourth decade.

Chopped!

It's official!  I have short hair!  Here's a comparison. 

Before (April 2010):

After (October 2010):



Pretty drastic but I love it!  And thank goodness Michael loves it too!  I'm calling it my 30-year-old hair style.  I think it makes me look at tad more sophisticated (aka "older"). 

So are you wondering what I did with the 10+ inches of hair I chopped off?  Donated it, of course!  Locks of Love makes wigs for kids that have lost hair because of medical issues (i.e. cancer) and can't afford hairpieces. 

It's an awesome new hair style and helps sick kids feel a little happier... what's not to like about that?

We'll Need A Bigger Suitcase

One of our favorite things about traveling is bringing back food and drinks that we can't find here in the States!  Thanks to my friend that just forwarded me David Lebovitz's blog, thus rendering me horribly unproductive at work today, I just found my shopping list!

Mustard
Salt
Jams
Salted Butter
Lentils
Kitchen Gadgets (Michael's all over that one!)
Speculoos Cream (sounds delicious!)
Valrhona Cocoa Powder
Hazelnut Prailine Paste
Oui, s'il vous plait!!!

The only thing that we probably don't need to get from his top ten list is Biogaze since we already keep a jar of Bao Fu Ling from China in the kitchen (and Lord knows it's come in handy!)