lickity list

Review: Home Wine Kitchen . STL

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Home Kitchen and Wine Bar sits in the middle of St. Louis' up-and-coming dining neighborhood of Maplewood. This area is quickly becoming our restaurant go-to and Home Kitchen and Wine Bar is no exception.

Ambiance
The name "Home" feels right for this place, as tightly packed tables line a wood plank wall across from a bar that occupies the other wall. Chalked wine menus adorn the walls above the bar, but not in a cluttered fashion, making the place dark and cozy. If you eat here, chances are you are rubbin' elbows with your dining brethren at the tables flanking you. While they do have high chairs, my husband and I made the mistake of waltzing in (stumbled in, really) one weekend lunchtime and bringing our shrieking, butcher-paper-grabbing baby. The staff was friendly, but I am not sure this home is big enough for the diners it draws and our loud munchkin. We ate quickly and got out of Dodge. Lucky for me, I went another time with a few friends for a leisurely, adult lunch and it was heaven. The rest of this review is based on the heavenly trip as I am not sure what I inhaled the first time around.

Service
The place is small and doesn't require a lot of staff. I counted one server and the co-owner, which probably makes sense, but with our server running ragged over the lunch hour we had to request drinks a few times (simple drinks like tea and tonic water). She was upfront and friendly about being forgetful - perhaps the popularity warrants more servers to take the burden off?

Food
Two words: The burger. A few words more: The bacon, egg and CHEESEburger (with garlic aioli, bestill my heart!) that has graced the cover of a local food magazine. I say this after mooching a single bite off a lunch companion that won the 'best dining selection' for the day, maybe even for the week, month or year. Good thing it was her birthday lunch or I would have smacked it out of her hand and stuffed it in my mouth. I was so effusive in my immediate review of the single bite that she asked me if I was going to have a "When Harry Met Sally" moment. Yeah, that good.

Other selections at the table were the pain perdue salade and pork sugo. The pain perdue salade was an argula salad, laced with a ribbon of prosciutto, piled on top of Parmesan toast and topped with a fried egg (see picture for details). Seemingly the healthy choice at the table (don't judge). I ordered the pork sugo based purely off the sound of name and that it included pasta. Seriously, braised pork belly and pasta? A generous portion of pork and papparedelle were intertwined with a red wine sauce, ricotta cheese and lightly cooked tomatoes. Short of licking our plates, we all joined the clean-plate club.For dessert we opted to split the chocolate brownie with marshmallow and toffee (dessert one) and the crustless buttermilk pie (dessert two). The savory dishes set a high standard that the dessert didn't totally measure up to. Perhaps we were just too full?

Notes
Buzz online says 'No Menu Mondays' is the way to go for the adventurous foodie. This foodie also really liked ordering off the menu on a Saturday, but next time I am going all out for the burger...or wait for someone else to order it and smack it out of their hand.

Review: Cafe Osage (and Bowood Farms) . STL

2012-02-07T22:29:00.000-06:00

Bowood Farms, located in St. Louis' Central West End neighborhood, is one of my favorite nurseries. I walk in the doors of the old brick building that was once a auto warehouse -- take in the plants, seeds and sundries on offer -- and breathe in inspiration. Just take a look at the pictures and tell me you don't zen out. And this place isn't just a summer draw - they brilliantly have seasonal items year round (terrarium plants in the bitter months of winter) and host weekend talks from all kinds of experts to rev up the home gardener. All this poring over products and contemplating garden design can take it out of a girl; fortunately, Cafe Osage is there to provide much needed delicious sustenance.

Ambiance
Unique architecture, massive windows and greenery everywhere...awesome (read that in a high-pitched vibrato, please). The cafe is in a different room from the main floor and the outside gardens and has a nice, cozy vibe. On warmer days the cafe sprawls into the outside courtyard and a green rooftop grows herbs for the cafe (this is periodically open for tours, though I have yet to take a tour).

Service
I can say I've ever had a bad experience with the staff of Cafe Osage. They are friendly, informative and make the beverage rounds in a timely manner.

Food
The totally yummy seasonal and local breakfast and lunch menus haven't failed me. They tout vegetables grown right across the street and bison meat from their farm just outside of St. Louis. For our latest trip Daniel and I ordered the two daily specials (him: potato and egg skillet with loads of cheese, sun dried tomatoes, bacon and topped with micro greens with toast and housemade jam, me: salmon flatbread with herbed cream cheese, onion and capers) and we split an order of berries with lemon curd yogurt that was tasty and surprisingly large.

If I had to have a complaint, it would be that I spend a lot of money at this place. I *do* need those seeds and plants and pots and soil amendments...and looking at all this tasty food has made me hungry.

*Linked list: Ways to Waste Time . #3

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-06:00

Just a few videos, articles and blogs I've come across that will help waste your time. No need to thank me.

[+] Iconic black and white photos recolored . (Mark Twain, above)
[+] What really happens at night in a bookstore.
[+] Rapper/actor Ice Cube waxes poetic about architecture. [via]
[+] Citrus salt looks like something I need to make.
[+] Liquid bricks.
[+] Awkward Family Photos - an oldie, but a goodie. Prepare to spend the next few hours alternating between cracking up and shouting "what?!" at your computer screen.

Recipe for success: Raspberry Frozen Yogurt (à la Pinkberry)

2012-01-18T15:30:00.000-06:00

Odd how my ice cream maker didn't see much action this summer, but now the temps are hovering around freezing I get the urge to churn out frozen treats. This hankering for some frozen yogurt was somewhat specific: I wanted Pinkberry's raspberry frozen yogurt. As I saw it, I had two options: 1) drive 260 miles to the nearest location or 2) make my own. Obviously I chose the latter. A brief online search yielded a good base recipe and I modified it just a touch.

Assemble the ingredients:
• Frozen or fresh raspberries (I used a frozen 12 oz. bag)
• 1/2 cup, plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
• ~4 cups 2% Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup half and half
Put the raspberries in a pot with 3 tablespoons sugar and heat up. Mash and cook the raspberries until you have a nice liquid.
While that's stewing, combine your yogurt, milk, 1/2 cup sugar and half and half.
Take your raspberries off the heat and strain into the Greek yogurt mixture.
Chill the mixture in the fridge.
Place the chilled mixture in an ice cream maker and spin until desired consistency. Freeze until served.

Note: Best served shortly after churning. If you plan on serving it on a different day, be sure to soften before serving - the large amount of liquids causes this yogurt to freeze pretty solid.

*Linked list: Ways to Waste Time . #2

2012-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Just a few videos, articles and blogs I've come across that will help waste your time. No need to thank me.

[+] How to levitate.
[+] Speed painting by a street artist...mesmerizing.
[+] A real page turner.
[+] So true. Sad, but true. Ugh...sad and cliche, but true.
[+] I totally don't get this.
[+] These photos are beautiful. [via]
[+] Fast food ads vs. the real deal. Hilariously depicted in photographs, until you realize it is all true. [via]
[+] Looking into the past.

Photo.journalist: Snow Way!

2012-01-12T20:19:00.000-06:00

Our first snowfall was just after Christmas and the snow was gone by 8:30 AM. Indio and I really hustled that morning and got out in the snow (or was it just fluffy water?) for the 5 minutes it lasted...

With 50 degree weather for most of this fall and winter, I totally forgot that we still had a few months of winter to survive. Which means I was daydreaming of spring and what plants I was going to get in the ground when it warms up for good. I think I even muttered "I can't wait for Spring" to no one in particular. And when you think and say things like that, its bound to get cold. Really cold, windy and inclement. Which is how I would describe today. So, our second snowfall* is in the books, but only the hardiest of youth really made the most of it.

*Full disclosure: I'm no meteorologist and an even less accurate historian, so we may have had more than just these two snowfalls this year in the metro St. Louis area.

Wherefore Art Thou?

2012-01-09T10:13:00.000-06:00

I am very thankful these walls can't talk. If they did, they'd tell you tales of horrible beatings, of poorly hung pictures, of artwork hiding all the chips and gashes in the plaster made when hanging pictures. But I am working a campaign to change their minds (yes, I've personified my walls...and you thought cat ladies were bad). But the beatings will continue until morale improves. So in the meantime artwork is going up, down and moving all around:

So far, I'm pleased. We've had pictures and artwork lurking in corners, piling up in the basement and loitering against walls. In 2012 we've starting a strict no lurking/piling/loitering policy that I hope works out. More to come...

A colored pencil sketch of our house by Matt Boyle, complete with bunnies running rampant. His art is awesome, you should check him out.

Photos taken by me and framed in Crate and Barrel photo frames with magnetic plexi fronts, for easy change-outs.

Package Exchange Review

2012-01-04T17:19:00.001-06:00

This Christmas I decided to try something new out and participate in a gift exchange organized by a blog I follow: Oh, Hello Friend. The blog is about brown paper packages tied up with string and other of my favorite things, so how could I go wrong getting paired up with another like-minded paper geek? I couldn't go wrong and, subsequently, I didn't. I love it when a plan comes together.

For the package I sent, I went into full-on cyber-stalking mode, reading my giftee's blog almost in its entirety. It turns out, I love her blog and now follow it (hope this doesn't creep you out too much, Ali). After collecting my intel, I went antiquing deep into the heart of rural Missouri to find some interesting stereocards from the turn of the (last) century and a completed history book with perfect penmanship and tissue paper maps from the 20s (it just refers to WWI as 'The War'). I topped it off with some vintage fabrics I'd been hoarding and then some modern day gift certificates to a local pastry shop and iTunes. Hopefully, it was right up her alley. I would have snapped a few shots if I hadn't been getting my act together at the last minute.

Anyway, when I got my package in the mail just a few days before Christmas, I was totally excited...

Seriously, home-girl combined a crazy, sketched wrapping paper pattern with a kraft and black primitive-patterned paper, tied it together (literally) with a velvet aquamarine ribbon. Genius. Along with a cute tag card were recipe cards (bundled with baking twine) on the outside and upon unwrapping the present I found...a...wait for it...wait for it...mortar and pestle for my collection!

Welcome to the family!

Wish.list: For the Professional Carpenter

2011-12-22T23:35:00.001-06:00

You can't go wrong if you give your die-hard handyman (or woman) something off this gift guide composed by a professional carpenter. Bonus: almost all of this list can be picked up at your local Home Depot - they won't even have to know you waited until the last minute!

[1] Blue Framing Square
Blue squares are easy to read and find on the job site.

[2] Black Resin Tool Tote
A tool box that holds 2 drills, drill bits and anchors in the top removable section. And room on the bottom for a hammer, tape measure, knife and other tools.

[three] Steel Countersink set
3 sizes for detail trim work.

[four] 90 Piece Drill and Drive Set
Everything you need for a drill

[five] Heavy Duty Radio Charger
A radio that charges your batteries, will run on a battery and is iPod compatible.

[six] Cantilever Plastic Organizer
A bin with removable cups to hold all your screws, nails and anchors. Perfect size because it holds enough, but won't get too heavy to carry.

[7] 2.5 Amp Oscillating multitool kit
The newest tool in the "how did we ever manage without it" category. Many different brands available, but Bosch always makes a good tool.

This gift guide brought to you by our favorite carpenter, Mr. Kuhlrock. Just pray you don't meet him in a dark Home Depot aisle when he's got some gift card to spend.

So much time and so little to do...

2011-12-22T15:06:00.000-06:00

Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. (--Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)

December 22nd. So close to Christmas that not even rush shipping can save us now.

I find that my super top secret project (more on that, after it becomes unclassified) and vegging out in front of whatever Christmas movie is on Lifetime (no, I am not kidding) has put me behind on all the crafty projects I need to start and complete in the next few days. So, hold tight for the next few days while I battle crowds, traffic and a bemused husband to get all these little things done. Perhaps I will learn my lesson for next year, perhaps not.

[one] . Holiday photo props
How cute are these?!? I think I'm gonna have to make these and force everyone to pose for silly pictures. Free download available here.

[two] . Clever little hipster gift wrapping
Okay, our gifts are all wrapped and ready to go in plain, old cheap wrapping paper. BUT, this idea from Sweet Paul is just so dang clever I had to include it.

[three] . Oreo snowball truffles
One part easy: Grind up Oreos and cream cheese, roll into balls and then dip into almond bark. One part delicious: Oreos, cream cheese, almond bark. Need I say more? Picture and recipe here. For your carnivorous eater, fry up bacon until its crispy, and crumble it on top of the freshly dipped truffle. It is out of this world.

[four] . Hair bow
You can buy it here. But I want to make one and then run around with it in my hair on Christmas Eve. The model makes it look so cool...would I just look crazy?

[five] . Homemade marshmallow s'mores
I've been making homemade marshmallows lately and then we've been dipping them in melted chocolate, slapping some graham crackers on it and torching the top with a creme brulee torch. Indoor s'mores at a moments notice.

[six] . Treat bags for the neighbors
My time-savvy neighbors have baked their treats and brought them 'round to the neighbors. Not me. I've procrastinated and now I'm going to have to start a new tradition of offering New Year's treats since I think everyone has hit the road for the holidays. Oh well, it will go nicely with our Christmas cards that are going to be super late. Package inspiration from here.

[seven] . Silhouette ornament
Last year we made a cute hand print ornament for Indio's first Christmas. What does Indio get for his second Christmas? So far, diddly squat, the poor thing. But, I have plans to make a cute silhouette of him and put it in a ornament frame. Silhouette how-to here.

Wish me luck, I'm off to tackle a few of these before Saturday!

Wish.list: Japanese Toys and Tech!

2011-12-14T16:29:00.001-06:00

I sometimes lose myself looking at Japanese toys and gadgets on the interwebs. There are some truly absurd and amazing trinkets out there, making for a wellspring of gifts, from quirky to astonishing. Here are some favorites.

[ichi] finger tentacles . thinkgeek
Go ahead, freak people out with these things.

[ni] Poking Box . gizmine
You can fight a little karate stick figure guy with your digital digit, c'mon!

[san] Lumindot . Japan Gadget Shop
Like the old school Lite-Bright but waaaay better. Seriously, watch the video.

[shi] Electric Butterfly . Japan Gadget Shop

[go] Solar pet bottle car . japan trend shop
Got to get a cool shaped bottle, I suggest Ito En.

This gift guide brought to you by our friend, plasticblog. He can probably count to ten in Japanese.

Thanksgiving Table 2011

2011-11-23T08:10:00.000-06:00

I chalk my current table setting obsession up to the Internet - if I had never seen this or this, then how was I to know table setting could be such an artform? Along this line, I would say my skills are about the level of preschooler with decent fingerpainting ability, but that isn't going to stop me from trying this Thanksgiving. I thought this year would be about 'harvesting' plant material from the yard as part of the centerpieces and low maintenance plates and glasses (read: dishwasher-safe) to feast upon. Here is a quick mash of what I'm toying with:

From top: Miguel glasses from Crate and Barrel, pewter candleholders, small gravy boats from Crate and Barrel, Fiestaware, Northern Sea Oats, lavender, Indian corn, rosemary

Wish.list: Home Chef Enthusiast

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

If you're dreaming of a gourmet holiday season, the following wishlist is for your home chef extraordinaire...

[one] Global chef knife . Amazon
A good knife is a necessity.

[2] Cutting board . korin
THE cutting board.

[three] the smoking gun. williams sonoma
I want to smoke my own salmon like Marcus Samuelsson.

[4] Profession immersion blender . williams sonoma
Soups in a snap.

[five] Silicone spatulas . amazon
All silicone and sturdy.

[6] herb keepers . prepara
I'm obsessed with them, as you can see.

[seven] larousse gastronomique . amazon
A classic.

This gift guide brought to you by DomesticEsq, an attorney/culinary school graduate who is spending this holiday drooling over kitchen gadgets.

Wish.list: Christmas Under the Arch

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

A collection of items every card carrying member of STL* would be proud to own or at least totally understand why it belongs in their closet/fridge/wall.

[one] I Love St. louis Block print . Lucius art on etsy
Forgive me this is a Chicago artist. But it's too cool!

[2] bird feeder . joepapendick on etsy
Modern birdfeeder by local artist Joe Papendick.

[three] STL flag. desertjuan on etsy
Okay, so maybe not the most high class artwork ever, but: St. Louis flag done in Mardi Gras beads. Be still my heart.

[four] STL microbrew selection . list by stl hops
For the ultimate St. Louis microbrew champion, why don't you pick up a bottle from each brewpub in this list?

[five] David freese jersey . mlb
He's the hometown boy for the hometown team. Thats like STLove x2!

[6] I (fleur-de-lis) STL . STL STYLE
I <3 STL, only redesigned.

This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, the proudest St. Louisan outside of St. Louis proper.

*For those not familiar, STL is the common abbreviation for St. Louis, MO. There, now you are an honorary, STLien.

Wish.list: Nature Lovers

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

Ahh, the great outdoors. There is nothing quite like it. Here is a list inspired by those who find solace under the canopy of a hickory-oak forest.

[one] travel vest . national geographic store
While you wear the most legit trekking vest ever...it is offered by NatGeo, after all.

[2] field guide to urban wildlife . amazon
Go collect all 135 species!

[3] birch pillar candles . world market
Bring the indoors in with fake wood.

[four] seed bombs . visualingual on etsy
Bring the animals to you with wildlife habitat seed bombs.

[five] burl wood light switch plates . timbergreenwoods on etsy
One way to bring the outdoors inside is with flowers. Another way is to cover your light switches with interesting wood

[6] missouri botanical garden membership . mobot or your local garden
The best trekking is done in your local botanical garden. Get a membership and support local and worldwide efforts to sustain the flora you so admire.

This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, an ethnobotanist that hikes for extended periods in the jungles of Madagascar and the mountains of Peru.

Wish.list: For the new momma

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Dear new mom - Ah, the joys of being a new mom. Is anything the same as before?

[one] softened edges robe . anthropologie
A beautiful silky robe to feel pretty when you are up way too early and not getting a nap anytime soon.

[two] gold loop hoops . kateszabone on etsy
Hoop earrings that easily slide out when a little one grabs at them.

[three] transatlantic bag . anthropologie
A beautiful bag that can hold all of baby's stuff without letting anyone know its a diaper bag.

[four] organic cocoa facial mask . dress green
And while you are not sleeping as much, a little TLC for your tired face. Why not use one made out of chocolate?

[five] flower of the month club
Fresh flower of the month club!

[six] organic argan oil . josie maran
Argan oil. Mix it in to your conditioner or use it as a serum, apply to your face, hands, everywhere! So helpful for drying out of skin that comes with washing your hands every 10 minutes.

This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, a new momma who is gearing up to spend her first Christmas with her little one and husband.

Wish.list: Gifts for a nerd

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Boy or girl, one hundred percent of nerds love: old school video games; Star Wars; Harrison Ford; webcomics; card games; Hayao Miyazaki; and crafty things. Buy your special nerd a gift from this list, and you are sure to put a smile on their face!

[one] gamespite journal 10 . blurb, but read more about it here
[2] no one wants to play sega with harrison ford print . brandon bird
[3] kodama figure . cuteart on etsy
[four] penny arcade: the game . penny arcade
[5] tauntaun sleeping bag . think geek

This post brought to you by our resident geek (Daniel).

Wish.list: Casual Chic

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

The 2011 wish.list gift-giving guide is here! Look for more guides throughout the holiday season.

This gift list is for the gal that likes a little umph in her daily lineup, but nothing too glitzy. We like to call it casual chic. (Also, I've been told you can't wear yoga pants all the time...)

[1] kallia bag . milloo on etsy
[two] handcut silver earrings . gemagenta on supermarket
[three] stripes pullover . anthropologie
[4] sneaker customization kit . uncommon goods
[five] t-shirt jewelry . uncommon goods - or - make it yourself

*Linked list: Movie poster designs

2011-11-11T15:19:00.000-06:00

There are only so many designs one can come up with for movie posters, I suppose...

[via movies.com]

Review: Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium . STL

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Bottom-line first: You should definitely give it a go.

Fozzie's has a lot going for it, first of all the name. Any place that includes emporium is alright in my book. The word 'emporium' puts itself out there as *the* place for whatever wares it's peddling, but isn't overused. Just sayin', 'I like it'. Secondly, Fozzie, like the Muppet? I can only hope. I was raised on The Muppet Show, even having two stuffed twin animal raccoons (is this common?) named 'Muppet' and 'Show'. They were identical, so I think the names were interchanged a lot between the two. Point being, a nod to Jim Henson and his crew is close to my heart.

Now that we've got whatever weird, subjective points out of the way, lets move on to more common subjective aspects:

Garden:
Walking up to the entrance winds you past an outdoor veggie garden in full bloom and purportedly used in the kitchen. Yeah, you had me at hello on that one.

Selection:
The sandwich selection is varied, so go with a group wanting falafel, catfish, hamburger, hot dog or pretty much anything between a bun and you will be the lunchtime champ.

Size:
With a kitchen that seems 4 times bigger than the indoor dining room (totally a made-up stat), you can't help but feel either 1) Like VIP if you score an indoor seat during inclimate weather or 2) Like a squatter in a take-out joint. They are definitely aiming for the take-out crowd, packaging all orders in a brown paper bag and all items very definitely leaning towards the outward-bound. Having said that, they seem very aimed and ready for the call-in orders, should that be your modus operandi.

During our lunchtime visit, our trio order very different mains (pics taken by phone camera, don't hold that against them):

THE KING - creamy peanut butter, crispy bacon & bananas on sourdough
For our taster: the King was more novel than some of the other lunch choices (meaning: worth a try, in case this is your bag, but a one-off in our taster's case).

THE GRACEY (VEGETARIAN) - crispy falafel, roasted peppers, grilled onions, baby spinach &artichoke/spinach spread on flatbread
For our taster: Excellent. I will say, during our 30 minute tenure at Fozzie's, The Gracey was called out more than any other sandwich. I think that speaks volumes.

CATFISH PO’ BOY - cornmeal dusted catfish, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, roasted corn tartar sauce on a hoagie
For our taster: Excellent taste, but the cornmeal gave it a bit of a bite. A little softer on the crust and tad more tarter sauce and it is the Mississippi on a bun (I mean that in a good way, as I love catfish).

Not even mentioned in our brief review are the spreads, salads, milkshakes and numerous other items offered.

Photojourna.list: Style in the Loop

2011-10-14T13:03:00.000-05:00

Above: Live mannequins . Event poster . Candy girl in a bubble-gum ball dress . Hand decorated denim . Breakin' it down in front of Vintage Vinyl.Below: Pottery lessons at Craft Alliance . Daniel and Indio taking in the breakdancing . Catching a bite at Gyros on the Loop . Band jamming in front of Craft Alliance

Ahhh, U City, how I love thee, let me count the ways: the architecture, the trees, the Loop. I've got other reasons I could put on this list, but let's not get too complicated. On a lovely Friday evening we walked over to the Loop for 'Style in the Loop', which promised to highlight fashion with a runway show, live mannequins and trunk shows (plus much more). Dress to impress was obviously encouraged as many people were in their dance club best. We just took it all in and took pictures...

Photojourna.list: Straw, twine, balloon and tape

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I was asked to round up

a drinking straw
twine
balloon
tape

A rocket launch was in order.

*Linked list: A Flickr of Light

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Some people take pretty pictures and some people make pretty pictures out of data from those pictures. I, myself, don't do either, but enjoy looking at pretty pictures and data of pretty pictures. "Say what?!?", you say? Since a picture is worth a thousand words I will stop rambling and show you a few examples. Take a few minutes to marinate on these.

See or Say . Flickr uploads vs. Tweets by geography. Blue = Twitter, Orange = Flickr, White = Both (U.S. shown).

Locals vs. Tourists . A look at who is posting pics to Flickr in major cities. Blue = locals, Red = tourists, Yellow = undetermined (Chicago shown).

Flickr flow . Relative proportions of color seen in Flickr photos chronologically ordered. (Winter at the bottom).

2011 Q2/Q3 Book Report

2011-09-30T11:03:00.000-05:00

I read by the soft glow of my Nook for fun at night. I have no right to critique volumes of literature, but I do anyway. Here's my take:

The Passage . Justin Cronin
At 784 pages, I can almost assure you that The Passage is the longest book I've ever read. Perhaps because it was a page turner from chapter one, but I also think reading it on the Nook tricked me into not fully realizing the heft of the volume. Either way, this post-apocalyptic vampire thriller is a fantastic debut for a forthcoming trilogy. The story lends itself easily to being imagined on the big screen, so the movie buffs can get a start on what is surely summer 2013's blockbluster* by reading it today.

The $64 Tomato . William Alexander
My mom recommended I read this account of "How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden" (the complete title of this novel) as I was deep in my obsession over my garden and landscaping. On a much, much smaller scale I could relate to the highs and lows of gardening - gathering the fruits/vegetables of you labor (a high) or watching absolutely nothing come of it because mother nature and her minions of wild beasts and insects beat you to the harvest (a low). Read it all and then decided for yourself if the blood, sweat and tears of gardening is worth it all.

Never Let Me Go . Kazuo Ishiguro
A well-paced novel about friends growing up in boarding school; touching upon the highlights of the childrens' years at an elite institution until 'graduation'. As the protagonist grows up and advances through the system, you see a broader picture that slowly reveals itself and shows a reality that is radically different than a simple boarding school book. I'll just leave it at that. (Sorry, I realize this is possibly the worst book review ever, I just don't want it to be a spoiler.)

The Magicians . Lev Grossman
I read a review of this book that alluded to The Magicians as being the sex, drugs, rock'n roll version of Harry Potter. Despite never having read a single page of a Harry Potter novel, I still found the premise alluring. Mr. Grossman spins a seemingly authentic tale of teenagers (lust, angst, all the good stuff of teenhood), save the setting of a hidden magician's school and a parallel storyline to a dark, very C.S. Lewisian kingdom.

Einstein Never Used Flashcards . Hirsh-Pasek and Golinkoff
Forgot to read the periodic table aloud whilst pregnant to ensure your little bambino will ace 10th grade chemistry? Your child is already 4 months old and doesn't recite three poems by heart? No sweat, this book carefully details several studies that show childhood experience (i.e. playing) trumps forcing the little one to memorize details any day. It also goes over exercises that help children learn from newborn to school age. Now if it could only guarantee entry into that coveted preschool...

*I would like to submit for your consideration the trailer for this movie should be to Desert Song by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes (just hear out the whole song and ignore the slow start).

*Linked list: WTF indeed

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

Go ahead and bookmark this site now - it is absolutely fascinating collection of pictures from the past. I have pulled aside a set of vintage photos very appropriately named 'WTF 1 - IV'. Go ahead and try to figure out what led to these pictures, I implore you. Links to the full sets are below...and just when you had big plans to be productive today. Shucks.

Just one of those days . WTF 1

Lady Gaga's got nothing on her . WTF 2

Static cling happens . WTF 3

Somebody has a plan to get him down...right? . WTF IV

Kick It Up a Notch

2011-09-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Pictured below is a set of drawers. A really nice set of drawers that might make a girl drool when she first sees them online. By 'girl' I mean me and by 'might drool' I mean I actually salivated -- should I have that checked out? But not having the financial means or physical space (these drawers are expensive with a capital $ and quite massive) for such a sophisticated set of drawers meant I needed to take matters into my own hands if I wanted to introduce some organization with panache to the home office. My crafty stuff isn't going to organize itself, you know.

After spotting this 5 bin organizer drawer from The Container Store I got the little hamster wheel up and running on overdrive. I liked the design, the dimensions were nice, but wouldn't a little bit of color go a long way? Yeah, I thought so too.

A little bit of convincing Daniel this was a fantastic idea and we were off to the races. We went to an art store to select an array of unique colors in the blue/green color range, adding a few striking colors to give it a similar pop as the inspiration. We then quickly dismantled the drawers and each drawer was hung by bungee cords in the garage and sprayed. Even with proper ventilation, this project offers several hours of being light-headed from spray paint fumes as an added bonus (Daniel, the resident spray paint artist, did the bulk of the spray painting). Once the paint dried we put everything back together with nary a leftover screw and landed a piece of furniture with personality and a whopping $4500 cheaper than the inspiration. What to spend all that cash-ola on?

5 bin drawer . The Container Store
Montana spray paint . Artmart
(In Arctica, Monaco, New Wave, Cactus, Night Blue)

*Linked list: 80's Flicks

2011-09-19T12:24:00.000-05:00

T-shirt design depicting 80's flicks. Can you name them all?via supermarket

Crafty Like a Fox!

2011-09-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

One of the first things I bought for the nursery, well before the due date, was a cute wooden table and chairs set. This inexplicable impulse buy was assembled quickly and sat in the nursery gathering an assortment of books, toys and blankets until they found their permanent home. Now Indio is old enough to like sitting on the table or standing on the chairs with his arms raised until his buzzkill of a mother rushes over to pull him down (ahem, its my job). He also prefers scribbling on the tabletop directly rather than on the pesky paper we keep trying to put down underneath his crayon. With the table garnering this attention, I decided to spruce the table up a bit with some adorable vinyl stickers we got from Daniel's aunt, Debbie. I really don't know if a how-to is necessary since it is so easy. Whatever...blog of lists and all that jazz, so here we go:

1) I figured out placement of all my stickers. I stayed with only sticking them on the sides and backs so no seat or table top would be covered, thinking it might lessen the chance of them get peeled off.
2) For stickers that hit an edge I pressed them against the edge to form an indentation on the sticker. I then cut along the indented line and continued the sticker on the next logical surface or threw the extraneous piece out.
3) Starting on one end I applied the sticker and smoothed it out to the opposite end, watching out for air bubbles.
4) Seriously, that easy. And I even made it sound harder than it was so I would have more than one step.

Cute vinyl decals:
blik
etsy
wallies
wall candy

Table and chairs:
circo . target
wood designs
little jake chairs and jill table . room and board
mammut . ikea
mojo chairs . land of nod

Alternatively, if you hate the thought of stickers (and this post), then check out the following. Stickers need not apply! vintage cafeteria play table . restoration hardware

Weekend Recap

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a series of ups and downs: up = events in St. Louis that were awesome, down = Indio was a sick little guy for half of the weekend, but had a good recovery. The weekend started off with a fantastic concert by the St. Louis Symphony in Forest Park, at the Grand Basin on Art Hill. A gorgeous site with fantastic music -- an awesome sunset made a quick cameo -- and capped off with fireworks. On Friday Daniel and I were able to get a quick bite at Hiro Sushi and followed with a movie (The Guard) at the Tivoli on the Delmar Loop. Saturday was spent vegging out as little Indio was under the weather and we had a nice rotation of movies. On Sunday, he woke up ready to play and we went to the St. Louis Art Fair in Clayton and popped in to the Demun neighborhood for a sweet treat and a little playground time after the art fair. I forgot how adorable the Demun area is, complete with Oh Lolli Lolli Candy Shoppe, Kaldi's Coffee, Sasha's Wine Bar, Jimmy's on the Park and Demun Oyster Bar.

The new deck

2011-09-01T08:00:00.014-05:00

When we bought our house 4 years ago, I mentally slated the deck for demolition and replacement before the ink was dry on the closing papers. A few years back I got really gung-ho on the project and brought in some specialists to get quotes on what a replacement double-decker would run us. The shock must have registered on my face as the salesman gathered his brochures and samples and quickly headed for the door once he realized there was no way I was going to matriculate into a real sale. Recently we realized the deck - actually I am not sure the previous structure counted as a deck - had declined further into disrepair and either needed to be replaced or condemned. Nails were popping out of the wood, the stairs creaked with a threat of caving at any moment, the railing held itself in place with a real half-assed attitude of 'take it or leave it.' We saved our pennies and took the plunge.

First, we dream. We wanted a two-story deck measuring 12'x12' with the bottom deck being screened in. I also thought stairs running the length of the deck with screen doors that opened up half the length of the deck (running on hidden tracks) would be cool. My dad rendered a scale drawing of the deck, with his added touches, like the roof on the upper deck. Ahhh, a girl can dream.

My original plan had some holes in it, quite literally. It was pointed out the sliding doors would be near impossible to get flush, leaving a gap for bugs to get in and what's the point of a screened in deck if bugs still get in? Also, my little touches added to the bottom line. Quickly. So, we scaled back, but kept the screened bottom deck and also added underdecking to the ceiling of the bottom deck so it would stay dry. I am now going to fast-forward through the rest of our story (5 months and several small hurdles later) to unveil the gem of the backyard:

Add the screen, underdecking and some furniture...voila!

When this heatwave we call summer subsides I have lots of plans for pretty much living on this deck.

Photojourna.list: There's something about Ruby

2011-08-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

Ruby (my niece) woke up with this awesome hairdo. I couldn't help but snap a few shots.

Unlisted: He already knows everything

2011-08-30T22:00:00.001-05:00

I originally wrote this about a month ago after getting up at four in the morning and getting this look from Indio. It resonated enough that I put him back to bed and came straight to the computer to write this up.

There is a look my son sometimes gives me that catches me off guard. It is a somber, piercing look - as if he can see right through me and is sizing me up. In my mind, he already knows everything about me from this look: he knows I am reading books on parenting and making things up as I go; he knows that sometimes I take the easy route (rather than the right route) with him; he knows I sometimes make mistakes. But, at the end of all this, he still climbs into my lap to cuddle when he's tired, he still flashes me his grin when I come to rescue him from his car seat and he still seems to squeal with delight when I pick him up at the end of the day. That's love.

Recipe for success: Caramelized peach and goat cheese crostini

2011-08-30T08:00:00.004-05:00

Just in time for peach season is this amazing caramelized peach and goat cheese crostini recipe Daniel devised and whipped up one night. It is like a savory adult version of dinner-for-breakfast French toast and it is de-lish. Goes great with a simple side salad and the recipe itself is very relaxed. Hurry before peach season wraps up!

Assemble the ingredients:

• Bread - a loaf of french, sourdough or similar
• Goat cheese (soft)
• Olive oil
• Peaches - don't be stingy, about 1-2 per person
• Brown sugar
• Good balsamic vinegar (optional)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, slice your bread and brush lightly with olive oil. Pop the prepared bread in the oven until lightly toasted.
Combine water and brown sugar in a skillet and let them cook together until they reduce a bit to form a nice syrup. This step has a lot of leeway depending if you want the peaches to be drenched in syrup or a more au naturale approach. We've done it both ways and it is equally delicious, a little bit more on the syrupy-side helps with the dryness of the crostini.
Pit and cut your peaches (diced, sliced or however you like them). Add them to your syrup mix and cook until they are softened and warm.
Meanwhile, take your bread out of the oven, and spread soft goat cheese over the warm bread. The warmth of the bread should make the cheese spread easily and melt it a little.
Ladle a good helping of the peaches over each crostini.
Finish with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar.

Photojourna.list: Rooftop Wedding

2011-08-29T08:00:00.027-05:00

Last month we flew out to L.A. to attend the wedding of our good friends, Sam and Erin. The wedding didn't follow a typical format and, not only was it a blast for us as guests, it befit the bride and groom. The guests arrived rooftop of the Los Angeles Athletic Club to a cocktail hour, followed by a sit-down dinner, then a casual ceremony with dancing capping off the evening's affairs. The centerpieces were handpicked bottles of liquor coupled with books to match the origin of the bottle (the bride has a PhD in literature and the groom has an advanced degree in encouraging a good time). I very carefully culled the photos to show the great time we had, but not showing the super great time we had as we toasted and danced the night away (most of those pictures were blurry anyway.) To Sam and Erin...banzai, banzai, banzai!

Dear Garden, I needed this.

2011-08-15T12:49:00.004-05:00

Five months in to my new vegetable and herb garden and I haven't had much to show for it. Granted, the endless weeks of heat and me neglecting to water probably didn't do much for anything besides my rosemary, but let's not forget the squirrels. The damn squirrels. In real life I mutter a string of obscenities at them that would make a sailor proud as I ponder why Farmer Brown got such a bad rap in Peter Rabbit. Sure, I had a nice go of it early on when I was picking arugula from the garden daily, but after that my beets were a meager yield, the green onions were microscopic and out of my 4 heirloom tomato plants I haven't gotten to one before the squirrels carried it off. Damn squirrels.

When I went to harvest the carrots at the appointed time (per the back of the seed packet) they were teeny-tiny nubs of nothing. I have seen weeds with better roots than my carrots. In defeat I abandoned them...which turned out to be a happy accident. After several months of ignoring I pulled one to find it actually resembled a -- wait for it, wait for it -- carrot. I tried another one and it also looked like a carrot! In a matter of seconds I had a bouquet of carrots. Ah, yes...this just what this downtrodden little gardener needed.

Planted this year in the veggie patch: arugula, chiogga beets, green onions, multicolored carrots, shallots, pickling cucumbers, acorn squash, butternut squash, tomato: purple Cherokee, tomato: black krim, tomato: green zebra, tomato: Aunt Ruby's German green.

Planted this year in the herb garden: flat leaf parsley, basil, oregano, Mexican tarragon, lemon thyme, rosemary, chives, marjoram, cilantro/coriander.

Worth repeating: arugula, beets, shallots, flat leaf parsley, basil, lemon thyme, cilantro
Probably will pass up: green onions, carrots, tarragon (we just didn't use it at all)
Do differently: Next year I need to 'cage' the tomatoes so maybe I can enjoy one or two myself. Some herbs I think I am going to grow in other planter beds and containers.

Now I am off to consider my plantings for fall and next year. Please standby with bated breath.

Photojourna.list: Outsmarting Momma

2011-07-07T23:00:00.005-05:00

Indio had the remote and was playing with it. Like most things, he tried to put it in his mouth and I told him, "no." He promptly turned away from me and put it back in his mouth. Indio: 1, Momma: 0

Indio . Month 10

2011-06-19T08:00:00.009-05:00

This month we learned a valuable lesson in 'location, location, location': we were outside in the yard and Indio started crawling on all fours like he'd been doing it for weeks (I thought 'years' would seem overly dramatic). It turns out that the army crawl doesn't work so well on grass and dirt. While he wavers between crawling on all fours and an army crawl, the progress has me beaming with pride.

My sweet little Indio now doles out kisses, which are really him falling towards your face with an open mouth. It is usually followed by the recipient wiping the drool off their face, with the exception of poor Ruby (Indio's cousin), who is defenseless against being slobbered on (see above). These open-mouthed face plants are a little risky now that the lone tooth has a partner, bringing the official tooth count to 2, but no injuries have been reported to-date. With our safety record intact, I hope our Casanova continues with his generous dispensation of kisses.

One of our biggest achievements this month has been getting Indio to sleep through the night. We finally stepped up and really worked on sleep training - leading to a few brutal nights - but ultimately giving everyone in the house much better nights of sleep. It was about time, right?

...An interesting development - and by interesting I mean I wouldn't be heartbroken if he stopped - is his stink face. He scrunches his nose, furrows his brow and generally looks like something offensive has reached his delicate olfactory system. Often done in the presence of strangers just a little too close for his comfort, it isn't quite the classically adorable look I was hoping he'd cultivate. It is a face only a mother could love, so here I am.

His stats:
Weight: 21.7 lbs

Momma Loves: When Indio goes 'fishing'. This is when we are in public and he decides that strangers need to fawn over him. He usually achieves his goal by staring the selected party down, most often with a toothy grin, until they look his way and give the little man his due. I could be giving him too much credit, but I think he singles out parties of women with graying hair...brilliant! Also, (I'm allowed two) Indio started clapping his hands together this month, so pattycake has been a big hit around the house.

DaDa Loves: Playing in the yard with him - especially the way he pulls up handfuls of grass and then lets go so they sprinkle down on and around him.

Indio . Month 9

2011-05-19T08:00:00.020-05:00

A few big milestones this month took Indio from horizontal to vertical: positioning himself to sitting up and pulling himself up to standing. Now strong enough to maneuver from a crawl to sitting, he often does it to inspect a toy, read a book, or become entranced by Elmo on TV only to roll back down on his belly to army crawl to the next thing. To top that, Indio pulls himself up on everything, if only to reinforce the adage: What goes up must come down. Hard. And often at great peril to his head and limbs (or so I think as I cringe after the *thunk*). But he is persistent and usually goes right back to pulling himself up until gravity again wins out. Gravity may win the battle, but he will win the war.

This month all that drool amounted to something as a bottom tooth popped through, making the official tooth count = 1 and making his mouth a weapon. If you had any question about sticking your finger in or near his mouth I can assure you the answer is: you shouldn't. That little tooth may not look like much, but his bite is worse than his bark. He also figured out how to click his tongue against the roof of his mouth and, for those who fall in his good graces, he will vie for your attention with a few clicks and then flash you a devilishly cute smile. And then do it again...and again...and again.

His stats:
Weight: 22 lbs, 3 oz.
Height: 29"

Momma Loves: That little nub of a tooth showing when he smiles...or screams at the top of his lungs. Preferably when he smiles.
DaDa Loves: The noise he would make as he crashed onto his butt from a stand. It went a little something like *thud* - brief pause - 'WUUUH-OOOF'

My Smugness Runneth Over...and other gardening things.

2011-04-28T12:41:00.009-05:00

Does it get any cooler than going out to your backyard to pick fresh lettuce, wash it and immediately serve up a salad? (Rhetorical question)

If you need a visual, I pretty much think this or this is what I look like when I walk out to gather my salad crops. All delusions aside, my smugness levels reached fever pitch when I had to thin out the arugula sprouts. I collected all the sprouts that didn't make the cut and made a small salad with them for lunch. I am sure I was completely annoying that day since I was so pleased with myself, but I don't care, I was pleased with myself. Don't worry, I took a picture of it for posterity:

Anyway, the raised planter beds my brother-in-law Joe built are starting to produce a lovely assortment of early spring crops. Right now I am harvesting the arugula regularly so it continues to produce and the leaves don't get bitter. Beyond arugula, I have also planted carrots (a multi colored assortment of purple, orange and white), red shallots, green onions and chiogga beets. An overview of the plantings:

I just want to make a quick note on using your lettuce and the importance of washing it. Think of this as a fable, but without animals. If you are eating a salad, or have plans to eat a salad, don't read the rest of this post. I am serious.

When we were much younger, my brother decided he wanted to have a garden. My parents indulged the idea (probably encouraged it) and a salad garden was produced. One night, the kids were tasked with collecting, washing and making salads for dinner from the garden. We were enjoying our salads, joking that my sister did a horrible job washing the lettuce anytime we got a particularly gritty piece of lettuce. Jumping to the end of dinner: we almost all had clean plates and my mom was finishing her salad when she sunk her fork into a piece of lettuce...and a small slug. I kid you not. To this day my sister is not allowed to wash the lettuce and I still shudder thinking about it.

On that note, I am off to go make a salad. Bon appetit!

Indio . Month 8

2011-04-19T08:00:00.045-05:00

Forward progress! No longer is rolling around Indio's main means of getting to his choice destination as he can officially creep. No cats, cords or stacked blocks within 1 foot of the floor are safe and all pillows have been repurposed as barricades, making them precious commodities. Outside of terra firma, Indio started swim class at the Y. So far the best thing are the rubber ducks, but we think he'll like more things -- like the water -- as the class continues. Is it wrong of me that I think this picture is adorable?

We are also getting some quality babbling from Indio. His first 'recognizable' word also came this month; I am resigned to report it was "Da-da." Although Daniel is so proud, he must be feeling guilty as he has now switched to coaching Indio on the word "Ma-Ma" equally. One word very clearly not in Indio's repertoire is "no." Mostly after grabbing at cats, pulling cords or sticking whatever he finds in his mouth he gets a stern "no", which he smiles a wickedly innocent smile and continues on doing the same thing.

His stats:

Weight: unknown.

Momma Loves: Indio loves to roll himself up into his play blankets and then squirm his way out of them. Once out he gives a proud grin like he conquered something big. Also, this footage of Indio playing with Chihiro (the cat)

DaDa Loves: "DaDa" being his first word.

Is it a boy or a girl?

2011-04-08T22:33:00.001-05:00

At this very moment we are playing a fun (albeit weird) game of 'Is it a boy or girl', a game we just made up. The point of the game is you play songs that have borderline gender vocals and another person has to guess if it is a boy or girl - a classic example would be Tracy Chapman. During dinner our soon-to-be brother-in-law declared that given 10 songs of questionable gender he would get all 10 right. He might as well had slapped us in the face with a leather glove - issue challenged...and accepted. [Links go to youtube or Amazon. I will post the answers in the comments.]

1) Air . Cherry Blossom Girl
2) Antony & the Johnsons . My Lady Story
3) Jeff Buckley . Corpus Christi Carol
4) Beach House . Gila
5) Celebration . War
6) Dirty Projectors . Rise Above
7) Erasure . I Love You
8) Fever Ray . If I Had A Heart
9) Joanna Newsom . Sawdust & Diamonds
10) Jonsi . Go Do

Results: Our game players scored 60% tops. Turns out sometimes it is a lot harder to guess the gender.

Odd Tribute to Michael McDonald

2011-04-06T21:54:00.013-05:00

For some reason I had Michael McDonald on my mind today. Actually, I know the reason. But it was a convoluted first thought that reminded me of the Doobie Brothers, which lead me to Michael McDonald. Next thing I know I have a little list of Michael McDonald minutia rolling around in my head. Here are a few facts about Michael McDonald and random personal anecdotes relating to Mr. McDonald:


Though I think Mr. McDonald needs no introduction, I fully realize that not everyone was raised on a healthy diet of classic rock. He did some work with Steely Dan and has a a successful solo career, but his work with the Doobie Brothers is the real deal. At age 4, the Doobie Brothers were my sister's favorite band. In 1995 the Doobie Brothers toured with the Steve Miller Band, which my parents took the whole family to (good times). In 2009, Michael McDonald teamed up with indie band Grizzly Bear to do back-up vocals for the song While You Wait for the Others. The song was also recorded with McDonald singing lead and released as a B-side.		Owns an independent record label with actor Jeff Bridges. Michael McDonald is from St. Louis and has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in the Delmar Loop. We are fiercely proud of successful native St. Louisians. My main man, Daniel, does a mean Michael McDonald on karaoke (song of choice: What a Fool Believes), which is no small feat. Though proof of this exists, it is blurry and of poor quality - which probably is very good representation of the evenings spent at karaoke night in the All Star Lanes Bowling Alley bar (poor quality being us, not the bar).

Recipe for success: White Bean Soup with Andouille and Collards (Slow cooker)

2011-04-04T21:11:00.014-05:00

My best friends over at Real Simple magazine have done us a solid by putting out a super delicious soup recipe for the slow cooker. And by best friends I mean magazine professionals I've never met before...but the way to my heart is through my stomach, or something along those lines.

Assemble the ingredients:

• 1 pound dried white beans
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage links, cut into big bite pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme

• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch collard greens, cut into bite-size pieces (throw out stems)
• 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Cornbread muffins (optional)

Combine the beans, sausage, onion, celery, thyme and broth directly in the slow cooker.
Put a lid on it and cook 7-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. It is considered cooked when the beans are tender.
For the last 20 minutes - pull out the thyme stems and add the collard greens. Cook until the collard greens are tender.
Add the 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and the salt and pepper to taste.
Serve it up with cornbread muffins.

NOTES:
• We've made this with both andouille and kielbasa and the sausage is a huge factor in flavor. If you like a bit of mild spice, then definitely make it with the andouille. Substituting in kielbasa will blunt the overall flavor.

Heavy Rotation . March 2011

2011-03-31T12:37:00.001-05:00

Music we have on heavy rotation right now:

Daniel's List:

Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Braids - Native Speaker
Toro y Moi - Underneath the Pine

Anica's List:

Bonobo - Black Sands
James Blake - James Blake
Adele - 21

Indio's List:

Enya - Shepherd Moons
Cee-Lo Green - Forget You (Album: The Lady Killer)

Recipe for success: Forest and Farm Flatbread

2011-03-30T10:36:00.008-05:00

Our first foray into flatbreads was quite successful. Being that I am all about alliteration today I deemed this combination of meats, cheese, mushrooms and veggies as a Forest and Farm Flatbread (what else besides mushrooms would be the forest part, I don't know). So, light up the grill and give it a go with your favorite toppings.

Assemble the ingredients:

• Pizza dough (we bought pre-made)
• Flour
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Toppings - Go wild. We did pesto, fresh mozzarella, baby spinach, small potatoes (ha ha ha), shitake and crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, and prosciutto

Prepare all your toppings - the flatbread crisps up quickly and then the toppings need to be ready to go on.
Warm up the grill.
Roll out the pizza dough using liberal amounts of flour so it doesn't stick. Make it easy on yourself and just go with any shape that allows you to have a good thickness - don't worry about it being a perfect circle or a nice rectangle. If anyone gives you crap then let them know this style cooking is called 'rustic' and make a mental note to not invite them over anymore.
Brush olive oil on both sides of the flatbread.
Grill the flatbread for a few minutes each side until golden brown.
Pile high with your toppings and finish the bake on the grill.

NOTES:
• If you choose to do potatoes you will want to cook them completely before using as a topping.

2011 Q1 Book Report

2011-03-28T19:06:00.005-05:00

I have no right to critique literary works. In fact, the only credential I have is that I can read. If you are looking for someone who is qualified, witty and prolific in her book reviews, then check out my friend tropicopolitan. She reads books faster than I read the back of cereal boxes.

Anyway, if you are looking for a lazy, semi-incompetent review of a few books I managed to read, then welcome to lickity list.

Less than Zero . Brett Easton Ellis
Set in Los Angeles in the 1980s, Brett Easton Ellis does a superb job of capturing a disaffected generation of teenagers raising themselves with no limits imposed by parents, society or ethics. The story follows the main character reassociating with his high school friends on winter break from college as they party, lunch and hang out (to put it mildly). The shock value of the experiences detailed is original and, while the situations are tense and inappropriately mature, the apathy seems to creep from the page rendering the reader numb in a participatory fashion. Brett Easton Ellis writes so realistically that fiction is easily confused with reality, giving the novel a greater impact and leaving the reader to question, "is this autobiographical?" Now that's a compliment.

Imperial Bedrooms . Brett Easton Ellis
The apathetic brat pack introduced in Less Than Zero are reintroduced as adults with varying degrees of success in Los Angeles. Mystery abounds when our protagonist returns to Los Angeles to start anew only to get caught up in nebulous and seedy situations that somehow involve all of his childhood buddies. Small world. I read this book with a sense of detached interest and if the novel were any longer I probably would have walked away. Although heavily influenced by pulp novels, it often reads as corny, which was hard to reconcile with the lurid sexual deviations of the characters. Call me a prude, but I was off-put by one particular chapter in which depraved sexual acts are detailed that don't add to the story or character development. I can only guess Mr. Ellis wanted to see if he still had it in him to shock the reader. 2 stars only because I didn't walk away from the book.

Mrs. Bridge . Evan S. Connell
Each chapter is a snapshot of small events in the life of Mrs. Bridge, a Kansas City housewife in the 1930's. A simple concept that is written succinctly making even the most mundane transactions a fascinatingly quick glimpse into this particular place and time. The stories capture Mrs. Bridge as she relates to her children, her neighbors and community-at-large in a masterful display of 'show, don't tell' writing. Many of the events are so perfectly detailed I wondered if the author is giving an embellished account of events he witnessed or if they really are works of fiction.

Photojourna.list: ...And Like That, It Was Gone

2011-03-27T22:44:00.013-05:00

Earlier this week I donned shorts, a tank and light work shoes to get my veggies planted in the my new raised garden. The 70 degree weather made me lust for the warm weather of late spring, but a midday snowstorm on Saturday gave me one last taste for winter. The snowflakes were large and piled up quickly, producing a winter wonderland by early evening. The next morning the sun appeared and a mere 24 hours later the snow was gone.

Indio . Month 7

2011-03-19T20:09:00.009-05:00

Indio loves bathtime, but hates putting on pajamas after his bath. Indio loves bananas, doesn't do pears or peas, and tolerates butternut squash and carrots. Hates wearing a bib. He loves being chased up or down the stairs and when his DaDa is around he prefers to be held by DaDa. Indio loves long walks, but not on the beach. He fights the good fight against naps, but can be convinced to take one with a good cuddle. Likes when the cats or his reflection catches his eye. Hates putting on shirts. Loves to go where he shouldn't go when let loose. Doesn't like loud laughs or strangers trying to hold him. Likes T.V., the computer or anything with buttons or a screen (this one worries us).

His stats:

Weight:

Momma Loves: When his wheels turn. You can watch him play with toys and actually see him slowly figure it out. At first he dons this serious face with furrowed brow and then his eyebrows shoot up, he smiles and *voila* he gets it...or at least he figures out how to shove it in his mouth and bang it on the floor.

DaDa Loves: His smile. Smile at Indio and he readily returns a big toothless grin flanked by those chunky cheeks.

Unlisted: Ruby

2011-03-17T08:00:00.022-05:00

Today is the official due date for my first niece, but she decided to crash the party a wee bit early and was born on March 7, 2011 at 10:51pm weighing 7 lbs, 13 oz and measuring 19.5 inches. She has dainty little fingers and toes, full lips, a head full of hair and is precious as can be.

As her aunt, my first order of business is to smother her with little kisses. My second order of business is to teach her what 'fashionably late' is all about. Indio is still learning how to share the limelight, but I think he'll get the hang of it and these two will be thick as thieves.

Midwestern wit and wisdom

2011-03-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

Midwestern wit is an artform. Raised in the same town that gave us Mark Twain (Hannibal, MO), my mother's family is strong believers in - and practitioners of - this type of humor. I've been told that my grandfather, Eldon Green, regularly had a one-liner at the ready. My mom often repeated these one-liners and, like most things my mom said throughout my teen years, I completely ignored them. But I'm older (read: wiser) and can appreciate these clever expressions that strike a balance between wit and wisdom. Now I like to pass them off as my own little nuggets of amusing insight, probably to Indio's embarrassment in the future.

Grandpa Eldon Green, Great Grandma Ruby Green, Great Uncle Harold

To describe an aggressive driver in traffic: "They're just speeding up to slow down."
On black clothing that collects lint (my mom's saying): "...picks up everything but men and money"
On dire financial situations: "Too poor to pay attention." or "Too poor to window shop."
Describing someone of low intelligence: "If brains were dynamite they couldn't blow their nose."
Casual response to 'how are you?': "Can't complain, but I still do."
How to express something impressive (Aunt Carla's saying): "I've been to 2 state fairs and a rodeo and I ain't never seen nothing like this!"

*Linked list: Ways to Waste Time . #1

2011-03-04T08:00:00.003-06:00

Just a few videos, articles and blogs I've come across that will help waste your time. No need to thank me. Click on the [+] to view.

[+] video . Awesome animation using GoogleDocs PowerPoint.
[+] video . Hide your wife, hide your kids. (thanks Nate and Adriana!)
[+] blog . Cats that look like Ron Swanson.
[+] article . Real life mystery.
[+] article . Finally! Michael Keaton's genius is scientifically backed.
[+] video . Interesting font made out of too much time.
[+] video. Song I could listen to repeatedly...wait, I already do.
[+] video. Enjoy the small pleasures in life.

Tools of the Trade: Cupcakes

2011-03-03T08:00:00.024-06:00

Mmmmm...cupcakes. My picks for the best tools to make cupcakes a piece of cake.

one Cupcake liners. Pretty, pretty.
two Cupcake Courier. On-the-go or just on the counter, this holds it all.
three Pancake pen. It makes filling the little mini cupcakes easy.
four Whitney Smith cake and cupcake stands. How I want them.
five Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book. The inspiration and recipes to get started.

Recipe for success: Lemon Poppyseed Cake (slow cooker)

2011-03-02T08:00:00.010-06:00

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine baking in my slow cooker, but I am downright giddy now that I know it is possible. I'm not sure which says more about me: that my dreams are that tame or that I am so excited about baking in a slow cooker. Anywho, all patheticness aside, it is possible and works quite well. Mixing the ingredients is ordinary, but instead of putting it in the oven you pop it in the slow cooker. Daniel asked me why I thought this method was so great and at the time I could only think of the novelty of the process. It was like Easy Bake Ovens for grown-ups and I've always wanted an Easy Bake Oven. Since then, I've composed a list of reasons why baking in the slow cooker is useful:

During the summer you don't have to run your oven.
You can take the item to a potluck or dinner where oven space is at a premium, but outlets aren't.
No cake pan? No worries - this recipe puts the mix directly in parchment paper in the slow cooker.
Did I mention Easy Bake Oven? The novelty of baking in a slow cooker is still enough for me.

Thank the food geniuses at Real Simple for this recipe.

Assemble the ingredients:

• parchment paper
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
(room temperature)
• 1 1/4 cups plus 6 tablespoons sugar

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar (optional)
• whipped cream (optional)

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and 1 1/4 cups of sugar on the medium high setting of a mixer until nice and smooth.
Add the eggs and continue beating on medium high until the mixture is fluffy (approximately 2 minutes).
Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest and poppy seeds and beat until incorporated.
Set the mixer to low and slowly add the dry ingredient mix (from step 2).
Place a sheet of parchment paper in the slow cooker and pour the cake mixture into the slow cooker. The parchment paper should contain the mixture.
Cook the cake on high until baked, about 2.5 hours. If in doubt, use the trusty old toothpick test: stick a toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
Mix together the lemon juice and remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar and drizzle over the top of the cake.
Pull the cake out of the slow cooker by lifting up on the sides of the parchment paper. Let cool.
Dust with confectioners' sugar and a dollop of whipped cream (both optional) and enjoy!

NOTES:
• I made this in a 6 quart oval slow cooker and it baked for just around 2.5 hours. Factors (a.k.a. sciencey things) like altitude, surface area and temperature of your slow cooker may cause your cake to bake differently, so be diligent on the first bake.
• We stored ours on the counter in the parchment paper and it seemed to work out nicely. It only lasted 2 days and I wouldn't suggest keeping it out for too much longer than that for fear of it drying out.

Antiquing Treasures

2011-03-01T08:00:00.029-06:00

I recently went antique shopping in Hannibal, MO* during our weekend stay up at the ranch. Having been born and raised in a small town in Missouri, I can attest that small town shopping is usually good for a WalMart, gas station convenience stores and antique shops. Being in the mood to look for old world treasures, I am happy to report that Hannibal didn't let me down on the antique front**. The first rule of antique shopping, if there are any rules, is that antique shopping is not only locating a coveted item, but also getting a good deal on said item. As a novice, I am diligently honing my skills, but mistakes will be made and junk will be collected during this whole process. On this particular outing, I feel I demonstrated a decent amount of restraint so as to draw the line between myself and the individuals you see on Hoarders. I present my treasures:

[ 1 ] Pink glass sugar bowl
[ 2 ] Blue glass Ball jar
[ 3 ] Yellow glass sugar bowl
[ 4 ] Red glass sugar bowl
[ 5 ] Metal shelf brackets. (I loved the color and patina on these.)

You might ask yourself, "Ummm...what is the deal with all the sugar bowls?" Well...my big plan is to use them as little vases. I am sure Martha or Pottery Barn probably beat me to the punch, but I don't recall and am quite pleased with my idea nevertheless. Below are some sugar bowls from a previous shopping trip filled with herbs from the backyard (oregano and flowering chives). I am hoping to amass a lot of little sugar bowls and cluster them with flowers/herbs/whatever I fancy for that "Aren't I clever whipping this together?" centerpieces just like you see in the magazines. Nevermind that no one would have 20 sugar bowls at the ready for anything other than just such an occassion.

As for the Ball jar, these little darlings are the pride of homemade mavens and DIY wedding centerpieces alike. Personally, I collect these to put my dry goods on display in the kitchen. Clearly I need a refill on some of my dry goods in this picture, but it does function quite nicely as storage and fills up an otherwise empty wall.

Until next time...happy hunting.

* MO is the state abbreviation for Missouri. People commonly mistake it for MI (Michigan called dibs on that one) or MS (Mississippi lays claim to that one).
**Hannibal also has a nice gallery/art scene as well.

Photojourna.list: Antiquing in Perry, Missouri

2011-02-28T08:00:00.024-06:00

After antiquing a few weekends ago in Hannibal, Missouri, I was inspired to post these pictures I took last winter from an antiquing trip in Perry, Missouri.

Antiquing is all about the hunt. I find it exciting to pick through all the odds and ends to find that little something-something you set out to find or the treasure you didn't know you needed. Sometimes window shopping is the order of the day...but rarely.

Clockwise from top: Alyse picks through the goods; antique men's collars on display; books line the upper floor of the antique shop; road in downtown Perry, MO; antique shop overview; salt and pepper shakers (wouldn't they make great flower bud vases?); Post Office in Perry, MO.

Indio . Month 6

2011-02-19T23:45:00.086-06:00

Doesn't he look so grown up?
It's been six whole months since Indio made his grand entrance into the world and he officially has us tied around his little finger. Okay, that happened on day one. At this point we are pretty much double-knotted around that little finger of his and just hope it doesn't lose circulation. So far, so good.

This month started off with a trip to Los Angeles -- Indio's biggest adventure to date. He handled traveling like a seasoned jetsetter, all while flirting with just about anyone who looked his way. One thing we discovered is that Indios do not like oceans. This landlubber will take crickets over waves any day, thank you very much. It was during this trip that we really began seeing a hint of Indio's personality - it is so exciting to see this gradual transformation as he interacts with his surroundings more each day.

Back in land-locked territory Indio has been working on his mobility: rolling is his preferred means, but the backwards crawl makes an appearance when he really wants to pull out all the stops. A forward crawl seems to be in the near future and Daniel and I are happily resigned to reacquainting ourselves with how to work the vacuum and childproofing the house. He outgrew the beloved swing this month so a bouncer was quickly purchased to fill the void. Fortunately, he loves hanging out in the 360 degree command center bouncing wildly as the William Tell overture (the song that you sing when you bounce a kid on your knee) clangs out of the little piano.

These past six months have flown by in a blur of late nights, early mornings and magical moments spent as a family. I imagine I will be sitting in the same location six months from now wondering where a whole year went and looking back on all the wonderful memories. Here's to the next six months!

His stats:

Weight: 20.0 lbs according to Wii Fit

Momma Loves: His singing. Recently Indio has become a little crooner - singing little melodies to himself when the mood strikes. These softly sung melodies are so unexpected and sweet that they put a big, dopey grin on my face.

DaDa Loves: Bathtime. Our new nightly ritual of baths is, quite possibly, what everyone in the household looks forward to all day. Indio seems to love splashing around (some nights it is more of a lounge) in the warm water and we love the together time of the routine.

Resolutions Be Damned!

2011-02-17T08:00:00.002-06:00

Remember when we celebrated the New Year last month? While January 1st is the traditional time to make resolutions, I decided to go the route of the procrastinator and marinate on my resolutions for a month and see how they pan out. What I've found is many of them didn't really work out. Instead I've devised a list of small accomplishments I want to achieve in 2011. Here we go, in no particular order:

1. Make biscuits from scratch
2. Start an herb garden
3. Host a fried chicken party
4. (Re)learn correct punctuation usage
5. Make gnocchi by hand
6. Find my perfect lipstick shade
7. Become handy with a slow cooker
8. Get the deck rebuilt
9. Create a baby book for Indio
10. Do a hairstyle that's not a ponytail

Wish me luck!

Lessons learned from hosting a party

2011-02-16T08:00:00.036-06:00

After hosting a party this Saturday, I used Sunday to hibernate with my favorite little napper and reflect on a few tweaks to fine-tune my hosting skills. Ever the listmaker, I started to jot down some of the finer points and thought I would share them here - if for no other reason that perhaps I will review prior to our next shindig.

Start with an empty dishwasher.
Take the bottleneck out of cleanup by having the dishwasher ready to load. Why this is so hard to accomplish is beyond me.

Do your hair and makeup early.
Be showered and ready to go 1 hour before the party starts in case you have early birds. Even if you don't, that last hour usually gets sucked up by last minute prep and greeting guests in your pajamas loses its charm as you get older.

Prepare as much in advance.
Alleviate day-of pressure by setting the table, rearranging furniture and prepping food the night before. I think this is what every Real Simple article on hosting parties states and yet I am listing it as my own personal epiphany.

Enlist someone else to take pictures.
It is really hard to host from behind the lens and the pictures don't really turn out the great anyway.

Spread out the spread.
Setting up drinks in a different location from the food naturally spreads out the crowd and helps people socialize - or so I'm told. Ina Garten, who doles out fantastic party tips during her cooking shows, suggests a mini-progressive meal in different locations throughout the house. Drinks and appetizers on the front porch, dinner in the dining room and dessert in the front room allows the host to set up the next course behind-the-scenes.

Semi-home made is your friend.
I am all for everything down to the last detail being done by hand with fresh ingredients, BUT if you aren't a skilled cook then chances are a little semi-homemade is going to go a long way (and will taste just as delicious). I am learning to pick a few items to make from scratch and everything else can be done with the miracle of modern shortcuts.

Delegate.
Assuming you have casual gatherings, put guests to work if they offer (and seem to mean it). Have a team make that punch that you envisioned concocting at the last minute or help ice the 100+ mini cupcakes you thought would magically ice themselves. If you aren't comfortable putting people to work then stick a drink in their hand and send them on their way - drinks (specifically alcoholic ones) go along way to pacify guests until everything is ready to go.

Start the party off right.
When guests arrive have activities or drinks ready to go until everyone arrives.

Get a co-host or an assistant.
Hosting is serious work and a legion of minions is ideal. Short of that, get a helper to do the grunt work - collecting coats and bags or grabbing towels for a spill - so you can be the hostess with the mostest. Side note: you will owe them big time.

Alyse's Baby Shower

2011-02-15T08:00:00.008-06:00

This weekend I hosted a baby shower for my sister, Alyse, who is expecting a baby girl in March (hooray!). I took the job of ushering in my first little niece very seriously and thought the whole affair went off marvelously. Sure, a few hiccups here and there - like not being showered or dressed when the guests started to arrive - but our guest of honor looked great and our guests were spirited. Here is the breakdown:

The theme. Currently their first choice in names is Ruby. After getting permission to use this top-secret information, the party scene was set with all things pink, red and sparkly as we celebrated Alyse's 'little gem'. Acrylic gems adorned the table top, sparkly cardstock signs announced the obvious, ring pops shimmered in candy dishes and pomegranate jewel ice cubes provided practical garnish at the drink station.

The menu. Standard Midwestern finger foods were the fare of choice. Small croissant sandwiches, a fruit platter, dip with an array of veggies and a cheese and cracker tray rounded out the savory portion. For sweets we had pockets o' lemon cake and mini cupcakes in vanilla with buttercream icing, sea salt caramel with dark chocolate icing and chocolate with buttercream or chocolate icing. For drinks the guests could select from baby bellinis, ruby punch (a random mix of orange juice, 100% cranberry juice - the tart stuff, and ginger ale in a sugar rimmed glass), decaffeinated iced tea (all pregnancy friendly so far) or wine (for our non-pregnant adult imbibers).

Games. All showers must have games, it's in the rules book. I stayed away from the 'guess the baby poop' candy bar game (yup, its a real game) and kept things tame with a few pop quizzes. A fill-in-the blank birthstone game was a nod to the gem theme and guess the belly size is obligatory (46 inches!). To keep people engaged in the goings-on we played baby shower bingo and awarded prizes to the gift giver if a timer went off when their present was opened. I also created a game by morphing pictures of Alyse and Joe with each other and celebrities and the guests had to guess which baby was Alyse and Joe's (turns out that always selecting the cutest baby was the way to win the game).

Decor. I really obsessed over the decorations...what can I say, its my nature. I was hell-bent on making some kind of garland to hang above all the food. I went through several iterations of pathetic looking little flags until I struck upon a nice balance of festive and sweet, if I do say so myself, using patterned scrapbook paper and stringing the flags on simple, white ribbon. To personalize the garland, I ordered small prints of Alyse and Joe as youngins' and attached them randomly in front of the flags. The magnetic wall in the hallway showcased pictures of Alyse and Joe posing together (my sister is the queen of self-shot portraiture) that I downloaded from her flickr. I added a sign below the collage stating, "baby makes 3" in sparkly pink paper to help tie in the baby theme and alleviate any stalker feel the collection of photos (may have) had before. At the end of the day, all the photos came down and went home with Alyse as a parting gift. Oh, and I made little paper flags like I was Betsy Ross - the sandwiches had flags, the cupcakes had flags -but I stopped short of making flags for the veggies.

Tips from the pros. I scoured the Internet for theme ideas and menu options and took away a few good ideas on remembering the little things.

Be sure to have pens or pencils at the ready if your games require writing.
Near the gift table have trash bags, paper and pen ready for the gift opening.
Give the guest of honor thank you cards stamped and pre-addressed with the attendees information. This makes getting the thank-you cards out a lot easier, which every momma-to-be needs.

Alyse has shown so much love and affection in her role as an aunt that I know this little baby of hers is going to be loved, loved, loved and Alyse is going to make a wonderful mother. I am so thrilled that we are going to be able to share our experiences as parents and raise our children together. Last, but not least, I am going to have a little niece to spoil...bring on the cute clothes! Ahem, and also science-y stuff so she isn't pigeonholed into girly things.

Recipe for success: Buttercream icing

2011-02-14T08:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's day! I must admit I am just coming around to this holiday after years of fake gagging myself in response to sappy cards forced on a legion of unassuming schmucks to demonstrate their love once a year. Now I see that I was missing the point: a chance to bake and eat tons of sweets in the name of love. Ain't love grand?

This year I selected cupcakes with buttercream icing. Supposedly this recipe is as close to the famed Publix grocery store's buttercream icing as a home effort has come, according to this icing forum (thank you, icing gurus, for all your hardwork). Stop reading now if you truly love icing and have no idea how it is made, because finding out about icing is an awful lot like finding out about how hotdogs are made. Now that I've totally killed any romantic notions you had dancing about in your head, here is the recipe:

Assemble the ingredients:

• ½ pounds butter (2 sticks)
• 2 cups Crisco vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 lbs. confectioners sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon meringue powder

Mix butter, Crisco and salt together on low speed for 5 minutes.
Add vanilla, butter flavor and almond extract and beat until blended.
With the mixer off, added the meringue powder and half of the confectioners sugar. Turn the mixer on the slowest speed until the powder has combined in the icing mix. Add the remaining confectioner's sugar 1/2 cup at a time until the sugar is mixed in.
Crank the mixer up to medium and beat the mixture for approximately 5 minutes. The icing should be smooth and creamy at the end of this time.

NOTES:
• Meringue powder you can find at speciality baking stores or at Michael's craft store in the baking section.
• Butter flavoring you can find in the spices section of your grocery store near all the other extracts. It is a little bottle of liquid, not the butter flavoring granules you sprinkle on baked potatoes and things.
• The original recipe stresses sifting the confectioner's sugar, I started to do this, got antsy and dumped the confectioner's sugar in unsifted. I didn't seem to have a problem, but my confectioner's sugar wasn't too hard or clumped together.
• You can store the icing in the fridge overnight to preserve it. Before using, warm it to room temp and beat the icing in the mixer for 2-5 minutes. Otherwise just eat it straight out of the fridge with the largest spoon you can find.

Indio . Month 5

2011-01-19T21:20:00.005-06:00

This time last year, we knew we were expecting and often thought aloud, "Next Christmas we will have a baby to share it with....a baby!" I imagine we repeated the last part to emphasize our excitement as well as impart to each other the realization that our family was growing. I secretly daydreamed about the family gathering together with our little one bundled in an adorable and festive outfit while being admired, loved and passed around by everyone. This year my daydream played out, with the exception of the festive outfit part - I think whatever was on top of the clean clothes pile won out. Regardless, it was a magical time for us as parents spending the first holiday season with Indio and knowing future Christmases will hold more wonder and excitement for him and probably fewer naps when presents are being opened.

On the development front: Indio rolls over quickly from back to stomach. At first, the movement was laborious and not without a few tries; however the roll has been perfected and he demonstrates his new found skill shortly after being placed on his play blanket or in his crib (much to the distress of his parents when we find him sleeping on his stomach). Indio rounded out the rest of the month becoming...deliberate. His aunt, Alyse, noted this when he reached for a toy and it described his behavior perfectly. Toys that were once out of his reach are now zeroed in on with laser focus and then passed off jerkily from hand to hand to mouth, but with increasing fluidity. I'm warning you now that no hair or earrings are safe anymore from his grasp.

His stats:
Weight: 19 lbs. and some change (my how lax we've gotten).

Momma loves: His increased motor skills. The pacifier, which was once lost forever when it popped out of his mouth, he can now locate and place back in his own mouth - although sometimes backwards - which is simultaneously adorable and fascinating.

Da Da loves: His laugh. Indio readily doles out a chuckle for a silly dance, a goofy voice or a crazy performance of just about any kind. Getting that instant feedback makes us break into dance often.

Daniel's Top 10 Albums of 2010 (in haiku)

2010-12-23T12:00:00.000-06:00

Album of the year
Teen Dream by Beach House
Restrained dream pop
Baltimore duo’s finest
Indy’s lullaby
You might also like: Volume Two by She & Him

The rest
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Sprawl One and Sprawl Two
Arcade Fire at their best
Baroque meets Springsteen
You might also like: Future Weather by The War on Drugs

Crazy for You by Best Coast
I’ve got a fever
The only cure: more reverb!
Modern day surf rock
You might also like: Before Today by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti

Forgiveness Rock Record by Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene:
Eighty people (give or take)
Rocking out at once
You might also like: Cloak and Cipher by Land of Talk

Pop Negro by El Guincho
Is Spain always warm?
This album leads me to think
That this is the case
You might also like: White Magic by ceo

In Evening Air by Future Islands
Mix ingredients:
Billy Idol and Lou Reed
Pinch of New Order
You might also like: Wild Smile by Suckers

Broken Dreams Club by Girls
The Corgan Playbook
Carolina’s opening
See: Mellon Collie
You might also like: Big Echo by The Morning Benders

Black City by Matthew Dear
Matthew Dear presents
Blade Runner: The Musical
Gloomy android songs
You might also like: Forget by Twin Shadow

Contra by Vampire Weekend
Bouncy hipster tunes
It makes me feel so care-free
Like thirty lives worth
You might also like: This is Happening by LCD Soundsystem

Odd Blood by Yeasayer
All you need to know:
Odd Blood on repeat for months
And still made my list
You might also like: Treats by Sleigh Bells

Holiday baking!

2010-12-22T23:36:00.005-06:00

Start...your...ovens! I am finally getting in some of that holiday baking I have been looking forward to all month. My planned lineup this year:

Oreo snowballs
Fleur de Sel caramels
Cutie Pies
Nutella and Sugar cookie sandwiches
Caramel and milk chocolate dipped pretzels
Pumpkin and cream cheese bread

Indio . Month 4

2010-12-19T22:15:00.007-06:00

This month Indio found his voice. In a veritable symphony of gurgles, cools, shrieks* and raspberries he really flexed his vocals, much to our delight. It truly amazes me how the slightest variation in these vocalizations signal different needs that Daniel and I are starting to get better at deciphering.
	Indio is particularly adept at shrieking in my left ear so please tell me things of great importance in my right ear.

Beyond the variations of hoots and howls -- and an amazing production of drool -- tummy time is another area of great progress this month. Mere minutes on his tummy last month have stretched out to 15 minutes or more at a time this month. Positioned on his stomach affords him a much better view of his surroundings,
especially of the cats that have recently caught his attention...yes, the poor cats that will probably be tormented by this little boy in the not-so-distant future.

His stats:
Weight: 18.1 lbs according to Wii Fit (Dr. appointment hadn't occurred before we 'went to press' for this month's official standings)

Momma loves: His smile still melts my heart, especially when he gets up in the morning and he flashes his big smile in preparation of being scooped up to start his day.

Da Da loves: This cute little sigh he wraps coughs up with. It goes a little something like *cough*cough*cough*huuuuuh*. It just cannot be adequately captured in this medium, but trust that it is adorable.

* One night he discovered the shriek and was doing it all evening. Here is a video from that night which I can't help but play repeatedly (I am his momma, after all) and crack up at how crazy he looks. A note of caution: the sound is of a baby making high-pitched squeals, so turn down your speakers if you are watching this at work (tsk, tsk...just kidding)

Linked list: Top 10 Lists Rule!

2010-12-10T07:53:00.003-06:00

...or, more accurately, Top 10 List Rules*. Anywho, this being a blog about lists I decided I needed to get back to my listmaking roots. Having failed to make any list that didn't start with 'straighten the house' lately, I was happy to have one of my adoring readers forward me a link to a very awesome list. (Okay, so what if it was Daniel and I call him just as soon as I post anything to see if he has somehow, magically read it?) .

Ahem, without further ado: A must read on top 10 rules for top 10 lists, with specific references to movie reviews. Please enjoy.

*For the record: When done properly Top 10 lists do rule.

2010-12-02T21:44:00.013-06:00

Restaurants I want to try: (all located in STL)

London's Wing House

Copia

Colleen's Cookies

Araka (old haunt with a new chef)

Nobu

Crib Notes

2010-11-29T21:54:00.008-06:00

The last major nursery project before arrival of the little bambino was the crib skirt I whipped together in an evening. Let me repeat: in an evening...and that includes shopping for the fabric. To put this in perspective, I stared at crib skirts options online longer than it took me to make one. So there. I was surprised to realize that my selection of fabric - a hip Amy Butler print - didn't come cheap and the project cost about as much as a Land of Nod crib skirt. BUT, and this is a big but, I got exactly what I wanted: a straight crib skirt (no ruffles) with a funky print.

1. Cut the fabric (make sure these dimensions suit your crib and crib mattress sizes):

A: two pieces each 29 inches long and 10.5 inches tall from decorative fabric (short sides)
B: two pieces each 53 inches long and 10.5 inches tall from decorative fabric (long sides)
C: one piece 51.5 inches by 27.5 inches from inexpensive fabric

2. Hem both short ends and one long side of the skirt fabrics (pieces A and B). To make the hems, fold each edge over 1/4 inch toward the wrong side, then fold it over another 1/4 inch. Iron this fold in place and stitch along the folded edge.

3. Pin the unhemmed edges of the skirt fabric (A and B) to each side of the skirt sheet (C). Make sure the skirt fabric is facing the correct way. Sew the skirt fabric to the skirt sheet.

4. Pop it on the crib under the mattress and admire your handiwork.

Mural, mural on the wall

2010-11-28T22:00:00.012-06:00

The pièce de résistance in the nursery is the mural Daniel painted. Knowing my limits physically (I didn't want to be around paint while pregnant) and, more importantly, talent-wise (I don't have a lick of artist in me, though I try) I left this project in his hands. The result: a mural that adds whimsy to the nursery while giving it a great focal point when you first walk in the room. Color me impressed!

1) First, Daniel sketched out his vision for the mural. This step I found particularly amusing because I imagine only a third grade boy completing an assignment entitled "draw your favorite Transformer/Power Ranger/whatever fills a 3rd grade boy with glee these days" could hunker down and show as much zeal as Daniel displayed. He cleared off a space on his desk, hunted down a fresh sheet of copy paper, laid out a selection of crayons and did nothing to hide his annoyance anytime I tried to talk to him during his sketching session.

2) Once the drawing was complete he scanned it in and digitized it by filling in colors over the scanned drawing in PaintShop Pro. I am really skimming over this part, because who wants the technical details anyway? Just know this was a step that took some time and lots of changes, tweaks and feedback took place.

3) After all the fine tuning was done in PaintShop Pro, the picture was ready to be projected onto the wall. Using a ladder, several bungee cords and every cuss word known to mankind, the digital projector was positioned in the exact location to project the picture perfectly onto our selected wall. And, yes, this jerry-rigging was as awesome as the photo makes it out. Eat your heart out, MacGuyver!

4) The picture was then traced onto the wall and the different colors were labeled.

5) Using sample-size jars of paint, a large-scale paint-by-numbers ensued and...voila, a mural is born.

Photojourna.list: Fall Family Fiesta

2010-11-24T23:40:00.012-06:00

A few weekends ago we hosted our first family dinner* and it was a great evening of catching up with the family over food and drinks and introducing Indio to all of his second cousins. I must share this one antecdote from the evening - this is roughly what I overheard at one point during the night and it sounds like it came straight from the TV show Modern Family, which I adore.

A small group gathers around the baby monitor when Indio starts waking up from his mid-evening nap he so desperately needed. The camera monitor has night vision, so the colors are reversed black and white. My mom (Marquita) goes in to soothe Indio as he gets up and 16 year old Chloe converses with her mom, Talisa:

Chloe: Oh my god, what's going on with Marquita's hair? It's white! What's going on, the colors are so weird. Oh my god. Look at Mia, she looks so weird! What's going on?!?!

Talisa: Chill out, Chloe, they will come back down normal. It's just the monitor.

*To be correct, partial family dinner. My mom comes from a large family and our house just isn't big enough for the whole she-bang without having outdoors as an option.

Top: Hanging out in the dining room. Middle (L to R): Mia at the drink station, luminarias out front for a festive feel, Cary waxing poetic. Bottom: Feeding frenzy in the kitchen.

Indio . Month 3

2010-11-19T20:23:00.008-06:00

These past few weeks have combined to become a month of tiny little milestones. Only two months and one day old, Indio pulled a little toy up towards his mouth - showing off fine motor skills previously unobserved. He did this in the middle of a HomeGoods shopping trip, causing my mom to lean over to me, tug on my arm and, with barely contained pride and excitement (her voice almost a vibrato), claim "this...is...a milestone!" Trust me, I understood how impressive this feat of coordination was and would have shot off little confetti cannons or done a jig had we not been in the middle of glassware.

Since that day I have enjoyed watching his world expand - each day his grasp is a little better, his sight seems to go a bit further and tummy time gets a little longer. It is so easy to be amazed when every new move and sound is a first of its kind and all these milestones I carefully catalogue mentally - knowing that they will eventually be replaced with new memories and milestones of bigger events. Much bigger events...like sleeping through the night.

His stats:
Weight: 16.5 lbs according to Wii Fit (no Dr. appointment this month for official standings)

Momma Loves: Cuddling up with my little bundle for an after work nap. This is a habit I'm going to have to let go of if we ever want to get a solid night sleep, though.

DaDa Loves: The laugh. Although not easy to coax out of our little guy - it comes stealthily and is over just as quickly. Don't expect a command performance laugh as we have made fools of ourselves on many an occasion trying to get Indio to laugh in front of others (all unsuccessfully).

Recipe for success: Pumpkin bread with cream cheese ribbon

2010-11-09T08:00:00.002-06:00

Have I got a real treat in store for you today. This, my friends, is the recipe for an easy and very tasty pumpkin bread. Too boring, you say? Not this one. It has a ribbon of a cream cheese filling that really is icing on the cake, if you want to stick with baking clichés. Bake up a batch, stick it in the fridge and watch as you uncontrollably eat it for the next 23 hours - you won't even make it 24 hours. (Okay, so I accidentally typed 23 instead of 24 and then got dramatic).

Assemble the ingredients:

For the bread
• 1 cup pumpkin filling
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

For the filling
• 1 package cream cheese (large), softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon flour
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel (optional)

Preheat oven to 325° F.
Grease and flour your bread pans. The recipe calls for two 7 1/2 x 3 1/3 loaf pans - but I do a medley of pans and fill until I run out of batter.
For the filling, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together in a small bowl. Add egg, mix to blend. Stir in orange peel, set aside.

Make bread by combining pumpkin, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Add sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon, flour, baking soda, mix to blend.

Pour ¼ of the batter into your greased and floured pans. Carefully spread the cream cheese mixture over the batter. Add remaining batter, covering the filling.
Bake at 325° F for 1 ½ hours, or until bread tests done with wooden pick. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.
Store in refrigerator.

NOTES: I keep meaning to double the filling part of the recipe to get a nice, big ribbon of cream cheese, but have never done it. Something to try out if you want to flex your culinary muscles or if adding fractions together is really your thing.

Baby Booty

2010-11-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

When we - or, more accurately, I - were contemplating the whole cloth diaper thing during pregnancy, my sister would send cloth diaper reviews from blogs that she came across (here, here and here). Getting the down and dirty facts from those in the thick of things was invaluable and much better than the FAQ section of cloth diapering sites. Now that we have some experience of our own, here are my initial impressions. Oh, and I realize that the only person taking interest in this post is my sister.

Let me start by saying I am sold on the whole cloth diapers movement (pun intended). For those tracking Daniel's opinion, he very eloquently stated "they're good". We initially used disposables until we could muster enough energy and diapers to transition to cloth (NOTE: During this time the massive amount of garbage being produced was just as astounding as the amount of money spent on disposables - really, I have no idea how people afford disposable diapers.) Obviously cloth diapering has some upfront costs, but it should pay for itself in a few months according to our calculations. I have also read cloth diaper babies get fewer diaper rashes and potty train faster - I cannot attest to either of these - but I am for both of those benefits.

Here is my other words of wisdom on the subject:

Germaphobes beware. No way to put this delicately - if the thought of handling the, uhhh, output of your baby requires gloves and lots of surgical soap then you either should A) invest in a cloth diapering service or B) pass on cloth diapers. I might add that as an amateur germaphobe myself (I have my moments) this was my biggest initial fear, but you do get over the shock of sticking your hand in the toilet pretty quickly once your child pees and poops on you...repeatedly. In other reviews, I have heard of people putting everything directly into the wash - no rinsing prior to the wash cycle. This creeps me out even more - I just cannot imagine washing machine technology being able to handle this on a daily basis and I am not down with poo-poo wear.

Get the diaper sprayer. Technically this is not an essential item for cloth diapering, but in the wise words of Matthew Mcconaughey's character in Dazed and Confused* "It'd be a lot cooler if you did." With the sprayers on back order, we did without for a few days and that was a few days too long, in my humble opinion as the dip, dip, flush technique leaves much to be desired. That's right - dip twice in the toilet and flush the toilet while holding one end of the diaper, repeat until clean or your back gives out.

Get cozy with your laundry room. If starting an in-home laundromat appeals to you, then cloth diapers will too. Be prepared to run lots of loads in order to keep up with the output of your precious little pooper. In my limited experience, the key is routine and keeping on top of the heap...and having disposables on hand just in case. Which brings me to...

Mix in some disposables. If you aren't superhuman, then chances are good that disposables will come in handy. Mostly when the laundering schedule just didn't keep up with real life or you finally venture out into the real world with the little bambino.

Now you might say to yourself, if she is going to complain about the work and getting dirty, why didn't she just go with a service? Very valid question. St. Louis does have a cloth diaper service, but they don't use the diapers I wanted to use. Plus dirty diapers sitting around for a week or more just didn't appeal to me.

Other notes - equipment:

We chose BumGenius 4.0 diapers in hook/loop and snap closures.
Get the spray hose and don't look back.
For storing dirty diapers until the trip to the wash, we have a few wet bags that rotate. They are absolutely fantastic - they go in the wash with the diapers so cleaning them is easy, they take up little room and they come in assorted designs.
The diapers do add a bit a bulk, although we haven't purchased onesie extenders, I am contemplating the buy.
For the full enviro-friendly experience, go with cloth wipes. We tried this for a few weeks, but the wipes smelled funny in the warmer so we abandoned this mission. We may try again, making a homemade wipes solution that will keep the smell on the up and up.

* Regarding Mr. Mcconaughey in the movie Dazed and Confused: probably his finest acting job to date, in my humble opinion. Lovable and creepy in one go and his Southern accent has never fit better.

Sunday Night Football

2010-11-08T00:12:00.004-06:00

What am I doing? It is officially Monday morning - though barely - and I am scouring the web for a stupid trick play I remember the St. Louis Rams pulled off years ago. Something about (Kurt) Warner walking toward the sideline acting like something was wrong with his helmet all the while another player snaps the ball and the play moves forward...

The whole point was because I was going to have a short list of trick football plays because Daniel showed me this video tonight:

Oh well, guess this post will just have to be a one trick pony.

Halloween's coming!

2010-10-29T23:32:00.045-05:00

This year I am eagerly anticipating Halloween. Even though Indy is way too young to appreciate the festivities, something about experiencing our first holiday with him (Labor day didn't count) and building family traditions has me downright giddy. It started when my aunt Marla was recounting her family's Halloween traditions that I realized how special it would be for Daniel and I to create these (hopefully) amazing memories for Indio. Not leaving Halloween memory making to chance, I've taken stock of our established traditions and new ones we're just starting.

Decoration. The past three years I've done your run-of-the-mill front yard tombstones and cobweb decor with a few jack-o-lanterns thrown in. I'll also put out my Halloween luminarias, weather permitting. I'm of the old school mentality when it comes to Halloween decorations, so orange 'Christmas' lights are a no go. I'll probably eat my words in a few years when I decide orange lights are completely charming and decide to drape something with them. Never say never. This year I found gel clings shaped like bloody handprints and threw them up on the front door. Somewhere out there is a blogger posing the question 'when did bloody hand gel clings become the thing to do for Halloween'? Good question.

Treats. This is where things get serious. When we first moved into the neighborhood Daniel made an executive decision that we were going to pass out full-sized candy bars. Not candy corn, not apples (gasp! - no one really does that, right?), and not your typical mini candy bars. Something about it being a dream of his since he was a child...and who am I to get in the way of such an attainable dream? We quickly realized when people introduced us to other neighbors as 'the house that passes out full-size candy bars' that there was no turning back. Rest assured, dear neighbors, that the full-size candy bars have been bought and I tried to get the variety pack with no Almond Joys this year (we actually had a little girl try to return an Almond Joy last year, to the mortification of her mother). Until either we move or a mass exodus of the neighborhood occurs, big candy bars will be a tradition.

More treats. I picked up a pretzel candy kit as a total impulse buy the other day. Consisting of a few plastic molds to transform ordinary pretzel rods into a chocolate dipped variety with a Halloween theme. Quite honestly I bought it (on sale) and had just a tinge of buyer's remorse thinking there was no way was I going to make time to do it, leaving this kit to be stashed away for a year until it resurfaced too late for another Halloween. BUT, it is amazing what a late night craving for a little something sweet will motivate a person to do. The kit was remarkably easy to use even when it was painfully obvious that momma didn't raise no pastry chef. By far the coolest molds are the big rats - being a little too big to be all chocolate we dipped those pretzels in caramel first creating a caramel filled chocolate rat pretzel. If that doesn't say Halloween I don't know what does. I declare Halloween pretzels to be our new tradition.

Tricks. Okay, not really a trick, but each year trick-or-treating gets kicked off with a block parade. All the kids start at one end of the block and make the trek to the other end of the block in full costume. It has been such a fun thing to see in the past and this year I am beyond excited as little Indy makes his inaugural appearance in the parade with his dad. I will be at the finishing end of the block taking a million pictures and doling out our big candy bars.

Heavy Rotation . October 2010

2010-10-28T00:51:00.002-05:00

Music we have on heavy rotation right now:

Daniel's List:
Daniel failed to get his list in for this month. Sorry, kids. Be sure to check out the non-slackers' lists for this month (below).

Anica's List:
Feeling kinda funky and decided to do individual tracks this time.

Future Islands - Long Flight (Album: In Evening Air) . For some reason I think it sounds like the updated love child of Rod Stewart and Billy Idol vocally. Am I right or am I right?
The Morning Benders - Excuses (Album: Big Echo)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Fright Night (Nevermore) (Album: Before Today)
Of Montreal - Enemy Gene (Album: False Priest)

Indio's List:
These are albums he really seems to enjoy, not just us pushing it on him.

Beach House - Teen Dream
Linda Danly, Maria Danly - Lullaby River
Paul Simon - Graceland

Recipe for success: Raspberry Vinegar

2010-10-26T23:00:00.003-05:00

Last year I had a short-lived obsession with pickling after an irresistible deal at Soulard Farmer's Market saddled me with way too many cucumbers. A quick venture into the world of pickling yielded several cans of gray pickles that I didn't have the heart (or guts) to pawn off on anybody. BUT, when I was searching for pickle recipes in my copy of Country Wisdom and Know-How -- what every self-respecting Midwesterner household should own* -- I came across very enticing recipes for flavored vinegars. It was located in the section on Preserving, Pickling, Canning, Distilling - I kid you not. The text stated raspberry vinegar was considered one of the best and with raspberries just wrapping up their season, I decided to go for it. We used the batch of 'homemade' raspberry vinegar until the last drop fell about midway through the year. You bet your sweet bippy I whipped up another batch this year.

[Raspberry vinegar in the making]

Assemble the ingredients:
2 to 2 1/2 cups fresh red raspberries, lightly mashed
2 Tablespoons sugar or honey
2 cups red wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in a (non aluminum) double boiler over boiling water. Turn down the heat and cook over barely simmer water for 10 minutes, uncovered.
Put all the contents in a canning jar and store for 3 weeks.
Strain out the solids, pressing on the raspberries to get out all the juice.
Optional: Strain through a coffee filter to make the vinegar less cloudy.
Place the vinegar in a bottle for use.

Drumroll, please: A delicious vinegar that makes a mean vinaigrette. Sure, you can buy raspberry vinaigrette at the store, but it won't be as tasty or as country-wisdomy as this stuff.

*Dripping with sarcasm for all those out there thinking we (Midwesterners) are all a bunch of bumpkins. As for the book, a very cool compendium of projects and recipes.

Recipe for success: Sweet Corn Ice Cream

2010-10-25T23:41:00.005-05:00

When the end-of-summer harvest hands you sweet corn, you make...sweet corn ice cream. This was actually a request by my (pregnant) sister who was inspired by an episode of Iron Chef to eat the confection and I eagerly obliged. Running out to the store I found the very last of the sweet corn available for the season and snapped it up. I found a custard-based sweet corn ice cream recipe online and with just a small tweak the sweet corn ice cream became a reality.

Assemble the ingredients:
6 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 cups milk (I used whole milk)
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
9 large egg yolks

Shuck and clean the corn, then cut the kernels off the cob. Break the cobs into halves or thirds.

Place the kernels and the cobs in a large saucepan. Add the milk, cream and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring and then turn off the heat. Remove the cobs and puree the mixture (using an immersion mixer or a blender). Let sit for 1 hour.

Bring the mixture back to a simmer, then turn off the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Temper the egg mix by slowly adding the cream mixture to the eggs, stir the entire time so the eggs don't scramble. Add the cream/eggs mixture back to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat while stirring constantly until a custard forms. The custard should be think enough to coat a spoon (no drips when a line is made on the back of the spoon).
Pass the custard through a sieve - be sure to press down on the corn kernels to release the flavor - and then discard all the solids left in the sieve. Chill the custard in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Freeze in your ice cream maker.
For garnish, top with a few kernels of the raw sweet corn. This is optional, of course.

SPOILER ALERT: In the end, my gifts of sweet corn ice cream were met with plastic smiles and empty thank-yous, for good reason. The Cliff's Notes version basically reads that this was little more than frozen creamed corn. So the success I mentioned in the title is more from an academic standpoint...as in, I successfully made sweet corn ice cream.

Indio . Month 2

2010-10-19T09:56:00.018-05:00

I am in deep. Each day I love my little munchkin more and more, taking to typical mommy behaviors like staring googely-eyed at him when he is sleeping and peppering his chubby cheeks with kisses at every opportunity. A girl's gotta get in as many kisses before he can crawl/scoot/run away...sigh.

As a proud momma, I have to gush about his accomplishments. He started out month 1 with daily tummy time* and really took to holding his head up high**. Of late he has really mastered rolling over by straightening one arm and tilting his head until gravity finally does the rest. Hercules! Hercules! Hercules! But I am really putty in his hands when he flashes his smile or sticks his tongue out to imitate us. His one-two punch is sticking out his tongue and then giving us a big smile, so pleased with himself. This move makes me want to scoop him up in my arms and suck on those fat little cheeks. I just can't get enough.

His stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 2 oz (98th percentile)
Height: 23.75 inches (75th percentile)

Momma loves: The smile. I love, love, love the big, goofy grin he flashes when we play.

Da Da loves: The Adorable Hour. A name given to any time (and length of time) Indio really turns on the charm - smiling, cooing and imitating. Shaking hands, kissing babies - that sort of thing.

* Tummy time = placing an infant on their tummy to develop neck, chest and back muscles for holding their head up.
** This Argent song is the official theme song of tummy time.

Indio . Month 1

2010-09-19T09:56:00.006-05:00

	At the risk of sounding like every grownup on the face of the earth: "They grow up so fast." But, really, they do. One month down of being a parent and already it has been both wonderful and challenging. Who knew a little thing could come into your life, pee on you (repeatedly) and it wouldn't be a big deal. Okay, at 4 AM it seems like a big deal.


We are slowly learning that bath time requires two to three nimble adults, that getting up multiple times through the night is doable and my fear of 'breaking the baby' was, perhaps, irrational. Especially when you have a baby this big and robust.

His stats:
Weight: 12 lbs., 11 oz. (98th percentile for his age)
Height: 21.65 inches ( 50th percentile for his age)

Momma loves: The cute little face he makes when he's had his fill of milk - he juts out his chin, sticks his lips out (more than normal) and he puts his palm out, a la 'talk to the hand'. So . stinkin' . cute.

Da Da loves: The Indio Special and the bicycle kicks during diaper changes.

Night lights

2010-09-14T18:00:00.003-05:00

One little gem of wisdom picked up from another blog: use dim or dimmable lights around the changing table so late night diaper changes don't rouse the baby too much from overhead lighting. We had a few pendant lamps waiting to be used for just such an occasion, but needed to be tweaked a bit to go with the eclectic jungle/forest nursery theme were we loosely using as decor. Not wanting to fully commit these lamps to the cause for life, I created a stand-alone garland piece that can be lifted off when felt imitation trees no longer fit the theme of the room. Throw perfectionism out the door on this project - I didn't focus on uniformity of the leaves, the embroidery stitch or the leaf pattern and I think it turned out more cartoony that way, which was my intention.

1) Pop in your favorite movie - since we are not going for perfection - the movie is a welcome distraction during the hand sewing portion of the project (which it is basically all hand sewing).

2) Using different shades of green and one brown shade, I cut simple leaf shapes out of felt. Also at the ready are complementary shades of embroidery thread (see step 3).

3) Next I laid out various leaf cutouts on the lamp and then selected a middle leaf that touched all the others. This became the leaf that I sewed an outline around using embroidery thread, thereby attaching it to the other leaves. Note that I laid the pattern out on the lamp for size and shape, but didn't sew anything directly to the lamp. Repeat this all the way around the lamp and as far down as you want the garland to hang.

4) Once the pattern is complete it should be a ring of leaves (or whatever) that you can set on the lamp. Of course, variations on this include gluing the cutouts directly to the lamp, which would be faster.

Branch out

2010-09-13T18:27:00.006-05:00

Sometimes it takes people years to recognize my genius. Daniel is still grappling with the concept, but I think it is finally taking hold. Take, for instance, 3 years ago when I insisted upon dragging a fallen branch into our house after a storm because I thought it was pretty. It then sat in the corner of our home office for a few years until we could figure out what to do with it. Finally, inspiration hit when we were working on the nursery: make it into a mobile for the nursery.

1) Obtain a branch. Be it after a storm or chasing after an arborist, find a branch that suits your needs.

2) Secure it to the wall or ceiling. This is where Daniel's genius kicked in: he secured a few eyescrews into the wall where the branch met the wall and then temporarily connected with cable ties. This step is also where I was not allowed to take pictures because clearly my picture taking was directly correlated to the plaster walls deciding to become difficult. Later the cable ties were reinforced or replaced by twine. The result is a branch that 'got no strings to hold it down'...Pinocchio, anyone?

3) Select something to hang from the branches. We chose rainbow origami that had messages from family members to the baby and were folded into paper cranes. The easiest way was to have family members pick the paper from our selection, write on the back and return an unfolded piece of paper. I then folded the cranes (after reading the messages, of course). This is probably the hardest part of the project as you have to hunt down family members to get them to return the paper.

4) Attach the items to the branches. Using embroidery thread and needle, the string was threaded through the body of the crane. And done!

Unveiling the nursery

2010-08-17T15:23:00.011-05:00

The past few months our big project has been transforming a ho-hum home office into a nursery - a task spurred on by bouts of nesting or nagging, whichever you believe in more. But, after shoving all the items into closets throughout the house in a somewhat organized fashion, we started with a clean slate.

We quickly settled on a forest theme - heavy with gender neutral greens and requiring no new wall color - and set to work on an eclectic mix of design and furniture (a good way to mask the fact that we don't have any designer know-how). Here is the end result...drumroll, please:

Ta-Da! A few of our key items and projects:

Rocking chair from The Bent Tree
Curtains from Anthropologie...and are actually tablecloths
Changing table was a down-on-its-luck dresser refinished and topped by my parents
Project: Mural
Project: Origami branch
Project: Crib skirt (future post)
Project: Pendant 'tree' lamps

Days late, hopefully not dollars short

2010-08-16T15:32:00.010-05:00

Today starts my first day of maternity leave and, quite honestly, I thought I'd have a little baby to show for it. I had delusions of working right up until the last minute - biting down on a pen cap or breathing through those early contractions - until calmly shooting off an e-mail to my employer explaining my immediate need to run off to the hospital and promptly have a baby. Silly Nica, due dates are for...actually, I have no idea who due dates are for. In fact, I prepared myself to have a late arrival since, statistically speaking, firstborns are 1 week and 2 days late (I have actually heard the range of 1 week 1 day to 1 week 3 days, but close enough). A week before our due date I was counting on the baby being late so I could tie up those loose ends, procure necessities and cross off all the items on my numerous to-do before baby lists. Now staring back at a long week of being overdue I see that being overdue is a lot like a little kid 'hitting the wall' after staying up well beyond an appointed bedtime - you periodically feel that throwing a monumental temper tantrum is exactly what needs to be done. In fact, everyone who lays eyes on you will tell you what needs to be done to make the baby come faster and with this one action you will have a baby in a matter of days. The fascinating part about this whole process is you will take these random suggestions to heart with each passing day. Day one of overdue and I signed up for acupuncture. Day two and we were taking long walks...by the time all is said and done I wouldn't be surprised if we hunt down a cannon or two to shoot off in our backyard (read on for that last part to make any sense). Here are a few labor-inducing suggestions we've heard...repeatedly:

[Me...2 weeks ago.]
Acupuncture. Acupuncture in known locations will stimulate the labor process. Though not as quick acting as Western medicine (Pitocin), with a successful session or two you should go into labor within a few days. Studies are available on this and vary signficantly with the overall thought summarized as "can't hurt, might help."

Walking. Probably the number one suggestion by the public at large - take long walks or walk stairs. The theory behind this is that it will help position the baby lower, thereby kick starting the steps leading up to labor. The real impressive part of this suggestion is that what seemed like an impossibility 1 week ago - walking like a normal person for reasonable stretches of time - becomes not only possible, but routine.

Sex. Have sex to stimulate contractions or introduce pitocin naturally to start labor. This suggestion seems to have the greatest medical support and, usually, the most favorable partner support.

Indigestion. Okay, so it isn't presented as such, but basically spicy foods and ingesting Castor oil is all about upsetting your stomach to create a chain reaction that starts contractions. Downside to this one is you could just have an upset stomach or worse and still not go into labor.

Now for the good part - historical methods of inducing labor:

Cannons. A friend informed us that sometimes women were allowed onto sailing ships that were unknowingly pregnant. If the female was determined to be overdue or in the middle of a difficult labor, they would take her down to the cannons, load them up with powder and set them off in hopes of starting or hastening labor. This is one possibility of how the phrase 'son of a gun' got started.

Attacks . Some plains Indians were known to tie an overdue pregnant woman up and create a false attack to send her into labor. Really, it sounded like a good idea...

Heavy Rotation . August 2010

2010-08-04T19:48:00.000-05:00

Music we have on heavy rotation right now:

Daniel's List:

Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse - Dark Night of the Soul
Gonja Sufi - A Sufi And A Killer
Menomena - Mines

Anica's List:

Yeasayer - ODD BLOOD
Beirut (any and all of it right now, which makes me late to the party once again)

Stockholm Synopsis

2010-08-03T17:47:00.005-05:00

Upon our return from Stockholm...months ago...Daniel had the foresight to jot down a few notables about the Scandinavian destination. Good thing he did since I am just now sitting down to write it up.

Public Transportation: In a word, fantastic. Buying a pass granted you access to the metro trains, the commuter trains and a few ferries (or so I am told on the ferry part, we didn't try that out.)

Fika: A coffee break, as I experienced it. But not American style where you grab a cup of whatever your poison is and scurry back to your cube. This was sitting in a lounge for 10-15 minutes with your colleagues, chatting and eating goodies that people brought in.

Lots of English Speakers: Everyone we encountered spoke English and was very accommodating to the tourist that didn't speak a lick of the native tongue. Even when we were addressed in Swedish, the speaker slipped into English quickly after getting the old 'deer in headlights' look from us.

Vasa Museum: Even when viewed under completely jet-lagged conditions, this museum is cool. It is a building surrounding a recovered wooden gunship from the 1700s that was perfectly preserved in the cold harbor mud for the centuries after sinking immediately after launch. A stop that was recommended to us repeatedly, and we will definitely pass along the recommendation.

[Vasa gunship]
Scandinavian Design: All I needed to go on a huge shopping spree was a whole lotta money and a ship to courier my purchases back to the states. Not for everyone, but I saw lots of fantastic furniture and accessories that made me drool just a bit.

Everyone is in a hurry: We aren't sure if this is unique to Stockholm, or we weren't in Kansas anymore, but people clearly had places to go and people to see.

Seating at a movie: You choose assigned seats using the same self-service terminal used to purchase your tickets. Depending on which side of the coin you find yourself on, it eliminates the tension of seat saving.

Restaurants are expensive: Lunches are subsidized by the government, making them somewhat affordable - although still on the pricey side by American standards. Fast forward to supper and the bill adds up quickly (starting at $20 per person but more commonly hitting $30 per person.)

Soda and sugary cereals are virtually non-existent: Can you believe they don't have a full aisle dedicated to each of these beloved sugar-chocked treats?

Maternity leave: Maternity leave in Sweden is insane by U.S. standards. Swedish paternity leave is actually better than most U.S. companies' maternity leave. Don't quote me on the specifics, but maternity leave is something along the lines of 15 months to split between your first two children. Paternity is 3 months. Lots of rules and regs that I am leaving out, but with U.S. maternity leave often times being 6-12 weeks, they still have the upper hand.

Taxes: Someone has to pay for all the maternity leave time, so the downside of all the benefit is the taxation. Sales tax was 25% for just about everything we purchased. The real stickler for Swedes is the income tax - with the highest bracket being over 50%. Ouch. Having kids is starting to look pretty good, huh?

Postage: It cost the same amount to mail something to the United States as it does within Sweden (at least a postcard).

Coin op laundry: Doesn't exist. As previously mentioned, we were caught in Sweden for a few extra days and our clean clothing options were dwindling (the first time overpacking has actually paid off). Fortunately, one of my co-workers reserved a time slot in her apartment building to do laundry, otherwise I guess we would have continued to clean our clothes in the hotel tub.

Photojournalist: Stockholm sweet 'holm

2010-06-08T22:46:00.002-05:00

Whew...volcanoes must take a lot out of a person because I have just now uploaded and sorted through all my Sweden pictures - only 2 months late. There on business, we did manage to get in some sightseeing on the weekends and evenings around various neighborhoods of Stockholm. More on that later...give me a few months.

Clockwise from top left: Overlooking neighborhood Gamla Stan (Old Town); old church in neighborhood Norrmalm; train coming in at Radmansgatan station; view from an alleyway in Gamla Stan; escalator to heaven in train stop.

Excuses, excuses...

2010-04-18T08:26:00.006-05:00

I have been a very bad blogger for quite some time now. I meant to post something...anything...just to keep it going - but obviously that didn't happen. So then I meant to post a list indicating all the reasons why I haven't been a diligent blogger - and that didn't happen. But now I have an awesome excuse for not blogging (even though I am able to actually blog my excuses, just think of it as one of those "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" kind of things.)

[picture via reuters]

1) The volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Seriously, this counts because we are currently in Sweden trying to get back to the States. We were supposed to fly out today, but no flights means no flights and we can't get on anything earlier than Thursday. Until then, no pictures for you.

I was going to list other reasons, but do you seriously care that we upgraded a computer, traveled to LA for a week or were just plain lazy? I think not.

[Update . 04/22/10: The ash clouds parted and all our flights went off without a hitch, placing us firmly back on American soil after a short 4 day extension.]

Japanese Kit Kat Tasting - Final Act

2010-03-25T22:00:00.003-05:00

This is the third of a three part series. Read Act One here. Read Act Two here.

Hokkaido Roasted Corn
Released: Fall, 2009

Hokkaido (capital: Sapporo) is the second largest island of Japan and it comprises nearly a quarter of the total arable land (land that can be used for growing crops).

This Kit Kat has a corn scent similar to those biodegradble packing peanuts (confession time: I have eaten one of those peanuts on more than one occasion). The white chocolate coating and the cream between the wafers combine to produce a flavor that tastes like lightly salted and buttered corn. It is a strange mix of savory and sweet, which actually works because real corn is fairly sweet on its own. I think this was my favorite just because it was so weird. The rest of the group was more than happy to let me have the leftovers all to myself.

ITO EN Jujitsu Yasai (Vegetable Juice)
Released: August, 2009

ITO EN is a popular beverage company in Japan. “Jujitsu Yasai” (“vegetables galore”) is their line of vegetable juice beverages. Based on the information on their web site, I get the impression that they are like the V8 splash vegetable + fruit juice blends.

The wrapper of this Kit Kat clearly shows apples and carrots. The bar smells and tastes like apple. Unlike the Yubari melon, it is not particularly appetizing – coating the bar in flavored white chocolate instead of milk chocolate may have been the difference. Only one taster (Lauren) tasted anything remotely close to a vegetable (carrot or otherwise), and the rest of us thought she was probably lying. Anica liked this one the best, which is surprising because she usually doesn’t like things that taste gross.

Shouyu (Soy Sauce)
Released: Summer, 2009

This one left us confused. The first puzzling thing you notice upon opening the wrapper is that the bar is covered in white chocolate. I have had salted dark chocolate before, and it is delicious. I think Nestle missed the boat. The second puzzling thing you notice is that it smells distinctly of maple syrup. I just ran downstairs to the kitchen to confirm that soy sauce smells nothing like maple syrup. Biting into it reveals that the chocolate tastes like…maple syrup!? The cream between the wafers is salty – the only thing even remotely like soy sauce about this candy bar.

Instead of calling this one soy sauce flavored, they should have called it maple syrup and bacon flavored. Granted, it doesn’t taste like bacon – but it doesn’t exactly taste like soy sauce, either. However, bacon is salty and it goes well with maple syrup.

Suppai Orange (Sour Orange)
Released: August, 2009

The milk chocolate coating has an orange scent and a slight orange flavor. The cream between the wafers is quite sour. There is a strong orange aftertaste. Overall it’s an appealing combination of flavors, but sort of ho-hum. We have chocolate oranges here in the USA, after all… I’m only interested in exotic flavors.

Raspberry & Passion Fruit (Valentine’s Day)
Released: January, 2010

A limited edition Valentine’s Day release, this raspberry and passion fruit flavored Kit Kat comes in a box which is adorned with little pink and red hearts and features a blank space for you to address it to the object of your affection.

The bar is coated in dark chocolate, which smells like chocolate and nothing else. The chocolate has a subtle raspberry flavor – one taster compared it to raspberry hot chocolate. The filling is sour, but doesn’t taste particularly passion fruity.

Ichigo (Sparkling Strawberry)
Released: December, 2009

“Ichigo” literally translates to “strawberry” in Japanese. However, if you Google “ichigo” it can also refer to other things, including the popular anime hero “Ichigo Kurosaki.” Only a true badass can pull off the name “Strawberry Kurosaki.”

This Kit Kat is coated in pink chocolate and has a sweet strawberry scent. The cream between the wafers is a bit tart and has an effervescence when it hits your tongue. The sourness is lingering. Overall this was a crowd pleaser.

Unlisted: You May Kiss the Rings...

2010-03-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Whooo! We've made it big time, folks. Seriously, my photo is in the March/April 2010 issue of St. Louis At Home magazine from when we went to the Winslow's Home Farm Fete. Best part about it is how I look:

Go ahead, compose yourself. To answer a few questions: 1) I have no idea what I could be looking at/thinking about. 2) I hadn't had that much wine (at that point in the evening) 3) If you have a copy of the magazine and a Sharpie, I will autograph it for you.
Post any other questions you may have in the comments section and I will really try to answer them in between all my pressing engagements and blank staring.

Recipe for success: Baby Bellini

2010-03-03T17:43:00.012-06:00

Here is my new non-alcoholic drink of the week...or two weeks...or maybe drink of the month. It is both delicious and super easy, requiring only 2 ingredients and no blender. AND unlike the good ol' cucumber/pineapple/ginger concoction I think this one always turns out pretty. What a relief!

Assemble the ingredients:
Peach nectar ( found in the juice section)
Sparkling apple cider
Add 2 oz. of chilled peach nectar to a champagne flute and top off with the chilled sparkling cider. *

*For those of you wanting to get a little booze action, substitute champagne in for the sparkling apple cider. Just mix it with the peach nectar, take a sip and then call me up and tell me how much better it is then silly sparkling cider.

Japanese Kit Kat Tasting - Act Two

2010-03-02T08:00:00.003-06:00

This is the second of a three part series. Read Act One here.

Kinako Ohagi
Released: September, 2009

This flavor is inspired by a popular (non-Kit Kat) Japanese dessert. "Kinako" is a type of soybean flour. Its flavor is often compared to peanut butter. "Ohagi" is a traditional confection consisting of red bean paste packed around a small ball of rice, which is then coated with kinako.

Our tasters all seemed to agree that of the eleven types sampled, the Kinako Ohagi was the one that would fare best with a US audience. It tastes like a normal Kit Kat with a hint of peanut butter.

Marron (Chestnut)
Released: November, 2009

"Marron" is a fruit very similar to a chestnut. It seems that the term "marron" is often used interchangeably for chestnut in culinary circles. The most common occurence is "marron glacé," which is a candied marron (or chestnut).

The Marron Kit Kat was the most pedestrian of the flavors we sampled. It had a sort of mocha scent and tasted like one of those Ferrero Rocher hazelnut truffles. Overall, it was pretty tasty but not very exotic or interesting.

Ramune
Released: June, 2009

"Ramune" is a popular Japanese soda. It comes in many flavors (some of which are bizarre, such as kimchi, octopus, or curry) and has a very unique gloss bottle design. The seal at the top of the bottle is created with a tiny glass marble which you dislodge by pushing down on the cap. The marble sinks to the bottom of the bottle - but don't worry, the neck is shaped in such a way that you can't swallow it. My sister Elyse had a Ramune one time at a local sushi place here in St. Louis, so I know that it can be found stateside.

When we opened the wrapper, we were immediately greeted with a powerful bubble gum scent. (Ramune is available in bubble gum flavor, so this fits). The bar is coated in very faint turquoise colored white chocolate. The chocolate has an almost sickeningly sweet bubble gum flavor. The cream between the wafers is as sour as the chocolate is sweet (that is to say, very sour). It leaves a tingling sensation on your tongue, which we are to believe is intended to simulate the carbonation of soda pop.

It's a novelty for sure, but not something I would go out of my way to buy again if they started selling it at our grocery store.

Yubari Melon
Released: Fall, 2009

Yubari is a small town (pop: ~12,000) near Sapporo which is famous for melons. The Yubari melon is similar to a cantaloupe and is considered a delicacy. They are usually packaged individually in a wooden box and given as gifts. The price for a single melon ranges from $60 to $200, depending on the shape and texture of the skin. A pair of Yubari melons sold at a 2007 auction for 2 million yen (that's over $22,000 with today's conversion rate).

The Yubari Melon Kit Kat does not carry the same weight as a status symbol, unfortunately. Upon opening the package, the first surprise is that this bar is coated in milk chocolate and not white chocolate. Anica surmised that the aroma reminded her of girl's flavored lip gloss. The chocolate has a subtle sweet melon flavor. The filling is also melon flavored.

We were all a bit surprised at how unexpectedly good this tasted. Lauren proclaimed it to be her favorite flavor at the end of the night.

Green Tea Matcha
Released: Summer, 2009

"Matcha" is a powder made of finely ground green tea. It can be used to brew tea, and is also commonly used as a food additive. Green tea ice cream, mochi, mousse, cakes, etc. are often flavored with matcha.

The Green Tea Matcha Kit Kat contains matcha from Ito Kyuemon, a specialty tea store popular in Kyoto. Despite the deep green color of the chocolate, the matcha flavor is fairly subtle. The overwhelming flavor is actually white chocolate, which was a disappointment to our tasters.

Review: Brasserie by Niche . STL

2010-03-01T08:00:00.002-06:00

My love of the restaurant Niche is no secret on this blog - two posts (here and here) have gushed about the tasting menu lineup. A sister restaurant, Brasserie by Niche, has opened and we have heard nothing but good things from critics and friends alike. This weekend we found ourselves in the neighborhood (Central West End) and decided to stop in for Sunday brunch.

[photo nabbed off the Brasserie website]
Ambiance.
In the full light of day, the restaurant seems adequately appointed as a french brasserie in the heart of an American city. The tablecloths are a red checker pattern and fresh brown paper sits atop every table. The walls are a collection of colors painted in faux techniques and generic oversize foreign posters line the wall. I imagine by night the place feels wonderfully cozy and intimate. Our party of 2 was wedged between two other tables of seated couples - a proximity a little too close for our (and I would venture to say most Americans') comfort. Despite other open tables down the line, it just seemed like an unspoken etiquette was being broken - like choosing the middle urinal in the men's bathroom (or so I am told). Luckily, both tables were wrapping up their meals and just after ordering we had the stretch of tables to ourselves. We are selfish that way.

Short and sweet. Very sweet.
We went during Sunday brunch and the menu was concise, but very accommodating. The menu covered brunch from beignets to the house burger, a few a-la-carte side options, 3 fresh squeezed juices and a healthy list of early morning liquid revelry (alcoholic beverages). This menu seemed to sum up what every restaurant makeover show drills over and over: keep the menu small, focused and good. So far, so good.

The taste test
I settled upon the brioche french toast with lemon curd - usually something I would never select, but the lemon curd captured my attention - while Daniel chose the eggs en cocotte (remembered at writing as eggs...en...something, we are such foodies). For drinks, I ordered a tomato juice and Daniel bellied up to the drink of the day: the Parker Posey, a concoction that consisted of guava juice, raspberry brandy, champagne, and rum. The food arrived quickly and was quite delicious. The french toast was delectably crisp on the outside/soft on the inside and the lemon curd lightened the dish up quite a bit. Daniel's eggs en cocotte was decadent and hearty, balancing the fruity, but fairly stiff morning cocktail nicely. After plunging into our plates and eagerly sharing a bite with each other we knew a new breakfast spot had been discovered.

Japanese Kit Kat Tasting - Presented in Three Acts

2010-02-26T08:00:00.001-06:00

Act One

Recently I stumbled upon an interesting cultural phenomenon. Apparently Kit Kit candy bars are very popular in Japan, and they come in a variety of insane flavors.

I am fascinated when things that are very commonplace to me are made different in other countries. For example, Mexican Coke¹ tastes sweeter to me and has the slightest flavor of cinnamon - I highly recommend trying it.

Back to Japanese Kit Kats - according to Internet sources², one of the reasons the Kit Kat brand is so popular in Japan is that the name is very similar to the phrase "kitto katsu," which means "an assured victory!" With such an inspirational sounding name, it has become tradition for Japanese parents to leave Kat Kat bars as encouragement for their kids when final exams roll around. Nestle even got in on the fun and started printing blank areas on the wrapper so you could write a little note.

No doubt impressed by my newfound enthusiasm for Japanese Kit Kats, Anica surprised me on Valentine's Day with my very own box of Kit Kats imported directly from Japan! The box contained 11 different flavors in all. Last Saturday we invited my sister Lauren and her boyfriend Dave over for dinner. For dessert we had a Kit Kat tasting party. Since this was (most likely) a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us, I thought it was important to meticulously catalog the event in its entirety. Pictures were taken. Impressions were recorded.

We will explore all eleven Kat Kat varieties in Acts Two and Three.

1 - Mexican Coca Cola. This is a family blog!
2 - For more reading on Japanese Kit Kats, I highly recommend the ongoing feature on bakespite.net

Recipe for success: Crack pie

2010-02-25T22:00:00.003-06:00

I love, love, love baking requests. You want homemade fruit and chocolate tarts for a family dinner tomorrow? No problem. Anytime you see me I should have an offering of sour lemon sorbet for you? I will try (I actually got this request from my precocious 'tween cousin). To me these requests are the ultimate compliment. So when Daniel forwarded me a recipe with a simple request to make Crack Pie sometime, I cleared my schedule to make it immediately. Who am I kidding? My schedule is always clear so I made it the next day.

Created and made famous by NYC bakery, Momofuku, Crack pie is supposed to be as addictive as its namesake. Imbibing in this decadent pie shouldn't land you in rehab (eat in moderation, people), but may be a gateway pie to the harder stuff. The good news is the recipe yields 2 pies so one for you and one for a friend, because who likes to eat alone? Taken from L.A. Times food section - I kept the recipe in 3 parts, but made some extra notes on the recipe based on my experience. Basically you make a big cookie, then crumble it up and it becomes part of the crust and lastly the filling goes in and you bake it up.

Cookie for the crust:

Assemble the ingredients:
2/3 c. plus 1 Tbs. flour
Scant 1/8 tsp. baking powder
Scant 1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) softened butter
1/3 c. light brown sugar
3 tables sugar
1 egg
Scant 2 c. rolled oats
Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy using an electric mixer at medium speed.

Beat the egg into the butter mixture.
With the mixer running, add the flour mixture gradually until incorporated. Then stir in the oats.
Spread the mixture onto a 9x13 inch backing sheet and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool and crumble the big cookie to use in the crust (next section).

Crust:

Assemble the ingredients:
Crumbled cookie for crust
1/4 c. (1/2 stick) butter
2 10-inch pie tins
1 1/2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
Put all the ingredients a food processor and pulse until the contents resemble brown sugar. If you press some of the mixture between your fingers it should clump and loosely hold together.

Divide the mixture between the 2 (10-inch) pie tins. Press the crust into each tin along the bottom and sides.

Filling:

Assemble the ingredients:

1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. plus a scant 3 Tbs. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. plus 1 tsp. milk powder
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, melted

3/4 c. plus a scant 2 Tbs. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts (done in previous section)
Powdered sugar (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, bring together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter and the whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.
Whisk in the egg yolks gently, be careful not to over whisk and add too much air. The mix will look like butterscotch pudding (in my opinion).

Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells.
Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 325 F and bake the pies until the filling is slightly jiggly in the center and golden brown. I finally achieved the description after 25-35 minutes. Let cool on a rack. The recipe I followed said this step would take about 10 minutes, but when I took it out, it was liquidy. So I popped them back in for 35+ minutes and they were a bit overbaked...so I am deducing that 25-35 minutes will be juuuust right.
Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The center will be ooey-gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Linked list: Donut Hole in the Wall

2010-02-22T23:00:00.004-06:00

As a relative newcomer to St. Louis, I find myself learning many local customs along the way*. Namely, you are identified within this city by the highschool you attended (no matter how old you are) and in south St. Louis donuts are a big thing. We aren't talking Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' joints, but mom and pop shops that have a selection of plain jane donuts and, of course, their specialities. This dedication to the art of fried deliciousness hasn't gone unnoticed as Bon Appetit magazine named The Donut Stop in St. Louis one of the ten best donut shops in the U.S. Looks like author Andrew Knowlton - who irritated me throughout the first Next Iron Chef show as a judge - has redeemed himself in my book. I must go plan my maiden voyage to The Donut Stop sometime in the near future.

* Two points I'd like to make here: 1) My sister is quick to point out that we live in University City, which is not really St. Louis. This is true. 2) Since she married a native St. Louisian (he went to a private school - very St. Louis) she has the upper hand on knowing and experiencing St. Louis customs. Oh, and she lives in St. Louis proper.

Photojourna.list: Shrove Tuesday

2010-02-16T23:00:00.003-06:00

Any holiday where the goal is to indulge in food and drink is for me. Today makes me a lucky duck since it is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday - or perhaps you prefer French: Mardi Gras. We went over to friends for a pancake dinner and indulge we did: we washed down all the pancakes (with extra syrup), bacon and hashbrowns with beermosas and fresh squeezed orange juice. Live it up because tomorrow gets a whole lot more serious (Lent begins). And if you see people with dirt on their forehead, don't point it out 'cause it is Ash Wednesday.

Recipe for success: Agua Fresca mocktail

2010-02-15T20:35:00.010-06:00

The word is out that we are expecting...which means this blog is going to be totally dedicated to all things baby from here on out. Just kidding. It does mean that I guzzled enough sparkling apple juice and pretend sipped on any cocktail in front of me to coast through the holidays. But now that the secret is out I am ready to join the big kids table with some caffeine free, non-alcoholic drinks of my own. To start is a cucumber/pineapple/ginger agua fresca that is very refreshing and magically delicious. The picture on LA Times made the drink look like a tall sip of Ireland, but I whipped up the drink and it looked more like pond water. But not to worry, just serve it in a colored or opaque glass before serving to your more discerning guests.

Assemble the ingredients:
Pineapple juice
1 cucumber
Ginger ale
Dice and blend the cucumber, then strain the juice. If you leave the peel on, be sure to scrub it first. And I tried mixes with and without the peel and it didn't make the drink any prettier.
Mix 3oz. of pineapple juice, 3oz. cucumber juice and 3.5oz. of ginger ale.
Pour over ice and garnish with a slice of cucumber or pineapple.

Enlisted: Favorite Candy Bars

2010-02-14T13:00:00.004-06:00

Snickers, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers - what candy bar would you most want your Valentine to get you from the candy aisle? (We spare no expense around here.) I asked a group of friends for their top five candy bar choices and here are the results...drumroll, please:

To make the cut, the candy bars had to garner 2 votes from the masses. Other suggestions with one lonely vote included: Reese's Pieces, Aero, Charleston Chew, Heath Bar, Milk Duds, Crunch with Caramel, Ghiradelli Dark with Raspberry, Peanut M&Ms, Riesens, Almond M&Ms, Dove Dark chocolate, Peppermint Patty, Baby Ruth, Mr. Goodbar, Cherry Mash and an apple. Eyeroll on the apple suggestion - you know who you are.

And what is a Cherry Mash, you might inquire? A Cherry Mash is candy bar made (and sold) in Missouri. We purchased one and tried it and decided the best description was something along the lines of cherry flavored nastiness. I guess if we were angling for a job at the Cherry Mash Emporium we need to do a little better than that. Daniel described it as "a stale Mounds with artificial cherry flavor" whereas I think it is more like "cherry-flavored cough syrup fondant wrapped in a shell of chocolate." Not looking like they will hire us anytime soon. I also threw in a picture for good measure since I feel bad for not having Missouri pride on this one.

P.S. To our work colleagues and employers: we aren't actually looking for jobs at the Cherry Mash factory, that was a joke. We like our current jobs.

Short list: Best Quirky Romance Films

2010-02-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

Not feeling the upcoming card-giving, chocolate snarfing holiday? These movies won't make you want to gag yourself over the sappy sweetness, but do have a little bit of love in them:

Secretary . 2002
Harold and Maude . 1971
Lost in Translation . 2003
Edward Scissorhands . 1990
Amelie . 2001
Before Sunrise/Before Sunset . 1995/2004

Recipe for success: Nutella and Sugar Cookie Sandwiches

2010-02-09T17:00:00.003-06:00

This cookie recipe I plucked from a Real Simple article on 10 ways to use sugar cookie dough. I've never been a big fan of plain jane sugar cookies, but when I saw a simple dough recipe that you could dress up 10 different ways I dogeared my magazine right away. I selected the sugar cookie recipe that sandwiched a heaping helping of Nutella in the middle to send off to my brother in Chicago, a recently professed Nutella fiend. Test tasting was done before sending the goods off (for quality control) and I guess you can call me a convert. Sugar cookies are pretty darn delish.

Assemble the ingredients:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks)
3/4 c. sugar

1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Nutella
powdered sugar (for dusting)

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth using an electric mixer on medium speed.

Add the egg and beat until fluffy (2 minutes) and then beat in the vanilla.

Gradually add the flour mix until just incorporated with the electric mixer on low.
Shape the dough into 2 evenly divided disks and wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Once you pull the dough out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 thick and cut using a cookie cutter. Use the flour liberally on this step - both your surface and the rolling pin!
Place the cookie cutouts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until just starting to brown 12-15 minutes.
Cool slightly on the baking sheet and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Don't skip this step or your Nutella will melt all over the place.
Spread Nutella on one cookie and cover with another cookie...like a sandwich. After this step I placed the cookie sandwiches in the fridge again to firm up a bit.
Sprinkle powdered sugar liberally for the final touch.
If giving these cookies away, sample a few for quality control - unless your diet or allergies restrict you from doing so.