tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12441278222899404492024-03-05T21:32:14.584-06:00crafting a marriagecooking, sewing, laughing, fighting, talking, dreaming up a lifeCindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-29251126586517243552011-10-31T13:18:00.002-05:002011-10-31T13:18:21.027-05:00Have You Missed Us?Hi folks. If you're wondering where we've been... then you missed the last post announcing our move! If you didn't update your links, you can find us (and the last month's worth of posts) over on a shiny new wordpress platform, on the <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/">Crafty Broads website</a>. So - click on over to the new blog here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/blog">http://www.craftybroads.com/blog</a>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-14269640710989916642011-10-03T09:00:00.000-05:002011-10-03T09:00:08.162-05:00We Are Moving!We've decided to migrate our blog over to the WordPress platform, and while we were at it, we thought we might as well move it to our actual website. So, from now on, it looks like this: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/blog" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieo7XBhd4cH6W-hZbs2O2mUAgoWe2jlAYkpWXKIFRZVeyLONpGOUgXzW1cXW2d4ptxM9xcdrIge8FpmnA0L6ebyhc21xtn8_eR26q7DHzmz9vyTVorU_UQP9nLxXd2OFWspigHswfcZdjm/s320/Screen+shot+2011-10-02+at+1.35.40+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/blog">http://www.craftybroads.com/blog</a></td></tr>
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Pretty, no? Please update your bookmarks and whatnot. All the posts and comments have been moved over already, so you can revisit your favorites on much better looking pages over there if you like. They will also remained archived here indefinitely. <br />
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But if you want new content, you're gonna have to relocate. If you use a reader to get our blog, the new feed is here: <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/blog/feed">http://www.craftybroads.com/blog/feed</a><br />
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If you usually click through from Facbook (via Networked Blogs) or Twitter, you should continue to see our posts pop up there. Note that they will come throught <a href="http://www.twitter.com/craftybroads">Crafty Broads twitter account </a>from now on, in addition to <a href="http://www.twitter.com/cindysavage">Cindy's personal one.</a><br />
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The first new post will be going up this afternoon, so look out for it. Thanks for reading!Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-50773707101552568222011-09-30T00:16:00.001-05:002011-09-30T00:16:53.335-05:00A Real (If Short) Vacation<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25fMjiO8QQI1VVDwY5gK29iCyvLZYq6JsFZHz1dGpvU6zRPW6JNfB2rfU0zRD5B5UisB707lJ5_c8yaWbUwPJont0PNvPyP6po6xTLtmR1pKKy0YbNjTEAgLq4FvjilbrUT52hG2mlRrZ/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25fMjiO8QQI1VVDwY5gK29iCyvLZYq6JsFZHz1dGpvU6zRPW6JNfB2rfU0zRD5B5UisB707lJ5_c8yaWbUwPJont0PNvPyP6po6xTLtmR1pKKy0YbNjTEAgLq4FvjilbrUT52hG2mlRrZ/s320/IMG_1427.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You may not be able to tell, but that's us on the beach. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[Editor's Note: Every time I think I'm just going to write a super short post and throw up some pictures, it turns out to be... well... the opposite of short. Sorry. Remember you can always skip the words and just look at the pretty stuff.]</i></span><br />
<i> </i> <br />
We just got back from the first non-visiting-relatives vacation we've been on in years. True, we were visiting a friend, but... it is <i>so</i> not the same. We went to Portland, Oregon, which is an excellent place to be, and is the current home of my best friend in the world ever, Lindsay. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. Funky city plus lots of amazing nature and only 90 minutes from The Ocean. (Which, we decided while there, should be the goal of ALL vacations.)<br />
<br />
Aside from the Incident* with my drivers' license, it was an awesome trip. We had some adventures in and around the city with a plethora of gorgeous views, some of which you'll see below, we ate really well. Possibly the best ever on a trip away from home. So let me recap for you.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Saturday.</b><br />
We arrived, famished, a little after noon. 2pm our time. Lindsay had leftover roasted root vegetables (delicious) which we ate with some black bean burgers and cheese (also tasty.)<br />
<br />
Our plan was to celebrate her birthday as well as mine (they're about 2 weeks apart) during our visit, so she invited a handful of friends over for a dinner party. We discussed some options and hit the farmstand and the grocery store, where we snagged some tasty local wines in addition to the other ingredients. We ended up with an appetizer of some wonderfully creamy cheese (not Brie, but something like it, sorry I forgot what), caramelized shallots, and fresh figs cooked in wine on some very crusty bread. We followed it with fennel-roasted (FRESH ALASKAN!) salmon over mixed greens. For dessert, we made this <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mocha-Marjolaine-4559">Mocha Marjolaine cake</a>, which was fantastic. While devouring it, Lindsay and I discussed the handful of little changes we would make to the recipe to take it from a 10 to an 11+ the next time. (In case you're thinking of giving it a try - and you should - we agreed that you should ditch the almonds and use only extra-toasty hazelnuts; make the coffee whipped cream stronger and use it between all the layers; coat the whole thing with the dark chocolate ganache; and skip the 'light' chocolate ganache altogether.) We also grilled some peaches and served them with vanilla ice cream. Amazing.<br />
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And then? Board games and WhiskeyTime™and even more desserts because a few more people showed up with brownies. Somewhere in the midst of all this, it became way late in our time, and moderately late on Portland time, and we totally crashed into bed and slept forever.<br />
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Apparently, we took no pictures on Saturday.<b> </b><br />
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<b>Sunday.</b><br />
Until we woke up at what felt like noon but was actually 9am or so. We cooked up some eggs on toast before driving out to the coast. Once there, we had lunch at a pub/brewery, which had totally decent beer. We all ordered some kind of fish because, you know, we were on the oceanfront, so why would we eat anything else? I had some excellent crab cakes; Julia had a seared tuna wrap which was good, but would have been improved by more tuna and less wrap and a menu description that actually implied it was in a wrap (as opposed to on a bed of spinach as we imagined.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0CmnB-XmUgGQyNkp2yruRNQ3fT1SQ1ZpfZlS6pnxFA4V_wQGmEDFi5V86I2WXPkX90fFD2SCq0f93QVCw2WG2Q3t-MSq695ZDaCd4aPz5Hg9zdha4W1i4G0Ne5src98F1pwxA9ls7d5Q/s1600/IMG_1439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0CmnB-XmUgGQyNkp2yruRNQ3fT1SQ1ZpfZlS6pnxFA4V_wQGmEDFi5V86I2WXPkX90fFD2SCq0f93QVCw2WG2Q3t-MSq695ZDaCd4aPz5Hg9zdha4W1i4G0Ne5src98F1pwxA9ls7d5Q/s320/IMG_1439.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wave Jumpers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Then we EXPLORED. We ran in the ocean and jumped over the waves. And maybe, just maybe, while I was trying to film one coming into shore, it might have come faster than anticipated. And I might have a video of us squealing and running away, taken on my phone-in-hand, a la <i>Blair Witch.</i> It is hilarious. At least to us.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
We climbed up a sand dune...</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07qA8KZ5ypOM1Y7fblbY9W8qIJJQhCMIAcY-jNsQOfS7B_zZdgY7fqlnq06HlVrxMr7wqTvIZeAcdCofFDjReXvkbHvzpKsHYCEICXrGPJbAsIUuMLmPSeyDKa-fnpwgmkeW4pRPrIoRG/s1600/IMG_1413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07qA8KZ5ypOM1Y7fblbY9W8qIJJQhCMIAcY-jNsQOfS7B_zZdgY7fqlnq06HlVrxMr7wqTvIZeAcdCofFDjReXvkbHvzpKsHYCEICXrGPJbAsIUuMLmPSeyDKa-fnpwgmkeW4pRPrIoRG/s320/IMG_1413.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach, with view of the sand dune we hiked up</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G8Rqh1nxQ1Kh38gn1splaKWwygGhHVwIjLLrVkgehRTGS63FeHLDrC_FbbNcCZxJ3iqbNdZIe1kCJMyIrD1ZG-lfMypTFavriR6aTuo60obqFkXnw44j8ORfdREQ7vOthYRi23Jj8OZq/s1600/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G8Rqh1nxQ1Kh38gn1splaKWwygGhHVwIjLLrVkgehRTGS63FeHLDrC_FbbNcCZxJ3iqbNdZIe1kCJMyIrD1ZG-lfMypTFavriR6aTuo60obqFkXnw44j8ORfdREQ7vOthYRi23Jj8OZq/s320/IMG_1523.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Victory. And pretty rocks. And my finger. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
...and sat on the edge of an amazing cliff...</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-kfk_5rUdHXSEqeTXjIyfiRlucykSCFboCzAh1MWp5NXxlTC2YxOFCWB9LeEVbFPQBbQE0H3Ti41oUjUG0z4GR6osiYv48cDRkVMQ0k5fbZD4cFav5NHKYkg7q-3MD7cTyXHe3k5U15H/s1600/IMG_1617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-kfk_5rUdHXSEqeTXjIyfiRlucykSCFboCzAh1MWp5NXxlTC2YxOFCWB9LeEVbFPQBbQE0H3Ti41oUjUG0z4GR6osiYv48cDRkVMQ0k5fbZD4cFav5NHKYkg7q-3MD7cTyXHe3k5U15H/s320/IMG_1617.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Awesome rocks and a big cave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We ate dinner at another seafood joint near the water. Clams, Bouillabaisse, Fish & Chips, Shrimp, Clam Chowder. And then three of us fell asleep in the car on the way back to the city...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj9zHyYf2aBRS7QtzwYmfl4BcPRkz9FKxQ5axXZDq0yPqXiAN0bfLmFzAoeCVq9tkIeiYFs3twzF6L4qhEzMnSKQoHH4mSeRysh30KwhDM77zXgda2y8jaaChSv-0CThw2fJOlG7GNG0n/s1600/IMG_1625.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVj9zHyYf2aBRS7QtzwYmfl4BcPRkz9FKxQ5axXZDq0yPqXiAN0bfLmFzAoeCVq9tkIeiYFs3twzF6L4qhEzMnSKQoHH4mSeRysh30KwhDM77zXgda2y8jaaChSv-0CThw2fJOlG7GNG0n/s320/IMG_1625.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at the Ocean</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Monday.</b><br />
On our last full day, we decided to run amok in the city proper. We visited <a href="http://www.powells.com/">Powell's bookstore</a>, which was as huge and awesome as I remembered it. We went to a <a href="http://www.teachaite.com/">little tea shop</a> with over a hundred varieties of tea (in bulk!) and re-stocked our supply. We wandered up and down the street around it, window shopping, trying things on that we'd never buy, <a href="http://ohbabylingerieshops.com/">trying things on with no intention of buying them and then buying them anyway...</a><br />
<br />
When we tired of that, we sat on Lindsay's front porch with glasses of wine. And then we finished the day with a bountiful, yet unbelievably reasonably priced, sushi dinner. And by reasonably priced, I mean we spent less for the four of us than we ordinarily do for the two of us in Chicago and we got more food.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday.</b><br />
We had just enough time for a quick stop at the infamous <a href="http://voodoodoughnut.com/">Voodoo Doughnut</a> followed by a tour through the Columbia River gorge. Which is lovely and breathtaking and very rainforest-y.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-jASd-tvB92vOFTXjcygiu-YMc_TEFfi058_xvaYCRbSmnCI3npUgh-S4GKaPRBJ-30jFF0OJ0ZUdQsrzeeL0KDmq_FFFLfl3sx1bruwvbUaeNuCAYtrw83DUQQYTGl56bgJodhj7wlr/s320/IMG_1636.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Washington state to the left of the river; Oregon to the right</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxdZn7g28s-S8uQaLsjuKjFNioa_HvP0aseUv5p1QaFYbm2vX-c-pqqL6RsQupRRcC4FugnkCcj7X7Z_IQYeWN4qnLlwWWvInGH94AHyt4eooMs9XeITEDJ4X2-5yQAGftRmPJeC61hiN/s1600/IMG_1638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKxdZn7g28s-S8uQaLsjuKjFNioa_HvP0aseUv5p1QaFYbm2vX-c-pqqL6RsQupRRcC4FugnkCcj7X7Z_IQYeWN4qnLlwWWvInGH94AHyt4eooMs9XeITEDJ4X2-5yQAGftRmPJeC61hiN/s320/IMG_1638.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterfalls are pretty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And then we went to the airport and came home to Chicago.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*The Incident: So when we got to the airport in Chicago to get on the plane to Portland, we found out the hard way (yes, that means during the TSA screening process) that my driver's license had expired on my birthday. Which was the week before. The lady was nice enough to let us through, and I breathed a sigh of relief. But after about 24 hours in Portland, I realized I could have the same problem on the way home and they might not be so nice and ohmygod panic. Which was followed by another, smaller incident in which I was not allowed to purchase a really wonderful-sounding glass of wine because I couldn't prove my age. So. I called Illinois, who told me they couldn't do anything and I needed to come in person to renew it. Which, of course, I cannot do from Portland.</i></span>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-55573612723650405042011-09-21T14:20:00.000-05:002011-09-21T16:25:42.926-05:00I Made Another CakeIt was TWELVE LAYERS. I'll spare you knowledge of exactly how many pounds of butter, cups of sugar, and dozens (yes) of eggs I went through to make this sucker. (Hint: more than any other cake I can recall making, except maybe my <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-and-mocha-and-berries-oh-my.html">wedding cake</a>. Which was for many more people.)<br />
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<div align="center" style="text-align: left;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74IfG6mMqjBqkwJfrktmEpXm6zlwoLI-V8u6gpqoAvPXEbepRxUz5ZE_VHjmtQWX0TIRAfD1N02GwLJdzXsgUtYfiVMsHXZCzJzVP-kg44yxoW6o43Z8_hfTGZQRODHZxKVgB3NlFMA83/s640/blogger-image-744393547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj74IfG6mMqjBqkwJfrktmEpXm6zlwoLI-V8u6gpqoAvPXEbepRxUz5ZE_VHjmtQWX0TIRAfD1N02GwLJdzXsgUtYfiVMsHXZCzJzVP-kg44yxoW6o43Z8_hfTGZQRODHZxKVgB3NlFMA83/s200/blogger-image-744393547.jpg" width="150" /></a></td><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2hi0LMB88Ba7MFlSjvDsP8SNOWDOrGLtYlk_55cIYb-cSYONv9PGJFI5EH0A1jMnkD0U219izPniJkm-3UDn0wYv6fnzbsT_1WpqAl9hzdbnzAzJIPSGd7zXJZ4JvaqotlHhrFTqlC8M/s640/blogger-image--24160863.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2hi0LMB88Ba7MFlSjvDsP8SNOWDOrGLtYlk_55cIYb-cSYONv9PGJFI5EH0A1jMnkD0U219izPniJkm-3UDn0wYv6fnzbsT_1WpqAl9hzdbnzAzJIPSGd7zXJZ4JvaqotlHhrFTqlC8M/s200/blogger-image--24160863.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Sponge Cake</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chocolate Soufflé</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Yellow Sponge Cake. <br />
Mocha Buttercream. <br />
Hazelnut Meringue. <br />
Coffee Buttercream. <br />
Chocolate Soufflé Cake. <br />
Mocha Buttercream. <br />
Repeat.<br />
Shave Good Dark Chocolate on top.<br />
Serve.</div>
<div <p="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What can I say? It was my birthday. I went overboard.*<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoxDdUJ5_4mpDzNqHlXbc79tbsRYbYZMOybKcSMKJOzAiuHKrIvd6brI1NFPvBJ1JKxAql2v9LHX2RpXVf1Y58AsXWuI4X3WsC9sgehseHPeEYYuCD8OuQnBmcX4M7oN_hdLKpNs6M9ar/s640/blogger-image-1748415838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoxDdUJ5_4mpDzNqHlXbc79tbsRYbYZMOybKcSMKJOzAiuHKrIvd6brI1NFPvBJ1JKxAql2v9LHX2RpXVf1Y58AsXWuI4X3WsC9sgehseHPeEYYuCD8OuQnBmcX4M7oN_hdLKpNs6M9ar/s320/blogger-image-1748415838.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaqU3fqnT7PDyJrPVm0mhlaUMK-jQKYOiBjRqUaFR0Bx4qnoNM1GYHGkys59wM3aqJR8nyz_zoxHlWprhxnSkvPU2y2WfmFN2c3c5T8CnhV4mwnHAukculwUreee6xV7T9lpoD5LeR_-W/s640/blogger-image-373705725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsaqU3fqnT7PDyJrPVm0mhlaUMK-jQKYOiBjRqUaFR0Bx4qnoNM1GYHGkys59wM3aqJR8nyz_zoxHlWprhxnSkvPU2y2WfmFN2c3c5T8CnhV4mwnHAukculwUreee6xV7T9lpoD5LeR_-W/s320/blogger-image-373705725.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished Cake</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div <p="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I made a whole bunch of other food too. I know you're interested, because you love food as much as I do (don't you? Isn't that why you're here?) so here's a round up of the party menu. I decided to keep it classy with fancy, bite-sized apps and none of the usual chip-and-dip business. Also, I attempted to maintain a balance of hot and cold things and to make sure my vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/kosher friends all had options. Here's what I made, in no particular order:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Bacon-Wrapped Dates </b><i>(hot)</i> - a time-tested standby, it is hard to go wrong with these. Plus, Julia and I had them on our first date, and so they are special. Plus, you know, really freakin' tasty.</li>
<li><b>Caprese Skewers </b><i>(cold, vegetarian)</i> - my play on the classic Italian salad. I put a cherry tomato, a small basil leaf, and one of those tiny (3/4" diameter or so) mozzarella balls from the deli onto each stick, arranged them on a plate, and then drizzled with olive oil, salt, and pepper.</li>
<li><b>Brie with Apricot Preserves & Almonds </b><i>(hot, vegetarian) </i>- I make this a lot at parties because it is quick and easy but also fancy and delicious. All you do is top a wedge of brie with a few spoonfuls of preserves, warm it for about a minute in the microwave, sprinkle it with nuts, and serve with crackers. The amount of effort involved is nearly zero, and compared to the usual grabbing of chips & dip on the way to the potluck... WIN. Seriously, do this instead.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.finedinings.com/chilled_cucumber_dill_soup_on_Ice_amuse_bouche_.htm">Chilled Cucumber & Dill Soup</a> </b><i>(cold, vegetarian, gluten-free)</i> - This was a new recipe I tried. I tasted it while I was cooking it, and truthfully, I liked it better warm. Still, it was pretty good. I served it in 1oz shot glasses. FYI, I subbed vegetable stock for the chicken called for in the recipe to keep it as a meat-free option.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.seasonalchef.com/recipe12.htm#Red%20Wine-Poached%20Figs"><b>Red Wine Poached Figs</b></a><i> (hot, vegan, gluten-free)</i> - Holy crap, these were good. Unfortunately, they came out of the oven right after we decided to bust out the cake, so they were largely overlooked by the guests. Too bad for them. If you like figs, you should make these sometime. Soon, because <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/09/remember-way-back-when-i-was-on.html">as I mentioned</a>, they are almost out of season.</li>
<li><b><a href="http://glutenfreeeasily.com/chickpea-garbanzo-bruschetta/">Cucumber Chickpea Bruschetta</a> </b><i>(cold, vegan, gluten-free)</i> - We made these once before, at our <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-vegan-gluten-free-dinner-party.html">vegan/gluten-free dinner party</a>, and they were as good as we remembered. Yum.</li>
<li><b>Shrimp Cocktail</b> <i>(cold) </i>- Let's just say we started with two pounds of shrimp and leave it at that.</li>
<li><b>Lemon-Parsley Gougeres</b> - I've been wanting to make these for a while. Glad I finally got around to it - they were heavenly little flaky pastry puffs with a zesty lemon bite. They did not last long.</li>
</ul>
Of course, there was also wine a plenty along with champagne and some non-alcoholic punch, which turned out to be so good that I ended up drinking quite a bit of it.<br />
<br />
In summary: delicious food + wine + the most excellent people = one awesome 30th birthday!<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*I spent the better part of my actual birthday on Saturday prepping for this party. There were spreadsheets involved. Because, you know, I needed a schedule and a list of prep times and to make sure I had enough vegetarian, gluten-free, & kid-friendly things as well as a balance of hot & cold; sweet & savory. And also I just like spreadsheets. Yeah, I'm a major geek. But you knew that.</i></span><br />
<br /></div>
Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-25977186678133131942011-09-16T13:02:00.001-05:002011-09-16T13:37:11.579-05:00For the Love of FigsRemember way back when <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-vacation-when-youre-running-side.html">I was on vacation</a> and <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/08/things-we-have-eaten-lately.html">Julia was cooking me fancy-pants dinners</a> every night because she is awesome? Well, while she was scouting recipes, she came across one in her Spanish cookbook that sounded delicious. A dessert. Hazelnut ice cream with Honey-baked Figs.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD6JEZ4HPfwO8Ih8miQhj5svvFQnsNka2QNMqx3KFGsUQ3Js8oaO1tgfRWxhy-HTpzhTNFzvmM_FdQ954Cwyw5vzcc8LAtTuR25V8ONQbGifbLc35IHeDObdSfMcPDENY7pP2AljuIgnF/s1600/Figs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsD6JEZ4HPfwO8Ih8miQhj5svvFQnsNka2QNMqx3KFGsUQ3Js8oaO1tgfRWxhy-HTpzhTNFzvmM_FdQ954Cwyw5vzcc8LAtTuR25V8ONQbGifbLc35IHeDObdSfMcPDENY7pP2AljuIgnF/s320/Figs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of www.healthytimesblog.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Have I mentioned how obsessed I am with figs? No? Well, I am. Every time I go to the grocery store and they are available, I feel compelled to buy them. They are delicious. I don't understand how I made it through 28 years of living without having tasted a fresh fig, but once I did I was a goner. If you've never tasted a fresh fig, please, for the love of all that is good, get yourself to a decent grocery store and buy a pint RIGHT. NOW. (Seriously, go, because they will only be in season for another 4-6 weeks, after which it will be Fig Newtons/Newmans for you until next July. So not the same.)<br />
<br />
Anyway, this recipe called for whipping up some custard-style hazelnut ice cream and serving it along side some baked figs drizzled with a cinnamon-honey syrup. Which sounds fantastic. And also like something that takes way too much time if you're busy (lazy). So, we'd bought the figs, and I kept promising I'd get around to it, and I didn't, and I made something else out of the figs, and then I bought more figs because there they were, tempting me at the store again, and I finally, finally made the custard part of the ice cream, which you then have to chill before putting through the ice cream maker.<br />
<br />
So it was chilling overnight and I was totally going to do the fig baking the next night. But. I didn't. It was too much work (not really - it's just that I was supposed to roast and peel and crush hazelnuts and that's at least two more things than I had energy for this week) so I decided to cook down the figs with the aforementioned honey and cinnamon and then mix them into the ice cream and forget about the nuts all together. And I did.<br />
<br />
And it was good. Though it's a bit sweet and the nuts would probably have been good for balancing that out. Hmph.<br />
<br />
(Limited quantity available, if you want to come over and try it.)Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-35554014946825999942011-09-14T14:43:00.001-05:002011-09-14T14:43:18.987-05:00Crafty Broads: Maria's Wedding Shrug & AlterationsMaria called us just three weeks before her wedding in need of some alterations to her dress and hoping we'd have enough time to create a little jacket to wear over it. We had just enough time to squeeze it into our schedule, so we said yes.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiYjo7uYb41ipLL_QDEt_NnrAw0jNzDBiTSEyhReGqTo4mcSZXF3bx1wfx0KUjYbJRyEt9Ir-DJH6Y2Ubhm8m1WjbV8jzKp2jWb6lAejZKh93sO8Di2-gzPAcf8uRRnPgbaj_e3oCYt6P/s1600/maria-jazz-hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLiYjo7uYb41ipLL_QDEt_NnrAw0jNzDBiTSEyhReGqTo4mcSZXF3bx1wfx0KUjYbJRyEt9Ir-DJH6Y2Ubhm8m1WjbV8jzKp2jWb6lAejZKh93sO8Di2-gzPAcf8uRRnPgbaj_e3oCYt6P/s200/maria-jazz-hands.jpg" width="173" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I swear I didn't tell her to do jazz hands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we met with Maria, we hit it off with her right away. She is so friendly and has a great sense of humor. We found out that we have a lot of acquaintances in common - she works at an accounting firm with her brother, and they do taxes for many Chicago actors. Small world. Anyway, she bought a cute strapless dress at a big chain, but it seemed to have been designed for someone with really serious hips and it just wasn't fitting her quite right in the bust. We ended up taking the hip area in about four inches and doing a couple little tucks at the bust so that it would fit her well and not fall down!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-t0OItTK8cYQ_E05IyU5Sx2e1GOAzKBmZHoKsmYT4TZkOD595QoDFsBSRYF6MrCwxVNGFQWB_HDHScqxQqeUsVPWZCIkjk2nzqa_qsEsNsp6YKMF7k3IqQ978irMtTRl2d52PiHpuIDh/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-t0OItTK8cYQ_E05IyU5Sx2e1GOAzKBmZHoKsmYT4TZkOD595QoDFsBSRYF6MrCwxVNGFQWB_HDHScqxQqeUsVPWZCIkjk2nzqa_qsEsNsp6YKMF7k3IqQ978irMtTRl2d52PiHpuIDh/s320/IMG_1289.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julia draping the silk shrug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
She also asked us to make her a shrug to wear over the dress. Since it was ruched, we thought we'd mirror that in the sleeves. Maria brought some polyester organza fabric which matched the dress for us to use, but as we worked on draping it, we realized it was really just not the best choice for the project. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMie7yE4FuMZp9CtxmkdqmchUHlS_EcZhW8zGL-A6nTKfJP0ZY0VAjkhMjKVqxyYg3aFhM-AEWiizzHJREIs-DTag9qUOERbTieD7A1Nvy5HGxCSFqcTolBORgvvN_8-QPgAZFCHXiO6Kk/s1600/julia-fitting-maria-shrug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMie7yE4FuMZp9CtxmkdqmchUHlS_EcZhW8zGL-A6nTKfJP0ZY0VAjkhMjKVqxyYg3aFhM-AEWiizzHJREIs-DTag9qUOERbTieD7A1Nvy5HGxCSFqcTolBORgvvN_8-QPgAZFCHXiO6Kk/s320/julia-fitting-maria-shrug.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Julia fitting the shrug on Maria</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So we bought some gorgeous silk chiffon, and it was so worth it. Julia did all the draping on this, and I helped with some of the hand stitching once it was all pinned in place. I got to check out the fascinating construction on the inside of this dress (really unusual lining attachment, if you're wondering - clearly designed to allow for as much machine stitching as possible) while taking care of the alterations. We made a custom label to replace the big box store label - very cool. Here are some pictures:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcFC3_F1V4lS6-L_8JOoAqlk_bZ4DUQH2LQTrmFRGl8klwmtHrCN1_unmTO8dNh63L4juRB1Bw3bvmXmxW5IVdoOGIFtPOsvFSist_Ya6DeQ_ZAzr-mAfrx9-npYAaw2bSP08VWKERy27/s1600/maria-shrug-front-finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlcFC3_F1V4lS6-L_8JOoAqlk_bZ4DUQH2LQTrmFRGl8klwmtHrCN1_unmTO8dNh63L4juRB1Bw3bvmXmxW5IVdoOGIFtPOsvFSist_Ya6DeQ_ZAzr-mAfrx9-npYAaw2bSP08VWKERy27/s320/maria-shrug-front-finished.jpg" width="167" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYxlZCxQaqpLSdTk5MS3joHHa8GE7SUZTX2z2zgFynmMfGmikt4gLeCF8c1wLtbb7hwy0wuWX_BgerQa5m5yOAWDl8Op924tHD90USKQRlClytgDrI7xk8Xi1FVPaeQVjCSNJmUOrsSnE/s1600/maria-shrug-back-finished.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYxlZCxQaqpLSdTk5MS3joHHa8GE7SUZTX2z2zgFynmMfGmikt4gLeCF8c1wLtbb7hwy0wuWX_BgerQa5m5yOAWDl8Op924tHD90USKQRlClytgDrI7xk8Xi1FVPaeQVjCSNJmUOrsSnE/s320/maria-shrug-back-finished.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Maria asked for some help picking out her earrings. She brought a couple pairs, but had chosen a favorite. And guess what? I completely agreed with her choice. Don't these earrings go perfectly? <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HWS-QKtGR9ByurZXNBaVabLiiR1WyiupVy9c4lU2VutPLIfbrljXQCQ6hyphenhyphenUX4fth_l1R1DCCVIMuql4bkzp7-uHo-7Sy9962qZ-ZXetFv9LulZTZAzIDeuyic_BL2doZO_X1lJqq0F_3/s1600/maria-shrug-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HWS-QKtGR9ByurZXNBaVabLiiR1WyiupVy9c4lU2VutPLIfbrljXQCQ6hyphenhyphenUX4fth_l1R1DCCVIMuql4bkzp7-uHo-7Sy9962qZ-ZXetFv9LulZTZAzIDeuyic_BL2doZO_X1lJqq0F_3/s320/maria-shrug-detail.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shoulder Detail</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Maria and Dan are got married this Sunday - Congratulations!</div>
Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-49670301579252339622011-09-10T15:08:00.000-05:002011-09-10T15:08:29.115-05:00Live. Work. Eat. (Or The State of our Union.)Ok, I am sorry about that punny title. A little. There hasn't been a real post here in almost two weeks. For shame! (Nah, not really. This kind of writing should be done when one has something to say, not just because it's time, right?) Anyway... When last we met, my car was full of bullet holes and life was really busy. Let's catch up.<br />
<br />
<u>Life:</u><br />
I'm told my car is no longer filled with holes (though one bullet may be stuck in there forever) and it's being painted and re-assembled and I should have it back next week. I'll note that <a href="http://www.allstate.com/">Allstate</a> has been speedy and helpful throughout, and <a href="http://www.sterlingautobody.com/">the auto body shop</a> calls me every few days to give me an update on the car.<br />
<br />
We are still really, really busy.<br />
<br />
Julia has been stitching away on costumes for <i>Guys and Dolls</i> at Theatre at the Center the past few weeks since <i>Aladdin</i> closed. She's about to start training to cover the wardrobe track for <i>For the Boys</i> up at the Marriott, after which she'll train to cover the stage manager for <i>Sweeney Todd</i> at Drury Lane. So - no days off for her until sometime after our upcoming trip to Portland. (Which we are so excited about! Julia has never been. My best friend lives there, and we'll get to see her, yay! It's going to be something like an actual vacation, woo!)<br />
<br />
I had a ridiculously easy work week, with an extra long Labor Day weekend (I got Friday, Monday, and Tuesday off) which was followed by two days of work and this Friday off as well. I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to rub it in. Mainly, I say that because I got to spend most of those days off practicing being self-employed.<br />
<br />
This morning we were talking about this blog. Julia feels like it is mine, all mine, because although way back when we started it, we actually wrote posts together and I typed "we" and "us" all the time, it somehow evolved into "I" and "me" and now you all know my writing voice and not hers. Totally true. I'm absolutely guilty of that. But. This was supposed to be OUR blog, not mine. So I'm hoping - WE'RE hoping - that in the future we'll each write about half of the posts, and maybe sometimes we'll even write together again. But probably not, because it turns out neither one of us especially likes to do that. And she made the excellent point that when we actually have time together, she would like to actually spend it <i>with</i> me, not writing a blog. <i>(Please feel free to let Julia know in the comments that you want to hear from her too! And/or to send her a new computer and some extra hours in the day so that she is well-equipped to do so.)</i><br />
<br />
<u>Crafty Broads:</u><br />
Here's what I was doing when I had all that "free time": setting up our accounting system, updating invoice and quote templates and actually using them to write up one of each, buying
our <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/category/vendors/vendor-list/">very first advertising</a> ever on <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/">A Practical Wedding</a>, doing some much-needed <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/gallery/gallery.html">updates</a> to the website, and working on a
couple of our sewing projects.<br />
<br />
About the time of the last post, we took on a client who needed
alterations to her wedding dress and a little shrug to wear over it in
time for her wedding which is TOMORROW. Which is not a lot of time to
get things sewn when we're both already working day jobs and are knee
deep in another big sewing project. I did the alterations and Julia made a beautiful silk shrug. Our client was very happy with the results. We'll have a post on this project later this week, with pictures and everything.<br />
<br />
We are less than a week away from the due date for our mockup of the wedding dress, bolero, and winter coat we are making. It is going to be so pretty. We are both extremely excited about this project. Hope to have some process pictures up on here or the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/craftybroads">Crafty Broads facebook page</a> soon. <br />
<br />
<u>And, saving the best for last, </u><u>Food:</u><br />
Oh, boy, what have we been eating? Because of the business, we have not been cooking as much as usual. We have ordered in a few times and eaten out a few times. There goes our budget. Anyway, here are a couple things we've made at home lately that were pretty good:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ricotta-Gnocchi-with-Leeks-and-Fava-Beans-232095">Ricotta Gnocchi with Leeks and Fava Beans</a> - So we were at the grocery store together (a rare miracle these days), and we passed the fresh fava beans, and just had to have some because they looked so good. No plan in mind for how to use them, total impulse purchase, completely against the menu planning rules. Which is ok because we didn't plan a menu at all that week anyway. Found <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ricotta-Gnocchi-with-Leeks-and-Fava-Beans-232095">this recipe</a> and it was fantastic. It does take a bit of time, but it isn't particularly difficult, and it is definitely worth the effort.<br />
<br />
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<i>(from left: shaping the dough; making the marmalade; finished wrap)</i></div>
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<a href="http://cilantropist.blogspot.com/2010/10/brie-and-bacon-piadina-with-balsamic.html">White Cheddar and Bacon Piadina with Balsamic Fig and Onion Marmalade</a> - This was the result of another impulse buy. The Figs. They looked SO GOOD. I am obsessed with figs when they are in season. Because they are awesome. We have more in our fridge right now, which are going to be drizzled with honey and served with hazelnut ice cream. Anyway - this recipe was another easy but somewhat time-consuming one. However, like the gnocchi, it was so worth it. We didn't have brie on hand, so we substituted some white cheddar, which paired nicely. We also lacked arugula, but didn't really miss it. This Italian flatbread sandwich was AMAZING. We could not save any for leftovers because it was too damn good.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-10247004245061781722011-08-29T12:25:00.000-05:002011-08-29T12:25:35.499-05:00Parenthood is Scary.Today <a href="http://oversized-cliches.blogspot.com/2011/08/infant-inquiries-from-nanny.html">I'm going on and on over at Zan's blog</a> about all the scary things parenthood could entail. Check it out, and then read her blog too, because she is awesome.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-22058875833500588672011-08-25T13:09:00.000-05:002011-08-25T13:09:41.895-05:00Dear Thugs Who Shot My Car:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DZtzTfqKfB8/TlPlj2-aMfI/AAAAAAAACkc/sluEtvmIPIg/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DZtzTfqKfB8/TlPlj2-aMfI/AAAAAAAACkc/sluEtvmIPIg/s320/IMG_1242.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
You owe me $500. Plus whatever it will cost to get my city sticker replaced. Not to mention the time I'll spend dealing with it. And I'm pretty sure Allstate would like to be reimbursed for the tow truck, the rental car, and all the repairs. I'm guessing it isn't going to be cheap, since you unloaded four separate bullets into my vehicle.<br />
<br />
I have to say, it took me a minute to register what had happened. When I went out to my car for a quick post office run, I found this note attached to my drivers' side window:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74oMWhXtJUQ/TlPlYBrwPfI/AAAAAAAACkU/OS2i0qW90E8/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-74oMWhXtJUQ/TlPlYBrwPfI/AAAAAAAACkU/OS2i0qW90E8/s320/IMG_1239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I thought, oh, must have been some kind of fender bender or something. Nice of the police to leave me a note. I walked around my car, inspecting the bumpers. They looked fine - nothing more than the usual I-park-in-the-city wear and tear. So I got into the car to make sure it still worked. As I reached to put my mail on the passenger seat, I saw it. The entire seat was covered with shards of glass. I looked up and saw these:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0DyQV1t8pSCLLwAAGCqe7i8bQmzdfJCz66MPBiaHnnGiG-MYf_gSxWRrKq6kSFMGTEKxFZVyNtohiDLFcnQCSS8o3RZYs4TFzKPlO_cDKWgAfNQNJxDOayKJksrJslj8LEc3wr1P9oJA/s1600/IMG_1247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY0DyQV1t8pSCLLwAAGCqe7i8bQmzdfJCz66MPBiaHnnGiG-MYf_gSxWRrKq6kSFMGTEKxFZVyNtohiDLFcnQCSS8o3RZYs4TFzKPlO_cDKWgAfNQNJxDOayKJksrJslj8LEc3wr1P9oJA/s320/IMG_1247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
With the glare of the morning sun, I hadn't noticed them when I briefly inspected my car. Still thinking that - as the notice indicated - it had been an accident, I wondered what kind of flying debris or tree branches had smacked my windshield in such an odd pattern. Resigning myself to having to replace my windshield later, I trekked to the post office on foot. I thought about the car the entire time.<br />
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The more I thought about it, the more I thought those holes looked like bullets. So when I got back home, I looked at the car really carefully. Walked all the way around, twice. The cops told me you ran away afterwards, so I'm willing to bet you didn't get a good look at what you did. Lucky for you, I've documented your artwork for posterity's sake. (Uh, and maybe also for evidence and insurance claims.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSm2FvBOILHIJnDYnpouo9ptzQexBFRm5y4jyBC265NG99OScuHqcCjCe28b41a-qDJkZujOIqCMK-YNvMmZH79IZJUIO6rLpGAMRQk9Sqv0xLy18r5BH2W-R6XC8A14RZUm3bG5qJ6MS/s1600/IMG_1244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtSm2FvBOILHIJnDYnpouo9ptzQexBFRm5y4jyBC265NG99OScuHqcCjCe28b41a-qDJkZujOIqCMK-YNvMmZH79IZJUIO6rLpGAMRQk9Sqv0xLy18r5BH2W-R6XC8A14RZUm3bG5qJ6MS/s320/IMG_1244.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Bullet #1: Windshield, driver's side<br />
This was the least scary looking one. It must not have been a direct hit, because it didn't leave an actual hole, just an impact shatter. Guess it bounced off.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ2MS9clhhg/TlPmIn6rDFI/AAAAAAAACk0/I2RG1tSZe08/s1600/IMG_1248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xZ2MS9clhhg/TlPmIn6rDFI/AAAAAAAACk0/I2RG1tSZe08/s320/IMG_1248.JPG" width="240" /></a>Bullet #2: Windshield, passenger side.</div>This is the one that made me think bullet hole as I was walking, and is also the cause of all the glass shards on the passenger seat. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bullet #3: Rear door frame, passenger side. On the left, you can see the entry hole. To the right, you can see the actual bullet still lodged in the door frame, which I found when I opened the back door to start taking my stuff out of the car. I tried valiantly, but could not get the bullet out. I wanted to keep it. Or at least hold it. I know, I'm weird.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_MqkHo3K9h-PAWgBqgv3MXci4gpoo_pZnuJoAKE1vcc7GmgXXqFjhpaBPqPdT7aYKrf0SVS-7NiXmDKyNawIuQlgzllRiOrCEeTKK3hhefFBJF45Q-BJ9G_dt7WfZers-FJTwApLPHMw/s1600/IMG_1253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_MqkHo3K9h-PAWgBqgv3MXci4gpoo_pZnuJoAKE1vcc7GmgXXqFjhpaBPqPdT7aYKrf0SVS-7NiXmDKyNawIuQlgzllRiOrCEeTKK3hhefFBJF45Q-BJ9G_dt7WfZers-FJTwApLPHMw/s320/IMG_1253.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGKr20fJayoDj2b50wA-8u9FdICBSTSAwXUAUCY0L5ct87rkVNJPd6s3r4JlFMOipClLfihT2ba4Gx0FK3wWiqcwjypE3kn7QsLMfrIu_23p2JSO3qZUddp2Gxr1hh-sptg-EdJc00gUZ/s1600/bullet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGKr20fJayoDj2b50wA-8u9FdICBSTSAwXUAUCY0L5ct87rkVNJPd6s3r4JlFMOipClLfihT2ba4Gx0FK3wWiqcwjypE3kn7QsLMfrIu_23p2JSO3qZUddp2Gxr1hh-sptg-EdJc00gUZ/s320/bullet.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bullet #4: Through the roof. Literally. On the left, a nice big gash in the roof. On the right, the exit wound in the interior ceiling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JKVJqb951g/TlPmTBAGJkI/AAAAAAAACk8/cXkD1lzCupw/s1600/IMG_1250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JKVJqb951g/TlPmTBAGJkI/AAAAAAAACk8/cXkD1lzCupw/s320/IMG_1250.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wMXl8XAWGsU/TlPmym07Z2I/AAAAAAAAClU/jn24mVduhik/s1600/IMG_1254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wMXl8XAWGsU/TlPmym07Z2I/AAAAAAAAClU/jn24mVduhik/s320/IMG_1254.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Interior Damage: At first I thought this was caused by the bullet that came in through the roof, but retrospectively I think the trajectory lines up with that big hole in the windshield. Regardless of its origin, one bullet went through the shoulder of the passenger seat (shown on the left) and into the rear seat cushion (to the right), where I am fairly certain it is still lodged.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yeuf8pyfZA/TlPmvodwTEI/AAAAAAAAClM/eEffG_cJtiI/s1600/IMG_1255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Yeuf8pyfZA/TlPmvodwTEI/AAAAAAAAClM/eEffG_cJtiI/s320/IMG_1255.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p__BXopKYuk/TlPnDobjN7I/AAAAAAAAClg/IW125-6hl3I/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p__BXopKYuk/TlPnDobjN7I/AAAAAAAAClg/IW125-6hl3I/s320/IMG_1257.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh, yeah, and as far as I know no one was hurt. Witnesses saw the shooters fleeing the scene. I called the police to see if they needed my car for evidence and the officer I talked to was really nice. He looked up the case for me, told me that two other cars had been shot, and that they had all the evidence they needed from the shell casings found on the scene. Allstate has been swift in dealing with the insurance claim. They hooked me up with a rental car within an hour of my phone call and got my car towed to their body shop for repairs. Minus the aforementioned $500 deductible, it's all covered.</div><br />
Ah, city living.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-3653616312790229762011-08-21T23:28:00.000-05:002011-08-21T23:28:00.928-05:00Cake, Cake, and More CakeBoy do I feel sorry for people who don't (or can't) eat cake. Because I love it. And it's come to pass that the tail end of summer and the better part of fall seems to be cake-making season for me. There are so many occasions to celebrate, and as I'm sure you know, I hardly need an excuse to bake. Let's take a look back at last year's sweets:<br />
<blockquote><u>July</u><a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-and-mocha-and-berries-oh-my.html"><br />
Our Wedding Cake</a> Vanilla-Almond with Berries & Pastry Cream; Devil's Food with Mocha Whipped Cream; Pumpkin with Ginger Buttercream<br />
<br />
<u>August</u><br />
Devil's Food with Mocha Whipped Cream, for Julia's brother Joel's birthday<br />
<br />
<u>September</u><br />
My birthday. Can't remember exactly what I made, but I do remember it was the ugliest cake ever to emerge from my kitchen. Pretty sure chocolate and strawberries were involved, but it was a sloppy mess.<br />
<br />
<u>October</u><br />
Ellen mentioned cake on facebook, so Julia told her she should come over and I'd make her one, and a few days later I did. Sadly, I no longer have any recollection of what kind of cake it was...<br />
<a href="http://dessertfirstgirl.com/2008/01/red-bean-green.html">Green Tea Cake with Red Bean Paste</a> filling for Alice's birthday (which was light and delicious and really needs to be made again soon). And yes, I know her birthday is in July, but this is when we all had the same free spot in our schedules to actually get together and celebrate it.<br />
<br />
<u>November</u><br />
Would ordinarily be a month for making Julia's birthday cake, but last year I made pie. Apple pie with FRESH FIGS. It was the BEST. PIE. EVER. Almost made me convert to a pie-as-dessert-of-choice girl. Almost.</blockquote>The cake schedule is a little lighter this year, thankfully. But Joel's birthday came around again, as birthdays do, and so there was a <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/04/heavenly-chocolate-cake-roll/">Heavenly Chocolate Cake Roll </a>(gluten-free!) with strawberries added to the whipped cream filling.<br />
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I should have probably made a cake to celebrate the arrival of our new niece, Sophia, on August 16th, but I don't think she's picked a favorite flavor yet... <br />
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And last night we threw a party to <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/08/yay-new-york-party-details/">celebrate marriage equality in New York</a>. <i>[Yeah, I know we live in Chicago, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, or whatever, so eventually it's gonna walk this way, right? Plus, we were raising money for <a href="http://www.lambdalegal.org/">LAMBDA LEGAL</a>, and you can never go wrong with that. And, you know, we're still <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/08/lgbt-engagement-session-i-cant-show-you/">not equal enough</a>. And further more, we were <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/08/yay-new-york-regional-parties/">celebrating in solidarity with a bunch of other people at other parties</a> all around the country. So. A party was had. Cake was eaten. Champagne was consumed in copious amounts. Drunken neighbors crashed. But I digress, as always.]</i> Ahem.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaQimzrjZd7PVLD_RfhplDB4s945_33GaK5K62Jb7unsKFlQlFhAPha95DN8Vn9wnW4mlLR5bSm4fpfZbpxKXqopxlc0mBxLkekdU8RDyrZcDLGx3TYe_6PceJ-8sTE6uKXPA8kmP7QLI/s1600/DSCN1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaQimzrjZd7PVLD_RfhplDB4s945_33GaK5K62Jb7unsKFlQlFhAPha95DN8Vn9wnW4mlLR5bSm4fpfZbpxKXqopxlc0mBxLkekdU8RDyrZcDLGx3TYe_6PceJ-8sTE6uKXPA8kmP7QLI/s400/DSCN1147.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>So. Naturally, I made some Marriage Equality Cake. The purple side is Devil's Food with Mocha Whipped Cream (are you sensing a pattern here?) and the green side is Vanilla-Almond with Apricot-Almond filling. Both were quite tasty, and I'll be eating the leftovers all week.<br />
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Which brings us back to my birthday. I'm just gonna let you drool over what I have planned:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtd5M_DiKaHJ70Zuvp4P7uK28WclM2h4z6E28ZiH0HDQtREnkYn4SkxWiunfsyXz9-UAybYfeoIhrwaoBrc0WjBenzq2OLRS3djp4iipv3HaQKuMmKqtxVtmK0UbWuOxmf4cVLM8-vI0I/s1600/rs-decredipe-twelve-layer-cake608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEtd5M_DiKaHJ70Zuvp4P7uK28WclM2h4z6E28ZiH0HDQtREnkYn4SkxWiunfsyXz9-UAybYfeoIhrwaoBrc0WjBenzq2OLRS3djp4iipv3HaQKuMmKqtxVtmK0UbWuOxmf4cVLM8-vI0I/s400/rs-decredipe-twelve-layer-cake608.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2008/12/twelve-layer-mocha-cake">Twelve Layer Mocha Cake</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I'll wait while you pencil in the date on your calendar. That's September 18th, my place, 3ish. See you there.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-35319729954843636552011-08-17T14:37:00.001-05:002011-08-20T09:01:20.852-05:00Restaurant Review: ChalkboardLet's make this one a mostly wordless post, shall we? I'll caption the photos so you know what we're eating, but you don't really need much description. (Please don't take this as a sign that I'm about to become a regular Wordless Wednesday kind of girl. Cause I probably won't.)<br />
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In short? The service was outstanding and the food was amazing. We will definitely be back to <a href="http://www.chalkboardrestaurant.com/">Chalkboard</a> soon. Possibly for their Fried Chicken & All-You-Can-Drink Champagne Wednesday night special. Want to join us?<br />
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<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0vNYvFRiEqBK_5a2rudOEZHt7EKU46JWa_6sFtArNuQUlumEqbwGWnzyMPxGDVt1qxdbcxUKylbqgQoIlR1IDvbA5M8M8lCLV77PGUZdSMkTV3V50SV_Zc7Pk7L2hwpsSjqMo7hv_E97/s320/IMG_1150.JPG" width="240" /></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">I attempt to make my hair look nice by drying it in pin curls. Result? It lies even flatter than when I do nothing. I redeem myself somewhat by wearing a shirt that Julia loves, putting on a skirt (no pockets! Oh, the sacrifices I make...), and going so far as to apply lip gloss.</div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlASAysUAKL7WKZb7izKKlc4Ql_4YhtaHJ3nn8WWHQh9uq246aK1Ai3n7b87U75WFWXt-m1ejZEUxbjIRTTu2AfzFTR_OlsCNm1lRLtCbUPJAXcUHW0EEH8RTMswhpNOGkixL3xRqbsxa/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinlASAysUAKL7WKZb7izKKlc4Ql_4YhtaHJ3nn8WWHQh9uq246aK1Ai3n7b87U75WFWXt-m1ejZEUxbjIRTTu2AfzFTR_OlsCNm1lRLtCbUPJAXcUHW0EEH8RTMswhpNOGkixL3xRqbsxa/s320/IMG_1151.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Julia looks super cute in this skirt she literally made in the three hours before we walked out the door for dinner. She laments not having enough time to add... pockets. Which means it's a night of purse-carrying for both of us. Well, one of us (me) - because we are good at sharing. Or, as we call it, "Will you carry the purse? I don't want to."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq66_XRmKBqj6PVe8AAfi3ls2XbKWDjMBW2ru_zb60iRPTLWBIwhp8L3GpAARRNlBM32whCv8mDKss89kVxYBYpJdZTgVqx8yViUobo7cUdocUjZgpslcNwt3nwFNwU2ZmaVqEVqe-6x7O/s1600/DSCN1087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq66_XRmKBqj6PVe8AAfi3ls2XbKWDjMBW2ru_zb60iRPTLWBIwhp8L3GpAARRNlBM32whCv8mDKss89kVxYBYpJdZTgVqx8yViUobo7cUdocUjZgpslcNwt3nwFNwU2ZmaVqEVqe-6x7O/s320/DSCN1087.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Private Dining. It's what happens when you make your Friday night reservation at an old lady time like 5:30pm. Yep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMKYylUJCOwgeLsfiPV7_cfPyZvN_qv5TISzat61L6XeRQSQSILZo89AnWl3J-svWhTL7xokdJaoac0wE7SvkKu6rZzXi5jRjqaBiHtfpbVU434skL4IIbcJruEHRaLKymNgPk190OaaQ/s1600/DSCN1088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKMKYylUJCOwgeLsfiPV7_cfPyZvN_qv5TISzat61L6XeRQSQSILZo89AnWl3J-svWhTL7xokdJaoac0wE7SvkKu6rZzXi5jRjqaBiHtfpbVU434skL4IIbcJruEHRaLKymNgPk190OaaQ/s320/DSCN1088.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Finally using the toasting glasses we planned to use at our wedding. They are really, really nice. Also - heavy.<br />
And? The bubbly was quite good, amazing since we generally find champagne to be too bitter for our tastes.<i> [It was Pierre Delize blanc de blancs, if you're wondering. We're told it can be purchased locally at <a href="http://www.lushwineandspirits.com/">Lush</a>. <b>UPDATE:</b> I was thrilled to discover it is also carried by our neighborhood grocery store, Devon Market (on Devon, just east of Clark St. in Rogers Park) - and for a very reasonable $9.99!] </i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHLiKIwIIp7KUQ2W5TevpcwBVLinMZ0dYSwHxl0xe0F2bj1FXYKt2fEZ8CE-cIrBwYPfVld9o0w4wjmpp3_UtfHl1zOHQNm416BBxRW9CTv8rZa-cSXVHE7eJckyZkPiQpR8iA4QQOd-8/s1600/DSCN1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirHLiKIwIIp7KUQ2W5TevpcwBVLinMZ0dYSwHxl0xe0F2bj1FXYKt2fEZ8CE-cIrBwYPfVld9o0w4wjmpp3_UtfHl1zOHQNm416BBxRW9CTv8rZa-cSXVHE7eJckyZkPiQpR8iA4QQOd-8/s320/DSCN1091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Chicken Liver Pate, with Toasted Brioche and an assortment of complimentary flavors - white beans, onions, mustard, radish, olives.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFjKKW6n5pjInuih3DVLK_IssqAlZBRgXBJAq3yjpP1MBKFfV4LZOQyvcviutoLwtmaiB65Nv1Iqm_epVqwwqAO7K2sDNqj8DxsRTTOj1tqh2b3zWfIPh9q_pjOePUpfdfT_9g8z_lZX7/s1600/DSCN1092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFjKKW6n5pjInuih3DVLK_IssqAlZBRgXBJAq3yjpP1MBKFfV4LZOQyvcviutoLwtmaiB65Nv1Iqm_epVqwwqAO7K2sDNqj8DxsRTTOj1tqh2b3zWfIPh9q_pjOePUpfdfT_9g8z_lZX7/s320/DSCN1092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Watermelon Salad with grapes, crème fraîche, and some kind of little flowers.<br />
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Seared Scallops with vanilla sauce and olives. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3BQJsCjTCgfB8MiuILyNUXGT2AKGg9UUDJ-jY-c8uicl4tpHAYffrEoWqNxQLEPsIOscDhWY6BN_k27DLAV7yNYtXZcSZ2HV3pE9w8W8G6ZuXqlcWZlnmYVX4XRbfLoq1lYUgPwKB57l/s1600/DSCN1097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk3BQJsCjTCgfB8MiuILyNUXGT2AKGg9UUDJ-jY-c8uicl4tpHAYffrEoWqNxQLEPsIOscDhWY6BN_k27DLAV7yNYtXZcSZ2HV3pE9w8W8G6ZuXqlcWZlnmYVX4XRbfLoq1lYUgPwKB57l/s320/DSCN1097.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Duck breast with Tzatziki sauce and fries.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGagiMqZTPfQuSQxTxJs0KPYki-pknaDXzvC5zn_5AI6YrokNbygrdvipEASVlQsXiDsGqyTo1LRbwVlwrIfksqDaOlD1rvmaGWIoQzVTJS6PGlWBJ6JMwCK-g1ufo4k9U2Fo2at93HRH/s1600/DSCN1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGagiMqZTPfQuSQxTxJs0KPYki-pknaDXzvC5zn_5AI6YrokNbygrdvipEASVlQsXiDsGqyTo1LRbwVlwrIfksqDaOlD1rvmaGWIoQzVTJS6PGlWBJ6JMwCK-g1ufo4k9U2Fo2at93HRH/s320/DSCN1105.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;">Hangar steak with white beans and pesto.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvyy0jh9techUNb15zZxk7vgfvXCy80bs8Qt2JIuAsGP0kGRoSTx7dk4oAc_17G0r7nUj-o_P0aZdTLiDXvcaA6zzN9fEL1COsqMj1wU_amvkeFNtUX1BYsI89EJ3N_xHEoNEdxTDyssv/s1600/DSCN1108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEvyy0jh9techUNb15zZxk7vgfvXCy80bs8Qt2JIuAsGP0kGRoSTx7dk4oAc_17G0r7nUj-o_P0aZdTLiDXvcaA6zzN9fEL1COsqMj1wU_amvkeFNtUX1BYsI89EJ3N_xHEoNEdxTDyssv/s320/DSCN1108.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHGBI7k_rB3LvOjyXDRcwo3e9vZq3PRqEWvnNCOrpRIg2x6QKFaO3290z2uCL8gm8khBuGiSBD_baV9EG18aefzkRKTrHpzoFwEUOi9RmmgBpHyQM1XhmyX16j3-VDXRpCrOPhPDFpeWM/s1600/DSCN1101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFHGBI7k_rB3LvOjyXDRcwo3e9vZq3PRqEWvnNCOrpRIg2x6QKFaO3290z2uCL8gm8khBuGiSBD_baV9EG18aefzkRKTrHpzoFwEUOi9RmmgBpHyQM1XhmyX16j3-VDXRpCrOPhPDFpeWM/s320/DSCN1101.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">HAPPY. MARRIED. PEOPLE.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">(who happen to be eating chocolate chip cookie dough eggroll with chocolate ice cream.)</span> </div></div></div>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-41379110235603332392011-08-16T22:42:00.000-05:002011-08-16T22:42:30.854-05:00Things We Have Eaten LatelyI'm trying to come back friends. Really hard. I'm finding myself at a loss for words (shocking, I know) when it comes to these posts, and maybe it's just because I'm busy and burnt out, or maybe I'm not sure where this blog is going, but I'm gonna try to just write and see what happens. As always, your comments are appreciated! I can take constructive criticism, for real. Tell me what you most enjoy reading about. (You're only here for the food, aren't you? That's ok.)<br />
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So, because it's been a while since any food was featured, here's a roundup of some of the things we've consumed recently:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPOL2NWGbFS9EPgZBF5bx3CcPdgDmhbFIi5om-yVKmXPcsMi4Qzx_ud_6C5kF0sa_2eGLa9Qlx1yy9SiosBG53F68M_p_lCCIY0oqD8W-R30p7CESYiPGWMmWII_d4QxVTpvDAgcoWxqU/s1600/DSCN1044.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPOL2NWGbFS9EPgZBF5bx3CcPdgDmhbFIi5om-yVKmXPcsMi4Qzx_ud_6C5kF0sa_2eGLa9Qlx1yy9SiosBG53F68M_p_lCCIY0oqD8W-R30p7CESYiPGWMmWII_d4QxVTpvDAgcoWxqU/s320/DSCN1044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Three-Bean Salad with Gouda (vegetarian) - I LOVED this dish. Julia was not a huge fan, but I think that was mostly because I bought smoked gouda and she does not enjoy smoked cheeses as a rule. Too bad for her. I love them.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN2SNMpZpJfQx7P_kwBp3IyO4kFznlHioiz2BpooUv8w2-NGTu7qbvdJLGhK4KE6GJQPn1akixkBi27Dc5S8BDLqYDlyyza7Naq9mcQpoCMT9wViKiBVb8egpm4wIW9R8Vkkbma4hzwg-/s1600/DSCN1076.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpN2SNMpZpJfQx7P_kwBp3IyO4kFznlHioiz2BpooUv8w2-NGTu7qbvdJLGhK4KE6GJQPn1akixkBi27Dc5S8BDLqYDlyyza7Naq9mcQpoCMT9wViKiBVb8egpm4wIW9R8Vkkbma4hzwg-/s320/DSCN1076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Ghetto dinner. Ok, this is no high-class meal, but sometimes? You just have to pick up whatever you can eat as soon as you get it home. So. Salad. Chicken. Forks. Wine. DONE.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Oh - you may remember me mentioning how awesome my wife is? And that on my vacation, she totally pampered me food-wise, even though she was NOT on vacation? She made a whole menu of really nice meals, mostly from a Spanish cookbook we have, and let me pretend like I was in a fancy restaurant, where I didn't have to cook or clean up! And she was all sweet about it, like it was no big deal for her to spend several hours cooking every night for me while I sat on my butt and did nothing. I love her. (Duh.) Here are some of the things she made for me:</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3Hm2Zpd86yeWJm80X7ah-u2uR91rvrXxFGLtWqhF_w9PKTHzpfMRyJbz06aBvK944QjVqtMkXtcZ4qSE4vqXEwo3FR-B5jBLwMhf94C2zh3qODciA50_ad0ybD44JrgcW3zQYcJn3woh/s1600/DSCN1077.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU3Hm2Zpd86yeWJm80X7ah-u2uR91rvrXxFGLtWqhF_w9PKTHzpfMRyJbz06aBvK944QjVqtMkXtcZ4qSE4vqXEwo3FR-B5jBLwMhf94C2zh3qODciA50_ad0ybD44JrgcW3zQYcJn3woh/s320/DSCN1077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Grilled Basa with Chickpea Salad - Julia says she put too much garlic in it (as you do, because the amount of garlic in every recipe should always be doubled. You do that, right?), but I thought it was awesomely garlicky. Then she made this lovely little bean salad with chickpeas, tomato, cilantro, and red onion. I wasn't expecting it to be a cold salad, and it was really refreshing. Also just as good warmed up the next day.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGIR9_t1Nbhs2buKcrvoPhy3kHHRRMj8Js91lH7UepEwQrI5Qlbj9J_j_eAHre1Nfn63SuvvtlyFiNxZok4iZ36WC3JU4oa56pqgDfLomhlC61tQIcdG-_aZXokTx_KD2RjVOzd0QEsyZ/s1600/DSCN1084.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmGIR9_t1Nbhs2buKcrvoPhy3kHHRRMj8Js91lH7UepEwQrI5Qlbj9J_j_eAHre1Nfn63SuvvtlyFiNxZok4iZ36WC3JU4oa56pqgDfLomhlC61tQIcdG-_aZXokTx_KD2RjVOzd0QEsyZ/s320/DSCN1084.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Potato, Spinach, and Pine Nut Gratin - I'm sure you can guess that this was delicious. I don't think I need to say anything more about it. By the way, that little salad? Mixed greens with tomatoes, nothing fancy, but the trick is that instead of our usual dressing, she drizzled it with olive oil and cracked a bit of fresh pepper on it. So simple, so good.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BdnpiXSFtILMm1b-jKmvGi9DR4Jb77XFZUritTgQ_2uNFf9vogkiRuW8XEWwd7BErUlFWvXe5Nx14EKeRXw6QOqKEdYr8ege5dFP11wTBfVJWEufHC1ABUarcw3W5jSyTZUR5gxEe2ww/s1600/DSCN1117.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BdnpiXSFtILMm1b-jKmvGi9DR4Jb77XFZUritTgQ_2uNFf9vogkiRuW8XEWwd7BErUlFWvXe5Nx14EKeRXw6QOqKEdYr8ege5dFP11wTBfVJWEufHC1ABUarcw3W5jSyTZUR5gxEe2ww/s320/DSCN1117.JPG" width="320" /></a>And then? Then there was the night she took a couple sea basses, wrapped them in Serrano ham, and stuffed them with more of the ham and garlic. Crisp, salty ham around tender bites of flaky fish? Holy crap, that was yummy. And I haven't even told you about the vegetables. They were stir-fried with a sesame sauce and amazing on their own. Five star meal.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh71sb9lP3OxJtyAFNEV0tldmuYG9Rzys2kS_l7niSx4M001olxPKub2UvzVWDX9MB5XJcQFiY90n9KICVXVZgnyzlukM8SDJB7c9pMljfPCvdIWez91g_dVtvBSKS8jIF_A4YRzLJ7GnB/s1600/DSCN1119.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh71sb9lP3OxJtyAFNEV0tldmuYG9Rzys2kS_l7niSx4M001olxPKub2UvzVWDX9MB5XJcQFiY90n9KICVXVZgnyzlukM8SDJB7c9pMljfPCvdIWez91g_dVtvBSKS8jIF_A4YRzLJ7GnB/s320/DSCN1119.JPG" width="320" /></a>Oh, and I almost forgot - it was followed by dessert. To be fair, I actually made it, because, you know, I am the dessert-maker. I know what's what when it comes to custard. (Ask <a href="http://www.lollygagblog.com/">Keely</a> about those Napoleons I made her that one time. Or anyone who ate the top layer of <a href="http://cindyandjulia.blogspot.com/2011/07/pumpkin-and-mocha-and-berries-oh-my.html">our wedding cake</a>.) Anyway, I digress as usual, I made Crema Fritta. Literally it translates to fried cream. But essentially, it's custard (think flan or crème bruleé, minus the bruleé), and then it's battered and fried. And drowned in blackberry sauce, and topped with whole berries. It was SO. GOOD. Not the prettiest thing I've ever made, but really really tasty.</div><br />
And I'll leave you with that to drool over.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-4513070338439041952011-08-11T15:19:00.000-05:002011-08-11T15:19:40.576-05:00Another Guest Post...because clearly, I care more about posting elsewhere than here. No! It's not true. It's just - other people give me deadlines, and my deadline is "whenever I get around to it", so... you all know what that means. I guess I should pick a couple days a week and stick to them for posting like the real bloggers do. But I digress...<br />
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If you're wondering what I think about using mics (or not) for your wedding ceremony, you can <a href="http://frugallywed.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/do-you-need-a-mic-at-your-ceremony/">go read all about it over on Frugally Wed.</a><br />
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I really promise to post soon. If you want, you can put a deadline in the comments for me. (It's got a pretty good chance of working, actually. Especially if you include a topic I should ramble about.)Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-69841423433763316082011-08-07T11:29:00.000-05:002011-08-07T11:29:09.950-05:00What I Love About Chicago(Hint: It's not Navy Pier or the Mag Mile.)<br />
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Oops, I blinked and missed it - my <a href="http://secondcityslicker.blogspot.com/2011/08/crafty-broads-love-letter-to-chicago.html">guest post</a> has been up on Sarah's blog since Tuesday! Go check it out if you want to know what we love about Chicago.<br />
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I'll be back soon to tell you all about the belated anniversary dinner we had at Chalkboard on Friday night, and some of the drool-worthy meals my lovely wife has cooked for me on my vacation this week. (Which is sadly ending today.)Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-14138609914749204462011-08-04T10:25:00.000-05:002011-08-04T10:25:41.347-05:00How to Vacation When You're Running A Side Business<i>[Well, I was going to write about the yummy things we ate this week, but turns out I want to write about what a vacation is like when you also are trying to start a business on the side.]</i><br />
<br />
Oh, you guys, I am really trying to keep this blogging thing going, because I do enjoy it. But - when I get busy (which you know is often) it is hard for me to find the space in my brain to decide what to write about, and then get the chunk of time needed to actually write it. Some of you know I'm on vacation from yesterday through Sunday, and you might be thinking - of course she has time! And, yeah, I sort of do. The thing is, though, I think our little business is really starting to take off, and that has to be a priority.<br />
<br />
So far on my "vacation", I have:<br />
<ul><li>Slept in until 7:30 or 8am!</li>
<li>Written & revised our custom garment contract</li>
<li>Worked on dress design sketches</li>
<li>Hashed out some details for another wedding, including scoring a great deal with a vendor</li>
<li>Set up a meeting with another potential client</li>
<li>Actually started the Great T-Shirt Project of 2010</li>
<li>Installed new operating system on my computer, and then new money software, and am currently in the midst of transferring all our data over from the old program and setting up our budget.</li>
<li>Cleaned the house.</li>
<li>Had happy hour with WhiskeyTime and some improvised Amaretto/Pear martinis. (ok, this part is like actual vacation.)</li>
<li>SPENT TIME WITH MY WIFE. (Who is being the sweetest lady ever by pretending I am really on vacation and planning a weekend of fancy dinners that she is cooking for me. Boy do I love her. Last night, we had Roasted Chicken with Spiced Figs. OMG. Yum. On Saturday, she is planning some awesome thing where she cooks whole fish. She is the best. Sorry to all the rest of you who don't get to be married to her.)</li>
</ul>Additional things I have scheduled to do on my vacation are:<br />
<ul><li> Hit the fabric store for swatching and inspiration for our client's wedding dress</li>
<li>Meet with the aforementioned potential client</li>
<li>Finish putting together sketches and estimate for the wedding dress</li>
<li>Flesh out all the details of the wedding coming up and distribute them to vendors</li>
<li>Maybe continue working on the Great T-Shirt Project of 2010 (which I guess I should write a post about, huh?)</li>
<li>Write a guest post for a wedding blog</li>
<li>Write a why having babies scared me before being a nanny vs. why they scare me now post for another blog</li>
<li>Attempt to write something of substance for this here blog, that is not about how busy I am, and thus will not bore you to tears like this post</li>
<li>CELEBRATE OUR ANNIVERSARY. Yeah, I know it was a month ago, and we did celebrate. But I think I mentioned we had been planning to go to a big fancy dinner only to find out that the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed. So. We rescheduled our anniversary for 'one of those upcoming weekends when we might have some time' (HA!) and here it is. We've got a reservation at Chalkboard for Friday night, and I'm hopeful we will be able to schedule some massages tomorrow or Saturday as well. Yay!</li>
</ul>And, let me say, I am NOT complaining. I love doing all these things. Not that I wouldn't love just sitting at the beach all day, in some semblance of what I imagine normal people do on vacation - I would love that. But - the reason why we're making this business happen is exactly because we LOVE doing these things and want to eventually do them full-time. Or at least enough of the time that we can pick and choose what shows or other work we want to do the rest of the time.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-31376337908964398942011-07-30T08:57:00.000-05:002011-07-30T08:57:26.989-05:00A Big AnnouncementWe're having a baby!<br />
<br />
Just kidding. That's what's expected after a title of this nature though, isn't it? Sorry to disappoint. (If you're wondering, we're planning to foster/adopt a kiddo or two... someday. We'll keep you posted.)<br />
<br />
We really do have exciting news though! So far, our clients have been friends who happened to want something awesome to wear. Which is stellar, because who doesn't like making beautiful things for people they love? We sure do. But - the big deal this week? We got our first real client - the kind that we never met before until they found us on the internet and decide to contact us so we could make them something - how great is that? (Pretty amazing. We squealed.) This is a really, really big deal for <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/">our little business</a>.<br />
<br />
Oh, and can I tell you what we're making for her? A 1930s-style bias cut wedding dress! Which is an amazing project to be working on. And - her dress ideas are gorgeous! We cannot wait to get started making it, and eventually share it with you. (With her permission, and I'm guessing after the Big Day, of course. So you'll have to exercise some patience on that one; her wedding's in December.)<br />
<br />
In other news, I only have to work Monday and Tuesday at my nanny job next week, which means I have a nice long weekend to get started on this dress. And we may finally have a chunk of time to celebrate our anniversary with the fancy dinner at <a href="http://www.chalkboardrestaurant.com/">Chalkboard</a> we were hoping to have at the beginning of the month. And maybe some massages. And definitely something bubbly in the toasting glasses we never used at our wedding.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-52214726087216088432011-07-25T06:54:00.000-05:002011-07-25T06:54:36.808-05:00How to Stage Manage Your WeddingHey look - I'm back over at <a href="http://www.apracticalwedding.com/">A Practical Wedding</a> today with a post about stage managing your wedding. <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/07/wedding-planner-tip/">Go check it out!</a> (And thanks Tim for stage managing ours!)<br />
<br />
Hope your week is off to a good start. I'll be back in a day or two when I think of something compelling to write about...Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-29699241016813364032011-07-24T02:03:00.002-05:002011-07-24T02:03:47.171-05:00Working for the Weekend... AgainWell, once again, it's been a busy week and weekend (so far) over here. Right this second, I am waiting for a few files to upload and then... the <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/">Crafty Broads website</a> will be live and ready for action! I would LOVE your feedback - please email me or comment here if you have a chance to check it out.<br />
<br />
I am SO. EXCITED. to be done making the website. Although it didn't take me long in total number of hours, it has really eaten up the last couple of weeks, and I have other projects I want to work on. <br />
<br />
Here's the rundown of things that are in the works:<br />
<ul><li>Next week, we're meeting with a potential client who is looking for a custom wedding dress (very exciting, especially since she wants something 30s and bias-cut, which we adore)</li>
<li>Also next week or the week after, I'll be doing a guest post on another blog (I'll link when it's up)</li>
<li>I've got two big events to stage manage in August - a friend's wedding and a handful of small parties being held around the country which will kick off a major event celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York. (You can read about it <a href="http://apracticalwedding.com/2011/07/yay-new-york-a-mass-reception-for-marriage-equality/">here</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/meg-practical/yay-new-york-regional-parties/2275842101839">here</a>.) Also? Same-sex couples are getting married there RIGHT THIS MINUTE, thanks to some nice judges and government officials who kept buildings open late and came in on their days off to dispense forms and officiate nuptials. Hooray for that! (Still waiting on you, Illinois. Ahem, downstate...get with the program.)</li>
<li>I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll get time to work on the pattern for a custom three-piece suit we're making, which I've been wanting to work on for way too long now.</li>
<li>If I ever finish all these other obligations, I have a ton of sewing projects for myself to get started (or finished, as the case may be) on too!</li>
</ul>In food news, tonight I made a horribly unhealthy, carb-filled meal of latkes and butternut squash mac & cheese. Both were delicious. I am in carb heaven. I promise to eat veggies tomorrow.*<br />
<br />
And with that, I am calling it a day.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Julia disagrees, but squash is totally a vegetable.</span>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-108225603367874432011-07-17T13:10:00.000-05:002011-07-17T13:10:36.334-05:00Everybody's Working for the WeekendWell, this weekend has been a busy one, and this is going to be a short post. Julia's opening a show and also subbing in for another show, so she'll have done eight shows over the last three days. I've been working hard on content and graphics for our <a href="http://www.craftybroads.com/">Crafty Broads</a> website. Tonight I'm meeting with some wonderful friends whose wedding I'll be stage managing next month! Despite all these goings-on, we had Friday night off together and we'll get to have a late dinner tonight too. And I managed to make a really tasty dinner last night:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim39gH4pa-c_FSfnB_bQM5HskcE0dF02_hZC6ZO7z13_hri724KGTB7EijJo3atllXNj3M2NgYSa8ZYWyVkj44f9S1FRBv6TsJTytEVDS9orMH6CV19FBO_2hy83Z1ITdJ4GehdUb6QoHX/s1600/pork+w+fig+sauce.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim39gH4pa-c_FSfnB_bQM5HskcE0dF02_hZC6ZO7z13_hri724KGTB7EijJo3atllXNj3M2NgYSa8ZYWyVkj44f9S1FRBv6TsJTytEVDS9orMH6CV19FBO_2hy83Z1ITdJ4GehdUb6QoHX/s320/pork+w+fig+sauce.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Tenderloin with Fig & Balsamic Reduction Sauce</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Thought I'd share some of the ideas I'm tossing around over here.<br />
<i>(Note that none of this is live on the site yet, but hopefully will be up later this week.)</i><br />
<br />
A few options for the home page:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf4bLMNtWo00A-vm_a0oOhI3VOR2IPzVIZAX5Vv-gpFFNnDFG9cQOoLozlUUdkFXICcFs4DtTwFexTcdg3dSnjVIZtMY29FkkZXpRYH1TTUHEWNxlSpjwsXmtv_vJfEw0jeyvXNohlxdN/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghf4bLMNtWo00A-vm_a0oOhI3VOR2IPzVIZAX5Vv-gpFFNnDFG9cQOoLozlUUdkFXICcFs4DtTwFexTcdg3dSnjVIZtMY29FkkZXpRYH1TTUHEWNxlSpjwsXmtv_vJfEw0jeyvXNohlxdN/s320/Picture+1.png" width="320" /></a></div>This is the one I'm leaning towards.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTusEreC9rgm-TUU_O19xQAIRWAV_Cndte2zwoZjsbXeU6qkYXN-e5LgHl-GlTJ-3f-1H3F9414VoZjrcDU2RzFbQaHLFsZJ0xXTRxwBAEC3DeoF7YZmZMUkuLDNj5V3ePu6ilNoLyKmyQ/s1600/Picture+5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTusEreC9rgm-TUU_O19xQAIRWAV_Cndte2zwoZjsbXeU6qkYXN-e5LgHl-GlTJ-3f-1H3F9414VoZjrcDU2RzFbQaHLFsZJ0xXTRxwBAEC3DeoF7YZmZMUkuLDNj5V3ePu6ilNoLyKmyQ/s320/Picture+5.png" width="320" /></a></div>I also like this one, but I think it may be too much color. If I go with this, it would only be on the home screen. Then I would use something more like the one above for all the pages within the website.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3wn46bPTbJ3IC4dCVW7zUwmJE-1V7jobnv47PLcQZ8d8f6_RIZpbINacLCK7PbPGYq-1BcGxkygeN7-ByiJALLHAttA0AWGR3VTN6vN7K3KRMIeuoVc9iEyrfBfg6Xlb3ZL7A6vEX2XF/s1600/Picture+9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ3wn46bPTbJ3IC4dCVW7zUwmJE-1V7jobnv47PLcQZ8d8f6_RIZpbINacLCK7PbPGYq-1BcGxkygeN7-ByiJALLHAttA0AWGR3VTN6vN7K3KRMIeuoVc9iEyrfBfg6Xlb3ZL7A6vEX2XF/s320/Picture+9.png" width="320" /></a></div>This one is a little cleaner without the background color in the buttons, but I think it may be too much white space.<br />
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I'd love to have your feedback in the comments!Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-8976594674091882582011-07-12T19:38:00.013-05:002011-07-13T23:06:28.062-05:00The First Anniversary is Paper.Or so I'm told. And today, continuing our wedding DIY madness posts, I bring you: paper. (What, you thought I was going to think of something clever there? Nope.) One of the most time-consuming projects for our wedding was the paper suite and accompanying website. I spent many hours perfecting the bits and pieces that everyone would see before the big day. Not because I was worried about what they'd think so much as because I like doing that kind of stuff and I happen to be a bit of a perfectionist. Many of you likely know already that the two of us are quite fond of retro and period styles in fashion. We particularly enjoy the 1930s for the prevalence of gloriously low backs and the golden age of bias cuts. What you may not know is that this love expands into the rest of our lives when we look at things like furniture (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150198077291134.315366.730806133&l=d4a8a7df1f">reupholstery</a> posts are really overdue) and architecture. Simply put, we like old stuff way better than new, at least as far as style is concerned. <i>(If you want to talk about safety and function, I'll take my electricity grounded, my surges protected, my power tools new and <a href="http://dewalt.com/">bright yellow</a>, and my staple gun pneumatic, thank you very much. But that's another story for another day.)</i> Given that, we decided on a 1930s art deco style theme for our printed and online goods. After much hemming and hawing over fonts, countless nights tracing outlines in Illustrator, and a kinda steep learning curve for web forms, we ended up with these: <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwrtHrw_IIG_RizF7cHlO8M2Qli4cfnI2Qr5CGNCQ_wFef6wyk9ijrEVohfxvcZHpbgpFph-qdiwS2bKmh3VAD88jAwHfpx5wNUpu50AQ8l9t8JudN8Zy178h63NWAKzzcCDke-ThsKNy/s1600/DSCN1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwrtHrw_IIG_RizF7cHlO8M2Qli4cfnI2Qr5CGNCQ_wFef6wyk9ijrEVohfxvcZHpbgpFph-qdiwS2bKmh3VAD88jAwHfpx5wNUpu50AQ8l9t8JudN8Zy178h63NWAKzzcCDke-ThsKNy/s400/DSCN1068.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">save-the-date postcard (left), invitation (right), thank you cards (center front & back)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><i><b>[Julia's update] </b>The Save-the-Date design was pretty simple - we went with an image of Chicago that imitated the movie and theatre posters that would have been prevalent in the 20's and 30's, in that art deco style. We decided to go with an image of the city because it was so iconic, but also because we weren't big fans of the typical flowers and hearts that accompany most wedding announcements. That just wasn't our style. The "One Night Only" and listing of our names as starring players was more us, because so many of our friends know us as behind-the-scenes players in the theatre industry, so listing our names as top billing, like a poster or playbill, was not only a nod to our careers, but also what it might be like to attend an event where we starred for once, instead of just running the show. </i><br />
<br />
<i>The art deco style was important to our wedding because it was the style of the wedding ring that I'd found in antique store and given to Cindy when I proposed. Once we chose that style, everything else seemed to easily inform our other paper choices. The invitation design was actually inspired by one of our friends who attended and helped with the wedding. He came to a party we were having in our home once, and saw a photo of the two of us from when we'd first met. It was taken during our first getaway together, on a weekend trip to Wisconsin, where Cindy whisked me away to a bed and breakfast. It was one of those photos that you take with one hand while facing the camera, but we had given up trying to pose and managed to capture a kiss instead. He saw that photo and said that it would be the perfect Save-the Date for our wedding. I agreed, but thought it would be a better use as our invitation image. Cindy used her Illustrator skills to trace the image in that photo, and since we were going with the art deco style, we drew some long, luxurious hair onto our heads that would do dramatic things that our short hair never could have done in that photo. </i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl6icUTaziZUbr3q-843ZJMZ_KGIWtaK9VV-low65D-YrSGw5c7V4URKsLFx_Wdi2bjTGVr5BioZQ4wMxmAKTb_G0YBGQ2DTiihWTVsf_ASNBRLC8jEdrcCS9RyRm2hN6TJTFp3Tbh3-/s1600/DSCN1056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheMl6icUTaziZUbr3q-843ZJMZ_KGIWtaK9VV-low65D-YrSGw5c7V4URKsLFx_Wdi2bjTGVr5BioZQ4wMxmAKTb_G0YBGQ2DTiihWTVsf_ASNBRLC8jEdrcCS9RyRm2hN6TJTFp3Tbh3-/s400/DSCN1056.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">inside of our invitations</td></tr>
</tbody></table><i>We continued the motif of the Chicago skyline on the inside of the invitations, and we decided to include it on our thank you cards, too. The thank you card image was very easy, as it was one of the many stupid-grinned photos of us from the wedding, and it pretty much said all we needed to say.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Cindy put a lot of energy and many hours of work into the website. She made it not only look gorgeous, and in the same motif as the paper items, but it was also incredibly functional for all our guests. There were links to the hotel, the restaurant, maps, and to RSVP online. She even created a form for our guests to help us build our wedding playlist, buy requesting any song they felt like listening to at the reception. My favorite feature, though, was our online gift registry. We used a <a href="http://www.myregistry.com/">website</a> that allowed us to create a registry out of any gift that you could buy online.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>This was helpful to us because we didn't want to be stuck only having things from a single store (we have eclectic tastes) and because the one store we would have chosen didn't have a gift registry. We chose things we found all over the internet, and our guests could purchase exactly what we wanted and have them sent directly to our home, which was pretty great. We also gave our guests the option to simply give us money online, to help us pay for our Boston wedding, and to buy us <a href="http://foodieregistry.com/">Foodie Registry</a> gift certificates, which helped launch us into our first year of eating fabulously well, and starting our very own blog about food (and obviously, other things.)</i><br />
<br />
The website was designed to match our paper goods, and you can check out all the bells and whistles at <a href="http://cjwedsite.craftybroads.com/">this link</a>, if you like. Here's a screenshot/sneak peak:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cjwedsite.craftybroads.com/"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWeOInoBrQUlXmIozqyOMiUq8Yg2LjC-scMAeHyxhJaQRInQaAsvjwHDMp1VNMDXOEMTToEWSzZrCgXDYC-bkr05feBLegYWZRnAmgtwvz1fDUuANaA-BRYzbJPzSjQLaKp_k-ogqGVp6/s400/Picture+1.png" width="400" /></a></div><i>(Is it Friday yet? I feel like it should be. And that I should go to the beach... Anybody with me?)</i><br />
<br />
------<br />
<i><b>Update:</b> Julia says I'm not finished writing this post because it's clear to everyone that I just said to hell with it and ended it without really, well, having an ending. So. Here goes.</i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN8KEKwE6OnESje5uxKehbXX6f5Uj7t3QNDJptXmZ57js4WqsbSBIUB57SqmaMc6gIhtG3mRXPDKya4prJX3tV2BItwahK_qD32Zv83dEHxAZTrarLIQ_7WU0_5b51idacF_NcnoztW7K/s1600/kiss2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBN8KEKwE6OnESje5uxKehbXX6f5Uj7t3QNDJptXmZ57js4WqsbSBIUB57SqmaMc6gIhtG3mRXPDKya4prJX3tV2BItwahK_qD32Zv83dEHxAZTrarLIQ_7WU0_5b51idacF_NcnoztW7K/s200/kiss2.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the original photo</td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtm9wywFK6owqL_25XD51_vubLNDKBm4e0r5k3Gbz3CmCAQy77NoUSoWo9yDUqBxlrfFnMX-th3ak2KgzqjJ33xR7pl4YJ3bxJGH1RTxZz01fyamx8VrUXF_ZvtmmA7Y33S0U_7EwkHQG/s1600/DSCN1053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxtm9wywFK6owqL_25XD51_vubLNDKBm4e0r5k3Gbz3CmCAQy77NoUSoWo9yDUqBxlrfFnMX-th3ak2KgzqjJ33xR7pl4YJ3bxJGH1RTxZz01fyamx8VrUXF_ZvtmmA7Y33S0U_7EwkHQG/s200/DSCN1053.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">finished invitation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I suppose I could tell you about how this illustration on the front of our invitations was taken from a photo we took of ourselves on our first trip together way back in the summer of 2006.<br />
<br />
We were sooooooo in love (we still are, but not in that brand new relationship way) and we skipped town for just one night, drove way up into Wisconsin, and stayed at a lovely little B&B. On the way up, we stopped at a lakefront park for a picnic on the beach, and on the way back we hiked through another state park that was full of waterfalls. We climbed onto a giant log in the middle of a stream and carved our initials along with a zillion other people's...<br />
<br />
On that trip, we were maybe six weeks into our relationship. But we were both sure enough that it would last to leave an impression in the bark. And to grow out our hair.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-90954661727652987102011-07-06T23:49:00.001-05:002011-07-12T14:58:51.314-05:00Pumpkin and Mocha and Berries, Oh My!<i>[Photos without a credit in this post were taken by Lindsay Pour, otherwise known as the most awesome best friend a person could have. Credited photos, as noted, are by <a href="http://www.starbellystudios.com/">Timmy Samuels/Starbelly Studios</a>, who shot our wedding fantastically and for a ridiculously reasonable price.]</i><br />
<br />
First up in our crafty wedding DIY madness posts is something we can all appreciate:* CAKE.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxHlWyNuoICzNbgeaLQ4fAvjojzwBvSmImeJNVVqyHbWcDXfp2sweBhJyHaF5RtgdANTaPW-pqMxx1Qj5EzHxgpE1JwIKPt4iS795cwibW6TCRgyOQmjcsXAALzTBjb2pjb22PU5BRITY/s1600/The+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxHlWyNuoICzNbgeaLQ4fAvjojzwBvSmImeJNVVqyHbWcDXfp2sweBhJyHaF5RtgdANTaPW-pqMxx1Qj5EzHxgpE1JwIKPt4iS795cwibW6TCRgyOQmjcsXAALzTBjb2pjb22PU5BRITY/s640/The+Cake.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>You may think I am crazy for having made my own wedding cake, but I promise you I'm not. Well, I guess it's debatable, but given how much I like to bake and my history of making really yummy cakes and the price of cake when you buy them from a bakery (starting at $6/slice, really?!) compared to the price of me making it ($100ish, including the pans) it just made sense. And, as you know, we are practical people. (Also? Theatre people, and therefore, pretty much perpetually broke.)<br />
<br />
Now, lest you think we dove into this baking adventure mere days before our wedding, I should remind you, we are stage managers. So we're good at planning and rehearsal. It so happened that about six months before our wedding I was putting together an opening night party for a production of Brecht's <i>The Wedding. </i>What's that? You think that sounds like a perfect event for a wedding cake test drive? Exactly. It worked out well, and even made us change our minds about which flavor deserved to be the largest tier.<br />
<br />
The whole cake project took place the day before the wedding. With the help of my best friend Lindsay and my younger sister Jeanne, I baked a total of 8 layers for 3 tiers and I went through about a half a dozen eggs and I'm really not exaggerating when I say at least 4 pounds of butter. Seriously, Jeanne had to run to the store to buy more. It was in the name of perfecting the frosting, which was delicious.<br />
<br />
While this was happening, Julia was finishing up some details on our dresses, Lindsay was stitching binding on my corset when she wasn't helping with the cake, and our friend Jay was sitting on our couch composing the little notes that he then attached to the <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.whiteknot.org">white knots</a> we asked our guests to wear. Busy day, that.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw_BBjDCfRs/TEJzaVi61OI/AAAAAAAAArE/GrxhkBU90Q4/s1600/36339_517427598878_9700668_30702653_7445974_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fw_BBjDCfRs/TEJzaVi61OI/AAAAAAAAArE/GrxhkBU90Q4/s320/36339_517427598878_9700668_30702653_7445974_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At times, I baked so fast the camera could not catch me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Der5iA6F62k/TEJzbxVdujI/AAAAAAAAArQ/wlZL85oubbA/s1600/34327_517427683708_9700668_30702656_8361646_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Der5iA6F62k/TEJzbxVdujI/AAAAAAAAArQ/wlZL85oubbA/s320/34327_517427683708_9700668_30702656_8361646_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At other times, my baking frenzy was interrupted for dress fittings. And dancing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPhLH_nax9B26fxMVmnMCM4dW7QiwqWPPQHqfwJ9ClzcmMQRsRZpaG3lpo03DwT4_j6GII82Shyj7Iig7_XCaXStbs2LmMqQAuRBxNROvvzJC2xN4ffCYGu10JebH3qZ7UtJTpiCx7Mx_/s1600/34327_517427698678_9700668_30702659_96999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPhLH_nax9B26fxMVmnMCM4dW7QiwqWPPQHqfwJ9ClzcmMQRsRZpaG3lpo03DwT4_j6GII82Shyj7Iig7_XCaXStbs2LmMqQAuRBxNROvvzJC2xN4ffCYGu10JebH3qZ7UtJTpiCx7Mx_/s320/34327_517427698678_9700668_30702659_96999_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">{How to attack a wedding cake.}</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Midway through the baking and stacking process, I noticed that the layers for the top tier had risen significantly more than the bottom two tiers, and were going to make it at least an inch taller. I had a near-breakdown about the possibility of uneven tiers <i>(because you CANNOT have uneven layers. It simply will not do.) </i>After leaving the kitchen to go try not to cry about it, I ultimately decided to bake a third layer of the pumpkin and chocolate so that once it was all stacked up it would be uniform.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcznrScfAsaJPOHWy6qf75gRP05GuIS5NcGn7-G89ZDMH4pjjdmINVaEClVOYZI2sJYnGD0CDJ-GsMbg7CX_s4pkYxhq_Fe_ucSlnMrHeZjXWqiFexhLj4DjXzSUXdhdUl70kwmbJeZ4g/s1600/34327_517427708658_9700668_30702661_3493973_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcznrScfAsaJPOHWy6qf75gRP05GuIS5NcGn7-G89ZDMH4pjjdmINVaEClVOYZI2sJYnGD0CDJ-GsMbg7CX_s4pkYxhq_Fe_ucSlnMrHeZjXWqiFexhLj4DjXzSUXdhdUl70kwmbJeZ4g/s320/34327_517427708658_9700668_30702661_3493973_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smooch Break!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I know you want to drool over all the yumminess, so please allow me to describe the actual cake. (Possibly I am just really proud of myself and I want you to want to eat my cake.) The bottom tier was Pumpkin cake with Ginger Buttercream.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYJY11OGoq_bxhQ4EqRsxMKmoLek2nfPJYe8yx9LAXYcPBwu9cCkH3B7HWJt0fPEOFelN48f9285jJdraTqL_KtkEzzTYJTdoSdJPYEOkYvqZVJKEbsAhTbXB5Hc-N1ytMXDeZ9LRxNO7/s1600/first+layer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYJY11OGoq_bxhQ4EqRsxMKmoLek2nfPJYe8yx9LAXYcPBwu9cCkH3B7HWJt0fPEOFelN48f9285jJdraTqL_KtkEzzTYJTdoSdJPYEOkYvqZVJKEbsAhTbXB5Hc-N1ytMXDeZ9LRxNO7/s320/first+layer.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The middle tier was Devil's Food cake with Mocha Whipped Cream filling.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwKiIT76bBWifRc3bRNZ3RF9OSlbcPtmdBR4u5OHOk3_-RScyeBU2j88LwUmK4ceJEzj2D6pp5mnH8Wy8h7aE76Bde3mPaEDRYlsDziYxh2T7_0Df3RDYLotzQE7rsG6B_3XLgVZ56hpx/s1600/34327_517427688698_9700668_30702657_460102_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwKiIT76bBWifRc3bRNZ3RF9OSlbcPtmdBR4u5OHOk3_-RScyeBU2j88LwUmK4ceJEzj2D6pp5mnH8Wy8h7aE76Bde3mPaEDRYlsDziYxh2T7_0Df3RDYLotzQE7rsG6B_3XLgVZ56hpx/s320/34327_517427688698_9700668_30702657_460102_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
The top tier was vanilla-almond cake with berries and pastry cream inside.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B14DtJ9ZLJw/TEJzd95rsAI/AAAAAAAAArg/0g0RO6xWI9g/s1600/34327_517427703668_9700668_30702660_5364537_n.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B14DtJ9ZLJw/TEJzd95rsAI/AAAAAAAAArg/0g0RO6xWI9g/s320/34327_517427703668_9700668_30702660_5364537_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The frosting covering the outside of the whole cake was my trial-and-error love child of French, Italian, and Swiss style buttercreams with some extra whipped cream added. I decorated it with what is known in the world of Wilton cake decorating magazines from the seventies as Cornelli lace. It's the little squiggles all over. It takes a LONG. TIME. to do. Then we put some fresh strawberries on top for a splash of color.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxR2IdlbtzSCTm7kPCF-tWOGANXa8kuo6VoGTd6qw7kRAVdAg3hmZqE4RO2uyBHkOweAiCOjMCMnizZ0-QhKt1AzDOGOB9N0fB5vow0lCZE_EQZTC5h8S_ODJV7oUQoCp1HGZKvclnqBU/s1600/34327_517427713648_9700668_30702662_8002646_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxR2IdlbtzSCTm7kPCF-tWOGANXa8kuo6VoGTd6qw7kRAVdAg3hmZqE4RO2uyBHkOweAiCOjMCMnizZ0-QhKt1AzDOGOB9N0fB5vow0lCZE_EQZTC5h8S_ODJV7oUQoCp1HGZKvclnqBU/s320/34327_517427713648_9700668_30702662_8002646_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first few squiggles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6fZFnu58YZI/TEJzfI-rw1I/AAAAAAAAArs/MuuY2dCqrNE/s1600/34327_517427718638_9700668_30702663_2822364_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6fZFnu58YZI/TEJzfI-rw1I/AAAAAAAAArs/MuuY2dCqrNE/s320/34327_517427718638_9700668_30702663_2822364_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two hours later, I am still making tiny squiggles, while Lindsay adds strawberries on top.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Nearly ten hours after starting, we packed up the cake in a box for the five block car trip to the restaurant where our reception would be.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JsAFUNUfqNo/TEJzf56RElI/AAAAAAAAAr4/veEzbwTWrr4/s1600/37305_517427778518_9700668_30702665_6889336_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JsAFUNUfqNo/TEJzf56RElI/AAAAAAAAAr4/veEzbwTWrr4/s320/37305_517427778518_9700668_30702665_6889336_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Accoutrements of our wedding: cake, our rings, and a pile of <a href="http://www.whiteknot.org/">white knots</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I should note that when you make a layered cake like this, you're supposed to put a couple dowels through all the layers so that they don't go sliding about. I knew this, and had purchased said dowels. But once it was all stacked up, it seemed really sturdy... <i>so I decided that I didn't really need to put them in. </i>You know where this is going, right?<br />
<br />
Yes, you do. We drove over, carried it into the restaurant's walk-in fridge, and as I turned to go, the manager asked if I was aware that my cake had fallen over. <br />
<br />
I was not.<br />
<br />
When I looked inside, I saw that the top two tiers had shifted and the entire cake was now squished up against one side of the box. Now at this point, we were already an hour late to go watch fireworks from a hotel rooftop with our families and the restaurant was about to close. So there was absolutely nothing I could do about it at that point.<br />
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Now you might think, given the fiasco of the uneven layers, that I was freaking out. But for reasons I do not understand - maybe because I'd been making cake all day, maybe because my wedding zen magically appeared, I don't know - I found this to be utterly hysterical. I laughed. Guffawed, even. And then I reached into the box, pushed those top tiers back where they belonged, and walked out the door with a plan to bring icing and tools to fix it in the morning.<br />
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It was a plan that totally would have worked. In fact, as the hours went by, I even made it better. How cool would it be, I thought, if instead of fixing it first thing in the morning, we waited until our walk over to the wedding, and stopped in on the way. Then, we could get awesome pictures of me fixing it while wearing my wedding dress!<br />
<br />
But. When we got there, icing and apron in hand, I took one look at the cake and said, "Fuck it." I did not care one bit that the whole side was smashed. In fact, I still thought it was funny and I loved it. We discussed it very briefly and decided that, really, who would care anyway, as long as it still tasted amazing?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWMGecPp1q9GEqThs9CcfhFFt1PzCdXnXBWtO-aoEm7hHwABJoYl31J_hE_KzAk_SwWq95I55Tgw8-DgP3Jyg6O_XdxLHeysQ5JeAMfj7NfsZ-2TUGFESQt-ABy25jo_QlZ3E5dYpYjSX/s1600/Smooshed+Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVWMGecPp1q9GEqThs9CcfhFFt1PzCdXnXBWtO-aoEm7hHwABJoYl31J_hE_KzAk_SwWq95I55Tgw8-DgP3Jyg6O_XdxLHeysQ5JeAMfj7NfsZ-2TUGFESQt-ABy25jo_QlZ3E5dYpYjSX/s640/Smooshed+Cake.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beautiful, delicious, fabulously smooshed wedding cake!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9SPhbH8DWU/TEJzQW3J2uI/AAAAAAAAApc/mpqul84ZeSU/s1600/Cake+Cutting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H9SPhbH8DWU/TEJzQW3J2uI/AAAAAAAAApc/mpqul84ZeSU/s400/Cake+Cutting.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I couldn't resist adding this picture because I love it so much!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*Unless you're gluten-free, vegan, or lactose intolerant. Sorry. And for what it's worth, we had vegan, gluten-free cupcakes from The Bleeding Heart Bakery as an alternative for those folks.</span></i>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-53445415838020921482011-07-05T16:29:00.001-05:002011-07-13T16:44:41.886-05:00Turkish BreakfastWelcome to the next phase in our lives and this blog. I'm going to spend the rest of this week blogging about the crafty things we did for our wedding, and then I'll stop talking about it unless you all ask for more. Because this isn't a wedding blog. (If you need one of those, go <a href="http://www.apracticalwedding.com/">here.</a>)
As mentioned previously, our first year of marriage has flown right by, and we're eating up the last bit of it tonight with a picnic on the beach where we exchanged our vows last summer. We're having Turkish breakfast, which you might have noticed on the menu post yesterday. Julia said I should explain what the hell that is a little bit better, so here goes.
Two years ago, Julia had the amazing opportunity to travel to Turkey for a show she stage managed. She was gone for a week, and when she got home, she was obsessed with what they were fed for the first meal of each day. I wasn't there, but here's how I envision it.
<i>In a grand, open-air room, a long table overflows with the yummiest things artfully arranged on antique metal serving trays.* On these lovely dishes one finds warm, crusty, buttery bread; a generous assortment of fine cheeses**; fresh tomatoes and cucumbers; some herbs, maybe oregano or dill; and ripe native olives.</i><i> There are, perhaps, some salads and salamis to choose from as well.</i>
<i>You fill a plate with an assortment of these and lounge on overstuffed floor pillows next to a low table. The melody of a sitar player drifts in from the street below. A crisp Mediterranean breeze dances through an open window, swirling the aroma of dark, bold Turkish coffee around your head...***</i>
Oh sorry. Got a little lost there. When we do it at home, it doesn't have quite the same ambiance, but it is, nevertheless, oh so delicious. We slice a loaf of crusty bread, butter it, and warm it up. And then we stack up tomatoes, cucumber, cheese (we like Dubliner or a good aged cheddar particularly; feta is also lovely), and whatever fresh herbs we have, and sometimes a good salami, and then we eat it like an open-faced sandwich. And Julia eats olives with it, if I remember to buy them.
Quick and easy to prepare (unless you're making the bread from scratch like I'm doing right now) yet surprisingly filling, Turkish breakfast can also be a great lunch or dinner and it travels pretty well too. Go get yourself some!
<span style="font-size:x-small;">*<i>Honey, if it was paper plates and catering trays, please, for the love, do not ever tell me so.</i></span>
<span style="font-size:x-small;"><i>**Really, I'm completely sold once you mention the cheese.</i></span>
<span style="font-size:x-small;"><i>***Seriously, baby, if it wasn't as exotic and romantic and glorious as all this, I repeat, DO NOT EVER TELL ME SO. </i></span>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-76822788296454848422011-07-04T23:40:00.000-05:002011-07-04T23:40:43.001-05:00On the Menu This Week<i>[I know I said I wasn't posting until Wednesday, but I find myself at my computer planning a menu for the week, so I might as well share.]</i><br />
<br />
Recipes linked where available. Please feel free to vote in the comments as to which meals you want to see pictures of and/or hear me ramble about later on.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Vegetarian</b></i><br />
Turkish breakfast - what we call a meal made up of crusty bread topped with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, hard cheese, and whatever fresh herbs we have on hand. We're eating this as a picnic on the beach tomorrow, as we celebrate our first anniversary in the spot where we exchanged our vows.<br />
<a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3006">Three-Bean Salad with Gouda</a><br />
<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-chickpea-casserole-with-lemon-herbs-shallots-cookbook-recipe-137473">Chickpea Casserole with Lemon, Herbs, and Shallots</a>*<br />
<a href="http://foodandstyle.com/2009/03/25/cucumber-and-avocado-ceviche/">Cucumber & Avocado Ceviche</a>; <a href="http://www.herbivoracious.com/2011/06/coconut-rice-with-black-beans-plantains-and-mango-salsa-recipe.html">Coconut Rice with Black Beans, Plantains, & Mango Salsa</a>; and<br />
<a href="http://dessertfirstgirl.com/2008/01/post-3.html">Mango-Coconut Parfait</a> for dessert (this is for a dinner party girls night sleepover with margaritas - hooray!)<br />
<br />
<i><b>Fish</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/salmon--fennel-roasted-lemon-vinaigrette-00000000007662/index.html">Salmon and Fennel with Roasted-Lemon Vinaigrette</a><br />
<a href="http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/grilled-tilapia-couscous-00000000057146/index.html">Garlicky Grilled Basa with Couscous</a>* (we substitute basa for tilapia because it's cheaper and we like it better and it is very similar and therefore quite interchangable)<br />
<br />
<i><b>Meat/Poultry</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Kale-and-Chicken-Brown-Rice-Salad-with-Cherries">Kale, Chicken, and Rice Salad with Cherries</a><br />
<a href="http://kitchenculinaire.com/2010/08/roasted-pork-tenderloin-with-fig-sauce/">Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Fig Sauce</a>* (OMG. Fig season. YUMMMMMMMMM. If you've never eaten a fresh fig, you are really missing out. They are also super delicious when you add them to an apple pie.)<br />
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*Some of these are more of a main dish than a full meal; for those we'll add a mixed greens salad or cook up a frozen veggie like broccoli to have with them.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-18134542929130080742011-07-01T20:06:00.000-05:002011-07-01T20:06:55.637-05:00Coming Soon: More Crafting!Hi. Can you do something real quick for me? Look up at the top of the page. Do you see there, under the title, where it says, "eating our way through our first year of marriage"? Well. Julia and I are coming up on our first wedding anniversary on Tuesday. Which means that year of eating will be up, and this blog is going to enter its second year. (Yeah, I know, I really haven't been writing consistently for a year, and I didn't start on our wedding day either, but the year of eating is up, and now we must starve. Or something.)<br />
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Never fear dear friends and people I've never met in Singapore (HI! You read every post! Who <i>are</i> you?) - the blog is not going anywhere. It's just going to be a little bit different. For the better, I think. Starting next week, I will be blogging about anything and everything, which will certainly still include food, and is likely to include sewing and crafting and stage managing weddings and starting a small business and trying to grow plants on our porch in the crazy-ass weather we've been having and life in general. So. I hope you're cool with that. And if you're just here for the food... I totally get that. Check my blogroll for some excellent food-only reading.<br />
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I'll be taking the rest of the weekend off blogging to celebrate (and also to stage manage <a href="http://bunniesnbeagles.blogspot.com/">Ms. Bunny's</a> wedding, more on that later, maybe) so this will be it until Wednesday probably. I know, how will you live without me?*<br />
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Have an excellent long weekend, eat and drink good things, and please come back next week to see if you still like my ramblings.<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">*You'll be just fine. You did it for all those months when I wasn't posting, didn't you?</span></i>Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244127822289940449.post-41284536555049637522011-06-29T15:06:00.002-05:002011-06-29T15:44:12.850-05:00The Best Weekend<i>(This post should have been written on Monday. When it was fresh. But I didn't do that because I didn't feel like it, so I hope you don't mind its tardiness. If you do, you don't have to read it. But you should because there is lots of yummy food and I even remembered to take pictures.)</i><br />
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This past weekend, Julia FINALLY had some days off. And I don't mean like... days off since last week, when she had days off like you do. I mean days off like damn, she opened two completely different show full of costumes she designed and made which opened within a month of each other, and for which she had to leave the show she had been running 8 shows a week on, including Saturdays & Sundays when we ordinarily see each other, which started in March(?). I mean days off as in I haven't had a whole day off with my wife in at least three months. That kind of days off.<br />
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So we lazed around the house in our pajamas all weekend long doing nothing.<br />
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What I learned this weekend is that unlike three or four years ago when "doing nothing" meant ordering pizza, making pancakes from a just-add-water mix, and otherwise not really leaving the couch, "doing nothing" now apparently means mostly that, but instead of take out, we cook a lot of nice things...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzkPRM-IluLMsYvWCkl-fZEyt-8CfygacXYkek8lD6v0cGsegEk7raV3UIGbdH6_557wB9HfD0MgqvL1eTFgzx4-YRJ82YY1kcgc3QVhcdvX7eShwMBEXs7NIV3L6dabLb8Y0xsrYBWZB/s1600/DSCN0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzkPRM-IluLMsYvWCkl-fZEyt-8CfygacXYkek8lD6v0cGsegEk7raV3UIGbdH6_557wB9HfD0MgqvL1eTFgzx4-YRJ82YY1kcgc3QVhcdvX7eShwMBEXs7NIV3L6dabLb8Y0xsrYBWZB/s320/DSCN0975.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy Fish with Tomato, Corn, and Leek Sauté</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAwpcEYk2ECBD4i1Dm3bb-MBp9UQPJYc_H7YMq66q1cbUtbBMqN7jz0k8oR2Kox5Q6BSDG1uhrtb8YcZ9sp22uhY0rO_1hDkJChFv7lna79aPW3jMjosZOqoNkcYNLFP26rxLnRb1kr0l/s1600/DSCN0997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAwpcEYk2ECBD4i1Dm3bb-MBp9UQPJYc_H7YMq66q1cbUtbBMqN7jz0k8oR2Kox5Q6BSDG1uhrtb8YcZ9sp22uhY0rO_1hDkJChFv7lna79aPW3jMjosZOqoNkcYNLFP26rxLnRb1kr0l/s320/DSCN0997.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuscan Lamb with Garlicky Tomato Sauce and Polenta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>... and sometimes after consuming a bottle of wine, we decide we really want dessert so we might as well whip up a chocolate soufflé...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajfE9Dt8P8Vl1B_IDlzEAbQonZ-Iz9rTrO3e73CRh3ZSv-gIGPng8KrXygIAK0IxMAD_nzA2sH-Q8SDjTXvUnzIwv8tQjuv0133Cd-b9XbtA-4Hubw-JC-12OtwfAxqBRES6krtL5RWUS/s1600/DSCN0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgajfE9Dt8P8Vl1B_IDlzEAbQonZ-Iz9rTrO3e73CRh3ZSv-gIGPng8KrXygIAK0IxMAD_nzA2sH-Q8SDjTXvUnzIwv8tQjuv0133Cd-b9XbtA-4Hubw-JC-12OtwfAxqBRES6krtL5RWUS/s200/DSCN0980.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how to melt chocolate while drunk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0EoPFSZCg6JIh_tVmrHBxsSPkIl5-mhIBPcV5TFZFOppyFPdoSma7AtK9BZfA7Z1g-ilr4s4Jhz-6-4RDm7hoJ3Fy35eubWfqyV3Ptd_77Lfsr_ODtP_2zeD9oWbb-p2kcFklt_B9mPZ/s1600/DSCN0982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi0EoPFSZCg6JIh_tVmrHBxsSPkIl5-mhIBPcV5TFZFOppyFPdoSma7AtK9BZfA7Z1g-ilr4s4Jhz-6-4RDm7hoJ3Fy35eubWfqyV3Ptd_77Lfsr_ODtP_2zeD9oWbb-p2kcFklt_B9mPZ/s200/DSCN0982.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how to beat egg whites while drunk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFs78oyWakVXM8GD_NyZazBZP3n-mPIwDsaBnfgUZKgZ8eMxBsBbCDwXTwSaq1qpI0LlQERvRtimhqokEXmwGfpR4wiDxxrEsZJXpivQJy-Wny3cJsX139BtpcZwZ-ql9UH54WpP-4HbNb/s1600/DSCN0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFs78oyWakVXM8GD_NyZazBZP3n-mPIwDsaBnfgUZKgZ8eMxBsBbCDwXTwSaq1qpI0LlQERvRtimhqokEXmwGfpR4wiDxxrEsZJXpivQJy-Wny3cJsX139BtpcZwZ-ql9UH54WpP-4HbNb/s200/DSCN0983.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how to do a really half-assed job of folding beaten egg whites into melted chocolate... while drunk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>... and while it's baking we have just enough time to do the dishes and change the sheets, and fight about how to make the bed properly and realize what a stupid fight we are having and make up just before the timer beeps, and then there is this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tm2kLvTR3cW0vPpNYg2knQpZ-CDkcV0ZVB5upFbasb4rpYEZ5qnkhyphenhyphenBYMYVx-oy4KNYpvPfvdi43Fdr2AMUVpfohTLkRXoxSbWiMZa-vB99FEeALHopGRjiVH6CFQwbk3r0Nn-za0_by/s1600/DSCN0988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Tm2kLvTR3cW0vPpNYg2knQpZ-CDkcV0ZVB5upFbasb4rpYEZ5qnkhyphenhyphenBYMYVx-oy4KNYpvPfvdi43Fdr2AMUVpfohTLkRXoxSbWiMZa-vB99FEeALHopGRjiVH6CFQwbk3r0Nn-za0_by/s320/DSCN0988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">how to eat a chocolate souffé while drunk? two spoons.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>And lest you think that's the laziest we get, a Sunday morning of "doing nothing" meant figuring out a new household budget, and then taking our pre-approved weekly amount to the <a href="http://www.glenwoodsundaymarket.org/">farmers' market</a> so we could buy up a bunch of veggies and fresh cream and grass-fed bacon. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDay0LXP9pRpVOBHhpSuCd-QOCpCOFB9za5UCeb6Cc5bqpapwe2tUL-67x5p9nOYzVAcwviGgYR9VyLTcJR5_ol2x3esNkXiOJTFgKWWhWzJtKptVfnIaHLz7cHlXbrF5PGt5pT3_XN6s/s1600/DSCN0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYDay0LXP9pRpVOBHhpSuCd-QOCpCOFB9za5UCeb6Cc5bqpapwe2tUL-67x5p9nOYzVAcwviGgYR9VyLTcJR5_ol2x3esNkXiOJTFgKWWhWzJtKptVfnIaHLz7cHlXbrF5PGt5pT3_XN6s/s320/DSCN0992.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs over Arugula-Mustard Salad with Fresh Bacon</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Which became a delicious breakfast and then later, we made our favorite flavor of ice cream - strawberry basil - with all organic fresh from the market ingredients. Which is not pictured because I was eating it. Sorry.<br />
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Best. Weekend. Ever.Cindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14529732267391602236noreply@blogger.com2