I used to love flavored coffee creamers. Irish Creme, Amaretto, French Vanilla, or the specialty flavors that came into stores around the holidays: Pumpkin Spice, Peppermint mocha, Gingerbread.
But have you ever read the list of ingredients in flavored coffee creamers? So gross. So many chemicals. And most of them are completely non-dairy (as in, no actual CREAM in coffee CREAMer). I understand avoiding dairy for health or dietary reasons (lactose-intolerants and vegans), but I'm sure most would still agree that partially hydrogenated oils, sodium caseinate, dipotassium phosphate, and sodium aluminosilicate don't exactly sound appetizing just for a little splash of sweetness in the morning.
Faced with a sugar-free version in my fridge the other day, I wondered if I could make coffee creamer myself. While I'm a big fan of plain old Half and Half (though not nonfat Half and Half: it doesn't make sense to me that something made with cream and whole milk should be physically capable of existing in a nonfat formulation), I sometimes want something sweeter, too.
Note: these won't keep until doomsday like the store bought varieties (use within 10 days), but if you're like me, coffee creamer doesn't last all that long anyway.
Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Creamer
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 TBS maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
Whisk together first four ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from heat (do not bring to a boil). Stir in the extracts.
Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 TBS pureed pumpkin
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
4 TBS maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Whisk first five ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. When mixture begins to steam, remove from heat and stir in extract.
I can say it now: these are friggin' dangerously delicious. I may never buy flavored creamer again...
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
In a Sentimental Mood
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| Frances Drake, Via |
Valentine's was on a Tuesday this year (boo). So John and I kept it simple...with some surprises!
Here's what my day consisted of:
A pretty dress...
Some spunky coral-colored nails...
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| Not as pink as it looks in this picture... |
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| Love this scent so much! |
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| M.A.C. Viva Gaga #2 |
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| M.A.C. Cremesheen Lipglass in Boy Bait (stupid name, I know) |
White bean burgers with rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes (with a whole lot more tomatoes than the recipe calls for...
Vegan chocolate chip cookie dough, eaten with graham crackers...
My favorite guy of all time...
A properly romantic movie...(Stardust)
Surrounded by vintage valentines...
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| Here's how it turned out! |
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| I also gave John a bunch of coupons for future dates... fun with typography! |
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| That morning, when I went to retrieve my violin for orchestra rehearsal, I found a bud vase in my locker next to my instrument! |
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| So pretty... |
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| And it smells gorgeous, too! |
I hope you had a fantastic Valentine's, as well!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Grocery Shopping
I have a system. It's the reason we're able to make such wonderful food, even during the busiest weeks. I thought people might be interested to see the more practical side of making fun dinners.
This is generally my Sunday ritual. It can take as little as 20 minutes to plan everything, and we get great meals all week long!!!
Step 1: Pick recipes for the whole week
This is the part that you can either zip through or spend an hour pouring over recipes. My top three sources of inspiration online are Gojee, Epicurious, and blogs such as A Cozy Kitchen.
This is generally my Sunday ritual. It can take as little as 20 minutes to plan everything, and we get great meals all week long!!!
Step 1: Pick recipes for the whole week
This is the part that you can either zip through or spend an hour pouring over recipes. My top three sources of inspiration online are Gojee, Epicurious, and blogs such as A Cozy Kitchen.
Gojee is appealing because it has gigantic pictures of delicious food at every turn. It's gorgeous and it runs on links to other food blogs, so you get to explore food blogs you would never have found otherwise. It's no good if you think to yourself "I really want to make stroganoff." You search Gojee by ingredient, not by dish, so it can be hard if you really want a specific dish. If you're in the mood for something made from egg noodles or roasted red peppers, however, type it in and you can scroll through tons of beautifully photographed, delicious ideas.
Epicurious is brilliant because they archive all my favorite food magazines (Gourmet, Bon Appetit). Their whole site is easy to use (here's where I go when I decide I want to search for that stroganoff recipe) and you can organize your favorites into folders for ease of use. When you amass 300 recipes or so like I have, it's a lifesaver to toss them all in folders where I can just immediately pull up the soups and find the one I was thinking of.
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| My folders. |
A Cozy Kitchen is brilliant. First timers should hit up the recipe index for all the archived genius.
So obviously I can spend a lazy Sunday flipping through recipes and dreaming, but eventually I do coalesce all of it into a plan for the week.
Step 2: Decide what you're making when
I like to edit my lists on a Google doc. You'll see why soon.
This is where I can look at the week and decide where I have time to spend 45 minutes on dinner and what nights I should just make grilled cheese because I have a paper due. I also make sure to plan for leftovers (big things like soups and lasagnes generally have leftovers, so I try not to plan too many of those types of dishes in one week or we won't have room in the fridge to store it all.
I start by just listing the recipes (below). If I get the recipes online, I copy-paste the link right below it. If it's in a book or elsewhere, I indicate that, too. Question marks indicate ideas that I'm not sure of. I always like to ask John and Priya for input, so I am pretty flexible at this stage.
I also like to look through the recipes and see how the ingredients measure up in terms of expense and use. For example, if a risotto calls for half an onion, I try to figure out another recipe to use up the rest of that onion. Anything that is perishable or gets cut I try to use up. I also sometimes get all the ingredients pulled up and realize it's going to be too expensive to do all those dishes that week, so I pull a recipe from the list.
Then I organize things into days. Snacks, muffins, desserts, etc usually just go below.
Step 3: Ingredients
Then I add all of the ingredients, recipe by recipe. Question marks indicate that I think we may have some of it and should check before I buy more. I always get the list completely organized, check the kitchen, then go out to shop. It has saved me several times to do a quick check, and by knowing all the question marks ahead of time I can check around once instead of 8 times as I'm making the list.
The last step is super OCD and not necessary, but it also saves time.
Step 4: Organize the ingredients by the store sections
I'm not talking aisle by aisle...who has the supermarket aisles completely memorized? Ok, so my mother in law does, but she's amazing at this sort of thing. My lists pale in comparison to hers.
But I at least group things generally. All the produce together, all the dairy together, all the frozen stuff together, all the canned stuff together, any special things like fancy cheeses or bakery. It saves me headaches. I implemented this last step after getting to the opposite end of the store and realizing I needed something back in produce one too many times. I hate running all over the store. It takes longer and it's frustrating. So although this last step feels fussy, it's worth it in the long run.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Date Night #1
Last night we had an official cook-through-a-vegetarian-cookbook date night (see previous post for more on that).
We started with two recipes from Plenty: Caramelized Fennel with Goat Cheese and a Caramelized Garlic Tart. I thought the recipes would pair well. It turned out so incredible, I don't have superlatives to fully capture the deliciousness that occurred...other than to say it was far better than restaurant food (because as we discussed over candlelight last night, the restaurant would probably only give us one slice of the magnificent tart instead of the 2-3 that we indulged in at home).
And no, the tart is definitely not healthy (other than all that garlic...good for keeping the vampires away)...it's loaded with two types of goat cheese (a softer variety-we went with chevre-and a harder gouda) and a crème fraiche custard. But if I'm going to eat something high in fat, I'd rather have it be something this flavorful and truly satisfying, made to celebrate a special night. When was the last time you said that about McDonald's?
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| Browning the fennel pieces in butter and olive oil before caramelizing. |
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| Cooking in my favorite apron. |
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| I'm no food photographer, but that's the fennel before the goat cheese and garnishes. |
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| Waiting for the tart to come out of the oven, I snapped a few photos of us. You can tell I'm shorter than John because I always miss the top of his head in photos. |
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| The timer went off! Hooray for garlic tart! |
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| Excitement abounds! |
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| The finished dish, topped with dill and lemon zest. |
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| The gorgeous tart by candlelight. |
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| Improvised dessert: we had leftover pie crust from the tart so we decided to make mini peach pies in a muffin pan with peach preserves, topped with a little egg wash and vanilla sugar to facilitate golden-browning. We served them a la mode with vanilla bean ice cream. |
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| Delicious! |
We ended the night as awesomely as we started it: watching Back to the Future III together, content and full of good food.
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| Such a good movie decision. |
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Non-Intimidating Risotto
I love risotto. It's absolutely bulletproof (and by bulletproof I mean foolproof). I like it because it's easy and other than a little babysitting it's pretty easy once it gets going.
Here's how you make risotto:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Any vegetable you like (frozen peas, asparagus cut into bite-sized chunks, jarred roasted red peppers, canned artichoke hearts...)
Rice (1 1/2 cups or more)
1/2 cup-1 cup dry white wine
5-6 cups stock (vegetable is our go-to now that we're pseudo-vegetarian, but chicken works too)
Salt, pepper
Parmesan cheese (lots)
Small pat of butter
1. Chop an onion
2. Sauté in a pan on medium heat with either olive oil or butter until glossy.
3. Add some chopped garlic, sauté for another moment or so.
4. Add any vegetables you want, sauté a few minutes more to get it all cooked up.
5. Add dry rice (1 1/2 cups in most recipes, but John and I eyeball it depending on how hungry we are/how many leftovers we want), stir until glossy and coated in oil.
6. Add 1/2 cup-1 cup of dry white wine; cook until almost entirely absorbed.
7. Add about 1/2 cup-1 cup of vegetable stock at a time (eyeball it; for god's sake don't get out the measuring cup); cook until almost entirely absorbed, stirring every now and then to get all the rice cooking in the liquid.
8. Repeat step 7 until you've used all the stock.
9. Salt and pepper to taste (depending on whether you have low-sodium stock or not)
10. Throw in a pat of butter right at the end; stir.
11. Take off the heat; add a bunch of parmesan cheese and stir in so it's melted in and wonderful.
Seems like a lot of steps, but it's really easy and once you make it once it's like riding a bike. You can throw in any vegetable you like and it works (though I generally don't do as much with the leafy greens in this one, because they disintegrate so much during the long simmering process. But that can be good too!).
The next day, to make it seem like you're making a different dinner, you can roll it into spheres and coat those suckers in breadcrumbs and fry them up on a pan. Delicious and resourceful!
(I am indebted to the Cooking for Two cookbook that has an awesome artichoke heart risotto, and the Cozy Kitchen Blog, which gave me the idea to make leftover risotto cakes).
Here's how you make risotto:
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
Any vegetable you like (frozen peas, asparagus cut into bite-sized chunks, jarred roasted red peppers, canned artichoke hearts...)
Rice (1 1/2 cups or more)
1/2 cup-1 cup dry white wine
5-6 cups stock (vegetable is our go-to now that we're pseudo-vegetarian, but chicken works too)
Salt, pepper
Parmesan cheese (lots)
Small pat of butter
1. Chop an onion
2. Sauté in a pan on medium heat with either olive oil or butter until glossy.
3. Add some chopped garlic, sauté for another moment or so.
4. Add any vegetables you want, sauté a few minutes more to get it all cooked up.
5. Add dry rice (1 1/2 cups in most recipes, but John and I eyeball it depending on how hungry we are/how many leftovers we want), stir until glossy and coated in oil.
6. Add 1/2 cup-1 cup of dry white wine; cook until almost entirely absorbed.
7. Add about 1/2 cup-1 cup of vegetable stock at a time (eyeball it; for god's sake don't get out the measuring cup); cook until almost entirely absorbed, stirring every now and then to get all the rice cooking in the liquid.
8. Repeat step 7 until you've used all the stock.
9. Salt and pepper to taste (depending on whether you have low-sodium stock or not)
10. Throw in a pat of butter right at the end; stir.
11. Take off the heat; add a bunch of parmesan cheese and stir in so it's melted in and wonderful.
Seems like a lot of steps, but it's really easy and once you make it once it's like riding a bike. You can throw in any vegetable you like and it works (though I generally don't do as much with the leafy greens in this one, because they disintegrate so much during the long simmering process. But that can be good too!).
The next day, to make it seem like you're making a different dinner, you can roll it into spheres and coat those suckers in breadcrumbs and fry them up on a pan. Delicious and resourceful!
(I am indebted to the Cooking for Two cookbook that has an awesome artichoke heart risotto, and the Cozy Kitchen Blog, which gave me the idea to make leftover risotto cakes).
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday Night Pop Tarts
But of course. It's Sunday night, we're all tired of studying and paper writing. Grab a lame box of pop tarts so the sugar fuels your brain, which thrives, after all, on glucose.
WRONG. I'm friggin' baking them from scratch. Just pulsed the flour and the butter with a little salt and sugar in the food processor. Wha-BAM. Dough chilling in fridge, waiting for me to roll it out in a bit once it firms up (and I've read another article on aesthetics and musical narrativity).
I would take pictures, but I'm no food photographer. Also, it's night time. Not really optimal light for this. Not like here, in the recipe.
Now, granted, we have barely a scrape of Nutella left in the fridge, and it's not exactly top shelf strawberry jam (I'm looking at you, Kroger brand strawberry preserves). But it will do, and the homemade pastry will set it all to rights.
It's super easy.
Here's two versions for y'all, so I'll make it in the form of a choose your own adventure:
Pg. 1
After a long day of reading and many, many pages, you decide not to read that Tarasi essay on musical narrativity in Chopin that was on your to-do list, and you find yourself in your kitchen, craving something with strawberry in it. You decide to make homemade pop tarts.
Do you:
a) Decide to make the puff pastry from scratch? If so, go to pg. 2
or b) Find an easier way? If so, go to pg. 3
Pg. 2
The make your own pastry dough version
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. sugar (I used vanilla sugar, because I'm obsessed with it)
2 sticks (!) of butter, cubed up (cubing it was the fun part. I cut it in thirds twice to make a little 9x9 grid then sliced thin pats off. Perfect cubes!)
Pulse this all in a food processor until it resembles dough. Or, if you're me, knead it all together with your (clean) hands until it comes together. Stick it in the fridge for a half hour to an hour.
While the dough chills, do you:
a) get back to your readings and set a timer? If so, go to pg. 4
or b) Waste time on the internet for half an hour to an hour? If so, go to pg. 4
Pg. 3
The busy grad student version)
Buy pre-made pie crust from store. Open tube, unroll.
Go to pg. 5
Pg. 4
Half an hour (or an hour) passes. You are either productive or you're not; that's between you and your Schopenhauer.
Go to pg. 5
Pg. 5
You roll out the dough on a floured surface, slice it with a small knife (or a pizza cutter) into rectangles, then place the rectangles on your cookie sheet. Spread a couple tablespoons of preserves, nutella, or any other desired fillings into the center. You can either put preserves to one side and fold a rectangle over on itself, or you can put preserves in the center and top it with a second rectangle of dough, depending on how much dough you want.
Crimp the edges a bit with a fork to try to seal it up. Poke a few holes in the top with a fork.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Done.
Now GET BACK TO WORK!
WRONG. I'm friggin' baking them from scratch. Just pulsed the flour and the butter with a little salt and sugar in the food processor. Wha-BAM. Dough chilling in fridge, waiting for me to roll it out in a bit once it firms up (and I've read another article on aesthetics and musical narrativity).
I would take pictures, but I'm no food photographer. Also, it's night time. Not really optimal light for this. Not like here, in the recipe.
Now, granted, we have barely a scrape of Nutella left in the fridge, and it's not exactly top shelf strawberry jam (I'm looking at you, Kroger brand strawberry preserves). But it will do, and the homemade pastry will set it all to rights.
It's super easy.
Here's two versions for y'all, so I'll make it in the form of a choose your own adventure:
Pg. 1
After a long day of reading and many, many pages, you decide not to read that Tarasi essay on musical narrativity in Chopin that was on your to-do list, and you find yourself in your kitchen, craving something with strawberry in it. You decide to make homemade pop tarts.
Do you:
a) Decide to make the puff pastry from scratch? If so, go to pg. 2
or b) Find an easier way? If so, go to pg. 3
Pg. 2
The make your own pastry dough version
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. sugar (I used vanilla sugar, because I'm obsessed with it)
2 sticks (!) of butter, cubed up (cubing it was the fun part. I cut it in thirds twice to make a little 9x9 grid then sliced thin pats off. Perfect cubes!)
Pulse this all in a food processor until it resembles dough. Or, if you're me, knead it all together with your (clean) hands until it comes together. Stick it in the fridge for a half hour to an hour.
While the dough chills, do you:
a) get back to your readings and set a timer? If so, go to pg. 4
or b) Waste time on the internet for half an hour to an hour? If so, go to pg. 4
Pg. 3
The busy grad student version)
Buy pre-made pie crust from store. Open tube, unroll.
Go to pg. 5
Pg. 4
Half an hour (or an hour) passes. You are either productive or you're not; that's between you and your Schopenhauer.
Go to pg. 5
Pg. 5
You roll out the dough on a floured surface, slice it with a small knife (or a pizza cutter) into rectangles, then place the rectangles on your cookie sheet. Spread a couple tablespoons of preserves, nutella, or any other desired fillings into the center. You can either put preserves to one side and fold a rectangle over on itself, or you can put preserves in the center and top it with a second rectangle of dough, depending on how much dough you want.
Crimp the edges a bit with a fork to try to seal it up. Poke a few holes in the top with a fork.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Done.
Now GET BACK TO WORK!
Perfume...sigh
Love this article so much. It is an interview with a perfumer about the process of creating a perfume, and it was such a fun read!
I have a weird love of perfumes. It's more of a vicarious love, though. I am pretty loyal to the few scents I own. But I adore reading descriptions of perfumes on websites and trying to imagine what they smell like. Anthropologie always has great scent descriptions for the perfumes they carry.
The first perfume I fell in love with was Auric Blends' roll on perfumes. I still have my original bottle, which has become my signature: One Love. It's such a lovely scent, and seems to linger so nicely on my skin. It's sweet without being cloying; the base is a deep vanilla. I just adore it and don't tend to stray.
I also had a love affair with Gap Scent Editions. I remember being in a huge Gap and standing in front of the display sniffing all the different perfumes, which were meant to be blended. I remember the one blend I loved was Sueded Musk with Silk Yuzu. I never bought the fragrance and it was one of those purchases I regretted never making. Years later, I thought of the scents and managed to track down the rollerball of Silk Yuzu on Ebay. It is pretty weak; the fruity, citrusy scent fades quickly. But I enjoy it all the same!
I then saw this article on the Wall Street Journal about orange blossom perfumes. It's an idea I had toyed with idly from time to time; wearing orange blossoms as perfume on my wedding day.
As I did my wedding research (nerd alert), I discovered that it was tradition in the early 20th century for brides to wear orange blossoms on their wedding day. Orange blossoms represent fertility because the orange trees flower year-round. Hooray for wedding research!
Even when orange blossoms weren't available, wax flowers were created and made into headdresses. Queen Victoria started the trend (just like she started the whole white dress thing).
So, at first I was looking into vintage pieces. But, once the venue was decided, I knew that a wax headdress in August might not work. I wouldn't want to ruin a vintage treasure! So then, my next thought was that I could nod to this tradition with perfume. If I find something based on orange blossoms, it would be a fun nod to the idea.
My first stop was to get Pacifica's Nerola Orange Blossom solid perfume.
The verdict? It was surprisingly bitter. I expected more citrusy sweetness, or at least a vaguely citrusy floral. I think it would have to be mixed with a more obvious orange for me to really fall for it. Perhaps the Tuscan Blood Orange perfume by the same company?
I ended up just wearing my signature scent. It's the most me, orange blossoms be damned! I felt beautiful that day no matter what details were left by the wayside.
I have a weird love of perfumes. It's more of a vicarious love, though. I am pretty loyal to the few scents I own. But I adore reading descriptions of perfumes on websites and trying to imagine what they smell like. Anthropologie always has great scent descriptions for the perfumes they carry.
The first perfume I fell in love with was Auric Blends' roll on perfumes. I still have my original bottle, which has become my signature: One Love. It's such a lovely scent, and seems to linger so nicely on my skin. It's sweet without being cloying; the base is a deep vanilla. I just adore it and don't tend to stray.
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| Heaven help me if they ever discontinue One Love! |
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| Gotta love the packaging; the perfume has a little cloth pouch with a button closure that then sits in a little box |
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| Beautiful photo by F. Martin Ramin for the Wall Street Journal, styling by Anne Cardenas |
As I did my wedding research (nerd alert), I discovered that it was tradition in the early 20th century for brides to wear orange blossoms on their wedding day. Orange blossoms represent fertility because the orange trees flower year-round. Hooray for wedding research!
Even when orange blossoms weren't available, wax flowers were created and made into headdresses. Queen Victoria started the trend (just like she started the whole white dress thing).
So, at first I was looking into vintage pieces. But, once the venue was decided, I knew that a wax headdress in August might not work. I wouldn't want to ruin a vintage treasure! So then, my next thought was that I could nod to this tradition with perfume. If I find something based on orange blossoms, it would be a fun nod to the idea.
My first stop was to get Pacifica's Nerola Orange Blossom solid perfume.
The verdict? It was surprisingly bitter. I expected more citrusy sweetness, or at least a vaguely citrusy floral. I think it would have to be mixed with a more obvious orange for me to really fall for it. Perhaps the Tuscan Blood Orange perfume by the same company?
I ended up just wearing my signature scent. It's the most me, orange blossoms be damned! I felt beautiful that day no matter what details were left by the wayside.
The Accidental Vegetarian, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Grocery Bill
It was already well into the New Year's Eve festivities when my husband pulled me aside and said, in his most serious tone: "My New Year's resolution is to be vegetarian. So don't buy me any more meat!" In the ensuing hilarity (dancing wildly to LMFAO and Lady Gaga), it could have been forgotten. Only later the next day, sitting on the couch with some Pedialyte (yay electrolytes!), finally home again in Columbus after two weeks with our in-laws, did John bring it up again.
And so I accidentally became (mostly) vegetarian.
Yet, there wasn't a battle cry. We didn't rush into this project out of ideology, nor was the shift all that sudden. This change had been percolating for more than a year, with food documentaries and Michael Pollan books, with the introduction of new vegetables and methods and attempts to make vegetarian entrees that didn't leave us hungry. We had been trying to consume less meat, and to ensure that the meat we did consume was the highest quality, most humane product we could find. So we became more aware, and tried to shift our focus away from the poultry and pork as we continued to explore new recipes.
Yet, I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian to anybody who asked. Not only because I've cheated several times (the carnitas enchilada at Mad Mex will always call to me), but because I don't feel that I fit neatly into that categorization. I wouldn't ask other people to cater specially to me, and I do still want to make exceptions for fish now and then, or the occasional plate of pulled pork.
It's more of an exercise, a fun test of our culinary creativity and a way to experience some new foods. It's a mental exercise; planning meals and finding ways to make vegetarian versions of favorite meat dishes (chili, shepherd's pie, pad thai). I should also explain: we aren't tofu vegetarians. What I mean by that is, we didn't just take out meat and substitute tofu and soy-based replacements. I don't believe that's any healthier than eating meat.
As a part of this endeavor, John gave me the world's best Christmas present. He decided instead of material things that are quickly forgotten, he would give me the gift of time. His letter to me on Christmas morning mentioned cooking dinner together, unplugging our phones and our laptops, and spending real time together without the distractions of technology (though I would amend that to say it's still ok to play video games together or watch an interesting documentary as part of our quality time, but I agree the phones and laptops can turn off for the night).
Soon after, we were wandering in a book store, hunting the after-Christmas sales, and John was eyeing vegetarian cookbooks. I had the proverbial lightbulb over my head and suggested that the goal of the twice-monthly (or so) date nights could be to cook our way through a vegetarian cookbook.
Thus, we bought the brilliant Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It has gorgeous pictures, and the recipes are all vegetarian, and rather daring. Some will be a test of our supermarkets (locating quail eggs, palm sugar, scarmorza cheese), some a test of our wallets (saffron, rare spice blends, expensive cheeses), but the results should be fascinating.
Up this week: Caramelized Garlic Tart, with Caramelized Fennel with Goat Cheese as a side. Wish us luck!
And so I accidentally became (mostly) vegetarian.
Yet, there wasn't a battle cry. We didn't rush into this project out of ideology, nor was the shift all that sudden. This change had been percolating for more than a year, with food documentaries and Michael Pollan books, with the introduction of new vegetables and methods and attempts to make vegetarian entrees that didn't leave us hungry. We had been trying to consume less meat, and to ensure that the meat we did consume was the highest quality, most humane product we could find. So we became more aware, and tried to shift our focus away from the poultry and pork as we continued to explore new recipes.
Yet, I wouldn't call myself a vegetarian to anybody who asked. Not only because I've cheated several times (the carnitas enchilada at Mad Mex will always call to me), but because I don't feel that I fit neatly into that categorization. I wouldn't ask other people to cater specially to me, and I do still want to make exceptions for fish now and then, or the occasional plate of pulled pork.
It's more of an exercise, a fun test of our culinary creativity and a way to experience some new foods. It's a mental exercise; planning meals and finding ways to make vegetarian versions of favorite meat dishes (chili, shepherd's pie, pad thai). I should also explain: we aren't tofu vegetarians. What I mean by that is, we didn't just take out meat and substitute tofu and soy-based replacements. I don't believe that's any healthier than eating meat.
As a part of this endeavor, John gave me the world's best Christmas present. He decided instead of material things that are quickly forgotten, he would give me the gift of time. His letter to me on Christmas morning mentioned cooking dinner together, unplugging our phones and our laptops, and spending real time together without the distractions of technology (though I would amend that to say it's still ok to play video games together or watch an interesting documentary as part of our quality time, but I agree the phones and laptops can turn off for the night).
Soon after, we were wandering in a book store, hunting the after-Christmas sales, and John was eyeing vegetarian cookbooks. I had the proverbial lightbulb over my head and suggested that the goal of the twice-monthly (or so) date nights could be to cook our way through a vegetarian cookbook.
Thus, we bought the brilliant Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. It has gorgeous pictures, and the recipes are all vegetarian, and rather daring. Some will be a test of our supermarkets (locating quail eggs, palm sugar, scarmorza cheese), some a test of our wallets (saffron, rare spice blends, expensive cheeses), but the results should be fascinating.
Up this week: Caramelized Garlic Tart, with Caramelized Fennel with Goat Cheese as a side. Wish us luck!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Color Boards
There's an interesting thing to ponder after the wedding is over: what do I do with my wedding blog? I began this blog mostly to chronicle ideas and loveliness. I hope I can continue to share things I find beautiful and inspiring.
I didn't automatically unsubscribe from wedding blogs the day after the wedding. I got rid of most, whittling down to a chosen few that still caught my eye.
Inspiration boards are now solely for fun; perhaps for throwing a party or designing a room in my future house. I still save them like crazy. I adore color.
I saw a few recently that I wanted to share with you all, so let's get right to it:
Gingerbread and Pear, Snippet and Ink:
Such a beautiful pairing. I love this so much for an autumn wedding, or a Thanksgiving table setting. I love the warm glow from the candles paired with the moody greens and rich browns.
Coral and Storm, Snippet and Ink:
Lovely, soft, and striking. This palette would work well in spring or summer. It's sophisticated and simple.
Luxe Love, 100LayerCake:
This is such classic Hollywood glamour, yet the celery against the pink/red/black is so unexpected.
Romantic Hunter, 100LayerCake:
There's a Robin Hood flavor to this color palette. My imagination runs away with Robin Hood (it always has-I've always been a sucker for those stories), and so I can picture these colors for a wedding in the woods.
Dapper & Dandy, 100LayerCake:
I love the vintage feel of this one, the contrasts between the masculine and feminine. I've been watching a lot of Mad Men, and the top left shot reminds me of Don Draper and Pete Campbell. I love the richness of the deep purple/brown with the blueberry. Such an unusual combination, and it works beautifully.
I mean really, you should just look at every single colorboard posted on 100LayerCake. They are phenomenal, and I've always loved the swatches of color at the bottom of the inspiration pics.
It's interesting how my color preferences shifted. I love the moody, autumnal shades, but we wanted to fit the season in planning our own wedding. I think we easily could have had an autumn wedding if it weren't for so many of our friends still being in school. I love the crispness in the air, the beauty of a clear autumn day. I like gray skies and fallen leaves and warm beverages and sweaters. It really is my season.
I didn't automatically unsubscribe from wedding blogs the day after the wedding. I got rid of most, whittling down to a chosen few that still caught my eye.
Inspiration boards are now solely for fun; perhaps for throwing a party or designing a room in my future house. I still save them like crazy. I adore color.
I saw a few recently that I wanted to share with you all, so let's get right to it:
Gingerbread and Pear, Snippet and Ink:
Such a beautiful pairing. I love this so much for an autumn wedding, or a Thanksgiving table setting. I love the warm glow from the candles paired with the moody greens and rich browns.
Coral and Storm, Snippet and Ink:
Lovely, soft, and striking. This palette would work well in spring or summer. It's sophisticated and simple.
Luxe Love, 100LayerCake:
This is such classic Hollywood glamour, yet the celery against the pink/red/black is so unexpected.
Romantic Hunter, 100LayerCake:
There's a Robin Hood flavor to this color palette. My imagination runs away with Robin Hood (it always has-I've always been a sucker for those stories), and so I can picture these colors for a wedding in the woods.
Dapper & Dandy, 100LayerCake:
I love the vintage feel of this one, the contrasts between the masculine and feminine. I've been watching a lot of Mad Men, and the top left shot reminds me of Don Draper and Pete Campbell. I love the richness of the deep purple/brown with the blueberry. Such an unusual combination, and it works beautifully.
I mean really, you should just look at every single colorboard posted on 100LayerCake. They are phenomenal, and I've always loved the swatches of color at the bottom of the inspiration pics.
It's interesting how my color preferences shifted. I love the moody, autumnal shades, but we wanted to fit the season in planning our own wedding. I think we easily could have had an autumn wedding if it weren't for so many of our friends still being in school. I love the crispness in the air, the beauty of a clear autumn day. I like gray skies and fallen leaves and warm beverages and sweaters. It really is my season.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Closet Overhaul
Knockout black lace tights. A perennial search.
Warm wool socks for lounging.
According to The Fashion File (which I just finished reading today and which is written by the costume designer for Mad Men), there are 10 things that must be in a woman's wardrobe:
1. A great pair of jeans.
I have a few pairs of beautiful trouser-type jeans. I hope to weed out my closet a little and stick to those classic, flattering styles. I've found these work well on me. But I also keep buying them long. I need to have them hemmed!
I have to keep telling myself: stick to trouser cut. No skinny jeans.
2. Tailored blazer.
A cursory glance at my closet reveals that I have too many blazers, especially gray ones. I need to really watch as I wear them which ones aren't being worn and get rid of them. I'd like to continue searching for blazers in striking colors that flatter me (esp. jewel tones), but it's definitely not a priority, closet-wise.
3. Sleek pencil skirt
I have several that I adore. A great black one (pretty dressy), a few beautiful dark gray ones, and a few fun colors (bright red, orange wool, true blue in a satiny fabric). In this department, I am looking for the perfect jungle green pencil skirt, as well as a few fun brocade vintage ones to shake it up.
I love the vibrant colors of these ones from J.Crew, but they're $120 a piece (no, thank you). Even crazier is their tweed skirt (I adore it in Navy), but those are $148!
4. Designer knee-high leather boots.
I've been wanting a pair of over-the-knee boots for some time, but I can't seem to find ones that fit over my calves, which are pretty defined from running.
Louise from Pandora sports hers often, at least she did when I was still following her blog. I want ones just like hers: black suede, over the knee.
The book suggests investing in these, but I'm not at a point in my life where I can really afford to "invest" in a designer pair. There's a few options on endless, but without trying them on, I'm reluctant to plop down the cash. I have wide calves from running, and often these styles won't even get onto my leg.
Option 1 ($56.42 on sale from $99.95)
Option 2 ($36.95 on sale from $69.95)
5. Fantastic coat.
I've got a few fantastic coats. I have a blue and black brocade opera coat that I need to utilize more often. For cooler weather, I have an incredible long red coat that my aunt made (!) and gave to me. I have a red leather jacket that my mom gave me. However, my other winter coats have tended to suck. A lot.
This is the one I have my eye on, from Anthropologie. None of the reviews mention its warmth, so I'm on the fence about it. If it's a warm wool-type coat, I might be all for it.
The other one I adore I can't afford in the least. So, not surprisingly, it's from BHLDN.
In general, in this category I need to learn to love the fabulous coats I already own and learn to style them better, especially in the colder months.
6. Modern-day dress.
The book says to look for a sleeveless shift or wrap dress, something that you can wear out to lunch or to the office.
I have a few strapless styles that look good with a cardigan or blazer over them. The white one I wore in my engagement photos and a black and white one I picked up at the thrift store right before I moved. They need something over them for day wear. I'm not a huge fan of strapless in general, so I like it to look a little more demure.
The ones I have my eye on are from Shabby Apple. They are modest and sophisticated enough to wear to teach or to school, but still have a vintage look. Alas, they are out of my price range, but perhaps I'll invest in one.
The Professorial. The ruffley-sleeved Academia. The bright green With Honors.
7. Sexy cocktail dress.
I have a beautiful black sheath, but it's a little plain. Perhaps I'm not accessorizing it properly in order to appreciate it (I should look more into this; there's a whole section on transforming a little black dress, so perhaps I should play some dress-up!).
Other than the black dress, I have a strappy black dress whose silhouette I love, but it has a crappy zipper on it. I need to get the zipper replaced.
I also have a pale blue one with black rhinestones that looks amazing and flapper on, but it's pretty see-through so I need a good full slip to wear with it.
8. Classic Cardigan
I am so good on cardigans. That's one thing I have in abundance (other than blazers). I have them in lots of hues, as well, from kelly green to crayola crayon blue to highlighter yellow.
If I find cheap ones at the thrift store, I am always looking for more fantastic jewel tones (the one purple one I have right now is sort of dull), and I should get a nice cream colored one, as well.
9. T-shirts
This is something I really need to overhaul in my wardrobe. If I won a shopping spree, I'd immediately replace most of my t-shirts with better ones and toss the ones I have. I love them in v-neck, esp. with a little pocket on the side, or with a little embellishment.
10. A pair of chic shoes from the current season.
I'm not much of a trend follower when it comes to shoes. I tend to like really vintage styles for heels. For crappy weather, I have Doc Martens and boots that I beat the hell out of during Ohio winters. However, there's a few things on my list in the shoe department.
a) Nude heels, either in suede or a shiny patent leather. Most of my bridesmaids wore nude heels for my wedding, and I was stunned by how beautiful they looked on.
b) Smart oxford heels.
Interesting, they don't speak to button up shirts, which surprises me. I would expect a good fitted white button-up shirt to be a fashion must. I'd love to eventually invest in a slim tuxedo style like this one from J.Crew.
 |
| Originally from Plümo, but this is several seasons old now. |
Orangey-coral lip color. Something that looks subtle against my skin.
 |
| I pretty much want to live this picture some rainy Sunday morning. |
Bright separates, esp. pencil skirts.
Interesting nail colors for when I get inspired to do my nails.
According to The Fashion File (which I just finished reading today and which is written by the costume designer for Mad Men), there are 10 things that must be in a woman's wardrobe:
I have a few pairs of beautiful trouser-type jeans. I hope to weed out my closet a little and stick to those classic, flattering styles. I've found these work well on me. But I also keep buying them long. I need to have them hemmed!
I have to keep telling myself: stick to trouser cut. No skinny jeans.
A cursory glance at my closet reveals that I have too many blazers, especially gray ones. I need to really watch as I wear them which ones aren't being worn and get rid of them. I'd like to continue searching for blazers in striking colors that flatter me (esp. jewel tones), but it's definitely not a priority, closet-wise.
3. Sleek pencil skirt
I have several that I adore. A great black one (pretty dressy), a few beautiful dark gray ones, and a few fun colors (bright red, orange wool, true blue in a satiny fabric). In this department, I am looking for the perfect jungle green pencil skirt, as well as a few fun brocade vintage ones to shake it up.
I love the vibrant colors of these ones from J.Crew, but they're $120 a piece (no, thank you). Even crazier is their tweed skirt (I adore it in Navy), but those are $148!
4. Designer knee-high leather boots.
I've been wanting a pair of over-the-knee boots for some time, but I can't seem to find ones that fit over my calves, which are pretty defined from running.
Louise from Pandora sports hers often, at least she did when I was still following her blog. I want ones just like hers: black suede, over the knee.
The book suggests investing in these, but I'm not at a point in my life where I can really afford to "invest" in a designer pair. There's a few options on endless, but without trying them on, I'm reluctant to plop down the cash. I have wide calves from running, and often these styles won't even get onto my leg.
Option 1 ($56.42 on sale from $99.95)
Option 2 ($36.95 on sale from $69.95)
I've got a few fantastic coats. I have a blue and black brocade opera coat that I need to utilize more often. For cooler weather, I have an incredible long red coat that my aunt made (!) and gave to me. I have a red leather jacket that my mom gave me. However, my other winter coats have tended to suck. A lot.
This is the one I have my eye on, from Anthropologie. None of the reviews mention its warmth, so I'm on the fence about it. If it's a warm wool-type coat, I might be all for it.
 |
| Detail of the fabric. Love the look of it! |
6. Modern-day dress.
The book says to look for a sleeveless shift or wrap dress, something that you can wear out to lunch or to the office.
I have a few strapless styles that look good with a cardigan or blazer over them. The white one I wore in my engagement photos and a black and white one I picked up at the thrift store right before I moved. They need something over them for day wear. I'm not a huge fan of strapless in general, so I like it to look a little more demure.
The ones I have my eye on are from Shabby Apple. They are modest and sophisticated enough to wear to teach or to school, but still have a vintage look. Alas, they are out of my price range, but perhaps I'll invest in one.
The Professorial. The ruffley-sleeved Academia. The bright green With Honors.
7. Sexy cocktail dress.
I have a beautiful black sheath, but it's a little plain. Perhaps I'm not accessorizing it properly in order to appreciate it (I should look more into this; there's a whole section on transforming a little black dress, so perhaps I should play some dress-up!).
Other than the black dress, I have a strappy black dress whose silhouette I love, but it has a crappy zipper on it. I need to get the zipper replaced.
I also have a pale blue one with black rhinestones that looks amazing and flapper on, but it's pretty see-through so I need a good full slip to wear with it.
I am so good on cardigans. That's one thing I have in abundance (other than blazers). I have them in lots of hues, as well, from kelly green to crayola crayon blue to highlighter yellow.
If I find cheap ones at the thrift store, I am always looking for more fantastic jewel tones (the one purple one I have right now is sort of dull), and I should get a nice cream colored one, as well.
9. T-shirts
This is something I really need to overhaul in my wardrobe. If I won a shopping spree, I'd immediately replace most of my t-shirts with better ones and toss the ones I have. I love them in v-neck, esp. with a little pocket on the side, or with a little embellishment.
10. A pair of chic shoes from the current season.
I'm not much of a trend follower when it comes to shoes. I tend to like really vintage styles for heels. For crappy weather, I have Doc Martens and boots that I beat the hell out of during Ohio winters. However, there's a few things on my list in the shoe department.
a) Nude heels, either in suede or a shiny patent leather. Most of my bridesmaids wore nude heels for my wedding, and I was stunned by how beautiful they looked on.
b) Smart oxford heels.
Interesting, they don't speak to button up shirts, which surprises me. I would expect a good fitted white button-up shirt to be a fashion must. I'd love to eventually invest in a slim tuxedo style like this one from J.Crew.
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