Sweet Blog O'Mine

v. 2.0

  • Clearly, the Holidays are Here

    And how do I know this? Because this weekend, I made butter-crunch toffee. This is the third year in a row that I’ve made it, ever since I read the recipe in the New York Times in December, 2000 — it has become somewhat of a tradition. The recipe for “English Toffee” was adapted from Chocolate, by Nick Malgieri, and is relatively simple to make. The only special equipment you’ll need is a candy thermometer. I made two batches — about 6 pounds of toffee — which I am dividing up and giving as gifts to the staff at Otto. They have been wonderful to me this year — friendly, hospitable, even going above and beyond the call of duty to make me comfortable, so I figured it was the least I could do. The only problem with making the toffee was that every time I spoke to a friend or relative on the phone and told them what I was doing, they wanted me to make some for them, too! Looks like I’ll be making a few more batches.

    I spent the rest of the day cooking for a small holiday soiree I’m having on Saturday night. I made latkes (potato pancakes) and spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo triangles (phyllo is such a big pain in the ass!), which I popped in the freezer. Later this week I’ll be making lemon squares, and if I have time, cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook.

    Food, food, and more food. Yes, the holidays are here, indeed.

  • All About My Mother*

    This post is dedicated to my mother. This picture was taken with the digital camera that she and my stepfather gave me as a gift. It was on a random weekend afternoon, when we were sharing some wine at Otto. Every single time I show people this picture (and I know she won’t believe me, but it’s true), they comment on how beautiful she is. I’d have to agree.


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    Now, enough about her. Back to ME! (just kidding, mom!)
    * A tribute to the Almodóvar film of the same name.

  • Fellow dorks, unite!

    Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Jackson confirms return to Hobbiton

    Dorks around the world celebrated in the streets yesterday upon hearing the announcement. Plans are already underway for über-marathons following the prequel’s release — watching the prequel first, followed immediately by all three movies in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. All said and done, approximately 12 hours of hobbit-filled pleasure.


    theking.jpg

  • Fellow dorks, unite!

    Guardian Unlimited Film | News | Jackson confirms return to Hobbiton

    Dorks around the world celebrated in the streets yesterday upon hearing the announcement. Plans are already underway for über-marathons following the prequel’s release — watching the prequel first, followed immediately by all three movies in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. All said and done, approximately 12 hours of hobbit-filled pleasure.


    theking.jpg

  • Epilogue

    You may be wondering, as I was, what my parents’ reaction to my weblog would be. (You may not — in which case you should probably skip this post entirely.) It was very — underwhelming. I’m not sure it was because a) they didn’t really take the time to read it; b) they don’t really care; or c) they did take the time to read it and do care, but weren’t particularly excited by it. I’m rooting for a. My dad offered one comment — “you’re funny! Especially the thing about the hotdish. And it’s great that you have a link to the recipe for Kim’s cheesecake.” I’m going to interpret the surprise in his voice when he said, “you’re funny” as a compliment. Something along the lines of “gee — who knew my daughter was so witty!” Maybe they don’t quite “get” the weblog as a medium. They’re not super-techno-savvy. I sent my stepmother an Evite and she was flummoxed. Dad had to help her respond (which she did — nice teamwork!). I’m hoping they realize that they can comment on entries if they choose to do so, etc., and actually take the time to check it every now and again. I think my brother and sister read it from time to time. Keep in mind, that I actually have two sets of parents. I haven’t given my mom and stepfather the link yet. Maybe later this week!

    And by the way — how ’bout that snow!?


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  • Epilogue

    You may be wondering, as I was, what my parents’ reaction to my weblog would be. (You may not — in which case you should probably skip this post entirely.) It was very — underwhelming. I’m not sure it was because a) they didn’t really take the time to read it; b) they don’t really care; or c) they did take the time to read it and do care, but weren’t particularly excited by it. I’m rooting for a. My dad offered one comment — “you’re funny! Especially the thing about the hotdish. And it’s great that you have a link to the recipe for Kim’s cheesecake.” I’m going to interpret the surprise in his voice when he said, “you’re funny” as a compliment. Something along the lines of “gee — who knew my daughter was so witty!” Maybe they don’t quite “get” the weblog as a medium. They’re not super-techno-savvy. I sent my stepmother an Evite and she was flummoxed. Dad had to help her respond (which she did — nice teamwork!). I’m hoping they realize that they can comment on entries if they choose to do so, etc., and actually take the time to check it every now and again. I think my brother and sister read it from time to time. Keep in mind, that I actually have two sets of parents. I haven’t given my mom and stepfather the link yet. Maybe later this week!

    And by the way — how ’bout that snow!?


    106_0637.JPG

  • Outed!

    After Thanksgiving at my Mom’s, I traveled to Virginia to meet my Dad, stepmom, brother and sister at a farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley. The farmhouse belongs to friends of the family from back in the day when we lived in Washington D.C. — they have a set of twins a month younger than my brother and sister, and a daughter a year older than the twins. We have kept in touch over the years, and decided to join them for a second Thanksgiving. We arrived late Friday night, after some flight delays and hideous weather, and proceeded to cook the first of the weekend feasts — the Maine contingent had brought lobsters (I brought NYC bagels for the next morning). When we finally got settled, we all sat down to our lobster dinner, with plenty of wine to go around. Somehow, during the course of the conversation, we started talking about the internet, discussing things like Friendster, and how it served as a way for people in our generation to meet new people (I am in the process of adding Stephanie, Josh, and Jon to my “friends” list). I mentioned, without really thinking, that I had just met someone through my weblog. “Your what?” Oops. So now they know — it’s really no big deal. There’s nothing here that’s particularly scandalous or embarrasing (at least I don’t think so). Yet.

    So — to the family and friends of the family who are now reading my blog for the first time — Welcome! (Gulp.)

    The weekend was centered around family (10 people in the two families), friends (who joined us for the feasts — I think there were 25-30 people for the second Thanksgiving), and, of course, food. One of the culinary highlights for the weekend, in my opinion, was Kim’s pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon whipped cream (from Cooks’ Illustrated). Kim subsituted crushed peanut butter cookies for the graham crackers in the crust. Yum. The other culinary highlight, or more accurately, fascination, for me was learning about something called “hotdish.” For those of you, like me, who were unfamiliar with the term “hotdish,” it seems to be a Midwestern (Minnesotan?) term for anything that you throw into a casserole and bake. A quick google search for hotdish led me to my favorite definition: Hotdish: 1) midwestern colloquialism for a hot entree that is similar to a French casserole except that it is often inedible; 2) the bastard offspring of canned Cream of Mushroom soup.

    As those of you at the farm this weekend recall, I spent a great deal of time snapping photos. Here’s a quick preview, but you can find the rest of them here.

    farmhouse.jpg

  • Outed!

    After Thanksgiving at my Mom’s, I traveled to Virginia to meet my Dad, stepmom, brother and sister at a farmhouse in the Shenandoah Valley. The farmhouse belongs to friends of the family from back in the day when we lived in Washington D.C. — they have a set of twins a month younger than my brother and sister, and a daughter a year older than the twins. We have kept in touch over the years, and decided to join them for a second Thanksgiving. We arrived late Friday night, after some flight delays and hideous weather, and proceeded to cook the first of the weekend feasts — the Maine contingent had brought lobsters (I brought NYC bagels for the next morning). When we finally got settled, we all sat down to our lobster dinner, with plenty of wine to go around. Somehow, during the course of the conversation, we started talking about the internet, discussing things like Friendster, and how it served as a way for people in our generation to meet new people (I am in the process of adding Stephanie, Josh, and Jon to my “friends” list). I mentioned, without really thinking, that I had just met someone through my weblog. “Your what?” Oops. So now they know — it’s really no big deal. There’s nothing here that’s particularly scandalous or embarrasing (at least I don’t think so). Yet.

    So — to the family and friends of the family who are now reading my blog for the first time — Welcome! (Gulp.)

    The weekend was centered around family (10 people in the two families), friends (who joined us for the feasts — I think there were 25-30 people for the second Thanksgiving), and, of course, food. One of the culinary highlights for the weekend, in my opinion, was Kim’s pumpkin cheesecake with bourbon whipped cream (from Cooks’ Illustrated). Kim subsituted crushed peanut butter cookies for the graham crackers in the crust. Yum. The other culinary highlight, or more accurately, fascination, for me was learning about something called “hotdish.” For those of you, like me, who were unfamiliar with the term “hotdish,” it seems to be a Midwestern (Minnesotan?) term for anything that you throw into a casserole and bake. A quick google search for hotdish led me to my favorite definition: Hotdish: 1) midwestern colloquialism for a hot entree that is similar to a French casserole except that it is often inedible; 2) the bastard offspring of canned Cream of Mushroom soup.

    As those of you at the farm this weekend recall, I spent a great deal of time snapping photos. Here’s a quick preview, but you can find the rest of them here.

    farmhouse.jpg

  • Just Say No

    I went to the gym today with a friend of mine for a post-Thanksgiving spin class (thank God!). She asked if I had updated my blog. “Not since before Thanksgiving,” I replied. “Did you see the article in the Style section this weekend?” she asked. “No.” “It’s about taking a break from the whole dating scene.” Oh yeah. I knew I had to rush home and read it.

    I felt like I was a step ahead of the trend described in the article. On of the subjects realized that with the time she spent on internet dating, she could start her own small business. So she did. I recently made a similar declaration — I’m just going to do the best I can and live my life. No more internet dating, no more speed dating, no more obsessing about being set up by my friends (who never produced anyway — except for my sister). No small business, either, but at least I have made a conscious decision to embrace my singledom. I am not giving up on finding someone with whom to spend my life, but I’m not making it the focus of my life. Besides, if I’m not happy on my own, there’s no way in hell that I’m going to be happy with someone else.

    So far, I’ve been very happy with my decision. It’s amazing what can sprout up organically. Now — time to check out the website mentioned in the article: Itsokaytobesingle.com. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  • Just Say No

    I went to the gym today with a friend of mine for a post-Thanksgiving spin class (thank God!). She asked if I had updated my blog. “Not since before Thanksgiving,” I replied. “Did you see the article in the Style section this weekend?” she asked. “No.” “It’s about taking a break from the whole dating scene.” Oh yeah. I knew I had to rush home and read it.

    I felt like I was a step ahead of the trend described in the article. On of the subjects realized that with the time she spent on internet dating, she could start her own small business. So she did. I recently made a similar declaration — I’m just going to do the best I can and live my life. No more internet dating, no more speed dating, no more obsessing about being set up by my friends (who never produced anyway — except for my sister). No small business, either, but at least I have made a conscious decision to embrace my singledom. I am not giving up on finding someone with whom to spend my life, but I’m not making it the focus of my life. Besides, if I’m not happy on my own, there’s no way in hell that I’m going to be happy with someone else.

    So far, I’ve been very happy with my decision. It’s amazing what can sprout up organically. Now — time to check out the website mentioned in the article: Itsokaytobesingle.com. I’ll let you know how it turns out.