Warblings of a Wannabe Wayfarer

You get what you pay for-- sort of.

2012-02-03T11:57:00.000Z

So, I had to have a surgery this week. It was related to a recurring problem that I had to have surgery for about 5 years ago in the U.S. (though not as invasive and extensive as that U.S. surgery which knocked me out of work for two months). While this one was just a minor day surgery, it underscored the marked differences between a private vs public health care system.

When you say private, people automatically go to "expensive." So why is that in the public system that I now live in, I actually pay significantly more than I did when I lived in a private system? Yes, people-- that's because public-- or social, health care isn't actually free. It's funded by taxes-- my taxes. The way the system works, the higher your income is, the more your taxed (for everything, but that includes your health tax). This goes to pay for not only your own health care, but everyone who can't afford to pay for theirs. That's the idea behind a social health care system. Do I fundamentally believe in this? Actually, I do. I agree that the people who have more can afford to (and should) give more. But as a consumer, I also believe that I need to get top quality and excellent customer service for my money. And here, I don't (though this isn't exclusive to the health industry by any means).

The other problem with this system is the people who can but who don't. Meaning-- the millions of people who are "on the dole" (claim benefits and income support in this country) who are fraudulently claiming public assistance (and thus, not paying taxes). Arguably there are people who need these benefits-- the frail and elderly, the mentally ill or disabled. But there are plenty who do not. Believe me-- a lot of them live in my neighborhood. So my tax dollars are not only paying their rent, for their cars, their childcare, their take-out, their pub outings and their 40" flat screen TVs, but also their health care. That, I have an issue with.

My recent hospital experience was markedly different from my U.S. experience. Keep in mind. It actually personally cost me MORE in the UK than in the U.S.

U.S.

Months of in-depth consultations with my doctor (also my surgeon) pre-surgery so that I fully understood the procedure and the risks / benefits
Once the surgery was decided upon, I picked the date that was convenient for me (I asked for a month out so I could prep work for my being out; but could have had it the next day if I wanted to)
All tests are scheduled and completed in one day(well, 20 minutes in fact)
On the day of the surgery, they were waiting for me, everything prepared
Met with the doctor pre-surgery to go over any last minute questions or concerns
Was introduced to the surgical team who would be looking after me-- nurses, medical students, another surgeon, anaesthesiologist
Went into surgery-- 6 hours later in recovery, doctor sat with me to go through the results and what was done
Taken to private room (with lake views and wifi-- but that's just a bonus)
5 day hospital stay in which a doctor came to see me at least 2 times a day, a nutritionist planned my meals (though I also had access to room service whenever I wanted it), nurses were in and out actually taking care of me
When it came time to leave, a discharge planner met with me for about 30-45 minutes to go over very detailed printed instructions, my medications, my prescriptions, things to watch for regarding infection and also the date and time for my follow-up appointment at my doctor's office the next week (and weekly, appointments for the first 4 weeks after surgery followed by a final appointment before going back to work. All scheduled in advance).

Primary care doctor refers me for testing
One month later I get my appointment for blood tests and ultrasounds
One month later I go back to my primary care doctor who refers me to a specialist
Two months later I see specialist
Specialist has not received test results, so orders new tests (rather than getting the ones that I have already had done)
One month later I get the appointment for the new test-- another month out
A month later I get an appointment to discuss the test results with the specialist

(NOTE: There is no choice when it comes to appointments. They send you a letter in the mail telling you when you need to be at the appointment, If, God forbid you have a job, or kids and can't drop absolutely everything to be there on the appointment time and date, you're basically screwed. Yup-- it's another month-- or two-- until you can get back in. They don't take kindly to you not doing as you're told. When you have to change it because you're traveling, have client meetings or, I don't know, in California for Christmas, they get pretty high and mighty and you get delayed another few months).

More tests because they couldn't see what they needed (on the day the ultrasound technician could have made that decision and tested a different way, but health care professionals are not empowered to do so). Another month.

Are you beginning to get the picture?

From start to surgery, it was about 16 months. Yes, people-- nearly a year and a half. Sure, it wasn't life-threatening, but I did have a time sensitive issue (driven by government restriction for a specific treatment because of your age). Even still-- the experience and sheet frustration with the system (not to mention utter waste and expense-- I had to repeat the same tests five times for various reasons... some of them having to do with sheer laziness in my estimation).

As for the actual surgery and hospital experience? 14 hours for a less than one hour surgery.

Hour 1: Arrive at hospital. Wait 4 hours to be taken into surgery. In this time I had a 5 minutes or less each with: 1) the nurse 'who would be taking care of me for the day' (this was the only time I saw her). She officially "admitted" me to the hospital by confirming I was who I said I was (though no ID was required); 2) my doctor who would be performing the surgery (confirmed who I was; asked if I had an questions, ushered me back to the waiting room because she's very important and busy); 3) the anesthesiologist.
Hour 4: Walked myself into the operating theater; Sat on a gurney for another 30 minutes waiting; Given drugs to knock me out.
Hour 5: Woke up in recovery room; Wheeled to ward-- 4 others in the room with me.
Hour 6: Nurse came in and said the doctor didn't need to see me because "everything went well." I'd get a letter with an appointment in a couple of weeks for a follow-up. (Whaaa??? Ummm-- no, "this is what we found, this is what we did, you're going to be great??") She then informed me that when I drank something, ate something and peed I could leave.
Hour 8: They brought me some water.
Hour 9: I rang the nursing station to tell them I needed to pee, and ask if they need to measure or make sure I did? (No)
Hour 10: I asked if I could be discharged. They asked if I'd had something to drink (yes), peed (yes) and eaten something (no). Ummm... that is because I wasn't brought anything to eat?? "Would you like something to eat?" Ummmm... YES. I'm freaking starving because it's 4:00 p.m. and I haven't eaten anything since 8:00 the night before.
Hour 11: They bring me toast. I wolf it down.
Hour 12: I ask again if I can be discharged (yes). Can someone take my IV out so I can leave (yes... in about an hour).
Hour 13: I change into my clothes, IV stint still in place.
Hour 14: Nurse removes stint and tells me I can go. Ummm.... discharge plan? antibiotics? pain medication? things to watch for in case of infection?

Apparently not. I was instructed that I could take up to 400 mg of ibuprofen for pain (that's 2 pills people). And then they wished me a good evening (well, not really-- I wished them a good evening) and we walked out. On the ride home I consulted WebMD and a couple of other websites to do some reading on post-surgery care for my condition and to inform MRN what he needed to look for in case I had a raging infection that knocked me unconscious. (That didn't happen, but I'm just saying).

Yes-- public health care is BRILLIANT. (that was sarcasm in case you didn't pick it up).

So for my money, I'm paying more for horrible service, really poor (and I would argue, completely irresponsible) quality of care where the patient is treated like a number who doesn't really need to know what's going on, and year-long waiting times. Freaking awesome.

Disclaimer: My lawyers (if I had them) would tell me to include this: This is my personal experience with the U.S. and UK health care systems and it does not reflect the views or experiences of any person, company or organization other than myself.

Coconut Willie...

2012-02-02T22:18:00.000Z

... lives in a tree!

Oh, how this record (yes-- as in vinyl... I'm that old) brings back memories. AB and I used to lie on the floor in our bedroom in Hawaii and listen to "The Adventures of Coconut Willie and Pukahead" over and over and over again. Who is Pukahead, you ask? The magic menehune, of course! It's probably one of my earliest memories... though, I'm sure it's muddled with several others of listening to this and our Disney record collection ad nauseam over the course of many years (and boy did our older sister love us for that).

Alas, I could not find the original Jack de Mello version. Though, lucky you-- I did find Aunty Genoa Keawe singing a version of it on YouTube (disclaimer-- she's not my aunty; that's just what Hawaiians call elders, whether they're related to you or not). You gotta love YouTube.

They come to Waikiki-iiii. They come to Waikiki to see his opu swing!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-16T11:15:00.001Z

I was trying really hard to beat my 2006 high of 137 posts in one year, but fell pitifully short in 2011. I think I'm going to give up and instead write things that are pithy, witty, insightful and relevant.

Oh, okay-- so who am I kidding?

Instead, why don't I start off the year with my New Year's Resolution. It's pretty simple: Be.Happy. However that manifests itself (being more positive; not sweating the small stuff; not getting (overly) stressed out about work or money; spending money on fun things like vacation; letting up on MRN about mess and clutter), I figure that's a good rule to live by. If it doesn't make me happy? I'm not doing it. Seems pretty easy. I'll let you know how it goes.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of...

2011-12-13T16:41:00.000Z

Just back from a very happy few days in NYC. I was in Connecticut for the week for work, but had a few days on either end in NYC. What a treat. Aside from the mobs of tourists clamoring for glimpses of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and the windows at Saks and Barney's, the city was perfectly pleasant (as long as the touristy areas were avoided-- which I did with the exception of a tactical error which took me right through the middle of Rock Center just before the start of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular matinée. Rookie mistake). But man, do I miss that City. I was lucky to get to spend quality time with my dear Lynn and Cam-- how lucky I am to have been "adopted" by them so many years ago when I lived there and to still have a close friendship with them today. Plus my Daves were visiting with lots of their friends but I was able to see them and finally meet my beautiful goddaughter Sophie Ladurée. And even better?? Montu and Casey came in for the weekend with their gorgeous littles Kieran and Maya. We had such fun hanging out, and I loved spending time with their delightful kiddos. I told MRN that he now has competition-- my new boyfriend Kieran is giving him a run for his money.

I hung out with my dearest of dears, Jes, who is kicking some serious bootie on Broadway (sort of literally). I seriously love this girl, and am so proud of her. We don't see each other often and talk even less often, but when we do it's like no time has passed and we just pick up where we left off. She took me backstage of her show "Warhorse" and I got to see her dressing room. And of course I had to take a photo. Yes, I'm so that girl. But I'm thrilled for her and had to document the moment!

Also spent time with my wonderful Mary, who's honesty and generosity never fail to amaze me. She effectively kicked me back into reality and also introduced me to an incredible facial product line that she swears by (it had me at dozens of masks-- my favorite facial product). She knows all the tricks.

I had a few nostalgic moments, as I am apt to have when visiting my favorite City. Yes, even after all these years, it's the City I love most, and the one that I'll always regret leaving (though, I do have pangs of nostalgia for Chicago too-- especially my wonderful neighborhood and the convenience of city living). The first was sitting in the bar lounge at the W Hotel in Union Square in the late afternoon with Montu, Casey, Lynn, the Daves and all the kids. I was on the floor playing with all the kiddos while the grown ups sipped sparkling water or champagne and was struck with the oddness of it all-- 10 years earlier we would have been there late night, enjoying a night out. It was surreal. Next came Christmas Carols at Brick Church, where they shut down a portion of Park avenue and everyone comes out to sing and to see the lighting of Christmas trees that line Park Avenue from 45th-95th streets. That brought back lots of memories of friends and adopted family, and a new one of holding my goddaughter and singing in her ear. The final was having a late dinner at Brother Jimmy's with Mary. Brother Jimmy's was the site of many a gathering back in my early 20s... birthday parties, graduations, nights out... lots of celebrations and good memories with good friends forged there. At one point Mary had gone to the restroom and I was distracted by a table filled with 20-somethings next to us... they were very jolly (drunk) and excited (talking at the same time) and singing. I got a pang of nostalgia, thinking, "that used to be us." It made me miss those days and my old friends. (Oh-- but they have an expanded menu that includes a buffalo chicken chopped salad... can we say to die for??)

Of course, life goes on and even though you have fond memories of the past, you realize that the present is just as good, if not better. Even still, sometimes I wish I could go back to those good times and relish them a little more thoroughly... time moves too swiftly for my liking, and I miss the girl I was then, especially because I feel like I've just begun to get to know her.

P.S. Shake Shack. If you haven't been, you must go. I can't believe I'm going to say it, but I think it's better than In and Out. Admittedly I had a cold and couldn't really taste much... but the part I did taste... man. It was worth the 20 minute line. Man, and if New Yorkers are queuing for food? It must be freaking good.

Brought to my senses

2011-11-26T11:08:00.000Z

So, I am a little obsessed with Sting. Have been since I was about 16, and can't see that ending anytime soon. Not obsessed in the stalker kind of way, but in the way that I think he's a musical genius; a brilliant song writer, lyricist and musician; in the way that I'd never actually want to meet him for fear the bubble could burst and my hero worship eradicated. My dad met him once-- he (my dad) was playing at a wedding, and Sting was a guest (it happened to be Don Henley's wedding; yeah-- it took a bit of coercing to get that story out of my dad because 1) he doesn't really know who anyone famous is and 2) he's not really bothered when he is around famous people--unless they are his heroes, which are decidedly not of the pop/rock genre). In any case, he was impressed by Sting because he said he pulled up a chair right in front of the band and was totally grooving with them, and extremely personable. It's probably about as close as I'll ever get to meeting him, and a good story at that. Why ruin it?

I have tickets to see his "Back to Bass" tour in Manchester next March-- 8th row floor! Whoop-whoop! I've gotten to see him several times in concert, including the sold-out Police Reunion World Tour which ended in Hawaii, and my wonderful sister and brother-in-law went with me (also amazing seats-- 4th row, floor thanks to my Aunty Julie!). Ahhhh! Once in a lifetime experience, indeed!

This is (dare I say?) my favorite Sting song; and perhaps one of the most overlooked. It's from Mercury Falling, which wasn't as huge a success as other albums (Ten Summoners Tales is hard to beat), but it has one of his most beautiful songs: Brought to my Senses.

Alone with my thoughts this evening
I walked on the banks of Tyne
I wondered how I could win you
Or if I could make you mine
Or if I could make you mine

The wind it was so insistent
With tales of a stormy south
But when I spied two birds in a sycamore tree
There came a dryness in my mouth
Came a dryness in my mouth

For then without rhyme or reason
The two birds did rise up to fly
And where the two birds were flying
I swear I saw you and I
I swear I saw you and I

I walked out this morning
It was like a veil had been removed from before my eyes
For the first time I saw the work of heaven
In the line where the hills had been married to the sky
And all around me
Every blade of singing grass
Was calling out your name
And that our love would always last
And inside every turning leaf
Is the pattern of an older tree
The shape of our future
The shape of all our history
And out of the confusion
Where the river meets the sea
Came things I'd never seen
Things I'd never seen

I was brought to my senses
I was blind but now that I can see
Every signpost in nature
Said you belong to me

I know it's true
It's written in a sky as blue
As blue as your eyes
As blue as your eyes
If nature's red in tooth and claw
Like winter's freeze and summer's thaw
The wounds she gave me
Were the wounds that would heal me
And we'd be like the moon and sun
And when our courtly dance had run
Its course across the sky
Then together we would lie
And out of the confusion
Where the river meets the sea
Something new would arrive
Something better would arrive

I was brought to my senses
I was blind but now that I can see
Every signpost in nature
Said you belong to me
I was brought to my senses
I was blind but now that I can see
Every signpost in nature
Said you belong to me...

Gobble-Gobble

2011-11-24T13:00:00.001Z

Another Thanksgiving away from the fam. And seeing as I'm more homesick than usual this year, I'm especially missing them today. Fall is my favorite season... the crisp weather and changing leaves dotted by celebrations (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas), makes it even better. Alas, my adopted English home does not celebrate Thanksgiving (or Halloween for that matter-- at least not with the same gusto as the Americans), so it's just a regular Thursday, which makes it all a little sad.

That being said, I have lots to be thankful for this year. A wonderful family who are healthy and happy; an amazing husband who is one of the kindest and most generous people I know; incredible friends who are the family that I choose; and a comfortable life, which is a very good thing in a bad and uncertain economy. Oh-- and that I picked up some canned pumpkin at Whole Foods in London last weekend. I just might make two pumpkin pies.

Even though it's not a holiday here, I've taken today and tomorrow off as a nod to my cultural roots. My wonderful English family is hosting Thanksgiving dinner for me at their house on Saturday, so I'm cooking along with everyone in the U.S. today to get ready for the big (delayed) day. Soup and pie crust today; Pies, stuffing and cauliflower gratin tomorrow; Then all the other trimmings on Saturday. My lovely brother-in-law has volunteered to make the turkey. Whoop-whoop! Here's what's on my Thanksgiving menu... what's on yours?

Appetizer
Curried butternut squash and apple soup

Main course
Turkey!
Cornbread and sausage stuffing
Maple sweet potato puree
Mashed potatoes
String beans sauteed with shallots and garlic
Roasted brussel sprouts with bacon
Cauliflower gratin
Green salad
Cranberry orange relish

Dessert
Pumpkin pie
Maple pecan pie
Caramel apple pie

Welcome to the world baby Isaac!

2011-11-24T10:44:00.001Z

My very first nephew was born on the 18-November. A healthy 6 lbs 8 oz, he is the delight of the family! He is named for my Poppy, his great grandfather. He even has my grandpa's beautiful hands. What a lucky little one to be born into such a loving family-- he will be adored! And how lucky are we to have our newest addition! Congrats to my sister, K, husband J and my adorable niece Charlotte!

Baby Isaac

Proud sister, Charlotte

Helping out

Sibling love

Arms

2011-11-08T19:35:00.000Z

Birthday Boots

2011-11-07T16:07:00.000Z

Boots are becoming somewhat of a birthday tradition, well, as a gift to myself that is. It's the third year running that boots have been one of my favorite gifts. Granted, last year they were gifted by the sweet MRN, who had been hearing me hint about wellies for several years. Alas, they were the wrong size, and I had changed my mind about the color (pink) and wanted purple. Plus, I decided to upgrade them to a fancy neoprene-lined riding version... which meant more $$ (or ££ if you're being really technical). So, in some ways, it was still a present I bought for myself.

This year was no different-- and with knee-high boots getting even fancier with the trend of wearing them over skinny jeans, I had lots of styles to choose from. But when I saw these from Bertie, how could I resist? I mean, all those wonderful buttons (and we all know my affinity for buttons). Thankfully, they're only decorative, and there are zips on the sides. Yes, yes-- purely decorative and not at all functional (unless you count style as functional... which, come to think of it, I do). But lovely all the same. As per usual, clothing is now being planned around these babies. Yes, the exciting life that I have.

On a related note, what a beautiful sunshine-y day my birthday was!

Lefties

2011-10-28T16:54:00.000+01:00

Green lentils salad

I am not a fan of left-overs (left-handers however, big fan). I try to master the art of cooking exact serving sizes so not to have to wrestle with re-heating and re-eating the same food a few nights later (with the exception of soups and stews... I'm okay with that). However, being the imperfect perfectionist I am, undoubtedly there is always a left-over to deal with. In this case: lentils.

You may remember my last battle with lentils, and having to hide them in MRN's lunches to try to get rid of all the left-overs. This time I cut down the serving size and changed up the recipe (basically-- guessed on amount and made something up). It ended up being a much bigger hit (though, considering it wasn't a hit at all the first time, the only way for it to go was up. But I'm nothing if not persistent. It may be because I added bacon... but hey-ho; anything to get some veggies on the plate).

Alas, even with the doctoring, we still had left-overs (that I knew I would have to eat; because while I won a battle with the beans, I knew not to push my luck by hiding it in MRN's food). So I decided to add cold lentils to a salad. I'm a big lunch-time salad fan. But I don't love making them at home. It's one of the (many) things I miss from the US-- all those lovely entree-sized salads. YUM. I have to admit, though-- this home salad was pretty good and hearty. I mean, it's not a Cheesecake Factory chopped salad (I love me a chopped salad), but it was a fair substitute. What I've found with home salads is it's all about the dressing-- and I'm not talking from the bottle; I'm talking the easiest home-made salad dressing in the world, adapted from my grandmother's soy-vinaigrette concoction that she's been making since I can remember. There's many varieties of this recipe (you can make it thicker and creamier by increasing the lemon to olive oil ratio to mustard; or add some minced garlic for a extra kick), but the real benefit is that you simply can't mess it up. It's a real, grab what you have in the fridge, whisk it up and voila yummy dressing.

For the lentils:

1/2-c Green puy lentils
2 small carrots, peeled and diced
3/4-c Chicken broth
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-tbsp chopped fresh thyme
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Diced, crispy bacon (optional)

Place lentils in bowl and cover with boiling water; Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While lentils are soaking, heat olive oil in pan on medium-high, add onions and cook 5-7 minutes until start to get translucent. Add carrots, spices and cook about 10-minutes, until carrots are soft. Toss in garlic and cook for 2 minutes (until fragrant). Stir in lentils and chicken broth and reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. If you're using bacon, dice and fry, stir into finished lentils. Great with pork or salmon, or (as I've used it), on salads!

Easy homemade salad dressing:
Basic:

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice (or water if you don't have lemon)
Whisk together and toss with salad

If you want to get fancy:
Add a heaping teaspoon of dijon mustard (regular or whole-grain; whatever floats your boat), 1 clove garlic, minced, and some fresh ground pepper to the dressing. The mustard will make the dressing thicker, and oh so yummy.

MB had a little lamb

2011-10-24T18:00:00.000+01:00

Yeah, I know. There's all kinds of wrong with that title. Alas, I'm feeling a bit uninspired (and who am I kidding? For a marketing person, I've always been completely useless at product names and titles). But having just watched the series premier (thanks Project Free TV) of "Once Upon a Time" starring Jennifer Morrison and Ginnifer Goodwin, I have fairy tales and nursery rhymes on the brain (verdict: promising. Definitely enough of a hook to keep me watching next week).

All that to say, I finally started cooking again. Between travel (play and work), colds (mine and MRN's) and general malaise, I haven't been up to experimenting in my kitchen (though I did make a big dinner at MRN's brother's a few weeks ago-- yes, I've taken my show on the road). I got back in the mood this weekend when looking for inspiration (on Pinterest-- where else?) for Christmas food gift ideas and came across this lovely looking baked potato. I am not usually a big fan of baked potatoes. Too much, well, potato I guess. Don't get me wrong-- I love them mashed, roasted and even boiled (well, new potatoes, anyway). The more butter, garlic and seasoning, the better. But give me a baked potato? I'll always pass. However, the aesthetics of this thinly sliced baked potato seemed too much to pass up. I mean, come on! How pretty is this thing? So to the market I went, and I decided to pair it with herb-crusted lamb chops (yes, yes, I've posted this recipe before, but when it's good, it's good). Plus, this post is really more about the potato (well, almost).

Am I allowed to say, YUM to my own food?? The potato really turned out to be a combination roasted and baked, with the outside nice and crispy and inside mushy. You cut the potato almost all the way through (trick is to lay a spoon lengthwise along the outside of the potato so when you slice it, it stops your knife from cutting all the way through) and then "fan" the slices to better soak up the melted butter and olive oil mixture that you pour on top, and to capture the minced garlic, salt and pepper I decided to add. See, while I saw the pic on Pinterest, I actually forgot to "pin" it-- so I had to improvise with the recipe. And I was out of regular dijon mustard (for the lamb), so used wholegrain dijon, and I think it turned out even better... I'll be substituting that in the future. I also still have herbs in the garden so was able to add fresh mint, rosemary, flat leaf parsley and regular thyme to by store-bought fresh lemon thyme. The addition of mint was delightful. But really, you can use any combination of fresh herbs you have on hand-- I usually end up with parsley and thyme because that's what's most prevalent in my fridge.

I'll definitely be trying this potato again... perhaps with more seasoning and, well, butter. Because as Julia Child always said, you can never have enough butter...

Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops with Garlic Baked Potatoes
(adapted from Williams-Sonoma's "Wine and Food" cookbook)
To get the food on the table together and hot, I put potatoes in first for about 30 minutes and then popped in the lamb for the last 15 minutes. In addition to perfectly a perfectly timed entree, your oven is also piping hot for a perfectly roasted lamb chop.

Preheat oven to 450 F

For the potatoes:

2 med potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed (you can peel them, but I love that crispy skin)
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for serving

Instructions:

Melt butter and olive oil in a sauce pan
Thinly slice potatoes almost all the way through (see spoon trick above), gently "fanning" out the slices
Place potatoes in a baking dish
Pour olive oil and butter mixture over potatoes, making sure to coat all the slices
Sprinkle garlic in between the slices
Salt and pepper to taste
Place in oven for 45 minutes (checking at about 30 to make sure that they're not burning)
Remove from oven and cover until serving
Sprinkle parsley over potatoes
Optional: sprinkle cheese on the potatoes 5 minutes before removing them from the oven; bacon would be good too! Serve with sour cream, chives and all the trimmings, if you so desire!

For the lamb*:

Approx 3 lamb chops per person (depending on the size, but I usually go with that)
1/2 c minced fresh herbs (such as flat leaf parsley, thyme, mint, rosemary, marjoram)
1 tbsp wholegrain dijon mustard (or regular if more readily available)
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

*This recipe is supposed to be enough for 12 chops-- but I usually use the entire mixture on just 6; So if you have more chops, you may want to double the recipe so you can get a good amount of the herb mixture on both sides of the chops.

Instructions:

Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt and pepper
Stir together herbs, mustard, olive oil and garlic
Spread mixture on both sides of the chops
Place an oiled flat rack in a large roasting pan lined with aluminum foil (not essential but makes clean up that much easier)
Arrange the chops on the rack and roast until an meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop (away from the bone) registers 135 F for medium (about 15-17 minutes; In my fan assisted oven, 15 minutes is the perfect amount of time)
Remove from oven, lightly tent chops with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes
Serve immediately

Teenage angst at its best

2011-10-18T10:30:00.000+01:00

Forgiveness

2011-10-15T12:23:00.000+01:00

Gravity

2011-10-12T12:30:00.000+01:00

Who's Who?

2011-10-11T15:21:00.001+01:00

Budapest-ing it up

2011-10-09T12:14:00.018+01:00

Gresham Palace from the Funicular

Back from a fantastic trip with the Daves to the beautiful city of Budapest. It was really more of the Dempster and Mikie show since Gullino was otherwise occupied-- while we missed him, I did love my quality time with Dempster which consisted much more of wining and dining and heart-to-hearts late into the night than sight-seeing (though we did see lots of sights). My kind of vacation! We had an almost mishap in the beginning due to the Daves' plane being delayed from the outset-- they almost missed the connection (and meeting up with me!) in Amsterdam! I was told by the gate agent that they'd already been taken off the flight-- there was only 20 minutes between connections and they had to get from terminal F to terminal D, plus through customs. If you've ever been to Schipol Airport, you'll know that that is an impossible feat. I had waited in the boarding area until they all but shoved me onto the jetway-- and then hung back, hoping upon hope that they would make it. I kept glancing back and was the only one on the jetway when, TA-DA!!! Dave Gullino comes running around the corner, closely followed by Dempster! I was SO EXCITED I yelped and jumped up and down with my arms in the air. Leave it to the Daves! They all-out SPRINTED and made it to the gate and begged the agents to let them on the plane. WHOO-HOOO! Sweating bullets and completely out of breath, but they made it-- which made for an especially exciting start to our trip. (And my being ever prepared, was able to ply them with water, face towelettes, verbena hand wipes and caramel waffles-- an Amsterdam specialty that I picked up for them at one of the great food shops in Schipol, where you can also buy huge wedges of cheese and wooden shoes. I may not have been a Girl Scout, but always wanted to be!)

We were absolutely thrilled with the GORGEOUS summer weather-- low 80s, cloudless and bright-blue skies. So much sun that it actually hurt my eyes (yes-- pathetic; but so goes the woes of northern English-living). We stayed in an apartment which was terrifically inexpensive but clean, modern and best of all, had a balcony. It was a great way to settle into the city, do some cooking (well, more of putting together pre-dinner appetizers) and hang out but still have our own space.

We ate our way around the lovely city, searching for the best goulash and dumplings (which is really more like spaetzl). The BEST was found at the Budapest Central Market at the end of the Vaci Uta (the shopping street). The market is a sight to see-- with food stalls on the ground floor and lots of tourist kitsch on the second. But there are great food stands upstairs where you can sample more authentic local fare (my recommendation: avoid the restaurants up by Buda Castle. Expensive and not very good).

The BEST meal however, was in fact at an Italian restaurant along the pedestrian walk leading up to St. Stephens called... I have absolutely no idea. It was something really simple like "The Italian Restaurant." Really. But despite not remembering the name, the food was unforgettable. Being so close to Italy certainly doesn't hurt, and this modern Italian restaurant with amazing decor, great service (which is few and far between in Budapest) and delicious food (not to mention an expansive cocktail list) makes this a must-go place (especially if you're a foodie). Okay, I may have been tainted by all that heavy goulash, but I did enjoy it. Reservations are recommended (especially if you want a table outside), though we were able to walk in (though it was on the late-side). To find it, walk down the pedestrian street from the front steps of St Stephens a few blocks, and it's on the corner on the left hand side.

Another Hungarian treat is Plinka, which is a fruit-infused liquor that is a Hungarian specialty. Plum is the traditional drink though they also have sour cherry (it tastes like cough medicine) and pear. It is a little like drinking brake fluid (or what I can imagine drinking break fluid would be like). But it's worth a try just for the experience (and they serve it in little shot glasses that should be sipped so it's not like you're drinking a pint-full).

Loved, loved, loved seeing two of my favorite people and continuing our adventures around Europe. Next year we're talking Spain. Ole!

We made it!!

Home Sweet Home

Budapest Central Market

PAPRIKA! (and fresh produce- yum!)

Goulash and dumplings

Goulash, brats, cabbage and beer

St. Stephens Cathedral

St. Stephen

Interior dome of St. Stephens

FUNicular FUN (to Buda Castle)

Gresham Palace from the funicular

Parliament from Castle Hill

Matthias Church at Buda Castle

Buda Castle

Fishermen's Bastion at Castle Hill

Vivaldi at St. Michael's on Vaci Uta

Bye-bye Budapest!

See you at Christmas!

My how you've grown

2011-09-18T11:31:00.000+01:00

When I went to college, I had these:

LL Bean Duck Boots

Now, there are these:

Steve Madden Mallard Boots

I still prefer the original ducks. What about you?

Fall Shoe-a-palooza

2011-09-14T14:42:00.000+01:00

little bit of thor?

butterflies

modern oxford

we know how much i love buttons

herringbone

love me a wedge rainboot

peacock swoop

argyle laces? awww-yeah

you had me at wooden wedge

All available at anthropologie (as if you had any doubt).

Embarrassed...

2011-09-13T20:22:00.000+01:00

...about the mold problem in our bathroom. So much so that I couldn't bring it upon myself to take a before photo. Okay, so it's not that terrible... but gross enough that it has to be dealt with. Stat. Because, of course, house guest number 2 is due to arrive in December.

So this weekend was spent cleaning the walls (thankfully the worst of the issue is isolated to one area near the ceiling in the bathroom) with some gross cleanser called Zoflora. Quite a challenge considering our ceilings are 10+ feet and I am not the most proficient on a ladder (ummm... gigantic klutz, let us not forget). Unfortunately there's patches of mold all along the wall just adjacent to the ceiling. So it's been quite interesting trying to sort that out. Then came the great "seal" with what I'm sure is toxic paint that is oil based and has a slight sheen, meaning impossible to clean brushes. And finally, the "mouldtec"- and condensation-resistant bathroom paint (conveniently available in the same color as the rest of our house: Natural Hessian). I've only managed to "cut in" on all of the edging and corners around the room (so, all the mold-affected areas). This weekend will be a second coat on all the edging and then a full coat on the walls. Man, do I hate painting. But not as much as mold. Hopefully this will solve the problem... but living in the dampest of all damp places, I'm not holding my breath.

I Remember

2011-09-11T09:01:00.015+01:00

"Over the great bridge, with sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world." F. Scott Fitzgerald

It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years. It seems like a lifetime ago...I guess in a lot of ways, it really was. I've moved twice (first half-way across the country and then to a whole new country). But no matter where I am living or what I am doing, every year when this day comes around, I always stop and remember.

I imagine it's the same for people who were living during the Pearl Harbor attacks. The fact that there could be a terrorist attack, on American soil, is unthinkable. We're lucky, though-- no foreign war has been fought on American soil since the Mexican American War (though that was only because Texas became a state during the War); and we are privileged to live in a place where there isn't fear of daily bombings or genocide or constant threat of terrorist attacks. Well, for the most part at least.

I've written about that day before; it's still not one that I like to dwell on and I still can't really watch the coverage or the specials or the memorials. Even ten years later it's too raw. So instead I thought I'd touch on the days after the attack-- how the city slowed down; How everyone banded together. It was remarkable, really. In a city where you keep mostly to yourself, you don't make eye contact, and you certainly don't talk to strangers, it was the complete opposite. People were kind to one another-- exchanging smiles, words of condolence or lending a helping hand. The donations were overwhelming-- money, food, clothes, offers of housing, cell phones. I, with a co-worker, delivered boxes and boxes of food and clothes to a salvation army center downtown where hundreds of volunteers were cooking meals for the emergency workers assembled at "Ground Zero" and providing a place to rest. And the volunteers-- they came in droves. So many volunteers that they had to turn us away. From around the country-- from around the world. It was amazing, really, to see how quickly everything mobilized. But it was the City's emergency services first and foremost that were incredible. I've never seen a force that big (40,000 police officers alone) assemble so effortlessly and in such a coordinated way. I think as laymen, we all knew it wouldn't last... that as the weeks went on, we'd eventually get caught back up in the hustle and bustle that is NYC. But for that brief time we were united... and for those there that day-- and I think every American who lived through that day, deep down, we always will be.

I wrote this passage five years ago, and I feel very much the same today. New York is something that gets into your blood and takes over your consciousness. If you're lucky enough to have lived there, no matter where you go or what you do, it will always be yours.

People think I'm crazy because I love NYC so much... "Why would you want to live there?" they ask. "It's so expensive, dirty... people are so mean." The reality? I can't believe that I ever left. It's the only place that I've ever felt was mine; a place where I belong; a place that I almost feel guilty for leaving. But in my heart, I know that I'll go back. Despite its faults, expense, general craziness, NYC is a place where so many people, of varied backgrounds, sensibilities, and, well, homes, come together to find a common ground; a place where all of these people who strive to be, and accomplish being, "individuals" can still come together and rejoice in being a single thing: A New Yorker.

Getting my Buda on

2011-09-10T14:09:00.005+01:00

Buda Castle

I'm off to Budapest in a few weeks to meet The Daves. MRN is opting out of the hols (as they say in England) because he's not into the city vacations (and he thinks that I'll have more fun without him... not true!!). All the same, it's my first time in Eastern Europe (well, I've been to Austria, but Salzburg which is decidedly west...), and I'm super excited. I've been listening to Learn Hungarian! podcasts (I have absolutely no chance of speaking Hungarian despite my daily lessons, but it's fun to try) to prepare for the trip, and reading up on the history of the fair city (I like to know my history before traveling). Mostly I'm excited about the seeing the beautiful Neo-Gothic architecture and to walk along the Danube (on both the Buda and the Pest sides). And of course visit a medicinal bath (not for the swimming part because I'm super not into being in a bathing suit in public, nor am I a big fan of public pools). But I've been told that it's what you do, so I'm going to suck it up and give it a go-- because I'm not anything if not someone who will try anything at least once (well, so far...).

The fabulous thing? It's a quick 2 hour flight (as opposed to the poor Daves' nearly 15...). I'm meeting them in Amsterdam and we'll fly together to Budapest. Seriously-- I need to be taking better advantage of living in Europe.

You can never have enough shoes...

2011-09-08T19:21:00.001+01:00

...right? Don't tell the girl who refinished a china cabinet for her shoes if you think otherwise. Of course I'll have to rearrange to accommodate my latest treasure: my first acquisition of a pair of Chie Miharas. *Sigh.* Of course, they're waaay too expensive for my wallet, but these beauties I found on eBay-- in my size (39.5!! impossible to find!! It was fate!!-- so said the self-justifying devil on my shoulder), for £75- almost 1/4 of the retail price. Soft, supple leather, a sweet scallop detail on the toe, retro with a disco twist... how could I possibly resist?? Not to mention (well, I did mention in my previous Chie post), they're super comfortable given the brand's affinity for comfort without sacrificing style. You can bet I'll be trolling eBay for more deals... and maybe a second china cabinet... (kidding... just kidding).

If you've ever had a broken heart...

2011-09-07T10:55:00.002+01:00

Ladyhawke

2011-09-05T17:51:00.014+01:00

One of my FAVORITE movies. I actually own it on DVD... and watch it when it's on TV (which was quite recently in fact). Released in 1985, it was Matthew Broderick's 3rd feature film (followed War Games); Michelle Pfeiffer's 7th (how she went from Grease 2 to this role, we'll never know...); and Rutger Hauer's, well-- he had far more under his belt. And although many predating Ladyhawke were Dutch, let's face it folks, he was probably the big star of this film.

Even though the story is still a great one (come on-- star-crossed lovers, cursed and destined to live their lives together, but never as humans at the same time? Action, adventure, comedy and heart-crushing love story? Tale as old as time!), the music-- oh, the music-- is SO, SO BAD. Seriously... 70s porn music is never a good idea for a non-porn movie (not that I have first hand experience with porn music, but all the same, the synthesized goodness that floods all of the action (and otherwise) scenes of this movie really takes away from it).

My wish? That someone would not remake the movie, but simply re-score it. How freaking awesome would that be? Any movie music gurus out there willing to take on the challenge?? PLEEEAAASSSE??? Maybe for a 30 year anniversary party? Who's with me??

Oh, Matthew and your comedic genius

Navarre and Ladyhawke

The beautiful Isabeau telling the evil bishop to shove it

The three stars and the drunken priest

Learning to sew

2011-09-04T10:47:00.001+01:00

Well, learning is a stretch. Considering I haven't yet successfully threaded the bobbin (I don't really know what a bobbin is or if that makes sense). Considering, even after studying the instructions for about 30 minutes, I can't figure out how to get the machine threaded, I don't think this is going to be a very fruitful activity...

Countdown to Downton

2011-09-03T09:12:00.012+01:00

I fell in love with the British series "Downton Abbey" last year, and am waiting with baited breath for the second season to begin (two weeks!!). I think I would have loved to live during those times... for the hats alone! Of course, I'd probably end up a ladies' maid or a cook, so perhaps not.

It's been a year since series one aired to critical acclaim. The series has a terrific cast (including the venerable Dame Maggie Smith) with a few great new additions joining this season (Maria Doyle Kennedy who played Queen Katherine of Aragon in another great series "The Tudors"-- whoop-whoop!). Filmed at Highclere Castle, methinks there may be another adventure in England on the horizon...

The Peak District

2011-09-02T21:09:00.001+01:00

Can we say breathtaking? We had an awesome weekend (a few weekends ago now...) in the Peak District in Derbyshire. And little did I know that the town we stayed in (Beeley) was the land of my ancestors. It neighbored the town of Endsor (pronounced "Ensor") which happens to be my grandmother's maiden name, and, we suspect, where her family originated. Too cool.

We stayed at a wonderful B&B called Fold Farm. Named because, well, it's a farm (and still a working farm). We learned from one of the proprietors (a retired major from the Welsh army-- and an absolutely charming man with a wicked-- err, dirty, sense of humor) that his partner was the only landowner on the Chatsworth estate aside from the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire themselves. Alas, we weren't able to get the story behind that one (we were sworn to secrecy), but intriguing all the same. The good old major Vince was the life of the party-- he greeted us with afternoon tea in the garden, and was our tour guide/waiter (he cheerily served breakfast alone with constant happy chatter). And what a spread breakfast was-- homemade butter and jams, a full English (that's 2 eggs sunnyside up, sausages, bacon, roasted tomato, mushroom and all the toast you can eat for all you non-Brits), fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, fruit juices, water and bottomless pots of tea and coffee. Certainly better than any hotel (and terrific for the price). Major Vince is also a world champion fly fisherman and captained the Welsh team at the World Championships in Jackson Hole, WY in 1997. The farm house itself is full of character with low ceilings, exposed beams and quirky passageways.

Oh, and Chatsworth House. Pretty incredible. I don't have any good photos, partially because my iPhone battery was dying and partially because it was undergoing renovations, so the whole front side of the property was covered in scaffolding and tarps (an impressive feat!). The Devonshires have an impressive collection of art, both masters and modern, and the decor is a fabulous juxtaposition of old and new (my favorite thing). The property and gardens are equally impressive, and we very much enjoyed a tractor ride around the property and into the wooded hills behind where there are three vacation rentals that us lay-men can rent out (bit of trivia: Prince William lived in one of them for a few weeks during school as part of a work/study placement. Even royalty does stuff to get into college). Definitely something to look into for the next adventure in England.

Fold Farm-- the B&B

The Lane at Fold Farm

Private residence at Fold Farm

View of Chatsworth House from the garden


Dried thistles to discourage visitors from sitting on the fancy furniture

Cupola in the main stairway (previously obscured by a false ceiling that the Dowager Duchess had removed)

I loved the carpet

Wonderful sleeping lion in the sculpture gallery

The Hunter's Tower (Where Prince William stayed)

Makes me wanna dance...

2011-08-27T12:32:00.002+01:00

and listen to Mick.

Instead of blogging...

2011-08-25T21:08:00.001+01:00

...I've been doing! It's been a busy week. Between a weekend gallivanting around the Peak District with MRN and friends Liz and Kelvin as well as a few days off for hospital appointments and driving experiences (super cars and treks through the countryside), I've had no time to write. But oh, are there photos. I'll catch up this weekend since it's a BANK HOLIDAY. That's three day weekend in UK-speak. Rather than bother with the pretense of a day off celebrating things like Presidents or civil rights activists or veterans, the Brits just give everyone a day off-- well, just because. Hey-- who's to complain?

Off to the Peaks

2011-08-20T11:31:00.000+01:00

Whoop-whoop! Wayfarin' weekend, and we're off to a part of England I've never been to: The Peak District. Located in north-central England (it's pretty big for a small country), The Peaks is the first national park in the British Isles. With an estimated 22 million visitors per year, the Peak District is thought to be the second most visited national park in the world (after the Mount Fuji National Park in Japan). Who knew?

Thanks to my "only friend in England" (the wonderful Liz), we're off for a weekend jaunt around the countryside with she and her equally wonderful Kelvin. The plan is to explore the little villages in the central eastern part of the Peaks today and then tomorrow spend the day at Chatsworth House, an historic home and estate where many a movie has been filmed, including The Duchess, Pride and Prejudice (The Keira Knightly version; The BBC Classic-Colin-Firth-*SIGH*-version was filmed at another historic Peaks home, Lyme Park) and The Wolfman (errr-- did anyone see that movie??).

It's a strange mix of sun and rain today, so I think it will be a Wellie kind of a day. And even though it's summer, it's 60 degrees (yes, people-- in August), so jackets and woolly socks will come along as well. Stay tuned for photos!

Regina Spektor

2011-08-17T19:10:00.000+01:00

"Fidelity"

(Shake it up)

I never loved nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting my heart truly
I got lost in the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind all this music

And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart

And suppose I never ever met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you
Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall
Just to break my fall
Just to break my fall
Break my fall
Break my fall

All my friends say that of course its gonna get better
Gonna get better
Better better better better
Better better better

I never love nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting by heart truly
I got lost
In the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind
All this music
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart

I hear in my mind all of these voices
I hear in my mind all of these words
I hear in my mind all of this music

Breaks my
Heart
Breaks my heart

Delightfully Reimagined

2011-08-16T22:56:00.001+01:00

Photo courtesy of Savour the Senses*

Nearly every upscale restaurant has succumbed to the trend of an asparagus and poached egg salad. I can't even pinpoint it to a specific cuisine because I've had some variation of it in French, American, Italian and even Gastro-pub, restaurants alike. Be it with Parmesan shavings, a grilled portabella mushroom, lettuce of any variety, sprinkling of crispy bacon, hollandaise-- you name it, I order it. Because there's nothing I like better than asparagus and a poached egg. (oh, okay-- there are SOME things I like better, but that doesn't really work for this post.)

So imagine my delight to turn up at the Mint Hotel (née City Inn) in Manchester to find a brand spanking new menu with an asparagus and poached egg combo. It was my first time back since our falling out -- this place used to be my weekly hang-out, where I'd wait for MRN after a trip somewhere in the country. I'd hang out in the lobby bar/lounge, where the WiFi was free and the staff accommodating-- they never even blinked at my order of peppermint tea and the hours I spent hanging out, typing away at my computer. But the new management which brought with it poor service, sub-standard loos (previously my favorite part of the hotel-- I'm always on the hunt given my particular aversion to public restrooms) and mediocre food, sent me looking for greener pastures.

Today it all changed. Partly because it was raining, and partly because I desperately needed the loo ("English-ism") after my two hour journey, I headed across the street from the train station to the Mint Hotel. I meant to only order tea but in perusing the menu, I spied this little delight:

Warm Asparagus, Lambs Lettuce and Ham Hock Salad (with a soft poached egg and Parmesan)

Ummm-- YES PLEASE!

Having had somewhat dubious dining experiences here in the past, I did wonder what I was in store for-- after all, a poached egg is not an easy feat, and doing it in the fly in a busy hotel bar, even more of a challenge. But boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The salad was indeed warm (as advertised), the asparagus perfectly cooked-- tender but not mushy; the Ham hock such an unexpected-- and tasty-- addition; and the egg! PERFECTLY poached. When you cut into the egg, just the right amount of yolk poured out to create a delectable dressing that the lambs ear lettuce was perfect for mopping up. Needless to say, I inhaled it. (and I didn't even notice that they omitted the parmesan until I wrote this entry-- clearly an unnecessary addition).

So big thumbs up to the Mint Hotel (and most importantly the chef!) for a great rescue. This may just become my "new" haunt part deux.

(*Note: Photo is not the actual dish that I ate. I was too busy eating to remember to take a photo... I'll try harder next time...)

A bevy of activity

2011-08-15T19:09:00.000+01:00

That's what my 'hood was this morning (and oh, what a 'hood it is). It started with what sounded like someone trying to kick in a door. Glancing outside my office window (which happens to overlook the backyard), I saw a couple of kids holding tire irons in the neighbor's yard. Said neighbor doesn't live there anymore-- she moved into a retirement home a few years ago and her house has been empty ever since. It's unfortunately become a target for criminals and vandalized several times (most recently with people stealing PIPES and flooding the place). Then came the kicking and the pounding-- and my subsequent call to the police (following yesterday's call for the SAME THING). Lo and behold, the police showed up immediately! The little perps had already gone by then (they saw me through the window and took off), but the Police Officer was AWESOME. He came in for a chat, took some notes, said he'd patrol the area for a while and reassured me that I should call anytime I hear/see anything (and not call the Community "Police" who aren't really police, but pretend, because as suspected, they don't really do anything). When, about an hour later, the twerps came back, I called the police again and within minutes, the same (awesome) guy came screaming up to save the day (missed them again). I also found out that there are Indian plain clothes/unmarked car police officers that patrol the area regularly. Again? AWESOME. Finally feeling like someone is doing something in this 'hood.

Getting lost in the countryside

2011-08-14T12:34:00.002+01:00

We live a few minutes drive in any direction from some of the most gorgeous countryside. One of my favorite things to do is to set off and "get lost" in the country. With no specific destination in mind, we see what we stumble upon-- from sleepy villages and 100+ year old pubs (there are pubs EVERYWHERE in England... even in the middle of nowhere), historic homes and National Trust treasures to rolling hills, shaded forests and running brooks-- there's a lot to discover. Roads that are barely wider than your car lined by old stone walls or trimmed hedges (which are sometimes TALLER than your car); Sleepy forests with rabbits and hedgehogs and owls and badgers and pheasants; Rolling hills dotted with sheep (or curly haired cows or majestic horses); and of course the terrific old stone farmhouses. Ahhh-- heavenly.

The best is finding a little pub in the middle of nowhere and stopping in for a snack (or meal-- depending on the time of day). We did just that yesterday and stopped into the Tempest Arms in Elsack-- which happens to be the 2011 Pub of the Year. Admittedly, this stop wasn't an accident, as we previously discovered it a year ago when we were on another similar drive around the countryside. Even though it's only about 30 minutes from where we live, it is nestled in the middle of pretty much nowhere, and this is the first time we've returned since last year (mostly because we couldn't find it again-- one of the downsides to wandering around in the countryside). It's an Inn in addition to a pub/restaurant. And it's one of my favorite kinds-- low ceilings, open fireplaces, cozy tables and a pub mascot-- a lovely old lab who wanders around and greets all the patrons. Dogs are allowed in the pub area, and it's amazing how well behaved they are (and that they don't beg at every table...). We had a mid-day snack-- this delish cheese and pate board. Yum-mee.

Most visitors to England don't get past London. But venture a little further, you'll discover a beautiful country that's much more than double-decker buses, red phone booths and fish and chips (although those are pretty good too).

Floss your teeth, live an extra 6 years...

2011-08-13T18:23:00.003+01:00

...so I recently learned. Who knows if it's true (hey-- it's the weekend; I'm feeling too lazy to do the research), but I do know (from my health care marketing background) that taking care of your teeth can help ward off more serious conditions like heart disease. Who knew?

So here's your public service announcement for the week: Brusha-brusha-brusha... and remember to floss!

Whoopi's Shoes

2011-08-12T18:21:00.002+01:00

Whoopi Goldberg is a cool chick. She seems to be so mellow, laid back and very confident and super smart. Oh, and has a wicked sense of humor, of course. What a great combination of attributes. And what makes her a SUPER cool chick? Her love of-- yes, people-- shoes. She says she loves shoes that are "interesting to her." Ahhhh-- I think we're soul sisters.

Check out her dressing room with a wall of shoes in the the behind the scenes video from "The View" (don't worry-- it's only Whoopi, so you don't actually have to watch The View).

Irregular Choice

Melissa (she's wearing these below)

Irregular Choice

CRAVing

2011-08-11T13:14:00.001+01:00

Oh, sushi-- how I miss you. But not just any sushi-- Sushi Aki (now Sushi Yagumo). The amazing hole-in-the-wall of my childhood, located in good old Van Nuys, California.

Maybe it's nostalgia, but I think this is the best place in the whole world. The sushi is delicious-- but their specialty? The spicy handroll.

Unlike most sushi places who use a chili sauce, it's all about fresh and dried peppers for this place. And you can "choose your level" of spicy, between 1 and 10 (and don't I love interactive eating). You can even win a prize if you eat a #10 (well, now you have to eat 2). But best save that for your last roll-- because you won't be able to feel your mouth IF you're actually able to eat the whole thing. Case in point: I LOVE spicy food, and pretty much spice up everything I eat (so demonstrated by the large container of crushed red peppers, and back-up bags of it, that I have in my spice cabinet). But I can only eat a #3.

I woke up this morning craving Sushi Aki-- err, Yagumo (changed owners with the famous Aki retired and the restaurant was taken over by one of the chefs). This is a "ninja roll" whose contents are a surprise-- a mixture of the freshest catch, usually tuna and yellowtail and whatever else is on hand; combined with chiles and green onion and yummy goodness. This is one of my favorites along with my ALL time favorite, spicy scallops. Yum, Yum, Yum. You'll always be Sushi Aki to me.

And I moved to a war-torn country when?

2011-08-10T23:27:00.003+01:00

Ummm... maybe you haven't heard about it, but there have been riots all across England for the last 4 days. What, you say? England-- the land of high-brow, sophisticated, and proper people? Ummm... yeah. What allegedly started as a reaction to the shooting of a peaceful protester by police in London turned into absolute ridiculousness of bored youth taking advantage of the situation to get free stuff. All. Around. The. Country.

People are speculating that it's this generation of entitlement brought on by lack of discipline, decent parenting and a "nanny state" where parents, schools or other authorities can't scold children for fear of being brought up on abuse charges. And boy, have these "kids" shown the results of this wise practice. Part of it is the kids themselves-- but I don't think any of us is innocent in this situation. How can you teach right and wrong when 1) the government is telling you that you can't; 2) babies are having babies with no support; 3) poor education; and, 4) no role models. And probably a billion other things.

Any way you slice it, it's just plain wrong. All these kids seriously need a good spanking. It would have probably done them good years ago.

Nom-Nom-Nom

2011-08-09T10:38:00.018+01:00

If you don't know it by now, I love to cook. I do get hooked on favorite recipes, but I also like to try new ones. The last couple of years I've focused on learning how to cook red meat-- since I married a Brit and all and they love their meat. But seeing as I was raised a vegetarian (for all intents and purposes-- although we ate fish and sometimes turkey), other meats were sort of a mystery. And while I cook all sorts of fish, shellfish was one area that I tended to avoid. It was the special treat meal that you'd order in restaurants and pay through the nose for. But, like all food, someone has to prepare it-- so why not me? So I started tackling shellfish... prawns, clams, mussels... but one thing remained at arms reach-- my favorite ever: scallops.

I don't know why I found them to be intimidating, but maybe it was because I LOVE them, and didn't want one bad experience at home to turn me off to them forever. But thanks to my wonderful brother- and sister-in-law, I gained the courage to try them at home. And they are delectable. Forget spending $20 at a restaurant-- you can make this at home for $5-- for two people! This is Gordon Ramsay's recipe (via my bro- and sis-in-law who made this for us at a dinner party). I've made it several times, experimenting with the quantities of the ingredients (and adding the salt when pan searing the scallops) to get the balance right (MRN doesn't like tomatoes so I use less; I like more spice, so more chiles)-- and I think I've finally hit pay dirt. This is pure yumminess and perfect for a summer evening (not to mention a very easy recipe that is guaranteed to impress your guests).

Pan Seared Scallops with Spicy Corn Salsa

Ingredients:

Fresh, large scallops (3-4 per person)
(1) 14-oz can of sweet corn
1/2 packet of grape tomatoes (approx 100 g/3.5 oz), diced
1 small red onion, diced
3 small green or red chiles, finely minced
3 tbsp sesame oil
dash of soy sauce
juice from one lime
curry powder
fleur de sel (or kosher salt if you don't have it)
olive oil (for cooking scallops)
rocket leaves (optional)
fresh coriander (or cilantro for you California peeps-- also optional), chopped

For scallops:

Heat olive oil on high heat in saute pan (should be VERY hot so that oil is almost smoking)
Remove muscle (if still attached) and rinse and pat dry. Slide scallops in half. Dust both sides with curry powder and sprinkle of fleur de sel (I usually dust the second side once in the pan).
When pan is very hot, add scallops and sear for 1 min per side (watch them carefully because you may need less time depending on your stove top).
Remove from pan and set aside

For salsa:

Combine all ingredients except scallops, curry, fleur de sel and olive oil in bowl and toss to combine.
Heat salsa is large saute pan for 2-3 minutes until warm.

To serve:

If serving with rocket, place a few leaves at the bottom of an appetizer-sized bowl or plate. Spoon salsa over rocket leaves. Place 6-8 scallops over salsa (or however many you're serving per person; if they're particularly large, and you are serving this as an app, may want to reduce to 4). Sprinkle with fresh chopped coriander (or I use parsley because I'm not a coriander fan...).

Take THAT Mother Nature!

2011-08-08T10:36:00.001+01:00

It's been a crazy cold summer (temps have not gone about about 68 degrees; and for the most part, have been hovering in the high 50s/low 60s. Welcome to England!). Which means none of the flowers I've planted have bloomed. The herbs and greens have flourished but other than the lilac tree, there have been no blooms. Entirely disappointing for me because I love flowers and have had to feed my fix through weekly purchases from the grocery story. So imagine my delight when taking the trash out over the weekend I spied two little sweet pea blossoms popping out on the trellis that MRN recently affixed to the garden shed. Whoop-whoop! It's still cold, but these little beauties are standing up against Mother Nature just the same. Maybe the rest of the garden will follow these little leaders.

(P.S. Don't be fooled by the begonias in the foreground-- those are recent purchases, already in bloom, from the garden store bound for MRN's dad's planter).

Testing... 1-2-3... Testing

2011-08-06T11:33:00.001+01:00

I've had a couple of messages that people aren't able to post comments on my blog (big fat BOOOO!!!). Not sure what the problem is, but I'm trying to identify it, so if you are having trouble posting a comment, let me know (and what error message you are getting) and I'll continue to try to identify! (Because I really like comments!!!).

Oh-- and about He-Man. There's no reason why I've included his picture in this post other than when I searched google images for "No Comment" this came up in the search and I thought it was funny. ;)

Filing solutions

2011-08-05T15:00:00.004+01:00

The raw materials

After a few years of changing the subject every time MRN brought up our "filing system" (which admittedly wasn't often), I finally decided that it was time to address the problem head on. Well, that's not exactly true. The real story is that in a frenzy of looking for a ridiculous number of documents to prove all sort of ridiculous things for immigration purposes (mine and his) he finally put his foot down and insisted that if we didn't address the filing issue then he was going to go out and buy an ugly, metal vertical filing cabinet and put it in the office.

You can bet that kicked my bootie into high gear.

Not that I didn't agree that our "system" wasn't much of a system-- it was a series of expanding file boxes we got at various Ikea visits; so they didn't match and were not integrated... and there was duplication all over the place. But with the threat of ugly entering the house, I set out to find a better solution--err, compromise. I had found a "filing ottoman" at the Dormy House, but at a whopping £500, I wasn't about to spend that kind of cash. I mean-- what is it? Some plywood, some fabric-- how hard could it be? So an idea was born. And thankfully with a handy husband, it was also relatively painless.

It took MRN all of 15 minutes to build it (thanks to the cutting service at B&Q-- England's equivalent to Home Depot). Then the fun part of upholstering. Which wasn't fun at all-- what started as my project ended with me throwing my hands up and letting MRN take over (he can't help it... I'm the queen of get the project finished in the least amount of time and he's Mr. Detail get everything perfect when it comes to building anything). Our take-away? I'm the "idea man" and he's the "execution man." Fine by me!

Here's a step-by-step of our DIY filing ottoman. Still some finishing work (in terms of lining the inside), but functional and in use for the time being. MRN thinks we should sell them-- much better option than ugly metal filing cabinets, don't you think?

The goods:

Plywood
Foam
Quilt batting
3 yards of striped fabric
Spray adhesive
Staple gun
Furniture legs
Hinges
Metal dowels
Cardboard
Satin ribbon
Upholstery nails

The process:

A notice board/decorative touch on the inside cover made from thick poster board which I covered with the same fabric, satin ribbon and upholstery nails. The ribbon is a pretty close match to the color of the flowers in the wallpaper used to decorate Gladys (and the lampshade). Lucky purchase on my part considering I didn't bring a swatch to the fabric store. Whoop!

Oxymoron

2011-08-04T10:53:00.004+01:00

Scott Park

I live a block away
from this wonderful park; Weather permitting, I walk around it a few times everyday (it's a little more than a half mile around the loop) and play tennis there (when I can bribe my husband into exercising-- usually with food). You can't tell from this drawing, but it's pretty hilly and towards the South end, and turns into a forest (as you can see by the trees), which makes it a really beautiful walk. With tennis courts, a bowling green, a playground and rolling hills (not to mention bicycle and skateboard bans), it's a pretty perfect retreat.

There are beautiful houses surrounding the park-- rambling old homes with original sash and stained glass windows and terrific English gardens in the front and back. They all face directly onto the park, separated only by a small, cobblestone lane. They're not huge houses-- 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom (English houses are not big on multiple bathrooms), a relatively small kitchen, living room, den and dining room. But they're like walking back in time and I love them. I often find myself wondering what it would have been like to live in one when they were first built. So imagine my excitement when on one of my walks earlier this week I noticed that one was for sale. They NEVER go on the market. I went straight home and onto the realtor website and was shocked to see it was listed for nearly half a million (US) dollars.

If you've read any of my blog, you'll know that I live in a TERRIBLE neighborhood-- there are about 4 streets that are the worst, and I live on one of them. Seriously-- I'm not exaggerating. It's one of the most deprived areas in the country-- both from a poverty perspective, but also anti-social behavior (England's nice way of saying petty crime, vandalism, drug dealing, public drunkenness and fighting, neglect and general grossness. And don't even get me started about the amount of trash and dog poop all over the place-- it's everywhere.). You can literally buy a house for £9,000-- granted, you can't actually live in it. They're shells without running water or electricity (because the pipes have been stolen and wiring ripped out by vandals. Not kidding). But all things considered, not too bad for a small two-bedroom house when you could probably get it up and running with an investment of about £10K. Of course to make any money you'd have to sell it (which in the current market is impossible) or rent it (but to people who are drug dealers and criminals), making it more prudent to just board it up and let it sit rather than deal with the consequences (which we're seriously considering). And this neighborhood (my street included) is literally one block away from this gorgeous park and the beautiful expensive houses.

Now, I know that you'll often find poorer areas on the outskirts of high-rent districts. But THIS much of a divide, this close together? It's insane! Also insane that no one actually uses the park. It's virtually empty most of the time-- even when the sun is shining (which admittedly, is not often). When you live in absolute squalor and there's a little haven right next door, why not take advantage of it? Instead, the people in my neighborhood pull out their furniture in front of their houses and sit and drink and let their children play in the street and complete filth in front of abandoned and boarded-up houses. I realize that I grew up in a completely different world, but I simply do not get it. Any urban studies people out there care to comment?

Etsy-inspired

2011-08-03T11:14:00.004+01:00

Vinyl Monogram Decal from Etsy

And aptly pinned (have I mentioned my obsession with Pinterest? Oh-- well, I am-- OBSESSED)-- this is the newest addition to the re-arranged bedroom decor. It's taken far enough away so you can't see how I completely messed up the whole application of the decal (yes, we all know that I am not crafty... or patient... so what business I had applying a decal to a glass surface, I don't know). On a positive note, it's at least centered and level.

And yes-- I do realize the unfortunate nature of our monogram. Seeing as I'm not a big fan of chocolate, we can hold the candy references and paraphernalia. ;)

Office makeover

2011-08-02T19:28:00.003+01:00

Home Office: Before

You may remember a few years ago (or may not... but considering there's only three people who read this blog, it may not be too far of a stretch) when we started to re-do the office. I posted a pretty pitiful before shot, which is pretty much the only photo I took. But you can imagine, based on this pic, the state of things. Basically you couldn't really walk in here. It was a storage closet with a desk crammed into the corner that was all but consumed by the behemoth all-in-one printer that my company issues to work at home employees (seriously-- could they give me a bigger one??). I know that it's getting old, but you'll remember my house is SMALL. So storage was a key priority. Plus, if we were to ever have guests (which we still haven't had), we wanted somewhere for them to sleep.

Home Office: After

DIY Roman Blinds

This is pretty much how the office has stayed--significantly cleaned up with nothing in the room/on the floor aside from the desk and closet units that you see here. That is until I got and made-up Gladys, we moved the dresser previously in the bedroom to this room, got some new shades, and made this nifty ottoman (more on this in an upcoming post)-- and re-arranged some pictures and mirrors in the house. And wouldn't you know it-- it went from a space in transition to a pretty nice (if I do say so myself) space.

Gladys and re-arranged wall decor

Wall decor, alcove cover, rearranged dresser

DIY Ottoman

A little paint goes a long way

2011-08-01T18:31:00.008+01:00

Another make-over, this time of the mini variety. I found this planter at Tesco in the sale aisle for a whopping £2. Score! And while I love the natural terracotta with the olive branch decoration, I've been looking for a planter that we could put at MRN's dad's grave for a little while now. And since it will be outside permanently and you have to seal terracotta so it doesn't wick away all of the moisture and kill whatever is planted, I decided I would paint it.

I started by sealing the inside with a clear enamel spray and then painted the whole thing using good old Rustoleum multi-surface spray paint in gloss black (yes, I used the same for Gladys).

After 24 hours I then used a stencil brush to dab bronze metallic acrylic craft paint on the olive branch decoration which I purposefully did imperfectly to give is a more natural look. Another 24 hours later, I sealed the whole thing with more clear enamel spray paint.

So, voila! Pretty simple transformation for a flower pot-- and at a bargain (since I had left-over rustoleum, I only had to buy the enamel and craft paint (£2.99 each). That plus the pot means this little project was only about £6. I always think it's such a shame to leave flowers that die so quickly and I'd noticed that some of the other graves had lovely gardens and planters-- so this way we can plant seasonal plants that could last a few months and there would always be something in bloom. I was too late this season for forget-me-nots so I got some beautiful begonias (not pictured) and as the season changes I figured we could replace with some heather or evergreen as it gets cold and then plant forget-me-nots and rosemary (for remembrance) in the Spring. Any other ideas of what we can plant as the seasons change?

Spray-painted black

Finished product

Love

2011-07-31T10:14:00.000+01:00

How the light gets in

2011-07-30T18:24:00.000+01:00

I've posted this video on Facebook, but don't think I've shared it here. It's a video that a man from Australia named Kristian Anderson made for his wife on her birthday. Kristian has terminal cancer, but is still fighting. His attitude, his faith, his journey and his love-- for family, friends and life are inspirational. This video gets me every time.

English-isms

2011-07-29T11:56:00.002+01:00

Three years in (yes! August marks my THIRD year living in England!), I still have my lost in translation moments. MRN gets a kick out of them as I continue to ask for translation assistance (sometimes it's words, sometimes it's that I just don't understand accents). I'm one of those annoying people who just laugh when I'm uncomfortable (or faced with confrontation), or grin and nod like an idiot when I don't understand what someone is saying-- at least in a party situation (one-on-one proves a bit more difficult so I have to ask people to repeat themselves). So at parties I still find myself sticking close to MRN so if I don't know what some one's said I can look at him inquisitively for interpretation. Sad, I know-- but once a pleaser, always a pleaser. Here are some of my favorite "English-isms" to date:

Plonker (a dumb-*ss)
Muppet (similar to plonker, but sometimes used more affectionately in a, "oh, bless" kind of way
Oh, bless (when someone does something idiotic but they don't know any better because they ain't too bright)
Rubbish (akin to "sucks"-- a nicer way to say it, I think)
Snog (I've actually not heard anyone say this, but I love this word. So much more descriptive than just "kissing"
Skip rats (I don't think this is actually an English-ism, but it's what MRN calls the people in our not-so-nice neighborhood)
Blagging (akin to taking the piss)
Taking the piss (Basically, "pulling your leg" but "piss" is also considered a bad word-- kids get in trouble for saying it; well, if they have [good] parents that care about that stuff)
Bum (bootie-- also like bum bag, which is equivalent to our fanny pack. But fanny in British-English is not considered a nice word-- it's a euphemism for a female body part)
Knackered (completely exhausted)
Ginger (a red head-- my favorite)
Queue (a line-- as in, "form an orderly queue")

There are loads more (there's one!) but that's all I'm able to rattle off at the moment. Of course my favorite word is the "W" word which is akin to the "F" word, but certainly doesn't sound as bad (maybe because I didn't grow up with it and so it doesn't seem like a bad word). MRN does go mental (there's another) if I say it because it is a pretty bad word apparently. Ah well-- I claim international ignorance.

Can't get enough...

2011-07-28T13:06:00.006+01:00

... of Chie Mihara. This globetrotter was born to Japanese parents in Brazil where she was raised and started designing shoes when she was a student at FIT in NYC (in her apartment in Queens, no less). Now married to a Spaniard and living and designing in Spain (and we all know the best shoes come from Spain), her magnificent shoes are available at high-end retailers all over the world. They're not cheap, but despite the height on many them, they are designed for comfort. She studied foot anatomy and common foot problems at an orthopedic shoe store where she first worked as a designer and her shoes are built to the shape of a woman's foot for ultimate comfort. Here are some of my favorites from the Fall 2011 collection. I'm kind of obsessing over the open toe + tights combination (which I usually hate). Ah, Spanish shoes how I love you.

Cosmic Love

2011-07-27T09:03:00.002+01:00

One of my favorite Florence+the Machine songs. It's one of those songs that breaks your heart... so powerful, meaningful and beautiful. There are really amazing acoustic versions, but I love the original with the driving drumbeat in the chorus juxtaposed with that soft harp in the verses... such a strong metaphor for love.

A cooking kind of weekend

2011-07-26T10:15:00.001+01:00

Inspired by GP I suppose, it was a lovely weekend filled with family and cooking, as you've spied in the last couple of posts. Sunday was no different and since we FINALLY had some sunshine (and it nearly hit 68F! WHOOP!), we decided to grill (though we ate inside since it was still freakishly cold). MRN requested something "normal" (though he was kinder in the nomenclature) so there were hamburgers but then I got to be more creative, making:

Marinated lamb kebabs (marinated overnight in red wine, red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic and an assortment of fresh herbs including rosemary and thyme) speared with red onions, yellow and red peppers and served on toasted pine nut cous cous (made with homemade chicken stock).

"Mom's potato salad" (right) which is a standard Hawaiian concoction that contains very little potato combined with pasta, hard boiled eggs (shredded), carrot (also shredded), crab meat, onion, black olives and mayo.

&

Homemade "Waldorf" salad with shredded chicken (left)-- my random concoction which this time became a Waldorf by based on what I happened to be able to find in the pantry; in this case, apple, celery, raisins, red onion, walnuts, chicken, S&P to taste and some mayo). This is one of my favorite things to make and eat with all the layers and textures. It's also great as a hors d'oeuvre which you can serve in Tostito "scoops" (which you can't find here, so I served it with corn chips on the side instead).

and last but not least,

Peach crostata (Ummm... half eaten; couldn't beat away the eaters to let me take a photo first)--a variation on apple and a perfect substitute for the summer. But I really must learn patience to convert measurements. The whole guessing on the amount of butter is making for some interesting results.

I also used GP's chicken stock recipe to freeze and store stock for future use (and use it for the cous cous that was served with the lamb). However, it yielded LOADS more than the recipe's stated 3 liters-- try 6. Whoops. So I froze 3 liters, reserved 2 cups for the cous cous and used about 1/2 a cup for a lemon/olive oil/rosemary sauce for the lamb... the rest I'll make into chicken noodle soup with the left over chicken from the stock (half of which was used for the chicken salad). And by the way-- cooking cous cous in chicken stock-- so much better! It gives it a whole new dimension and is so much tastier (thanks Ina!).

So not only was there lots of cooking this weekend, but one item ended up resulting in all sorts of applications (the chicken, the stock, the veggies...). And now when Ina's recipes call for "good chicken stock" (which it what it actually says) I can pull it out of the freezer instead grabbing a stock cube. I'm sure food will taste magnificently better for it. (So I'll keep telling myself.)

Pic-Your-Piccata

2011-07-25T09:30:00.001+01:00

I know that title doesn't make any sense but at the end of a particularly long and taxing "day job" week, I'm struggling to find my creativity. Those (boring) things aside, all I have to say is YUMMMM to the piccata. I've never made this at home, but spying it in the BC (Barefoot Contessa for all of you Mikie-food-post-virgins) it looked both yummy and quick. And boy, was it both. I stopped by the neighborhood butcher earlier in the week to pick up some fresh chicken breasts and had him butterfly them for me (he sort of did a rubbish job-- next time I'll have a go at it myself) and then all I had to do is pound them out between two sheets of plastic wrap (great for getting out some aggression, might I add), dredge it through flour, egg and breadcrumbs (in that order), fry it up in lots of olive oil for two minutes per side and then pop it in the oven for 10 minutes. Some fresh lemon juice, wine and lots of butter later, you have a sauce and voila! Done! A terrifically quick and delicious meal all in 20 minutes (including prep and getting on the plate). My kind of meal.

Gwyneth's Cookbook: First Attempts

2011-07-24T09:00:00.001+01:00

Breakfast probably being my favorite meal (well, it's my favorite party... I used to love to host and go to brunches), I decided to try a few of Gwyneth's (yes, we're on a first name basis) breakfast recipes first thing on a rare sunny Saturday morning. I couldn't pass up the apple spice crumble muffins (they reminded me of my beloved Mani's apple spice cakes-- vegan, no refined sugar and absolutely delicious) and turkey breakfast sausage. Both were YUMMY. I had to substitute the spelt flour called for in the recipe with whole meal flour because it's impossible to find spelt flour in Northern England (even a trip to the health food store yielded a big fat fail), so I'm not sure if that changed the chemistry in the muffins or not. And I also learned that "corn flower" is the same as corn starch (so now I have two boxes-- American and British). Plus I've now exhausted the very last of my lovely grade A organic maple syrup (also something I can only find in London-- called for in both recipes). I also added a little more spice to the turkey sausage because I think ground turkey in Britain tastes a little off, so I usually spice it up to compensate. I'm off to make vegetable stock (also from GP's cookbook). Can't wait to try some more recipes...

Homemade turkey breakfast sausage

The turkey sausage recipe called for fresh sage. Luckily the herbs I planted in a hanging basket outside of the kitchen door are growing like gangbusters despite the chilly temps!

I Think We Would Be Great Friends

2011-07-23T10:45:00.002+01:00

I heart Gwyneth Paltrow. Not in a stalker kind of way-- I mean, I haven't even seen all of her movies (though Sliding Doors has to be one of my all time favorites), nor do I own the soundtrack to Country Strong (haven't seen that one either)-- but I do have the music from Duets (love me some Huey and Gwyneth). But in the way that I think she seems like a really cool, down-to-earth chick, despite of her Hollywood legacy and status. She just seems like she's a kindred spirit; and, even though I've never met her (and the likelihood of meeting her seems pretty slim), sometimes I feel like we're ships passing in the night-- my having lived in the places she has (or nearly near-- she in London, me in Manchester; she in Santa Monica, me in the SF Valley; both in NYC). She's someone that I'd love to sit down and have a meal with (and cook with!). Not to mention since we both married Brits, it would be fun to compare notes and lost in translation stories.

I picked up her new cookbook, "Notes from my Kitchen" in Waterstones yesterday (the US version is called "My Father's Daughter"). I'd flagged it as something to check out when it was first published but hadn't come across it until this week. I was drawn in right from the introduction-- she talked about food just like me! Her passion for food and how it's woven into her family life is the way that my love of food has been instilled in me from a very early age. I come from a long line of amazing "home chefs" and from a food culture (as opposed to foodie although there are certainly some of those too)-- on both sides of my family: father's (American Southern) and mother's (Hawaiian-Asian). Not many people know that food in Hawaiian culture is intrinsically about family. It's where loved ones gather to share their lives; it's a symbol of love and welcome-- I always joke that you can't walk into a Hawaiian household without breaking bread-- or at least taking something home with you. And there's never a shortage of food either. You will leave stuffed to the gills and with a doggie bag. MRN (and his initially unsuspecting family who've now been properly "Hawaiianed") teases me about it constantly. For me, as it seems it is for Gwyneth, feeding people is showing them how much I love them.

There's many things that I love about this cookbook (I haven't made anything yet since I just got it but I've already dog-eared lots of pages). First-- it's beautiful. Not just the food pictures (I hate cookbooks without pictures. While the recipes might be great, you eat with your eyes first, and I find food pictures to be inspiring and mouth-watering), but the layout, the fonts and the icons (easy references for if it's quick, freezer friendly or "make-ahead," vegetarian, vegan, a one pot meal or a fancy meal). Yes, once a typography lover, always a typography lover. And perhaps the BEST thing? The English version is written in British English-- measurements and all (and cooking times in both C and F-- although now I'm going to have to figure out if "teacup full" is a US "cup"... I think this cookbook might end up with my scribbles reverse-translating back into American English...). She's also translated ingredients for what we can find here in England (e.g. single cream... which I still haven't figured out if that's half and half)-- so no lengthy Internet searches to find substitutes and no more guessing as to how many cups of butter I need for a recipe (because I usually guess which has made for some interesting outcomes). Okay, and the BEST-best thing? She even has a recipe for turkey breakfast sausage patties-- my all time favorite breakfast item from the US that I can't get here. Yay! Now I can make my own! I also love that she's included her tips for a "well stocked pantry"(or cupboard in the UK)-- and that I have most of the things on the list in my own pantry (aside from some of the vegan and health food items that I need to order online or pick up when I'm in London). But mostly, it's the recipes themselves. I don't think I've ever had a cookbook where I want to try everything in it (sorry, Ina). But seriously, there isn't a recipe that doesn't seem absolutely delectable. Bonus? They all seem to be straight-forward and relatively easy (as we know, my requirement for cooking). Score!

I've always believed that you can make absolutely delicious food without all of the brouhaha. It seems Gwyneth would agree.

(The U.S. version)

A Few of My Favorite (NYC) Things

2011-07-22T10:00:00.005+01:00

In my continued effort to organize (and categorize) my blog, I stumbled upon this list, still in draft form, that I originally wrote in 2006. I had lived in Chicago for two years by then, but clearly was missing NYC and my 7+ years of living there. The list still holds true today-- and there are countless more things that I could add. But at 60 things, it's probably a good place to start. I think 75% of the things on the list are food-related (restaurants, markets and food). Good to know some things never change.

*********************************

1. Astoria
2. Diners
3. Chocolate egg creams
4. Broadway Tavern (neé Station)
5. Lemonia (it's not called this anymore, but it's still some of the best Greek food you'll have outside of Greece... just look for the place on Broadway/30th street in Astoria)
6. Elias' Corner (Greek seafood and ornery waitresses in Astoria... YUMMM)
7. The Yoga Room
8. Buttercup Bake Shop

9. The notions district
10. The fact that I could get anything, anywhere, at anytime
11. MOMA Design Store
12. Central Park
13. NYC-only restaurant chains
14. The fact that you always get napkins with any food item you buy (even if it's just coffee) and that everything always comes in a paper bag (even coffee).
15. Street food vendors & ginormous cinnamon rolls.

16. Papaya King
17. Roasted chesnuts for your pockets in the winter
18. Good Enough to Eat
19. Theater-- all and any

20. The N Train
21. Eisenberg's
22. Subways in general, actually
23. That you always know where you are (except maybe sometimes in the Village)
24. That 20 blocks equals a mile
25. That even streets ran East

26. The Queensboro Bridge
27. 31-62 29th Street
28. My view from Apt. 6f

29. Kate's Paperie
30. Chat-n-Chew
31. Campbell Apartment (the bar/lounge)
32. oh-- and the Campbell's Apartment (1361)
33. Grand Central Station
34. 41st Street (between Madison and Fifth)
35. The New York Public Library
36. Dancing in the rain in Bryant Park
37. Karaoke in Korea-town
38. Brother Jimmy's
39. My little slice of heaven on 23rd street between 6th and 7th
40. That I never once made the street fair on Broadway in Astoria (but the NYPD always knocked on my door to let me know that I should move the car before it was towed)
41. Ciao Bella (both the original and the upgrade in Brooklyn)

42. Basillica

43. Mister Softee
44. Going to three different Tasty Delight's, in a three block radius, to find the right flavor
45. J.G. Melon
46. Eli's

47. Zabar's
48. Arthur Avenue (and Dominic's)
49. That in NYC there are three places-- in Manhattan ALONE-- to take the freakin' GMAT; in Chicago, there's ONE.
50. That in NYC, I'd be able to find the Merrell boots I want in about a hundred places (and in Chicago, no one's ever heard of them...).
51. That some of the best friendships of my life were made there.
52. That said friends made my last days in NYC the best ever-- accomplishing my "wish list" of walking over the Brooklyn Bridge; having drinks on the roof of the MET, and seeing the Public Theater's production of my FAVORITE Shakespeare play, "Much Ado About Nothing," in Central Park (starring fellow VC alum, Lorenzo Pisoni), all in one day.
53. That there are still so many things that I want to do there.
54. Montu and Casey dancing in the street.
55. Montu and Casey in general.
56. The Daves and their Times Square haven.
57. My soul sister, Jes.
58. The sanity to my insanity, Mary C.
59. The Conran Shop.
60. Christmas in NYC.

Puy Lentils: Part Deux

2011-07-21T09:15:00.003+01:00

MRN asked that I clarify that he did NOT enjoy the lentils. He ate everything on his plate simply because I made it-- not because they were good (I thought they were good). I have filed that information away for the future (oh, and for this morning when I snuck two spoonfuls into his canned soup that he takes with him to work. I figure it will only make it better, right?). I know-- a bit evil. But I only have his best health in mind (so I keep telling myself. It has nothing to do with the two tuperware-fulls of left over lentils from dinner the other night...).

Salmon with French Green Lentils

2011-07-20T13:41:00.002+01:00

Another (delicious) and SUPER easy Barefoot Contessa recipe, this time from Barefoot in Paris. (One of my favorite BC books; also contains her cauliflower gratin recipe which literally makes MRN swoon). Are you thinking, "... lentils and salmon are French?" I know I did. But apparently, it's very French-- particularly the lentils, which I learned about on a trip to Paris earlier this year (that was as much a culinary delight as you would expect). These peppery little treats are smaller than their lentil cousins, and are the finest but most expensive of the lentil family. They are also the meatiest, richest tasting and remain quite firm after cooking making them excellent for salads (so say the experts). Also known as Puy lentils (because they were originally grown in the soils of Puy, France), green lentils are popular ingredients in French rustic cooking. I've had them as part of a hearty lunch, served with pork; though I much prefer this version with salmon. Leave it to Ina.

I've included Ina's recipe for the lentils as is, below-- but this makes far more than 4 servings, so my recommendation would be to cut it in half (as it is, we'll be lucky to get through the rest of the lentils this week). Next time I'd also omit (or at least reduce) the red wine vinegar because it gave it a bit of a sweeter undertone which I didn't love. For the salmon I didn't follow Ina's recipe (gasp!) because it seemed like too much faffing about for me (as the English say)-- heating pans for specified amounts of time and then searing and turning. Instead I just simply rubbed the salmon with olive oil, generously salted and peppered and then roasted, skin side down, on a aluminum foil covered roasting pan at 400 F (about 200 C) for 10 minutes. You don't get that lovely sear that Ina gets, but it's still delicious.

I'd say this recipe was a "good"-- I loved it (minus the red wine vinegar) but MRN only liked the salmon and not the lentils (but might I add, he ATE all the lentils on his plate, and I didn't skimp). We may want to chalk it up to his not liking veggies generally (and the fact that I tend to add a lot more than recipes call for and hide it in his food... sue me. I'm trying to keep him healthy so he lives a long, long time). But since he wasn't jumping up and down and ultimately he's my guinea pig, sadly I can't give it two thumbs up. Thumb and a half?

Ingredients

1/2 pound French green lentils such as du Puy
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for salmon
2 cups chopped yellow onions
2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
11/2 cups chopped celery (4 stalks)
11/2 cups chopped carrots (3 carrots)
11/2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or good canned broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar
4 (8-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets, skin removed

Directions

For lentils:
Place the lentils in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a sauté pan, add the onions, leeks, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the celery, carrots, chicken stock, lentils and tomato paste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the vinegar and season to taste. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

For salmon (this is where I digress-- for Ina's actual recipe, click here):
Rub with good olive oil and salt and pepper generously. Place in oven for 10 minutes-- I have a fan assisted oven, so this is the perfect amount of time; but if you have a standard oven, may want to check to make sure it's cooked. Should be just cooked through, not pink; Although if not serving right away remove from oven and cover with aluminum foil. It will continue roast out of the oven to the perfect temp).

To plate:
Gently run spatula under salmon, just between skin and bottom of fish, to separate fish from skin (after all- you don't want to serve guests something inedible that will make their lovely plate of food unsightly!). Place fish on plates and spoon lentils on either side (or as I did, spoon lentils first and place fish on top). Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.

Shoe Love

2011-07-19T09:43:00.008+01:00

I know I have an unhealthy attraction to shoes, but sometimes there are just a pair that makes my heart skip a beat. Admittedly, since getting married (and having to curb more frivolous spending for practicalities like fixing walls and pipes and things), I've reined in my shoe purchases (oh-- and lack of space, of course). But upon seeing these, I couldn't help but suck in my breath and think, "I NEED." Okay, okay-- I know it's completely irrational to NEED shoes. So I quickly altered that statement in my head to "I WANT." They're called posh wellies. And posh they are, those lovely shiny wellies with a lovely grosgrain ribbon accoutrement. And upon showing them to my very kind and completely indulgent MRN, his only response was, "Those are so you." (See? Very indulgent.) Never mind that I already own a pair of perfectly sufficient wellies (okay-- and I love them; they're purple). And I certainly don't need TWO pairs of wellies... I mean it rains constantly here, but I don't wear wellies that much (although MRN does tease me because I do wear them almost every time it rains... Did I mention they're purple??) But even so, I think I may dream about these... yet another test of my resolve, it seems!

**UPDATE** (A mere two hours after posting)
The more I look at these, the more I think that I DO need them. Doesn't the green one look like Christmas? I know, it's a sickness...

DIY Tailored Roman Shades

2011-07-18T13:44:00.001+01:00

Well, sort of. We've lived in our little house for 3 years and still don't have anything on the windows. Well, not 100% true, I suppose. We have vertical blinds-- probably the last remnant of MRN's home decor B.M. (Before Me). While they're perfectly utilitarian they're, well, perfectly utilitarian. Plus, because our windows are massive (seriously-- the ground floor-- containing living room, kitchen and laundry room, is smaller than my living room in my old Chicago apartment). The one in the office (which these shades are for) are the smallest ones in the house-- 3ft-3in wide x 5ft-4in long. Yes-- they're the height of the average woman. While it's great because it means lots of light (well, when the sun shines in England, that is), it's been awful for finding curtains or shades because the size means custom which translates to expensive.

I'd finally decided on roman shades because our rooms are small and all the windows have obstructions that would prohibit curtain rods or curtains (cabinets, closets, walls) and I like the look of shades over blinds. But as usual, my brain threw a wrench in things. I had an idea of what I wanted and couldn't find anything that fit the bill. I wanted something clean and tailored, maybe a geometric print in a fun color. Of course, everything I found that I loved was in the US. I couldn't find anything remotely similar here in the UK. And the crazy size plus custom sewing plus international shipping made for a $500+ price tag. No way. Exhaustive internet searches of every UK website yielded nothing. I couldn't find any pattern I liked and plain colors just seemed boring. And I just couldn't stomach settling for something while still paying exorbitant prices for custom shades. I even entertained (for about a half of a second) finding fabric and learning how to make my own roman shades, but I couldn't find any fabric that I could live with (oh, and I can't sew).

Oh, but while I can't sew, am not crafty and hate DIY projects, I can come up with ideas... and so this was born:

Plain white (translation=cheap) roman shade made to order to the window size (approx 50 GBP)

+

38mm black grosgrain ribbon (11 GBP for 50 yards-- I used about 4 yards, give or take)

=

Pretty perfect, tailored look

Sometimes I CAN turn my ideas into reality.

Before: Vertical blinds

After: Roman shades

Just a Kiss

2011-07-17T10:43:00.001+01:00

I think someone's hankering for a party!

2011-07-16T06:08:00.000+01:00

And that someone would be ME! Does anyone want to take me to one?

Latest pins on pinterest (aka my new favorite website) on "My Style" board:

The great pantyhose caper…

2011-07-15T10:00:00.004+01:00

…would make a terrific Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys title don't you think? Alas, this mystery may have more to do with my complete lack of fashion sense than an actual mystery. But the question is:

When did it become a fashion faux pas to wear pantyhose/nylons/stockings?

With all the brouhaha over Duchess Catherine's leg wear of choice during her recent North American tour, rather than join the pundits and their gasps of incredulity to the Royal's audacity to don sheer leg wear, my reaction was, “Wait a second! I wear pantyhose!” Oops. Is it just because it's shiny? (because I can tell you from first hand experience-- they only sell shiny pantyhose here in the UK) or is it really out of fashion and I'm really, really old??

So that got me wondering—where did pantyhose come from anyway? (aaaaand here comes my nerdiness) A quick troll around the Internet revealed that apparently in the 1920s when hemlines rose, sheer hosiery in the form of “stockings” emerged to allow women to keep some of their propriety in tact. Originally made from silk or rayon, they weren’t the stretchy (and sucking in) variety we know today. Instead, they were either knee- or thigh-high and fastened to a waist belt or held up by garters. It wasn’t until 1938 when nylon was invented that all hell (innovation) broke loose and an industry so blossomed. As for the "panty" part of the "hose?" Apparently it originated in the 40s and 50s when those wily costumers down in Hollywood (and on Broadway) started having the nylon stockings sewn to the panties of actresses and dancers (presumably to keep them-- and other bits-- in place). Who knew? Pantyhose reached its height of popularity in the 70s and 80s but the mid-90s brought a steady decline, apparently due to “bare leg fashion” (hmmm… missed this trend too) and changes in workplace dress code (casual Fridays and-- gasp! trousers!). Plus, let's not forget replacement costs resulting from frequent (and might I add frustrating-- seriously, nylons are a once-wear item for me) runs in the fabric leading to the good old pantyhose's demise. But while traditional pantyhose has come out of fashion, new styles like fishnets, patterned, colored and opaque tights have flourished (I love me a patterned tight) as well as “shape wear” (can we all stand up and do a little dance for Spanx my friends?). Oh—and on the more things that make you go hmmm side of things, apparently pantyhose for men is rising in popularity. Hmmm.

Despite all of this, the royal ladies never got the memo it seems, and they are advised (translation: required) to wear pantyhose when on official business. I don’t know if it’s been a significantly slow news week (I mean, as far as I know we’re only still at war, health care is still in crisis and Rupert Murdoch is going down in a ball of flames), but the press coverage on the Duchess's “tights” (as they say in England) has been absolutely mind-boggling. Check it out here, here, here and here. I wonder if Kate (can I call her Kate?) is wondering, "Justin brought sexy back and all I brought back was pantyhose?" Sorry-- couldn't resist (nerd comment #2).

(Fun fact: a google search of "pantyhose royals" yielded 173,000 results... the top search page all about Kate.)

But what do I know? Does it mean I’m proper enough to be a royal? (I’d choose Princess over Duchess too, Kate.) I guess I’m still stuck in the 80s (where, by the way, the only tights I was wearing was to ballet (white tights) and tap class (shiny nylons—awwww yeah!). In Jazz dance we little 8 year olds got to go bare legged)-- it wasn't all bad!

Organization: FAIL!

2011-07-14T16:52:00.003+01:00

I promised an organization update from my preview a few days ago-- and I was all set to nuzzle up to my computer and get my writing on until... iPHONE FAILURE. Hence, no photos of the project. And that gets a big boo. My phone has given up it seems-- turning itself off in mid-use. Checked the battery, tried a force restart, tried plugging it into a computer and a power source, fail, fail, fail and big time fail. So if you need to reach me-- it's the old fashioned way (land line!) until further notice. Hopefully my photos aren't lost (because although I'm a prolific user of technology and love my gadgets, I am horribly remiss about backing said gadgets up. Blah).

Tortilla Soup Update

2011-07-11T12:06:00.002+01:00

Day two of the soup-- if it doesn't get eaten in one go and there are leftovers, day two makes it a really yummy chili. All the liquid soaks up into the chicken and veggies. While you can add more liquid, I decided to give it a go as chili and added a packet of taco seasoning for more flavor. I thought... hmmm... chili cheese fries? A look in the freezer revealed fries (or chips as the English would say that MRN had somehow snuck in there when I wasn't looking. Lucky me! A quick reheat of some of the chicken tortilla-now-chili, poured over fries and garnished with some chopped onions and cheddar cheese? YUMMMM.

Channeling my inner Mexican

2011-07-09T13:11:00.003+01:00

Full disclosure: I'm not actually Mexican.

I mean, growing up in Southern California, I was often mistaken for being Mexican (or Filipino-- I'm not that either). This is probably because of my mutt-ness (translation: mixed ethnic background) which has lent itself to my being able to blend in in a lot of places. Take NYC for example- there I was often mistaken for Puerto Rican or Dominican. It's really a shame that my Spanish isn't better. Although I'm a good faker.

All that to say, I must have been Mexican in another life because I love Mexican food. It's my go-to comfort food after Japanese, Chinese and Italian (for the record, I'm not Japanese or Italian either-- though, there is some Chinese in here). Alas, Mexican food is virtually impossible to get in England (oh, okay-- GOOD Mexican food). This has led to me trying to make Mexican food. Alas, without an abuela of my own, I'm having a hard time making it authentic. But I am having a go at it.

The latest round started with breakfast. I was craving huevos rancheros and chilequiles from Loteria Grill at the LA Farmer's Market. Oh, lovely chilequiles with choice of salsa and huevos with choice of rancheros. However, because proper ingredients are scarce here (umm-- doritos do not a corn chip make), I can't quite seem to replicate. So I make this instead:

It's essentially a cheese quesadilla with cholula sauce inside and a scrambled egg cooked with chopped green onions and red chiles. I will sometimes add salsa or black beans, but often times I eat it just like this (if you look closely you'll see that I already started before I remembered to take a photo).

My sis then turned me onto a recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup from the wonderful Year of Slow Cooking blog at the same time I found one from The Pioneer Woman. Score! More Mexican-flavored goodness (because, as far as I know, neither of these women are Mexican either). I liked elements from both recipes, but wanted to use the slow cooker because, well, I have one (oh, okay-- because it's a hell of a lot easier than standing over the stove). Plus, I didn't exactly have all of the ingredient (because while I glanced at the recipe, it would have made way too much sense to actually write anything down). I chose to boil the chicken with onions and garlic because I think it comes out so much moister (although, I guess it's going in the soup, so it doesn't really matter)-- next time I may roast it like the Pioneer Woman does.

Anyhoo-- here it is: Crockpot 365+Pioneer Woman+Mikie B. Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts
2 sm-med white (or yellow) onions, 1 diced, 1 cut into chunks
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 8 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 large can of sweet corn
1 small jar of salsa
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed (or you can use dried beans, but you need to soak them overnight-- for at least 8 hours-- it's easier to used canned. Too bad I didn't have any...)
6 cloves of garlic (mince 3; smash 3)
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano
3-4 small, hot chiles, diced (optional)
4 c chicken broth (I used a combo of chicken bouillon cubes and the stock from the boiled chicken)
3 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c sour cream
Olive oil
Kosher salt
5 corn tortillas, sliced into strips
Diced avocado, shredded cheese, cilantro, chopped red onion (all optional- for garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place chicken in stock pot and cover with water and add chunks of onion, smashed garlic and a tsp of kosher salt
Bring to boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes, until fully cooked
Remove chicken and some of the onion/garlic and place in baking dish to cook slightly
Shred chicken with two forks (or fingers-- which is easier-- if it's cool enough)
Combine cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano
While chicken is cooking heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute onion, minced garlic, red and green peppers and half of spice mixture until soft
Add beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, salsa, veggie mixture, diced chiles (if adding) and shredded chicken to crock pot
Pour in chicken broth and add tomato paste
Cook on low heat for 8 hours
Stir in 1/2 c sour cream and toss in tortilla strips before serving; let sit for 15 minutes to let tortillas soften (you can't get good corn tortillas here, so instead I crumbled tortilla chips-- also not great but it was okay-- on top just before serving). Taste before serving-- I significantly amped up the spices because I like lots of seasoning and it tasted a bit bland, despite the heavy salted ingredients like chicken broth. But feel free to experiment and add/remove things you don't like (e.g. the spice)
Garnish with toppings, as desired

You've gotta be freaking kidding me

2011-07-08T11:01:00.001+01:00

First there was this to torture me as a child:

And now there's this to torture me as an adult:

Nevermind that these are both BOYS. If I ever have kids, they're totally getting names like Bob and Mary.

Jerk!

2011-07-07T13:12:00.009+01:00

I'm a big fan of the old fashioned. When I was little I loved Victorian everything-- the clothes, the shoes, the history. I even talked my mom into subscribing to Victoria magazine (yes-- it did exist) so I could relish in days gone by. I loved Anne of Green Gables and wished upon wished that I could wear those beautiful dresses with puff sleeves (oh, and marry Gilbert Blythe of course). Old movies (Garbo, Bacall, Hepburn, Grant, Bogart-- you name it, I loved them) I'd watch with my grandmother. I loved the 50s-- the music, the poodle skirts (I had several that my mom made for Halloween but I decided I loved them so much that I would wear them to school... oh, yes. Purple plaid poodle skirt with a white Hawaiian-print shirt. I think there's a photo of me at Disneyland in that gem of an outfit).

So imagine my delight to have read this article in the NYT this morning. The emergence of old fashioned soda shops and even better, soda jerks? Score! I LOVE me a chocolate egg cream (How can you not? A drink that contains neither egg nor cream?), and would faithfully order one, regardless of time of day or what I was eating, if I spied it on a menu. Not that they were prolific. I had to do some serious hunting in my NYC days to find one (of course my favorite Eisenberg's has them). Ice cream sodas, egg creams, REAL cherry, vanilla or chocolate cokes? Yummmm!! If I still lived in NYC, I would totally be heading to the Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain for a potato head sundae: vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, caramel sauce, whipped cream and North Fork potato chip wedges. Awww-yeah. (Plus-- love the name. It's a play on fact that the building used to be a real pharmacy and the locally sourced products that he uses in his recipes-- hence FARM. The owner even kept some of the crazy old stuff that was in there-- like ointment tins from the 40s and anti psychotic drugs from the 70s to display alongside his wares and, well, ice cream, I guess.) I love that these emerging soda shops are sourcing local products and making their own concoctions-- from syrups to ice cream. What a great thing for sustainability-- not to mention a totally fresh and delectable gastro-experience.

If only one would open in England. Although we'd probably have to introduce the concept first. I had a "coke float" at a restaurant the other day... because it was there, of course. It was a summer special, apparently. Special it was but for all the wrong reasons. That, my friends, is another blog post altogether.

********ORGANIZATION UPDATE*************

You may have noticed that my organizing frenzy has extended to my blog-- if you peruse the right hand menu, you'll see some organizing additions such as a search box (which I'm not convinced really works) and labels (like my recipes or food pics? check out food/foodie/recipes. can't get enough of my randomness? check out warblings; want to check out the latest home disaster/makeover? Well, you get my drift). I'm not quite finished going back through and cleaning up labels (5 years of blogging... while I'm hardly a consistent blogger, there still are A LOT of entries), but soon it will all be labeled and yours for the finding.

PLUS! I've added "reactions" to each post under comments... so, feel free to react! (or suggest other reactions to add-- you can customize!) :)

Getting organized

2011-07-06T13:33:00.007+01:00

I'm in a bit of an organizing frenzy. I go through one every once in a while where I need to throw away all the clutter, give away the clothes, shoes, dishes I don't wear or use; or just more generally change things up with a new picture, pillow or some other redecoration (even if it's just moving things around). I suppose somewhat inspired by Gladys and finally being able to find my shoes, I've now started to tackle other areas of the house.

Case in point: the kitchen junk drawer. Does every kitchen have one? I certainly always have (well, except for in NYC where my kitchen only had one drawer. Seriously.). No matter how many times I empty the thing out and organize it, it always seems to fill up again (suspiciously with things like screwdrivers, nails, bolts, fishing wire and cuff links... not that I'm blaming anyone...). So last week, I decided that I'm putting an end to the not-being-able-to-open-the-drawer-and-having-things-smooshed-out-the-back-into-the-trash-below nonsense (smooshed is the technical term). And I bought a drawer insert from Ikea.

Seeing as our kitchen is from Ikea, it fits perfectly. But it seems to be a standard size that would fit in most kitchen drawers (although you never know-- those Scandinavians have some funky sizes). I forgot to take a before picture but if you have a junk drawer, and chances are you do, you'll be able to appreciate the after. I.LOVE.IT.

Now to tackle the junk drawer in the bedroom dresser. Sigh.

***SNEAK PEAK***
New project (also of the organizing nature). Details to come...

Gladys get a makeover

2011-06-29T20:48:00.012+01:00

So, we all know my English home's gots some storage is-sues. I've been sucking it up and making do; I hate clutter and having things on display, so I've become somewhat of an expert at maximizing storage (and shoving things where they can't be seen).

My biggest challenge to date has been shoe storage. One day when I'm fabulously wealthy, I'll have one of those MTV cribs closets that are bigger than the average bedroom and has a whole wall of little cubbies to display—err, store shoes. But until then, I'm forced to get creative in my limited space.

Enter Gladys.

Gladys is a china cabinet I bought on eBay for £20 (that about $32). I don't know anything about her origin or age, but the seller was able to tell me that she came from an estate sale of the belongings of a woman named Gladys. Of course the name stuck. It's a classic-- like every good grandmother name (Matilda, Frances, Mildred...). It was, as they say, kismet. Small enough to not take up too much space; stylish enough to be on display; and big enough to house, oh, at least 15 -18 pairs of shoes.

Alas, while Gladys had great bones, the old girl was a bit of a wreck. Cracked and peeling, various layers and shades of stain, she was in need of an overhaul. After trolling the internet for inspiration, I decided that I would bite the bullet and apply a coat (or four) of glossy black paint-- 1) because I fell in love with all the makeovers I found online; 2) because she was a bit old fashioned for my taste and I felt like she deserved some sprucing up; 3) because I loved her curves, which reminded me of a piano; and 4) because I couldn't bear the time commitment of sanding, re-sanding and then more sanding it would take before I could apply stain (umm—so much for that; it required multiple rounds of sanding which, coupled with the dismal weather and not being able to do anything outside made this project drag on for about 4 months). Oh, and 5) because I had an idea that I could use the awesome Orla Kiely wallpaper I bought a few years ago for another project but never used.

So, below is Gladys' journey from great to even more awesome (if I do say so myself). The wallpaper worked terrifically as a way to brighten up the dark interior and serve as a backdrop for my art-- err, shoes (and in fact, it’s a bit of a shame that the shoes cover it up). And the black gloss paint? LOVE. It really does make her look like a piano. Alas, my clodhoppers mean that only the high-high heels fit on the shelves straight on, but I've managed to get 18 pairs in there, so not too bad. I plead the 5th on how many pairs I have in total.

Meet the original Gladys.

Because

2011-06-29T19:23:00.003+01:00

What if?

2011-06-24T20:15:00.003+01:00

"'What' and ‘if’ two words as nonthreatening as words come. But put them together side-by-side and they have the power to haunt you for the rest of your life: ‘What if?'..."

"I don't know how your story ended. But I know that if what you felt then was love - true love - then it's never too late. If it was true then it why wouldn't it be true now? You need only the courage to follow your heart..."

"I don't know what a love like that feels like... a love to leave loved ones for, a love to cross oceans for... but I'd like to believe if I ever felt it. I'd have the courage to seize it. I hope you had the courage to seize it. And if you didn't, I hope one day that you will."

--Letters to Juliet

Premium Space

2011-06-14T18:42:00.006+01:00

When you live in a small space, every nook and cranny is at a premium. My adulthood has been spent living in expensive cities where living spaces are priced at exorbitant prices per square foot so you a) try to get the most bang for your buck without sacrificing things like running water; b) try to get the biggest space to lowest vermin ratio; and c) get super creative at storage solutions.

My big city experience have been tested in the English countryside over the last three years-- because while property is considerably less expensive (okay-- crazy cheap), English people 200 years ago were apparently super small and had no stuff. So they didn't need things like closets. That meant that our little "two up, two down" (for all you non-English real estate peeps that means two rooms on the ground floor, two rooms-- and a bathroom on the second) needed some adjustments to make way for me. Taking advantage of the ceiling height, we built up in order to not make the already teeny rooms teenier.

There was one hold out-- the guest room/home office. While we'd created great storage where we could-- building narrow cabinets from floor to ceiling flanking my desk and converting an alcove over the stairs into a storage closet and accessible from the room, I was still reserving the majority of space for a bed for house guests. This week, I finally gave in. I figured that with only one house guest in three years, it makes absolutely no sense to reserve much needed space for a "what if." After all-- we live here everyday. So last night, I made a plan (and enlisted MRN to execute it right there and then) to free up some space in our cramped bedroom by converting the guest room part of the office into a much needed closet. I'm now in the midst of decorating bliss (really, just rearranging furniture and moving a dresser into the office... and freeing up some walls for artwork-- whoop-whoop).

And for anyone who may decide to visit in the future? I'm afraid it's the sofa for you.

Random Information

2011-06-01T15:46:00.005+01:00

Did you know that you can still "flush" your toilet even if the flusher is broken? Oh yes, dear readers it's true. And I know this is true because I'm on day #2 of not being able to flush mine. Boring story of broken toilets aside, apparently all you need is a big pot filled with water and voila! Instant flush. So lesson for the day-- stockpots have an infinite number of uses.

PS-- I dream of the day when I have more than one bathroom. I'll even settle for a half bath.

PPS-- Lesson #2 of the day is to not be overzealous with the dumping of the water in the toilet. That just leads to all sorts of problems. Just saying.

CAVEAT: Baker, I am not

2011-05-21T15:47:00.014+01:00

I've never been a proficient baker-- and at the grand old age of 35, I think I can pretty much write that skill off. The fact is-- I don't like baking for a number of reasons:

I don't have a sweet tooth. I attribute this to my healthy parents and their somewhat hippy-ish ways where we were much more likely to eat wheat germ and keefir than eat anything with refined sugar. Not that they were beasts. My mom made the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. They just weren't a daily thing and we only got to have them as the most special treat (sometimes made with whole wheat flour).
Baking and dessert making is fussy. There's lots of weird ingredients (cream of tartar??) that you don't use often or frequently. There's measuring-- exact measuring, which I do not do. And there's little room for improvisation. If you don't have a specific ingredient it's not as easy to find a substitute. And things have to be done in order. Blah.

That said, I do like to serve a full meal-- including dessert. But my lack of baking talent and sweet tooth pushes me towards things like tarts or crisps (or clafoutis, which I've recently discovered. Not only delicious but achingly simple-- it's basically pancake batter poured over fruit and baked). No-- I very rarely make my own crust.

We're headed to a bbq tonight and I wanted to bring something sweet. And since I'm an annoying perfectionist and a wannnabe foodie, I decided I'd have to make it. I've been tossing an idea around in my head based on a frozen yogurt concoction I used to love in high school. In case you didn't know, Los Angeles is the land of frozen yogurt. In the 90s, we kids would go to the movies on Saturday night and then head to Humphrey's or Pagliachi's for blended yogurts. Blended, you say? Indeed. You start with a base (nonfat vanilla or chocolate frozen yogurt-- yes, so LA) and then add mix-ins. It could be candy, chocolate chips, fruit-- you name it, they mixed it. But it wasn't hand mixing-- they had these special machines that would blend it to perfection while still maintaining the frozen yogurt-ness. I had two favorite combos: 1) vanilla with oreo and cream cheese (sounds gross, but if given the opportunity, you must try it); and 2) chocolate with espresso and cinnamon.

It's the latter that I've been musing about and pondering whether it could be made into a cupcake. I was thinking a cinnamon cupcake with chocolate espresso buttercream frosting. Only I couldn't find a recipe for cinnamon cupcakes (or even cake, for that matter). And I absolutely hate making buttercream (it has ingredients like cream of tartar), and I have no patience for it. So, improvisation, here I come. I had a recipe for vanilla buttermilk cupcakes stored away but I hadn't ever made them. Perfect-- I'd do this and add cinnamon. Err-- except I live in England and couldn't find buttermilk. A little sleuthing (and thanks to my friend Nicole's blog which introduced me to Joy the Baker), I found that you can actually simulate buttermilk. In this case I chose Joy's first method: a tbsp of lemon and a cup of milk (ironically method #3 used cream of tartar. I may have to buy this stuff). It worked! So, I made the batter and added 2 tbsp of cinnamon. Di-vine (if I do say so myself). But if I can ever find buttermilk, I may try the real-deal. I think it would make it a tad more sour / savory which would contrast nicely against the sweet...

Now for the espresso buttercream. *Sigh* after the buttermilk experiment and the whole making cupcakes from scratch, I just couldn't be bothered. A quick dig through my pantry unearthed good old Betty Crocker chocolate frosting. So I scooped it into a bowl and proceeded to add espresso. I started measuring, but then gave up and started dumping (and tasting). Chocolate overwhelms every flavor (although, take my comments with a grain of salt because I actually don't like chocolate), so I just kept adding until I could taste the espresso more than I could taste the chocolate.

The result? Yummmm. It brought me right back to being 16 and at Pagliachi's on a date with my high school sweetie. I wanted to garnish it with coffee beans, but since I don't drink coffee, they were not on hand. Thanks to my sister-in-law, I did have espresso, so in addition to using that to add to the frosting, I also dusted the top with espresso powder.

Cinnamon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Chocolate Espresso Frosting

Cupcakes (makes about 12 cupcakes-- barely)

1 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c buttermilk
4 tsbp butter
2 lg eggs
3/4 c plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350
Soft flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
Melt btter and combine with buttermilk
In bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with paddle attachment, cream sugar and eggs until a thick batter forms, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture until just combined and then do same with butter and milk mixture.
Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 fill and bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 min then transfer to wire rack. Cool completely before icing.

Frosting:

1/2 container of chocolate frosting (if you're following recipe above for 12 cupcakes)--okay; if you're more talented than me, you can also make buttercream. A great recipe is here.
4 tbsp of espresso (although, taste it as you're adding / mixing-- you may want more / less)

Frost to your heart's content. (If you're feeling especially inspired, you can using a piping bag. Or in my case, a ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Hey--cooking is all about improvisation, right?

Wannabe foodie

2011-05-20T17:17:00.002+01:00

I'm much more of a wannabe foodie on Facebook than I am here on this blog; mostly because I love to cook and post photos of finished dishes, but not so much to blog about them. But I figured that since I spend much of my spare time cooking these days (so wonder I am not gaining weight) that I may as well combine both pastimes into one so as to 1) get some more mileage out of my painfully neglected blog and 2) well, I only really had one reason.

I have a standard repertoire of food that I pull from but will mix up once in a while (Thanksgiving in a meatball was one such mix-up that was also one big mistake), but for the most part I pull from my bible: The Barefoot Contessa. I love Ina and have all of her cookbooks (thanks to my wonderful Daves) and she's my go-to woman when planning a dinner party or when I have an itch to cook something new. But I also have some other cookbooks, one being William and Sonoma's Wine and Food book which doubled as a wedding guest book (thanks to my genius sister-- married in Napa=wine; bride who is a wannabe foodie=cookbook). This is a pretty genius cookbook, esp for those who don't know anything about wine (me) or what to serve at a party with specific food (me). Plus the recipes are delicious and relatively easy (that's one of my main caveats as a wannabe foodie / chef-- if it has loads of ingredients, takes a ton of time or requires gadgets and gizmos, it's a big skip.

I always say I'll try anything once, so I dabble in all sorts of meats and ingredients. I'll also throw in some vegetarian options (much to MRN's chagrin) just to keep it healthy and heart-conscious. This is a recipe compliments of Ina but I've changed slightly-- the big things are adding heat (I love spicy food; I actually use A LOT more cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper than I've indicated below, but so as not to burn everyone off this recipe I've toned it down) and swapping tahini for tomato paste (I'm not particularly fond of tomatoes and tahini has lots of good qualities that are good for you). This is a great alternative to salsa if you're not a tomato fan too (plus the pita is healthier than those yummy corn chips because you can control the salt).

Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Spread (w/ homemade pita chips)

You'll need:

2 cookie sheets (with rims)
Food processor (or potato masher)
Large mixing bowl

Ingredients:

1 med eggplant (peeled & chopped)
2 red peppers (chopped)
2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small red onion (chopped)
3 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for brushing on pita bread)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Whole grain, wheat or seeded pita bread (cut into narrow triangles)
Flat leaf parsley for serving (rough chopped)

Directions:

Eggplant spread:

Pre-heat oven to 400 F
Chop eggplant, peppers and onion into 1-in cubes (don't worry about being precise; it's all going to get mushed in the food processor-- that's the technical term) and add to bowl
Toss with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper
Spread on roasting pan (cookie sheet) and cook for 40 minutes, tossing half-way through (the veggies should get brown, but careful not to burn)
Remove from oven and cool slightly
Add contents to food processor fitted with steel blade
Add tahini and pulse 3-4 times until incorporated
Taste for salt and pepper

Pita Chips:

While veggies are in oven, prepare pita bread by cutting into narrow triangles, brushing with olive oil and sprinkling with salt; arrange on second cookie sheet
Place in oven for 7-8 minutes
Remove and serve with eggplant

Hurray!

2011-05-20T15:47:00.003+01:00

After a mishap caused by a blogger upgrade and any entries posted or scheduled on 11 May disappearing (thanks Kittie Flynn for the sleuthing!), my deleted posts are back! YAY! Unfortunately they're all in the wrong order, but better than gone completely. I have to do as my Aunty Mikie does and back up my entries on my hard drive! :) So-- back in business with a load of food posts. Yum.

Herbed lamb chops

2011-05-14T12:17:00.003+01:00

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**
This recipe totally ISN'T an Ina recipe-- haha! Go figure! I immediately thought it was because, well, most everything I cook does come from one of her cookbooks. But this one is actually from William-Sonoma's "Wine & Food" cookbook that we used as a guest book at our wedding (you know, since I love cooking and we got married in Napa). Whoops!

Another Ina recipe, this dish is the absolute EASIEST thing to make-- and perfect dinner party fare because it's 1) super-fast and 2) super impressive (because really, who makes lamb at home?). From fridge to table we're talking about maybe 30 minutes so it's also host/hostess-friendly because you won't be spending the whole night in the kitchen rather than enjoying your guests.

Herbed Lamb Chops

You'll need:
Broiler or grill pan (or i use a cookie sheet lined with alum foil for easy clean up with a grill rack on top)

Ingredients:

4-6 lamb chops (budget 2 per person)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup mixed fresh herbs, minced (whatever you have on hand is fine-- I usually only have thyme and flat leaf parsley and it's great; but for the picture you see here I happened to not have killed the rosemary and mint growing in the garden yet, so included that in addition to the thyme and parsley and it was AWESOME-- so get some of this is if it's convenient)
1 tsp salt and pepper

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 450F (230C)
Mix together all ingredients
Spread mixture on both sides of the lamb chops
Place on grilling rack
Pop in the oven for 15-17 minutes for med (check with meat thermometer-- should be 135F)
Remove from oven and tent with alum foil for 5 minutes
Serve warm

Seriously. That's IT. And it's delicious. I served the lamb with a cauliflower gratin (cauliflower cheese for you Brits) using gruyere (my favorite cheese) and parmesan, and a spinach and pepper salad with onion crisps. YUMMMM.

Missing posts?

2011-05-13T18:55:00.002+01:00

Ummm... for some reason posts that I've recently put up are now missing (even those that people had commented on) and though I'd written 4 to be posted in the future, and scheduled them, they have somehow disappeared. Huh?!? Anyone have any ideas?

Lilac

2011-05-13T17:28:00.000+01:00

Autumn has always been my favorite time of year-- it still is for the most part although living in the UK significantly reduces the joy due the rather temperate climate where you don't go from a blistering hot summer to wonderful cooler Fall where even the air smells different. Not to mention the lack of celebrations that mark a typical US Fall season-- from Halloween to Thanksgiving. Plus the leaves aren't the same amazing colors as in the Northeastern US, somewhat diminishing the effect. So, you would forgive me my surprise at finding that I may be converting to a lover of Spring and, gasp! Summer! I think Summer mostly because it's so mild here and never really exceeds the 70s (Fahrenheit), which is my ideal temperature (I hate heat-- funny from a girl who grew up in the desert). But I'm especially enjoying Spring this year because all the flowers are coming into bloom in my little garden (well, the ones that I haven't killed or are hearty enough to have somehow lasted through the Winter). My favorite is the hearty little lilac tree that's now survived two Winters and still thriving. These are some early buds chopped to accompany the ranunculus (that I still haven't killed!). The tree itself is beautiful-- I'm a sucker for flowers (my mother's daughter), so a flowering TREE is even better! I'll post a photo in a few days when it's in full bloom.

Paint is not always just paint

2011-05-11T15:25:00.004+01:00

I love interiors almost as much as cooking (which if you're my friend on Facebook, you'll know is A LOT). Thankfully I have an uber-talented friend, LWC, a designer who is my guide and style guru when it comes to all things interiors (and cooking for that matter). Whether it's furniture, arranging space, colors, design, fabrics, picture hanging... you name it, her impeccable taste always knows best. She's my go-to person in more ways than one.

When I lived in NYC, in addition to taking me shopping for my first apartment, she gave me a stack of her business cards so I could browse around the famous D&D building-- NYC's premiere design center with 120 showrooms. What a treasure trove of decorating! Furniture, fabric, decor, lighting, everything that you could possibly think of was there. Unfortunately at the time (or, who am I kidding-- even now) I couldn't afford to purchase. But oh, did I like to look. I would take notes and snip ideas from catalogues that I would put into a "wish book" that I still reference when doing up my own house.

LWC recently turned me onto this amazing paint and paper company: Farrow and Ball. I know you're thinking, paper and paint? But, oh-- if you love design and decorating, you'll love this company. I actually got to go to one of their shops when I was in London a couple of weeks ago, and oh the delight. The most beautiful paint colors and wallpaper patterns. Paint is not always what it seems. It has the ability to transform a room-- whether you use color or just add a fresh coat of a neutral. It can clean up a space and add interest (for those who've followed this blog for a while-- both of you, you'll remember my Chicago apartment make-over a few years back...). If I had a plethora of rooms to paint and paper, I would have placed an order right there. As it turns out, I was looking for some paint for a little DIY project (a cabinet makeover that I am HATING-- more on that to come), and picked up some sample pots (I love sample pots) to test out. Of course, you really have to be committed and love the color-- F&B is not cheap-- about $80 (50GBP) for a 5 liter can of paint. But the options are divine. Plus, their website is super cool-- if you pick a color, it will give you suggested "color schemes" to go with that color. Brilliant for the person who is a little afraid of color and tends to stick to neutrals (in design and in dress). Plus, who except the uber-talented (like LWC) can tell the difference between the 20 different kinds of white that you can choose from?

I'm not yet sure if I'll be brave enough to paint my new cabinet... but if I do, these are the two colors I'm considering for the inside of the cabinet. I like gray lately, so leaning toward the Oval Room Blue since it has more of a gray undertone. We shall see!

Sucker

2011-05-09T09:14:00.007+01:00

I'm a total sucker for service. Always have been, always will be. I can go to a mediocre restaurant and think it's the most amazing place if the service is amazing. And I'll keep going back over and over again. Is it this way for everyone? Presumably not-- but it certainly can't hurt.

I complain (a lot) about horrible customer service. And not in silence. I write letters, e-mails, complete surveys. I am my father's daughter. I would say that 99% of the time it does absolutely nothing. But every once in a while, someone-- or something, surprises me.

For those who know me, I'm extremely polite-- and smiley. I'm nearly always in a good mood and I'm very "please and thank you" even to the rudest of people (I find it annoys them which ultimately pleases me-- I mean, why ruin everyone else's day because you're having a bad one?). But in a customer service situation, I'm rarely met with the same courtesy in return. I thought it was bad in the US-- especially in NYC; but it's WORSE in the UK. People simply cannot be bothered. Why work in customer service if you cannot be customary or service-oriented? Find a job where you sit at a desk or don't interact with people.

Companies underestimate the power that positive customer service can bring to a brand-- and at very little, if any, cost. Just having someone greet you, offer assistance, remember who you are (even if they're faking it), being responsive and saying the four small words: "Have a nice day" can go a LONG way. It can inspire loyalty, return customers and, the all important and often elusive and overlooked, "word of mouth" marketing. I'd all but given up on having anyone so much as smile at me here until two experiences this past weekend bolstered my faith: one from an expected place, and another from a most unexpected.

The first was at the Four Seasons in London. Okay, okay-- cheating, I know. The brand is all about service, and they did not disappoint. I LOVE the Four Seasons. It's my favorite hotel and I would live there if I could. I've only ever stayed there for work but a rockin' weekend rate (since Canary Wharf is sort of out of the way and primarily a business district) allowed for a leisure stay. Literally from the doorman to the maid service, this is the best example of customer service across any industry hands down. We arrived at 9 a.m.-- well before their designated check-in time (3 p.m.) because we had an event to attend in the morning. But rather than point out their check-in time in a "you should know better" kind of way that you typically get, they tried to find a room for us. But as they were fully booked the night before, they were unable to do so. We weren't expecting to check in-- just to drop our luggage; but were pleasantly surprised when before even asking us if we wanted to check our luggage, they inquired as to if we wanted to use their workout facilities which had a fully-stocked bath and shower-room to freshen up. Umm-- yes please! We were ceremoniously shown to the lovely bathroom with all the L'Occitane amenities where we freshened up (from our 2 hour train journey-- well, why not) before returning to reception to check our bags. From there one of the staff took our bags and then walked us to the front door, apologizing for the "inconvenience" of our room not being ready 6 hours ahead of schedule and to make up for it, they'd upgraded our room which included an amazing view of the water. Okay, okay- so I'm not that much of a sucker that I don't realize that obviously they were not full and they had rooms to spare. But why don't I care? Because MOST places wouldn't do this. And that my friends, is why the Four Seasons is incomparable not only in the hotel industry, but in any industry.

The next came from an unexpected place-- GHD, the hair straightening super tool dominating the market today. Mine had broken-- there was some sort of short in the electrical circuit (which was causing some concern of potential fire). Now, these are not cheap things. At 99 GBP (before the 20% sales tax-- making the total price about $180 US), you expect these things to last. So when mine petered out a little over a year after purchase (and I nowhere near use this thing daily), I was a little miffed. I knew it had a 2-year warranty, but darned if I could find it. So online I went and found information about repairs and returns which required a proof of purchase only. Thwarted again. I knew I had bought it at my hair salon, but obviously didn't save the receipt. I was able to find what could have been the purchase in my bank statements, so I crossed my fingers, threw caution to the wind and sent it off to the designated returns address fully expecting it to be rejected or at best, to be charged for the repair.

A loud knock on my door early this morning found the Royal Mail standing at the door. "MRN! Did you order another power tool?" I shouted up the stairs. The negative reply had me opening the box to find-- a BRAND SPANKING NEW straightener-- the latest on the market and more expensive version than my current (which they still retail). Huh?! A letter confirmed that they had received my broken straightener, apologizing profusely for the problem and confirming that they follow the strictest safety regulations. AWESOME. Now I am a GHD loyalist-- not only for product quality but mostly for freaking good customer service. What can I say? I'm easy.

Now, I know these aren't necessarily crazy examples of people performing virtual acts of God in the name of good customer service. Maybe just another example of getting what you pay for-- or perhaps it just speaks to the lower (jaded) expectations that we as a society have. But I say hurray for the Four Seasons and GHD for their gold standard, above and beyond approach to service. Keep fighting the good fight. Leading by example, I think, is the way we change the world. Small steps.

House Guest

2011-05-06T15:50:00.004+01:00

I've had very few house guests since moving to the UK, and none longer than a couple of nights at most. This guy is with us for two weeks while my sister-in-law and new brother-in-law are on their honeymoon. While it's not giving me any sort of urge to have a pet (my house is too small and my aversion to mess and smells is not doing well under the pressure although I have to say I'm coping remarkably well with the hair), this little one (he's still an adolescent) is certainly a lover. He is seriously the most cuddly cat I've ever come into contact with and wants to be in your lap and petted all the time. Plus he looks remarkably like my childhood cat, Max (with the exception of his amber eyes; Max's were green), making me instantly fall in love with him-- cat hair and all. This is him within an hour of his arrival with us-- helping me out with work. I have to say, analysis of health care spending across the G7 has been a lot more pleasant with his company.

Demographic Depression

2011-05-05T12:43:00.000+01:00

I'm kind of depressed. It must be the first time that I've completed any type of survey since my last birthday, but in filling one out for a recent hotel stay, I realized that I've now officially bumped into the 35-44 age bracket. And that is a little depressing.

Both Sides Now

2011-05-04T07:00:00.002+01:00

Seems apropos after the Austen post-- I love Mindy Gledhill's cover of Joni Mitchell's classic "Both Sides Now."

Sense or Sensibility

2011-05-03T09:18:00.007+01:00

I love me some Jane Austen-- well, I'm partial to most 19th century English romantic novelists. But Jane is the one I return to time and time again. I suppose living in England brings more of this period of time to life-- especially in light of the recent pomp and circumstance of the Royal Wedding. But whether it's re-reading my already dog-eared novels or watching a BBC (or Hollywood) interpretation, they make me laugh and inevitably make me cry-- both from happiness and also from nostalgia. What is it about these characters that so resonate with me?

Perhaps with Jane (may I call her Jane? Or is Miss Austen more appropriate?) it is because her own history is so often reflected on the pages of her novels, giving her characters soul. If you've studied Austen and know anything of her early life (or if you've seen the "historical" film "Becoming Jane") her personal misfortune (not being able to marry the man she loves because of her station in life and his needing to marry someone of fortune to provide for his extended family) inspired the characters she wrote to always live happily ever after-- regardless of class, money, pride or prejudice. For Jane's characters, love always triumphed. A surprisingly modern notion in such Victorian times.

I've always related to Jane's more sensible characters-- Elizabeth Bennett, Eleanor Dashwood... the slightly stubborn but entirely proper ones where the right thing far outweighed the heart thing. But the older I get, and the more I re-read the novels, I get the impression that there's more depth and dimension to Jane's characters and like real life, things aren't always black and white.

"Sense and Sensibility" is by far my favorite of Jane's oeuvre. The circumstance of the Dashwood family, the women produced through a second marriage being turned out of their luxurious life because the heir-- a son, was product of the first marriage. The proper Eleanor suffering silently at the loss of her beloved Edward while the headstrong and passionate Marianne loves fully and unconditionally for everyone to see and then later suffers painfully outwardly in all of the same glory. The spectrum of the women's lives converge in the novel; Eleanor begins in a place where her head and propriety rules, and Marianne at the opposite end of the spectrum only meet in the middle before diverging again, their roles having switched. Eleanor, now believing that love ultimately wins out and Marianne more sensible and practical, marrying not without love, but without the abandonment that your first, true love brings. It turns out that Eleanor is the Cinderella character-- the stuff of fairy tales. While Marianne is the reality. The more I contemplate this, the more I realize that perhaps there is more Marianne in me than I'd thought. That perhaps the more sensible ones are so because they were formerly all sensibility, and that the sensibility has, in some ways, been beaten out of them... due to bad experiences, disappointments or I guess what we call life in general. I guess that's the trade off for growing wiser-- losing your blissful innocence. But sometimes I do wish I had hearkened the day where you believed there was only good in the world; and that no one would ever hurt you and no one you loved ever got hurt. I suppose that I see myself in both women although I can't help but feel that Eleanor's circumstance was luckier-- that maybe the surprise of love winning out is better than the defeat that it does not always.

Do you have an Austen (or other literary) doppelganger? Who is it?

Paper Anniversary

2011-04-28T17:19:00.007+01:00

I have to admit: I was stumped.

I champion myself a pretty decent gift giver. I love everything about gift giving: the shopping, the selection of just the perfect thing, the wrapping (especially the wrapping). I keep a gift list for my near and dears of thoughts, likes or various things that might have been mentioned so that when it comes time for a gift, I have an inspiration book of sorts. I'm not saying that I always get it right-- I hope that the recipient enjoys the getting as much as I like the giving; but I do get a lot of pleasure out of giving gifts just the same.

So when it came to the all significant 1st wedding anniversary gift, I was all gung-ho at first to find just the perfect gift. Of course, it had to be memorable, emotional-- something that we'd keep for the rest of our lives as a symbol of our marriage (no pressure or anything). Okay-- not really; but I did want it to be something significant, and something MRN would love.

Then enter the theme: Paper. Ummm-- waaah?

Apparently, the all significant first anniversary is pretty much an analogy for marriage and relationships in general-- in the beginning, it's pretty flimsy and easily torn apart; but the longer it lasts, the stronger it becomes and the harder it is to break-- hence the precious metals and stones start appearing after year 20. Right...

For someone buying a gift for me, paper is like striking pay dirt. Because I LOVE all things paper. Stationery, books, wrapping paper, cards... you can pretty much get me any of those and I'd be a happy girl (in fact, MRN did, gifting me with beautiful cloth covered classics of Bronte and Dickens, to name a few). But for a man? What do you get a man that's made of paper??

An extensive Internet search yielded few creative results: 1st Anniversary; 1st Anniversary Gift; 1st Anniversary gift for men. A whole lot of un-inspiration is what I got. Of course stationery was suggested (ummm-- how many men in your life do you know who would appreciate personalized stationery, or better yet-- actually use it?). Then there was concert tickets (okay, yes-- technically MADE out of paper... but, come on!), a message in a bottle (huh? and, cheesy?), a star (the certificate printed on paper), a calendar. You get my drift.

But then, divine intervention (well, someone must have been watching over me). A Daily Candy e-mail arrives in my inbox with, lo and behold: A profile of London-based artist Rosalind Freeborn who happens to make portraits out of torn pieces of paper. Eureka!

After perusing her website I contacted the wonderful Ros and a collaboration began. It started as a double portrait, with her choosing one from our official photographs and doing a preliminary sketch. For portraits she likes to include things that people love as the background-- given this was to be a wedding portrait, we exchanged e-mails about our favorite things about the wedding (which I covertly got from Mark with random questions at random times). For me: the rich colors, the flowers, the food and, of course, the paper. For Mark: The location (above all else), and his traditional English morning suit (go figure). Then, another light bulb moment. The portrait is being constructed from paper-- and it wouldn't be me if I hadn't saved loads of the stationery from the wedding. I had left-overs of everything from invitations and reply cards to menus, monogrammed candy bags, ceremony programs and even postcards of the location. I asked Ros if she might want to incorporate some of the stationery into the portrait and her enthusiastic response sent me packing a box to send to London.

The result is absolutely stunning (well, I think so, anyway). I'm in awe of her talent and being able to construct something so wonderfully beautiful, sentimental and creative from torn pieces of paper. Not only did she actually make us look like, well, US, but she was able to use the left over stationery, that would have otherwise sat in a box in a closet, in such a way that we'll get to enjoy it forever. My favorite part? My beautiful lace dress that she recreated using bits of our invitation and the ceremony programs-- so that all the wonderfully special people who were part of our day are also part of the portrait.

Mark was entirely surprised, and stunned into silence. I was thrilled to be able to surprise him, and we were both thrilled with the result. She hadn't thought of promoting her work as a potential paper anniversary gift, so she's discovered a whole new market! She's going to showcase us on her website but I wanted to help spread the word. I think it's such a neat idea for gift or personal purchase of any kind. But it seriously ups the anty for a first anniversary gift (if I do say so myself). While you certainly don't have to supply the paper, for all of your closet paper savers, doesn't it make you want to send along for your very own portrait?

Petits Pots

2011-04-19T16:50:00.005+01:00

Oh Whole Foods, how do I love thee... let me count the ways.

This time it's because of the little pots of French yogurt that I picked up. These are pretty common in France-- all different shapes, colors and materials (glass, ceramic, terracotta). These little gems came in the form of painted blue terracotta pots with "La Fermiere"-- The Farmer-- carved in the side.

I loved the presentation and the weight of these-- also that the containers can be recycled-- in my case, I'm going to plant herbs in them. They'll be such a sunny addition to my window sill! Plus-- the yogurt was delicious. No non-fat option here (it's French, after all). The yogurt is sinfully rich and creamy and comes in a variety of flavors-- I tried honey; vanilla (with real vanilla beans); and strawberry and gooseberry (pictured) which is a lovely combination of sweet and tart. Yummmm.

Now if only I didn't live 200 miles from the nearest Whole Foods.

Anthropol-obsessed

2011-03-19T15:44:00.000Z

Got to see my wonderful friend Mary C. in London this week who was here visiting family before starting her new job in NYC. She's like a breath of fresh air, and I always love seeing her (and having her snap me out of whatever doldrum I happen to be whipping up at any given moment). She's also one of the most stylish people I know, so always up for a shopping jaunt around the city (be it NYC or London). So I was happy that she indulged me with a trip to Anthropologie.

As per usual, I hit the sale racks which like most Anthro stores are prolific and cheap. While I like to think I have endless supplies of money, I don't. Plus the continued poor economy and threat of tanking business does not bode well for my continuing to earn money. Not to mention that EVERYTHING eventually goes on sale-- especially at Anthropologie, where you can probably even pick something up at cost. And I'm nothing if not patient.

Since I work from home, my wardrobe has shifted from work attire to at home attire... but I like to at least look a little put together, even if I'm just wearing jeans. Plus, I'm a girly-girl at heart, so like to have some sort of embellishment, whether it's a necklace, or embroidery and something in my hair. I suppose one day I'll be too old for this-- or maybe I already am... but until I feel like I am, I'll steam ahead.

So I picked up these shirts that are great for layering and pairing with shorts or skinny jeans for a more casual look, or dressing up with heels or a blazer for a night out. maybe one day I'll work in an office again in which case I can break out all the suits that are tucked away in the back of my closet. Until then, casual friday is everyday in the this house.

(mine is cream with gold detail... but for some reason there wasn't a corresponding photo on the website...)

2011-03-18T15:42:00.001Z

Support this!

2011-03-10T16:32:00.004Z

This is a project my friends are developing-- what a wonderful tribute to an historic small town in picturesque Vermont, the people who are at its heart and the revitalization of a community.

WWEPW

2011-03-09T21:10:00.005Z

It's probably no surprise to those who know me well that I am a big fan of Glee. Singing and dancing television show full of teenage angst and crazy-talk (Sue Sylvester, anyone?)? Awww-yeah. Not to mention guest star Gwyneth's delightful Holly Holiday makes me want to skip around the room-- literally ("Let's get some tacos!"). But of all the wonderfully quirky characters, I am an Emma Pillsbury fan. Not only because of her bit of crazy about dirt that is a little reminiscent of a certain Hawaiian living in England (so MRN tells me) but because of her wardrobe-- which I happen to love. Especially because so much of her attire comes from my beloved Anthropologie; and a lot of pieces it I actually own.

So imagine my GLEE to stumble across this website: What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear. This intrepid blogger recaps Emma's outfits and sources them, along with providing alternatives for things that may be sold out or too expensive. She also gives tips for putting together Emma-approved outfits, and occasionally will throw in other characters' styles as well. Either way, it's a fun way to spend some time, if you're of the browsing / window-shopping set (which I am).

This week Emma showed up in this fun, bright pink cardigan. And yes, I do own it. :)

Top Hat White Tie and Tails

2011-02-26T08:30:00.003Z

I love hats. I think it's a shame that they're not in fashion anymore... well, in the way they were 70-100+ years ago where as much care went into choosing a hat as did an outfit. It's also a shame that my head is so darned big that even if they were in fashion I couldn't really wear them... well, off the rack, anyway.

One of the fun things about living in England is that people still wear hats. Well-- sort of. To weddings... and even then, not many. But there are still some who hold strong to the tradition. To me a hat automatically makes an event more formal-- more special. And the evolving trend of "fascinators" which are beautiful (and sometimes fantastic) feather and flower (and other things) designs flowing from headbands; or attached to clips that are "fastened" to the hair, is setting fashion a flutter with possibility (or maybe just me a flutter with it inspiring a resurgence in hat wearing). This one that Kate Middleton recently wore (a gorgeous handmade design by Vivien Sheriff Millinery) includes a cameo and badges from a Welsh military uniform (apropos considering the event she wore this to was to launch a Welsh ship-- her first official Royal engagement with her hubbie-to-be). It's hard to see but the pheasant feathers and other baubles are attached to a small, chocolate brown velvet pillbox hat. *LOVE* Perhaps not quite the drama of a hat, but oh so chic. Definitely enough to still warrant my affection. I'm secretly hoping that the impending Royal Wedding will inspire a resurgent trend around hats (I think Kate's already making headway-- pardon the pun).

I spied this one at Zara last week and I'm sort of coveting it. It makes me want to go on an exotic beach vacation somewhere in the French Riviera. Of course, it likely wouldn't fit my head.

Wayfaring in 2010

2011-02-25T08:02:00.001Z

Los Angeles (x3)
San Francisco (x2)
Benecia, California (x2)
Napa, California (x2)
Birmingham, UK (x too many to count)
London, UK (x too many to count)
Windermere, UK
Newcastle, UK (**NEW DESTINATION!**)
NYC
Hartford, Connecticut
Chicago (x3)
Nashville/Cookeville, Tennessee
Paris, France (x4)
Honolulu, Hawaii

Now to work on going to places I've never been... though I suppose technically this counts as wayfaring.

Deee-licious

2011-02-24T08:25:00.004Z

Couldn't resist posting photos of the deliciously adorable Miss Amelia. No, it's not because her mom doesn't (dig-dig-dig). It's because she's just too cute not to share. Plus, the outfit is courtesy of me (right down to the shoes-- although admittedly, the shoes were more for her Camper lovin' mom and gifted when Amelia was still in the womb. But who would have known my fore-thought for the outfit purchased nearly a year later would have paid off so well and in such a coordinated way?). Future fashionista indeed (Amelia, that is. Not so much me...).

P.S. I made the blanket too. I may not be able to sew but man, can I crochet square objects.

Sew-lusions of grandeur

2011-02-23T13:11:00.006Z

I'm thinking about taking a sewing class. It's not a new idea... I remember thinking about it way back when I lived in New York... and again in Chicago... even going so far as to try to find a class. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a sewing class. Home economics doesn't exist for the adult set, I guess. Maybe because we good girls should have taken Home Ec in junior high and high school when we were supposed to be learning about being good wives (I mean, 'cause come on-- even though my mother's generation liberated us, clearly the message wasn't passed down to the public education system who still offer Home Ec as a regular course selection). I took student government and AP classes like calculus and art history instead (of course)-- which I suppose was my way of turning my nose up at the domestic smothering that the public school system was trying to cram down my throat.

However, now that I'm older and a tad more level headed, I realize that some of those skills might have been good to learn... like sewing. I mean, how often do you need to sew a button back on a coat, or hem a pair of pants... or sew patches/badges on a shirt (okay, maybe not so much the latter, but believe it or not, I actually have had the need to do that and it was not, shall we say, an optimal outcome). Plus, I have very happy memories of my full-time working mom making our Halloween costumes; Of field trips to the fabric store to flip through patterns to find just the right costumes. And I'm not talking run-of-the-mill ghosts made out of bed sheets. I'm talking about proper, better than you'd ever buy in a store, costumes. Clowns, Spiders, Watermelon slices (Aloha); Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, Princesses and, errr... Princesses (Me). They were fantastic! She also made beautiful dresses for special occasions-- holidays, school plays. It was the best. She is the best.

I've been thinking a lot about that; not only how it would be handy to do some repair work myself, but also actually be able to make something. Have you ever been in the situation where you have some event coming up and you have in your mind a picture of the perfect dress? Only you can't find anything to match what you've conjured up in your head? Imagine if you could just whip it up yourself?? I don't really have a passion for fashion in the haute couture kind of way. I do love me some Anthropologie and am a little obsessed with Rachel Zoe because she's bananas-- in every sense of the word (sorry couldn't resist). But a desire to design clothes? Not in the slightest. But lo and behold, a swift Internet search of sewing in Burnley turned up a 10-week adult education course at the local College. It seems a little excessive for my needs, but for 100 bucks (or pounds...) meaning 10 GBP per class, it's a pretty good deal. And if I do have a child one day, it would be pretty great if I could make their Halloween costumes from scratch and give them a memory that will always remind them of how much their mom loved them.

Makes me wanna dance

2011-02-19T08:00:00.003Z

And now for an installment of makes me want to dance (inspired from previous Gwyneth on Glee post).

Genius?

2011-02-18T11:40:00.001Z

Am I the only person who thinks Lady Gaga is a total freak? I mean... 72 hours "incubating" in an egg to be "hatched" at the Grammy's to sing a song that is literally Madonna's "Express Yourself" with different lyrics (seriously-- sing Express Yourself over Born this Way... it's the same song). Don't get me wrong... Gaga's tunes get my toes tapping. She's even on my workout mix. The really irritating thing is that she really can sing-- she's uber talented. So why all the theatrics? It's annoying. But maybe that's what makes her genius. Everyone talks about her; everyone is waiting to see what she does next. And no one will say a remotely negative thing against her-- read the press, watch the news-- it's seriously like there's been a spell cast over the media. That in itself is genius.

Channeling Elton

2011-02-17T11:27:00.005Z

This performance is so deliciously BIZARRE that I couldn't help but post it. Muppets? Big guy in armor and feathers? Is it Carnival? Or is it that people just have to do crazy crap to top Gaga (which, try though you might, you can't). And, oh Gwyneth. There's no doubt that you have a good voice. You totally rocked it out on Glee; but this performance was awk-ward with a captal AWK. Listening to it back isn't bad because she sounds great but doesn't have the lungs (or maybe practice) to belt it out on stage live. But she just looked so uncomfortable (I think it was the shoes-- or maybe the writhing around on the piano). Maybe stick to singing on screen? Don't get me wrong-- I still worship her. She's definitely concentrating-- it reminds me of when I performed because I think I always looked like I was in a little bit of pain instead of having fun with it.

This version however? Made me dance around my living room:

Let's go get some tacos! I *heart* her.

Hollandaise is a heart attack waiting to happen

2011-02-07T06:13:00.007Z

Seriously. But it's oh-so-good.

No, I'm not pulling a Julie and cooking my way through Julia Child's ever famous bible of cooking. Mostly because the book itself is freaking intimidating. I mean, there are seven pages-- SEVEN-- dedicated to hollandaise. If a sauce that literally has three ingredients in it takes 7 pages, there's no freakin' way that I can make anything more complicated.

I cheated, though. Julia says that if you're making hollandaise for the first time, you should really whip it by hand. But then the very next page there's a recipe for making it in the blender that "even a child could make." So, even though it was my first time, I used the blender. Intimidated by the prospect of the eggs curdling or the butter separating, I copped out-- and out came the blender.

It was easy enough for a child to make. I over-salted it... and it was probably a bit more thick than it should have been (product of over-whipping of the yolks). And the sheer amount of butter in it-- astounding. An entire stick... relative to the 3 egg yolks and tbsp of lemon juice... this is definitely not something that should be on the daily menu. But as a treat? Yes please.

Julia Child's Hollandaise

3 egg yolks
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 oz of butter
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of pepper

Cut butter into tabs and melt on med-low heat until foaming. Place egg yolks, lemon, salt and pepper in blender and blend on high for 2 seconds. Drizzle melted butter slowly into blender while blending on high (be careful of splashing-- I solved this by putting a funnel in the top of the blender and pouring the butter into the blender). Be careful not to pour too much in because the eggs will curdle). Once incorporated, serve immediately. If not serving right away, place in tepid water bath (eg put in glass measuring cup and place measuring cup in water bath) to keep it warm, but not so it cooks). You can also stir in additional salt / pepper to taste.

I thought this could use a little bit more lemon-- so I may try that the next time. Super easy (despite the multiple page description)... and deliciously delectable. And easy thing to add to the menu (for eggs Benedict, as a sauce of veggies like asparagus, or a number of other things, I can imagine!). After all as Julia says, you can never have too much butter.