Tuesday, January 31, 2012

the african queen

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Design Sponge is certainly one of my favorite blogs, but I can't say that I visit it every day.  Perhaps I feel intimidated by the designing that I'll never be creative enough to recreate?  The "living in" feature, however, always reels me in, and today's selection, The African Queen, is one of the best so far. The African Queen was one of the few mom-approved movies that we were able to watch as children, and I've probably seen it hundreds of times.  I didn't read the novel until I was older (one of those times when seeing the movie first killed my motivation, a shame really), but I loved it as well.  My sister often says that Katherine Hepburn's laugh is just like our grandmother's, who we loved more than you can imagine.

I heartily encourage you to visit "living in: The African Queen"-yes, I've linked it up not once, but twice.  The Edwardian silk camisole!  The antique gin bottle!  I can imagine Rose Sayer pouring every last drop of gin into the murky swamp waters now.

Side note 1: How embarrassed am I that I have never seen Casablanca (GASP!) yet am utterly familiar with Bogart as the crusty sailor escorting the missionary Katherine Hepburn out of Africa?

Side note 2: The movie holds such fond memories for me that when the special edition Blu Ray came out, I purchased it immediately.

Here's the mildly inappropriate trailer, in all its Technicolor low quality glory:


Perhaps I'll watch it tonight.


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Savory tooth?

Saturday, January 28, 2012



It's difficult to post about real food when one is consumed with recipes like "more green peas, please" purée. Also, my wish has come true! My little lovey does not, in fact, have a sweet tooth. It's the veg he craves!

- Posted from my iPhone

Friday, January 6, 2012

baked pumpkin donut holes

Friday, January 6, 2012

Just the other day, I was out on a Target run with baby A when I spied a most welcome addition to the shopping center.  There, in the midst of such esteemed eating establishments as Chevy's, Wing Stop, and Five Guys, were the curving red letters against a cheery green and white background, a beacon of sweet decadence, Krispy Kreme.

Never mind that when it comes down to it, I prefer a good old-fashioned cake doughnut to the yeasty glaze that is Krispy Kreme's classic offering.  Never mind that the last thing I need is another excuse to visit Target.  THERE ARE DOUGHNUTS IN MY VICINITY!

As I drove past the Krispy Kreme, showing an incredible amount of restraint (truthfully, this could also be attributed to the fact that I have a little darling to satisfy, and it wouldn't exactly be nice for him to be pulled out of his new big boy car seat and then thrust back in only five minutes later), I contemplated my deep and abiding love for doughnuts, concluding that they are my greatest culinary weakness.  I thought of all the times I picked up a bag of Entemann's or Mrs. Baird's cinnamon miniature doughnuts, vowing to share, but inevitably devouring all of the little treasures in a few days.  I recalled with great pleasure the blueberry cake doughnut (or two) from Dunkin Donuts that used to sustain me on my commute from Hoboken to the Bronx.  I remembered the warm and cozy feeling that I got from my stops at the local doughnut shop in our neighborhood, where the kindly Korean proprietor always tossed in a doughnut hole or two for free, on top of the sugared doughnuts I picked up those first few weeks after we bought our house.  Ah, the doughnut.  Is anything better?

Unfortunately, the humble fried treat is not the sort of thing one should eat if aspiring to be the picture of health.  There isn't the slightest hint, in fact, of "good for you" in a doughnut.  Enter two peas and their pod, a lovely new blog I found that I now cannot stop visiting.  Run by a husband and wife team, the recipes on the blog not only look delicious and appealing, but are often exactly the kind of thing a responsible eater should consider whipping up.  The moment my eyes glimpsed baked pumpkin donut holes, I knew that I would be a faithful follower forever.  The little gems are the perfect solution for my perpetual doughnut craving!  Yes, they are dipped in butter before being rolled in a generous amount of cinnamon sugar but they are BAKED.  And they contain pumpkin, that excellent squash, bursting with antioxidants, healthy fats, and fiber!  One should feel nothing short of virtuous after reaching for a second or third helping.

I should tell you that the recipe makes 24 decadent miniature doughnut holes.  My SH and dear SIL ate six between them.  Approximately 3 1/2 are sitting forlornly in the bowl right now.  You do the math.

I must also say how excited I am to have found two peas and their pod.  Besides my new favorite treat, I've also tried their sweet potato kale pizza with rosemary and red onion (delicious, definitely post-worthy), and I plan to make roasted chickpea fajitas this week.  

Monday, January 2, 2012

rock of ages

Monday, January 2, 2012


I really, really want to see this.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012



I rang in the New Year with a heavenly plate of Dungeness crab, accompanied with fresh Meyer lemons from our yard. A very good start to the year. - Posted from my iPhone