10 years

The Office premiered in March of 2005.  Thanks, Facebook, and your plethora of links and articles reminding me.  I can't tell you how much joy the show brought me-countless bouts of laughter, the cringing and the heart-warming that accompany all things Michael Scott, and of course the sweetest television relationship ever.  I miss it.

Classics.  My favorite is Dwight's personal items lodged in the vending machine.


Meredith's take on Casual Friday.  Easily the best cold open.  I CRIED laughing the first time I watched it.


I could never have an Office tribute on the blog without a good Jim and Pam montage.

Your scones are scrumptious

As it happens, my cookbook obsession has not abated.  I have a problem.  In the garage stands a bookshelf fully loaded with cookbooks.  Stacks of them line the bottom of our garage storage shelves.    In the house, I have finally cleared a messy pile of them into an organized row 25 strong that are propped into the huge space behind my sink.  There are approximately five more on my Amazon wishlist.  Just recently, Luisa Weiss of Wednesday Chef (another famous food blogger that I am growing to absolutely love) referred to herself on Instagram as a "cookbook magpie."  THAT IS TOTALLY ME.

I had been eying Huckleberry, a cookbook out of Santa Monica's Huckleberry Cafe, for quite some time after seeing posts about it on a few blogs and Instagram accounts that I shamelessly stalk.  I showed some restraint at first by adding it to my Christmas wishlist and sharing it with all my family, hoping that surely someone would just pick it up for me.  Unfortunately, my family is entirely too thoughtful to simply go off a list, and all preferred going the "original" and meaningful gift route.  I was, of course grateful, but the minute the holidays were over I decided I had waited long enough for my book.

Almost everything in Zoe Nathan's book sounds amazing. I felt confident that I would start with a tart or something decadent.  However, as of late, my pint-sized "boss" has been starting the day with the refrain "More scones, please!", so I thought I might surprise him with a plate of these.  I happened to have everything on hand, which is actually a great selling point for this recipe, and I was eager to try a new version of scone.  I am wedded to Molly's scone recipes, and can practically whip them up in my sleep, but branching out can be good.

Whole-Wheat Raisin Scones, adapted from Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan and
(makes 10 scones)

3/4 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup cold buttermilk
1 batch Egg Wash (2 egg yolks, 2 tbsp heavy cream, pinch of kosher salt whisked together until homogenous.  This yields around 1/4 cup and can be refrigerated for up to 2 days)*

1. Plump the raisins in 1 cup warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and finely chop.
2. In a very large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt and toss well.  Throw in the cold butter and work it with your fingertips until the pieces are pea- and lima-bean size.  Add the buttermilk and raisins.  Lightly toss to distribute.
3. Immediately dump everything onto a clean surface with more than enough space to work the dough.  Using only the heel of your palm, quickly flatten out the dough.  Gather the dough back together into a mound and repeat.  After two or three repetitions, the dough should begin holding together.  Be sure to avoid overworking.  You should still see some pea-size bits of butter running through it.
4. Shape the dough into a 12-inch long cylinder.  Lightly flatten the top and cut into ten triangles.  Transfer to an ungreased sheet pan and freeze for at least 2 hours before baking, or up to 1 month, tightly wrapped.
5. Preheat your oven to 375º.  Remove the scones from the freezer.  Space them with plenty of breathing room on two ungreased sheet pans, brush with the egg wash, and sprinkle liberally with sugar (I skipped the sugar).  Bake from frozen until baked through, nicely browned, and easily lifted off the plan, about 25 minutes.

*Zoe Nathan notes that the egg wash recipe is quite flexible.  If you have no cream, for example, whole milk is fine.  A whole egg can be used in substitute for two egg yolks.  I didn't have any cream and knew that I was only making one batch of scones, so I opted to use the single egg and not waste a second one.  

My little guy, whose love for scones, by the way, began after many readings of James Marshall's Yummers, gobbled these delicious, craggy scones right up.  In the intro to the recipe, Nathan describes what she wanted when coming up with it, something "as close to graham crackers as I could manage", and I think that'a perfect description for what they taste like.  Hearty, barely sweet, and so very warm.  I don't particularly love raisins, myself, but didn't mind them at all as we shared our breakfast.  I'm already planning for another batch.

Shut up. This is a perfect song.

Ahem [sheepishly clearing throat].  Yes, I confess to being entirely, unreasonably obsessed with Taylor Swift's new album.  Which, incidentally, is named 1989 BECAUSE SHE WAS BORN IN 1989.  Maybe you won't think I'm unreasonable when you actually listen to it.  Perhaps you'll be charmed.  You might fall into a black hole of Taylor Swift obsession, reading her recent profile in Vanity Fair, revisiting her older albums, and relishing her obvious dislike for Justin Bieber.  

Yes, Taylor Swift is a polarizing figure.  She does, in fact, wear a lot of 1950's bathing suit-type outfits.  Her romantic choices are both questionable (Harry Styles, Taylor Lautner) and gross (JOHN MAYER).  Probably everything that has ever happened to her has ended up as a song lyric.  Either way, I cannot stop listening to this album.  It's like some sort of nostalgic, super pop visit back to high school.  And for the record, it's not "Shake it Off" constantly on repeat over here, where just this morning, I heard my little guy say "No Taylor Swift."   Try "Out of the Woods"!  

P.S.Thanks to my friend J for sending me the SNL video.  She refrains from making fun of me when I share these things with her.  Things like a deep, dark love for Taylor Swift.  

SERIAL

Sarah Koenig on the left, with producers Dana Chivis and IRA GLASS! 

source

I had to make a record of it on the blog-I have absolutely and completely tumbled down the rabbit hole known as Serial.  Aghhhhhh!!!  A sampling of my thoughts: What to believe about Adnan Syed??  Why is Jay so shady?  The Best Buy parking lot?  Where are Asia and Nisha?  Did Leakin Park come up on The Wire? All the mention of Patapsco Bridge just makes me think about Frank Sobotka.  I love you, Sarah Koenig! 

Friends of mine who stumble upon this blog: PLEASE LISTEN TO SERIAL!  I need to discuss! 

music together

There are a million and one things you can do with your child, from the moment they enter the world, to enrich their little lives.  I'm not talking about the book reading, park walking, or sensory explorations that we can come up with on our own or by devouring board after Pinterest board.  No, this is the day and age of classes, the kind that you can find at the local YMCA, your library, the gym,  community centers....basically everywhere.  You can take your tot to cooking classes, ballet, gymnastics, soccer, art, any hobby your heart desires, ALMOST FROM THE TIME OF THEIR BIRTH!  It gets a little exhausting, honestly, when you think about all of the options.  I never wanted to be the mom who tailored a schedule that would be just right for my son, because I secretly hoped that I would be on top of things enough to craft the most wonderful home life for him, complete with occasional field trip to a children's museum or the beach.  He wouldn't need classes to have a fulfilling toddlerhood, of course!

Unsurprisingly, it hasn't exactly turned out this way.  As it happens, my boy actually does need a bit more structure and activity in his life, more than I can provide even if I were especially great at planning ahead and being productive, which I am most definitely not.  By far the most exciting and rewarding of all of the things we have tried have been our Music Together classes.  

I find myself struggling to write from the heart, even on this most personal of places, my own blog, but it's difficult to truly convey just how much Music Together has meant to our little family.  You can check out their site here to get an idea of the program itself, but a good way to describe it might be to say it's a teacher-facilitated, child-driven, parent participation-based music class.  It's not what you might expect, because there is not a great deal of organization to each class, and it's certainly not an adorable band of children singing in tune.  Instead, each individual class is based around ten or so songs from that particular session.  The whole program is divided into nine instrument-based sessions, as shown in the photo above.  The music collection for each session contains approximately 25 songs, which are given on a CD along with a songbook to each family at the beginning of the session.  This allows for us to listen to the music at home and become more and more familiar with it.   During class, the teacher goes through the chosen songs of the day, leading the group in singing them and supplementing with a variety of mediums to bring out music in the children, from a basket of instruments to wooden sticks to multi-colored egg shaker maracas.  It is adamantly stressed that parents not coerce their children into singing and/or movement, but to allow that part to happen naturally.  Thus, at this particularly young age (2-3), the children are often prancing about the room, sitting quietly in a parent's lap, or even observing from afar, waiting until they are ready to join in.  

My little A was unsure about music in the beginning, but he absolutely loves it now.  We are on our fifth session (including a bonus summer session which consisted of a collection of "hits" from the primary sessions) and it has made such a difference in his life!  He absolutely loves the music, and while he's not a singer yet, his sense of rhythm and movement have greatly improved since we began.  It has provided a way to increase his language skills, given him comfort in the form of night time lullabies, and brought a lot of joy to his little heart.  I have always believed in the power and significance of music to a person's growth and development-even as an adult music can be an incredibly transformative thing.  I am elated at what a wonderful introduction A has had.  

I'm going to end this rather sub-par post with a slightly funny, albeit sobering quote from a book I read this summer.  Side note: I read so. many. good. books and I desperately need to write a good post sharing all of them.  Anyway, despite my deep love and appreciation for Music Together I have to confess two things.  One, we are besotted with our teacher and have only attended her classes, so I can't be certain it's as amazing an experience with just any teacher. I also feel compelled to share that it's quite the expensive endeavor, and one that would be borderline ridiculously costly if one was taking more than one child to class.  I knew that they were a privilege, but it wasn't until the topic came up in a particularly delicious beach read, You Should Have Known, in the conversation between two Upper West Side Manhattan mothers, that I really grasped what I've been enjoying for so long  (for context, in case you couldn't figure it out: Hilda is a nanny).  

"You still take him to his lessons?" said Sally, with the faintest whiff of disapproval.  "God, if I took my kids everywhere myself, I'd never do anything else.  Two of them do gymnastics, and there's piano and ballet and fencing.  Plus Djuna, of course.  She only does Music Together and Gymboree, but you know, the fourth go-round with Gymboree?  I couldn't take it anymore, so Hilda goes.  The moms were like, 'Oh, my baby's so special because she slid down the slide!' I keep wanting to say, 'The is my fourth kid, and I hate to tell you, but gravity makes them all slide down the slide.' And I almost lost it so many times in Music Together, I finally told Hilda she had to do that one, too.  I feel I've been shaking the same egg maraca for a decade." 

Yikes.  Hopefully I won't grow to resent the egg maracas and the Remo drums.  

meatloaf: it's what you make for someone you love

I have written many times about my love and adoration for Molly Wizenberg, her books, and her blog, Orangette.  My dear sister-in-law (so very dear, by the way) sent me a link to Orangette all the way back in 2008 (!!!!) and I've never looked back.  A Homemade Life, Molly's first book, sits well-worn and loved in a special, sparse shelf where I keep my most cherished books, ensconced between East of Eden and Absalom, Absalom!  I've read it many, many times, and neither the memoir itself nor the recipes have ever disappointed.

You can imagine my excitement when I learned that Molly would be writing a second book, this one centered around the origin and development of the restaurant she began with her husband, Brandon.  Ok, you probably don't have to imagine it.  It has not gone unmentioned on the old blog, even in the dearth of posts over the past two years.  I eagerly anticipated its arrival, and I was crushed to discover that I wouldn't be home when Molly visited the Bay Area for a book tour shortly after Delancey's release (it is, in case you have not guessed, named after the restaurant).

Enter my newest, sweetest friend J.  We happened to be at the same table at our MOPS group and enjoyed forging a new friendship in the early winter and through spring.  J had recently moved from Seattle, home of Molly Wizenberg, and was actually a frequent patron of Delancey!  After I set aside my jealousy, I quickly familiarized her (and probably frightened her) with my obsession.  Not only did she decide to read the book with me, thus making it our first book club choice together (we are now on our fourth book, and our club contains three other members), she also volunteered to attend the book signing, taking both our copies.  What a gem.

Delancey is a bit different from A Homemade Life, specifically because it is focused entirely on the restaurant and how it came about.  It's as much about how Molly and Brandon each dealt with such a huge project as it is a fascinating look at the crazy amount of labor, money, and inspiration that goes into building a successful restaurant.  As such, there aren't as many recipes.  I can attest, however, that the ones Molly chose to include are really, really wonderful.  The fact that she has turned me into the kind of person that would not only make meatloaf, but eat it and ENJOY it, is something I can still hardly believe.

Perhaps the least appetizing food photo in the history of the world. 

I'm fairly certain that I've written about my disdain for baked meat.  Even typing the phrase makes me cringe.  In my mind, any meat, particularly beef, needs the nice, browned crust that comes from being grilled or lightly fried in a pan.  The idea of meatloaf is almost mindblowing in its sheer grossness, in my opinion.  However, most red-blooded Americans find it to be an incredibly comforting, wholesome dish.  It reminds them of their mothers, or grandmothers.  It's the kind of thing people remember eating as they grew up.  My SH certainly likes it, and since my little guy will eat anything that is in the vicinity of ketchup I knew he would like it too.  Since I want to be the kind of mother who makes food he remembers, I figured I should give meatloaf a shot.  What better recipe to trust than one put forth by Molly Wizenberg?

I took one bite of my first completed meatloaf, quietly sizzling with warmth, juicy but not overwhelmed with tomato flavors, and I felt like I knew what the fuss was about.  Molly says the trick to her meatloaf is the fish sauce, which might be true, but all I know is that it is finally something I can enjoy eating too.  I've made it many times since, and I always feel such a satisfaction thinking that I've made something that my family is comforted by, that they love to eat.  I think that is what you're going for when you make a meatloaf.  I should make one for J next.  :)


Molly Wizenberg's Meatloaf, adapted from Delancey

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/3 cups fresh breadcrumbs
About 1/3 cup whole milk, or enough to saturate the breadcrumbs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 large eggs, beaten well
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
1/3 cup ketchup, plus 1/4 cup for topping the loaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan over moderate heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent but not brown.  Set aside.
3. Put the breadcrumbs in a small bowl, and drizzle the milk over them, stirring to moisten.  Set aside.
4. Put the beef and pork in a large mixing bowl, breaking up any large hunks.  Add the salt, fish sauce, eggs, mustard, parsley, and 1/3 cup ketchup.  Add the onion and garlic.  Using your hand, squeeze the milk from the breadcrumbs; then add the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture (discard the milk).  Holding one hand in a claw shape, press it down into the ingredients, and briskly stir with your hand to mix evenly.  When the meat and seasonings are uniformly mixed, pick up the mixture and turn in over in the bowl, and briefly mix again (Turning it over helps to ensure that no ingredient settles to the bottom and clumps there.)
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, and use your hands to pat and shape it into an approximately 9 by 5-inch loaf.  (If you find that the mixture is sticking to your hands, rinse them well and leave them slightly wet; the moisture will keep the meat from sticking).  Brush the loaf evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup.  (see photo above of undressed loaf)
6. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reaches 155 F to 160 F.  Cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

I'm just a gangster, I suppose.

Any news promoting The Wire is good news, in my opinion.  While the standard quality of the show as originally aired seems particularly appropriate for its gritty content, I would not mind watching it in HD one bit.  Several times.  

*In other Wire-related news, Seth Gilliam, aka Lt. Carver, will be joining the cast of The Walking Dead for it's fifth season, set to begin in October. He will be the third Wire alum to be cast on the show.  Both D'Angelo Barksdale and Cutty are now a part of Rick's crew.  Now, if only they could drag Idris Elba into the fold....