squid, roxy music, cakes

What’s Happening??!?!?!

January was cake month.  I was working with Baked which is a coolio hipster brooklyn baking book that I’m still feeling a little ambivalent about.  I want to make a lot of the recipes, but the style is so faux it bugs me.  But what can you expect, it comes from one or two ex-ad guys so… But whatever.  That’s petty.  I made two cakes (and a few other things) from the book.  The Sweet and Salty cake is amazing.  but it also has like, a cow’s worth of butter in it so… 3 layers of chocolate cake interspersed with fleur-de-sel caramel, whipped caramel ganache frosting, and fleur de sel sprinkles.  It took several days, two parties and multiple co-worker giveaways to get through it all (rich!).  The other one we made was the malt ball cake.  better in theory.  White malted milk layers with milk chocolate frosting (actually really light and good) and some malt balls for decoration.  It was disappointing I thought and I was a little bummed that I picked it for my bro’s bday dinner, but whatevs.  It was ok.  The fleur de sel caramel on its own I think is worth the price though.  The most on-target caramel recipe I’ve made yet and I’ve tried a few.  mmmm salty

Also made carrot cake from Cooking With Jaime (aka the book with the worst cover ever) with a tasty lime frosting.  Christopher loves him some carrot cake but we’ve never found a winner til now.  I also, just to be me, I went through all my cookbooks and came up with a list of 8 recipes to try for him.  So at some point, I will find the world’s best carrot cake recipe right?  Can I say that I love the fact that I have 8 recipes sitting on my shelf?  Fuck the internet.

I’ve been obsessing on Roxy Music lately.  But haven’t managed to get down to the record shop to sift through the old 80s box of records.  The problem is that if I go, I just know I’m not going to be able to resist one of those 20$ studio one comps and then I will have spent upwards of $100 this short month on pure treats.  It doesn’t seem right.  I have to admit that I’ve been engaging in a bit of retail therapy lately, and it doesn’t sit well.  So meanwhile I’m getting my fix via youtubes, pandora, and at C’s insistence, groove shark.  I’m not convinced groove shark is legal, but he somehow roped me in with sort of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” vibe.  Wow, I have real problems.  Meanwhile, for several days I’ve been thinking about poking around the basement for the lost in translation dvd to watch bill murray sing more than this.  But I sort of want to save that treat for a special occasion or when I really need a treat and christopher hasn’t stocked any take-5 in the junk drawer.

Finally, I just finished Fat of the Land (cf blog), which was a lovely short read that got me all excited about living where I do, and, combined with the return of our phantom fishing buddy (we have spend a lot more time talking about fishing than ever you know, doing it) has me all set for squid jigging.  Apparently it’s done with minimal equipment and relative ease when the time is right.  Unfortunately the time is right in the middle of the night in the middle of winter.  Did I mention my baby is not quite 8 months old?  So I’m not sure when my inaugural squid-jigging venture will actually take place (SOME time surely though).  In the meantime, some squid reading:

The Tantalizing Squid

How-To

A fun and unique urban cultural experience!

Other miscellany:

• Poutine in Portland – not quite perfect but pretty cool nonetheless.  it could have been more salty and less sweet (sweet gravy?) and the cheese curds could have been not freezing, cooling down the fries and gravy.  but overall, good show.
• No it’s it in portland (for me) and subsequent sleuthing.  still coming up short and blah.  but i’ll be in SF next week, and I’m totally going to hit up a corner store like, every day.  I am sort of afraid christopher will not understand what all the fuss is about.
• The Egg and I is next.
• Reading books about buddhism, and in particular b for parents/moms.  It’s been cool and helpful.  Flirting with checking out the temple down the street on one of their public sessions.
• Going out for drinks and scandi treats in a couple days with two blonde ladies and I’m pretty excited.  third night out since baby.
• My pile of security envelopes (aka. trash/recycling) is piling up and i have yet to do anything fantastically crafty.  bummer.

ok!

smell you later.

seasonal update

I’ve been sewing a lot.  I got a sewing machine in the fall and have been getting more and more adventurous.  Figuring out that I don’t need to know anything to make things – I just have to put pieces of fabric together(!) was really freeing and let me get a start doing fun stuff without cluttering my brain too much with technique.  I’m slowly absorbing that stuff too, but it’s so much more meaningful when you’re actually working on something…

So far I’ve made a couple scarves, several potholders, a few bags of various sizes/styles, crazy t-shirt pants for the baby, this fun crayon-roll thing for my nephew, a fabric block toy… that’s what I can think of right now.

Just as I find it hard to justify buying new clothes or furniture for the most part, buying new fabric off the bolt seems pretty luxurious/wasteful to me so I stick to the remnant bin for the most part (and old clothes and other cloth I happen to have).  This never feels like a sacrifice though – it’s more like a fun challenge, a creative constraint that feels more special because it’s pure luck to get coordinating colors.

A couple of nights ago inspiration struck and I dug up this little strip of funny brown corduroy with horses and brand designs embroidered on it in white thread and another larger piece of light aqua fabric and cut out the horses and then the leftover brown with random bits of brands (some are zodiac signs or other symbols, some letters) and then freestyled strips of aqua and over the last couple of days have used the best baby calm times in the afternoon to put together a bunch of irregular blocks for a baby quilt.  There are lots of kids/babies around these days and I haven’t quite settled on who will get it – I’m not even sure I’ll be able to part with it though to be honest.  I’ve been fantasizing about making a quilt for easily a decade now – can I really give my first one away?

Whatever happens, I think I’m going to have to splurge on a nice big single piece for the bottom side.  I’m thinking soooooofft flannel.

jolly good show, wizenberg

I’m borrowing A Homemade Life from Allisa.  The whole blog-into-book idea feels pretty lame to me, so though I heard everyone was into it I was still playing hard-to-get with this one, but Allisa is so nice that I can’t refuse her anything, including borrowing and reading a book she likes, so…

She was right, it’s great.  I mean, the stories are OK, I’m not particularly fascinated by her life – partly because she’s one of those people that is in love with Paris, which just gets old.  Although I totally know how she feels.  Rome to me feels like a sad breakup that I just can’t get over.  So I get it, but I don’t really care.  Sorry!  But I’ve been there, and she’s local and she’s about my age so aside from the stuff about Oklahoma it’s all pretty familiar and reads like a convo with a pal for the most part.

But more importantly – every single recipe in the book looks totally rad!   Really, I might have to buy it.  Last night I made the ratatouille and the fennel-pear salad and both were great.  And I want to try every other recipe so far too.  Even things that are totally not my style (cookies with lots of pink frosting?) sound pretty good the way she describes them.  And I love that on the one hand she goes nuts for fancy pants shit and on the other she is enormously satisfied by something like… a spoonful of peanut butter when conditions are right.  Also, her husband’s (her?) pizza place is opening up in walking distance so that’s exciting too.

Meanwhile, we just watched Bridge on the River Kwai for the AFI 100 list.  It starts sort of slow, but after about an hour picks up a bit (yea it’s loooong).  It’s full of British-isms and Alec Guiness.  There is an explosion.  I think you’ll be ok if you go through life without seeing it.  After this back to back with Sunset Boulevard and close behind The Towering Inferno I think we’re good on William Holden movies for a while.

65% done w/ AFI 100 list
43% done with Academy Awards list
72% done with WGA greatest screenplays list
27% done with the criterion collection

too many projects

My disease is too many projects.  i’m really good at brainstorming and thinking of things i want to do and then moving on before i’ve even closed the browser window with all the awesome sites i’ve found in a flurry of research… my latest project is fantasizing that i’m going to do the 8-step apartment therapy cure.  the first step involves a quiz about your style and your home and one of the questions is to do with what you want in your house that’s not there now.  my answer?  more room for my projects!  supposedly i’ll do more with the right space, more time, materials, etc. but probably not.  anyway, i’ll probably forget about the cure in short order.  right now i’m thinking about how i can adapt square-foot-gardening for indoors.  how many plants can i fit on the dining table?  Also i’m going to start baking all our bread.  with all my free time.

I guess I lied, the apartment therapy project is actually 3 or 4 obsessions back.  That is so last night.

Because my memory is shit and I have no self-awareness, I looked at my history to check out some of my other project ideas:

• weekly bread baking (this is part of a larger goal of having a set schedule to bring sanity to the baby world)
• saving $1,000 a month per husband’s request.  i’m sure i can do it.  but it might involve some outlay for things like baking all our bread, growing food… and getting him to stop going to the liquor store.
• my indoor square foot garden (since my landlord is over EVERY FUCKING DAY working on the yard i don’t really feel comfortable trying to use the space outside)
• some kind of homebased mom biz i haven’t figured out yet (doing general reading on the topic)
• regular sunday dinners (i’ve wanted to do this for years.  doing so this week at least.)
• buying a house (more my man’s project, but i’m a slut for projects, so…)
• canning/food preservation
• some extreme plan and execution for using old food/spices that have been hanging around.  last weekend i used that old-ass gelatin for example…
• a career in technical writing/editing
• resuming bento/lunch making.  or a bake sale?
• Copying “a homemade life” by reflecting on my life through recipes.  supposedly activities like that strengthen the connection between the two sides of your brain.
• Writing down the birth story
• becoming a tutor-for-hire.  i’m going to have to get over feeling weird about taking money from individuals.
• thanksgiving in october!  i thought of something i wanted to do for it last night.  but i’ve lost it by now.

Those are the possibilities for the last two days.  Really i’d be satisfied if i get the printer plugged in.  I have a big list of things to print.

Wine Jelly

I have an incredibly slow-moving goal to use up old ingredients.  Among the oldest is a bunch of gelatin I bought to make marshmallows several winters ago.  Gelatin doesn’t go bad, so it’s more a matter of space/principle than spoilage, but in some ways that makes it a more urgent ingredient to get done with, since I know the day will never come when I can just throw it out and be done with it.  This weekend the stars aligned though – the cook book club did The First Ladies Cookbook this time around and therein lie not one but two recipes for “wine jelly” (also a “savory jelly” but the less said about that one the better).  I wouldn’t call this book particularly rigorous in providing historical details/proof so you have to take a leap of faith and imagine that the original recipes that precede some entries actually have some established connection to the president in question or at least the time period.  So I’ll optimistically say that what follows is an authentic Wine Jelly recipe from Thomas Jefferson’s day/time in the White House (spelling and punctuation as I found it):

Take 4 calves feet, & wash them well without taking off the hoofs. (or instead of that take 1 oz. isinglass, or 1 oz. of deers horns)  These feet must be well boiled the day before they are wanted.  Let them cool in order to take off the greese.  After taking off the greese put the jelly in a caserolle.  Put there 4 oz. sugar, cloves, nutmeg.  Boil all together.  Take 6 whites of eggs.  the juice of 6 lemons, a pint of milk, a pint of madeira.  Stir all together.  Pour it into the jelly & boil it.  Taste it to see if sweet enough, if not, add powdered sugar.  Strain it 2 or 3 times thru’ flannel til clear.  Put it in glasses or moulds.

Thankfully, the Culinary Expert (Dione Lucas) and the Home Economist (Janet C. Glenn) adapted the recipe for modern gals who lack access to deer horns, and I was able to lose two packets of gelatin (don’t worry – there is still a lot more left).  I myself adapted their recipe a bit, and I would do so further if I made it again to add even more gelatin (not just to get rid of it I swear!) because it came out on the soft side.  Fine if you want to scoop out your jelly, but no good for a fancy mold the likes of which can be found in the positively 50’s photo spreads in The First Ladies Cook Book. This jelly works as a weirdy dessert, but would also go with meat and stuff.  Maybe I’ll make another batch at Thanksgiving!

Wine Jelly à la Thomas Jefferson (with actual execution/notes in bold)

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (I would experiment with 3 for a firmer jelly)
1/2 c. cold water (add another 1/4 c. water if you’re going for 3 gelatin packs)
2 cups strained fruit juice (grape, cranberry, or raspberry) (I used Knudsen’s pure unsweetened cherry juice with good results)
3/4 to 1 c. sugar (I used 1/2 c. and it was plenty – on the tart side if you like that)
pinch of salt (oops, forgot that.  oh well!)
1 pint wine (Madeira, red Burgundy, or sherry) (I used a Rioja Rosé and it was great)
strained juice of 3 lemons (I used 1/2 c. lemon juice)
fresh fruit for garnish (didn’t bother with that)

(First: Chill your mold.) Dissolve 2 envelopes of gelatin in 1/2 cup of cold water (put the water in a bowl and sprinkle gelatin over it, not the other way around).  Add this to the fruit juice, which has been brought to a boil.  Add sugar to taste and a pinch of salt.  Let cool.  Next, add the pint of wine and lemon juice.

Pour into mold that has been chilled.  Set into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (many more if you want it to really be cold enough to unmold – up to 24 hours).  Unmold and serve cold.  Decorate with fresh fruits that have been rolled in powdered sugar (or not).

I might add pictures later.  Check out this flickr group for an approximation of the vibe of the whole book…

50 things i love to do

Just FYI.

1. read a new magazine
2. go to the library
3. check things off lists – like my movie lists
4. hang out with my husband
5. take pictures of my kid
6. shred things
7. finish washing ALL the laundry
8. think up projects
9. make lists
10. get mail
11. send a pal a link or piece of info that makes her/him happy
12. get rubs/massages from my husband
13. make something new with CSA veg
14. get a new cookbook
15. feel connected to family / family-style friends
16. eat ice cream/milkshakes
17. drink beer/wine/cocktails
18. see my baby do something new
19. travel
20. ride on the ferry
21. listen to positive vibrations
22. get compliments on my cooking
23. get compliments on my hard work
24. hear sweet somethings from my man
25. watch my guys interact
26. be near water
27. long car rides to a new place
28. play board games with people i like
29. watch movies alone
30. watch movies with my family
31. fantasize about reading books/occasionally doing so
32. plan theme parties / carry them off
33. plan and anticipate thanksgiving in october
34. organize things/thoughts
35. clear out clutter
36. go to the library sale
37. fantasize about my business
38. fantasize about going to school
39. daydream about all the fun things kid and i will do together when he’s older
40. not work
41. get out of going to work/school/an appointment/etc.
42. get tasks/errands done and done well
43. pick out presents for people/give people presents they love
44. whatever i want while baby naps
45. picking up long-awaited holds at the library
46. make playlists on youtube/find something great/listen to pandora
47. use netflix to the maxx.  every feature.
48. hear gossip that isn’t mean spirited
49. hear bad jokes/puns
50. acquire new pens, pencils, notebooks, calendars, etc.

are you ready for the summer?

no more classes, no more books
no more teachers’ dirty looks…

It’s been 9 months, dang!  This isn’t one of those “I’m back!” kind of posts because the truth is I’m likely to disappear once again any day now to spend my days staring at a baby instead of the internet, but whatevs.  Historically I haven’t been great about completing my summer fantasy lists, but that doesn’t make them any less worth making or sharing… Also since we moved I haven’t yet replaced my wall of friends’ lists, but this time instead of pro/con I was thinking maybe life dreams.  Will I be a better friend if I have daily reminders of what my pals long for?  Certainly anything that can help them get there will be on my radar right?

If you make a summer list or a (current) life list let me know.  Here are mine:

SUMMER 2009
months-long movie marathon with my main man
using up some of the polaroid film I’ve been hoarding on the baby
u-picks
good times sharing a CSA with a pal – more sunday dinners!

trying new edible plants.  let’s say, 10
visit tina
visit aaron
maybe visit SF.  maybe not til later.
some endeavor that keeps my brain going.  maybe a little latin and greek.
get in the water with the baby

Life!
have chickens and/or goats
swim with tropical fishes
ride a horse
go back to the middle east
live abroad when kids are young

blah

got rid of 448 songs.  what a boring process.

a few on my have-to-buy list: arthur russell, yoko, mala rodriguez, serge gainsbourg, nina simone, joy division, daft punk.  boxes like 70s punk, girl groups lost and found, brown eyed soul, etc.  bunch of putumayo comps.

have a lot more comps to listen to.

clarification

i seem to be having trouble making this clear to people, even though i feel like i’ve said it quite explicitly a million times (offline) – I completely agree that breaking the law is justified in many cases, including whenever you want if you’re a person who doesn’t care about the law.  What I think is bullshit is claiming to have ethical / carefully considered reasons for doing so if you don’t.

and for some reason i keep getting shit (lighthearted shit, but still) for jaywalking as though that invalidates everything i say.  first of all, I think lights except at huge intersections where it is impossible to see anything are stupid, and i think making everyone learn how to fucking look where they are going is way more efficient.  I loved living in Rome!  No one sat around waiting and NO ONE GOT HURT.  people just understood that it was their responsibility to be aware of what the fuck was going on in the road, and so it all worked out.  second, of everyone i know, i am THE MOST conscientious about crossing when it’s my turn.  I will walk to the end of the block and circle back to do so, and sometimes i’ll even wait if no one seems to be coming but it’s a pretty busy street so it is likely someone might come.  My feeling is that i want the cars to stop for me, so i should be willing to stop for them when it is their turn.

All that said, the point of the crossing rules is (as far as i can tell) to clarify whose turn it is (because we’re too stupid to take turns using the road without regulations) and to keep people from getting hurt.  Both pedestrians and drivers have the right to use the road, and since one of us (probably me) will get hurt if we don’t take turns, there’s a law.  If the law exists to protect our respective rights, I think i’m justified in believing that i’m not violating anyone’s rights by crossing if there is NO ONE THERE.  Nor am I endagering myself.

Since artists and publishers have the right to be paid for their work/property, it seems pretty clear that unless they willingly give up that right, we ARE violating the right by refusing to pay for it (unless we’re w/i our rights to “fair use” of their work as part of the general public).

blah blah blah

interest vs. will theory of rights

here’s a little interview from one of my fave podcasts – philosophy bites – on the distinction between individual rights having their basis in a person’s interest vs. their will:

Matthew Kramer on Legal Rights

Has clear implications for the “they have enough money” and “some bands don’t care” arguments for piracy.  This guy is against will theory in a general sense because of some of the scary conclusions it can lead to, which seems reasonable but I think it’s perfectly fine to say (re: the issue at hand) that artists have the option of giving up the right to demand payment for their work.  Of course the fact that SOME do doesn’t justify violating the rights of those who still want to be paid…  then again, the artist isn’t the only one with (legal) rights to proceeds of the work once a label is invested…

Another argument says it is in fact in the artist’s interest to allow sharing (or piracy or whatever you want to call it) because ulmately s/he will gain from the larger exposure.  This is clearly debatable and both sides claim to have proof though I’m not yet convinced in either direction… Whether or not the artist actually benefits more from one state of affairs or another, don’t we still have the duty to honor their wishes (re: their legal rights) until they willingly give them up?