I am looking forward to sitting next to my husband and laughing hysterically. Date Night opens April 9th.
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From the monthly archives:
February 2010
I walked by her on the street once and we were wearing the same clogs! She is adorable in the video below.
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I bought a red and an orange Sharpie peel-off china marker last week. I so remember these from being a kid. And, they are great to write with in a crayon-y sort of way. Just 99 cents each here.
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Appliances make me crazy. They are a necessity, they can be expensive, they take up precious New York kitchen counter space. They are universally poorly designed unless you buy something Italian and REALLY expensive, at which point, in my experience, you also need an Italian boyfriend to operate it for you. We’ve been in need of a new toaster for six months and this week my nine year old Cuisinart toaster elegantly gave up the ghost and simply stopped toasting at all. This necessitated some quick and deep toaster research as I eat a lot of toast (it is a quick, hot meal when you are a new mom, sad to say). After an intense bout of reading almost every toaster review on Amazon, I bought the Breville Die Cast Smart Toaster ($129). It is expensive, but, not the most expensive (by far! you can spend $300 on a toaster which shouldn’t shock me but it does!). It is beautiful, really sturdy and well made and makes great toast.
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Some sort of 24 hour bug is making its way around NYC — Tim and I both came down with it on Monday night. It is scary getting sick when you have a young child. Scary. With both Tim and I sick we just didn’t know how we were going to take care of ourselves and the baby too. However, my sweet sister showed up at 1am (after I sent her a series of delirious text messages) and took care of us and the baby with such kindness and grace. I have never felt such relief, knowing that she was here to be with the baby. Before I was pregnant I really didn’t understand how much help parents need; I have been humbled by the generosity of friends and family in the last nine months.
We are all better, although exhuasted and taking it easy. Tuesday was my birthday (which I spent sleeping) and other than that I’ve been reading the Unclutter book on my new iphone and watching the Olymics. I hope whereever you are you have a healthy restful weekend and I’ll be back next week with some actual design scouting and updates around the house.
Photo via Haw-lin.com (which is currently down).
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Love is in the air today and flowers are everywhere on the streets of NYC. I did my part and delivered carrot cake whoopie pie valentines to friends.
This would make a great favor for a children’s party or in Easter baskets (I can’t wait for spring!). I made these with clear cellopane bags which have lots of uses ($13.50 for 100) and are handy to have around. The heart stickers ($2.75) could replaced with butterflys or other seasonal decor.
PS I fear there is no end in sight to the iphone polaroids on this blog.
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If I ever have an office again (along with a nice juicy corporate salary) I will buy myself one of these amazing (and amazingly expensive) Swiss toys as a desk toy.
one ($225), two ($120), three ($150).
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Stephanie, Alex and I went on an epic five and half hour journey to that blogger utopia Kinokuniya, the Japanese bookstore on 6th avenue. It was everything the bloggers who had gone before us had promised: a three floor mecca of craft books, stationary supplies and amazing gardening books. However, the highlight of the day was a delicious carrot cake whoopie pie. $1.50 at Kinokuniya’s cafe. I came home and baked up a batch using the recipe below. We had friends over for delicious Greek take out last night and these cookies were universally consumed with moans and then demands for seconds, so I think they count as a major hit. NB: If you don’t have silpat mats ($18), they are a kitchen gadget well worth investing in. They are the spanx of the cooking world.
Adapted from Gourmet (RIP!)
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1/2 cup raisins (2 1/2 ounces)
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup honey
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Chill dough in freezer for 15 minutes.
Drop 1 tablespoon batter per cookie 2 inches apart on silplat mats and bake on baking sheets, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.
Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between. These are good the first night, but if you store in an airtight container, they get amazingly moist and whoopie pie like on the second night.
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I’ve been obsessed with the rainbow cake like everyone else in blogland. Today Stephanie came over (she lives three blocks from me!!) and demonstrated her baking chops and produced these rainbow cupcakes using Wilton food coloring. Next up, the full cake!
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Our friends Jim and Becca wrote an awesome book on the craft of cheese making in Wisconsin. This would make an amazing valentine’s gift for the cheese nerd (like me!) in your life ($18 at Amazon). Add a box of cheese from the University of Wisconsin-Madison ($19) and they’ll love you forever. I have personally sampled the aged cheddar and can give it the AGDS seal of approval. I love Jim and Becca for many reasons but one of my favorite is that they created Febgiving, the celebration of thanksgiving in February. This year Febgiving is celebrated Feb. 14 and 20th. I can’t wait.
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Things I like about this room: the grey walls, the white trim, the love seat with topiaries and the warm caramel color leather chairs. WNYC is constantly on in the house: on the days when I don’t have a babysitter it keeps me from getting lonely. Anyway, I listen to the Brian Lerher Show and he often “crowd sources” things — like the identity of Russian mobsters or problems with lead paint or experiences with the public schools in NYC. So, today, let’s crowd source: I can’t find the dining room chairs above anywhere online. I know I’ve seen them but I can’t seem to find them in that warm color. These look comfortable and that is hard to find in a dining room chair! This lovely room is from a Corcoran.com listing.
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This tote made me laugh this morning. It says “Nobody Panic I know Origami and… Pilates.” Since I don’t know either, this would be an awesome bag for me to carry. Sadly, it is sold out. I’ve been taking the week to reset and reorganize after the marathon of thesis-land. I looked up from my computer and realized that I haven’t done any real organization since before I was pregnant — some 18 months ago. I’ve been coasting on old systems and, frankly, letting things pile up. I’ll share some scary photos later in the week of what my closet looks like. My newest obsession is the blog the Unclutterer. It has quickly become one of my favorite daily reads with common sense advice about owning your own life. (Why is it that common sense seems in short supply these days?)
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