Litaly

Since I am adjusting to life as a one-armed being for the next two months, I will take this opportunity to share photos from our trip to San Diego, which was now a month ago. One of the best parts of that trip was going to the farmer's market on Saturday morning in Little Italy (or 'litaly' as Spencer named it; he has a penchant for epithets). For those of you who are as obsessed with food as I am, you will appreciate that Harvard has posted their lecture series on food & cooking online for free! Thanks to my favourite foodie blogger, Clotilde at Chocolate and Zuccini, for that.

In other news, Spencer has submitted his music to the Independent Music Awards, and we should be hearing back on that in the next few weeks. Say a prayer for him- this would be a great promotional opportunity, and could lead to some new opportunities. And, in case you're wondering who the judges are... (weird al in retirement?)

brussels sprouts. on my 'to eat' list of 2011

spencer's beautiful latte foam

my yummy breakfast- black coffee & butter croissant

I couldn't blame persephone either

adorable italian market

dried fish inside adorable italian market

cute modern condos...

deliciously strong and not at all bitter coffee sold here

And, since my attempt at a giveaway didn't work, I will have to try something else. 

Weekend Food in Review

Last Monday, I went to a pizza making class with Leah. Then the week escaped me, I didn't blog about it and I even forgot to blog on Friday!

This morning, whilst reviewing pictures we've taken recently, I realized that we ate like kings this weekend! Sometimes it just seems so normal to make things up like pumpkin pancakes with proscuitto and cider (a la Paris),  or grilled chicken, pesto, red onion, mushroom and black olive pizza that I don't realize how good life can be on a small budget. I think for our income, spencer and I probably overspend when it comes to groceries, but really, we are OK with not going out much. We'd much rather stay in, cook, watch movies, or have friends and family over.

And that is just what we did this weekend:

Exhibit A: Willow House Party, Thursday evening

homemade bruscetta 

and a dessert pizza with sauteed pears and cherries

Exhibit B: Josh & Jaymi Dinner Date, Friday evening

pesto chicken pizza with black olives and sauteed veggies

and proscuitto goat cheese pizza with fresh basil and arugula

Exhibit C: Parisienne Brunch, Saturday morning

pumpkin pancakes (ok, I don't know how french that is)

proscuitto (we were short on bacon, but it was yummy!)

mmmmmmmmmm

bowl of cider (this is the french part- we were always offered a bowl of cider for breakfast in Paris, so finally we tried it. It was good! Not what you'd think of first thing in the morning (ok, so it was usually around noon) but surprisingly enlivening with the spices. Not too sweet. 

Exhibit D: Zoe, all month long

We are catsitting for my parents while they are on the East Coast visiting Jenny and Michael. It's like having a very smart, hairy two year old around all the time. 

Oh! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SISTER JENNY!!!!! She is 26 today! I love you!

Will Write for Food

Hi, everyone.

I mentioned last week that Spencer surprised me with a copy of Will Write for Food, which I have since started reading. I am convinced that food is my thing. Meaning that if I could never cook again or write about food or try new things, I would probably shrivel up and die. The only thing worse would be if I were banned from reading anything ever again. I will read the backs of food labels if they are there, just because it is made of words and I have an insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Back to food. I am not a food blogger, as of now. This blog is a mish-mash of stuff I like and do- travel, cook, etsy, read, etc. A very good friend of mine, Leah, IS a bonafide food blogger, and she is now in a contest through foodbuzz.com to be 'the next food blogger star.' Part of this contest is tied to voting, and so I am going to shamelessly ask you to take a minute and vote for her because she really puts a lot of effort into her meals and her blog, and into those around her. I am one such lucky recipient of her time and efforts in the kitchen. And if you haven't already found her blog by looking on the right side of mine, here it is. Her blog is called 'seldom made' because in the six years she and drew have been married, she has rarely made the same dinner twice. I'm not exaggerating here. One time Spencer and I went over for dinner and we had these amazing chicken and shrimp lettuce wrap things that Leah called 'a favourite' because it was the THIRD time she had made them. I think in the three years spencer and I have been married, I have made salmon with sauteed veggies about thirty eight times. And that is counting the fact that for the first year and a half, I worked 4 nights a week.

That said, I am experimenting more and also working on my food photography skills. I can't wait for Christmas because we are making a food-related gift for our family and close friends and I think it's going to be really cool. Maybe a tradition, of sorts.

Thanks for checking out Leah's blog and voting for her!

tuesday afternoon delight

Spencer bought me this on amazon last week and it arrived yesterday! I knew he'd gotten me something because he said he needed to hit his free shipping amount (love that incentive) and should he wait for a special occasion to give it to me?

No! 

I jumped up and down and thanked him at least four times last night as I kept remembering it. And out of pure love and adoration for my husband, I didn't even open it. 

Why? Christmas '08. Our first Christmas as a married couple; shoot, it was less than 2 months as a married couple, and we had barely finished opening all our wedding gifts. Spencer bought me The Meat Book and I was soooo in love with him and it that I dove right in and read that thing for at least an hour and a half. I thought it would show my love and appreciation and he'd think it was cute or nerdy. He felt neglected. Poor Spencer. I'd like to say that I learned from that miscommunication, but I know there have been other food books for other holidays and I just can't help it. 

"Frank... is she a republican?" 

"I. can't. help. myself."

(favourite line from You've Got Mail. Kristiana is smiling right now)

We didn't even succumb to tv last night. We actually ate dinner at the table and then watched Eddie Murphy sketches (rocky/italians and the bill cosby impression) online. I paid lots of attention to my husband and completely ignored my book. 

Tonight, though, all bets are off. 

Mmmmmmm....