FarmFresh

Recently Chris and I have been watching a documentary series on PBS called "A Chef's Life". This series is about a woman and her husband and how they open their own restaurant called 'Chef and the Farmer'. It's a really neat story of how just after opening their restaurant it burns to the ground and they need to start over. I can guess that it would be pretty tough, but it could also be quite a miracle. If you think about it, just after opening a restaurant there would be a long list of what went wrong. You could right what you didn't get the first time around. And it reinforce what you already had in place, overall creating a twice as strong restaurant.

Chef Vivian from 'Chef and the Farmer' on a corn excursion! 

We really enjoy the show, not only because it is a spouse team that is building their dream restaurant together but because each program they feature a different farm to table ingredient. Whether the focus be on tomatoes, oysters, corn, or pigs, the program takes us to the farm, we get to  meet the farmer and see the stages of growth. Then Chef Vivian shows how she processes the ingredients and then features them in their restaurant. 

These are heirloom tomatoes, grown from seeds that have been around for 100 years. There are so many varieties of heirloom tomatoes some of which may not look the most appealing but most often the ugly tomatoes are the best! Those that look overgrown or cracked are packed with flavor. Try new varieties of tomatoes and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Of course everyone has recognized that the farm to table movement is entirely in vogue, but I think the more chefs advocate for it, the faster it will trickle down to the general population, as it should. My newest favorite book is one that I bought for Christopher by John Besh- "My New Orleans". In the same manner, it dissects the local ingredients used in his restaurants. He not only emphasizes the difference in taste for example between Creole tomatoes and refrigerator tomatoes, but he attributes it to terroir. Terroir is the notion that a certain region, soil, and growing conditions are the reason a certain ingredient tastes the way it does. In Europe they have something that is called a Protected Designation of Origin which protects the products grown or produced in a certain area so that no other producer can claim that their product is of the same high quality as that of the Protected Designation of Origin. John Besh goes to great lengths explaining that some of the farmers who provide his vegetables should have these protection because that's how good they are. He also works with the local farmers so that they are producing primarily for the flavors he is looking to highlight.

John Besh dissects each ingredient and promotes buying not only locally and supporting New Orleans. He mentions that   sometimes the best product is right outside your back door! 

Chris and I decided to be part of a CSA this year. A CSA is a local farm that sells it's produce directly to members who buy a share of their product; it stands for Community Sharing Agriculture. Last year, I traveled to the farm with the caterer I work for in order to gather her share, and also take advantage of the U-pick program. The U-pick allows you to go into the fields yourself and harvest some of the excess vegetables that are not included in each weeks share. Chris and I really had fun when we visited the farm last year and so we decided to buy half a share for ourselves. Buying half of a share means that instead of going every week to pick up a basket of vegetables, we travel to the farm every other week to pick up our basket. It's not only farm fresh but more value for the price. Our half share will cost 340$ for 10 "baskets"of vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers...plus all you can pick! I encourage you to find a CSA near you. It's quite a great feeling to know that the food has only been touched by two or three hands before it meets your mouth. And with the U-pick section, maybe even one person- me pick! me wash! me cook! me eat!

 

These are both sample shares from our CSA! 

If chefs introduce us to these wonderful local flavors through the dishes they prepare in restaurants, maybe more people will support their local farms and make their own dinners with the freshest ingredients possible. Join the movement! Bring the farm to your table.

Here I am walking amongst the stalks of the CSA, picking the finest cobs! 

The Housewife

I perceive the housewife figure;

A slender woman in an apron

A baby on her hip

The sweet scent of fresh berry pie wafting through the air
A strict crease in the folded shirts in the dresser
The slight shine of oil on the dining room table

The reality:

A pile of hair, a falling mess from her head
Shirts, Shorts, spilling from the hamper
Loud pangs from the fire alarm as a batch of Cookies burn
Children running through the sprinkler stark naked

And yet, I love both. I want to be both.  Maybe the second even more than the first. But I think the actuality is that the two perceptions are intermingled. 

Four little hands stuck in a bowl of dough laced with chocolate chips

Laughter wringing through house

Loud barks of a dog who wants attention

An apron hanging around her glistening neck

Disarray from the laundry room, this is why we have doors

Toys strewn through the yard 

The sprinkler left on after a muddy afternoon

A tired, messy, happy family gorging over a summer feast

Okay, so can you tell I am dreaming of summer? I want the mess I want the happy family. I often struggle with the fact that everything is not perfect. There are dishes in the sink, there are clean clothes that haven't been put away, I should vacuum. But at what cost will everything be perfect? Time and Energy. Happy or perfect? Well I think that even though it's incredibly difficult to realize that nothing will ever be perfect no matter how hard you try, that's the only way to be happy. So it's unfortunate when the perfectionist in us takes over the potential for a stress free life. We only have one life to live, let's enjoy it instead of worry through it. 

The Emerald Isle

Before last week, I had never been outside of North America. My mom planned for our family to go to Ireland. She and my father ventured there on their honeymoon twenty four years ago, and she wanted us children to see the beauty that the country has. And we did. 

The peak season for visitors in Ireland is July- September. This is when the grass is the lushest and the water is warm enough to swim in. Dingle, Ireland, which is where were went, gets a majority of their income from tourists (the other percentage they get from sheep).

 I seriously have never seen so many sheep in my life. Incredible. And each batch or herd or flock of sheep is marked with a different color. Which I can only assume is the way that they keep track of whose sheep are whose! It's amazing how here in America, people have to worry about if the animals used for meat, wool, etc are treated well, have enough room to roam, and are not underfed. Room to roam: well just about anywhere. The animals here just hop over the fence if they think the grass is greener. They have enough to eat, unless the grass stops growing. And I am sure that they have probably the best quality of life of any animal anywhere. If I were a sheep farmer in Ireland, I would have a great laugh if one of my marked sheep ended up on the other side of the country! 

Well I got quite side tracked with the sheep..we went to Ireland in mid February, and the locals told us that this was the worst winter they had, had in forty years. Not a snow flake in sight. I think I realized that although I have grown up with four seasons, I think I could do without one: SNOW. It was quite windy and did rain about everyday, but most of the rain was light and gone within ten minutes. I guess what my point is, that Ireland is beautiful not only in the few tourist months. 

Another difference I noted that I was quite happy with was the lack of "Americanization". Christopher told me that I continued to use this phrase wrong and that it is "Globalization" that I was thinking of. I guess I am just a naive American who has not traveled the globe and thinks that America is the only place that is so.. industrialized.. for lack of a better word. The example of this that stuck in my mind was that there were no fences. You know...go to look at the Grand Canyon, there is a big old fence making sure you don't fall off the side of the mountain. Here, no fence, you just fall. It doesn't take away the beauty like a fence does. You just have to be smart and not fall off the side of the cliff. Natural beauty at it's finest. 

At first it was hard to get used to the Euro to 

Dollar exchange. I was confused because a Euro is one dollar and forty cents. I am very thrifty and I found my self holding back but I wasn't sure why. Then I realized that it was because although the Euro is more valuable than the dollar, the food cost the same number of Euros as it would have been dollars. So I saw a muffin for one euro, but I stopped myself because that meant the muffin was really one dollar and forty cents. But it was the same muffin as I bought in the airport in Newark for 99 cents. So why did it cost forty extra cents? Americans are not willing to spend a lot of money on food, therefore the prices are cheaper in the United States. If I would spend more money on one think I think it would be food. 

Americans value time, so do Europeans, but on opposite ends of the spectrum. Rush, rush rush. That's all we ever do. How fast can you get from point A to point B? How long will you spend in line at the grocery store? It seems like the emphasis is always on the wait. In Ireland it often takes several hours to get from point A to B. This is not only because of the windey or as my mom said "piggly wiggly" roads, but because you have to cross mountains and valleys to get to your destination. People don't rush around the way that we are accustomed to. This is a theme that runs throughout other areas across the pond. In Spain they break their day in half with a siesta! A more relaxed way of life, I would take that. Here we often don't even break for lunch, while in other places they go home for the meal mid day. 

Needless to say by the end of our trip we were ready to go home. But on the last leg, a discussion rose in the car. My dad wondered why Americans had a better quality of life than the Irish. I guffawed. I would love to live as a sheep farmer. I would enjoy being self sufficient. I would relish a relaxed environment. I would fancy a trip home from work to eat lunch with my family. I would adore living close to nature. I would savor the higher quality food products. I would love to immerse myself in the culture of another land. And one day I will.

Day of Hearts

So the big day of hearts is coming up, what is every body doing for their loved ones?

I have always been into holidays. I love getting excited about them, decorating, and celebrating even if it is for a small reason. I know a lot of people boycott Valentine's day because it's about love. But it's not just about that mushy gushy stuff, it's about letting those around you know that you appreciate and love them.

My brother has been my longest standing Valentine. He was once a cute, slender boy who was excited to have a big sister as his Valentine. Then he grew up a little and I'm sure now he might be embarrassed to have me as a Valentine. But one year we went out on Valentine's day. We went to a fine Italian restaurant and had a delicious meal over candlelight. It was funny to watch other people on dates, maybe even people we knew, but we just got to share a good meal. Afterwards we went to a movie. It was just nice to have a reason to celebrate.

Every Valentine's day my Father got us a classic heart filled with chocolates. I guess the men are supposed to be the givers on this day. Unlike Sweetest day, October 18th, which is when the women are supposed to shower their favorite men in gifts.

I think the best gift you could give anyone on the 14th is probably flowers. Who wouldn't be cheered by some bright flowers in this cold winter weather? Sure they won't last for ever, but I think flowers is better than a poor attempt with something material that will get forgotten in a box somewhere. See I think it's all about the hype. Girls get hyped up about the holiday, they expect something fantastic, but whatever their man gets them is not what they expected even though they have no idea what would have been better. Well I will tell you. Simple. A nice dinner out, enjoying each other's company. Not a waste of money on a set of fragrant soap or a new bathrobe. I think gifts that involve doing something together are much more sentimental than materials.

So what will I be doing on Valentine's day you ask? Well Chris and I will probably celebrate with a dinner on the thirteenth because that is the day that he has off. I bought him some small sweets that he can gobble up and other treats that he may find useful. The fourteenth I will finish off our packing and when Christopher comes home from work we will head off to my parents house. After a restless night we will all huddle into a van and head to Newark airport, where we will catch the red eye flight to Ireland, and we will spend a week on the peaceful island. Needless to say I am a bit excited. Bet you can't top that!

On the Move

Lately moving has been on my mind. 

Chris and I moved to Rochester last June. It was too good to be true. Perfect place. Everything we were looking for. Hardwoods. Claw-foot tub. Gas Stove. Natural Lighting. Washer and Dryer. Internet and Cable included. Great Location. Don't do it, it's a trap. We love our apartment. We really, really don't like our landlord. He lives above us. We hear everything he does, I mean everything. Phone conversations. Loud music- if I liked country music before, I really don't anymore. We hear long baths. Stomping. Dog paws. Sometimes I am seriously certain someone is going to fall through the ceiling. And he has. While working on his bathroom (above ours) He came through the ceiling. And he assured us it would be fixed in May, which of course it wasn't. And still isn't. Instead we have a makeshift ceiling, a piece of wood that is secure thankfully. Christopher painted it so that it wasn't plain wood. It's yellow, like sunshine, to make us happy. 

I guess Chris and I moved in together to be on our own. Together. We are very independent people. We don't have a lot of friends. Maybe because we are too critical. Probably because we prefer to be alone. We are very good housemates. We work really well together. When we were looking for housing, we never considered having a third roommate because we never ever wanted one. Our landlord is almost like a third roommate. Not because he lives in our apartment but because it feels like he does. And we h a t e it. He sends us texts about everything. He treats us like we are young kids in our first apartment (we are). He takes advantage of that. And it really, really sucks. We are extremely good tenants. We are quiet. We get our rent in on time. We are self sufficient. We don't ask for much. You could compare us to the elderly: Quiet, clean, and like to sleep at least 8 hours. It's very hard to explain to you how much he drives us crazy. It's no use to do all of this complaining. Chris really grounds me. I love that about him. There are people out there who don't have a roof over their heads. We have thought about moving before our lease is up. But we are too poor to lose our security deposit. So I guess we can only count down. Now a lot of our energy is being put into finding another place to live. 

We need to cut our expenses and housing is probably where it has to happen. News flash to anyone who isn't living on their own yet: It's harder than you think. My advice: find someone to go through it with. I don't know where I would be if I had to face all of this alone. Thank goodness I found a mate before I had to do this growing up stuff. 

Do we want to stay where we are, in Rochester? We don't know. If we had our way, we would move out west and live in a cabin in the woods. Okay, no first we would move to Europe and work for a year. Not sure where maybe France, Italy, or Greece. I want to go to Israel, but Chris warns me that there is a lot of civil unrest. It's on my bucket list though. We will move to Europe for at least a year. I want to work in a vineyard, on a farm, or in a fish market.  So when you think about cost of living. Dreams are crushed. Maybe we won't be able to move ourselves to Europe right away. Or haul a bunch of stuff (mainly Christopher's library) out west. U.S. cities on my list include D.C., Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle. Cost of living in those cities: A TON more than Rochester NY.  Hmm quite the dilemma. So moving is on my mind, but where to? The world's your oyster right? Briney and slimy? Hard to swallow? 

Work Wanted

I lost my job. I know right, "Happy New Year!" Kapow you now have nothing to do, are making zero dollars an hour, and its so cold outside that just the thought of getting fresh air makes you shiver in your big oversized sweater and curl up with a blanket. At first I dreaded the resolution that was looming over me, "keep up with your blog". I thought what do I have to talk about? Who will want to read about my boring days filled with busy work and self pity. But then I thought, maybe someone out there has gone through the same thing, and reading what I write will bring comfort to them. Or what if someone has never gone through this, and in the future, sooner or later, they come upon the situation, and they remember reading a sorrowful series of blog posts reminding them that its not only you that it happens to. That's what my blogs about right? Well that's how it started. My beloved boyfriend thought that I would find comic relief in writing about how everything always happens to me. I mean that world out there, that Big, big world is sometimes horrible. And no one is that perfect put together girl that they show they are on the surface. You all must know who I am talking about. That one person in or out of your life, who does the things you want to do, who gets what they want all the time, who never gives a second thought to how much those perfect boots cost, or have to think about a bad hair day because they never get one. Well I say, that sometimes you just have to put a hat on, put on your big girl pants, and face that big old world, face it as a real girl.

So here it is. The good honest truth. Just so you know, whoever you are, that bad things don't just happen to you. They happen to me too.


I was laid off. My parents kept telling me it was good, I wasn't fired. But what's the difference really? I no longer have a job either way. Luckily it was not from the job that I absolutely love, but the restaurant job that I was just learning to like. Unluckily, there was no catering work with my other job, and so indefinitely I was available for anything. It's such a thing to think about. When someone asks you, hey are you free such and such a day, and you think and then sigh: Yes indefinitely available.
It's a slow season for restaurants. Who wants to go spend money when Christmas just happened, and you live in a city where the snowfall is close to 100 inches on average. I understand. When I went out searching for a job, I was looking for somewhere to earn some extra money in order to get me through said slow season. And yet, here I am.  I had done a lot for this restaurant. I went in on my day off, I worked twice as hard as people I knew were making way more than me. I started to move up in the ranks. No longer the prep girl, but now on the grill stations- still making the same amount of money.
I got home from a catering job on a Saturday night, and my boyfriend Christopher was sick as a dog. I am not sure what that means, but here assume that it means VERY sick. So of course my premature maternal instincts kicked in and I turned into the nurse. Once my patient was stabilized, I took a breath, probably a sip of water and glanced at my phone. That's how it happened. The first thing that I think I really learned as a child was that everyone deserved respect. And I have always struggled with how to react when someone does not show me respect. Poor Christopher, fever through the roof and cradling a balled up, hysterical me in his arms. I never responded to that text message. I guess I did not really know what to say.

It's pathetic really, when you dedicate you time to something like your job, or your relationship, and when that is removed, you find yourself with so much time. Time that used to be spared, time that used to be rushed, trying to fit as much as you could in that single hour. Now the hours drag on. What do you do with yourself when this happens? Throw yourself into a hobby- first thought, not always so easy. I figured I would have hours to spill myself into this blog but have found myself with nothing to write about. Second thought: a gym. While you may get ripped because you have hours on end to spend pumping iron, do you have the money to join a gym. A gym is great, if you go. Looking for a job, of course was an semi-immediate reaction of mine. Of course a slow season at one place,  means a slow season for everyone. Not so easy. I did find myself a nice one day a week job. Overseeing culinary classes that are given by Chefs all over our area to the general public. But let's face it, once a week- does not pay the bills, let alone those perfect boots we were talking about earlier. Chris assured me that one day was better than no days  at all, which technically is true.

So I have been more dedicated to working with my mom on a wedding project we are planning for a couple next summer. I have had the time that I needed before to really stop and think about every detail. Although the wedding is far away, I think this has allowed me to move forward in ways that I may not have had time for before. Also I am working on an advertising scheme for our business that is starting to bloom slowly.

I have read five books in the last two weeks. I have always been a book worm- but not the kind of worm that goes halfway through the apple and stays there until someone bites him in half. I shoot right through, get the job done, and get out alive. So it was always hard to get into a book because if I didn't have time to throw myself into the plot. Now, I fly through them again, just as if I were a teenager again. I mean, if I have nothing better to do, then why not engage my brain by reading.

I started baking today. When Chris and I always worked separate schedules I would bake him goodies. By no means am I a baker. I enjoy cooking more, but I think that's because I like eating food food more than I like sweets. There is something about baking that intrigues me. It combines reading and creating for me. I am always glued to the recipe when I bake, and this stops my mind from thinking of everything and anything else. Cooking is different, because although I have a wonderful cookbook collection, it is rare that I follow every step of the recipe. I may follow the ingredients listed, or become inspired by the picture or recipe itself, but when you cook its with your heart, not a measuring spoon.

What was that catch phrase that Forrest Gump came up with? "Shit Happens". It does. And it's never really pleasant. But try to find comfort in the fact that it doesn't just happen to you.



You've Gotta Keep Your Head Up

which niche?

One of my new year's resolutions for 2013 was to find a hobby.

Hob.by [hob-ee] noun: an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.


I guess the definition above doesn't take into consideration that some people actually enjoy what they do as an occupation. What do you do in your free time Tricia? Well I really like to cook, but that's what I do for a living so I guess it can't be my hobby. Hmm. But I think it's true that sometimes you need a break from what you do on a daily bases in exchange for money. And that is why I let Chris do the majority of the cooking in our household. ;) But really, I enjoy cooking, and I get to do it everyday as a part of my job. While others may sit at a desk hating what they do, and go home to make cook which is their hobby. Prime example- Julie Powell from Julie and Julia. I would say that I am pretty lucky to be able to turn my main hobby into my everyday job.

But I started the search, because everyone needs a relaxing activity that is not what they do for a living. 

Reading has always been one of my hobbies, and I have taken time in this year to read, but not as much as I would've liked.  Curling up with a cozy book will always be my longest running hobby.

I started canning. Bought a bunch of supplies and decided to can foods for people as Christmas gifts. Canning is a seasonal thing. I imagine that in the late summer early fall next year I will can wonderful vegetables that are in season. But it's difficult to continue canning into the winter season. Am I supposed to buy those tomatoes that have been flown in from California and cost more than the great tomatoes that are fresh from NYS when they are in season? How do I justify making and canning jam in December when obviously the two feet of snow on the ground are telling me that berries are not growing anywhere close to me? It just doesn't seem right.

I thought I would take up crocheting. I was quite the fanatic when I was younger and so I bought some needles and cool colored yarn. I made a couple of pot holders, which was my goal. And I made a teeny tiny hat, that might fit a barbie. I couldn't figure out how to make the hat bigger, I got frustrated. That faed fast.

Cleaning is something I wish was my hobby, but instead it's something I have to do and do not enjoy so much. I think some people have it easier than a house with two chefs in it, because we cook every night, and we use at least four pots or pans, some with lids, lots of cooking utensils, cutting boards, etc. Although our food is good, when we finish eating our meal, we are exhausted and the dishes seem like so much more than a chore. This is what I do in my free time mister hobby police. I help cook dinner and then I clean!

I tried yoga. This is a hobby that I would really like to continue when my life slows down a bit and leaves time for hobbies (Christmas party season is upon us.) My yoga experience is very slim and none. I am not about to go to a yoga class and embarrass myself in front of many a seasoned yoga pros, so I borrow a dvd from the library. Turns out it wasn't a beginner dvd and it was so hard! It had me sweating and working tons of muscles I wasn't aware that I had. The next day, it took all that I had to peel myself out of bed. I then found some great relaxation yoga which is what I was really looking for. Lots of breathing and soothing poses vs. straining myself. I still try to do some yoga breathing exercises every once and a while in order to center myself.

I guess the hobby that I have really stuck with this year is my blog. I really enjoy writing and if I could do anything in the world, it would be to write about food. Christopher suggested that I start a blog in order to fulfill my desire to write. And so I have. It has been a little sporadic in the past few months. It's tough to maintain a hobby full time as well as maintain a full time job (or two part time jobs). When it comes to prioritizing, to be honest working and breathing is at the top of my list, and unfortunately my hobby has to suffer. But I hope to continue my blog, and I also hope that people enjoy reading my thoughts. So I guess my hobby of 2013 is Real Girl vs. Big World or is it Little Girl vs. Big World? Either way, I am the girl. Thanks for reading.

Tips from Tricia

1. Always use a timer when multitasking in the kitchen especially with but not limited to: croutons, cookies, and bacon.

2. It's not all about the money. Ever. Often you can find fun things to do that do not cost a fortune and homemade gifts are the bomb. Also, it's the thought that counts, always.

3. Make sure that you check that all of the little bulbs light up before you string four sets of lights up only to find that they do not work, or match up.

4. Riesling from Germany is always wonderful.

5. If you are missing your socks, they are probably bundled up at the bottom of your bed in between the sheets, still there from when you took them off in the middle of the night.

6. Snow tires make a huge difference.

7. Working without talking is way more efficient.

8. Being practical is not boring but be sure to leave room for impracticabilities.

9. You are better off folding the clothes directly out of the dryer, this way there are less wrinkles and they are more likely to get folded.

10. Teamwork is the way to complete chores, and spite doesn't hurt.

11.  If you find the perfect pair of jeans, buy three pairs, in different shades of course.

12. Not always the more the merrier. In fact smaller parties are more intimate and better connections are made.

13. One best friend is better than six close friends and better than twenty friends.

14. Thin mints are still good every single year.

15. Always have the biggest stocking at Christmas.

16. Sharpen your knives often. Cutting yourself with a dull knife is worse than with a sharp one.

17. Slippers are very important.

18. Netflix is worth the money.

19. Save your returnables but accumulate a large pile before you take them back to the store, or else you will be frustrated with the amount of time you spent that did not accumulate a lot of money.

20. Take lots of pictures, but enjoying the moments are more important than capturing them.

21. Although it may feel like it always happens to you, I guess it happens to everyone.

22. Making the VOA/Salvation Army/Goodwill one of your go to shopping spots is not a bad idea.

23. Hot water bottles are underrated and are wonderful to have around.

24. The best gifts are those you need but will not buy for yourself.

25. Drink more water than you want to. It will prevent headaches, encourage circulation, and make you an over all healthier person.

26. Wearing a watch regularly is very helpful in time management overall and will help you even when you do not have a watch on.

It's the Holiday season!

CHRISTMAS!
it's so close!
I am a girl of tradition and Christmas is one of the times that I get upset if tradition is not kept. This year is special because although Chris and I have been together on Christmas before, this is the first year that we have a home together and so NEW TRADITIONS. Which is pretty fun. Christopher and I can mold our family traditions and also come up with some new traditions.

 December first meant that we could start the Christmas season and so we set out to cut down our first tree together. For me this has been an activity my family has been doing for years, but for Chris not so much. He always had either an artificial tree or his dad went out on their property and cut one down, so the farm experience was new. It was pretty fun, almost a treasure hunt of course to find the perfect tree. We wanted a Douglas fir because we read that they last the longest. The workers on the farm told us that all of the varieties of trees were intermingled and so they gave us a small sample branch of what we were looking for and we were off! It was fun searching for the right type of tree and the right size. We were looking for a tree around 6.5 feet and we ended up with at least a nine foot tree that just brushes the top of our ceiling. PERFECT. Thankfully my mom had found a tree stand for us at a resale shop for five dollars. Apparently they don't make the old fashioned stands anywhere anymore and now they have big plastic bulky things that just are odd.

Once we stood the tree up and FINALLY straightened it out, we had to trim a few branches off of the bottom and arrange our new tree skirt around the base of the stand.  I then sat and fashioned a sad looking wreath from the leftover branches. It looks great on our  front door, definitely looks handmade. Chris strung the lights around the tree, of course he did it wrong and I had to redo it but it's the thought that counts. ;) We then hung our knit stockings from the mantle and sat down feeling happy. Our home becomes more homey every time we add something new to it, even if it's as little as a doormat, and now that it's Christmas it's just so cozy in here!

Now we had to do some shopping to do to because, although you may not realize it until you have Christmas on your own for the first time, you don't have any ornaments. And of course I wanted those sentimental ornaments that you put on the tree each year and remember where  or whom you received it from and for what reason or how old you were when you made it. Well with the first year, I guess you don't really have that. I tried to make some ornaments with my siblings and we also had cut a section off of the trunk of our tree in order to create an ornament. We bought a lot of our ornaments from "re-use" stores and actually sat down one night and strung garland from popcorn and cranberries, surely a new tradition for us. We stocked up on ornaments and hung them in order to make our tree glisten. Only a few things were missing that we were still hunting for; a nativity scene and an angel for the top of our tree. I finally found the perfect angel after rejecting a few light up, furry, and/or scary looking toppers. And the same day my mom texted me to say she found a nativity scene and it was in the mail. It is exactly what I was looking for, sometimes I think my mom and I are on the same wave length. It looks a lot like the manger scene we had growing up. So we are now all set for Christmas. We even managed to find a little mistletoe!

Chris and I have decided that Christmas is very important to us, and we love celebrating more than presents. So a lot of the gifts under the tree will be things like, a new bath mat for the bathroom! or a warm pair of socks! or practical gifts and the like. Christmas is not all about gifts, its about Jesus, family, and traditions and it's important to keep that in mind.

Food Favorites

I like to eat soup and I like to make soup. I am a chunky soup kind of gal. The cool thing these days is to puree everything and Chris is into it. But I love a rich broth with chunks of vegetables or cubes of meat. Tonight we had lentil soup. It was delish. I really enjoy chili as well, which I think can be put under the category of soup. Today I made root vegetables soup with mushrooms.

I enjoy when Chris cooks Asian food. I know maybe that isn't politically correct because there are so many different types of Asian food, but I guess sometimes he often fuses the Asian foods together. He makes really good stir fry with rice noodles. Also I cannot get enough of his flavorful braised short ribs with white rice. AND the other day Chef Christopher made me sticky chicken wings (the only way I can describe it) and they were so phenomenal.

Lamb is my favorite protein. I don't get to eat it often because let's be honest it's pretty pricey. But where I work we make these great lamb burgers. Really good with cute little buns.

I am a sucker for grilled cheese. Such a simple meal that can be made so well. Tonight with our soup we had grilled cheese with provolone cheese and roasted red peppers. To. Die. For. really though, if I ever had a food truck, it would feature grilled cheese. You can do so much with it. Swiss with mushrooms or muenster with a little horseradish mustard. Really good.

My favorite fruit is pomegranate. Although it is hard to deconstruct the fruit is so versatile and juicy. The taste is like no other. A pear kind of tastes like an apple and has a similar texture. And a clementine is a small sweeter orange. But a pomegranate is unique and doesn't look or taste like any other fruit. It can be tossed in a salad where the seeds will burst and fill your mouth with flavor. Or you can cook it into a pie or a sauce, but my favorite way to eat it is on its own. Today I bought two pomegranates because they were on sale, and one is almost as big as my head. Crazy stuff. I actually find it meditative to deseed this fruit.

I am very into vegetables. I love them. Summer is the season for vegetables and so I find it hard to find the variety in the winter time. But because I cannot find fresh radishes or corn on the cob I try to eat as many greens as I can. I am a bitter greens type of girl, I love escarole and swiss chard, spinach of sorts and beet greens.

These are just a few of my favorites at the moment. But all of the time my favorite foods are changing. I mean when you do food for a living it's easy to change your mind when you taste something out of this world. I encourage you to go out of your box and find a new food favorite.

I want I want I want

I want world peace
I want to travel to Greece
I want a festive holiday season
I want to laugh for no particular reason
I want good health for those that I love
I want stress to be free of
I want a new knife roll
I want to strive for my goals
I want to start the new year out right
I want people to read what I write
I want everyone in my life to be happy
I want to be able to take an afternoon nappy
I want be the season to be joyful and merry
I once wanted to live with Laura Ingalls Wilder on the prairie
I want to stay young
I want to taste new flavors on my tongue
I want to make people smile
I want to put some travel miles on file
I want new socks in my stocking
I want my friends to come knocking
I want to be economically stable
I want everyone to be satisfied by the food I put on the table
I want Christmas to be here tomorrow
I want that seasonal snow!

Dreams of a Big Day

First I would like to take a moment to say that I am very excited for my wedding someday.
I am in no rush, BUT I am very excited and I enjoy thinking and dreaming.

Second, when I get engaged, I will for a second be that excited girl who wants to tell everyone and show everyone her ring, but after that second I promise to not flaunt my ring in every photo because I will remember what it feels like to be the girl who is sitting there without a ring moping because some perfect girl has a perfect world.

Third, although I am not getting married, I have found that helping other people plan their weddings is an outlet. I enjoy so much helping other people with the details that you could say that it's part of my job now. You all know that I have been working with a caterer and enjoying it a lot. And this past September I helped with the decor side of a wedding that took place at my parents beautiful bed and breakfast. It was neat to be on the planning side instead of the food side, but I realized that I did not like an outside caterer preparing the food because their quality standards may not align with my own. So I have taken on the whole shebang for a wedding next September and I am very excited. This couple lives in Brazil and so they were looking for someone who would take care of all of the details for them so that they could show up, and enjoy themselves. So I have my work cut out for me. I am figuring out flowers and getting in touch with photographers, developing menus and piecing together the budget. I am very excited to build my staff and execute the event. As the time gets closer my plate is more likely to be filled but right now I am just figuring out the logistics and trying to find my way. I feel confident that by the end of the event, I will be in tears because everything went so well. I often think that this is the right kind of job for me because I am such a planner anyways, but then add to that making people's big day even more special than it already is.

 These are some pictures from the wedding reception that I planned this past fall. 

Anyway, my visions are as follows, one day.

Dreams of Rings:

Dreams of dresses:

Dreams of Flowers:

 Dreams of Shoes:

 Dreams of the rest:

Some Day.