weekend: garden flowers and baking triumphs and defeats

On Saturday, we went to our garden plot. We had not been in over 3 weeks, and assumed everything was dead because we were not watering and weeding it, so we planned to dig everything up. We were quite surprised to see that nothing was decaying; we in fact  picked 7 bell peppers, a bunch of basil, a few small tomatoes and a bunch of lovely zinnias.

Look at this gorgeous bouquet of zinnias. It is very thrilling being able to see these everyday in our house.

In other news, I made these cottage cheese muffins from this recipe. I thought they sounded so wonderful and healthy (they're mostly made of eggs, cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, and finely ground almonds--and I substituted sauted mushrooms for sundried tomatoes), but I hated them. Tim, of course, loves them because he loves all healthy/gross things. But I couldn't take more than one bite; I actually had to spit it out. So much for trying to eat healthy breakfasts. Alas, I will have to try to find some other method to eat a good Frühstück every morning. 


I did, however, have a triumph with this recipe. It's a quick and simple french bread. It's easy and uses very few ingredients, so anyone can make it with little effort. We've used in with soup for the past few days and Tim made little tomato-basil-olive oil crostinis with it. It would also be good for garlic bread or small paninis. I may even make a loaf every weekend to use.

Charles Village mural

This mural was painted by the guy who takes care of the house our apartment is in because our landlord lives in Sweden. He paints murals around Baltimore and this one depicts our neighborhood, Charles Village. It showcases the variety of beautiful architecture of the rowhomes here--the large, Victorian charmers, the more whimsical Painted Ladies. It also contains the Baltimore Museum of Art, Wyman Park, Johns Hopkins, which are just a few of the landmarks in our lovely neighborhood. It greets pedestrians and cars as they enter Charles Village from downtown, and I must say, it makes me feel privileged to live here.

Food Diary: Week 1

In an attempt to eat more healthily, I have begun to write down everything I eat in a journal. Once a week, I will post exactly what I eat on that particular day on this blog--every painstaking detail. I know this is pretty prosaic content, but hopefully it's interesting for some of you to read. It's mostly for my own accountability. Once my after-work schedule is confirmed, I will post on the same day each week so that I don't just pick the "healthy" days to post. For now, I'll just pick at random.

Anyway, my goals in this experiment are trifold:

1. Eat breakfast everyday (preferably a high-protein breakfast). Right now, I never eat breakfast.
2. Cut back on sugar. I have a sweetness addiction.
3. Wittle down the processed foods we eat to extremely minimal. We do a fair job of this now, but I want to be better.

Here's what I ate today. And yes, the amount of cookies I ate is embarrassing, but it is what it is. My justification is that I just made them yesterday and they're going to spoil soon and Tim eats like one cookie every other day, so I have to make up for his abstinence. psh. I know this is faulty reasoning.

Breakfast: 3 homemade chocolate chip cookies and a half glass of milk. I wouldn't really label this as breakfast, but I ate it in the morning.

Lunch: small hunk of sharp cheddar cheese, grapes and about 8 whole-grain crackers.

After-work snack: 4 homemade chocolate chip cookies and a small bit of milk.

Dinner: we split two individual leftover dinners-->  half a bowl of homemade pasta fagioli  (celery, onions, garlic, tomatoes, spinach, cannelini beans, ditalani pasta, ground italian sausage, homemade chicken broth) and half a plate of mustard-marinated pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes (no gravy), and green beans.

After-dinner snack: cup of hot decaf tea and one homemade coconut  biscotti.

Stay tuned for next week...

Ode to a tablecloth

Tim and I went to Williamsburg for a few days to make up for our Austrian dream vacation being cancelled. One night, we ate dinner in downtown Williamsburg outside on the terrace. It was a very pretty tablescape at which we sat, complete with a romantic, flickering candle, a roundness of shape, and best of all, it was draped in a gorgeous tablecloth.

The tablecloth was yellow in color, with whimsical floral figures fluttering about. It was not one of those stiff plastic-y tablecloths that are loathsome (yet practical, I suppose); rather, it was composed of a delicate, lithe linen. This tablecloth left quite an impression on me. I felt privileged to dine in its presence. Its fancifulness and grace became mine for the evening. 

Why write so amorously about a tablecloth? That's a fine question, friend. It was simply beautiful to me and I  find it good to dwell on beautiful things.

an addendum

An addendum to my previous post about the books I read so far this year. Here are a few standouts that I recommend. Warning: my taste in books is pretty boring. I don't really read too many fiction novels; I mostly like memoirs, biographies, non-fiction and travel writing. The classics are also good. Anyway, I recommend:

Come to the Edge--This is a book about JFK Jr.'s girlfriend before he married Carolyn Bessette. It's written beautifully and is simply an interesting depiction of young love and growing up, with NYC playing a background role. It's not a sensational book, in terms of exposing details about JFK Jr.'s life--it's just a simple and poignant portrait of two fascinating and complex people who thought they were meant to be together, but weren't.

The Paris Wife--If you like old-fashioned things like me, especially the era of the 20s and the lost generation of ex-pats in Europe, then you'll love this book. It's based on the real life of Ernest Hemingway's first wife, their time living in Paris and the ups and downs (and eventual dissolution) of a marriage. It does have some fictional elements, so it's not completely historical, but it's an good read and an interesting look at who Ernest Hemingway was (and his wife, of course).

Summer at Tiffany--a very quick, easy read. This will not stimulate you intellectually at all, but it's cute and fun. I read this in one night. It's a memoir about two college girls from the midwest who travel to NYC one summer to work at Tiffany. It's interesting because it takes place during World War II. It tells of their innocent adventures of discovering glamorous New York City in the 1940s. Very fun, nostalgic and light-hearted. It will take you back to simpler times.

Animal Vegetable Miracle--A depiction of a family moving from the big city to a farm in Virginia with the goal of living off the land and growing all of their own food. Very interesting and eye-opening.

And of course, read Catcher in the Rye, if you haven't. It's my all-time favorite book. The two books by Jonathan Knowles are also excellent. I'm sure most of you read A Separate Peace in high school, but Peace Breaks Out is sort of a follow-up book, also based in a prep school in New England of the 1940s during World War II

If anyone is considering reading any of the other books listed and has questions, let me know!

MIA

I've haven't written on this blog in a while. I was supposed to be in Austria this week, but Hurricane Irene ruined those plans. I will write about that in another post, maybe.

I haven't had too much to write about recently. I've been on a 3 week furlough from work, so not too much has been happening.

Instead of trying to think of something about which to write, here are a list of most of the books I've read this year so far, many of which I got at the Book Thing:

Title The Catcher in the Rye The Sun also Rises The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League Under the Tuscan Sun A Thousand Resurrections Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America Just Like Jesus Crossing Over: One Woman's Escape from Amish Life The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing Animal Vegetable Miracle On Chesil Beach Slaughterhouse Five A Separate Peace Peace Breaks Out Feathers from my Nest: A Mother's Reflections Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal Summer at Tiffany The Other Man: John F. Kennedy, Jr., Carolyn Bessette and Me Come to the Edge: A Memoir American Son: A Portrait of John F Kennedy, Jr The Year of Living Biblically A Year in Provence Tender is the Night The Paris Wife Schooled: A Novel Toujours Provence Mostly True; A Memoir of Family, Food and Baseball

Last Name Salinger Hemingway Roose Suskin Mayes Garriott Gould Lucado Garrett Banks Kingsolver McKewan Vonnegut Knowles Knowles Moore Schlosser Hart Bergin Haag Blow Jacobs Mayle Fitzgerald McLain Lakhani Mayle O'Neill

First Name J.D. Ernest Kevin Ron Francis Maria Jonathan Max Ruth Irene Melissa Barbara Ian Kurt John John Beth Eric Marjorie Michael Christina Richard A.J. Peter F. Scott Paula Anisha Peter Molly

Arizona Arnold Palmers

Today at our local 7-11, we discovered two new flavors of Arizona Iced Teas. Does anyone else love these drinks? We are huge fans.

Anyway, one of my favorite flavors is the Arnold Palmer--half lemonade, half iced tea. But now, they have a two new versions of this classic. One is half pink lemonade, half iced tea, and the other is half lemonade, half peach iced tea. How creative! What will they think of next? Whatever it is, chances are, I will buy it.

Another lovely thing about these two new teas, besides their taste and value, is how pretty the packaging is. Take a look:

I love the peach tree and truck full of peaches as well as the little pup resting on the deck next to Arnold; it seems so idyllic. Those scenes alone are so charming and almost folksy that they make me want to drink Arizona forever.