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Asian Noodles with Cabbage

I did it!  I cooked!  I cooked like I used to cook – dreamed up a dish and set about throwing it together in the kitchen.  It’s been awhile.  I’ve been relying a lot (too much, maybe) on old staples like pasta with beans and goat cheese, Field Roast sausages, veggie-and-hummus snack plates, or big salads for dinner – all stuff that gets the job done, but dullsville and not really blogable.  It’s just been a challenge to get into the kitchen lately.  I’m completely wiped out when I get home from work, and all I want to do is lay on the couch with a book and shout out a running commentary on baby kicks.

But I was sick of relying on the easy staples and – although he’s far too nice to say so – I suspect hubby was too.  So last night I resolved to get my butt into the kitchen and create something new, something we could really enjoy.  This meal did the trick.  It was easy, packed with protein from the edamame and with nutrients from the carrots and cabbage, and with the wonderful rich flavor of tamari, which I just love.  I felt good eating it, and good after I finished, and I enjoyed every bite.  It turns out this meal isn’t just a flash in the pan (pun intended); I’m already planning out when I can have it again.  It’s going into my regular rotation… and maybe it will even inspire me to get back in the kitchen and whip up some new dishes on a more frequent basis.

Asian Noodles with Cabbage

Handful of udon noodles (or sub soba noodles or whole-wheat spaghetti)
5 carrots, peeled and grated
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup coleslaw mix (or sub finely shredded cabbage)
1 cup shelled frozen edamame
1 teaspoon Seaweed Gomasio (or sub white sesame seeds)
Salt and pepper
Several dashes tamari (or sub soy sauce)

  • Heat a pot of water to a rolling boil.  Salt generously and add udon noodles.  Cook according to package directions (mine called for 8-10 minutes at a low boil).
  • While udon noodles are cooking, heat a few dashes of olive oil in a separate nonstick pan until shimmering.  Add carrots, coleslaw mix, and edamame.  Season lightly with a sprinkle of salt (go easy on the salt though) and pepper, and saute until wilted down and until the edamame are warmed through.
  • Add Seaweed Gomasio and a few dashes of tamari to taste.  Continue cooking veggies over medium heat until the udon noodles are done.
  • Drain the udon noodles, then add to the pan with the vegetables.  Toss to combine well and taste for seasoning.  Add more tamari if necessary.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a chilled Asian pasta salad.

Source: Covered In Flour

Serves 2 as a main course, 4-6 as a side.

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But Where Will the Books Go?

When you’re as nutty for books as I am, you tend to accumulate them without even realizing it.  My collection grew from one tall bookshelf in my childhood bedroom to three tall bookshelves… and spilling over… today.  For years I’ve been perfectly content to live amongst heaps of books – books stacked double on my shelves – books on my nightstand and under my bed – books coming out of every odd place imaginable.

Over the past two years, hubby and I have implemented a temporary solution to the book creep.  This is the room that we have been fondly calling “the bookroom” up until now.

(In my head I picture the room from The Little Bookroom, one of my favorite kids’ books – and source of many of the bedtime stories that made me the most popular babysitter in my neighborhood when I was 16 – and although the reality is both less romantic and less dusty than the book, it’s still a fun place to hang out.  With less sneezing – bonus.)

But all that has to change.  In a few short months, “the bookroom” will be dismantled, on its way to becoming “the nursery.”

Cue panic.  Anyone remember the episode of “Friends” where Monica and Chandler are discussing their efforts to have a baby?  Monica starts “reassuring” Chandler by telling him that when the baby arrives, there will be so much they can’t control, like: “What if the baby gets into the ribbon drawer?  Messes up all the ribbons?!  What if there’s no room for a ribbon drawer, because the baby’s stuff takes up all the space!? Where will all the ribbons go!?!”

Imagine the same level of panic in my voice as I realize that we have to clear out the bookroom.  WHERE WILL ALL THE BOOKS GO?!?!?!

Go ahead and laugh, but this is a problem of some magnitude.  My book collection is pretty ridiculous; the three bookshelves I have right now are practically buckling under its weight as it is.  (And that’s not counting hubby’s book collection, which takes up two of his own shelves in our den.)  And the bookshelves I have don’t really match any of my other furniture.  I know, who cares, right?  But I’ve actually spent money and effort in trying to make sure that my house looks like adults live in it – in contrast to my first apartment, which looked like hobos… or frat boys… or hobo frat boys… were squatting there.  So it’s my strong preference to not destroy that hard work by moving shelves into a room where they clearly don’t belong or look good.

Here are a couple of the less-than-perfect solutions I’ve come up with:

1) Move the bookshelves into my second guest bedroom as a temporary solution.  Eventually install built-in shelves and use the second guest room as permanent book storage.

(Problem with this: Out of sight, out of mind.  The odds of me actually installing built-in shelves in a rarely used room, sometime within the next ten years, are pretty slim.  Meanwhile, the shelves really won’t look good in there.  So I’ll have an unfortunate-looking room that won’t really get any better for a long time, which I will proceed to actively hate on but do nothing to improve.  Plus, if we have another kid sometime down the road, the second guestroom will have to make way for that kid.  And then the books will be homeless again.)

2) Move one shelf into my main guestroom and put the other two in the basement.  Edit down my collection severely and put the rest of the books in storage.

(Problem with this: The main guestroom only will fit one shelf as it’s currently configured; it’s a big room but that’s just the way it’s laid out – there’s not much wall space that doesn’t involve a picture window or a large closet, and it’s all in use already.  And editing down my collection is not a good option.  I’ve only got about two-thirds of my total book collection out as it is.)

3) Reconfigure the furniture arrangement in the main guest bedroom.  Specifically, I could move the TV out of the main guest bedroom and set up the bookshelves where the TV was.  Nobody watches the TV in there, because I lost the remote years ago.  (Sorry to all of my houseguests.)  The shelves aren’t a perfect match in that room, but they would look better there than anywhere else and be a not-horrible temporary solution.

(Problem with this: I don’t know where the TV would go.  I store all of my unused stuff – which isn’t much stuff; I’m a minimalist in everything except books and perfume – in the basement.  But I’m a little weirded out by the idea of electronics going in the basement, especially if we have another flood.  Still, this might be the best solution, if I can find an acceptable place to store the TV.)

4) Buy a couple of new bookshelves that will complement my bedroom furniture and move as many of the books as possible in there, then pack away the rest.

(Problem with this: ‘Spensive.  I have cribs and strollers to buy, and daycare to pay for.  Plus I’ll still have to whittle the collection down a little bit.  And having my books in my bedroom… well, my motivation to actually visit other rooms will shoot way down if that ever happens.  It’s already a little too comfy in there.)

Long-term, what I’d really love to do is install built-in shelves in the living room.  I love, love, LOVE the way built-ins look, and I think they’d be a perfect backdrop for my piano, which I’m hoping to move down from New York before baby’s appearance.  (Not to mention a temptingly convenient place for my books to live.)  But installing built-ins is a long way off.  As much as I’d love to, I don’t think either hubby or I is confident enough to take on a task of that magnitude, and paying someone for a big project like that – a project which isn’t strictly necessary – isn’t really in the baby-on-board budget.

Bottom line, the books need somewhere to go, and I really don’t want that somewhere to be “in storage.”  Especially not when I have space to spare in the house.  I want the baby to grow up surrounded by books, like hubby and I did.  In the meantime, I’m still trying to figure out where I can put these displaced books so that they’re out of baby’s way, but still easily accessible to me.

Any ideas for me?

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Reading Round-Up: May 2012

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby.  I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book.  Here are my reads for May, 2012…

The Marriage Plot, by Jeffrey Eugenides: Jeffrey Eugenides is awesome, but he gives me the sads.  Eugenides’ newest book, the story of three college graduates in the 1980s, is not an easy read.  Madeline and Leonard are a young couple who move to a Cape Cod bio-research facility where Leonard has a fellowship, but can’t escape Leonard’s frightening mental health problems.  Mitchell, Madeline’s friend-who-wishes-he-was-more, meanwhile, travels the world and tries to stop pining for Madeline.  I wanted to love this book, but it was hard.  There was nothing off-putting at all about Madeline, the main protagonist – in fact, her selfless decision to care for Leonard when everyone else is deserting him is commendable.  But for some reason, I just felt low the entire time I was reading.  It’s a beautifully written and structured book, with fascinating, complex characters.  But it’s a downer.  There’s room for that, of course.  But know it going in.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, by Robert K. Massie: I loved Massie’s no-holds-barred biography of the last Russian Imperial family, Nicholas and Alexandra, and he delivers again with this masterful book.  Massie explores Catherine the Great’s rise to power in the mid-1700s and discusses her reign in detail, with all its fascinating complexities.  A “philosopher queen” who wasn’t above crushing a rebellion if she had to, and a married woman who turned from an unloving husband to take a string of ever-younger lovers, Catherine was an enigma.  Perhaps Massie is the only biographer who could truly do her justice, and he does.  Fully reviewed here.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer: This was a heart-wrenchingly sad story about a young boy who takes on a quest that he believes will bring him closer to his father, who died on September 11th.  Nine-year-old Oskar travels the five boroughs of New York, seeking the lock that fits a mysterious key found amongst his father’s possessions.  Since this is Safran Foer here, the book was poignant and sweet, with creative wordplay and pictures scattered throughout.  I liked it as I was reading it, and after it settled I decided I loved it.  Fully reviewed here.

Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English, by Natasha Solomons: I read Solomons’ newest book, The House at Tyneford, last month and decided to pick up her debut.  The story of Jack Rosenblum, who decides to move his family to Dorset and build his own golf course after being rejected from every golf club in the greater London area due to his Jewish background, is sweet and funny with a touch of sadness.  Jack’s wife Sadie is unable to understand his dream, or his desire to become English; Sadie simply wants to remember the old days and her lost family.  Jack, meanwhile, doesn’t see why Sadie won’t just snap out of her depression and get on board.  Watching them come to some understanding of one another as Jack pursues his dream was a lovely journey, and Jack’s eventual charming of the Dorset natives is a fun counterpoint.  The book was more simplistic and not as gripping as Tyneford, but was an enjoyable read nevertheless.

Midnight in Austenland, by Shannon Hale: This follow-up to Austenland, which I read in early April, was a great improvement over its predecessor.  Charlotte Kinder, a wealthy divorcee, decides to escape reality through a two-week trip to Pembrook Park, the ultimate Jane Austen immersion experience.  However, something dark is afoot in Austenland and Charlotte is drawn into the investigation of a murder.  Meanwhile, she flirts with the actor cast as her love interest, Mr. Mallery, and grows close to her “brother,” Mr. Grey.  But Charlotte’s determination to unearth a murder only she believes happened might place all of Austenland in danger.  I liked Hale’s first Austenland book okay, but I had some complaints about the proofreading and I thought the narrative was too simple.  This one was a definite improvement and a lot more fun to read.  I’m definitely hoping for more Austenland books in the future.

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien: I’ve been meaning to read the Lord of the Rings books for some time now, since everyone from hubby to my sister-in-law to my brother to Katie has told me I should.  Plus, they’re classics, and I tend to want to give most classics a fair shake.  Since I have a thing about reading series books in their proper order, I decided to start with the backstory and read The Hobbit first.  And I’m glad I did, because I really, really liked it.  Bilbo Baggins’ transformation from cushy-hole-dweller to hero was such fun to read, and it definitely made me want to continue on with the Lord of the Rings trilogy.  (See, Katie?  I told you I’d get around to it!)

I had a good May in books!  Catherine the Great took up a good two weeks of the month – 625 pages of extremely dense biography (and small print) is no joke, especially when you combine it with an ongoing tendency to fall asleep for three hours or more on weekend afternoons.  (When does the second trimester energy bump kick in?  I’m 20 weeks, still narcoleptic and starting to think people have been lying to me.  I mean, I like naps as much as the next knocked-up girl, but this is getting silly.)  But I savored every meticulously researched page – I just love Massie’s work.  The rest of early May was devoted to some intense fiction – The Marriage Plot and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close weren’t what I’d call giggle-fests.  So I made up for it with sillier, lighter choices later in the month and especially enjoyed The Hobbit.  Not sure what to expect out of June, since I’m either traveling or hosting houseguests most weekends of the month.  But I’m planning to squeeze in some more fun reads wherever I can, so stay tuned for more reviews and recommendations coming your way…

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London, Part VII: Portobello Road and Tea at Harrods

Portobello road, Portobello road
Street where the riches of ages are stowed.
Anything and everything a chap can unload
Is sold off the barrow in Portobello road.
You’ll find what you want in the Portobello road.

Yes, I did walk down Portobello Road humming the lyrics to the song from Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  And I just might have branched out and also sung a little bit of “The Beautiful Briny” – just for me.  (It’s lovely bobbing along, bobbing along, at the bottom of the beautiful briiiiiiiiiiiiiny sea!)

We decided it would be fun to check out the Portobello Road market on Saturday, its big market day.  I had hopes for finding a vintage teacup or a used book at a steal price… but ended up leaving empty-handed.  I tend to get overwhelmed in crowd situations, and Portobello Road was about as crowded as anyplace I’d ever been.  Hubby and I elbowed our way through the throngs of people and booked it outta there as fast as we could.  But not before seeing at least a few carts piled high with cool antique china, clothes, and other odds and ends.  I’m glad that we went, although it was a rather stressful hour!

After Portobello Road, we headed over to Harrods for tea.  When we were in London in 2008, we only had time for one afternoon tea, which of course we did at the Orangery.   This time, we obviously made our pilgimmage to the Orangery again, but we also wanted to try tea at Harrods.  Our former neighbors own a house in the Cotswolds and have travelled extensively in England, and they assured us that the tea at Harrods was touristy but worth it.  So we tripped off to Harrods hoping to get into the famous Georgian Restaurant for afternoon tea.  But it was fully booked… all day long.

So, instead – as you might be able to figure out from the plate of macarons – we went for the new Laduree tea salon instead.    Laduree is a French tearoom and patisserie that was founded in Paris and now competes with Pierre Herme for the honor of making the best macarons in Paris.  (When we visited France in 2010, we ate our share of macarons and I’m sort of in love with them.  We had local macarons in Burgundy, but ate Pierre Herme in Paris – so I’d never tried the Laduree macarons before.)  I had been somewhat torn, knowing we only had time for one Harrods tea and wanting to try both Laduree and the Georgian Restaurant.  Since we struck out at the Georgian, the decision was easy – and delicious.

In addition to the macarons (I went with my four go-to flavors, by the way: black currant, salted caramel, raspberry and coffee) we enjoyed a “traditional” afternoon tea with a French twist.  Tea sandwiches on the top tier, then an assortment of croissants, and finishing with the pastries.  Now, I know I told you I can take or leave pastries, and that’s generally true.  Consider Laduree the exception that proves the rule… because WOW.  They were all incredible, but the best was the gigantic raspberry macaron “tart” that’s flaunting its gorgeousness right in front there.  Hubby and I split each of the pastries, and I strongly considered hitting him with my purse and stealing his half of that baby.  (I didn’t, because I love him.  But next time we go there, I’m getting one all to myself.)  In retrospect, I’m glad we didn’t get into the Georgian Restaurant, because the Laduree tea was the most decadent I’ve ever had.  If you’re visiting London and have time for another tea, don’t hesitate to get this one.  I was a little unsure at first – it seemed wrong to have croissants instead of scones at Harrods, of all places – but the macaron tart was to. die. for.  (And if you don’t have time for tea, at least stop and pick up some macarons.  And get a black currant one for me.  Thanks.)

Tea at Laduree was the perfect way to wrap up our London trip… because wrap it up we did.  This post concludes the England recaps.  It was the vacation of a lifetime – a perfect way to turn 30.  I don’t know when I’ll be back to England next, but I know I will be there again.  Many, many more times.  And the British fun isn’t quite over – I’ll have a few more posts popping up in the next few weeks about different related topics – like the English afternoon tea experience, and creating a photo memory book to memorialize the vacation.  But, for now, imagine we’re on a plane headed back across the Atlantic… looking fondly over our shoulders toward the little island where so many of our favorite vacation memories reside.  Thanks for coming along!

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Packed Lunch for Two in Ten Minutes Flat

I try to pack lunches for hubby and myself as much as possible.  Anything that comes out of my kitchen is guaranteed to be cheaper, and most likely healthier, than what we could buy from a restaurant or cafe near work.  Not that we won’t treat ourselves occasionally – but that’s what it would be, a treat.  On a regular day, I’ll throw together our lunches in the morning before we leave for work.  And since we’re out the door by 6:30 a.m. most days, I’ve got to make the lunch preparation snappy.  Here’s how I put together a balanced lunch for two in ten minutes flat:

Step 1: Decide – the night before, if possible, what will be on the menu.  At 6:00 in the morning, I’m not a short-order cook, so most of the time hubby and I have relatively the same thing.  If we’re having sandwiches, we’re having sandwiches – although he’ll get whatever kind of sandwich he wants (from ingredients we have, obviously).  So he may ask for PB&J while I’m having cheese or hummus – and that I can do.  Last night hubby expressed a preference for salad today, so salads it was.

Ingredients and containers laid out and ready to go.

Start the clock running!  10 minutes remaining…

Step 2: Start assembling the salads.  Add lettuce to each container (hubby gets the big one; I’m also having one leftover enchilada so I’m just taking a side salad).  Chop salad veggies (we’re having bell pepper, cucumber and tomato, and I’m also having a chopped pear) and add them to the salads.  Hubby gets most of the veggies because the salad is his main course; I just get a few since for me it’s a side.

Look at those tasty fresh salads!

Step 3: Finish off the salads with any final touches.  Today it’s cheddar-jack cheese and dressing (Annie’s Naturals Goddess) for hubby; pasteurized goat cheese for me.

5 minutes down, 5 minutes to go!

Step 4: Clean up the work area – take dishes to the sink and throw out veggie scraps or other garbage.

Lunches laid out and ready to be packed.

Two minute warning!

Step 5: Pack it all up!  Hubby is also getting an apple and I’m getting a pear.  And I have snacks because the baby gets cranky by late afternoon – so I’ve got a YoBaby yogurt (don’t hate) and some cherries to nosh on so I don’t get queasy on the drive home.

Ready for the commute!

Annnnnnnnd… she’s done!

Exactly ten minutes later, here we are all packed up and ready to go off on our day.  (If you’re curious about our lunch containers: hubby’s salad is packed in a glass bowl from Anchor and his lunchbox is actually a free insulated lunch bag I got as part of a packed lunch when I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton for a conference earlier this year.  My salad and enchilada were packed in Snapware – also glass and available at Target – and my lunchbox is from Built and is available at the Container Store and other stores.  My snack bag, which has my cherries and yogurt in it, is from Posh Pouches.)

Happy lunching!

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Intention for Today

I spend a lot of days drifting from one task to the next and end up feeling like I didn’t do much of anything.  Tuesdays are my worst – at work, we call them “Terrible Tuesdays” because you’re lacking that Monday spark and motivation, yet the weekend is nowhere in sight.  (Today’s not quite as bad for me, since I had yesterday off – so it’s more like a Monday than a Tuesday.  Love that.)  So today, I’m planning to make it an awesome day.  Here’s how:

  • Be totally present and focused on whatever I’m doing.  No letting my mind jump ahead to start stressing about the next task while I’m still working on the present task.  I’ll just be there, with my mind zeroed in on whatever it is doing at the time.
  • Eat a super healthy lunch.  I have one packed!  Green salad with sliced peaches, goat cheese and a few chopped pecans; leftover tofu in red curry sauce from the weekend; grapes.
  • And while I’m eating that super healthy lunch, take a REAL break from the computer.
  • Mail some (overdue) birthday cards I owe people.
  • Relax with a book this evening, and don’t get distracted or jump around cleaning.

Happy Tuesday!  Let’s make it a good one.

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Author Spotlight: Jostein Gaarder

I had never heard of Jostein Gaarder until college.  And even then, it was only by chance that I stumbled across him.  I’d gone the “practical” route as college majors were concerned, choosing a major in the social sciences that I thought would set me up for law school.  And while I loved my labor economics and collective bargaining classes, I was secretly a little jealous of my friends who were studying literature and philosophy while I  read labor history.  (In retrospect, I could have branched out and taken more “just for fun” classes, but I was quite single-minded back then.  If I had it to do over again, I would have encouraged my younger self to take literature and French.)

So I heard about Jostein Gaarder from a dorm friend who was assigned Sophie’s World for a philosophy class.  One night, as we were hanging in her room, she handed me her copy and told me it was a novel about a girl who is mysteriously enrolled in a philosophy correspondence class.  I was intrigued and my friend loaned me her copy of the book, which I read quickly.  I loved Gaarder’s style of writing a “story within a story” – you know that the narrative is shifting when the typeface changes, which was something I just found incredibly charming and engaging.  And then it was all over for me – I started looking for more Jostein Gaarder books in every bookstore.  Here are some of my favorites…

Sophie’s World: Already mentioned, of course.  Sophie is a young girl who finds a letter in her mailbox one day, enrolling her in a correspondence class on the history of philosophy.  The book alternates between telling Sophie’s story and detailing the history of philosophy through the letters that Sophie receives.  The end of the book is truly mind-boggling (but I’m not going to spoil it for you; you’ll just have to read).  Sophie’s World is probably the most difficult to read of all Gaarder’s works – just because it’s dense – but it’s a gateway drug.

The Solitaire Mystery: This was the second Gaarder book I got my hands on, and to this day it’s my favorite.  Young Hans and his father set off on a road trip through Europe to search for Hans’ mother.  On the way, Hans receives a deck of cards and a magnifying glass.  When Hans examines the cards, he finds that each card is a chapter in a fantastical tale about a group of playing cards who come to life and inhabit a magical island.  It’s a colorful, mystical book.

The Orange Girl:  “If I’d chosen never to the foot inside the great fairytale, I’d never have known what I’ve lost. Do you see what I’m getting at? Sometimes it’s worse for us human beings to lose something dear to us than never to have had it at all.”  This one is heart-wrenching.  Georg receives a letter from his dead father, in which his father details his search for a young girl who sells oranges in Seville and Oslo.  Again, as is typical of Gaarder’s work, the typeface changes as the story alternates between Georg’s life and the letter.

The Christmas Mystery: It’s become a tradition of hubby’s and mine to read The Christmas Mystery out loud, one chapter each day starting on December 1st, until Christmas Eve.  The book is structured like an Advent calendar, and it is in fact the story of a boy who acquires a magic Advent calendar.  Each morning, Joachim opens his calendar to find a new chapter in the fantastical story of a young girl, Elisabet Hansen, who disappeared from his town fifty years before.  Elisabet’s magical Christmas journey will touch the lives of Joachim, his family, and several other residents of their town.  I love-love-love The Christmas Mystery, and my holiday season isn’t complete without it.

Have you read any Jostein Gaarder?  What’s your favorite of his books?

(Image Source)

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London, Part VI: Borough Market

The Borough Market in Southwark was one of those “if we have time” destinations that I was reaaaaally hoping we’d get to visit.  I love checking out local markets, seeing the gorgeous produce piled up – even if I’m always a bit sad that I can’t bring any home with me – and scoping out the various goods for sale.  Hubby and I made sure to leave ourselves plenty of time for exploring the bits of London we didn’t see last time (well, some of them, anyway – it’s such a big, multi-layered city that we’ll never see it all) and I was thrilled we made it here.

The market was spread out through several indoor-outdoor buildings and across a few lots.  It reminded me a bit of Ferry Plaza in San Francisco, but noisier, more energetic and more colorful, if that’s possible.  I loved it.  Everywhere you turned, there were locals and tourists exploring the stalls and buying all manner of delicious-looking goodies.  I tested out some yummy dipping oils with fresh bread and picked up a bag of salted caramels – yum.

My favorite stall, by far, was Turnips – a fruit and vegetable purveyor.  I tend to think produce is gorgeous anyway, and theirs was just perfect.  Perfectly ripe, perfectly fresh, piled in perfect stacks just begging to be photographed.  I had to restrain myself from shouting “You’re gorgeous, dah-ling!” at these figs.

Look at those piles of fruits.  How I wished I could have tried them all.  And the vegetables – oh, my gracious Heavens.  Piles of ripe heirloom tomatoes – in October! – each one unique in its shape and shade.  Stacks of squash, carrots, peas… I imagined the fresh vegetable stew I could create.  And the cauliflower – I love cauliflower, and Turnips arranged purple, green and orange heads together in an autumnal explosion of color.  And then if the fruit and veg displays weren’t enough, I found stacks of creamy eggs in soft-colored cartons that looked like a painting.

It was basically like falling through a rabbit hole directly into Jamie Oliver’s brain and finding it an even more delicious place than you imagined.  (Am I the only person who thinks it would be extraordinarily fun to live in Jamie Oliver’s brain?  Tell me I’m not.)  I could have stayed in the Borough Market forever and just wandered amongst the stalls, trying out all of the local goods.  Sadly, I couldn’t – but at least I had some caramels to savor.

I know I said this was the last post of the trip, but as I was attaching the pics I realized I actually have one more day yet to blog.  Yay!  So check back Friday for what will be… I mean it this time… the last England travel post… until the next trip.  And no, I’m not teasing a vacation.  At least not one anytime soon.  So let’s keep reliving England for one more week, shall we?

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Yogurt Potato Salad with Dill

I was going to spend yesterday evening creating a snack station and post about that today… but instead I spent the evening crying over videos of kittens on YouTube. Pregnancy – it’s not for the faint of heart! So instead I’m reblogging one more recipe from my archives – and this one is timed pretty well, if I do say so myself, since Memorial Day is coming up this weekend. If you have a picnic to attend, do consider this fresh, healthy alternative to the traditional mayo-laden potato salad. Enjoy!

At last, at last, it’s summer.  You can feel free to break out the white jeans, the linen skirts, whatever blows your hair back.  But more interesting – at least to me – is that summer is Picnic Season.

I LOVE picnics.  Cookouts, too.  Food just tastes better outside, if you ask me.  I think it has something to do with memories.  I have a lot of great memories, already in my twenty-something years, and many of them involve eating outside.  There were many, many barbeques at my parents’ lake house… including plenty of servings of my favorite marinated chicken, and the infamous day when my mom dumped citronella wax over our family friend’s fabulous peach upside-down cake.  (We ate the cake anyway, just picked off the wax.  If you’d met our friend, you’d understand.  It would be a crime to waste her cake over something as minor as a little wax… or even a lot of wax.) There were snacks on the beach, where the sand blew into the food and added that certain crunchy je-ne-sais-quoi.  Even in the winter, we ate outside, on days when the sun was beating down despite the snow and we were warm from skiing.

I still eat outside whenever possible.  My picnics nowadays consist of anything from a few coworkers eating Cosi sandwiches on the National Mall, to fruit and cheese at one of my favorite Virginia wineries, to lounging beside the Potomac, watching the tour boats go by on Memorial Day or the Fourth of July.  I’ve been known to carry a cherry pie on my lap in the car and plunk it down in the grass.  Why not?

If you ask me, the quintessential picnic food would have to be potato salad.  Whether it’s my grandma’s decadent potato salad with eggs – mandatory every Easter – or room-temperature boiled potatoes glazed with a salt water reduction and chives, or this wonderful, slightly more healthy, tangy and fresh yogurt potato salad, I’m more likely than not going to be toting some version of chilled potatoes in dressing along on my outdoor gustatory adventures.  Potato salad can be anything from outrageously rich to light and refreshing.  Who wouldn’t want some in their cooler?

Yogurt Potato Salad with Dill

2 cups chopped potatoes (red or Idaho)
1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt (regular or Greek-style)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 scallions, finely sliced
fresh black pepper

  • Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender.  Drain and allow to cool.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and mix well.
  • Add potatoes and toss to coat with yogurt mixture.  If necessary, add more yogurt a little at a time until proportions reach your preference.
  • Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Serve chilled.

Source: Covered In Flour

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EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

This is a PSA for all the other emotional pregnant ladies out there. If you’re anything like me, this book will make you flood your living room. Let’s be real here. These days I weep at Publix commercials and Barefoot Contessa episodes. So I really didn’t stand a chance when it came to reading about a little boy’s journey toward healing after his dad is killed on September 11th. Still, the back of the book promised that the journey would be touching but hilarious in parts. I never quite saw the hilarity. In fact, when I got to about page 300 or so, I turned to my husband, tears streaming down my face, and said “I don’t understand, when does it get hilarious?”

Lack of hilarity aside, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was sweet, moving, creative and well-written. Nine-year-old Oskar Schell (well, he’s probably nine; he has a tendency to add or subtract years as it serves his purpose, making himself older if he thinks he has a chance at kissing a lady, younger if he wants sympathy) has been stuck in his own head since his dad died on 9/11, two years previous. Oskar’s life is difficult enough, between playground bullies, a mom who seems to be moving on with her life and a psychologist who irritates Oskar with his inane-bordering-on-offensive questions. But Oskar makes it much more difficult by constantly “inventing” in his head – from silly ideas like extra-long limos to torturing himself with the ways his dad might have died. Then one day, as Oskar goes through his dad’s possessions, he finds a mysterious key in an envelope with one word written on it: “Black.” Oskar’s dad always used to give him clues and quests, so he believes the key is one last game from his dad and he sets off on a journey through New York City, looking for the lock the key opens. Oskar thinks the quest is a way for him to stay close to his dad… but in fact, it’s his path to healing. On this path he encounters New Yorkers of all ages, some of whom share their own survival and healing experiences with him. Meanwhile, Oskar’s story is interwoven with that of his grandparents, who survived the Dresden bombing in World War II but each carry their own emotional scars.

I’d never read any of Jonathan Safran Foer’s fiction works, although I liked his veggie manifesto, Eating Animals. In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close I recognized a number of similarities to Safran Foer’s non-fiction – particularly the use of illustrations and wordplay to supplement the story. While I was a weepy mess throughout the book, I thought Oskar’s story was beautiful.  Recommended.

Get the book!  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer (not an affiliate link)

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