A few exciting things...

We're getting our first American Apparel out here! It's going in on Broadway in New Haven right near the Yale CoOp. This means no more shipping charges or waiting a week to get clothes in the mail. Nothing like instant gratification...


And here's a hilarious article I found about Woody Allen suing American Apparel over some clever marketing using a shot of him from Annie Hall in which he's dressed as a Hacidic Jew.

Even more exciting, there is a great new movie coming out. I would categorize it as an indie romantic dramedy and it stars John Krasinski from the Office (love him!!!)and Maya Rudolph, formerly on SNL. The film is called Away We Go and also features Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Allison Janney, and Catherine O'Hara, Paul Schneider. Superb cast.

Here's a brief synopsis:
Longtime (and now thirtysomething) couple Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) are going to have a baby. The pregnancy progresses smoothly, but six months in, the pair is put off and put out by the cavalierly delivered news from Burt’s parents Jerry and Gloria (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) that the eccentric elder Farlanders are moving out of Colorado – thereby eliminating the expectant couple’s main reason for living there.

So, where, and among whom of those closest to them, might Burt and Verona best put down roots to raise their impending bundle of joy? The couple embarks on an ambitious itinerary to visit friends and family, and to evaluate cities. (Read more)
Another awesome thing I came across, is an article talking about how the film went green during shooting: an amazing for such a wasteful industry. Plus, the soundtrack by Alexi Murdoch, sounds wonderful. And, oh yeah... did I mention that Sam Mendes directed the film. So many reasons to love this movie-I can't wait to see this in the theater!

Sea Dwellers

Astrid chewing on the catnip toy I made her.



It's Ollie the Octopus from this book, The Knitter's Book of Yarn, that Keith got for me as a Christmas present. I'm really into it. More on that later. So, Ollie was made with Sugar n' Creme (I didn't have purple, so I just used a multi-color) and was knit in the round on size 8 dpns.

Winter Baby

Our new baby, Astrid.


Scared of her new surroundings...

Flowers in the Snow

Much to my surprise, when I went out to get the mail this morning, snow coming down, I discovered the 2009 catalog from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. It was a pleasant spring teaser, which was graciously appreciated. I do love winter, and in fact, I much prefer a snowy winter to one that's just cold, but we've had snow on the ground since my birthday in mid December, so it's been a bit oppressive. And very tundra-esque around here lately.

I'm already eyeing the gladiolas, which I had lusted after all last summer.

lost website : (

Okay. Deep breath. Sadly, the squarespace account I was using to write my old blog expired and I have since lost all of my archived entries, including recipes, knitting, sewing and gardening projects, and worst of all, loads and loads of pictures. But in an effort to start anew, I'm continuing my blog here. I was able to transfer some of my old entries, but am missing many. More later.

Food, Glorious Food

Today is the first time in a long while that I've had a chance to post a proper blog. I've been incredibly busy applying to school for next semester, picking up babysitting jobs (while applying for many other jobs), and knitting like a fanatic for the holiday season. I decided to take a break this morning and upload a bunch of photos , most of which include food shots, that I've had sitting on my desktop for quite a while. Among these photos are dinners I've made recently and desserts, including a pie for Thanksgiving. I promise to post recipes as soon as things settle down a bit. For now, here are the money shots.


Chinese Dumplings



Keith and I made these awesome dumplings using pre-made wonton wrappers and a filling of water chestnuts, spinach, garlic and mushrooms. He was the "wrapper" and I must say, he did an amazing job. We also made a little dipping sauce that consisted of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and scallions.





Ravioli



I made this one night for my dad. I used store bought ravioli (who has time to make them from scratch!?) filled with porcini mushrooms. And I actually used a variation on my mushroom brandy sauce for the sauce. I simply added a bunch of veggie broth to thin out the recipe a little. I did a little spinach sauté for some extra iron and vitamins, topped it with some gorgonzola chunks,and then drizzled a touch of truffle oil over the top for a final touch. It was a little indulgent, but so worth it.







For Sauce:

1. Sauté slivered onions in olive oil, salt and pepper. Combine two tablespoons of tomato paste with about a half cup of warm water, sugar and salt. Set aside.
2. Once onions begin to caramelize, add sliced mushrooms (portabella or crimini), 1-2 cloves of slivered garlic, a handful of pine nuts, and 3-4 chopped sundried tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add a teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes.
3. Deglaze with a splash of brandy and allow alcohol to cook off. Add the tomato paste mixture and bring up to medium heat.
4. Add a pad of butter and roughly a half-cup of heavy cream. Allow to simmer and reduce.
5. Once sauce begins to thicken, add chopped spinach (optional), fresh herbs (basil, parsley or thyme), and grated Parmesan cheese.
6. Just before the sauce is taken off the heat, add a small handful of diced Gorgonzola or blue cheese and check taste for seasoning. Garnish with a sprig of basil or parsley.

Here's another rendition, if you want to make it with a regular tube pasta, like penne.




For Pasta:

1. Bring water to boil, and then season with salt. Heat olive oil in sauté pan.
2. Add veggies (broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers) to boiling water. Take them out al dente.” Set veggies aside in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Add penne pasta and salt to reserved boiling water. Cook until al dente and portion into bowls with veggies. Toss to coat pasta with olive oil.

Dress with sauce and garnish with basil and parmesan.

Getting Fabulous

Okay, so Keith is taking the LSAT on Saturday, so we've had kind of a hectic and uneventful week. He's been studying non-stop. I have faith that he'll do well, but this is a high anxiety time nonetheless. Fortunately, I have finally taken my friend, Laura's, advice and ordered Absolutely Fabulous from Netflix. And, well, it's ab-fab. Tonight, I'm going to work on the remnants of an open six pack and make a box of Annie's white cheddar mac 'n cheese. And even more awesome, is that I get to skip the gym because I spent the entire afternoon squatting in the garden, digging holes and burrying tulip bulbs. Ab-Fab, here I come...