Isn't that a gorgeous picture of our Duke Chapel (taken by friend and photographer Allison Mannella)? D and I are heading back to Durham for Fuqua one-year reunion. A bit odd, to be reune-ing just 11 months after graduation, but we can't wait. Friends have scattered all over the US (NYC, Birmingham, San Francisco) and this is a good excuse to get them all together. Then I'm right back to the Bay Area for back to back weeks, which I do NOT enjoy. Guess I'll just have to get my fun and peace in this weekend! I just bought this set of glasses from Urban Outfitters, which I'd seen on Pinterest. Hoping they're as lovely in person. I hadn't walked in that store for AGES, and I felt decidedly old when I did (worth it, though, because they waive shipping if you order in-store).
Fates & Furies, by Lauren Goff. A few different perspectives of the same marriage, told over the course of their lives. With superb in-depth character development of the couple, its a smart novel that I enjoyed quite a bit...which isn't something I've been saying much lately.
The Danish Girl, by David Ebershoff. Loosely inspired by the true story of a pioneer for the transgender movement, it's also an intimate look at a marriage. I liked it, but it wasn't quite as good as I was hoping. I've heard the movie is good
Everybody Rise, by Stephanie Clifford. Ugh, that People Mag pick sticker should have told me everything I needed to know. Don't bother with this- it's supposed to be a witty tale about a socialite wannabe, but it's just a cringe-inducing worthless bimbo who has low self esteem and even lower values.
I am SO looking forward to this weekend. D and I are finally celebrating his birthday (couldn't in March, due to travel and abstaining from alcohol, so what kind of party would that be?!). We're going to the Columbia Room for a 5-course tasting menu dinner, where each course is a cocktail (with food on the side). Columbia Room used to be a speakeasy in the back room of another bar, but it closed before D and I got to try it. I was thrilled when I saw it had reopened in a bigger, better space. After this weekend I have some crazy travel on deck, so I'm looking forward to relaxing and spending time together before the madness. Hope you have a good one planned! Did anyone else ready The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up? Great read, if you can get beyond the "inanimate objects have human feelings" mumbo jumbo. The author shares her incredibly minimal home. Food isn't healthy or unhealthy- WE are healthy or unhealthy. An interesting perspective. Been having long chats with several people about masculinity, emotional honesty, societal pressure around gender stereotypes, and many things addressed in this article. One thing my sons will know is that, in my family, "manning up" is about communicating honestly, accessing emotions, reflecting thoughtfully on relationships, and living in the great example set by my dad, my brother, my partner, and quite frankly most of the men in my life. Finally, happy happy birthday to my best girl, my sister, M. You get cooler every year.
So easy it's barely a recipe, but these smashed potatoes are delicious. I've gotten back into potatoes as a replacement for all the more filling things I couldn't eat last month (bread, pasta, grains, etc). Sweet potatoes are my favorite, but I love making smashed potatoes of those tiny ones that come in the mesh bag.
I use recipes from Martha and the Pioneer Woman to get an outline. First, boil your fingerling potatoes until tender, about 8 minutes. DON'T OVERCOOK THEM! If they're too mushy, they won't stay together when you smash them. Lay the potatoes out on parchment-lined tray, and smash with the bottom of a glass, a muddler, a potato masher, whatever you have on hand. Then drizzle with olive oil, add spices of your choosing, and bake until crispy. I've made them up to the smashed step, but pre-baking, and frozen them. Now I heat up a few under the broiler like you would frozen french fries, straight from the freezer into the oven. I highly recommend!
I wanted to share a few recent etching projects I did.
As you can see, these are almost opposite ways of etching; in the first, the etched glass (the opaque portion) is the negative space, and in the second, the letter is etched glass is the letter. If you're looking for some tips doing your own etching, here's what I do: in Microsoft Word, I pick the font and letters I want to etch, put it in a text box, then flip the text box so it is reversed. I trace the letters onto contact paper, cut it out using an exacto knife or scissors (more on which below), and stick it on the glass. Then, dab the etching cream onto the glass, keeping in mind that any glass that is NOT protected with contact paper is going to come out opaque. Sounds easy, right? It truly is. My tip about negative space vs. letter etching is this: for more complicated or multiple letters, it might be easier to use negative space, so you can use scissors to cut out the contact paper, which I find have more control than my exacto. The K above had to be cut out very carefully with an exacto, which takes much more time and is easier to mess up, in my opinion. Happy etching!
Circle of Friends, Maeve Binchy. I just love Binchy. Did anyone ever read her novel Tara Road, which I listed as one of my faves wayyyy back when I first started doing book reviews? She writes lovely books about friendship and community based in Ireland. Sounds simplistic, but there's always more there than you'd expect. I liked Tara better, but this one was still a pleasure.
The Cuckoos Calling and The Silkworm, both by Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling). Fun reads following a flawed but brilliant private investigator, Cormoran Strike, and his trusty, sexy sidekick. I don't read many mysteries, but I'll read anything by JKW, and I'm glad I gave these a shot. Pretty classic in format- some humor, one big crime per book, private lives of our two detectives woven throughout the series, etc. There's a third out that I haven't started yet!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. This was a weird one, but compelling. There's some supernatural stuff, almost felt like a dream reading it. It's been described as a fairy tale, and a short one at that, so it won't cost you much to read.
Ohhh I love this discovery and can't wait to share it with you. I completed Whole30 last month, which means 30 days of no sugar (including honey, maple syrup, stevia, etc), no alcohol (including extracts), no beans (including peanut butter, chickpeas, etc), no grains (wheat, flour, farro, quinoa, etc), and no dairy. At first you're hit with, "then what do I eat?!", but pretty quickly you understand what you can and can't go for: vegetables, meat, seafood, fruit, nuts, potatoes, coconut milk, EGGS, all that good stuff. I have more recipes coming your way, don't you worry. Breakfast was easy, since I already did green smoothies each morning. If you want to go for a smoothie bowl, though, you need to adjust your traditional granola recipe, since you have to avoid sweeteners and oats. This recipe for a granola-like nut crumble is so tasty, but make sure you're thoughtful about how much you're using. Like all granolas, even just 1/4 cup can have hundreds of calories. Nuts are nutrient dense, but high in calories and fat as well.
I lightly adapted this recipe from Peachy Palate. Basically, once you have a ratio, you can use any mix of spices and nuts. I used: 3.5 C nuts 1 C seeds .5 C dried fruit (coconut, raisins, etc) .25 C coconut oil .25 C almond butter .25 C hot water plus 6 dates cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt toss in flax seeds Soak dates in boiling water for 20 minutes, then blend to puree. I soaked and blended in my vitamix. Then add coconut oil and almond butter, and vanilla extract (I used beans while doing Whole30). Thin it out a bit with more hot water if you'd like. Pour this over your nuts and seeds (I crushed my nuts before this step, rather than pulsing in a food processor). Use your hands to really spread the sauce over the nuts. I then sprinkled in some flax seeds, like a dry powder coating. Lay it all on a parchment paper-lined tray and sprinkle your cinnamon, salt, and any other spices. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. I stored mine in a mason jar for over a month. It travels great in plastic baggies, too!
Currently on a family weekend THREEPEAT! Easter in Boston, then my sister visited us in DC (a post to come on the Renwick Gallery, which was incredible), and now a weekend with my brother and sis in law in NY. Hope you're having a great one! I guess in China I'd be a "leftover woman", but that's a good thing. Very moving (short) video on the issue. They nailed me, but within a huge range: can we guess your age and income based on the apps on your phone? (Don't worry, you answer in quiz format) I get frustrated discussing the gender wage gap: while it obviously exists, the argument is undermined when we continue to site faulty data. Women making $.77 on the dollar compared to men only applies when you don't isolate for experience, education level, job title, industry, location, and so on. That's like comparing my little sister to my father. This article is one of the best I've seen, and leaves a valid argument for the remaining wage gap (falling from 24% to just over 5%) that can only be explained by gender bias/discrimination. Worth noting, as they do, that other factors (like that education level or job title) could have been influenced by gender stereotypes as well, like women being discouraged from some of the highest paying industries (STEM, anyone?) or not taking leadership roles because they are lead parent. What do you think? Would you do this in a new home? I think I totally will, and force people to sign it. Could be a very sweet housewarming gift, too. A little intimidated by this list of 50 documentaries you need to see, but it's a genre I want to get more into. Any recommendations to start us off? I've probably seen 4 total, so any ideas are welcome.
