Sugar Street

Reese and I went for a long walk Sunday, and I finally took pictures on Sugar Street. Every time I walk there, it screams photography to me. This town is very little and quaint, surrounded by countryside, flanked by bigger cities. The houses are Victorian, the streets are mostly leafy and green, the downtown looks like a Christmas card--and then there's Sugar Street, my favorite sight in Blissfield to behold. I suppose it reminds me of my upbringing in a Youngstown, Ohio suburb--industry, factory, electricity, all of these a sort of magic to me that I've never quite understood. Maybe I worked on a line or in a coal mine in another life. Reminds me of that Decemberists song.

Anyway, it was a good way to spend the day, out in the 60s-ish sunshine, though I darkened the pictures. (I used Picture Show on my iPhone.) Sometimes it's nice to put on a different pair of eyes, look through a lens, and see what lives beneath the surface. It feels like cracking a code, or writing a poem.

 

  

Divine Spring Strawberry Recipes

I'm obsessed with strawberries right now! Reese isn't impressed by these lovely blushing beauties, and won't eat them. I (am pregnant, and) have gone through multiple cartons. Here are some standout strawberry recipes. 

Perfect French Toast with Strawberries

I’ve never liked French toast; it tasted too eggy and like a dirty skillet in a cheap diner. But a few weeks ago, my husband had had a long night at work and slept in, and I wanted to make him breakfast in bed.  The result was this French toast, which is NOT eggy and has just the right amount of sweetness.

Ingredients:

4 slices whole grain bread

1 egg (I always use Eggland’s Best free range organic!) + 1 egg white

½ c. almond milk (you can use any milk; I love unsweetened almond or coconut)

1 tsp. pure maple syrup

1 tsp. agave nectar

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

½ tsp. almond extract

1 tbsp. coconut or olive oil

1 tsp. or more (I like more) cinnamon

Pinch of sea salt

For topping: pure maple syrup and sliced strawberries

Directions:  Heat cast iron skillet on medium, with coconut oil. Combine egg and egg white, milk, maple syrup, agave nectar, vanilla and almond extracts, cinnamon and sea salt; whisk.  Dip sliced bread into mixture one at a time, and place on hot skillet, just until golden brown (it won’t take long, so don’t leave the stove like I did with my first piece!) then flip and do the same to the other side. Once plated, top toast with maple syrup and strawberries, and serve immediately. Yum!

P.S. If making this for a special someone, the strawberries can be cut and placed to look like a heart, although I attempted this and failed. Oh well, it still tasted fantastic!

Strawberry Chambord Champagne Float

(adapted from Cooking Light’s recipe for Strawberry-Buttermilk Sherbet)

I got my Cooking Light mag this month, and the strawberry recipes had me itching to experiment with the only-delish-when-in-season berries. This sherbet sounded delicious, but as I was making it, I realized it would be even BETTER with champagne, or even a sparkling white wine. I’d use Asti Spumante. Here’s how I made my version:

Ingredients:

Bottle of Asti Spumante or other sparkling wine or champagne

 2 c. chopped strawberries

1/3 c. agave nectar

1 ½ c. buttermilk

3 tbsp.-ish Chambord

Directions (these are nothing like the magazine’s, and I encourage you to buy a copy if you want the original. The magazine is totally a worthy investment):

Combine strawberries, agave nectar, and buttermilk in a bowl. With an immersion blender, mix until well blended. Add Chambord. Mix again. (You could also use a blender or food processor, but my mother-in-law bought me the immersion blender for Christmas and I think it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread, since I hate using extra dishes.) Freeze in a large tub. Cooking Light says to use an ice cream freezer; I don’t have one. 

Freeze for a couple of hours, before it gets too icy. Serve in a champagne glass, filled the rest of the way with sparkling wine, garnished with strawberry slices. 

mmm...vacation. someday, we'll do it again.

I wish I was HERE right now. My brain needs a little relaxation, if it can remember that mechanism.

Big Bear Mountain. California.

my writing playlist

I’m a big fan of playlists. Heck, I’m a big fan of music, and its transcendent properties. I make playlists on YouTube and leave them on while I write, or work out, or do the dishes, or whatever. At the moment, I should be working on revising my novel. Instead, I’m researching bookbinding. Similar genres, but not the same thing, and I’ve avoided editing this thing since I got pregnant with Reese and couldn’t drink enough wine to facilitate creative abundance. Here’s the current writing playlist.* Not all of it is new or anything, just what I happen to love at the moment:

Lana Del Rey: Blue Jeans

Bon Iver: Creature Fear

The National: Lemon World

Metric: The Gates

Santigold: Disparate Youth

Amanda Palmer: Runs in the Family

Mum: We Have a Map of the Piano

Sneaker Pimps: Low Five

Nada Surf: Are You Lightning

Aphex Twin: Avril 14^th

Death Cab for Cutie: Rocking Chair (The Band cover)

The Doves: M62 Song

Wild Nothing: Live in Dreams

Interpol: Leif Erikson

David Gray: Kathleen

Julian Plenti: Games for Days

My other important playlist is my running/workout list, which I would sit here and type out if it weren’t for my guilt about not revising :/

*If you’re into similar (indie-ish, weird, “different”) music, please feel free to make suggestions. I love listening to new artists and bands!

Good night!

Lindsey.

my (growing) family.

This past Sunday, we announced to our families after a looooong cover-up that we are expecting again! My husband Ben and I have one daughter, Reese, who is currently 10 months old, so you do the math. I didn’t anticipate going through these pregnancy shenanigans so shortly after my last (traumatic, 46.5-hour, Pitocin-induced, hell of a) labor, but…here we are, just in time for Round 2.

I’m 12.5 weeks, so we’ve kept mum a lot longer than I’m prone to do about anything. I actually kind of liked savoring the secret, and it gave me time to soul-search and list-make about my priorities for the next six months. I have a full-time desk job (which is so not good for my ass), but I’m also exploring crafty side projects and creative pursuits. Once Reese goes to bed at night, I treat these as a second job. The new pregnancy’s given me a kick in the pants about it. I work best under fire, but I also like being my own boss, so somehow I’ve got to find a balance. I’m in the research/experiment stage of my meanderings, but I’m trying to remember that little steps now equal big changes later.

Anyway—this is how we told our parents about Reese’s little sibling. I found this ahh-dorable “I’m Going to be a Big Sister” tee shirt from http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThingsVerySpecial?ref=seller_info and even got Reese’s name silk-screened beneath the cute lovey little giraffes, and she wore it to visit both sets of grandparents. We waited until they noticed, which took a little while. The anticipation was exciting. I wish I had taken more pictures, but we did send this one around to our friends and extended family, to share the news.

Reese tells Mimi she's gonna be a BIG SIS!

 At nearly 13 weeks, I'm definitely showing, and sooner than I did last time. But I'm trying to have fun with it, instead of freaking out over my changing shape. I'm still working out as much as I can muster, and that helps me feel a little more in control. But DAMN am I hungry. I can't shovel enough green grapes into my mouth! 


(Please excuse my grainy BlackBerry pictures. I have since joined the 21st century and updated to an iPhone.)

11 weeks--my bump, my bump, my bump. My lovely baby bump begins!

12 weeks

lindsey.

Parsley & Nutmeg Chevre Pasta in Herbed Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Dinner last night!

Parsley & Nutmeg Chevre Pasta in Herbed Heirloom Tomato Sauce

So, I’m a Pinterest addict, like every other red-blooded human on the planet this year. And I am a sucker for a good Pinterest-posted recipe. However, I am also sort of picky about food, don’t have the patience to follow a recipe all-the-way, and require WAY more cheese than the average recipe calls for (although in other areas, I definitely like to lighten up my meals).  What usually happens is I create a hybrid of many different Pinterest recipes, adding in my own food knowledge and a dash of health and vegetarianism, and whatever happens to need used up in the fridge. This is a dish I made on a chilly Spring Sunday. Bonus: leftovers for the workweek.

The Sauce:

1.5 pint cartons heirloom cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. Kerrygold Irish herbed butter

7 thyme leaves, minced

3-4 tbsp. fat free half&half

Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

--Start by warming the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Slash the tomatoes so the juices can escape, and toss them into the pan once the butter has melted. Stir vigorously several minutes, over med-high heat. The tomatoes should start softening. Push on them a little with a whisk (and beware flying juices). Add sage and stir. Add cream, salt, and pepper. The sauce should look bubbly, buttery, and silky. (I had to steal a few tastes.) Let simmer.

The Pasta:

¾ box whole wheat fusilli, or pasta of your choice

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

--Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss into an oiled glass casserole dish. Pour a little oil onto the pasta to prevent sticking. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

The Cheese:

½ white onion

5 tbsp. dried parsley

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp. nutmeg

4 oz. chevre (goat cheese) *Ricotta can be subbed for a milder, less sweet flavor.

3 tbsp. –ish fat free half&half

Start by sautéing the onions in oil, about 3 minutes. Throw in the parsley and sauté another minute or so. Transfer onions to a small bowl, and add chevre and nutmeg. Stir in cream—use enough so that the texture is creamy, not so much that your onions are swimming in a milkbath.

Scoop cheese mixture over pasta, and smash downwards to incorporate it into the dish. Next, pour tomato sauce over the top. Sprinkle with good Parmesan, and transfer to the oven for about 20-25 minutes, until bubby.

I am a freak for cheese, so I actually poured the piping hot pasta over a medallion of fresh mozzarella in a serving bowl. The whole concoction was ooey-gooey and delicious.

To serve for dinner, I’d pair with a nice Pinot Noir (what WOULDN’T I pair with a nice Pinot Noir?) and a hunk of rustic bread (whole grain, of course!), and maybe a simple salad—say, arugula with a lemon vinaigrette. Think dry flavors, because the pasta, in all its chevre nutmeg tomatoey glory, is comparatively sweet (and rich and decadent tasting, so a little goes a long way).

Enjoy!

Lindsey.

White Truffle Parmesan Popcorn (& other varieties)

My first post is going to be about popcorn, primarily because it's past my bedtime on a Sunday and I haven't even watched the season premiere of The Real Housewives of New Jersey yet. (Who can resist the table-flipping, heavily-accented madness? Not me!) I made some popcorn for the occasion. And not just ANY old popcorn. Because today, I learned something groundbreaking: you can make REAL popcorn in a pot on the stove, without a fancy-schmancy popcorn popper thingamajig! (I realize this is common knowledge to the average popcorn popper, okay?) Goodbye, microwave fake-fat free-buttery-dust junk. Hello, white truffle deliciousness...


White Truffle Parmesan Popcorn

-1 tbsp. canola oil
-2 tbsp. white truffle oil, although I'm sure you can use black instead. And get the good stuff.
-1/3 c. popcorn kernels
-coarse sea salt
-freshly ground black pepper
-shredded parmesan cheese

In a pot with a vented lid, heat canola oil and 1 tbsp. truffle oil on med-high. When steam appears, throw in kernels and cover. Take off heat when popping slows. Transfer to a bowl. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. truffle oil and shake. Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan and shake some more. (There's no rule for the amount of cheese. I like lots.)

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Here are some other popcorn toppings to try:
-shredded sharp cheddar (My mom has always made it this way, so we grew up eating "cheese popcorn." People always think I'm nuts when I eat this, but when they try it they inevitably get HOOKED. My mom, my sister and I have run out to the store many a late night for a bag of cheddar; otherwise the popcorn goes untouched.)
-parmesan & garlic salt
-shredded mozzarella & cracked pepper
-melted candy corn (A coworker brought this unexpected delight into work one day. Who would've thought?)

-melted red hots & marshmallow cream (transferred to the oven after it's poured. My mom makes this on holidays.)
-dill & chili powder (I think this is trendy lately.)

I think my next mission is to acquire an air popper. I'm all for healthy tweaks. However, I think we all have one or two indulgences that we'd like to keep around. (Mine is cheese!) My rule is to modify wherever I can, to allow a little wiggle room for my vices.

Speaking of vices, my DVR is awaiting me. I'm off to Jersey, with Truffle Popcorn!

Lindsey.