Yeah, I kind of lost steam on that whole bee business. I had a whole mess of pictures for that post that Picasa failed to import or Blogger failed to accept and so I would have had to go back and do it again and you know what? Life's too short.
Also? Fucking hot. It's 99 and windy right now and it's only going to get worse and I've been watering plants back from the brink all morning and it's too hot to eat and I've got low blood sugar and I've got to get in the car soon and perform carpooling duties and it's So Fucking Hot and
Ahem. Sorry. I must have gotten my Whiny Pants mixed up with my All-In-Perspective Pants.
What I really wanted to talk about was fashion and my never ending fascination with it. You know how you can see something in a magazine or, you know, gossip column, and go, "Oh, no fucking way. There is no WAY that is going to stick. Uh-uh. I hate it, it's awful, it'll go away before it ever pops up near here (read: the sticks). I'll just ride this out and hopefully the next wave will be more acceptable." And then the world decides to beat you into submission and all of a sudden EVERY WHERE YOU LOOK it's happening. The trend that shouldn't be is really on fire and the pain and misery of it keeps you up at night like when you're nine months pregnant and it hurts to stand up and it hurts to lay down and you have indigestion and your ankles are swollen to five times the size of your head and....
Again. My apologies. I'm going to go change my pants. Be right back.
Ahh, much better. So then. Then fashion resistance fatigue sets in and you no longer care. Ennui! It's the new black! You spend weeks laying aside your resentment and come to a place of inner peace. Nothing can faze you now. You and your zafu are one with the universe which also includes the object of your past disgust. And then, one day, you open a catalog and you are shocked to find that what you really really want, of all the things on the shiny pages full of lovely pretty things for you to wear are FUCKING GLADIATOR SANDALS OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I BECOME NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
And then you have a beer and go to bed because it's too fucking hot to get all worked up like that.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Bzzzzz!
Hey! We got bees! Again! Hopefully they'll stick around this time and not, you know, die!
Last year we set up a hive in the back yard but we were hit with varroa mites and the little guys didn't make it. We did, however, manage to harvest 17 pounds of honey mid summer and they went on to produce several more pounds, more than enough to see themselves through the winter but alas! twas not to be. They lost too much mass and the remaining bees froze to death. It was really sad. We buried the queen.
Her name was Beatrice.
We thought we'd try it again. Two fridays ago, the bees came. The gear:
Last year we set up a hive in the back yard but we were hit with varroa mites and the little guys didn't make it. We did, however, manage to harvest 17 pounds of honey mid summer and they went on to produce several more pounds, more than enough to see themselves through the winter but alas! twas not to be. They lost too much mass and the remaining bees froze to death. It was really sad. We buried the queen.
Her name was Beatrice.
We thought we'd try it again. Two fridays ago, the bees came. The gear:
Sprout is none too sure about the shenanigans that appear to be in the offing:
But the ever-ready Bean is on the job!
Pep talk? Threats of bodily harm if he fucks up? We'll never know.
More to come....
Friday, April 18, 2008
the un-panzanella
I always have this (incredibly faulty) notion that I'll remember how I've cooked something that I really liked. That I'll remember which food blog I got a recipe from and how I changed it and whether or not I'd do it again. I never do, and I think I've lost some good recipes because I lack the discipline to write down what I've done. Kelsey has set up a blog for us to record recipes for food and cocktails we've liked (or have not liked and would please never like to try again, thankyou) but I can never remember my username or password so I try to do it over here a bit too. Well, tonight the kiddies are in bed, Kelsey's watching a horrible-looking movie and I'm sitting down with some new bourbon to write about what we had for dinner tonight.
(cue Law and Order DU-DUN)
I found a delicious looking recipe over at Smitten Kitchen for a spring panzanella but when I stood in front of the raw ingredients, they seemed to want me to do something else to them, not to mention the fact that I would be using fresh bread instead of stale for the croutons and also bread that I had made, with my own two hands, and making croutons out of it seemed, well...wrong. It was still warm, is all I'm saying and also I really really like my leeks on the caramelized side of things.
So. Here it is.
For the body of the salad:
3 leeks
1 large bunch asparagus
1 can white beans
4 slices bacon
For the dressing:
1/4 red onion between diced and minced
spoon tip of dijon
juice from 1/2 lemon
few shakes white wine vinegar
olive oil
s&p
I cut the green ends off of the leeks but ended up peeling them down to the innermost bits and slicing them and cooking them in olive oil until they were dark, almost too dark. The rest I sliced in half and then in half again to rinse out any sand or dirt and then cut them into 1 1/2 inch long pieces. Into the pan with the green ends. When fairly soft, throw in a bit of water and cover to simmer for a bit. Remove lid and season with s&p. Continue to cook to desired coloration and sweetness. Remove from pan. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and add asparagus. Cook until starting to brown and then toss in a little water and cover for just a minute. Remove cover, season and remove from heat before they're too soft. While the asparagus is cooking, cook the lardons of bacon and then add to beans (note: in the future, I will cook my own beans because a little firmness of bean would be nice. The cannellini beans I used this time were too soft by the time they'd heated up with the lardons). Cut asparagus in three.
While the leeks are cooking there's ample time to make the dressing. All is thrown in except the oil which is whisked in.
Croutons would be lovely with stale bread but if the bread is fresh slice and drizzle with olive oil and place in 350 oven until just toasted.
To combine:
Beans and bacon on bottom of bowl; leeks; asparagus; dressing; bread on the side.
And voila! C'est simple et tres delicieux.
(cue Law and Order DU-DUN)
I found a delicious looking recipe over at Smitten Kitchen for a spring panzanella but when I stood in front of the raw ingredients, they seemed to want me to do something else to them, not to mention the fact that I would be using fresh bread instead of stale for the croutons and also bread that I had made, with my own two hands, and making croutons out of it seemed, well...wrong. It was still warm, is all I'm saying and also I really really like my leeks on the caramelized side of things.
So. Here it is.
For the body of the salad:
3 leeks
1 large bunch asparagus
1 can white beans
4 slices bacon
For the dressing:
1/4 red onion between diced and minced
spoon tip of dijon
juice from 1/2 lemon
few shakes white wine vinegar
olive oil
s&p
I cut the green ends off of the leeks but ended up peeling them down to the innermost bits and slicing them and cooking them in olive oil until they were dark, almost too dark. The rest I sliced in half and then in half again to rinse out any sand or dirt and then cut them into 1 1/2 inch long pieces. Into the pan with the green ends. When fairly soft, throw in a bit of water and cover to simmer for a bit. Remove lid and season with s&p. Continue to cook to desired coloration and sweetness. Remove from pan. Add 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the pan and add asparagus. Cook until starting to brown and then toss in a little water and cover for just a minute. Remove cover, season and remove from heat before they're too soft. While the asparagus is cooking, cook the lardons of bacon and then add to beans (note: in the future, I will cook my own beans because a little firmness of bean would be nice. The cannellini beans I used this time were too soft by the time they'd heated up with the lardons). Cut asparagus in three.
While the leeks are cooking there's ample time to make the dressing. All is thrown in except the oil which is whisked in.
Croutons would be lovely with stale bread but if the bread is fresh slice and drizzle with olive oil and place in 350 oven until just toasted.
To combine:
Beans and bacon on bottom of bowl; leeks; asparagus; dressing; bread on the side.
And voila! C'est simple et tres delicieux.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Spring springing and such like
I know I said something about chicks. Chicks are cute. At least they were last week when they were still new:
Now they're going through their awkward phase. They're all gangly and their pin feathers are coming in and if they could talk their voices would be cracking, except they're girls so maybe they would be wearing jeans that were too low and/or tight and listening to, I don't know, what do tweener girls listen to? Hannah Montana? I have no idea and I hope to never, ever know ever again. I myself went through a Poison phase and my husband will never let me forget it.
We will do these chicks the favour of not taking pictures of them at this point (Also: laziness), something I wish my parents had done for me.
And on to: spring nosegays! Or something. This little trifle of loveliness is sitting in my living room right now en route to its final destination. Probably a stinky bathroom. Poor flowers.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
recent loveliness
I have made several tasty things to eat over the course of the last few weeks. A few of them are:
Right, I also made the lemon-rosemary bread for Easter. We've been eating that bread almost constantly since we tried the recipe a couple weeks ago. I was going to whip up another batch of it today, but the day got away from me...tomorrow I'll try again.
- Creamy macaroni and cheese
- No-Knead bread with lemon and rosemary
- Wontons
- Dipping sauce for wontons, if they are panfried and served more as potstickers
- Marmalade glazed ham
- Buttermilk biscuits
- Scalloped potatoes
- Roasted asparagus
- Ricotta cake
- Shaved fennel salad with arugula and a meyer lemon vinaigrette
- two beautiful salads my mom made
Right, I also made the lemon-rosemary bread for Easter. We've been eating that bread almost constantly since we tried the recipe a couple weeks ago. I was going to whip up another batch of it today, but the day got away from me...tomorrow I'll try again.
AAAK! also: @#$%%&$#@ and such like
Hey! Guess what! We're still sick! Ha ha ha! So much fun! Next weekend I'm going to learn how to juggle chainsaws and hypodermic needles! I'm really looking forward to that!
....sssnnnooooooorre...
Hey! Guess what else! We got to take Dearest Husband to the ER on Thursday night! Weeeeeeeee! Kelsey thought he'd been exposed to a neuro-toxin while cleaning his fish tank which was experiencing a massive die-off because....this is boring. Suffice it to say that while Kelsey was in the ER, the kids were alternately nodding off or listening to Jim Broadbent reading Winnie the Pooh while I was puking out the car door in the parking lot ( I know! Classy!) and shaking with the chills. When we got home Peanut puked, I collapsed in bed and Kelsey took some codeine cough syrup. He's got pneumonia. Apparently the doctor cheerfully told him that if he had truly been exposed to the toxin he thought he had been, he'd be dead.
So...that's good news.
Kelsey has basically holed up in our bedroom with these items:
....sssnnnooooooorre...
Hey! Guess what else! We got to take Dearest Husband to the ER on Thursday night! Weeeeeeeee! Kelsey thought he'd been exposed to a neuro-toxin while cleaning his fish tank which was experiencing a massive die-off because....this is boring. Suffice it to say that while Kelsey was in the ER, the kids were alternately nodding off or listening to Jim Broadbent reading Winnie the Pooh while I was puking out the car door in the parking lot ( I know! Classy!) and shaking with the chills. When we got home Peanut puked, I collapsed in bed and Kelsey took some codeine cough syrup. He's got pneumonia. Apparently the doctor cheerfully told him that if he had truly been exposed to the toxin he thought he had been, he'd be dead.
So...that's good news.
Kelsey has basically holed up in our bedroom with these items:
- 1 bottle liquid happiness
- 1 bottle antibiotics
- 1 Wii
- several pillows
- snacks
- possibly a shot gun to keep the rest of us the hell out of there, "so help me God, I will get better dammit! Stop making me sick you bastards! (cough, cough...grrrrr.....)"
Friday, March 14, 2008
Why do we continue having crappy birthdays? and new chickens.
Bean had a birthday. We were sick, to greater or lesser degrees. He had a nice day, Dad brought him a bike, there was much merriment. He decided he wanted a bento box for dinner, so we went out to sushi because truly, it does not take much arm twisting. "Bento box, you say? I'm on it!" Husband and I enjoyed the most delicious raw fish while the little people enjoyed their beef teriyaki and california rolls and such. The Sprout loves oshinko maki. Who knew?
During dinner the Bean was tired. We couldn't even stay for our mochi ice cream, and if you can't stay for your mochi ice cream, you know something's amiss. We brought it home, stuck a candle in it, sang a song, ate our ice cream, collapsed in bed.
It was....perhaps not the most memorable birthday ever, but they hardly ever are. I made a lovely chocolate cake for his preschool class, and per his request, Dad made cinnamon rolls for his breakfast. Oh my holy GOD they were delicious. Husband used a recipe from the Fanny Farmer Baking Book and made them with a potato dough. They were beyond rocking, but unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures.
Later in the week, we had a semi-scalping involving the Sprout, his hairline and an angry CPU with the sharpest damned air vents known to man. Yesterday we brought home two chickens to our brand-new chicken coop that Husband built over the last couple weekends. One is an Australorp and the other a silver-laced Wyandotte. Their names are Penny and Princess and next week we'll bring home some chicks that will move in with them when they're big enough. Pictures to come. The kids are in love and want to check on them constantly. The chickens themselves seem to be adapting fairly well, but the dog is being a pain. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different from a creature bred to be a farm dog.
Sprout is healing, the chickens are neeping, spring is springing all around us. It's torture to be inside, except for being sick and all, Easter is creeping up faster than I thought it possibly could...it's overwhelming and perfect.
During dinner the Bean was tired. We couldn't even stay for our mochi ice cream, and if you can't stay for your mochi ice cream, you know something's amiss. We brought it home, stuck a candle in it, sang a song, ate our ice cream, collapsed in bed.
It was....perhaps not the most memorable birthday ever, but they hardly ever are. I made a lovely chocolate cake for his preschool class, and per his request, Dad made cinnamon rolls for his breakfast. Oh my holy GOD they were delicious. Husband used a recipe from the Fanny Farmer Baking Book and made them with a potato dough. They were beyond rocking, but unfortunately I didn't think to take any pictures.
Later in the week, we had a semi-scalping involving the Sprout, his hairline and an angry CPU with the sharpest damned air vents known to man. Yesterday we brought home two chickens to our brand-new chicken coop that Husband built over the last couple weekends. One is an Australorp and the other a silver-laced Wyandotte. Their names are Penny and Princess and next week we'll bring home some chicks that will move in with them when they're big enough. Pictures to come. The kids are in love and want to check on them constantly. The chickens themselves seem to be adapting fairly well, but the dog is being a pain. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different from a creature bred to be a farm dog.
Sprout is healing, the chickens are neeping, spring is springing all around us. It's torture to be inside, except for being sick and all, Easter is creeping up faster than I thought it possibly could...it's overwhelming and perfect.
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