We spent the weekend in NYC with friends and a lot of oysters.  I haven’t had that much fun in a long time– college friends always make me feel like less of a weirdo.  I suppose at college you’re just surrounded by folks who are weird in much the same way you are.  Anyway, no [...]

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My goodness… that was fast.  It’s almost 2010?
Like SouleMama, one of my favorite crafty-lady bloggers, I’m a tree-out-the-door on the morning of the 26th kind of girl.  Or, in my case, folded up and put back into its box.  The glitter snowflakes are down and so is the garland.  The wreath will stay on the [...]

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The blog will be pretty quiet this week, I’ll be out of town for work and then Jon and I have lots of fun plans: NFL game, decorating for the holidays, and enjoying this dark time of year– perfect for this cocktail and nights on the couch with a book.

(Image via Martha Stewart Living)

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We finally did it!  This weekend we brewed our first batch of beer.  It’s still fermenting, as we speak the wort is bubbling away in the fermenter.  At least, I think it’s called wort.  It has the yeast in it now, obviously, so perhaps it becomes something else?  Clearly I need to brush up on [...]

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“Relax, don’t worry, have a home brew” advises Charlie Papazian, writer of The Complete Joy of Home Brewing.  After weeks of talking a big game about how we were for sure going to be brewing our own beer we finally made the trek out to the middle-of-nowhere MD to pick up some supplies.  We were [...]

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Jon and I spent much of Halloween brainstorming ideas and tracking down the excellent candy bits for our Halloween cupcakes.  We’ve made cupcakes like this almost every year since… maybe 2004?  Right after we started dating.  Anyway, we ran out of bone sprinkles a year or so ago and kind of lost steam.  This year, [...]

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I don’t like pickles.  For some reason I lump them together with blue cheese and really “good” brie as things that taste like rot.  This is absurd and I know it– I’m just really, really sensitive to bitter things.  Jon is always amazed when I complain about things that are too bitter.  Anyway, only 6 [...]

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I can’t believe I forgot to share this with you– it’s our favorite summer dinner: cabbage salad from Orangette’s book (which I’ve posted about before); bean salad from my mother’s recipe (below); bread, butter, and turnips and; maybe, if we’re feeling fancy (and especially hungry) cream cheese and smoked salmon (or maybe brie or some [...]

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A few weeks ago I listened to Louis Fresco’s TEDtalk on “Feeding the Whole World.”  By the way, if you don’t listen to the TED podcast please subscribe to it now).  I’ve been thinking about it ever since and have more than once used it as part of an argument on behalf of responsible corporate [...]

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As if we needed more evidence that I am an 85-year old lady: my new electric kettle makes me unbelievably happy.  I’ll freely admit that it is probably more electric kettle than I really need– I mean it isn’t like I can actually taste the difference in my 212 degree made coffee and 200 degree [...]

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