hello.

i'm sitting here, eating spaggets with half a numb face from the dentist...i hope that's a noodle i just crunched on. and i hope everyone had a great christmas! i'm trying not to be depressed it's over!

maybe some pictures will help.buckwheat crepes with orange butter!

tara made renditions of each one of our family members as an owl!
they line up to create a family 'tree branch'.

lottie and mattie dancin.
:0)

merry christmas eve!

through the tender mercy of our god;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.
to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
luke 1:78-79

holiday foods

during the holidays i have a sort of mental list of recipes i want to try. it never seems to stop growing...this year:

cauliflower and chestnut gratin- last meal on earth goood!
sauteed chestnuts with bacon and onions- these look so succulent.
chex mix- i don't think i've ever made this.
buckwheat crepes with orange- christmas morning!
gougeres- savory cream puffs...you can even deep fry them.
roasted dates with pancetta, almonds and chile- michael symon you genius you.
white chocolate tiramisu trifle with spiced pears- so elegant...white on white.
buche de noel- for the meringue mushrooms alone!

made: roasted dates and gougeres
will make: crepes, buche de noel and/or pear trifle
my sister, nicole, is teaching our family how to make tamales today.
i'm not in charge of christmas dinner, so the rest of you recipes will have to wait.
oh if only christmas could last a little longer...

what's cookin in your kitchens?

come on snow...

it is so cold on our hikes, our sinuses are freezing up!

i'm not sure if lottie should wear a sweater, wish she would tell me.

don't want the other dogs teasing her.
do slugs stay alive when it's icy?

or do they turn into slugcicles?

december the first!

if you have a turkey carcass still hanging around and/or thanksgiving guests that just won't leave...make a bubblin batch of this stock, add some veggies and meat and have yerself some delectable turkey soup! michael ruhlman shares a brilliant oven method here.

also...check out my new pastry blog bread & chocolate with 12 days of cookies.
oh man i'm gonna get fat.

happy day after the day after thanksgiving!

the chestnut pie was fun to make...
but definitely an acquired taste.

:0)

eeesh

man i’ve been having some horrible sleeps this past week.

the other night i dreamt that my bottom front tooth was falling out and the dentist wanted to replace it with a tooth from an old navy mannequin. later that night i dreamt i had a vet appointment at 5am, but slept in till 7 and missed it. then i woke up for real at 7, stressing out.

last night i was dragging moving boxes overflowing with my possessions into church. after the meeting i was sitting with some teenage boys at a table and i spilled a jug of olive oil all over the table and the floor. then this lady came in and started yelling at me and I had to drag the heavy boxes out of the church, all the while legos were spilling over and the boxes falling apart. what is the meaning of this?

anyways…back to reality…reminiscing w/ lindsey today about a few years ago when everybody was advertising products to give you that “j. lo glow”. yes, we did purchase some glotion, but now I think it was a scam to market greasy skin. today we stuck with the pleated plants at gap.

going to make a chestnut pie for thanksgiving! went to pike place and picked up these delightful 'bargains' at delauranti!some chestnut creme and chestnut puree. the creme comes in a handy little travel tube...take it on the plane, pack it in your diaper bag or simply spread it on a toothbrush. lottie says yum.

why are there no thanksgiving songs?

moss terrariums

i've been craving these for a while now. hope they work...
first i layered gravel, active carbon (for fish tanks), a little spanish moss and potting soil.

next, i collected different types of moss from outside.
found a little baby earthworm hiding in there!
grosss.

i plan on misting them with water every few days and keeping them out of direct sunlight. hopefully they will stay green!

no i am not a donkey or a bunny!

saturday morning

quiet walk

fruity shampoos wafting out of steamy bathroom windows

frosty pine needles crackling under our feet

and in each little house, breakfast...

glorious lazy breakfasts!

nice day

sttttrrrrrrrreeetch!!!!!!

woke up to this tree through the roof! i don't remember any wind last night...

...then found this little guy on our walk this morning.
i think its a sign.

fröken ö

lovely little blog.

yummy nummy cottage

i've always dreamt of sleeping in a little gnome bed tucked away in a nook.

perhaps with some thick curtains to draw

for extra warmth!

nytimes

how awesome is this cake?!!! sheeesh!
colour lovers

goodbye house.
i hope your next visitors are as cool as us.
i hope they take good care of your tomatoes and onions...
and don't disturb your spirits!

tomatees!

due to moving, i was forced to pick many of our remaining tomatoes green.
i think they will ripen on the counter...any ideas?

g'mornin!

i'm looking forward to acquiring a polaroid camera very soon!
this kinda looks like a polaroid, don't ya think?

excited for fall!

photos:
leaves, squash, apple, cranberries, owls, plums, tree, yarn.

dinner at dustins

my friend dustin has been hosting a series of 4 course dinner parties featuring food from a different country each time. 25 meals in less
than 2 months! this was the first one i made it to and, sadly, the last...the "return to seattle" dinner. he is in the process of putting together a
cookbook featuring all 0f the recipes that were served. the man is clearly insane.

lettuce and tarragon soup. this had a faint hint of licorice and a great texture from the ground romaine. i've never had cooked lettuce
but it worked!

swiss chard was stuffed with a creamy goat cheese and potato mash, served with a pleasantly piquant kalamata olive vinagrette.
our favorite dish of the night.

chicken braised in burgundy and blackberries with a creamy fennel puree. tasted like fall!

...and more goat cheese baked into a mousse-like cheesecake and served with dried cherries plumped with warm port.
the cherries added a dense chewy bite next to the grassy creaminess of the goat cheese. delicious!

the road to boise

                                                                                                 night moon.

its good to be home.

the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of summer fun!

concert in our backyard w/ emily bate and jordan o' jordan!

ben kamen and the gang at what the heck fest in anacortes!
the following day, humblecub played a really fun show in the forest at mikrofest on whidbey island!

camping with al's family for his mom's birthday celebration

jared and allan

biscuit in her flotation device

they found a baby deer with spots resting in the grass

our dear friends caleb and deanna finally married! we are so thrilled for them!

their wedding was in a beautiful old barn...caleb was suspended on a bungee cord
and came down from the rafters wailing "here comes the bride" on his guitar!

the blackberries in our yard are ripening! my head is spinning with the possibilities...