That kind of a weekend where we once again crafted, caught up on chores and stayed in because it was frigid — well, by November standards anyway. I did manage to sneak out to the stores for just a short while and brought back a princess-themed stamp set for Sophia. Here she is stamping to her heart’s content.
Good thing that she was occupied because we managed to make linguine with bolognese sauce.
But our Italian weekend that just sort of happened didn’t end with bolognese sauce. It was followed by an orange infused, apricot jam crostata which I formed while Sophia watched her very first movie/cartoon. She picked “The Adventures of Pooh”.
The crostata looked much prettier in my cookbook, but looks don’t always foreshadow taste.
The crostata followed pizza margherita — another of Evan’s signature dishes. There are leftovers and I feel quite accomplished in the culinary and crafts department. As I write this, Evan is listening to Beethoven with Sophia though I hear that Stravinsky is up next. There is something magical about staying at home, staying in and filling the house with amazing aromas.
Lastly, a very brief attempt at a “recommended reading/watching” list; I managed to get started on this documentary of the plight of Russian Jewry in Russia in the 1970-ies and would like to recommend it to anyone who is curious about what life was like for Jews and in fact for most others, too.
“The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.” – Alice Morse Earle
Trends and societal preferences cycle through the years. Fashion is perhaps the most visually obvious example of this phenomenon where the cuts and patterns our mothers wore when they were young are once again in. One hundred years ago, affording something that was mass-produced was a sign of affluence. These days, we have once again embraced the slow movement. Slow food, handmade products, individuality.
While the slow movement has squarely made its presence known here in America, it has never really left the old world. Perhaps this is the very essence of why we find European cities so charming. Cobbled streets lined with one-of-a-kind shops, art studios and mom-n-pop restaurants where each establishment excels at just a handful of products whether it be pottery, handmade soaps, an authentic recipe for spaghetti cacio e pepe like the one served at the Ristorante de Paris in Rome or the stuffed peppers I still can’t forget at Inn Buffalito in Sorrento, Italy.
Our family are big fans of the farm (or garden) to table, slow, handmade concept. My parents have had a garden for as long as they have owned their house and last year, Evan and I gave gardening a go. Our garden was a success and we enjoyed the experience. In fact, we just only recently picked our last harvest of cherry tomatoes. When traveling, Evan and I go out of our way to find local places and artisanal shops that are known for just a single product. Our passion for handmade and individually tailored was further supported when we lived in Philadelphia, the home of the Naked Chocolate Cafe, Philadelphia Distilling Co., La Colombe, The Franklin Fountain, Capogiro Gelato, DiBruno Brothers, and many, many more. With the exception of La Colombe and DiBruno Brothers, the other establishments came to be while we resided in the city of Brotherly Love and it is nice to see so many of them have reached national acclaim and still retain their passion for creating good quality products.
Philadelphia is of course, not the only city that embraces artisanal, individually-owned, slow and slow-food enterprises. New York City, and Brooklyn in particular has been a mecca for young and passionate craftsmen like the Mast Brothers, Brooklyn Soda Works, Kombucha Brooklyn, People’s Pops, The Brooklyn Salsa, and Stanley and Sons. These represent a very brief sampling of the immense talent housed in Brooklyn.
When traveling, we make a point to stop by a few of these mom-n-pop places to enjoy the local offerings and interact with people who are passionate about their craft. No matter the product, it always feels a little more luxurious when it is hand-made and individual. I feel just the same way when receiving something hand-made especially if gifted by the maker. So the next time you receive something that was hand-made, take a moment to realize and recognize the amount of time someone poured into this special piece and that it was probably made with a lot of love.
This weekend was focused on everything that is in season: crafts and cranberries. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and we are looking forward to my mother-in-law’s fabulous dinner spread and some serious family time. I kid you not, folks — my mother in-law makes an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G thanksgiving dinner and it trumps most others I have been to. Until then, I am cooking a few fall favorites with cranberries in anticipation of the grand finale that is the turkey holiday itself.
I made these cranberry rolls on Saturday morning just in time for my parents’ visit. I am always happy to cook in exchange for help with Sophia!
The issue was that these only required a cup of cranberries and I had plenty of tangy berries left over still. After much deliberation and consultation of my recipe books, I decided on cranberry orange muffins for Sunday afternoon.
They turned out oh so well! There is something about cranberries and orange zest perfuming your kitchen in the fall that makes you happier…
We didn’t just feast on baked desserts all weekend, of course. Evan roasted a lamb shoulder and together we made an Azeri pilaf.
It was a relatively low-key cooking weekend because I was absolutely consumed with crafting. My sister and I are working on a secret project that may or may not have something to do with Hanukkah and we were both sewing as if our life and livelihood depended on it. I can’t tell you what it is because the recipients (or at least their parents) may or may not read this blog and then it would ruin their surprise.
Without giving much away, this is a shot of my secret project … very home-made.
This is a snippet of my sister’s project. Obviously, and don’t think my mother didn’t point this out, my sister’s is much more polished. I am okay with that.
Our lives revolve around being connected to the internet which leads to constant consumption of information. Whether waiting for Sophia to fall asleep or taking a short break from making balls and snakes in Playdoh, I find myself reading articles, editorials, blogs, and yes, even checking my Facebook or twitter feeds. Once in a while, there is a really good article that resonates with me quite a bit and leaves a lot to think about.
I read this article during a gloriously lazy Sunday morning while Sophia watched Sesame street. In reading the article, I tried to understand how similar or different my priorities are with those presented by the author. To be perfectly clear, I am not talking about income levels and actually believe that spending, much like class, transcends income levels. To a certain degree, our priorities and choices in life guide our spending.
Last year, I wrote about choosing a gift for Evan for his 30th birthday. Even then, like in the Times’ article, I said that the best gifts are experience or gifts that enable experiences. If you ask me or Evan what we want for our birthdays this year, we would have a tough time coming up with a tangible gift. Not because we are spoiled, but because we don’t think about our lives in the context of things. Spartan and uncluttered is how we like our life, our house and our closets.
We make no lofty goals about furnishing our house which stands with entire rooms still empty or remodeling outdated baths and kitchen. We happily put off buying couches and dining room sets in favor of building memories and paying for a nanny. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit to having a penchant for jewelry and handbags but have curbed those me habits in honor of us habits. It isn’t that I cannot afford my me habits, it is rather that I have no desire to show off my socio-economic status with things. I have little desire to collect fine china or antique silver because those are just things and I have no idea whether or not my taste, my choices and my old things will be of any use to the next generation.
My biggest goal in life is similar to many other families. It is to set Sophia on a successful path through enabling enriching experiences for her. Lastly, and most importantly, no matter your socio-economic status, always give to those in need and teach your children to do it, too.
We couldn’t have asked for a more gorgeous weekend. Our neighborhood is very wooded and is lit up in a glorious colorscape this time of year. Green, yellow, orange, pink, red and maroon… simply breathtaking. We made the most of the weekend by spending some time outside in the afternoons. The mornings were all about having a lazy weekend with pancakes, coffee (for Evan and me, of course) and cartoons for the little Miss. When not cooking, enjoying the weather or puttering about the house, we did a lot of … this:
We took Sophia to the supermarket on Friday evening which is a big deal for us. You see, with her motion sickness worse than ever and our store being 20 minutes away, she’s only been there three times including Friday. She was a champ and really enjoyed the store and people watching there. After stocking up on so many yummy things, we had no other option but to cook with all the delicious produce we stocked up on. Warning: Food Pictures Below.
Sea Trout in Bercy Sauce . It sounds fancier and more difficult than it really was. This, together with the veggies below, was a 20 minute dinner.
Evan’s famous sesame zucchini
Nikujaga — mmm so good and we have leftovers, too.
Sometimes, a simple rice dish is just what is in order. Fried rice made the cut for a Sunday night dinner. Evan used five-spice, garlic, ginger, mirin (japanese rice wine), sesame oil and peas to make this salty, sweet, and aromatic dish.
Before Sunday, but after Saturday’s pancakes, we needed something for breakfast that didn’t require cooking on the morning of. After looking at our two super-ripe bananas, we all agreed on banana muffins.
Oh, and I have brownies in the oven as I write this, but I’ll spare you the picture and maybe you won’t run out for a morning snack after reading this.
Look who is 25 months tomorrow!!! The official picture is on Sophia’s Photo Project page, but here’s a close second. Can you tell we had a difficult time choosing?
A weekending post is coming up tomorrow. Stay tuned!
I like to mix the delicious with the serious and thought provoking. I am told that people get hungry after reading the weekend recap on Monday morning so in an effort to do my fair share in helping maintain my readers’ svelte figures, I am using this post to continue the discussion about successful people, their achievements and how they became successful.
Reading is not something I enjoyed as a child. My mom used to think that I would never be able to hold a lengthy conversation with anyone who is educated due to my lack of desire to read. I got into my reading stride when I was about ten and have since tried to make up for lost time. That was, of course, until Sophia came along and I must now weigh the importance of reading against the importance of sleep. Anyway, after having read my posts about Bragging Rights and Lucky Successes, a few readers suggested that I read Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers: The Story of Success”. I am glad I took their advice and enjoyed the book so much that I couldn’t put it down.
I don’t want to spoil the read for you should you decide to read it yourself, but I do agree with most of Gladwell’s theses about some portion of everyone’s success is the result of a fortunate circumstance. It seems that most successful people were presented with opportunities. However, what makes these people successful is their determination to seize these chances and opportunities and to work exceptionally hard. Gladwell brings forward examples of people he calls “the outliers” from all types of professions ranging from famous musicians to famous computer scientists. He postures that your likelihood of becoming an outlier — an incredibly successful person has everything to do with who you are, where you are, what family you are born into and how hard you work. He agrees with a well-known theory that in order to really master something, one needs to work at it, to practice his craft for 10,000 hours. What is 10,000 hours, really? That’s about 5 year’s of practice at 40 hours per week.
Gladwell postures that determination and hard work and not aptitude have more to do with your likelihood at becoming a master. This made me remember a conversation I had with Evan a few years back. Sometime in 2008 or 2009, we got an invitation to attend Joanna Frankel‘s violin recital at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Joanna was a classmate of Evan’s and we thought it would be nice to show our support for her by attending. Besides, I don’t need too many reasons to make a trip to the Big Apple. We made a weekend of it and saw a Broadway play then, too. Evan also plays a violin and he is actually quite good — for someone who no longer practices. He practiced since a very young age and all the way through high school.
Joanna’s performance was excellent — she’s truly a virtuoso. I remember asking Evan if she was gifted or practiced a lot. He said that he believed she had great aptitude but thinks that she probably has been practicing 6-8 hours a day, every day for years and years and years whereas he would practice 2-3 hours a day. Basic arithmetic will tell you that 6-8 hours a day for a few years will quickly add up to that magic 10,000 hour rule. While Joanna was practicing the violin, Evan was practicing programming and is a virtuoso whose instrument is the computer.
It doesn’t really matter what you choose to pursue, just pursue it with passion, with determination and you will achieve greatness. To all those people who start something only to quit it a few short months later … nothing will ever come of it. There is never constant joy in anything we do, but when things get difficult, it is best to push on. Those who do, are rewarded with successes.
In the end, no matter how lucky your breaks were, it is your own hard work that rewards you with the fruits of your successes. If you’re someone who has been a lucky recipient of opportunities, pay back by creating opportunities for others along the way. There is nothing better than giving back. The ultimate sign of gratitude.
We made our usual, bi-weekly pilgrimage to the Philadelphia area this weekend to celebrate my nephew’s 10th birthday. My sister was making a spread fit for a wedding and everyone was excited. Unfortunately, the birthday boy got sick! The party was cancelled! The food didn’t go to waste — some of it was generously donated to us and we are grateful. I was and still am incredibly disappointed that the party didn’t happen. I am told a swift re-do is in the works. The weekend wasn’t a complete wash because we were with family. My in-laws took turns visiting with us. Even our Bubbie made it this morning and we were very happy to share Sophia with everyone. Once again, sad to leave and wishing we were living closer to our families.
But our Italian weekend that just sort of happened didn’t end with bolognese sauce. It was followed by an orange infused, apricot jam crostata which I formed while Sophia watched her very first movie/cartoon. She picked “The Adventures of Pooh”.
