Brightwood Living

Spring is FINALLY here

2011-03-08T00:21:00.003Z

"I haven't seen you around much this summer"

2010-09-06T20:07:00.004+01:00

That's what a neighbor said to me this weekend, and she's right. This summer has been unusual, for sure. I was selected for grand jury service, which in DC lasts 5 long weeks. No days off, 9:00 to 5:00, Monday thru Friday. An hour for lunch, and 2 15-minute breaks. Sounds like a fun way to spend the hottest month of the year, right?

I spent 5 weeks in this building. I started to feel like a prisoner after a while. On the plus side, I feel like I got a course in law and criminology. I learned about things I've only seen on TV... the cycle of violence is something I'm still trying to wrap my head around.

One of the most challenging aspects of jury duty, was to spend all day in a room with 22 strangers. Some of them were VERY strange, indeed. I spent some of my down-time sketching in these accordion books.

Here are my sketches. The books were passed around the room many times -- it seems people found it amusing that I passed the time with something besides crossword puzzles and soduko.

When I got bored with drawing, I crocheted granny squares. Yes, I'm sure my fellow jurors found me odd.

On the weekends I tried my best to keep up with my usual August canning schedule, but I was just too tired most of the time, and I've only canned about half of what I did last year.

We took 3 trips to Rehoboth Beach in August. I needed the mental break. I like to think the waves washed all the horror stories out of my head.

Besides, there's nothing a gorgeous day at the beach, Thrasher fries and Grotto pizza can't fix.

I have to go back for 2 recall days in September. Hopefully I'll start feeling normal again soon.

Roasted tomato sauce

2010-07-30T14:48:00.002+01:00

I like to kick off the tomato-sauce-making season with roasted sauce. It's perfect when you have a fair amount of tomatoes, but now enough to justify going through all the effort of canning. I found this recipe years ago in Everyday Food (you're the best, Martha), and have made it countless times since.

I start by coating my pans with plenty of olive oil, thyme, salt & pepper, then layer sliced onions, and halved & cored tomatoes. Add a little more oil on top, and toss them in the oven.

After about an hour or so they look like this.

I let them cool on the counter for a bit, and then pinch off the tomato skins.

Then I toss everything in a pot, and break out the emulsion blender. (This is the best thing ever -- and so cheap!)

Sometimes I puree just a little bit, and sometimes I make it smooth. I let it cook down for a little while, then let it cool and get it ready for the freezer. Damn, it's good!

Harvest begins

2010-07-29T15:30:00.003+01:00

It's that time of year again... tomatoes for dinner every night!

Here's an example of our daily harvest... roma tomatoes, various heirloom tomotoes, yellow pear tomatoes, jalapeños and chili peppers.

This is our crazy tomatillo jungle. The three plants are all over six feet tall.

There must be at least 500 of these buggers in various stages of growth. I'm in trouble!

I picked the first ones this week... they're bigger and heavier than the ones I've bought in the grocery store. Salsa verde, anyone?

Tomato update

2010-07-08T21:01:00.003+01:00

The tomatoes are coming along nicely! Canning season will be here before I know it.

Mortgage Lifters

San Marzanos

Yellow Pears

Harvesting garlic

2010-07-08T20:40:00.004+01:00

Last fall I planted garlic for the first time. It was really easy. Following directions I found online, I used different garlic heads from farmer's markets, broke them up into cloves, and planted them at the end of the season (it's tradition to plant them on the shortest day of the year). Sure enough, they came up this spring.

I planted them among my herbs, but they were easy to spot.

Again following online advice, I pulled them when the stalks were brown about a 1/3 of the way.

Now all that's left is to cure them (dry them out).

Pretty cool, huh? I'm going to plant a ton of these next year!

Lily show

2010-07-08T20:27:00.004+01:00

Here are some of my favorite lilies from our garden this year:

Garden update

2010-06-16T17:04:00.002+01:00

Our garden is growing like gang-busters... I'm out there everyday, trying to keep up with the weeds, getting eaten up by mosquitos.

Here's a photo of our 1st tomato (a yellow pear)... we now have lots of baby tomatoes growing on our 11 plants.

And here's a photo of a baby tomatillo. I have hundreds of these little guys now. I think we're going to be swimming in green salsa!

And here's my favorite plant, because it's so big (3-4 feet tall) and beautiful... Mammoth dill!

Clematis sensation

2010-06-16T16:58:00.003+01:00

Three years ago I planted four clematis plants around our light post. I understand they need a few years to establish themselves--well, it looks like they're fully established, because this year they're just gorgeous.

The light post is wrapped with chicken wire so that the plants have something to attach themselves to.

Here's a close-up of the four different colored flowers.

Allium, peonies & roses

2010-05-11T20:34:00.004+01:00

Enjoy these recent blooms from our backyard...

Here we go again!

2010-05-11T20:21:00.002+01:00

Ricardo told me I shouldn't "get carried away" with gardening again this year. Sorry, hon'... over the last week or so I planted:

1 jalepeno

3 tomatillos

6 begonias

11 tomatoes

12 marigolds

16 petunias

36 imatiens

and over 40 heads of lettuce.

Ooops!

Spring garden tours

2010-04-20T18:37:00.003+01:00

This past weekend I took some friends to the White House Spring Garden Tour. It was a perfect spring day -- sunny & breezy. I hadn't been on a garden tour for years, but I have to say this is my favorite tour. The grounds are gorgeous, and I just love the architecture of the South Portico. I didn't take too many photos, but here are a few highlights...

Jen in front of the south fountain... one of my favorite spots.

Corner facade of the White House.

Rose garden as seen through the trees.

Jen at the famous kitchen garden. I wish I had that much space!

And the bee hive.

How here's a tour of MY spring garden...

Lots of color -- I planted all types of tulips and daffodils (close-ups below).

Happy spring!

Afghan completed!

2010-04-08T21:00:00.002+01:00

I love finishing projects, and was thrilled to complete my big winter project, the wagon wheel afghan.

I was so happy that it came out the size I wanted -- it fits perfectly on the top of our bed. (I guess I'm not so bad at math, after all.)

Of course now that it's 90 degrees in Washington, I don't have much use for a wool afghan, but it's stored away safely for next year... away from kittie cat paws.

First spring blooms

2010-03-16T20:04:00.002Z

After our long, hard winter I wasn't sure when my bulbs would bloom.

I was amazed that the first crocus bloomed only 1 day later than last year.

A few days later there were more blooms...

...even the rainy weather couldn't keep these flowers from sprouting. (Bonnie-cat insisted on having her paws in the shot.)

Winter projects

2010-03-05T19:36:00.007Z

This year for Christmas I made Ricardo his first hand-knit sweater. He asked for one years ago, but I refused, citing the sweater curse. Anyway, now that we've been married for three years, I felt it was safe to finally knit it. It was a clandestine operation... I knit on my days off and at night before he got home from work, stuffing it under a blanket when I heard him unlocking the door. Anyway, I'm happy to report he was thoroughly surprised.

Here's the finished product.

A close-up of the yoke.

Another close-up. There are 5 different colored yarns used.

I had a bunch of left-over yarn from the sweater, so I decided to make an afghan. I found a pattern I liked, and got started making these crochet "wagon wheels."

Charlotte gets her first whiff of wet wool. (All cats seem to love the smell of wet wool... it smells like sheep.)

At first I thought I'd make a small afghan, but then the blizzard hit, and I got the idea to make a blanket big enough to cover our queen-size bed. I have a ton of yarn in my stash (you really don't want to know how much), so this won't be a problem.

Charlotte inspects the new batch.

Now that I have over a hundred of these suckers made, I'm getting close to the amount I need. I figure by the time I finish sewing them all together it will be 70 degrees outside and I won't need a wool afghan... but I'll be ready for next winter!

Winter wonderland? I think not.

2010-02-19T20:45:00.004Z

I remember when I was a kid, and later when I lived in New Hampshire, snow was so pretty. And sometimes here in D.C., it can be pretty... for about an hour or so before it turns brown. We had one of these "winter wonderland" snowfalls about a week before our blizzards. On the walk to work I couldn't resist snapping photos in Lafayette Park.

Let's look at the differences between a nice snowfall of a few inches, and a not-so-nice blizzard.

BEFORE: It's 7 a.m., there's no one around, and everything looks so picturesque. Another bonus: the Park Service had even shoveled.

AFTER: I returned to work to face this scene. Now I know I've been off for 11 days, but I seem to remember that magnolia tree being much bigger. Also, I didn't appreciate having to climb over a snowbank to get into the park.

Sure enough, the magnolia lost half its limbs. Not so pretty now, is it?

BEFORE: The White House, looking so snowy.

AFTER: It looks kinda depressing now.

BEFORE: A big 'ol pretty tree, covered in snow.

AFTER: The same big 'ol tree, with a bunch of downed limbs.

BEFORE: Isn't it amazing how the snow sticks to each and every branch?

AFTER: Lots of those branches are now laying in the snow.

While I'm on a rant, another thing that's not so pretty? No trash pick-up in the city for 2 weeks.

A very long 2 weeks.

How do you save your spot?

2010-02-17T00:52:00.010Z

With our alleys snowed in, us D.C. residents have no option but to park on the streets. After spending hours shoveling out our cars, no one wants to lose the spot in front of their house. Personally, I've elected to simply stop driving and walk to the Takoma farmers market, the library, and Safeway. (Besides, I really need the exercise after a week of sitting on the couch.) Here are some of the creative ways we're saving our spots.

The classic: the plastic chair.

Wicker chair.

Stool and a beer box.

Rocking chair.

Chair and a table.

Stepstool.

Plant, bucket, and folding chair.

Broken upside-down chair.

Cafe table and chairs (perhaps my favorite).

Recycling containers (you don't need them since the city stopped picking up recycling).

Some sort of wooden structure.

Buckets and a 2 x 4.

Diapers boxes.

Little kid chairs.

Chairs neatly spaced.

Cone.

Folding chairs.

Pieces of wood.

Or, you could just wait for the snow to melt.

This guy might be waiting until May.

This guy has the best idea... a tiny car!

What do cats do during a blizzard?

2010-02-17T00:43:00.004Z

Each of cats had a different strategy to ride out the storm.

Charlotte the kitten loved watching the falling flakes.

Vince chose to sleep the storm away on a warm radiator.

Samantha cuddled up with her mom on the couch.

Where's Johnny? That tabby cat is hanging out on a snowbank

Scenes from the Blizzard of '10

2010-02-17T00:19:00.002Z

Here are a few images from the blizzard. There were multiple storms, and in the end we had about 3 feet of snow. It really wasn't that much fun. Luckily, we didn't lose power, but snow in D.C. is never fun. When I lived in New Hampshire I used to love the snow, but after this, I think I could go the rest of my life without seeing another flake. Ricardo is permanently damaged.

The snow came quick. It started off pretty enough, sticking to the trees, for that winter-wonderland effect.

Then came the wind, and more snow.

The next morning things were out-of control.

The backyard looked pretty, but there was a lot of work to be done.

Our outdoor kitties were trapped... one on the porch, the other in the back yard, both upset and meowing for help. Ricardo (the amazing husband that he is) dug out a tunnel so they could reunite and cuddle for warmth.

We didn't leave the house for days, but finally ventured out the day before another storm was ready to strike. The sidewalks were impassable, and the streets were down to one lane, with all the pedestrians forced to share the road with cars.

After our hike to Safeway, we found empty shelves everywhere. Hope you don't need any tomatoes, garlic, onions, eggs, milk, juice, cooking oil...

To add insult to injury, we waited in line for 2 hours and 6 minutes. (Yes, I timed it.) My back was killing me, and it was a cold walk home. But at least we had wine.

After 11 days home, dealing with the snow, all we can do is hope it melts -- soon.

Signs of things to come

2010-01-27T22:55:00.003Z

This past Saturday it was sunny & warm (for January, that is-- it was in the 50's). After a trip to the Takoma library (LOVE it!) to pick up some more books, I sat on the back stoop for a while, reading & soaking up some vitamin D.

I took a look around my yard, and lo' and behold, I found some of the bulbs I planted last fall starting to emerge. Here are some crocus (and Bonnie's paw)....

...and some daffodils.

And the other sign that spring can't be far away? Kittie cats rolling in the catnip!

Me & the Mayor

2010-01-15T21:35:00.002Z

I came home tonight to find the Mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian Fenty, campaigning door-to-door in our neighborhood. I got the chance to talk to him for a few minutes (and yes, Fina, I told him we want the vote!)... he was quite charming in person.

I called Ricardo while he was next door, and he insisted that I get a photo with him. Thanks, hon'... it came out pretty good. I'll add it to my growing collection of photos taken with politicians.

Christmas decorating '09

2010-01-13T21:15:00.003Z

Here are some photos of my Christmas decorations this year. I tried to be thrifty, but I can't resist trying new things every year... how did I do?

I've always wanted to make one of these cranberry trees. It wasn't that difficult, and only took about 2 and a half hours to make. The styrofoam cone was only about $4, but I had to use three bags of cranberries. I would make it again -- it still looked good even after two weeks.

I made these pinecone wreath thingies from the pinecones that I had glittered last year. I made four of them for the windows downstairs. My only cost was the ribbon I bought on sale... not bad for less than an hour of work and about $3.

I always make clove-studded oranges. I already had the cloves, and the oranges were a few dollars.

I like to have a few decorations in the kitchen (since I spend so much time there!)... so I decorared my dried spices with a few ribbons.

I made this kitchen wreath with the branches that we cut off the bottom of the tree. I added gold pinecones from last year, and recycled a bow. After the holiday I cut all the branches off the wreath form to reuse another time, so this cost me nothing.

I bought this wreath at the Christmas tree farm, and added my own bows. It costs about $22.

I decorated the corner of our living room with this old tree. I bought some little glittery snowflakes for about $4 to decorate the tree.

Even though I have a gazillion ornaments, I always make a few new ones each year. I had all the supplies on-hand for these glittered doves, but I broke down and bought some fancy Martha Stewart glitter (but I had a coupon!)... so they cost a dollar or so.

I also made these ice skates... I couldn't resist... I thought they were too adorable.

The end result? A tree with so man decorations that you can barely see the tree!

Capital Crippler

2010-01-13T20:54:00.004Z

In December we got a freak snowstorm... 22 inches! In my nine years of living in the District I've never seen a storm with more than 6 inches, so this was pretty darn exciting.

I left work early the day before the storm to go to the grocery store, but the lines were crazy-long anyway. My cashier told me: "I hope you got everything you need, cause I won't be here tomorrow!"

The day after the storm you couldn't even see our car!

And here's our view of our street... a true winter wonderland.

After all the shoveling, there was nothing left to do but make a snow angel.

Snowy night

2009-12-13T16:34:00.001Z

We finally got a little snow. It's all gone now, but I'm crossing my fingers for a white Christmas.

The Griswold family tree

2009-12-13T16:18:00.003Z

My favorite Christmas movie of all time is Christmas Vacation. (Who doesn't love the scene when their ridiculously big tree breaks the windows in their living room?) Anyway, this year I decided we should give it a shot, and cut down our own tree.

We returned to Homestead Farm (where we go pumpkin picking). I was happy to see they give you a ride out to the fields and back.

We spend a while wandering around, looking at all the trees and debating over what kind we wanted.

Timber! We finally settled on this guy.

Ricardo dragged it out to the road to wait for the tractor.

It's getting cold!

And here it is on our car, bagged and tagged.

Now we just gotta get it in the house.

It was a tight squeeze, but the tree made it inside. Now for the hard part: trying to keep the damn cats away from it.

Happy Anniversary to us!

2009-12-13T16:13:00.002Z

In November we celebrated our 3rd anniversary. Ricardo took me out to a fancy restaurant... Cheers!

Autumn comes to DC

2009-10-28T09:53:00.002Z

Here's the prettiest tree in President's Park.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-28T09:51:00.002Z

We made the usual trip to the farm to get pumpkins, gourds and corn stalks. This year they had a lot of funky pumpkins in different shapes, colors and textures. Of course I had to buy the wierdest ones I could find.

Here's our home, all ready for the trick-or-treaters.

If you look closely at the 1st photo, there's a small grey animal inside the front door -- it's Vince! He loves sneaking in the photos.

I was particularly proud of my planter arangements -- I stacked funky pumpkins with Spanish moss in between. I used wooden skewers to secure the pumpkins. The greenery is left over from the summer, and the berries are a la Michaels.

Here's another one of those funky pumpkins -- how could I resist this striped guy?

Roasted tomato sauce

2009-10-07T23:35:00.009+01:00

At the end of the tomato season I like to make roasted tomato sauce with all the seconds that are cheap and easy to find at my local farmers markets.

I couldn't resist buying a big bag of these "second" heirloom tomatoes priced at just two dollars a pound (half price). Even Johnny had to agree that they sure smelled good.

Sliced in half -- so pretty!

I start with a layer of sliced onions with olive oil, salt & pepper in baking pans.

Then I add all the halved tomatoes.

Next I take some peeled carrots,

and dice them.

Then I grab some of these cool garlic heads (still attached to their stems)...

and smash them.

Here's what my pans look like after I add the carrots, garlic, and cherry tomatoes from my garden. Ideally these pans wouldn't be so crowded. But, I got a little carried away, and I was trying to use up all my ripe tomatoes.

Here's a close-up of a baking sheet ready for the oven...

and after about an hour in a 450 degree oven, here's what comes out.

I let everything cool a bit, then run it through my Kitchenaid to get rid of the skins and seeds, and turn it into a nice pureed sauce.

In the end, I'm left with one big pot of sauce.

Later on, I make up a bunch of these little baked ziti casseroles for the freezer.
(And one for dinner, too!)

Porch kitty

2009-10-07T23:35:00.007+01:00

Samantha is queen of the porch... she can spend hours outside lounging on the gliders. Must be nice to be a kitty of leisure.

A tour of the Government Printing Office

2009-09-25T19:52:00.007+01:00

I recently got a chance to tour GPO. I almost didn't go... I had no idea it would be so cool.

I have a love of old-fashioned printing techniques, which I supposed originated with my Uncle Doug (I still have the print tray he gave me hanging in my house). Later I worked as a typeshop attendent at RISD.

Anyway, here are some photos of the stuff I loved (I didn't bother taking pictures of any of the modern equipment). The tour guide explained that this shop is one of the few left in the country that still use these hand techniques.

Type drawers filled with metal type.

I've never seen such ornate drawer pulls.

Here's a plate that used to apply the gold leaf to books like the one below.

Each cover is constucted and stamped by hand -- amazing.

A big, well-used dictionary used to check spelling.

This guy is getting ready to marble the edge of books. He spashes the paint in a pan of water (and other stuff), until he gets the pattern he wants...

then he carefully dips the book into the ink.

Here are some examples of the finished product. Love it!

I was continuously distracted by the floors. They're comprised of 2" x 4" x 6', so the floor is 6 feet tall! This was done to accomodate all the heavy presses and other equipment. Gorgeous.

The tile floors in the entrance were equally as captivating.

The tour ended in the bookstore, where lo and behold... it's my book! This is the report that I've worked on for the past nine years. Silly, but it was exciting to see it.

An afternoon in Little Italy

2009-08-25T00:57:00.003+01:00

This week Ricardo and I are home on a stay-cation, but we've also decided to take a few day trips. Today was our first trip: Baltimore. We've been to Charm City a few times, but the trips have always seemed rushed and left no time for exploring. This time we went up with no real itinerary or exact plan. We talked about eating oysters or Italian food, walking around the harbor or taking a water taxi... we we're sure.

We also didn't look at a map, got lost, and ended up in an industrial area. With the help of our iPhone, we took little side streets through the city, venturing through Greek Town, passing Johns Hopkins... and lots of other sights we've never seen. Ricardo kept yelling out names of streets that he was SURE he saw on Homicide -- it ended up being a pretty amusing ride.

We parked our car at the Inner Harbor, because, well, that's what we're familiar with. Now, the Inner Harbor is nice and all... I liked seeing the Coast Guard cutter in the water... but it's just not our style. We wandered around desperately updating our Yelp location to try to find a non-chain restaurant, but we couldn't find anything. We even gave in and went to the ESPN Zone for a drink to regroup, but the margarita was horrible, and I couldn't wait to get out of there (this was after we walked out of the Hard Rock Cafe).

Not sure what to do, we headed for Little Italy. Pasta... red wine... how bad could it be?

After less than a 10-minute walk, we started seeing these banners. We found it!

The streets are so neat and tidy -- much different than the North End in Boston.

Lots of nice details -- like the tile work on this doorway and bench.

Cute narrow streets.

Little touches everywhere remind you where you are.

A nice little rooftop garden.

After walking around in circles, we randomly settled on this unassuming restaurant, Caesar's Den. Inside was like stepping back in time. The waiter was polite, the food was really, really good, and we left happy, with full bellies.

But what trip to Little Italy would be complete without a trip to an Italian bakery? Believe it or not I passed on all these pastries and settled on a lemon Italian ice and some pizzelles to go.

Little Italy -- we loved your charm and your food. Day one of our stay-cation was successful... so we headed home -- after all, there are kitties to feed.

Processing tomatoes the easy way & my first VIDEO

2009-08-16T21:50:00.006+01:00

It's the middle of tomato canning season here in Brightwood, and this year I've discovered a miracle worker: the KitchenAid Fruit/Vegetable Strainer Attachment. I almost forgot that I bought this attachment last winter when I got my stand mixer, and I can't believe how great it is. Basically, it takes hours of work down to less than an hour (clean-up included).

Here's the tomatoes that came out of my garden this week, ready to be made into sauce and canned.

The attachment was pretty easy to put together (I googled it and found a YouTube video that showed how to do it). All you do is chop up your tomatoes and put them in the food tray, then push the tomatoes down. Juice comes out on one end, and the seeds and skins come out the other end.

Here's a close-up of the magic.

Those tomatoes filled my big 12-quart pot.

I boiled the sauce until it was reduced by half -- it took about four hours -- now we're ready for canning. At the end of the day I had five beautiful pints ready for the pantry.

And here's a video of the attachment working, with my favorite model showing how to use it (because you know if he can do it, anyone can!)

Basil = pesto

2009-08-16T18:38:00.004+01:00

This year I found some fancy basil seeds imported from Italy at the hardware store and decided to try growing basil from seed. Ricardo absolutely loves pesto, so I planted a whole bunch of it, and now we're on our second major basil harvest of the season.

Here's our out-of-control basil, ready for harvest.

Johnny agrees that this stuff sure smells good.

Ricardo is in charge of washing the basil and making sure there are no spiders hiding in there. (In my defense he knew I was a bug-a-phobic when he married me.)

After we pulled all the leaves off the stems, I laid them out to dry.

Meanwhile, I slowly toast the pine nuts until they're a nice golden brown.

Making pesto is actually quite easy if you have a food processor. All you need is basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil (and salt & pepper, of course).

I make it in batches, filling the bowl with the basil, a handful of nuts, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper.

As the machine is running, I pour in olive oil until it looks something like this.

After I've got all the batches made, I combine it all into the bowl again, adding more oil and processing the pesto until it's the consistency I like.

Voila! I put about a quarter cup of pesto in each of these little bowls, and now they're ready for the freezer.

Taming the tomato jungle

2009-07-30T22:51:00.003+01:00

So, once again this year my tomatoes are growing out-of-control. Maybe it's too much fertilizer? I dunno... but these beasts are just too darn big.

I grew tomatoes in two locations this year -- here's the raised bed next to our back door. Its gotten so bad that we can barely make it up the stairs -- every few days I have to try to tie them up... but now they're taller than our 8 ft. poles, and I'm running out of ideas.

And here's the new tomato bed, by our back fence. I made Ricardo stand in front of the plants so you can see I'm not lying -- they're over 8 ft. tall! We're gonna need a step ladder to pick them.

I shouldn't really complain, though... because look at all these lovelies!

So good to be home

2009-07-28T01:56:00.005+01:00

I love coming home each day, but Monday nights are especially sweet. I can't wait to get off the bus and make the big walk up the hill.

I'm greeted by my cats at the door every day, but on Mondays they really seem anxious to see me. Today when I came home I had this pitiful little face starting at me. Poor Samantha! Such a sad little concerned face.

After some much-needed kittie attention, I headed out back to the garden. Today I had a pretty good harvest: the pole beans are starting to come in (there are 5 varieties of beans here), and I got a couple of big tomatoes.

This baby is particularly impressive... it's called a Mortgage Lifter. Gotta love Monday nights.

Our CSA

2009-07-26T16:23:00.003+01:00

This year Ricardo and I used some of our tax refund to buy a CSA share (community supported agriculture). If you're not familiar with this, basically you pay an upfront amount to a farm, and then every week during harvest, you get a share of what the farm is able to produce. There's no guarantee that you'll get certain foods, or how much you get, it's up to mother nature. But, for about $26 a week for 28 weeks, I get a box of organic produce -- and that seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I chose this CSA (there are over a hundred local CSAs here in DC), because the pick up day & location: Saturday morning in Silver Spring. The Silver Spring market isn't as huge as the one I'm used to in Dupont Circle, but it's not nearly as crowded, either -- and they have lots of the same vendors.

My farm is Spiral Path, a family farm in Pennsylvania. Here's the truck they drive down to our area once a week.

And here are the stacks of CSA boxes. All I have to do each week is check my name off a list, and grab a box. It's that easy - I paid upfront in February. In the box is also a nice newsletter that lets you know what's going on at the farm and a few recipes for what's in your box.

You never know what you'll get each week, and to me that's part of the fun. Here's what we got one week: 2 kinds of lettuce, green beans, heirloom tomatoes, sunsugar cherry tomatoes (Ricardo's favorite), cucumber, zuchinni, summer squash, and swiss chard.

Of course, while I'm at the farmer's market, I tend to pick up some other stuff. I went a little crazy this week. Ricardo loves the scones and baguettes, and I'm partial to the fresh ricotta and mozzarella.

We really love our CSA -- we'll definitely do it again next year. It keeps us eating healthy!

Bonnie & Clyde get collars

2009-07-07T20:18:00.002+01:00

Our porch kitties, Bonnie & Clyde, have been wandering around the neighborhood for a long time with no collars -- and we decided we should put collars and tags on them cause we've grown so attached to them

Here's Clyde, my supermodel cat, posing on the porch railing showing just a hint of his new striped collar.

And here's another angle with a little bit of the silver tag showing -- he's such a tease!

"Yawn! Enough with the camera, Mom!"

We got beans!

2009-07-07T19:57:00.002+01:00

This year I planted a whole bunch of beans cause they were so good last year, and it was too cool to eat my own homegrown beans for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.

Here's my wall of pole beans -- there are 3 varieties here. I have two more poles in other parts of my yard, but this is the big sucker that gets full sun.

I planted an early crop of bush beans in containers.

We didn't get a big harvest (maybe because it was cold and rainy for so long?), but what we did get was delish -- and there's a bag in the freezer that will be heaven on a cold winter night.

Tomato update

2009-07-07T19:48:00.004+01:00

The tomatoes are growing like crazy -- it won't be long until we're eating the 1st tomato salad of the season -- can't wait!

It looks like I planted them too close together again this year. The new tomato ladders seem to help control them, but they keep trying to escape, and its gettting impossible to tell which branch is from which plant.

Heirloom tomatoes...

supersweet cherry tomatoes...

and roma tomatoes.

Nighttime visitor

2009-06-26T23:52:00.003+01:00

Rocky raccoon paid us a visit, and didn't mind being photographed one bit -- he was actually quite a ham!

"Sniff-sniff... what do we have here? Kitty kibble?"

"You don't mind if I help myself, do you?"

"I'm still hungry -- do you got anymore?"

You asked for it

2009-06-26T23:40:00.002+01:00

Okay, Okay, I know I haven't posted in a long time, and I have no excuses. Here's a photo that sums up the current state of affairs.

I've been gardening like crazy, Ricardo installed some new AC units, and Johnny has been enjoying the warm weather.

Front yard make-over

2009-05-22T19:46:00.003+01:00

Last year we did a ton of work removing bushes and planting grass, but it's been looking a little unkept, and I've been dying to fix it up. I finally had a day off in May with perfect weather, so here we go.

This is what it looked like when Ricardo left for work in the morning -- I just had the brick border layed out. (The border matches the ones we put in last summer in the backyard.)

The last border I put in came out a little crooked, and I was determined not to let that happen again. I got out my trusty twine, and stretched in tight to form a straight guide line.

After I got the border put in, I had to remove all the overgrown grass and weeds -- that was not the fun part of the job.

Then I planted a bunch of bright-colored impatients. I planted begonias in the same spot last year, and wanted a change.

Two bags of mulch later, and I'm finally done! My shoulders were sore for two days, but I smile everytime I come home and admire my hard work.

You gotta make this bread!

2009-04-23T20:35:00.002+01:00

I had read about a "no-knead" bread recipe from the New York Times out on on the blogosphere, but I was a non-believer. Then one of my favorite bloggers wrote about it, I just had to try it for myself.

Even since I got my KitchenAid in December, I've been trying to find the perfect bread recipe, and most of the time I was disapointed with my results. Who woulda thunk that a recipe this simple would be so fabulous?

I've seen several variations on the recipe, but I followed this one, where the blogger shows her 4-year-old son making the bread to prove how easy it is:

3 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water

You mix up those ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon. That's it. It's not pretty, it's not supposed to be.

Cover with saran wrap and let it sit overnight on the counter. The recipe says 12-20 hours. I've made it twice, and both times it was more like 20 hours. I mixed the dough before going to bed. Ricardo asked what I was doing, and when I told him I was making bread, he thought I was nuts. I looked at the clock. The whole process took 4 minutes. Even I have the energy for that at 9:30 pm.

The next evening, the bread looks like this.

You take it out of the bowl, fold the ends over, and form a nice ball. Put the dough on a floured (non-terrycloth) towel.

Wrap it up and put it back on the counter for 2 hours.

At the 1.5 hour mark, turn on the oven to 450 and put your covered pot into the oven to heat. My imitation Le Crueset pot works perfect for this. I have to say, I love love love this pot, and one of these days I'll break down and buy the real thing.

When you unwrap the dough you'll notice that it's looking nice and smooth.

Drop the dough into the pot, and give it a shake to even it out. Put the cover back on and set the timer for 30 minutes

When the buzzer goes off, take off the lid and set the timer for 15 more minutes.

When you take the bread out it's beautiful and starts to crackle. Now comes the hardest part: waiting for it to cool!

Spring bulbs

2009-04-17T14:17:00.005+01:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. This year there's been so many beautiful spring blooms -- it's hard to keep up.

My baby boy, Clyde, enjoying the shade of the daffodils.

One of the first tulips of the season,

White crocus.

Some kinda lilly-looking thing -- I don't know it's name but it's gorgeous.

Little purple flowers.

Several different blooms.

It's hard to tell in the photo, but this is a mini daffodil.

Purple crocus.

A white and yellow daffodil.

Another lily-like flower -- this one in coral.

A big 'ol yellow daffodil.

Pink hyacinths.

Lastly, a white and coral daffodil.

Cat found in Brightwood

2009-04-16T19:54:00.002+01:00

1333 Tuckerman St NW

Saturday April 11, 2009
young, very friendly, thin, female
gray with splotches of beige and white
gray nose, yellow/green eyes

e-mail mlfwbw@earthlink.net

phone 202.723.3134 (home)
703.302.6906 (work)

Blooms of the week - 1st post of 2009!

2009-03-20T18:53:00.005Z

I can't tell you how happy I am that gardening season is here. Every day when I get home from work, I rush outside with my camera to see what's blooming. (Of course, Samantha doesn't appreciate this, and I'm greeted with angry meows when I come back inside.) Anway, here's what's blooming in my backyard this week.

I planted this in the fall, but I have no idea what it's called, but I love it -- looks like a mini iris to me.

The daffodils are finally here after all the cold, wet weather.

A purple crocus.

Here's the quince when it's just starting to open...

... and when it's open all the way.

And here's one last flower that's been taking its time to open up...

... and finally open! So beautiful -- I just love the purple veins.

Hopefully there will be many more blooms to come!

Seedling update

2009-03-12T23:09:00.005Z

The seeds are sprouting!

Look at all these cute little plants!
Every night I can't wait to check on their progress. Yesterday I planted a bunch more -- tomatoes and some more flowers. It's addictive -- I'm not sure where I'm gonna put all these plants.

Johnny turns seven

2009-03-12T22:53:00.004Z

Our oldest cat, Johnny, turned seven on Wednesday. Lucky for Johnny, it was his mom's day off, so she could spend the whole day with him. And then when the weather turned unexpectedly warm, we couldn't resist going outside for some gardening and sunshine.

Johnny in the herb garden -- he's still getting used to his harness and lead, and got tangled up a few times.
But most of the time Johnny spent the afternoon blissful, soaking in the sun. His mom planted three packets of beet seeds while he sprawled out on the grass.

Later that night, all the kitties gathered for Johnny's party, and enjoyed the plate of tuna (shaped into a number seven -- his mom is goofy that way).

All in all, it's fair to say that Johnny Cat thoroughly enjoyed his seventh birthday.

Scrap quilting part 3: hand piecing

2009-03-11T23:08:00.008Z

Okay, here we go, ready to finally start sewing. I decided to hand piece (as opposed to using a sewing machine) because I wanted a portable project that I could easily take with me anywhere. Also, I really don't like all the noise a sewing machine makes. Here's how I do it:

1. With right sides together, insert a pin into one corner, making sure they line up exactly.

2. Insert a threaded needle into the other corner.

3. Continue pinning, making sure the pin lines up perfectly along the guides.

4. Start sewing, beginning with a backstitch (you don't knot threads when quilting).

5. Make little stitches along the guide.

6. Before pulling the needle through, check the other side to make sure you're sewing on the guide.

7. End with a backstitch and snip the tread.

8. Admire your work.

9. Rub your fingernail along the seam to press it.

10. Sew three strips.

11. The seams flip each row (press away from center, press to center, press away from center).

12. Insert a pin right beside a seam along the guides.

13. Check the front to make sure the pin is as close to the seam as possible.

14. Line the pin up with the other strip, again making sure everything is lined up.

15. Insert another pin, so that there are pins in the middle seams.

16. Lining up the seams, continue pinning.

17. Do the same steps with a third pin, and insert a threaded needle into the opposite end.

18. Sew along the guide until you get the the first seam. Make a backstitch right up next to the seam.

19. Sew though the seam. Then repeat the same steps on the other side of the seam.

20. Repeat until you have your completed square.

20. Flip the piece over and push the seams in this complicated pattern. (And yes, I know there are two number 20's but I'm too far along at this point to fix it.)

21. Press gently with an iron, and admire your handiwork!

Cooking the "KAF Guaranteed" recipes: dinner rolls

2009-03-11T20:34:00.008Z

Ever since I got my KitchenAid stand mixer, I've been trying to find easy & successful recipes for yeast breads. Well, I think I might have stumbled upon a damn good source: the King Arthur Flour Guaranteed Recipes. To quote their website, these recipes don't call for any hard-to-find ingredients, and they've been tested over and over again -- so they're practically guaranteed to come out tasty.

Today, we're baking soft white dinner rolls. The ingredients are pretty simple -- the only 2 things that didn't have in my pantry were dry milk and instant mashed potatoes. But, they were cheap and I didn't mind spending a little money to see how this came out.
You start like you do with any yeast bread, with the yeast. You need to add the yeast to warm water and wait 15 minutes for it to activate. Do yourself a favor, and set the timer. Otherwise, you're sure to rush it. Another hint, if you're making this in a KitchenAid mixer, warm the metal bowl with hot water before you start.

While the yeast is doing its thing, get your dry ingredients measured and ready to go. My favorite method for measuring is with a scale. I bought one of these after my last cooking class, and I really love it. Before, measuring flour was a headache: is the flour too dense, too loose, is it really a proper measurement? No need to worry with a scale: 12 3/4 oz. is 12 3/4 oz. And, the King Arthur Flour recipes have a radio button, where you can choose whether you would like your recipe given in cups or ounces -- brilliant!

Then, add you ingredients all together in the mixing bowl, make sure everything is incorporated well, and then let the dough hook work its magic. (Again, set the timer and walk away -- way less stress that way.)

Then you put the dough in a bowl for its 1st rise -- about an hour or so until it's doubled. If I'm pressed for time, I'll set my oven for 100 degrees and put the bowl in the oven to help it along -- but if it's a sunny day I'll just put the bowl in a sunny spot.

Once the dough is ready, you'll divide it up into 16 pieces. I like to use my handy-dandy dough scraper for this job.

Then you put the pieces into buttered pans for their second rising -- again, about an hour or until doubled in size. Then, you bake them in the oven for about a half hour.

Viola! Hot, freshly baked rolls, ready for butter. I have to say this recipe was really, really good. We ate about half of them the 1st night, and the other half were gone in a day or two. But then again I have a roll-loving husband, who said to me with a mouth full of warm roll: "yeah, you can make these again."

A weekend of firsts

2009-03-11T20:23:00.005Z

This weekend we had our 1st days of 70+ degree weather, our 1st two barbecues of the season, and our 1st blooms.

Finally! Spring must be on the way, because the crocuses are blooming. Last fall I planted a ton of new spring bulbs, and I've been anxiously awaiting their blossoms.
Bonnie spent some time admiring the new flowers.

But Clyde was happy just to spend some time in the sun on his cat matt.

A beautiful weekend comes to a close.

Scrap quilting part 2: getting ready to sew

2009-03-08T15:21:00.008Z

Continuing my scrap quilting series, here are the next steps after your pieces have been cut:

Arrange your squares. This can either be the most fun part, or the trickiest part. I guess my approach is to have each little 9-patch have it's own story. Sometimes I just arrange by color and pattern or sometimes I select squares that come from the same time in my life. They're all different, and that's part of the magic of a scrap quilt.

Once I have my nine squares selected, I use a template to draw a 1 inch square on the wrong side of the fabric. (I found the template at an art supply store.) I use a thin-tip permanent marker, which may be the wrong thing to do, but it works for me.

After all the squares are marked, I pile them up in order (cause there's nothing worse than forgetting how you had them arranged and have to start all over again), and pin them together.

And after a little trial and error, here are the supplies I've chosen to use. The thread is a Mettler off white 100% cotton thread made in Germany. The needles are tiny, and took some getting used to, but they don't bend -- they're made in England.

My pins are 1 and half inch long, and very sharp -- they're from Japan.

And here's my little kit. I love that I can take my supplies anywhere in this little bag. Once last note -- it's important to have good scissors (I'm using Gingher).

Seed planting

2009-03-06T15:15:00.005Z

It's about 6 weeks until our last frost, so it's time to start my indoor seedlings. This year I decided to try growing more plants from seed instead of buying plants. I've been looking forward to this all winter!

After a trip to the hardware store, I decided to try the Jiffy peat pellets (1). They only costs 10 cents each, and so far they've been easy and fun to work with. You just add water (2), wait a few minutes until they fully expand (3), and then peel back the netting (4).

I planted a few seeds in each peat pellet.

I set up a little mini greenhouse in my studio. I cleared off a whole row of shelves to make room for all my new babies: peppers, lots of herbs (dill, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley) and plenty of flowers (mostly impatiens because they did so great last year). All that's left to do now is to wait.

It's the economy, stupid

2009-02-28T00:31:00.012Z

I have to admit that all this bad economic news is getting to me. Ricardo & I had our own "economic summit" a few weekends ago to go over our finances, and surprise-surprise, the conclusion was that we need to cut costs where we can.

I do most of the grocery shopping, and I think I'm a pretty good home economist, but I wanted to see for myself how much I spend per meal on a critical ingredient: meat.

Another thing I have to admit, is that I'm really choosy about my meat. Basically at this point I buy almost all of it at Whole Foods or at an occasional shopping spree at the local farmers market. Not to get all lecture-y or preach-y, but gone are the days when I can buy Purdue chicken or random ground beef from Safeway. Anyway, here's my recent bulk haul from Whole Foods: boneless chicken breasts, spicy pork Italian sausage, ground beef, and some pork.

How much does all of this cost per meal? Is one cheaper than the other? I have no idea, so let's find out. Follow me as I prepare the food for the freezer...

First, I started with the ground beef. I put aside some for tonight's taco dinner (avocados are in season and only cost a buck a piece), and I decide to make the rest into hamburgers. I pulled out one of my Weber cookbooks, and found a simple recipe for hamburgers (thanks to my dried herbs from my garden).

Okay, in a few minutes I have 6 hamburgers (3 meals) ready.

Here they are, packaged for the freezer. It may not be grilling weather just yet, but I want to be ready on the first warm day.

Next up, boneless chicken breasts. Ricardo used to give me a hard time about buying chicken from Whole Foods, but compared to Safeway's organic brand, it's much cheaper and way better tasting. Ricardo and I can only eat a half breast between the two of us, so I cut them up and trim off the yucky parts.

Then, the trouble starts. Samantha smells chicken.

Samantha loves any kind of bird. But raw chicken is her favorite.

When I take too long to fill up her treat bowl with the scraps, she climbs up as high as she can, giving out a loud, demanding meow.

Okay, Samantha's head is now deep in her bowl, allowing me to finish cutting up the chicken, and sealing them up in individual bags, and then packing four servings together in another bag, for an added layer of protection.

And here's the spicy Italian pork sausage, each one wrapped in parchment so they won't stick together, then put in a big zip lock. I don't usually buy 8 at a time, but they were on sale, and Ricardo loves sausage on his pizza. (I like to peel the label off the package and stick it in the bag.)

Here's everything, ready for the freezer. If you decide to do this, make sure you label the packages with the date. I used to think I'd remember what's what, but it's all too easy to get confused. (I use freezer tape, and I love it -- it stays on but is also easy to peel off with no residue.) Also, I've been re-using my ziplock bags in another attempt to save money -- it's kinda a pain in the neck to wash them, but I figure it's worth the extra effort.

And here's everything put away in my giant freezer (along with a lot of other stuff like my homemade raviolis, chicken broth, tomato sauce and pesto).

I broke out the calculator, and was pretty pleased with the results.

Cost for a dinner for two:

boneless chicken breasts: $2.75

ground beef: $2.85

sausage: $1.08 (but there's also the cost of cheese to consider)

pork cutlets: $2.71

Not bad!

Linen closet makeover

2009-02-25T21:26:00.006Z

Our house is over 70 years old, and the linen closet was definitely showing its age. I've been putting off this project for a while now, but a long weekend in February seemed like the perfect time to get started. Like all home projects, it took about 3 times longer than I anticipated, and required an extra trip to the hardware store (Strosniders, what would I do without you?).

Here's the before shot of the closet. Try not to be too judgmental -- I know it's pathetic. We'd been using the closet for anything but linens, because it was just too yucky inside.
Once I took everything out, it looked even worse. I had originally planned on re-papering the side shelves, but when I saw how shabbily they had been installed (not sure why I never noticed this before), I knew they had to go.

So I ripped out the side shelves and started spackling.

Then I realized I better remove all the shelves so I don't miss any spots, so out came the hammer again. (And the cats did not appreciate this.)

I put on two coats of paint, and installed the shelves I picked up at Strosniders (they really do have everything in that store) -- and look, it's like brand new!

But the job still wasn't done -- I had to wash all of our sheets, towels and blankets that had been stuffed in boxes for almost a year and a half. Folding was the worst part -- I just don't have patience for it. The stuff that was old and didn't fit got added to the thrift store pile.

My favorite part is the handy little hooks I installed -- how cute is that? (I think I've spent way too many hours working in the closet -- I've clearly lost it.)

Now I just need Ricardo to finish refinishing the closet door, but in the meantime I'll enjoy the view of our organized closet.

Introducing my “lifetime project”

2009-02-24T23:22:00.005Z

My lifetime project is a postage stamp quilt. I call it my lifetime project because the scraps of fabric that will make up the quilt have been collected during my lifetime. My Mom made a patchwork scrap quilt when I was little, and I always loved being able to point to a fabric and remember where it came from. (Luckily my Mom saved some of these old fabrics, and they'll be incorporated into my own quilt.)

I first came up with this idea in 1991, when I purchased this book and fell in love with this scrap quilt from 1935 which is comprised of over 5,000 1 inch pieces. (That's my first test 9-patch on the pattern page.)

The first step in making a quilt is cutting the clean, pressed fabric. I've been collecting Ricardo's old shirts for a while now -- it was time to slice them up for the quilt.

I recently bought this fancy ruler thingy with cutting slots that makes the job much easier.

After I cut each piece of fabric I pile up all the little squares...

...and stack them into neat little piles.

Unfortunately the piles tend to get messed up -- I've never come up with a good organizational system.

This box of squares cut up years and years ago is completely out of control.

Next up: hand piecing

Valentine's day

2009-02-14T20:26:00.005Z

This week I walked down to one of my favorite spots on the Mall, Constitution Gardens. I love it there because it's so serene, and not too many people seem to visit there. This week the lake was full of all sorts of water fowl. But what I found most interesting is that all the mallards were paired up. I'm not sure if it's mating season, or if they always hang out in pairs, but I thought it was kinda romantic, so here you go... the 4 couples that let me photograph them (some flew away):

Love is in the air! Happy Valentine's day!

Happy 200th, Abe!

2009-02-12T19:32:00.004Z

Today is Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, so I decided to visit to my favorite memorial. I love this memorial for it's size, beauty, grandeur, and let's face it -- without Lincoln who knows what would have become of the USA?

It's a beautiful day here in the District -- the perfect day for a lunchtime walk. (The memorial is only a 15 minute walk from my office.)

There was a wreath-laying ceremony this morning, with about 30 wreaths surrounding his statue. The interior of the memorial was pretty full of people, including a Park Ranger giving a very passionate presentation. Mingling around the crowd, I could hear many languages being spoken -- it's great to know that people from all over the world appreciate our memorials.

Someone had left this mini birthday cake on the steps in front of the statue.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Spring has sprung!

2009-02-08T22:04:00.004Z

Today's weather was just what the doctor ordered -- a few digits shy of 70 degrees. It sure felt warm! We spent some time hanging out on our back steps, wearing shorts. I did some weeding, while Ricardo had a beer or two... just a fantastic way to end the weekend.

I was amazed to see how many of my spring bulbs are starting to pop out of the ground.

Johnny joined us in the sunshine, and declared winter to be over.

Georgia Ave Thift Store

2009-02-05T16:34:00.004Z

There's something for everyone but eventually, it all winds up in a place like this.

In today's economy, thrift stores make a lot of sense, and in the middle of all of the random bits of other people's lives, there are often some real steals and surprising treasures. It's usually hit or miss in here, so your best bet is to go as often as possible because you never know what might have been dropped off yesterday, today, or in the last hour.

You can find clothes, electronics, furniture, what appear to be old wedding gifts still in their in original boxes and apparently stored in someone's basement for 10 (or 20 or 30) years, and things that may actually make you go hmm?

Books are a bargain at $1 each and on any given day, among the self-help titles from the 70's, there are plenty of current hardcovers and paperbacks and pleasant finds like classic cookbooks (food never goes out of style), or maybe the old Time-Life fix-it series (the economy's bad, time to learn to do it yourself).

Their kitchen accessories are my personal favorite -- I really love the spice rack I picked up there for a few bucks a while back that goes perfectly in our (unintentionally) retro kitchen.

When it comes time to get your life streamlined, just clean out your closets and put your old stuff in the bin located just inside the door. Items like furniture and electronics have go through an inspection (we once had a couch rejected because of a small rip!), but they'll take just about anything that works and is in decent shape.

You don't get paid for what you bring in, but you can do what our neighbor does and use the store as kind of a home furnishing/clothing recycling center that lets you keep your house and wardrobe updated for cheap, without piling up more clutter.

If you're trying to save a few bucks, or maybe just want to find something different than what's available in the chain stores, make sure to put the Georgia Avenue Thrift store on your list of regular places to check out.

It's fun to just browse -- you never know what you'll find at this funky little shop on the 'Nue.

6101 Georgia Ave. NW

Monday-Saturday 9am-9pm, Sunday 11-7

202-291-4013

Good morning, Mr. President

2009-01-30T01:29:00.006Z

Okay, I admit it... every day I'm been saying "good morning" under my breath to the Obama family as I walk by their home.

The White House on January 21, 2009 -- the dawn of a new day in America.

INAUGURATION DAY!!!

2009-01-25T00:42:00.016Z

Here we go, the post you've been waiting for...

Ricardo, Jen, Lisa & Tony, all bundled up and filled with excitement, leave the house early in the morning.

After all the planning and worrying, we got downtown with no problem. Tony expresses his joy... we're all feeling the incredible energy.

The crowds start to build... everyone is headed in one direction, with a smile on their face.

Vendors line the street, but don't get distracted...

... we have to get through these crowds!

Military is everywhere... this might be the safest place in the world.

We made it! We get excellent spots in that stands, and we're psyched -- we have a breathtaking view of the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Directly across the street from our spot is the Mayor's reviewing stand -- sweet!

Lots of people on TV say that this isn't a political event, but it sure is for Jen.

Signs on a building welcoming Obama and thanking Bush... and we're about to see both of them drive by us.

The President and President-elect, round the corner on their way to make history.

Wow -- all those vehicles to protect 2 of the most important people in the world.

Jen & Ricardo, overjoyed with excitement... it's only a few minutes, now!

It's happening!!! Loudspeakers broadcast the ceremony from the Capitol for all of us to hear.

Everyone stands, facing the Capitol, and listens.

Finally, we have a new President!! We hear the chants of "O-BAM-A" from the Mall, and join in.

Ricardo is thrilled.

Jen still can't believe it really happened!

Now we have time to kill. Luckily, behind us are cell phone towers.

Everyone has the same idea.

Meanwhile, the sharpshooters get ready....

...the hotel rooms fill with people (including lots of housekeepers)...

...and the roofs fill with people.
A couple of local photographers join us in the stands.

We're all really cold... it's time to start the parade already!

Woo-hoo! Here we go!

Navy...

Air Force...

Fife & Drum...

Guys with muskets...

Lots and lots of vehicles, until finally the limo we've been waiting for...

President Obama and his family! We can see Barack, Michelle, and Malia waving.

The crowd goes crazy, waving, chanting, and screaming.

We did it! We survived the 20-something degree weather for 7 hours, to be a part of history. For the rest of our lives, we can each say "I was there."

Tomorrow is a brand new day!!

2009-01-20T01:51:00.006Z

I still can't believe that tomorrow everything in this country will change. This morning, President-Elect Barack Obama drove by our house TWICE on his way to and from Walter Reed Hospital for a surprise visit to injured soldiers. The 1st time, the motorcade surprised us, but the 2nd time I ran out of the house like a crazy woman in my pajamas to wave and jump up and down for the our new President. Neighbors rushed out of their houses, yelling and screaming, some in their bathrobes, so I didn't feel too nuts. It was a thrill of a lifetime to have a President see me in front of my home, with our American Flag flying, and our Obama banners on our porch. We'll see you tomorrow, BHO!!!!!

The concert of a lifetime

2009-01-20T01:29:00.013Z

Here we are, with 300,000 friends at the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial. We were on the left hand side of the Reflecting Pool, about half way up. We had plenty of room to dance and make fools of ourselves. It was a performance that featured star after star, but the biggest applause went for Obama.

Ricardo & Jen, before the concert. Yes, we're happy to be here, at last!
Amy & Ricardo before the concert.

Jen and her new boss (circled) on the jumbotron.

Ricardo & Obama (circled).

Bruce Springsteen, bringing a tear to my eye, opening the show.

Folks broadcasting U2 to their friends via cell phone.

The crowds walking up 15th Street after the show.

The crowds in front of Ebbitt (about 5 deep). It took us over 2 hours to get home.

Street vendors

2009-01-17T20:24:00.005Z

The street vendors have been my weakness lately. It's hard to pass without picking up at least a pin.

This has been one of my favorite purchases -- a mini basketball.
Unfortunately most of the tee shirts are pretty tacky.

You can never have too many pins.

I've bought 2 hats so far.

I think I can pass on the tote bags and ties.

Signs, signs, everywhere there are signs

2009-01-17T20:19:00.004Z

You see Obama signs all over the place, in the windows of all types of businesses.

This jewelry store put an Obama poster over their sign.
The window of a restaurant with an Obama display.

Even CVS is getting into the spirit.

And finally, a newsstand. Have you noticed that almost every magazine has Obama on the cover?

The blue line

2009-01-17T20:10:00.004Z

Did you know that they paint a blue line all down the Pennsylvania Ave parade route? I guess this is to help the parade participants walk down the center of the street.

Here's the line that runs in front of the White House.
Yes, I'm goofy, and had to walk on the line.

Blair House

2009-01-17T19:55:00.005Z

The Obama Family planned to move into the Blair House on Thursday, so I knew that Wednesday morning would be my last change to get near the entrance.

He's me, early Wednesday morning on my way to work. Barack and his family will be walking up these stairs soon. And yes, I know my hat is silly -- just be happy I'm not wearing the matching scarf.

Blair House entrance, early in the morning. The gas lights are real.

The sign on the fence.

My suspicions were correct. By the time I left work, the security tents were set up, ready for the president-elect's limo.

The seal is up!

2009-01-13T00:56:00.006Z

I've been looking forward to this day -- the day they reveal the Presidential seal on the parade stands. Obama and his family will be sitting right underneath this seal when they watch his inaugural parade.

When I passed by this morning it was still covered in plastic.

With 8 days to go, there's still a lot to be done.

And on my way home, I was thrilled to see it revealed in all its glory.

The seal has never looked so good!

Bunting fairy visits D.C

2009-01-13T00:37:00.006Z

On early Monday morning I got off the bus, rounded the corner towards Penn Ave, and stopped dead in my tracks. It looked like a bunting fairy visited the District over the weekend.

My favorite was the Treasury building -- this big building is now completely wrapped in bunting.

Bank of America is decked out...

The Breadline (a big lunch spot for White House staffers, and home of the $10 grilled cheese sandwich) was feeling the spirit, as well as...

Potbelly...

Starbucks...

Wacovia (this one's for you, Gary)...

PNC...

but the one that made me laugh out loud, was this little liquor store on 14th St. -- they want to be your inauguration headquarters! ;)

Friday morning on Penn Ave.

2009-01-10T23:32:00.006Z

It was a chilly morning on Friday, and I had an important project that needed to be finished up and sent to the printer, but I took a few minutes to capture the sunrise on the inaugural preparations.

I thought this was kinda a cool shot, with the Washington Memorial seen through the trees. This is East Exec Ave, the little street that separates the East Wing from the Treasury. Before 9/11 it was open to pedestrians, and years ago it was open to cars. How things change.

A pile of risers that still need to be put together, with the White House behind them (you can barely make it out).

Sunrise over the White House construction zone.

Another pretty shot with the Washington Memorial.

Opposite the Blair House, lots of work still needs to be done.

We got parade tickets!

2009-01-10T22:18:00.006Z

On Friday morning the announcement came that the inaugural parade tickets were going on sale at 1:00 on Ticketmaster. Ricardo and I both tried to get tickets, between us we used three computers and a phone. Well, Ricardo was one of the lucky few to get through, so now we have 4 tickets on the way. The 5,000 tickets were sold in one minute and one second, if you can believe it!

Gotta love the street vendors

2009-01-09T01:07:00.004Z

I'm slowly acquiring an Obama wardrobe, and the street vendors are my favorite source.

These are the vendors closest to my office. Their selection seems to change on a daily basis.

Do you need a tee shirt...

... or a hat?

Temporary housing

2009-01-09T00:58:00.007Z

The President-Elect is staying at the Hay-Adams this week. The security surrounding the hotel is a bit crazy.

Taken from Lafayette Park (a.k.a. the President's Park), this is about as close as you can get to the hotel. (Ricardo's office building to the left.)

Lots and lots of officers are in the park.

The view from H & Vermont (St. John's is one the right).

Detour

2009-01-09T00:48:00.003Z

It's a bit of a mess downtown due to the all the detours. A ton of bus stops are affected, including those of yours truly. Doesn't everyone love an extra-long walk in January?

These are the signs that you can see blinking day and night. January 15th can't come soon enough. (But I have a feeling the detours will only get worse for me after then.)

Blair House

2009-01-08T23:38:00.002Z

The Blair House, early this morning. What do you think is in the 18-wheeler?

Parade stands

2009-01-08T23:26:00.003Z

Here are the inaugural parade stands on Pennsylvania Ave. I heard from a semi-reliable source that the DNC bought up all the tickets for these stands.

Taken from the intersection of 15th & Penn. (The Treasury is behind the stands to the left.)
They're still adding more levels.

The White House is behind these stands, believe it or not.

A tractor moving stands in front of the White House.

Sunrise on parade stands, taken from the intersection of 17th & Penn.

Building of the inaugural stands

2009-01-08T23:08:00.004Z

These photos were taken on Thursday, Jan, 8th, at 7:15 in the morning, on my morning walk to work down Pennsylvania Ave.

I guess this sign says it all... don't ask us what we're building! (Note the measurements penciled on the lumber.)
The President will be behind the bullet-proof glass portion to watch the parade. (The White House in in the left side of the photo.)

Even though it's early in the morning ( just after sunrise), there are lots of people already at work.

These are the stands that are opposite the President (for the VIPs, I suppose)--love how the construction workers hung an American flag.

Pennsylvania Ave is officially a construction zone!

Cookie production line

2008-12-22T16:34:00.004Z

On Saturday I went into full-scale Christmas cookie production. Most of them are now being enjoyed in sunny Florida -- the rest of them are being devoured by Ricardo's office.

I set up my dining room table with all my cooling racks, and here's the 1st batch fresh out of the oven.

In a few hours time I had the whole table filled.

I made 3 kinds of cookies: spicy molasses (my personal favorite -- they're REALLY good)...

... key lime thumbprints -- hopefully the Florida natives will appreciate these (and YES, I used real key limes)...

... and finally my famous chocolate chip cookies, back by popular demand!

French bread a la KitchenAid

2008-12-22T15:23:00.003Z

On Sunday, my baking weekend continued with french bread. I used the recipe in the KitchenAid cookbook.

Here's the dough kneading in the mixer -- I love to watch the dough hook at work.

Here it is after the 1st rising -- it was really nice and smooth.

Then I formed into a loaf, to get it ready for the 2nd rising.

After the 2nd rising I made slashes in the dough, and it was ready for the oven.

And here it is cooling on the rack... it came out picture-perfect, if I do say so myself. Pass the butter!

Bolognese sauce in photos

2008-12-19T19:21:00.008Z

Last weekend I decided to test out my new enameled cast iron pot with an Italian classic: bolognese sauce. I photographed each step as it simmered on the stove for over 6 hours. The recipe is from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan. Basically the process is adding liquids and cooking them down, then adding more liquids.

You start with cooking chopped onions in butter and olive oil.

Add chopped carrots and celery to complete the Mirepoix.

Add a combination of ground beef, veal, and pork.

Cook until no longer pink.

Add milk.

Cook it down.

Add white wine.

Cook it down.

Add chopped tomatoes.

Cook it down.

Simmer for 3 hours.

And there you go -- 6 hours on the stove and we're finally ready to eat. I served the sauce on homemade fresh pasta (see post a few below this one).

Low-budget Christmas decorations

2008-12-19T15:27:00.006Z

Our theme for Christmas this year is "low-budget." We're hardly buying any presents (none for each other), and I'm doing my best to spend as little as possible. For these projects all I bought was a spool of ribbon and a can of spray paint, and some floral wire. All the other supplies were found outside or in one of the many boxes in my studio.

Here's the window in our entryway...

And the door of the mudroom, decorated with sprigs of pine (free from the place we got our Christmas tree), pinecones (found on our street), a sprig of berries (I used the ones I bought for Halloween and added red glitter to them), and a ribbon (bought many moons ago from Michaels when they had the holiday ribbon on sale for 50% off). I made 4 of these and placed them around the house.

These are my planters transformed for Christmas. I found the branches and pinecones on our street, then spray painted the branches silver and glittered the pinecones. I used old snowflake ornaments to decorate the tree.

And here's the other planter by the stairs.

Lastly, here's the porch decorated with lights and garland we bought last year. I just layered pinecones in the windowboxes and added some pine sprigs.

I estimate that I spent less than 20 bucks for all these decorations -- not bad, huh?

Fun with attachments

2008-12-15T17:33:00.003Z

This weekend I tried out one of my new Kitchenaid attachments, the pasta roller. It was super-easy to use, and made the pasta-making process so much enjoyable.

Here's the pasta going through the rollers for the first pass.

It keeps getting bigger...

and bigger...

until it gets to be an almost unmanagable size...

then I cut it up...

and put the noodles on the dryer.

Next stop: my plate!

I confess, there's a new love in my life...

2008-12-08T23:28:00.003Z

Here he is -- in all of his shiny pearl metallic beauty. We didn't waste any time getting to know each other... we went straight to the bread kneading.

Oh yeah baby -- there's the money shot! Look at that dough!

That's HOT! (literally) -- the first loafs of bread fresh out of the oven.

Here's what I've been waiting for -- fresh bread slathered in butter. Sorry hon' -- I'll try not to spend too much time with my new love (not that I think you'll mind).

Two years ago today

2008-11-12T19:51:00.003Z

A trip down memory lane...

We're ready for Halloween!

2008-10-28T22:41:00.005Z

Our porch is now totally ready for trick-or-treaters. The forecast is for great (kinda warmish) weather -- and we bought about 10 bags of candy -- let the madness begin!

Our porch from the street -- the black & white cat on the railing is real -- Clyde is ready to scare some kiddies.

Here's our scarecrow -- he looks spookier by the day as his pumpkin head ages.

The giant webs and spiders. I can barely stand this, and can't wait to take it down on Nov. 1.

Here's a close-up of Clyde and his friend the plastic rat.

Hey kids! We've got candddyyyyyy!

Pinecone wreath

2008-10-27T11:46:00.002Z

I haven't made a pinecone wreath in years -- it's very messy (pine sap is impossible to get rid of), and pinecones aren't plentiful in the District like they are in New Hampshire.

A few weeks ago I spotted a tree dropping pinecones on our street, so I started collecting them as they fell on my way home from work each day. Finally I had a full box, so I headed to Michaels for a wire form, floral wire and a spool of ribbon.

I didn't start with a plan, I just started wiring, and this is how it looked after the first row. (Unfortunetly I forgot to take a photo of the second row.)

I finished it outside on the grass because the sap was out of control. The third inner row was pretty tricky -- I went through almost a whole spool of wire.

And here it is on our front door -- I was really happy with the way it turned out. All I have to do is switch up the ribbon and I'll be ready for Christmas!

Making & canning applesauce

2008-10-25T15:15:00.007+01:00

We bought 4 bags of apples at Homestead because I've always wanted to make homemade applesauce, and Ricardo has always wanted to EAT homemade applesauce.

This is what I started with -- 12 pounds of apples.

Peeling, coring and slicing seemed to take forever. They're soaking in a lemon juice and water mixture to keep them from browning.

The cooking process is really quite easy -- I just added a little water and boiled until the apples were fork-tender. I had to use two pots because they didn't all fit in one.

Here's what the apples look like while cooking.

After they're cooked, I processed half of the apples in my Cuisinart, and mashed half by hand (because I wanted a chunky sauce). Then I added sugar & spices.

Voila! A big pot of yummy spiced chunky applesauce, ready for canning.

And here's the final result. Of course I didn't can it all so that my official taster could enjoy fresh hot applesauce. I believe his official quote was something like "Damn, that's good!".

I'm published!

2008-10-23T20:21:00.004+01:00

Well, if you consider a blog post "published."

Check out my first guest contributor post on the Prince of Petworth blog.

To celebrate, I hiked up to Borders (on 18 & L) on my lunch break to buy Martha's new book, Cooking School. Now, I need this book like I need a hole in the head, especially since I bought myself a similar book for my birthday, but I couldn't resist. (It didn't hurt that Borders has the book 40% off, so I got the book for $27, instead of the $45 list price.) The photographs and design are beautiful and clean, and I love the way the book is organized. I googled the book's art director, and was thrilled to see Martha is continuing her habit of hiring RISD graphic designers.

The first recipe I'll make from this book is the butternut squash ravioli (sorry, hon', but wait till you taste it), since I'm now making my own pasta (more on this later).

Leaves are turning in Brightwood

2008-10-23T13:12:00.004+01:00

Our color doesn't compare to my old stomping grounds in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, but our neighborhood has a few nice sugar maples.

The colors are just starting to pop.

Taken on my walk home from the bus stop -- love to walk in the dry leaves.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

2008-10-22T21:38:00.004+01:00

One of the best benefits about carving a jack-o-lantern is the pumpkin seeds. And I love me some roasted pumpkin seeds.

It's really quite simple -- all you need is fresh pumpkin seeds (rinsed of all the pumpkin goo), olive oil and salt.

Combine the seeds, oil, and salt on a cookie sheet. Go ahead and get messsy.

After combing the ingredients, spread the seeds evenly on the pan, and put them in a 350 degree oven for 10 to "whenever-they-smell-done" minutes. Keep an eye on them, because they can burn quickly. I recommend popping them in your mouth every few minutes to taste.

I like my seeds roasted until their golden brown, and until they sound hollow on the tray. Store them in a tupperware-esque container, and keep them out on your coffee table. They'll be gone in no time.

More fall decorating

2008-10-22T21:31:00.006+01:00

Here's what I did with some of the stuff I got at Homestead Farm...

I pulled out the dying flowers in my planters and replaced them with pumpkins and gourds. To secure everything, I stuck wooden skewers into the bottom of the squash, and then stuck the other end into the dirt.

Thanks to Bonnie cat for modeling!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

2008-10-22T21:06:00.004+01:00

Last weekend Ricardo and I headed out to the country for an ol' fashioned hayride to a pumpkin patch.

Jen on the hayride with our pumpkins.

The pumpkin patch is huge, with lots of different squash growing everywhere.

Ricardo and his pumpkin, as inspired by the Dada movement.

Our hiking boots in the hay. Finally, it's cold enough to wear flannel shirts and boots!

Our car was packed with apples, cider, indian corn, gourds, pumpkins and corn stalks. I had to hang out the window -- those corn stalks are huge! But look at that beautiful caramel apple waiting for me.

Fall planters

2008-10-15T15:35:00.007+01:00

I decorated my planters with a autumn theme for our spooky porch. Here's how I did it...

My impatiens did great this summer, but they're starting to look a little tired. Time for a change!

I planted gourds in my garden this year, and this is what I got. Have you ever seen anything like them? I know I haven't. Anyway, I couldn't resist using them in my planters.

All my supples spread out on the porch: indian corn, gourds, mini pumpkins, birds, mice, creepy crawlers, spanish moss, ribbon, rafia and wire.

I added some ribbon and rafia to my indian corn.

Using the spanish moss and rafia as a bed, I placed the gourds and pumkins, and wired on a bird and a mouse. Voila!

Freezing beans, a step-by-step guide

2008-10-14T20:30:00.006+01:00

Our green beans have hit their stride and are really growing going like crazy in the indian summer we've been having.

This is my wall of beans. The thing I've learned about beans, is that they're really hard to find. You have to pull back the leaves and shake the plant to see them.

And here they are --- they're the same color and size of the vines making them tricky to spot.

Here's my one day harvest -- I've harvested this many beans (enough for a dinner for 2) for the past 3 days.

After washing them, I cut the stems off.

Then I cooked them in boiling water, blanching them for 3 minutes,

and plunged them in an ice bath for 1-2 minutes to stop the cooking process.

The beans are bright green and I let them dry off a bit,

then I double-bagged them, and labeled them. Looks like I aready got one of Thanksgiving sides finished!

More fun with grass

2008-10-14T19:44:00.005+01:00

Last weekend we tackled the main grassy area of our backyard, and this weekend we worked on the side yard, which for some reason was more difficult.

I forgot to take a "before" shot, but here's what it looked like earlier in the year.

We pulled up all the old grass, and then I cut back all the bushes and put down a new border.

The next day Ricardo put down top soil and planted the seed. Thank gawd this project is over.

The mighty beast has fallen

2008-10-14T19:16:00.005+01:00

We accomplished a major project this weekend -- the beast is finally dead.

This is the ugliest tree ever. It's covered in thorns and berries that make a mess -- and worst of all, it's grown to be about 20 feet tall.

Wearing leather gloves to protect him from the nasty thorns, Ricardo starts sawing.

A short time later, the beast is down, and in pieces. Now for the fun part -- cutting it up and bagging it.

We both worked all afternoon, and many expletives, cuts & scratches later, it's finally bagged and tagged.

And me, being wife of the year, whipped a roast beef dinner for her woodsman.

The grass farmer is at it again

2008-10-07T21:15:00.004+01:00

Ricardo, aka "the grass farmer," has been talking about reseeding the backyard for awhile now, and this weekend he finally took action.

The old grass is awful - lots of crabgrass, and a bumpy surface made it impossible not to have wobbly chairs and tables.

First we ripped up all the old grass (I was allowed to help), and then he raked it all out to be flat. (In the foreground is our giant jalepeno pepper plant which refuses to die.)

The next day after I installed the border (finally! keep your grass out of my garden!), he put down a top soil and seed. Can't wait to see the new grass start to sprout.