conquering pie

My second pie attempt, Strawberry Balsamic

It's official. 2014 is the year I conquer pie.

Making pie has always daunted me. There are so many steps! The chilling and the rolling and the pre-baking and the resting... So when I got the Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book from my sister for Christmas I decided it was time to overcome my fear of baking pie. 

The first pie I attempted, the Black Bottom Lemon Pie, was not a success. I was too eager and rushed through many of the steps. I learned that rushing does not work when making pie. The custard didn't set properly and it was a mess.

On Friday I decided to try again, this time with a fruit filling and a lattice top (!). I opted for the seasonal Strawberry Balsamic Pie and left plenty of time for each step. I made the dough on Friday and let it mellow overnight in the fridge. On Saturday I assembled and baked the pie. On Sunday we took it to a bbq. 

It was delicious.

in the mood for...

Salty Caramel Pie? Me too...

crushing on jesse kamm

I am seriously crushing on designer Jesse Kamm at the moment. The lady has style. If I had a spare $500+ I would be living in this Jesse Kamm dress...

(Also, this photo of Kamm with her husband and son is really making me want to chop my long hair and get a modern Dorothy Hamill. It might be time for a hair intervention.)

[top photo: claire cottrell; second: of a kind; third: cargo collective "closet visit"; fourth: katrina dickson]

dinner plans: cumin lamb meatballs

 

What are you having for dinner tonight?

I'm making Melissa Clark's amazing cumin lamb meatballs with tahini yogurt dipping sauce that my friend Shayna told me about last month. We had them a few weeks ago and the meatballs were such a hit. Stella kept asking for more, and there were no leftovers the next day. I'm going to serve them over pearl couscous, with pickled cucumbers, and an arugula, golden beet, goat cheese salad. My mouth is watering already.

[image: Evan Sung for The New York Times]

all is possible

Oh, hey there.

After reading this blog post about the death of the blog back in December, I took stock. Did I enjoy blogging? Sometimes. Do people read/enjoy my blog? Yes, a few. Do I have time to commit to writing and curating in this way? Sometimes; though most of my internet activity happens on my phone and most typing is done with one hand while nursing...which is why Instagram is so satisfying these days. As my posts were getting less and less frequent, I figured a full break from the blog might be in order. And it was so easy to just stop.

Then on Friday night Jordan sat down at the dinner table and said "I need to have a serious talk with you." My heart dropped. "About your blog," he continued. I laughed. Oh, blog... He then proceeded to guilt encourage me to start writing again. For myself. For our girls. As a testament to this life we live together. I listened. So here I am.

Spring has arrived in Oakland, and with it the possibility of a new season. In the spirit of spring, I'm sharing Dvořák's Quartet #12 (the American String Quartet), which I heard on the radio this morning, and which has always filled me a happy wonder and sense that all is possible.

beer tasting at hog's apothecary

One of my gifts to Jordan this Christmas was a beer tasting. I contacted the great folks at Hog's Apothecary, a newish beer hall in Oakland, and they loved the idea of select beer flights with food to highlight the beer flavors. Last night we went in for our tasting and food pairing and the beverage director at Hog's provided a little backstory and commentary about each of the beers as they were brought to us. We loved the interesting bits of beer information and hearing about, and then tasting, the flavor notes of each.

Beer highlights included the Heavenly Hefe (Craftsman), and for us hop-lovers Simcoe Galaxy IPA (Cellarmaker) and our favorite of the night, Double Tap (Berryessa). We also tasted Craftsman's Holiday Ale (a nice red ale with spruce tips) and Old Ale (an oak-aged ale that tasted too much like a sour wine for our liking), and the 2013 Smoked Porter (too smoky for our taste) from Alaskan Brewing Company.

Food highlights were the Hog's Head Terrine, an Avocado and Citrus Little Gems Salad, Marrow Bones with toast and tomato jam, and Smoked Ham Hock Collard Greens. 

We had such an awesome evening, and we can't wait to go back! Next time I'm trying the Lamb Poutine and housemade sausages for sure...

the goldfinch

The Goldfinch... holy shit. I savored the last 20 pages of pure writing gold, dog-earring page after page with passages to revisit and savor again. I would copy each sublime paragraph here if there was enough room or enough time in the day. But I will settle for this bit:

"And I'm hoping there's some larger truth about suffering here, or at least my understanding of it--although I've come to realize that the only truths that matter to me are the ones I don't, and can't, understand. What's mysterious, ambiguous, inexplicable. What doesn't fit into a story, what doesn't have a story. Glint of brightness on a barely-there chain. Patch of sunlight on a yellow wall. The loneliness that separates every living creature from every other living creature. Sorrow inseparable from joy.

... And--maybe it's ridiculous to go on in this vein, although it doesn't matter since no one's ever going to see this--but does it make any sense at all to know that it ends badly for all of us, even the happiest of us, and that we all lose everything that matters in the end--and yet to know as well, despite all this, as cruelly as the game is stacked, that it's possible to play it with some kind of joy?"

Now I have to figure out what to read next... Someone? Instructions for a Heatwave? The Signature of All Things?
What are you reading now?

ceramic bells

Every time I venture into Esqueleto I admire the gorgeous ceramic bells by Michele Quan that are hanging around the store. Aren't they lovely? I want them all.

mothering with ALS

Sarah and her family, photo by Lisa Leckie

Sarah Coglianese, a friend and old co-worker, was diagnosed with ALS last year. She recently wrote this lovely and heartwrenching piece for the New York Times Motherlode blog about teaching her daughter that she can do anything, physically and otherwise, as her own body is failing her and she is physically able to do less and less. Sarah's blog, The Scarlett Letters, is also a wonderful read.

stella at 3

Happy birthday to our Stella who turned three on Friday.

This kid is all emotion. One minute she's laughing and the next she's crying ("I want water in my PINK cup not my GREEN!" sob, sob, sob). Stella's emotions rule her world.

She loves baby Djuna, whom she calls "Pooms" and "Little Kicky." Loves her so much she sometimes just wants to smother her... with hugs and kisses, of course. She often hears us say "give Djuna some space," and sometimes she listens and complies and sometimes she just listens and acts like she can't hear us.

She eats slow. Talks non-stop. Asks question after question, sometimes the same question ad nauseam. Loves to draw. Is a pain to get into the bath and a pain to get out once she's in. Loves to sing and make up songs. Is a sweet little snuggler. Wants to wear dresses everyday. Learns new big words daily (last week her favorite word was monumental). Loves looking at and reading books. Stands on the back of our couch and watches everyone leave our house and waves goodbye. Obsessively has to sit on our stoop before we open the front door (every. single. time). Starts talking as soon as her eyes open in the morning. Loves spending the night at her Grammy and Pappap's house. Loves park dates with her Aunt Livvie and Skype dates with family far away. Takes pride in walking her own dishes to the sink after meals. Likes helping in the kitchen and making muffins and cookies. Asks me to sing Summertime and stroke her hair at bedtime. No longer naps at home. Has a hard time saying Ls, so Stella sounds like Stewwa. Adores playing hide and seek and usually picks the same place to hide again and again. Dislikes visits to her wonderful doctor, but talks about ailments and sickness nonstop. Is watchful and wary in new situations. Has a long memory, boundless energy, and a monumental heart.

Stella at 2.5.
Stella at 2.
Stella's Birth Story, 1 year later.