Organic Farming Week 4: What I've made so far

Week 4: Blueberries, Rasberries, Onions, Carrots, Dill, Swiss Chard (not pictured), some sort of ginormous singular green leaves the size of a tennis raquet (also not pictured) and what has been determined after much research to be fennel (bottom left).

Here's what I've made so far:


Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm.....Yes that sangria came premade out of a bottle and yes I chopped up my own fruit to put in it (apples and oranges only) and yes I know that there were no CSA:Week 4 items in there. But I did "make" it. Sort of. And man, was it good.

OK, back on point. Dill:


Orzo Salad with tomato, dill and feta


And....


Berries with homemade whipped cream...


Tonight, I will attempt to use the swiss chard in a new recipe. If I get home at a decent hour. And if it's not too hot. And if Geoff lets me cook.

UPDATE:
It was not too hot. So I cooked. I took this...


And made this. Whole wheat pasta with swiss chard & bacon. Yum!

My Very First Boy BFF

When I was in kindergarten, I had two BFFs. Stacy and JD. Stacy lived... next door? A few doors down? We played all the time and I particularly remember being at a sleepover at her house and jumping on the bed late at night until her mom came in to quiet us down. JD lived down the hill and I have memories of jumping on the brown leather couch in his basement. Lots of jumping on furniture in my early years, it seems.

We all lived at West Point, where most military families stay for 2-3 years and then move on. After kindergarten, we moved away, but came back for another few years when I was in 4th grade. Stacy and her family were gone (don't worry, we've since found each other on Facebook and her mom is now a wonderfully supportive reader of this blog!) But JD's family was still there and he was in my 4th grade class. We were back to being BFF again. Now, he was clearly my boy BFF, because at this point I was probably struggling mightily to have as many girl BFFs as possible. In fact, we were such good friends that all our other friends were pressuring us to "go out". It all came to a head one summer afternoon between 4th and 5th grade at Delafield Pond when JD and I finally discussed "dating". We decided (at age 10) that we really valued our friendship and didn't want to do anything that would ruin that. So we decided not to "go out". Incredibly mature of us. Or maybe just an easy way out of not hurting each other's feelings since we liked each other, but didn't like-like each other.

So we continued to be friends. We were in chorus together. And hand bell choir (yes, hand bell choir. We even went to some regional competitions, thank you very much). And we were in all the "advanced" classes. I have such memories of him getting a case of the giggles during our "Sustained Silent Reading" period and almost getting in BIG trouble with Mrs Pauley, our 8th grade homeroom teacher. And we sat across from each other in Earth Science (? - or some such science class), at a lab table RIGHT under our teacher's nose and still managed to pass notes to each other. And sometimes we got away with it. I remember we found it so funny that Mr Boucher pronounced "washer" with an "R" in it - "waRsher". And laughing hysterically about a local radio station called WSUD - "Music from the Terrace" and we kept saying, "What the heck are they talking about? What TERRACE?!" Oh, we thought we were sooooo smart. And soooooo funny. And retrospectively, I know that he was a really good friend because in 9th grade, when we hit high school, he told me I was changing. Which was true. As most girls do when they enter high school and start getting attention from senior guys, I became a bit of an idiot. And he called me on it. See? Good friend.

We moved to Virginia after 9th grade, but JD and I kept in touch sporadically. We tracked each other down shortly after I moved to NYC and had lunch one day when he was in town. He's continued to pursue music, has his masters in conducting and has been working in the city for the past...almost a year now as a choral music editor. Which I just know takes a ton of crazy music smarts. It sounds intimidating, and I was a music major myself. He owns a house in New Jersey, like a grown-up. He has a ginormous Wiemaraner named Cooper. He is taking his youth choir on a 10 day tour of Europe next week. And yesterday, we met for a super quick lunch at Chipotle, since we've discovered our offices are only 4 blocks away. My office was madness as usual, but I snuck away anyway. And I'm so glad I did. We caught up on the last 6-7 years and marvelled at how we could possibly be 15 years out of highschool. WHAT?!

Ma - here's a picture as promised. And yes, that is a copier behind us as this was a iPhone self-portrait on the corner of 37th Street right in front of a Kinkos.

Here's to friends who have known you since you were 5.

A Weekend at the Cape

After our liaison with Chowder, we headed directly to the house. And what should await us on our porch, but this...



A gift from mom. We are still growing the basil we gave as favors at our wedding two years ago, but those are not nearly as hearty looking as this guy. Hurrah! Since our wedding plants are practically senior citizens in the plant world, I suppose we could use a replenishment. But I will still attempt to grow our wedding basil until it shrivels up into a dry brittle twig, no matter how good this young whippersnapper looks. "Death do us part" and all....

We settled in on the deck and did a bit of work, I have to admit. Last minute planning for the shoot the next day and some other planning and answering emails for future shoots. Have to say, I didn't mind working in that environment. Certainly didn't mind chopping some tomatoes for a special green bean salad Mom was making with this as my view...


We had salmon on the grill and green bean salad and headed to bed pretty early. We had attempted to make it to the Cape late the night before, but after some hateful construction traffic on I-95 near New Haven, we couldn't make it to even Rhode Island before 2:30am. So we crashed at a cheap hotel which had an excessive amount of Betty Boop decor, a horrific tempurpedic bed and only a slight resemblance to something you might see in a horror flick, and continued our drive Friday morning. So all of that, plus a wedding to shoot the next day meant we were pretty ready to crash.

Saturday dawned and was absolutely gorgeous. Perfect Cape weather and perfect weather for a wedding. It was great to see my friend Anne again. It had been....gosh...6 years since I'd seen her, but it seemed like last week. And She. Looked. Gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. No pictures of that, sadly, but there will eventually be a great video we'll be sure to post here.

Sunday dawned a little humid and overcast, but we had a lovely time anyway. Clay and Kristyn came down as well and it was great to see them. Mom and I did some gardening, which was super fun. I'm discovering I really like it. We did some weeding and got rid of some overgrown ivy and made room for these guys again. Frick and Frack, who have sat on this rock in this portion of the patio for as long as I can remember.


We played the same frisbee/horseshoes game as we did last year at Clay's birthday. Clay & I vs. Geoff & Kristyn. And even though I am absolutely horrendous at frisbee (something about the wrist thing I just can't master), I did manage to get the winning point, so maybe there's hope for me yet.

Then I spent a little time with my old friend, the outdoor shower. If you've never had one, you don't know what you're missing. And after that it was time for gin & tonics. I don't usually like gin, but holy moses were these refreshing and wonderful.


While Mom whipped up some cilantro lime grilled shrimp...


And Hayley chilled on her special portion of the couch...



I mostly wandered around taking pictures of hydrangeas....




We had gorgonzola burgers and special Boston Creme Pie Cupcakes for dessert. Since we were celebrating Father's Day and Dad's birthday and Boston Creme Pie is his favorite, Mom outdid herself with this Martha Stewart recipe. A-MAZ-ING. Wish I had a picture.

We stayed over til Monday, which was H-O-T with not a ton of breeze. Had some great talks with Mom and Dad about life and the future and all was really good, even though it included a minor emotional breakdown about the state of my life. But in a way that helps me move forward, so all was good in the end.

Hayley did some swimming...


And we spent our last moments on the deck with a corona and some chips and salsa and good conversation. It was healing to my soul in a number of ways. Here's hoping that some day we can spend more than two days on either side of a shoot in this amazing restorative place....

Chow-Dah

This is my new love. His name is Chowder. He belongs to my mom's hairdresser in Chatham and was the first thing to greet me as we rolled into the Cape on Friday. Well, technically Mom was the first thing to greet me. At the salon as she waited for her color to set. And also cause she made me come see her first. And rightly so. But then I headed straight for this guy.


He's a lover...



AND a fighter (not really...he just looks like one here)


What a great way to kick off the weekend. I miss him already....

Oasis

We're going here this weeeknd. Tonight, in fact. After I get home from the theatre.

Thank God.

Technically we'll be there shooting my friend Anne's wedding, but we've managed to turn it into a mini family trip, since I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. So we'll be able to have father's day with my dad.

Yay.

And yay for the peace and quiet, even for just a day or so.

I'm sighing just thinking about it....

17% More

The flowers that awaited me when I got home last night.

And a reprise of this card to go with it...


Don't know why the "17% more" struck me as so funny, but we laughed about it all night. I feel it will become a running joke.

And we didn't make it out to dinner. I was too tired/defeated by a shopping attempt that went horribly wrong. And Geoff had a killer day too. So that = Thai food, a bottle of wine and the Real Housewives of NYC Reunion - Parts 1 & 2 (don't judge). It was lovely.


And to be entered into the log as Reason #127 Why I Love My Husband, I give you an excerpt from our text conversation last night after an incredibly frustrating attempt to find a dress to wear to my friend Anne's wedding this weekend.

(WARNING: This may be offensive to those who aren't fans of strong language - even when used for good and not for evil, or those who puke easily at lovey-dovey stuff)

ME: I'm fat and ugly and so over shopping.
G: Noooooooo!! That's my gorgeous wife you're talking about!!!!! Themselves fighting words!!
ME: Wandered into DKNY. Which was a mistake as everyone is thin and fashionable.
G: Oh f*@% those skinny drugged up flat as a pancake chicks!!** Give me a sweet, sassy, curly haired curvy WOMAN!!!!


Um. I heart him.

And now I promise to put a moratorium on mushiness for a significant period of time.


**DISCLAIMER: Obviously no offense is meant to women who are thin and fashionable. We don't actually hate you. We are sure you are lovely people. The writers of this blog hope that the above re-creation of a text conversation was received in the spirit in which it was meant: as an encouragement to those women who are neither thin, nor fashionable and have just spent two hours looking horrible in absolutely every dress she tried on.

Year Two

We both forgot it was our anniversary today.

Which I suppose is better than one of us forgetting and the other feeling sad. And it's also pretty typical of life right now. Busy. Distracted. Stresed. Thinking of 10 thousand other things.We talked last week about how it was our anniversary and can you believe it's been two years, but then this morning, it took my mom wishing me Happy Anniversary on the morning subway phone call and my friend Marisa texting both of us for us to remember.

So. I'm really on top of things. As usual.

No fun adventures planned today, not like last year where we discovered our dream home. We'll be lucky to make it to dinner together. And if we do, I'm thinking this authentic Italian place in Long Island City....you know, to keep with the whole Italy = love theme.

Even amid all the hustle and the bustle and the forgetting of anniversaries...life is good. We are good. The "us" part of life is quite lovely. And I am grateful for it.

Now back to the madness....

Like Real New Yorkers

We were kind of like real New Yorkers on Wednesday night. Our friend Greg King had made a documentary with his friend David Teague and it was screening at the Brooklyn International Film Festival in Williamsburg. So, like real cultured people who aren't tied with a ball and chain to their respective jobs, we went.

It. Was. Awesome.

1) The film was great. BEAUTIFULLY shot. Which is no surprise. Because when Greg has shot for us in the past, his stuff is always gorgeous. So much so that when we talk about needing to get some really pretty, beautifully composed shots, we actually call them "Greg Shots". That's our shorthand. And when we told him that, he claims that half the shots in the film we thought were "Greg Shots", were actually "David Shots". So....a talented pair of guys, basically.

The film is called Our House.
I think the tagline on their website sums it up pretty well:

Our House
Illegal squatters. Anarchist radicals. Devout Christians.

Here's a trailer... It's an older version of the trailer (because it's all I could find online to embed here).

'Our House' movie trailer from Greg King on Vimeo.

2. We spent the evening in Brooklyn. Which, as a borough, I love more and more every time I'm there. Even though I don't quite fit in entirely. I don't wear flannel shirts and leggings. I'm not incredibly alternative or indie. I don't know all the cool bands. My world is a little more Ann Taylor Loft than Beacon's Closet or American Apparel. But I sure do dig Brooklyn. And there I was - on a Wednesday night, just hanging out at a film festival, going for beers afterwards (you know I'm more of a wine person) and even wearing my glasses, all Brooklyn-like. It was pretty rad. And I loved it.

3. It was great to see some friends I don't hang out with all that often and feel enough like a normal person, who might just, oh, go to Brooklyn on a Wednesday for a film festival and then, oh, I don't know - go to an AWESOME Beer Garden (which looks like it should be a tavern in a Lord of the Rings movie) a few blocks away and hang out with Greg & David and our friend Joanna until 1230am. And talk about film. And life. And relationships. And meet Greg's awesome girlfriend, Ashley. It was a nice change from my life of schlepping to every play in town before it closes.

Here is the world's darkest iPhone picture of my new favorite Lord of the Rings Beer Garden.


I like to be a real person sometimes. And step a little outside myself.

Monday Night Dinner

Monday nights are sometimes the only time Geoff and I see each other during the week, what with me at the theatre most evenings. Sometimes we turn it into a "business meeting" where we discuss all kinds of thoughts and concerns and ideas about Geoff's business. And it just so happens that Monday night is "All You Can Eat Mussels & Fries" Night at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants.

So that's where we went last night. And sat on the patio. And the weather was actually from heaven. Like, I think that's what the weather will be like in heaven.

And the restaurant had their herb garden growing right out on the patio, directly next to our table. Loved it.



Also loved the string of lights running around the patio and the ivy that climbs up the wall of the apartment building behind it.

Some snapshots of our view from the patio over margaritas (for me) and $3 beers (for him). In case you were curious, this is absolutely the way to spend a Monday night in the summer.

My First Pie

Remember that red celery? Well I mixed it with the above and attempted to make my first pie last night. A Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with an oatmeal crumble topping. Ok, so technically I don't actually own a pie dish. So mostly I made it in one of those disposable 8x8 square tins that you buy at the grocery store for 99cents. So it looked more like a cobbler when I was done. But it was technically a pie recipe. (You can find it here)

The filling (strawberries, rhubarb, organic sugar & vanilla and an egg)


The final product.


It was really good. I was kinda surprised (and proud of myself, truth be told). I've never made a pie OR a cobbler before. And I even used wheat flour instead of regular. Next time I'll probably cut down the butter in the crumble topping a hair. It'll still be yum.

Yay for me and my Betty Crocker-ness. Who knew?

Organic Farming - Week 1: Red Celery?

We picked up our first batch of organic fruit & vegetables yesterday. We are splitting a veggie share with our neighbors and have a fruit share all to ourselves. I knew there would be some things delivered that I wouldn't know what to do with, and boy did they start us off with a bang!


OK: strawberries, radishes, Boston Lettuce, Arugula, Romaine - those I could identify. I was pretty confident that those white things with leafy stems were turnips. And while I initially thought I was looking at red celery (?!), a quick internet search confirmed the suspicion that it was rhubarb. Surprisingly, the thing that took the longest to identify was a leafy green that was a little red/purple at the stem. Figured it was some kind of lettuce, but when I mentioned the red stem to Mom over the phone, she thought it might be Swiss Chard. Turns out it's just plain ole spinach.

I feel this will be a very educational experience for me.

I think I may attempt some sort of Strawberry Rhubarb something-or-other on Sunday. And I will definitely be making a ton of salad dressing to go with all those greens.

Now, what on earth do you do with a turnip?

Quote of the Day

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves."

-Rilke

Mom found this quote and read it to me this morning. I like it. It makes me take a deep breath and release a little of the tension from my shoulders. And knowing what a few of my friends are going through, I thought others might feel the same.

Happy Thursday!

When The Boss is Away...

...the staff will bring dogs to the office for the day.


This is Daphne. Stephen, my co-worker, was dog-sitting her for the weekend and her owner hadn't picked her back up yet, so he brought her in on Tuesday. Corgies aren't even on my Top Ten Favorite Breeds list, but she was pretty durn sweet when she curled up under my desk. It's amazing what having a dog around does for morale. We should do this more often.