Finally Friday

You may have noticed that I didn't post much this week!  Things have been so busy!  Last weekend was my bachelorette party organized by my future sister-in-law, my sister, and one of my bridesmaids.  It was so fun!  I also finally got to take my fancy party shoes out of the town. I am sure I will post more about this fabulous event soon - I just have to sort out the photos where I look a little tipsy...   :)

Have a great weekend!

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams

Last week I had Chandon Champagne and caviar at work (the vendors came and showcased their products so I don't think my employer paid for it... although I am not sure).  I had never really had caviar before and I was surprised that it was pretty good.  I feel like I had it once and found it very salty.  Not likely to become part of my diet (too expensive), but fun to try every once and a while.  One of the caviars was priced at $720/ounce.  Yikes!

girl scout cookie time!

I ordered two boxes from my co-worker's kid.  

How long will they last I'm not sure...

Have a great weekend!

p.s. wish I had also bought some thin mints... 

baked eggs in cream

A few weeks ago I went to brunch at Mayfield Bakery and I had a baked egg in cream - it was heaven.  After thinking about the meal for the 10th time, I decided I wanted to try and recreate it at home.  A quick search brought up a great sounding recipe on a blog called The Wednesday Chef.  The recipe comes from a restaurant in Oakland called Camino. 

the leaks from our CSA

Fitch farm fresh eggs

before baking

delicious dinner!

This recipe was SO good that I have made it twice in 8 days.  It was also the PERFECT use for the fresh eggs brought to me by my co-worker who keeps three chickens in his backyard.  Isn't the blue-ish egg so cool?  Thanks Fitch!

Definitely worth a try!!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

If only my dad still had this shirt... 

My first St. Patrick's day

By the way, if you aren't wearing green - I am going to pinch you if I see you. 

my first census!

Last night I did my civic duty and completed my first census!  As someone who likes to fill out forms from time to time (I did my aunt's taxes as a kid), it was cool.  We will be counted!

beware the ides of March!

My grandfather's birthday was today - the ides of March.  It is a day that I always think about not just my grandfather, but all of my other grandparents and other ancestors.  I thought I would share some really interesting pictures my mom has sent over the last few days.

my grandmother and grandfather
Sarah and Jim Ryan in Pittsburgh after they were married
(He worked for Westinghouse I think)

Doyle Dalton Ball (left)
My mom's maternal grandfather at age 10 - he was born in 1893
Blogged about his future wife here

Mabel Patterson Eisenhauer
(my mom's father's mother)
As my mom pointed out - we might share a similar hairline... 

Pretty cool old photos!  Really fun to see myself and my siblings in their expressions and traits. 

thank you!

Our gorgeous wedding gift from my parents - a silver tea set!  

I can't wait to use it. I want to host a tea!

Have a great weekend!

p.s. Happy Birthday Sarah W.!

Joan Farrell Mathis cookies

Mrs. Fay got the most adorable Joan Farrell Mathis cookies for the tea shower in New Orleans a few weekends ago.  It was heaven!  One of these days I am going to try and replicate these almond cookies.  Any ideas for where I should start?  The cookies are so thin and heavenly - with crunchy sweet icing.  Perfect!

Happy Birthday Johnny!

Johnny was such a cute baby!  Although my favorite memory is when he cut his own hair and left big bald patches all over his head. :)  Check out some of his cutest childhood pics. 

Try to say no to this face.

And a more recent photo of Johnny jumping like a leprechaun at Christmas. 

Happy Birthday Johnny!  I hope you have a great day!

chocolate ice cream!

My fiance's Aunt Peggy gave us an ice cream maker a few months ago.  A few weeks ago, we thought we would try a new recipe.  I wanted to make something with eggs in it, to increase the richness.  Our last experiment led to a very light whipped ice cream (which was delicious), but I was ready for something dark and rich.

The recipe we chose - from the Cuisinart ice cream maker manual

Cream, milk, and vanilla beans

The recipe called for lots of chocolate - we used the good stuff :)

Making a bit of a mess - this was the consistency of chocolate pudding

We then added it to the machine

The result was amazing.  It was dense and dark and delicious.  Although I must say it didn't make very much - but that might be because I took every opportunity to lick the spoons (and there were a lot of transfers between bowls for this recipe).  In the end, it took 9 ounces of chocolate (a typical bar is about 3oz), so it is very chocolatey.  My cousin Sarah is coming over tomorrow night and we will probably polish the last of it off.  Excuse to make more!  

reindeer pelt?

So I have posted several times about my desire to have a rug in our bedroom (here, here, and here).  I think we are probably going to pick something pretty soon (just in time for summer).  I am still hanging on to the fact that I want to put an reindeer skin next to my side of the bed (my fiance thinks it is horrible).  Reindeer herding is a big part of the Sami Culture and they use every part of the animal, so I think of it as supporting the traditional way of life for my ancestors (my mitochondrial DNA points to Sami origins).

Reindeer Skin from Kiosk by way of remodelista.com

What do you think?  Good idea or bad?  Try not to think about the reindeer I met at Christmas...

counting down the days

To be capable of steady friendship or lasting love, are the two greatest proofs, not only of goodness of heart, but of strength of mind.   -- William Hazlitt

birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Brian!

Birthday's on Friday or Saturday are the best. :)

pretty in pink

J. Crew birthday necklace

Bridget got me this lovely necklace for my birthday!  I have worn it a few times and have gotten some really nice compliments.  It isn't the kind of thing I probably would have bought myself - but I would have missed out! Thanks little B - I love it! 

my aspirational food manifesto

"Eat food. Not too much.  Mostly plants."

- Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food

{carrots from our CSA}

My mom sent another related quote yesterday... not sure where it came from:

"Healthy eating is why many of my relatives in Sicily are in their 90's. My Father the youngest of 9 siblings still has 3 brothers and 2 sisters alive in their 90's. They have lived on a diet of home-grown tomatoes, grapes, artichokes, squash, olives, oranges and lemons. My aunt Anna still makes her own butter and jam from their own farm. The best rule to live by is "if it doesn't look like like it did when it came from the ground, don't eat it" That's a literal translation from my ancestors. Also Sicily is not a beef eating region. That helps too. Fish, some fowl, is where their proteins come from. It can be done, and truly it's not hard. There are other subtle approaches. Make your own bread...you can use refined flour, but at least it's not loaded with preservatives. If the change is too severe, meet it half way."  

I should mention that I was eating Wheat Thins as I read this quote.  Wheat definitely doesn't look like that when it comes from the ground... 

spring time!

It is starting to feel like spring! I want both a navy blazer with a thin leather belt and a giant floral pin.  

{emersonmade by way of Dept of the Interior}