Angry, Disappointed Banana Bread

I've never been one to stress bake. That's more Natalie's field than mine - she used to bake bread and croissants and pies whenever she didn't know what to do with herself. But today I BAKED. I baked an angry, disappointed, confused banana bread. I mean, the banana bread itself wasn't confused or angry. But you know how in Waitress, she makes pies? "I-hate-my-husband" pie, or "pregnant-miserable-self-pitying-loser" pie. Today I made angry, disappointed, confused banana bread.

I used Melinda's recipe, from Minnie's Cakes - she's a baker for Whole Foods. So delicious!

I guess I'm just feeling a little bitter today, and mixed up in unfortunate feelings, and wishing that I could just leave town and go on a month-long yoga retreat in the wilderness of Southeast Asia and come back a person who is entirely patient, detached, and wise. Too bad we can't force any of those attributes.

Also this was delicious:

(baguette with brie & frog hollow apricot preserves)

Why I am Not Buying Bon Appetit This Month

I hate to be a baby or pompous or something about this, but I am refusing to buy Bon Appetit this month because they put Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover.

I feel like BA used to be an awesome FOOD magazine, and the recent shift has definitely made the magazine more hip and improved the design. But when they start putting annoying celebrities on the cover who think they're chefs because they can throw some asparagus in pasta, then they've lost me.

I want to hear about the people who are going to be the next Anthony Bourdains and the next great mixologists, who have calluses on their hands and have actually worked at doing something other than being glamorous.

Someone's Misplaced a Pawn

Human chess, anyone?

watch me listen please

How I Feel Today

(and every day this week)

"I am lonely, yet not everybody will do. I don't know why, some people fill the gaps and others emphasize my loneliness. In reality those who satisfy me are those who simply allow me to live with my 'idea of them.' "

— Anaïs Nin

Fireworks

Somewhere (does it matter?).

"Faith is a bird that feels dawn breaking and sings while it is still dark."

~ Rabindrath Tagore

Today I am Grateful For

Having a job that lets me work from home on occasion.

Sunshine (non-tyrannical).

Ryan.

That I live in a place with so many good things to eat.

And so many interesting people.

Having friends who love food as a way of life, not calories.

My camera.

Goofiness.

Love.

How I Feel Today

Things I am Thankful For

I never really think to blog nowadays - I'm keeping busy working and volunteering, and looking for a job. Plus just, you know, trying to be a human being and keep my apartment clean and stuff takes time too.

But one of my favorite young adult fiction writers/bloggers, Meg Cabot, posted on her blog today and it kind of inspired me. I know that when I sit down with the entire paternal side of my family tomorrow, and we prepare to stuff ourselves silly, I won't really know what to say when my turn comes to say what I'm grateful for. I always say something generic, like "living close to family" or "good food" or something like that. And while those are definitely two of the things I am most thankful for (duh, for those who know me!), there are other things I won't necessarily say, or have time to say, at the dinner table.

So. I'm thankful for:

• Rediscovering a passion for reading.

• Feeling like I know what direction I want my career to take. For any recent college graduate, and especially humanities majors, the time after graduation is a gaping maw of uncertainty, doubt, and awkward answers to the question "what are you doing next?". Knowing that I want my purpose to revolve around food justice and education is an amazing step forward for me, even if I am not exactly sure yet what I want to do in that enormous field.

• Living close to my parents, aunt & uncle & their wonderful kids, and two of my grandparents. And having Skype to talk to the rest of my family, including my sisters. Having family around has become something really important to me, and I don't really know how to express how glad I am to have them without sounding horribly cliché.

• Funny TV. 30 Rock, How I Met Your Mother, etc etc etc. My dad says that laughter is "fuel in the tank"; he's right.
  
  
• Friends, old and new. Discoveries, adventures, conversations, everything.
  
  
  
• My insane cat.
  
  
• That I've learned so much in the last year about what I do and don't want in a relationship, or rather partnership, I should say. Among other things, I've gotta end up with someone who loves going to the Farmers' Market. Odd criterium, I know, but true.
  
  
• Netflix. Hell yeah.
  
  
• That I live somewhere where I am surrounded by GOOD FOOD!!
  
  
• That Narnia and Tron Legacy are both coming out in the next few weeks. Epic, ridiculously gratuitous cinema is what movie theaters of the 21st century are MADE for. And it makes me so happy.
  
  
• That I've healed decently from recent injuries! Sitting on the couch for days and weeks is NO FUN.
  
  
• That I am getting better at being a real person, one step at a time. Faith works wonders :)

Happy Thanksgiving to all - hope you are spending it with people you love!

Suppenküche - Hayes Valley, SF

Three words: EPIC CHICKEN FEAST.

To celebrate Miss Alison's birthday, I journeyed with some friends to Suppenküche, a darling German restaurant in Hayes Valley. Clean, airy, and spacious, this European eatery boasts a fantastic beer selection, not to mention a fairly large menu of favorite German dishes.

Our choice that evening was actually a special, although we badgered the good people of the establishment to put it on the regular menu once we had eaten our fill. This delightful meal, pictured above and below (before and after) consisted of half of a roasted chicken, with a savory dumpling cleverly hidden underneath, plus two hefty potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce.

Now, growing up Jewish in a family of Eastern European descent had its many benefits, first of which was undoubtedly the cooking - cabbage rolls, matzoh ball soup, and of course latkes are favorite childhood memories.

Suppenküche does everything right - the small but intimate bar, the communal tables, the big windows - I can't wait to return!

A last shot of friends ogling new technological advances over the remains of the poor but delicious bird.

Seriously, bring a few friends and go eat some latkes!

Suppenküche on Yelp, and their website.

Crafting Instead of Bloggin, Nowadays

I've been so busy crafting, looking for a job and trying to get my home together that there just hasn't been any motivation to blog about it! I moved into my place in May, and here it is the middle of August and I'm still working on it. They say it takes six months to really move into a place - I'm certainly looking forward to unpacking that last box (whichever one is destined for that honor) and feeling at peace surrounded by the fruits of my labors.

Today I made this clutch, courtesy of Bend-The-Rules Sewing (an AMAZING book) and Jo-Ann's. I'm so proud of how it turned out! Only problem is that I don't have an iron yet, so it's not quite as pressed as I'd like. BUT - for someone who hasn't sewn in years, I think it looks pretty damn good!


The lining is a really intensely colored teal linen, the outside is grey-and-white-striped linen, with cotton flannel interfacing, slate blue thread, and an antique-style mock-silver button.

And this rapid-fire mock-up journal was made on a whim, based loosely on one of Alisa Golden's single-signature book designs. The cover is a gorgeous marigold yellow color, and since I'm still learning how to really use my new camera the colors seem a little odd. And that ribbon! I want to put it on everything! I want to wear it in my hair! I want an entire dress made out of this fabulous turquoise satin ribbon!

Whew. I'm on a roll. Next projects: a tablecloth for my teeny kitchen table, a chore chart that my sister kindly drafted for me (I'm gonna give myself gold stars as motivation for cleaning the bathroom :P), and a super-secret birthday gift for my dad. PLUS: off to Portland in just 12 short days, and New York right after that! I love August this year.

*D