Love and sunshine

Hope there's a bit of both in your weekend.  :)

Out of it

I haven't had much to say the last week, so I've been taking a bit of an unofficial blogger break. 

But, the best thing I've seen all week has to be this project, and I wanted to make sure everyone who pops in here has seen it.  What an amazing idea!

Sending some love out into the blogosphere to you and yours, happy Thursday all...

[photos via a cup of jo]

Dream space

Looks like a nice place to get something done.

No, really?

Slanket? Snuggie? Dinoblankie? 

Signs of life.

Last night, I felt a spark of my imagination flare up.  I'm not sure why, but perusing jobs in NYC helped, as well as watching an old Audrey Hepburn movie with a nice, hot bowl of soup seasoned with soy sauce and ginger.  Something about imagining new possibilities made me feel like a normal, healthy person, when after all, I sometimes doubt that about myself. Maybe I'm moving away from my Baltimore/winter/mid-to-late 20's funk? At least for a moment.

Pasta is for lovers.

Deb from Smitten Kitchen just wrote up a lovely heart-shaped pasta recipe for Valentines Day.  Whether you're staying in a-la-solo or cozying up with a special someone, this would make a tasty dish for your special night... or any night, for that matter.  Yum. 

P.S. Four years ago I was a (temporary) vegan and Ryan made me a delicious, no-cheese lasagna for Valentines Day with whipped soft tofu instead of ricotta.  What a sweetheart.  

Saint Andre

Last week I mentioned a certain Angel that came 'round and illuminated our lives to the wonder of triple cream brie cheese.  This week, I decided to try the cousin cheese of said Angel, Saint Andre.

I must say, Saint Angel has my vote of the two. While the tangy, dry flavor of Saint Andre added a refreshing twist to our Saturday night, it also had a certain crumbly texture that didn't impress.  Honestly, it tasted like a nice cream cheese, but cost about twice as much as one could pay for say, Philadelphia brand, and didn't spread very well at all. The outer edges had a much smoother, creamy texture that was quite lovely, but the flavor notes were not nearly as distinct or as memorable as Saint Angel. While I'd never discourage trying out a new cheese, I can't say I'll be going back for this.  One can only budget so much for such delicacies.

Happy days

The guy I live with is pretty rad.  What a nice little Saturday night we had eating French cheese, sipping Spanish wine and munching on California almonds. (The caveat being some kind of rodent squealing in the kitchen in the middle of our conversation.  Whatever, we barely noticed.)

P.S. Those are my special pickled beets on the left, yummm.

Pictogram posters

Simple and understated, these posters are so creative. I like the smooth, clean lines as a form of visual expression.

Rosemary's Baby is such a great flick.  Have you seen it? Mia Farrow's style is classic and serene, yet the film is so spooky and weird.  Not sure I would recommend it to a friend who is pregnant, though.

I want a greenhouse.

Yesterday, we went to the local arboretum and saw beautiful, flowery plants growing inside the warm walls of the greenhouses.  It was refreshing to see a place filled with life and color in the peak of winter. 

I found this website that gives instructions on how to build a greenhouse out of old windows. Wouldn't that be lovely?  I have little inclination to take on a project anytime soon, but having my own greenhouse is definitely on my "list".

Have a tasty weekend.

I'm off to practice latte art for the afternoon/evening since my significant other is sick and tired and isn't up for too much at the moment.  Our weekend will most likely involve eating big breakfasts at our usual spots and watching movies on the couch.  I heard there was some football game this weekend?  Meh.  

Hope your weekend is lovely. 

Home alone

Remnants of a Wednesday Night, by STG

Step 1: Pour last glass from yesterday's bottle of pinot grigio, grab crackers to eat with new favorite cheese, eat/drink while staring blankly into fridge in hopes of finding dinner-for-one inspiration.

Step 2: Turn up speaker volume to hear KEXP playing new Bright Eyes album.

Step 3: Make garlic mashed potatoes with asiago cheese for dinner; grab hoppy beer (since white wine bottle is now empty) and pour into champagne flute. 

Step 4: Watch Portlandia clips online and feel weird hearing myself laugh out loud when no one else is around.

Step 5: Thumb through Julia's Kitchen Wisdom, for a daily dose of cooking know-how. 

Step 6: Eat remaining truffles sent from mother-in-law in Canada.  

Step 7: Consider watching HOWL since it's here via Netflix, but pass since the dream sequences in the first 20 minutes were too cartoony.

Step 8: Finish tax return, feel slightly productive, eat spoonful of chocolate gelato, write blog post and go to bed.

Recap: Mashed potatoes as a meal, beer in a champagne glass to make life a little fancier, chocolate truffles, chocolate gelato and some other stuff in between.

Arggg.

Yep.  That's all from me today.   

Saint Angel

The friendly Cheesemonger at our local Whole Foods gave us a sample on Saturday night of this lovely, triple cream cheese. Friends, I'm in cheese Paradisio.  

I can't tell you how smooth, creamy, flavorful and delicious this brie is.  I've never tasted such a strong honey flavor in a cheese before, which makes the experience all the more delightful and indulgent.  Get thou some Saint Angel.  

Did I mention it's so soft, that it spreads like butter?  

If we had kids...

...this is what they'd say.  

I love my husband's great taste in beer.  :)