America: Too stupid to cook?

I say no. Doesn't have to be that way. We are smart, capable, creative people. We can roast our own chickens, make our own pizza, whip up our own mayo dangit. And it's not hard.

Or so says Michael Ruhlman in a great post this week. Check it out. You might be motivated to go roast a bird or something crazy.

goodbye 2009, hello 2010

I've had a bunch of time off for the holidays. Which apparently means... a lot of NPR listening, while cooking, while eating, while hanging out. From the endless year-end discussions, it seems that the general consensus out there is that 2009 was a pretty suck-tastic year. Bad year, bad.

Hmph.

Well... For us, I beg to differ. It was a fantastic year! Sure, our "portfolio"--or whatever lame word you want--is not where it could have been, but is that what really matters? I say no. I propose the following as evidence of a stand-out year...

For starters, Toby and I learned to be parents. (And, we're having the time of our lives. Shhh!) Our formerly helpless, sleepy, semi-oblivious little cutie pie now walks, talks, laughs, dances and has OPINIONS. He also learned to pet Kitty s o f t l y. Mostly. We finally moved into a house we'd been renovating since 2008. We built stuff -- heck, Toby built a retaining wall. I took six months off work for full-time baby bonding, and then went back part time--a situation that suits me perfectly. And, I managed to bake during the holidays. Score.

So, I'm real good with 2009. But, being that today is January 1, it must be onward and upward from here.

Yep, I'm talking about resolutions. I'm not spilling all my beans--I'll be keeping some to myself--but as far as those that pertain to this here blog, here goes:

• Make the garden fantastic. Like, really major. It's still evolving out of a jungle and trash heap into a useable space made for eating and hanging out. I hope to: Grow lots edibles and other useful plants. Explore interesting herbs and other rarities. Create playspace for Jacky and a few different "rooms" for adults to hang. Use our outdoor space on those random, hard-to-predict, gorgeous San Francisco days.
• Get better at photography. I actually took photo classes in college as part of my major. Which feels like a really long time ago. I need to find the patience again for things like reading my manuals, exploring other types of cameras (film?!?), and simply shooting more.
• Crank up my nutrition. I already eat relatively well... Organic, lots of vegetables, the usual routine. But the motherlode of my energy in the past 7 months has been all about building the kiddo's diet. And, if I do say so myself, he is literally the healthiest-eating person I know. His diet is flat-out great. I've sort of started letting all that rub off on myself a little more--my breakfast almost matches his now--but I want to fully go for it. Use more superfoods. Explore different veggie options. Perhaps I eat less meat. Try for more variety. Jacky's diet is fabulous because it's seasonal, colorful and varied, hardly a diet of deprivation.
• Be present. With Jacky, with Toby, with friends, with work, with play. Be there wholly, be focused. I truly believe we are all way too in love with multi-tasking.
• Redesign blog. Yeah, not a very touchy-feely resolution. But, I feel the need to tinker seriously with the default Blogger junk. Also, use photography more and better.
• Conquer more of the lower level of the house. On deck next: new home office, re-org garage, additional BR & BA.
• Entertain more. Brunch, brunch, brunch!

So, how's your 2010 shaping up? Any plans?

me, as a garden

Don't you love it when you come across something... a picture, a book, a song, heck a piece of clothing... and you get that quiet/excited/tingly feeling of just: YES. That is so me.

Just happened.

Usual lunchtime clicking... found a UK gardening site/blog called Fennel and Fern. On which is posted a bunch of garden-style mood boards. I love mood boards! I do them for work sometimes, for new projects. I scan them quickly and there I am... apparently I'm a potager (pictured above; click to see big).

What are you?

Image from Fennel and Fern.

i love felt

Maybe my meds are off, but I'm totally kookoo for felt right now. Especially when I see this pure genius idea, from Rachel at Heart of Light:

I may be a wee bit over-caffeinated this morning, but I literally clutched my heart and said, Ohhhhhh..... preeeeeetty.

Image from Heart of Light

happy birthday toby

Today is Toby's birthday. Not the big one... yet. This year, we're happily homebound, so we had a quiet homemade dinner. We were talking tonight about how old he was when we met. Twenty-five. TWENTY-FIVE! I had just moved to San Francisco, post-college... I was just 23. He was Mister San Francisco City Kid Cool Guy. Self-sufficient, walked everywhere. Owned his own company. Probably went to indy rock shows every night. Mission kid. I was such a newbie... fascinated by it all.

We've both changed in certain ways since then... new situations but same essentials. Above is how I know him now, in his present incarnation. Wonderful, nurturing father. Comforting, calming presence.

Happy Birthday, Toby.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

pizza of the week: radicchio, fontina & walnut

Um yeah, I did just do a pizza post. It's not that we actually eat pizza more than once a week, it's more that I really like posting about them. I feel inspired by a blank slab of stretched dough. And, vegetarian pizzas are what I'm really into these days... the options within the plant (and cheese, let's be honest) world are many. I like picking one interesting ingredient and then trying to match it up with friendly partners.

Like tonight's pizza--yep, I'm blogging on a Saturday night; it's how I roll these days--I had some gorgeous, glossy radicchio hiding amongst some braising greens. I'm a big fan of bitter winter greens, so I pulled out a handful of the maroon leaves. Taking cues from some delicious radicchio salads* I've eaten, I put this one together. To me, a bitter green lover, it was delish.

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Radicchio, Fontina & Walnut Pizza

Start with basic dough recipe. Chop one clove garlic and steep it in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes. Roll out your dough and brush with garlic oil. Sprinkle with a handful each of grated mozzarella and fontina cheeses. Chop 6-8 leaves of radicchio into 1/2" strips and sprinkle over pizza. Add a few rings of thinly sliced red onion, 1/4 teaspoon chopped rosemary, and a small handful of chopped walnuts. Spray or drizzle lightly with olive oil and a tiny sprinkling of salt. Bake. Garnish cooked pizza with chopped Italian parsley and a squirt of lemon juice. Slice and serve.

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*Speaking of salads: as he was assembling his customary Meat Masterpiece, Toby regarded mine and paraphrased a semi-famous (at least in our house) quote from Alton Brown's hamburger episode: "This is a [pizza]. Not a salad." Wah wah.

recipe alert

People, I have two important culinary items for you... one addresses the seemingly impossible. And the other is long overdue.

First, if I told you that a delicious brunch dish--as I mentioned, I'm very into brunch these days--exists that is at once rich, prosciutto-y (yes, that's a word), satisfying, decadent AND low-calorie... would you believe me? Nope, I wouldn't either. Brunch is all about eggs, cheese, cream and bread. Lubricated with gallons of coffee and champagne.

But, it's true. The morsel of deliciousness (and wee cuteness I might add) shown above is apparently a paltry 27 calories per cute little serving. Recipe here. If you wanted to get crazy and gild the lily, nutrition-wise, throw in some chopped spinach or sauteed mushrooms... or scallions or zucchini in another season. Too cute.

Second, a sad fact: apparently my beloved Nutella is filled with trans fats. Bummer... I love that stuff so much that I've made Nutella ice cream for my also Nutella-loving husband. So, instead of abstaining from chocolate and hazelnut heaven, why not make your own? Always a reliable recipe source, my boss Robin clued me into this recipe from the L.A. Times. First, YUM. Second, where has this recipe been my whole life? I'm thinking shortbread window cookies filled with homemade Nutella. I see you nodding.