Those Western Mass Shakers

Slowly, slowly I'm catching up on my posting here. I wanted to share some photos I'm very fond of from a visit to Hancock Shaker Village, out in Western Massachusetts. R and I had a great time poking around the village, followed by what seems to now be a tradition -- lots of bbq.

Can you tell I have a weakness for a good barn? Comes from all those years of driving across Ohio on the way to Grandma's house. Lots and lots of corn fields.

This historical site is definitely one of those photographer's paradises, especially in the yellow light of a fall afternoon.
R even surprised me at Christmas with this amazing book about these visions of Shaker women which they captured so beautifully. I was admiring the book in the store and after much deliberation about the state of my wallet, very reluctantly put it back on the shelf the day we visited. Lo and behold, I opened up a present from the sweetest man in the world and there it was. The artwork is really fascinating.

Mass MOCA 8 months later

I have plenty of excuses for not posting, but there's no point in listing them here. So I think instead it is now time to just share some photos.

These posts will catch you up on some trips to Western MA. First batch is Mass MOCA which R and I thought was amazing in both a weird and a good way.

The difference between a museum in a big city and a museum like this outside of the city is the huge amount of space you get to play with. These are football fields worth of exhibition space.



Our favorites were the little jars that you had to categorize, the video footage of the miner's strike in England, and the mustering exhibit combining elements of civil war re-enactments with civil rights. We also liked the shopping cart in the canal. Our brains were pretty full by the end of wandering around this place. For me, a successful art trip makes the whole world look like art, and Mass MOCA definitely has that effect.



It's definitely worth a visit -- a beautiful drive and an amazing site. Pack a picnic! After looking at art all day, I highly recommend two things to follow all of that cultural stimulation. First, Natural Bridge State Park is just one of the most unexpectedly pretty things you could ever stumble across. If you follow that by dinner at a local BBQ joint with every table holding pig shaped salt and pepper shakers, well, I'd call that a perfect day.

La Vie En Rose, Part Deux

Here are the second batch of photos. I'm hoping it will give you the feeling of doing a little Parisian window-shopping. In French, window shopping is "lecher les vitrines" which means, literally, to lick the windows. I certainly can understand the urge.




The first is a cheese shop that had so many stinky cheeses that you could smell them outside on the sidewalk. Next are three photos from the home of the macaroons, La Duree.


Even though it's a cliche, whenever you glimpse the Eiffel Tower you can't help but stop and smile. And I did pop my head into Notre Dame just to get a whiff of the incense and the ghosts of the millions of pilgrims who have worshipped there.
The last photo is my last night there, taken on the Champs Elysees. It was one of my few visits to tourist Paris, which really is a whole different world than the back streets and nooks and crannies that are what makes the place so wonderful.

La Vie En Rose

Okay gang, so maybe the posts now are going to be quarterly. But I've promised to post some of my photos from my recent trip to Paris. So here they are. You will not be surprised to see there are lots of food photos. I am amazed to report that it is indeed possible to grow tired of pain au chocolat.

It was a great trip -- one where I wasn't trying to see all the sites since I'd already seen them. It was more about "being there" and experiencing Paris, staying with a friend who lives there. Occasionally I'd buy a baguette and walk back to her place with it under my arm, pretending I lived there. It always made me laugh.

The top photo here is of a famous art deco building. Why, oh why, do we not have more of these floating around in the US? I think there are people out there who hate Art Deco, but they are just silly.

To the right: famous hot chocolate at Angelina's. Not the included whipped cream, an item that is laughably superflous in adding additional richness to the hot chocolate. The hot chocolate is practically melted butter and chocolate anyhow. Yeah, I know. It was a fun place to hang out anyhow, very historic and crammed with all kinds of fashion-world people who were there are some sort of exclusive show taking place across the street.




Above, the ubiquitous market shot. Springtime in Paris! To the left, the sailboat guy near the Louvre. And below are the fabulous macaroons of LaDuree. These are cookies in such quirky flavors as rose petal, olive oil (odd but not bad), black pepper (blah!), and passionfruit. So, so, so good. And quite expensive, may I add.
This post will only let me do five. Let me see if I can add a few more in the next post.

The Ubiquitous Holiday Post

I thought you'd enjoy a few pictures from the past month or so. It's been busy -- trips to London, Pittsburgh, and back to Pittsburgh again soon.

Both photos are from Liberty's in London -- it was like an Anglophile's fantasy Christmas shop. The lights in the first photo are just strand after strand hanging from the ceiling -- really beautiful. And the tea and scones were lovely there too, no surprise.

Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season.

News Shocker: Vermont is Beautiful

Right. No surprises there. October in Vermont, how much more of a cliche can you get? Still, it was lovely and the leaves were turning and the sun was surprisingly warm, and all the little shops were full of cheddar cheese and maple syrup. And I bought me some. And I'm sure you'll be pleased to see this city girl was not eaten by a carnivorous chipmunk.

Anyhow, despite the cliche, I thought some of you might enjoy a few photos.

As planned, I stopped at good ol' King Arthur Flour Company and bought a ridiculous amount of kitcheny stuff. Some practical and some just fun. And I'll tip my hat to say that the sticky buns in their bakery are the best I've ever had. Usually with a sticky bun you just eat the bun part so you can get to the sticky. But these were good all over.

As if a baker's haven wasn't enough, right next door was a little farm stand with beautiful organic produce and cheese. These people get the best possible location, right next to King Arthur with food-lovin' people coming from all over the country. I bought some raw sheep's milk cheese. There is a difference with raw milk cheeses that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss. It's a sort of, well, piquancy I guess. Yoy. Next I'll be talking about how the cheese has legs.

Some day when I grow up after I become an astronaut or whatever, I think I'll raise chickens and sheep and goats. And pretty pink flowers like these. Aw.

Once a Month Posting Time

Yup, still a lousy blogger. I seem to be logging in about one per month. However, considering the intensity of the jobs I'm holding, I guess that isn't bad.

An overall summary:

How many times was I on call for the entire month? Two times. How many times did I get beeped? Twice. Sheesh. No wonder I'm so tired. But I'm glad I went. Being a doula rocks. And I still love my scrubs. I've gotten to the point of competency that I no longer need to grab sheaves of papers to take with me to remind me of techniques. I just go, hang out with the mom and dad, and we wait and see what happens. That's how birth goes. You'd like to prepare for it, but ultimately there isn't that much you can do but play along.

I'm reading two vaguely connected books: I finished Blink by Malcom Gladwell and now I've just started reading Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner. Both books are crammed with "I never knew that!" information, the sort that rewires a paradigm or two. Freakonomics is especially prone to throwing in fast bits that challenge conventional knowledge: real estate agents (says Levitt) are more compelled to sell your house quickly rather than for the highest possible price because their profit is better with a fast turnover of houses. Huh! I love that type of learning, so both books are fun to read. And they are fun to talk about at cocktail parties. (Does anyone really ever go to something called a cocktail party?)

Right now: I'm nibbling on a piece of candied ginger. I don't really like it. But I bought it to use as an ingredient for a plum crumble I'm making for this weekend (see below). Some people love candied ginger plain, which makes me think maybe I'm just not getting the concept, so I picked up a piece to try again. Nope. But it will be fine in the plum crumble I'm sure. We're seeing the last of the plums at the farmer's markets so I feel like I should honor them with a proper dessert.

Tonight: Back to Tacos Lupita, a saving grace in Somerville, for dinner with a friend. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have access to a decent hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint like that. It's one thing if you've never had good Mexican, but once you've had it, you can't live without it.

This weekend: To Vermont for a camping wedding (and a quick detour to get supplies!). I've never heard of such a camping wedding either, especially not in chilly October. But I'm game. Just wish me luck that I don't get eaten by a carnivorous moose. I guess you'll find out if I survived in my next post. Stay tuned!

Oh and next weekend: Off to the 'Burgh for the birthday. The picture above is one of Pittsburgh's saving graces. A French bakery in the middle of Millvale (where?) with the best croissants I've had this side of the Atlantic. Don't forget to check out the furniture store across the street. I won't tell you why here; you'll have to see it for yourself.

End of August Lull

I'm welcoming a little lull here ... everyone seems to be on vacation or thinking about going on vacation. The summer has been hot, but in a good summery way that makes it less painful to see it give way when the cooling nights of September start in. The farmer's markets are overflowing with tomatoes and cukes and peaches and zucchini. I'm trying to pickle some cucumbers. The corn this year has been wonderfully sweet. I like to shock people by eating raw corn on the cob. It really is good that way, and well, it doesn't take much to shock people. I put it in salsa, add it to a zucchini salad, right off the ear with lime and cayenee, throw it in ratatouille, ... next step is coming up with a nice sweet corn ice cream recipe. I'll let you know if I can pull it off.

And it's quiet at home. The new cat is still settling in but has become much more affectionate and trusting of this human she's adopted. I've let her come out on the back porch which she loves to do. I'm hoping this might deter my nemesis, the evil squirrel who comes around and eats all my cherry tomatoes. Grrrrrr. Evil! Jasmine hasn't noticed other species yet, but maybe the squirrel won't be able to tell and will be filled with fear.

The new standing mixer arrived but somehow I've managed the willpower to keep it in its box until I feel called upon to welcome it to my kitchen.

So this here is one of those quiet posts. Not much going on, but wanted to say hello to everyone. Yawn. Maybe time for one of those summer afternoon naps.

Jasmine Dillard

Many moons ago, I posted about flying solo and getting my very own apartment. It's worked out well, but sometimes I have thought it would be nice to have a little pal when I come home at the end of the day. After much debate and perhaps with a little help from fate, I am now co-habitating with a friendly black cat named Jasmine. She's a very sweet, independent cat. She does her thing and I do mine, and so far it has worked out OK. I've never had a pet larger than a parakeet before, so this is a new realm.

I will admit it is taking me a little time to get used to this new roommate. When I'm sitting reading a book on the couch, I still find it startling to suddenly be approached by a black furry mammal. Or to be woken in the middle of the night when a black furry mammal jumps on my bed. Did I mention her black fur? It is slowly appearing on everything in the apartment. This I am not so pleased about.

Yet somehow we are becoming friends of a sort. At least she seems to know I'm the one who feeds her. And she has her ways of showing me how to take care of her, since I'm pretty inept at this whole cat thing.

So this is big news here in Dillard-land. I want to avoid being one of those people who obsess about their pets both internally and externally, but I wanted folks outside of town to be introduced to Jasmine, and see how cute she is when she perches by the window.

The Wonders of Sanding

Sand on the beach is great. I really like the sand dunes at Crane Beach in Ipswich, MA and also the dunes of Lake Michigan. But sand is also useful for making a terribly beat up butcher table look like new. When a friend moved out of an apartment last summer, a butcher block was left behind, all alone and forlorn and looking pretty shabby. But, as they say, it had wonderful bones. So I lugged it home somehow, and it sat around looking pretty shabby for many months until finally, when Elizabeth came to organize my kitchen, she also brought her sander. (Ah the joys of friends with power tools).
So I sanded it down, and now it is just beautiful. I just loved the before and after cupboard picture, so I thought I'd share the before and after butcher table photos. This is turning into the home improvement blog.

Speaking of which, I'm guessing I'm not the only person out there who has seen America's Extreme Home Makeover or whatever you call it on Sunday nights. Some family who has gone through hell and back gets their place made over. It is moving to see such a lovely thing done for people and how grateful and happy they are. If you can stand the excruciatingly cheesy build up to the climax, and the family trying valiantly to look properly grateful, it does make you think people are doing good things out there.

Brilliant Ideas in Baltimore

I don't travel much outside of Boston for work (unless you count Quincy as traveling). Sometimes I feel twinges of jealousy toward friends who go to, say, Phoenix or London or Florida for work. But then I remember the grass is always greener -- when I have traveled for work you do spend a lot of time in hotels and airports.

However, in June I attended a conference in DC for work and got to visit a lot of my favorite old stomping grounds from when I taught school there while living in Chevy Chase, which happened to be close to the conference hotel. I visited my favorite bookstore/coffeeshop where I once spent many hours drinking coffee and grading papers, Politics and Prose. Next door was one of my favorite bakeries, Marvelous Market; this was long before food quest days had begun, but nonetheless I remember being very excited at their selection of yummy things. I was not disappointed during my visit 10 years later. They had a very interesting cookie called Salty Oat -- oatmeal with coarse salt sprinkled on top. It was lovely -- the salt gave it a caramel-like aftertaste. Cool!

Just wandering around the old neighborhood was such a treat. It is amazing how much of a place you retain in your memory, even if you don't consciously think about the details until you are walking on the streets again. I even had a sense memory for the many roots that were integrated into the sidewalks -- how I used to have to be careful at certain sections that were especially bumpy when I wandered around my neighborhood after a tough day of teaching, admiring the pretty houses and the happy-seeming families.

As a bonus, I added on an extra travel day and went up to Baltimore to see my old pal, Karin. Out of all of my wonderful friends, I think Karin gets the oldest friend award -- not due to her age but the length of our friendship -- I think we met when I was about four years old at a family church gathering. We still keep in touch faithfully and have gotten to hang out a few times each year. There is just nothing in the world like an old friend. They were there when you lost your baby teeth, for goodness' sake! Lots of shared memories.

Karin now lives in Baltimore and she gave me a wonderful tour of that city. I had no idea how cool it was there! My new favorite museum, as in it is at the TOP of my list, is the American Visionary Art Museum. The photo above was taken there. It's complicated to explain, so just go to their most excellent website. It's one of those places that you feel overwhelmed with excitement at all you are going to see, but also exhausted because you know you don't have time to appreciate it all. And I'm a huge folk art fan. To top it all off (literally), the top floor was a modern Mexican restaurant called the Joy America Cafe, where Karin and I had an incredibly good and inventive lunch. (Plantain soup, anyone?) I was so happy. Really. Just the name of the restaurant made me happy.

But the whole town was great. To finish off my exuberant post, let's have a little dessert. I had to include this brilliant idea sold at Vaccaro's, an Italian bakery that specializes in Cannoli.
Anyone who has eaten one of these things knows how good they are but how messy they are to eat. So to turn it into chips and dip is just ... Baltimore brilliant.
So now I have to go back, to see Karin of course, and to cover the rest of the things that I missed.

A Little Organization Will Do You Good

My friend Elizabeth has recently started exploring the idea of being a Professional Organizer. Friends who explore new career possibilities are often very nice friends to know. I received many a wonderful complimentary massage from my friend Katrina as she was doing her massage therapy homework (now I'm a faithful paying client so I try to be a good friend too).

And Elizabeth jumped at the chance to organize my cupboard. Can you imagine? Jumping at the chance to organize a cupboard. That seems like a good indicator of professional interest. I guess I know the feeling -- I'll jump at the chance to bake a birthday cake, while others think, wow, I'd much rather be organizing a closet. People are funny creatures, aren't we?

Anyhow, here's the before and after photos and I think she did a great job. Gosh, we even have makeovers on this blog. You just never know what you'll find here. We're just a hoot and a half around here.

Don't Miss the Berries

If you haven't noticed, it is berry season. And if you haven't noticed, do you live under a rock? They are every where. Even when I go jogging at a local track, there are blueberries just waiting to be plucked after your run, a quirky little New England reward for doing your 8 laps (well, or something like that is close enough). Then there are the gooseberries close by as well. After eating all those berries, you've kinda cancelled out the caloric benefits of the run, but at least you have the exercise endorphisn and the berry endorphins. So it's all good.

And they look so pretty in a bowl, no? I've been eating them on my morning cereal. Gosh, didn't I post about gooseberries just a year ago on this very same blog? How the time does fly. The circle of life and all that. Hope you are enjoying your own local versions of these tiny bits of summeriness.

Big, no HUGE Baking News

I have had my eye on one of these babies for years now. Many of my friends, lucky ducks that they are, got them as wedding presents, and now they sit on their counters, looking beautiful and pristine. They use it about once a year, if that, to make Christmas cookies. "I don't bake much," my friends say. "I never use it." And inevitably, "Since you bake so much, I'm surprised you don't have one." Uh huh.

I do bake a lot. And cook a lot. I bake and cook more than anyone else in my circle of friends/family/acquaintances (which obviously and sadly includes no professional chefs). But alas, the wedding registry option had not yet arisen for me. And these machines start at about $200. While that isn't going to cause me to take out a loan, it seems extravagant. I have a perfectly good hand mixer, and I can deal with standing over a bowl for a few minutes. I can stop the hand mixer, set it down, and add eggs. Why would I really need one, outside of the convenience and authentic-baker-status factor? I put my mom on alert if she saw one at a garage sale as she is a pro at these, but both of us knew not to hold our breath for one to appear. (Although I got a great ice cream maker for $5 this way).

As I have pondered the machine over the years, I debated for a while about the merits of a standing mixer vs. a food processor. Apparently bread-making is one reason for getting a machine to help out, as the old fashioned kneading thing does not always yield the results that you can from a machine. It turns out you can knead bread in either a standing mixer or a food processor. Plus food processors offer all those wonderful crust making options, not to mention slicing and dicing. So for my 30th birthday, I requested the food processor. And I love it. I use it constantly. And it works pretty well for kneading bread, although it has become obvious that a standing mixer would work better; the processor gets heated up and obviously annoyed with me when I try to do breads in it. Dough gets stuck under the blade, the machine slows down, it rocks and growls at me, etc. Nobody is happy when this happens, so I avoid making bread. The standing mixer itch was not going away.

Finally, things came to a head. I am a big fan of chowhound.com and someone posted that KitchenAid mixers were on sale for $99 at amazon.com. Wow. I'd been eyeballing a few sales that went as low as $120, as well as factory reconditioneds for $150, but I just wasn't ready to take the plunge. But $99, and then $70 when you sign up for their card, well. Wow.

Secondly, as I was pondering this option, last weekend I had a large group of folks over for drinks and dessert. I decided to make 3 desserts in one afternoon. This was one of my most ambitious baking days ever (and did I mention the 90 degree heat?). The goal was to bake as many of them at the same time as possible, in order to use the 350 degree oven as little as possible. And while I pulled it off nicely (blondies, upside down pineapple cake, and Robert Redford -- more on this later), if I'd had the mixer, things would have been much simpler and less stressful.

So I did it. At $70 (free shipping plus a $20 future coupon!), that is the cheapest I'll ever see it new. It is on its way, to arrive the first week of August. Now I'm trying to decide if I should save it for my birthday or something, or if it will be totally irresistible to open and use right away. I know it's silly, but this machine is a real treasure to me -- a sign of taking my cooking interests seriously, physical evidence that my life is not on hold while waiting to get the free shopping spree along with Mr. Someday-My-Prince.

Ok. So it's big news for me. Maybe not a small step forward for peoplekind, but a small step forward for me in letting myself love what I love, to paraphrase Mary Oliver. Just you wait til you see what I cook up!

By the way, this is my first attempt at posting an photo from someone else's website. It may be totally against some copyright dealie, but since I'm pretty much promoting a sale at Amazon, I can't imagine this will make them too upset.

A Post in Which I Sorely Repent My Wayward Blogging

Oh, woe is me. Is this new job really taking me down so hard that I haven't posted on here in almost two months? I am a bad, bad blogger.

But I resolve to be better! And I have so many fun new things to share!

I was all set to download a million pictures on here for your viewing pleasure, and then I realized I don't have my pictures with me today. Sigh. So close, yet so far.

But seriously, get ready to read. There will be lots of new things to share. Oh the new things about which I obsess. Oh the new recipes (and old ones) I have tried.

So yes, my apologies.

A Late Spring Poem

It is late springish, although you'd never know it in Boston. And here is a spring poem, although a little late to post it since it is called "Eastering."
thus, a doubly late spring poem. I think this one captures that weird feeling of spring thaw.

From a lovely little book of poems called Morning Watch by Barbara Pescan.

Eastering

Why this sadness toward spring?
Half smiles at the first yellow flowers,
Tears pooling for no reason with each rain and sunset?

Each year this green show
blows wide winter's coverings and lets us see
the swell and push of beginning again.

Am I meant to rise too?
To push away what leans against the door of my
pinched heart?
I cannot.
Compassion for myself
is a slow growing crop,
however carefully tended
it yields an unreliable harvest.

These resurrections
ask more than I can give
every time
this hurts more
than the pains of my body
than the old world of sorrows
this offering of love
this unbearable gift of another chance.

Suspicion: Alfred Hitchcock Raises Some Questions

I rented this the other night as one of Hitchcock's Masterpieces. I've seen a few other of his films, and I'm always curious to learn what the fuss is about, this genius of film, this mastermind of mystery ... this guy with the profile.

A few quick facts I learned about this particular film:
Joan Fontaine won an Oscar for her performance. She does have a way with wiggling her eyebrows individually that is fun to watch. But the whole fainting thing always seems silly to me. I guess it isn't unusual for a female character to do that in films those days. Women in my generation of films only faint if they are pregnant or if they have to eat a gallon of grasshoppers in two minutes. When she fainted twice, I kept wondering if this meant she was going to say she was pregnant. Nope, just oh-so upset!

The luminescent glass of scary milk actually had a light bulb in it to create that effect. Cool!

The ending was changed by request of the censors and was not Hitchcock's desired ending. But for some mysterious reason, no one is telling me what he would have done otherwise.

Hitchcock shows up 45 minutes into the film, mailing a letter (I missed this moment).

Question for the audience: What is up with the small cubist painting in their front hallway that the police officer keeps looking at? It doesn't seem to play a role in the film and no one mentions it in their discussion of the film. Yet Hitchcock deliberately lingers on this painting at least twice. I have googled this one to no avail. Does anyone know?

It was a fun film, and certainly did leave you guessing until the end. And even after the end, when Johnny's explanation of his intention is accepted but you remember all the previous lies he told .... is this just another one of his stories? Hmmmm....

Foodquests Not Forgotten -- Flour

I know all of my friends who actually kinda like my food quest posts are wondering about my latest searches, my latest endeavors to find the truly yummy out there in Boston and beyond. Never fear, my friends. My silence is not indicative of the end of the search, but just the same old boring excuse about being too busy to write about them. Oh, they have been happening, believe me. Food quests are an integral part of my week. What meaning would life have without them? It is too grim to even ponder. In addition, I have been lazy with my camera lately, and it isn't nearly as fun to write about food wihtout providing a photo for you to scrutinize. That's something that annoys me about art criticism -- if you can't see the work they are talking about, it drives me nuts. Although I suppose a taste of the food you are critiquing would be more helpful ... hmmm. But I digress!

A few new quests have been attained, even if I cannot prove it outside of maybe a few crumbs.

I've heard for a while about the homemade granola bars at Flour, a highly regarded bakery in the South End. As my new job puts me in this general vicinity, it seemed like a good one to add to the list. And it was definitely worth the not-very-long trek for the variety of interesting treats. I struggled for a moment with the granola bar quest as I spotted "twice baked brioche" and "chocolate banana bread" and "scharfenberger chocolate cookies" and ... and ... whew. I was starting to break into an anxious sweat when I realized I could go back another day. So I calmed down and just got the granola bar. The verdict? It is good. Pretty good. Not weepingly good but good. I'm probably not the best judge as there is no chocolate involved. There's a layer of granola-ish bar, then fruity jammy layer, then another granola layer. Pretty straightforward.

Next time then, the twice baked brioche. Can it compare with the twice baked brioche at the cool bakery in Chevy Chase Maryland next to Politics and Prose, my favorite bookstore/coffeeshop on the planet, the bakery whose name I can never remember? Stay tuned ... an upcoming visit to DC is my opportunity for a brioche smackdown. Hee hee, brioche smackdown. I crack myself up.

Ten Best Boston Sweets Experiences

This entry was inspired by the great blog, Words to Eat By, where she lists 10 of New York's best. She was inspired by an article in the Observer of Top 50 Food Experiences. Why are these lists so addictive? I don't know, but here I am, adding to the craziness. I'm narrowing in on dessert because the larger food list is too overwhelming. Also, this list seems to be comprised of "easy access desserts" -- perfect for tourists or busy professionals on their dessert break, er, lunch hour. I reckon it would be easy to do a separate "sit down dessert" list which would include things like the Baked Alaska at Oleanna ... don't get me started.

Without further ado, my personal list of ten favorite Boston sweets/dessert!:
1. Chocolate mocha cookie from Rebecca's, preferably still warm.
2. Custard filled pastry from the bakery near the gate in Chinatown (preferably still warm too) and a bargain at all of 75 cents.
3. Hot chocolate from LA Burdick's. Or any chocolate there, really.
4. The wet walnut cookies at Athan's in Brookline. They are soaked in something sticky and yummy. I don't know what they are called, but don't miss em.
5. Brownies from Rosie's Bakery (they don't call 'em Chocolate Orgasms for nothing). And I claim these to be the best in town, only after a careful research study with the arduous task of tasting brownies all over Boston. A big claim but I take this seriously
6. The chocolate bread pudding at the Chocolate Bar at the Langham Hotel. Wow. It's made with chocolate and croissants. That is all you need to know. (Not really a quick access one but definitely a good tourist stop).
7. The Schlesinger Sandwich at the Parish Cafe (Ham and cheese on banana bread). Sounds weird; it IS weird. But scary good. It's in the dessert area because it is like eating lunch and dessert all at once.
8. The filled muffins at Souper Salad always crack me up. Gilding the lily, you know? Their banana chocolate chip muffin is the best in town.
9. The torrone from Modern Pastry. My mom makes me bring this across the country for her.
10. The miniature ice cream sundae at Toscanini's, preferably with burnt caramel ice cream. Just right.

Whew. I'm going to need a glass of milk or something.

Feel free to add your own list in the comments area or to your own blog!

Careful What You Wish For

My new job has started and then some. This is a good thing. Not good for a blog, but good for my life in general. I wanted a job where I felt needed, where I was challenged, where I was put to good use. I think I got all that. Oh boy did I get it.

It is always interesting to watch one's response to stress. I generally do well at first (who doesn't) and then over time, funny little things start popping up. This morning I thought I was in a pretty good mood until a small thing happened and then WHAM! I realized I'd better go sit outside on my lunch break and stare at some trees for a while. It had been too long since I had really even breathed.

That was a good idea. I took some breaths, wrote in the journal, took a walk, ate a cookie. I came back to my office and cleaned up the piles of papers. I put up some pictures. I wrote a to do list. (You know you're feeling stressed when you feel too busy to write a to do list). And now I am feeling more caught up. Enough to write a quick blog entry!

So there it is -- entry from Amy the Professional rather than Amy the Doula, Amy the Artist, or Amy the Vigilant Food Questor. This blog isn't the most focused one in the world, but neither is my life I guess. Oooh. Does that count as profound insight?

Anyhow, yes, be careful what you wish for. Or at least remember that when you get what you wish for, it might take you a month or so to appreciate it.

Will I have have photos on this blog again? Time will tell.