12 of 12 April 09

10:29 AM- Ingredients for my coconut-vanilla cupcakes need to come to room temperature before baking. It turns out I need more butter. Paula Deen would be proud.


12:47 PM- The first batch is out of the oven. They smell good, but I put too much batter in some of the cups. The good news is, the mistakes are still edible.


1:05 PM- Pepper enjoys some Springtime sun.


3:01 PM- I used bourbon to mist the brown sugar coating on my ham before pressing gingersnap crumbs on. Another blitz in the oven, and the main course will be ready.


3:25 PM- In between preparing Easter dinner dishes, I managed to clean out my closet; divvying up clothes to go to the cleaner and to Goodwill. I'm glad that my Goodwill pile is larger.


4:05 PM- Easter colors for my cupcake frosting. I think they came out well. Gel food coloring is the best; vivid with just a little mixed in and no taste.


4:30- Hooray! Easter cupcakes!


6:25- Easter cocktails; a Bulliet bourbon Manhattan, though, considering the season, I should have made a Corpse Reviver #2.


7:46 PM- Dinner is ready! Brown sugar, gingersnap glazed ham; hard-boiled eggs with parsley watercress sauce; lemon risotto; oven roasted fennel and mushrooms and green pea mash.


9:30 PM- I enjoy a cupcake while watching In Treatment on HBO. GMiller and I like to call technical fouls on the therapist in the series. **SPOILER ALERT** I'm frankly surprised it's taken a patient this long to sue Paul for malpractice.


10:13 PM- On to the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. I love this show, it is well made, interesting and no white people.


11:40 PM- In bed at last with my favorite footwarmer.

If you are new to 12 of 12 - here are the basics:

1) ALL PHOTOS MUST BE TAKEN ON THE 12TH OF EACH MONTH.

2) After you post your pictures onto a webpage of your choice (Livejournal, typepad, MySpace, Flickr, etc...) please post the TIME, LOCATION, and A SMALL COMMENT in the pic.

3) You own the rights to all of your pictures. The idea "12 of 12" is Chad Darnell's. While credit is not necessary, please don't credit someone else with the idea.

4) The original concept was at least one body part in the picture. That idea was slowly faded away. The important part is that it is 12 pics.

5) When referring to the project, please refer to it as "12 OF 12" - not "12 ON 12."

6) Once completed, please e-mail or post the PERMALINK of the post AND the city and state or city and country of WHERE THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN. (If you are on vacation, it's where the pics were taken.)

(The permalink is the link to the ENTRY of your page. If you just send me your website, I have to track it down. By listing the permalink, it helps for people to go back and view your previous 12 of 12 entries from previous months.)

ANYONE is welcome to join in, even if you've never done it before! I hope you will.

12 of 12 December 08

From 12 of 12 December 08

8:15 AM- I am way behind on tidying up for the holidays. All this stuff has got to go, accompanied by a massive dusting effort. I like to decorate with sparkle, so dust is not welcome.

From 12 of 12 December 08

12:47 PM- I won't bore you with a photo of Pepper in my laundry basket, since GMiller copped my idea. Instead, look at the pretty blue flame under my cookpot as I prepare lunch.

From 12 of 12 December 08

1:09 PM- Now drool with envy over my bacon pasta with shaved Romano cheese. It was fantastic. I love the roasted garlic in this dish.

From 12 of 12 December 08

1:51 PM- GMiller comes home from a sad errand, and gets welcoming and sympathetic kisses.

From 12 of 12 December 08

3:06 PM- Working at home on my job, holiday cards and bereavement/get well soon food.

From 12 of 12 December 08

3:33 PM- I'm no closer to cleaning up the foyer at the end of the day. GMiller relaxes on the couch.

From 12 of 12 December 08

4:39 PM- My work day is over, so I pack my computer for Monday's return to the office. I didn't leave the condo at all today!

From 12 of 12 December 08

6:38 PM- I fixed a tuna noodle casserole for my MIL. She had a bad spell recently and needs a little TLC. She has a minder, so I had to put instructions on the lid to remove before baking. You never know about the common sense level on some people, and I'd hate the meal to be ruined because the minder didn't think forward very well.

From 12 of 12 December 08

7:56 PM- I also make a chicken and sausage dish for GMiller, who also needs some TLC today. This is one of our favorites, which is good because it makes a ton and we eat it for about three days after baking.

From 12 of 12 December 08

11:19 PM- Back on the couch after dinner, lamenting the lack of entertainment on TV. We're getting a HDTV for our holiday gift to one another, and it will only serve to enhance the clarity on the known quantity of the programming selection. We'll be watching a lot of movies.

From 12 of 12 December 08

11:20 PM- Our holiday cards are signed by both and are now ready for the mailbox.

From 12 of 12 December 08

11:26 PM- Visions of sugarplums, or at least candied mouse peel dance in his head. Flannel is adorable.

If you are new to 12 of 12 - here are the basics:

1) ALL PHOTOS MUST BE TAKEN ON THE 12TH OF EACH MONTH.

2) After you post your pictures onto a webpage of your choice (Livejournal, typepad, MySpace, Flickr, etc...) please post the TIME, LOCATION, and A SMALL COMMENT in the pic.

3) You own the rights to all of your pictures. The idea "12 of 12" is Chad Darnell's. While credit is not necessary, please don't credit someone else with the idea.

4) The original concept was at least one body part in the picture. That idea was slowly faded away. The important part is that it is 12 pics.

5) When referring to the project, please refer to it as "12 OF 12" - not "12 ON 12."

6) Once completed, please e-mail or post the PERMALINK of the post AND the city and state or city and country of WHERE THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN. (If you are on vacation, it's where the pics were taken.)

(The permalink is the link to the ENTRY of your page. If you just send me your website, I have to track it down. By listing the permalink, it helps for people to go back and view your previous 12 of 12 entries from previous months.)

ANYONE is welcome to join in, even if you've never done it before! I hope you will.

12 of 12 October 08

From 12 of 12 October 08

7:09 AM - I pull my tea out and contemplate oatmeal for breakfast. I stick with tea and decide not to go to weight class.

From 12 of 12 October 08

9:30 AM - Since I've got time on my hands, I clean out the refrigerator in preparation for our honeymoon. All perishable items that won't be eaten this week have got to go. Plus there's a bad smell that needs to go.

From 12 of 12 October 08

9:43 - Using leftover challah from Rosh Hashanah and eggs, I have toad-in-the-hole for breakfast. Even though I call it the British name, whenever I cook this, I remember the movie Moonstruck, one of my favorites. Olympia Dukakis makes it for breakfast in one scene.

From 12 of 12 October 08

11:13 AM - I'm at the mall to get three last minute things for the wedding, and am shocked to see a ghost town in the parking lot. On Sunday. On Columbus Day Weekend. I believe our dire economic predictions. The parking lot is proof. Or it could be the abundance of truly hideous clothes in stores this season. Let's all dress like oatmeal colored Oompa Loompas!

From 12 of 12 October 08

6:22 PM - Later in the day, GMiller decides to do some minor surgery on the carpet. If the vacuum cleaner runs over that, it will pull whole rows out of the carpet. Not good.

From 12 of 12 October 08

6:32 PM - My dad sort of forgot that his anniversary is the day that they fly in for the wedding. I convince him that taking is wife to a stand up burger joint for eats is probably not going to score a lot of points, and make reservations for us at Indebleu instead. They have good food and chairs.

From 12 of 12 October 08

7:06 PM - The clock is ticking down on when I have to leave to meet some friends, so dinner is a tag-team effort. Penne alla vodka with pancetta, done and eaten in less than 40 minutes.

From 12 of 12 October 08

8:11 PM - I find a sweet parking spot in Adams Morgan, just one street over from the speakeasy I'm going to tonight. Rumor has it that this is the last night for the floating cocktail bar, Hummingbird to Mars, so I'm glad we got reservations.

From 12 of 12 October 08

10:25 PM - After a cup of Porter Punch, a Corpse Reviver #2 and a Ginger Manhattan, the drinking part of the night is over. We all agree that much starch and cheese must immediately be consumed, and I dread the staircase that will lead me to the street, as the bar has suddenly been transformed into a ship in stormy seas, judging from the pitch and yaw of the deck. No, that's just me trying to walk. Where's Carrie Nation when you need her?

From 12 of 12 October 08

11:09 PM - We found relief downstairs at Bourbon. Tater tots, chili cheese waffle fries and mac 'n' cheese came to our rescue and we polished them off in short order.

From 12 of 12 October 08

11:50 PM - I find Flannel where he's been most of the day, but now he's in my way. We discuss the options, then decide the best idea would be for him not to move, and for me to squeeze in the best I can.

From 12 of 12 October 08

11:54 PM - I managed to find some space from Mr. Bed Hog, and am asleep, passed out, whatever the kids are calling it these days.

It's Mardi Gras!

Faithful readers will know that NOLA is my favorite city that I don't live in. I love Mardi Gras, and so does my family. My father and stepmother are active in the Carnival scene in Biloxi, MS and each has been members of the court and even King and Queen of Mardi Gras for local krewes over the years.

Last night I made GMiller's favorite, grillades and grits, for him. The first time he was served this braised meat and gravy dish we were on our inaugural trip to NOLA as a couple, at brunch at Elizabeth's. After the heaven that is praline bacon, this huge Pyrex pie plate full of food is plunked down in front of GMiller. He has a soft spot for anything braised, and made short work of a serving that would have satisfied four with ease. For the past four or so years, I've been trying to make a version that was met with such excitement. I think last night I succeeded. Thanks to NOLA cuisine, the grillades with andouille and cheddar cheese grit cakes were awesome! If you have some time on your hands, make this dish. It takes about 3-4 hours and is so worth it.

I'll also host friends for dinner tomorrow night. Our menu will be:
Shrimp remoulade
Chicken and Tasso jambalaya
Banana caramel coconut cream pie with dark rum
Gin and tonic
Sazeracs
Abita Mardi Gras bock

My dad sent me a huge box full of decorations, so the place is looking festive with green, gold and purple beads, streamers, doubloons and garland. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

What Died In Here? When Thanksgiving Goes Really Wrong.

Last year about this time, I blogged about how much emotional resonance this holiday has for me. My family cares about food, how it's prepared, how it looks and how it tastes. Based on my experience away from the family table, we are in the minority.

I really hate spending holidays with strangers, eating their traditions, many of which come from a jar or a can. Smiling through dry turkey, or turkey that smells and tastes like a wet dog, cold mashed potato glue, gross undercooked stuffing that they spoon right out of the bird's butt teeming with more salmonella than you could get from licking a turtle. You have to smile and eat it all. Nothing seasoned, everything bland...Calgon, take me away!

I am thankful that last year I ate with friends who were excellent cooks and this year, I'm eating with my dad and his wife. A family meal at last! I really hope that next year I will get to play the newlywed card and have T-day at my house. No bird butt stuffing at table, I can tell you that!

Pie Makes Me Weep

I have an deeply emotional relationship with food. I grew up in a household where every step of preparing and sharing a meal from shopping, to cooking to the actual eating was a way to physically nourish those who emotionally and spiritually nourished us. Dining together was a way to reconnect, to strengthen the bonds we shared. Even when I am alone, I prepare meals and dine at the table, treating myself with the importance of a family. When I'm in a relationship, the sharing of meals with purpose is as important to me as stopping whatever I'm doing to affectionately greet with purpose the one who shares so much happiness with me after a time apart.

Thanksgiving dinner is the zenith of my expression of love through food. In many ways it is more important to me than Christmas. This year, I'm joining friends. I'm looking forward to the ritual of preparing and sharing today's meal. So much so, in fact, that I got misty at the stacks of pies in the Balducci's bakery. I like to think that the bakers made a special effort, and wished the recipients of their efforts well as they worked to put those most comforting desserts together. Pie does not usually make me weep, but Thanksgiving pie... bring out the Kleenex!