My family, this summer, in Maine.
To my better two thirds, without whom I would be lost at sea.
For you I am most grateful.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
xox
Thanksgiving 2015
Yesterday, at some point…
So last night I went to a real old school birthday party. Small dark room, DJ in the corner spinning Slick Rick and Tribe Called Quest, a bunch of sweaty people, mostly in t shirts and jeans, dancing their a**s off… I rolled back into my apt at around 3 am, after a quick slice of pizza to take the edge off. Just like back in the day.
Except for this time, the wine was top shelf, drinks were on the house, and the birthday balloons proudly announced the half-century lifespan of the honoree.
If this is 50, bring it on.
#welcometomynewreality
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Yesterday, at some point is a series of photographs that describe a moment I experienced during the previous day (or thereabouts). The posts are meant to be stand alone images, though at times I can’t control myself, and I end up expanding the caption into a more lengthy bit of text. Hopefully the extra information is useful, or at least interesting. If not, feel free to ignore it.
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Setting the table
A golden pine cone adds a bit of magic to the family table. Photo courtesy of One Kings Lane.
So by now you probably have some idea of what you’re going to be cooking for, or bringing to, Thanksgiving dinner… But if you’re anything like me you are still casting about for table decorating ideas. We have our family meal at my parents’ place, and my mother is super creative and sets a festive and elegant table, but God forbid I just leave well enough alone. I always insist on spearheading some 11th hour place setting project that involves children and glue and whatever other messy art supplies we have on hand.
This year, I’m thinking we might go for something like this golden pinecone-plus-flat-placecard-on-the-plate idea I saw on One Kings Lane’s fantastic blog. The sparkle adds a bit of glam to the table and makes it feel more like a party. There are a whole bunch of great ideas in that post, so go check them out and get inspired! I can’t wait to see what we come up with, once all of the artisans (i.e. me and the kids) hit the table!
Monday, Monday– or a few links to some last minute Thanksgiving help
Photo from kokokokids.ru
Here are some really beautiful ideas for kids crafts in Italian (but you can pretty much figure it out from the photos) and Russian (this site can be translated via Google Translator)
Evidently, Mark Bittman (of NY Times Cooking fame) has figured out how to roast a turkey in only 45 minutes.
Joanna Goddard (of A Cup of Jo) asked a few of her friends (myself included) for their favorite dinner party tricks. I’m gonna be stealing a couple of them for sure!
Starting from square one? Food52 shows you how to do it all, from drinks to food to table decor.
Perhaps you need some ideas for the vegetarian at the table?
It is never a bad idea to go check out what Martha has to say when it comes to crafty ideas for decorating the table.
Get the kids thinking about the “thanks” in Thanksgiving with this fun DIY cootie catcher game.
Yesterday, at some point…
This is a photograph of one of the gift bags we made for my daughter’s most recent birthday party. It wasn’t taken yesterday, but the party was recent enough that it still rings fresh in my mind. We try to make our gift bags original and free of candy and “junk” (which means totally different things to me and my daughter, but whatever) This year we gave everyone a little wooden star, a little bird that you can clip onto a tree or a bedpost, a miniature rubics cube and a small bit of play dough (evidently all kids still love goop of some kind…) We made the bags out of fabric, cut out individual tags and tied them up with some white ribbon we had laying around from an old craft project. (See– sometimes saving stuff is totally justified!)
The party was really fun, but crazy expensive in the way that evidently many NYC parties are when you rent out a space. I could go on about the Birthday Party Racket, but I am going to take the high road and just remember the screams of joy, the happy expressions on all of the kids faces, and the fact that we are not going to be having a birthday party again for a long time (we’re switching to experiences instead, thank goodness…)
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Yesterday, at some point is a series of photographs that describe a moment I experienced during the previous day (or thereabouts). The posts are meant to be stand alone images, though at times I can’t control myself, and I end up expanding the caption into a more lengthy bit of text. Hopefully the extra information is useful, or at least interesting. If not, feel free to ignore it.
Music that my kid actually loves thanks in large part to her music teacher
A fine album cover if ever there was one…
One of my favorite things about my daughter’s school is their music program. They learned basic music theory through singing Louis Armstrong and Carole King, they learned to play Bill Withers songs on the recorder, they are learning about rhythm by beating on the West African djembe. The entire school gets together monthly to sing Neal Young and the Beatles, folk songs and spirituals… It’s really a dream come true. Because at the end of the day, she will remember these songs long after many of the other aspects of elementary school have become distant memories.
So during this season of thanksgiving, I would like to express my gratitude to one Mr Seth Ginsberg for his role in helping to shape my daughter’s excellent taste in music. And I would like to share a few of her favorite I-learned-this-in-school songs with you all today. If you’re signed up for Spotify (it’s free), just click on the little triangle below to listen:
And here’s the tracklist if you want to follow along…
Welcome Table – The Sojouorners
Papa Was A rolling Stone – The Temptations
When You’re Smiling – Louis Armstrong
Lean On Me – Bill Withers
Ain’t Too Proud To Beg – The Temptations
I Feel The Earth Move – Carole King
Having A Party – Sam Cooke
Dancing In The Street – Martha reeves and the Vandellas
When The Saints Go Marching In – Louis Armstrong
Stop In The Name Of Love – The Surpremes
Azucar Negra – Celia Cruz
Everybody Loves To Cha Cha Cha – Sam Cooke
You’ve Got A Friend – Carole King
The Bare Necessities – Louis Armstrong
The Welcome Table – Hollis Wadkins*
*This last one is a more politicized version of this song than they sing at school, but I am finding it relevant these days, so I’m adding it in for yur listening pleasure…
Serving it up!
I want this Linea Rainbow Serving Spoon from Gretel Home badly.
I am a person who has lots of stuff. Some would argue too much, and for the most part, I would have to agree with them. I’ve even expended all sorts of energy and time and mental space trying to de-clutter my life. The results have been mixed, at best, but I am determined to clear out some space, so I will continue to make the effort.
But as Thanksgiving rears its formidable head again this year, I realize that there is one essential item that is missing from my tabletop arsenal: the serving spoon. I basically just use big soup spoons or borrow from my parents next door or use the salad servers, because I never remember the lack of these items until I’m putting food on the table.
But this year is different. I am looking now, and maybe, just maybe, 2015 will be the year when I begin to be able to dish out the holiday deliciousness in a more appropriate manner.
Above is my current obsession, the rainbow spoon. It has a matching fork, too. Of course they are made to order from Italy and take a month and cost a small fortune, but that makes them all the more desirable…
Next we have the Small Corner Everything spoon, individually handcarved in California of the finest walnut. They even come with a small bottle of rubbing oil to ensure that we take good care of them.
Or maybe we take the wooden spoon in a different direction by adding a subtle hint of color, like the Wind and Willow Home folks have done with these Fresh Soil-Dipped serving spoons. The rubber handles also make them easy to hold, for those of us with perpetually slippery hands.
Or maybe I go old school and pick up this simple traditional spoon that I saw on Krrb… the seller is in my neighborhood so this spoon could be mine in a matter of minutes!
Or there’s always black, which goes with everything. This Oslo Spoon by Canvas feels both modern and timeless, so it’ll fit in nicely with everything we already have!
If any of you folks out there have any good suggestions, I’d love to hear…
Monday, Monday– or more links about clean water, evolution and talking to kids about terrorism
Sure, it’s an ad for a book, but you should all watch this video compression of the evolution of the human race. It’s less than 2 minutes long and absolutely mesmerizing…
Here is a nice, easy way to make rosemary oil for your hair, which is great for all sorts of reasons, not the least of which is repelling lice.
In my constant quest to use less plastic, I’m thinking I might chuck the Britta filter in favor of purifying my water with a stick of binchotan charcoal in a glass bottle.
A few helpful tips on how to talk to your kids about terrorism, particularly in the wake of the attacks in Paris.
Who doesn’t love checking out creative slightly out of the box ways to use the furnishings you buy at Ikea? Apartment Therapy serves up 10 great Ikea hacks for our viewing pleasure.
Thanksgiving is RIGHT. AROUND. THE. CORNER. But never fear… The New York Times has a whole menu planner that will help your meal come together as if by magic.
And while we’re on the topic, the great Ina Garten serves up some make-ahead Thanksgiving advice on Food52.
Monday, Monday (on a rainy Tuesday)– or more links about unwanted visitors and Jodie Patterson’s house
This week marks the first lice outbreak of the year in my daughter’s class. Suddenly my head itches, even though we have escaped this round without incident, and I find myself googling all sorts of topics related to this creature. I won’t burden you all with that stuff though, so fear not. Photo courtesy of thedoctorstv.com
Sometimes I feel like my battle against clutter is like trying to sweep the beach clear of sand with a dust broom, yet I continue to wage war. Yesterday I worked on clearing some space on my hard drive with the help of howtogeek.com.
I just spent way too much time on One Kings Lane checking out beauty entrepreneur Jodie Patterson’s incredible Brooklyn brownstone and wondering how she manages to run 2 businesses, take care of 5 kids (plus a husband), and keeps her house looking so incredible. But then I remind myself that this was all just a photo shoot and right now I’m sure her boys have their shoes and toys all over the place, her desk is overrun with piles of magazines, and papers and the last 3 jackets her husband wore are strewn around the living room. Or maybe not, but it makes me feel better to believe that.
Homemade ramen noodles. Need I say more?
When you are at your baby shower, opening gifts and being all coy about name choices, I am willing to bet $1000 that head lice are the furthest thing from your mind. But they are a pesky part of the reality of parenting (just one of soooo many…) I just got the dreaded email from school informing us that 3 (yep THREE) kids in my daughter’s class have lice. So it’s time to take action. If this happens to you, this Parents Guide to Lice will start you off in the right direction.
And while we’re on the topic of skin care, what’s all this business about oils vs moisturizers for your face?
And last, but not least, just a guy… reading the Sunday paper.
Tower of Power
Our very own leaning tower of Pisa, but made out of pure chocolate fudge.
I am always drawn to a recipe that has the words “absurdly easy” in the title. Especially when those two words are describing how to make your own chocolate fudge, a delicacy that I had previously assumed was only created by Willy Wonka type wizards in their mysterious candy shops.
But oh how wrong I am.
Leave it to Julia Moskin of the NY Times to demystify and utterly simplify the making of this chocolate treat– it literally takes just 15 minutes to make, plus an overnight in the fridge to set. We skipped the nuts as we have nut allergies in the house, but followed the rest of the instructions to the letter and have been blessed with an almost sinful amount of the richest deep chocolaty fudge I have ever tasted. And because one can only eat a tiny bit at a time, we have our school lunch desert set for weeks.
And that alone is worth singing about.
Julia Moskin’s Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preparation
Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, letting edges of paper hang over sides of pan.
In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over (not resting in) simmering water, combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix just until melted and well combined. (Alternatively, use a microwave on low power to melt ingredients, stopping every 10 to 20 seconds to mix well.) The mixture should be heated as little as possible. Mix in nuts, if using.
Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Lift fudge on paper out of pan and use a large knife to cut into squares.