Birds on a Wire

COME WITH ME

2011-01-22T23:16:00.002-05:00

i can't help it but i'm breaking up with blogger. We're finished and i've already moved on....

come find me at my new home

http://thewilhemina.wordpress.com/

i hope you like it

spicy lemon-ginger tea

2010-11-07T11:32:00.006-05:00

M is sick. Stuffy, runny nosed, head achey. All that awfulness.
So today I am doing my best to hook him up. I am forcing him to use the neti pot, gargle and later I will make sopa de limon. I am a big proponent of natural remedies. Since it's cold and flu season I thought I would share my favorite one with you.

Start with a health focused type of tea if you have it. I am a big fan of everything that Traditional Medicinals makes. A handy favorite is the seasonal herb tea sampler because it includes a variety of remedies. This time I used echinacea, but if you don't have anything like that use whatever herbal tea you have.

1 tea-bag or diffuser of tea
1-2 Tbsp freshly ground ginger (use a cheese grater or finely dice)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 thick lemon slice with rind
1 Tbsp honey

pour boiling hot water over and let steep covered for 5-10 minutes.
it is very spicy and warming. Drink 4 cups a day and drink tons of water.

rock out.

2010-11-06T14:23:00.003-04:00

Maybe it isn't your style, but on cold gray almost winter days I keep finding myself going back to old scratchy Enrico Caruso songs.
Caruso was a famous tenor of his time and one of the early opera singers to embrace phonograph recordings. His recordings can be found on public spaces like YouTube, on commercial recordings or if you are cheap like me you can make a Pandora station. This type of music is being lost, check it out before it is gone. I promise that even if you don't like it, it will be worth your time.

M and I carved our Hallowe'en pumpkins happily sipping bourbon cider cocktails and listening to my Caruso. It was a really good time. You might think that whisky and sharp objects don't mix, but our pumpkins turned out lovely and we managed to not stab ourselves nor each other.

M went with a cyclops, and mine was a pirate. Meaning that both of our jack-o-lanterns had one eye. When you are married things like that just happen.

Recipe, a seasonal take on the classic Manhattan:

Big Apple

1 part bourbon, e.g. Bulleitt or Maker's Mark
1 part cider..... or 2 parts cider if you like standing upright....
dash of cinnamon or mixed pumpkin pie spice
shaken over ice and served in a martini glass
garnish with a cinnamon stick or an orange rind twist

salut!

nevermore

2010-10-27T22:42:00.003-04:00

If you are *dying* for something creepy to do this October, hasten to the grave of Edgar Allan Poe. Located in a decent part of Baltimore (I assure you that your car will not be stolen) and the admission is free! It is a cute and quaint little kirkyard where a few crumbly tombstones and some truly beautiful tombs are in evidence. Bring some whisky or brandy and sneak a few sips. I promise no one will notice. And if you pull out a copy of "The Tell-tale Heart" for an outburst of oratory no one will mind. Get your creep on!

I did.

elementary mycology

2010-10-25T22:42:00.007-04:00

Brown Oyster mushroom, or Pleurotus cystidiosus

from left to right
crimini Agaricus bisporus
enoki Flammulina velutipes
white button Agaricus bisporus
shiitake Lentinula edodes

Yellow oyster mushroom Pleurotus citrinopileatus

Mushrooms are freaky things and I love them. They are mysterious and do not fall into the same category as anything else we eat.

For all of you paying close attention, you may have noticed something funny about the Latin names of the white button and crimini. You get gold stars!

So lets clear up some myths about mushrooms that your local grocer would not want you to know...
White mushrooms--old pedestrian staple--the fancy criminis and those gourmet portabellas...well they are all the same mushroom!

White buttons are the babies all fresh and tender, then the gills darken and open and the cap turns that lovely silvery brown and it is a crimini then its a whole dollar more per box but essentially the same thing and then when they mature they turn into the juicy steak thick portabellas. Hulking and delectable and so expensive. So just one type of mushroom has so many different flavors, it is amazing!

I admit, it has taken me years to appreciate different flavors and types. My hardwon love of shiitakes is proof of this. Much to the chagrin of multitudes of Japanese gasping at this admission...
anyway there are multiple eclectic and generally scruffy looking folks who sell mushrooms at my two local farmers markets. I found these gorgeous specimens at the seldom visited JFX market (we usually head to 32nd street) I was enthralled with a container of brilliant orange lobster mushrooms, but they were quite pricey and I settled instead on the mixture above. I nibbled some here and there, and ate some with eggs, but most ended up sauteed in butter with white wine and added to a delicious scratch chicken pot pie. Which turned out ugly as sin- but tasted amazing. So amazing in fact, that we forgot to take a picture of it before we ate it. In lieu of that here are the beauties sauteing...

and

here is a lovely recommendation for some fizzy bubbly.

In my opinion there is not enough fizzy bubbly drinking going on...this is a lovely prosecco frizzante, meaning that it is only slightly effervescent and it was only slightly expensive [$12 range] which is why I like prosecco and cava, much cheaper than their french cousin, champagne.
Pop this baby at parties and for breakfast (I mean brunch) and people with think you are witty and cultured. It is the perfect thing for all those looming awkward holiday parties and last minute gifts.
Classy!

Priorities-- I has them.

2010-09-19T14:54:00.006-04:00

I admit, I haven't been writing much, but I did miss you. The summer was long, and incredibly hot and humid so sitting in my stuffy office was the last thing I wanted to do. So I escaped!

Things are finally starting to cool down here, we haven't closed the windows in two weeks! I love fall, and it is just around the corner. I can't believe it's been a year since we bought our home, a home-anniversary post will be coming along soon... Things haven't changed much though, our list of projects keeps getting longer but with both of us in school now, we have even less time to procrastinate. Our list of necessary fixes is this;

windows (20 of them!) or
new high efficiency boiler or
bath remodel...?

Granted we have tons of other things that we need to get done as well but these three are the most pressing. Their urgency rattles around in my brain constantly. The windows are ridiculously old and are a huge energy loss in winter and summer. With BGE's monopoly and exorbitant prices, this is a huge priority for us, but with over 20 windows we might have to tackle this project in phases.

The boiler is so old that the company that made it went out of business 50 years ago, so it is inefficient to say the least...and the master bathroom is approximately 3 feet big, meaning that 2 people most definitely do not fit so the mornings can get a bit crazy. The bathtub has a home caulking job that scares the hell out of me, I'm worried about the extent of water damage behind the caulk.

what to do first?

But vacation is over, homework is calling, look for some travel plans or dreams, and some Halloween fun soon.

xo

Back to School

2010-08-07T11:26:00.004-04:00

Summer is quickly slipping away. The heat is still oppressively present, but fall's responsibilities are starting to demand my attention.

I'm returning to school, full time, and its been quite awhile since I've tried this. I hope I don't get the dunce cap...
some things I am afraid of
1. Calculus
2. Statistics
3. Physics
4. Chemistry
5. Burnout

but that means I also get to go school shopping for pens and pencils, compass and graph paper! That should sustain me right?
It was a lovely summer, but I am looking forward to fall.
Take a deep breath..
Let's do this!

Snap the Clam!

2010-07-24T13:32:00.002-04:00

Phonics huh?
I just can't stop laughing every time I see this.

free sunrise

2010-07-24T13:23:00.003-04:00

this was amazing--- I sleepily tottered over to the beach at 5 am in my jammies and watched the sunrise like it was a personal gift

I should probably do this more often...

she's having kittens!

2010-06-19T17:42:00.003-04:00

so it kinda happened like that kids book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, only this time it was If You Feed a Stray Cat, She Will Birth Kittens On Your Basement Floor and the SPCA Will Not Take Them... and you will be forced to foster kittens for 2 months
yikes
but damn they are cute!

I realize these pictures may be graphic but trust me I kept the more colorful ones to myself.

2010-06-07T23:46:00.002-04:00

why do I still love staying up late / avoid going to bed? After a full day of work, a 3.5 m trail run, and bookclub I'm still wide awake staring at this computer.

...I'm definitely going to pay for this in morning....

set you a challenge

2010-06-02T23:26:00.004-04:00

I really like this wine lately, Parallele 45, an affordable (~$10) Cote du Rhone. It's a bit soft and gentle, not like my usual rough reds. It takes a chill well and pairs nicely with most meals. It just so happens to be the second wine I've really enjoyed with this little importer band on it...

the first was an amazing (big!) Douro from Churchill Estates, it was the first time I tried Douro, a Portugese wine, and I instantly loved it. The nice girl at Bin 604, a fancy pants wine store that I am undoubtedly going to return to, was nice enough to give me a rundown on the Douro, she said its what happens when port wine grapes don't get made into port. (which I really don't care for, so yay for me) to find out more about this exotic wine look here "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douro_wine"

So I challenge you to find a wine at your local booze shop from Wildman and Sons as the importer,
http://www.frederickwildman.com
and see if you like it...

little happies

2010-05-28T21:47:00.005-04:00

white cheddar grits with spring onion and eggs over easy

blowsy antique roses spilling into the street

a spider that fancied me, he landed on the windshield of my car and tried to spin a web around me

summer clouds!

SUMMER CLOUDS!

The sky is one enormous Botticelli painting...everywhere I go I'm staring at the clouds, and more dangerously when I am driving.
It is becoming unbearably hot here, but we have our first ever! grill and it is completely revolutionizing our lives
yum

the kindness of friends

2010-05-19T23:13:00.006-04:00

This is a lovely sideboard/ buffet that I am going to use as a bar. I already have the bottles and glasses ready. Whoo-hoo! and much love and thanks to my fellow Gary Oldman crusher, Jacki. I will miss you dearly but I hope you have a lovely time down south, I hope to visit someday.
She also gifted me a hutch, a beautiful old chest and square wood table, but I don't have pictures of the last bits yet.
But here is a picture of the awesome hand-made broom that I picked up at the Sheep & Wool, leaning against my new hutch. Reuse Recycle!

I finally got my wool on

2010-05-14T23:11:00.007-04:00

I've wanted to attend this festival for about 3 years now, and was so excited that I finally made it! We were slackers and didn't show up until 2 p.m. on Sunday (the last day) but according to my early bird friend, Saturday was crazy-packed with a line of cars 3 miles down the road and the exhibit halls were cheek by jowl. Sunday afternoon was mellow and I'm pretty sure the prices were a bit lower than the previous day.

here are some yummy pictures, if you are interested in attending next year's festival check out the website

I only ended up purchasing one skein of yarn, I will add pictures of it soon. It is a lovely mustard color wool, from Seacolors and it was solar dyed in seawater from the midcoast of Maine! The beautiful skeins are pictured above on the right hand side. If you are interested check out www.GETWOOL.com, M gets the husband of the year award for going with me and he truly enjoyed himself, I'm just not sure how much of that can be attributed to the lamb kebabs and corndogs...
A great time was had by all and we will definitely be attending next year.
We picked up some pen and ink artwork, a hand-made broom and an amazingly simple Mason jar lamp [pictures to follow soon] The coolest thing about the event, aside from the delicious concessions were the sheep pens, all of the beautifully unique breeds were displayed and proudly exhibited with informational placards and posters. I had no idea that so many different types of sheep were to be found in this region!

There were also hand shearing competitions, sheep dog herding competitions and other fiber bearing species present, e.g. Alpacas and Angora rabbits. If you happen to be in Maryland next spring, make sure to get there.

spring fling

2010-05-09T17:25:00.006-04:00

the ephemeral spring blossoms came and went in the blink of an eye, dogwood, cherry blossom, forsythia, magnolia, tulip, daffodil, hyacinth and cyclamen.....

...another breathtakingly beautiful mid-Atlantic spring has come and gone. I'm really beginning to like this place. The air is moist with promise and the trees are a riot of verdure, climbing and exploding in the least expected places. Sadly, the blossoms are all blown out now and tossed in the gutters, but the trees are vibrant and glowing. I think some of them are actually ents sleeping...

I was so happy to share this spring with a few of my friends...I had lovely and dearly missed friends come visit, others pick up their lives and stake a claim out here too--old friends are like dog-eared novels, on any page you know where you are.

some dried magnolia branches are still lingering on my bookshelves--so insubstantial that the leaves fall apart if you touch them but I don't have the heart to throw them out--the smothering heat of summer is just around the corner but for now some bitingly cold May showers and a glass of spicy Malbec are keeping me company.

unmentionables

2010-03-31T17:12:00.002-04:00

I have this crazy old toilet. It has a scary cast iron pipe and a tank that is probably, most likely, terribly inefficient. Yet somehow I really like it and I don't want to get rid of it. I'm wondering if I can replace the tank and keep the bowl? We have a lot going on lately with the anticipation of house guests, spring cleaning and lots of painting happening. Be on the look out for more appropriate pictures soon! Spring is springing everywhere and the trees in the neighborhood are obliging.
x
w

I'm in love...

2010-03-14T18:27:00.003-04:00

with a cleaning product.
Those of you who know me, realize how inappropriate and wrong this is for me. Cleaning is usually such a drag and definitely not my favorite activity. After buying this, I cleaned on top of my kitchen cabinets, and scrubbed 2 bathrooms from top to bottom in record time just so I could inhale the heavenly fragrance.

Mrs. Meyers Clean Day in Geranium! I tried the lavender scent a few years ago and it was nice and all but I didn't buy it again. Yesterday I went to the Waverley Ace Hardware (that is located in a repurposed old post office, tres cute) and I tracked this down by scent alone. I actually went there for paint but the scent was so irresistible it came home with me too!
My sister also strong armed me into getting a Shark steam mop that is pretty freakin' awesome, so I'm well on my way to becoming an OCD cleaning junkie.

The crazy rain has kept activities at a minimum and an unplanned spring scrub kinda crept up on me. What are your plans for spring?

It's electric, part deux

2010-03-14T17:58:00.003-04:00

These are the lights that need replacing

1/ classy bare bulb in the back staircase needs a sconce, I'm looking for something gilded and delicate, and we are planning on painting this staircase a deep turquoise
2/ the second landing has a plaster ceiling medallion and is currently sporting another classy bare bulb- the medallion makes it difficult to find a good one
3/ entry light with a home depot fixture that doesn't fit at all, will be replaced by the Edison bulb in a glass sphere (see last post)

If you happen to see anything, drop me a line.

It's Electric

2010-03-06T09:13:00.007-05:00

i've been seesawing back and forth on light fixtures for some time now (read six months) i have a huge fear of buying the wrong thing and of course i have been trolling the interwebs because I'm not happy with what I see in the local home stores. It is difficult to balance classic and modern. We have three lights that need replacing in very high traffic areas. I had a them all pre-purchased in my mind and then i decided to confer with M who agreed on only one of them, sad. The picture above is the light that we actually agree on, a handblown glass sphere encased Edison bulb, for only $149, or only $124! if you count the 4 year old gift card that I used to buy this baby from pottery barn

this is from anthropologie for a cool $398

or this beauty from ylighting
found on remodelista for $475

So pottery barn might not be your speed but don't underestimate it. xo
some other light ideas that i've been eyeing, schoolhouse electric (thanks to anna at door sixteen) and remodelista

2010-03-04T20:34:00.003-05:00

today was fast and unremarkable, but this picture makes me actually stop and take a breath and smile.

next up light fixture musings, what does one put in a house that pre-dates electricity?

but for now a moment of peace and a cup of hot tea...

image found on le love

The Shining (a feel good version)

2010-02-23T21:40:00.004-05:00

This makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Biscuit Sunday

2010-02-21T12:47:00.005-05:00

I've tried for some time to find a good biscuit recipe. I like my biscuits buttery flaky and easy to make and I don't cook with shortening. This recipe has never failed me yet and is easy to experiment with. Try it out and let me know if you like it.

2.5 cups of all purpose flour (I like King Arthur)
2.5 teaspoons of baking powder
1 Tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick) chilled and firm.
3/4 cup of milk
1 egg lightly beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. In a large bowl mix your dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Depending on my mood I use up to one cup of whole wheat flour in this mix, but the recipe is great with all white flour too. Cut the butter up into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your hands, break up the butter into pea sized pieces (similar to a pie crust method) and incorporate evenly into the dry mix. It should look like crumbs. Add the milk and stir with a fork, pulling the dough off of the sides of a bowl. The dough is pretty dry at this point. Add the egg and using your hands incorporate it evenly into the dough, pulling up all the dry bits from the bottom of the bowl.

Don't get overzealous in your kneading, just a few folds will do it. The less you worry the dough the better! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter if you are so inclined, I just use an inverted juice glass. Remember to roll up the dough scraps and keep cutting out more rounds. Biscuits from the second pass will not rise as high as the first so try to be as efficient as possible in your first cutting.
Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and pop them in the oven. Bake until tall and lightly browned 15-20 minutes.

I have no recollection as to where I found this recipe, but props to whomever posted it first!

2010-02-17T22:15:00.003-05:00

While housebound I made this little movie on my shiny new macbook. Posting delays ensued, but finally here it is! Hope it's toasty where you are.

Grizzly Bear, 2 weeks

all you need is love

2010-02-14T21:09:00.006-05:00

I love this Gustav Klimt painting, perfect time to use it.

I'm honestly not a Valentine's Day person, I consider it a sham holiday. This year is different, it's cold and wintry and cuddling sounds pretty good right about now. I also happened to discover Reese's valentine hearts... they are enormous heart shaped peanut butter filled goodness about the size of a large saucer! So M and I will be getting close, eating left-over pork lo mein and watching New York I Love You.
Happy Valentimes!

Snowmageddon '10

2010-02-09T13:00:00.008-05:00

This was day 1, Saturday

I took these pictures from the second story window, I was too chicken to go outside. You can see how heavy the snow was, by how the tree branches are sagging under it's weight. M went out twice to shovel but since we only have one shovel what was I to do? I manned the teakettle and supplied a steaming cup of cafe press coffee to my shoveler. We watched Groundhog Day, the perfect snowed in movie, made chocolate chip cookies with almonds and coconut and went to an impromptu potluck next door.

Day 2, Sunday
We and all the other neighbors on the block spent hours digging out our cars. Then we bundled up and ventured outside, the sun was shining and reflecting off of the pristine snow. The streets weren't clear and a few crazy people decided to drive, but they were getting stuck all over the place. I wanted to go sledding but alas we just went for a two hour walk. Wyman Park Dell appeared to be the sledding spot for the neighborhood but many sidewalks were still piled high with snow and we had to fight to get there walking through 3 feet of snow at times, and against all common sense I suddenly threw myself into a snowdrift with a little "Wheee!" sound. It was cold but worth it, except M just thought I lost my footing and fell down.

Day 3
We walked to Charles Village Pub, a small joint for locals and JHU students, as driving still wasn't a very good idea. We had dinner and saw a weather update predicting more snow! We walked home and debated on whether to hit up the grocery, but as my feet were numb we decided against it.

It was really neat to see our neighbors shoveling their walks, digging out their cars, and walking from place to place. It really feels like a neighborhood. People don't move around much in winter and it has been pretty sleepy around here.

Day 4
We made an early trek to the supermarket around the corner, it was crowded with people and cars in the parking lot. Eggs and milk were nowhere to be found but we picked up some other necessities and took a rather circuitous route home due to alleys and streets blocked by mountains of snow. The weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow is pretty bleak, the prediction is 12-18 inches of more snow! It is falling as I type this in fat heavy snowflakes that are already clinging to the sidewalk and cars. I heard that this winter may break the total snow accumulation record for the region.
I'm starting to get cabin fever already.

How does your garden grow?

2010-02-04T21:31:00.006-05:00

I am going to have a garden this year, and I don't care what it takes. It is also February and a blizzard is headed this way. So it is quite easy to get inspired by projects that are unattainable.
I'm going to make it happen, I want heirloom tomatoes!
Scented Geraniums, particularly Rose of Attar if you must know...
Lilacs, Hostas, Gardenias and all of the fresh herbs I can eat.
I found a lovely online garden supply shop that will hold your order until the proper growing season for your region, Mountain Valley Growers.
This way I won't be able to back out.

To find more swoon-worthy garden photographs like the one above check out Studio G

UPDATE!:
I chatted up my new neighborhood friends and was strongly advised from putting edibles in the backyard due to the high heavy metal content of the soil, we're talking lead not White Snake. (sigh) maybe I can find some cool planter boxes instead for the tomatoes and herbs but I'm still going to go ahead with the decoratives.

Treasures

2010-01-30T19:00:00.007-05:00

Sometimes I forget how satisfying it is to go thrifting, I drool over expensive antiques like these Thonet chairs here or overpriced junk from big box furniture stores and lament about my lack of furniture. Last weekend I left the house and ended up on the south side of Baltimore rummaging through crockery and broken lamps at the Goodwill. It was a very fruitful endeavor if I do say so myself. I found a silver plated dish that is now cradling my perfumes and a cheeky change dish for M's dresser, if it will catch all that wayward change I would be beside myself. Here is what I am most excited about though, my new bentwood chairs,

They are a bit rickety and need some maintenance but for $6 you can't beat it and upon further inspection they were made in Yugoslavia, which isn't even a country anymore! How cool is that? The home-done upholstery job is a worn dark blue velvet that I actually really like, this could only have been a better find if there were four of them.

I had some pretty good luck in the kitchenwares aisle too. I found this adorable set black with tarnish.

It's a silver plated 3 piece tea service, I polished the outside, I'm just not sure what to use on the inside...

I also picked up this ugly lovely chair,

I love mustard color anything, and tufted mustard velveteen is just over the top for me. I'm not usually a big fan of cane on furniture but it works here. And if you look closely at the paperback it is an old edition of a William Blake collection, with a beautiful mustard and red cover, such a score. Even more impressive is that I fit all of these items into my little Honda Civic.

So what are you waiting for? Get out and hunt.

Dining Room Reveal!

2010-01-25T18:36:00.001-05:00

Teaser photo shot from the front parlor.....It is already better and brighter even from so far away!

The hated color before the transformation...

I am so excited that we actually accomplished something! Sounds lame I know, but there seem to be so many glaring eyesores in the house that demand attention. This one was my personal nemesis. I enjoy color, and I really like red, however, blood red walls in a dining room with almost no natural light and a dim fixture is a recipe for disaster. Every time we ate in this room I felt like I was in the belly of a beast. So naturally it was the first "not necessary" project that I embarked upon.

Not necessary is definitely not quite the same thing as unnecessary...

With floodlights on the walls, the color doesn't look so awful, but I don't care to dine in the glow of 100 W bulbs...

It took 3 coats of Kilz stain-blocking primer and 3 weekends to finish the job. It really wasn't that time consuming, it was just kind of boring and hard. I was in favor of painting after two coats of primer but M was adamant that we should do another, he was probably right. The new color is a light grey that reminds me of bleached oyster shells, two coats of Benjamin Moore--Lacy Pearl. We also followed my mum's advice and hit up the dingy ceiling with one coat of paint. We used Benjamin Moore ceiling paint, it is white and flat and gives a slight contrast.

Here are some final pictures with natural light. It mights seem bland, but I love the minimalist/clean feel of it, especially in such a dim room. We ended up buying 1.5 cans too much so I think this color may go well in the office too since it gets limited natural light and the walls up there are currently the color of rancid butter....my little mind is whirring at 100 mph with projects and fixits right now! Oh how I wish I could just focus on the house for a month straight.

And one final one of the room put back together. I need to find a sideboard, a Shaker bench and some interesting things to put on the walls. I'm hoping to score a few of those old 2 foot high galvanized milk jugs next time we head to Wisconsin, and I'm currently obsessed with mercury glass, odd mixture I know but I think it will turn out well.

I have a hoard of things to post about, namely some delicious thrift finds, come back soon my dears!

The Best Roast Chicken Recipe Ever To Battle Your Winter Blues

2010-01-18T18:25:00.001-05:00

I know, it is the silent, dark, dreariest part of winter. The holidays are over and there aren't any festivities on the horizon. We are all on diets, or at least watching our plates. We are tired and grumpy and exhausted after work. What's that you say? A quick, thoughtless recipe that will provide me with victuals for at least two days? And it's healthy? Nonsense!
No really, I'm quite serious, and if you're a good little kitchen mouse you can get the added bonus of a great broth by boiling down the leftovers! (and if you are just too tired, throw that carcass in the freezer for up to 6 weeks) Chicken soup to defeat your winter sniffles? Yep it is all here.
We get most of our groceries from the 32nd St. Farmer's Market, and we have a great meat vendor. Once a week I buy a roasting chicken. It seemed daunting at first, but I tried a few different recipes and found one that knocked my socks off. It doesn't require any fancy spices or doodads that normal people don't have in their kitchen's and it is absolutely delicious. This recipe is casual enough for a weeknight and fancy enough for guests. Just remember that you need at least one hour of roasting time. The secret bonus to this recipe is that the enchanting aroma of roast chicken will pervade your entire house, free aromatherapy! This recipe was found on Epicurious.com Actually I just double checked and the original recipe is titled, "My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken Recipe" Courtesy of Thomas Keller, ok now I understand. (Thomas Keller is the famous chef/restaurateur of French Laundry fame) But let's get on with it.

Okay, here is the ingredient list:

One 2-3 pound farm raised chicken
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Butter, optional
Dijon Mustard, optional

Here are the directions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird.
Now, salt the outside of the chicken— (about 1 tablespoon). Just sprinkle it liberally all over and don't bother to rub it in. Season to taste with pepper and a dash of your favorite spice mix, if you want.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven and leave it alone— don't baste it, don't add butter. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes.
Feel free to use this time to take a long soak, handle some overdue chores, do a jigsaw puzzle or have a glass of wine or two. I mean it, it really is 1 hour of free time, don't feel obligated to linger in the kitchen. After your lengthy break and the ding of the timer, remove the chicken from the oven. Baste the chicken with the juices, let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Now here is my favorite part of the directions! Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Portion up the rest of the bird to fit your dinner needs. Slather the meat with fresh butter and serve with mustard on the side. This recipe is idiot proof, and goes well with many different sides. We have this about once a week, it is especially good in the colder months because the oven toasts up the kitchen quite nicely. Try it out, I promise that you won't be disappointed.

To Be Modern or Not To Be...?

2010-01-09T20:13:00.000-05:00

I love this fan! It is a MinkaAire F602 modern twin-turbo fan in brushed nickel.
It is industrial and attractive, and it actually performs. After seeing it in action, I know that it packs a powerful breeze and will lay waste to the dog days of a Mid-Atlantic summer. M doesn't really like it and even I'm on the fence about how it would actually look in our house. I'm not sure if it is too modern for an old brick row-home. It definitely works in a loft space, or modern glass dwelling. I just don't know if it would work for our place. What do you think?

Yea or Nay?

p.s. We're finally painting! It wasn't planned at all, but I hope it works out.

Johnnie's Pastrami

2010-01-01T17:12:00.000-05:00

Throughout my time in LA, I ate as many enchiladas, tamales, breakfast burritos and tacos as possible, per my usual custom. However my father is obsessed with the West Coast pastrami, also called a hot pastrami, so we ended up at Johnnie's Pastrami in Culver City, CA. First of all the diner is tiny, they only accept cash and they give you a bottomless dish of delicious pickles while you choose your order. Picnic tables are located on both sides of the building for overflow. There are dogs and burgers on the menu but I only have eyes for the hot pastrami. At 10.95 it seems expensive but when it arrives you know why. Almost as large as a loaf of bread, piled high with moist, thinly sliced pastrami, served piping hot. The sandwich is best shared or hoarded for a second meal, but it is nearly impossible to finish alone. I am an avowed pastrami hater and Johnnie's has converted me. If you are ever in the area check it out.

Happy Merry Fun Times

2010-01-01T15:16:00.000-05:00

I've been busy, but here is a run-down of the holidays.
I am not much of a decorator to begin with and lack of general furniture prevented me from pulling out piles of ribbon or buying that olive wood nativity I was eyeing in Fell's Point. To put it succinctly, we have a 5 bedroom row home and only enough furniture to fill a 2 bedroom apartment. We have four chairs, 3 of them match and two of them are in the office. If we ever have company I guess we could haul them downstairs to the dining room...So there wasn't much to decorate anyway. We contemplated a tree, but we have a new member of the family who I was loathe to introduce to a Christmas tree with shiny hanging objects...enter Raven. She is an adorable Bombay that we adopted from the Baltimore SPCA http://mdspca.org a week before Thanksgiving. I didn't realize how much I missed having a pet. She is playful, and affectionate and exactly what we needed. So instead of precarious decorations we put a handmade wreath on the front door (from the 32nd St Farmer's Market that operates YEAR ROUND!) and we hung up the two Christmas cards we received this year, ahem family, and then we started to pack...

Our first holiday journey involved a transcontinental flight to Southern California for Thanksgiving. We took the city in style, meaning in true LA fashion we drove everywhere and ate some amazing food. My favorite experience from the trip was visiting the Queen Mary in Long Beach
http://queenmary.com the retired super-luxe ocean liner from the 1930's, Drinking bloody mary's in the observation bar overlooking a windy Long Beach was amazing, and crawling through the Soviet submarine docked next to the Queen Mary was really interesting, I just don't recommend wearing a dress.
The next day more family arrived and we drove into the maze of Los Angeles, showing M the sights from the ever seedy Venice Beach, and the snotty Beverly Hills.

We returned home for a brief 3 weeks and headed out again but this time to chilly Milwaukee where the beer is good and the bratwurst is better. The coffee is actually damn good as well. We had a great time but our plans for sledding were foiled by sleety rain and standing engagements, but there is always hope for this year!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday season ~ what are your new year's resolutions?

Fall is falling

2009-11-03T22:24:00.000-05:00

The leaves are on the ground and no longer on the trees where they were just a few days ago. A few of the trees are still holding strong, their branches filled with golden and red leaves. Fall on the east coast is absolutely beautiful, but sadly, it seems to happen in the blink of an eye.

I would love to tell you that we have been so busy working on the house that I haven't been able to write. The truth is that progress has ground to a halt. Some highlights of my slovenliness include Laura coming to visit (yay!) It was terribly rainy and cold, we took this as a sign to indulge in cocoa with brandy and strong hot rum cider! M and I were lumberjacks for Halloween, but we were unable to find axes in time so the trees went unmolested. I have arranged our holiday travel plans and other pressing needs. Now back to the hearth and home, painting commences this weekend and I predict that it is going to be a wild ride. I painted as an adolescent at the behest of my mother with the promptings of some cold hard cash, but now it is all up to me and I have been looking for TSP powder for months! Does anyone know of a good substitute? I may have to use diluted dish-soap.

Wine!

2009-10-11T20:51:00.000-04:00

We have a cavernous basement, I mean, it is absolutely huge and empty, not to mention dark and creepy. I thought and M thought that it would be a great place for a wine cellar. We aren't yuppie enough yet for the de facto wine fridge in the kitchen and if you have seen our kitchen, it needs much more than a wine fridge to spruce it up ...Yet the basement, however, gives multitudinous possibilities.

I have loved drinking wine for some years, mostly 2 Buck Chuck or whatever I could afford. I definitely lean toward strong reds with mineral flavors. I don't care for sweet or jammy wines or many white wines, so my tastes may be different than yours. I've never purchased an entire case of wine, I was terrified at the thought, ( It's so much money!) We entertained the idea many times because we drink wine on the regular and spend more than we should by buying per bottle. Last week we went to one of the local wine shops just to grab some beers and a few bottles of wine. I casually asked the clerk what the discount was for a mixed case. He replied 15%!!!!! Holy smokes, I was grabbing bottles faster than you can say cheese. We experimented a bit and to be honest some of the bottles weren't so great, but most of them were (and discounted!)we're prepared for next time. This is what we found;

Grenache Noir - Domaine de Gournier, France
(Oops) - Cab Franc and Carmenere, Chile
Strong Arms - Shiraz, Southern Australia
Little James Basket Press - Vin de Table, France
Domaine de la Petit Cassagne - France
Albarino Burgans - Albarino, Spain (white)
Cassilero del Diablo - Carmenere, Chile

The Cassilero is an old standby, almost every one of their wines is satisfying and affordable. Their Carmenere is basically our standard Vin de Table. So the next time you think about buying a mixed case, just do it. We did and found some amazing new wines and saved some money, but it is surprising how quickly they go.

le cuisine

2009-10-04T23:13:00.000-04:00

Our weekend wasn't as simple and idyllic as usual. We were engaged to attend two functions, one being the DIY art opening of a friend in the funky neighborhood of Hampden, the wedding of two close friends way out beyond Frederick,(read 60+ miles) I can triumphantly say that we made it to both just in time. My natural proclivity to slothfulness almost killed both events. Jen's art show was awesome. Saturday however was another story, getting trapped and lost in city traffic,then driving at NASCAR speeds on the Intersate we entered the church at a run and were forced to hop over the bride's train to get a seat. Not the most classy of entrances, but we made it and drank much to the bride and groom's health at the reception. That left Sunday to do house things, and nothing much got done. I organized a linen closet and M decided, after 2 episodes of Anthony Bourdain and 1 bottle of wine, that it was a good time to take out the window a/c in the living room. Enter much groaning and many expletives as he hauled the unit down to the basement.In lieu of actual progress I am left with views of the kitchen and our new awesome fridge!

All talk, No action

2009-09-27T00:44:00.000-04:00

Today I slept in, ignored my alarm clock, missed the Farmer's Market [http://www.32ndstreetmarket.org] didn't make breakfast, or lunch, and didn't get out of my pajamas until after 3 p.m.
To put it simply, it was wonderful!

It was gray all day with a heavy threat of rain, a cold breeze has been blowing through the house, scenting everything with that fall smell of wet leaves and damp pavement. I got dressed, got out of the house and as we were on the stoop, our lovely neighbor told us that a real bad storm was coming, enter immediate scurrying on three levels to shut storm windows and lower the flaking double hung warped wood windows down inside of them. The rain started as we were driving through the city and the smell of fall leaves hung like a heavy perfume.

We were on a mission to buy a new refrigerator, the current one pisses freezer water all over the interior of the fridge compartment, we could get it repaired but who knows how much that will cost, and the ice cubes taste like used dental floss anyway. Luckily, we received a house-warming present in the form of a gift card and with Energy Star rebates, we are now in the market for a new fridge! I have been eyeing a 21 cubic ft Samsung model for some time now, it's quite pricey for our budget but I am adamant about having a bottom freezer/ top fridge. So my Saturday was spent dreamily wandering the aisles of our local home improvement mega-store, stuffing paint sample cards in my purse like a klepto and sizing up step ladders. We're scheduled for a refrigerator delivery and haul away on Sunday, WOOT!
So after my jubilant consumer experience I am sipping wine on my back porch, smoking my tasty deathly cigarettes and I hear a raucous party going on 3 row homes down. I think, "Hey I should go check it out!" in my flannel pajama pants and threadbare V neck tee, it would be fun right? Then all of sudden I hear a veritable Greek choros of young drunk absolutely white girls start belting out the words to the theme song of the 90's sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and as the strains of Yo Holmes Smell Ya Later reach my ears I'm reaching for another glass of wine and turning back to my book of poetry for underachieving community college students, and am steadfast in my appraisal that I am fine just right where I am.

Stoop scrubbing, general landscaping and common kitchen electrocution.

2009-09-20T15:10:00.000-04:00

Lately we have been taking it slow, ignoring the glaring eyesores during the workweek and attacking projects with fervor on the weekends. Honestly there doesn't seem to be any other way to do it, there just isn't enough time in the day. I am still unpacking boxes and ummm... duffel bags,don't judge me, it's actually a really easy way to pack clothes!

This weekend, for some reason, we focused on the exterior of the house. Michael has been itching to cut down the weeds out front, which were about 3 1/2 feet tall, guarding our front stoop like the entrance to Jumanji. Also M tore out all the leaves, weeds and garbage surrounding our tiny tree at the curb, and laid down some brick.We plan on putting down some ground cover soon.

I scrubbed our front stoop with a brush and generous amounts of Bon Ami scouring powder, I couldn't believe how white they became, and they are actually marble not dirty concrete!

I also gave the kitchen a Darby level scour, and used our new Shop Vac on all the baseboards to get all the nasty bits up. When I was pulling the 3 prong out of the socket, it wouldn't come out. The plastic socket cover actually started to pull away from the wall so I grasped the plug a bit more firmly and instantly felt my skull vibrating, Yelping, I ripped my hand away from the plug, which was still firmly in the outlet, tripped over the Shop Vac and exited the kitchen. M eventually unplugged it for me : )

Next weekend we plan on mouse-proofing the house, I will post some pics of some really sketchy looking holes in the floor and baseboards, please comment with advice or tips!

Ratatouille- easier than I thought

2009-09-12T12:06:00.000-04:00

It is a chilly gray Saturday morning and we have so much to do. I just wanted to post picutres from dinner last night. I made ratatouille from the contents of our CSA box.(One Straw Farm) We got the most beautiful little aubergines and I couldn't resist trying something new.

It turned out really well, I mean, Michael was raised in cow centric Wisconsin and he didn't even mind the absence of meat. I used a non-traditional cooking method. I just chopped all the veggies, splashed some olive oil and kosher salt on them and roasted them in the oven at 375F for 50 minutes. I then made a simple tomato sauce on the stove. I sauteed onions in olive oil, then just placed tomatoes in the pan and seared them until the juice and flesh separated from skin, then I added fresh basil and parsley, one bay leaf and a handful of dried rosemary, and salted to taste. After the vegetables were done roasting I placed them in a bowl, topped them with the simple tomato sauce and placed some cheddar slices on top. The recipe called for Padano or something else equally fancy, but we get this great cheese from the 32nd Street Farmer's Market
Broom's Bloom Dairy, Hot Pepper Creswell Cheddar, we put it on everything!
http://www.bbdairy.com/
It was really hearty and warm, perfect for the cold rainy night!

Do not hurry, do not rest...

2009-09-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Hello all, this is my humble room of an office where I blog from, we have one window that overlooks the alley behind our house and mainly showcases our neighboring rowhome but we get a decent breeze and we will get everything up and running soon...i hope

Here is the main staircase, it wraps around way too many times for decent sized furniture, but we have a lovely skylight right above that provides great light.

This is the back stairway, it used to be the servants staircase, but we just call it the staircase of death since the steps are only 5 or 6 inches in depth and that handrail has already saved me a few times

This is our temporary bedroom at the back of the house. (Probably will be the guest room in the future.)It is definitely still a work in progress but I got the curtains up and my scratchy wool Army blanket on the bed and that makes me happy. Just to be honest, I was very judicious in my picture taking, we have a few rooms and areas that are still an absolute disaster but it is finally the weekend and I am sure we will get around to it.

One long week, an unexpected windfall, and rain on red bricks

2009-09-11T16:01:00.000-04:00

I haven't written all week, and have made no real progress on the house, in fact we may have regressed. Last night we attended a charity benefit for Believe in Tomorrow, (www.believeintomorrow.org) It was held at the Bay Cafe in Canton, (area of Bmore). I ended up being the 1st winner of the evening, $500! It was a really good time. Michael almost won the grand prize of $10,000 but was eliminated in the last round. I am planning on putting that money towards a new refrigerator, as our current one is dripping water all over our CSA veggies. Here are some pictures of the house, let me know what you think and if you have any advice or suggestions!
xo
mina

Beautiful Light Fixture from Eos Mexico Studio

2009-09-06T12:34:00.000-04:00

http://www.geekalerts.com/birds-on-a-wire-beautiful-illumination

I think this may be the perfect first addition to our new home....

2009-09-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

Making This House a Home

2009-09-06T11:49:00.000-04:00

So I finally got this off the ground. We moved into our home last weekend and just got our mitts on internet. Needless to say it was a very long week... The house in gaining some semblance of order and I was able to make the bed and wash all of the curtains. The weather has been nice and cool lately which is a blessing since the only AC's we have are window units in varying states of disrepair. We're still living out of suitcases and boxes but I was able to actually cook dinner last night (Chicken Mole)! Pictures will follow as soon as the rooms are picked up a bit, but for now feast your eyes on kite flying at Ft. McHenry.