Cooking With Figs

I made a fig compote appetizer for a party a couple weeks ago. The compote was mediocre, but it may only be because I had to transport and assemble the ingredients on a warm May day. 

Using this Martha recipe, make sure to simmer the red wine double the time indicated.

I had an abundance of leftover figs to use up, so the following weekend Chasen improvised with a pizza recipe adding figs, caramelized onions, ricotta, mozzarella and roasted garlic. I'm not sure if I loved it because the figs added a sweetness to the pizza (I'm a slave to my sweet tooth) or if it was just an amazing combination of ingredients, but it's become my new favorite pizza!

I managed to use the remaining figs in a dessert last night. They were chopped and sauteed for about 10 minutes in brown sugar and served them over vanilla ice cream with a dribble of honey. Yum.

What I Want In A Home

Chase and I moved to Philadelphia in 2009 with little money and zero knowledge of the city.  We found our first place having only 1.5 days to look and less than 2 weeks before our wedding. It was an oppressively hot July day, and after trekking up 3 flights of stairs to finally see an apartment that seemed livable, we signed the lease and were flooded with relief.  Somehow in the five minutes the realtor took us through the 900 square feet of space, I didn’t notice the popcorn ceilings, the lack of air in the third floor walkup, the teeny tiny bathroom with zero storage, or the gally kitchen with a refrigerator that belonged in a dollhouse. We spent a full year in that apartment before moving, and although it wasn’t an easy year for many reasons, I will always look back on it with happy memories.

During my search of over 30 possible future cities to move next year, I have been longingly looking at listings showing beautiful apartments with tall windows and old hardwood floors, green spaces in the back and multiple bathrooms. I allow myself to dream when I am grumble over our lack of entertaining space (“No we can’t have friends to dinner; where would they sit?!”) and miniscule closets. Someday I will have a spare bedroom.  Someday I will be able to let my cats wander through our fenced-in yard.  It seems that HGTV has convinced us as Americans that we all need 2,000 square feet, a stainless steel kitchen and mass acreage in our backyards.  A post on For Me For You has challenged my thinking and allows me to consider moving to another apartment similar to the one we are currently in. My husband recently admitted to me that he never wants a large home because he enjoys the closeness we have in our one bedroom. We rarely have to yell for one another, our space is not cluttered and easy to clean, and things are always less lonely when you actually feel the presence of the person you live with. I have begun to picture a future with my husband (and perhaps kids!) in a little bungalow with just enough space for us to be comfortable.  I believe it is more important to live in a desirable location and in a happy home than one that is aesthetically perfect and inappropriately sized.

Murder Mystery Party

We were invited to a Murder Mystery Party on Saturday night, and it was quite an experience. Thrown together at the last minute, I thought our outfits nicely represented the 1920's. The food was great. The drinks were great. The cake was FANTASTIC.  It was only the concept that was lacking. Perhaps my personality is not one that can easily adapt to pretending to be a character in a script and acting out ideas that are part of a game, but I found myself uncomfortable with the idea about 15 minutes in. The more everyone else drank, the more clues in the game were uncovered and the acting became more outrageous. The more I drank, the more I wanted the whole charade to come to an end so we could hang out with our friends as if at a normal party.  This did not happen, and the murders continued on for around 2.5 hours. One girl in particular, refused to speak to me without referring to me as "mother" (our characters were mother and daughter), and this only lead me to be awkward and embarrassed.  Eventually Chasen and I thanked the hosts and slunk out the front door, not caring who had committed the murders, and not really being able to follow who was even dead at all. For those of you who would like to attempt a Murder themed party, you can find directions and purchase a kit here.  The hosts organized an amazing party, but I'm just not destined to be an actress any time soon.

A Visit With Leo

I spent two days with my new nephew Leo, and he tricked me into thinking I need a baby of my own. Leo laughed after my tickles, smiled at my jokes and burrowed his little chubby neck into my shoulder when I propped him on my hip.  It was so wonderful to be able to watch him take his bath and get him dressed for bed. While walking around Central Park, everyone was drawn to us via Leo's deep blue eyes and matching hat. I've never been so popular in my life.  Luckily, being able to read trashy magazines on my bus ride home and sleeping past 9 on Sunday reminded me that I savor my non-baby life, but for two days last weekend, I felt having a little Leo as my sidekick would complete me. 

DC Take 2: With the Greig's!

I'm a little behind in my blog posting, but I wanted to share some photos from our trip to DC two weekends ago. We had a great time catching up with with everyone and spending time together exploring the city.  DC is a little overdone tourism-wise for Chase and I, but getting to see things through the eyes of people who have never been made it completely fresh and exciting. The weather was warm, and the streets were filled with people like us taking in the sites. Some of the highlights from the weekend are below. The first photo is of children I don't know, but I had to snag a picture because it was one of the cutest moments ever captured!

 World's first bike!

Five Simple Ingredients

One of the small bites we tried while at tapas in Providence was so inspiring I decided to try to replicate it at home this past week. There isn't much involved in the preparation, as there are only 5 ingredients to compile: crusty bread, goat cheese, smoked salmon, capers and honey. While the result wasn't nearly as good as the fresh salmon they used at the restaurant, it was simple and worth repeating.  The flavors meld together to create a pleasant taste combination containing components of sweet, smokey, and salty. I really can't pinpoint any other dish I've had that brings together so many different and contrasting flavors. 

It also didn't hurt that I used expensive honey gifted by a co-worked after a recent trip to Italy.

Greeting Cards for May

For all of the celebrations coming up in May, I decided to avoid buying greeting cards and just make them myself.  I purchased some basic colored note cards and envelopes, fancy paper for lining, and I used glitter  pens and stamps from my personal collection.

A simple guide to lining envelopes~

1. Measure the length and width of the envelope you will use, subtracting about a 1/4 inch all the way around. Trace your measurements onto strong card stock, or even an empty cereal box. Cut out the template to use with the fancy paper. 

2, Once you have your fancy paper, use your template to trace and cut the envelope liners. Make sure to trace the plain side up, so the lining paper won't show pencil marks later.

3. Stick your newly cut liner into the envelope and fold over the top to meet the seam of the actual envelope flap.  Once the flap can be established...

4. glue the entire flap closed to adhere to the original envelope.

5. Successfully lined envelope!

I had fun with different birthday stamps and Mothers Day flowered stamps.  It's such a thrifty way to save on greeting cards, and I think adding a personal touch is more special anyways.