last day of break...

Sunday blues were bound to hit hard at the end of a two week break, but there is no better way to mourn vacation days gone by than with a leisurely midday brunch... in pajamas.

All of the usual suspects found their way to the skillet: eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Still something was missing. The words "pear mimosa" playfully spilled from my lips, fondly recalling a brunch at Cafeteria on 17th St. Jordan, knowing just when to take my teasing for a serious request, reminded me of the sparkling wine rolling around the bottom of the refrigerator. I enthusiastically added there were pears in the fruit bowl! We were off. Well, more accurately, he was off. Jordan threw a peeled pear into the blender and added the resulting puree to two glasses of sparkling wine. mmm... goodbye blues.

There are recipes available that use pear nectar and add vanilla vodka. Smooth and tempting, but our impromptu version suited me just fine. I like a little texture in my drink. I want to feel fresh fruit swishing down the hatch. A hint of vanilla sounds quite nice. Maybe next time.

six months earlier...

october

*An October wedding prompted a pilgrimage to foodie mecca, northern California. The entire state, engorged with an excessive harvest, burst at its seams. The wedding was an event worthy of its own post. We took advantage of the westcoast crops (rice, fresh dates, nuts, Rancho Gordo beans, etc.).

* Back in New York, Kiwiberries were a delicious end of season surprise.

november
* Outside of my apartment at 10:45 pm on a brisk November night, Jay Dines of Dines Farms pulled a 10 lbs. turkey from the back of his truck and handed it over. We managed to prepare an entirely local thanksgiving, including two pies, in our pajamas. Perfect.


december
* We celebrated 8 nights of hannukah and decorated an Organic Pagan Tree from Keith’s Farm.
* Under the tree: the iRoast personal coffee roaster, a home cheese-making kit, and 4 full seasons of River Cottage with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall on DVD, and a tent for 2.

january
* Country Living. We moved our operation upstate to welcome the New Year fireside. Plenty of snow fall this year. We had a deliciously local dinner with friends at Stone and Thistle Farms and took time to ponder real estate opportunities.

february
* Made the move. After years of studio living, I’ve moved to a perfect one-bedroom. To my good fortune, the new place comes with a built-in boyfriend.

march
* The Locabar. It is not much, but it is local. We have bought our fair share of local wines, but cold March nights called for something stiffer. Inspired by our evening at Stone and Thistle Farms, I sought out a range of local liquors for Jordan’s birthday gift this year.

spring cleaning

It was clear that as the academic year picked up, my commitment to keeping a blog withered. A wider gap between posts turned to a couple of drafts wanting attention, to some photos on the desktop, to some photos in the camera, until finally to a mere passing thought… I should write about this or that.

Fortunately, in the spirit of spring, I’ve concocted a two-part remedy.

Part One: Spring Cleaning

A quick list-like post to breath life into all those mid-winter ideas lying dormant.

Part Two: Time to Grow

Behind the scenes, I’ll admit I have less than perfect time management skills. Luckily, spring feels like the right time to bust into self-improvement mode. Ironically, developing better time management will require time, so baby steps are to be expected.