Freckled Citizen

Meal of Love II

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:03:00 +0000

Remember last year when we made Valentine's Dinner at home together? Remember me talking about how much I hate going out to eat on V-Day, and how much more romantic it is to stay in? Remember our curried mussels and the first date that never was? Remember the pact we made to cook together every Valentine's Day, to make something new to us?

Here's last night's menu. Recipes to come the rest of the week!

We had so much fun last night.

How did you celebrate?

All you need is love

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:38:00 +0000

I've always liked Valentine's Day. Not because of romantic relationships, but because of the sentiment. Love, laughter, smiles, warmth... these are good things. There should be more of these things in the world. And so however you choose to honor love, laughter, smiles, and warmth... just do it. Do it today. Do it every day. Honor love in all your relationships.

Honor it in your friendships.

Honor it in your family.

And yes, honor it in your romances.

Sarcasm can only take us so far, after all. It feels so much better to smile than to roll your eyes, don't you think?

Party hangover

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:47:00 +0000

Subtitle: Advice I Should Have Asked for Last Week

'Twas a good party. And like many big events, as fun as it was, I'm happy it's over. I adore hosting, but now that we've had our intimate 40-person (!) gathering, I can settle into the type of entertaining I prefer: small group gatherings or having another couple over for dinner. Hosting lots of folks means lots of pressure. It's loud, silly fun, but it's pressure. Saturday night was also, by the way, one of DC's most blustery nights to date. At times there were whiteout conditions outside - not exactly conducive to partying on the back patio with the keg, twinkling lights, and fire pit. And so our house was bursting to the seams. Of course, one could argue we asked for such weather:

So on the heels of successfully hosting a big crowd (well, big for our small house!) on a truly fun night, here are a few things I'm happy we don't have to do again any time soon:

Have glassware on hand for 40+ people (but can you believe not a single glass was broken?)
Quickly open new bottles of wine and prosecco (too much pressure when someone's watching and waiting with an empty glass! ps: Can you tell I was never a waitress? )
Not have enough time for everyone (I hate barely getting to talk to folks I haven't seen in ages)
Make quick introductions (I prefer more natural introductions where folks who don't know one another can ease into conversation. That's much better than "X meet X, you have X in common - bye!")
Stress about food (there's either too little, too much, or too something, but there's always stress about it)

What a night... capped off with a very loud Whitney Houston tribute courtesy of our friend Alex at 2 a.m., of course! (Apologies to my in-laws who were sleeping upstairs.)

I'd love to know... what are your lessons learned from hosting big shindigs? Any tips to manage food, drinks, and the delicate social balance that is tons of people you know in various ways all thrown together in your living room? You probably know me well enough if you're reading to understand that I have too much yuppie guilt to hire caterers or people to help out, so while I appreciate those suggestions, I'm especially interested in hearing from fellow I-Can-Do-It-All-ers. We are a stubborn crew, aren't we?

PS: I still have lots of dish-washing to do. Yesterday was our lazy recovery day, and I have no guilt about that.

Mission accomplished

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:51:00 +0000

In an uncharacteristic move, our downstairs projects are done with time to spare. Finishing Wednesday night as opposed to Saturday afternoon, at the last possible second before folks come over? Impossible! But true.

The details: Wall torn down, closet reframed and rebuilt inside, some new pieces acquired, and existing art rearranged.

The view coming down the stairs (and here's the view before):

I painted the inside of our front door red on a lunch break Monday (this is how one gets a massive To Do list accomplished before a rushed party deadline, by the way). I love it so much... why didn't I tackle that project ages ago? I also finally threw out the awful entry rug left behind by the previous owners, which I'd yell at for being ugly at least once a week but somehow never got around to replacing. Also, I think we can all agree that our next lighting project needs to involve a dramatic pendant light for the entryway, right? Framed in that gorgeous light coming in from the transom? It's a must-do. As for the console table, it works as a cozy space for us to drop keys and mail without being too obtrusive for passersby or the stairs.

Allow me introduce our two new beauties (which are not new to you at all if you follow me on Instagram)... the Dolly twins! We found these as floor models at two different stores and never looked back. Floor model acquisitions were the only way we could quickly furnish the "new" room, and at a steep discount to boot, so I'm thrilled that we struck gold with Dolly I and Dolly II. We've been trying to get away from how low and bulky our existing furniture is, so our goals with chairs were for them to have legs and not be squared-off. The rounded backs work great for the entryway function of the room, since they don't create the effect of being a new wall. That would be silly, since we paid someone to remove the wall for us and all... (PS: When is Fanny going to get a job modeling furniture and start paying rent?)

Bonus regarding the Dollies: super-comfy. Right, Fanny? We're going to eventually replace our trunk coffee table behind her with something leggier, and likely put in a storage bench or two square storage ottomans under that painting... but not this week.

Here's the view back to the fireplace wall, where I finally tackled another project that's been on my list for ages: painting the interior of the little shelves the same green as the wall. Everything looks much more composed right now (although that sprawling pile of firewood: maybe not so much... at least it's cold again!). We also redid the cords for the unfortunately sized television, which resulted in a freak accident where T got five stitches and then removed them at his office desk, but that's another story. This, however, I can say quite literally - we put blood into this room re-do!

I'm going to save our nerdy hall closet rebuild for next time - get excited!! Hee hee... thanks for playing along, folks. Show and Tell is way more fun this way.

Now, let's all say it together: CROWN MOULDING!

Two-year report (and a chandelier)

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:26:00 +0000

We had a friends over for dinner this weekend, and it was a night of great food and greater laughs underneath our new chandelier. It has just the right amount of rustic appeal (read: burlap) to make me happy, and couldn't be any cozier with dinner. It was a great night.

Yay dining room! Now just imagine it with crown moulding...
(nope, the projects never end)

This weekend was special for another reason, too: it marked two years since we moved to Washington D.C. Time flies, folks. It seems like not long ago at all that we arrived here during a freak snowstorm and then the movers from hell turned us into campers for three weeks. Buying our house a year and change after that? Feels like yesterday. But here we are, two years later. DC residents. Homeowners. Adults.

One thing is clear: DC has become home. Here's why:

Personal. I love living in a city alongside so many smart, engaged people. I love the friends I've made in DC, all of whom the District is lucky to call their own. Does DC have its fair share of idiots? You bet. (Do some hold elected office, too? No comment.) But DC's large percentage of citizens committed to public service, doing top-notch research, building campaigns for people or for issues, and trying their best to make the District or their country great... it's energizing. Ideas and passion are currency in DC, and that's exactly what I most wanted from a place I'd call home (not to mention necessary for a place where so many associations, organizations, and advocacy groups are based). I love the history in DC, especially the way that history juxtaposes with current development. My favorite places are ones where past and present brush against one another in interesting ways; this is DC in a nutshell. I'm eager to start digging into more of my Leslie Knope-style interests on a personal level, too... why not attend public meetings for fun as well as for work, right?

Geographical. T and I live basically in between our families. Does it get more perfect than that? For two folks who've wandered all over the country the last ten years, living within driving (or train-ing) distance of our hometowns is huge for us. Since moving here, we've been able to spend more time with our families than ever before, which has been so special after going without that for so long. It's also fun living in a place that's a pretty good draw for scheduled or impromptu visits from loved ones. Being back on the East Coast just feels right; it's who I am. Those New Mexico sunsets will never leave my heart, but at its core, it's the waves of the Atlantic (DC is driving distance to my beloved Outer Banks!) that matter most to me. From an urban form perspective, DC works for me, too. Walkable neighborhoods, a wealth of transit options, cultural amenities, businesses and residences jumbled together in dynamic ways... these are not just talking points, but components that I need to feel great about calling a place home. DC has them, and my ruined heels from old, uneven cobblestone sidewalks can attest to that.

Professional. It's a misnomer that everyone in DC works for the federal government - most do not. Neither T nor I do, although our work interfaces with government in important (and very different) ways. I maintain a strong separation between the personal and the professional on this blog, and that can be difficult for me, because sometimes I just want to chat about it online. (Some days I'd pay big money to be able to Tweet/respond to media/correct false statements/interject in work-related online conversations/columns/blog posts.) This is a biggie, though: I'm content with my professional workload for the first time in years. It's crucial for my brain and sense of self that I feel like I'm contributing to something bigger and making a place better. The project I work on is going to change how people live and move around DC, and that's humbling. Being part of a team that's doing its best to help make DC a better place to live matters to me quite a lot.

So that's the two-year report card. Life is good. I wonder what I'll say in another two years. I wonder if DC will ever get the vote. I wonder what's next.

Ding dong, the witch is dead...

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:18:00 +0000

I am perhaps over-estimating the impact the dreaded wall had on my psyche. But I really do feel like we removed a life-draining force from our house on demolition day. See for yourself:

Before

After

I know, right? You can see that we completely removed the angled wall and we cut down the closet wall by about one-third. We still have to rebuild the interior of the closet and obviously, re-furnish and re-decorate the empty space. We bargain-shopped some new pieces already and have one more on the way, but I'm also looking forward to the challenge of reusing some of our old favorites in new ways. Stay tuned on that front.

We really lucked out with the floor underneath the wall. We had no idea what kind of shape the wood be in, and we were thrilled when they pulled everything up to see only the faintest outline of where the wall was. You can spot the outline in the above photo, but here's a closer look. Note that we haven't had time to do anything to the floors yet - not even a simple cleaning! Life has been sort of madness around here - don't even ask what the kitchen looks like right now. So I expect the floors will look much better when they get a little TLC.

Speaking of needing some time to breathe, here's the kicker, and I expect you all to shake your heads at me: about a month ago, we planned a party at our place for next weekend. Let me rephrase: because I'm a crazy person, I put an insanely short deadline on this room's re-furnishing and re-decorating schedule. You know I can't have folks over with everything all undone, right?

So the next week should be interesting. I'll be the one hitting all the suburban HomeGoods with a timer attached to my belt loop. Not that I have anything else to do besides room decor, right?

[headdesk]

Zen-less

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:05:00 +0000

When I mentioned we were having some electrical work done, I didn't go into detail because, you know... it's electrical work. But one thing I had the guys do was install a new electrical outlet in the little basement-stair nook where we feed the cats. The nook is pretty nondescript, save for some tiny shelves where I collect ponytail holders, a bare lightbulb (ack! must cover that thing!), and this great print from one of my great-grandfather's runs for the State Legislature.

Yuppie alert: We wanted an outlet in this nook so that we could plug in a fancy watering system for the cats. (Whatever... you already knew we spoiled them.) Besides keeping their water fresher, we thought they'd love this because they're always intrigued by dripping/running faucets and such. So we were pretty smug that we were about to rock the cats' world with this thing. The choice of the actual watering system was harder than anticipated. You know that problem of scale when you're shopping versus when you're at home? It's how we ended up with a ginormous tv, when a "very large" tv would have sufficed. In the pet aisle, I had the opposite perspective problem - all of the watering systems seemed huge. Surely this isn't going to fit in the nook! We won't even be able to walk by this thing! And so we brought home something far smaller than necessary... but whatever.

After unpacking and repacking every watering system in the store, we selected "The Lotus." (Note: we did not pay anything close to full retail for this product.) It's small and discreet, there's not a big tacky logo on it, and because there are multiple water openings, they could both use it at the same time. Done.

So we brought home The Lotus and set it up, and the cats basically give us this expression for a few days:

No respect for the care we took selecting it, the hourly fee we paid to the electrician, or our concern for their health... nada.

Worse, though, is that another problem has surfaced: The Lotus drives me crazy. Our entire downstairs has been taken over by the sound of, at best, a fountain, and at worst, someone peeing down the basement stairs. I've tried to get in the Lotus mindset and tell myself to be Zen about it, but the feng shui in our house must be off, because that pep talk is not working. Allow me to demonstrate:

I hear that all day long. From the couch, that's what I hear. From the kitchen, that's what I hear. My only refuge is upstairs.

Which leads me to ask: am I a bigger sucker because I installed an electrical outlet solely for my cats, because I bought a ridiculous item, or because I dislike said ridiculous item after all the effort that went into procuring it?

Oh, and it goes without saying: #firstworldproblems.

First Lady Letterpress

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:06:00 +0000

I'm briefly checking in from the settling of dust around here to give a huge shout-out to this amazing letterpress poster series from Two Paper Dolls featuring America's First Ladies. How ME is this??

You can go check them out yourself in Philadelphia next month, but until then, feast your eyes upon these beauties (which are... ahem... available for sale soon):

Yes please!

Demolition ditty

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:55:00 +0000

Embarrassing confession time: I have a weird of habit of singing the Peaches and Herb tune 'Reunited'* in my head during happy home-related events, but with my own lyrics. Three or four syllables work best.

For example, from last year at this time: "Pre-approval and it feels so gooood..."

Then: "Signing papers and it feels so gooood..."

"We bought a house and it feels so gooood..."

"Putting down floor and it feels so gooood..."

Today's little ditty?

"Demolition and it feels so gooood..."

It feels grand, actually.

*By the way, Peaches and Herb? Sooo much drama! The original duo, Herb Feemster and Francine "Peaches" Barker, are both from DC, so huge props to that. Francine didn't last, though, so Herb replaced her with Marlene Mack, but kept the name "Peaches" for the group. They had a string of hits in the '60s, and then in 1970, Herb decided to join the police force back home in Washington DC. He pounded the pavement as a DC cop for a few years until '76, when he wanted back in the showbiz game, but Marlene aka Peaches #2 was out. He set out to find a new Peaches, and hit the jackpot with Peaches #3, Linda Greene. This is the duo that struck gold with Shake Your Groove Thing and Reunited. These two recorded and toured through the '80s, when our boy Herb got the law enforcement bug again and this time became a deputized court security officer for the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Can you imagine? You're in court and suddenly you realize the officer leading you in is none other than Mr. Shake Your Groove Thing? Amazing. So in 1990, Herb found Peaches #4, Patrice Hawthorne, but they didn't really do much together because the Peaches and Herb combo #3, Herb and Linda Greene, were reunited to sue their old record label. The two never made real money from their big hits in the '60s, and as an eclectic man of many talents, you can imagine that our friend Herb probably really needed some cash. Herb and Greene won their case against the record label, and most likely shook their groove thing afterward. Is that the end of Peaches and Herb, you're asking yourself? Oh no! Since he didn't need his security officer day job anymore after his day in court, Herb jumped back into the music game and found himself a Peaches #5! Okay, so Wanda Makle, aka Peaches #5, didn't really work out, but Herb did not let that get him down and found himself Peaches #6. Peaches #6 is a big deal, folks... her name is Meritxell Negre and she's from Spain, making her the first-ever non-black Peaches! Breaking barriers right there. It's what Herb does. Their album was released in 2009. Nope, not making this up. So by now, in addition to scrambling for $8 to buy that album, you're probably wondering if Herb is a huge jerk for going through six Peaches since 1967 or if he's the sort of an everyman/underdog bound to be featured in a biopic one day. You know where I stand. He's from DC! He's an officer of the court! He is HERB.

Back to (house)work

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:48:00 +0000

Changes are afoot in la casa this week, and I couldn't be more ready to rustle up some new energy in this house. I mean, it's been months! It's time to change up some stuff!

First up: our new dining room mirror. I swear we've tried every possible wall decoration arrangement in this room, but we finally, finally have it. I adore this mirror and the way it lights up that corner of the dining room. The slats of wood feel warm and homey without being over-the-top "country," and it manages to look rustic and polished all at once.

Here's a closer look at the yummy wood, along with a little forecast of this week's plans in the reflection. Get excited!

That's right, folks ... our much-hated wall is finally coming down! I'm pretty giddy about how much it's going to open up our living room, which currently seats only three people comfortably for tv-viewing. (Not cool during ~~Superbowl~~Oscar season.) We're going to have some immediate challenges to tackle as soon as it comes down, chief among them "Crap, we have a zero-dollar furniture budget" and "Crap, where will we throw our junk now?" But going from a cramped sitting room to a more open one will be a drastic improvement even without a cozy new loveseat, so we're pumped.

Also shown in the mirror view is new dining room lighting. Our house's recessed lighting that was no doubt installed during a '70s-era DIY acid trip will be no more (in one room, anyway... for now). In its place, a chandelier that we scooped on sale with an additional one-day-only bonus clearance, the way my mama taught me (hi Mom). Oh, I can't wait. Can't wait!

Also on tap this week is some boring stuff: ceiling repainting (so that all the awful existing recessed lighting we remove in the future will be easier to patch), the installation of a new fan/light for the upstairs bathroom (so T no longer has to shave in a dense fog every morning), and some electrical work.

Ch-ch-changes... I like 'em. Full report on how our hired hands did next week!

Dinner break

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:19:00 +0000

A tummy full of riches, this weekend. My social butterfly self is spent. And full.

Friday night: Fiola. I'd been to their bar before (best Martinez in DC, hands down), but the food was just... I can't even describe it. Another level. New favorite DC restaurant, already. Faves: smoked gnocchi, deconstructed lasagna, lobster ravioli.

Best surprise ever? Leaving the restaurant with some of our favorites and walking out to a Winter Wonderland. We'd been inside from 7:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. and had no idea. (I told you we loved Fiola.) And so it was beyond fun to step out into this sight after dinner.

Saturday night: Graffiato. I hadn't been back since they opened, so it was fun to check in on it again. Mike Isabella's doing just fine, never fear. Faves: spicy pork meatball with polenta, roasted cauliflower, maple-bacon brussels sprouts.

Sunday night: Toki. Why yes, my addiction to their ramen is still a thing. This time I met up with Mary so she could mark a culinary resolution off her list. We ate fried pig ears, so we could say that we did (and I just did). Fave: always, always the kimchi hakata with Toki endorphine sauce.

This week: back to the kitchen. No booze. Being a little quieter. Curling up in front of the fire.

January is an underrated month.

Sparkles

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:55:00 +0000

I think I have a new writing project. This is good, because my life has been fairly absent of one for a while now. And this is also not-good, because said writing project clearly isn't filling this space right now. If my grand plan materializes, though, two shall become one (no, I will not improperly use numerals... AP Style or bust!).

At any rate, the biggest grin on my face this week came from my new friends, who just happen to be gold and sparkly.

These shoes have haunted me for ages. I couldn't justify the price when they were in stores, well over a year ago. And of course, as soon as they vanished they were all I thought about. I've searched outlets, I've stalked eBay, I've spent a lot of time thinking about these shoes. All for naught, until the perfect pair finally appeared on eBay, never worn and in my size. You can bet I showed off my new friends to unsuspecting FaceTime acquaintances.

Sparkly shoes are always a good idea. But sometimes, some weeks, sparkly shoes are a really, really good idea.

Have a sparkly weekend, guys.

xoxo

Three bright spots

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Since posting that amazing champagne office cooler earlier this week, I've been working from my company's suburban office. And wouldn't you know it, there's not a champagne delivery system to be found! Oh well. Despite the week being a general blur of work and budgets and spreadsheets oh my, I did have three fun bright spots:

1. Lunch with two of my high school favorites. I adore the hometown (even though none of us live in our hometown anymore) crew.

2. Downton Abbey. I originally assumed this show wasn't for me, as I have little patience for Victorian comedies of manners and Jane Austen, and figured this show was a sendup of the same. HOWEVER, this show is none of those things. First, it's set in a fascinating period, a more modern one than I first realized (Season One ends with the announcement that England has entered World War I). Politics is fascinating at this time, particularly in regard to gender and class. Society is changing entirely, and we can see all of it through the lens of one estate. Second, the cast. THE CAST. Oh, Maggie Smith. Oh, these characters! Third, the show is written by Julian Fellowes, he of the brilliant 'Gosford Park.' Had I realized this last year I would've been on this show something fierce. But instead, I Netflix'd all of Season 1 Wednesday night in a glorious marathon session, which was insanely rewarding, so much so that it felt gluttonous.

And of course, I'm totally on board with Season 2. I watched the first episode last night.

I found this description of the show randomly, and thought it was perfect:

If Stefon, the in-the-know city correspondent for “Saturday Night Live’s” Weekend Update, were to describe it, the breathless missive might go something like this: “The hottest show on TV right now is “Downton Abbey.” This British import, found on your local PBS station, has everything: housemaids, stable boys, lords and ladies, secret passageways, conspiratorial whispering, scandalous affairs, scheming servants, stolen kisses, garden parties and snuff boxes. It’s packed to the hilt with formal dinners and fox hunts, carriage rides and clandestine glances. You’ll be struck by the grandeur of how the upper crust lives, and marvel at how the lower ranks make it all possible. New this year: A world war holds the household’s rapt attention, but not rapt enough to forget about sibling squabbles and manservant maneuverings. Don’t miss taking a look at this world, where valet is pronounced “valette” and a ringing telephone is a “devilish thing to behold.”

Who else is on the Downton Abbey train?

3. Emmylou. This song was brought to my attention by this longtime fave, but originally showcased by this new fave. I can't get it out of my head. Bonus: these Swedish phenoms are playing DC in a couple of months!

Happy Friday, folks - here's to a calmer week ahead with more time to write and relax!

Bubbles

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:27:00 +0000

On extremely busy work weeks like this one, I sometimes think it'd be easier to work from a "real" office instead of the home version. Mostly because I really, really like the look of this... and of course it exists in the pretend office!

Image found here and credited here

Speaking of champagne, our New Year's Eve redo was pretty fantastic over the weekend, in part because it was preceded by a visit from my sister on Friday. Bubbles on both nights is my kind of weekend. Here we are on our "New Year's" date, me and my decidedly unsick husband, at a delicious dinner at 1789. Champagne present and accounted for.

I have much more to say about the rest of our evening, but I'll leave that for another post... when I'm not bone-tired but resisting sleep because I don't want to dream about municipal project budget worksheets.

Chicken and Leek "Stew"

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:43:00 +0000

When it became clear on New Year's Day that T's tiptoe into our family dinner of ribs, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, and collards had been a very bad idea, I set out to make him something he could keep down: the most boring soup possible. You guys have been following my flavor palette for a while now, so you know that under-seasoned is not the way I typically roll. But the soup worked: turkey, white rice, and the smallest hint of celery and onion in the broth. Did you just fall asleep reading that description? Because I almost did.

A few days later, I'm not remembering that boring albeit digestible soup, but a dish I discovered last winter in Food & Wine instead. We made it on a rushed weeknight when it was cold and rainy, and made it again and again throughout the spring. I like to think of it as updated comfort food, fit for both quick dinners and sick loved ones. It would've worked perfectly in place of that boring soup - and been a lot less boring to eat, too.

This dish is described as a "stew," but there's not much broth at all, so adjust accordingly if you want something more traditional. Enjoy... in sickness and in health.

Simplest Chicken and Leek Stew

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

(photo credit: Food and Wine)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 2-inch pieces
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the leeks and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Scrape the leeks and mushrooms onto a plate.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Add the chicken and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken stock and thyme and simmer over moderate heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to the plate with the vegetables.
Simmer the stock over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken, leeks and mushrooms to the skillet and simmer over low heat until warmed through, about 1 minute.
In a small bowl, blend the sour cream with the mustard and stir into the stew. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season the stew with salt and pepper and serve.
Serve With Steamed rice.

New Year's, then and now and next

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

Five years ago, T spent New Year's Eve with my family in North Carolina. He'd never met them. Just days before, he'd moved back to Dallas, while I was still living in Albuquerque. Life was a wee bit uncertain. There was a lot I didn't know, but one big thing I did: bringing this guy home to the family for New Year's was the best idea I'd ever had. Here we are that night, all shiny and new. T's still sporting his short politics hair. He hates this photo, and even though it doesn't flatter either of us, I can't help but love it, knowing that hours later he'd whisper things in my ear that we both already knew, but were both waiting on him to vocalize. (As usual, I'd jumped the gun weeks earlier.)

Five years later, we've come full circle. We were home in NC for New Year's Eve again with the family that he's firmly a part of, in a position so secure it's hard to believe there was ever a time when we hadn't yet used the L word. In a twist of fate that I'll choose to believe was just the universe giving us a year's worth of bad luck all at once - and not a cliched representation of the decline of passion after marriage - we didn't even kiss at the stroke of midnight this year.

T was sick. Miserable. Bedridden with the flu. Holed up in the bedroom of my youth. The entire weekend.

It was a very Influenza New Year's Eve. Oh, how times have changed.

Folk art paintings now take the place of Smiths posters up in my old bedroom, but there's still something sweet about tending to a sick husband in your teenage bed. Poor guy.

Downstairs, we tried our best to be festive without him. After five years of making memories in this house, his presence left a hole. But I set out the party supplies anyway.

My nephew Liam kept calling it a birthday party. And so during our "calendar birthday party" without one of our own, we ate smoked fish, beef tenderloin, green beans, and cheesy grits. We played games. We laughed at the kids and hugged a new puppy. We wore flats.

But most of all, we fervently wished for a 2012 that's a little luckier for our crazy crew, with a little less sorrow and stress than the year before. I'm fairly certain this was my family's wish in 2011, too. We're a patient family, I suppose. Although by the looks of her kitchen chalkboard, my mom may be getting less patient...

T tried to make it downstairs for the ball drop, but couldn't do it. Hence the saddest and cutest New Year's Eve text message I've ever received, sent from two floors above.

Now that he's feeling better, we've decided to just redo New Year's. We have lots of fun plans this weekend... why not add in a romantic countdown? So if you're out and about in DC this weekend, keep an eye out for two weirdos whispering to each other and checking the clock at midnight. There will most definitely be kissing this time around.

Homeward bound

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:51:00 +0000

Headed down south to the land of the pines...
I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline

Coming up for me, tonight: a belated North Carolina Christmas, with some New Year's festivity thrown in for good measure.

Europe is grand and all, but as we know, there's just no place like home.

Happy, Happy New Year to you all... I'll catch you on the flip side, with all the fresh excitement of a new [letterpress] calendar.

xoxo

Austria.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:33:00 +0000

After three days in Paris, we spent five (plus two mostly-travel) days in Austria. As amazing as our time in Paris was, we were beyond excited to hang out with T's sister and brother-in-law in the place they call home for eight months of the year. You might remember that Alex plays hockey in the Austrian league - yep, this is one hockey-loving family that I joined. He and T were actually goalies together in college, which is a whole other story. At any rate, we get to see Avery and Alex in their summer apartment in Boston and during summer family gatherings in Connecticut, but without ever having been to their home in Linz, we always felt a little too far removed from the primary part of their year.

Now, we're officially in the know. When Avery tells stories about the rest of the folks in their Melrose Place-style Austrian hockey commune, we know exactly who's who. Instead of just noticing whether Alex's team won or lost, we're now looking at every player's stats. More than that, though, we got to see them in a place they've come to love, a place where they're building roots, and there's nothing more worthwhile than that.

I didn't take as many pictures as I should have in Austria. We were around so many more people that my photographer's instinct slipped away. So not pictured in this slideshow are hilariously fun evenings of hanging out with A&A and the rest of the team and their corresponding "WAGs" (that's "Wives and Girlfriends," by the way... and yes, the term is actually used), which may or may not have ended with the Linz police breaking up the fun, pictures of Alex's awesome cooking, or pictures of many, many rounds of Catch Phrase and Telestrations. But I do have photos of picturesque Linz and Salzburg (despite the not-so-picturesque weather), the three of us drinking a tad too much strong German beer or "hot wine" in the stands during an away and a home game, and adorable things like dogs on ice.

A few teasers:

Without further adieu, the full slideshow:

Paris.

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 15:35:00 +0000

Oh, Paris.

You are my new favorite.

Your small streets and your little moments... those are the things that stole my heart.

Your wow moments are pretty heart-stopping, too.

And if you'll indulge me, I have to say that being in love in your city is a special kind of magic.

There's more, much more... and I'm counting down until the day we can return. Enjoy our slideshow!

Au revoir! Auf Wiedersehen!

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 15:22:00 +0000

I'm taking advantage of what I expect may be my last clearly thinking moment until I step on the plane to bid adieu for the holidays. While we'll miss our stateside holiday traditions this year - and of course the familiar faces that come with them - we're thrilled to do something just for us this year. Seeing the world a little bit this Christmas just feels right, especially since some other familiar faces are involved.

As my parting gift, I offer our 2011 holiday card, which makes me embarrassingly happy. Our house portrait was done by the lovely Rebekka Seale (whose blog is also lovely), and I couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Even better, after our cards are all sent away in the mail, we have a portrait ready for framing that we can enjoy each day of the year. Best. Card Idea. Ever.

Thanks for the fun and the conversation we've shared over the year, friends. I hope each of you has your merriest holiday season yet!

Ramen obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:34:00 +0000

My current excuse regarding near-constant cravings for Toki Underground is that ramen is good for my cold. But really, I don't need to justify my obsession with this stuff.

The kimchi hakata is pretty much all I want to eat these days. Look at that stuff... can you blame me?

While we're on the subject of ramen, if you didn't get a chance to read the debut issue of Lucky Peach when it launched this summer, try to find yourself a copy. The issue is entirely focused on ramen, and is as hunger-inducing as it is giggle-inducing. Good writing through and through, especially if you find boys' clubs more charming than obnoxious. (Personally, I waver... but this boys' club pulls it off.)

Mmmmm... ramen.

Scrambled Brain (not a recipe post)

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:35:00 +0000

I turned on my television tonight for the first time in what feels like a century. Lunch today was the first time this week I read the newspaper. I visited Twitter, Facebook, and Reader, too - the real things, not just the mobile versions. Here's a sign of how hectic things are right now: my astrology app (yes, I have this) (even though I have sworn off psychics) (a story I may tell in 2012) told me that December would be my biggest career month of the year. I thought that was sort of impossible, since I'll be on vacation for half of December... but I think the damn app might be on to something. Since job-blogging is for the birds - very, very dimwitted birds - we'll skip over that currently enormous portion of my life and just say that things are swell.

So what are we left with, then? We're left with a still-unplanned trip to Europe. The logic there is that because our goals consist not of Louvre sightings but instead of belly fillage and sensory overload, planning isn't really required. I'd simply like to step off the plane and be swept away in a Paris whirlwind, with my favorite partner in crime there to help me pronounce things. This is me, simplifying.

We're also left with a Christmas tree-less house. You all were right that it would've been worth it to get one. And if I could've cloned myself to get a tree and decorate it that very day, I would have. But a week went by without a chance to breathe, and suddenly we'd only have a week with said tree before leaving it, and oh by the way where is that clone again, because the next three nights were already booked solid, and then we have only a few days with the tree. So yeah. There's been some minimal holiday decorating around la casa, but that's it. And it's the best that I can do this year... I am accepting that reality. This is me, simplifying.

A funny thing about simplifying is that I forget how much better I am at it when I'm really busy than when I'm not. My head does a better job of balancing when it has more things to sort. When I'm not busy enough, too many little items sit in my head in a mess, twisted and tangled and hopeless. Being busy is the great prioritizer of my head space. It's like the mental conditioner that turns my tangles into shiny, manageable thoughts.

It's also possible that I've been working from home a little too much for a little too long, so this change has been good. Meetings and people and reading books on the train and lunches away from my home office desk are good things. Back to Basics at its best. I still love my home office and its perks, but I think I love having the option of multiple workplaces even better. It takes one to appreciate the other.

This might just be me in a past-midnight sort of mood, but I swear this photo I took of eggs from my sister's chickens looks exactly the way I want my mental space to look. Okay, maybe there are still a lot of eggs in there. But it's me... Ms. More Is More, after all. In this picture, mental conditioner is flowing. Do you see how calm those eggs look, how they're full and lively in that pie pan but not too crowded, how there is a quiet yet charmingly irregular semblance of order?

I'm calling it right now: my resolution for 2012 is for my brain to embody this photograph. Or to start some sort of mental clarity hair product line.

Our family tree

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:35:00 +0000

We might do things late around here, but I like to think that we also do them right. Take our first wedding anniversary, by the way - the "paper" anniversary. Those who know me might have guessed a paper anniversary would be right up my alley, but in truth I couldn't quite figure out a paper gift that T would love as much as I did. Somewhere along the way, the idea of creating a family tree took hold of us, with our wedding date as the center. And since he hadn't thought of a gift for me either, we decided that a family tree would be our collective first anniversary gift to each other. There was something harmonious about the way that gift-giving moment paralleled what the tree represented, and when I found My Tree And Me, I knew I'd struck gold.

Our stumbling block wasn't what kind of tree to order, then, but the genealogy needed to fill out the tree. I had lots of my family's information - with a few holes - but T's family didn't have much at all. I've long been fascinated with genealogy, so for the next year, I delved into ancestry.com with all my might. For any of you history-lovers, I'd really recommend digging into your own family background - it's such a treasure trove! For me I found it really interesting to research both of our families at once.

My family are as a whole settlers - they came across the pond from England, and with only one exception went straight to eastern North Carolina, then stayed there generation through generation. That kind of tradition amazes me, as someone who's had a hard time staying put herself. In this respect my mom and dad's families are absolutely intertwined. Ancestors on both sides founded a church together, sold land to each other, lived next door to each other, and were buried together. They even married each other. (Yep - my parents are in fact distantly related. Two sisters married my parents' great-grandfathers in the 1800s. They think it's hilarious. Which is really the only way to react, in my mind.) Combing through my family records was fascinating for me. I got to know people like Hezekiah and Grizelle and Hepsebeth. I was able to trace lines of my family back to Wales in the 1500s - completely new history for us.

T's family are for the most part explorers. They came to the U.S. from England, Scotland, Germany, and France. They followed their own paths - for some of them, their professional lives meant they traveled in and out of the country regularly. They went West when it was Indian territory, living in Oklahoma, Iowa, New Mexico, and California. One line even went South, becoming part of Charleston history. A few of them stayed in the Northeast, but what's interesting about T's family is that even for those who didn't, Connecticut always called them back. T's father now lives in a town where completely unknown to him, his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was buried in 1675. For a man who was raised in California, that sort of connection is eerily fascinating. I found a kindred spirit in T's family history, too - a pioneer woman named Mae who I feel sure I would've adored had I been able to meet her.

What I found by researching our families in tandem is that despite our opposing settler/explorer natures, we both have our fair share of rogues. I love having rogues in the family. We have the upstanding citizen types too, of course... but the twinkle in our eyes when T and I laugh at each other seems to me to come directly from our ancestors who fled the military and caused mischief and married a farmhand instead of a planter. There's a restlessness that we each have that I like to think was passed down to us.

After all this history I've laid out here, it's probably implied that our little genealogy project took on a life of its own for me. We needed just five generations to fill out our tree, and so I finally pressed pause on my research to have it made. We designed a custom colorway that's just gorgeous, and perfect for our dining room. Here it is framed on the wall... a first anniversary gift that came a year and a half late.

Thanks to My Tree And Me for making something we'll treasure forever. If you're in the market for a tree of your own, I highly recommend working with them. The designs are fresh and modern, and the quality is fantastic - fitting for a piece that will tell a thousand stories.

Catching my breath

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:22:00 +0000

I'm getting the feeling that every moment between now and boarding our flight to Europe is going to feel like one long work meeting. Did anyone else pull that unfortunate professional card over the holidays? Sigh.

Work stress is definitely affecting my desire to decorate for the holidays. Mostly because I have zero time or mental capacity right now. I'm even questioning whether we should get a Christmas tree, given how long we'll be away for our trip and how adventurous the cats may be while we're away. The pet sitters did not sign up to re-rig a knocked-over tree or sweep up broken ornaments every day. This is a dilemma for me. I love Christmas trees. I've been dreaming about our first tree in our first house since forever, yet here I am feeling like we just might not get to it this year. Sigh.

Other elements working against my holiday spirit: the weather. It's been positively spring-like in DC, and it's getting on my nerves. It hasn't been cold enough for a fire since we had our chimney inspection a month ago - another thing I'd been really excited about. Our new fireplace accessories are sitting there mocking us. Sigh.

I really shouldn't be complaining. A slew of amazing things happened over the weekend.

First, my oldest friend Allie had a little girl. Here I am with the mama-to-be at her baby shower in Virginia Beach last month. I can't wait to meet little Miss L! She was born with a full head of hair, which is my all-time favorite baby quality.

Second, I'm still recovering from Thanksgivings #2 and #3. Soooo much fun!

Here's Liam and Lucas at our neighborhood park:

And the food! Thanksgiving #2 featured a fantastic dinner, but I think the dessert was my favorite (and I never say that). Lisa and I made a salted caramel pie, and it was utterly delicious. Impossible not to make embarrassing sounds while eating it. Just perfection. I'm sharing this recipe soon - it's too good not to!

Thanksgiving #3 involved lots of furniture-moving, space-planning, and picture-hanging... my parents' home renovation is coming along beautifully. We drove down to NC with all of our leftovers from Thanksgiving #2 to reheat Friday night, then had a brand-new Thanksgiving #3 on Saturday. The spread was downhome Southern deliciousness. My favorites were the oysters and the ribs:

My other favorite had to be my niece Taylor. Too smart, this one! (And apparently my competition in future dinners where deviled eggs are involved. I think I found my match!)

So that's life over here. What's new on your end?

Thanksgivings 1-3

noreply@blogger.com (Maggie) — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:38:00 +0000

Last weekend, Thanksgiving #1 in Connecticut with T's family. Here's their traditional champagne cocktail... as you might imagine, ridiculous fun and laughter are implied.

Thanksgiving #2 begins tonight, when we're joined by my sister and brother-in-law and these two handsome guys:

If the last time we got together in DC is any indication, we're going to have a great couple of days. Because we didn't want to be turkey-ed out this year, we decided not to make turkey at all for Thanksgiving #2, or to make any uber-traditional dish we may have eaten at Thanksgiving #1 or will eat at Thanksgiving #3, for that matter. Here's our menu:

Not-Terribly-Traditional Thanksgiving #2 Menu

Butternut Squash Soup

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Chestnuts

Fiery Sweet Potatoes

Spinach Madeleine

Potato Leek Gratin

Seared Duck Breasts with Red Wine and Figs

Salad

Dessert:

My sister's territory... she's going to surprise us.

For Thanksgiving #3, we're headed down to NC to check on my parents' home renovation and to rendezvous with these pretty people:

My family has done so much beach-time this year, between the Outer Banks and my brother's wedding farther south, that I feel like I was barely home in the Triangle at all in 2011. This trip, then, is long overdue for me.

Three Thanksgivings... an embarrassment of riches, no? I'm feeling pretty lucky.