Christmas Anticipation

I know, I'm terrible at updating. I blame not having a great camera as I feel the need to put up pics when I write to illustrate what I'm talking about. :) So Mark and I will work on the great camera part, particularly now that we have the best reason in the world to need one!
But we took some pics with his smart phone and that worked well, so I thought I'd show you  our flat. I may be about 9 months pregnant, but by golly, one has to have a fabulous Christmas tree and a dear friend helped us get ours last Monday. It's been fun adjusting to different traditions and trees over here. Sometimes it's quite trying but at Christmas it's been lovely. Mince pies and mulled wine are something Americans need to check out and no English home is complete without them at this time of year. But does that mean that my Christmas cookies are extinct? By no means!!! (As you'll see below) I'm all about the marriage of two cultures (obviously) I grew up getting a Grand Fir each year with our family. And I'll just toot my own horn here and say that I usually was the one to find the 'perfect' tree. I do miss those tree hunts, and the snow that went with them, but have discovered that England can give me a lovely substitute tree! It's called a Nordman fir and has the same gorgeous dark green shade as the Grand, but it's got the build and strength of branch of a Noble. So it's basically the perfect tree as I have some rather weighty ornaments. :)
So our flat is decorated, all cookie plates have been assembled and three candy cane coffee cakes are in the oven as I write. What's left? Well anticipation of course!! And not just for my favorite holiday. We'd really like a little boy to enjoy our tree on Christmas morning as well. :) We'll keep you posted!

Reflections on the bus

I promised I would write about this so here I am. :)
Riding the bus is always a bit of an experience, but once in a while you get a day that is rather unique. When Becky Nadreau was here in the summer, we had more than one of those days! You can ask her, but I think our favorite instance was the elderly man of about 80 flirting with the elderly lady of about 75. The whole bus could hear due to the likelihood that he was rather deaf and felt the need to repeat his amorous lines a few times in case she wasn't clear.
The other day, however, was a slightly different experience. I must confess, it was a bit of a long day as I had to make several journeys on the bus and spent a total of about 3 hours travelling. Being a good Western American I like my wide open spaces and if I have to spend that kind of time driving I'd like it to be open highway at 70 mph. :) Nonetheless, God gave me some humorous intervals beginning with my morning commute to work.
It's always crowded and it seemed to be even more so this morning. About 10 minutes into my journey, a lady with turrettes boarded the bus and sat down by me. I know she can't help it, but bear in mind that these are also English people on the bus. One does NOT talk on the bus. And at regular intervals she was hollering out various profanities. I found it humorous afterwards, but it's embarrassing while it occurs.
On the way back from work, we were invaded by the very loud people talking on their cell phones. It is true you get the occasional person who is inconsiderate and shares their life story with the whole bus. But to get THREE is a bit excessive, and there was a lot of very English eye-rolling and tuts of disapproval. It's not a that it's illegal to talk on your phone on the bus, but it is one of the very important unwritten English rules that one doesn't do it. I must confess to be right in there with the eye rolling. I would LOVE to turn around and actually say something to the phone people but that would cause more disapproval so I just blend in with the English and disapprove silently.
I had a meeting later in the evening and it was on that bus ride that I sat behind two white haired ladies chatting quietly about their neighborhoods, the grocery store and whether this stop was theirs. Or was it the next one? There was a repeat of this at the next stop and it turned out that it was actually the one after THAT which turned out to be their stop. :) And it was as they were shuffling off the bus, I knew I had to record this moment because one of the ladies had completed her very purple old lady outfit with purple fluffy slippers. You know the kind I mean--they go up your ankle and have that quilted look and fluffy purple fake fur poking out the tops.
So after feeling rather put out about exhausting bus trips most of the day, I finally had to smile.

Catching up....

It's been a looooong time. I know. So I thought I had better update my blog before all the fall holiday craziness, having a baby, and lots of visitors. :) So here are some pics from our seasonal adventures in late spring and the summertime! We enjoyed a wander into the Cotswolds with Josh and Jenna, our American friends, had a lovely spring evening in Bristol, enjoyed our 4th of July, and I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter. (Mark doesn't like it. :))

This is how you get 'em

Perfect end to our spring evening stroll

homemade berry cobbler

What can I say? I wanted to make cupcakes

Some lovely people visit!

My 4th of July cherry pie

Will and Katie go all-American 

Katie made this fabulous cake

In line for Harry

The people sitting next to us were serious fans. 

Opening credits!

Food inspired memories

I know, I know....I have shamefully neglected my blog. I had a few minor things come up, such as getting pregnant and moving house, so I humbly offer those things as an excuse. :) There is a great deal to write about, not least of which is our little person who is going to debut in December. But the topic I wanted to write on today is one that has been bounding around in my mind for some weeks now and I feel I should get it out of there before it does too much damage! So fear not, I have blog entries planned about late spring, 4th of July and our new place, but this must come first.

I don't know about you, but I find that I plunge down memory lane, almost every time I cook. And various dishes can produce very specific memories and experiences from my life. I haven't felt much like serious cooking for a while, but recently Becky came to visit and this inspired a return to the kitchen. One of the most precious gifts she brought with her from the States was Brianna's poppyseed dressing--the ONLY poppyseed dressing worth eating and I haven't had it in a year! Naturally this meant several salads just so we could eat it and I was recalling the very first time I ever had Brianna's grace my tongue. It was at Alice Kniss's home. I was a freshly minted college grad, living in Seattle to teach at my first school. I board with the lovely Kniss family and it was Alice who first showed me how to have lovely dinners that didn't take very long to prepare. I grew up very happily with meals made from scratch, but when one is working all day that isn't always possible. Alice one evening produced a roast chicken dinner and on the side was a gorgeous salad. It looked like it had taken a huge amount of time, but it was quite simply romaine, strawberries, blue cheese, and candied pecans. And over all of it was the poppyseed dressing of joy. I've never looked back and every time I eat it, I think of the Kniss home very fondly.
Of course, even the act of cleaning and ripping up romaine lettuce makes me think of the Shaws. They are very dear to my heart and were most definitely my second family in Seattle. Janna was and is one of the most hospitable people I know and so, given that I was there often, I got to help her prepare many meals. One of the staples was usually a gigantic salad of some sort and it was usually made with a Costco amount of romaine. Sometimes it was a classic Caesar (made with another favorite dressing--Gardini's) sometimes it was a balsamic and fruit salad, and sometimes a classic veg salad. But I loved washing so many heads of lettuce and it was Janna who showed me how to speed up the process by chopping the heads of lettuce rather than rip them.
I made my favorite Thai curry while Becky was with us, and of course I cannot mention Thai food without discussing Lori Schlect at some length. :) When I moved to Spokane I became a Thai food addict and this was one of many things that bonded Lori and I together (one of the other main 'things' being her dear daughter Kelly:)) and we often 'Thaied one on'. Sometimes we went out and enjoyed restaurant offerings. But it was loads of fun to make it ourselves as well and I think Lori's Pad Thai hit it out of the park. One of my favorite dishes was something called Gang Dang which sounds a bit like a curse, but it isn't. So I learned how to make it myself and every time I smell the curry and basil I am back with Lori and Liza eating Thai food (with peanut sauce and sticky rice of course!)
And of course, when I think about making food, I have to mention making bread--something I do weekly just as my mom did all through my childhood. The smell of fresh baked bread is something I associate with my home and every time I smell it here, thousands of miles away, I think of home. I always strove to be the first one to have a piece fresh out of the oven because the crusty heel was my favorite, soaked in butter.
I love food. I think most of us do, right? But there's something so evocative about so many smells and every time I cook, I'm on some trip down memory lane. I can't wait to pursue my culinary trips in this new place because the kitchen is.....!! But I'll save that for another post. :)

Easter Feasting

I felt it was appropriate that I spent my SECOND Easter in the UK at Cambridge. You see, my first one was in Oxford, that O so fateful Easter when I met my husband for the very first time. I didn't know that at the time of course. I just enjoyed talking to Daniel's best friend and then went on to have a lovely visit in England with Brooke. But here we are, two years later, and we are spending our lives in this country. So, to have our second Easter together at the other great institution that makes up the term "Oxbridge" was rather poetic. And the weather seemed to agree with us.
It was gloriously warm--so warm, that Brooke and I went barefoot most of the time and I got my first sunburn. Do explain to me how England can get up to 78 F in APRIL, while back in the Northwest, people are just happy to see sunshine? Hmmm? I don't quite get these weather things. Maybe it's global warming. Ha! :) Of course, I blame global warming for most of the daffy political things that happen too, so maybe it's not. Maybe it's just God being generous with fantastic weather at the most important church event of the year.
We punted on the river Cam (again appropriate as we punted the Isis in Oxford two years ago) and toured various Cambridge institutions. We went to Ely Cathedral for Maundy Thursday and I was staggered again by the glorious architecture all over this small island. AND I accomplished perfect macarons for Easter! Yes, due largely to Brooke's convection oven, small little buttons of joy came out perfectly and we devoured them in a shameful manner for tea on Easter Sunday.
We had roast lamb, I got to wear my first Easter hat since 12 years old (by golly, someone's got to bring hat's back and when is a better time than Easter??? No answer? That's what I thought. :)) colored brown eggs for the first time, and we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord in style among English and American friends. So here are some glimpses of our magnificent time in Cambridge!

inside the lovely grounds of Ridley Hall

Someone decides to be as cute as possible

Loving the punting

We let the guys do all the work

Brooke making good things

and with the final product

Aren't those just lovely? We had so much fun seeing the way the brown shell affected the color

My beauties

Daniel made this pavlova!

After church in the garden. Mark got a new tie, I got a new hat! :)

Macarons: ALMOST ecstasy :)

So, batch three was so bad, I couldn't even face posting pictures. However, I was more than obscurely pleased to discover today that my oven is badly off base. We called in a professional who informed me it is indeed 30 degrees higher than its stated temperature. Given this bit of information, I am quite pleased to present batch number FOUR which I made yesterday and literally sat in front of the oven to watch so as to ensure quality. They were a smidge too sticky inside, but that is due to this oven business and you wouldn't know they stuck a bit unless I told you. Which I just did. So I will make ONE more batch next week to see if I can do this consistently. I also switched the recipe I used and I like this one more as it seems to produce a sturdier and smoother cookie. So without further ado, I give you batch four:

See the little crumbly looking part at the bottom of each one? That is called a 'foot' and is EXACTLY what a  proper macaron should do. :) Also that beautiful smooth shiny top is what a proper macaron should do. I almost kissed the tray. :)

And this is how the French serve them--in sandwich form. 

Macarons: The agony and the ecstasy

So in my quest for the right macaroon recipe and tips, I came across this blog which I LOVED! There are so many inspiring ideas and creative things that she does, so I thought I would share the link. I think my sister, Kathryn, will particularly like this. :)  Here it is: giverslog.com. And also, here are the results of my second macaroon trial. Still not perfect, but that's why we practice. I discovered that I need to reduce my oven temperature a bit (it gets too hot and hates me) and move the rack down one to avoid the slight browning which is great in meringues, but not in macarons. They definitely have a smoother top and formed the right 'skin', but because I didn't have a plain round nozzle, they did crack and aren't pastry shop smooth. But there is promise for them to be with the right nozzle!! (which I shall get this weekend) The flavor is still great and I messed around with the filling and frankly came up with something decadently fabulous!! (I won't tell you how much butter and cream I whipped, but it was WORTH it.) I have also discovered how much I love almond flavor and I messed around with color combos and I think I'll go with this. Next week: Batch three in ocean green and blue! :)

See the one at the far bottom right? Almost perfect. :)

Flowers and Food!

I can tell that Spring Fever is upon me. I have this deep urge to clean the house REALLY thoroughly, I want flowers consistently and I am trying new recipes and looking for 'springy' foods. So, I have begun what some term 'spring cleaning', but mine actually involves spring cleaning, spring cooking, spring shopping and spring fitness. That last one is important if I'm going to be making all the things I want to make! And I've got a good start on some of these categories. I spent a good part of Saturday vacuuming weird and wonderful cracks and crannies throughout the house as part of my regular clean. Mark and I made an epic journey to buy our first cordless drill so we could hang newly framed pictures and I had to buy a few spring decorating touches as well as several organizer boxes the other day!

In the cooking department, I have made round one of French macaroons and intend on at least two more attempts before I tackle them 'for real' at the Newman's for Easter. :) And because my husband likes them, I made stuffed peppers for dinner the other night. A great spring dish and I can have it too, because I substituted portabello mushrooms for some of the peppers. Necessity is the mother of invention... So I thought I'd share a few pics of what I've been up to!