Esprit de L'Escalier

Some links and upcoming fun

Jennifer and I have been trying to decide if we would live-blog Project Runway, as we did last season.  We missed the first episode, because we are both ridiculously knee-deep in life and various goings on (as well as her new computer being not quite right yet), but we kind of miss the fun.  So we're going to do it, tomorrow night, newcritics, 9pm.  Tune in, and get your snark on.

I have received some fun and interesting links this week.  My friend Nan sent me this link. Scroll down to "It's 10 pm. Do you know where your cat is?"  She thinks I should invest in a GPS backpack for Frank, so I can track his every move.  I wish I could embed something in him to track him with, because I am curious to where he goes on his little jaunts.

My friend Sharon sent me this link about a study on boy-girl twins and how testosterone may affect the female twin in utero.  It sounds like the testosterone affects mice more than humans, but I guess I do like to travel far from home.  (AG, I'd love to hear your opinion.)

This link I found last week and sent to my Jim Henson-loving friend.  I may have to visit DC soon so I can see the Henson exhibit.  It will be a couple of years before it makes it to Chicago.

The final link is to a small bit on Morning Edition from today.  I almost spit out my yogurt and berries when I heard it, because I knew the pastor involved must have been related to my friend Amanda.  I talked to her today and I was right.

Join us tomorrow night for Project Runway!

UPDATE:  The post is now up!  Join us tonight at 9/8pm!

A missed anniversary

As I was brushing my teeth last night I realized I had missed my third blog anniversary.  I knew it was in June sometime and had completely overlooked it in my whirlwind of travel.  I looked it up this morning and realized I had a good excuse for missing the actual day: I was in a small town in Ireland to be in my friend's wedding.

I emailed with Natasha this morning and she assured me that I could celebrate this space belatedly.  In fact, since it's our (my blog and me) third anniversary, that means leather.  She said if she was a better person she would buy me either this, this or this.  (I'm kind of ga-ga over the second option - so pretty.) 

Actually, I got a little gift, a good luck talisman of sorts, before I left from a dear bloggy friend.  In response to my email saying I would need to slaughter a goat to appease the travel gods to make all my crazy flight/train connections, she sent me little Nana Goat.  (See below at the Zwinger in Dresden.)  I'm going to extend Nana's function to cover this anniversary, as well as safe travels.

I like that I have these friends that think of me and send me odd little things in the mail.  In fact, in general I just like the people I have met through this space.  I don't want to get maudlin or anything, and I have a feeling the people I hold nearest and dearest know who they are (ie: the people that helped me get started, the friends I made early on, and the already existing friends who have shared this space with me, etc. - I said I wouldn't list and then I listed - sheesh). 

I think it is a little funny to have had my anniversary while I was on my longest blog break since I started.  It was nice to not constantly be drafting posts in my head, but sometimes it felt like the blog was part of a secret identity or something.  It is not something I necessarily talk about with people who don't already know of its existence, but I feel like it is a large part of who I am.  When I do bring it up, I never know how people will react.  Most people, I find, have little interest in the internet.  I did find some other bloggers on my trip, though.

Anyhow, I always end up feeling incoherent in my anniversary posts.  Thanks, dear readers (known and unknown to me), for sharing this space with me.  It's grown from rambling bits to include my photography and even longer rambling bits, sometimes including pie.  That's the new motto around here: come for the stories and pictures, stay for the pie.

Go vote for style and charm in 440 square feet

I admire my bloggy friend Ms. Ana Blackburn for her style, wit and charm. But seriously for her style. She has a fantastic eye and she's gone and landed herself in Apartment Therapy's Small Cool 2008 contest. Check out what she has done to 440 square feet. And then go vote "Super Cool!" for her so she can make the semi-finals. I love her ceramic collection, the red in her kitchen, her custom made headboard. I even love her bathroom. Go vote SUPER COOL!

(Originally this photo is found here.)

Seriously, have you voted yet? You have to register, but make the effort. You know I'd do it for you.

I'd like to thank the academy...

Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Wait. No. It was last month and in my kitchen, I made three batches of spectacular cookies and sent them off to last year's reigning Cookie Queen and her co-judges and waited. Lots of people sent in cookies and we waited. Trash got talked, people backed out and we waited. And waited. Finally the call has come down from on high!

Today I have been crowned the newest Cookie Queen. The competition was fierce (see Jennifer's post for the links to everyone's entries) and I'm proud to have baked alongside all of these people. I'm especially excited to eat some of these people's cookies next year (especially you Mandos - seriously, I want some of that brittle). The runners-up are Team Chicago (of Shannon, Officer Gleason and Von), and I'm pumped to co-judge with them all next year.

I want to thank my parents for the use of their beautiful kitchen, my sister for her inspiration and the beautiful people of the epicurious and Orangette for their recipes.

Stories and photos from San Francisco to come later. The photos here are from when I was baking my award-winning cookies.

RoD Holiday Bake-Off: Secrets revealed

After two years of passing in the annual Republic of Dog's Holiday Bake-Off, I decided to get off my duff this year and participate. And let me tell you, I think I did an awesome job. Jennifer, our reigning cookie queen, has her review of my entry up. I thought I'd take a moment to explain my entry a bit more.

I decided to bring out the big guns, so I looked to two trusted internet spots: Orangette and Epicurious. (I also consulted Everybody Likes Sandwiches, but ultimately went with a family recipe.) I made a trio of cookies, as you can see above, an oatmeal, a butter cookie and a chocolate cookie. I wanted three different flavors that wouldn't totally clash and I think I succeeded in that.

I used Orangette's Pistachio-Apricot Oatmeal Cookie recipe, mainly because I am currently obsessed with pistachios, and boy am I happy with this recipe. The cookies are crisp and chewy, with a nice (but surprising) flavor. For some reason to me it tastes like there is a little bit of coconut in there, but there's not. I'm definitely going to make these cookies again. And if I wasn't so full on random sweets from work I'd do so right now.

I originally had my eyes on one cardamom cookie via Epicurious, but decided on another that looked easier to make. (I've been obsessed with cardamom since I made ELS's chai-spiced apple bread - check out the recipe, it's super easy and SO good.) I ultimately used (and tweaked) the Cardamom Butter Square recipe. As you can see, I didn't square the cookies, mainly because when I tried they looked lumpy and weird, so I thought I'd go boring and safe and balled the cookies. I doubled the cardamom and cinnamon and used freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves instead of allspice. I think I would put slightly less cardamom next time, but they are a nice buttery cookie with more than a hint of sass.

I changed my final cookie based on a suggestion from my sister. She loves our mother's recipe (which she got from her grandmother). See my mom's old recipe card for the cookies above. I'm certain it's older than me. My sister actually found the recipe on the internet too, which completely bummed my mother out. (Silly Mom, doesn't she know everything ends up on the internet?) The cookie isn't too heavy, and it's the mocha frosting that does it for me. The leftover cookies didn't make it through the night.

I put all my cookies in a tin that I decorated with stickers and sent them out with some polaroids. I think I may have the bake-off in the bag!

Freedom and some snow

As of about 1:18 this afternoon I was a free woman. Free of classes, stress-induced paranoia and long commutes. Until January that is. And I'm not entirely free, as I'll be working four days a week, but I'm looking forward to my break.

I was not so excited to have to make the trek into town today, what with snow steadily falling and none of the roads or highways properly plowed. But I went in and took that exam and now I continue to hope that the class is curved and that it will positively affect me. At this very moment I've got a cat curled up beside me, begging for attention, a roaring fire and an inclination to fix myself a drink. See below for photos of Frank's first snow.

I'm cruise directing tonight's bloggage of Project Runway. Join us at New Critics for some fun in the comments section, starting around 10pm (eastern).

Project Runway Live Blogging

People, people. It's that time again. A new season of Project Runway starts tonight. In about 20 minutes. Make that 15. I had absolutely no time to blog today, or this announcement would have been earlier. Jennifer and I are going to be tag-teaming live blogging of our favorite reality tv show.

Starting tonight, tune in to Bravo and to New Critics and join in the fun!

Tonight, Jennifer is the Skipper to my Gilligan. See us over here.

PS: Isn't Blue Girl's graphic awesome? We've got two others to play with, 'cause she's rad.

Time change

Monday morning I was happy for our recent time change. Getting up at 5:30 seemed so much easier when it was really 6:30. But today, getting ready for my internship, I was realizing what the time change really meant, and that was a loss of light that I've been enjoying. The sun was almost all risen as I left home, but what I was truly sad about is when I left work. The overcast sky was leaden - I had missed all of the sunset. I'm sure there wasn't much of one, due to the weather, but still. I realized what I would no longer see.

The temperatures have changed with the time, as well. We've gone from warmth straight to cold, passing jacket weather directly to coat weather. Le sigh.

Also, there's less than 24 hours to vote for 2007 Weblog Awards. Have you voted yet for Diary of a Heretic? Please vote for Kathleen, she's become an inspiring friend over the last year. Also, Maryam of My Marrakesh is up for an award. Don't forget about the Self-Styled Siren either. Or the lovely people in Shakesville.

The cat and some more TV

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I'm a dork who always loved school, so the allure of new classes excited me. Plus all my old favorite TV shows would be back, with some new ones to love and hate in the mix. I’m also a lifelong couch potato. My brain is dead several days of the week due to my intense school schedule, so there is nothing like my old friend, the boob tube.

As people who have lived with me know, I love police procedurals. I also love English actors. I was very excited about Life, the new detective show starring Damien Lewis (whom I remember from The Forsyte Saga). Check out New Critics for my whole review. The second episode is tonight.

Below are some pictures of Frank, who is blossoming in Ohio. He turns one on the 13th! My laptop is almost out of juice or I'd write more to explain what's going on. Click to follow the links to flickr for details.

Late Friday post

Tomorrow morning I will probably go back to the town's farmer's market. Flowers will be bought, and possibly some pastries. Tonight I watched the second to last episode of Season 3 Doctor Who. (I'm taping the last three eps for Natasha, so we can watch them together when she visits in a couple of weeks.) And I caught the pilot of the new vampire PI show, Moonlight. It wasn't great but had some highlights (a Jason Dohring fix after Veronica Mars got axed). I've got my thoughts on the show posted at New Critics. Check it out.