Letting myself go...

...and it has been delicious!

Here are the things I've made in the past week or so:

- Roasted brussels sprouts with pancetta.  Oh. My. Word.  These are so delicious, I made them twice.  And the first time I forgot the butter/lemon juice, and it was so great that I didn't add it the second time!  In fact, I believe that butter on the pure deliciosity of brussels with pancetta it would be overkill.  That's right, Bobby Flay, you overdid it this time, says me.  This brings me much closer to my sub-goal of cooking more, which is not always having to follow a recipe!  

- Carrot-turnip-ginger soup.  Okay, so maybe I got a little overconfident with the no-recipe thing, and I just "threw" in a few root veggies and stock, not exactly paying attention to the proportions of ginger to other ingredients.  I thought it was a little too much ginger (although Brian was into it), and it was nothing that couldn't be covered up with a generous handful of parmesan.  Better the next day, and I'm still eating it!  

- Basic quiche.  Had some friends over for brunch yesterday and I went back to an old standard (ok I've made it once before but it was deeeelish), compliments of RealSimple.  It's all about the gruyere, baby.  And yes, I am OKAY with frozen pie crusts in the tins.  That's a new sub-goal: pastry and pie crusts.  But in the meantime, I will not be ashamed!

- And finally, Homemade Oatmeal Cream Pies.  Also so good I made them twice, once regular size, once mini.  So so bad, and so soooooooooo good. 

It's blurry cause I couldn't wait to eat them.

Back to BK.

My sister Annie and her doggie Lorenzo are moving to Brooklyn.  I feel like she just moved back!  Waaah.  I'm excited for her though, since she got a sweet new job and what sounds like an amazing apartment.  And it means I get to visit New York more!

Now that her job will be all interesting and stuff, does that mean less foodie blog posts from her?  I hope not!  That would mean I need to actually post more myself...

Snort.

(Just kidding-- I'm making an effort! I swear!)

Knot: Tied.

You guys, you guys... we GOT MARRIED!!!

I know most people must feel this way, but there are really no words to describe the day and how perfect it was, every detail went above and beyond our expectations. Of course I'm talking about the beauty of the locations, and the decor and food and flowers and tables, because those. Were. AMAZING. But I also mean the intangible details, the things that made us stop, and gasp, and feel intoxicated: the fact that the sun came out as I was walking to my parents' house to get ready, the unbelievable ceremony, the vows that expressed perfectly how we feel about one another, the music, the fact that everyone stood around outside the church next to the lake listening to my cousin play jazz, the way everyone wove their way around Salvage One during the cocktail hour, exploring and taking pictures of all the amazing pieces, the way it looked when I turned around on the little stage and saw an absolute sea of smiling loving faces looking up at us, the incredible toasts, Brian and I sneaking away for awesome pictures, our first dance, my dad and I doing a salsa, my sister, cousin and I busting out a surprise Irish dance, the donuts, the way nobody left the dance floor, and the fact that we WERE, thankfully, able to stop during every one of these moments and actually savor it's beauty and not let it go by in a whirlwind like everyone said it would.

Sorry if that's too much. But that's how it felt.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the photos from our absolutely incredible photographer (check her out at vraiphoto.com! Seriously!), but here is a little taste she sent and one of my faves. Because, of course, all that stuff I just talked about was about these two happy lovebirds right here...


Honeymoon details to come...

Gasp.

The wedding is in five weeks.

Tess!

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning I was honored to have been woken up by the call informing me that our darling Susie had a beautiful baby girl!! Tess Vivian Borkin was born June 9, 2009, a healthy 7lbs., 7oz. Sus is absolutely amazing, did it all naturally and somehow had the strength to be standing up in the first pictures they sent!

I can't wait to meet this little one!

Everybody loves to see their name in print.

Recently Brian and I were at a fundraising thing for this nonprofit he volunteers with, and we spent the whole time chatting with the college student interns.  They were so adorable and in the middle of college excitement, getting all concerned with future plans, grad school, jobs.  When I told them what I did and mentioned that I didn't know how much longer I would work there before moving on to some other unknown job, they expressed extreme surprise that "someone in their mid-twenties can STILL not really know what they want to do!"  

HA!  I feel like none of my friends is certain about what they want to do!  But I totally understand the interns' viewpoint: once you get in a career, usually you stay there, right?  That's what I always thought too.  

I've had lots of other stuff occupying my mind lately, so I haven't given much thought to changing jobs in a little while.  For a long time, there I was searching all kinds of possibilities, memorizing the weekly job posting days and times for certain sites, looking into programs I'd previously never considered, etc.  I've felt that there isn't a huge amount of growth possible for me where I currently am, though it is fulfilling and often fun work, and I really truly use both my abilities and my education daily.  And my schedule is really flexible, which can't be discounted as a perk.

Things got sort of fun lately at work, basically because one of the events I had done went really well and got me lots of compliments from my boss and confidence from those I supervise.  At the beginning of the school year (I work in education at a non-profit), I felt a little lost, having been thrown into a role I never had ("YOU asked for more responsibility!" my boss snarked, even though I know they just put me in the role cause they desperately needed someone).   I got some exciting program ideas, and also decided just to get started on the current spring and summer stuff and scale back a little, not think about work too much at all and focus on the wedding, the weather, and all the other fun stuff I've got going on.

So imagine my surprise when I got to work this morning and discovered a box of business cards on my desk, with MY name on them.  Hilarious, since I've worked here for three years and filled out the form for the cards about a year and a half ago.  What was this, some sort of reminder that I'm still attached and committed to this place?  "Psst! We heard you were thinking about leaving, but look at these pretty cards! Whhoooooooo....pretty caaaaaaards..." 

Sadly, that kind of worked for a second, too.  I mean I wouldn't hesitate to leave if I found something else, but having a box full of my official deets on a cheaply printed card with colorful logo was kind of exciting.  Too bad I didn't have it at the conference I went to two weeks ago. Sigh!

This is not a home blog.

However, I do have a new home, and I'm planning a wedding, which means that lots of the time (not free time, of course-- I only do this when I should be working in some way), I find myself browsing around many many design/decor/inspiration blogs that are filled with photographs that I know I will never get around to replicating.

They are beautiful though, aren't they? My sister said that she's tired of "inspiration," and I understand the sentiment: let's just pick something and move on! But then again, that's how she and I are different-- I've never been good at making decisions. I need to look at examples first. And it's rare to have a blank canvas the way I do now, so for the moment I'm going to pretend I'm a real blogger, and pick a decor category and show you a bunch of fun pictures!!

Today's decor category (and there may only be one, ever): Plate collages!

I have a small collection of antique plates given to me by my grandmother and my great aunt. They are pretty, and fragile, and painted with really cool flowers. I'd always wanted to do something with them, and then I started noticing the trend of hanging them on the wall, but in really interesting and unexpected ways. Check it out:

From Apartment Therapy
**Bonus detail! I like this birdcage, although not the fake bird. But I have an amazing old birdcage of my own that actually housed parakeets during my childhood...what could be done with that? You tell me.

From Apartment Therapy

From Living Etc.

From Domino

Pretty, huh? Now, how in the world does one actually hang plates?!

Uh-huh!

Yes I did make this soup last night! And yes it did only take about 15 minutes from start to finish! And yes it did taste delicious!




Note: I actually didn't use the fava beans or artichokes-- didn't have the beans and didn't feel like steaming the artichoke, and it was still totally yummy. This is one of those recipes where you can use whatever is in season. I definitely recommend the mint though, it really brightens up the flavor!

Spring Vegetable Soup

Serves 4

• 1 small bunch leeks
• sliced prosciutto
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh fava beans
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup asparagus
• 8 small artichokes
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons mint

Using a big, deep pot, sauté a handful of chopped leeks and several torn prosciutto slices in olive oil. After a few minutes, pour in 6 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. Mix in 1 cup each peeled, blanched fava beans, chopped spinach, chard and asparagus, plus 8 cut-up steamed artichoke hearts (setting aside a dozen chunks for Tuesday's kebabs). Simmer soup for a few minutes, then sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and top with a couple tablespoons chopped mint leaves. Serve with crusty bread and a hunk of English cheddar.

You're welcome!

Get the original post here for a limited time (Domino is closing! Sniff!)

Inauguration.

We went. Drove 12 hours, stayed with Abbey's dad... crushed ourselves happily in with 2 million other ecstatic people.

It was incredible.