Because 2 days is never enough.

Not only did I have a birthday this month, but so did Karl.

So, we decided to have a party. I stayed home yet another Friday night, this time hunched over my food processor, basically pureeing my brains out. Deborah Madison was my constant companion. The result, bowls and bowls of tasty dips and crostini spreads.
On the menu:

Spreads:

• White bean, sage and roasted garlic
• Artichoke pesto
• Roasted red pepper

Dips:

• Spicy chick pea
• Guacamole
• Yogurt dip, with cucumber, cumin and mint
• Artichoke and olive tapenade (from the Moosewood New Classics)

I felt like eating them all with a spoon on Friday night and skipping the party (which was fun, so I’m glad I didn’t actually do that).

I became another year older earlier this month. Karl asked me where I wanted to go for dinner and I realized that our urban lifestyle includes meals out so frequently that it doesn’t feel that special. But what sounded really special was for Karl to cook me dinner.

He’s a good cook (secret ingredient = butter), but his specialty is breakfast. He’s not use to preparing a full meal, but he threw himself into the challenge in earnest. He shopped, prepped and cooked the whole thing on his own. I had the sense he was staving off a stress meltdown, mostly because of timing and the crunch of getting things all out together. But, it came out great and was a lovely birthday treat.

The menu:

Fresh foccacia (from the farmer’s market)

Fennel, beet and orange salad with olives

Winter vegetable soup

Sautéed spinach and mushrooms

Dessert: My favorite yogurt

Well done Karl.

You know you’ve reached maximum craft-dorkdom when, upon getting stuck home on Friday night, you think to yourself, “cool, now I can make that potholder I’ve been thinking about!”

Yes, friends, this is how I spent my evening. And, yes, it was glorious.

I used some leftover quilt batting (from that quilt I still haven’t finished) and some fabric I had lying around from various other projects to craft a really fantastic potholder. If I do say so myself.

The only bad news is that in drawing my own pattern, I didn’t leave enough room for a seam allowance and, consequently, the thumb area is a bit constricting. It kind of cramps that opposable thumb style that humans rock so smoothly. Well, Karl and I have been practicing and I think we can still accomplish all our basic pot-holding needs required. And I’ll just correct the pattern next time around.

I recently went to visit my family in Santa Barbara. I had my usual, “why in the world am I living in New York???” meltdown. It’s hard not to when I’m out there enjoying 75 degree weather, eating my dad’s yummy cooking, visiting the endless stalls of beautiful fresh fruit and veggies (strawberries, avocados, artichokes!), eating brunch in the yard with my mom, taking long walks on the beach with my best friend, gobbling up delicious homemade Mexican food, etc… And all this in March.

Needless to say, I spent the week of my return feeling very grumpy with the cold weather, and the crowded subways, and my general lack of a back yard full of fruit trees. And I missed my mom, and my dad, and my step-mom, and my friends, and my town in general. Luckily for me, my mom made sure that a bit of Santa Barbara came back to New York with me.

The day before I left, my mom took me around the yard and collected cuttings from her expansive succulent garden. Okay, so, in the interest of full disclosure, I did have a moment where I realized that my mom is on the verge of being a crazy plant lady. She seemed to have what can only be described as unique friendships with each of her plants. But, regardless, it was really nice of her. She wrapped them all up in newspaper and sealed them in a big ziploc bag.

This weekend, after wandering all over Brooklyn on foot trying to find some simple terracotta pots, I found what I was looking for at Home Depot. I came home and gave all the cuttings a new home. And, honestly, they really do bring a little bit of cheer to my day each morning when I see them.

Let’s just hope I keep them alive until my mom gets here in May for some plant rehab.