Potatoes in the Mist

So D and I had dinner, avec bebe, at Otto (a Mario Batali pizza joint) which is somehow both trendy and kid-friendly. I had a bellini (Prosecco and blood orange juice, which sounds creepy, but is tasty) and a balsamic onion/goat cheese pizza. Plus some brussels sprouts with "vin cotto" as an appetizer. (I don't know what vin cotto is, but the sprouts were yummy.) Then we got home, D was reading E a story, and I started wondering which authors I have read all of. (I believe that ending a sentence with a preposition is OK.) Here are the writers: Sara Faith Alterman (totally random) Kate Atkinson Jane Austen Anjali Bannerjee Melissa Banks Emily Barr Brunonia Barry Christina Bartolomeo Jennifer Belle Elizabeth Berg Sarah Bilston Hester Browne Lily Burana Julie Buxbaum Katherine Center Jennifer Chiaverini Megan Crane Katie Crouch Lynda Curnyn Laura Dave Robertson Davies Jill A. Davis Sarah Dessen Sarah Dunn Jeffrey Eugenides Suzanne Finnamore Emily Giffin Jane Green Ethan Hawk...

The real purpose of this post is to let you know that salsa and mac and cheese really do go well together. I made some Annie's mac and cheese (from the box) and mixed in some Paul Newman salsa (my second favorite after Trader Joe's roasted garlic salsa). Really good. Also, I can't wait to see The King's Speech . It's important to get your Colin Firth fix.

So we arrived in Massachusetts today. My mother caught me up on the goings-on. Sadly, her ex-coworker's husband died of a heart attack in a motel room, and a cousin of mine (whom I didn't know very well) died of pancreatic cancer. So she gave me the bad news first, and then during dinner (an onion and cheese pie with salad), she tells me my sister has a new boyfriend! I think the good news should come first. No one has met him yet; he's about my sister's age, an engineer, and has 3 children from a prior marriage. In other news, my oldest nephew (he's 18; he was born when I was a senior in high school) has got into all the colleges he has heard from. He is still waiting to hear from two. So, no one has rejected him yet. I am proud of him. Also, he played a football game in Gillette Stadium. Since I live in New York and am not a sports fan, my mother explained that the Patriots play there. So my nephew has played in the same place Tom Brady does, and it was televised....

So we're headed to New England on Wednesday, taking the wee one on the train. Coloring books are a wonderful invention. I was a shameless slacker with Christmas shopping this year. I made two gifts, bought some others, and have one remaining to buy! I'm planning to get it in Massachusetts. Am reading An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor. One of those leisurely Irish sagas. I am enjoying it. It is set in northern Ireland, which is a little unusual, but in the 1960s (no unrest then, I think). The cool thing about discovering a series is that you then have a whole bunch of "new" books to read. Also on my pile: Skippy Dies (I don't like the title, but it's been recommended), Matched (one of those dystopia books I keep reading despite myself, but this one seems gentle), The False Friend, and a nonfiction book about the "silk road" (an ancient trade route through Europe, Asia, Afghanistan, etc.; totally not something I would usually read, but it lo...

This is a pink cardigan I'm knitting. It's almost done. Usually, for better or worse, I'm a yarn snob and I insist on using wool instead of acrylic, but this time I broke my rules. I'm glad I did...this acrylic yarn is very soft and fluffy.

Wow, I can't believe it is almost the new year. I'm in that reflective mode that marks the end of an old year. 2010 had some ups and downs. I made some mistakes, but nothing too serious. I learned some things. Overall, I am optimistic about 2011. What are your thoughts as we approach a new year? And...I'll throw it in this post because otherwise I might forget. The best books I read in 2010: Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I love pretty much everything she writes. The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen. Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Disturbing but illuminating look at the life of Lewis Carroll. Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Another favorite author of mine. The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. I love this series. The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg. Insignificant Others by Stephen McCauley. The One That I Want by Allison Winn Scotch. Hothouse Flower by Margot Berwin. About a woman's quest to collect...

So I saw Black Swan today, and the theater was packed (at 2:30 pm on a Tuesday afternoon). It was really good. It was also not what I expected. I thought it would be a ridiculous, fun ballet movie, with a little catty rivalry thrown in for kicks. Wrong. It was very intense, one of the most gripping movies I've seen in a long time. There were a few campy moments, but I think they were thrown in for comic relief. It reminded me a bit of Rosemary's Baby - the mounting sense of paranoia, are they ganging up on her, or is it really in her head? But it was really its own creation. One thing I thought was really cool about it was that there was no mundanity. In real life, the mundane is inevitable, but all these characters avoided it.

I'm sharing this because I'm pretty sure it's going to be awesome. It's in my crock pot right now. 6 c sliced apples 1 1/2 c flour 1 c brown sugar 1 1/2 t cinnamon 1/4 t nutmeg 3/4 c butter 1/4 t ginger Grease crock pot. Line bottom with apple slices. Combine the other ingredients in a bowl, and cover apples with mixture. Cover and cook on low until apples are tender. (From Roxanne)

So I survived E's first preschool interview. It was very different from most interviews I've experienced. At first, the director just told us about the school at an exhaustive level of detail. She was clearly very passionate about it and very involved. When we toured the classrooms, the children knew her by name and came running up to her. They were all cute and spirited, yet well-behaved. The teachers seemed to have a lot of control over the class, but without yelling or losing their cool. No one was neglected and everyone seemed happy. One thing was interesting. I think the director was very observant. At one point, she asked which hand E uses for various activities. She said, "You use your left, which one does he use?" That startled and impressed me. I'm not sure how she could tell I was a lefty, I didn't write anything in front of her. Anyway, I told her my mom thinks E is a righty, but when she asked me more questions, I realized he uses both hands for mo...

I seem to have blog block, but I don't want this little page to feel neglected. So, bits: 1) Went home for Thanksgiving. It was very nice aside from the allergy attack I always get around the family dogs. I love animals but am allergic to most of them. Fortunately, my mother doesn't have one (we stayed at her place). The food was delicious; we had vegetarian shepherd's pie, which I made, plus mac & cheese, roasted butternut squash, hummus pizza and sundry other goodies. My sister's peanut butter cookies are always a smash hit. 2) Books. I just finished the first two books in the Someday Quilts mystery series. They have almost tempted me to make a quilt, but it seems more complicated and time-consuming than knitting. Maybe someday. I like the series, the first book was stronger than the second, but I have a feeling the third one will be great (I picked it up accidentally when I was looking for the second one, and was impressed). 3) Knitting. Here is a picture of a sc...

It's kind of scary. I've always prided myself on having a good memory, but it's starting to slip. A Facebook friend posted the video for Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey." I used to like this song, but I had completely forgotten it. And today, I was walking past a building with D and E and said, "That used to be an expensive grocery store, what was it called?" and D said, "Balducci's." In our relationship, I have always been the "memory one." But after thinking about it, I decided not to worry. Who wants to remember everything, anyway? It's more relaxing this way.

I'm getting into the holiday spirit this year. I bought my niece's birthday presents (her birthday falls on Thanksgiving this year). It was funny, the cashier said, "I can tell your favorite color is purple," and I said, "Actually, it's for my niece." But it's true, purple is becoming my favorite color. For once, I'm not too stressed about gifts. I made some, figured out what I will buy for others, and only have one question mark. I'll enlist D's help picking something out for that person. I'm looking forward to the food, too...pumpkin pie, vegetarian shepherd's pie, and squash. What are you looking forward to on Thanksgiving or Christmas?

You know, I think Facebook is killing Blogger. Most of the people who were blogging when I started have stopped. But I am going to try to hang in here. So, in honor of all you bloggers who may or may not be reading, here is a recipe: Black Bean Chili (from Vegetarian Times ) 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 bunch scallions 10-oz bag frozen sweet corn salt to taste roasted garlic salsa (I highly recommend Trader Joe's brand. It is good enough to eat out of the jar.) Combine the beans, scallions and salsa in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover, add the salt and corn, and cook until heated through. You can sprinkle shredded Monterey Jack on top if you want. Very easy and very good. Right now I'm reading my first Aunt Dimity book. It's a mystery series, set in England, and quite cozy. I like it, although it is slightly slow-paced.

I'm going to talk a bit about food. I'm about to head out for lunch with D - MIL has the baby - and I love some of the offerings at this place. They have some sandwiches that are permanent; others are seasonal. One of the seasonal ones is called "Thanksgiving leftovers" (even though Thanksgiving hasn't happened yet). It consists of Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, cranberry sauce, and Tofurkey on bread. I never had Tofurkey before, but it's actually better than turkey. And I love Brussels sprouts. I know, that might be unusual. And this place also has excellent cupcakes. So I'm looking forward to that. I'm reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. I thought it might be bleak and depressing, but I'm enjoying it. It's about a dystopian world, but he's not dwelling too heavily on that aspect. I like how he writes about seemingly small things and finds meaning in them. And finally...I really hate gift-giving occasions, like the holidays. That i...

So I got word today that E has two preschool interviews - one is reassuringly called a "family meeting." Apparently, in the crazy world that is NYC preschool admissions, the children are admitted at least partially based on the parents. He also has a play date scheduled, probably to see how well he plays with others. I was impressed at the playground recently - another child was playing with his favorite clock dial and E waited his turn. When it was his turn, he shared the dial with another toddler.

So D and I had a "date night." I have always cringed at this phrase, but in practice it's a nice break from the routine, though I always miss E when we have one. This time we tried a restaurant we had never been to before. The interior space was huge, including an indoor garden with a skylight, trees draped with fairy lights, and a random deer that a guy was using as an armrest. (It was standing right behind him.)

I'm reading One Day by David Nicholls. I put off reading it for a while because I thought it might be trite and annoying. But it's actually quite good. There are just a couple of questions plaguing me: 1) When are they going to get together? (Don't tell me.) 2) Who is going to play them in the film version? (I heard there's going to be one.)

So I'm finishing up The Farmer's Daughter (Jim Harrison) and enjoying it quite a bit. He writes equally well from a male or female point of view, which is pretty rare if you ask me. He's a somewhat random author for me to like, since all of his books seem to be set in Montana, Canada, North Dakota or the upper peninsula of Michigan, but I just like the way he writes. If you are looking for a book, I recommend it. At Whole Foods, I saw a display of yams mixed with marshmallows and it made me think of Thanksgiving. I think sweet potatoes are sweet enough by themselves.

Cat Power Iron & Wine Belle & Sebastian the possibility of snow pumpkin cupcakes from Billy's Bakery pumpkin pancake mix from Trader Joe's snowflakes little E D my friends men who name their dog "Judy" after Judy Garland and many more...

So we went to Philly today for a gathering of D's father's relatives. It's funny, I didn't feel much of a pull toward Philadelphia back in the day, but now I'm kind of curious about it. I wouldn't mind spending a weekend there sometime and getting to know it better. Whenever we go, we meet D's relatives at a restaurant in the suburbs, so the city itself is still kind of a mystery to me. I do like 30th Street station. The Amtrak agent who waited on me (we had to exchange our tickets because we missed our train back to New York) seemed not to get the Philly friendliness memo. But the station is pretty and their newsstand/bookstore had surprisingly good books. I bought The Farmer's Daughter by Jim Harrison. I read The English Major by him and liked it.