An Untitled Blog

2012-01-04T18:28:00.002-05:00

2012-01-04T18:23:00.002-05:00

2012-01-04T18:22:00.002-05:00

2012-01-04T18:19:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 2011

3 days of food, food and more food

2012-01-04T18:11:00.003-05:00

food coma

2012-01-04T18:10:00.005-05:00

2012-01-04T18:07:00.002-05:00

a suprise birthday dinner for G

2012-01-04T18:01:00.002-05:00

day 2 in the new house

2012-01-04T17:59:00.000-05:00

a very patient cat

2011-09-20T14:15:00.001-04:00

moving house...the countdown has begun

we'll leave our current home in 2 weeks for temporary digs for around 10 days, until the new house is ready for us. exciting times, though also sad, as we love this home. it holds many happy memories.

we've gone bigger due to the arrival of the baby. we will have a larger garden with a lawn for him to play soccer and croquet ;-), and guest rooms for our family to come and visit from overseas.

here is the new house from outside, the front view.

we have had a lot of reconstruction done inside; it's taken 3 months and the contractor has been amazing. we are on schedule! fingers crossed...

the garden out back

2011-09-20T14:07:00.001-04:00

the baby's nursery has been painted. in grey. :-)

2011-09-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

2011-09-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me...

2011-09-18T16:35:00.001-04:00

2011-09-18T16:33:00.002-04:00

supper by chef g

2011-09-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

supper

2011-09-18T16:30:00.000-04:00

farmer's market bounty

2011-09-18T16:27:00.002-04:00

hello fall clothing (and fall asleep)

2011-09-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

pasta class with Chef Fernando!

all hand made - not a pasta roller machine in sight

2011-09-06T11:28:00.002-04:00

2011-09-06T10:57:00.000-04:00

at a friend's farm for labour day weekend

fresh air, fresh food, family and friends

2011-07-21T11:11:00.000-04:00

rhubarb tart, chicken rillettes, and blue cheese + watercress cheesecake

2011-07-16T21:30:00.001-04:00

2011-07-16T21:29:00.000-04:00

mount pleasant farmers market

2011-07-07T15:59:00.001-04:00

Baby's New Mobile

we decided against the simple black and white mobile for baby - instead we got a very funky, brightly coloured number from Giggle.

baby loves watching the insanely colourful creatures floating above his head - more so, he delights in looking at himself in the mirrored panels on the underside of the mobile. vain little bugger.

2011-07-07T15:56:00.000-04:00

Guard Dog

meanwhile, Flor keeps watch over her baby...

...until she gets bored

2011-07-01T21:47:00.000-04:00

One reason I miss living in London: Le Chandelier

How I would love to go there for afternoon tea this weekend! A decent, proper English tea is impossible to find in DC - it's all packet sugar (don't get me started), boring sandwiches, and weak brews.

2011-07-01T21:19:00.000-04:00

ROULLIER WHITE

I am starting to become more interested in all things green. Well, not many things actually, but looking at stuff is a start. Baby steps. Literally.

I love this website - for all of its products as well as its concept.

My favourite section is Mrs White's Laundry and Utility Room. It's very cute and I am tempted to fill up my online shopping basket with both Mrs White's Kitchen and Bathroom kits. Everything is ecologically-friendly.

In addition, there are cleaning products for floors, upholstery, clothing (yours and your baby's) and even your shoes.

This household may never see another cupful of Tide or spritz of Windex ever again...

2011-07-01T21:02:00.000-04:00

Inspiration for wall colours in the new house: Laduree macarons!

2011-07-01T17:31:00.000-04:00

Las Tias made dinner on their last night in DC -- a Mexican feast of tuna ceviche followed by frijoles, nopales, mole and chocolate cake.

Baby is very sad that they've gone home :-(

2011-07-01T17:27:00.001-04:00

Dinner with the family

2011-06-13T13:14:00.000-04:00

One of a kind jewelry by Philippa Holland

This ring has a real bat's skull. Creepy but cool at the same time.

2011-06-13T11:18:00.000-04:00

I want this garden hose...

from Terrain

2011-06-09T20:41:00.000-04:00

Baby is a bit of Houdini and I am a rubbish swaddler. I need all the help I can get. I've found that the swaddle fabric is the most important part of a perfect swaddle, after the technique itself.

The key is to get baby really tightly wrapped - even if it feels like brutality to keep pulling on the fabric until baby shrinks to half his body size. The best swaddle fabric I've found is by Aden and Anais. It's a thin (perfect for summer) muslin and has stretch to it. Plus, they have really fun (but not Disney) prints.

They come in very handy to wipe up baby messes, and I've also used mine as a lightweight blanket when it's too warm for a onesie but baby is feeling shy.

They're priced at the high end, but I think they're worth every penny.

2011-06-09T20:04:00.001-04:00

Since the birth of baby, I have lost interest in fashion-related things and replaced them with bottle-related ones. It's definitely cheaper, so far anyway.

Anything that claims to reduce air intake and "gas" issues is at the top of my list. I tried Avent, then the Playtex Ventaire and now this one has caught my eye. It's the Very Hungry bottle by Mimijumi.

2011-06-06T10:43:00.002-04:00

Breakfast con la familia

2011-06-06T10:37:00.001-04:00

post pedicure

2011-06-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

Hanging out at the weekend

2011-06-06T10:34:00.000-04:00

Baby's first trip to the seaside on Memorial weekend

2011-06-06T10:33:00.001-04:00

Little feet and Flor in week 4

2011-06-06T10:28:00.000-04:00

7 weeks old already. Time has flown!

In a nod to El Gordito's Mexican heritage, here he is in his Lucha Libre t-shirt. I really want him in a mask but realize that might be a little over the top. Perhaps when he's a bit older :-), say next Tuesday?

2011-05-30T22:19:00.003-04:00

Our first Mother's Day

2011-05-04T13:34:00.002-04:00

2011-04-28T21:18:00.000-04:00

April 17, 2011 at 1:01pm

2010-11-12T22:15:00.000-05:00

roast duck breast with a balsamic glaze

2010-11-12T22:08:00.000-05:00

a room with a view.... of Washington cathedral

2010-11-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

beef stroganoff supper

2010-07-16T19:17:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:50:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:48:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:46:00.000-04:00

soft shell crabs by cousin fernando

2010-07-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

fourth of july 2010

2010-07-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:33:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:31:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:29:00.000-04:00

2010-07-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

2010-05-29T14:12:00.000-04:00

the fastest way to brighten up a pair of shoes: clip-on flowers

2010-05-29T13:59:00.000-04:00

mount pleasant farmer's market: today's picks -- asparagus, lettuce, strawberries

and mint from a lovely neighbour

2010-05-29T13:56:00.000-04:00

preparing nopales (cactus)

remove all the spines and then boil for a couple of hours to remove the gluey substance....

now the nopales are ready to be cooked/prepared....

2010-05-29T13:53:00.000-04:00

huevos mexicanos by chef g

2010-05-27T14:17:00.000-04:00

a wonderful blog -- sunday suppers -- great recipes, styling and photographs

2010-05-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

the chelsea flower show opens to the public today. i am gutted i am not there. years ago i joined the royal horticultural society (i knew back then that i would turn out to be a garden dork) but never made it to chelsea. now i live 5000 miles away i am kicking myself at missed opportunities -- not to mention the fact that it's one year where the sun is shining like crazy (it's usually wiped out on at least one day with rain, hello british weather).

paris's champs-elysee was transformed this past weekend into the most amazing and gigantic farmers market. i would have loved to have experienced that. what a transformation it would have been to behold -- 6 lanes of crazy parisian traffic transformed into probably the largest stretch of market ever! the french farmers were reminding parisian folk of the importance of their currently struggling farm industry.

2010-05-25T13:32:00.000-04:00

i would be lost without somewhere of my own to garden. even though we have no real flower beds with soil deeper than a few inches, we have something and that is better than nothing!

i spend hours in our garden, surrounded by pots and planters full of clematis, sedum, blueberries, strawberries, wisteria, verbena, rosemary, lavender... the list goes on. we have a large maple tree that has doubled in size in three years, and a young fig tree that is almost bursting out of its pot in only its second year with us.

weeding, trimming, planting -- it all gives me an enourmous sense of peace, as well as accomplishment. to plant a tiny seed, see it germinate, plant it out and then watch it grow --that is one of the best feelings in the world for me.

i may not have much in common with my mother, but in this department, i am so much more like her than i realised.

if i am stressed, sad or even angry, being constructive in the garden irons out the wrinkles and kinks.

this writer agrees that gardening can indeed be the best form of therapy.

2010-05-24T21:19:00.001-04:00

Ile Flottante

my first ever attempt at making ile flottante... it was surprisingly simple but next time i will make the meringues larger and the creme anglaise a little thinner.

2010-05-24T21:16:00.000-04:00

supper with friends

scallops over a tomato compote with champagne beurre blanc, followed by roast beef and potato gratin

2010-05-18T21:30:00.001-04:00

Lyon Bakery got a mention and some very positive reviews via Chowhound! Very happy to be mentioned in this great food blog.

If you get chance, do check out the summer stall at Union Station--it's only there until the end of the summer!

Lyon has both a Facebook and Twitter account now.

2010-05-13T23:50:00.002-04:00

the homemade marmalade was a success!

2010-05-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

i took my sister to Lyon Bakery today and we had a go making boules -- it was much harder than we thought!

2010-05-10T20:19:00.000-04:00

back in dc after a week away for knee surgery (both g and myself). i came back last night as my sister is arriving from england tomorrow!!!!!!!!!! g will come back next weekend -- after us two sisters have wreaked havoc. the last time i saw jude was in scotland for our cousin's wedding last may, so we have a lot of catching up to do!

i am wearing a full leg brace -- which i have to wear 24/7 other than when i do my rehab exercises. i even have to wear it to shower/bathe (i have a large yellow rubber sock to protect it -- tres chic). it's surprisingly easy to toddle about on crutches as my knee gives me no pain at all. we had an amazing surgeon -- renowned for pioneering many knee surgery methodologies -- and the fact that neither g or i have any post-op pain is a testament to his skills. he is Richard Steadman at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic in Vail, CO. if you ever need knee surgery, he really is probably the best of all of them. g had his first knee done in January and it's basically better than it ever was. fingers crossed for this time around.

g's sister flew in from mexico to take care of us. she is a wonderful cook and we ate well all week (basically she spoiled us rotten for which we were extremely grateful!)

the menu included:

hake with white wine and mussels

fideo with salmon, pork and a delicious salsa verde (from mexico)

salmon salad

tortilla espanol

isabel's chocolate cake

and much more (see what i mean about being spoilt?)

oh yes, we celebrated with a nice glass or two of champers post-op :-)

we had a nice apartment with views towards the mountains and a river. our concierge (Nima) from Nepal told us that to him (a sherpa), the mountains were more like hills and were the same distance/altitude (8000 ft!) as his daily commute on foot back home. amazing.

as we are both supposed to be off our feet, we spent a fair amount of time watching tv or in rehab sessions. when sat down, we had to cool our knees which meant being plugged into an ice machine via 'exhaust pipes' as g called them. those are not my legs.

2010-05-02T20:18:00.001-04:00

my first ever attempt at marmalade...

it needs another week in the fridge before it's ready to eat--just in time for my sister's arrival from the UK! it looks a bit like orange curd in this photo but in reality it is much more bitty--ie chunks of orange and rind--but that doesn't show here. i just tried a teaspoon full, it's a little too liquid still but the flavour is nice. phew.

i didn't boil the rind for as long as some recipes suggest as i like my marmalade with a tiny bitterness to it. i was astonished at how much sugar was necessary though. i followed a recipe that didn't any pectin--using the methodology that there should be more than enough natural pectin from the rind. we shall see...

so in summary, the ingredients were oranges, tangerines (their segments and rind, all in pieces), sugar and two sliced lemons.

i boiled the rinds separately for about one and a half hours. in another pan i stewed the orange segments and lemon slices with a LOT of sugar for about two hours. then i added the rinds to the second pan and left it to boil together for another hour. i then decanted the soon-to-be marmalade into the jars and then pasteurized/sterilized them for 30 minutes in very hot boiling water.

the house smelled so lovely--orangey and fresh. it was a messy task; i found splodges of sugary sticky orange all over the kitchen for days after. that is more a reflection of my messiness than the actual recipe itself though!

2010-05-02T19:43:00.000-04:00

i made another rhubarb and apple crisp today but instead of having very thin topping, i went for a thick crust. it doesn't look that pretty, hopefully the taste will make up for what it lacks in beauty!

2010-05-02T19:30:00.001-04:00

hen party last night (aka a bachelorette party). holy cow, it'd been a while since i got the gladrags out for a girls' night out. the day started at Liberty Tavern, Arlington, with lunch and gift-opening by the bride to be. the bride's mother had given her a kitchen aid - as her own mother had given her. it's probably my favourite and most-used kitchen appliance, i love mine and would be hard done to get by without it. not sure i ever want to go back to the creaming butter/sugar with wooden spoon task ever again... the food was good - presented beautifully. everyone ate very well...only to return again 3 hours later for tapas at La Tasca, Clarendon followed by drinking and dancing at Ri Ra up the road. 'twas a late end but fun was had by all -- can't wait until the wedding!

apple and goat cheese salad, gnocchi, arctic char, vegetarian sandwich

red velvet cheesecake, chocolate heaven, blackberry cobbler, lime souffle

2010-04-30T22:57:00.000-04:00

2010-04-30T22:18:00.002-04:00

2010-04-30T21:33:00.000-04:00

we had dear friends and their two gorgeous girls over for supper last night. these are our friends who recently completed the 2010 Marathon des Sables. they showed us some videos which included a lot of sand, sweat, some tents, not that much food, and a bit of ad hoc foot surgery. truly incredible (the 6 marathons in 6 days including one 91km run with NO breaks, not the surgery). they are quite the inspiration and what they achieved is something truly impressive. i asked if they'd ever had a moment of "oh sod this, forget it" and they both looked at me as though i was mad. i suppose one needs to have that kind of determination to undertake an event such as this. and i thought Iron Man was tough. their next bit of fun will be the Death Valley race. nice.

G roasted two chickens--one sufficed but i am sure Flor isn't complaining about having a whole chicken to herself for her next 10 suppers. we were so stuffed we didn't have room for salad let alone pudding (good thing as i hadn't made one!).

2010-04-30T21:19:00.000-04:00

four new hostas and one tree peony. the others are doing rather nicely too. happy me.

and of course i had at least one assistant shouting instructions at me

2010-04-27T18:33:00.000-04:00

g brought home an antique french garden table, antique plant holder and a beautiful plant he'd spotted at the weekend. we will use the table for potting and preparing plants. not sure what to put in the planter yet...

2010-04-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

CARAMELS

another quick and easy recipe

boil together sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla essence

2010-04-27T18:11:00.001-04:00

PARMESAN AND OREGANO BISCUITS

super easy and quick to bake

flour, parmesan, touch of water, salt, oregano, pepper and 22 mins at 350degs

2010-04-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

*sigh* i want one of these--right now.

if it weren't 10pm, it wouldn't be a surprise to find me in a garden store with armfuls of potted plants ready to take home to recreate this beautiful table.

roll on tomorrow...

from Lonny magazine

2010-04-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

feeling a tad overloaded or perhaps just indecisive?

by Samantha Hahn

2010-04-26T19:50:00.000-04:00

know your french cheese

source

2010-04-26T17:34:00.000-04:00

this is my idea of a perfect room.

not a dressing room, kitchen or bathroom, but a room in which i would keep, grow, and tend to my plants.

2010-04-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

what type are you? find out here

2010-04-26T10:15:00.000-04:00

apple and rhubarb crisp and a pavlova

while g made the delicious pork in salsa verde, i brought up the rear with an apple/rhubarb crisp and a pavlova. juan jose made a lovely salad - mixed leaves and goat cheese.

2010-04-26T10:11:00.000-04:00

2010-04-26T10:09:00.001-04:00

chef g outdid himself yesterday with his pork in salsa verde. he worked from a recipe out of his secret recipe book. the pork was so beautifully cooked, it could be cut with a fork.

2010-04-24T19:33:00.000-04:00

2010-04-24T19:29:00.000-04:00

so we bought this beauty today. i'm wondering where to hang her...

2010-04-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

happy happy friday

these gorgeous flowers are from saipua

2010-04-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

HOW TO TASTE DARK CHOCOLATE source: wiki how

(my answer is "put it in your mouth")

1. Find a location free from background noise and smell, such as television, music, a crying baby, road traffic noise, talkative friends, etc. Being able to concentrate as intently as possible will facilitate flavor detection.

2. Clear your palate. This means that your mouth should not contain residual flavors from a previous meal. Eat a wedge of apple or piece of bread if necessary. This is crucial in order to taste the subtleties of chocolate's complex flavor.

3. Make sure that the piece of chocolate is large enough to accommodate full evolution of the flavor profile. A piece too small may not allow you to detect every subtle nuance as the chocolate slowly melts. The important thing to remember is that flavor notes gradually evolve and unfold on the tongue rather than open up in one large package. So remember, don't think small here. 10g should be a minimum starting point.

4. Allow the chocolate to rest at room temperature before tasting. Cold temperatures will hinder your ability to detect the flavors. Some even advise that you rub the chocolate briefly between your fingers to coax the flavor. This procedure is optional.

5. Look at the chocolate. The surface should be free of blemishes such as white marks (called bloom). Observe the color and manufacturer's job at molding and tempering. Does the chocolate appear to have been crafted carefully or slovenly? The bar should have a radiant sheen. Chocolate comes in a multifarious brown rainbow with various tints, such as pinks, purples, reds, and oranges. What do you see?

6. Break the piece in half. It should resonate with a resounding "SNAP!" and exhibit a fine gradient along the broken edge. This is quality stuff!

7. Smell the chocolate, especially at the break point. The aroma is an important component of flavor. Inhaling will prime the tongue for the incoming chocolate. It also gives you a chance to pick up the various nuances of the aroma.

8. Place the chocolate on the tongue, and allow it to arrive at body temperature. Let it melt. Chew it only to break it into small enough pieces that it begins to melt on its own. After all, we're tasting and not eating! This step is crucial, for it allows the cocoa butter to distribute evenly in the mouth, which mutes any astringencies or bitterness in the chocolate.

9. Observe the taste and texture. As the chocolate melts, concentrate on the flavors that are enveloping your tongue. Melting will release more volatile compounds for you to smell. Close your eyes, take notes, enjoy this moment of bliss, and bask in contentment. Texture can be the most obvious clue about the quality of a chocolate. Low quality chocolates will have a grainy almost cement-like texture.

10. Now the chocolate is nearing its finish. How has the flavor evolved? Is the chocolate bitter? Heavy? Light? Was the texture smooth or grainy? Do any changes in texture and flavor occur? Take note of how the chocolate leaves the palate. Is there a strong reminder lingering in your mouth, or does it quickly vanish? Note any metallic or unpleasant flavors in the finish. This is a sign of stale or lower quality chocolate.

11. Repeat the process with a different chocolate. The comparison will highlight the subtle flavor notes in each chocolate. Be sure to cleanse your palate thoroughly before tasting each different chocolate.

2010-04-22T13:00:00.001-04:00

i love this granny pig. no idea where i found it on the web so i can't buy her :-(

2010-04-22T12:57:00.000-04:00

i very badly want a zebra piñata

2010-04-22T12:54:00.002-04:00

photographed by phil poynter

2010-04-22T12:53:00.000-04:00

photographed by Mark Pillai

2010-04-22T12:51:00.000-04:00

from kris atomic

this reminds me, we need to stock up on decent honey.

someone who lives in my house eats it everyday and no it's not Bear.

2010-04-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

i would love this lanvin for my friend's summer wedding.

though, unless i can also get the model's body to go with it, it's probably not a worthwhile investment!

2010-04-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

very cool. however, when i saw it my first thought was of the mad opus dei monk in the da vinci code.

this is one of many reasons i could never be a fashion writer.