I was quite happy with how well the apple pie turned out on thursday. it had to live up to some high expectations. (dee, I'm glad it did not disappoint.) and the pie crust dough proved to be quite the stressor at times. {what with all the "everything must be cold--almost frozen cold" and the "don't overwork the dough or you'll ruin it" business. yikes!} but in the end it all came together beautifully. the filling was super easy + yummy, and the crust came out flaky + golden. just perfect. it paired quite well with my new no fail fresh pumpkin pie recipe.
I found this in the parking lot while walking to work one day. it was full of little indentations and holes from being run over by cars on the little rocks. I absolutely love it because this mom + daughter duo is not only dressed exactly the same, but they're pullin' such tough faces as well. I wouldn't want to meet these two alone in the woods! {and, btw, who doesn't love the white visor?}
branch: sustainable design for living
I was talking to my friend britney at church today. she was going to be tackling her very first turkey this thursday. I got so excited and told her I made my first turkey last christmas eve (it's a new tradition at this household) and mine came out so moist and delicious. she asked me what I did. I told her the the secret was the brining. {which, btw, I'm excited for this thursday's bird because dee has a new brining recipe I hear. and he is the master briner} what else did I do, she asks. I have no idea. I do not remember what I did to that turkey. I don't even remember what recipes I used. I really wish I had written something down. (and actually, maybe I did. I haven't gone back to look through all my recipes yet) otherwise it will be like starting over from scratch this christmas. which is okay; half the fun is in the finding of the recipes. the other half is eating the delicious results.
june | novemberWe build towers from a set of wooden blocks and laugh our heads off when the towers fall down.
Towards bedtime, we sit on the couch and listen to classical music on the crank-up radio and try to hum along. Isabella sucks her left thumb, and if she is feeling generous, she holds up her right thumb for me or Michelle to suck.
We sit on the steps to the neighboring building and talk to people walking by. Isabella chooses the particular step and says, “Sit here, Daddie.”
We walk around, going nowhere in particular, and Isabella shows me how she can run, moving a lot, in her toddler body, like the tin man before Dorothy gave him oil.
We dance and we dance and we dance.
We take turns giving Mommy kiss attacks.
I stick my finger under Isabella’s arm and leave it there till she says “wiggle it.” I do and we squeal with laughter.
We talk about all the things we can see and say hi to them all: “Hi cars, hi buildings, hi sky, hi trees, hi dog, hi lady…”
We ride over to the Hudson River Park where Isabella always walks to the rails and says, “Hello river, how are you?”
We play in the fountain in Washington Square Park, where Michelle worries that the water is too dirty but can’t help cracking up at Isabella’s joy.
We go to the new swimming pool for kids and their parents on Thompson Street in SoHo, where an 11-year-old boy keeps trying to get Isabella to give him a high-five but she just smiles because she is too shy.
We eat lots of grilled cheese sandwiches cut in long strips and I fruitlessly attempt to get Isabella not just to bite off the cheese and give the bread to Frankie the dog.
We make bread together, which means I make the bread, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.
We cook together, which means I cook, and Isabella stands on a chair and takes everything out of the kitchen drawers and drops it on the floor.
We stomp the laundry in the bathtub together. “I’m splashing with my feet,” Isabella says.
We wash the dishes together. “You need my help, Daddy?”
We roughhouse on the bed together.
We ride aimlessly around on the No Impact Mobile (our tricycle with a back seat for Isabella), seeing what we can see and singing This Old Man if it’s sunny and The Old Man is Snoring if it’s raining.
We bang things really loud.
If Michelle isn’t there, we tell her things all the same and wonder if she can hear us in her mind.
We practice seeing who can scream the loudest.
We play hide and seek
We examine Isabella’s body for booboos and kiss them all.
We practice jumping really, really high.
“We go weee, weee, weee,” which is Isabella’s way of saying we go to the swings.
We go for a bike ride over the Brooklyn Bridge, and stop in the middle to look at the other bridges, which Isabella adores.
We go somewhere with Isabella’s best friend Hannah. When they greet each other, they hug each other really hard, lose their balance, fall over, and start crying. We then cheer them up by putting them side by side on the No Impact Mobile and ringing the bell a lot.
We put Isabella’s hair in pony tails and then she goes and shows them to “my sister Frankie”—the dog.
We play fetch with Frankie and Isabella laughs her head off.
We read books.
We call the grandparents—Nanna or Grannie or Poppie or Jojo or Poppa—on the phone and Isabella gets so excited that she talks too fast to get the words out.
And at bedtime, we sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” and a James Taylor song that starts “Well the sun is surely sinking down…”
have you heard of this guy? I hadn't until today. I was driving home from work, flipping through the radio stations, and stopped when I got to this interview with this guy and mr dj. I was hooked. he seemed so down to earth. so humble for the 'biz. just like a normal guy. like maybe in another life we could have been friends.
I've been wanting to make butternut squash soup for the past couple of weeks. I tried last week, but pete went to the store and came home with the wrong kind of squash. this week we got it right. it is such a fantastic soup. it has such a deep, creamy color + taste. perfect for an autumn evening. 
this coming thursday let's take the pledge and try to do more for our environment, our community and our children.
I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting pumpkin seed recipes. I mean, who doesn't love to eat toasted pumpkin seeds? what a fun + tasty snack. I've tried this cinnamon/salt variety a couple times now (the first attempt was a complete and total failure. burnt seeds are not so tasty as it turns out. the second attempt went much better, though pete still didn't love them. I thought they were tolerable and they actually kind of grew on me a little.), but today I found this lovely little recipe from my whole foods mentor, heidi swanson. they turned out especially tasty, and pete loves them. and so will you.1 egg white
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grained sea salt
1 cup fresh pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 375. In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg white, sugar, cayenne and salt. Add the pumpkin seeds and toss well. Drain off any excess egg white (using a strainer) and place seeds in a single layer across a baking sheet. Bake for about 12 minutes or until seeds are golden. Sprinkle with a bit more sugar and cayenne pepper when they come out of the oven. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Makes one cup.
