June Gloom

It's June 20th, the day before the first official day of summer, and we're all bursting with impatience to have a bit of sun come out. I wish it were more summer like, but thus far the weather has only to disappoint. We've had a few hours of sunshine here and there, but it only lasts for so long before it starts to get gloomy and cold again. What's a girl to do?

Well, as they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So I made lemonade. With vodka.

Making homemade lemonade isn't too hard, providing you don't have any cuts on your fingers and don't mind getting a little sticky. We halved several lemons and a few limes, and squeezed hard to get every last drop out like our lives depended on it. We added simple syrup, ice, and vodka in varying quantities, and sat down to enjoy a drink in honor of the absent sunshine.

The sunshine doesn't stop there. We made a blackberry peach cobbler to go with the lemonade, and served vanilla ice cream on the side. The ice cream melts slightly and mingles with the warm berry juices, creating a delightful contrast. Cobbler a la mode, with lemonade? Can't get more summery than that!

Here's to you, summer! We hope to see you soon!

Mansfield Park, you've been wronged.

I just finished Mansfield Park, and in my post-Austen flurry, I scrambled to find the movie version which I loved so much more than any other Austen adaptation. I remember falling completely in love with it, even though my sister, the Austen expert, didn't enjoy it as much as myself. Let me excuse myself by mentioning that before that movie, I had never read any of her books, so I had no idea that they were doing it completely wrong.

Are there any good Mansfield Park adaptations out there? Patricia Rozema's film totally changes her character, the 2007 Billie Piper also tweaks her character, and the 1983 Mansfield Park is so old it's almost impossible to watch. I say this after watching maybe 40 minutes of each version, just because the faults of each were so overwhelming I couldn't watch anymore at the time.

Fanny Price is a weak character in the beginning, and I didn't enjoy reading about her poor health and timid manners, but after having dealt with the dramas of the Crawfords, she really turns out to be very strong and iron willed. That resolve of hers is what I love about Fanny!

Let the creativity flow!

You might remember watching this Mr. Roger's segment when you were a kid. Remember how exciting it was to work with crayons, and most particularly, all the different colors? It was so much fun! As an adult, I've been trying my hand at watercoloring in an attempt to relax and work my artistic muscles. I'm not very good at all, but I enjoy playing with colors and composition. People look at my work and don't really say anything terribly encouraging, but I laugh at myself anyway and keep working.

We've had a few get-togethers in the last couple of months loosely centered around crafty projects such as watercoloring, mostly because it's nice to see what people come up with, and because artistic projects should be undertaken by everyone! Some people are generally gifted and talented at art, and, sadly, lack of talent makes others feel like they shouldn't even try it at all. I try to do away with that nonsense by providing some all-purpose lubrication in the form of booze. Wine loosens up inhibitions just the slightest bit, and even the most reluctant artists take a stab at putting something down on paper.

A friend of mine recently shared an idea for an event involving Bob Ross and The Joy of Painting. The idea was that the group would watch an episode of Joy of Painting, and while watching, would follow along on their own using whatever art supplies were around. I guess the outcomes are pretty interesting! Haven't been able to pull this one together yet, but hopefully we can arrange it in the future.

The plus side of having people come over to paint/draw/whatever is new art to put on your walls! I am tickled every time I look at my friends' art on the wall, mostly because I remember the good times we were having. It really has been fun seeing what other people can do with art, and I hope that it inspires them to spend a little more time on art in the future. All you need is a little practice!

Oh, Jane, what shall we do?

At last, my good friend, we meet again. My apologies for my neglect, but I have been quite busy doing nothing, thank you! Actually, that's not entirely true, but my ambitions have never been very great to begin with, so we shall settle on that point.

We haven't been going out quite as much, leaving me without bar reviews or interesting restaurants to share, but I've been exposing myself to a bit more culture thanks to Netflix, Jane Austen, and the theatre. I enjoy literature, film, and theatre, and each medium really kicks my imagination into overdrive. I can't help but think about throwing together parties and soirees that focus around, or are influenced by, art.

I just finished a reread of Pride and Prejudice, and I'm now going through Mansfield Park for the first time. Reading these stories, stories about women in society, really fuel my need to put together some manner of outdoor party in an extravagantly lush park somewhere. Dear neighbors in Mansion Land, I may need use of your lawns! I can see it now, a tent set up in the middle of a field with linens flowing in the twilight, and luminous lanterns strung about providing a warm glow. One large table, or a rug with pillows strewn about, would sit there waiting for guests to arrive via a winding path. The idea would be to create a sense of wonder and ease, to take everyone from their mundane cares for the enjoyment of an evening among friends old and new. We would serve refreshing cocktails, light food, and mirth would flow! This isn't easily achieved, but I'm hoping to recreate this moment. I have a notion that I will be able to recreate it in my living room!

I suppose I've come across a project here, to recreate my Austenesque park dinner party in my living room. Here's to a challenge!

jimmjamjamjam

January is over. Fini. Done. Gone. Never to be heard from again in 2010. So that means February is here in all its cruel ferocity.

We left January with a birthday celebration for Jason. I made a chocolate peanut butter concoction which was absolutly amazing. I used a chocolate cake mix from a box (how mundane, but you can still have fun with mixes), but I made the frosting myself from a recipe I found over at Smitten Kitchen. It was delicious! Cream cheese frostings have always put me off, simply because I was unfortunate enough to be force fed cream cheese frostings on costco cakes from age 9 through 16. I like being the one to make birthday cakes because I get mad props from my friends, but it's all trickery. You can't go wrong with sugar. Most people love it, dream about it, crave it. Making any dessert, I think, is an automatic win.

my, my, does time fly!

It sure does, Roger. I started this blog knowing that I probably wouldn't do much with it, really, and here I am, several months and a gym membership later, posting my third entry!

A lot has happened in the last few months. I baked a lot of buttery, sugary, delicious treats which helped contribute to a big tip in the ol' scales. Not unexpected, but as I am rounding out my 26th year, I feel that I should probably get a handle of the situation before I landslide into scales not previously known. I got on board with physical fitness after a several year hiatus, and I now sweat if off at the gym semi-regularly. My favorite torturous exercises include laboring over the stair master, the elliptical thing, and hefting weights around. I can assure you I look like a complete idiot, but I love feeling tired after working out so I plan to continue. I have been toying with the idea of doing a triathlon this year. We'll see about that!

Now, that's enough about working out and being healthy. Let's talk about the drunk part of the last few months. There just so happens to be a fabulous German bar across I-5 from my apartment, called the Feierabend, and we've been spending a lot of time and money there. They boast the largest selection of German beer on tap on the west coast, but that is thus far unverified. They also have what they call a Mug Club, where they have a series of punch cards to complete for different items. The first punch card (filled after about 25 liters of beer consumed) warrants you a t-shirt reading "Ich liebe deutsches bier", the second a patch (unverified), and the third your own personal stein which you can either keep at the bar or take with you. We're almost done with our t-shirt cards, and it has been a delicious process. My favorite selections include the Franziskaner weissbier, Hacker-Pschorr dunkel-weisse, and Kostringer. It's a lot of fun to hang out with a bunch of friends for an afternoon and make fun of each other as we get more intoxicated. What's even more fun is walking up the steep ass hill after drinking two liters. Stumbling and merry-making ahoy!

The rest of our boozing adventures over the past few months include our holiday party. Rather than give our friends presents for the holidays, we decided to give them the gift of booze, thus hosting an event we called Merry Boozemas. Really awful event name, but it got the point across (and it was definitely a boozy affair). We intended it to be a cocktail party, but since neither of us are bartenders, we pretty much just bought a bunch of booze, mixers, and garnishes, and let people play around. While people were boozing it up, we had old Fred Astaire movies playing in the background (Top Hat, and Funny Face), and some other old jazz blaring on the laptop. Glenn Miller is my new favorite artist in the world.

In preparation for Boozemas, I went on an adventure to Ikea, where I purchased some cheap cheap cheap glassware and other things I didn't really need but wanted. You know, like you do when you go to Ikea. We made several trips to the liquor store, and subsequently had awkward conversations with the friendly staff which may have made me seem like an alcoholic. I will say that I am not an alcoholic, just a binge drinker. I openly admit that, and, I'm sorry, Liver, this is only a phase. I checked out a bunch of music and movies from the library for ambiance, and I'm still riding my Glenn Miller/classic movie phase. The event was a success, apparently, and people seemed to enjoy themselves. It looks like this will be a regular event, and I do not mind at all!

New Year's was fun, but had an unfortunate end due to complete shitfacedness. New Year's Day was painful and long. I must have spent a good part of the day bent over a toilet, or in misery on the couch. I finally saw Fargo, rewatched the Lord of the Rings movies, and eventually felt good enough to enjoy some of Seattle's goodl ol' terriyaki! Note to self: mass quantities of cheap champagne is a no-no.

That's about all the update I can do today. Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!

Peach-Raspberry Crostata, via Pittsburg Needs Eated.

A few weeks ago, J picked up some raspberries and peaches at the Farmer's Market with the idea that I would make something tasty with them. I've recently been on a baking binge that produced cranberry-orange scones, blueberry cobblers, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cakes. After stumbling around the internet looking for ideas for my next project , I discovered the most amazing food blog in the world, Pittsburgh Needs Eated. She's got some really great recipes, and awesome pictures to boot. I spent a good long while looking over her postings, and now that I'm thoroughly jealous of her ability to bake, I feel the need to cook just about everything I read on her blog.

The recipe I ended up using for the peaches and raspberries was her Peach-Raspberry Crostata. The results were, I am pleased to say, quite delicious! I didn't follow the recipe exactly, and I subbed in the regular iodized salt for the sea or kosher salt, and I used nutmeg as a sub for the ginger. Those changes aside, it turned out pretty well! The recipe made eight little tarts of varying size (my rolling skills have much to be desired), which really were delicious. I ate one fresh out of the oven, and man oh man, I about died. The crust was perfectly flaky and buttery, the pairing of the fruits really did well. I baked them late at night (2 AMish) so no one else got to eat them fresh when they were at their best. They weren't so awful out of the fridge, though. I think everyone enjoyed them! The only issue I had with the end result was some burning from spilled over juices. I would like to think it added some character to the pastry.

I also decided to bake a birthday cake for a house guest this weekend. The cake was not remarkable by any means, other than the miracle that despite the fact that I ran out of ingredients (flour, sugar, chocolate), the cake turned out okay. I was expecting something slimy and alive to crawl out of the oven (Swamp Thing, perhaps?) but I was delighted to find a perfectly moist, light chocolate cake with a touch of raspberry jam flavoring. I ended up eating most of the cake myself, just out of pure joy that it worked. The next birthday cake I produce will be better.

Thanks to my new favorite food blog, Pittsburgh Needs Eated, for sharing her recipe!
I didn't snap any pictures while I was working on the recipe so I don't have any pictures, but, I promise next time I will provide some pictures.