Nov 12, 2012 |
My girl is not a girl. Today she’s an adult. But I still love her as a girl. I mean, who wouldn’t? Look at this face!
Sweet Dreams
I can’t believe it was 18 years ago today that this beautiful bounty came into the world (not before playing Jurassic Park with my tea). And just look how she’s grown up!
Play Ball!
Finding Lizzie
Happiest Place on Earth
Rah! Rah! Sisboombah!
Time Passes
Rock Stars!
Today we celebrated Dot’s birthday. It’s always so wonderful to give back to the person who has given so much to my life.
Gorgeous New Hair
Requisite Starbucks Breakfast
Pumpkin Spice Birthday Cake
I love you, Hannah. Now, forever. You are always my little girl. And I’m so proud of how you’ve grown up.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Nov 11, 2012 |
Dot’s Birthday.
My beautiful, talented, shy, generous, gregarious, smart, amazing daughter turns 18 tomorrow. She’s not a baby, not a child. We are celebrating all weekend long with little things. Last night she chose to see the new James Bond movie. Knowing that she doesn’t care as much for Bond as I do. Knowing that there are other movies she also wants to see. She chose Bond.
I bought the tickets and the popcorn (junkfood hangover, anyone?), and we settled in. How fun it is to not be relegated to PG or teen-angst movies. To have her say, “It was so good! I had to keep reminding myself it’s just a movie!” How fun to watch a “grown-up” movie with my Grown-Up Daughter.
Fall.
The winter winds blew old leaves out of my yard this week. I always say that’s God helping me rake the leaves, since I haven’t done it yet. But as I awoke this morning, still in bed I looked out my large window to see a steady rain of yellow and gold leaves whispering their way to the ground.
Dot’s facebook page is full of color as she captured the stunning images of her Grandmother’s Liquid Amber trees a few days ago. This last week of cold and last night’s freeze has brought the sudden onset of toe socks, heavy scarves, and yes… falling leaves.
Dot’s Fall
Veteran’s Day.
I’m so very proud of my Big Brother who served many years in the military. I’m so thankful for those who serve publicly and privately and in ways we will never know. For those behind the scenes, for those kinds of first responders. And for those who keep doing it, year after year after year. Because they do what they do, I can do what I do.
Flag
Christmas.
Driving home from the movie last night, we caught this year’s first glimpse of Christmas lights. Just a block and a half from home. Strands of white “icicle” lighting outlining a roof. How wonderful. How magical.
There’s something so intimate to me about Christmas lights. I can’t explain what it does to me or why. But I adore – no, I need – to see an abundance of Christmas lights this time of year. It’s a public showing that there’s hope. Hope for surprises. Hope for family. Hope for gatherings and happiness and fireplaces and hot cocoa… all the things that make this time of year so incredible. Christmas lights are a public announcement of all things good.
We don’t have outdoor Christmas lights. That’s just not something we’ve been able to get yet. But I still have hope. For surprises. Family. Gatherings. Happiness. Fireplaces. Hot cocoa. And oh, so much more!
Mission Inn’s Festival of Lights, Riverside, CA
[Photo Courtesy Hannah Realy]
When you drive past my house this year
Don’t be dismayed at my lack of holiday cheer.
You may not see it, but it’s here.
In our hearts, in our home.
And we’ll share it with you,
Everyone.
What does this weekend look like for you?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Mar 20, 2012
It’s 10:30 p.m. and I just now realized I don’t have a post ready for tomorrow.
Well, what can I say? I’ve been busy today.
I played the Wii.
I ate birthday cake.
I snuggled with my cat.
I spent a lot of back-and-forth with my graphic designer for the new company logo.
I watched some TV.
I ate pizza.
I fed the birds.
And I had a friend do a drive-by hugging.
Dot cleaned the house in such a wonderful fashion. She really did herself in. Because now I know she’s totally capable of this kind of cleaning. *Insert evil-Mom laugh here.*
And I planned my grocery list. For my dehydrator. I’ll start with apples and bananas. And grapes. Then move onto tomatoes and beef jerky. And once spring truly arrives, I’ll play with herbs. I might even try some potatoes.
I’ve crossed a lot off my To-Do List lately; but I’ve also added to it. It seems that’s always the case. Just when I think I’m done, there’s another task. Even when I’m close to finishing a project, I find a reason to not quite get there. It’s a little infuriating.
But this year, so far (and it’s only March!!), I’ve been doing better at finishing what I start. Little by little, I’m learning what it feels like to set more than one goal, and take it one step at a time; and cross that finish line one foot in front of the other.
I’m also learning that there are many different ways to reach goals. And success has many definitions.
I figure as long as I’m breathing, and learning, and living, I’m doing okay.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Feb 24, 2012
Dear Wilton’s,
I can’t thank you enough for the memories you’ve brought back to me and for the ones yet to come. When it comes to making me happy in the kitchen, you rule. Your highly recognized products are easy to use, inexpensive and yet durable, and I don’t have a hard time finding them in my local cake/craft stores.
You have decorated our food, our hearts, and our lives. Thank you.
I love you!
Sincerely,
Me
Just about a year ago I bought something I’d wanted for a very long time: a Wilton’s cake decorating kit. My mom reigned when we were kids. Everyone on the block was jealous ~ jealous, I say! ~ of the cakes we’d get on our birthdays. The flavors, the textures, the decorating and how it was the Main Attraction. We’d be booted out of the kitchen the day before the celebration and not let back in until the Grand Unveiling.
My two favorite cake memories are from my 7th and 8th birthdays. For one she’d made a sheet cake and covered it with shredded coconut that she’d colored green. Coconut is still a favorite of mine. On this were a small plastic house that was also a penny bank (complete with birthday penny inside!), and small plastic figurines of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I still have those figurines!
The other cake memory was another sheet cake that she’d piped yellow “bricks” on for my Wizard of Oz themed party. I had started collecting Wizard of Oz dolls. She borrowed the ones I had and incorporated my birthday gifts into the cake and table setting. I don’t remember which ones were new that year, but I do remember the set was finally complete; and yes, I still have those, too.
I had grand visions of creating amazing treats that would magically turn my home into a lovely talked-about-all-over-town bakery. Or at least, give my family something to talk about on a regular basis.
To inaugurate my own Kit, I invited my mom over and she, I, and Dot had a cupcake decorating party. What great fun! I made the cupcakes, mixed the icings, and we had fun! The decorating tips made for a variety of patterns and techniques that turned each cupcake into a work of art.
A short time ago, I stocked up on Wilton’s melting chocolates and more molds. I also added extras to my Kit. There’s such a variety, it was really hard to choose what shapes and colors I wanted. I was, well, like a kid in a candy store!
I’d had it in my mind to make treats like I’d seen on the television cooking shows. And today, I decided, was the day!
I started by making solid chocolate molds. It’s so easy! Wilton’s melting chocolates can be melted right in the store packaging. I chose to use one of the icing bags that came in my cake kit. Just put in some chocolate pieces, microwave for two minutes on 50% power, and mix. It’s that easy! Then I just cut the tip off the bag and gently filled the molds. How great are these?! After 15 minutes in the fridge, they’re ready to pop out and eat! (And can I just say, that if between the time of my writing and your reading there are no chocolates left in my house, it’s not my fault. I’m just a taste-tester, making sure of the accuracy of my writing!)
Then I tried my hand at making chocolate shells. I filled the molds only halfway and used a baking brush to pull it up on the edges. This will take more practice. More, delicious, practice. Darn.
While the molded chocolates were chilling in the fridge, I started the ganache. This, too, was far easier than anticipated. A simple 1-to-1 ratio of chocolate and heavy whipping cream. Once the chocolate was melted in the double boiler over simmering water, I added the cream and blended until smooth.
Then I put one cup of the mix into a smaller container and added finely chopped peanuts. I let the large pan chill in the fridge for several hours. I chilled the smaller cup for half an hour and poured some into a molding tray and some into the chocolate shells.
I’ve never made chocolate candies before, and I can honestly say the variety of Wilton’s products, and the easy directions, make me wonder why it took me this long. The creaminess of the chocolates are utterly melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The molds are so fun. There are cups, stars, hearts, shallow buttons, animals. Anything you can think of! And the accessories for cake decorating are just as vast: food coloring, decorating tips, fondant product, idea books.
With Wilton’s in the kitchen, there’s no wrong way to make a treat.
Dot has already asked if we can make more this weekend. I’m so happy I could cry! Hey, you know what’s good for that?… CHOCOLATE!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
*This post is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Wilton’s. The opinions expressed are my own.*
Jan 2, 2012
I’m not gonna lie. I hope this post attracts lots and lots of attention. I hope beyond hope that somehow, someway, Keurig sees it, and like any other great food blogger, I’ll be contacted and offered mucho free product to review for them. I’d love a stinking huge Keurig gift basket to show up on my doorstep with a “Thanks for thinking of Us” card attached. Yeah… I sure can dream, can’t I?
In order to understand my love for Keurig, you must understand my love for coffee. It all began when I was a junior in college and staying up late with my friend in the dorms. Now she was a coffee drinker. She knew Starbucks before they were on every corner. And during one particularly long study session which kept us up already past a decent hour, she said, “I need coffee. I’m going to the cafeteria.” I didn’t drink coffee much back then. Sure I’d had it as a kid with lots of milk and sugar. But as a regular, Mmm-mmm good! Gotta have it! thing, notsomuch. It was too hot and strong for me, so I added a few ice cubes. That’s the ticket!
And thus began my love affair with coffee. A few years later, a former boyfriend came to town and since it was close to my birthday, he took me to lunch. We drove to the outskirts of the neighboring town, to a quaint little restaurant off the freeway that garnered much attention for it’s 50’s-era style. The food was great, and the coffee was decent. We started talking about really good coffee and he suggested we make the 30 minute drive to the nearest Starbucks. I’m game! So off we went on an impromptu coffee run.
Now, when I say I live in the Southern California desert, that’s not exactly true. I live in a residential suburb that’s planted in the desert. But you don’t really understand the meaning of the word desert until you start driving toward Barstow. And how it is that Barstow got a Starbucks long before we did is still a bone of contention around here. So. You get my excitement at driving just for good coffee. I was thinking this would be a really great birthday!
We were so busy chatting and getting caught up that we missed the first turn off. Hmm. No worries. There’s another one in a mile.
Missed it.
So we kept driving. It’s not easy to get lost on the 15 North. It’s not like there are any sidestreets to get in the way or mislead us. So we just kept talking, driving, figuring we could turn back once we reach Calico Ghost Town. A darn good birthday drive.
Missed it again. We were just about to turn around when I saw it. The first billboard indicating Sin City lay ahead: Las Vegas! And what, you ask, did the billboard advertise for that fine town? David Cassidy in Concert. Ohhh, babyyy….! I’m pretty sure I drooled. Or squeeled. Or both.
I pointed and said, “Ooh, let’s go there!” I was just joking. He wasn’t. And he said, “Wanna go?” Just like that. Uhmmm… WHAT?!?! Five dollars in my back pocket. Never been to Vegas. Hair and makeup not quite done properly. We were only supposed to be getting coffee. So I made a quick phone call to my family and said, “Hey, I’m gonna be home seriously late… like, tomorrow morning!” and it was settled.
Two great things happened that night. The first is that David Cassidy stood ten feet in front of me with his microphone, looked into my eyes and sang, “I Think I Love You”, to the dismay of all other females in the audience. The second is that I had a really great cup of coffee.
Now that’s a birthday!
Flash-forward over a decade, and I’ve become quite the coffee snob. I make Folgers when I have to, but prefer the Starbucks drive-thru. Especially since it’s literally a block from where I worked.
Last spring, I treated my mom to a birthday celebration at The Mission Inn in Riverside. It’s a beautiful, historic Inn. Just 35 minutes south of home, I used to drive there often to see the sights and surrounding areas, but never stayed there. This was the first vacation with all three of us: Mom, Me, and Dot. And it was the best. Our concierge was so helpful. She was in constant communication with me by phone and email. I explained to her my personal ideas and she threw in some marvelous touches that I never thought of. Once we were settled, she came up to personally introduce herself and wish my mom a wonderful birthday. [If you ever get the chance to stay at the Mission Inn, do so! And let them know I sent you!]
I’m so in love with the history that the Mission Inn has. I’m particularly fond of Author’s Row, where I hope to vacation some day. Many wonderful authors have not only stayed at the Mission Inn, but written books while there. I’m pretty sure there’s a Magic Pen around there, and I just need to find it.
Years ago, at one of the Inn’s corners, was this great place: The Mission Inn Coffee House. I was so looking forward to grabbing a Starbucks-quality coffee. But it has since been replaced with the Bella Trattoria, which is a fine Italian dining establishment where we suffered under heatlamps in 20 mph winds and rain just to eat my first ever veal (lasagna, it was superb!) and a true tiramisu; all while listening to Bocelli in the background.
Our room was tucked into a corner and we had a grand door overlooking the Spanish Patio, Author’s Row, and windows overlooking the pool. It was exquisite. The first morning we woke to find the coffee pot was a Keurig.
I’d never tried a Keurig before. I considered it a flashy gem, a gaudy ring on the hand of the rich and famous. A bling-bling that unnecessarily flaunted snobbery. I knew nothing. The Mission Inn had printed wonderfully simple instructions. They could have called
it “Keurig for Dummies”: Pour water. Select K-cup. Brew.
Voila! Keurig + Molly = Coffee Snob.
It was so simple. So easy. So flavorful! It took me only two weeks to get my own. Just like the one at from our room at the Mission Inn. The only difference is the color. Theirs is black. Mine is red.
You know how all roads lead to Rome? That’s how it is with me and coffee. Whereas every significant coffee moment in my life holds a great memory, there is nothing, nothing, nothing like the enjoyment I have with my Keurig. Each day, the perfect cup of coffee awaits me. I enjoy a variety of flavors without worrying about one bag of beans going stale before I finish it. When I need an extra boost, I brew a short cup full of caffeine. If I’m looking for a casual day at home, a full 12 ounces fills my cup.
And we’re not just talking coffee, here, either! Cocoas and ciders and teas, oh my! I also love brewing a clean cup of hot water for my instant oatmeal breakfasts, or regular tea bags. And let’s not forget that when I want to use my regular gourmet coffee grounds, I have the replaceable My K-Cup. With over 200 flavors and so many ways to brew, there is absolutely no possible way to make a bad cup of coffee.
All roads may lead to Rome, but all coffee leads to Keurig.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
