Madeleine- a photo essay.

Elle envoya chercher un de ces gâteaux courts et dodus appelés Petites Madeleines qui semblent avoir été moulés dans la valve rainurée d’une coquille de Saint-Jacques. Et bientôt, machinalement, accablé par la morne journée et la perspective d’un triste lendemain, je portai à mes lèvres une cuillerée du thé où j’avais laissé s’amollir un morceau de madeleine. Mais à l’instant même où la gorgée mêlée des miettes du gâteau toucha mon palais, je tressaillis, attentif à ce qui se passait d’extraordinaire en moi. Un plaisir délicieux m’avait envahi, isolé, sans la notion de sa cause.
-Marcel Proust: A la Recherche du temps perdu-


I got very excited at the idea of baking madeleines for Hilary's 30th birthday party. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it all was. If you can read, you can make these. And boy are these babies crowd pleasers! I think Bruno had ten within minutes of them coming out of the oven.
Zest of 2 Lemons
200 gr butter- melted
4 eggs
200 gr sugar
225 gr flour

Whisk eggs and sugar until frothy. Add lemon zest, flour and butter mixing thouroughly after each ingredient.
Refrigerate the dough for about an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Butter and flour the madeleine pans.
Fill each cavity to about 2/3 of its' capacity.
Cook for 10-12 minutes
Remove from molds and set onto a cooling rack.
Try to not eat them all.
Makes 3 dozen.
They taste even better when little helping hands have sprinkle in egg shells!

What does Cochonet Rouge mean?

What Cochonet Rouge Means

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

I like new cameras

Dearest reader(s), how I am certain you have been longing for the culinary delights of Cochonet Rouge.
I give you.....Stuffed Zucchini (serves 2 adults and one picky toddler)
It's a little time consuming, but definitely worth it- in my opinion.

3 thick zucchinis
ground beef (about 300 gr)
onion (finely chopped)
garlic (2 cloves minced)
breadcrumbs (3 tbsp)
parmesan (2 tbsp + 2 tbsp for topping)
egg (1 large)
thyme
salt
pepper
tomato sauce (mine is simply onion, tomato, salt + pepper, parsley and thyme)

Preheat oven to 400
Boil your zucchinis whole (this will soften the flesh and make scooping way easier than if they were raw). Boil for about 5 minutes
Let cool.
In the meantime, brown your beef in a cast iron pan. When it's cooked, set aside in a large mixing bowl . Cook onion and garlic in the same pan until soft and translucent. Add them to the beef.
Slice your zucchini in half and scoop out the seed part with a little spoon. Chop finely and add to the beef and onion mix. Add egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan, thyme, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Place your zucchini shells in a 9" x 13" pyrex dish and fill the cavities with the stuffing.
Spoon tomato sauce along the edges of the pan and in between the zucchinis. You don't want too much tomato sauce on top of the zucchinis, this will prevent a nice crust from forming. Top with parmesan and pop in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve with a side of salad or rice. It's also delicious served cold the next day!


I had leftover stuffing, so I went ahead and stuffed a tomato... it was much tastier than I thought it was going to be! And note that all you veggies out there can substitute the beef for ground soy protein. Obviously omit the cooking part!

Little Secrets

This is a confession.

I am a huge Marilyn fan.

We caught the Marilyn episode of American Masters on PBS last night and it reminded me of my childhood.
It all started with the August 1982 Life magazine. I was 7 and I fell in love instantly. I could not stop pouring over the same 4 pages. I never grew tired of Marilyn with the chinchilla, or Marilyn with the pearls. Those pages eventually fell out, but I saved them and kept them in a safe place. I still have them. I even forced my dad to re-enact one of the photo shoots. It involved some pearls and me rolling around the front lawn. It pains me to even think of those pictures!
But poor Marilyn. Even at my young age, I picked up on her melancholy. I felt for her. I either wanted to be her or be her awkward best friend. I still don't know which one I'd rather be.

Umm... does anybody else find this weird.... because I sure do. I still can't believe that my parents never picked up on my mini obsession. Perhaps when I'm rich and famous, I'll go into deep therapy and they'll uncover that my problems are deeply rooted to my Marilyn obsession.

I'm getting off track here...
My mother had this pair of strappy nacre stilettos that both my sister and I adored. Any chance I had, I'd sneak into mom's dressing room, slip the sandals on, paint my lips and "become" Marilyn. Of course no outfit would be complete without the long cigarette holder, or as I would use, my number 7 watercolour paint brush.
Pause.
Ummm... I can't even imagine how I would deal with my 7 year old daughter's "pretend" smoking. What do you say to that? In reality, the smoking thing got even more bizarre. I started crafting my very own cigarettes- the paintbrushes weren't fooling anyone! I'd fastidiously roll up some paper, draw the speckled filter and the red hot tip and tape it up. I think I made a few, you know, in case I lost one. My teacher eventually found the cigarettes and I was forced to throw them away. Alas, that did not deter me from pursuing my childhood dream of smoking. Ya, that's right, you heard me! I didn't know what I wanted to "be" when grew up, but I knew that I wanted to smoke. I am proud to say that I am now smoke free (if you ignore the puffs here and there at all those crazy parties I go to).

Okay, okay, I'm getting to the point.
Point is, until last night I had forgotten how much I loved Marilyn. And now I remember. It's like I reconnected with a part of myself that I'd long forgotten. And that makes me happy.
End of story.

Nice little morning reminder

For a nice Friday morning pick me up, go check out Woody's little montage called Thoughts from Within. That's all I can think of writing, I'm a little worried that Mateo might be playing with a glue gun....

Tea Set Fridays

I love teapots. Short and stout, long and lean... doesn't matter. I dream of having a huge tea set collection one day although I am off to quite a poor start. I only have one, and it's a tiny little red japanese pot. Bruno won it for me at his office Christmas party last year. I don't even drink that much tea.
Why am I talking about tea pots? Well, our little blog here has been on my mind quite a bit these days (I know... I know, shut up already) and I've been struggling with the notion of 'what it's all about'. I guess it's the blogger existentialist crisis. What is Cochonet Rouge and why would/should I read it? You'll be glad to know that, as usual, I have no answers. I do, however, have a few ideas that will help me have a blogging 'structure'. One of them is a recurring weekly post that you all can look forward to (or complain about- your choice).
Hold onto your hats, this one is going to blow your mind:

Brilliant Recurring Post Idea The First:

Weekly tea pot feature. That's right. One tea pot a week. I'll give you a moment to collect yourselves from the shock of such a brilliant idea.

This Giana Eden Toadstool Tea set ($140 usd) comes to us courtesy of Mahar Dry Goods

Isn't it adorable? Très cute, non? I'm not sure if it's for kids (at that price- I certainly hope not) but I do love the irregularities in the shapes. Each piece is hand made using "traditional Japanese throwing techniques". I am not too sure what those techniques are, but rest assured that I will do my very best to let you know as soon as I find out. Heck, if I'm going to feature a tea pot every week, I might as well learn something.

Speaking of learning, I've noticed that the green content on this site is quite low. Folks, I am researching TEA POTS, give me a break. So while I'm looking at pretty pictures, Monique over at Just One Thing is calculating her carbon footprint. Leave me alone, go learn something from her.

A whole new web world

So those bloggies really got me thinking about this whole blogging experience. Yes, I know I am repeating myself. When I started perusing Dooce, I read that her blog enabled both her and her husband to quit their jobs and blog professionally. Hmmm. I could earn an income by doing this?
Hmmm. I could buy some Spanx using the money I make here? Hmmm.
Is that something I want to do
Is that something I can do?
I don't have the answers, just all these damn questions!

On another note... Any PostSecret addicts out there? Wow... I know I am. I bet you Bruno sent that one. It looks like his handwriting.

Oops, also have to publicly apologize for that mass invite to StumbleUpon. Although it's a really neat site, I didn't realize that I sent out the invite to my ENTIRE contact list. Yup, including the clients that never paid me and the friends I don't keep in touch with. My bad, my very bad.

WFD... or Are You Bored, because I sure am!

The weekend, in culinary terms, was pathetic. I don't even need to recap it for you.
What I did on Sunday is roast a whole bunch of veggies (sweet potato+ butternut squash and cauliflower + grape tomatoes), poached some chicken (yaaaaaaaaaaaawn), made some brown rice and boiled up a big ol' batch of carrot soup (added way too much water- it's more like salty orange water at this point) and sauteed some chard. I figured that maybe dinners would be easier to handle if I got organized like this. So far I've managed to make big soup/meals using the orange water, some chicken, brown rice and the chard. It doesn't taste as bland as it sounds... I promise!
Now that I think back on it, Sunday evening's meal was too lame:

Pork chops
White kidney beans stewed with tomato sauce
Sauteed rapini

Oh and I can also give myself props for Mateo's lunch today:

Swiss Chard and Sharp Cheddar omelette.

Too bad my camera sucks... once we upgrade to a camera who's flash doesn't just wash everything out, I promise to post more photos. That'll be in 2011, but whatever. You'll just have to endure my poorly written descriptions in the meantime.
Ya, you like it.

SOOO much to tell you Pt2

It all started one dull Januray morning. At that time I was working as a junior designer. Feeling unfulfilled by my responsibilites as a JD, I took it upon myself to create what was later known as Construction & Design Research and Development. I basically surfed the net. Occasionally, I would find an interesting new construction material and order samples, but most of the time, I just surfed. Don't get me wrong, when there was work, I would execute it(and HOW!!) but there was very little for me to do on a daily basis.

That's when I stumbled across on the Bloggies. A yearly round up of the very best in blogland. That's where it all started. It flooded my life with new people, new viewpoints, new projects... new everything. It was all very exciting. Angry Chicken was my first, quickly followed by Go Fug Yourself, and look at me now! My very own blog. Who knew that I could sustain something for more than 3 weeks? Certainly not me. The truth is, I absolutely love love love love it. And the best part is, some of you actually read it! Amazing. Thank you for letting me entertain/bore you.

Having said all of that, go check out the Bloggies, who knows... you might just be able to find something you weren't even looking for!

SOOOO much to tell you guys! Pt 1

Ok, I have ADHD or something... no wait. I have two babies! Both of which are sleeping, so let me make this quick!
There's so much info that I feel I need to share (don't get all excited or anything, it's all totally useless and unimportant, but I've been feeling neglectful of my little Cochonet... ).
LOVE LOVE LOVE MattBites. You foodies out there are probably rolling your eyes, thinking I'm soooooo last year, but I don't care. He's hilarious, he's a fantastic photographer and seems to have a lust for life that is simply infectious.
Isn't he adorable? The dude has sleeves and he loves rainbows. LOVE LOVE LOVE him. So boil up a cup of tea, snuggle up to your keyboard and surf away.

More breakfast please

So I'm not sure how I found this, but it's a definite keeper. Not only is Jennifer Causey a great photographer, she also has kick ass taste in breakfasts! Love the composition and the neutral tones.
She has a few other blogs that are quite interesting as well... mostly photography, food and design... pretty good combo, if you ask me!

WFD... the recap

So what have the Cochonets been eating recently?
Quick Chili w/roasted potatoes

Looks like the cold weather is forcing great minds to cook alike: go check out Aimée's chili recipe!

Wednesday Dinner: chili and oven roasted thyme potatoes
Wednesday Lunch: bagels and the over-parsniped soup from the weekend (thanks Sarah, I thinned it with milk and it helped a lot)
Tuesday Dinner: roasted veggie salad on raddichio.
Tuesday Lunch (with Sarah!): mixed plate (poached chicken, poached egg, broccoli and salad)
Monday Dinner: roasted veggie salad (you didn't actually think I wasn't going to repeat myself at least once, did you?)
Monday Lunch: sauté de veau with whole wheat rottini and broccoli, courtesy of MC

So there you have it, the whole recap!

I don't know if you've been following the developments over at Just One Thing, but Monique is on a serious mission: to not use the car for any trip under 1km. How inspiring!
That's what I love about the internet, I feel so empowered looking at all these different blogs. It really sends the message home: we can make a difference (uh-oh, I feel the fundraiser in me coming alive... !). When I see someone baking their own bread, or daring themselves to eat locally for a month it makes me believe that I can do anything! If they can do it, surely I can too!
And lucky for me, I am surrounded by people who do such AMAZING things... it's really quite unbelievable.
So I'm daring all of you to undertake ONE new project this year. It can be anything! Be creative, buy a shower timer (I desperately need one), start composting, volunteer, boycott chain stores! It should benefit someone or something: the environment, your community, your neighbour, your family, a stranger, an animal... you get the picture.
You guys can send me your stories and maybe pics and I'll post them throughout the year! Would you be up for this?
And if you think you don't have time or it isn't for you, check out this picture of Gwen at the Santropol Roulant!
She's in green on the right... this girl is working, volunteering, translating, bookbinding, amazing.

So here are some links to maybe get the ball rolling!
Santropol Roulant
World Changing
EquiTerre

A new magazine in my life!

So I received the first installment of my new magazine: Harrowsmith CountryLife. Despite a few snickers here and there... ya, that's you Sarah... I am very excited to welcome a new mag in my home. It starts off with a bang, it's the Green Issue and it has a huge breakfast baking section. Two of my favorite subjects. I can't wait to try their cinnamon buns... PLUS the senior editor is good friends with one of my readers: that's you D! Can you tell Bridget I want to be her? Thanks.
Good-Bye Rat Race? 101 Great seed sources...take that Vanity Fair!

Good day for blogging

Both babies are sleeping, Oscar nods are out today, snow outside... what more could a blogger ask for?
How many of these films have I seen? Zero.
Will it stop me from talking about them? Absolutely not.

Best Picture

Atonement

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country for Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Best Actor:

" height="43" width="53">George Clooney: Michael Clayton

" height="43" width="53">Daniel Day-Lewis: There Will be Blood

" height="43" width="53">Johnny Depp: Sweeney Todd

" height="43" width="53">Tommy Lee Jones: In the Valley of Elah

" height="43" width="53">Viggo Mortensen: Eastern Promises

Best Actress:

" height="43" width="53">Cate Blanchett: Elizabet: The Golden Age

" height="43" width="53">Julie Christie: Away from Her

" height="43" width="53">Marion Cotillard: La Vie en Rose

" height="43" width="53">Laura Linney: The Savages

" height="43" width="53">Ellen Page: Juno

Any big surprises here? Maybe Marion Cotillard, or Tommy Lee Jones... but the rest was pretty predictable. Buzz word this year is INDY... so maybe Ellen Page will win. Who knows?

Best Actress will definitely not go to Cate Blanchett (not because she's not fantastic- which she is-) but Elizabeth? Again? The Queen last year..Elizabeth Take Two... meh. My money is on Julie Christie.
Best Picture could go to anyone... but maybe this year will be the year of the comedy? Maybe Juno will sweep? Probably not. It'll be a toss up between No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood
Best Actor... my vote goes to Daniel Day Lewis. The man has made maybe 4 or 5 films in the last 10 years which have all been excellent. He has integrity, talent, looks, two boys and he's COBBLER! Could he get any cooler? Not in cochonet's book.

So there are my ignorant, uneducated guesses. Maybe those of you who have seen the films would like to comment?

PYT

http://www.littlecircus-blog.com/

Remember The Craft?

Robin Tunney, she was the lead in the 1996 teen witchcraft movie The Craft.
Aha. Not from ANTM yet probably more famous than any ANTM winner...

Built by Wendy

First, I love the name. Built by Wendy. It's very clever.
Second: she sells patterns... yes you can make your very own Built By Wendy clothing.
Third: I think one of her models is an ex-ANTM contestant. Please help me verify this...
Fourth: She's just cool. And her name is Wendy
I'll take the hoodie and the library.
How and /or why do I know her face?
Help!

i hate coming up with these stupid titles

So I promised the weekend food follow-up:

More lentil soup (me? predictable?)
Mixed plate (I was alone for dinner on Friday): poached chicken, green salad, soft boiled egg, steamed broccoli and tons of grape tomatoes oh and a piece of toast.
Broad bean pancake/fritters (mine paled in comparison to the ones Hil made two weeks ago, but Mateo still ate some): pureed broad beans with some onion, flour and olive oil. Formed into patties and pan fried- like falafel.
Broiled pork chops with roasted butternut squash (yum!!)
Cauliflower gratin (mateo's dinner)

The culinary disaster of the weekend is the 8 cups of veg/lentil soup in the fridge. Ouache. I think I added too much sweet potato or garlic. Not sure, but I hate it. And there's nothing worst than eating something you're not in love with. Ok, maybe there is, like famine or being separated from your children during wartime. But eating something that's a disappointment to you is right up there.

Weekend Wrap Up

Well not much to report over here at Cochonet Headquarters. The kitchen set was started but alas not completed. Little Daphné got a Joe Fresh pyjama and some Dora stuff (i know... i know.. but she loves her!) instead. I'm a bit disappointed, but I figure I can make one for her and one for her sister and keep them for next Christmas? I know, I'm too clever.

For some laughs:
These guys are too funny...
flight of the concord
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFjrbmj0CUc&feature=user
motherflippin

I'll follow up with a weekend edition of WFD when I actually make something for dinner!

MUST WATCH ITEM OF THE CENTURY

Buy Green, Buy Fair, Buy Local, Buy Used, and most importantly, Buy Less:
please go watch this http://www.storyofstuff.com/

hmmm. makes all my trend-lusting seem so trivial!

Justine, you're going to love this one!

Tova Dress from Wiksten-made

So I don't know if I've sent you over to wiksten made, but I think some of you might really enjoy it! She's from Kansas and she makes clothes. I guess you can call her a fashion designer. Maybe one day she'll be uber (don't know where the umlaut is on the keyboard) famous and I'll brag to the old ladies at the Scrabble nights that I wrote about her way back in 2008.
I love her sense of style and would love to buy one of her pieces... and she's also made me rethink my harsh stance on the must have item of F/W 2007: the heeled oxford. She shows a great example one on her site: très Feist, wouldn't you say?

I can see clearly now.

Are you ready? This is a long one...

Despite the fact that my eyebrows are- as we speak- invading the realm of my eyelid, things are looking up! Justine, I'm going to need your little tweezing hands next week!

Mémé Cochonet (from now on referred to as MC- that's my mom btw) came to the rescue today, Not only did she totally help me out, but she wasn't as harsh and judgy as she normally is. Despite the fact that she told me my broom was 'just terrible' about 6 times, MC washed the floors, helped me with groceries and took Mateo to the local baby cafe. Wow. I feel like a new person. I even started a new craft project: a children's kitchen (apron, oven mitt and wooden spoons) set for Bruno's niece. It's her birthday on Saturday and if the Littlest Cochonet gets a clear bill of health at the pediatrician's tomorrow, we shall all be going to a big birthday party! I'll post pictures of the kit if it ever gets finished.

I like keeping track of things, it gives me an inflated feeling of control and efficiency. So I've been tracking all sorts of things and the best part of all this track-keeping is the recording of it. I track each set of things with a specific paper and a specific pen/pencil. no substitutions. If I make a mistake or it looks messy, I must devise a new track-keeping system. I've been tracking all of our non-essential spending and grocery bills and IT'S SO MUCH FUN. I have my little spreadsheets and my little notebooks... I have totally outted myself as a premium nerd. I know. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed, mama needs a new Moleskine book- I saw Stephanie's while she was in from London and fell in love. It's the 18 month planner- left page is the week and right page is checkered for notes. IT'S PERFECT. Are you guys digging the allcaps?

I feel like I've had too much sugar...

You must be asking yourself, what did Emmy Lou have for dinner? Or as a clever Aimée over at Under the High Chair coined "WFD". Thanks Aimée, I will using that in the future!
WFD January 17th:
Sauteed swiss chard, italian sausage, grape tomatoes
Brown rice
Nothing to blog about (!), specially since I burnt the s***t out of the chard. But at least it's healthy.
That's it for me. Must go keep track of things...

Very Pale Green

We here at Cochonet Rouge were attacked by the first big cold of the season. We're on the mend now, but still waiting to see if the littlest Cochonet has fallen ill or not. Papa Cochonet will most likely be at his worst this weekend
Not very interesting stuff on the food front. A second batch of red lentil soup, a generous lentil soup gift from Caroline, an omelet and a mediocre radicchio dish. Meh.
I sauteed some sweet onion, added some italian sausage and threw in some thinly sliced raddichio leaves. I let it cook down and glazed it with some balsamic and seasonned with parmesan and black pepper. It was fine, but too many of the same textures. It needed that little something. Maybe next time.

This illness, and reading Just One Thing, have got me thinking about how poorly I've been doing on the environment front. The littlest one is more often in disposables than cloth (which I am so ashamed of) but he's still in the leaky phase and I have no interest in adding one jammy and undershirt per diaper change to my ever growing pile of laundry.
My tissue and toilet paper consumption (neither of which are recyled btw) has gone through the roof and so has my water consumption. I like to take baths when I don't feel well, and it's a fun activity that I can do one on one with Mateo. Needless to say, if we were charged for our water intake, we'd be dead broke by now.
Oh and our vermicompost is not as efficient as I thought it would be... I end up throwing out a lot of produce waste that could otherwise be composted. Our garbage has at least doubled since the summer.
Well at least I'm aware of it! The water will be the hardest thing to change.

Golden Globes be Gone

Forgot to add the Ny Times Online to my Love list!
So no Golden Globes last night... what a shame. But like starving a fighting pit bull the night before a big fight, not having my fix of the Globes (which is so much fun to watch) this will prepare me for the Oscars. We have a yearly girls night viewing, which inevitably leads to too much bread, one of us asleep and the others completely bored by the time they announce best picture. But still.
So you can find the "analysis" here and the results here.

Weekend dining

So here it is (it wasn't really all that healthy, but at least it's a start!)

Rotisserie chicken breast with a side of 'fries' (roasted strips of parsnip, sweet potato and potato*).
Homemade granola with sliced bananas and milk
Spicy red lentil soup** with bagel
Oatmeal with apples, coconut and maple syrup
Florida oranges (they are really good this year, and 12 for $3 at Rocky Montana!)

* What a super side dish, really easy and surprisingly quick. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes, flip to make sure they roast evenly. Voila! It didn't trick Mateo though, he chewed the parsnip fries and then spat it out. Nice.

**I revised the soup which I linked from the NY Times. I sauteed some onions, carrots, celeri, winter squash, spaghetti squash, sweet potato and parsnip. Added some liquid and the lentils, some parsley and a big teaspoon of piment d'espelette. Cooked down for about an hour. Pureed half of it and returned it to the heat and added some liquid.
DELICIOUS. A must have for this winter- the piment d'espelette made it warm, sweet and spicy all at once. And I love having at least two mason jars of soup in the fridge... quick and easy lunches!

Love and Hate for the Weekend

LOVE HATE

Falling asleep doing the crossword
Rotisserie chicken on Friday nights
28 Days Later
Hot baths with eucalyptus foaming stuff
Mateo's obsession with sunglasses
Storytime en famille on the bed
Cashmere socks
Charlie Rose
Rocky Montana's takeover of Avanti on Sherb.
Watching Bruno play with the boys

HATE

Waking up every hour to a restless, hungry baby
Sesame seeds on the kitchen floor (damn those bagels)
Blowing my nose and thinking I'm going to pass out
Folding laundry (it never ends)
Rotting lettuce in the fridge
10 hrs of cumulative sleep over the weekend
Matt Lauer
The writer's strike
Matt Lauer
Buying produce at Loblaws (what a ripoff!)

Flawed Link

I got tipped off by a dedicated reader (one of four!) that one of the links I posted didn't work.
Which sucks because it's a HILARIOUS link- so here it comes again.
Top 20 most bizarre celebrity baby names
Please go. Go and laugh, it will make you feel good!

And now for something new....

FOOD!
Those who know me know that I like a good meal. Now, I've had a -shall we say- turbulent relationship with food my entire life. Now that I'm feeding a family, the relationship is in it's disastrous phase. You bake cookies (and eat half), cook tons of pasta because that's the ONLY DAMN THING the boy will eat, and all of a sudden you feel as big as you were in the last 16th month of your pregnancy.
Or at least, that's what's going on over here.
So like millions of other people, I'm determined to do something about all this extra luggage I've tugging about. This time, the 'right' way.
Oh and yes, I am aware of the fact that I've just had two- not one- but TWO babies back to back. Still doesn't legitimize the half chocolate cake I inhaled yesterday. Trust me, I tried.
So here's the plan:
More veggies :: Less and/or healthier baking :: smaller portions :: exercise :: food log
The food log thing is fun and forces you to be honest about what you're eating (oh I guess I did eat 3 bagels in a row... hmmmm). So I may even do it here, if that's ok with you guys. thanks to hil for the tip and the delicious fava bean fritters last night... yum. I had 5.

So tonight I made a no brainer veggie side dish:
Roasted cauliflower and cherry tomatoes.
Toss chopped cauliflower and tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.
Throw onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet
Cook for 25 minutes at 400.
Voila. Needless to say, the boy refused to eat it and seemed rather content shewing away on raw oats straight from the canister. Fine by me.

Here are some fun online resources:
ny times food section
epicurious dieter's blog
Stupid easy lentil soup
although I hate the site, everyday food

Arrested Development

Not that it's breaking news or anything, but Arrested Development was the greatest comedy show on television. Ever. CBC runs the season at 17h30 and 12h30 daily, but you can get your fix for the Bluth family here or rent the three seasons at your local video store. For those of you who have never seen it, you will not regret renting these...

Lindsay: Did you enjoy your meal, Mom? You drank it fast enough.
Lucille: Not as much as you enjoyed yours. You want your belt to buckle, not your chair.

Michael: Mom wanted me to tell you that she doesn't care whether you live or die, but if you're not dead, she would like to see you at the courthouse tomorrow in a blue sweater.
Buster: Damn it! I hate the blue sweater.
Michael: She said it would look nice with the gray pants.
Buster: Damn it! She's right.

New Blogger

Just wanted to welcome a new member to the blogosphere! Her name is Monique Beaudin, a journalist, super mama of three, cloth diaperer, composter and now a blogger!
I'm almost ashamed to send you there. The writing is sooooo much better than it is here! Maybe I'll lose you all forever....? The blog is a continuation of her Garbage Diaries, a column she was writing for the Montreal Gazette.
She's an inspiration, so I highly recommend it as part of your daily blog reading.

Another green building

Ann Demeulemeester’s store in Seoul, South Korea
Pretty neat, eh? Thank you Inhabitat!
Speaking of green...
If you don't have time (like me) to make your own green cleaning products... or don't feel like having your wallet raped by Seventh Generation, Clorox has just launched greenworks .These cleaning products, made from plant-based ingredients are set to hit the shelves this month. You might remember Clorox from such corporate acquisitions as the 913 million dollar purchase of Burt's Bees.
Both Clorox and Burt's Bees are being heavily criticized by green circles and environmental groups.
"Who likes Burt's Bees now that it's been bought by Clorox?" Alison Stewart, a host on National Public Radio, said in November. "You know, just slap some bleach on your lips, it'll all be good.
Business now have no choice. It's either go green or go home and providing consumers with affordable 'ecological' cleaning products is definitely one way to charm yourself into peoples' homes.

Fluff

So in my desire to post some juicy fun stuff, I've spiraled down into the 'fluff' of the internet. I'm slowly working on an interior design post- but I keep getting interrupted.
I've found this online group called TeamSugar. It's light, very girly, full of celebrity gossip and void of any intellectual substance. Just what you need sometimes. Roundups of Nicole Richie's latest outfits, quick recipes and lowdowns on trends... you get the picture. It's the kind of site that you need to register for and build a profile (which is totally lame). They have tons of sub-sites: one on fashion, one on food, one on money... you get the gist.
Stop rolling your eyes... I can feel you judging me!

cut and paste

Yet another list. This one is from motivational speaker Jon Gordon. How very Oprah of me... I know. But it was forwarded by one of the women in my mom group and lots of it resonated strongly.
I will follow up with a fun post. I promise.

1. Take a 10-30 minute "Thank you" walk every day. While you walk practice gratitude. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. Buy a TIVO, tape your late night shows and get more sleep - it's the ultimate energizer.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is to___________ today.

5. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

6. Read more books than you did in 2007.

7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Do the "one thing" you have always wanted to do.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.

11. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

12. Engage in daily random acts of kindness.

13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing positive energy into your life.

14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

I am thankful for __________.

Today I accomplished____________.

19. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Lists: the redux

For some cheap laughs:
The 20 Most Bizarre Celebrity Baby Names

More lists:
The 20 pop-culture events we’re feverish about in ‘08
Here is the list of recipients of the U.S. National Society of Film Critics Awards which were handed out yesterday. Perhaps some Oscars foreshadowing? Best picture went to There Will be Blood which also captured best director (Paul Thomas Anderson) and best actor (Daniel Day Lewis). Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) won for best supporting actor; Julie Christie (Away from Her)for best actress and Cate Blanchett (I'm not There)for best supporting actress. You can read the rest for yourself!

Little updates

So you will soon discover that I've been struggling with this post. I've finally gotten a few minutes to myself and nothing seems to be coming to me! I apologize in advance for the suckiness that ensues. I'm working on an art project right now, so I guess that's taking up all my creative juices. Damn. Sucks for you guys. By the way, if any of you come across any old discarded frames (larger than 8.5" x 11") keep me in mind... I need to add to my collection.

Do you remember how 'hot' penguins were about a year ago? What happened to them? Are they as washed up as Nelly Furtado will be in about 6 months? Ouch. That was uncalled for and mean. The point is: how do these trends develop? Who decides what animal is 'in'? I think it should be me.
Here are my predictions for next year:

It mammal: the camel
It fish/crustacean: the shrimp
It bird: tie between the owl and the flamingo

Just keep those animals in mind... soon there will be a Pixar/Disney animated film about them and you will thank me for having enlightened you.

On a much more useful and interesting note:
If you're ever at a loss for books, just check this website out. There's also a book sharing site called Goodreads. I haven't had a chance to really dig around in there, but it seems promising.
Baby is wailing.

Fashion fashion and more fashion

Okay so it's like minus one million degrees outside. I have all the snowsuits and accessories ready to go. It must be done. We will conquer the outdoors.
But in the meantime, just wanted to give you all some sneak peeks as to what colours to look for next summer.. Marimekko and H&M pair up for S/S 08!!
Classic
Chic
Casual

So this little mama got herself some clothes for Christmas at this store. I know, I'm lame, but you certainly can't beat a great hoodie for 12 bucks. So there. I admit it. I shop for clothes in grocery stores. It's a far cry from some of my past fashion staples (flannel blue and red check shirt or even kelly green "scarf" wrapped as a top), but I think the general public will be happy that I'm toning things down a bit. So if grocery store clothing isn't your thing... you can always check out what's hot off the streets at the Street Peeper.
The arrival of fresh new clothes spurred a HUGE cleanup of my clothing "collection". It was a colourful one. I packed three huge garbage bags for the Sally Ann, two bags for a recycled art project and one bag for the dumpster. I must say I'll miss the rabbit bomber jacket, but it had to be done. So I sadly said goodbye to my ghost of fashion past but I will always remember the time Dove Charney told me I had great style.