Happy Birthday to me!

For my birthday, Ethan took me to the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens. They are the oldest botanic gardens in the state, and they are FREE (mostly... the Japanese portion has a small entrance fee) Compared to the Dallas Arboretum, which charges $10 per adult for admittance plus $7 for parking (and that's not even valet, y'all!) it is a real steal. and the gardens were beautiful!
We did decide to pay to see the Japanese portion, which was nice.


It was also very crowded as there was a Japanese festival going on; I think I would have appreciated it more sans festival.
The other portions of the garden included a perennial garden, which had what looked like mostly native Texas plants,


a rose garden


a scent garden (with fragrant flowers and different kinds of herbs), a wooded area, and another area that was more open with a lot of climbing roses on arbors.


poppies!!!

After the botanic gardens, we went down the street to the Kimbell Art Museum (also free!) Which is a nice-sized museum, large enough to have some really quality work, but small enough not to overwhelm. When we go back, I want to pack a picnic lunch and sit out in the park next to the museum.
For dinner, Ethan took me out to one of our favorite restaurants, and the place where we had our wedding brunch, Angelo's. It was as always delicious and we can't wait to go back for our anniversary.

Home projects

As a fourth year medical student, I have several months off at the end of the academic year in which I am finished with classes, but have yet to receive my diploma. I am about 1 month into a 3 month long vacation! One thing I have learned about myself is that if I am not consistently busy doing SOMETHING, then I will get really, really crabby. Because of this, I have been giving myself projects to do over my 3 month break.
On my list:
1. I made a bed skirt long enough to hide all the junk we store under our bed. Our bed is on those cheap plastic risers that everyone uses in college for both storage and comfort reasons, but they are really, really ugly. I used an old bedsheet for the fabric, hemmed it with fabritac, and safety-pinned the skirt to the top of the box-spring.
Before:

After:

2. I re-covered an old chair that was my Mom's, whose fabric was out both of date and destroyed by my mom's cat.
Before:

After:
I also plan on making pillows out of a very pretty chenille fabric (as seen folded up on chair) that I found for quite a reasonable price at a store in Hurst called "Home Fabrics and Rugs". We will use this in our next house with Ethan's couch, and move our current "couch" (really a daybed) into a guest room.

3. Ethan had an old bookshelf whose paint was dirty and chipping (not in a cute way, even if I were into shabby chic). I stripped it, sanded it, primed it with oil-based Kilz, and painted it with Martha's Sultana in Semi-gloss. I don't know if I will ever strip paint again unless I have a real antique, because it is very messy and not that cheap. However, if you ARE going to try and strip paint, I recommend the citrus-based gel over the more toxic stuff. And don't get the spray-on stripper, because it covers about two square feet.
(I'm waiting to post pictures of this project until the paint has fully cured and I have styled the bookshelf: it takes a while in this humidity!)

4. I have taken a few trips to thrift stores looking for old silver/silverplate serve ware to clean up. my most recent score was a Reed & Barton Electroplated Silver serving tray from 1928.
Before:

After:


5. I am going to dye our current loveseat slipcover (right now it's beige, and I think we're going to try and make it gray) and tailor it so that rather than loose-fit, it will be fit to the loveseat. I have never tried to dye anything before, let alone something that already had color in it, so this project will be quite an adventure.

Other projects: finishing the mountain of paperwork involved with starting a new job, finding a house to rent, and working on my crochet wool blanket that will coordinate with the Uzbek suzani currently hanging above our bed.

WTF?

since when did a nalgene turn into a toilet?
although when we were stuck on a 2 mile section of I-35 for like 3.5 hours because a robber ran into highway traffic and got hit and they made EVERYONE exit just because of the grossness, I would probably have broken down and used the my peepee bottle. I ended up getting out of the car and running into a mechanics shop. When I got back, Ethan had moved approximately one car length.

Things that amaze me

Besides the ridiculosity of the weather in Dallas right now... Seriously. It was 70 degrees two days ago, dipped down below freezing overnight with 6 inches of snow, and will be back to 65 tomorrow. I really just don't understand it.
Anyways, Thursday was match day and much celebration ensued. This led to the inevitable minor wine spills on fabric and carpet and myself. Luckily, we've figured out by now what works for stains, which leads to my post. Cleaning products that amaze me.
1. Oxy-clean. Adding it to laundry is great, but it really shines for hard-core stain and mess cleanup if you add it to boiling water. Boiling water with oxy-clean will get wine out of upholstery, and is the sole reason that we may be able to get our pet deposit back (Reagan is well-trained, but there have been 2 times when he has gotten, ahem, ill when Ethan and I were both at work/school. Boiling water, adding oxy-clean, then going over it with a rug-doctor erases any memory of mishap)
2. Tide stain pen. spot of wine or coffee on your shirt? gone. I have no idea how it works.
3. Bar-Keeper's friend. When made into a paste, gets rid of those random gray streaks that occur when metal hits porcelain, gets rid of baked-on brown stains on glass baking dishes, cleans off the thingies under our burners, and has revitalized a thrift-store brass serving tray from the 60's that I got for about $4.
4. Febreze. I have used this on my hair in the past before Dallas bars went smoke-free. works wonders.
5. Magic Eraser. If anything is dingy that should be white, this usually takes care of it.

Of course, some of the best products are old-school, and may have been something your grandma used. Castile soap mixed with baking soda makes a great scrubber, Ketchup will shine up copper and stainless steel, And if you drop an egg on the kitchen floor you can pour table salt over it and sweep it all up...I am a huge klutz, and have used this trick many times :). I've also heard that newspapers are superior to paper towels for wiping down glass with glass cleaner (I have not tried this myself, as I haven't seen a newspaper in several months).

In other news, I became an aunt TWICE within a week. My nephew Mason was born on a Monday, and my niece Win was born the following Friday (two different moms, not really bizarre twins!). I of course forgot my camera when we went to see Mason, but here is a picture of Win. I think she looks a little like me, but with her Daddy's nose.


Also, for those wondering, I matched at UTSW in general surgery. I will save the details of that for a different post

Made in America

When we were vacationing in France, one of the things that struck us was how proud the French were of their country, and how many of their products were locally made. From simple ceramics to rolling pins to expensive copper cookware, most of the things we came across were made within France. Even McDonalds has commited to using mostly locally farmed French produce and meat within the Paris stores (because that was the only way they could entice people to eat there). We decided to do something similar with our own household purchases. We had already started; our dishes are Fiestaware, our glasses are made by Anchor Hocking (thanks Aunt Kirsten!) and we have some Lodge and Pyrex things as well.
What was most striking to me was when I visited a store that I used to think was extremely cute and artsy (albeit expensive) and realized that EVERYTHING THEY CARRIED was made in China. I'm not naming names, but it rhymes with schmanthropologie. I thought to myself, "why am supposed to think it's okay to pay $70 for this shirt when it's made in China, across the street from the people working for Target?". I understand paying more for something that's made by people getting paid a fair wage, for well-made and sturdy goods. But paying more because I'm funding an advertising campaign seems pretty stupid. So NO more. We've decided to try and buy American-made when we can, to support our country and to ensure that we're not contributing to undemocratic working conditions. Here are some of the beautiful things that we either already have or are lusting after:

Anchor Hocking

We have Anchor Hocking Glasses for everyday use, as well as some pie plates. They also make other glass cooking products, drinkware, mixing bowls, and serveware. I am lusting after the contemporary serving bowls to use as both mixing and serving bowls; however, I am pretty klutzy (I actually recently broke a mellamine mixing bowl, so I'm not sure glass is the best idea) but they're very pretty if you don't have butterfingers like me. And also great because everyone seems to be worried about chemicals leeching out of plastic these days.

Fiestaware

I started buying Fiestaware when I was 18 and about to move into my very first apartment. I started out with 4 place settings, and have grown to have 9 in various colors, along with a cream/sugar set, salt and pepper shakers, and even Fiestaware dog bowls for Reagan. It's hardy and fun. It makes every meal a Fiesta!

Buck Knives

Ethan has an everyday collapsible knife from this Company that was given to him for his birthday and he loves it. We both agree that their steak knives would be a beautiful and functional addition to our kitchen (as soon as we're making income and not living on student loans!)


Pyrex

Everyone loves Pyrex! We have many of their baking and cooking items, and they're great. Their vintage glass refrigerator storage has recently gained popularity-Ethan's mom has a large set that she got when she was first Married, and it's kind of awesome (although I'm secretly afraid of dropping it...)

Blue Star


Blue Star ovens are awesome... I beleive they are less expensive than other super-expensive ovens (like Viking) for similar or superior quality. They have a 22,000 BTU burner, the highest in the industry, as well as tons of color choices. We've already agreed that when we're rich and famous we'll get a 60 inch Blue Star range and cook all the time. That will probably happen in about 30-40 years. I plan ahead.


Lodge Logic



Lodge cast iron has been made for years and years. We got a cast-iron skillet for a wedding present from my Grandma Jan, and it is in constant rotation. We use it for bacon, fried eggs, searing meats, and frittatas. It is AWESOME. However, it should be mentioned that their enameled dutch ovens are an exception to the American-made glory; they are made in China of French enamel.

Rodney Kent


We got a Rodney Kent serving platter as a wedding gift. It's made of Magalon, a magnesium-aluminum alloy that is oven-proof. We honestly just picked it because we liked the look, but since receiving our platter I have researched it a bit more; Rodney Kent aluminum serving pieces were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s as wedding gifts, and it is readily collectible on Ebay (hint, hint, birthday gifts!). It is affordable enough that we can continue to add to our collection, and it is beautiful and rustic at the same time.

If you're interested in more American-made products, you can visit this website. This is by no means a comprehensive website, but it is useful as a starting point.

random

Yesterday at Central Market:
Random Lady: You and that man you're with... you look like you should be doing something in the Olympics!
Me: ha ha, thanks! How flattering!(Thinking, yeah I used to be athletic, but right now the only competition I could probably win would be the "who can reach the glasses at the back of the very top shelf of the cabinet" game)

Random Lady: you are both just so tall and athletic looking... Is he your brother?
Me: Um no, my husband (Thinking, I really hope you didn't ask me that AFTER seeing us smooch in the cheese section... We have a tendency to make the CM sample smorgasbord into a mini-date. It makes grocery shopping super fun.)

Not My Brother


For some reason, people tend to think that if you're tall, and hanging out with someone else tall, then you MUST be related. I have a friend at school who is an inch or so taller than me, and people have stopped us in the hallway to ask if we were twins. And our course directors have called us by each other's names. This would NEVER happen if we were both 5'8"

Not my Twin

Birthday Cake

It's no secret that I love baking. I like combining different flavors and seeing what happens. The only thing I like better is eating something delicious after I baked it (especially if I was unsure of the outcome prior to tasting said creation). And I'm getting pretty good at it, because I have both a major sweet tooth and an aversion to store-bought baked goods.*
So of course when Ethan's birthday came around, I had to make the cake myself. Shockingly, this is the first cake I've baked since our wedding cake! Not to worry, I've made like twenty pies over the last few months, as well as Christmas cookies, quick breads, brownies, and home-made hot fudge sauce. But since I hadn't made a cake in so long, I wanted to try something new and exciting. I ended up combining a Banana cake from the Austin Junior League cookbook Necessities And Temptations with a coconut-pecan filling from The New Best Recipe Cookbook and topping it all with whipped cream frosting.

And it was the biggest cake of all time. Seriously. I baked it in 2 9" round pans, but the layers were so thick I ended up splitting them in half. The cake was about 6-7 inches tall and felt like it weighed about 15-20 lbs.




The inside:


Recipe for Banana Cake:
1 cup butter, room temp
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
6 very ripe mashed bananas
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
3 cups all purpose flour

preheat oven to 325; grease and flour 2 9 inch round pans or 3 8 inch round pans. (I used 9 inch)
Cream together butter and sugar.
add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition
beat in bananas
mix baking soda with sour cream; add to banana mixture
add flour and mix well.
bake 25-45 minutes (longer if using 2 nine inch pans, shorter if using 3 8 inch pans; also, may want to decrease temp slightly if using 9 inch pans)
Cook in pans on wire racks for 10 mins; then let cool solo on wire racks.

Recipe for Coconut Pecan filling:
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted
2 cups lightly packed sweetened flaked coconut

Mix egg yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl. beat in butter, then gradually add cream and vanilla into mixture. pour into a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is puffy and thickened (180 degrees). pour into medium bowl and allow to cool slightly. add pecans and coconut.

Recipe for whipped cream frosting:
beat heavy cream until it becomes whipped cream, then beat some more so it becomes very THICK whipped cream. add vanilla extract and powdered sugar to taste.

To assemble: split cake layers in half with a long sharp knife (two short rounds rather than one tall one). use one layer, 1/3 of filling, second layer, another 1/3 of filling, third layer, last 1/3 of filling, 4th layer, cover the whole thing with frosting.

*My exception to the no store-bought baked goods is the Berry Chantilly from Whole foods, in sheet cake form. I can eat that until it gives me a belly ache.