Sunny Winter Morning

Sunday morning was the kind of rare perfect wind-less day that rarely coincides with my days off. Dogs and their owners were out in multitudes walking through the park soaking up the sun and the light was just right for capturing winter shadows on snow. It always makes me think of the wintry paintings by the Group of Seven and the various shades of snow in their paintings.

Edible Selby - Tartine Bakery

The latest venture for Todd Selby has him photographing for the NYTimes T Magazine. His first feature is on Tartine Bakery in San Francisco, owned and run by Chad Robertson and Elizabeth Prueitt. Roberston has built a reputation as the best bread maker in all of the US, having apprenticed with several bakeries in France. He published a book in the fall, Tartine Bread, which I can't wait to get my hands on. I'm really hoping that the recipe for that fig and fromage blanc pizza will be in it...

Interview with Chad Robertson

Copenhagen

Winter on the East Coast makes me want to be somewhere more romantically wintry. An article in the Travel section of the Globe, "Q. How does Copenhagen taste? A. Good," has me casting a glance towards the northern part of the Continent. This wouldn't be the first time either.  About a year ago a friend was telling me all about the multitude of great museums they'd visited in Denmark, in every grand city and tiny village alike, the archaeological digs looking for Viking treasures, and the tax they've imposed on beer that goes directly into the arts.

Copenhagen is now home to the "best restaurant on Earth", Noma. This has certainly brought them lots of attention, as to be expected, but it's not Noma's molecular foods I'm after. It was such phrases as "19th century varieties of danish wheat" (or "retro" bread) and "heritage breed of pig" (and I don't even eat pork) mentioned in the article that caught my attention. I can't explain why this appeals to me, in all likelihood it's the allusion to rustic dining and the Old World. Anything 'heritage' or 'heirloom' related in food, as in heirloom tomatoes or antiquated grains. The writing of M.F.K. Fisher, her stories and descriptions of dining with famed country chefs in Italy and France and Switzerland in the 1930s and the elaborate meals they would force upon her, and the foreign foods and ceremonies that had not yet made their way to North America whose traditions were based on post-Victorian British ways of eating. Also, in general, farm tables and big wood cutting boards, cleavers, backyard herb gardens, etcetera...

In the meantime, this Toronto-based blog has (somewhat) satiated my interest in Scandinavian food, as they seek out really interesting restaurants in their travels both here in Canada and the U.S. and abroad.

Things to Do in a Blizzard

1. Bake giant blueberry muffins.

2. Watch the snow fall with your 7-month-old niece and teach her every word or term you know that contains 'snow'. There are many so you might not even notice that she isn't keeping up with her end of the conversation.

3. While watching the snow fall and building a snow vocabulary, watch your niece as she tries to eat the window you're staring out of. Capturing the moment on camera helps so other people can appreciate the moment, too.

4. Nap.

5. Catch up on movies. Alice in Wonderland is on ondemand at the moment, so I decided on that one. It was entertaining, but I wasn't crazy about it.  I did however really like Alice's dresses. Especially the strapless number that the Mad Hatter whips together when she shrinks and has to hide in a teapot.

Most people that I've heard talk about the movie mentioned how odd the ending was, but I thought it redeemed the movie of all the special effects and hoopla. I was sure that Johnny Depp was going to appear on the ship, though, reincarnated as a ship's officer or tradesmen. Disappointing.

Pre-blizzard Fantasy Shopping

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There's a blizzard coming tomorrow, which means I should be out in the wide world getting things done before 20 centimeters of snow falls, but all I want to do is be warm and cozy in my Joe sweatpants and uggs and sip tea and watch movies. 

Being cozy indoors also usually leads me to online browsing, which naturally leads to a list of desired new items. Here's what is on my list today:

these sparkly art deco earrings from j. crew, even though i'm not able to wear them anymore since one of my ears pretty much rejects anything i poke through it



the Paulina cardigan from Club Monaco (this would coordinate perfectly with everything in my closet, especially my reclusive winter uniform of Joe sweatpants and Uggs)



these suede boots from madewell



and ScarJo's hair (totally attainable, it being a fantasy and all)




The ideal movie for a snowstorm (obviously):

New Year's Resolution #2: More Dancing

For the second year in a row, I rang in the New Year on the makeshift dancefloor (aka kitchen) of my dear friends. Last year's resolution (Don't be lame, Don't cop out) was, I think, a great success. The secret to it's success was that it was so vague, and likely also that I finished grad school, thereby freeing up more time to go out since I wasn't tied up with assignments/readings/thesis.

BTW, Resolution No. 1 (Stop picking at/biting nails) came about by accident and had everything to do with a certain bottle of Chanel nailpolish (26$!) I bought on the 22nd of December. It was a shade I had been coveting for a long time, and I figured the polish deserved more than my scraggly nails so I bought a nail file. So far, success.

Music to inspire more dancing in 2011...

this one happens to be a favourite of my 6-month-old niece:

I vaguely remember throwing this one into the mix on NYE c/o youtube (it was quite a hit):