Savannah Crush

Hello all. The Satorialist was in Savannah a few weeks ago, and as much as I admire his amazing eye for person-on-the street fashion I found myself ignoring his subjects and instead devouring the background of every picture for familiar places. I have a serious crush on Savannah. Matthew's parents have a house nearby, so we've been lucky enough to spend some time there in the last few years.
There are so many things to like about Savannah. Its quirky beauty is the most obvious. Savannah is beautiful but none too clean, too hot, and full of eccentric people. It's kind of like snooty Charleston's funky cousin. The restored historic district stretches for miles, and you can lose yourself for within it for days.

You see what I mean? Dreamy. 

Other things I like about Savannah- The BBQ, this restaurant where I gorged myself on a potted foie gras terrine, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. 

A word about SCAD. The presence of an art college injects some youthful vigor into what could be a stuffy old Southern City, and the art in the student shop is kick-ass. 

I've become infatuated with SCAD alumnus Stephanie Howard. It's difficult to get the full effect of her art from the website, but she makes expansive and meticulous pen and ink drawings on paper. She draws a lot of beauty queens, and uses cultural imagery that doesn't make sense to me as a stranger to the South, but I like the way it makes me feel, and that's how I know I like art. 

One last thing I like about Savannah- my maiden name pops up everywhere. I saw it on street signs, engraved onto tombs in the cemetery, and on local Bed and Breakfasts. I imagine my ancestors smeared themselves all over that part of the South before moving on to be debauched and disease-riddled in other parts of the U.S.A. Ah, the beauty of being a French American!

The American Woman's Cookbook

I rescued this gem from my Grandfather's house in Oakland when he passed away a few years ago at the age of 90.

It's clearly in terrible shape and every time I open it I'm nervous that the pages are going to start slipping out. It was obviously well used by my Grandmother, who loved to entertain.

It looks like one of Grandma's four children might have nursed a grudge against the "Shrimp Wiggle".

The book is full of amazingly antiquated recipes and tips on cooking and entertaining. My favorite chapter- "Entertaining Without a Maid". The author warns "there are distinct limits to what should be attempted for pleasant and dignified results". How have I survived this long without paid help? My Grandma was the only person I knew who had a maid who came around just for parties, put on an awful  black and white dress, and passed appetizers. How strange.  

I'm trying to find the right recipe to try out, but frankly a lot of the main dishes sound terrible (Liver Loaf with Pan Gravy?), are chock full of butter and lard, or are just plain dull. The desserts however, seem intriguing. Anyone ever attempted a Baked Alaska? I'll let you know how it goes. 

Curry Spiced Tomato Gratin

I've been meaning to try this recipe since I spotted it on 101 cookbooks, but I was put off by the repeated warnings that it was a long, tedious one that would suck up most of your afternoon or evening.
Turns out this recipe wasn't so tedious after all. It does bake for quite some time, but if you have a mandolin the prep and assembling are a snap. I imagine cutting all the veggies by hand would take forever.

This didn't turn out as pretty as I imagined (they never do) but it was absolutely delicious. I also love that it's a good way to use up the bruised or ugly tomatoes from the garden. Ugly tomatoes need love too. 

We scarfed down the whole thing. Next time I'll make two so we can have leftovers for lunch. 

In other news, I'm dog sitting for the lovely Vivian again. She lays in her bed and stares at me nonstop just like this-

See how she scowls at me?

I'm developing dog owner guilt. If we're not on a walk or playing with the ball every minute I worry that she's miserable. Is this what parenting is like? Scary. At least baby X won't be able to chase the cat for at least a year or so. Every time I turn around Vivian is either drooling over the kitty or trying to get her nose into kitty's butt. The cat seems pretty put out.

What's for dinner

Lentil "bolognese" lasagne
I finally got around to making this lasagne and it was delish. I make lasagne regularly but I've always boiled the noodles first. This is a "no boil" recipe and despite my fears the noodles were fully cooked into the sauce with only a few little crunchy bits at the top corners. Nothing major.
This is a nice healthy recipe that is surprisingly light despite the layers of lentil "meat" sauce. The white sauce on the top and few parmesan shavings add some fat to the dish, but it's still a good protein/ fiber punch for me and baby X.
Thanks to my kiwi friend for putting this dish onto my radar- she didn't fool me with her tricky metric measurements either! Ha.
To make your own click here.

Farmer's Market

Today seems like as good a day as any to start a blog. I was struck with serious blog envy last night after running across two amazing blogs created by my old friends Estelle and Megan. I'm also dealing with a burning desire to document my life during these last few months before my baby meets the world. All of a sudden the mundane events of my existence seem terribly IMPORTANT. This could either be the effect of hormones or the beginnings of mental illness.
Anyway, here's a synopsis of my Saturday.

Thank goodness the farmer's market is back and in full swing. The long, cold months of winter here in the pacific northwest are hard enough to bear without any fresh berries or local produce except for squash. 

It was just perfect today in the farmer's market depot- bustling but not too busy. As much as I want the vendors to make loads of money I get a little anxious when the place is swarming with tourists and mommies with giant strollers. It seems like the sunny days bring out throngs of people who don't necessarily want to shop for produce, but to lurk around causing traffic jams while they soak up the ambiance. 

I'm always grateful to be there, regardless. And there were some gems today. 

Lovely Libby of Moth and Squirrel has some new plush animals made from soft, thrifted sweaters. They make sweet baby gifts. 

The stegosaurus is my favorite. 

I'm not sure what this lady's name is but she can make a cute planter out of anything. 

Including her old purse. 

We had to hit up our favorite antique store that has been closed all month while the owner was in Eastern Washington. She reopened with some great stuff, like these spoon garden markers. 

And this awesome vintage colander. I seem to be developing a colander fetish since my friend Julea gave me a cherry red one for my birthday. I passed on this one because the enamel was chipped on the inside. If it keeps me up tonight I'll be back in the morning for it. 

I've also been nursing an obsession with vintage bird planters for  a few years now. Amazingly, I haven't bought one yet. I'm still on the hunt for the right one. The one I really can't get over is sitting in the windowsill of an apartment downtown. I'm coveting a stranger's bird planter and I can't move on. 

Here's what I came home with. A new (used) sewing box for my future baby afghan. 

Matthew scored this vintage gold frame that happened to fit an unframed print from our wedding. I don't think the picture even does it justice, it's hot stuff.
Happy Saturday!