...escaped to Boston with my husband to celebrate our anniversary.
...split an order of crab mac and cheese with truffle oil. It was pretty decadent.
...climbed over a retaining wall to kick over a mushroom. I love kicking over mushroooms.
...ate a lot of ginger ice cream.
...kept my nose to the grindstone.
...lost a loved one to cancer. There are no words.
...bought a subscription to Boomerang. It's been so helpful but am still awaiting the buyer's remorse.
...started flying through the Mitford series. Recently, I've found it to be very comforting.
...ate my first lobster roll.
...asked for help when I needed it. I'm usually pretty bad about doing this.
...experienced four hours on public transit in one day. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either.
...felt an earthquake!
...experienced a hurricane!
...texted more.
...plugged into Pandora incessantly.
Hard things and good things have something in common - they both have a tendency to diminish the other.
Sadly, I've really been focusing on the hard things lately and losing sight of all the good things, so I'm inspired to start remembering the good things each day. It's already been transformative, highlighting good things throughout the day, especially transforming those times when I'm fixating on the hard things.
I've been remembering:
We've been preparing for Hurricane Irene by...
...buying bottled water.
...storing tap water.
...buying non-perishables (crackers, canned goods, etc.)
...trying to get caught up on laundry.
...accounting for our batteries, flashlights and emergency radio.
...trying to remember to pray for affected communities.
...finishing our errands early.
...attending a performance of The Tempest.
We've heard, and made, way too many tempest-themed jokes. The truth, however, is that I rank this performance as one of my top, theater-going experiences.
The show took place at sunset on a rooftop in Brooklyn, the Empire State Building in the background. The stage fully utilized the sloping, multilevel rooftop, with skylights underfoot and an almost disconcertingly, clear sky above. With two dozen audience members and the cast so close that I feared that I would inadvertently trip one, the experience was intimate. The cast did not betray that intimacy. From a pared down script, the actors held the audience captive for just shy of two hours.
Since I tend to value vetted tradition over risky innovation, I sat down with reserved expectations, but I arose thoroughly enchanted by the carefully modernized interpretation, dynamic staging and engaging performances.
I don't expect such careful treatment from Irene.
...eight years ago, we sat on a blanket by the lake. We'd joined friends at that lake many times before to enjoy cookouts, frisbee and an ample supply of mosquitoes. This particular visit came at the end of a summer studded with handfuls of obligations but brimming with board games and drive-in movies. Still, it was sad.
You were getting ready to move away for school. So was I.
The air was oppressive with humidity, rendering us quiet, reading or pretending to read. Then, you said the perfect thing. I responded with,"Yes, I'd like that." Since, you'd just said the perfect thing, there really wasn't anything else to say, so we just kept reading. Smiling.
Days later we went on our first date.
During a recent family visit, my sister-in-law (whose birthday is today!) and I unsuccessfully hunted for the Food Network studio at Chelsea Market. Apparently they don't want people just wandering in off the street.
After admitting defeat, we consoled ourselves with an inaugural visit to Fat Witch Bakery, which later prompted me to pick up their cookbook at the library. I don't usually read cookbook introductions word-for-word, but I did this time because I can really relate to how the Bakery founder's cooking story unraveled. Unlike Patricia Helding, I didn't leave a Wall Street job to become a baking entrepreneur. However, like Ms. Helding, cooking scratches an itch that isn't otherwise targeted in my life. I find pleasure in creating and feeling the ingredients take shape in my hands.
My first experience with Fat Witch Brownies was decadent, however decadence doesn't work for everyday dining. Generally, I look for desserts that can not only be enjoyed on the weekend but also be packed into weekday lunches, so I reduced the butter and sugar and steered towards the most nontraditional recipe in the cookbook. The warmth of the cinnamon and the zing of the ginger fit the bill. They bring plenty of flavor without needing to be bolstered with extravagant amounts of butter and sugar. Don't worry. There's still plenty of butter, and if you want something even richer, try adding 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar.
Cinnamon-Ginger Brownies
(inspired by Fat Witch Brownies)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated (I used jarred ginger puree.)
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a square baking pan, dust with flour and tap out the excess.
In a small bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave (approximately 1 minute). Stir to combine. Let cool.
Use a fork to mix the sugar and ginger in a separate small bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Stir. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. Stir to combine.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate mixture.
Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 1 hour.
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Note - Two background facts that make this story particularly surprising are that I'm rather (1) frugal and (2) unspontaneous.
A couple of days ago, on the way to work, I prayed that I'd be able to let go of some of the anxiety I'd been holding on to...and then promptly forgot my prayer.
At lunch, I slipped away from my desk to run to the bank. On the way back, I stumbled on Luke's Lobster truck. I'd heard some rave reviews and had been trying to catch it for a several weeks, but (1) it's a little pricey for lunch and (2) tends to attract daunting lines. However, on that particular day, I had cash in my pocket, fresh from the bank, and since it wasn't quite noon yet, the line was only knee-deep. I danced back and forth for a moment, contemplating my reasons to keep walking: I'd brought a lunch from home; Luke's was expensive; I hadn't planned on a detour.
Thankfully, I didn't listen to reason and ended up munching on a lobster roll in the park, reading a novel, soaking up sunshine and smiling to myself. No, my anxiety didn't vanish, but the mini mid-day break gave me some greatly appreciated R&R.
We're still hard at work here and not sure when to expect a reprieve. Knowing that, we screwed our eyes shut, stuck our fingers in our ears, sang "la la la" to ourselves and escaped to Cambridge for a long, anniversary weekend. We celebrated by...
...sleeping in.
...reading.
...snacking (on pistachio muffins and savory scones).
...wandering through bookstores.
...eating ice cream.
...walking along the Charles River.
It was a wonderful and much-needed break.
