tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-302059332012-01-09T09:45:23.567-05:00Baking Bread, Writings Read, and Things from ThreadEmma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.comBlogger1291100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-44400255275141007322009-05-25T23:04:00.003-05:002009-05-25T23:06:26.239-05:00

Pssst....Scott and I started a blog. Since we're moving to Columbus and getting married and all that jazz, we wanted a place to share our adventures with friends near and far. Check it out!http://www.scott-and-emma.blogspot.com/Eep, Columbus! Yay, love!

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-86426556234851117042009-04-09T19:38:00.004-05:002009-04-09T20:22:50.646-05:00

The other day I was in a restless mood, so I grabbed my camera and took a walk around the pond. It was barely warm enough to shoot without gloves on, and midway through the walk, it started to rain in a half-hearted kind of way. The whole afternoon felt very hushed and mysterious, but a little exciting, too. Kind of like Sherlock Holmes following a trail. Or Hansel and Gretel. It was inevitable,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-87114276764531723482009-03-20T15:30:00.010-05:002009-03-20T16:05:45.736-05:00

I thought you all might enjoy a look at my photo studio, a.k.a. the dining room. I've discovered that with the light from the window, an overhead light, and floor lamps on either side of the room, this ends up being the best room for lighting. Plus the table is about at hip-level for me, so I'm not having to stand on my tippy toes all the time to get a shot. Sometimes I can even sit down in one

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-33562787682306530122009-03-06T22:04:00.005-05:002009-03-06T22:20:35.150-05:00

Wedding planning is hard. As in frustrating. As in anxiety-making. But not for the reasons you might expect. For the most part, our parents have been fine so far. A few nudges and prods here and there, but nothing like the stories I've heard of other parents involvement in weddings.Scott and I are fine. We've had a few tense moments where one of us had one idea and the other something else, but

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-45044126912945152762009-02-10T11:13:00.004-05:002009-02-10T11:26:33.852-05:00

Hmm...well, I didn't exactly intend not to blog for...erm...three months? But apparently that's what's happened. In any case, for some reason the scene above, which is "My Desk" circa 9am this morning, struck me as hilarious and I just had to snap a picture and share.This is my life most of the time now. Two kinds of worcestershire sauce, a back issue of some food magazine, a mug of tea,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-41393043624645312622008-11-12T15:36:00.005-05:002008-11-12T15:44:14.886-05:00

Setting: the bookstore where I work, 3:36pmThe phone rings.Me: "Hello! R&M Bookstore!" Caller: "..." Me: "Hello?" Caller: "You speak Russian?" Me: "Um..no...I'm sorry." Russian Lady: "You have translator?" Me: "Um..no. We're a bookstore." Russian Lady: "Oh, ok..." Lengthy pause. I debate my options.Me: "Can I...help you find a book?" Russian Lady: "No!" Me: "..."Russian Lady: "Ok, I go back now."

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-56276523791470217322008-11-10T16:02:00.006-05:002008-11-10T17:08:55.418-05:00

When did THAT happen, eh? The past few months have really, well...I'm not sure exactly where they went. Here's the News & Events from My Life to catch us all up to date:The Engineer and I are engaged! Again! But for reals this time, with a ring and a romantic proposal and everything. It's swell. The wedding will probably be next fall at some point. We've started planning in nibbles and bites. Our

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-35397724580931005562008-09-05T19:14:00.003-05:002008-09-05T20:25:28.536-05:00

Ok, before I sucked right into the second book, I thought I'd take a moment to a) resurface, b) eat dinner, and c) have a little chat with you about this book.Have you read it? What did you think?Here's the premise: Bella is a lovely young teenager who has reluctantly moved back to the small town in the Pacific Northwest where her father has been living. Despite a propensity to trip over her own

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-22312100926245926382008-09-04T13:07:00.006-05:002008-09-04T13:19:53.685-05:00

Begin message. Must keep reading Twilight. Stop. Can't leave sofa. Stop. Food and water is too far away. Stop. Please send aid. Stop. Or an airlift of Fresca and Twizzlers. End Message.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-56925579259059268322008-08-24T13:07:00.003-05:002008-08-24T13:18:20.311-05:00

Have you heard that Joe Biden, theoretically Obama's top choice for VP, loves to cook?I have to say, I'm not sure what to think about this tendency to attribute "home cook" status to our presidential candidates and their associated flocks. Is this supposed to make them friendlier? More "American"? More approachable and down-to-earth? Because honestly, it would be more American to admit you eat

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-20466307325642846522008-08-18T12:45:00.003-05:002008-08-18T12:53:37.765-05:00

KitchenAid agreed that the lift mechanism should NOT sound like a portcullis, and they're sending me a new mixer! They were so pleasant and nice on the phone, and didn't even make a big deal out of the problem. They said the new mixer should arrive in about a week and will include a mailing label for returning the other mixer.Sweet! Thanks, Carla from KitchenAid!

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-10539119125584933242008-08-17T21:03:00.007-05:002008-08-17T21:37:40.852-05:00

A KitchenAid Pro 600, in fact! Wheee!! Thanks, Internets, for making it oh-so-very easy to locate and acquire expensive pretty things! Thanks, Food Writing Career, for providing me with the suitable justification for this purchase! Thanks, Engineer, for making me hit "Purchase" and also validating my color choice!This is a shot of its maiden voyage kneading some ciabatta. I've been longing to

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-74265915258308956822008-08-12T15:04:00.002-05:002008-08-12T15:05:53.343-05:00

I've had it on my list to write down all these master recipes FOREVER, but kept procrastinating for one reason or another. Why procrastinate something that you actually want to do? Something that you know will be darn useful to you in the future? And that you will probably kick yourself for if you don't to do and then end up forgetting everything in the fog of post-culinary school life?Humph.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-33707564613388956422008-08-08T21:28:00.007-05:002008-08-10T10:43:52.269-05:00

This is my old desk. It has been abandoned for the past month or so since the Engineer moved back in and our "office" was temporarily relocated to the dining room table.Obviously converting our dining room into an office space has not been an ideal situation for many reasons--the topmost being because we have no where to actually sit down and dine. But it was necessary evil while most of his

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-14685219760506976052008-07-19T20:26:00.000-05:002008-07-19T20:27:11.524-05:00

A few months ago, long before culinary school final exams were a worry to be fretted, the Engineer's mom asked me to cater a small party she would be throwing in honor of a friend's 50th birthday. This party was going to be in July (ie, last weekend), but she knows me very well and wanted to give me plenty of advanced notice. She's a swell lady.Of course, I accepted and immediately started making

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-70610343136177241982008-07-11T07:30:00.010-05:002008-07-11T07:56:06.428-05:00

Last night I dreamed of chili peppers.I've been having trouble getting my pepper plants to pollinate, and have been fretting over them. Watching the pale white flowers unfurl so enthusiastically only to shrivel up a few days later and fall off--stem and all--is rather heartbreaking. Besides, I want my peppers. So far I've only got the one guy pictured above, an anaheim. So obviously I dote on

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-76030000673479125702008-06-22T17:20:00.008-05:002008-06-22T21:07:46.676-05:00

I saw these felt wall panels on Oh Joy! the other day. They're from British designer Selina Rose, and I think they're kinda gorgeous. I doubt I could actually afford these particular hangings, but I wonder if I could do something similar. Windsor Button sells some pretty big swatches of felt. With a simple stencil and an x-acto knife, I bet I could craft something fun.I wonder if these would

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-19009131582205033902008-06-17T15:10:00.005-05:002008-06-17T18:44:57.470-05:00

A brief glimpse at my first few days of life without school...Flip flops! Because now that I'm not either perpetually going to or coming from class, I can actually where something other than clogs. Hey, did you know it's summer? Side note: I have to mention that this is actually my first ever pair of flip flops. I know! First! Ever! Crazy! As you may or may not know, I grew up in the Midwest

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-24246931932623967522008-05-27T18:30:00.000-05:002008-05-27T20:50:12.387-05:00

This was the last picture to make it into my final portfolio for school. I made the cake in class on Thursday night and then the Engineer forced me to hit SEND on Friday morning to get all the pictures off to Snapfish for printing.It's called a coffee crunch cake--angel food cake layered with whipped cream and these coffee crunches on the outside. The crunchies were fun to make--essentially, you

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-43370854072531719242008-05-16T16:08:00.000-05:002008-05-16T16:09:18.167-05:00

I've always been a bit...overenthusiastic when it comes to the science behind the dinner, but doing this weekly food science post for the Kitchn has really put me over the edge into True Nerdom. And let me tell you, my friends, it feels like home.For the last few months, I've been almost exclusively relying on my main man Harold McGee and his book On Food and Cooking as my source for food science

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-12048803004853271592008-05-04T21:48:00.006-05:002008-05-04T22:49:36.761-05:00

Hello? Hello? This thing on?Oh! Hi! Hello! So glad to see you again! I was gone for ever and ever and I've missed you!I've been on so many adventures the past few months and I can hardly wait to tell you. There were so many moments that I've wanted to share with you, but the time? It just kept disappearing. Poof!So here I am again. Hello! Oh, I'm so excited. I've been kinda nervous to come back.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-68097994253772718222008-03-08T09:45:00.002-05:002008-03-08T09:46:42.338-05:00

Hello, folks! So hip hip hooray, the Kitchn offered me the writing job! I'm so excited and thrilled and excited some more. Here's my introduction on the site and a picture of me looking like a goober:Emma in the Kitchn I've been getting the biggest kick out of being able to 'officially' tell people I'm a food writer when they ask me what I do. I try to go for a cool, breezy, "Oh, me? I'm a food

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-61140773822523895162008-02-24T11:38:00.003-05:002008-02-24T12:18:45.984-05:00

It doesn't look like much, but I was more proud of this little dish than words can say. Plating dishes--actually arranging the food on the plate in an artful and (hopefully) appetizing way has been a source of anxiety for me since the beginning of the program. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I'd look over at other people's dishes and see spirals of sauce elegantly dripped around the plate

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-35513465687172229232008-02-13T22:09:00.000-05:002008-02-13T22:10:22.041-05:00

"Leave the gun. Take the cannolis."I am too embarrassed to admit how many times that phrase crept into conversation last night or how we still laughed every time someone said it. But them was some miiiighty fine tasting cannolis.I will say that my first cannoli experience left me with the impression that cannolis are rather a pain in the arse and are best enjoyed when one does not have to make

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-14826196099216880042008-02-11T23:48:00.000-05:002008-02-11T23:53:22.642-05:00

Hello, friends!I recently applied for a writing position with a national food website called "Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn" and guess what?! It turns out they like me and they EVEN want me to write some more! Groovy, eh?!This is a really neat site--more of a community blog of sorts, really--that does reviews, posts recipes, explores current topics in the food world, and all that good stuff that

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-79989974132678667172008-01-30T19:20:00.001-05:002008-01-30T19:20:51.531-05:00

A small delivery of mangosteens appeared at the culinary school on Monday! I'm not sure how or where they came from, but a few of the chef instructors had them, and my Monday night instructor was generous enough to share his with us.None of us really knew much about the mangosteen other than, 'Hey, isn't this that really crazy fruit that was banned in the US until last year and costs so much

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-66341405521171793112008-01-27T20:30:00.000-05:002008-01-27T22:27:09.225-05:00

I had some leftover brisket wallowing in my fridge on last week and got it in my head to make some mini-calzones over the weekend. I thought I'd add some caramelized onions and roasted red peppers, but got stumped on the cheese. I stood in front of the cheese fridge at Trader Joe's for at least fifteen minutes picking up one cheese and then another, squinting my eyes and tasting various

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-71683094849997562772008-01-18T11:34:00.001-05:002008-01-18T11:34:48.219-05:00

Shaking excess flour from cut pasta.I know! Pasta! It's really just so cool! And I know you're all out there going, "Yes, Emma! I'm with you! Pasta is really just so cool!" Excellent. I knew I liked you.This here's some spinach pasta--same basic pasta recipe with a pound of steamed spinach cuz it's pretty. And also because it's "good for growing girls and boys." We rolled it out fairly thick (

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-16976131268506410632008-01-13T22:15:00.000-05:002008-01-13T23:38:55.471-05:00

Well. This is it. The end of an era. This Friday was my last day at the Noodle Factory. I'm off to try my hand at making actual, edible noodles instead of intellectual ones! That's right--it's time to see how this whole 'cooking thing' works out.This change has been in the works for quite a while, but I haven't wanted to talk about it much until it was real. I'm actually not sure what to say now

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-54170089627366095692008-01-05T19:32:00.000-05:002008-01-05T19:36:50.828-05:00

We're in the home stretch of winter with daylight hours increasing bit by bit, but with farmer's markets and fresh produce still many months away. This cous cous salad made with winter squash and a handful of pantry staples is a bright and tangy hint of springtime, and yet it's hearty enough to fuel us through another day of slush and wind. This salad can be served room temperature or cold.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-6391541211060219502008-01-01T16:41:00.001-05:002008-01-08T18:23:56.949-05:00

I am finding that I love love love making pasta. Perhaps this is unsurprising given my fondness for all things carbohydrate, but still. Pasta! By hand! How cool is that?! And it's surprisingly simple, if labor intensive. The pasta dough itself comes together pretty quickly. Combine ingredients. Knead knead knead until smooth and uniform and, if you cut into it with a knife, you don't see any air

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-29776739636358272712008-01-01T13:44:00.001-05:002008-01-01T16:37:25.817-05:00

It started snowing halfway through my run (the best run of 2008!) and by the time I got home, my glasses were so fogged and flecked with water that I couldn't see how gorgeous it was. Look! Gorgeous! The most gorgeous snowstorm of 2008!I had the Engineer and some friends over last night and made them eat food until we were so full that we couldn't even be bothered to go to any of the First Night

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-62295566564235335582007-12-18T10:12:00.000-05:002007-12-18T09:44:56.882-05:00

If you've ever wondered what happens if you forget to slash the top of your bread, this is it. Hard to tell if the loaf is eating itself or giving birth to a Brave New Loaf. Either way, it ain't pretty.But golly GEE, it tastes good! This is the second loaf from the Simple Crispy Bread recipe I made last Thursday, baked after lazing about (I mean, fermenting) in the fridge for three days. The

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-16990804686113833142007-12-16T23:54:00.000-05:002007-12-16T14:15:03.275-05:00

This past Thursday, I left my cube to get something at the printer and by the time I walked back (muttering to myself because I'd ALREADY found a typo I'd have to fix), the sky out the window was full of thick, fat flakes. Our offices closed about an hour after that. I was supposed to have class later, but honestly? I just wasn't feelin' it. What I WAS feelin' was going home, curling up on the

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-13716236675070981382007-12-13T08:45:00.001-05:002007-12-13T08:54:03.196-05:00

I haven't thought of a good name for these puppies yet. Can't quite figure out a name grand enough, nuanced enough to appropriately describe these layers of chocolate genoise, pomegranate whipped cream, and hazelnut dacquoise. Oh, man, they were tasty!Hazelnut dacquoise, for those who don't know, is a basic meringue (egg whites beaten with sugar) with ground hazelnuts mixed in. I spread them into

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-73114328824035703732007-12-12T08:58:00.000-05:002007-12-12T09:21:53.142-05:00

Updated 12/12/07Hi, folks!The Engineer and I have declared this to be the Christmas of No Stress, and to this end we have forsworn the following:1) The Finding of the Perfect Present2) The Spending of the More Money Than Makes Us Comfortable ("Cringe-making" is our barometer for this)3) The Buying of a Present for Everyone and Their Little Dog Too(and a personal one for yours truly)4) The

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-24609520373623872862007-12-02T19:08:00.000-05:002007-12-02T19:17:31.176-05:00

These bite-sized souffles have been one of my favorite things that I've made so far in culinary school. The base is a thin fillet of sole coiled into a ring and tied with a thin strip of blanched scallion. Around this, we wrapped a "collar" of aluminum foil and spooned the Parmesan souffle on top of the sole. (The collar is used to support the souffle as it rises and is removed right before

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-13478970343160463332007-11-22T15:19:00.000-05:002007-11-28T14:27:14.787-05:00

To folks coming over from Mason-Dixon Knitting--Welcome! Thanks for stopping by! To catch up on the back story on this sassy project, go HERE and HERE and HERE.Please join me in a moment of silence. The daisy dukes...oh, the DUKES!...they're actually done. It's been a long and season-spanning journey. There were highs and lows, debates over pockets and waistbands, fears of binding off too soon

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-29819435757229481822007-11-14T22:21:00.001-05:002007-11-14T22:35:37.558-05:00

Chef Louise's first instruction for phyllo pastry: "Open the box.""Maybe there are folks out there who LOVE to make phyllo pastry, she said, but not me." And so, dutiful students that we are, we all opened our boxes.These napoleons were a lot of fun to make. I used 8 sheets of phyllo pastry and layered them with melted butter (clarified butter, or else you get brown spots), cinnamon, and sugar. I

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-42686391435848356532007-11-08T13:17:00.000-05:002007-11-08T14:11:29.753-05:00

One of the best advantages to working at the Noodle Factory is being in a primo localation for any Happenings of Interest in the downtown area. Point in fact: The Red Sox Rolling Rally! And because of COURSE I'm a die-hard Red Sox fan, of COURSE I HAD to go down to watch the rally of COURSE. I mean, like, duh! We're in Boston, people!So please pardon my momentary lapse into Red Sox Fan-dom. We'll

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-51984491423149895712007-10-26T18:48:00.000-05:002007-10-26T20:16:55.555-05:00

Hmm....apparently this whole idea of blogging my experience of being in culinary school is....not so much happening. Oh, I mean, I'm experiencing all right. I'm experiencing all kinds of crazy, bizarre, blog-worthy happenings. But somehow, the part where it actually gets, you know, posted to my blog? Hmm, not happening. Or at least not happening quite as frequently as I oh-so enthusiastically

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-19559327681420577622007-10-17T21:53:00.001-05:002007-10-17T22:40:04.686-05:00

Currently reading:Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Lifeby Barbara KingsolverYeah, so...um...I didn't get very far with Seven Storey Mountain. Yeah...oops. That's because I was completely swept away by Barbara Kingsolver's latest book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I have been an avid Kingsolver reader for several years, but was so annoyed by the preachy environmentalism masquerading as

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-85012186706269521962007-10-07T10:26:00.001-05:002007-10-07T11:05:47.815-05:00

Husk cherries stole my heart this summer. They rustle in your hand, weighing nothing and smelling of dust. It seems impossible that inside each paper lantern can hide one single golden berry. They're the humble Cinderella of the farmer's market, for sure. I walked by them for weeks, achingly curious about what wonderful delight could go for $5 a half pint, until I finally caught one of the

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-62831143369442684832007-09-29T22:29:00.000-05:002007-09-29T23:03:34.638-05:00

Since this is the first time in six years that I'm going back to school in the fall, you'd think I'd be all aglow with nostalgia over little autumnal details that don't get noticed when September is just another month on the calendar. In point of fact, life has been so non-stop these past few weeks that I've barely had time to do much more than scarf down a powerbar while counting my bags to make

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-62502198824826141262007-09-26T22:45:00.001-05:002007-09-26T23:05:07.958-05:00

Ouch, where did September go? Has it really been three weeks since that last post? What a busy month it's been: culinary school starting, house-sitting, wedding-going, Ben Harper show attending, autumnal adjusting, America's Next Top Model watching....precious little sleeping, though, I can tell you that. Ah, sleep.Well, things are in the air, my friends. I've got many stories and recipes and

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-22155209566008867352007-09-05T14:14:00.000-05:002007-09-05T14:47:01.593-05:00

Current Reality Reading:Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Mertonbecause I've had it on my shelf for, oh, four years without reading it, and now I have been given a big poke in the keister by THIS interview with Paul Elie about his book The Life You Save May Be Your Own, which looks into the lives of Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Flannery O'Connor, and Walker Percy. Because I'm slightly insane, I feel

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-15649560501315895182007-08-31T15:19:00.000-05:002007-08-31T18:20:21.125-05:00

I've been feeling really down this week--I believe "Down in Ye Aulde Mouth" is the proper terminology. (Not to be confused with "Long in Ye Aulde Tooth" which is something entirely different.) No specific reason for this case of the blues, really. Well, ok, a lot of specific reasons, none of which would individually result in low spirits, but with their powers combined leave me feeling....oh,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-8618834562613821062007-08-27T21:31:00.000-05:002007-08-27T21:40:15.382-05:00

When I'm out on a run, there comes this point when everything just...kinda...well...clicks. It usually happens somewhere after the first fifteen minutes--that would be the first fifteen minutes in which I chronicle every ache and pain my body feels, fuss with my headphones until they "feel right," skip back and forth between songs and podcasts, wish fiercely I had downloaded that Other Album

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-75601356161577773652007-08-13T16:11:00.000-05:002007-08-13T22:04:08.027-05:00

It's taken a year of research and experimentation, but I think I've finally discovered my solution to bread baking on hot, humid summer days. This recipe is a step up from the No-Knead Bread of recent fame, and I find that the flavor and crumb of this loaf is a vast improvement over that recipe.And P.S. the man-hands in the pictures below belong to my dad. I'm thinking he has a possible future in

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-66201739978833315502007-08-05T21:04:00.000-05:002007-08-05T22:15:46.858-05:00

So I was looking at the calendar at work the other day, trying to figure out when these books will publish and if we're going to make the class date and yadda yadda, and it suddenly hit me that if things had gone differently a few months ago, I'd be getting married in two weeks. Wow. That feels so incredibly strange. It's like there's a ghost-life walking beside me with a finger hooked through a

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-19007159162970035792007-08-01T15:43:00.000-05:002007-08-01T16:03:15.312-05:00

This article in the New York Times made me giggle with memories of my friend Adrianne and me daring each other to stand in front of the microwave when we were about twelve:The Claim: People Shouldn't Stand Too Close to a MicrowaveFor some reason, we really thought that standing in front of the microwave would cause us to instantly mutate or render us sterile for LIFE. Life was an inconceivably

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-11274296359116925132007-07-23T22:14:00.000-05:002007-07-23T22:38:35.181-05:00

Warning! Potentially blinding shots of pale white legs ahead!Ok, so here's the first leg in all it's glory. More of a hem, really. (aHEM! Oh, I just made myself laugh out loud. I heart puns.) You can kinda make out the drop stitch 'rip' in the picture above. This one is a smallish one, but the other rips were...er...difficult to photograph by one's self, shall we say. All in all, I'm pretty

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-41317098052262950332007-07-15T20:19:00.000-05:002007-07-15T21:21:26.326-05:00

I went to see the new Harry Potter move, "Order of the Phoenix," this Friday, and I have to admit that I don't remember much of it because I was so distracted by all the fabulous knit goods. I mean, who can follow the intricate machinations of Dumbledore's Grand Master Plan when there's patterns to be analyzed and yarn to be coveted?Umbridge's wardrobe mistress must be Knitting Kinfolk. Scene

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-12741263610466936822007-06-21T20:46:00.000-05:002007-06-21T21:55:04.686-05:00

I'm snug in my apartment listening to the first real thunderstorm of the season. The neighbor's daughter must be having a sleepover because every time the thunder booms, I hear a chorus of screaming followed by giggling and loud protestations of having been the scaredy-cat who initiate the screaming.The hours at the noodle factory have been long lately this being our annual Busy Bee Season,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-5259241745017691012007-06-08T18:27:00.000-05:002007-06-08T19:28:32.682-05:00

I got bowled over by a summer cold yesterday, completely out of the blue. No sniffly warning signs, no dry-cough indicator. Just woke up yesterday morning and proceeded straight to the moaning stage. Where normally I would soldier through and keep on trucking through my regularly scheduled life with no regard to what my body was trying tell me, I thought I'd try something different this time

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-21114860875651130942007-05-20T10:30:00.000-05:002007-05-20T11:23:10.186-05:00

Personal Statement:Please attach a personal statement of 250 words or more, in which you discuss who you are, your background, training or experience in the culinary arts, special interests, goals, and reasons for applying to this program.---Cooking is something I never expected to love. I alternated between bland stir-fried veggies with pasta and rice with poorly spiced stir-fried veggies for

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-57052299513230631482007-04-30T19:50:00.000-05:002007-04-30T20:28:38.920-05:00

Déjà vu. The subtle, recurring confusion between illusion and reality that was characteristic of paramnesia fascinated the chaplain, and he knew a number of things about it. He knew, for example, that it was called paramnesia, and he was interested as well in such corollary optical phenomena as jamais vu, never seen, and presque vu, almost seen.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-64098106485929947912007-04-22T15:10:00.000-05:002007-04-22T15:34:16.031-05:00

The sun was so shiny this morning that immediately upon waking, I flung open all the windows and opened the back door wide, letting in all the fresh air and sunshine I could. Last November when I was cleaning up my little container garden and making everything tidy for winter, there was one stubborn pot of zinneas and snap dragons that just refused to give in to the cold weather and kept popping

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-60448228017968772762007-04-17T20:04:00.000-05:002007-04-17T21:52:23.980-05:00

This is a short little post (though like so many of my posts, it will likely ramble on beyond what could technically be called "short") to let you know that I may be a bit sparse with my postings for the next few weeks. There are a lot of things swirling around in my life right now to which I need to give some attention. I just need wait and see what the view is like when the dust settles. In any

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-81135817601499709812007-04-12T09:00:00.000-05:002007-04-12T09:12:33.757-05:00

Say it ain't so! Hearing this news this morning made me genuinely sad, an ache beneath my breastbone. I read all his books during those oh-so-tender high school years and really felt like they became a part of who I am now, ya know? His irreverence and sarcasm and quirky perspectives on reality gave me permission, in a sense, to be irreverent and sarcastic and quirky myself. A fundamental part of

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-59877044662361595282007-04-01T14:46:00.000-05:002007-04-01T16:13:26.696-05:00

Oh, Jones Soda, how I miss thee! When the Engineer and I were living in Portland, Oregon, we didn't have the luxury of a washer and dryer in our apartment building like we do now. Every week along with all the other unluckies within a five block radius, we participated in a weekly neighborhood pilgrimage to the friendly neighborhood laundromat. For those of you who haven't had this experience or

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-20533146151567540502007-03-27T20:37:00.000-05:002007-03-27T22:16:22.080-05:00

Hi, folks!Spring time has me all a flutter over here in Northeastern parts. I've been jealously devouring all the posts from the Northwest bloggers, what with their pictures of flowering trees and their getting-gardens-ready-for-planting. Oh, and the fact that they already have spring produce at their farmers markets. But then just today, I saw the first crocuses blooming around a still-nekkid

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-36168705982177446352007-03-17T13:09:00.000-05:002007-03-18T22:38:42.780-05:00

Since I didn't manage to extract myself from the cozy, multi-blanketed nest of my bed until well after the snow had passed from pristine prettiness into half-melty sludge, I give you this picture from Boston.com taken yesterday afternoon. Besides being yet another beautiful example of the fashion faux pas and arch-collapsing train wreck that is the Ugg boot (oh, why do I torture myself?), this

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-55772564329215704272007-03-09T10:18:00.000-05:002007-03-09T11:12:30.193-05:00

For as long as I can remember, I've dreamed of having a room of my own. Even when I was still living with my parents and technically had my own room, I still nurtured a fantasy dream room in my heart. Back then, the primary features of My Room were a loft with a big cushiony bed and various hidden doors, secret compartments, tunnels leading to other various sub-rooms, and all sorts of very

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-71960750455026043292007-03-01T15:53:00.000-05:002007-03-01T16:15:01.124-05:00

The Children of Menby P.D. JamesQuickie Synopsis: Set in the not-too-distant future of 2021, Children of Men tells of a time when humans have become sterile, science has failed to find a cause or a cure, and no children have been born for twenty-five years. The Warden of England holds the country from chaos by promising security, comfort, and pleasure through a thinly-veiled dictatorship as

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-38737458280108614782007-02-25T11:24:00.000-05:002007-02-25T08:55:01.988-05:00

Well, y'all, the much-anticipated and widely discussed Boston Heat Wave of '07 (Forty degree highs! Meteorologists in a tizzy!) met with an abrupt and untimely finale yesterday when we awoke to a crispy layer of new snow over the still-unmelted varnish of ice on the sidewalks. But it left me with hope. Hope for a New Spring. I have historically been a big proponent of winter and all that is

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-21954485499416017322007-02-21T20:26:00.000-05:002007-02-21T21:38:52.318-05:00

2003 Mountain River Pinotage/Shiraz from South Africa ($7.99 at Trader Joe's)I first had this wine back at our Cross-Atlantic Holiday Festivus and liked it so much that I wanted to try it again when I had a chance to really pay attention to what I was drinking. At the time of the party, the wine steward at Trader Joe's had recommended it because he felt it would pair well with the highly-spiced

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-50360743415129006752007-02-17T21:13:00.000-05:002007-02-17T22:54:20.044-05:00

Ok, first and foremost, an update on the Engineer Sweater. It's so almost done, I can taste the finished-blocked-ness of it. I am about a third of the way done with the second sleeve--the final piece of this puzzle. I made the Engineer stand still for me while I pinned the pieces onto him and checked that it was all going to come together ok. He was antsy to get back to his analyses of drag

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-35585523310665730732007-02-12T23:37:00.000-05:002007-02-12T23:31:11.745-05:00

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema ChodronWhen Things Fall Apart doesn't hold the answers with a capital "A" or preach dogma or threaten consequences if certain instructions aren't followed to the letter. It quietly and non-aggressively suggests an alternative way of thinking and living. This way of thinking has to do with being gentle with yourself and being gentle

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-54004870253089784762007-02-07T22:33:00.000-05:002007-02-07T22:50:21.111-05:00

I debated for a long time before writing this post. I might yet chicken out and not actually post it. So far on my little blog, I've pretty deliberately stayed away from the really personal posts. I didn't want (and still don't want) this blog to turn into my online journal. Also, I have a hard time letting my guard down and telling people what's really going on with me. I always have to make

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-30268313058934436812007-02-03T17:51:00.000-05:002007-02-03T17:56:53.554-05:00

This shouldn't be so funny...but it is:Nuns Flee DebtVolos, GreeceAn entire convent of Greek Orthodox nuns has fled to another convent to avoid paying close to $1 million in debt from their failed knitting business. The 55 nuns splurged on purchases of industrial knitting machines and by attending foreign fashion shows to get ideas for patterns. The wool clothes they made were popular in Greece,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-55519333520123174922007-02-02T10:06:00.000-05:002007-02-02T13:42:45.178-05:00

"The story of how the most basic questions about what to eat ever got so complicated reveals a great deal about the institutional imperatives of the food industry, nutritional science and — ahem — journalism, three parties that stand to gain much from widespread confusion surrounding what is, after all, the most elemental question an omnivore confronts. Humans deciding what to eat without expert

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-58184338806743972992007-01-27T20:49:00.000-05:002007-01-27T17:15:29.132-05:00

It's a cold and dreary Saturday afternoon here in Beantown, USA--about time given all the warm weather we've been having here this winter. It seemed like a perfect opportunity to finally collect all my little recipe notes and taste-testing thoughts on my Lemon Anise Spice muffins and put everything together in proper recipe formation. Plus the deadline for the recipe contest I want to enter this

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-25978385738517471442007-01-24T18:28:00.000-05:002007-01-24T19:44:09.928-05:00

At first we were afraid. Very afraid. Imagine, Emma the Innocent is innocently chopping vegetables for a nice pot o' sausage, barley, and mushroom soup. Engineer the Brilliant is expounding on vector-based something-or-other, which involve moments of gobbledegook and forces corresponding to jibberish. Emma the Innocent nods sagely and pulls another parsnip from the grocery bag....or DOES she?!

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-74871227366169928982007-01-18T16:55:00.000-05:002007-01-18T22:19:50.658-05:00

I love love love my parent's dome home in Minnesta! The geodesic dome home was originally designed by Buckminster Fuller and is rather ubiquitous with the 50's and 60's hippiedom. This particular dome home resides a few miles outside of Northfield, Minnesota, in the middle of corn and bean fields. It's tucked into a little horseshoe-shaped hollow of land left by the last glacier, and the sandy,

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-82343166931505717092007-01-14T16:13:00.000-05:002007-01-14T17:17:11.125-05:00

I became a vegetarian my senior year in high school and only started eating meat again years later after making three very tough realizations:1. The "for real" reason why I became a vegetarian was because my boyfriend decided to go veg and so I did too.2. The vegetarian and I had broken up years ago. 3. I like meat.Whether it's admitted or not, I think many people of my generation fell prey to

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-61133067626783501232007-01-08T16:48:00.001-05:002007-01-08T16:48:35.245-05:00

I can't help it. Despite my disdain of both fast food chains and advertising, I've got to give some props to Burger King for this commercial. C'mon, they use the word 'incorrigible'! I know. I KNOW! INCORRIGIBLE! That's a ten-point vocab word, folks! And they use it REPEATEDLY. I'd like to have sat in on that marketing meeting. It probably went something like this:Male Male Marketing Exec 1: The

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-56492613594471213472007-01-07T12:51:00.000-05:002007-01-07T21:28:13.285-05:00

On Christmas Eve at the abode of Emma n' the Engineer and with many friends in attendance, a festivus was had and, yay verily yay, it was good. This was the first Big Production meal I have ever prepared, and I was a bit nervous. We're talking appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, vegetarian dishes, drinks, and (of course) dessert. With the day itself looming on the horizon, I suddenly realized

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-53651595676235237202007-01-06T10:46:00.000-05:002007-01-06T10:56:11.002-05:00

Howdy, all! I'm back from Minnie-sota and I've got some great posts in store, yessiree!In the meantime, does this look familiar to anyone: http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/FEATwin06FK.html? Hmmm?! Perhaps a slight resemblance to the laptop cozy?! I'm SUCH a trend setter. And here I was feeling all guilty that I'd stolen that artist's idea for selective felting. I think an article on Knitty

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-1937076603292089732006-12-23T18:27:00.000-05:002006-12-23T18:51:04.375-05:00

The Brief History of the Deadby Kevin BrockmeierQuickie Synopsis: In the city of the dead, life for the recently departed continues much as, well, life for the living. Restaurants are visited, jobs are attended to, new loves and old become reacquainted. The real plus side is that there's no need to worry about such trivial human concerns like eating well or exercising since you're already dead.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-19589983970588292162006-12-13T11:57:00.000-05:002006-12-13T12:29:11.656-05:00

Children of the Red King Book 5: Charlie Bone and the Hidden King by Jenny NimmoQuickie Synopsis: On the eve of his 10th birthday, Charlie Bone finds that he can hear the voices of people in photographs. Fearing that he's going insane, Charlie instead discovers that he is one of the magically talented descendants of the Red King, an ancient monarch who had 10 children each endowed with special

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-7348137158057883412006-12-11T10:12:00.000-05:002006-12-12T20:02:42.398-05:00

I'm a bread and butter kind of girl. Cooking and eating fancy meals is just dandy for special occasions, but what I'm really interested in is what people eat every day. I like to keep it simple and keep it good. Good food doesn't need to take 10 hours to prepare or call for a million ingredients or use expensive spices in order to be good. You don't even need to be a master chef in order to make

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-4393928963505233962006-12-05T16:45:00.000-05:002006-12-05T22:17:29.642-05:00

Knitting Distraction Numero Uno: The Meathead HatWhile paddling around the Blog-o-pond a few weeks ago, I came across a mention that Portland (Oregon, y'all) fiber artist Larissa Brown was in the process of compiling a knitting book and was looking for volunteers to test-knit some of the patterns. Well, I'm always up for a good old fashioned ho-down so I signed myself on up! Yee-haw!Right now

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-7521287788190616362006-12-03T18:46:00.000-05:002007-01-16T09:30:32.182-05:00

I know, I know--Thanksgiving is but a distant memory and you're on to bigger and better things by now. Unfortunately, between end-of-production-season frenzy at the Noodle Factory and Blogger being wonky on me, I've fallen a bit behind on my A-game here. Regardless, I'm sure there are some of you who still have a few morsels of dried-out turkey lurking in some forgotten container at the back of

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-9070822267128546352006-11-26T15:05:00.000-05:002006-11-26T15:05:07.610-05:00

I was willing to bring any dish to Thanksgiving dinner that my host requested, but I absolutely insisted on bringing this Pecan and Salt Caramel Cheesecake. I first saw this recipe a few months ago over at Chow.com (the recipe is HERE) and immediately knew I was going to have to make it. Luckily, there was very little resistance to adding another dessert to the menu--especially one with an

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-79144820234933445492006-11-21T16:28:00.000-05:002006-11-24T10:36:17.167-05:00

Here's some spin-on-the-traditional dishes that would be most excellent for Thanskgiving or just about any time between now and spring (click on the food name to link to the article or recipe):Assorted Cheddar Chips at Gourmet (via Epicurious)Chestnut, Prune, and Pancetta Stuffing at Gourmet (via Epicurious)Aged Gouda and Pear Scones at Chocolate & ZucchiniPumpkin Lasagna at the Seasonal

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-23872726941524915392006-11-14T22:42:00.000-05:002006-11-14T22:54:43.756-05:00

The Roadby Cormac McCarthyQuickie Synopsis: A man and his son journey south--always south--through a barren, desolate, post-Apocalyptic world. The landscape, the air, the sky--they are all filled with ashes. The vegetation is dead, burned to a crisp and frozen in time. Along the road are abandoned pieces of humanity: cars with melted tires, empty houses falling inward upon themselves, luggage

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-6632083737301507822006-11-13T15:22:00.000-05:002006-11-13T15:29:49.390-05:00

The Memory Keeper's Daughterby Kim EdwardsQuickie Synopsis: When his wife goes into labor during a freak March snow storm, Dr. David Henry is forced to handle the delivery himself. The first baby is a fine, healthy boy; but the second infant, a twin girl delivered moments later, shows obvious signs of having Down's Syndrome. Dr. Henry makes a split-second decision to send the infant to an

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-65009736082096204372006-11-10T20:48:00.000-05:002006-11-10T21:25:47.260-05:00

All right, y'all, I don't think there's anything else I can do to tweak, fiddle, or otherwise alter my little laptop cozy. I think it's actually finished. For reals this time. I ran it through the washer again, sans chickpeas, to try and felt the little baubles. It was a mixed success. Here are the before and after shots:Here's the before (click on the picture to enlarge):And here's the after:The

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-39675740785024232072006-11-08T21:11:00.000-05:002006-11-08T21:15:33.019-05:00

I'm so shocked, I don't even know what to say. Bread? That you don't knead? And it's baked in a dutch oven? Wa-huuuh? My dad forwarded me this article from the New York Times earlier today and I'm still processing. And of course I have to try this immediately--anyone have a handy dutch oven I can borrow?!"The Secret of Great Bread: Let Time Do the Work" by Mark Bittman:http://www.nytimes.com/2006

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-26971220792654463522006-11-07T21:06:00.000-05:002006-11-07T22:42:03.737-05:00

You should all know by now that I love to cook. No doubt about it. But what I do not love is cooking every day. In fact, if I have to cook two days in a row, I get a bit cranky and start taking out my frustrations on the unsuspecting Engineer by muttering things under my breath like, "Though I may look and occasionally act like a 1940's housewife, I am not a 1940's housewife, mister." * He

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-70579741709134480042006-11-04T09:52:00.000-05:002006-11-04T11:45:21.889-05:00

This morning--right now--is my ideal morning. The Engineer woke me up with a rub on my back at 7:30 (good lad, that Engineer), and we went out for coffee. It's sunny and crisp outside. I wore the blue felt mittens my cousin gave me for Christmas a few years ago and a burgundy-colored stocking cap, which I love despite the fact that the seams always leave unbecoming ridges pressed into my forehead

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-27553982826229433622006-10-31T09:25:00.000-05:002006-10-31T12:36:35.715-05:00

-->If you're curious about all the different kinds of wine, how wines are made, what goes into a 'vintage' and all that general wine-knowledge, check out this article on Epicurious:http://www.epicurious.com/drinking/wine/ewg/step3The article gives a good overview to the whole wine scene and a good jumping off point for learning more.-->And here is a fun photo-essay of wine-making from crush to

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-63901588196185178642006-10-29T14:53:00.000-05:002007-10-28T16:13:20.842-05:00

I grew up in the Midwest during a time when going out to eat was still considered a rare luxury and the whole idea of 'take-out' was still catching on. We had the odd Pizza Hut pizza, and I can distinctly remember a few celebration meals at Sarah's, a bone fide American steak house in Algona, Iowa. But for the most part all of our meals were cooked and eaten at home. My parents both cooked--Dad

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-19849947550423950982006-10-29T11:52:00.000-05:002006-10-29T12:01:22.615-05:00

I just discovered that the Boston Globe has a column devoted to the best plonk of the month. The explanation of the column from their website: "This is a monthly column on $10-and-under wines we call "plonk," which began as British slang for the cheapest drink served, and is now widely used to mean simple, inexpensive bottles. "Plonk of the month" appears on the last Wednesday of the month and is

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-33494969684775491652006-10-23T21:07:00.000-05:002006-10-23T21:37:08.811-05:00

For those of you just joining us, a few weeks ago, a co-worker and friend of mine finagled his way into getting me to make him a pair of customized, extra-warm smoker's gloves. And by "finagle," I mean he offered to buy the yarn and a pair of needles and I was sold. We've all got our weaknesses, ya know?And the truth is, whether you're a smoker or not, these gloves are mighty handy. It gets gosh

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-23862075509058359572006-10-22T16:18:00.000-05:002006-10-23T09:53:49.292-05:00

'Twas the Engineer's birthday this past weekend and we had his family over for brunch. Yee-haw, what a spread! Never was there a more perfect union of breakfast and lunch, or a better brunch been brunched. As we all sat there patting our stomachs and dabbing butter from our chins, the Engineer said, "We should really do this more often! No, really!" There was a little bit of something for

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-7933597984410329712006-10-14T17:56:00.000-05:002006-10-15T21:03:26.831-05:00

I don't think anyone would ever confuse me for a 'picky' wine drinker. Only once can I remember loathing a bottle so much that I actually poured it down the drain: a particularly atrocious and vinegary red that I couldn't even bear to use in tomato sauce. Occasionally I find myself present at a dinner where a sample of some $50+ bottle of wine finds its way into my glass. (Yay verily, it is good

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-1160684674537286252006-10-12T15:18:00.000-05:002006-10-15T21:05:14.085-05:00

The Stolen Childby Keith DonohueDollar Store Plot: One summer day after an argument with his mother, young Henry Day decides to run away from home. As he hides from rescue searchers in the hollow of an old tree in the woods behind his house, Henry is kidnapped by a band of hobgoblin changelings, who have been spying on Henry for weeks and waiting for the opportunity to exchange him for one of

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30205933.post-1160444037993635522006-10-09T19:54:00.000-05:002007-10-28T16:13:20.843-05:00

My version of heaven would be endless autumn. And not just the beautiful crisp weather or the flaming trees against the bluest sky, but all of it. I love wearing my winter coat for the first time and finding a few left-over memories from the previous winter stowed away in the pockets. I love going to the Farmer's Market in Copley Square. I love seeing all the fruits and vegetables spilling out of

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333noreply@blogger.com5