Taco Tuesday

(via Etsy)

Peter and I have had a heavy heart these last few days, and I know you all have, too.

On Facebook yesterday, my friend Katie shared the eulogy for a little boy named Noah, given by his mom at his funeral. Noah's mom mentioned all kinds of wonderful things he loved - Wii Super Mario Brothers, his sweet twin sister Arielle, and tacos. In that brilliant way that only kids can do, Noah came up with one of the greatest slash careers ever: doctor/soldier/taco factory worker.

One of Katie's friends commented that she was going to make tacos for dinner in honor of Noah, and I thought, yes, that I can do.

It's easy to see why Noah loved them so: tacos are fun, and they bring people together. They can make an otherwise ordinary Tuesday seem extra special. Picking from communal bowls, eating something messy in front of people you love - these things seem silly at the moment, but that probably means we all need a taco dinner more than ever.

So tonight, I'll be making tacos in honor of Noah, and everyone else that we lost in Sandy Hook last Friday. I'd like to invite you to join me, if you are so inclined.

P.S. Here are a few easy recipes, in case you're stuck.

The Year of Enjoy: Home Stretch

In early January, I declared this to be the "year of enjoy." The final half of 2011 was stressful, and I was longing to impose some pleasure into our lives in an official way. It doesn't quite work that way, of course, but I'm happy to have made the effort.

The things on that list did bring me joy - I love vacations and making new friends as much as the next person - perhaps even more so. But even a year filled with goodness has many moments of stress and sadness and frustration. At times I wonder about my extreme commitment to all-things-fun. Is it shallow? Completely self-absorbed? I tend to maintain that it's a tough world out there, and you need to fight for as much happiness as you can get. It's my responsibility to make things in my life as good as possible. But sometimes I think my focus should shift more toward kindness, hospitality, forgiveness.

Oh, I don't know. Let's awkwardly transition back to my catch-up on the list, shall we? For the most part, I successfully did everything I set out to do. I still need to make pate - hopefully this weekend. We have an adventurous couple coming over for dinner on Saturday night, and I think they'll be up for trying my experimentation. We're also short one weekend trip. That should happen over Christmas break, though we are vacillating wildly between being brave and doing a long road trip down to Charleston and Savannah, or just going to...Maine. I know. We need to just decide.

I'm going to try to fully embrace this last month of the year with a full and happy heart. I want to watch Elf, do lots of yoga, drink a little too much Prosecco, and go to Christmas concerts. And I want to finish up all my shopping in the next few days. For the past few years, our list of people to shop for has grown (a happy problem to have, all things considered!), but all the angst of finding the perfect thing at the perfect price point was bringing me down. This year, I started shopping in August (!), picking up the pretty great thing at the good-enough price. I know most people were clued into this trick ages ago, but I'm thrilled it finally sunk in for me. I love actually giving people their gifts, but I'm very happy that the acquiring process is nearly done. It's cleared the decks for more Prosecco!

As we turn the page onto December, I wish you all a very happy weekend. Let's all try to enjoy it.

Note to Self

(20 years old, and very nervous about life :)

I am in a bit of a funk these days.

Cooking doesn't seem that fun, though I am still making good things for dinner most nights. I cleaned out my closet a few weeks ago, and I'm left feeling like I don't like what I got rid of, but I also don't really like what I kept. I am reading (and reading and reading!), but nothing that's making me feel totally "yay!" There are a few little things I'd like to do around the house, but...eh. Part of this stems from some Bigger Life things that feel a bit out of my control.

We are thinking more seriously about buying a house. But will a not-scary house that we can actually afford come on the market? Will we like being home owners? We've seen a few, and they left me with this feeling:

Embrace the lovely life you have right at this moment.

Because right now, even though parts of my life feel a bit out of control, or just plain ho-hum, I want to ditch this funk and remember my clean, bright, pretty home now. The good dinners I can make each night now. The hours that stretch before me to read and think and see friends and do yoga. The ordinary nights at home with Peter and wine and a favorite show we can watch all together in one big gulp.

*   *   * 

I recently read through an old journal that I've kept very infrequently since I was in college. I usually only write there when I'm upset or mad, which happily isn't too often. Since it's mostly used during tough-ish times, it's certainly a skewed snapshot, but I was stuck by early entries that are filled with worries about being lonely and having a lame life. I was never going to meet anyone fantastic, my friends would realize I was boring, I wouldn't get a fun job.

If I could have told myself that I was going to meet Peter a month before I collected my college diploma, that I would keep all of my dear friends very close, that I would have a series of mostly fun jobs, I would have been shocked and relieved at how beautiful my life is. How lucky I am.

Right now, I'm going to try to tell myself that there are many surprises in store for these next years. But if I could get a preview for how they would turn out, I hope to be shocked and relieved at how happy - how lucky - I continued to be.

Opportunity of a Lifetime

At a family gathering months ago, my father-in-law announced that he had been given the opportunity of a lifetime. We imagined he found the perfect location for new wine store, or that he stumbled onto free plane tickets to Rome.

Nope! He was offered a role in the TriArts Sharon Playhouse production of Sound of Music. At first he was cast as a soldier, but somewhere along the line he got promoted to be the butler (with speaking lines!). Peter and I are heading down tonight to see him in action.

The great thing about his early declaration was that he wasn't joking in the least. He loves the Sound of Music with his whole heart, and having the chance to participate in it - in even a small way - is a huge honor for him. It's the kind of dream we never spend much time thinking about, let alone pursuing. He would never audition for Broadway, or even take an acting class. But the opportunity arose, and he said yes without hesitation. We should all be so lucky to have our back-burner, seemingly just out of reach dreams come true.

Growing Fresh Basil

Four years ago, I named this blog Fresh Basil for no reason other than I thought it was sort of cute and happy sounding. It's been my private shame that I have flat out murdered every fresh basil plant that has entered my home during that time. Until now.

I was doing it all wrong. I would try to start from seed some years, willing those tiny little plants to grow up fast so that I could finally start making pesto. I would alternate between drowning them every day, and then taking a week off of watering for fear of rotting the roots. I plucked off the most prized leaves from anywhere on the plant, thinking it was a mistake to cut the stalk. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

This is the article that changed my fresh basil growing life. All the advice is good, but my three main take-away were:

• Buy a full-grown, healthy looking basil plant. This one was from Whole Food on sale for $1.99. 
• Snip the stalk with scissors right above new leaf growth. This will help the plant grow, but not get too top heavy. 
• Water it a little - just a little - every day. I put it under the sink for literally two seconds. I actually count.

I might be getting cocky, but I think I'm ready to try mint and rosemary! 

Good for the Soul

In a fit of near-graduation panic, I applied to a couple of MFA programs during the winter break of my senior year. Much to my surprise, the program chair of one of the schools called to tell me I had been accepted. I was walking up a grand staircase in the Treasury building on the way back to my desk after lunch, and after I hung up, I slumped down on those steps in the rather dramatic way that only interns can pull off.

My mom went out to Idaho with me a few weeks later, and I got to meet that professor and loads of other writing students. At dinner in Spokane, my mom and I talked about our lives, and my parent's marriage, and what it means to be successful and fall in love. There was something I couldn't put my finger on, but I knew that this school, which had lentil fields that stretched on for long miles beyond the campus, wasn't for me.

One week later, I met Peter.

I do not regret passing up graduate school, but there are times when I long for the body of work that I surely would have produced as a student. I wrote this post during a time when I was feeling some of that angst. So many of you seemed to interpret it as happy and sweet, but I felt antsy and a little stuck - searching for the lofty and astonishing.

I turned to google in my time of need (don't we all?), in search of some kind of writing contest that would make me feel like I could produce material any time I wanted. I found that the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was accepting submissions for an upcoming books on weddings and engagements. I whipped something up, sent it off, and promptly forgot about it. More than a year later, they wrote to let me know that my little essay had made the cut.

And today, I came home to a giant box from the publisher - the very publisher that I used to work for in New York. It was a terrible job for me. It made me weepy and irritable. There were times when I had so many knots in my back, I felt like I couldn't fully fill my lungs with air. I left after just a year.

MFA or not, I think my professional life would have followed a similar trajectory. I would have wanted to try traditional publishing, and then I would have returned to international development, and ultimately I would try to figure out a way to marry the two. I am still working that out. But if I had done that MFA program in Idaho, I would not be married to Peter. And it turns out that he is the key element - the very best part - of my lofty and astonishing life.

 *   *   *

As you can see, I have been gifted with quite a few copies of this book. If you would like one - for yourself or someone you know who is recently engaged or planning a wedding - I would be absolutely delighted to send a copy along! Email me at fresh.basil.blog AT gmail.com.

Pretty Spring Wrap Dress

If I'm approached to review something, it's usually a product I would never use myself, let alone recommend (peach scented laundry detergent, anyone?). But a few weeks back, the cute clothing company Fresh Produce got in touch about their new spring clothing line. 

My mom has long been a fan of Fresh Produce, so I was familiar with the brand already (and actually already own a few pieces!). But it's not usually a shop that springs to mind for me when I'm looking for new things - I mean, it's one of my mom's favorites, after all :)

Looking through the site, I was stunned by all the cute, young-looking pieces, though. (Either that, or I'm just getting older...Let's agree that they've gotten a bit more hip, okay?) 

I toyed around with a number of sun dress and tunics, but ultimately went with this cute wrap dress in sangria. Wrap dresses are a real wardrobe work horse for me. Work, play; day, night - they can do it all. Unlike some that tie around your body like a robe, this one has fabric sew all the way around (no risk of flashing people!), but all the flattery and versatility of that style. 

It's gotten chilly again here, so I paired it with a cardigan for work yesterday. Cute, right?! I know this dress and I will share many happy days together!

Wishing you all a very happy spring weekend! We are heading to the Berkshires. Hopefully we'll get in some golf, and maybe even a visit to DreamAway. And I'll get to give my mom and sister their little gifts from Paris, yay!

P.S. I so rarely (never?) post photos of myself here, I'm feeling incredibly shy and embarrassed! How do style bloggers do it?!? 

Disclosure: The product mentioned in this post was provided to me by the stated brand for review purposes only. I was not paid to promote or endorse this product and all thoughts and ideas are truthful and reflect my opinion alone.

Pasta with Shrimp, Scallops and Fennel

For some reason, cooking seafood is scary to me. There seems to be a large margin of error. Under-cooked and it's poison; over-cooked and it's rubbery. Since I started following the four-minutes-per-inch rule for fish, I've gotten pretty good at grilling fillets. But little seafood, like shrimp and clams and scallops? Still scary.

After a somewhat decadent weekend of dining out, a simple seafood supper was calling out to me, though. Peter and I walked over to Whole Foods (a very rare event, though it's just around the corner). Their seafood counter is so fancy and nice! It wasn't that expensive, either. We decided to get a 1/3 pound each of fresh shrimp, cute little scallops and some already prepared clams.

At home, Peter peeled and de-veined the shrimp. He put the shells in a pot of water and let them simmer until the water was half gone (about an hour). After the pasta water was boiling, he started to saute garlic, long strips of fennel and the chopped clams. After a couple minutes, he added a big splash of wine, the shrimp stock, a pile of chopped parsley, tarragon and mint, the shrimp and scallops, and a big squeeze of lemon.

The pasta was drained (that's corn pasta, by the way, and it's delicious!) and tossed into the pan with all the seafood for a final, boozey swim. A few more herbs went on top, along with a healthy sprinkle of salt. Oh my, it was good! And since Peter was doing the cooking, it wasn't scary in the least :)

What foods (inexplicable) scare you to cook? My friend Sarah over at Yahoo! Shine hosts a cute supper club, and the challenge for March was to cook a dish that scared you. Great idea, right? I think it's so interesting to learn what one person is afraid to tackle, and what others will whip up effortlessly!

Crafty February: Homemade Ricotta

I mentioned earlier this week that my first attempt at homemade ricotta was a total bust. I followed Smitten Kitchen's recipe, and it just didn't curdle properly. It was sort of lightly turned milk (gross). I used Meyer lemon juice, and maybe it wasn't acidic enough? 

After I bit of research, I came across this food lab article by Serious Eats. I tried again with vinegar and only whole milk (not a combination of milk and cream). After I added the vinegar, I kept the pan on the stove, with the heat off, for five minutes. As you can see, it worked! When I placed the mixture over the cheese cloth, the whey drained off really quickly. I only let it strain for five minutes (instead of over two hours the first time!). It came off of the cheese cloth like a nice, fresh blop of cheese. Success!

I was so proud. It was almost better because of the first failure, you know? This week we ate it in a pasta dish with cauliflower, and also mixed it with pesto for an artichoke pizza. So good!

You will need: 

4 cups whole milk (not ultra pasteurized - it's science!)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vinegar (white or apple cider)

Using a candy thermometer, heat milk and salt in a pan to 180-200 degrees F, stirring occasionally. With the heat still on, add in 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Turn the heat off, and stir gently once or twice. Let the mixture sit undisturbed for five minutes. It should be very curdled and look like the second picture, above.

While letting the vinegar and milk mixture sit, place a fine mesh colander over a bowl. Line with cheese cloth or a few layers of paper towels. Pour the mixture over the cheese cloth. Let sit for one to five minutes, depending on how "loose" you'd like your cheese to be. Place ricotta into an air tight container and refrigerate. It can be stored for up to four days.

I dumped the whey out (it looked like...lemonade, to be polite), but some people find good ways to use it!

Crafty February: Felt Ball Garland

Last week was a crafty February fail. First, homemade ricotta came out like a bowl of cooked milk (ew). Then my fabric covered box project turned into a lumpy mess (boo). So! I am showing you this felt ball garland.

I whipped this up in under twenty minutes. I've had a bag of little felt balls for a long time. I picked out the pastel colors and stung them together using embroidery floss and a big embroidery needle. It will probably go on my Easter tree in a few weeks, but for not, it's strung up on the mantle.

Have you ever made ricotta at home? I'm tempted to try again if anyone has a recipe they've used with good results!

New Years Resolutions

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." 

- Robert Heinlein

Stripped

I took a bunch of upholstery books out of the library to study up. They made me more and more anxious to do this project, and not in a good way. There are so many tools the authors say you need, so many "easy" projects you're supposed to tackle first.

Last night I decided to just dive in with tools I had at home and see how it went. First I pulled off the back piece by hand (it was just attached with upholstery tacks, so it came off pretty easily). There was piping tubing trim all the way around the chair, so that came off next. I could grip it with basic pliers to do the job.

Next I made a mistake and started attacking the staples on the seat. I should have done the front back of the chair instead since the seat fabric was applied last when it was upholstered. Anyways, I just sort of did them simultaneously, using pliers and a flat head screw drivers to get under the staples.

I won't say the process was easy, but it was rewarding. It took about an hour and half. I'm super pleased that the insides are in great shape -- smooth springs, nice lining, webbing is in tact. I was nervous about what I'd find under there! Luckily, these were the only scary things that came out of the chair:

• Straw wrapper
• Penny circa 1997
• Folded up frog sticker
• Safety pin
• Hole punch remains

I'm going to go to the fabric store this weekend and see what I find, then I'll pick out the paint. I'm going to leave the other chair in tact for now so I have a model to use when upholstering the first chair. Fingers crossed this makes it easier!

Quite charming

(Waiting in the rain...)

A recurring theme in my stories these days seems to be that we go out in NYC, and then it pours!

Last night we headed to Prospect Park for the Decemberists concert. When we walked out of our apartment, it was just a few tiny drops. Nothing! On the bus, it started to get a little heavier. By the time we walked into the band shell, my hair was soaking wet and my shoes were squeaking.

We took cover under a tree and twenty minutes into the show, the sky cleared and a giant moon rose behind us. And then we got to hear lots of fun Decemberists' songs!

Those guys are quite charming. I'm always really surprised when I find myself liking music that's not featured on Jonathan Schwartz's American Songbook, but there it is, guys. Feeling slightly more hip than I did yesterday.

Made it through in tact

I finished my skirt yesterday morning and then successfully wore it all day long! I was a little nervous that it would instantly shred into teeny tiny pieces or spontaneously combust while I sat at my desk, but have no fear! The skirt and I made it through in tact.


When the very sweet Brie encouraged me to take this on, she described it as a quick "win" project. So right! It's immensely satisfying to make something, and then get to wear it.


If you want to make your own (Do it! We can all be super cute Flirt Skirt girls!), visit Anna Maria Horner site's for the free tutorial. 


P.S.: I was really missing having roommates when I put this outfit together -- can I wear that bright blue cardigan with the skirt?! I'm trying to be less boring with clothes, but I was second guessing myself all day! 

Start with a mildly complicated project

(Poplin fabric)

I spied the most adorable skirt on one of my favorite new blogs last week, followed swiftly by some spectacular advice on E Tells Tales about how to get started with a sewing project: 

Start with a mildly complicated project you love. If you start with something easy and useless, you'll hate yourself by the end and probably give up. If you want the finished result badly enough, you'll end up learning the process. And be prepared to make mistakes, completely ruin things, and cuss a lot.

This skirt seemed like a mildly complicated project I loved, so yesterday I went to the fabric store and found the darling Poplin print above (on sale for $6.49 a yard!). I made a deal with myself that I needed to use my sewing machine for this project. No telling myself about how people in the olden days sewed everything by hand, and surely I could, too.

There's nothing wrong with that approach, of course, but I've been avoiding my sewing machine for months for a completely silly reason. I was scared of it. 

Looking back, I realize how crazy that sounds. I've only used it for a few hours, but already I love my cute little sewing machine! It's quiet and seems pretty easy to use - at least, it should be, once I learn a bit more and can stop referring to the directions every few minutes.

I did have a little mishap this morning which took 10 minutes to sew and about an hour to undo, but so it goes when overcoming a fear to learn something new. I hope by tomorrow I'll have a cute little Flirt skirt to show you! 

Luckiest day of the year?

(Lucky Peony print via Etsy)

According to my horoscope, today is one of my luckiest days of the year. The pressure! The excitement! I've been looking for signs all morning. Here's how we're stacking up:

1. When the alarm went off, Peter was having a dream about Beatles songs. I hate the Beatles. Unlucky. 
2. On my street, this cute little droopy tree is covered in the most darling pink blossoms. Lucky!
3. The subway was crazy crowded and someone was eating a banana - only the worst smelling and sounding fruit there is. Unlucky.
4. Walking to my office this morning, I nearly ran into a very grubby looking Judith Light. Lucky?

I'd say we're about even so far. Maybe I should get crazy wild and buy a scratch ticket or something! 

The lazy girl's guide to making a photo collage

If I had a frequently asked question here on Fresh Basil it would be, "How do you make those awe-inspiring photo collages?" Coming in at a close second would be, "How did you get so darn cute?" Just kidding. No one has ever asked me that. Aren't you dying to know?!

Alright then, I will settle for answering FAQ #1.

I know there are lots of fancy ways to make collages in various Adobe programs, iPhoto, and even through Pinterest and Polyvore, but I make my with some super sexy tools available on nearly every computer -- PowerPoint and Paint. Oh la la!

Here's what you do:

1. Save all the images you want to use in your collage on your desktop. For organizational purposes, I like to name my file the source where it came from. I have a bad memory, and this helps when the time for linking eventually arises. 
2. Open a blank slide in PowerPoint. Erase those two standard boxes where Bill Gates want you to write your gripping title and subtitle. We do not need those!
3. Click on Insert then Picture and grab your image from the desktop. Repeat for all the images you want to include, resizing and rearranging along the way. 
4. When you're happy with it, click on the Print Screen button to capture the image on your computer screen. This is (usually?) right next to the F12 button at the top keyboard. 
5. Open Paint and paste your screen shot into the blank page. Crop the image to get rid of the extra stuff. Open a new Paint page and paste in your collage. Save as a jpeg. 
6. Now insert this image into your blog just like you would a photo!

This seems a bit elementary and lame now that it's all written up, but maybe it will help someone? If you have any tips or tricks, I'd love to hear them. Happy collaging!

High on the happiness scale

(Life)

I read this article a few days ago and found this section particularly intriguing: 

In a recent study, Schkade and colleagues asked more than 900 working women to write down everything they'd done the day before. Afterward, they reviewed their diaries and evaluated how they felt at each point. When the women saw how much time they spent on activities they didn't like, "some people had tears in their eyes," Schkade says. "They didn't realize their happiness was something they could design and have control over."

I would classify myself as quite high on the happiness scale, but the idea that I may actually be bad at understanding what makes me happy gave me pause. Yesterday I decided to write down everything I did throughout the entire day - ate granola while listening to NPR, edited an e-newsletter in the office, had a terrible, long commute home, and on and on. This morning I went over the list and ranked everything on a scale of 1 (miserable) to 10 (super happy!).

Not surprisingly, my happiest times were in the morning and evening, i.e., when not at work. There were lots of 7 and 8 moments, and even a 9, but not a 10. How upsetting to not have a moment of complete happiness during the entire day!

This morning I started to write a little list of things that have made me super happy (!) in the past. Sending or receiving a note. Getting a little dressed up and going on a date with Peter. Arranging a bouquet of flowers and sprinkling them throughout the apartment. Small things, really. Which should make them incredibly easy to incorporate into everyday life.

Here's to embracing even more joy and happiness!

Creative fodder for Friday

For years, a dear friend had "the creative process" listed as one of her interests on Facebook -- back when the site encouraged you to share your interests. I always loved that!

If it's an interest of yours, here are a few good things I've listened to lately on the arts, the creative process and sticktoativeness (fake word my Grandmother likes to use). 

Ira Glass on Storytelling:

Lynda Barry on The Sound of Young America discussing the brain and the benefits of doing creative work everyday.

K'naan interview on Sound Opinions is on the opposite end of the spectrum in many ways, speaking about the responsibility creative types have to not put crap into the universe. I don't agree, but very interesting!  

Happy Friday, girlfriends!

Things tend to happen

A fun little announcement, friends! I've started writing an Arts and Crafts column in the New York Examiner.com. If you'd like, you can click there and can see my articles about making a pretty package for those sad, sometimes forgotten January babies and how to create your very own party in a box! A cute, easy embroidery project is coming later this week.

One of the goals I came up with while doing Reverb last month was to find some kind of fun side-gig in 2011, and lo and behold, this came about the last week of 2010. I think it's true what they say: once you put it out there (even if the "out there" is only in your own head), things tend to happen. Sorry for getting all The Secret on you!

Anyways, since I know you are all just dying for more Fresh Basil...now you can get an additional crafty fix twice a week!

Happy Tuesday, ladies!