Doughnuts

London, it's not you, it's me. Our doughnut vibes are just not on the same wavelength.

The Brits just LOVE their filled doughnuts. Shove some delicious cream or jam in there, and sugar the outside and you've done it.

But my doughnut love language is definitely a cake doughnut or a really good yeasted doughnut. I have yet to come across cake doughnuts here (business idea...or Doughnut Plant needs to open a London office), but at least they have the old standbys Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts if I'm just looking for a plain old glazed.

I've been waiting for about 8 months to try the legendary doughnuts from St. Johns Bakery, and finally made it over there this morning in honor of the beautiful and necessary US holiday, National Doughnut Day. We got 2 chocolate filled and 2 vanilla cream filled (they didn't have any jam). The chocolate doughnut was just not it for me. The chocolate filling itself was too heavy and the doughnut was slightly dried out, and the combo had me dying for some ice cold milk. The cream doughnut was better, because the vanilla custard was much lighter than the heavy chocolate. But the doughnut was still dried out! How could this be, legendary doughnuts!

I did a little research and it turns out the head pastry chef recently left St Johns (GASP) to start his own venture. So guess who will be headed to Borough Market (hopefully tomorrow) to try the doughnuts from new Bread Ahead from chef Justin Gallatly. I know they will still be filled, but I'm hoping they can make me believe in the Brit doughnut.

meal planning. and other adult stuff.

i'm realizing that my "fly by the seat of my pants" attitude previously utilized for getting through the work week just isn't working anymore.
if we don't have anything in the fridge, i end up eating 1 of 3 things:
1. fried egg with salsa
2. handful of cashews and other randoms
3. PB&J

no good for a nursing mama and definitely no good for a growing boy (Mark).

so i'm getting serious about meal planning. i've found, at least for me, it's nearly impossible to make it to the grocery store during the week, so i need to shop for everything on saturday and if i don't plan well, i just end up with expensive items thrown in the cart last minute and that don't really make a meal, i.e. a jar of preserved lemons and store-made sushi.

inspired by Elle, I've created the following meal plan. I hope the structure won't bore me, but instead provide me with guidelines and answers for those nights when you ask yourself what to make for dinner.

Monday: Pasta with veggies/salad (linguine w/ b sprouts, spaghetti w/ asparagus, shrooms, roasted broccoli with penne + pinenuts)
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (fish tacos or black bean and corn tacos or breakfast burritos)
Wednesday: Stirfry/noodles
Thursday: Grain + roasted veggies, i.e. couscous with roasted sweet potatoes, cauliflower and onions or quinoa with brussel sprouts and carrots
Friday: Eat out!
Saturday: Grab bag*
Sunday: Fish and veg or egg dish like Frittata

*Grab bag: recipes I've been wanting to try out via Pinterest

all i do is baby stuff.

i didn't think i'd be just writing about henry all the time, but guess what? i don't really do anything else besides being his mom right now, so i really don't have that much else to write about! it's crazy how all-consuming having a baby is. i am still the same person, but i'm no longer just a "me", i'm an "us". even when you're married, you can still end up spending days or even weeks apart. but when you have a baby, good luck even going to the bathroom when you have to. i didn't realize how much my life would completely change. sometimes it is so frustrating, like lately where he's had some gassy-fussy-waking-up-screaming-every-night nights, but i always feel proud to be able to take care of him. to raise him. babies are such interesting beings, and they seem so wise in their simplicity of life. they just want to eat, sleep, and play.

i'm used to life being busy, but babies force you to just...sit.

and make faces.

and bounce.

and do things you never thought you'd do in public. haha.

last week i went on an elimination diet to figure out why henry is having such a miserable time in the gassy department. i went meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, corn-free, and cruciferous vegetables free. which pretty much means i ate a lot of potatoes, carrots, beets, and brown rice. the good news is i lost a little bit of weight cutting out breads and cheese, and the other good news of course is that henry is feeling a lot better (minus a mashed potatoes IKEA adventure. sorry henry). i'm pretty sure it's the dairy, so i'm going to start eating bread again. oh, i miss bread. and maybe one of these days i can have brie again. for the love of pete.

new year, new us.

my eating theme for this year is grains, beans, and greens.

this is the year i finally learn how to use different grains than just rice and quinoa (does rice count as a grain?)

this is the year i stop eating iceberg lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers because i'm too nervous to be creative with my salads.

this is the year i start learning how to cook with kale, swiss chard, and all those other crazy leafed greens in the produce section.

and this is the year i finally learn how to cook a pot of beans and stop using all those high-sodium cans. i mean how hard can it be, really?

follow my progress at my food blog to keep me honest. my goal is to cook one new thing a week, and bake one new thing every other week. that is 52 new recipes and 26 new baked goods. i cannot wait to get started!

i have lots of other goals, most of which center around being happier with life. this is a good year, isn't it? twenty twelve. i like the sound of it.

I go to bed with Ben and Jerry, I wake up with Cider.

Lately I've been having trouble eating. I'm hungry constantly, but I just can't eat very much. When I do, my body rejects it and it's scary. I think I've hit that point in pregnancy where there just isn't a lot of room for anything other than baby in my stomach.
I've realized that being forced to eat in smaller quantities means that I'm pretty much snacking all the time. Like last night when I had wheat thins and apple juice for dinner, a late night snack of cereal, and midnight snack of Ben and Jerry's cookie dough ice cream. This morning I woke up with a glass of apple cider, followed by a small yogurt with granola and later in the morning a granola bar.

This is not the most healthy diet I've ever been on, but at least I'm keeping my food where it belongs - in my tummy!

Funny sidenote: my sister was explaining to Lizzie (4 years old) about pregnancy and being sick. Lizzie was so worried because she thought if you throw up, you throw up the baby, too. Because "the baby is in the stomach. Right mom?" Cue my sister trying to teach a 4 year old the difference between and stomach and a uterus, leading to the age old question - "but how does the baby get in there, mom?" i'm glad i don't have to handle those tough questions...yet!

wicked waffle.

i finally tried the new lunch spot in farragut - Wicked Waffle. ohhhhh mouthwatering deliciousness sandwiched between 2 WAFFLES. i tried the grilled cheese and tomato waffle sandwich. yes. others really liked the mango and brie sandwich, and the prosciutto tomato and arugula sandwich.

i mean it's a WAFFLE. what's not to like? they also had a killer sweet potato soup.

i've been living off waffles lately, no joke. my all time favorite recipe is here, the morning-of waffle. that molly kills it every time and these waffles are no different.

on the way back from lunch, we ran into large headed JFK. so, pretty much the best lunch break ever.

weekend, finally.

DC is getting a blast of cool air this weekend, and i haven't so excited about something since like 5 minutes ago when i saw an article on this new cafe downtown, Wicked Waffle. drool.

for the weekend: it's conference, crafty bastards, and lots of baking planned, including trying out these bagels, possibly some pumpkin CC bread, and definitely some more baked potato soup. tis the season for soup!

can you tell i have food on my mind? hmm, i wonder why (ahem. baby.).

have a gorgeous october weekend!

late night buns.

i've been craving a homemade cinnamon roll for a few weeks now, so i broke down yesterday after work and threw together some dough, let it rise, and finished the buns around 11pm. i ate no less than 3 in a row. they were easy to make, tasty, indeed, and hit the spot.
recipe from the infallible molly wizenberg aka orangette.

it sparked in me a desire to find the perfect cinnamon bun recipe. i think i'm not too far off, but i want to try a recipe that gets a little more gooey. any ideas? i just want to be the kind of mom that turns to her "trusty recipe for..." and mouths are happy. that's not too much to ask, is it?

cookbook obsession.

i mean, come on. i'm powerless most of the time in anthropologie as it is. put a scalloped page dessert cookbook in my hands and it's impossible to say no.

i've picked out a few recipes to try already, but i have to admit i kind of just want to make this my new coffee table book instead of a cookbook. it has completely gorgeous photography and is so beautifully designed.

and something about turning a scalloped edge page makes me feel like the kind of girl who doesn't have dish pan hands in the first place.

summer of cooking.

while TH was living it up in Asia, i got to work in the kitchen. wooden spoon in hand, pots and pans everywhere, cookbooks lying around for days...it was all so nice. having an appetite is a wonderful thing. for example, i ate 2 sandwiches for lunch today. big deal. i'm happy to be pregnant and happy to be cooking and eating again like a normal person.

i've been experimenting in the kitchen, and ironing out some yummy summer dinners and treats. if you are looking for some ideas, you can find my rolodex (growing) here.

i love skyr.

i have an undying love for skyr - iceland's thick, creamy, protein-filled yogurt (15g per container!). do you think i can get honorary icelandic citizenship?
throw in some blackberries and pumpkin flax granola, and my morning is complete.

is there a food from another country you just can't get enough of? i'm just so glad they finally brought skyr to the States!

birthdays. let's eat some cake.

mary got not one, not two, but THREE birthday desserts yesterday. happy birthday to her! jenny and i teamed up to make peach cobbler and a sponge layer cake with chocolate frosting. holy moly, was it a lot of butter and sugar and ridiculousness.

just look at the strata of this cake!our little helper was on hand to eat cake scraps and peach slices.

we ate like royalty. nothing as nice as a sunday evening with family you love, especially when you have food like this to eat!

and finally, here is mary's dog in a diaper. hi chloe!

happy birthday mary! we sure do love you!

strawberries.

i've been eating strawberries all week like they're going out of style. i made 8 things of jam, 1 strawberry cake, 1 strawberry shortcake, and have eaten an undefined amount of strawberries off the stem. i'm a pretty happy girl.

we bought a FLAT of strawberries, which is like 16 pints, last weekend at the Delaplane strawberry festival. our house has had the fragrant smell of strawberries for the past week and it's been pure heaven. SIXTEEN PINTS of strawberries is a lot.

last night i made these biscuits, sliced some strawberries, and piled vanilla ice cream and whipped cream high on top. oh gosh, i don't think i've ever enjoyed food so much. (have i told you how thankful i am to be able to eat pretty much anything i want again? those 8 weeks of nausea were miserable.)

i love eating in the summer. next up: peach season!!

(image found here)

cafe rrrrrrrrrrrio!!

Ok, i don't want to get too excited about this because for gosh sakes i'm supposed to be a vegetarian, but did you hear that Cafe Rio is opening in DC? And opening with a bang - apparently they are building 9 Cafe Rio's in the DC area. First store is set to open in Olney, MD at the end of April. Who is up for an April 30 lunch in Olney? I have a recurring dream about their sweet pork barbacoa burrito. I actually haven't eaten one since I became a vegetarian in 2005, but given recent events over the past two weekends of gluttony, I can no longer be classified as a vegetarian, at least where pork is concerned. Thank you bacon and The Boss.

Thanks to Sherpa for the cafe rio tip.

i am resolute: cooking

last night i made migas. que rico! TH and i were both over the moon in love with this dinner. hooray!
one of my new years resolutions is to stop being so scared to cook, especially being ok with improvising on recipes (i'm one of those people that feel like they have to measure every single thing. how boring, no?).

So I have lots of ideas up my sleeve, and i'm excited to share them at my semi-new cooking blog, Gnomie Cooks. the blog is really just a way for me to track what i'm eating and save recipes. i always seem to misplace the good ones.

you are a tricksy one, mr. grapefruit.

via xkcd

tea run.

today, a quick walk to whole foods for a new tea resulted in this. maybe i went a little crazy in the grocery department, but i did get a few new teas to try. i have high hopes for the honeybush.

(and look! i can make my own teas now with all those cardamom pods and nutmeg!)

i am also trying out new salad dressings in an effort to like salad that isn't $7.50 at sweetgreen. so i feel that is worthwhile, don't you think?

on eating.

last night i made a stir fry with so many vegetables, i almost cried of happiness. and then i put it next to some millet that was so mushy i almost cried of sadness. oh, you diabolical grain, i WILL figure you out.

and you too, lentils.i'm on day 11 of the cleanse. i haven't broken any rules yet, but haven't been super diligent in drinking all the vegetable juice and eating of the sauerkraut. it's hard, people, but with some planning i'm learning how my body likes to be fed, and that feels pretty good.

willpower is the name of this game and i'm just proud of myself for getting almost halfway through this. and i'm learning it's not about cleansing, necessarily - this is also teaching me how to cook new things, how to eat healthy, and how to be creative with food. it's tough sometimes to find time to cook and teach yourself the hard things, like how to make good beans, how to make a soup, how to steam Kale just perfectly.

so, i'm heading to NYC this weekend for a wedding, and I might have to cheat the cleanse a little. shhh...don't tell. but you try to go to NYC and not eat a bagel or a sweet.

to cleanse.

today is the 1st day of 28 on my road to a healthy body.
the 28-day cleanse is supposed to restore my body to health with tons of water, lots of whole grains and veggies and fruits, and healthy oils and fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts). i will lose some weight maybe, i will get better skin maybe, and i will feel energized hopefully. that's what these people promise, and i am going to give them the benefit of the doubt for 28 days (plus i have 2 buddies who both bore their testimony of the cleanse and declared it to be true).

i'm pretty stoked to try this, and hoping to start seeing or feeling some effects by next week. if you are really bored and want to track my progress on this, by all means.

ciao! a salud!!

shaved asparagus pizza.

a couple weeks ago, before all this heat prevented me from even thinking about turning on my oven, i made a pizza. it was my first attempt since working as a pizzamonger in college, and i wasn't that proud of my final product. my biggest mistake? i overworked the dough and it ended up making the crust too thick. but friends, i haven't given up. it was a super easy recipe, it just takes practice to be a good pizza dough thrower. shaved asparagus on pizza though? deb is right, wowsers. so delicious and you almost feel like you are eating food that is good for you!

prep the dough beforehand. it will take about 1.5-2 hours to rise and get ready. it's really easy to make, even for me the challenged baker.

1. shave asparagus with veg peeler. about 10 stalks is good. drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper these.

2. use cornmeal or flour under the dough.
3. sprinkle some freshly grated parmigiana-reggiano on the prepared dough. top with asparagus, crushed garlic, and then layer fresh mozzarella on top.
4. bake at 450 for about 10 minutes.eat up! i put some tomatoes on it, but didn't like it in the end.

recipe, including crust (which was super easy to make) adapted from smitten kitchen, here.