back from hiatus

With a newish baby! And a new home! And a desire to do more cooking and crafting and less buying!

etsy find--Retro Classy Cufflinks

What do you get for the bespoke dad who dreads the thought of another crayon covered coffee mug or a "World's Best Dad" t-shirt? Try one of the whimsical designs from Retro Classy Cufflinks. I am partial to the more subtle designs, like the Monopoly cars or the wooden typewriter keys. They add just the right amount of personality to the standard suit and tie without being crass. Three cheers for playful elegance!

pica pica picaboo

My first photo album from Picaboo arrived yesterday and I couldn't be more pleased with the book. The paper is high quality and the pictures and wonderfully crisp and colorful. Picaboo has hundreds of page layouts and background designs to create a perfectly customized album. It is so nice to skip the photo corners and annoying plastic sleeves and get the perfect layout without taking up the dining table for days at a time.

Right now Picaboo is offering a buy one, get one free special. Use the code JUNEGF at checkout.

get your veggies

We are about to pick up our very first CSA (community supported agriculture) delivery of the season. I am thrilled to be able to get 10 to 20 pounds of organic produce a week for just $25 and to support a local farm in the process! If you are looking for farm fresh products in New York City check out Just Food. Nationally, Local Harvest has a superb database of CSAs, farmers' markets, co-ops and more. Get out there and eat your kale!

yay for music together!

We have been going to Music Together since Little Man was just two months old. He has loved every class and we have had a wonderful time each session. Most of our favorite songs come from their song collections and I know that we will miss the program when Little Man starts preschool in the fall.

etsy find: AmyGaines

Amy Gaines sells her adorable toy patterns individually, in sets or as part of kits with everything you need to knit or crochet a darling little creature. The PDFs arrive in your inbox in 24 hours or less and the designs are suitable for novice yarn crafters. Check out Amy's book, Cute Little Animals, if you want her patterns in a more substantial form.

pancakes for dinner?

Why yes! Especially when they are made with wild rice and served with spinach. Little Man, a notorious grain-phobe, loved these and asked for them at every meal for days after I made the first batch. They froze very well and needed 20 seconds in the microwave to be perfectly reheated.

Wild Rice Pancakes

* 1 tablespoon chopped onions
* 2 teaspoons walnut oil
* 1 teaspoon butter
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* Pinch of salt
* 3/4 cup cooked wild rice
* 1/4 cup chopped scallions
* 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
* Canola oil, for cooking

Sauté the onions in the walnut oil and butter for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Place the egg, egg yolk and milk in a medium bowl and whisk together until well blended. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Fold in the wild rice, cooked onions, scallions, dried cherries and parsley. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pancake batter into a lightly oiled nonstick sautépan and cook the pancake for 1 minute on each side. Repeat this process for all of the pancake batter.

Adapted from The Kitchen Sessions with Charlie Trotter, Ten Speed Press, 1999