S'mores Pie!

My first Thanksgiving pie that I didn't make while following the recipe off the back of the pumpkin can!! This recipe was featured on Epicurious in their popular Thanksgiving segment. I was a little anxious about it since part of the prep work involved me buying a candy thermometer and pie shield, and dusting off the stand mixer...but I really wanted a challenge in the kitchen.

The graham cracker crust- baked and cooled.

Chopped up blocks of fine chocolate and then melted it with boiling heavy cream.

Chocolate filling- baked and cooled....again.

Marshmallow topping- boiled til 240 degrees and then whipped the shit out of it! Like, 8min. on high.

Spooning the marshmallow into center of pie...it then spread to make a gorgeous topping!

Ahh...I'm in love with this pie! I kept opening up the fridge door just to admire it. Yes, it's cooling AGAIN!

Broil the top while watching it like a hawk!

The result? Toasted marshmallow and chocolate s'mores pie!! Sounds good doesn't it?! IT WAS!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner 2009

Last night was our first Thanksgiving dinner in Casa de Schmidt. It was just the two of us, as it always is these days, but it was still a GREAT day for me. It is one of my favorite days of the year and I start my menu planning early and I even LOVE my grocery shopping preparations! I started cooking at around 7am and dinner was on the table at 5:30 pm....a Schmidt family RECORD!!!

Schmidt Dining Room Menu

Turkey-stuffed with Apples, Shallots, Rosemary and White Wine
Savory Mushroom Bread Pudding
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes w. Caramelized Onions
Roasted Root Vegetables
Mache Salad w. Creole Vinaigrette
Cranberry Sauce
S'mores Pie (that pie deserves it's own post!)


I've made a family stuffing recipe for YEARS before I decided to try something new last year and LOVED it. Bryan did finally admit last night that this one is a little egg-y for him, so I think I'll try different one next year.

We both love this mashed potatoes recipe. Yummy creamy horseradish and sweet caramelized onions? You CAN'T go wrong!

I kinda winged it with this dish. I knew I wanted roasted root veggies, but I couldn't find a recipe that had the veggies I wanted, so I just bought what I needed myself and loosely followed some guidelines. I chose sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, shallots and whole garlic cloves. Geezus- it was delicious!!

My beloved cranberry sauce! I made it for one this year, since Bryan doesn't care for it. But I DON'T CARE!! I love this stuff!!

Yay for Turkey Day! Gobble, gobble, gobble...

A drive through West Virginia

My Thanksgiving vacation began with a drive home from my client's farm in West Virginia on Monday. I happen to really love road trips, so that morning I woke up with a smile on my face. All I had to do that day was sit in a car and drive through beautiful countryside? Bliss!!!

First things first- I sipped my morning coffee outside with this gorgeous view.

As far as the eye could see...

There were deer grazing down by the creek when we woke up that morning.

Their property was in a pretty rural area and the most impressive thing about the drive was that it seemed as if I was the only person around for miles!

I stopped my car in the road to take this shot. No other cars in sight!

Hello-o-o-o-o...

Super curvy roads going through some mountains. I thought of Bryan and the bike...

The drive was a total of 5hrs. I was slowed down a bit once I got back into DC to drop off the client car and transfer stuff into mine. But still, it was perfect timing for meeting Bryan for dinner. A perfect way to start a week off!

Baby takes Manhattan

I love NYC in the fall. Better yet, I love it with a baby even more. It's true. You see, the number of times I've maneuvered that city with a baby strapped in a stroller FAR outnumber the times I've been there alone. After all, it's certainly no secret that I worked my twenties away. I do what I love and it's easy for time to just slip away. Anyway, this 2 day trip with my client was a short and sweet one. We were on a United shuttle early on Thursday and back again on Friday night.

Lunch with a view.

I met my cousin Carlos for lunch on the corner of 5th and 49th. It was so perfect that we did it both days.

I met the best street vendor I've ever encountered in NYC, ever. He was selling his daughter's artwork outside of MOMA! Frame-ready prints and a self-published picture book that is quite lovely.

Bedros Zerdelian - Awesome father

Resting our tired feet.

Our second day was supposed to be our busy shopping day.....until the rain came.

He sang to me!

These crazy hours I've been keeping make it almost impossible to talk on the phone for more than a few minutes, but yesterday I finally talked to Oliver for the first time in 6 weeks! Needless to say we had a lot of catching up to do. He is such a magpie and I was soaking it all in! I heard all about the big kid things he's been doing. Like eating pizza ("The red kind, you know, with tomatoes?"), being a good owner to his dog Juno ("I mix her wet food and her kibble together"), swimming with shorts on, and inviting his friends over for play dates ("Benny came to my house and we played with the soccer ball in the ballroom!") *GROAN*

Just as we were saying goodbye, inspiration struck and he decided to sing me a song so that I would remember him. I can't even deal with typing these words right now without getting a little weepy. I miss my friends SO MUCH!

Umm.....what?!

So, here's the deal. The baby nursing job I am currently on is for 24hr care. My clients are kind, truly genuine people and in the last 6 weeks we have settled into a routine that works very well for everyone all around. Every morning I retreat to my room on the 4th floor (given to me because it's quiet way up there), where I sleep and shower before I'm back on the clock around 2-3pm. On Thursdays and Saturdays I take a 12hr day to spend time with Bryan. That being said, an important part of this story is that I haven't had more than 5hrs of sleep per day since July 26th. Equally as important is that this story is not about me, my clients, or the beautiful baby I care for. This story is about that baby's Uncle.

You see, across the hall from me on the 4th floor is another room occupied by Baby's Uncle. I hesitate to even write about him because he is a very nice person, always affable when we cross paths in the hall or kitchen and otherwise maintaining a comfortable distance. But he is also unwittingly hilarious! Seriously, his antics are already becoming legendary. The other day he came downstairs and asked the nanny to shave his neck! And that brings me to this morning...

Nothing special or unusual about going upstairs and crawling into bed. I've been sleeping deep and hard lately since I'm sure my body is trying to play catch up. I was out by 8:30am. At 11:30am my phone is ringing and I am groggy as hell. I reach over to look at caller id and recognize immediately that it's an international call. My sister! I hadn't talked to her since she arrived in Paris! I answer and then proceed to have a conversation that I do not remember for the life of me. I was actually falling asleep while she was talking and then I'd jerk back to attention when it was my turn to respond. That has never happened before! For the two years that she was in France last time I would drop everything to take her calls. She called me to wish me a happy birthday one year while I was at a Dodger game and I was angrily shushing people around me!

I felt REALLY bad, but my brain just wanted MORE SLEEP! Sorry, sis. I can't function right now. Call me on Saturday. I dropped the phone on the nightstand and passed out again. Well, probably not much later than that, I open my eyes to find Baby's Uncle in my closet getting dressed! I literally gasped, (I sleep nude, people!) frantically looked down to check that the blanket was covering all essential areas, and then thought to myself, "Ehhh....all in a day". Shrugged my shoulders, and was back to sleep within seconds.

Of course, when I was in my right mind again I was mortified! Also, I can't blame him one little bit. He was probably knocking for a while and I was just dead to the world. (I wouldn't know because I've been avoiding him all day) He's been keeping clothes in that closet since before I moved in, I'm sure. No harm, no foul. This is just the kind of thing that happens surprisingly often when I do live-ins. At least no one has walked in on my while on the toilet.....yet!

Gadget Gal

Yesterday marked three weeks since I began a new baby nursing position in DC. My contract is for 24hr care this whole month of August followed by night shifts in September. This position has far surpassed any expectations I had when I arrived on the 26th of July. The family is wonderful and the multi-staffed environment is relaxed and friendly despite this being a very formal household. The estate is beautiful and sits hidden like a jewel in the heart of the city.

As always, I am well prepared with the tools I need in the nursery to keep idle time from getting the best of me. A million thanks to the folks at Amazon for inventing the Kindle!! In all the years I've been doing this, it was customary for me to carry loads of books with me at all times. I would pack up my trunk with favorites so that I would always have one while on a job. I would add a half hour to my commute just so that I could stop at the nearest bookstore for more reading material before a shift. I've ran desperately into the closest drug store or (god forbid) grocery store looking for my reading fix before or even sometimes during a shift. Those days are now behind me. I will always have something to read at hand and it will always be something hand picked by me, at my leisure, via the wireless connectivity on Kindle. I swear to you people, I could sell this device!

Then there's my ipod for when I need to give my brain a break. For this one I have Bryan to thank for having the fortitude to get me an 80GB video ipod when I specifically requested the 3rd gen. nano for X-mas last year. I was more interested in portability and cute factor, but he KNEW as soon as I realized the full potential of the device I would be crying for more gigs. Now I have my favorite shows (I could watch 30 ROCK for hours and not get bored), favorite movies (two nights ago I woke up the baby because I couldn't keep the laughter in while watching Birdcage) and favorite music for when I'm rocking baby back to sleep.

So, now here I am three weeks into a great situation and I realize that there is still something missing. The ugly truth is that I miss the internet! I really do. I want to:

• Update my blog whenever inspiration strikes.




• Read the news every day.




• Network socially on occasion.




• Write reviews on all the books I've been reading lately.




• Plan my next vacation on a whim.




• Order stuff! (I live for deliveries)

And so it came to be that I am writing this blog post from my new netbook. I realized that checking email, updating facebook, and reading snippets of news via my cell phone just wasn't enough of an internet fix. I've had it for less than one day and it has already become indispensable! It is so freakin' small and adorable. I can't wait for my sister to hurry up and leave for France already so that we can skype or live video chat! Hooray for technology!

August 5, 2000

Nine years ago today I walked up a flight of stairs in downtown Long Beach and met my destiny. He thought I was on the elevator and when I opened the stairwell door, we collided. The rest of my life started at that very moment.

A few minutes after that clandestine meeting, another monumental life-changing event occurred. My destiny walked me to his condo and introduced me to the most amazing dog I have ever known, my beloved Kuma.

That day I had the best date of my life. I arrived for lunch and I didn't leave until 4am. Bryan was funny, kind, attentive and above all else, a perfect gentleman! We talked for hours over our Taco Beach lunch, then sat on his couch and talked for hours over a six pack of Sierra Nevada pale ale. That night we went to the Foothill and saw OO Soul perform a live set and then popped in Notting Hill back at his place later so that I could clear my tipsy head before driving home.

It's amazing to me how very vivid these memories are in my swiss cheese brain. I was 22 years old and I fell hard. Nine years later I sometimes feel like I'm still falling.

Thank you my dearest, my darling, my heart.

Tales from the Road #3

So apparently, all it takes is one little glance from a state trooper for him to notice that I don't have a required Virginia inspection sticker on my windshield. Then when he pulls me over he finds out I don't have a Virginia DL either.

"Did you know you only have 60 days from when you move here to comply?"

" No", I lied.

Just how required are we talking here? Because I've managed to make it more than ONE year without them!

Uh oh...

C- "Birdie, what is wrong with you? You're like a balloon these days!"

B- "Yeah, I've noticed too. She's also having a hard time getting on the bed, and the weird thing is that she's not eating much lately."

C- "Huh."

Bryan picks Birdie up.

B-"Also, have you noticed her doggie nips are huge?!"

Heads snap up.

"OH NO!!!"

Bonjour, Robin!

Robin had an 18hr lay-over here upon returning from visiting Hernando in Columbia. He rearranged all the luggage he had stored at our house, we made many, many plans for Paris over lunch, and then with his certificate in hand, we said goodbye at Dulles today. He said he had the best semester of his life here! We are going to miss you very much, dear friend!

This movie wrecked me.

Just saw it this evening. It was beautiful, funny, kinda crazy and very touching.

Fiona Hewitt

I can't think of a better way to begin showcasing my favorite artwork than by sharing my LOVE for Fiona Hewitt's work. You may have seen her stuff on Blue Q skin care products such as the popular Miso Pretty collection often seen at Borders books. I discovered these gorgeous paintings in a stationary set I purchased at Chronicle Books. (Fyi: It's still available even now, 2 yrs later!) I am in obsessive love with these pieces! So precious and endearing!

Camping Weekend

On Saturday, Bryan and I met up with our American Legion Riders motorcycle group for an evening of camping out, Virginia style. Our friends do not mess around when they get together, I am telling you. They are so well organized that everything always runs so smoothly and it just allows for a great time had by all! The campgrounds they chose had incredibly adorable renovated train caboose cars for rent. Awesome! Showers and kitchens and ac units, oh my! We had a blast and my only complaint is that we didn't stay a few more days.

As I was taking these pics, I was fantasizing that Bryan was busy unloading all our provisions and that our imaginary kids were bouncing around, excitedly picking which loft bed they would like to sleep in, all the while Birdie is watching them with her tail whipping like crazy and that I was fussing over the contents of the kitchen. It paints a pretty picture doesn't it?


How freakin' adorable is this?!

Surprisingly spacious inside due to length of car.

Kitchenette with table for four and wood-burning stove.

Beyond the two loft beds is a full bathroom and a door that opens into a bedroom with:
THE BED FROM HELL!

Seriously, we did not get ANY sleep that night! We tossed and turned so much that when we finally got up all we could really do was laugh about it. All of Bryan's shifting kept pulling the blanket under him and all night I was tugging and nudging him until finally at dawn he stood up, bunched up the blanket and tossed it on me while shouting, "I'm not even using it!!!"
THEN, when I got up a couple hours later, guess who's covered up to his chin with the warm cozy blanket?!

Tales from the Road #2

If you find yourself stuck in traffic for more than 3hrs and your car starts to overheat JUST as you are going over the 14th St. bridge into DC, you can turn your heater on full blast and that will cool off your engine AND save your ass. I shit you not!

Jetsetting throwback!

I am here today to proclaim my open endorsement for Virgin America. Let it be known to all that I think they are totally RAD! My qualifications for this compelling recommendation are as follows: I have been their passenger on 10 cross-country flights in the last 8 months. Nuff said!

There is nothing remarkable about check-in or boarding at the airport. The difference begins the moment you are on board. The plane is lit with beautiful purple/pink mood lighting. Once seated you notice your own TV. What? It's an interactive touch screen! Coolio! From this revolutionary device you can choose:

EAT: Order drinks, cocktails, food and snacks from your seat. FYI: The new Le Tourment Vert Absinthe cocktail tasted like straight medicine, yo! ICK

WATCH: Video on demand! Many, many movies, some prime time shows and even stand up comedy. Or you can just watch live TV. In one flight alone I watched the new Bride Wars movie, 2 Flight of the Conchords episodes and listen to a Mozart violin concerto.

TALK: You can join the in-flight chat room or text message fellow passengers! Bryan and I used it for a while before the flight attendant caught us and shamed us into just looking at each other and speaking! But when you've got your headphones on and your watching something, it's easier to text what you want to say!

PLAY: Video games! Seriously, that's freakin' awesome.

SHOP: This is where I was the most impressed. You can offset your carbon footprint for that flight for only 10 dollars. What an awesome idea! Many people don't know about purchasing credits to lower their environmental impact and this is an excellent way to introduce such an option.

Also, there is a remote control! It pops out of your seat arm rest and has a retractable cord attached. On one side of the remote there is a full qwerty keyboard for typing and the other side is for channel surfing. There is also an outlet for plugging in devices. As one pilot said before take-off once, "There is no reason for you to land with a dead cell phone ever again!"

Exhibit A- Model poses in seat with mood lighting in background.

Exhibit B- Model tests remote control.

Exhibit C- Model's passive aggressive tendencies surface after I make him take one too many pics.



In conclusion, I urge you to click on the link below and experience some of the magic instantly from your very own seat. Check out the mood lighting. It's fun. (I could work for these people!)

http://vadifference.virginamerica.com/vadiff/index.html

In Memoriam

La Incomparada: Mi Querida Abuelita

Welcome back, riding season!

This picture sums up Bryan's birthday weekend. I surprised him with a new xm radio install on the motorcycle and then we tested it out all over Virginia and Maryland. As if he doesn't ride enough as it is!!
I love you, doll face!

Seriously? Yes.

So okay, anyone who has known me for a while knows that I am very clumsy. It used to be embarrassing for me, but as I get older, all I can really do is laugh about it. Some shit is just going to happen to you. Period. On that note, this is what I did in LA last month:

The Scene:
A gorgeous, picturesque pond in the middle of a field, on a few acres in beautiful Santa Barbara.

The Cast:
Oliver- A precocious, adorable little 4yr old.
Celly- His loving nanny.

O: "Celly, can we go in the boat? Celly, will you row me in the pond?"
C: "Sure, Doll. You stand here on the deck while I get in and then you hold my hand getting in."

And then........


I fell in the fucking pond. I did a very frantic, arms flailing, wobbly "WHOA!!!" and then the boat tipped and I was underwater. Hair dripping down past my butt, covered in green pond gunk (gross!), I sprang back up with a smile on my face because I didn't want Oli to get scared. But inside my head I was screaming, "I DID NOT just fall in the pond!!

My sweetest heart!

It's been a week that I returned from my work trip to Los Angeles. It's a very bittersweet thing. I love my clients, I get to see my family and I'm home in my city but I also wish my husband was with me. I love being near him, laughing with him, loving him. It goes without saying, there's a reason I married that man! It hurts a little inside that I go on these trips around the country without my love. Funny thing is, once I'm there I don't have time to dwell on it. I've got ten things going at once and my time is a whirlwind of people, places and things. Before I know it, I'm back in his arms and my heart is at peace. I don't know how we've managed, but we've been doing this for 9 years. I've been traveling in one form or another with my clients the entire time we've been together. Even in our early dating years we spent 10 months apart when I moved to Napa with my beloved Dallmans.

Bryan makes it possible. It's true, he's so supportive and strong! I don't think things through very often. I won't blink an eyelash while making plans to go away for weeks at a time, but then I'll cry all the way to the airport. He's the one grounded in reality, I'm the nut-job!

Okay, WOW! I didn't intend for this to be a love letter to my husband! I was going to post pics of my adventures in LA, but the words just started tripping out of my head so fast, I couldn't keep up. It's now made me nostalgic!


Boy meets Girl~ 2000


Boy buys Girl a house!~ 2009

100 days ago......

January was a crazy busy month for me. I had every intention, but I never did sit down and blog about Inauguration Week here in DC. It was awe-inspiring and unforgettable! The city had been preparing for weeks and when the day finally arrived, you could tell we had all prepared ourselves. Mind you, I still had to work during all this madness, but at least my sis was in town and the exictement was amazing. The concert at the Lincoln Memorial was the first event of the week and for my sister and I, it was our trial run. After that Sunday, we knew 4 very important things:

1. It was going to be FREEZING cold.
2. We would be sitting/standing on the freezing cold ground (in one place) for HOURS.
3. I would cry at some point for some reason.
4. It was going to be WORTH IT!!!


Beginning: We line up at the subway station with hundreds of others at 2am.

Mid-Beginning: Stake our claim in front of a JumboTron inside the National Mall with the Capital Building ahead of us.

Middle: In a sea of millions, my sister puts her glove on her flag stick and waves it above our heads every time the camera scans our area. We text messaged our family members with instructions to look for that teal colored glove. It didn't work, but we thought it might at the time and it was very fun! Also, right about this time I did start crying because we still had 3 hours to go before the inauguration began and the concession stand had already run out of coffee! Bastards!

End: At this point, fear did start to creep in for just a little bit. The crowd began to disperse and we were all headed for the closest subway station. My sis and I were separated from our friends and ended up in a literal human traffic jam. People smashed up against each other from all directions. It took us 2 hours, but we finally were on a train out of the city and shortly after that, in my car driving back to Richmond.


FLASHBACK:
Three days before election day I was with my client in LA who is also my very dear friend. I had the opportunity to stay a few more days before flying back to Richmond, but I said "I can't! The election is on Tuesday and Obama needs me! I'm registered in a swing state! I'm going to turn Virginia blue!!" On the night of the election, just as I was jumping up and down screaming in my living room, I received a text message from her saying, "You did it!"