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!