On Abbi's To Read List

Today, JP and I are completing the pilgrimage to South Florida for Thanksgiving.  You'll have to excuse me for a brief pseudo-post today; rather than a full on book review, how about a list of books I'm looking forward to picking up in the next few months?

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The Twelve, Justin Cronin's follow-up to my beloved The Passage, follows a different set of characters from the coming of the 'jumpers.'  Summer ordered a copy for my birthday, and I've just got to get to this one!  It promises a whole new perspective survival instincts and how man can get by when he's desperate.

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Maggie Shiphead's debut novel, The Seating Arrangements, sounds like an updated Jane Austen novel.  I'm not a huge Austen fan, but am curious to see how this story of a long wedding weekend ends.  Somewhat sophisticated chick lit.

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Quirky family dynamics are one of my favorite literary plotlines, and Kris D'Agostino's The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac, seems like it could fulfill that need for me.  Almost like a book version of The Royal Tenanbaums, perhaps?

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IQ84, by Haruki Murakami, came out last year, and I'm dying just over the cover.  Described as a love story mystery, it's also supposed to be incredibly well-paced.  Not an easy task for a novel that tops 900-pages.

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

Well, Hello World!

I cannot tell you how very excited I am to be a part of this awesome blog!  Those of you who are The Lovely Prelude followers will have seen me a couple of times before, filling in for Abbi while she is off in Mexico or Spain or somewhere amazing like that.  You may also know that we both love to eat, cook, read,  and create! 

 I will be bringing some meat (literally) to the blog recipes, and some more crafty or inspirational how-to posts.  I might even post a silly picture of my dog wearing a jacket!  How exciting!

This is my little family: my fiance, Matt, and our pup, Layla.  I get to marry Matt in about a year and a half, which gives me plenty of time to get my DIY on!  We live in Pensacola right now, which could not be more different from Abbi's life in DC; there are fairly reasonable temperatures all year round, the beach is almost always an option, and we don't get to go to nearly as many fun museum/concert/restaurant openings.  I keep myself entertained by crafting, going to the farmer's market on weekends, occasional antiquing, cooking and baking, and reading.  

I cannot wait to start sharing with all of you! 

    

 

Welcome to The Lovely Prelude, Haley! or: A Good Reason to Drink Bailey's

Y'all, I am so, so excited and happy to introduce the newest blogger to write on The Lovely Prelude...Haley!

This Floridian has a lot to bring to the electronic table: she's crafty, loves to cook (with meat!), climbs rocks in her spare time, and is, without a doubt, the coolest girl I know.
Haley is going to take over the blog on Tuesdays and Thursdays,  and we'll share on Fridays.  This means more how-to's, more recipes, and lots more fun photos to browse!  Visit tomorrow for Haley's first post- I just know you're going to love her as much as I do.

The best way I know to welcome good news is a celebratory cocktail.  It's been chilly up here in DC, which always makes me think of Bailey's.  How's this for a simple Bailey's cocktail:
1 oz. vodka, 1.5 oz Bailey's, and a pinch of cinnamon.
Combine the liquors in a shaker with lots of ice, shake up, strain into a glass, and top with the spice.  It's easy, it's festive, it's tasty!

Welcome to The Lovely Prelude, Haley!  I'm so thrilled to have you in this space!

My Week in Photos

 Teaism in Dupont Circle has delicious vegan hot chocolate.  Made with coconut milk and rice milk...yum.

 JP and I spent Saturday at Crafty Bastards craft sale at Urban Market.  How cute are these felt taxidermy creatures?!

My girl Jess was in town last weekend!  

We all (including her man) went to the Newseum Saturday afternoon, a first for me despite spending 4 years in the city.  Very, very cool!  It's a great space: Berlin Wall fragments, newspaper headlines from the past century, and a fabulous gift shop.

 And, finally, the best way to cap off any day: family cuddle time.  This is why we have a big couch.

Now, be sure to come back here bright and early on Monday for some awesome news for The Lovely Prelude...things are about to get exciting!

The Fault in Our Stars

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Be sure to have tissues close by for John Green's latest offering, The Fault in Our Stars. 
Hazel is 16 years old, and has terminal cancer.  Yes, she is currently on a miracle drug that has added some years to her brief life, but everyone around her knows that she will not make it to the quarter-century mark by a long shot.  She meets Augustus in a support group for other teens with life-threatening (or life-ending) diseases, and is intrigued by the young man with one fake leg and a penchant for video games where he can play the hero. 
Even though there is no hope for a truly long-term relationship between them, Hazel and Gus set out on a journey of young love.  Along the way, they try to find out the end of Hazel's favorite book (the author has left it purposefully ambiguous) by traveling to Amsterdam, watch a friend lose his sight and girlfriend in nearly the same day, and try to maintain some semblance of normalcy in the midst of oxygen tanks and doctors that surround them. 

I know, I know, no one wants to read a book about cancer.  It's almost like reading a book about a dog: someone's going to die or they're going to get through it and come out stronger on the other side, leaving the rest of us to feel as though we're just meandering our way through healthy lives.  I wouldn't recommend this book based on the fact that it's about teens with cancer falling for each other, but I would recommend it based on the superb characters Green has crafted from thin air.  Hazel is gloriously witty and composed, Gus is a bundle of yearning for greatness, and even their parents are sweet and realistic.  The Fault in Our Stars never feels cloying or overly sentimental, although it does feel like a young adult book.  It's not a perfect book, but it's a perfect way to wile away a few hours on a couch when you need a good tearjerker.

White bean and kale pot pie

Did I ever tell you about the time Summer and I went to Politics and Prose to see Deb Perelman?  She of Smitten Kitchen fame?  It was a fateful evening just a few days ago.  Monday, to be exact.
I've been reading the blog for 4 years (since moving to DC!), and waiting with bated breath for Deb's beautiful cookbook to be released.  Summer is a fellow fan, and we trekked up to Van Ness to get our books and dash of literary/foodie/blogger celebrity.

We were not the only people excited to see Deb.  There was a crowd of over 450 (mostly female, a few patient, sweet husbands and boyfriends), and the bookstore sold out of their 850 copies of her cookbook.  In one night.  Let us not underestimate the popularity of a woman who has created a cookie with popcorn in it.

She was sweet.  She went to school in DC, and her mom was in the crowd.  She seemed genuinely humbled by the number of fellow foodies who showed up just for her book release, and was taking iPhone photos throughout her introduction to document the evening.  The event went quickly downhill when the signing started (you haven't seen a more respectful but excited mob of people at a bookstore), but we were glad to have gone to see one of our favorite Internet voices.

When last night rolled around, it only seemed appropriate to make a Smitten Kitchen recipe.  The temperatures have honestly plunged in the last 24 hours (Monday night involved only a tee and jeans, while Tuesday was more of a heavy canvas jacket with liner and wool scarf), and her White Bean, Pancetta, and Swiss Chard Pot Pies seemed just the ticket.  (I also made them during Hurricane Sandy, so this recipe is a repeat offender.)  I swapped out the pancetta and chard for bacon and kale, although we first made it without meat and it was glorious.

It's a wonderful mix of autumnal tastes: bitter, earthy kale in a vegetable-laden roux, enrobed in a flaky, thick crust.  JP always insists upon double-crusts on our pot pies, so this was made in a 9-inch pie plate with crusts above and below.  He may be onto something- it's divine with extra butter and flour.

I'd love to add some butternut squash next time around with this recipe, but am almost afraid to mess with such greatness.  Enjoy it while the temps are low and comfort food is in order!

My Week in Photos

 We spent last Saturday at Great Falls (the Virginia side) to check out the higher water levels.  The falls were crazy!

 Belen came along (as did her boyfriend, who is just out of this shot)- Diego sibling love!

It was a pretty overcast and chilly day, but it was still great to be outside.

 JP wandered onto some rocks, way off the path.

We went to the first leg of the Eastern Conference MLS Finals to see DC United play the NY Red Bulls.  This game was tied, but, as of last night, we conquered NY and are going to play in the semis against Houston next!!  We haven't made the playoffs in 5 years, and haven't been to the semis since 2006- I am so pumped and proud to be a DCU fan!!

Haley shared an AMAZING recipe for squash alfredo pasta- yum yum!!

JP and I wandered around Georgetown instead of watching election results- much calmer evening.  J.Crew coat and jeans, Urban Outfitters mittens, Gap scarf, Aldo oxfords, H&M hat.

He's so dapper.  Not that you can tell, but he's wearing a cashmere blazer.  I wanted to curl up inside of it; it's definitely been nippy here in DC!

How cute are these little marzipan animals?  I like the squirrel best, though the panda's a close second.

Last night's dinner was broccoli-potato nuggets with soups and all the half-finished condiments in the fridge.  I'm not kidding; there were 2 types of salsa, bruschetta, mustard and olive oil.  We had the dipping sauces covered.

Sharp Objects

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Here's a book that is the exact opposite of last week's Why We Broke Up.  Gillian Flynn (the same woman who wrote this summer's smash hit, Gone Girl) wrote her first novel, Sharp Objects, in 2007, and it is somehow darker and more disturbing than GG.
Camille Preaker is drawn back to her hometown in Missouri to report on a story of two pre-teen girls who have gone missing.  It brings back memories of her sister who died prematurely, stirs up her complicated relationship with her mother, and especially reminds her of the fact that she just got out of a mental institution.  The deeper into the case of the young girls she gets, the more Camille starts to get claustrophobic in the small town.   She doesn't believe the police, who think an outsider did something with these girls; Camille sees the seedier side of home, and it brings out the worst in her.  At the end of the day, finding out what happens in this case may be the worst thing Camille can do.
Flynn has said she writes books about women doing evil things to prove that men don't have a stronghold on badness.  The problem is, I don't want to read books about men doing bad things either.
Let's be honest: this book gave me the creeps.  Not recommended for those who are faint of heart (I've figured out that I am).  Flynn did a great job of setting a mood, and certainly kept the disturbing mood throughout the novel.  For that, she deserves a lot of credit.  Just don't read it at night.

Bacon and Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits

 

This will be a quick post, because all I did was take a delicious recipe from Smitten Kitchen and, somehow, improve upon it.
Do you have a meat-eater in your life?  S/he probably likes bacon.  Everyone likes bacon.  I try to eat a lot less meat (like, hardly ever), but this crispy, salty treat is not easy to give up.  We made br(eakfast d)inner recently and had some leftover.  Our fridge also had some goat cheese from paninis a few weeks ago.  I took these two things, added some buttermilk and flour, and threw a scrambled egg on top.
Use this recipe (the original is amazing, but not super-breakfasty), and just sub the cheddar cheese and scallions with 2 slices crispy bacon and 2 oz. crumbled goat cheese.
Your meat-lover will love you.

My Life in Photos

Autumn is here!  Cue the yellow leaves!

Spooky Halloween nails.  Win.

JP and I cheered on the Marine Corps Marathoners last Sunday, then I teared up and got stupidly weepy.  Runners just tug at my heartstrings.

Veggie pot pie during Monday's wind and rain.

Mia is the Diego version of Batman. 

Bourbon-lime seltzer with a sushi roll salad loaded with sriracha.  Ah, deliciousness...

Mia was so happy to have us home on Tuesday!

Duck had to get on the couch action.
Sometimes, I look at my life and just can't believe how lucky I am.

Georgetown post-Sandy.  Yeah, we were fine.

Gah!  Every meal this week has come in a bowl!  Onion soup with brie toasts.  White wine.  With an ice cube.  Class all the way.

Thursday I wore: Eddie Bauer vest, J.Crew sweater and belt, H&M button-down, LOFT skirt, Madewell socks, Ciao Bella boots.  I felt good.