Day: 472
High Temp: 60F
For the past five years or so, Tom and I have spent every Thanksgiving with his family in California. This year, given time and financial restraints (mostly due to the wedding) we stayed in Austin. We were fortunate enough to be invited to one of Tom's fellow playwrights homes for the big meal, and oh did we feast. There was a fried turkey, dressing, pureed parsnips, a mashed potato bar, carrot soufflé, mashed sweet potatoes... shall I go on?
What about dessert, you ask? Well there were pies, of course. My pies to be exact. Now, normally I shun the pumpkin pie. Pie making can be tricky, and since I don't love pumpkin, I just skip it. Also, since we are normally with family, I just figure that if someone wants pumpkin badly enough, they know to make it themselves, or just enjoy my pies. This Thanksgiving, however, we were going to be with friends. And as we were guests, I figured it was important to represent the holiday classic with some sort of pumpkin dessert. Enter Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's Pumpkin Cream Pie. Go ahead, check it out.
Her photos are beautiful, her writing witty, and her recipe spot on. Mine turned out exactly as promised, even though it was my first time every making a graham cracker crust. And the addition of lots of cream, rich vanilla pudding and whiskey make this a pumpkin pie I will definitely go back to.
Stay tuned... later this week I will try my hand at food blogging for the first time when I post pics and recipes of the classic Becker chocolate cream pie and my personal favorite pie, raspberry cream with streusel topping.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
Welcome to Marble Falls
Day: 468
High Temp: 55F
The weekend before Halloween, Tom and I took a day trip out to a little town northwest of Austin called Marble Falls. The plan was to pick pumpkins, tackle the giant Texas-shaped corn maze and eat some pie at a famous diner in town.
First off, the pie. It was around 12:30 when we arrived to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, and there was a fairly impressive line waiting for us. Thankfully it moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were next in line for a table, standing in front of a large bulletin board plastered with locals and (Texas) celebrities who love the pie. Among these Blue Bonnet enthusiasts, I spied Dubbya and Rick Perry. Not very appetizing, but we persevered.
Thinking that it was too early in the day to just order pie, Tom and I shared an omelette and some biscuits and gravy before deciding on the pie we would eat. It is a tough decision, too, because Blue Bonnet offers at least a dozen options each day, many with a mile high mound of meringue. We stayed classic, though. Tom opted for the apple, while I got the cherry.
The verdict? It was okay. As a person who flatters myself to think I make a pretty damn good pie, it is kind of hard to impress me. The crust was okay, but both the apple and cherry fillings seemed to be from a can. Maybe I am not being fair to Blue Bonnet... perhaps one of us should have went for a meringue, but honestly, I don't love meringue. Ultimately I would rather have a slice of my own apple pie over the stuff at Blue Bonnet any day. That said, I would be happy to stop back by Blue Bonnet to try some of the tempting cream pies they have next time I am in Marble Falls.
Once we had our fill of diner food, we made our way just a few miles out of town to Sweet Berry Farm, where the Harvest of Fall Fun was in full effect. Tom and I perused a really great sample of different varieties of pumpkins before finally making a decision. I love to go for the bumpy, mottled looking pumpkins, and here they were to be found in abundance. Ultimately, we chose one big round classic Jack, two pimply, spotted Lunch Ladies, a small, smooth, ghostly white Lumina and a green stripy Caveman gourd.
With our pumpkins tucked safely in the back of Elly, we then traipsed over to the other side of the farm to partake in the legendary Texas Corn Maze (check out a birds eye view of the maze here- you have to click on Hay Field Maze 'Texas' because their website is a little odd and won't let me link directly to it.)
Each entrant is given a ticket with 12 locations that correspond to 12 check points check points hidden within the maze. The locations are actual spots in Texas, and are located roughly within the Tsxas maze where you would find them on an actual Texas map. the object is to find all 12 and punch your ticket with the little hole puncher waiting at the check point. Each station has a different shape, so the workers can tell if you actually completed the task. If you do, you win a can of pop. It was hotter than it should be at the end of October, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so Tom and I didn't complete the maze. But we did have a lot of fun trying.
High Temp: 55F
The weekend before Halloween, Tom and I took a day trip out to a little town northwest of Austin called Marble Falls. The plan was to pick pumpkins, tackle the giant Texas-shaped corn maze and eat some pie at a famous diner in town.
First off, the pie. It was around 12:30 when we arrived to the Blue Bonnet Cafe, and there was a fairly impressive line waiting for us. Thankfully it moved quickly, and within 15 minutes we were next in line for a table, standing in front of a large bulletin board plastered with locals and (Texas) celebrities who love the pie. Among these Blue Bonnet enthusiasts, I spied Dubbya and Rick Perry. Not very appetizing, but we persevered.
 |
| This place is so retro chic. |
 |
| Warm pie. |
Once we had our fill of diner food, we made our way just a few miles out of town to Sweet Berry Farm, where the Harvest of Fall Fun was in full effect. Tom and I perused a really great sample of different varieties of pumpkins before finally making a decision. I love to go for the bumpy, mottled looking pumpkins, and here they were to be found in abundance. Ultimately, we chose one big round classic Jack, two pimply, spotted Lunch Ladies, a small, smooth, ghostly white Lumina and a green stripy Caveman gourd.
 |
| The bounty of the Harvest. We'll take one of each! |
With our pumpkins tucked safely in the back of Elly, we then traipsed over to the other side of the farm to partake in the legendary Texas Corn Maze (check out a birds eye view of the maze here- you have to click on Hay Field Maze 'Texas' because their website is a little odd and won't let me link directly to it.)
Each entrant is given a ticket with 12 locations that correspond to 12 check points check points hidden within the maze. The locations are actual spots in Texas, and are located roughly within the Tsxas maze where you would find them on an actual Texas map. the object is to find all 12 and punch your ticket with the little hole puncher waiting at the check point. Each station has a different shape, so the workers can tell if you actually completed the task. If you do, you win a can of pop. It was hotter than it should be at the end of October, with temperatures in the upper 80s, so Tom and I didn't complete the maze. But we did have a lot of fun trying.
 |
| Corn stalks... as high as a giraffe's eye at least, I would say. But then again, everything is bigger in Texas. |
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thankful that you all are still reading this blog...
I am not even going to bother with the day count, because this is a short and sweet entry to let you know that there is more to come. I know I have been MIA from the blog, and I am hoping to make amends really soon. I have some fun posts planned, including:
-A recap of our trip to Marble Falls, TX, which included pie at a place where Dubbya (eww) has eaten many a slice and a huge Texas-shaped corn maze
-Some wedding recap blogs, including some of the photos which we just recently received from our photographer.
-LH does Thanksgiving. I will be baking 4 different types of pies this year, and am excited to share my family recipes for both Chocolate Cream and Raspberry Cream pie. There will be photos! And maybe also my recipe for sweet potatoes, you know, to help you plan for Turkey Day 2011.
So, hold tight. I am hoping to get some of these posts up this weekend!
PS- Because I can't help but rub it in a bit... today's high temp is projected to be 86F. Looks like I will be baking with the windows opened for sure.
-A recap of our trip to Marble Falls, TX, which included pie at a place where Dubbya (eww) has eaten many a slice and a huge Texas-shaped corn maze
-Some wedding recap blogs, including some of the photos which we just recently received from our photographer.
-LH does Thanksgiving. I will be baking 4 different types of pies this year, and am excited to share my family recipes for both Chocolate Cream and Raspberry Cream pie. There will be photos! And maybe also my recipe for sweet potatoes, you know, to help you plan for Turkey Day 2011.
So, hold tight. I am hoping to get some of these posts up this weekend!
PS- Because I can't help but rub it in a bit... today's high temp is projected to be 86F. Looks like I will be baking with the windows opened for sure.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Exercising My Right
Day: 442
High Temp: 84F
I try to keep things pretty apolitical here at DMWL, but I wanted to let you all know that Friday afternoon I exercised my right to vote for the first time as a citizen of the (large, confusing and sometimes great) state of Texas. As a person who generally leans towards the liberal spectrum, I feel like my vote is even more important here than it was in Illinois, and I have to say that it felt really good to NOT vote for Rick Perry-I have had enough of wacky governors with full heads of dark hair, thankyouverymuch!
Despite having my heart broken early on in my voting life (I am sure you all remember Gore, then Kerry...) I always get a little thrill when I vote. Call me old fashioned, but I believe it is a really important thing to do.
So, do your community a favor and go out and VOTE on Tuesday! And if you aren't sure who to vote for, or who might be on your ballot, do a little research before you head to the polls. There are so many amazing resources for modern voters to take advantage of on the internet, there is no excuse for people nowadays to be uniformed.
High Temp: 84F
I try to keep things pretty apolitical here at DMWL, but I wanted to let you all know that Friday afternoon I exercised my right to vote for the first time as a citizen of the (large, confusing and sometimes great) state of Texas. As a person who generally leans towards the liberal spectrum, I feel like my vote is even more important here than it was in Illinois, and I have to say that it felt really good to NOT vote for Rick Perry-I have had enough of wacky governors with full heads of dark hair, thankyouverymuch!
Despite having my heart broken early on in my voting life (I am sure you all remember Gore, then Kerry...) I always get a little thrill when I vote. Call me old fashioned, but I believe it is a really important thing to do.
So, do your community a favor and go out and VOTE on Tuesday! And if you aren't sure who to vote for, or who might be on your ballot, do a little research before you head to the polls. There are so many amazing resources for modern voters to take advantage of on the internet, there is no excuse for people nowadays to be uniformed.
There's no basement at the Alamo!
Day: 442
High Temp: 84F
I mentioned in the garden blog that my parents came down to Austin just after our wedding to visit Tom and I, and bring us the load of wedding presents we had received in St Louis. We had a great time showing them some of our new favorite food spots (Hoover's and Juan in a Million were big hits), and they loved getting a chance to see Homer now that he is all grown up.
My parents were planning to stay until Tuesday morning, and as the weekend drew to a close, I started getting pressure from them to take a vacation day on Monday. The big plan was to drive down to San Antonio for the day. Bowing to the pressure, and at the mercy of my extremely flexible boss at UT, I was able to make Monday happen.
San Antonio really surprised me. I had always heard how amazing the River Walk was, and how disappointing the Alamo was. Truth is, both were very different from what I expected.
I know this is a silly thing to say, but for some reason, I expected the River Walk to be like the Arno in Florence. I expected a large, dominant river, lined on each side by wide side walks lined with old buildings houseing cafes, shops and the like. Lots of space and airy, all anchored by a large, wild river. The truth is, the River Walk is more reminiscent of Venice (are you rolling your eyes yet?) It is small, the river is fairly shallow and it is extremely engineered with perfect concrete walls along each bank. Seriously, it's not more than 12 feet across, and the sidewalks are very narrow. The overall affect was more man-made, more like Disneyland, than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, it is a very charming place, and walking below street level next to the water in the shade of the big cypress and oak trees is certainly a nice break from the heat, but it just wasn't what I expected. That said, I am excited to take Tom back to San Antonio around Christmas time, when the abundant trees, bridges and walkways are reportedly covered in lights. Sounds like the perfect setting for an evening river cruise with my sweetie and a thermos of spiked hot cocoa!
While in San Antone we also saw the Alamo, which was kind of awesome. I had been told that it wasn't as cool, or as big as you might expect, and so with my expectations sufficiently lowered, I thought it was great. It doesn't really look like it did in Pee Wee's big Adventure, at least not on the inside, but that did not stop me from proclaiming, many times, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" Thankfully, this was very amusing to my parents. But seriously, it's a big old building, with gorgeous gardens behind the barrack walls. There are also some cool artifacts, like Davey Crockett's rifle.
I also want to note that I actually heard someone call this fair city "San Antone"in all seriousness while we were there. We took a trolley tour to see a few of the old missions and some of the neighborhoods around the city, and this boisterous and entertaining pair of old ladies was on the bus with us. When one of them rudely answered her cellphone during the narrated tour, she proceeded to shout to her caller, "No, we are in San Antone!" Thankfully, our tour guide shamed her by saying he had learned it was rude to talk while others were talking. She got the point and hung up pretty quickly.
PS- I do have some pictures from this trip, but they are stuck on the throw away cameras we were trying to use up post-wedding... May come back and update the post if any turned out once I get them developed.
High Temp: 84F
I mentioned in the garden blog that my parents came down to Austin just after our wedding to visit Tom and I, and bring us the load of wedding presents we had received in St Louis. We had a great time showing them some of our new favorite food spots (Hoover's and Juan in a Million were big hits), and they loved getting a chance to see Homer now that he is all grown up.
My parents were planning to stay until Tuesday morning, and as the weekend drew to a close, I started getting pressure from them to take a vacation day on Monday. The big plan was to drive down to San Antonio for the day. Bowing to the pressure, and at the mercy of my extremely flexible boss at UT, I was able to make Monday happen.
San Antonio really surprised me. I had always heard how amazing the River Walk was, and how disappointing the Alamo was. Truth is, both were very different from what I expected.
I know this is a silly thing to say, but for some reason, I expected the River Walk to be like the Arno in Florence. I expected a large, dominant river, lined on each side by wide side walks lined with old buildings houseing cafes, shops and the like. Lots of space and airy, all anchored by a large, wild river. The truth is, the River Walk is more reminiscent of Venice (are you rolling your eyes yet?) It is small, the river is fairly shallow and it is extremely engineered with perfect concrete walls along each bank. Seriously, it's not more than 12 feet across, and the sidewalks are very narrow. The overall affect was more man-made, more like Disneyland, than I had expected. Don't get me wrong, it is a very charming place, and walking below street level next to the water in the shade of the big cypress and oak trees is certainly a nice break from the heat, but it just wasn't what I expected. That said, I am excited to take Tom back to San Antonio around Christmas time, when the abundant trees, bridges and walkways are reportedly covered in lights. Sounds like the perfect setting for an evening river cruise with my sweetie and a thermos of spiked hot cocoa!
While in San Antone we also saw the Alamo, which was kind of awesome. I had been told that it wasn't as cool, or as big as you might expect, and so with my expectations sufficiently lowered, I thought it was great. It doesn't really look like it did in Pee Wee's big Adventure, at least not on the inside, but that did not stop me from proclaiming, many times, "There's no basement at the Alamo!" Thankfully, this was very amusing to my parents. But seriously, it's a big old building, with gorgeous gardens behind the barrack walls. There are also some cool artifacts, like Davey Crockett's rifle.
I also want to note that I actually heard someone call this fair city "San Antone"in all seriousness while we were there. We took a trolley tour to see a few of the old missions and some of the neighborhoods around the city, and this boisterous and entertaining pair of old ladies was on the bus with us. When one of them rudely answered her cellphone during the narrated tour, she proceeded to shout to her caller, "No, we are in San Antone!" Thankfully, our tour guide shamed her by saying he had learned it was rude to talk while others were talking. She got the point and hung up pretty quickly.
PS- I do have some pictures from this trip, but they are stuck on the throw away cameras we were trying to use up post-wedding... May come back and update the post if any turned out once I get them developed.
Friday, October 22, 2010
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Day: 433
High Temp: 86F
My garden grows quite well, thank you very much!
On our second weekend at the Mint House, Tom and I planted a garden. There were already some raised beds in our side yard, so we went out and bought plants, seeds and lots of tools, and proceeded to break up the ground, fill the beds with compost and soil, and start planting. There were still boxes that needed unpacking, and pictures that needed hanging, but we were playing in the dirt.
That was 12 weeks ago, and now our garden is really starting to produce (hee hee)! From the very beginning, the serrano chili plant was producing (it was literally filled with serranos within two weeks). But it was just last weekend that some of our first plants in the ground started to bear veggies.
On Sunday, I harvested a big pile of green beans, and one large, beautiful yellow summer squash. These were veggies we grew from seeds, with absolutely no fertilizer except compost, and they are delicious. The green beans went into a shepard's pie for dinner, and my mom (who, along with my dad, was visiting us last weekend) sliced and fried up the squash for an appetizer.
Last night, we pulled two more monster squash out of the garden, and another large bunch of green beans. Tom also had a surprise for me... our cucumbers have started to come in! They have been wild, viney looking plants for weeks now, with pretty yellow cucumber flowers constantly blooming and withering by the dozens. I was convinced that, since we hadn't even seen the start of a cucumber, perhaps it was too hot, or too late or whatever to actually get cucumbers this year. To my utter delight, I was wrong. There are dozens of little cucumberlings out there now! I see homemade pickles and dilly beans in my future!
We were careful to follow the many charts that suggest what can be planted in August in Austin, and held back some cooler weather seeds which Tom has planted when appropriate in September and October. Mixed lettuces, winter squash, beets and carrots have all gone in the ground in the past few weeks, and are already starting to look good. I am not sure anyone can imagine how excited I am to make a roasted beet salad and serve it over my homegrown mixed baby greens!
Though I have been pulling my weight with watering, and harvesting, I have to give Tom a huge amount of credit for most of the planting, weeding and general TLC. He absolutely loves being in the garden, and I have to say, the only thing that makes me happier than our home grown veggies is the peace and joy he has been getting from that little plot of land.
High Temp: 86F
My garden grows quite well, thank you very much!
On our second weekend at the Mint House, Tom and I planted a garden. There were already some raised beds in our side yard, so we went out and bought plants, seeds and lots of tools, and proceeded to break up the ground, fill the beds with compost and soil, and start planting. There were still boxes that needed unpacking, and pictures that needed hanging, but we were playing in the dirt.
That was 12 weeks ago, and now our garden is really starting to produce (hee hee)! From the very beginning, the serrano chili plant was producing (it was literally filled with serranos within two weeks). But it was just last weekend that some of our first plants in the ground started to bear veggies.
 |
| Serranos ripening on the vine! |
On Sunday, I harvested a big pile of green beans, and one large, beautiful yellow summer squash. These were veggies we grew from seeds, with absolutely no fertilizer except compost, and they are delicious. The green beans went into a shepard's pie for dinner, and my mom (who, along with my dad, was visiting us last weekend) sliced and fried up the squash for an appetizer.
 |
| Our first big harvest. Summer squash and green beans displayed on our pretty new china. |
Last night, we pulled two more monster squash out of the garden, and another large bunch of green beans. Tom also had a surprise for me... our cucumbers have started to come in! They have been wild, viney looking plants for weeks now, with pretty yellow cucumber flowers constantly blooming and withering by the dozens. I was convinced that, since we hadn't even seen the start of a cucumber, perhaps it was too hot, or too late or whatever to actually get cucumbers this year. To my utter delight, I was wrong. There are dozens of little cucumberlings out there now! I see homemade pickles and dilly beans in my future!
 |
| One of many cucumberlings. |
We were careful to follow the many charts that suggest what can be planted in August in Austin, and held back some cooler weather seeds which Tom has planted when appropriate in September and October. Mixed lettuces, winter squash, beets and carrots have all gone in the ground in the past few weeks, and are already starting to look good. I am not sure anyone can imagine how excited I am to make a roasted beet salad and serve it over my homegrown mixed baby greens!
 |
| Many varieties of lettuce and greens coming in! |
Though I have been pulling my weight with watering, and harvesting, I have to give Tom a huge amount of credit for most of the planting, weeding and general TLC. He absolutely loves being in the garden, and I have to say, the only thing that makes me happier than our home grown veggies is the peace and joy he has been getting from that little plot of land.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall Envy
Day: 431
High Temp: 86F
For weeks I have felt it building: Fall Envy! It started with friends commenting on Facebook about the crisp, cool mornings in the Midwest and North East. Then suddenly on TV, in the stores, everywhere really, there were mentions of the upcoming Halloween holiday. And although it has started to cool down a lot at night (like in the 50s and 60s!) we are still regularly reaching the mid-80's each day. Don't get me wrong, mid-80's is lovely, but it certainly does not satiate my need for Autumn. Not to mention the abundant live oaks won't loose their leaves until spring when the new crop comes in!
The trip back to St Louis for the wedding was a nice opportunity to get a little Fall fix. The leaves had started to change, the air was unarguably crisp and cool enough to contemplate warm drinks and pumpkins. But it just wasn't enough. Now that I have been back for over a week, I am missing Fall just as much as I was a month ago.
It is really making me miss my old neighborhood in Chicago, Lincoln Square. Fall was made for that neighborhood! The maples would sport bright yellow leaves that looked positively magical at night backlit by street lamps. All the little kids running around the square would have traded their crocks and shorts for tiny little hoodies, and cute beanie hats. On a Sunday morning, I would convince myself it was still warm enough to eat brunch outside at Cafe Selmarie, so long as I had a hot chai latte in my hands. Each yard would be filled with fallen leaves spilling onto the sidewalk, and they would crunch so satisfyingly underfoot on my way to the train. By that evening, on my way home, those same leaves would have been crushed mostly to dust, leaving space for the new leaves that would surely continue to fall over night.
I truly miss it so much, but there is a revelation in this missing. This missing does not feel bitter, and it is not angry. It is a sweet longing, a memory, and not at the expense of what Austin is. It's liberating to look back on my memories of so many Autumn in Chicago, and not hate Austin for keeping that from me. And while I cant say that I don't want to be back there some day, I am awfully happy to be enjoying Austin so much more fully than I was this time last year.
High Temp: 86F
For weeks I have felt it building: Fall Envy! It started with friends commenting on Facebook about the crisp, cool mornings in the Midwest and North East. Then suddenly on TV, in the stores, everywhere really, there were mentions of the upcoming Halloween holiday. And although it has started to cool down a lot at night (like in the 50s and 60s!) we are still regularly reaching the mid-80's each day. Don't get me wrong, mid-80's is lovely, but it certainly does not satiate my need for Autumn. Not to mention the abundant live oaks won't loose their leaves until spring when the new crop comes in!
The trip back to St Louis for the wedding was a nice opportunity to get a little Fall fix. The leaves had started to change, the air was unarguably crisp and cool enough to contemplate warm drinks and pumpkins. But it just wasn't enough. Now that I have been back for over a week, I am missing Fall just as much as I was a month ago.
It is really making me miss my old neighborhood in Chicago, Lincoln Square. Fall was made for that neighborhood! The maples would sport bright yellow leaves that looked positively magical at night backlit by street lamps. All the little kids running around the square would have traded their crocks and shorts for tiny little hoodies, and cute beanie hats. On a Sunday morning, I would convince myself it was still warm enough to eat brunch outside at Cafe Selmarie, so long as I had a hot chai latte in my hands. Each yard would be filled with fallen leaves spilling onto the sidewalk, and they would crunch so satisfyingly underfoot on my way to the train. By that evening, on my way home, those same leaves would have been crushed mostly to dust, leaving space for the new leaves that would surely continue to fall over night.
I truly miss it so much, but there is a revelation in this missing. This missing does not feel bitter, and it is not angry. It is a sweet longing, a memory, and not at the expense of what Austin is. It's liberating to look back on my memories of so many Autumn in Chicago, and not hate Austin for keeping that from me. And while I cant say that I don't want to be back there some day, I am awfully happy to be enjoying Austin so much more fully than I was this time last year.
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