spring & mung beans

{carrot & mung bean salad}

{restoring the Pond family's faith in legumes, one dish at a time}

I don't want to jinx anything, but it totally felt like spring today did it not? I saw crocuses on my walk home from work. Crocuses in March? In Halifax? Is it too much to hope that we may actually have spring this year?

Every year around this time I become increasingly envious of my West Coast friends. It is bad enough they have both mountains and the ocean, they also experience a bonafide spring on an annual basis. Imagine that. Speaking of the West Coast, I have to thank my good friend Jackie for passing along the recipe for tonights offering.

Jackie and her husband Craig were the first foodies I ever met. They ate things like dark chocolate and plain yogurt when I was still in my mini-egg/mini-go phase. Jackie recently offered to pass along a few of her favourite recipes, I couldn't wait to try something.

I have to be totally honest, it was Jeff not I who made supper tonight. I was just the middle man between Jackie's great recipe and Jeff's culinary prowess. Whatever works, and work it did. The salad, which could easily be served as a main course (and was for half of our family), is absolutely delicious. There is nothing too exciting about carrots or mung beans, I know; it is the salty feta, the warm and surprising fennel seeds, the freshness of the lemon zest and the depth of the garlic that make this dish sing.

Jeff was skeptical. You may recall the Great White Bean and Kale Disaster of 2011. After that Jeff seemed to lose faith in legumes. Slowly but surely, one delicious lentil dish at a time, his faith is being restored. Not enough to stop him from adding these to tonight's menu:

{plan B}

Jeff needn't have worried, the carrot and mung bean salad was gobbled up faster than the turkey sausages, and with Violet and Jeff at the table, that says something.

The texture (both the carrots and the beans retain just enough firmness), the flavour (a welcome surprise of strong, complementary spices and ingredients) and likely the heath benefits (unknown, but presumed numerous) make this dish a winner. The prep time wasn't bad either (30 minutes). Best of all it only looked like a small cyclone had gone through our wee kitchen. Everyone is happy!

xo

Em

tonight's recipe can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/oct/21/bean-salad-lentil-soup-recipes

Tossell v Toews

According to Globe and Mail columnist Ivor Tossell you can't have your cake and tweet it too. In his words, "compulsive meal photography takes something that's tasty and turns it into something dreary." 


Well there goes my plan to write about the rice bowl I made tonight.


As I quickly snapped a picture of our plated dinner earlier tonight Jeffrey started, "I read an article in the Globe today about.."


"I read it too," I interjected.


Silence.


"Let's just eat," I said. 


The article even had a picture of a French macaroon next to the headline. It was as though Ivor was talking directly to me and I didn't like it. Not one bit. 


I have often wondered if starting a blog that documents the minutia that make up my days was a little narcissistic. Really, who cares? But that is precisely where I think Mr. Tossell got it wrong. I think people do care. Vic Toews certainly does. I am, of course, not referring specifically to this blog (I am not that narcissistic).  People may not care about every detail of every meal others eat, but if people really didn't care about the daily lives of others would facebook and twitter even exist, let alone be so popular? 


Tossell laments that though he has always been a proponent of the idea that sharing "simple observations can make great starting points for bigger conversations", some observations are too mundane to share (I am sure he was not thinking about tofu and rice when he wrote that). Though this is likely true, who decides what is worth sharing and what isn't? Who defines simple and at what point has the conversation become bigger? Don't be such a hater Tossell - stop trolling flick'r and instagram and head to a museum if you want to see great photography. What did you expect? 


In honour of Mr. Tossell I will not write about my delicious, healthy, but probably not "a starting point for bigger conversation" rice bowl. Instead I will leave you with a few choice images. If there is anything more mundane than the preparation of daily meals it has got to be cleaning.


You're welcome Ivor.


xo


Em

{Violet cleaning up after herself *}

{serious about sanitation}

* I can't get enough of our Dirt Devil  - so much easier than getting out the vacuum 

twenty-nine and holding

{be still my heart - rice pudding from Athens}

A girl can't help but feel special on her birthday.

When I got up it was as though the heavens had sent me a little gift in the form of snow fit for a Christmas card. When I got home from my early morning run Jeffrey had coffee waiting and had opened the boxes of my favourite cereal for me (keeping my morning routine is better than breakfast in bed - weird but true). The day was full of little treats including a dinner of my choosing - Jeffrey's fish tacos and the the best rice pudding in Halifax for dessert. My family (the little one and the big one) showered me with thoughtful gifts that made me feel so loved. All in all, a very successful birthday.

I am officially twenty-nine and holding as my dad said to me tonight.

And now, because it is my birthday and no one can judge me (or if they do, I am allowed to cry) I am going to head to bed with a new book and the rest of the rice pudding. After all, I only have one year left to lead this super crazy lifestyle.

Thanks for the birthday love.

xo

Em

(almost) dirty thirties

{french macaroons with raspberry-rose buttercream via bon appetit}

Tomorrow I turn twenty-nine. Twenty-nine, as in almost thirty years old. Before I turn thirty here is a list of things I would like to accomplish. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

in no particular order:

1. Make macaroons from scratch. Not the coconut-chocolate kind, I've made those. I'm talking about the fancy French kind. So tiny yet so intimidating.

2. Read a novel by Charles Dickens. Never have, always wanted to. They are just so dang long. I think I just need to find one with a more user-friendly font - why do long novels always have tiny print? I am wide open to suggestions as to where to start.

3.  Run a marathon. I've run two marathons before. Once I didn't train (naivety and age were on my side) and once I did. I felt worse when I did. I would love to qualify for Boston someday. That is one nice thing about getting older, the qualifying times will only increase. Cheers to Boston at forty?

4. Go on a honeymoon. Jeff and I had a sweet little mini-moon in PEI right after our nuptials, but we are really looking forward to a proper honeymoon. It doesn't have to be far away, but it does have to be more than two nights long.

5. Organize my digital photos. I haven't printed a single photo since Violet was born. Only recently did I buy an external hard drive to save the thousands (and thousands and thousands) of pictures I have snapped in the last three years. I really owe this to my sweet girl.

6. Send our remaining wedding thank-yous. Emily Post must have known how busy we would be when she permitted newlyweds up to one calendar year to send their thank-yous. We still have time, but it is ticking.

7. Spruce up our bedroom. I think we deserve more than a bed and a few tables. No idea what vibe I (oh sorry, we) want but the prison cell look isn't working for me.

8. Learn how to apply eyeliner. A grown woman should know these things.

9. Grow something and eat it. Tomatoes maybe? Basil? Both? Mmmmmm caprese salad. (note to self: mould on cheese does not count)

10. Buy jeans that I like and stop pretending that leggings are pants. I have always hated shopping for pants. I have to get over this. No one wants to see my almost-thirty-year-old-butt in a pair of tights. Yoga pants are revealing enough for a woman of my age...

11. Perfect making coffee in our caffettiera (stove top coffee maker). I love the idea - very 
continental, but I am a little afraid of it in practice.

12. Learn how to french braid. I have insane hair. I think I am at the point where I either learn how
to french braid or I give myself dreadlocks. Since I have an aversion to strong smells I think the
former will be a better match.

I reserve the right to add to this list as the year progresses, but I will do my best not to take anything off of it.

Have a cupcake for me tomorrow!

xo

Em

pain au chocolat

{just in case a croissant wasn't good enough - add chocolate!}

I've said this before and I will undoubtedly say it again, I love going to the farmer's market on Saturday morning. On a scale of 1 to the Gilmore Girls, I would give Saturday mornings a nine. The only thing that could improve them is if they got off to a bit of a later start, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. At least not while Violet goes to bed knowing she can have chocolate for breakfast.

Yes, chocolate for breakfast.

I know, you are judging me aren't you. A little?

I don't let Violet eat ordinary chocolate for breakfast. That would be silly. No, her breakfast is one of foodie-baby-champions: the pain au chocolat.

When we get to the market Jeff is on coffee duty and I take Violet to get my pumpkin muffin (from the Schoolhouse bakery) and her chocolatine (from boulangerie la vendeenne bien sur). We do this week in, week out. You know how I love a good routine. This sort of thing soothes me.

Here is Violet's face when I told her she couldn't just remove the chocolate strips from her pain au chocolat and eat them. Mean mum that I am, I actually asked that she eat the buttery, flaky, freshly baked pastry too.

{I'm not afraid to have a melt down, just try me...}

Here is her face when I told her I was serious:

{you have got to be kidding me}

Needless to say, the chocolate was eaten apart from the pastry. I can't be firm at the market, surrounded by grandparents and before I have coffee.

Rules are for weekday morning breakfasts anyway.

xo

Em

clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose

{the many faces of Miss Violet Pond}

 Seriously, how cute is this girl? By the way these pictures were all taken within 30 seconds of each other. Perhaps a career in acting lies ahead?

{succulents and milk glass}

I do not have a green thumb. I am, however, proud to report that I have been able to keep five plants alive in our new house. We have a beautiful window sill in our dining room that gets sun all day. Also I have found that watering plants seems to help. Who knew?

{I call this the salt-lick: olives, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, anchovies & feta}

Friday nights are party night at the Pond house. Pizza and a movie of the animated variety, there is nowhere else I would rather be.

Jeffrey made this delicious pizza for us tonight. I should tell him more often how awesome he is (as a chef, husband and father).

{mini and maxi manis}

Mermaid tears. That is what the nail polish is called. Mother-daughter manis are becoming a tradition around these parts. Reason number 45897 I love having a daughter.

What are you grateful for this week?

xo

Emily

please and thank you

Remember that time I said I was a little tired of birthdays? I want to clarify that what I meant by that was I am a little sick of birthday cake (and its cuter little sister the birthday cupcake). I have not, however, grown weary of the idea of birthday gifts. Au contraire.

As a service to those of you in pursuit of the perfect birthday gift for me I have put together a few things, small tokens really, that would really make my 29th birthday.

Emily's Birthday Wish List 2012

{I'll take the bob, the bangs and the shine}

1. Rose Byrne's hair. Yes, the actual hairs on her head. I'm not interested in her haircut, I've had it before and it didn't look like the picture above - especially not in the morning. Oh, the Vivienne Westwood dress she wore to the Oscar's would be a welcome addition to my wardrobe as well.

{it is not a coincidence that this image is from Annie Hall}

2. The ability to say the word "terrific" like Woody Allen does. If I say "terrific" I sound like Pollyanna. If Woody says it he sounds like a card carrying member of the intelligentsia. There are a lot of things that Woody does that I have no interest in emulating, however, when he says the word terrific, I believe it.

{I would be doing them a favour, our apartment would be far easier to manage than an entire Abbey}

3. The staff of Downton Abbey. I don't even need all of them. What I would like is my sheets laundered daily (is there anything better than the feel of freshly laundered sheets?), someone to help me dress (physically help me dress not just choose my clothes) and hot tea ready on demand.

{I'm sure she was more attractive in real life...maybe?}

4. Charlotte Bronte's grasp of the use of the colon: incredible. How can you possibly use a more than one colon per sentence? Amazing. As a fan of heavy punctuation and a wannabe grammarian I look to Ms. Bronte as a source of inspiration.

and finally...

{Jack White produced her album?}

5. Loretta Lynn's gumption. I had a conversation at work today about women in country music and their ability to overcome adversity. Run a google search on Loretta Lynn for the archetype of that story. She is also obviously not opposed to wearing prom dresses despite her age. Oh, and her name is awesome.

I hope this helps.

xo

Emily