There was fire, and screaming, and fear and wind. I opened my eyes from the nightmare and he was waiting for me with open arms.

All at once, I realized that after over a year of traveling the world, they would be home in just a few days. I imagined I might break her bones with the force of my hug, and in thinking of all the things we would say and do, I stayed awake all night.

It was 4:00 a.m., and the four of us were huddled around a table of dominoes, laughing and sipping on cocktails that I had shaken. We had no idea that the night had come and gone.

I sat at the table outside, listening to someone discussing illicit drugs, and someone else talking about the seasonality of watermelon. Someone said, “Crystal, make me another cocktail,” and I laughed and headed to the kitchen.

He was showing me the new tomato plants, the peppers, the last of the carrots, still covered with soil. I bent down and picked up a snail as it shriveled back into its shell, feeling like I had found gold.

He said, “You’re excellent at helping other people be their best selves. What if you had someone to help you? Who would you be?” I am still reeling.

The song came on, and he asked me to dance. In pajamas and slippers, with my head on his shoulder, I was in heaven.

I hope you’re all having a wonderful week.♥

We’ve had such a great weekend! On Friday we traipsed around Austin, having snacks and drinks and desserts and chats. On Saturday, Aimee and J came over for snacks and drinks, and we stayed up into the wee hours playing train dominoes and making cocktails. I made these pistachio balls – some are filled with honey, and some are filled with grapes. Quite yummy.

I also made crackers for the first time ever. I need to work on this – I think it’s all about how thick or thin you roll out the dough. And also, I didn’t adore the flavor – I’m not sure if my flour is too old or it just needs some herbs and spices or what.

Tonight we got to hang out with Chad and Linds in their lovely backyard. It was almost chilly out!

Oh! I also put a link at the top of the blog to my Instagram feed. You can see my notes if you hover over the photos. I like being able to scroll through my feed and see a photo diary of my weeks, and I want to take more photos!

I’ve been finding lots of inspiring stuff on the internet, so I’ve decided to start sharing it here. I haven’t been using Pinterest much since the whole “ownership of photos” thing, and I actually feel better about it. With Pinterest, I’d just pin any image I liked, and I didn’t take the time to go back through them, and there were thousands of them, and it was just overwhelming. Now I deliberately decide why I want to save an idea or image, and I pull the link into my Evernote with any notes or ideas in it. It forces me to really think about how I consume and hoard information. Anyway. Links and bits.

• this quote: “Don’t drink to get drunk. Drink to enjoy life.” – Jack Kerouac
• campervan.
• centerpiece.
• windows and greens.
• just a bagel.
• amazing.
• wear it now.
• this song.

Have a great week, everyone!♥

Likewise, a few nights ago we spent the evening (and into the wee hours) chatting with Aimee and her lovely beau J at their place. J served us gougeres and crostini with goat cheese and honey and made us cocktails throughout the night. And sometime after 2am, when I was tipsy and hungry and tired, he waltzed into the kitchen and came back with a platter of crackers and cheese and salami.

There is just something about hospitality that makes me happy in my heart. I love to have friends over in our tiny place, and offer them drinks and snacks and blankets and pajama pants as needed. I like to put out food without asking if guests are hungry, because they’re more likely to just snack as needed while we talk the night away. A tub of popcorn, some almonds and shards of dark chocolate, a bowl of chips. I like to offer a simple glass of water or sparkling water, or whip up a cocktail of their choice. It doesn’t need to be fancy – I just know that when someone does this for me I feel great.

Something I also want to remember is how important it is to do these things for myself and Justin. When I’m cooking dinner, and I’m hungry and tired, I want to remember to set out a bit of cheese and pour myself a glass of wine. When Justin is up working late, I want to remember to bring him a cookie and some kisses. Even now, as I write this, it’s 4:03pm and I’ve eaten nothing all day, mostly because it seems such a hassle to prepare something for myself. I would never treat a guest this way – I would make sure they’re fed and happy, and I want to remember to do that for myself.

So if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to fix myself a lovely afternoon snack. Maybe smashed avocado on toast. Maybe some bread with cheese. Maybe a banana-peanut butter smoothie. Maybe a pot of tea and some graham crackers with Nutella. I will have it on a nice plate, or in my favorite glass, and I will treat myself as my guest.♥

I just wanted to share a few photos from the Tipsy Texan Derby Day party this past Saturday. It’s always so much fun to dress up and drink mint juleps and watch the Dizzy Derby.

You can see the rest of the photos here.

Thanks so much for inviting us, David and Joe!♥

So it’s done! On Tuesday, I submitted the manuscript for my second book. Quite crazy, if you ask me. To celebrate, I baked a cake.

Specifically, this Juicy Sour Lemon Cake from Photisserie. I translated it and used my scale to bake it up. It’s lemony and moist and beautiful and wonderful. I highly recommend it.

So now I am done with the book, and somehow I’m still too busy. How does that happen? I had hoped that when the book was done, I could lounge about and do lots of nothing for a few weeks. But I’ve lined up a few gigs that are keeping me busy (which is good), and they’re a lot of fun.

Still, I would like to make time for some sewing, and writing (the non-paid kind), and hanging out at coffee shops reading Oishinbo, and swimming, and snow cones, and laying on a blanket in the grass, and baking bread and writing letters and spending time with awesome people. I think my brain is still on autopilot – still stressing and worrying and thinking about a deadline that no longer exists – so I need to calm it down and think of beaches and old musty books and treasures and Splash Mountain. Doesn’t that sound lovely?

**Edited to add:**
Here’s the kind-of recipe that I translated from Kathreinerle’s blog. She’s planning to translate all of her recipes soon, and I can’t wait! I’m not sure if the wording is correct below, but it worked out okay for me.

Juicy Sour Lemon Cake

2 lemons
3 eggs
250 grams sugar, divided
100 grams creme fraiche
200 grams flour
5 grams baking powder
75 grams melted butter
50 grams water

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour an 8-inch springform pan.

Zest the lemons. Squeeze the juice from both lemons and set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat the eggs and 200 grams of the sugar on high until thick and creamy. Add the creme fraiche, lemon zest, flour and baking powder and beat until mixed through. Add the melted butter and beat until mixed. Pour batter into the springform pan and bake in the center of the oven for 35 – 45 minutes (the recipes calls for 50 – 60 minutes, but mine was done much faster), or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly in the pan.

Heat the remaining 50 grams of sugar with the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Poke a few holes in the top of the cake with a toothpick. Drizzle the cake with the lemon syrup (do this slowly; you may not use the entire amount of syrup).

For the candied lemon glaze:
3 whole lemons, sliced into 1/4-inch rings
300mL water
200 grams sugar

Bring the water to boil in a large pot. Add the lemon slices and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the lemon slices with a slotted spoon and lay on a dishcloth to dry a bit.

Add the sugar to the simmering water and stir until dissolved. Reduce heat to a low simmer, and return the lemon slices to the pot. Simmer until the liquid is reduced and syrupy. Use tongs to remove each lemon slice and let dry on parchment paper. Use the slices to decorate the cake, and drizzle the syrup over all.

♥

I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend!♥

I am looking forward to lazier days, when I have time and a calm mind, when I can sit at a cafe and write in my journal, when I can read a book or watch a movie or take a nap without feeling guilty for not working on the book. Yes I will still have my other gigs, but the book is this heavy weight that sits on top of all my other duties and activities, and I am so ready to be free of it!

Tonight we saw Maria Bamford perform for the Moontower Festival courtesy of our friends Nat and Erin. She cracks me up – but surprisingly, her opening act, Moshe Kasher made me laugh even harder. I’m looking forward to watching more of his standup soon.

I have discovered that for some reason, if I order an iced tall soy mocha from Starbucks, I just can’t finish it. I end up tossing half of it. However, if I order a hot tall soy mocha, I drink it all. This doesn’t make sense to me, but I think it means I should only order hot mochas from now on.

I often have dreams with really elaborate houses. I’m considering making architectural drawings or small-scale models of them (never mind that I can’t draw, sculpt, or really remember the details). There are spaces that stretch from patio to bedroom, winding staircases that lead to game rooms, bedrooms with old vanities and flowered bedspreads, and closets full of the clothes I wore in high school. Very weird.

On Monday, we had dinner and drinks at Contigo with Aimee. She took some lovely photos.

• This is the next thing I plan to bake.
• I’m in love with this journal.
• I like book spine poetry.
• I would like some time in the woods soon.
• I wish I had a window over my counter or sink. And a cat who didn’t eat every plant I try to grow.
• I’m so glad I have him.

I hope you’re all having a great week! I’ll be back from the dark side soon.♥

Things I Get Caught Up In

1. Ugh, I can’t believe I have to work (write) ALL weekend.
2. Omigosh I have so many photo shoots and chef interviews this week.
3. I weigh more than I did in college.
4. I don’t have a job with a salary, benefits, retirement, and colleagues.
5. My hair won’t grow.
6. I have too many books and magazines to catch up on.
7. Yuck, it’s going to get SOOO hot this summer.

Things I Forget About

1. Wow, I get to work at home, with my love, and enjoy a break for a spot of tea! (Also, I’m writing A BOOK!)
2. Hooray, I get to hang out with awesome chefs and the lovely Aimee this week!
3. Yay, I finally have curves!
4. I get to make my own hours, work with awesome people, and do what I love!
5. Short hair rocks!
6. I have tons of books and magazines to read!
7. Right now it’s spring, and it’s beautiful!

Thank you for participating in my little exercise. I now return you to your regularly scheduled day.

It reminds me of one of my favorite poems, True Love by Judith Viorst.♥

I saw a bumper sticker that said:

Last night I was looking through my Menu Design in America book (I LOVE this book), and I saw a menu with a drawing of a zeppelin on it (like this one). It described how zeppelin images were popular in the early 20th century when zeppelins were in use. I nearly dropped my book – do you know that I had NO IDEA that a zeppelin was a REAL thing? I always assumed they were some fantastical fictional things that showed up in storybooks. I felt slightly dumb but also completely dumbfounded, and I reminded myself of Félix Lerbier at the end of Amelie when he learns there are more links possible in his brain than atoms in the universe:

I have had this song stuck in my head for days, after watching Young Adult. And, much like Mavis Gary, I replay it in my car over and over. But not on a cassette.

Today for dinner I made curried chickpeas, quinoa, salad with homemade vinaigrette, and kale with tahini-mustard sauce. Even better, Justin asked if he could eat the last of the kale. Victory!!

This morning, I heard from some long lost chefs, received last-minute recipes, cleared out most of my inbox, and in general had a good start to my day. I caught myself actually say out loud, “Everything’s coming up Milhouse!”

This is released tomorrow. Squeeee!

I’m totally going to BookPeople tomorrow to buy a Moleskine address book. For this. I love it!

I hope you’re all having a good start to the week.♥

Which is good, because at the moment, STRESS is my middle name. It’s down to the last few weeks before my book deadline, and I’m still wrangling chefs and measuring recipe amounts and writing, writing, writing. I’ve been consistent in working on it daily, but along with working at F&D and a possible (probable) new gig starting soon, my brain is stretched like taffy!

I know now that the last month of book writing is always like this – even though I know I will finish on time, it’s stressful and I worry a lot, and I want to do things right and I want to like my writing and my work (which is often the hardest part), and I still want to have a life, and some days writing feels like drilling holes in my skull. But the knowledge of this doesn’t make it any easier.

Thankfully, I have a great editor who motivates me and takes care of me, and a great photographer who is battling right there along with me. Come May 1st, you’ll probably find the two of us celebrating ALL DAY with multiple adult beverages and maybe a cake.

So! I may not be here as much as I’d like to this month, but just know that it will all be over soon and I’ll have written another book! It’s worth it, in the end.♥

I celebrated my 34th birthday this weekend… all weekend long. On Friday we started with lunch at Home Slice, then dinner with Chad and Linds at Fabi + Rosi. Chef Wolfgang brought out glasses of bubbly to toast, and coincidentally, his birthday was just a few days later. I ate charcuterie and cheese and white bean soup and mushroom risotto with duck confit and crack pie with a candle stuck in it. It was wonderful. Afterward, we headed home for Manhattans and watched Young Adult.

Justin made sure the rest of the weekend was an outdoor adventure. On Saturday, we met up with our friends Erin and Nat and had lunch at Casa de Luz on the patio. We stopped for snow cones, parked somewhere near South Congress, and perused the shops that lined the street. We bought candy and tried on vintage dresses and stopped for coffee at Jo’s. We sat on the patio at Perla’s all night long, slurping oysters and drinking bubbly and enjoying the cool breeze. We had ice cream at Lick, my new favorite place (coconut-peanut-butter-chocolate ZOMG), then poked in at Henri’s for cheese and wine. Afterward, we headed home to drink sazeracs and watch The Muppets.

Sunday was blueberry muffins and naps and outdoors and patios. We spent the evening at Contigo, just the two of us, sipping rosé and old fashioneds and sharing a bacon cheeseburger. It was a fantastic weekend of patios and friends and most importantly, my lovely husband who made sure it all happened, and that I had a relaxing, delicious weekend. Can it be my birthday every weekend?♥

You’re pretttttty.

Dear Husband,

Thank you for taking me out for walks and picnics and cappuccinos and chili-cheese fries and movies and snow cones and fun. All my base are belong to you.

Dear Family,

Thanks for a wonderful weekend and yummy food and old jewelry and owl presents. You made me feel so welcome, even though I surprised you by showing up at your house out of the blue. Also, I hope you’ve finished the 84 bags of chips I brought you.

Dear God,

Thank you for wildflowers and spring breezes and nice people and courage and safe travels and cacao beans and wonderful husbands and great friends. Also, thank you for only making me have to go to the Drivers License Office once every 10 years or so.

Dear Bed,

Why are you so uncomfortable when I try to fall asleep, and so very comfortable when I try to wake up? Can we reverse this?

Hope you all are having a great week!♥

One of our new favorite spots in town is Drink.Well. It’s a cute little bar on North Loop that serves excellent cocktails and awesome snacks.

Last time we visited, I had the Dead Man’s Party (right) – a tiki-like drink made with three types of whiskey instead of rum. It’s so freakin’ delicious. The Boston Cocktail (left) was a special on St. Patrick’s Day – Justin drank that one, so I don’t remember what was in it, but I do remember it was tasty.

I like that the bar also serves food – especially little salty bits to go with your drinks. The snack mix, cheese plate, chips and dip have all been yummy.

We’re so proud of Jessica and Mike – congratulations on opening a fantastic new place, guys!♥

One-man band = courage

So SXSW is over – this year it seemed to go by really quickly! We usually stay away from the crowds for most of the week, but we try to walk downtown at least once during the madness to check things out, and this year we almost missed it. It’s such a different feeling – it feels as though our city has been taken over by another. It’s crowded and everyone is excited and hopeful.

Fabulous hair

I will admit that it’s not fun to try to get to your favorite spots during this time. We stayed away from our downtown office all week – microphone checks, screaming girls, traffic. The crowds also meant all downtown restaurants were off limits.

Embracing St. Patrick's Day

We didn’t see any films this year, which makes me sad. Last year, we bought passes as usual, and couldn’t get into any films. We heard that many badge holders had the same experience. I don’t know what the solution is – sell fewer badges? Have more venues? For now, we’ll save our money for the Austin Film Festival.

Awesome sunglasses

Still, I was inspired! By fashion, by hairstyles, by bravery. There’s a huge wave of hipster-hating at the moment, and I’m not really sure why. Sheesh, I’m a hipster. I think pretty much all of my friends are hipsters. These days, if you have a beard, or use Twitter, or dress creatively, or are into craft cocktails, or listen to Andrew Bird, you’re a hipster. Who cares? I don’t want to be an old, grumpy gal, not willing to embrace change, scowling at the younger crowd and their “fashions” and “music.” I want to be a part of the life happening around me, to be inclusive rather than exclusive. I suppose, as Justin says, “Haters gonna hate.”

I read a great quote from Matthew Odam on Twitter this week:

Positive definition of hipster: one actively engaged with the culture they are consuming. Beats raw consumerism.

Violin monster and gorgeous hair

And so, SXSW is just another opportunity for me to be involved in the world around me and appreciate the culture that is growing in Austin. Until next year!

Hey guys! It’s time for another weekend video!

Details:

• On Friday, we had a long, lovely dinner at Fabi + Rosi. We visited their chickens, sat on the patio under the chandelier, and chatted with Wolfgang. It was lovely.
• On Saturday, we walked around downtown to check out the SXSW happenings. So many people! So much excitement! Plus, it was St. Patrick’s Day, so there we lots and lots of drunk people wearing green. We stopped by the Squarespace Food Truck to get some free F&D goodies, too. Afterward, we escaped the crowds in a Car2Go and headed north. We had a drink at Drink.Well and chatted with Jessica and Mike, then headed to Vino Vino for a drink with our friend Alex. We got to hang out a bit with Erin and Nat and other pals, too.
• On Sunday, we stayed home and puttered. Justin worked downstairs putting in new shelves and other manly things, and me and the kitties stayed upstairs testing recipes. I attempted to make caramel twice, and ended up with a burned mess both times. Maybe today will be the day!

I hope you have a wonderful week!♥

I recently downloaded the Cinemagram app. I was so excited about making animated gifs, and then I kind of forgot about it. So far I just have this one of Roux. I plan to make more gifs soon!

I started a new gig! I’m helping Ned and Jodi at Foreign & Domestic with paperwork, invoices, and all those other nerdy organizing things that I like to do. I’m having a lot of fun with it, but I’m still trying to figure out my schedule. I would love to wake up early (that being 7:30 or 8am), go to yoga or take a walk, plan dinner, go to work, shop for dinner, come home and make dinner, then work on the book. So far my schedule has been: wake up late, eat a small snack, go to work, starve through work, come straight home, pick up Justin, go to a restaurant, come home and watch movies until very late; repeat. This must change, people. For my sake, and for the sake of the book.

Today I stopped at the farmers’ market on the way home and picked up some gorgeous artichokes, English peas, and a bag of beautiful salad greens. I plan to steam the artichoke and dip the leaves in lemon butter; to steam the peas and toss them with butter; and to eat the salad greens straight out the bag with my hands.

I’ve been watching a lot of movies lately. For the record:

• Drive is horribly violent but seriously amazing, and the soundtrack is the bomb.
• Take Shelter is super creepy but really good.
• I still love Babette’s Feast. Like, a lot. I considered asking one of my chef friends to recreate Babette’s feast for my birthday. I think it’s a bit much to ask.

Lately I’ve been feeling disconnected. Like my life is just sort of slipping through my fingers, and I can’t grasp onto anything solid. I’ve been trying to explain this to Justin, but I can’t seem to put it into words. I suppose I feel a bit out of control, perhaps that I am too busy living life to plan for and worry about it. Which is probably what is best, but, being an excellent worrier, it worries me.

I was thinking that I need to subscribe to a few magazines, so that I have plenty of reading material. Then I realized that I have (often unread) digital and/or print subscriptions to the NY Times, Remedy Quarterly, Frankie, Lucky, Saveur, Taproot, and Kinfolk. Oops.

To everyone who has asked where to get my iPhone case/wallet/book – you can find it here. (I love BookBook!)

Hope you’re all having a great week!♥

Somehow my blogiversary slipped by without me realizing it. I have been blogging for SEVEN years. Isn’t that crazy? I don’t even know how to celebrate it.

But I do want to thank all of you for reading, whether you’ve read for seven years (hi mom!) or seven minutes. This place is my journal, my memories, my thoughts, my photos. I’m glad to share it with you, and to find like-minded people who love/worry about/hope for the same things I do.

Have a great week, everyone!

Hi peeps! Today Justin and I are reminiscing about the toys we had as kids. Justin started with Battle Beasts – sometimes he’ll randomly say, “Wood! Wood beats water!!!” So he finally decided I should know what he was talking about. Please observe:

And I said that I had one My Little Pony, and that I loved it so much and that it smelled so good, and that the hair was so perfect. I can’t remember which one I had – maybe Glory, Windy or Moonstone.

And then I remembered that I also had this other pony, that was crazy pretty, and I could put glitter in her hair, and she had accessories – it took me an hour to figure out what it was called. Fashion Star Fillies! (I had Chloe.)

I also had eight Micro Machines Travel City sets – the car wash, the battle block, the drive-thru fish & chips, the fire department, the hospital, the marina air base, the police department, and the suburban house. I adored these – I would put them together and take them apart over and over and over again. I loved the little interactive car wash and the garage doors that opened and closed. (I couldn’t find an English version of this one.)

And then we remembered these little “After These Messages” commercials…

Which then reminded me that I watched Welcome to Pooh Corner every every day.

As well as Dumbo’s Circus.

And of course, Fraggle Rock.

We’re having a lovely, rainy Saturday. How about you?♥