Hey everybody! We’re updating the layout of this here blog, so please excuse any funkiness.
I now return you to your normal poco-cocoa reading activities.♥
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Weekend
This morning we had toast and jam for breakfast. Justin had some healthy fruit and yogurt. I decided to put Jeni’s salty caramel ice cream in my coffee instead of creamer. It was awesome.
Today I thought about how everyone is an expert in something, and all of us are completely useless in something else. I can’t recognize any cars except Mini Coopers and VW Beetles. I can’t name any NASCAR driver except Al Unser Jr., and that’s because his name is often a crossword clue. I don’t know who won the Super Bowl. I don’t know the difference between drywall and plywood. I have no idea whether a wine is a Chardonnay or a Riesling. But. I can taste Pernod or Pastis in a sauce. I can tell you with one taste whether something has olives, or anchovies, or cilantro. I can tell you how duck confit is made, the recipe for a sazerac, or what sweetbreads are. I can navigate through most menus, appreciate a good wine pairing, and look at a recipe and tell whether it will work out well or whether I’ll like it. I am an expert in food and eating. There could be worse things.
I have been working really hard at breaking the rules. I’m not driving on the wrong side of the road or shoplifting or anything, but I am breaking my own arbitrary rules. I often don’t even realize that I have set these rules for myself: do not eat at chain restaurants. Do not wear red lipstick in the daytime. Do not spend the day reading a book. Do not admit to liking chocolate martinis. Do not eat Cheetos. Do not fight back, say what I think, or disagree with others. Do not drink sodas. Do not order caramel lattes at fancy-pants coffee shops. Who made up these rules? What good do they do?
I bought a pair of pants covered in flowers. I wore red lipstick to the store. I stopped at Sonic to have a corn dog and a cherry limeade. I spent a whole day reading The Night Circus (seriously one of the most fun, inspiring, whimsical, lovely books I’ve read in a long time). I love Utz potato chips. I had a caramel mocha, and I loved it. I wore thrifted clothes to a fancy dinner. I argued with a friend about something I believed in. I put ice cream in my coffee.
My new mantra is: BREAK THE RULES.
I am so inspired by the latest Diner Journal. It’s all about menus. The introduction, written by Nick Perkins of Marlow & Sons, reminded me how fun it can be to make do with what you have. Right now I think the only fresh veggies we have are a yellow onion, a half a head of green cabbage, and Italian parsley; we have quinoa and wheat berries and canned beans. I’m thinking about cabbage ton-pei yaki, quinoa with beans and fried onions, wheat berries with brown sugar and cinnamon. I love inspiration.
I decided not to do a weekend moments video this weekend – but you should know that I attended a soft opening of Olive & June (fabulous), had drinks with girlfriends at Vino Vino (the charcuterie plate was insane), found a bajillion great things at a couple of thrift stores, and plan to go thrifting again tomorrow. I hope your weekend was just as wonderful!♥
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Breakfast at Ocho
I recently developed an old roll of film, and found these images from our breakfast at Ocho in San Antonio.
Notes to self:
- Take more film photos. I love the tones and textures here.
- Turquoise and orange go great together. Also, reminder: you like a regular cup of coffee with cream and sugar just as much as those fancy-pants cappuccinos.
- You forgot! Banana nut bread smeared with peanut butter, topped with sliced banana and drizzled with honey. Grapefruit laced with mescal, sprinkled with sugar, and broiled until lovely.♥
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Weekend Moments #4
Hey everyone!This weekend:
- On Friday, Aimee and I had a meeting and photo shoot up north. I stopped at Asahi Imports for some ingredients for recipe testing, then came home and tested two recipes. We stayed in and ate chocolate drumsticks.
- On Saturday, we took a city walk with our friends N. and E. We walked all over the place, and stopped for coffee at Caffe Medici in Clarksville, and Sweetish Hill, and the farmers’ market, and Design Within Reach, and Easy Tiger, and the Museum of the Weird, and another Caffe Medici, and the Lomo shop, and the library, and BookPeople and lots of other spots. When we got home, Justin crashed and finally gave in to his cold. We watched Water for Elephants and rested.
- On Sunday, we stayed in and focused on helping Justin feel better with medicines and juices and soups and blankets. And I’m reading Timequake by Kurt Vonnegut, because I love Kurt Vonnegut.
I hope you all had a great weekend, too!♥
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Today
I wake up with Little curled up between me and Justin. Justin is sick, and he’s never sick.
I get out of bed, wash up, throw on clothes and a coat, and kiss him goodbye. I walk a few blocks to the grocery store. On my way there, I hear tiny speckles of noise in the trees. I don’t see rain, but it sounds like the smallest droplets.
Just outside the store, I see them – tiny pebbles of snow. I stand there for a minute, just taking it in.
Once inside, I randomly grab things I think Justin might like – popcorn, noodle cups, juice bottles.
I walk another block to the pharmacy. The pharmacist points me toward the Tylenol, and I pick up every type of medicine I think Justin might need. Sudafed. Afrin. Nyquil. The cashier says, “I’m going to have to write you up for that Sudafed.” There is a sticky note in his binder with a woman’s name, and the note: “Do not sell to her! She has gone over her limit multiple times!” I vaguely wonder if people get addicted to Sudafed. The man behind me in line buys a $5 scratch off card. I hope he wins something.
I walk down the street to the coffee shop. Every seat is taken, and there’s a line at the counter. I shift my market bags to take up as little room as possible and wait my turn. I order a soy mocha for me, a cappuccino for Justin. I wait in a corner and watch people search for open seats. I see a woman who is wearing tight exercise pants and boots, and I realize I really don’t like it when people wear tight exercise pants as regular clothing, but I say nothing. My coffees are ready, and I thank the barista and head out the door.
Outside, it has started snowing. Tiny pellets of snow. Everyone is awed at this rarity in Austin. I look at a couple sitting outside and say, “It’s kind of snowing!” The guy says, “You know what’s cool? There are people all over town right now saying that exact same thing – its kind of snowing!” It’s a nice thought.
I walk back home, and everyone I pass is smiling in the snow. Once home, I stuff Justin with medicines and coffee and toaster pastries. Larger flakes start to fall, and Roux and I stare out the window together. And then it’s gone.♥
