Experimental Courtyard Garden

Our courtyard has a nice planter box right in the center.  It needed some TLC and lots of bright, cheerful, welcoming flowers.  Since I can never make up my mind and also since I wasn't sure what would work in this area I ended up getting a wide assortment of flowers to test out in the space.

The results:

Verbena:  looked ok for a while, then died
Alyssum:  interesting.  seemed to struggle but actually survived winter.  very low and didn't spread.
Snapdragons:  survived winter, growing to full two foot height in spring and blooming again.  seem to endure even when hosting tons of snails
Ageratum:  cute and fuzzy looking, but totally died
Pansies:  maybe too sunny in this box
Dianthus:  hardy and produced lots of blooms, even lasted through winter
Impatiens:  didn't do too well, maybe too sunny
Superbells "Tangerine Punch":  these were super cute mini petunias on a vine.  I planted them front and center, hoping they'd spill nicely over the front.  They really struggled though and eventually died.
Icelandic poppies:  did really well, survived winter

Verdict:  these little cards that come with the plants rarely tell you how much water the plant likes.  I wonder if I over-watered, but I probably under-watered even though I tried to get out there every evening.  It was a pain even though we have a hose right there.  In the future I'll put in all poppies or other drought-resistant things.

Back in business!

After moving in July we have worked our asses off renovating this duplex. For a long time we lived half- unpacked since we set up temporarily in the rental side. Last week we moved in to our side with the help of some very helpful friends. This is my first week off for maternity leave. I'm resting a lot but this new kitchen is calling to me. Today I used the oven for the first baking endeavor in our new home. It's the biscotti recipe I made last christmas. It feels so good to be settling in, and to be baking again after a very long hiatus. It calms my nerves as I pass the time in anticipation of the big day when our baby will arrive.

We watched the total lunar eclipse last night in our driveway and then came inside for cocoa and biscotti.  

check out the new blog

I'm not ending this blog, but I've started a new chapter in my life which is so big that I thought it should be documented in its own space.  Check me out at the To-Do Plex http://todoplex.blogspot.com/

Yosemite 2010

During the first weekend of April we were fortunate enough to have Mo, Jess and Rob come out to visit us and together we went to Yosemite.  The weather was a little harsh but we had an incredible time anyway.  Complete collection of photos from the trip are posted on Picasa.

birthday card for Sasha

"San Francisco is a city where people are never more abroad than when they are at home"

"San Francisco is a city where people are never more abroad than when they are at home"
- Benjamin F. Taylor

"I should keep a tally where Julio buys me a drink for every time he doubted me and I was right."
-Alexander Aquarius Zane

"Diana doesn't like going down alleys."
-Julio Rios

"Julio's about to owe you another drink."
-Dave Law, to Alex

"I like the Girl Talk song with James Taylor."
-Diana Wu, unknowingly and innocently sparking an epic debate about art and moral ideals (she was just trying to get us out of that Leonard Cohen part of the evening, guys)

On Friday night we headed up to SF after work to meet Zane, Diana and Julio for dinner at Limon.  Ever since I was first introduced to Peruvian food by Julio last year at Inka's I've been eager to try more.  Succulent rotisserie chicken, savory dipping sauces, and creative uses of fries?  Yes please.  We got a table downstairs and ordered a chicken, crispy yucca, sweet potato fries, spinach empanadas, some kind of bean croquette, a tender beef served on a small bed of fries, and two pitchers of sangria.  It was a great meal.  

Afterward we roamed the Mission (I guess that's where we were?), checked out some murals, walked past various clubs and bars, and stopped for some good yogurt.  It was a great temperature to just walk around and enjoy the evening and see all the people doing Friday night things.
The next morning we headed over to the Noe Valley farmer's market, ate breakfast outside, and spent a little time watching a girl entertain little ones at the market by playing accordion.  Lots of expensive dogs and well dressed children live in Noe Valley.  "It's where hipsters go to have kids," Alex explained.  We politely endured enjoyed some of Julio's freshly made Raw Diet ginger beet juice when we got back to Julio and Diana's place.  Want to know more about the healing power of raw diet juices?  Julio has read the book and can helpfully explain the principles and benefits and that if you don't like it "...you're a p-ssy."  *reader note:  all quotes in this blog are misquotes

We headed over to the historic Castro Theater to see Alice in Wonderland, checked out a nice garden store/nursery, and then made our way over to Golden Gate Park.  I had requested to see the big windmill after reading about it in Via, the AAA magazine which I read every month (no I'm not 87 years old why do you ask).  There were lots of tulips and poppies and tall twisty cypress trees.  That part of the park is right next to Ocean Beach and we checked out the Beach Chalet but it looked pretty packed.  

Since it was closing in on dinner time we decided to get a pizza from Golden Gate Pizza.  They make pizzas with Indian veggies on top and the option of korma on the side which I learned makes a great (yet messy) dipping sauce.  We enjoyed our pizza on the uncharacteristically mild beach.  Again, perfect temperature just like the night before and not even windy.  It was a great impromptu picnic.  

Earlier in the day when we were making our way across the city to the park we happened past Corona Heights Park.  Alex suggested we head back there after the picnic.  It turned out that this place afforded us incredible 360 degree views of the city at the height of magic hour.  Dave and I both had cameras and had a great time photographing our friends.

Afterward we had a nice evening with some wine, olives and dou miao.  This is such a good city for roaming, eating, listening and seeing and I'm lucky to have such good company as my guides.  

Dedications:
A Leonard Cohen song
A Sigur Ros song

PS: link mashup!
Is it cool if I come over and use your pool sometime?
Sure, you can join us in the garage for some brats after your swim
but I'm warning you our family gets pretty crazy after a few beers

oh fudge

In 2009 I made a fudge recipe from Cook's magazine- 15 minute fudge.  The consistency was right, but the flavor was too dark for me.  I like dark chocolate, but when I think of fudge I think of the fudge we used to get on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore.  It was soft and had a creamy milk chocolate flavor.  I thought that maybe in this case, the less-refined tastes of the allrecipes crowd might better help me in my quest to find the kind of fudge I was looking for.  I was right.  Their top fudge recipe, cutely titled Aunt Teen's Creamy Chocolate Fudge, has over 1200 reviews with an average 4.5 rating.  It looked simple enough, and close to the recipe on the jar of Fluff that has tantalized me for years.  The first few reviews provided important tips- zap the jar of fluff for 10 seconds before scraping it into the pot, use a sturdy pot, a wooden spoon, a candy thermometer (the original recipe doesn't call for cooking it to a temperature and if I hadn't used one I'm positive my fudge would not have set), and interestingly- do not make on a rainy day.  High humidity prevents fudge from setting properly.  I wonder how this works at the Jersey Shore then, but I seem to remember that the candy stores are always cranking the AC so maybe that's their trick.

I'm always paranoid about heat when making candy.  Start off too high and you're screwed in no time.  But apparently I started waaaaay too low.  I was stirring for-e-ver and nearly gave up several times.  My arm was going to fall off if I had to stir much longer.  Why wouldn't that thermometer stay clipped to the side of the pot like it's supposed to?  Why is it taking so long for the temperature to creep up?  I decided to slowly increase the heat from a 5 to a 7 and then finally it reached 240 degrees.  I removed the pot from the heat and dumped in my chocolate chips.  Guess what?  MORE STIRRING.  I stirred forever.  Then in went the nuts and vanilla extract and I poured the lovely creamy mixture into my pan.  I licked the spoon- I could tell it would be great as long as it set.  It said that it would take two hours to set in the fridge, but when I impatiently touched it after an hour and a half I was excited to find that it was perfect. 

Ingredients

• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line an 8x8 inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 5 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches about 240 degrees F, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and pour in chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.