Prune and Armagnac

November 03, 2016 by Sarah in Dessert, Ice Cream

I have never been a big booze-in-my-dessert fan. Likely this reflects the vestiges of my college years, during which Jell-o vodka shots reigned supreme and none of us was drinking bourbon for the taste of it. But, luckily, I have a husband who has made it his mission to help me get my drink on. He is a professional hobbyist at drink-mixing and wine-pairing and is always coming home from otherwise-related grocery runs with the words, "I found a bottle of this cool [insert libation here] we need to try..." trailing from his lips.

We go together like...

October 13, 2016 by Sarah in Dessert, Weeknight, Bars

Sar,

Being an adult can really suck sometimes. Sure it's great that we get to own a home, have amazing kids, and make our own dentist appointments (yayyyyy), but being an adult also means we have to make like, real life adult decisions. And we are definitely at the point in our lives where we see our dear friends make the decision to move home to be closer to family.

Plum Cake

September 26, 2016 by Sarah in Breakfast, Tea, Dessert

This last weekend Tygh and I spent at our college reunion. While my friends from college and I make a concerted effort to do something yearly, either as ladies only or with the families in tow, there's something about going back to your college stomping grounds that invokes the most poignant nostalgia.

Expert Parenting

September 19, 2016 by Sarah in Cake, Dessert

I've been reading all these parenting books lately. As you know from past posts, things are not totally smooth on the parenting front and I'm struggling. Struggling to figure out how to be a loving, calm parent when my Jewish instincts make me want to rant and rave for all sorts of non-emergent reasons. I am not a naturally very patient person (no doubt, a surprise to everyone) and Harvey is testing the absolute limits of my sanity. Plus, June is needing a little more from her parents right now - it seems kids cycle through this, doesn't it? - where she is more emotional, friable, and easily frazzled (shit, have I done this??).

So, in my spare time, I've been devouring tips and tools - from every expert in the field to our next door neighbors. Here is what I am learning:

So Hot Right Now

September 09, 2016 by Sarah in Dessert, Breakfast

Hey, Sar!

We've been in our new house for two months now and let me tell you... I am in heaven. We have functional family living space, an office for Chris (office, pfffffft - try dark room in the back of the house where he can watch nerdy sci-fi movies and play video games), and an amazing safe and quiet neighborhood. After living in a 595 square foot condo with a shared closet, then an old home built in 1918 on a busy street, I am thrilled. I love coming home everyday and have become a total hermit, err, homebody. But the road to bliss was long, paved with uncertainty in a crazy real estate market, and not to mention 37 days of living with my parents on their 6-acre homestead (not that I was counting. Mom, if you are reading this, I love you). And, seriously, what is it about pregnancy and the impending second child that makes one think, "Hey, this is a great time to move!!" And, let's not even talk about the gawd-awful Seattle real estate market.

Seconds

February 25, 2016 by Sarah in Cake, Dessert

The second child thing is funny. In some ways, they have it better - you’ve learned something from the first go-round, and now, you have two, so you have less time to hover anxiously and disinfect pacifiers.

The second one gets to watch Broad City while nursing, suck on tortilla chips before they have teeth and be held by any number of kind strangers offering to help as you try to help your toddler-aged first child in a public bathroom while dripping an Ergo baby carrier off your aching shoulders (not sure this last one is an upside for the kid, but it helped me out tremendously).

Plus, you’ve done this before – now you’re an old hand at it – so Second Kid gets the way-less-stressed-much-cooler version of the parent you were with the first (case in point: Harvey ate shit the other day. Like, literally put some dog shit in his mouth. The kids were playing outside and I was sort of spacing out - something I never did when overseeing June as a toddler. At first, I thought it was a rock so I just casually sauntered over to him and told him to spit it out. When he did, and I realized what it was, I scooped him up frantically hollering at June to bring in the sidewalk chalk ‘cause I was going to have to cart him inside to bleach out his mouth. Did I call Poison Control? Maybe…).

Time to Make the Donuts

February 14, 2016 by Sarah in Dessert, Breakfast

It’s probably time I tell you that I’ve never been a huge fan of the raised donut (doughnut?) – at least as a breakfast food. Warm sugar-covered fried dough served to me after a full meal? Fine. But, when I’m hungry, raised donuts are just too light; it takes, like, 3 to fill to me up and I’m not sure that falls under anyone’s definition of “in moderation.” Cake donuts, however, are a different story. Old fashioned glazed are probably my favorite (which, it turns out, are often double fried, so I guess that fits) but plain old cake donut is a very close second, particularly when they are of the powdered sugar variety.

No Time to Say "Hello," Goodbye!

November 22, 2015 by Sarah in Holiday, Dessert

Thanksgiving showed up fast, didn’t it? And suddenly all of the food I’ve been dreaming about all year has to suddenly appear on the table so I can eat it, a bucket of Zantac at my side (my cousins genius contribution).

Which means I have little time for chatter.

Punkins

October 26, 2015 by Sarah in Dessert, Vegan, Cake

So, Tygh and I have officially – and permanently – decided we are done having kids. Two is it for us. I maybe would have considered 3, but then likely he or she would have had to be raised by wolves, because Tygh and I are already stretched to the max for child-rearing time.

I was a little sniffly at first (how can this part of my life already be over?) but then I woke up from 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and thought, nah, good decision.