Slice of Pink

Paperless Post

Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to a classy site for sending invitations and greeting cards over the Internet. Of course, nothing beats sending mail the old fashioned way (by snail!), but this is a lovely alternative when you absolutely must correspond technologically.

Just look at these lovely invitation designs:

I needed to put together an email invitation recently and wanted something classier than the old Evite sites that I'm used to using. Paperless Post has been a breeze to use and it is dutifully keeping track of all the accepts and regrets for me like a loyal personal assistant. You have to have "stamps" to send the cards, which you can earn for free or purchase at extremely low rates. Plus, you get 25 stamps just for signing up. Hooray for pretty technology!

Me and Martha and My Friends

A couple of my favorite-ever blog friends have joined me in the Me and Martha Project, so we are all trying out recipes, crafts, and other goodies from the pages of Martha Stewart Living.

Rachael prepared Chicken Pot Pies and Chocolate Creme Brulee {February Issue}.

Jennie tried Martha-recommended Essie Topless & Barefoot Nail Polish, made Cork Stamped Greeting Cards, and whipped up a batch of Lemon Salt Scrub {March Issue}.

And, just in case you missed my projects, I made Chewy Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Cookies, hosted a Valentine Crafternoon, drank some Fantastic Fizz, and made Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup {February Issue}.

Care to join us in feeling fabulously and stylishly domestic?

Me and Martha: Chewy Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Cookies

I completed my final Martha and Me task from the February issue of Martha Stewart Living: Chewy Chocolate Chunk-Cherry Cookies.

These cookies were a disaster. I don't know what I did wrong, but they did not look AT ALL like the picture and instead were super buttery (read: oily) in a not-so-attractive way. Which would have been fine if they tasted amazing, which they didn't.

Maybe I didn't refrigerate the dough long enough. Actually, to be more clear, I DID NOT refrigerate the dough long enough, but I refrigerated it mostly long enough and would cookie dough really know the difference between 45 minutes of refrigeration and one hour of refrigeration?

Maybe I did not beat the eggs or the sugar or the butter for the proper length of time.

Maybe it's Martha and not Me. The commenters seem to agree that the recipe is terrible, so I'll happily pass the blame.

In any event, I threw all the cookies in the trash, but here's the recipe if you want to give it a go.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed light-brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (2 1/2 cups)
8 ounces dried cherries (1 1/2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Beat butter and sugars until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then flour mixture. Beat in chocolate and cherries. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

2. Roll dough into 1 3/4-inch balls (about 3 tablespoons each), and arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake until edges are golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets set on wire racks for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks; let cool completely.

Me and Martha (and Jenna and Stacey): Valentine Crafternoon

By far, my favorite article in the February issue of Martha Stewart Living is the Valentine's Crafternoon article, in which a group of talented crafters came together to make handmade Valentines. The results were stunning and, if you are looking to create handmade Valentine cards this year, you might want to check out the ideas.

Two of my favorite SLO gals, Jenna and Stacey, and I decided to host our own Valentine Crafternoon on Saturday, which was the day our husbands had planned an overnight trip to Santa Cruz to play volleyball. Or, well, maybe they planned the trip after we decided to host the Crafternoon, deciding that glue sticks + pink paper + scalloped scissors + yards of ribbon + mimosas sounded like way more girly-ness than they could possibly handle. Either way, with the guys off in Santa Cruz, we lounged all day in my kitchen cutting and pasting.

Stacey brought her waffle iron--an industrial sort that makes giant Belgian-style waffles. Jenna, the artist, brought loads of crafting supplies. And I, doing what I do best, supplied a giant bottle of champagne and orange juice.

We seriously got our craft on.

In four hours I made a grand total of four cards and they aren't even that impressive. I blame the mimosas. When we got hungry again, after hours of glue sticking, we walked to High Street Deli for the 4:20 sandwich special. I'm not sure Martha would approve (she suggested gourmet pizza sandwiches in the article, which are less, um, hefty than the High Street variety) but the kitchen was already plastered in waffle batter and caramel sauce. You should never have to clean a kitchen twice in the same day is my policy.

Check it out: one of my longest blogging friends, the talented Rachael, is also going to embark on a Me and Martha series and I am so excited to see how it goes! Girls who love glitter unite!

Me and Martha: Fantastic Fizz

The February issue of Martha Stewart Living instructed me to drink some Lambrusco, which the magazine described as the "love child of wine and Champagne." I've loved Lambrusco since I turned 21 and started drinking it at the Olive Garden in my hometown. I haven't been to an Olive Garden in ages, but it was $4.95 a glass back then, which is precisely what a whole bottle of the same brand cost at the market.

Last week, I picked up a bottle at Martha's suggestion and it was just as fantastic as I recall, a very easy to drink, slightly fizzy wine. I bought whatever brand was available at Trader Joe's but Martha's test kitchen found the perfect Lambrusco after the issue went to print, so you might want to try there.

Me and Martha: Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup

My first Me and Martha project and I failed to get a photo! I had the camera out and everything, but just as I was about to snap some shots, the tops of the homemade jalapeño poppers that I was making simultaneously flew off, hit the bottom of the oven, and caused massive smoke to fill the kitchen (i.e. multi-tasking: why I shouldn't do it). This was the sign that the poppers were done and so I promptly forgot all about the clementine photo shoot and sat down to enjoy my cream cheese stuffed peppers.

Anyway! The Clementines in Cinnamon Syrup are delicious and super simple. You don't even need a photo because the whole thing is basically sliced citrus in a bowl with a clear syrup over the top, which I am pretty sure you can imagine. Got the idea? Super. If you like fancy, imagine a cinnamon stick in the bowl. Perfect. What's the point of even taking photos when I have all of you and your spectacular imaginations?

Here's all you need:

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
8 clementines, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

1. Bring water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a simmer in a small saucepan.

2. Arrange clementines in a large bowl. Pour warm syrup over top. Let stand for at least 30 minutes.

3. Divide clementines and syrup among four bowls.

That's it! Martha informs me the Clementines are in season, so it's the perfect time to make these.

Me and Martha

The February issue of Martha Stewart Living, full of pink and hearts and chocolate desserts, is always my favorite issue of the year. The 2011 edition arrived last week and my inclination was to do what I do every month--flip briefly through the pages, make a joke or two about how I will not be doing any of the crafts/cooking/cleaning suggested, and then store the magazine in the giant plastic container that houses my 10-plus year collection of Martha Stewart magazines.

This issue, though, I am going to take on a new challenge. I am going to complete four items in the issue, one per week for the next four weeks, and I'll tell you all about the successes and (more likely) failures of living Martha-style. Don't get too excited--I'll probably choose the more simple items to craft and cook (I think one needs to ease into this sort of thing, although the chocolate Baked Alaska is looking pretty delicious).

If I completely fail at all four tasks, I'll face the reality that I'm never going to be Martha, cancel my subscription, and donate my collection to charity. Let's do this, Martha.

Pink Lady Cake

A few weeks ago, my friend Sarah posted a request on her Facebook wall. She needed a pink recipe for her corridor's Iron Chef competition. I quickly suggested Smitten Kitchen's Pink Lady Cake, which I have been wanting to make forever. She made the cake for the contest--and SHE WON! Sweet. Congrats Sarah!

Now that the recipe has been tested--and is award winning--I'm gonna have to try it!

***

Speaking of sweets, my next Laughing Cow contest is up. That's another chance to win $150. If you win this round, you'll be required to buy the ingredients for a Pink Lady Cake and then invite me over for a slice when you have it baked.

Blueberry Cow

Mostly, when a Martha Stewart Living magazine arrives, I casually thumb through it, laugh at all the things I so obviously am not going to do, and then toss the copy into one of the TWO extra large plastic bins that store my 15-plus year collection. Yes, I subscribed to Martha Stewart as a teenager, presumably thinking I would turn into a gourmet-cooking-holiday-decorating-fitted-sheet-folding-spring-cleaning type of wife. Clearly, I was a deluded child.

But, every so often, something in the magazine catches my eye and I think, okay, that might actually be kinda cool and it won't require an entire afternoon of stringing glass beads onto wire or making trips to multiple specialty store for unheard of ingredients, so I'll give it a go.

Case in point: Blueberry Cows!

Here's how {from the May 2010 issue}:

Prepare blueberry syrup: Stir together two cups blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves and berries release their juices (10 to 12 minutes). Strain syrup, discard solids. Refrigerate until cool.

(Except that I don't have one of those fine mesh strainers, which, as you might imagine makes straining the syrup a bit of a messy situation. Which is also how I found out that blueberry syrup? Stains countertops!)

Prepare drink: Pour two tablespoons syrup into a chilled glass. Add two scoops vanilla ice cream. Drizzle with an additional tablespoon syrup. Top with seltzer water.

(Except that impatience got the better of me and I did not wait until the syrup was fully cooled. It was still delicious. Also, chilled glasses? Please).

It's a good thing. Seriously.

Glittens

I received two pairs of glittens for Christmas--a thick, cozy pair from my sister and a thin, dressier pair from Will.

I know most of you don't have the same sorts of problems that I do, but in case you are looking to keep your hands warm while simultaneously applying mascara and eating a English muffin on your bicycle, these fingerless glove-mitten hybrids are so the way to go.

April and Will both gave me a cream-colored pair but, for variety, I decided to return one of the cream pairs for a black pair. My local J. Crew didn't have a black pair in stock, and they were sold out online, so the lovely folks at J. Crew went on a company-wide search to find the last unsold pair of black glittens in the United States. They pulled it off (I am so impressed!) and today I received my new pair in the mail, along with four pennies (change? a difference in the sales tax?).

Reindeer Food

I happen to know exactly what Santa's reindeer like to eat! Do you? I learned the secret from my sister-in-law.

Every year we gather at Will's mom's house on Christmas Eve. We mix up an extra-large batch of reindeer food and sprinkle it all over the street outside the house. The reindeer can't resist our recipe and make a quick stop to deliver an early bag of gifts--matching pajamas for everyone!

What does it take to entice the reindeer to make a stop? Here's the recipe: one part oatmeal, one part of the sparkliest glitter you can find (red and gold are perfect!). We make at least five cups, which seems to do the trick.

Jellyfish

Will and I are not dressing up for Halloween this year. Well, technically, we are dressing up, but we are dressing up to go to the symphony, so it will be cocktail attire rather than costumes.

For next year, though: a jellyfish costume! How fabulous!

Julia + James

I just spent the last 40 minutes watching wedding first dance videos on You Tube. This one is my favorite so far:

Simplicity

I am currently prohibited from purchasing prints. Will says that I have too many unframed items lying around and until I get those items up on the walls (including a largeish Obama piece by Jonathan Hoefler), I can't continue to purchase more.

If I wasn't on restriction, this fabulous bicycle print by Nick Dewar is the next piece I'd buy.

Capucine and her Cro-co-deel

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo. This child, Capucine, is supremely delightful. See if you can help falling head over heels for this sweet girl. She's even made some little story magnets which support Edurelief. I put them on my Christmas list, but if I don't find them in my stocking next week, I'll order them myself.

Note to My Darling Husband

This is the birthday party I've always dreamed of.

Imagine your next private party inside a candy store! We create magical children’s birthdays complete with ballerinas, pony rides, storytelling, magicians or whatever your little one may dream of. In the evening-time the adults can socialize with cupcakes, cotton candy and champagne.

Yes, the cupcakes, the cotton candy, and the champagne. And, definitely (definitely!) the ballerina.

Face Time

{via Good Girl Gone Blog}

Cream Pie

I got out this month's issue of Martha Stewart Living to make some cracks about how I will not be making sour-cherry savarins (using, of course, my collection of savarin molds) or redecorating my entry in Dutch Colonial, but then I got stuck on the article about cream pies and fell in love with Martha all over again.

  

Chocolate-Caramel Cream Pie 


Lemon-Chamomile Cream Pie 

Espresso Cream Pie
 

Rum-Vanilla Cream Pie 

Summer Fruit Cream Pie
 

Butterscotch-Praline Cream Pie 

To be honest, I'm probably not going to make any of these cream pies, but I would like to encourage all of you to whip up one of these. And please, please invite me over.

Pink Goes {Green}

Have you heard? St. Patrick's Day is rescheduled this year.

The Pope says we need to celebrate on the 14th. Or maybe the 15th. Others say that Saint Patrick's Day will be on the 17th, as usual.

Some are going to resolve the dilemma by just starting the celebration today and partying through the 17th.

In other words, you are gonna need to be wearin' the green for the next few days. Thanks to Paper Pony, I have discovered Polyvore and have spent my entire lunch break building St. Patty outfits for you.

Like, for instance, this lovely outfit which includes a $12 green apple ring.

So, the jeans in this outfit are $200, but the shoes and the bangle are from Old Navy. Evens things out.

How about a little Lilly Pulitzer pink and green? Perfect for resort life, summer in the Hamptons, or St. Patrick's Day!

And, finally, this outfit, which I put together for you to wear out to a pub. Doesn't beer make such a good accessory?

Happy wearing o' the green. For the next four days.

Cozy and Confused

Do y'all get Martha Stewart Living magazine? Do y'all have this issue with the heart on the cover?

If so, I'd like you to go get your issue and turn to page 129. I'll wait.

Okay, you there?

See that there picture of those two mugs of cocoa with the title "Warmth?" Looks cozy, yes?

Now explain to me this: what does that title page (it is a title page, right?) have to do with the article following on supermarket flowers in unusual arrangements, which do not look warm at all?

This is keeping me awake at night. I need answers.

The Most Magical Holiday Ever

The holiday issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived today. Here is the list of things that I will NOT be doing this year, thus failing to create The Most Magical Holiday Ever.

Scent my home with homemade potpourri.

Serve spicy tuna tartare on waffle chips.

Create a centerpiece with crimson pomegranates, tiny Seckel pears, and assorted grapes.

Adjust my indoor lighting so that it is flattering to guests in the evening.

Hire an extra set of hands to help with serving and clean up.

Make Marcona Almond and Fleur de Sel Pralines.

Create a wreath from lemon butter fern and two types of maidenhair fern.

Make Roast Goose with Pomegranate Glaze.

Design rhinestone-studded snap-on necklaces for dogs.

Transform beads into dinner plate sized snowflake ornaments.

Start a collection of often-overlooked collectible reindeer by searching yard sales, flea markets, online auctions, and holiday antique fairs.

Anybody taking Martha up on these Most Magical Holiday Ever good things? Anybody? Anybody? Bueller?

Warped

Aren't you tired of windows, pictures, and doors ripping holes in your wallpaper patterns and disrupting the continuity? There is an answer.

More Pop Posters

More from The Poster List. I want to buy lots of these and hang them above my desk.

Type or Die! Have I ever mentioned that I don't know how to type? Really. I've been practicing on Dance Mat Typing over at the BBC, a program for 7 to 11 year olds, and, I swear to you, I just found out that those two raised dots on the J and F keys actually serve a purpose. My husband, while watching me peck away this weekend, actually said, "wow, I didn't realize you were that bad." Happily, I can now type the home row without looking and with minimal mistakes. Do you think I can type a torts midterm using only words comprised of the letters a, s, d, f, g, h, j, k, and l with the semicolon as my only punctuation?

Pop Posters

I swear that the pop posters from The Poster List were designed especially for me.

Bike or Die! I have hardly been in the car at all since we arrived in Davis, relying almost exclusively on my bicycle as transportation, even when I don't have to. Today I even biked in the rain. Or, well, right after the rain. There were some big puddles. Or the road was a little damp still. Whatever. The main thing to know is: rain, bike, me. I am a hardcore cyclist (if any hardcore cyclists ride pink bikes in skirts and heels).

Better World

I found Better World Shopper while hanging out at the local bookstore this evening. The idea--to provide people with a comprehensive and reliable account of the social and environmental responsibility of companies around the world--was created by a teacher at UC Davis and he has rated companies in hundreds of categories on a simple A to F grading scale, like this:

I am happy to report that I receive an A for the technology I use, the water I drink, and the ice cream I like, although the gas I buy and the crap I wash my hair with both receive a C mark.

It will be interesting to see how my grades change in the coming months. Davis is highly socially and environmentally responsible and there is not a Mall or a Walmart or a Target or a Costco in town.

A friend of mine, Drew, who attended UC Davis, joked that you had to drive out of town to buy a pair of underwear. And he's pretty much correct. Sure, you can buy high-end home goods, a Starbucks Coffee, couture clothing, an Electra cruiser, and lots of A+ rated goods, but you have to drive 15 miles to the next town to get a pair of panties.

Stylish Summer Reading

So, I assume y'all are enjoying some trashy summer novels? Download these fun, free Kate Spade Book Covers to hide what you're reading poolside. I'm totally covering my law books in these stylish wraps.

Also, watch the sweet short film Blondie while you're there.

Come On Now, Act Right

OMGG (Oh My Goodness Gracious), y'all need to go check out Y'all Behave, Sarah Foley's Senior Project for the School of Visual Arts. Be sure to join the club by tattling to her about all the misbehavin' going on around you.

It's time for a good manners revolution. Put on your charm and be nice now, you hear?

Trim the Tree

The December issue of Martha Stewart Living arrived in my mailbox a couple of days ago and I have been thumbing through it, looking for some fresh holiday ideas. I looked over Martha's holiday planner and, in case you didn't know, on Thursday you should be baking the fruitcakes and plum pudding, planting the paper whites for holiday blooms, writing your holiday newsletter, making your homemade gifts, mailing your overseas packages, and printing your holiday-card address lists. It's the first week of December and there is a lot to do, people! You have to get that crap done so you can move on to the pomanders of week two and the silverware polishing of week three.

How are you decorating your home for this wondrous season? Martha Stewart suggests Christmas Eve morning in a shimmery silver and mint with a quick change to rose and white for the night before Christmas, while Christmas morning would be vibrant in citrus hues complete with sunny arrangements of clementines, lemons, and kumquats. Me? Um, I think we're going with the traditional gold and red this year, because that is all the stuff I already own, although we will formally refer to my decor as neoclassical gold with crimson accents, thankyouverymuch.

I skipped over the entire article on oysters, as well as the cyclamen (colorful and cheery) article, but I am one hundred percent going to be making the cookie cottages, complete with a peppermint palace and woodsy hideaway. It's an activity for kids, so I am pretty sure I might be able to handle it.

Bake this Buoyant Meringue in your Charlotte Mold

I like how Martha Stewart refers to the desserts in this month’s issue as Dreamy.

I’m sure she means that they are delicate and heavenly, but I interpret this as:

Ile flottante with pistachio crème anglaise and a spun sugar crown? In your dreams, sucker.

She's Finally Catching On

The new issue of Martha Stewart Magazine, the one with the ridiculously fancy glitter Easter eggs on the cover, just arrived and I think it actually has some surprisingly reasonable spring activities in it. I even think Martha might be slacking a bit because, for once, I’m thinking I might be able to complete more than one assignment in the magazine.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s no way that I am going to make a sewing machine cover out of a tea towel or adorn my wooden valances with trompe l’oeil wallpaper borders. Wooden valances? Trompe l’oeil wallpaper? Huh?

Also, Fragrant Homemade Grass Soap which requires you to "cut a 5 inch square section from a flat of wheatgrass [and] pull out individual blades with roots attached and lay in a single layer on a sheet of blotting paper." Seriously? Who has time for this? I don't have time in the morning to pull out 15 individual wayward eyebrow hairs. Yeah. No.

BUT. Tangerine Chiffon Pie? Tangerine Chiffon Pie that calls for two cups store-bought juice? That’s something I can handle.

AND. Tequila-Soaked Sorbet? Tequila-Soaked Sorbet that has two ingredients, one of them being tequila, the other being sorbet? THIS is a good thing.

Straight up, people, there's a limeade recipe that calls for these ingredients: limes, sugar.

That's what I am talking about, Martha. That's what I'm talking about.

Fabulous Twenty-Six

It looks like twenty-six is going to be fabulous. And, if not fabulous, it will at least be well documented (and well dressed):

Not a Good Thing

I think the people at Martha Stewart Living have run out of ideas. These are actual articles and recipes in my July issue of Martha Stewart Living, which arrived in my mailbox five days after it arrived on magazine racks. What is the point of subscribing if you don’t get the shit before everyone else?

FRIED YUCA WITH LEMON
Finally, something to do with that pesky 5 pound of yuca.

COLLECTING: CORN HOLDERS
A collection for the corniest of collectors.

EARTHY AND APPEALING ADOBE
Okay, you start with some organic mud...

PAPAYA AND GRAPEFRUIT WITH YOGURT AND LEMON BALM
Is it a food or a spa treatment?

TOMATO, PEACH, AND HYSSOP SOUP
Great! Fresh hyssops are on sale this week at Vons!

And, finally, an answer to this reader’s question:
LAST SUMMER MY LAWN LOOKED TIRED AND BROWN. WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT ITS APPEARANCE THIS YEAR?
Uh, water it, birdbrain. Maybe a little fertilizer.

I think I'll go ahead and start answering Martha's questions. If you have a dilemma about your lawn or anything else, shoot me an email. This is easy!

Thank you, come again.