The Metaphorical Magpie

Five Senses Friday

This edition spans a few weeks of sensory goodness

See:

A woman with an expensive baby carriage start to walk over a bridge while a group of men who have a camp under the bridge talked below- this juxtapostion has haunted me all week

fuschia flowers on my Christmas cactus

our new prelit Christmas tree ready for action in the living room

300 people gathered to celebrate the grand opening of A Better World Cafe, where I am the chef/manager

Media coverage of the cafe from The Star-Ledger and ABC Eyewitness News

beautiful mixture of greens- oakleaf lettuce, red russian kale, green lettuces, beet greens

colorful salad of beet, pumpkin, green bean, red onion, feta and walnut salad

sun streaming into the kitchen during morning prep

The process of Sweets designing our holiday cards

my mother's Fiestaware collection

Bruno

Food Inc.

The Golden Compass

Merlin, the white cat from the neighborhood, lounging in our garden

Smell:

roasting carrots

rosemary, oregano, sage and thyme

ground ginger

pumpkin gone bad (not a good smell. eew)

Taste:

Vegetarian shepherds pie- lentil base topped with sweet potato crust

cranberry orange relish the way Grams used to make it

pasta with white beans, chicken, roasted acorn squash, scallions and herbs

almond croissant made by our culinary students

really good wonton soup

pumpkin whoopie pies

sweet potato-pumpkin pie topped with pecans

horseradish pickles from Picklicious

Yancey's Fancy habanero & jalepeno  cheddar

amazing bread

Hear:

The Big Pink

falling rain

sad news that a friend's mother has passed

happy news that a friend and his wife are expecting their first child

an invitation to dinner

compliments about the cafe's food

family voices on long distance calls 

convection oven's blower

pages tearing from a magazine

Feel:

vintage table linens

heavy piles of magazines for recycling

christmas tree branches

wedges of brie

loaves of homemade bread

wool sweaters and chenille socks

Seriously Thankful

The year beginning last Thanksgiving to today has been tumultuous for us with a  job change for Sweets and a complete career change for me. There were bumps in the road, times I felt unsure I was doing the right thing but it has all worked out.

For that, I am seriously thankful today.

And for much, much more:

having Sweets as my amazing, adorable and uber-talented husband. he rocks my world every day.

my friends for all their support and love

our families

the opportunity to go to culinary school and have a dream job offered to me

feeling myself become part of a community

having so many people share their knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise with me

the gift of free time for reading, thinking, growing

having more than we need and the ability to pass some things on to those who are in need

the library and it's huge collection of cookbooks for me to pore over eagerly

the harvest from our garden

I, too, am thankful for:

pajamas and aprons, warm socks and cute hats

smoked spanish paprika and cumin, cilantro, ginger and lime

farmers who grow organically

dark chocolate, bacon and coffee

memories of my grandparents

birds visiting our yard

poppies, rose of sharon, lilacs and roses

the butt warmer in my Volkswagen

shows that make me laugh: 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family

still having Quentin with me 

tasty cheeses and a local cheesemonger I trust

Princeton Record Exchange

Freecycle

a blog to come home to and my blog friends all over the world

a good president

Acoustic version of Last Dance by The Raveonettes with interview discussing what I love about them most, the juxtapostion of a light melody with dark content.

Queen for a Day: Celebrating Susanna

We're having a blog party today to celebrate Susanna Gordon, the amazing artistic creator of the Winged Messenger and blogger at Susanna's Sketchbook. I am very lucky to call Susanna a friend and was so happy when I first got an email weeks ago about doing something to honor her. The buzz began to build as a group of bloggers who have been touched by her messengers began to work together, busy like bees coming back to the hive with honey. There have been volleys of emails, polls, wild and fanciful suggestions and most importantly a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation for what Susanna does.

It has been so hard keeping this blog party a surprise. Especially  because I'm having dinner with Susanna tonight! When she invited me last night I almost keeled over with the giggles. I can not wait to see her reaction to all the blog love today.

I met Susanna for the first time last year at a blogger's get together. She told me about her winged messengers project. I was so curious to see what they looked like and how she made them. A few months later, I had the opportunity to try out for a  spot to take a video training bootcamp. We had to submit a short video piece to apply. Remembering Susanna, I thought this was the perfect time to exercise my curiosity. When I got in touch with her, she generously invited me over to let me interview her and then she showed me the process she goes through to make the messengers. Finally, we went over to the local train station where I documented her releasing a few into the wild.

The concept of guerilla art based in kindness and encouragement for strangers was something I hadn't experienced before. Watching Susanna work, I was hooked.

Based on the tape I submitted, I was accepted into the video program. So it is thanks to Susanna and her messengers that I learned that skill. Unfortunately, that tape was never returned so I can not share it here. Over the last year, I've left my job as a journalist and moved into the culinary field. Susanna has been so supportive of me in the last year.

I try to support her and her art, too. Whenever we get together, I am always bugging her about new ways to spread her message. A book? A non-profit? A world wide winged migration?

It thoroughly pleases me to know so many more people have also been moved and inspired by Susanna's art and spirit. Please follow the blog roll to see the posts of the others celebrating today's blog party.

Thank you, Susanna for just being you.

What's inspiring me right now

I found a post from just about two years ago listing my current inspirations. It is interesting that some things continue to inspire me, like acorns, while cotton fields have long moved from my consciousness.

Right now, these things are inspiring me most:

* My friend, Ally and her husband Tim, just launched the beautiful website Real Honeymoons. Their first honeymoon story is their own, destination: Buenos Aires. If you're planning a honeymoon, vacation or just plain want to live vicariously through the eyes of people flush with love, stop by and visit the site. If you had a fantastic honeymoon you'd like to share, let them know about it.

Maple leaves - have you noticed the variety?

This make your own envelope video tutorial from Amy Karol of Angry Chicken. Genius in its simplicity. My first attempt went out to my pen pal. More will most certainly be made. 

Moss

Rubber stamps. I went through a phase several years ago but dropped them. I bought some new ink pads and seasonal stamps. I'm experimenting with stationary for the pen pal.

smoked paprika

juxtaposition of gold and fuschia

mini pumpkin pies

subway memorabilia

brushed nickel

artisan bread

trading

french onion soup

working in a vintage apron

cooking for vegans

naps

pine cones 

hawks

Enjoying autumn by the hour

I've been work, work, working and then working a wee bit more the last few weeks. When the alarm goes off it is dark outside and cold in the house. When I come home, it is usually dark already once more. The moments I spend in the light are fleeting but savored. I drive across the Raritan River each day on the way to the cafe. Seeing the view each time makes me gasp a little. Huge swatches of gold bump up against the blue sky. This past week I've been so inspired by nature's last push for color. The maples are scarlet and orange. Bushes sing out in fuschia melodies as the oaks and elms provide the harmony.

Autumn is my season. 

We are making big batches of golden hued butternut squash soup, scarlet roasted beets and pumpkin cupcakes for the cafe. I want people to taste autumn in all it's glory inside each mouthful.

Yesterday we drove around leaf peeping and then rested in a rose garden surrounded by beautiful trees. A rambunctious beagle puppy ran to us to say hello. I think autumn brings out the best and brightest in all of us. We feasted on guinness dipped onion rings,  fancy  burgers and milkshakes and then watched scary movies until I fell asleep on the couch.

The clocks fell back last night. That makes today one of my favorite days of the year. How delicious is that gift of an extra hour. I wandered between luscious laziness and productivity. Between making Manhattan clam chowder, a pear cranberry cake, baked sweet potatoes and a lamb meatloaf, I managed to read half a novel while snuggled up with Quentin on the couch, harvest leeks and herbs in the garden, catch up with my bad girl posse, do laundry and start setting aside some things for a family that is about to make a fresh start.

I wonder how you used your extra hour today?