cuteness

Meet Ben's new niece! Her name is Naomi and she is quite possibly the cutest, chubbiest baby on the planet.



Check out those sausage arms. She looks like a tiny pink Michelin Man.



I'm sort of coveting the baby onesie. So comfy. Maybe all those ridiculous adult lady-rompers on the Spring runways have merit....



This is what happens when the baby is left alone with one of us in a cafe: She comes out clutching a 1-pound bag of beans and addicted to caffeine. The expression on Naomi's face says, "I could really go for a double soy latte right about now." I feel you, girl.

birthday baking

Recipe adapted from Orangette. I didn't have the almonds, so I used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp. almond extract.

This cake is always a crowd-pleaser (or, rather, a Ben-pleaser). A combination like blueberries with lemon zest, or fresh cranberries and orange zest and/or almond extract, can work really well too . I like a cake that can change with the seasons.

market lunch

We returned home from our Saturday trip to Findley Market loaded with goodies. I love making food when the kitchen is full of fresh things. But for some reason, cooking right after shopping is a bit of a turn-off for me, especially when it's all humid and gross out. So we took inspiration from both the weather and our favorite Celebrity Chef.

First Course:



Silken tofu with soy sauce and scallions.

Entree:



Yellowfin tuna marinated in soy and seared. We used scallions again, but the fish would be great with toasted sesame seeds too. This was the Jamie Oliver contribution -- I love his food but don't always love watching him on-screen. Have you ever noticed how he misuses the word "literally" all the time? As in: "I'm going to literally chop this onion and put it in the pan." Drives. Me. Crazy.

On the side:



Salad of roasted corn, avocado, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, s&p. The corn was roasted on top of our gas stove.



Quite a yummy meal, I must say. It was also a good display of how Ben and I divide work in the kitchen. I chop; he sears; I wash; he dries; I boss; he lets me think I'm boss.

we are delinquents

To our one dedicated remaining reader (Camille...is that you?), you deserve a shiny gold star. If a blog could be mangy or overgrown with weeds, this one would be. The lack of posts is due to a few factors. Sheer laziness is at the top of the list. To that you can also add: incessant traveling, the stress of house-hunting in Vermont, and, once again, lack of will. Excuses, excuses.

But we've been having fun during these early weeks of summer. First up was a trip back to the Bay Area. My sister was graduating from Berkeley with her MA in Statistics and our friends Camilo and Dalia were getting married. Two outstanding reasons to hop on a plane.



Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures at both of those momentous Life Events. Sigh. Instead, all I have to offer is pictures from a very fun dinner out in the Mission with Ian, Jenny, Kate, and Dan.





That's Ben explaining exactly what library music is. Actually, I have no idea what the conversation was about but I love Dan's intent expression (Judge Judy would say that he has his "listening ears" on) and Ian's bemused one.

pdx

hello all. apologies for the prolonged silence. things around here have been a bit hectic, and the blog was among the first casualties. we've been interviewing for new jobs, writing, and grading exams (ugh).

but we did find time for a getaway to portland, oregon, one of our favorite cities anywhere.



we made the ace hotel downtown our headquarters. imagine a vintage northwestern hunting lodge run by hip librarians. the decor was industrial flophouse chic meets readymade magazine. staying there made us feel kind of like characters in a gus van sant movie.

our agenda for the trip was pretty simple.

number one: drink good coffee.



number two: eat good food.



potato and spinach quiche from half & half. their scones were also crowdpleasers.



the great wall of bread at saint honore.

we had dinner one night at a great little restaurant called le pigeon. we were celebrating something special (see below). i went all vintage julia child and ordered the beef bourguignon; ben ate bunny rabbit. hoppy easter!

number three: experience some nature to work off the aforementioned buttery baked goods.



portland has two beautiful public gardens that sit on a hillside overlooking the city. the rose garden was still hibernating but was lovely nonetheless. the japanese garden was amazing. little pavilions, waterfalls, koi, mossy rocks. ben got so zenned out by the atmosphere, he felt compelled to strike a yoga pose.



number four: drink more coffee.



and number five, the best of all: get engaged!

Valentine's Day Treats

Please welcome the new addition to our household. Her name is "Tray." According to her little bio tag, she has three brains (one in each horn), likes blueberry pie, and is always hungry. Hmmmm. I wonder why Ben picked this particular Ugly Doll for me.



Tray and I also have another hobby in common: We like to nap.



I couldn't help buying a treat for myself. Red shoes are an appropriate self-Valentine, I think.

"you know, for your tonkatsu sauce"

Before I joined the ranks of the gainfully employed, Ben and I used to have lunch together pretty much every day. But now that I have to eat at my desk (sad), the key to a good afternoon or a bad one usually rests with what my lunch is like. We've gotten into the habit of making bentos. Well, I should say that Ben's been making bentos for me. I'm a lazy git, particularly after dinner. This salad made with leftover ginger roasted chicken, tomatoes, and cucumbers was especially good.



Yum.

What's that you say? You're wondering about the dressing, eh? We all know that naked salads suck. Ben's mom to the rescue. Noni gave us this little container that's perfect for the purpose of holding vinaigrette. [It looks huge in the photo below but it actually fits in the palm of your hand.] And when I bring my deep fried Japanese pork cutlets to school -- as one does -- it'll hold my tonkatsu sauce.



I'd just like to know what "Proo" means....

moodboard

Here are some images, more for reference than anything else really. I can't remember where they came from, wink.

reading, virtually

Here are two newish Japanese design books, the first of which, on Swedish graphic designer Olle Eksell, my sister gave me for Christmas. I hadn't heard of Eksell before, but I must leaf through this book just about every day now. He has this home-spun folk modernist thing going on that's very similar to Charley Harper. I also find the Sweden/Japan design nexus really interesting. I had known that Scandinavian designers like Lotta Jansdotter have a huge fan base in Japan -- last time I was there, Kinokuniya Books in SF Japantown had a few Japanese-language books on her -- so it's nice to see earlier designers like Eksell finally getting a look in. The second reading experience features Hirochi Eguchi's World Paperback Design, which assembles cover illustrations from all over the world. You can find more info on Eksell here and Eguchi here. Have a nice flip through. bg

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Is it a faux pas to rent the DVD that they're playing on the TV in the video store? I guess not when there's nobody else in the store. Also not when the movie in question is a stylish late-60s affair with awesome music that just got released on DVD. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968) is in some sense an "issues" film about, among other things, disability, class, and race in the American south. The handling of these issues, despite a fine performance by Alan Arkin, feels a bit rote. But wow is the film nice to look at. A young, slightly elfin Sondra Locke makes her debut here, and she looks straight out of the pages of the Spring/Summer A.P.C. look book. She cuts a kind of tom-boyish pixie figure, strong and plucky. Actually, Locke eerily resembles Stephen Malkmus. The film also has a very classy soundtrack by David Grusin. Check the clip for some moog stylings.

a-choo!

Ben's sister Akemi made me these Lotta Jansdotter-inspired tissue holders for Christmas. I'm in love with the fabrics, a combo of vintage and Ikea. What is it about mustard yellow and grey that looks so good?

dedicated foolios of fashion

Last week, Joyce and I were walking around Hayes Valley in SanFrancisco. We emerged from absentmindedness to find a woman thrusting a camera in our face and asking about our fashion influences. Uh...eh? We feared she was some sort of foot fetishist [she took photos of our shoes], but she explained that she was a blogger interested in SF street fashion. Quite pleased with ourselves, we posed for some ridiculous photographs and free-associated some complete nonsense in answer to her questions. Have a look for yourself -- it's really quite remarkable. If anyone has any idea just what the hell I'm blathering on about, please let me know. All jesusbugs readers have a right and responsibility to make fun of us for this. If you're bored at work, take a moment to peruse some of the other fashion victims. It's like Buffalo Exchange central casting. bg

chocolate & zucchini

Don't you love getting gifts in the mail? Yesterday this cookbook arrived from my awesome cousin Camille who lives in LA. We share an affinity for food and fashion, and Chocolate and Zucchini is a blog we both read. The woman who writes it leads what appears to be the perfect life. She lives in Paris, has cute "French girl" hair, and enjoys success as a published author. All at the age of 27. I hate her.



Just kidding, Clotilde! I love you and your recipes. Especially this yogurt cake that I tried out today. The recipe was dead simple -- I just cut the finished cake into two layers and added raspberry jam. Delicious. Even as I write, Ben is eating the piece pictured below. [Please note: no butter jesus was harmed in the making of this cake.]



Camille herself is starting up a new site. Wallflour is devoted to yummy food and chilled-out entertaining. Her writing is funny, sarcastic, and very smart. And her dog Guinness may be the most adorable canine on the planet. jm

Butter Jesus

You know you are back in Ohio when you see a huge statue of Jesus made out of what looks like dairy product. This is the Solid Rock megachurch between Cincinnati and the airport in Dayton, featuring a huge bust of Jebus emerging from the water. It kind of looks like he is made of butter. Joyce took two photos from the car. Here is the second one. Thank you Jebus!

leap year

Happy New Year! We are now restored to health, or what passes for health, after a rainy but relaxing stay in California. Thanks to the hospitality of our friends and family we enjoyed ourselves a great deal. In fact I enjoyed myself a full day longer than I was supposed to as the rain resulted in a canceled flight back to Cincinnati. Some highlights included baby holding (Hi Sofia!), cat petting (Hi Puma!), eating, record shopping, more eating...uh...er...what else did we do exactly? I can't really remember but it was great just spending time with our dearly missed friends. And eating good sushi and Mexican food. Now, some photos.

El Vino did flow. Our friends Jenny and Ian threw a lovely New Years party featuring a sidecar recipe that will live in infamy.









I believe this is Ian making said drink. I don't know what was stronger, the drink or the way Ian looks in that beard. Young Ian also gets credit for the photo of me and Joyce above.














Joyce has more photos on her flickr page, but here are some highlights.










Ben's doing his best "Rear Window" / stalker impression: